The Tracey Chronicles
Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews. It makes me happy that I'm not the only one who is a Tracey fan.
Chapter 2: Discovery
"Tracey! Where are you?" Professor Oak's voice carried out to the back. Tracey, dragging Janie by her arm, hurried out to greet him.
"Jeez, Tracey. Calm down! I'm sure he'll still be out there if we slow down a little," Janie said with a laugh. Their Pokemon looked at them curiously. Pichu scampered after them and tilted its small head at Janie questionably.
Tracey was really excited that his little sister would be meeting his idol. He dragged Janie out into the living room where Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum were. Ash, Misty, and Brock were actually with them!
"Hey, Trace!" Ash greeted.
"Pi-kachu!" Pikachu added.
"Wow! Hey guys! What are you doing here?" Tracey asked.
"Ash and his friends decided to stop by and stay for a little while," Mrs. Ketchum responded happily.
"So did everything go okay Tracey?" Professor Oak asked and then saw Janie. "Eh? Who's this?"
"Everyone, meet my sister Janie. She stopped by this morning to visit. She and her Pokemon helped me do the feeding," Tracey said.
"Hi, it's nice to meet all of you. Tracey talks about you a lot," Janie said with a polite smile.
Tracey frowned a little when he saw Brock inspecting his sister closely and mutter softly, "She is cute, but maybe a little too young."
At this point, Pikachu had taken notice of Pichu and jumped off Ash's shoulder. It greeted the smaller Pokemon with a bright smile. Pichu shyly returned the greeting.
"Wow, Tracey. You never told us you had a sister," Misty said, putting Togepi down so it could play with Pichu and Pikachu.
"Oh! Is that a Pichu? Where did it come from?" Professor Oak said excitedly when he spotted Pichu.
"Um, it's my Pichu," Janie replied.
"Aww! What a cutie," Mrs. Ketchum chimed in. Pichu was busy playing a game of tag with Pikachu and Togepi to notice the spotlight it was getting.
"I've never seen one up close. Say, Janie...do you mind if I study Pichu a little?" Professor Oak asked.
"I don't see why not, but I won't be in town for very long," Janie said. Pichu abandoned its game and ran into her arms. "I was actually planning just to stop by and say hi to Tracey."
"May I in the time you're here then? You can always leave tomorrow."
"Okay," Janie motioned to Professor Oak for Pichu. "This is Professor Oak, Pichu. He thinks your interesting. He wants to study you a little bit. Is that okay?"
Tracey smiled at how sweetly and sincerely Janie talked to her Pokemon. The trust radiating off of the little electric type Pokemon's eyes had good reason to do so.
"Samuel? May I join you? I've never seen a Pokemon as cute as this one. I want to play with it," Mrs. Ketchum asked. Janie gently handed her Pichu and the small Pokemon playfully squirmed as it was tickled.
"That sounds kind of cool. Can we stay and watch too?" Ash asked.
"Sure. Why don't we get started then?" Professor Oak said just as Janie's other Pokemon timidly entered the room. "Are these yours too Janie?"
"Yes sir," Janie replied with a smile.
"Goodness, there's so many visitors today!" Professor Oak exclaimed.
They spent hours watching as Professor Oak took pictures and all kinds of notes about Pichu. He made Pichu lie down on a table so that a machine could scan it. It was as if none of the others were there. Professor Oak was fascinated. Mrs. Ketchum had gone off to start dinner.
"Are we even here?" Janie muttered to Tracey with a smirk.
"Not to him," Tracey answered.
"What an interesting little thing!" Professor Oak said finally and gave Pichu a pat before handing it to Janie. "Thank you for this opportunity."
"Your welcome," Janie answered.
Suddenly, Mrs. Ketchum appeared at the door. "I've prepared a huge feast everyone!"
"ALL RIGHT!" Ash cried. "Let's go!"
"Great, it's been a while since I've eaten your cooking Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey said.
"I'm starved. Studying Pokemon really puts a drain on me," Professor Oak added.
