Chapter 176 - End (Part 1/2)

Sam caught a flight to Viridian City. It was the closest place with an airport near Pallet Town. Upon arrival, the difference between that Kanto city and most Johto cities became apparent almost immediately. While it did have a dense, modern downtown district, once Sam got past its tall skyscrapers, the rest of the place was rolling hills broken up by the occasional home.

The road south was not anything special, being only a wide, dirt path that snaked through the hills. It brought Sam past houses, gardens, groves, and even a tiny little booth of a building. Inside that building, a blue-haired officer napped, barely paying attention to her surroundings with how sleepy as today was.

Sam did not meander. His plane landed early in the morning, and he took the most direct path to his destination. It hardly took him any time to reach Pallet Town, which surprised him. Traveling down most Routes generally took a few days, but he wasn’t walking any which way his interest took him, and he didn’t stop anywhere to train.

The only time he paused was at the edge of a small river for lunch. He brought out his team and a pile of sandwiches he had picked up in Viridian, and they all ate together. Typhlosion sat with him while the rest of his team went through their usual nonsense, and they were watched by their surroundings. The wild Pokémon on this Route were so weak and so used to humans that they didn’t seem to comprehend the threat that his team posed. Some of the Gastly even purposefully let a pair of Rattata steal a sandwich just because they thought it was funny.

But at the end of the meal, everyone helped Sam clean up, and he continued south, his shadow more restful now that the Pokémon within had gotten their fill.

And then he was there.

In Pallet Town.

It wasn’t even late afternoon.

This area was so much like the lightly built-upon hills of Viridian, except Pallet Town had ever-so-slightly more packed structures and a few streets where businesses had been built in a row.

Immediately, Sam’s eyes locked onto his destination, and he adjusted the straps of his backpack, feeling as though what he carried inside weighed a thousand pounds. The hill the building was built on made the place higher than everywhere else, but it was not as though it was looming or felt as though it thought itself above the rest of the town. Instead, its presence simply fit. This place was merely one more part of Pallet, but with an incredibly important person dwelling within.

As Sam trudged toward the building, the gate that protected the stairs leading up was wide open, and he was just barely able to see through a grove of trees that blocked line of sight to the building’s back. Pokémon of all types ran and relaxed. A small handful of people were out there with them, carrying buckets and boxes to clean up and bring food to the ranch behind this lab and home.

When Sam reached the front door, a wind turbine in the back of the house cast a shadow over the place, but the building was no less bright for it.

He had to take a deep breath.

He reached into his pack to pull out a certain letter, and he debated pulling out something else as well, but he left it in there for now.

Then, he knocked, and hurried footsteps came from inside.

“Ah! My package!” came a muffled voice. “I’ve been waiting for this all day!”

The noise increased in volume as the person within came closer and closer. Sam felt as though he couldn’t move, and he briefly thought about just walking away, but before he could truly entertain that idea, something clicked before him, and the door swung open.

“Ah. You’re not my package,” that same voice said. The man started quiet but soon gained a soft smile. “Hello, Sam.”

“Hello, Sammy,” Sam mumbled. “Can I come in?”

“Of course. I invited you for a reason,” Professor Oak said, stepping to the side to let Sam enter.

The ground floor was filled with incomprehensible technological devices, but once they got past a door on the second floor, Sam found that this place was rather homey. This wasn’t just somewhere people came to do work; this was where Professor Oak lived. It was a combination of everything he stood for—but it wasn’t just two separate places in one building. His life was his work, and his work was his life. There was a reason his lab and his home were one of the same.

“Tea?” came Professor Oak’s voice from a small kitchen one room over.

“I wouldn’t mind some water,” Sam called out. “Cold, if possible.”

“It’ll be out in one moment!”

Sam walked over to the side of this small living room. The walls were lined with thick, wooden shelves. Each and every one was covered with books related to Pokémon in some way, with many of those being thick tomes written by other researchers or compilations of poetry, but most were outdated versions of the written Pokédex published by Professor Oak.

But there were a few framed photos, too.

