C049 - Schooling the professor and getting schooled by his wife

"Ahh, delicious as always! And all these ingredients are already harvested right here?" Vivian praised as they all sat at the giant dinner table next to the open kitchen that Pete had never used with the twins before.

"Yep! I didn't ask it of them, but the Vileplume tribe is so elated at the peace we achieved that they keep using Grassy Terrain near the farm. All my crops, veggies, and berries are growing at record speed. I was already forced to task Golurk with changing out the earth surrounding the berry trees because all the nutrients were sucked up inside. Turns out that isn't even necessary, professor! Ground type energy can become nourishment for the earth and make it more fertile! Did you kn-"

"Ugh, can you nerds talk about that when we're out of the picture? Like, after dinner when the twins show me around the little love nest you built here?"

"L-love nest?" Jasmine stuttered out as her face turned as red as a Tamato Berry. In comparison, Sophie only gained a grin with a much less pronounced pink blush.

"Oho? Hehe, I knew it," Vivian muttered with a snicker as she watched the reaction of the twins.

"Okay, how about a change in the topic? Where's Valentino? Didn't he want to visit, too?" Pete asked to lessen the awkward atmosphere for the twins, especially Jasmine.

"Ah, yes. He'll arrive two days from now, most likely. He wanted to travel by ship to Goldenrod as part of the experience. He said he would miss out on too much if he just followed along with Xatu teleporting us," Elm explained between bites of Pete's curry.

"I see, that's pretty cool of him. Who knows what kind of pokemon he will see at sea," Pete mused.

"Let's just hope Tyranitar and Aggron can keep him safe. There was a big swarm of Gyarados spotted north of Orange Islands after the storm," Vivian butted in with furrowed brows.

"Oh, well, let's hope for the best then," Pete nodded with a wry smile.

It was after dinner, when Benny was asleep, passed out from too much delicious food, on a sofa in Pete's lab when the three 'boys' went upstairs so Pete and the professor could 'nerd out' as Vivian put it. Vivian took both twins by the hands and asked for another 'house tour' as well as getting shown to their room for the next few nights.

"So, you're saying ground energy can be substituted as proper nutrients? That's a fascinating prospect, but I hardly believe you're the first to notice," Elm said with furrowed brows as the two sat around a desk in the middle of the study where Pete had placed his tablet to show his boss some data points.

"I'm not," Pete explained as he opened a news article from Unova with a farmer talking about how his Digletts were the perfect helpers for the farm. He closed the news article, and it showed a berry farmer from Alola reporting something similar with his Claydol as the main topic. One news article report after the other was shown, always with farmers praising their good fortune after getting ground pokemon to work on their farm.

"I see. This really makes me eager to think about what else us professors missed by dismissing these 'mundane' accomplishments by pokemon! What else have we taken for granted? Is the air so good because of flying type energy? The very earth we live on and the water that sustains us, there's this myth about the primordial pokemon Groudon and Kyogre being named as the reason the continents, islands, and oceans exist as they do. Is the sun really a fire type pokemon?"

"Uh, professor, didn't you ask what other 'mundane' things we missed? Are Groudon and Kyogre really 'mundane'?" Pete asked with a laugh as the professor got all fired up.

"Ah yes, of course," Elm relented as he scratched his cheeks.

"Oh, and I believe these two really are responsible, by the way. At the very least for the ocean and shoreline of the southern part of this giant continent," Pete added with a smile.

What followed was Elm's eager recounting of myths in Johto and the neighboring regions that Pete gave his 'opinions' on, based on what he knew to be true from the games, the anime, and his foreknowledge.

And, it ultimately led to Pete recounting his meeting with Celebi that had Elm sitting at the edge of his seat with stars in his eyes.

"Extraordinary! To think you would meet Celebi, and it deems you and your pokemon worthy to give you its blessing! Why didn't you report it before, though?" Professor Elm eventually asked with a slightly hurt expression.

"Ah, you know. The news from Kanto had me a little riled up. The fact that one deep-cover Team Rocket hideout was revealed after another had me thinking that maybe our correspondence wasn't completely safe. Especially if we talk about something as... grand as the whereabouts and supposed relationship of a legendary pokemon with me. They, of course, wouldn't read it all, but 'Celebi' would surely stand out," Pete excused as he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, yes. Oak contacted me, too. In his letter, he described some very unsavory matters that Team Rocket might be doing right here in Johto. Don't reveal it to anyone, but Champion Lance is about to raid a hidden lab near the forests of Olivine City with his cousin Clair, the gym leader of Blackthorn City. Some madman has been testing how to enslave pokemon through feeding them constant rage according to Oak's report," Elm described in obvious distaste.

"And that's just one lab. What about everything else these maniacs could be hiding? What if Team Rocket isn't the only bad apple here in the region?" Pete mumbled barely loud enough for Elm to hear.

Pete and Elm didn't delve deeper into the topic and instead continued discussing 'mundane' benefits they all took for granted thanks to living with pokemon. Pete did, however, blossom a seed of doubt in Professor Elm's mind.

Pete was just glad he didn't overdo it, though. Someone like Oak wouldn't have identified him as the source of the information with just this, but he should be careful who he discusses all these changes with in the future regardless.

When Pete and Elm settled on air, water, and earth quality as the first avenues to get data on for this discovery of earthly benefits they had overlooked, Pete called it a day and spend the rest of the day with his pokemon together with Elm.

The few pokemon the professor had brought were immediately integrated into the mock battles, and Feraligatr and Meganium liked the feeling of stretching their muscles like this. It was too bad that the professor's Typhlosion couple couldn't come along. They had recently hatched three new eggs and were tending to the newborn Cyndaquil.

The next morning had Vivian waking up extra early to help out in the kitchen. As the wife of the professor kept teasing Pete about his taste in women, they didn't notice that one of these women was listening in with a bright red face. Well, Pete didn't notice, and Vivian kept her schemes hidden.

"Tell me then, Pete. You're giving this girl all these tips and directions for her goal. Even going so far as to share training regiments, resources, and hidden knowledge for these evolutions. When are you finally asking her out then? Or are you just leading her on?" Vivian asked with a cheerful grin that turned a little dangerous with the last question.

"Hmm, it's not like I haven't noticed her interest, and I'm definitely interested, too. But with the farm and all, I just didn't find the right moment yet," Pete admitted as he didn't look up from cutting the ingredients.

"So all you need is the right place and time? A romantic evening picnic as you two watch the sunset over at the ocean, perhaps?"

Jasmine's heart kept beating harder and harder. This was the moment of truth for her. Hearing him say that he had noticed her interest almost made her squeal in embarrassment and hearing him say it was mutual almost had her faint in happiness.

"Well, that would likely work, wouldn't it?" Pete answered as he finally looked up from the cutting board.

"If my Elm had done that, we would have had a couple of little Bennys ages ago," Vivian countered with a huff.

"Oh, but that's a little too fast. I'd prefer if we got to it a little slower, maybe just a kiss first," Pete responded in a serious tone as he had noticed the shadow of someone standing in the hallway and he caught on to Vivian's and Jasmine's plan.

"Mhm, I agree. Shouldn't hurry along a delicate maiden like her. A small kiss is a good first date goal if you are both already fond of each other. It's decided then, I'll help you pack the basket for dinner," Vivian added with a mischievous grin. She had noticed that Pete caught on to the two's plan and said something she hoped would make Jasmine act a little bolder to prove her wrong.

It wasn't like she wanted to hurry them to the last stages of a relationship, but with Jasmine's shy personality and Pete's laid back nature Vivian feared they wouldn't get past holding hands for a few months otherwise.