Professor Oak drove the jeep slowly. I had no idea where we were going, and it seemed as if he didn't either. Oak had aged since our first meeting 3 years ago.
His hair had lost any color that it had, and he had resigned to wearing rimless glasses now. He continued his research, and was now trying to figure if the abilities of certain Pokemon could solve Woppal's energy issues. He had moved here while his wife was sick and the only hospital that could possibly save her was here in Freshmoon City, the capital of the Woppal region. He had continued his research here, discovering and publishing many theories regarding the relationships found between trainers and their Pokemon.
His wife's sickness was actually how we met. My mother was a nurse that was assigned to Mrs. Oak. The professor and my mother became close out of necessity; he was there constantly, so they were somewhat required to interact on a daily basis. Mom had mentioned me to the Professor and he invited me to join him at his laboratory the next week.
I had walked to giant laboratory that doubled as his house the following Wednesday.
Freshmoon City was a relatively small city if you took away the medical center and Professor Oak's lab. The founders of the city had originally moved here because they needed to find a clearing in the forest to settle. The Woppal regions was one of the most diverse, and Freshmoon City was directly within the Woppal Woods. Over the years it became the biggest metropolis in Woppal. Most of the citizens though were workers in the hospitals and researchers working for Oak.
The lab was a large green building that had a red and white Pokeball at its apex. In its original glory, the lab was modern marvel, but now, it paled in comparison to the amazing feats of the several hospitals located throughout the city.
I walked through the doors and was greeted by a large woman with black hair and glasses. Her glasses were so thick you couldn't see her eyes. She asked me, "Do you have an appointment?" in a voice that I wouldn't have attributed to her. It was really high pitched and squeaky.
"I think I do," I started sheepishly, "my name is Cameron. Cameron Pitch."
The receptionist typed in my name into her computer and then said to me, "okay. Take this," she said as she handed me a plastic green card, the size of a credit card, "and go to the elevators. Swipe it there and it will take you to Professor Oak's office."
I thanked her with a head nod and walked in the general direction that she had pointed when she referred to the elevators. I was greeted by a man in a green suit. I handed him my card and he swiped it and we were off.
The elevators stopped after what felt like a 10 minute ride. The elevator door opened slowly and let me through. I thanked the bellhop and walked off.
I was now in a large room with bookshelves lining all of the walls, from floor to ceiling. An older looking man was sitting at a desk reading something on his computer in the far end of the room. I assumed this was Professor Oak, and I approached the desk. I was about halfway there when he arose from behind his desk and greeted me.
"Cameron?"
"Professor Oak?"
With this, he shook my hand. His grip was strong and his hands were extremely ashy.
"Your mother has told me so much about you!" he paused, "don't worry, it has been all good. Now, she has told me that you are interested in training?"
I was. I had wanted to become a trainer ever since school had started. I hated school and couldn't see myself staying there for what seemed like the rest of my life, so the only way out of it would be to become a trainer.
"I am. Very much so."
Oak's face lit up, "splendid! Now, how old are you my boy?"
"17."
"Good. You are the perfect age then," Oak said sentimentally, "I once had someone much younger than you. I have learned from that."
I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Oak noticed this, and then started again, "Oh well, let us begin shall we? You are familiar with the basics of Pokemon, yes?"
I nodded. My father had been a Pokemon writer before he died. I learned everything I had ever known about Pokemon from him.
"Grand. Let's get you started then."
He walked briskly to a door on the side of the room. The door opened automatically as we approached and I followed him into what appeared to be a private laboratory.
Oak continued to lead me when he started, "I will give you a Pokedex. It will record every Pokemon you encounter on your journey, and will give you any information you may need about an unfamiliar Pokemon. You will also receive a starting Pokemon for your journey. Next, I will give you 30 Pokeballs to catch Pokemon. Finally, you will be getting a new bike to make movement easier."
This was a lot to take in so I just answered with a simple, "okay."
Oak finally stopped at a giant machine along a wall in the lab. It had a screen to the left and what appeared to be a key board below the screen. Next to it was a tube with a clear window and a plate in the middle of it. Oak pressed the key board screen and the machine lit up.
"May I have your hand?"
I gave Oak my hand, and he put it on the screen. A flash of light went up and down my hand scanned it from left to right and back again. The top screen began to start showing a bunch of names and scroll through them all.
"Come, this may take a while. Let's get you your supplies."
I followed the professor and we stopped at various points around the lab. He gave me everything he had said I would get. Surprising everything fit in my backpack that I had brought.
We returned to the screen and it was still scrolling through the names.
"What's it doing?" I asked curiously.
Oak stared at the machine, "this machine can read your personality and can see who you are by reading your hand. It's one of my best inventions."
The list of names began to get smaller and smaller until it was one page. From there it got much smaller. It finally stopped. There was only one name.
"Cacnea live in deserts with virtually no rainfall. It battles by swinging its thick, spiked arms. Once a year, a yellow flower blooms."
The machine spat out at us. Then the plate began to move up and then moved down. It turned and had a red and white Pokeball at the center of it. The window opened Oak grabbed the Pokeball. He handed it to me.
"This was your best match. Cacnea. Learn from it and train him with care. Are you ready?"
I was so overwhelmed at the moment that I could only nod while having my newly acquired Pokemon in my hands.