As Professor Oak hummed to himself in the other room, Sam found himself staring at the photographs placed on one shelf. These were front and center, the ones Professor Oak likely kept closest to his heart. Sam noticed a picture of Professor Oak standing next to Mr. Pokémon off to the very side, but he could also see, boldly in the middle, a photo of Professor Oak standing behind a pair of kids. One had black hair and a bold smile, and the other had brown hair but a more serious expression. Despite their differences, they had their arms thrown over one another. Sam would have said they were rambunctious, but there was more to them than that. There was something familiar about them that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

However, Sam didn’t pay attention to that picture for very long. Near it was a somewhat faded photograph from years in the past. A younger version of Professor Oak stood with a group of smiling researchers dressed in lab coats and mostly casual clothing. Right away, Sam recognized a young Spencer Hale, but Sam’s eyes locked onto the familiar face half-hidden in the back.

“Grandpa,” he breathed quietly.

“Did you know,” Professor Oak said as he walked back into the room, carrying a tray of tea, ice-cold water, and a few cookies, “Richard once told me you were accidentally named after me. Apparently, he suggested the name ‘Samuel’ as a joke, and your mother fell in love with the name without realizing just who it referenced.”

Sam grimaced.

“I know,” he said, turning back around. “My grandfather told me.”

Professor Oak just hummed, and he put the tray down. Sitting on a cushioned chair across from a low couch, he positioned a cup of tea on the table in front of him before completely ignoring it in favor of the cookies.

He took a bite and looked up at Sam.

“Try one! They’re chocolate-chip.”

“Maybe later. I’m not the biggest fan of sweets.”

Professor Oak nodded in understanding, and Sam sat across from him, crossing his arms. He tried to stare at the older man, but his shadow churned. No matter how much he was trying to ignore it, his Pokémon were begging for another chance to eat.

Eventually, he let out a sigh.

“Do you mind if my Pokémon...?”

“Go ahead! All of the food I make is Pokémon safe!”

Although Professor Oak held one cookie with the rest still on the table, shadows suddenly swarmed out. A mass of darkness rushed out over the tray and even over Professor Oak himself. The swarm lasted only a second before pulling back, but every cookie was gone—even the partially eaten one had disappeared from Professor Oak’s hand.

But he just laughed, apparently used to Pokémon getting far too close and personal during his research.

“Ah, well. Delilah is always telling me I should diet, anyway!”

He then let out one more laugh.

Professor Oak helped himself to his tea instead, adding a bit more sugar than he probably should have. Sam watched him, intentionally keeping on serious face, and he honestly didn’t know what to say.

But there was one fact on his mind that he wasn’t able to stop himself from blurting out.

“I don’t like you,” Sam said.

“Oh?” Professor Oak raised an eyebrow but didn’t react more than that. “That’s okay. I don’t expect everyone to like me. And I can’t say we talked very much back then.”

“No. It’s... Ugh. It’s not related to any of that.” Frustrated, Sam rubbed the side of his head. “My mom... owns a bookstore. When I was growing up, people used to come in all the time to browse books about Pokémon and pick up the latest copy of the Pokédex. But when the electronic Pokédex came out, when that kind of information became more widespread, people... stopped coming. The local Gym stopped wanting to buy those books. Things started to get tough, but if the electronic Pokédex had never come out...”

Professor Oak put his teacup down. Sam gripped his hands on top of his knees.

“It didn’t need to be that hard. It was never that profitable, but I’d never seen Mom look so stressed,” he said. “No one was asking about information on Pokémon anymore, and... And...!”

Sam had to exhale. He hated what he was doing, but there was no sense in lying to himself anymore.

“And that was probably due to a lot more than just the release of the electronic Pokédex,” he said with a sigh, not wanting to admit it but recognizing he had no choice. “You were just the biggest name. You were the easiest person to blame.”

“It’s alright,” Professor Oak replied. “You can still blame me, if you want.”

Sam snapped up his head.

“I can’t say my work is harmless. I do it with the intent of good, of course. But there are always people and places unintentionally hurt by what I learn, and I’m not going to say it’s all okay just for the sake of progress,” Professor Oak said, morose. “There was one place, one family...”

He stared off into the distance, lost in thought, but then he closed his eyes and shook his head to refocus himself.

