Later that day, Tracey and Professor Oak were busy returning the lab to its normal state.
"Hi, Professor Oak," Tracey greeted his boss as he came into the Poké ball storage room. "I'm just about finished here."
"Tracey, why is Marill suddenly interested in the mating habits of humans?"
Caught off guard by his boss's query, Tracey dropped the Poké ball that he had been in the middle of cleaning. Fortunately, Professor Oak was able to catch it before it hit the tile floor.
"Careful, Tracey. You almost dropped poor Flareon!" Professor Oak wiped the remaining dirt off of the Poké ball with the sleeve of his lab coat and returned it to its proper spot on the shelf.
"Uh…sorry, Professor," Tracey gulped anxiously. He wasn't sure if his boss would be pleased that he and Marill had been spying on his tryst with Mrs. Ketchum earlier.
"There. That's better." Professor Oak turned his attention back to his nervous-looking assistant. "Another odd thing, Tracey…when I asked your Pokémon why it was so curious, Marill said it was because you had told it to ask me."
"Um…I…well…"
Noticing that the boy's face was growing redder and redder by the second, a light bulb suddenly switched on in Professor Oak's head. "Tracey, I think I understand what's going on. Why don't we have a seat over here and talk about it?" He took the boy's arm and led him to a nearby lab bench.
"Professor…I…I didn't mean to…"
Professor Oak smiled paternally. "Tracey, I hope you know by now that you can come talk to me whenever you have something on your mind. And I think I know what's on your mind."
Tracey's eyes widened in surprise. "You…you do?"
"Yes, Tracey, my boy. I was a teenager like you once, believe it or not. And I know that boys your age are often curious about matters concerning the opposite sex."
Tracey's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
Professor Oak chuckled and patted the boy's shoulder reassuringly. "Now don't be embarrassed, Tracey…we're both men here. If you want to ask me something, you don't have to send Marill to do it." Professor Oak pulled up a chair. "Now then, what would you like to know? Is there a young lady you're interested in, perhaps? Is that what's piquing your curiosity about the mating habits of humans?"
Horrified, Tracey nearly fell out of his chair, knocking the sketchbook that was sitting on the lab bench to the floor.
"Uh-oh, Tracey. Looks like you dropped your…" Professor Oak picked up the sketchbook, which was lying open on the floor. "Oh my…this is an interesting drawing."
"I'm sorry, Professor," Tracey apologized. "I saw you and Mrs. Ketchum having a picnic under the Pokéberry tree, and I couldn't resist doing a quick sketch."
"Don't apologize, Tracey," Professor Oak smiled, studying the drawing. "It's quite good."
"That's why Marill is suddenly so interested in human mating habits," Tracey continued. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have been spying on you like that."
"Tracey, if it's not too much trouble, could I have this sketch?" asked Professor Oak.
"Uh…sure," Tracey stammered in amazement.
"Don't forget to autograph it," Professor Oak smiled, handing the boy back his sketchbook. "An artist should always sign his masterpieces."
Tracey quickly signed his name in the bottom corner of the drawing, tore it out of his sketchbook, and handed it to his mentor.
"Thanks, Tracey," Professor Oak replied, taking the drawing from the boy. "And if you ever do have a question about the mating habits of humans, you can always come talk to me about it."
"Um…thanks, Professor, but I already know all about the birds and the Beedrills," Tracey replied, the redness starting to creep back into his cheeks.
"Well then, you'd better get back to work, Tracey." Professor Oak handed his assistant a broom. "We still have a lot to do to get this place back in order after the mess those two Poké ball thieves made." He carefully folded the sketch and slipped it into the pocket of his lab coat. "And I'm going to take this drawing of yours to show Mrs. Ketchum. I think she'd like to see your handiwork."
"I'm glad the two of you finally got together, Professor," Tracey smiled. "Mrs. Ketchum's a nice lady."
"Yes, Tracey. She is," Professor Oak agreed.
"It sure took the two of you long enough to figure it out," Tracey said, picking up his broom.
"Figure it…? What are you talking about, Tracey?"
"Come on, Professor…whenever Mrs. Ketchum is around, you act like a Pokémon that's been hit with an Attract attack."
"I…is it that obvious?"
Tracey nodded. "Pokémon watchers are good at observing behavior…picking up on subtle cues, that sort of thing. But it's pretty obvious in your case."
Noticing that Professor Oak's face was starting to turn red, Tracey grinned and laid a hand on his boss's shoulder. "Don't worry, Professor. If you ever have any questions concerning the opposite sex, you can always come ask me about it."
Just then, Delia, who was wearing an apron and had a stack of towels in her arms, came into the room.
"Well, I finished giving Bulbasaur and Cyndaquil a bath," she announced, dumping the pile of damp towels onto a lab bench. "But I think I'm the one who ended up getting a bath. I'm absolutely soaked from head to toe!"
"Well, I think I'll leave you two alone," Tracey grinned mischievously. The boy gathered up his broom and a dustpan and headed down the hall.
"Goodness, how did you get so wet, Delia?" Professor Oak asked his dripping friend.
"Totodile decided to help," Delia said, brushing a wet lock of hair out of her eyes.
"Here." He slipped out of his lab coat and placed it around Delia's shoulders. "Now go upstairs and get out of those wet clothes. I'll bring you some dry towels and see if I have any dry things you can wear while your clothes are drying out. I don't want you getting sick."
"Oh, you don't have to do…what's this?" Delia had slipped her hand into the pocket of the lab coat and discovered a folded piece of paper.
"Our young artist saw us having our picnic earlier and decided to make us a keepsake of it," Professor Oak smiled as Delia unfolded the sketch.
Delia gasped in amazement. "Oh my, this is absolutely lovely."
"Yes, I think so," Professor Oak said, placing his arm around Delia's waist.
"Tracey is such a talented young man," Delia said admiringly as she studied the drawing. "I'd love to have a copy of this."
"It's yours, Delia," replied Professor Oak. "I was going to give it to you anyway. Now go upstairs and get out of those wet clothes before you catch cold."
"You're always looking out for me…that's one of the things I love about you," Delia smiled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Isn't that what friends are for?" Professor Oak replied, kissing her back.
"That's what best friends are for," Delia grinned. "Now I'd better get upstairs before I drip all over this place. And when I come back downstairs, I'll find a mop and clean up this water."
"Oh, don't worry about that, Delia. I'll have Tracey take care of it. Just go get out of those wet things. I'll have Tracey fix you some hot tea while I find you some dry towels and clothes."
"I don't know what I'd do without you, Sam," Delia said as she headed upstairs.
And I hope we never have to find out, Professor Oak said softly to himself as he followed her upstairs.
THE END