Following Meowth's Footprints Read online

  This book is not authorized or sponsored by The Pokémon Company International, Nintendo of America, Inc., Nintendo/Creatures Inc., Niantic, Inc., or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the Pokémon or Pokémon GO characters, name, trademarks, or copyrights.

  Copyright © 2016 by Hollan Publishing, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews and articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

  First Edition

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are from the author’s imagination, and used fictitiously.

  Sky Pony Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [email protected].

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

  Special thanks to Erin L. Falligant.

  Cover illustration by Jarrett Williams

  Cover colors by Jeremy Lawson

  Cover design by Brian Peterson

  Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-2158-6

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-2162-3

  Printed in Canada

  CHAPTER 1

  “The petals are falling!” Devin held up her phone so that Ethan could see her Pokémon GO map.

  Sure enough, Dottie’s Doughnuts, their favorite Team Mystic gym, was being showered by pink petals from the PokéStop out front.

  “Carlo must have set his lure,” said Ethan, scanning the sidewalk for his friend.

  Carlo was the Gym Leader, and he had decided that every Saturday morning, he would set a lure to bring more customers into Dottie’s shop. That’s how Team Mystic took care of their favorite gym—and made sure it stayed open!

  Any moment now, Pokémon GO players would show up to see which wild Pokémon the lure was attracting. And hopefully they’ll buy lots of doughnuts, too, thought Ethan.

  He took a bite of Dottie’s famous Jigglypuff doughnut, which was frosted pink, with candy eyes and chocolate-kiss ears.

  She’d been making them for a few weeks now, along with a couple of other Pokémon specials. Her Butterfree doughnut was gluten- and dairy-free. And then there was Dad’s personal favorite: the Drowzee, which was served with a free cup of coffee.

  Ethan watched someone walk by, eating a Drowzee. The bottom of the vanilla-cake doughnut was dipped in chocolate. Yum!

  “I think I’ll try a Drowzee next time,” he said to Devin. “Minus the coffee, I mean.”

  “Not me. I’m sticking with the Jigglypuff.”

  Surprise, surprise, thought Ethan. His little sister had the world’s biggest sweet tooth. Why would she settle for a half-frosted doughnut when she could have one that was completely frosted?

  He smiled as Devin wiped a streak of pink frosting off her chin with the back of her hand.

  “Need a napkin, sweetie?” Dottie approached the table with a paper napkin and a warm smile. “Looks like the Jigglypuffs taste especially good today.”

  Devin answered with her mouth full. “They’re delicious!”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Now, maybe you two can help me choose my next Pokémon-themed doughnut. I’m doing a little survey.” Dottie pulled a pencil out from behind her ear. “Which one of these sounds better?” she asked.

  Ethan leaned forward so that he could hear her over the buzz of voices outside. People were definitely starting to show up for the lure!

  “First choice: I could make a blueberry Squirtle with a chocolate-frosting shell and whipped cream that ‘squirts’ out of the middle. Get it?”

  Devin scrunched up her nose. “That squirting part sounds kind of gross.”

  Dottie frowned. “You might be right. Well, here’s choice number two: the Diglett chocolate-cake pop. Or maybe we’ll call it the Dugtrio, and sell three cake pops for the price of two.”

  Devin bobbed her head up and down. “Yes! That sounds better.”

  “Wait, there’s one more,” said Dottie, holding up her hand. “How about the Mankey? That’s a powdered-sugar doughnut with banana-cream filling, of course.”

  “Sold!” said Ethan. “I’ll take a dozen—once you’ve invented them, I mean.”

  Dottie smiled. “Okay, sounds like one vote for the Dugtrio cake pops and one for the Mankey.” She marked something on her notepad and slid the pencil back into her thick, gray hair. “We’ll see what the other customers think. Looks like they’re finally coming in!”

  Sure enough, the bell over her front door was jingling.

  And Ethan’s and Devin’s phones were suddenly buzzing.