“Long story short, a certain discovery and a sudden rush of interest saw the Pokémon in a forest become enraged. The League had to step in to protect both the Pokémon and the people, but the damage had already been done. One home was destroyed, but that was an easy loss when compared to the safety of so many others, but that trade becomes less easy to justify when the hurt family shows up on your doorstep and blames you for everything they suffered through.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam mumbled.

“You don’t need to apologize. That was years ago. I’ve taken great pains to prevent similar situations from cropping up, but I can’t say I’ve been perfect,” Professor Oak said. He took a sip of his tea and looked up at Sam. Professor Oak sent him a smile as if trying to comfort Sam despite it being his story, and then he put the cup down.

“Your grandfather was... A very driven man.” There was no more dancing around it. There was a reason Professor Oak was willing to invite Sam here. “When he had his ideas, he always went through with them, and he was always quick to act, no matter the plan. When he moved to Hoenn, I wasn’t surprised. After all, I never expected him to stay in one place for long.”

“But then, he did,” Professor Oak continued, his voice becoming soft. “We exchanged letters. We kept up. But he never moved again, and he stayed there for... Well, for the rest of his life. Eventually, he stopped writing, and I did too, but I didn’t think anything was wrong. I could have reached out, but I... didn’t. I was busy and assumed he was as well. When I heard the news of his passing, it shocked me. I never thought...”

“That those letters would be the last time you’d hear from him again,” Sam finished.

Professor Oak let out a slow exhale, and he replied with a sad nod, but this was a loss he had experienced years ago. This was not something he had gotten over—likely, it was something he would never get over—but it was something he had learned to live with. He had already cried the tears he needed to cry.

“Look,” Sam said with a sigh, reaching into his backpack to pull out the item that was the reason he had come here in the first place. “I have this book—”

“Oh, New Pokédex?” And Professor Oak’s mood went through a complete turnaround as his eyes lit up. “I haven’t seen that in years! So, you found that in Richard's old stuff, did you?”

Sam stared.

Professor Oak stared back.

The man held out a hand, and Sam couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “What?”

“May I?” Professor Oak asked.

Numbly, Sam passed the book to the most well-known researcher in the world.

Skimming through it, Professor Oak flipped through the pages but never bothered to actually read in any detail. He did not stop on even a single entry; rather, he just smiled to himself as he looked at the split-second images that appeared.

There was a slight joy to him through those glances, but he eventually stopped and nodded as if the small bit he had seen was confirmation enough. He held the book out to hand it back over, and Sam cautiously took it, hardly understanding what was going on.

“Have you...”

“I haven’t read it,” Professor Oak answered. “But I will say it was quite the surprise to receive it in the mail. It was the last thing Richard ever sent me, an aged book being delivered right to my door. I looked through the first few entries, of course, and the attached note explained quite a bit, but once I realized what it was, I simply chose not to read it.”

“Why?” Sam asked immediately. “You’re a Pokémon Professor! You’re the Pokémon Professor! Isn’t this the exact kind of stuff you want to see?”

Calmly, Professor Oak took another sip of his tea, and he wore an amused expression on his face. He was acting far too casually for what he had just revealed, but he seemed to be enjoying Sam’s flabbergasted reaction more than anything else.

“Well, it’d be cheating, wouldn’t it?” he asked.

Sam stared at Professor Oak as if he were insane, and Professor Oak just let out a short laugh. He was definitely entertained by Sam’s confusion, and Sam was definitely lost when it came to understanding whatever crazed thoughts were going through this man’s head.

“I’m a researcher,” Professor Oak said. “That’s my role in life: I research. Richard always knew these impossible things that no one else did, but me? I want to know the explanations. I want to know more than just the what; I want to understand the why and the how.”

“That book you have...” Professor Oak continued. “Once I saw what it was, I knew the New Pokédex wasn’t something I should ever read. It’s knowledge that comes from elsewhere, and it skips straight to the end. If I followed it, I’d miss all the little, important discoveries that would come along the way.”

