Connecting - Ch. 1
Title: Connecting
Chapter: 1
Fandom: Pokemon (anime)
Character(s): Gary Oak, Tracey Sketchit
Genre: Friendship
Rating: K/G
Disclaimers: Pokemon © Nintendo
Notes: Written for the pokanon community. The prompt was: well, here's a request you don't see every day. I want a fic about tracey sketchit.
for all intents and purposes, he seems to be an orphan, so - maybe something about his backstory? idrc. tracey doesn't get enough love.
So I decided to give it a try. No real idea why I wanted to include Gary in it, but somehow my brain ran away with it, so I couldn't not have Gary in it.
I apologize if it's not that good. I tried something different with my writing because I wanted to experiment with a different style. Please let me know how it is. Hope you enjoy!
Summary: Slowly, Gary begins to understand the mystery known as Tracey Sketchit.
Connecting
To be honest, he just isn't sure what to make of that guy.
The first time they met was during one of his sporadic visits back home. He was surprised by the new face, but learned quick enough that he was a friend Ash made while traveling through the Orange Islands, and the guy started hanging around Ash because he was a big Professor Oak fan.
And he had to admit he was a little concerned about that - his grandfather had a lot of fans, but not all of them were…ideal to work with. Still, he didn't give it much thought, because he was still dead-set on becoming a Pokémon trainer then, and still considered Ash his rival. He didn't have time to bother with one of Ash's friends, and the guy seemed okay as far as he could tell; since the guy was living with his grandpa now, they spoke on rare occasions, and the guy always talked politely enough to him. He got the impression that he was just one of those people who was just nice to everyone. Overall, the guy seemed pretty bland, and he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Now though, as he watches the guy working with the Pokémon at his grandpa's house, Gary begins to wonder about this…Tracey Sketchit.
He doesn't think Tracey's dangerous or anything - far from it. His earlier observations about the generic friendliness still stand. But he does find himself a little puzzled. After all, his grandpa is admired by a lot of people, and there are too many individuals who would love the chance to work with the great Professor Oak.
He knows his grandfather doesn't work with just anyone. So what makes this Tracey so special? Why, he wonders as he watches Tracey taking care of the Pokémon during his grandfather's absence, did his grandfather agree to let Tracey work there?
"So…" Gary finally attempts, shattering the long run of silence, "are you really good with Pokémon?"
Tracey pauses, glancing at him with a questioning tilt of the head. Then he replies, "Just as good as anyone else, I guess."
It's a modest answer, but Gary gets the feeling he really means it. And that only further stumps him. He's used to hearing people coming and boasting about how intelligent they are, how qualified they are to work for Professor Oak. The only people worse than them are those who have worked with his grandfather - those who leave and believe they know everything about Pokémon because they studied under the famous researcher for a time.
Though Gary supposes he's not really one to talk…
But Tracey seems different somehow. The guy pretty much admitted that he was nothing special. He doesn't seem to think he's good enough to work for Professor Oak. He just seems to really want to.
And while he's met people like that too, Gary can't help but wonder about this guy.
"You're a…Pokémon watcher, right?" Gary asks. He's not really sure why he bothers with conversation. He's not used to speaking to the guy without his grandpa around to act as a buffer between them. But Tracey was the only one around now, since this was an unplanned visit, and he happened to arrive at a time when his grandfather was called away to another town ("Serves you right for not calling more often," he could hear his grandfather tease). So since it's just the two of them, Gary figures it couldn't hurt to try and do something to fill the void.
He just didn't expect it to be so awkward.
Tracey grins as he finishes up his work. "Yup."
"Are you going to go into research?"
Tracey has a thoughtful look in his eyes before he shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe someday, but…I'm not really planning on it right now."
Gary frowns. Most people who come to be Professor Oak's assistant do so for the experience, in hopes of someday becoming a full-fledged researcher themselves. But if Tracey wasn't planning to be a researcher, then why is Tracey here?
"Why not?" he presses, though he's not entirely sure why. "With your experience as a watcher, it shouldn't be too hard to get into research."
"Well…yeah, I guess…" Tracey hesitates, scratching the back of his head. "But it takes some money to get into researching…and that's a lot of money I don't have."