  “Ugh, it’s a Zubat,” Ethan said. “That Pokémon stresses me out. I just can’t catch things with wings.”

  “Me neither. That’s why I just take its picture,” said Devin. Taking photos was her solution for pesky Pokémon. She held up her phone and snapped a photo of the Zubat flapping right over Ethan’s head.

  When he saw the photo, he ducked. “Yikes! Get that thing away from me.”

  “Get it yourself,” said Devin. “See if you can catch it.”

  So he tried. Boy, did he try. He flung Poké Balls above, below, and all around that fluttering Zubat. Some of them seemed to go right through the Zubat. But none of them captured it. “It’s like he’s invisible!” said Ethan.

  “Who?”

  Gianna, Carlo’s younger sister, slid into the booth beside them. Her dark curls were pressed against her head, as if she’d just pulled off a bike helmet. “I got here as soon as I could. What did I miss?”

  “You didn’t miss anything,” said Ethan. “You could catch this Zubat easily. But I’ve burned, like, a hundred Poké Balls on it.” He tried one more, and then he slid the phone across the table to Gianna. “You try. Please.”

  Gianna didn’t have her own phone, but she often borrowed Devin’s or Carlo’s to catch Pokémon—and she was the best shot on Team Mystic.

  “You just have to center the Pokémon on your screen,” she said, as if she were teaching Ethan how to catch a Caterpie. “Then a straight shot should do it.” She swiped the Poké Ball, and sure enough, she caught the Zubat on the first try.

  Ethan spun sideways in the booth and pretended to bang his head on the window. “Why can’t I do it?” he groaned. “I’m a Level-Seven Trainer, and a Gym Defender at two gyms. But I can’t catch a stinkin’ Zubat.”

  “You’re Level Seven already?” someone asked.

  It was Carlo, who was just stepping through the front door. “When you hit Level Eight, you’ll get Razz Berries. Then I’ll teach you how to sweeten up those annoying Zubat and catch ’em all, no problem.”

  He was a Level-Thirteen Trainer, so he knew all kinds of Pokémon GO tricks.

  “Thanks, Carlo,” said Ethan, feeling a little bit better.

  When his phone buzzed again, he was happy to see Rattata, a ratlike Pokémon—without wings. He caught it quickly, along with the big-eared Nidoran and furry purple Venonat that the lure brought in.

  “Is it just me, or are Weedle getting a whole lot sassier?” asked Devin, trying to catch the springy, wormlike Pokémon on her screen.

  “
That means you’re leveling up,” said Ethan. “It’s a good thing. Just show those little Larrys who’s boss.”

  Devin laughed—and finally captured the Pokémon. “Larry” was their Dad’s nickname for one of his Weedle, so now Ethan and Devin called every Weedle they saw Larry.

  Eventually, the pink petals stopped pouring down and the crowd at the doughnut shop thinned out. That’s when Dottie hurried over with the survey results.

  “The Mankey doughnut wins!” she announced, her gold earrings jingling. “Banana-cream filling it is. I can hardly wait to get started. Come back tomorrow for a sample, okay?”

  She rubbed her hands together as she walked back toward the kitchen.

  “She seems so happy,” said Gianna, as they all stood up to leave. “And I think I know why. Do you want to hear a secret?”

  When everyone leaned forward, she said in a hushed voice, “Dottie and Ivan are dating.”

  “What?” Ethan shrunk backward. “But he’s her competition!”

  Ivan was the owner of an ice cream store across town that had almost run Dottie right out of business. Plus, his shop was a rival Pokémon gym. It belonged to Team Valor.

  Gianna shrugged. “Who cares? Love is love, I guess.”

  “And anyway, Dottie’s business is doing great,” said Devin. “She’s even making a Mankey doughnut. You can’t do that with ice cream.”

  Carlo cocked his head. “You could make a Mankey banana split, though.”

  Gianna playfully punched her brother’s shoulder. “Don’t you dare give Ivan ideas!” she said. “You steer clear of that ice cream shop. We’re on Team Dottie, remember?”