“But it is worth reading,” Sam blurted out. “There’s so much that it contains that can help people and Pokémon. New evolutions can give Pokémon more energy to expand their lives, and those evolutions can give trainers more options for their teams. And the unknown moves in this—those can help with more than just battle. Some moves can help with real-life jobs! All of that knowledge represents so much, and you just... turned it down?”

“I did.”

Professor Oak took one last sip, and Sam was sent reeling. But the Professor remained perfectly calm even as Sam felt as though he could barely keep his head up.

“I want to learn more about Pokémon, and I want others to do the same,” Professor Oak explained. “I dream of a world where people and Pokémon live in harmony, and that’s what I’ve dedicated my life to achieve. The papers and discoveries I publish aren’t just about improving people’s lives. They’re about improving people’s understanding. There’s so much we stand to lose if we just... skipped to the end.”

He gave Sam a moment to process that, adjusting how he sat in his seat to ensure his full attention was on him.

“Let me explain it to you this way: I have a question I want you to think about. When you read through that book, was the New Pokédex’s information the only thing that mattered for you, as a trainer?”

It took Sam a few seconds to respond, and he did so alongside a breath.

“...No,” Sam admitted. “It wasn’t. The information inside it let us know that Typhlosion could evolve, but we had to do so much more just to understand how. And for Annihilape, even if his evolution’s process was straightforward, we still had to practice and figure out the move he needed to learn, and then we had to figure out how to master it in battle.”

“So,” Professor Oak said, “if you had to do it again, would it take you as long?”

“Ugh. Probably not.”

To that response, a smile.

“See? You have a little bit of researcher in you, you just had to think about it!” Professor Oak cheered. “But I’m sure you already understand. After all, there’s more to the Ghost Type than just battle techniques, just like how there’s more to research than just moves and evolutions. The process is what is important. It’s about the journey just as much as it’s about the destination.”

“Right,” Sam said tiredly. “You’re right.”

He and Professor Oak had both seen the New Pokédex, but they had viewed it from different angles. The information contained within had revealed to Sam what was possible, giving him a direct guide he could follow. Meanwhile, Professor Oak already believed that anything was possible. The New Pokédex would only be harmful to him—limiting, in a way. He didn’t need a book that contained all of the answers if he truly believed that he and so many others would find them, anyway.

It made Sam wonder how those different mindsets applied to how they battled. He knew that Professor Oak was once strong enough to be the Champion himself, and his reforms had reshaped both Kanto and Johto. However, he had stepped down to pursue the life of a researcher, yet he had continued to reshape the globe.

But Sam still wanted to see just what Professor Oak could do. Sam mostly relied on plans as a trainer, but he wanted to see how Professor Oak would apply his sagely yet chaotic nature in a fight.

Sam opened his mouth.

“So—”

He was interrupted when the front door of Professor Oak’s lab opened and closed with a slam, and Professor Oak curiously tilted his head to the side. Someone on the lower floor grumbled and stomped up the stairs. The door to this living room was flung open as that person walked in, rubbing his spiked, brown hair as he did.

“Hey, Gramps. I’m—” A shocked face looked up with blinking eyes. “Oh. You have company. Again. ...I’ll come back later.”

“No, no! Come in! I have someone I’d like you to—”

“Tch. It’s alright,” the boy said. “Don’t worry about me. Just have a good conversation, or whatever.”

Sam recognized the boy as an older version of the brown-haired kid from the picture, but he didn’t get to see him for long. The door to the room soon closed behind him. That same grumbling from before echoed out as the boy descended those same stairs, but rather than leaving out the front door, a different door was opened and closed. He seemed to have stormed out the back.

“That was... Gary. My grandson,” Professor Oak said.

There was a melancholy to his voice that Sam didn’t quite understand.

And then, Sam realized just who had been next to Gary in that picture, and he was honestly surprised that he hadn’t recognized him until now.

Wait, so that Ash kid from the Ilex Forest is Gary’s friend? And Professor Oak knows both of them? And he’s a major adult in Ash’s life?

That’s... complicated.

Yeah, I hate time travel.

Some of Sam’s thoughts must have leaked out onto his face because Professor Oak chuckled.

“My grandson has been helping me around the ranch,” Professor Oak explained. “Ever since his parents... Well, he’s living with me right now. He’s due to start his journey this upcoming year, but I still can’t help but worry, sometimes.”

