‘Professor are you sure we’ve come the right way?’ Tracey, Harry and Professor Oak stood in front of Dark, threatening forest, it was like looking at the first scenes of a horror movie where the victims made their first steps into the unknown. ’Well Tracey it’s what the maps says, so it must be right’. Professor Oak answered. Harry surveyed the area and grinned. ‘Don’t worry Prof, you have Harry the Great on your side, I shall be a great protector’. ‘Yeah until a pretty girl comes along’ Tracey scoffed, but before Harry could retaliate a tall figure emerged from the trees, a tall middle aged man, with slightly greying red hair. His clothes were simply a shirt and trousers with a rather mucked up lab coat, as a matter of fact most of him seemed as if he had been dragged through a mud hill backwards. His amber eyes looked tired and weary and he was in desperate need of a shave. ‘Professor Oak I’m so glad you could make it, I’ve been waiting for you’. The two professors shook hands and friendly words, then turning the two younger men, Professor Oak smiled and said ‘Tracey, Harry this is Professor Willow an old friend of mine and quite a distinguished pokemon researcher. Willow this is my assistant Tracey Sketchit whom I have mentioned and his friend Harry DeMann’. Tracey shook hands with Professor Willow amazed that he had been spoken about to another professor. ‘It’s a pleasure Professor Willow’. Harry tilted his head and took to whistling and slowly turning on his heel, making small circles with his body. Tracey just stared and shook his head. ‘Well…’ Professor Willow announced ‘shall we be on our way, I’m sure you’ll take great interest in what I’m about to show you, but I’m warning you that what you see will shock you, but I’m convinced that it is under Team Rocket control. This way please’.

The four of them entered the forest under Professor Willow’s leadership. They walked had been walking for about ten minutes, wherever this place was, it was certainly hidden well from public view. It was another five minutes until a clearing cam to view. Tracey stared in shock and amazement as the dark castle like building from the e-mail developed before them. He suddenly felt a chill climb up his spine, this place was defiantly not very friendly looking. ‘Gentlemen, this is Dark Castle Academy, and those…..’ he pointed to rows and rows of still figures.’…. are it’s students.’

There was something odd about the students, they all wore the same uniform, which consisted of white shirts and blue cuffs with round blue neck ties, the black lace that was used to tighten the neck tie was left to dangle evenly on each side. Girls wore blue skirts which were slightly pleated and boys wore blue pants with the same blue circle of the neck ties on the left leg. It wasn’t odd for them to be dressed the same, after all it was a uniform, but what seemed odd was that they all had the same stern, serious look on their faces and they stood perfectly still, not moving a single inch.

‘Man they look like they have a pole shoved up their as….’ ’HARRY!!!!’ Tracey snapped, Harry snickered knowing he had ticked Tracey off.

‘Well as you can see…’ Professor Willow continued. ‘this place is a little too large for one person to explore, though I have tried my best, that’s why I called you, so that we can do a full examination. I thought that we could spilt up for a while and discreetly gather information about this place’s inner workings. What do you think Professor?’ Professor Oak thought for a while, then spoke up. ‘Yes, I believe that would be best. Tracey, you and Harry pair up and I shall go with Professor Willow, and when you feel you have any relevant information, we shall meet back here to discuss them’ Tracey nodded ‘Yes Professor, come on Harry lets go. Take care Professor’.

‘Tracey all this sneaking around in the bushes is doing nothing for my handsome complexion!’ Tracey just rolled his eyes , though Harry had always been vain, you couldn’t help but like the guy, and they had been friends for years. Harry despite his faults was a very good friend. ’I’m sure we’ll find something soon Harry, then we can go back to the Professors’. Harry pointed out of the bushes towards a group of studying girls, he grinned and set off walking ‘ I’ll see later Trace, you keep looking, I’m gonna try my charm on these bookworms!’ ‘ No Harry wait….oh the idiot’ Tracey got up to follow him, but suddenly a red light shot from his waist line, it was Marill letting himself from the poke ball. Tracey turned to his released pokemon. ’What are you doing Marill?’ but Marill didn’t answer, he just off further into the bushes. ’Oh what now? Harry can take care of himself’. He ran after Marill, hoping that they weren’t going to get into trouble. He ran into a clearing, surrounded by trees and bushes, and emerging from behind one was a glint of a blue ear. ’Marill get here, we have to get go…’ Tracey felt that there was something not quite right about his pokemon. Then he heardthe bushes rustling behind him, turning round but seeing no one. ‘Hello??’ For a few moments it was silent, then he heard a voice ‘Your not from around here are you? Tracey looked around trying to find the source of the voice. ‘oh and how did you come to that conclusion?’ He answered in hope the voice would answer him so he could find where it was coming from. ‘Well first of all, your sneaking around in these bushes, and it seems that you have no idea where you are going!’ ‘Yes well maybe I just don’t know this part very well’ Tracey answered the voice again, getting a little irritated.

‘There’s one other thing, your not wearing the uniform’. That’s when it hit him, he could be revealing himself to anyone of this academy and putting himself in danger. ‘Listen I don’t mean any harm, it’s just I’m looking for my marill’ The voice giggled ‘It’s ok I wont tell anyone you’re here’. then a figure appeared from behind a tree, it was a young woman around his age, maybe a little younger, her brown hair fell past her shoulders, and she wore the uniform different to the rest, her left sleeve was cut shorter than her right, just coming to below her shoulder, and she wore rather fluffy boots. Her blue eyes never strayed from looking at his, as if she was finding all she needed to know from his eyes. She walked closer to him, maybe a little too close, still looking into his eyes. Tracey felt himself blushing ‘what’s going on?’ he thought to himself ‘why am I feeling like this?’ finally she stopped, looking up at him.

‘You have nice eyes. What’s your name?’ ‘T..t…Tracey’ ‘Nice to meet you, is this your marill?’ she gestured behind her, Marill slowly poked his head round her leg. ‘Where have you been??’ ‘Oh don’t shout at him, he was just following Bubbles, my marill, the one you saw hiding over there!’

‘Oh I’m sorry I..I didn’t mean to scare her’. ‘don’t worry about it, she’ll ok’. She began staring at him again, and smiling gently. ‘Who are you?’ Tracey asked. ‘I’m Sakura’. For a few moments they stared at each other silently. Tracey felt compelled to move closer, and without realising it, he was. Why did he feel he had to be so close to her? Then the silence was broken by a high pitched male voice. ‘ LEAVE ME ALONE YOU CRAZY WOMEN….SOMEONE HELP ME!!!’

Tracey knew the voice ‘Harry…he must have gotten himself in trouble’

‘Come on follow me, I’ll help you’ Sakura grabbed his hand and they ran towards Harry’s scream, the Marill’s following close behind.