Todd, Tracy and the Art Heist
Part 1
The books toppled over and fell to the floor of Professor's Oak's library in his lab. Tracy sighed. He just got done organizing them and putting them on the self. Now he had to do it again.
"Everything okay in there, Tracy?" Professor Oak wanted to know.
"Yeah, everything's fine." Tracy told him. "Some of your books fell, but I can pick them all back up and put them back. No big deal."
"Well, alright. Just be careful. I'd hate for you to have to keep doing this over and over again."
"I'm happy to help. Don't worry, I'm no klutz. I got this."
"Good to hear. Get to it then. I won't bother you any longer." Tracy nodded, then looked back at the books.
Okay, Tracy. He told himself, looking determined. It was just an accident and accidents happen. You are doing good work at the Professor's. Don't be a screw up klutz and mess up now and make him mad. You got this. He took a deep breath, and started picking up the books.
A certain book caught his attention. It was the Professor's old sketchbook from when he was young. He grabbed it and opened it up. He could tell it was old because all of the pages were faded, but he still knew what they depicted. He looked at each one, turning the pages when he was done with that page.
He did this until a certain picture caught his eye. It was Pikachu sleeping next to…wait, was that Celebi? He placed all of the books back on the shelf, including the sketchbook and went to the professor.
"I'm done, Professor!" Professor Oak looked at him.
"Very nice, Tracy, and thank you. I say you're done for the day. You deserve a nice rest."
"Thanks. Say, Professor?"
"Say, what?"
"There were sketches in a book I saw. Were all of them yours?"
"Aww, I see you found my old sketchbook. Yes. I was like you when I was young, maybe a few years younger than you. I liked sketching every Pokémon I've seen."
"Really? They're really good. Have you thought of displaying them in an art museum? I think people would really like them." Oak just looked at him.
"Well, no, I haven't given it that much thought. You think people would pay money to see them?" Tracy nodded.
"You are the world's famous Pokémon professor after all. There's no doubt in my mind that they'll want to see them, even people from different regions and all over." Oak smiled.
"I suppose you're right. Alright. They can all be on display."
"Even the one with Pikachu and Celebi sleeping together next to a tree?"
"That's my favorite one."
"You know, that Pikachu reminds me of Ash's Pikachu."
"It sure does."
"Well, I'm going to check up on the Pokémon, then I'll be done for the day."
"You do that, Tracy. Sounds good." Tracy then went off.
"Wow, Tracy, I'm impressed!" Professor Oak observed as he and Tracy were in an art museum with a bunch of other people who were admiring his framed pictures. "I wasn't sure of this at first, but you convinced me otherwise that my art pieces will really impress people and Pokémon alike! And for that, I thank you for putting myself out there."
"No problem, Professor." Tracy said to him. "Your sketches were all really good. I just thought they deserved to be displayed in a museum for all to see." Oak nodded.
"And right you were. Look at this turnout!"
"Well, you're not world famous for nothing, Professor."
"I suppose you're right about that."
"Do you think Ash and his friends will show up?" Oak shook his head.
"Ash is probably too busy on his Pokémon journey to come visit."
"You might be right about that one. There's a really famous Pokémon photographer and his works are next door. I'm going to look at them now."
"Fine by me, Tracy. You do whatever. I'll be there soon. I'll be here a little while longer." Tracy nodded, then walked off.
Tracy looked at each and every framed photo. He was impressed with each and every one. But one in particular caught his attention. It was a picture of Articuno.
"You like it?" A voice wanted to know. "I took that one when I was in Johto." Tracy looked at Todd.
"You're Todd Snap?" He asked. Todd nodded.
"Yup! The one and only!"
"No way! My name is Tracy Sketchit and I'm here with Professor Oak who also has his displays of sketches that he did when he was really young. They're next door if you're interested."
"Cool! I'll make sure to take a look."
"You won't be disappointed! He doesn't sketch anymore, but man, are they good!"
"I believe you. I started photography when I was very young too."
"Me too, with my sketches. You see, I'm a Pokémon Watcher so I sketch every Pokémon I come across." Todd smiled.
"That's great! I would love to see them."
"How about now? I carry my sketch pad in my backpack wherever I go just in case I see a Pokémon I want to draw."
"Sure! That sounds great; I'd love to!" Tracy took out his sketch pad from his backpack.
"Uh, why don't we sit at a bench somewhere so I can see them better?" Tracy nodded.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" The two walked off to a nearby bench to sit down at.