“Given he’s related to you, he’ll probably be okay,” Sam said.

His words came out more biting than he intended, but Professor Oak still gained a soft smile. But, as the world-famous researcher laid his eyes on him, the man suddenly froze, and his expression lit up as if he had just come up with a brilliant idea.

“Say, Samuel,” Professor Oak said slowly. “After this, where do you plan to travel next season?”

“Honestly, I haven’t given it that much thought, but... Kanto, probably,” Sam admitted. “I’m already here, and I have a friend who lives in Vermillion. I want to meet back up with her.”

“I see, I see.” Professor Oak nodded his head. “And have you accepted any sponsorships yet?”

“Not yet,” Sam answered. “I wanted to resolve everything with the New Pokédex first, but after this, I guess I’m keeping it?”

“The New Pokédex is filled with information your grandfather knew, but don’t feel like you have to hide it or keep it secret,” Professor Oak said. “It’s your grandfather's, and you’ve inherited it from him. It’s up to you to choose what you want to do with the information contained within.”

“Yeah, I know,” Sam said, sighing. “I’m probably just going to... release bits and pieces of it over time. Find someone to put out notes on the most useful moves. Maybe a few of the evolutions. Actually, probably most of the evolutions. With how those can help Pokémon in need, I care more about that than keeping any advantage in battle.”

“Wise. And caring! Truthfully, I never fully learned just how much the book contains. But I will warn you that most won’t believe what you release until the information is proven.”

“That’s fine,” Sam answered. “As long as the information can help at least one person, I think... I can be happy with that.”

Sam had said that, but Professor Oak was still watching him, and the man maintained a curious look on his face.

“To continue what I started before,” Professor Oak said. “So what, exactly, are you looking for in a sponsorship?”

Only now did alarm bells start going off in Sam’s head.

“Money,” Sam said slowly, “but that’s just to help me keep being a trainer. Really, I want support. Help with purchases. Information or ways to meet new Ghost Types. Access to more unusual supplies. But the biggest would probably be ranching opportunities. I technically caught a tribe of Mankey that... needs...  somewhere... to stay. Somewhere like...”

Sam’s throat felt dry.

“Somewhere like the ranch you have out back.”

Professor Oak just smiled.

“Sam, what if I—”

“I don’t want a sponsorship from you,” Sam immediately interrupted. “You wouldn’t have given me this much focus if I was just some random trainer, and I don’t want free stuff just because you knew my grandfather.

“Yeah,” he continued, “I want support for my team and somewhere for my extra Pokémon to stay, but I don’t want that to happen just because of who I’m related to. I want it because someone recognizes us and wants to support us.”

Professor Oak nodded.

“That’s alright. Then, instead of a sponsorship, how about an exchange?” he asked.

Suspicious, Sam watched the man, and Professor Oak started to clean up the few crumbs on the table that the Gastly had left behind. Sam finally picked up the now-warmer glass of water just so he could drink it and have an excuse not to speak.

“Instead of a full-fledged sponsorship, how about a simple deal?” Professor Oak explained. “I have an entire ranch out back, and I’d be remiss not to give you that chance to use it. I would love to help you with your ranching problem if you’re willing to travel with Gary next year.”

“That’s nepotism,” Sam accused.

“Is it? I already planned on asking someone to travel with Gary, and you have a very impressive resume! You’re an experienced trainer, one who managed to reach his Conference’s top eight in his very first year, you’re someone who managed to figure out not just one but two new evolutions—”

“Only because of the New Pokédex.”

Professor Oak ignored him.

“And you’re someone that I personally know is adept at handling emergency situations,” Professor Oak said.

The world-famous researcher crossed his hands, and he practically analyzed Sam’s reaction. Sam couldn’t forget that this man had once been the Champion, and he couldn’t forget that Oak’s years of research meant he had literal decades of experience with observation.

“I don’t want Gary to travel on his own,” Professor Oak eventually said when Sam continued not to speak. “I worry about him, sometimes. Both about how he feels and what others might do when they realize his familiar connection. He has Eevee with him, and that is comforting, and he’ll also have the right to choose a Starter Pokémon—a right he earned all on his own! I know he’ll do well, but I want to make sure he’ll be safe and can grow.”

