The Tracey Chronicles
A/N: I haven't gotten any reviews for the last chapter I posted and I'm a little sad about it but...I refuse to give up on this fic! It took me a little while to write this because I've had this terrible case of writer's block.
Chapter 4: A New Friend
"SOMEONE HELP!" the voice cried again.
"It sounds like someone is in trouble, come on Janie!" Tracey said and took off towards the forest. The two of them ran until Tracey caught sight of a large gray creature in a clearing up ahead. He halted abruptly and extended his arm out so Janie wouldn't rush by him and get herself hurt.
The large gray creature turned out to be a Rhydon, a powerful rock Pokemon. It was looming over a little boy sprawled out on the ground in front of it. Even from the distance, Tracey could see the look of terror on the boy's face as he helplessly stared up at the large Pokemon. Standing between the boy and the Rhydon, a small brown fox-like Pokemon called Eevee was valiantly trying to defend the boy. It looked on the verge of collapse, but seemed determined to protect the boy.
"Eevee! Look out!" the boy shouted as the Rhydon let out a tremendous roar and stomped forward. Tracey felt a slight tremor run through the ground.
"Eee," the Eevee said, its little face tightening in determination. The Rhydon roared angrily and charged forward. Eevee crouched and then sprang at Rhydon's face. The rock Pokemon jerked its head violently and easily struck the smaller Pokemon. Eevee yelped and began plummeting towards the ground, but the Rhydon whirled at the last second and swung at it with its large tail.
"Vee!" Eevee cried out in pain as it slammed into a tree. It plopped to the ground and lay unconscious in a heap of pain. Rhydon roared again and raised his foot over the still form.
"EEVEE! NO!" the boy screamed frantically and struggled to his feet, but crumpled holding his ankle and wincing.
Janie gasped. "No! Stop!"
"Pi-chu!" Pichu protested at the same time, waving its chubby fist in the air.
"That's enough!" Tracey threw a Poke Ball. "Marill, go! Use water gun!"
"Marill mar!" Marill appeared from her Poke Ball. Immediately, her body puffed up slightly. Then a massive burst of water blasted out of her mouth. It hit the Rhydon with intense force right in the face, forcing it off the injured Eevee.
The rock Pokemon growled in pain as the water gun continued its assault. It was driven back against the trees and began thrashing about wildly. It struck trees with such force that they began to fall!
"Marill! Return!" Tracey ordered, holding out the Poke Ball. His Pokemon immediately complied but the Rhydon was far too upset. It continued to flail around, knocking more trees down. The ground rumbled as it stomped around.
Tracey ducked as a shower of twigs and leaves rained down on him. He glanced up sharply when he heard the distinct sound of wood snapping. Another tree was going down fast. And it was going to land right on the boy!
He was moving before he knew it. Tracey dashed across the distance, noting out of the corner of his eye that Janie and Pichu were running for the unconscious Eevee. With a soft grunt, Tracey threw himself at the boy and swept him up into a protective hug. The momentum of his feet made them roll away just as the large tree crashed down, making Tracey's ears ring from the deafening.
After a moment, Tracey opened his eyes. He looked down at the boy to make sure he was okay. To his relief, the boy's eyes flickered open and quickly darted around.
"Are you okay?" Tracey asked, sitting up.
The boy nodded timidly. "Um, I think so...where's Eevee?! Eevee!"
Tracey jumped to his feet after the boy and quickly looked around. "Janie! Pichu! Janie!"
"Over here!" Janie's voice sounded muffled. A second later, Tracey saw her head pop up from behind the large fallen tree trunk. He and the boy hopped over the trunk to join her. She had the Eevee cradled in her arms and Pichu was standing next to her. Tracey was so relieved to see that she wasn't hurt.
"Eevee, oh no," the boy whispered as he took Eevee from Janie.
"It's in really bad shape. We have to get it to a-" Janie was interrupted by a sudden roar. Tracey glanced up in surprise to the Rhydon, weaken but no very angry.
Pichu jumped up onto the trunk before anyone could react. Sparks began shooting out of its cheek patches. Then it surrounded its entire body. "PICHU!!!"
