This is officially my apology chapter for not updating for so long for chapter 6. This chapter goes to eighteen pages on Microsoft Word. Eighteen pages! AND I added a bit of Pokeshipping fluff. I feel very accomplished right now. Not necessarily for other things, like cleaning my dorm room or doing my Greek translations, but I definitely feel accomplished at this point in my little fanfic career. Go me. Maybe I'll get a life next semester…right, so this is another reason why the fic is rated 'T'. A lot of this chapter is a conversation between Oak and Misty, where Oak reveals a lot about himself, which may not be suitable for some of you kiddies who are actually under the age to be reading 'T' rated fics, but are doing so anyway….Nothing goes into great detail, but you have been warned. This fic went into an entirely different direction than what I had previously intended it to go, but I am pleased with it. And as a matter-of-fact, I did steal the title from a Jhoto episode. You'll see why it made sense. Enjoy.~
Ch. 7: Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up?
"…if you say so…" sighed Misty into the phone as the screen went black.
She sighed again, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair, her mind going over the conversation that she just had with some of the people that were going to help her help Professor Oak. All had said the same thing; that the plan was doable, as long as he was out of the way. She had managed to get him out of his lab for a few days, but now she needed to get him out of the gym for a few hours so her sisters, Brock and his siblings could quickly come in, take some needed items for the plan and sneak over to meet up with the other region professors, Ash and his mom, who were already aware of the plan and were waiting for the supplies at the Oak Lab. The rest of the people who had agreed to help were either busy getting their schedules changed to help with the big surprise or were already doing their part.
Misty was pleasantly surprised that everyone she had called to help agreed with no complaints. And often times they said that they would recruit others to help. Word was starting to spread about a plan to make the professor's Christmas a success, even after the death of Daisy May. Trainers and other Pokémon personnel that Misty had never even met before were calling and emailing her, asking for details and how they could help. Misty never realized how many lives Professor Oak had touched. Though, thinking back, it really shouldn't have surprised her. He was born and raised in Pallet Town (a number of residents had called asking if there was anything they could do to help), he was a Pokémon Trainer for a number of years (Agatha, an old-time rival of Professor Oak's, had called and said that though she couldn't help much physically due to age, she would take care of any extra expenses needed for the plan and offered to get the Elite Four of the Kanto Region involved), became a researcher and taught at Celadon University for quite some time (many former pupils and colleagues had called offering their services), and, of course, gave beginning Trainers their first Pokémon (Misty was shocked at how many Trainers had emailed and called her about helping, including some very highly known and skilled Trainers).
However, what surprised her most was how much he had done for others. One neighbor of his had mentioned that if it weren't for him running to the rescue with a team of exceedingly skilled Water Pokémon, he would've lost his house due to a fire. One former pupil stated, with her eyes' growing moist, that after the professor had heard about the death of her grandmother on Thanksgiving, he knocked her grade up fifty points. A former assistant of his said that he gave him the job with no interview or resume, and he was pretty sure that it was because the kindly professor knew that he had nowhere else to go at the time. Another former pupil of his had told of the countless times that he went to the professor for help with a paper who, without complaint, stayed and helped him, even in the wee hours of the morning on some occasions. And there was no telling how many stories Misty had heard from Trainers who had called the professor ready to throw in the towel on the road to becoming a Pokémon Master, but who were persuaded otherwise from the advice and encouragement from Professor Oak. There really was no end to stories like these, though it surprised Misty greatly when she heard them. The professor had never mentioned nor acted that he had done any of these things. It was these stories that kept Misty motivated and encouraged to complete the surprise plan for the professor. Now there was no doubt that the professor deserved a surprise like this!
With that in mind, Misty focused on the task at hand: getting Professor Oak out of the gym for a couple hours. What could she do?
Once more, another idea struck Misty. She ran out of the room, hoping that it would work.
Once the professor was finished with the chores, he came into the kitchen to find Misty setting out some bowls of hot chicken noodle soup and crackers at the table, along with some hot cider. Oak was grateful for the warm lunch, as a gym devoted to Water types was typically kept cooler and a light blanket of snow was still settled on the ground, making him shiver slightly. He sat at the table with Azurill at his heels. As he took his first bite, Azurill jumped into his lap and nuzzled into his loose sweater.
"Aruzill!" Misty scolded, as she took her seat at the table across from the professor, "Don't be rude!"
Oak just chuckled and petted the baby Pokémon as she ignored her Trainer and began to close her eyes for a nap, "It's no worries, Misty. She's just tired after a long bit of exercise."
"She really has taken a liking to you," said Misty tenderly, as she watched her Pokémon begin to snore softy, "In fact, I think it's fair to say that all of the Pokémon here have taken a liking to you since you've arrived. I saw you feeding them and interacting with them, Professor. You certainly have a way with Pokémon."
"I would hope that I have a way with Pokémon, as it's my job," joked the professor as he took another bite of soup, "But, thank you nonetheless."
They sat and talked quietly for a while during their lunch, careful not to wake up Azurill. Near the end of the meal, Misty began to put another phase of her plan into action.
"So, Professor, since we got a lot done this morning, we really don't have much to do this afternoon", she mentioned nonchalantly, not wanting her voice to give way to her actual idea as she cleared the table.
Oak took a sip of his cider. "That's good. Better to be ahead than behind. What did you have in mind to do? Need help catching up on anything?"
"No, I'm caught up on all my other work," said Misty, hoping that her plan would work, "But, while you were feeding the Pokémon, I did some thinking and realized that I completely forgot about getting my sisters presents for Christmas. Would you mind if we took a quick trip to the mall?"