"Then what is everyone waiting for?" Mrs. Ketchum asked with a cheery smile.
Dinners at the Ketchums were always great. Mrs. Ketchum had made all kinds of tasty food. Tracey had never been so satisfied to be full.
"Oh yeah. Professor, I have some new observations of the Tauros I'd like you to see," Tracey said, remembering the sketches he had drawn a few days ago.
To his surprise, he saw Professor Oak sigh a little. He seemed like he was reluctant to look at the sketches. Tracey glanced at him curiously. "I could show them to you tomorrow..."
"Why don't you go get them? We can all look at them," Professor Oak quickly said.
"I think I'll go see if my Pokemon are hungry. I left them back at the lab to play with Tracey's Pokemon," Janie said, rising as Tracey did. Pichu hopped onto her shoulder.
"Feel free to feed them whatever if they are," Professor Oak graciously offered.
"Thank you," Janie said and the two Sketchits stepped out. Tracey was silent, wondering why the Professor had suddenly been reluctant to look at his drawings. It hadn't been the first time, either. Tracey recalled that Professor Oak had also been reluctant to see his work lately.
"Something wrong, Tracey?" Janie asked as they entered the Pokemon lab.
"Why do you say that?"
"You've been way to quiet, bro. Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing. Listen, I'm going to go grab my sketchbook and I'll see you two back at Ash's house."
"Okay." Janie disappeared into the back.
Tracey raced up the stairs and scooped up his newest notebook. On his way back, Tracey pondered the Professor's strange reaction. A sudden thought struck him, making him stop in his tracks. Could it be that the Professor was getting sick of him?
Is that why he's been acting a bit strange towards me lately? He...doesn't want me around anymore? No, it can't be true! Tracey thought, shaking his head and making his way back towards Ash's house. Pushing the door open, Tracey was about to announce that he was back when he heard his name mentioned.
"So how's Tracey working out as your assistant, Professor Oak?" Brock asked.
"He's a fine boy," Professor Oak said. "He knows a lot and learns very diligently."
"Huh? What's wrong Samuel? You look a little upset," Mrs. Ketchum said next. Tracey held his breath, waiting for Professor Oak to respond. Without realizing it, he gripped the notebook tightly.
"Oh, it's nothing, Delia. It's just..." Professor Oak trailed off.
"What is it Professor Oak?" Ash asked.
"I guess I'm just not used to having an assistant yet. It's been kind of stressful around the lab and with Tracey there, it just seems more crowded. He's a great kid, but sometimes he becomes a real nuisance to me when I'm working," Professor Oak admitted.
Shocked, Tracey's fingers loosened his grip on the notebook and it fell to the ground. Carefully sketched pictures of Pokemon sprawled about uselessly.
"He is a bit eccentric sometimes," Misty put in.
"Yeah, he gets really hyped up when he hears your name," Ash added.
Tracey's fist clenched and then unclenched slowly. His own friends thought the same way about him too?
"And the lab is already cluttered enough. Piles of notebooks don't really help it any," Professor Oak said.
"Have you told any of this to Tracey?" Brock asked.
Tracey didn't want to hear anymore. He could feel tears of hurt beginning to well up in his eyes. How could the Professor think this and never tell him? He was about to turn and leave, but as he did, he found Janie walking up to the house. Pichu was perked up on her shoulder.
"Tracey? What are you doing out on the porch? Why didn't you go in?" Janie asked, blinking. Tracey was suddenly glad that it was getting dark. Janie couldn't see his face.
"Uh...I just wanted to make sure you got back safely. You're pretty new to Pallet so I was afraid you'd get lost," Tracey quickly answered.
"Me? Lost? Come on, Trace! You know I'm good with memorizing directions," Janie said.
Tracey forced a laugh. "Guess I forgot...you know, brother's instincts!"
Janie was quiet. Tracey could tell that she sensed something was wrong. She frowned a little and tilted her head at him. "If you say so. Is something wrong?"