Pichu sent a surge of electricity in the Rhydon's direction. The rock Pokemon screamed in pain. Tracey was confused for a second since electric attacks usually didn't faze rock Pokemon. Then he realized that Rhydon had still been wet from Marill's attack and Pichu had been counting on that.
The Rhydon gave a loud cry of defeat and hobbled away. Pichu slumped and tumbled into Janie's waiting arms.
"Good job, Pichu. You'll get it some day," Tracey heard Janie say affectionately. Even though Pichu could conduct electricity, it was still too young to know how to control it from zapping itself when it attacked. It was a common problem with all Pichu.
"Eevee! Eevee, wake up!" the boy was saying to the limp Pokemon in his arms. He stared up at Tracey desperately, tears brimming in his eyes. "Why won't it wake up?"
"We need to find a Pokemon Center fast," Tracey said. "Isn't there one in Ivory City?"
"There is, but that's too far away. I think there's one in Meadow Valley. It's not that far from here," Janie put in after she checked the map on her PokeGear and pointed to the west. "It's pretty close from here."
"Can we go? Please!" the child was getting frantic. Suddenly, Tracey noticed that it was getting darker. He glanced up when a faint rumbling sound echoed ominously from the sky. To his disbelief, he saw dark, thick clouds gathering and flashes of lightning snake their way through them.
"We should hurry," Tracey said finally and began running in the direction Janie had pointed out. Janie and the boy followed him. Pelts of rain began falling. Tracey groaned inwardly. This was turning out to be quite a day.
"Tracey! There it is!" Janie called suddenly. A pretty little town with small houses and farms was stretched out bellow the hill. Tracey felt relief wash over him at the sight of Meadow Valley, but it quickly diminished when an ear-splitting crack of thunder roar furiously through the heavens. He motioned for Janie and the boy to follow him when he spotted a building with a large red "P" on it.
By the time they reached the Pokemon Center, Tracey was thoroughly drenched, out of breath, and shivering a bit from the cold. His sister and the boy looked to be in the same shape he was, but the boy was solely focused on caring for his Pokemon. He charged into the Pokemon Center ahead of the Sketchit siblings and ran right up to the desk where Nurse Joy and a Chansey were standing.
"Nurse Joy! My Eevee needs help!" the boy cried.
"Oh my goodness!" Nurse Joy exclaimed when she saw the boy's Eevee. " Chansey, prepare a stretcher for an Eevee."
"Chansey!" Chansey said and quickly left.
The boy had started crying. "Please take care of it!"
Nurse Joy smiled reassuringly to him. "Don't worry. I'll do whatever I can. You and your friends just get yourselves warmed up." She called over to some Chansey and ordered them to bring them some blankets and soup.
Tracey carefully slid his wet backpack off and put it down. He sat down next to Janie on a bright red couch that was in the lobby. Pichu had recovered from shocking itself and was trying to dry itself by shaking its body, making Tracey and Janie even more wet.
"Pichu? Pi, pi chu?" Pichu asked, tilting its small head as it glanced around.
"We're at a Pokemon Center Pichu," Janie answered. Tracey looked up when the boy came over and sat down next to him, looking distracted and very worried.
"Chansey! Chansey!" a pair of Chansey bounded over to them with blankets and bowls of hot soup.
"Thank you," Tracey said as he accepted the offerings. He was hungry and eager to eat the soup, but he was also curious about the boy.
"Um...I never thanked you," the boy said suddenly.
Tracey grinned. "No problem. My name's Tracey, by the way."
"I'm Janie and this is Pichu," Janie added.
"Pi-chu!" Pichu piped up and tentatively sipped at the bowl of soup it was sharing with Janie.
"I'm Mikey. I really appreciate your help," the boy replied, managing a small smile.
"Say...what were you doing out there by yourself Mikey?" Tracey asked.
"I was on my way to Bubble Town," Mikey replied.
Janie looked incredulous. "But all by yourself? Do you have a Pokemon license yet?"
Mikey shook his head. "No, I'm not old enough yet. But I had to go. My brothers are missing."
