「Tale of Yasashi」 - A Pokémon Adventure [Kanto Arc]

Chapter 4 "People Affectionately Refer to Me as the Pokémon Professor"

      At home, Yasashi’s mother prepares dinner for him and the Eevee. The food consisted of fried rice prepared traditionally with thinly sliced "salmon" lightly placed over the top, a salad, and some Pokémon food for the Eevee. During the meal, something unexpected happens. Yasashi hears a knock on the door, and opens it.

      On the other end was the famous Pokémon researcher, Professor Oak! Speechless, Yasashi stands there in awe, trying to find something to say. He was everything he saw on his television and heard about on the radio. Prof. Oak was a mid-sized man having grey hair, wore a white lab coat, a mauve undershirt, dark khakis, and brown shoes.

      “Hello, there! Glad to meet you! You must be Yasashi Ikiru, the one whom I heard about.” the professor says, and Yasashi nods. “May I enter?” he asks. Yasashi’s mind starts to function after a short period, and he quickly processes what the professor said. “Y-yes! P-please, come in.” said Yasashi, stuttering. He escorts the professor to say hello to his mother, and she stops eating to welcome him. She asks him if he already ate, and he said no, but before he can refuse, she goes and prepares him something.

      “I heard that your son made a quick recovery at the hospital after he was poisoned from a Beedrill attack.” he tells Yasashi’s mother. Prof. Oak sits down, and folds his hand, thinking about what he heard from various sources. “First I would like to say congratulations for your recovery from that event that transpired. I overheard the doctors saying something about your DNA, and that it was mixed with those found in different types of Pokémon while I was taking care of business in the hospital.” He leans back on the chair, and unfolds his hands. “I also heard something about you being able to talk to Pokémon as well.” Prof. Oak looks at Yasashi in the eye, and Yasashi felt a little tense from the direct eye contact.

      “This is something no one has ever been able to do, except for a certain legendary trainer everyone speaks about.” Yasashi quickly realises that he is speaking of Pokémon Trainer Red, and nods. “You must already know whom I speak of, so I don’t need to explain in further detail.” After explaining one of the reasons why he is here, Prof. Oak then asks what Yasashi wants to do in the future.

      “I…I want to befriend the Pokémon of the world as well as raise ones of my own. I want to live everyday with the Pokémon I love and to make a world people and Pokémon can get along more than it already is. I want to make it a paradise for everyone and everything.” he replies, nervously. Prof. Oak scratches his chin while he listens, and tells him, “So it is basically a Breeder right? It’s a respectable goal. Many kids nowadays just want to become the Pokémon Master, or something along those lines.” The praise made Yasashi’s stomach feel like it was filled with Butterfree, but he quickly puts together his thoughts and thanks the professor for his kind words.

      After a minute or so, Prof. Oak reaches into his coat, looking for something. “I want to speak with you about something kids don’t have a chance to get.” He pulls out a PokéDex from his sleeve, and places it on the table. The design was very familiar to him.

      “This PokéDex is the one used for the Sinnoh region. I want you to gather information on the new features and actions of Pokémon starting here in Kanto. Everything changes overtime, it’s only normal for Pokémon in their natural habitats, and I want you to be one of the first one to record these changes. This might seem sudden for you, but I believe, with your abilities, you will be able to pull this off.”

      Yasashi’s gaze turns toward the PokéDex on the table, and stares at it with a blank look on his face. “Will I be the only one to do this?” he asks after the pause. Prof. Oak chuckles, and shakes his head. “Of course not, every person my disciples and I had given the PokéDex to has never gone on the journey alone. The exception would be with the ones in the Johto Region, but other than that, they never went alone.” He pulls out two pieces of paper, both with a picture on it, and reveals the other two PokéDex users.