Yeah, sis. My friends think I'm a waste of their time. He thought despairingly but put up a cheerful front. "Wrong? Everything's fine! Come on, they're waiting."
Before she could hold him back or protest, Tracey pushed the door open and plastered a smile onto his face.
"We're back!" Tracey announced before stepping back into the dining room.
"That was fast. So where are the sketches, Tracey?" Professor Oak asked.
Like you really care. "Oh...uh...I couldn't find it. I'll have to go home and dig through my piles of notebooks."
The last part was delivered out of pure sarcasm. This went unnoticed by everyone but Janie who was looking at Tracey curiously. Professor Oak actually looked relieved.
"Very well. I can look them over when you find them," Professor Oak said eagerly.
The rest of the meal was mostly chitchat. Tracey remained quiet the whole time, still hurt by what he had overheard being said about him. Janie kept giving him quick glances. At least someone cared about him. The others were more absorbed to the story Ash was telling about his current journey through the Johto region.
If I'm such a bother to them...maybe I should just go. Tracey thought.
After thanking and saying good bye, Professor Oak, Tracey and Janie headed back to the lab. Professor Oak was in good spirits, whistling merrily to himself. Tracey stayed quiet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his sister still watching him with a worried expression.
"It really is a shame you're leaving tomorrow, Janie. It was nice meeting you," Professor Oak said when they were all about to go off to go to their rooms for sleep. "I'd like to see you off, but I'm afraid I'll be quite busy tomorrow morning."
"That's alright, Professor Oak. It was a pleasure to meet you. I'll be fine," Janie answered.
"Sleep well. Good night," Professor Oak said and went upstairs.
"He's nice," Janie remarked and then saw Tracey's scowl. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just tired. Let's get some sleep. You'll need it tomorrow when you set out again."
"That's a good idea," Janie said with a yawn. Pichu was already fast asleep in her arms.
That night, Tracey rolled out a sleeping bag for her in his room. After mumbling a good night, Janie was asleep.
Tracey, however, couldn't sleep. What the others had said just kept repeating over and over in his head. After an hour or so of tossing and turning with confused thoughts and emotions, Tracey finally came to a solution that seemed only fit.
Janie smiled down at Pichu as she packed up her backpack. The little mouse Pokemon was energetic from its sleep and ready for adventure. Perfect for Janie.
After zipping it all up, Janie glanced around, wondering where Tracey was. When she had gotten up, he hadn't been in the room. She was worried about how her usually cheerful older brother had been so quiet and distant last night.
"Pichu, have you seen Tracey?"
"Pi-chu," Pichu shook its small, round head.
"Hmm...He sure is acting weird. Maybe its just part of the Pokemon researcher thing," Janie said with a shrug. "Ready?"
"Pichu!"
"Let me find the Professor and Tracey to say bye first." Janie met Professor Oak outside in the back and said a quick good bye before setting out to find her brother.
"That's weird. Where is he?" Janie said. She walked back into his room to make sure he wasn't there.
"Pi?" Pichu said as it peered into the closet.
"What is it Pichu?" Janie asked and opened the closet door wider. She was surprised to find that all of Tracey's clothes weren't there and his mountains of notebooks had been neatly sorted out and were stacked up in tall piles.
"W-where's all his stuff?" Janie asked, more confused than ever. "Did he just pack up and leave or something?"
She walked back down stairs and stopped in front of the door, staring off into space pensively. What was going on? Why was Tracey acting so strange? He had been fine until yesterday night when she ran into him on the Ketchums' porch.
"Janie?"
The soft voice startled her. Janie whirled, her eyes widening.
"Tracey! There you are. What's going on? I've been looking all over for you. Why is all your stuff gone from your room?" Janie demanded.
"Um...I uh have a question I want to ask you," Tracey answered instead.
Janie blinked. "Huh? Well shoot."
"Can I come with you on your Pokemon journey?"
A/N: Sorry if the characters are a little out of character, but I had to make them like that for the story. Please R/R and tell me what you think so far!
Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews. It makes me happy that I'm not the only one who is a Tracey fan.
Chapter 2: Discovery
"Tracey! Where are you?" Professor Oak's voice carried out to the back. Tracey, dragging Janie by her arm, hurried out to greet him.
"Jeez, Tracey. Calm down! I'm sure he'll still be out there if we slow down a little," Janie said with a laugh. Their Pokemon looked at them curiously. Pichu scampered after them and tilted its small head at Janie questionably.
Tracey was really excited that his little sister would be meeting his idol. He dragged Janie out into the living room where Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum were. Ash, Misty, and Brock were actually with them!
"Hey, Trace!" Ash greeted.
"Pi-kachu!" Pikachu added.
"Wow! Hey guys! What are you doing here?" Tracey asked.
"Ash and his friends decided to stop by and stay for a little while," Mrs. Ketchum responded happily.
"So did everything go okay Tracey?" Professor Oak asked and then saw Janie. "Eh? Who's this?"
"Everyone, meet my sister Janie. She stopped by this morning to visit. She and her Pokemon helped me do the feeding," Tracey said.
"Hi, it's nice to meet all of you. Tracey talks about you a lot," Janie said with a polite smile.
Tracey frowned a little when he saw Brock inspecting his sister closely and mutter softly, "She is cute, but maybe a little too young."
At this point, Pikachu had taken notice of Pichu and jumped off Ash's shoulder. It greeted the smaller Pokemon with a bright smile. Pichu shyly returned the greeting.
"Wow, Tracey. You never told us you had a sister," Misty said, putting Togepi down so it could play with Pichu and Pikachu.
"Oh! Is that a Pichu? Where did it come from?" Professor Oak said excitedly when he spotted Pichu.
"Um, it's my Pichu," Janie replied.
"Aww! What a cutie," Mrs. Ketchum chimed in. Pichu was busy playing a game of tag with Pikachu and Togepi to notice the spotlight it was getting.
"I've never seen one up close. Say, Janie...do you mind if I study Pichu a little?" Professor Oak asked.
"I don't see why not, but I won't be in town for very long," Janie said. Pichu abandoned its game and ran into her arms. "I was actually planning just to stop by and say hi to Tracey."
"May I in the time you're here then? You can always leave tomorrow."
"Okay," Janie motioned to Professor Oak for Pichu. "This is Professor Oak, Pichu. He thinks your interesting. He wants to study you a little bit. Is that okay?"
Tracey smiled at how sweetly and sincerely Janie talked to her Pokemon. The trust radiating off of the little electric type Pokemon's eyes had good reason to do so.
"Samuel? May I join you? I've never seen a Pokemon as cute as this one. I want to play with it," Mrs. Ketchum asked. Janie gently handed her Pichu and the small Pokemon playfully squirmed as it was tickled.
"That sounds kind of cool. Can we stay and watch too?" Ash asked.
"Sure. Why don't we get started then?" Professor Oak said just as Janie's other Pokemon timidly entered the room. "Are these yours too Janie?"
"Yes sir," Janie replied with a smile.
"Goodness, there's so many visitors today!" Professor Oak exclaimed.
They spent hours watching as Professor Oak took pictures and all kinds of notes about Pichu. He made Pichu lie down on a table so that a machine could scan it. It was as if none of the others were there. Professor Oak was fascinated. Mrs. Ketchum had gone off to start dinner.
"Are we even here?" Janie muttered to Tracey with a smirk.
"Not to him," Tracey answered.
"What an interesting little thing!" Professor Oak said finally and gave Pichu a pat before handing it to Janie. "Thank you for this opportunity."
"Your welcome," Janie answered.
Suddenly, Mrs. Ketchum appeared at the door. "I've prepared a huge feast everyone!"
"ALL RIGHT!" Ash cried. "Let's go!"
"Great, it's been a while since I've eaten your cooking Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey said.
"I'm starved. Studying Pokemon really puts a drain on me," Professor Oak added.