"Your brothers?" Tracey asked.
"Yeah. My brothers Sparky, Pyro, and Rainer left home a few months ago to go explore the new region, but I never heard from them. Not even once. Every time they go off somewhere, they always call and tell me where they are pretty often. I got worried so I decided to go look for them myself," Mikey said.
The names clicked in Tracey's brain. "Wait a second. Are you a part of the Battling Eevee Brothers?"
Mikey nodded, looking proud. "Yup! I'm the baby."
Janie was gawking at him. "Wow."
Mikey dropped his gaze, suddenly looking ashamed with tears in his eyes. "But I'm not fit to be one. Look at how I got my Eevee hurt! It wouldn't have gotten hurt if it hadn't been trying to protect me!"
Tracey put his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. Eevee was just doing what it had too to protect you. Don't feel bad. Eevee doesn't want you to."
Mikey sniffed, but when he looked up, Tracey could see that the guilt was slightly faded from his face. "Thanks a lot Tracey. You two are really good trainers. I just love your Marill! Are you two going to be Pokemon Masters?"
"I am one day. Right Pichu?" Janie said.
"Pi, pichu!" Pichu cheered.
"What about you Tracey?" Mikey asked, looking at him curiously.
"I'm a Pokemon Watcher," Tracey replied.
"Wow, really? We need some more of those around. You're one of the only Pokemon Watchers I've ever met," Mikey said.
Mikey's last statement brought back the memory of that unpleasant conversation he had overheard. Bitterness coated Tracey's response faintly. "You're probably the only one who thinks so, Mikey."
Tracey saw Janie jerk her head over abruptly to look at him. She looked concerned, obviously catching the nuance in his tone. Brother's intuition told him that she wouldn't let him get away until she was informed what was going on. Mikey seemed to not notice as he just sat, politely nodding.
"Say, Tracey," Janie said, her eyes never leaving his face. "Shouldn't you give Professor Oak a call? I'm sure he's getting worried about you."
"Doubtful," Tracey muttered softly.
"What was that?" Janie asked, her eyes revealing her concern.
"Er...right. I should," Tracey answered and stood to look for a phone. He was reluctant to call. Why should he? He didn't want to impose on the professor anymore.
As Tracey reached for the phone, the doors of the Pokemon Center flew open and slammed into the walls. Wind and rain rushed in. Loud cracks of thunder erupted like firecrackers from outside. Tracey stepped away from the phone and stuck his head out to see who had entered the Pokemon Center so abruptly. A very tense and soaked girl ran in.
"Someone! Help!" She cried and keeled over on the floor, panting heavily. Tracey stepped forward to help her up as Nurse Joy rushed up to her. The lights flickered as another rumble of thunder came from outside.
"Veronica? What is it?" Nurse Joy asked.
"The Pokemon Nursery is being raided! They're stealing all the baby Pokemon!" she cried. "They hurt my uncle and started grabbing all the Pokemon! I barely escaped. Please get Jenny!"
"Right," Tracey go to his feet and went back to the phone. He picked up the receiver and began dialing when he realized something. It was dead.
"The phone's out," Tracey said, looking back at the two.
Veronica buried her face in her hands. "Oh no! Those crooks will take all the babies!"
At this point, Janie, Pichu, and Mikey walked up to join Tracey. Mikey looked at the girl and then at Tracey curiously. "What's going on?"
"Someone's kidnapping the Pokemon and I can't do a thing to stop it!" Veronica wailed.
"Huh?" Janie said puzzled.
"Veronica..." Nurse Joy started, looking concerned and worried.
Tracey kneeled in front of the weeping girl. "Tell me, where's the Pokemon Nursery?"
Veronica glanced up. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but her expression was one of complete surprise. "A few blocks down the road. Why?"
"I have to know if I'm going to help you save those babies," Tracey replied.
A/N: I really like this chapter for some reason. I've been having trouble thinking up ideas for this fic and when I did, I was ecstatic! Anyway, did you like it? From the responses I got before I had to re-upload it, people like Janie and Pichu so far. That makes me so happy! Anyway, read and review!
