As the morning sun rose above the horizon, the dim landscape around Pallet town shined like gold as Tracy Sketchit's alarm made its daily wake-up call.
"Ring Ring Ring, Ring Ring Ring! Wake-up! Wake-up!" screamed the Pidgey-shaped alarm clock. Tracy crawled out of bed as he rubbed his eyes tenderly.
"Another day, another adventure", recited Tracy as he turned off the alarm. Within five minutes, Tracy had gotten dressed, brushed his teeth, and finished his morning routine before making his way down the stairs of Oak's family home.
He had been the great Pokémon Professor's assistant for several months now, but it still felt weird to wake up in someone else's home. He often thought about his family in the Orange Islands, wondering how they were. In his weekly calls back home, his mother and father would remind him how proud they were of his chosen career choice. However, he hadn't seen them in person for a long time, longer than his time in Oak's lab, and longer than his journey with Ash and Misty.
"Why, good morning Tracy", said a cheerful Professor Oak as the young lab assistant entered the professor's laboratory.
"You've got quite a handful of chores today, young man. The Pokemon outside need their daily Pokémon chow and I need you to run an errand for me. It's quite urgent," said the professor with a grin as if he knew something Tracy didn't know.
"Sure Professor, I'd be happy to help! After I finish feeding all the trainers' Pokémon I'll run the errand for you", said an enthusiastic Tracy before letting out a yawn. He was still groggy from yesterday's chores. He shuddered at the thought of giving another one of Ash's Tauros a bath or a haircut again.
The professor smiled and, picking up a letter off of his desk, read it for a moment before responding. "Thank you Tracy, although I am quite concerned that you might not be qualified for this task."
Tracy stopped himself from leaving out of surprise at his boss's condescending attitude. "What do you mean, professor?"
With a frown, Oak thought for a moment before responding. "For now, my boy, finish your chores and then I will tell you of my dilemma. This can wait for now until I make a few phone calls first."
After waving the matter off, Oak went back to work in his lab while Tracy went outside to feed the Pokémon. As eccentric as the professor could be, taking care of so many people's Pokémon had to be his weirdest quirk. As an unwritten rule, Oak allowed all trainers who have ever entered his lab a place to raise their Pokémon. Like a Pokémon Day Care Center or sanctuary, trainers could send their Pokémon to his lab and leave them there for an extended period of time. An artist like Tracy found it thrilling to have so many Pokémon to sketch, but to an average person, Oak's property was a zoo of hundreds of species of Pokémon.
Tracy opened up the orange-colored feed bin that contained the specialized chow that over a dozen species of Bird Pokémon were specifically allowed to eat. An unofficial subset of the Flying type, these Pokémon mostly included many Normal/Flying type Pokémon on the grounds.
A Dodrio rushed behind Tracy and was about to dive one of its three heads into the bin until its second head pecked at the first, causing all three to break into a fight. Tracy sighed at the sight as he watched the heads nearly tie themselves into a knot.
According to the Pokedex, each of Dodrio's heads had their own personality that often caused disputes between the heads. Tracy wondered whether or not this was true, since many Pokémon trainers often uploaded their own entries into the Pokedex. Oak had warned him not to take the entries to heart, since some of Kanto's Pokedex entries were based on old wives' tales.
"Dodrio! Dodrio!" screeched two of Dodrio's heads as the middle head choked the others into a knot. Tracy reached over and untied the middle head from the others before petting it.
"There you go," said Tracy as he scooped up some chow and filled up Dodrio's three food bowls on the ground. The Pokémon shrieked in thanks before pecking at its food.
With that, Tracy went about his business feeding the other trainers' various Pokémon that resided at Oak's property, including thirty Tauros that Ash Ketchum himself once caught at the Safari Zone in Kanto.
'Who needs that many Tauros anyway?' thought Tracy as he threw some hay into the feeding trough for them.
Many of the Pokémon that Tracy tended to belonged to his friend, Ash. He could see a Muk, a Snorlax, a Kingler, and a Bulbasaur playing at a nearby oak tree. Tracy knew these Pokémon well in the time he had worked there. He knew their temperament, personalities, and natures along with their preferred type of meals. Some of the trainer's Pokémon treated him as if he was their trainer. In fact, Ash's Muk would playfully tackle Tracy every chance it got, a privilege shared with Ash and the professor.
'He won't catch me this time', thought Tracy as he dumped the chow into Muk's bowl and ran away.
