Following Meowth's Footprints

by Alex Polan

“Max is around here somewhere. I know he is!” said Devin, her eyes flashing.

  “Wait, who’s Max?” asked the Team Instinct girl, standing back up.

  “The lost cat!” said Devin. “The one we’re all looking for.”

  “Huh?” The girl cocked her head. “We’re not tracking a cat. We’re tracking a fox. We’re trying to help the nature preserve track how many red foxes are left in the area.”

  A fox? Ethan’s stomach sank.

  “But those are cat tracks, aren’t they?” he asked, pointing.

  It was Wyatt who knelt beside the prints and explained it all to Ethan. “Cat paw prints don’t have these long claw marks at the tips. See? That’s a fox, for sure.”

  “Oh.” Ethan was not only disappointed. He also felt a little bit dumb.

  When the rain started to fall again, everything felt gray and bleak. Ethan could hardly stand to look at Devin’s face. She wore her disappointment like a mask.

  Then he remembered something that brightened the world back up again—or at least brightened his Pokémon GO map. The yellow Team Instinct gym!

  “Mind if I stop for a battle?” he asked Devin.

  She shrugged. “I’ll hold the umbrella so you don’t get your phone wet.”

  “Thanks,” he said. Sometimes his sister was alright. She and Gianna even cheered his Pidgeotto on as it won the first match against a Team Instinct Poliwag.

  “Hey, you’ll never believe what I’m battling next!” he said to Devin, showing her his phone.

  It was a little red Vulpix with a super-fluffy tail. Leave it to Team Instinct to leave a foxlike Pokémon in the conservancy gym, he thought.

  The Vulpix seemed too cute to attack—until it released its Flame Charge. Ethan could almost feel the heat as he dodged the fiery blast.

  “Attack, Pidgeotto!” he said, tapping the screen. “What are you waiting for?”

  Then he felt Devin hitting his arm. “Stop that,” he barked at her. “Can’t you see that I’m trying to concentrate?”

  “Ethan, look!” she whispered loudly in his ear. “Look now.”

  He tore his eyes away from his screen, and he was sure glad he did.

  Standing just a few feet away in a thicket of trees and bushes was a wild animal.

  And this was no Pokémon.

  It was a real live, really red fox.

  CHAPTER 6

  “You should have seen it, Carlo,” Gianna told her brother. “That fox was better than anything in the Pokédex. Show him the picture you took, Devin.”

  They were sitting on Gianna and Carlo’s porch, watching the rain fall. And all Ethan could think about was the fox they’d just seen.

  “We were so close to it,” he told Carlo. “I could have reached out and touched it.”

  “You sure were,” Carlo said, studying the photograph. “It’s a great picture. You could be a nature photographer, Devin!”

  She blushed as she took her phone back. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t find Max, but the fox was pretty special. And what Team Instinct is doing is important, too. Did you know there aren’t as many foxes in the forest as there used to be?”

  “I didn’t know that,” said Carlo.

  “Hey, when Mom asks tonight what you learned from Pokémon GO, you’ll finally have something to say!” said Ethan with a grin.

  “Yeah,” said Devin. “But when Mrs. Applegate asks if we found Max, we’ll have to tell her no.” She slumped in the porch swing. “How are we going to look for him in the rain?”

  Ethan shrugged. “It’s definitely raining now. There’s nothing misty about it.” He watched the waterfall pouring out of the downspout into the flowerbed below.

  “Maybe we can wait it out,” said Gianna.

  So they tried.

  After an hour, Devin had designed a fox-crossing poster on her phone using a picture of Vulpix. And Carlo had taught Ethan how to evolve Eevee, another foxlike Pokémon, into a Vaporeon.

  “So if I just nickname it Rainer, it’ll evolve into a Vaporeon instead of Flareon or Jolteon?” asked Ethan.

  “Yep,” said Carlo. “If you want a Jolteon like mine, you nickname your Eevee Sparky.”

  Cool! thought Ethan. He didn’t mind rainy days so much if they meant Carlo would be home to teach him a few things.

  But as Ethan and Devin made a mad dash through the rain toward their own home, Ethan remembered Max.

  By tomorrow, Max will have been missing for two days, he realized. That cat is going to be really hungry. And really wet!