A/N: I haven't gotten any reviews for the last chapter I posted and I'm a little sad about it but...I refuse to give up on this fic! It took me a little while to write this because I've had this terrible case of writer's block.
Chapter 4: A New Friend
"SOMEONE HELP!" the voice cried again.
"It sounds like someone is in trouble, come on Janie!" Tracey said and took off towards the forest. The two of them ran until Tracey caught sight of a large gray creature in a clearing up ahead. He halted abruptly and extended his arm out so Janie wouldn't rush by him and get herself hurt.
The large gray creature turned out to be a Rhydon, a powerful rock Pokemon. It was looming over a little boy sprawled out on the ground in front of it. Even from the distance, Tracey could see the look of terror on the boy's face as he helplessly stared up at the large Pokemon. Standing between the boy and the Rhydon, a small brown fox-like Pokemon called Eevee was valiantly trying to defend the boy. It looked on the verge of collapse, but seemed determined to protect the boy.
"Eevee! Look out!" the boy shouted as the Rhydon let out a tremendous roar and stomped forward. Tracey felt a slight tremor run through the ground.
"Eee," the Eevee said, its little face tightening in determination. The Rhydon roared angrily and charged forward. Eevee crouched and then sprang at Rhydon's face. The rock Pokemon jerked its head violently and easily struck the smaller Pokemon. Eevee yelped and began plummeting towards the ground, but the Rhydon whirled at the last second and swung at it with its large tail.
"Vee!" Eevee cried out in pain as it slammed into a tree. It plopped to the ground and lay unconscious in a heap of pain. Rhydon roared again and raised his foot over the still form.
"EEVEE! NO!" the boy screamed frantically and struggled to his feet, but crumpled holding his ankle and wincing.
Janie gasped. "No! Stop!"
"Pi-chu!" Pichu protested at the same time, waving its chubby fist in the air.
"That's enough!" Tracey threw a Poke Ball. "Marill, go! Use water gun!"
"Marill mar!" Marill appeared from her Poke Ball. Immediately, her body puffed up slightly. Then a massive burst of water blasted out of her mouth. It hit the Rhydon with intense force right in the face, forcing it off the injured Eevee.
The rock Pokemon growled in pain as the water gun continued its assault. It was driven back against the trees and began thrashing about wildly. It struck trees with such force that they began to fall!
"Marill! Return!" Tracey ordered, holding out the Poke Ball. His Pokemon immediately complied but the Rhydon was far too upset. It continued to flail around, knocking more trees down. The ground rumbled as it stomped around.
Tracey ducked as a shower of twigs and leaves rained down on him. He glanced up sharply when he heard the distinct sound of wood snapping. Another tree was going down fast. And it was going to land right on the boy!
He was moving before he knew it. Tracey dashed across the distance, noting out of the corner of his eye that Janie and Pichu were running for the unconscious Eevee. With a soft grunt, Tracey threw himself at the boy and swept him up into a protective hug. The momentum of his feet made them roll away just as the large tree crashed down, making Tracey's ears ring from the deafening.
After a moment, Tracey opened his eyes. He looked down at the boy to make sure he was okay. To his relief, the boy's eyes flickered open and quickly darted around.
"Are you okay?" Tracey asked, sitting up.
The boy nodded timidly. "Um, I think so...where's Eevee?! Eevee!"
Tracey jumped to his feet after the boy and quickly looked around. "Janie! Pichu! Janie!"
"Over here!" Janie's voice sounded muffled. A second later, Tracey saw her head pop up from behind the large fallen tree trunk. He and the boy hopped over the trunk to join her. She had the Eevee cradled in her arms and Pichu was standing next to her. Tracey was so relieved to see that she wasn't hurt.
"Eevee, oh no," the boy whispered as he took Eevee from Janie.
"It's in really bad shape. We have to get it to a-" Janie was interrupted by a sudden roar. Tracey glanced up in surprise to the Rhydon, weaken but no very angry.
Pichu jumped up onto the trunk before anyone could react. Sparks began shooting out of its cheek patches. Then it surrounded its entire body. "PICHU!!!"