Finished with all of the Pokémon, Tracy ran back to the lab in an effort to not get caught by Muk. Oddly enough, he had not seen the Pokémon anywhere. Opening the sliding glass door, Tracy slid into the building and caught his breath.
"Well, that wasn't so hard", said Tracy to himself as he walked forward. Suddenly, Tracy felt a heap of slime pile up on his back, knocking him face-first to the ground. "Muk! How did you get in here?" yelled a surprised Tracy. "MUUUUUKKKKK!" cried Muk happily now that he found his friend.
"I can't play with you today, Muk. Some other time, okay?" said Tracy as he stood up. Frowning, the sad Muk slid back outside through the open window.
Tracy went over to Professor Oak's office to ask for further instructions of his mission. Sitting at his desk, Oak looked up from his computer to see a roughed-up looking Tracy, covered it dirt and muck from his work outside.
"My, you look ready to take on the world", said the professor, "Have you finished with your chores?"
"Yes sir, professor. I'm ready for this mission that you spoke of earlier", said Tracy with a look of determination.
"Hmm. Are you sure you want to run this errand? You haven't even heard of what the job entails. I must warn you, it might be dangerous. It is also a long journey that includes a trip to the Johto region," said the Professor.
"Wow! A trip to the Johto region? Isn't that where Ash went to deliver the GS Ball?" asked Tracy. He had joined Ash and Misty's trip to deliver the GS Ball to Oak from Professor Ivy from the Orange Islands. After leaving their friend, Brock, with Ivy, Ash and Misty needed another friend to join them on their adventure through the islands. Tracy, also on a journey through the islands as a Pokémon sketch artist, had the experience as a cook and map-reader to make himself useful on the trio's quest. In fact, his journey with Ash and Misty led him to his current job with his idol, the Pokémon Professor Oak.
"Right you are, my boy. The recipient of this package lives in the woods near Cherrygrove city in the eastern part of the Johto region. I would mail it if he had an address, but it is also too risky. I myself have visited this gentleman's lodge many times to discuss Pokémon and other things. You see, we go way back to when we were both colleagues," said Oak with a look of fondness as he thought of the old days.
"Is he a Pokémon Professor too, professor?" asked Tracy.
"Well, sort of. You see, this man has an interest in Pokémon much like my own. However, he chose a different path and became a Pokémon enthusiast. He also chose to live in seclusion from society to study Pokémon in the wild. People call him Mr. Pokémon, because of his knowledge and love for all things Pokémon. I myself can't seem to remember his name. Now what was his name again?" asked Oak as he looked at Tracy for an answer.
"I'm not sure, professor. What's the package again?" asked Tracy, puzzled.
"Ah! The package! Where did I put the thing," asked Oak as he fumbled through his piles of paperwork. Pulling a small box from under his desk, the professor handed it to Tracy before continuing.
"Before you decide whether or not to take this errand, know this. Since your time working here, I've known you are a trustworthy assistant. I cannot trust this item with any other assistant because of the item's value. I have to ask you though, can I trust you to keep a secret? You must swear to not speak of this to anyone," said Professor Oak with a solemn expression.
"I swear not to tell," said Tracy with his hand up as he crossed his heart with his other hand.
"Excellent! I will tell you what you are allowed to know about the item. Inside the box you are holding is a prototype Pokedex that several Pokémon Professors and myself whipped up based off of data collected from nearly a hundred trainers on their journeys. Unlike the last Pokedex I gave to our friend Ash, this one is special. It contains data inputted by professors all around the world. This is the only Pokedex of its kind to feature data on every single Pokémon in over 24 regions around the world."
Tracy's eyes grew big with astonishment. "All the Pokémon in the whole world? Wow, I bet there are hundreds of them".
"Not so fast," said the Professor. "We still don't know every Pokémon in the world; we just know all of the ones trainers have encountered up to this point. There are still lots of mysteries left out there. I also believe there are even more legendary Pokémon to be discovered in the world other than the ones we have heard rumors about in Kanto".
Tracy shook his head. "There's no way there are more legendary Pokémon out there. If there were even a dozen legendary Pokémon, then they wouldn't be so legendary now, would they?"
"Right you are, young one," said Oak with a chuckle, "Now that you know what this item is, do you still want to deliver it? I need a powerful and trustworthy trainer to deliver this item to Mr. Pokémon as soon as possible. He and a few of my colleagues will be at his lodge to make a few necessary adjustments to the Pokedex".
