The next morning, Tracey woke up bright and early. He yawned and slowly sat up. He stretched, then slowly rose to his feet. He trudged toward the door, still sleepy, and opened it. The three Pokemon were still there. The Ninetales lay close to the door. The Sneasel and Pikachu rested their heads on the Ninetales' stomach, her nine beautiful tails covering them like a blanket. They were all sleeping peacfully. Tracey smiled, then carefully stepped over the Ninetales. He headed downstairs to get breakfast ready.

:a short time later:

Chelsey raised her head as a delicious smell drifted through the air. She sniffed, searching for the smell. She slowly stretched, rose carefully as to not wake her friends, then padded slowly down the steps towards the kitchen. Poking her head in, she spotted Tracey. She wasn't sure what he was making, but whatever it was smelled simply wonderful. She stepped into the kitchen, and Tracey heard her. He turned and smiled at her. "Morning, Ninetales. Sleep well?" "Yes." Chelsey replied, but Tracey only heard "Nine."

More footstesps were heard, and Dan and Lisa walked in. They smiled their greetings towards both of them. "Hello, Sneasel and Pikachu. Come on in. Breakfast will be done in a minute." The Pokemon felt their mouths watering. They were expecting pancakes and other such breakfast items. They looked really disappointed when Tracey placed their breakfast in front of them. It was Pokemon food. Carefully, they checked it out. It smelled good. "What's the matter? Aren't you hungry?" Tracey asked when the three Pokemon just sat there a moment, studying the food. The three Pokemon grinned nervously, and finally, one after the other, they reached down and took a small bite.

Actucally, the food tasted great to their Pokemon tounges, so they ate without further complaint. Tracey smiled, and continued making breakfast for himself and the professor. After breakfast, the three Pokemon wandered around the lab. Chelsey sat in front of a bookcase, longing to reach a book near the top with a Butterfree on it. Lisa and Dan sat on the floor, talking to one another. Their talk stopped, however, when Tracey and the professor walked in. Both were wearing rubber gloves. Not a good sign.

"Pikachu, would you come here?" Dan, coking his head to one side, came a bit closer, but still kept himself at a safe distance from their hands. Chelsey and Lisa walked up behind him, watching carefully. "COme on, Pikachu, we just want to see you." Dan blinked, then edged just slightly closer. Two firm hands gently gripped his tiny body and he was lifted into the air. He looked at the gloves, blinking, and was carried away. Chelsey and Lisa exchanged a glance, then followed. The professor and Tracey entered a room, carrying the little Pikachu with them. When Chelsey and Lisa tried to follow, they found the door locked. They exchanged another glance and nodded. Chelsey rose up onto her hind legs, supporting herself by placing her front paws on the door. Lisa climbed carefully onto her back and up her neck. The two peered inside.

Dan sat on a metal table. Tracey held him in place, and Dan looked a bit nervous. Professor Oak came over holding a few things in his hand. Dan shuddered. As it turned out, all the professor wanted to do was give them a check-up, see how healthy they were. Dan was in great health. Chelsey and Lisa relaxed...until they saw the professor pull out a syringe. Dan froze, and the other two panicked. Chelsey jumped back to four feet and bolted. Lisa leapt off her back and sped off in the opposite direction. No way would they allow them to give them needles.

A few moments later, Dan wandered out, looking weary. Lisa came up to him. Before either of them could exchange a word, something grabbed Lisa from behind. She screeched and tried to turn her head and fire an ice beam at her captor. The next thing she knew, she was in the lab, and the same things that happened to Dan happened to her. She was healthy too. Next came the needle, Lisa closed her eyes and waited...

Hiding in the kitchen was Chelsey. She lay under the table, thankful a tablecloth was there, covering the time. She would have hid somewhere else, but she was too big to fit in most places. "Why couldn't I be a Vulpix?" she whispered ruefully. She quickly fell silent when footsteps entered the kitchen. From her spot on the floor, she could see Tracey's shoes. They stopped directly in front of her and turned. The Ninetales held her breath. She'd know to bolt if they came closer. "Ninetales, where are you?" Tracey called softly. Chelsey sank back, trying hard not to whimper. Sadly, one came out and Tracey heard her. He lifted the tablecloth and Chelsey tried to bolt. Before she got two feet from her hiding spot, Tracey tackled her. She struggled, but was forced to her feet. "Come on, Ninetales. I'm not gonna hurt you." And with a bit of struggling, Tracey managed to drag her to the lab.

The check-up went fairly fast. She was fairly healthy. Next came what she feared; the needle. The syringe was empty, so that told her he was taking a blood sample. It entered, and she flinched. Luckily, the professor only took a small sample. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it Ninetales?" The brown Ninetales just looked at him. With the worst over, she relaxed, and was sent out to join Lisa and Dan. There was only one thing on their minds; how get find the man who gave them these cursed charms. And to find him, they'd have to escape...

to be continued.

So sorry for the wait! I'm suffering from a major writer's block, that's one reason I took so long. Enjoy. And for those who are waiting for the next chapter to "Similar to Jumanji?", that is the next story I plan to update. Please bear with me.

Mini Marianne