Tracy showed Todd every single drawing in his sketch pad. When he was done, they went on to the next sketchbook.
"I haven't been to Johto yet." Tracy said when done. "But I really want to be able to sketch more and more Pokémon."
"Well, if you really want to expand your horizons, then Johto is the next place to go. I took lots of pictures of all kinds of cool Pokémon while I was there."
"I'm assisting Professor Oak at his lab, so I don't know when I'll be able to. But whenever I get some vacation time, I'm going to Johto." Todd was shocked at this.
"You're Professor Oak's assistant?" Tracy nodded.
"Yup! I idolized him as a kid. So it's a dream come true for me."
"That's awesome!" Tracy nodded.
"It sure is. You met him?" Todd nodded.
"I sure have. He sent me to various places to take lots of pictures before in this machine called the Zero-One." Tracy was impressed.
"Oh, wow! That's neat!" Todd nodded again.
"It sure was." Tracy changed the subject.
"So, anyways, you're a very good photographer. And the backgrounds are just gorgeous! They're the icing on the cake!"
"Thanks. I don't like taking pictures of Pokémon when they're posing for the camera. I like to take them as they are, in the moment, in their natural habitats."
"I see. Just having them pose for you in front of the camera all of the time doesn't feel the same. Taking them as they are in their environment, doing whatever makes them feel alive. It's like you're right there with them." Todd nodded again.
"Exactly!"
"Say, Tracy?" Tracy was confused.
"Huh? Say what?
"Do you think I can go over to the professor and talk to him and see his works?"
"Sure."
"He's not too busy?" Tracy shook his head.
"No way! That's why he's here, to show off his work and talk to people and have people talk back. I will even bring you to the professor myself if you want."
"Wow! You'd do that? Thanks so much!"
"No problem! I bet the professor will even look at your own work if you allow him to." Todd was shocked at this.
"You think so?"
"Sure, why not? After all, you said you worked with the professor before. I'm sure he'll be delighted to see how far you have come." Todd nodded.
"I'm sure you're right on that. Ok, I'll do it. Now, please, take me to the professor."
"Alright then. Follow me. He's right this way." And so, Todd followed Tracy.
Before going to talk to the professor, Tracy showed Todd Professor Oak's sketches. Todd was impressed with each one. He looked at Tracy.
"Do you think the professor would like to see my photos?" He asked.
"I don't see why not." Tracy said.
"Alright, cool!"
"There's someone who would like to see you, Professor." Tracy spoke up to Professor Oak after he was done chatting to somebody else. Oak turned to Tracy.
"And I'm sure I'd like to meet them as well." He told him. "After all, if they're a fan of my work, I'm a fan of them."
"I'm so happy to hear you say that, Professor." Todd stated. Oak looked at him. "To hear that from a Pokémon professor that saw my work before, you don't know what that means to me."
"Todd?" Oak asked. Todd nodded.
"Yep! Do you remember me, Professor?" Oak nodded.
"How could I forget? You took lots of nice photos for me on the Neo-One."
"Uh, It was the Zero-One, Professor."
"Oh, was it?" He scratched his head. "I must be losing it with my old age. Sorry about that."
"It's no big deal, really. I'm so glad that I get to see you again, Professor."
"I'm glad you got to see me again too, Todd. Always happy to see a familiar face again."
"You're right about that."
"Wasn't there something you wanted to say to the professor?" Tracy whispered to Todd.
"Huh?" Todd asked. "Oh, yeah. I really like seeing all of your sketches, Professor Oak."
"Why, thank you, Todd. I'm really happy to hear you say that. It means so much coming from you;"
"Isn't there something else?" Tracy whispered to Todd again. Todd was about to ask, but then remembered. He looked at Professor Oak.
"Professor," He began. "…there's something I want to ask you." Professor Oak was confused.
"And what is that, Todd?"
"I took more pictures of Pokémon in their natural environments and would love it if you would see them." Professor Oak smiled.
"Sure. I'd love to see them." Todd was shocked again.
"Wow; really?"
"Sure. In fact. why not…" But he was interrupted by someone else.
"I really love your work." The man said. Professor Oak looked at him.
"Why, thank you." He thanked him.
"I especially love that sketch that you did in your youth with Celebi and Pikachu. In fact, I would like to buy it if you don't mind. How much?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's not for sale. None of my sketches are. They are all just for show."
"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Vincent and I can pay you handsomely for it."
"That's nice. But again, it's not for sale." Vincent frowned.
