Well, here we are for Day 2! Now just for a little background on this next theme, which is "If Tracey never joined," this is actually the theme that initially triggered the need to have alternate themes in the first place.

People - including myself - weren't thrilled with the idea of just removing a favorite character from the equation just because they wanted to see Ash and Misty travel through the Orange Islands alone, and many were puzzled why that particular theme was voted so highly. Perhaps they romanticized what would happen? That's my guess.

However, Holly and I managed to find a certain exploit and took full advantage. Just because TRACEY never joined, doesn't mean they couldn't have a third companion at all. So, if we have to take a character out, what was stopping us from putting a different character in? That's why now you'll read the story of Todd Snap and his adventures with Ash and Misty through the Orange Islands.

With that said, sit back and enjoy, and happy Pokeshipping Week everyone! I own nothing except the story.
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A picture's worth a thousand words, and I've taken tons of them over the course of my career. I've already been heralded as the world's greatest Pokémon photographer, but there's something that I haven't been able to do while in Kanto, and that's get some pictures of some real tropical Pokémon.

Thankfully, I have some great friends in Ash and Misty. When I heard they were heading to the Orange Archipelago, I just knew I had to tag along. It took me a while to track them down, but when I did I was surprised to see that Brock wasn't with them.

It's a little weird not having Brock around, I never realized how much Ash and Misty argue with each other when Brock isn't there to act as a mediator. I've been doing my best, but it isn't easy...and at the same time, it's been an amazing opportunity for me.

See, I've been able to get some great shots of Pokémon while I've been here, the Orange Islands are practically a paradise for photographers like me...pink Pokémon, shiny Pokémon wherever I look, ocean Pokémon having a fantastic time in the brilliantly blue water, and all captured while on the back of a baby Lapras no less!

But I've recently gotten experience in something else while traveling with Ash and Misty, and that's the art of capturing just the right moment between people. It's strange. Until I met them, I rarely ever photographed humans, I was always much more interested in Pokémon and for the most part I still am. But there's just something about Ash and Misty that appeals to the eye of the camera.

By themselves, they usually make for great action shots whenever they're in battle, and if I happen to catch a shot of them interacting with their Pokémon in a more friendly setting, then it becomes a true masterpiece. The relationship they have with their Pokémon is second to none, and even Ash's unruly Charizard eventually came around and started to listen to Ash's commands in battle, it's an amazing thing to chronicle and I'm so glad I was there to witness it...even if my hands were raw after rubbing Charizard down all night after the Poliwrath incident.

But there's something else that makes Ash and Misty such great subjects for my photos, and it's honestly something I wasn't expecting in the slightest. It's subtle, and the untrained eye probably wouldn't catch it, but those two seem to have a very deep admiration for each other, even if it's buried under a lot of bickering.

There was this one time not too long ago when Ash was taking a break from training, we had just stopped off to make our shelter for the night and Ash called out all his Pokémon to help set up. Instead it turned into a game of tag as Ash and the rest of his team chased Pikachu around after the little electric mouse thought it would be funny to snag Ash's hat off his head. It finally ended when Ash bumped into the belly of his Snorlax, who for once was awake and enjoying the fun with everyone.

I was about to take the shot of Ash and all his Pokémon laughing and having a great time...and then I caught Misty's expression in the corner of my eye.

She was smiling.

And this wasn't just a regular casual smile, this was a smile of complete and utter devotion and admiration. The word I would use is coy, as she watched Ash play with his Pokémon. When I saw that, I knew I had to get that shot. It was such a subtle and yet strongly implied emotion, how could I do anything else?

In my honest opinion, it's one of the best photos I've ever taken.

And then there's Ash. While normally Ash is great for exciting and high-energy shots - like when he and Misty are training together - I'll never forget the time when Ash got sick after an unfortunate run-in with an angry Vileplume's Stun Spore. Misty and I took Ash to a cabin that happened to be in the middle of the woods and tried to treat him there, but his illness was only getting worse and Misty took it upon herself to get the cure.

Obviously I wasn't all that concerned with getting a photo since Ash was sick as a dog, but I couldn't help but notice that even if he seemed a bit delirious, he kept calling for Misty and asking where she was. When she finally got back, Ash seemed relieved and even...happy that she was back, and after she boiled the Salveyo weed and gave it to Ash to drink, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have my camera on me.

Maybe it was a little selfish of me to take advantage of the circumstances, but it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. It was the perfect scene, with Misty standing in front of Ash while he gingerly took the cup from her, the gratitude in his eyes shined brightly with a hint of something more underneath the surface of that raw emotion. He didn't just appreciate the medicine, he appreciated her, and that's a moment in time I'm grateful I was able to capture.

The craziest part? He hadn't even noticed the Poliwag that had followed her to the cabin. For Ash to not notice a Pokémon is a big deal, since up until recently I thought Pokémon was the one thing Ash cared about more than anything else in the world.

Clearly, I was wrong.

In some ways, it almost feels like I shouldn't be here, not in the sense that I regret my decision to follow them, far from it...but in a way, it feels like I'm intruding on something special. I don't really know how to describe it or what word would define it, but there's this connection between Ash and Misty that whenever they're together, opportunities for heartwarming photos are almost endless...if you wait for their frequent arguments to end.

Even as we speak, they're sitting on a log in front of me, enjoying their lunch without a care in the world. If Ash's best friend is Pikachu, then there needs to be two separate categories, one for Pokémon and one for humans, because I've never seen closer friends than Ash and Misty.

I'm waiting for the right moment, after everything I've seen during this journey, I have a sneaking suspicion that - there it is! Misty just scooted closer to Ash, it's so discreet that if you blinked you would miss it, but my trusty camera lens sees all. Wait, are they...they look like they're about to share that sandwich! Oh man this could be a once in a lifetime photo! Now if they could just turn their heads and look at each other, that would be just perfect...yes!

Wait...uh oh...they didn't look at each other, they looked at me. Double uh oh...I think Misty realized I was snapping a photo of them. Oh God she's coming after me, Misty no! Not the camera, not the camera!

Maybe someday they'll appreciate what I've done...but I guess...today's not that day. Oh well.
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A/N: So there you have it. I think it's cute, and Todd seeing everything that we see through his trusty camera lens is a good twist on things, at least in my opinion. Now of course, Holly has some awesome artwork on her Tumblr page, which of course is hollylu-ships-it, so make sure you go check that out! We reblog each other there so if you follow either of us, you'll see it.

Let's meet back tomorrow, shall we?