"But professor, you know me", said Tracy, "I've been your assistant for a while already! I know I can handle this errand. It would be exciting to go on an adventure in the Johto region. What are you worried about?"
"The police in both regions have had their hands full with Team Rocket lately. It seems like they are getting bolder with their crimes. I fear that if they were to catch word of this prototype, they would steal it. You are the only person I have available who can possibly complete this mission, a mission that is crucial to the development of our research into Pokémon. Although you have my trust with such responsibility, you are not the trainer I would have selected first. With Gary and Ash busy, I found myself in need of your help. Do you have what it takes to protect this device?" asked Oak.
"But professor," replied Tracy defiantly, "I'm still a trainer. I might not be as powerful as Ash or Gary, or even Misty, but I know I can handle whatever danger comes my way. You can count on me sir!"
The Professor let out a chuckle. "That's what I like to hear. I take it that you have fully accepted this task. Here is a map that will help you when you get to the Johto region. I will also give you plenty of food and money to get you there, although you should probably avoid battling other trainers. They might take your money if you lose".
Oak handed Tracy a detailed map of the Johto region. On the back, their region of Kanto was also drawn but with less details and a simpler style.
"Thank you, professor. How long will it take me to get to Cherrygrove city from here?" asked Tracy.
"Why, normally it would take more than several months on foot. However, due to the importance of the delivery, I am giving you less than two weeks to get there. My other assistants can take care of things until you return. I will personally meet you there if I can finish my report to the University by then. To help speed up your journey, I am lending you my boat ticket to Olivine City. This S.S. ticket will get you to the Johto region if you can get to Vermillion City first. You've been on a boat before, so you know what to do."
"Thank you", said Tracy as he received the ticket, "but if this package is a secret, then what will I tell people if the police or someone asks what I'm doing travelling to the Johto region?"
"Ah! That reminds me of what your cover story will be. Since you are going on a journey, you must not acknowledge your role in my lab. No one must know of your job here and you cannot tell anyone of the prototype. Tell as few people as possible of your destination and only those who can take you there. To help you on your journey, you may go with a friend or two but don't tell them either. In essence, you are being a Pokémon trainer for a few weeks until you deliver the Pokedex," said Oak.
"I'll make sure this gets to Mr. Pokémon for you sir. You can count on me", said Tracy.
As Oak dismissed him, Tracy prepared his leave of absence. He said his goodbyes to most of the Pokémon, including Ash's Muk and Snorlax (although Snorlax was too asleep to notice). Muk tackled him as if he wanted him to stay.
"Muuuuukkkkk!" yelled Muk as he watched him go. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," said Tracy as he went back inside.
With a shower and a good meal later, Tracy was on his feet with his supplies packed and ready to go. Tracy had his three Pokémon in Pokeballs on the table as he shrunk each one down and placed them on his belt.
Oak approached him at the bottom of the stairwell as he came down the stairs with all of his things.
"I see you have your three Pokémon with you. However, you will need more than three to help you get there safely. Because of the importance of this mission, I am giving you three extra Pokémon in these Pokeballs to add to your party for the mean time", said Oak as he handed Tracy the three Pokeballs one at a time, "this one contains the fire starter, Charmander's final evolution, Charizard. This Charizard is much nicer than the one you were acquainted with in your journey with Ash. He is very experienced with battling and should prove useful to you for battles or protection. However, Charizard is still an aggressive Pokémon. I should know- I raised this one since he was a little Charmander. Treat him with respect, and he will probably get along with you just fine. I'm not sure about these other two Pokémon. They were sent to me via PC by my grandson today. Now what was his name again? Anyways, they are also quite powerful according to him, but friendly enough for you to be able to use them effectively".
Tracy picked up the Pokeballs and gathered his stuff downstairs. "Don't worry Professor; I might not even need to use them. My Marill has gotten stronger since my last battle, and my Scyther is tough enough to make any Charizard faint. I'll be back before you know it."
"I know you will. Remember, you better make sure this device doesn't fall into the wrong hands like Team Rocket. With this device, they could know everything about Pokémon and use this information for evil", said Oak.
After saying his farewell, Tracy waved goodbye to the professor as he departed from Pallet Town into the great unknown. A flock of Spearow flew by in the sky as Butterfree, Oddish, and Pidgey played in the tall grass nearby. Tracy smiled while looking at the horizon, ready to take on whatever the Kanto region had to throw at him.