"Oh, that's too bad. It is such a shame too. It is such a lovely piece of drawing that you did way back when."
"Again, I'm so sorry. I don't want to sell. I just want to make people happy by just looking at them." Vincent sighed.
"I'm sure you are sorry. But it's my fault. I shouldn't have asked. And for that, I apologize." Professor Oak smiled.
"Thanks for understanding." This time, Vincent smiled.
"No problem. No problem at all." He then left.
"Excuse me!" Another man spoke up. Oak looked at him.
"My name's Pablo and I'll pay you 1,000 P." More people spoke up.
"I'm Edvard and I'll pay you 1,001 P!"
"Claude here and I'll pay you 2,000 P!" Oak gestured to them with his hands to calm down.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He apologized. "But like I told the other guy, that sketch and others like it aren't for sale. Now please, don't ask me again. No matter how much money you want for them, the answer is still and will always be no."
"You are being really selfish right now!" A woman shouted. Oak looked at her and sighed.
"Oh no, not you too."
"Yes, me too." Oak was now mad with the woman.
"And I am not being selfish. I did those sketches when I was a really young lad. They mean something to me, every single one."
. "I understand that. I know how much an art piece means to someone. I'm an artist myself. But you have to realize that there are some people out there that will help make you rich if you sell those sketches to them. Don't you want that?"
"No. All I want is to make people smile. Is that so wrong?" The woman huffed.
"I suppose not. But you are wasting time on this. You don't know what you're missing out on."
"I assure you, I'm not missing out on much. These are my art and I decide what I want to do with them."
"Whatever! Good day, Professor. I wish you the best, I really do." She left. Oak sighed.
"Oh, maybe this was a bad idea after all." Tracy looked at him.
"Are you kidding?" He asked him. "No, it's not. Forget them. Those were just a few commanding people. You can't let those kinds of people get you down. This was a brilliant idea, the best you ever had and I'm glad that I suggested it to you!"
"Tracy's right." Todd agreed. "Look how many other people that showed up here and look at how happy you made them. You should be happy." Oak smiled.
"You're right! You both are! I am happy and I am proud of myself, deeply in fact! I am also proud of both of you too. Thank you both for this. I really appreciate it." Both Tracy and Todd smiled. Professor Oak changed the subject. "Todd, let me see your photos."
"Okay." Todd agreed. "I'll go with you. Right this way." They both followed him out of the room.
The next morning, Tracy ran into a panicked Professor Oak. They both fell down. They both groaned in pain. Tracy saw the professor and stood up. He offered his hand to him.
"Sorry about that, Professor." Tracy apologized. "Here, let me help you up." Oak allowed Tracy to help him to his feet.
"Thank you, Tracy." He thanked him. "And I'm the one who should apologize. I was in a hurry and didn't see where I was going."
"That's okay, Professor. That happens a lot when people are in a hurry. Might I ask why you were in a hurry?" Professor Oak frowned.
"There was a break-in at the art museum last night." Tracy gasped.
"That's terrible! Did they take anything of yours?"
"I don't know. That's why I was in a hurry. I need to get there asap."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go with you." Oak nodded in agreement.
"That might be a good idea." And so, they both took off.
Professor Oak and Tracy both ran outside of the art museum, Police tape was around the building, along with Officer Jenny, her Growlithe, her police motorcycle, and a huge gathering of people. They ran to Officer Jenny.
"We heard about the break-in last night!" Tracy told her.
"Were any of my sketches stolen?" Oak wanted to know.
"Were mine stolen?" A familiar voice asked. They all looked and saw that it was Todd. "I'm a Pokémon photographer. I worked hard on taking the best photos of Pokémon that I can."
"Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to both of your questions." Jenny said to Oak and Todd. "So you two will have to be patient." They both frowned.
"I understand." Oak told her. "You are doing the best you can. You just do your job and we'll wait for however long it'll take." Officer Jenny smiled.
"I appreciate that very much, Professor." She talked to others as Tracy looked at Todd.
"I do hope your photos didn't get stolen." He said to him.
"Thanks." Todd looked at Professor Oak. "And I hope your sketches didn't get stolen either. I can tell you worked hard on them all of those decades ago."
"Thanks. Todd." The Professor thanked him. "I sure did." A male police officer ran to Officer Jenny.
"Officer Jenny!" He shouted. "We know what's been stolen!" Officer Jenny turned to him, "What is it?"
"It's one of Professor Oak's sketches that he did when he was ten, the one with the Pikachu and Celebi."