  He laughed. “I remember.”

  “Yeah, we fought hard for this gym,” said Ethan, following Carlo out the door. “And if anything ever happens to it, we’re stuck training over there.”

  He pointed to the library across the street. It was a Team Mystic gym, too. But the librarian, Mrs. Applegate, didn’t allow kids to play Pokémon GO anywhere near the building. So even though Ethan had managed to leave a Spearow in that gym, he could never train it!

  Carlo faked a shudder. “You’re right. Let’s never let anything happen to Dottie’s Doughnuts,” he said. “Team Dottie it is. Catch you all later!” He waved and took off toward the hardware store, where he was helping out this summer.

  While Gianna unlocked her bike from the caterpillar-shaped rack in front of the shop, Ethan stood next to her and tapped his phone screen. The bike rack was also a PokéStop. He spun the Photo Disc and collected two Poké Balls and an egg.

  When he heard Mrs. Applegate calling from across the street, he quickly slid his phone back into his pocket.

  How can she bust me for playing? he wondered. I’m not even at the stinking library!

  But Mrs. Applegate didn’t have Pokémon on her mind—not at all.

  “Have you kids seen Max?” she cried, hurrying into the street without even looking for cars. “My cat got out. He’s missing!”

  CHAPTER 2

  “Are you sure Max isn’t still in the library somewhere?” asked Ethan. He had seen the cat once and knew it was pitch-black. A cat that color could easily get lost in the shadowy corners of the old library.

  Mrs. Applegate shook her head. “I’ve looked everywhere. And I shook his can of tuna treats. He always comes running for his tuna treats.” She held up the plastic container.

  “Then I found a hole in the window screen. It’s the window Max likes to sit in. So … oh, I just know he got out. We have to find him!” Her lip started to tremble.

  “We’ll help you look for him,” Devin said sweetly. “We’ll look right now.”

  Ethan nodded. “We can split up. Maybe Devin and I can go one way, and …”

  “Mrs. Applegate and I can go the other,” Gianna bravely volunteered. “We’ll meet back here.”

  Ethan shot her a relieved smile. The truth was, Mrs. Applegate scared him a little. He was happy to partner with Devin and head off in the other direction.

  “Maybe Max is in the alley behind the library,” he said to Devin. “Follow me.”

  They searched opposite sides of the alleyway, behind dumpsters and under wooden pallets. When they reached the back door of the library, Ethan looked up at the window. Sure enough, there was a gaping hole in the screen.

  “Do you think Max did that?” he asked Devin. “Does he have claws?”

  Devin gazed up. “I don’t know,” she said. “That’s a really big hole, though.”

  What Ethan really wanted to ask was, “Do you think Max will use those claws on us if we try to catch him?”

  He didn’t ask, because he didn’t want his eight-year-old sister to think he was scared of cats.

  But cats are kind of like Zubat, he admitted to himself. They’re tough to catch, especially when they don’t want to be caught.

  After circling the entire block and a few more alleys, Ethan and Devin came up dry. They hadn’t caught a cat, but Ethan had managed to catch a Raticate and two Rattata. He suddenly wondered if there were any real rats in those alleyways.

  As soon as Devin and Mrs. Applegate rounded the corner in front of the library, Ethan could tell that they hadn’t found Max, either.

  “What am I going to do?” wailed Mrs. Applegate. “He’s never been outside on his own before!”

  Dottie must have seen Mrs. Applegate wringing her hands, because she came out of her shop, wiping her own hands on her apron. “What’s wrong, honey?” she asked the librarian, as if she were talking to a child who’d dropped her doughnut.

  “Max is missing!” said Mrs. Applegate. Tears started to trickle down her wrinkled cheeks.

  “Oh, dear,” said Dottie. “Don’t cry, now. We’ll find him. In fact, did you know you have a group of kid detectives right here in your midst?”

  Uh-oh, thought Ethan. He had the sinking feeling that Dottie was about to volunteer him and his friends for something.

