Pokeshipping Week 2021

Day 1: Tracey's Pokeshipping Drawings

Tracey's Secret Draft

"Ah, thank you, Tracey," said Professor Oak as Tracey set down a pile of paper clipped files next to the Professor at his computer desk.

"All organized alphabetically as you asked," said Tracey with a smile. "Coffee, sir?"

"Why yes. Yes that'd be most nice, thank you. Oh, and while you're heading to the machine put those tissue samples into storage."

"Yessir."

Tracey Sketchit, a young adult of 19, was a "Pokémon Watcher" from the Orange Island Archipelago who now works happily as Professor Oak's assistant at his lab in Pallet Town. He had met the professor through his association with traveling trainer Ash Ketchum when the boy had visited the islands on errand before ultimately tackling the Orange League.

He couldn't travel now, anymore, but the opportunity to work for his idol was strong, and the many Pokémon he could see and research that were being brought over by the myriad trainers Professor Oak gave licenses to filled any conceivable void that might've come from the lack of action Tracey now experienced.

Tracey finished his task and gave Professor Oak his coffee. The Professor looked out the window at the pouring rain. "Ah, a spring day brings a springe rainy day tease," the Professor said poetically. "So much for wanting to see how the fire-types are getting on in the fire zone."

"But Professor," began Tracey, "we already knew the rain was going to come today. Besides, weren't you ordered to take it easy this week after your hip surgery?"

Professor Oak gave a drawl laugh. "Haha...! Yes, indeed... Well then, guess we'll do some 'light' spring cleaning, then! Once I'm finished running through those Pokémon moves findings, I'll set to work filing away all those other research papers I've been meaning to get to."

"Shall I help you with that?"

"No thank you. It's enough for one man to pull off, besides, I need something to occupy me all afternoon and I'd rather something like that to do than chase Ash's Muk off of me." Tracey couldn't help but chuckle at that. Then the Professor turned on Tracey. "Speaking of cleaning...last I checked, your storage room here is in an absolute mess. The filing cabinets seems fit to burst! Why don't you spend the afternoon cleaning your own mess up, hmm?"

Tracey faltered at that and reluctantly agreed to do so. When he started, the boy couldn't help but admit that Professor Oak had a point! Dust had collected all over the place and because so many of the filing cabinets were opened, dust and grime were there too.

A lot of the files were old and outdated things like prior trainer registration papers, money books, and receipts he never junked. "Ack...! All this dust – ack! Hmm? Huh, 'Orange Island Drawings,' guess I'll look through those later. Uh oh, now these drawings are definitely getting junked – I even labeled them as trash already! I got enough recent rough drafts as is..."

A little later Professor Oak had finished his work and had to remove Muk from him for the third time in twenty-minutes – he was just putting away the last folder of papers when Tracey passed by. "Ah, Tracey! I trust your cleanup has gone- oh."

The young man was currently covered in dust and was moving a large box full of junk. "Yeah..." wheezed Tracey comically, "almost done. Just got to throw this stuff out."

The Professor noticed another dusty looking box on the table. "And that?'

"Ah, just some stuff I – ack – need to look through. Might keep it, might not, we'll see."

"Mind if I take a peek? I know from previous times that you happened to have seen many interesting mutations from the Orange Archipelago. Said yourself that that wasn't all of them."

"Oh, no sweat, Professor! You can start if you want, I'd love to hear your feedback about the quality and what I drew all these years ago!"

Professor Oak nodded sagely and as Tracey left the room, he opened the dusty, coffee-stained folder up. "Ah, now let us see what's been brewing all these years... Good looking Vileplume, a school of Goldeen...ah, an unseen draft of the Crystal Onix... I...hmm? One of Ash...one of...oh."

Tracey came quickly back as the Professor was looking at the drawings he had paused at. "Oh! I remember these! I wasn't too proud of that Crystal Onix one and that forest..." He trailed off when he noticed what Professor Oak was holding.

"Well," said Professor Oak, sounding amused, "care to explain why you went and drew Ash and Misty leaning against each other and holding hands?" Then he saw how pale Tracey had gotten and thought it best to dispel any sign that he was mad. "Not that I'm mad. I just want to know. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"W-well...it's just...when I met them, they bickered and argued incessantly but yet they seemed to do so out of care rather than with hostile intentions. I always figured that deep down they really cared for each other."

"You wouldn't be the only one. Although, I don't think anyone I know personally thought that they'd make for a romantic couple, till now at least."

Tracey considered. "I don't know, I thought they were cute together. Ash would say something stupid that actually sounded profound and Misty's reactions to him always struck me as more nuanced than they should've for a girl twelve years old."

"And so, you chose to interpret their twee bickering as a love blossoming under the tropical sun? Two kids who didn't get along on the surface but cared for each other. Perhaps that was just them being good friends, and yet, you saw it as romantic despite that it struck me that those two never saw each other as such. After all, they were probably just like that because it was convenient for them both to travel together. They didn't ask anyone to ever see them like that, it is, after all, rather presumptuous to try and pair two people romantically together without their consent." He paused impressively. "And despite that, you still tried to pair them?"

"Y-yes," croaked Tracey hoarsely. "I just...thought they had the potential to be together, y'know..."

"Hmph." Professor Oak's cold look softened to one of amusement. "Ah well, you're lucky I happen to not make that business any of my own. Do what you like. Just don't let them see that drawing – who knows how they'll react. Although..." Professor Oak paused in contemplation. "When I saw Ash last week during my visit to Twin Leaf Town, he did ask me if I had any news about Misty. He did seem quite forward in how he phrased them."

"Like what?" asked Tracy, sounding a little too interested than he intended.

The Professor smirked. "I think it's best if we leave that up to them."

OoOoO

Author's Note: Hey guys! After a break from Pokeshipping Week 2020 (I might be actually writing those up soon after I could only reveal their summaries due to a busy school schedule), I'm back! Well, sort of – I didn't really plan that well in advance as a lot of things changed recently in my life in the latter half of September.

I'll do my best though to keep up.

Fun Fact: After a few years of doing stories where it was just Ash or Misty in the story, this is the first where neither appears!