“So, Sam,” Professor Oak continued. “Truthfully, I would have let you ranch your Pokémon here no matter what, but if you promise to travel with Gary, we can pretend that you’re ranching your Pokémon here in exchange.”

Sam said nothing, and Professor Oak laughed. He still seemed just as amused by Sam’s reactions as before.

“Of course, if that’s still not enough, I can offer you the same deal I give to every trainer that comes to my door looking for help,” Professor Oak said. “Work on my ranch between seasons. Help me take care of the Pokémon that stay here. In exchange, when the next season starts, I’ll ranch any extra Pokémon you send to me for free.”

“And Gary?” Sam asked.

“Regardless of whether you accept, I would still like for you to travel with Gary. He needs more friends.”

Sam was quiet. He had planned to travel with Redi again. Going with some kid named Gary and bringing him along wasn’t anything he ever planned.

But wasn’t helping a new trainer a strong way to solidify what he already knew? Wasn’t helping another a new trainer meant he’d be doing exactly what he wanted to do?

And he couldn’t ignore Professor Oak’s offer for ranching either, as much as he didn’t want to lean on someone who was his grandfather’s friend. While Professor Oak didn’t bother with any luxury brands or treatment, his ranch was world-renowned for the quality of care the Pokémon in it received.

It would be unfair to the Mankey if Sam turned him down.

“I’m not going to agree to anything without talking to Gary first,” Sam said. “But, fine. I guess I accept.”

Then, before Sam knew it, Professor Oak shot up to shake his hand.

“Great!” he said. “As intensive as it is, I find that working here is an incredibly informative experience! The amount one stands to learn by working with Pokémon can be mind-blowing. It’s the core of my research, and the things I’ve learned...”

His words trailed off, and his shaking of Sam’s hand slowed. Professor Oak gained a strange look in his eye and carefully pulled back.

“...What?” Sam asked. “What is it?”

“Sam,” Professor Oak suddenly said solemnly. “If you’re here, and if you’re the one with the New Pokédex... It’s been so long. I almost forgot. There’s one thing you don’t know.”

For some reason, the air felt cold, but that wasn’t from any ghost. The chill in the room solely came from the seriousness that practically emanated from Professor Oak.

“Through sheer forgetfulness alone, I haven’t been completely honest with you,” Professor Oak said, standing up and walking to a shelf. He trailed a finger to search through the books’ spines. “Yes, I didn’t read the New Pokédex, but only not in its entirety. I’d have been a fool to ignore everything within it, and there were... a few species I read about. Just in case.”

“What species?” Sam asked cautiously.

Professor Oak was quiet, and he pulled out a certain book. Sam could see from the date on its spine that this was the Pokédex published in the same year as his grandfather’s death.

“There are certain species of Pokémon out there that are powerful enough to be great threats,” Professor Oak said as he opened the tome. “Species whose danger does not come from intentional actions, but from the sheer potential their existence poses. You’re familiar with one of them: Celebi. And let me ask you—did you see Celebi in the New Pokédex?”

“No,” Sam answered, “I didn’t.”

Professor Oak’s expression was half between a grimace and a frown.

“I’m sorry. That’s my fault. I removed certain pages. I was selfish. I thought... the knowledge was too dangerous. I apologize.”

He opened the old Pokédex only to pull out a handful of loose papers hidden within. Sam could see their yellowed nature, but he could also see ever-so-slightly uneven cuts on one edge.

“Those are entries,” Sam realized. “From the New Pokédex. You damaged his book?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have,” Professor Oak said. “But, I can at least return these to you.”

“...And what are they?” Sam asked as he carefully took the gingerly offered pages.

“Entries on certain species,” Professor Oak answered without being specific. “Rare species.”

And, as Sam began to read through, he quickly realized just what every single entry described.

“Legendary Pokémon.”

The phrase came out as nothing more than a whisper.

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Author Note:

Pokémon (and people) included in this chapter:
Celebi

Professor Oak
Gary Oak
Ash Ketchum

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