  Ethan woke up to the peaceful sound of … silence. No more raindrops falling on the rooftop. Yes!

  “Can we go hunt for Max?” he asked Mom when he was only halfway into the kitchen.

  “Just for a bit this morning,” she said. “It’s family yard work day, remember? Dad’s taking off work this afternoon to help.”

  “Okay,” said Ethan, grabbing a piece of toast from the plate on the table. “Devin, c’mon!”

  “Let the girl eat her breakfast,” said Mom, shaking her head.

  “No time,” said Ethan, pulling on his shoes. “We’ve got very important Team Mystic business.”

  “Breakfast is important, too,” said Mom. “Sit your butt down.” She pointed at a chair until Ethan had no choice but to go over and sit in it.

  Sometimes grown-ups are so unreasonable, he thought with a sigh. But orange juice did taste good.

  A half hour later, he, Devin, and Gianna were out in the sunshine, biking toward the library. Hopefully, Mrs. Applegate had good news about Max, but if not, Team Mystic was back on the case.

  “Look, it’s Dottie,” said Gianna, pointing.

  Sure enough, Dottie was walking toward them. But she wasn’t alone. She was holding hands with a man who looked suspiciously like Ivan.

  “They both close their shops on Mondays,” said Gianna, giggling. “Aren’t they cute?”

  Ethan noticed that Dottie looked especially fancy today, in a lavender dress and wide-brimmed hat that set off her brown eyes and skin.

  Ivan wore a cap, too, which he tipped toward them as he came closer. “Morning, kids,” he said in his thick accent. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

  “Um, yeah,” said Ethan, trying not to look at Ivan’s bushy eyebrows. They reminded him of long white Caterpie.

  “Where were you all yesterday?” asked Dottie. “I had three Mankey doughnuts set aside especially for you.”

  “Oh, no!” said Devin. “We totally forgot.”

  “Actually, we were searching for Max in the morning,” Ethan explained.

  “And stuck in the rain all afternoon,” said Gianna.

  “Oh, I see,” said Dottie. “Well maybe I can pick your brains for a moment about a couple of other doughnuts I was considering.”

  “Sure. Which ones?” said Ethan. It was always fun to talk doughnuts—almost as much fun as it was to eat them.

  He was surprised when Dottie pulled her phone out of her purse and brought up a photo of a Caterpie.

  “Dottie, have you been playing Pokémon GO?” asked Devin, her eyes wide.

  Dottie brushed Devin’s question away with a wave of her hand. “Just doing a little research here and there,” she said. But she sounded embarrassed, as if she’d just been busted.

  “So I’m thinking about baking a key-lime Caterpie. What do you think?”

  Devin scrunched up her nose.

  “What is it, sweetie?” asked Dottie. “Be honest, now.”

  “Well,” said Devin, “I just don’t want to feel like I’m eating a caterpillar.”

  Ethan agreed. Mostly, though, he wished they’d stop talking about caterpillars so he wouldn’t be tempted to sneak a peek at Ivan’s eyebrows.

  “Okay, okay, fair enough,” said Dottie. “How about a Clefairy cream puff, then? Picture it: a swirl of pink frosting on top, and whipped-cream filling in the middle.”

  “Yes!” said Gianna. “Now you’re talking.”

  “Ooh, I have the perfect phot
o for a poster,” said Devin. “Remember that one I took of a Clefairy on a soda can?” she asked Ethan.

  He did remember—he’d been the one holding the soda.

  “The Clefairy cream puff is a great idea,” he said to Dottie. “We give it three thumbs up.”

  Ivan smiled proudly at Dottie and said, “Isn’t she creative? I wish I could hire her at the ice cream shop. So far, the only Pokémon ice cream toppings I’ve been able to come up with are Stardust Sprinkles.”

  “You can’t hire her!” said Devin. “I mean, she’s already got a job.”

  “I certainly do,” said Dottie. “And you kids make it a whole lot easier—and more fun.” She blew Devin a kiss before heading down the sidewalk with Ivan.

  “Let’s get going,” said Ethan, leaning forward on his bike. “Mrs. Applegate will be opening the library any minute now.”

