Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of the characters-but if I did, Tracey would have gone to Johto, you can believe that—I think he deserved to more than Brock—but if he wants to learn from the Professor, who am I to stop him? ^_~
~^*Ode to Tracey*^~
A/N: Well anyway, I got tired of reading stories that made me cry because they made Tracey die or put him into bad situations, and THEN for the authors to question why Tracey-lovers like him—so I decided, fine, I'll give them MY reasons:
For one thing, he's a Pokémon watcher, which gives him more understanding about Pokémon than any ordinary trainer. He not only has more knowledge of Pokémon's battling strengths, weaknesses, and strategies, but also has more knowledge of the tendencies and behaviors of each of the different Pokémon, which is even more effective and useful when capturing and battling other Pokémon. I believe this also helps him not only to understand and care about the feelings of Pokémon, but of people as well, which he has displayed MANY times throughout the Orange Islands. He was also able to help Ash in battling several times because of his observant Pokémon watching. He could tell Ash which Pokémon were best to use against which (which, I'll point out for you Brock-lovers, Brock was ALSO able to do very well), but Tracey was able to tell what attack a Pokémon would use before it would use it. For example, when his Scyther was battling James's Victreebel, he could tell it was about to use Razor Leaf, and then was able to warn Scyther. His experiences as a trainer and watcher ultimately helped Ash and Misty during their journey.
Without Tracey, Ash and Misty would have probably gotten lost and died in the Orange Islands, and then we wouldn't have a show and we wouldn't be able to write our beloved AAMR's, would we? *Dodges random flying objects* lol OK, maybe I'm exaggerating A LITTLE, but they definitely would have gotten into a lot of trouble without Tracey. I can't recall a single time the gang was lost while riding on Lapras from island to island and Tracey ALWAYS knew the name of the island they arrived on and could tell them a what was unique about it, including the gym leaders. Because he lived all his life in the Orange Archipelago, he was able to keep everyone on course and not miss a single adventure.
Tracey is also one of the few people on the show VOCALLY aware of the well-hidden fling between Ash and Misty—gotta love someone who's observant. If you need an example, watch "Wherefore Art Thou Pokémon" and you'll see what I mean, especially when he says, "You know what? It's exactly the same thing with you and Ash." (Dang, I LOVE that line!) I DO believe he also hints at it a little when the gang meets Danny for the first time. All throughout the Orange Island journey, you can tell he knows how they feel and isn't afraid to say anything about it, which shows not only his observance but also his bravery (I don't think I'D risk Misty's mallet by saying that kind of stuff right to their faces ^_^;).
Tracey is unconditionally helpful. When he found Ash and Misty trying to save the baby Lapras on the beach, he went to get help from Nurse Joy before he even really knew them. He used Venonat to help Ash find Lapras when Team Rocket stole it, and he used Marril to help locate the Crystal Onix for Mateo when he didn't have the inspiration to make crystal Pokémon figures. When Ash's, Misty's, and his Pokémon are relaxing on the island with the Farfetch'd and they had no food, Tracey went and collected fruit for the gang and the Pokémon. Even right before he left when they were trying to defeat the pirates who poached the Lapras, he and Marill swam to shore to get Officer Jenny—and you have to admit that was a pretty nice dive. ^_^
To sum it all up, he's just a sweetheart in general. There have been countless situations in which he said or did something that just made my heart melt. When he was drawing gym-leader Sissy and her Blastoise and Misty said, "I though you were supposed to be a Pokémon watcher," and he does that cute little laugh and said, "Oh yeah!" I about laughed my head off; it was SO sweet! AND when he was nervous about what Professor Oak would think of his sketches, I just wanted to give him a big hug! No, he does NOT have a "thing" for the Professor, as SOME people like to believe. He just looks up to the Professor, the way any of us would look up to a movie star or a sports figure. Well, those are my reasons. If you don't agree, tough nuggets, because, deep down, you know they're all true.
Well, how's that? I finally got something posted! If anyone can think of anything else, go ahead and e-mail me or tell me in a review (Although I don't know if I'll get many of those ~) I'll accept flames too; I live in a quiet neighborhood and could ALWAYS use a good laugh. Until next time, remember, Venus loves you!