Pichu sent a surge of electricity in the Rhydon's direction. The rock Pokemon screamed in pain. Tracey was confused for a second since electric attacks usually didn't faze rock Pokemon. Then he realized that Rhydon had still been wet from Marill's attack and Pichu had been counting on that.
The Rhydon gave a loud cry of defeat and hobbled away. Pichu slumped and tumbled into Janie's waiting arms.
"Good job, Pichu. You'll get it some day," Tracey heard Janie say affectionately. Even though Pichu could conduct electricity, it was still too young to know how to control it from zapping itself when it attacked. It was a common problem with all Pichu.
"Eevee! Eevee, wake up!" the boy was saying to the limp Pokemon in his arms. He stared up at Tracey desperately, tears brimming in his eyes. "Why won't it wake up?"
"We need to find a Pokemon Center fast," Tracey said. "Isn't there one in Ivory City?"
"There is, but that's too far away. I think there's one in Meadow Valley. It's not that far from here," Janie put in after she checked the map on her PokeGear and pointed to the west. "It's pretty close from here."
"Can we go? Please!" the child was getting frantic. Suddenly, Tracey noticed that it was getting darker. He glanced up when a faint rumbling sound echoed ominously from the sky. To his disbelief, he saw dark, thick clouds gathering and flashes of lightning snake their way through them.
"We should hurry," Tracey said finally and began running in the direction Janie had pointed out. Janie and the boy followed him. Pelts of rain began falling. Tracey groaned inwardly. This was turning out to be quite a day.
"Tracey! There it is!" Janie called suddenly. A pretty little town with small houses and farms was stretched out bellow the hill. Tracey felt relief wash over him at the sight of Meadow Valley, but it quickly diminished when an ear-splitting crack of thunder roar furiously through the heavens. He motioned for Janie and the boy to follow him when he spotted a building with a large red "P" on it.
By the time they reached the Pokemon Center, Tracey was thoroughly drenched, out of breath, and shivering a bit from the cold. His sister and the boy looked to be in the same shape he was, but the boy was solely focused on caring for his Pokemon. He charged into the Pokemon Center ahead of the Sketchit siblings and ran right up to the desk where Nurse Joy and a Chansey were standing.
"Nurse Joy! My Eevee needs help!" the boy cried.
"Oh my goodness!" Nurse Joy exclaimed when she saw the boy's Eevee. " Chansey, prepare a stretcher for an Eevee."
"Chansey!" Chansey said and quickly left.
The boy had started crying. "Please take care of it!"
Nurse Joy smiled reassuringly to him. "Don't worry. I'll do whatever I can. You and your friends just get yourselves warmed up." She called over to some Chansey and ordered them to bring them some blankets and soup.
Tracey carefully slid his wet backpack off and put it down. He sat down next to Janie on a bright red couch that was in the lobby. Pichu had recovered from shocking itself and was trying to dry itself by shaking its body, making Tracey and Janie even more wet.
"Pichu? Pi, pi chu?" Pichu asked, tilting its small head as it glanced around.
"We're at a Pokemon Center Pichu," Janie answered. Tracey looked up when the boy came over and sat down next to him, looking distracted and very worried.
"Chansey! Chansey!" a pair of Chansey bounded over to them with blankets and bowls of hot soup.
"Thank you," Tracey said as he accepted the offerings. He was hungry and eager to eat the soup, but he was also curious about the boy.
"Um...I never thanked you," the boy said suddenly.
Tracey grinned. "No problem. My name's Tracey, by the way."
"I'm Janie and this is Pichu," Janie added.
"Pi-chu!" Pichu piped up and tentatively sipped at the bowl of soup it was sharing with Janie.
"I'm Mikey. I really appreciate your help," the boy replied, managing a small smile.
"Say...what were you doing out there by yourself Mikey?" Tracey asked.
"I was on my way to Bubble Town," Mikey replied.
Janie looked incredulous. "But all by yourself? Do you have a Pokemon license yet?"
Mikey shook his head. "No, I'm not old enough yet. But I had to go. My brothers are missing."