"Then what is everyone waiting for?" Mrs. Ketchum asked with a cheery smile.
Dinners at the Ketchums were always great. Mrs. Ketchum had made all kinds of tasty food. Tracey had never been so satisfied to be full.
"Oh yeah. Professor, I have some new observations of the Tauros I'd like you to see," Tracey said, remembering the sketches he had drawn a few days ago.
To his surprise, he saw Professor Oak sigh a little. He seemed like he was reluctant to look at the sketches. Tracey glanced at him curiously. "I could show them to you tomorrow..."
"Why don't you go get them? We can all look at them," Professor Oak quickly said.
"I think I'll go see if my Pokemon are hungry. I left them back at the lab to play with Tracey's Pokemon," Janie said, rising as Tracey did. Pichu hopped onto her shoulder.
"Feel free to feed them whatever if they are," Professor Oak graciously offered.
"Thank you," Janie said and the two Sketchits stepped out. Tracey was silent, wondering why the Professor had suddenly been reluctant to look at his drawings. It hadn't been the first time, either. Tracey recalled that Professor Oak had also been reluctant to see his work lately.
"Something wrong, Tracey?" Janie asked as they entered the Pokemon lab.
"Why do you say that?"
"You've been way to quiet, bro. Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing. Listen, I'm going to go grab my sketchbook and I'll see you two back at Ash's house."
"Okay." Janie disappeared into the back.
Tracey raced up the stairs and scooped up his newest notebook. On his way back, Tracey pondered the Professor's strange reaction. A sudden thought struck him, making him stop in his tracks. Could it be that the Professor was getting sick of him?
Is that why he's been acting a bit strange towards me lately? He...doesn't want me around anymore? No, it can't be true! Tracey thought, shaking his head and making his way back towards Ash's house. Pushing the door open, Tracey was about to announce that he was back when he heard his name mentioned.
"So how's Tracey working out as your assistant, Professor Oak?" Brock asked.
"He's a fine boy," Professor Oak said. "He knows a lot and learns very diligently."
"Huh? What's wrong Samuel? You look a little upset," Mrs. Ketchum said next. Tracey held his breath, waiting for Professor Oak to respond. Without realizing it, he gripped the notebook tightly.
"Oh, it's nothing, Delia. It's just..." Professor Oak trailed off.
"What is it Professor Oak?" Ash asked.
"I guess I'm just not used to having an assistant yet. It's been kind of stressful around the lab and with Tracey there, it just seems more crowded. He's a great kid, but sometimes he becomes a real nuisance to me when I'm working," Professor Oak admitted.
Shocked, Tracey's fingers loosened his grip on the notebook and it fell to the ground. Carefully sketched pictures of Pokemon sprawled about uselessly.
"He is a bit eccentric sometimes," Misty put in.
"Yeah, he gets really hyped up when he hears your name," Ash added.
Tracey's fist clenched and then unclenched slowly. His own friends thought the same way about him too?
"And the lab is already cluttered enough. Piles of notebooks don't really help it any," Professor Oak said.
"Have you told any of this to Tracey?" Brock asked.
Tracey didn't want to hear anymore. He could feel tears of hurt beginning to well up in his eyes. How could the Professor think this and never tell him? He was about to turn and leave, but as he did, he found Janie walking up to the house. Pichu was perked up on her shoulder.
"Tracey? What are you doing out on the porch? Why didn't you go in?" Janie asked, blinking. Tracey was suddenly glad that it was getting dark. Janie couldn't see his face.
"Uh...I just wanted to make sure you got back safely. You're pretty new to Pallet so I was afraid you'd get lost," Tracey quickly answered.
"Me? Lost? Come on, Trace! You know I'm good with memorizing directions," Janie said.
Tracey forced a laugh. "Guess I forgot...you know, brother's instincts!"
Janie was quiet. Tracey could tell that she sensed something was wrong. She frowned a little and tilted her head at him. "If you say so. Is something wrong?"
