Shipping:ApprenticeShipping

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This article contains information which may conflict with conservative views.

This article is about shipping. As hints and evidence for ships are mostly speculation, this page may contain POV.

Tracey admires Oak shortly after their first encounter.

ApprenticeShipping (also called IdolShipping) is the belief in a Romantic relationship between Professor Oak and Tracey Sketchit.

After meeting in EP115, Tracey became Prof. Oak's assistant in the following episode, EP116 and has since then, stayed with him in Pallet Town. Previous to meeting face-to-face, the two had several videophone conversations, in which Tracey displayed his sketches and they discussed various Pokémon.

Since EP225, the first episode to center strictly around the two, Prof. Oak and Tracey have shared a vast amount of screen-time together, most notably during the Hoso episodes. They appear together in four Hoso episodes, while Tracey appears in three more, all of which include detailed mentions of him working as Prof. Oak's assistant.

During the course of the Johto/Master Quest seasons, Prof. Oak has guest starred in a handful of episodes, at one time mentioning that he should get back to Pallet Town because Tracey deserved a rest after taking care of the lab and Pokémon for several days. The concept of Tracey being reliable enough to be in charge of the lab is a sign of trust and respect, especially because Oak, as a professor, would most likely be very protective of how things are run at his lab.

The two's relationship has been suggested to be beyond work-related, an example of this being in H015, where Prof. Oak and Tracey both go to visit Gary. In H014, Tracey is very persistent about Oak eating his breakfast, a clear sign of caring for the man's well-being. Also, during the Johto Silver Cup Conference and Hoenn Championship League, they are shown watching the events alone together.

Support for this pairing may be limited, however, there is a strong cult following which is usually quieted down by the ‘rival pairing,' ElderShipping. Even so, it's worth noting that since Tracey arrived in Pallet Town, most ElderShipping hints have completely vanished, with the exception of dub-added dialogue. The most surprising of this change, occurred in AG133 when neither Prof. Oak nor Tracey showed up to bid farewell to Ash and his friends, a definite first.

Criticism for this ‘ship is mostly in relation to the characters' age difference despite the fact they share endless similarities, such as their passion for studying Pokémon, and coincidently, both being artists.