  “Really?” said Mrs. Applegate, dabbing at her eyes.

  “Oh, yes,” said Dottie. “These kids helped me solve a mystery at my bakery just a couple weeks ago. I bet they’ll be able to find Max in no time.” She winked at Ethan, then patted Mrs. Applegate’s shoulder. “You show them a picture of your cat, and then let them do their thing.”

  “Yes!” said Devin. “If you have a picture, I can make lost cat posters. I’m good at that.”

  Ethan wished she hadn’t spoken up so quickly, but he had to agree, she was a great poster maker. When Mrs. Applegate hurried into the library to find a photo, he pulled Devin and Gianna into a huddle. “Do we really want to do this?” he asked. “Mrs. Applegate hasn’t exactly been friendly to us. She won’t even let us train Pokémon at her gym!”

  Gianna must have already thought of that, because she said, “Maybe if we do this for her, she’ll be a little nicer to us. Don’t you think?”

  Devin scrunched up her freckled nose. “How can you two think about Pokémon at a time like this? Max is lost—he’s all alone out there. We have to find him!”

  Gianna looked just as guilty as Ethan suddenly felt. “You’re right, Devin,” she said. “We should help Mrs. Applegate and Max. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

  Ethan sighed. “So I guess we’re doing this, then?”

  When Devin and Gianna nodded, he held out his hand, palm down. “Team Mystic?”

  They put their hands on top of his and said, together, “Team Mystic!”

  Let the Mystery of the Missing Cat begin, thought Ethan.

  But when Mrs. Applegate hurried out of the library and showed them a faded photo, Ethan groaned inside. It was a terrible photograph.

  Her black cat was barely visible against a navy blue sofa. It was like trying to see a Metapod against a bright green bush. But I guess it’s all we have to work with, he told himself.

  As Devin stared at the photo, she chewed her bottom lip. Then she gave Mrs. Applegate a bright smile and said, “We’ll make a bunch of posters—a hundred of the
m. We’ll put them all over town, on every PokéStop—er, I mean, on signs and stuff.”

  Ethan held his breath, wondering if Mrs. Applegate would lecture them about playing Pokémon GO. But she didn’t.

  “Thank you, dear,” she said, patting Devin’s arm. “I’m going to keep looking now. I won’t sleep until my boy is back home with me.”

  As she walked away, her shoulders sagging, Ethan felt a pang of sympathy. We have to bring Max home, he decided. As soon as possible.

  CHAPTER 3

  By dinnertime, Devin had made a tall stack of posters. She had used Mrs. Applegate’s photo of Max, but Ethan was happy to see that she’d added something else: an image of the catlike Pokémon Meowth in the corner. That would grab people’s attention—especially if they hung the sign on PokéStops.

  “Can we hang up the signs during our walk tonight?” asked Ethan while they ate.

  Thanks to Pokémon GO, his family took a walk every night after dinner. While Ethan and Devin hunted for Pokémon, Mom tried to hatch Pokémon eggs and log steps toward her gold Jogger medal.

  And Dad? Mostly he wandered around bumping into things. Ethan glanced across the table at the bruise on Dad’s forehead. The poor guy had walked into a maple tree just last night, hunting for a hard-to-spot Spearow.

  Mom had upped the stakes, though. She’d been leading them on walks through new parts of town so that they could explore different PokéStops instead of the same old, same old. Then, after the walk, she would say, “Tell me something new that you learned from Pokémon GO today.”

  Some nights Ethan had to work really hard to answer that question.

  I guess she doesn’t want our brains to turn to mush this summer, he thought as he ate a spoonful of peas.

  “Sure, we can hang the posters,” she said. “It’s sweet that you two are helping Mrs. Applegate find her cat.”

  “Well, we’re going to try,” said Ethan. “No promises.”

  “Hey, can we walk around the school playground tonight?” asked Devin. “It’s kind of between the library and Mrs. Applegate’s house. Maybe Max started walking back toward his own neighborhood.”