Gary's frown deepens as he considers this. That is something he came across while looking into the line of research. Part of the reason for his visit this time around was to discuss career options with his grandfather, and funds are an inevitable part of the conversation. But while he has vague ideas about the benefits of a research assistant, Tracey's comment makes him realize that he knows very little about his grandfather and Tracey's work arrangement. Before he can stop himself, he hears himself asking, "Does Grandpa pay you at all?"
Tracey blinks, and Gary mentally smacks himself as he wonders what the hell is wrong with him. This isn't any of his business, after all, and the question wasn't even okay to ask between friends, let alone complete strangers who barely knew each other through common individuals they associate with. Still, the question was already out there…and though he won't ever admit it, Gary kind of hopes he'll get an answer.
Suddenly Tracey smiles, and Gary can't explain the little relief he feels knowing that he hasn't offended the guy. "Sort of. I mean, I get a little bit for personal things, but most of the work I do is in exchange for room and board…which is enough for me."
Gary feels his brow knotting as he tries to understand. "That's it? Are you really okay with that?"
"Sure." Tracey's smile widens, and there's an excited gleam in his eyes as he adds, "I'm just grateful that Professor Oak lets me stay here."
A smirk stretches across Gary's face as he chuckles. "Better than going back home, huh?" he says. He knows how that feels. "So where would you be if you weren't here?"
A smile is still on Tracey's face, but while it remains polite Gary notices how it becomes less real and more withdrawn. Before he has time to say anything else, though, Tracey replies softly, "Nowhere, really. I don't…really have anywhere else to be."
Something about the casual answer - too casual, like it was trying too hard not to mean anything - transforms the following silence into something uneasy and uncomfortable. It bears down on them, heavy and stifling; Tracey easily ignores it - ignores him - as he busies himself, doing whatever he can not to look Gary in the eyes anymore.
But it soon becomes too much for Gary, so he quickly excuses himself and hurries to find somewhere else to be…something else to do, anything to put the conversation behind him. Maybe he'll drop by Ash's house and say hi to Ash's mom…
TBC
[Chapter 2]
Chapter: 1
Fandom: Pokemon (anime)
Character(s): Gary Oak, Tracey Sketchit
Genre: Friendship
Rating: K/G
Disclaimers: Pokemon © Nintendo
Notes: Written for the pokanon community. The prompt was: well, here's a request you don't see every day. I want a fic about tracey sketchit.
for all intents and purposes, he seems to be an orphan, so - maybe something about his backstory? idrc. tracey doesn't get enough love.
So I decided to give it a try. No real idea why I wanted to include Gary in it, but somehow my brain ran away with it, so I couldn't not have Gary in it.
I apologize if it's not that good. I tried something different with my writing because I wanted to experiment with a different style. Please let me know how it is. Hope you enjoy!
Summary: Slowly, Gary begins to understand the mystery known as Tracey Sketchit.
Connecting
To be honest, he just isn't sure what to make of that guy.
The first time they met was during one of his sporadic visits back home. He was surprised by the new face, but learned quick enough that he was a friend Ash made while traveling through the Orange Islands, and the guy started hanging around Ash because he was a big Professor Oak fan.
And he had to admit he was a little concerned about that - his grandfather had a lot of fans, but not all of them were…ideal to work with. Still, he didn't give it much thought, because he was still dead-set on becoming a Pokémon trainer then, and still considered Ash his rival. He didn't have time to bother with one of Ash's friends, and the guy seemed okay as far as he could tell; since the guy was living with his grandpa now, they spoke on rare occasions, and the guy always talked politely enough to him. He got the impression that he was just one of those people who was just nice to everyone. Overall, the guy seemed pretty bland, and he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Now though, as he watches the guy working with the Pokémon at his grandpa's house, Gary begins to wonder about this…Tracey Sketchit.
He doesn't think Tracey's dangerous or anything - far from it. His earlier observations about the generic friendliness still stand. But he does find himself a little puzzled. After all, his grandpa is admired by a lot of people, and there are too many individuals who would love the chance to work with the great Professor Oak.