  They pedaled around the corner just as Mrs. Applegate was disappearing inside. She caught a glimpse of them coming and turned around with her hands clasped together. “Did you find him?” she asked, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

  Ethan barely had the heart to tell her no.

  “But we’re going to keep looking!” said Devin.

  Even Devin sounded a little less hopeful today than she did yesterday, Ethan noticed. And when Devin starts to lose hope, that’s a bad sign.

  “So … where do you want to look?” he asked the girls as they biked on.

  Devin shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m running out of ideas.”

  Gianna wasn’t, though. “How about near the lake?” she said. “Max must be hungry by now. Maybe he headed there looking for fish.”

  “Yeah, but cats don’t really swim,” said Ethan. “And it’s not like he’s got a little kitty fishing pole.”

  “Well, do you have any better ideas?” asked Devin.

  She’s got me there, he thought. He shook his head, and they set off for the lake.

  They’d only gone about two blocks when Ethan heard the buzz of an electric scooter. Brayden pulled up right alongside their bikes. “Hey,” he said. “How’s your search for the missing cat?”

  “Not so great,” Ethan mumbled.

  “Well, I’ve got good news for you,” he said. “Someone spotted a black cat in the Newville Cemetery. I’ll bet you anything it’s Max. You should go there and look!”

  “Really?” said Devin.

  “You’re kidding!” said Gianna. “That’s great news. We’ll head over there right now.”

  Ethan felt a rush of excitement, too, but he held his breath until Brayden was gone. Then he said, “Brayden the Great really creeps me out when he’s actually nice to us.”

  “I know,” said Gianna. “It’s not natural. But don’t think about him right now. We’ve got a cat to rescue.” She took off on her bike, following Devin.

  “Right,” said Ethan. “Hey, wait for me!”

  CHAPTER 7

  “Max is at the cemetery. I know he is!” shouted Devin as they tore down the road on their bikes.

  “Slow down!” called Gianna. “My bike’s not as fast as yours!”

  But Devin was on a mission. Even Ethan was afraid he couldn’t keep up with his little sister.

  The Newville Cemetery was all the way over by the lake. We probably should have checked in with Mom before taking off across town, he told himself as he pedaled. But good luck telling Devin to turn around now.

  “What kind of Pokémon do you think we’ll find in the graveyard?” he asked Gianna, who was biking by his side. “A Gastly, maybe? Or a Haunter?”

  She grinned. “Probably just a bunch of Zubat.”

  “No!” groaned Ethan. “Don’t even say that.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him and turned on a burst of speed, zooming ahead.

  When they got to the cemetery, Devin rode around it in a circle, searching for a bike rack.

  “Let’s just lock our bikes up against the iron gate,” Ethan suggested. He hopped off and showed Devin how.

  “It’s so quiet,” she whispered, taking off her bike helmet. “No wonder Max is hiding out here. It’s as quiet as the library.”

  Ethan almost told her not to get her hopes up—that they didn’t know for sure that Max was here. But it was so nice to see his little sister hopeful again. He didn’t want to be the one to burst her bubble.

  As he and Gianna followed Devin through the gates, he pulled out his phone.

  We’re looking for Max, he reminded himself. But if there happens to be a Gastly floating around, I’m gonna grab it.

  After one lap of the cemetery, Ethan was surprised to find zero Pokémon. But there were PokéStops everywhere—statues of saints and stone benches dedicated to people who had passed away.

  After Ethan spun a Photo Disc of an angel statue and collected his rewards, he was surprised to see his screen flash.

  “Level up!” it said, along with a brilliant, white number eight.

  “Yes!” Ethan pumped his fist. “I made it. I’m a Level-Eight Trainer.”

  He checked his inventory and was thrilled to see not just one Razz Berry, but ten of them. And now that he had those berries, he wanted to use them.

  “Where are all the Pokémon?” he called to the girls.

  Devin shushed him. “There probably aren’t any hiding here, because of … you know, the people.” She pointed toward the ground.

  “Huh?”

  She sighed with exasperation. “You may be older than me, Ethan, but sometimes you’re not very smart.”

  “I think what Devin is trying to say is that it wouldn’t be respectful to hunt Pokémon in a graveyard,” said Gianna. “Right, Devin?”