"Your brothers?" Tracey asked.
"Yeah. My brothers Sparky, Pyro, and Rainer left home a few months ago to go explore the new region, but I never heard from them. Not even once. Every time they go off somewhere, they always call and tell me where they are pretty often. I got worried so I decided to go look for them myself," Mikey said.
The names clicked in Tracey's brain. "Wait a second. Are you a part of the Battling Eevee Brothers?"
Mikey nodded, looking proud. "Yup! I'm the baby."
Janie was gawking at him. "Wow."
Mikey dropped his gaze, suddenly looking ashamed with tears in his eyes. "But I'm not fit to be one. Look at how I got my Eevee hurt! It wouldn't have gotten hurt if it hadn't been trying to protect me!"
Tracey put his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. Eevee was just doing what it had too to protect you. Don't feel bad. Eevee doesn't want you to."
Mikey sniffed, but when he looked up, Tracey could see that the guilt was slightly faded from his face. "Thanks a lot Tracey. You two are really good trainers. I just love your Marill! Are you two going to be Pokemon Masters?"
"I am one day. Right Pichu?" Janie said.
"Pi, pichu!" Pichu cheered.
"What about you Tracey?" Mikey asked, looking at him curiously.
"I'm a Pokemon Watcher," Tracey replied.
"Wow, really? We need some more of those around. You're one of the only Pokemon Watchers I've ever met," Mikey said.
Mikey's last statement brought back the memory of that unpleasant conversation he had overheard. Bitterness coated Tracey's response faintly. "You're probably the only one who thinks so, Mikey."
Tracey saw Janie jerk her head over abruptly to look at him. She looked concerned, obviously catching the nuance in his tone. Brother's intuition told him that she wouldn't let him get away until she was informed what was going on. Mikey seemed to not notice as he just sat, politely nodding.
"Say, Tracey," Janie said, her eyes never leaving his face. "Shouldn't you give Professor Oak a call? I'm sure he's getting worried about you."
"Doubtful," Tracey muttered softly.
"What was that?" Janie asked, her eyes revealing her concern.
"Er...right. I should," Tracey answered and stood to look for a phone. He was reluctant to call. Why should he? He didn't want to impose on the professor anymore.
As Tracey reached for the phone, the doors of the Pokemon Center flew open and slammed into the walls. Wind and rain rushed in. Loud cracks of thunder erupted like firecrackers from outside. Tracey stepped away from the phone and stuck his head out to see who had entered the Pokemon Center so abruptly. A very tense and soaked girl ran in.
"Someone! Help!" She cried and keeled over on the floor, panting heavily. Tracey stepped forward to help her up as Nurse Joy rushed up to her. The lights flickered as another rumble of thunder came from outside.
"Veronica? What is it?" Nurse Joy asked.
"The Pokemon Nursery is being raided! They're stealing all the baby Pokemon!" she cried. "They hurt my uncle and started grabbing all the Pokemon! I barely escaped. Please get Jenny!"
"Right," Tracey go to his feet and went back to the phone. He picked up the receiver and began dialing when he realized something. It was dead.
"The phone's out," Tracey said, looking back at the two.
Veronica buried her face in her hands. "Oh no! Those crooks will take all the babies!"
At this point, Janie, Pichu, and Mikey walked up to join Tracey. Mikey looked at the girl and then at Tracey curiously. "What's going on?"
"Someone's kidnapping the Pokemon and I can't do a thing to stop it!" Veronica wailed.
"Huh?" Janie said puzzled.
"Veronica..." Nurse Joy started, looking concerned and worried.
Tracey kneeled in front of the weeping girl. "Tell me, where's the Pokemon Nursery?"
Veronica glanced up. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but her expression was one of complete surprise. "A few blocks down the road. Why?"
"I have to know if I'm going to help you save those babies," Tracey replied.
A/N: I really like this chapter for some reason. I've been having trouble thinking up ideas for this fic and when I did, I was ecstatic! Anyway, did you like it? From the responses I got before I had to re-upload it, people like Janie and Pichu so far. That makes me so happy! Anyway, read and review!