He knows his grandfather doesn't work with just anyone. So what makes this Tracey so special? Why, he wonders as he watches Tracey taking care of the Pokémon during his grandfather's absence, did his grandfather agree to let Tracey work there?
"So…" Gary finally attempts, shattering the long run of silence, "are you really good with Pokémon?"
Tracey pauses, glancing at him with a questioning tilt of the head. Then he replies, "Just as good as anyone else, I guess."
It's a modest answer, but Gary gets the feeling he really means it. And that only further stumps him. He's used to hearing people coming and boasting about how intelligent they are, how qualified they are to work for Professor Oak. The only people worse than them are those who have worked with his grandfather - those who leave and believe they know everything about Pokémon because they studied under the famous researcher for a time.
Though Gary supposes he's not really one to talk…
But Tracey seems different somehow. The guy pretty much admitted that he was nothing special. He doesn't seem to think he's good enough to work for Professor Oak. He just seems to really want to.
And while he's met people like that too, Gary can't help but wonder about this guy.
"You're a…Pokémon watcher, right?" Gary asks. He's not really sure why he bothers with conversation. He's not used to speaking to the guy without his grandpa around to act as a buffer between them. But Tracey was the only one around now, since this was an unplanned visit, and he happened to arrive at a time when his grandfather was called away to another town ("Serves you right for not calling more often," he could hear his grandfather tease). So since it's just the two of them, Gary figures it couldn't hurt to try and do something to fill the void.
He just didn't expect it to be so awkward.
Tracey grins as he finishes up his work. "Yup."
"Are you going to go into research?"
Tracey has a thoughtful look in his eyes before he shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe someday, but…I'm not really planning on it right now."
Gary frowns. Most people who come to be Professor Oak's assistant do so for the experience, in hopes of someday becoming a full-fledged researcher themselves. But if Tracey wasn't planning to be a researcher, then why is Tracey here?
"Why not?" he presses, though he's not entirely sure why. "With your experience as a watcher, it shouldn't be too hard to get into research."
"Well…yeah, I guess…" Tracey hesitates, scratching the back of his head. "But it takes some money to get into researching…and that's a lot of money I don't have."
Gary's frown deepens as he considers this. That is something he came across while looking into the line of research. Part of the reason for his visit this time around was to discuss career options with his grandfather, and funds are an inevitable part of the conversation. But while he has vague ideas about the benefits of a research assistant, Tracey's comment makes him realize that he knows very little about his grandfather and Tracey's work arrangement. Before he can stop himself, he hears himself asking, "Does Grandpa pay you at all?"
Tracey blinks, and Gary mentally smacks himself as he wonders what the hell is wrong with him. This isn't any of his business, after all, and the question wasn't even okay to ask between friends, let alone complete strangers who barely knew each other through common individuals they associate with. Still, the question was already out there…and though he won't ever admit it, Gary kind of hopes he'll get an answer.
Suddenly Tracey smiles, and Gary can't explain the little relief he feels knowing that he hasn't offended the guy. "Sort of. I mean, I get a little bit for personal things, but most of the work I do is in exchange for room and board…which is enough for me."
Gary feels his brow knotting as he tries to understand. "That's it? Are you really okay with that?"
"Sure." Tracey's smile widens, and there's an excited gleam in his eyes as he adds, "I'm just grateful that Professor Oak lets me stay here."
A smirk stretches across Gary's face as he chuckles. "Better than going back home, huh?" he says. He knows how that feels. "So where would you be if you weren't here?"
A smile is still on Tracey's face, but while it remains polite Gary notices how it becomes less real and more withdrawn. Before he has time to say anything else, though, Tracey replies softly, "Nowhere, really. I don't…really have anywhere else to be."
Something about the casual answer - too casual, like it was trying too hard not to mean anything - transforms the following silence into something uneasy and uncomfortable. It bears down on them, heavy and stifling; Tracey easily ignores it - ignores him - as he busies himself, doing whatever he can not to look Gary in the eyes anymore.
But it soon becomes too much for Gary, so he quickly excuses himself and hurries to find somewhere else to be…something else to do, anything to put the conversation behind him. Maybe he'll drop by Ash's house and say hi to Ash's mom…
TBC
[Chapter 2]