  “Exactly. Thank you, Gia. Besides, we’re supposed to be hunting for Max, remember?”

  Ethan still didn’t get it. Why have all these PokéStops here if there aren’t any Pokémon?

  But he tried to keep his voice down and his thoughts to himself as he searched under benches and around tombstones for a runaway black cat.

  When the search turned up nothing, Ethan checked the clock on his phone. “Devin, we really gotta go,” he said. “It’s almost time for family yard work day.”

  Just saying the words made his back hurt. There was nothing worse than leaning over a garden pulling weeds when what you really wanted to be doing was hunting for cats and Gastly!

  “Already?” whined Devin. “But Max is here somewhere. I know he is!”

  While she took one more quick lap around a large tomb at the end of the graveyard, Ethan sat down on the nearest bench.

  “You’ve said that before,” he mumbled, more to himself than to her. “And you’ve been wrong before. Maybe he was here, but he’s moved on by now.”

  As soon as the words were out of Ethan’s mouth, he heard something.

  “What was that?” he asked, holding his breath.

  Then he heard it again. A low, throaty meow. It was almost a growl.

  And it was coming from beneath the bench that Ethan was sitting on.

  Oh so slowly, Ethan stood up and turned around. He squatted low—and came face to face with a very big, very black cat.

  With his chewed-up ear and matted fur, Max looked like he’d had a rough couple of days. He scooted backward under the bench and growled.

  “Here, boy. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” Ethan offered his outstretched hand.

  Hissssss! The cat puffed up, showing some very sharp teeth. Then he lunged forward.

  “Yikes!” Ethan stumbled backward and fell on his butt.

  The cat sprang past him and took off across the cemetery.

  “It’s him. It’s Max!” Ethan jumped up and hollered for the girls. “Get him!”

  “Where?” Devin spun around.

  Gianna caught sight of the cat and started chasing him, but that only made Max run faster.

  “I’ll get him!” cried Ethan, racing around the edge of the cemetery to cut Max off at the pass. But just before their paths crossed, Ethan tripped over a flowerpot a
nd landed sprawled in the grass.

  The last thing he saw was Max disappearing through the iron gate of the graveyard.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Oh, no,” said Devin, sinking onto the ground beside Ethan. “We might have just lost our big chance to catch Max.”

  “No, we didn’t,” said Gianna, running toward them. “We just need to come back later with something to lure Max toward us. Tuna fish maybe! Remember how Mrs. Applegate said he likes tuna treats?”

  “Yeah. Do you think that’ll work?” Devin asked, looking up at Gianna with hopeful eyes.

  “Sure I do,” said Gianna. “The main thing is, we found Max. And he’s okay.”

  Sort of, Ethan wanted to say. He was afraid to tell the girls about Max’s chewed-up ear. Maybe he did have a run-in with a coyote, he thought with a shiver.

  “But what if Mom doesn’t let us come back here later?” Devin asked.

  Ethan sighed. “She might not. This is kind of far from home, and she doesn’t like us biking at night—not without an adult.”

  “I have an idea,” said Gianna. “Carlo is babysitting me tonight while Mom works. Maybe you could stay at our house, and Carlo could go with us to the cemetery. He’s fourteen, which is kind of like an adult.”

  “Yeah,” said Ethan. “That might work.” And it’d be cool to hang out with Carlo.

  But first? Family yard work day. Ugh.

  So after looking for Max one last time in the grass beyond the gates, they climbed onto their bikes and headed for home.

  “This is such a waste of time,” said Ethan. He was crouched over a tomato plant, so his voice came out muffled.

  “What is?” asked Devin, taking a bite out of a crisp peapod.

  “Hey!” Ethan sat back upright and pointed his finger. “You’re supposed to be weeding the garden—not eating it.”

  Devin shrugged and pulled another peapod off the vine. “I need energy to do yard work. What’s a waste of time?”

  “Weeding a garden that’s just going to have more weeds in it tomorrow,” he said. “What’s wrong with weeds, anyway? Some people eat dandelions. Did you know that they’re weeds?”

  Devin shook her head. “Did you learn that from Pokémon GO?” she asked, giggling.