Yeah, sis. My friends think I'm a waste of their time. He thought despairingly but put up a cheerful front. "Wrong? Everything's fine! Come on, they're waiting."
Before she could hold him back or protest, Tracey pushed the door open and plastered a smile onto his face.
"We're back!" Tracey announced before stepping back into the dining room.
"That was fast. So where are the sketches, Tracey?" Professor Oak asked.
Like you really care. "Oh...uh...I couldn't find it. I'll have to go home and dig through my piles of notebooks."
The last part was delivered out of pure sarcasm. This went unnoticed by everyone but Janie who was looking at Tracey curiously. Professor Oak actually looked relieved.
"Very well. I can look them over when you find them," Professor Oak said eagerly.
The rest of the meal was mostly chitchat. Tracey remained quiet the whole time, still hurt by what he had overheard being said about him. Janie kept giving him quick glances. At least someone cared about him. The others were more absorbed to the story Ash was telling about his current journey through the Johto region.
If I'm such a bother to them...maybe I should just go. Tracey thought.
After thanking and saying good bye, Professor Oak, Tracey and Janie headed back to the lab. Professor Oak was in good spirits, whistling merrily to himself. Tracey stayed quiet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his sister still watching him with a worried expression.
"It really is a shame you're leaving tomorrow, Janie. It was nice meeting you," Professor Oak said when they were all about to go off to go to their rooms for sleep. "I'd like to see you off, but I'm afraid I'll be quite busy tomorrow morning."
"That's alright, Professor Oak. It was a pleasure to meet you. I'll be fine," Janie answered.
"Sleep well. Good night," Professor Oak said and went upstairs.
"He's nice," Janie remarked and then saw Tracey's scowl. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just tired. Let's get some sleep. You'll need it tomorrow when you set out again."
"That's a good idea," Janie said with a yawn. Pichu was already fast asleep in her arms.
That night, Tracey rolled out a sleeping bag for her in his room. After mumbling a good night, Janie was asleep.
Tracey, however, couldn't sleep. What the others had said just kept repeating over and over in his head. After an hour or so of tossing and turning with confused thoughts and emotions, Tracey finally came to a solution that seemed only fit.
Janie smiled down at Pichu as she packed up her backpack. The little mouse Pokemon was energetic from its sleep and ready for adventure. Perfect for Janie.
After zipping it all up, Janie glanced around, wondering where Tracey was. When she had gotten up, he hadn't been in the room. She was worried about how her usually cheerful older brother had been so quiet and distant last night.
"Pichu, have you seen Tracey?"
"Pi-chu," Pichu shook its small, round head.
"Hmm...He sure is acting weird. Maybe its just part of the Pokemon researcher thing," Janie said with a shrug. "Ready?"
"Pichu!"
"Let me find the Professor and Tracey to say bye first." Janie met Professor Oak outside in the back and said a quick good bye before setting out to find her brother.
"That's weird. Where is he?" Janie said. She walked back into his room to make sure he wasn't there.
"Pi?" Pichu said as it peered into the closet.
"What is it Pichu?" Janie asked and opened the closet door wider. She was surprised to find that all of Tracey's clothes weren't there and his mountains of notebooks had been neatly sorted out and were stacked up in tall piles.
"W-where's all his stuff?" Janie asked, more confused than ever. "Did he just pack up and leave or something?"
She walked back down stairs and stopped in front of the door, staring off into space pensively. What was going on? Why was Tracey acting so strange? He had been fine until yesterday night when she ran into him on the Ketchums' porch.
"Janie?"
The soft voice startled her. Janie whirled, her eyes widening.
"Tracey! There you are. What's going on? I've been looking all over for you. Why is all your stuff gone from your room?" Janie demanded.
"Um...I uh have a question I want to ask you," Tracey answered instead.
Janie blinked. "Huh? Well shoot."
"Can I come with you on your Pokemon journey?"
A/N: Sorry if the characters are a little out of character, but I had to make them like that for the story. Please R/R and tell me what you think so far!