Of course, that wasn't the case. Misty had gotten them each something weeks ago and each gift was nicely wrapped and was sitting in the corner of her closet. But it was all she could come up with. Besides, getting them something a little extra wouldn't hurt, since they were, after all, helping with the plan.
It was hard to miss the slight look of disgust that passed through the professor's face. And it wasn't due to anything other than him being a man, Misty could tell. What man would want to leave the comforts of a cozy home to trek through snow to the local mall, where nothing would be on sale now anyways and you'd be accompanying a female who was buying presents for three older sisters?
"Don't you think it would be a bit crowded with Christmas being so soon?" replied the professor in his weak attempt to persuade her otherwise.
"I know, I really don't want to go either," said Misty, being honest about her last statement, "But, it shouldn't be too long and we can grab coffee or hot chocolate there, my treat."
The professor drained what was left of his cider. "If we hurry, then, I suppose…"
The two of them entered the mall wearing heavy winter coats and their snow boots were wet with mush from the walk. The walk over wasn't so bad, it was actually pretty, even when it began to snow lightly once again. Misty shook the light snowflakes out of her hair and suppressed a giggle as she noticed that the snowflakes that had landed on the professors' thick eyebrows gave him an eccentric look. He didn't seem to catch her reaction of him as he shook the snowflakes off him and looked to Misty for direction. Misty found it amusing that he could navigate himself around difficult scientific methods, charts, graphs, calculations and whatnot, but was clueless in a mall.
"Let's see…" mused Misty, as she walked to a map of the mall with the professor behind her, "We are by the clothing departments…"
"What were you thinking of getting your sisters?" asked Oak.
"I was thinking something for their charm bracelets," replied Misty, as she traced her finger from the red arrow that read, 'YOU ARE HERE' to the jewelry departments.
Misty turned back to Professor Oak and pointed upwards.
"The jewelry stores are on the next floor and I think I'm going to get them something from 'Gale's Jewelry'," said Misty, as she began to walk towards the escalator, "They always have cute stuff and its right beside a coffee shop."
Together, Misty and Professor Oak went up the escalator and went past the holiday crowd unnoticed, thankfully, as Misty didn't think that her acting abilities could find her an excuse as to why she was at the mall with a world renowned Pokémon expert. And she didn't think Oak could handle the attention that he normally attracted outside his lab in his fragile state. It was known far and wide that the Oak family had lost Daisy May. It would be too much for the professor, now, to be asked questions and be told statements from well-intentioned fans. Misty wondered if his new tired and older look as a result of Daisy May's death perhaps disguised him from all the attention. He hadn't been in the way of the public since her death. No one had really seen him, besides family and friends.
They walked into Gale's which did not have many costumers, thankfully. It was less of a chance for the professor to get noticed in Misty's opinion.
"May I help you?" asked an attractive blond worker with a burgundy name badge that read 'Ashley'.
"We're just looking, thank you though," answered Misty sweetly, as she and the professor began to examine all the beautiful items the store showcased.
Every design on any piece of jewelry imaginable was displayed behind the well-lit glass cases. Engagement rings, wedding rings, rings with birthstones, necklaces of diamonds and pearls, ruby and sapphire broaches, emerald eyeglass cases, gold and silver earrings-anything and everything jewelry-wise seemed to gleam out towards the costumers looking for the perfect gift for their loved one.
Misty began to look around for something for her sisters, though couldn't help but stare a bit longer than necessary at a couple of the items available. Even though she was a proud tom-boy, what diamond isn't a girl's best friend? She tried to be quick in her searching, though she noticed that the professor was looking over at another display case, lost in his own thoughts. Misty noticed that the professor had been very quiet since their arrival to the mall. She wondered if it was counted as strange to him to be among crowds again when he had for weeks been what could be considered somewhat of isolation. As she continued admiring the beautiful jewelry, one particular piece had caught her eye and its beauty had actually caused her to gasp.
Behind the display case was a simple silver necklace, but to Misty, its simplicity only added to its loveliness. On the chain was a charm of two ocean-blue water droplets that had formed around each other in such a way that it made the shape of an abstract heart. Misty was actually familiar with the design. In Cerulean City, there was a story of two friends that loved each other and Water Pokémon so much. However, there was one problem. One friend was a very old woman and the other was just a boy in his youth. Everyone only shook their heads' at the strange relationship. They would spend hours battling and talking about Pokémon, as well as listening to each other's concerns.
As the days went by, the woman got older and older and slower and slower and more and more feeble. She needed the boy's help to be able to walk to her chair on her porch where they usually sat. Her battling knowledge never weakened, though, neither did her fondness for the boy. As the days passed, the boy noticed that she needed more and more help. He never minded helping his dear friend, though it did concern him. One day, he mustered up the courage to ask her why she was getting more tired every day. She explained that when one has started to finish their journey in life, their 'get up and go' becomes all used up. That's when you know who you're true friends are, the woman was told to have said with a kind smile to the boy. A few days after he had questioned the woman, the boy became seriously ill.
When the woman heard, she demanded that she visit him at once. With the help of some of the residents and her Pokémon, she was able to see the boy as he lay in bed with a high fever. With tears in her eyes, the woman asked if she could do anything to help him. The boy was said to have mustered enough strength to smile and tell her that what she was doing was enough. He knew who his true friends were when his own 'get up and go' left him earlier than predicted. The boy passed away a few days later and the woman was crushed.
Feeling that her own time was getter shorter, she wanted to do one last thing in memory of her friend. She gathered both her and his Water Pokémon together and with a string of powerful Water type attacks, made the abstract symbol of the two water-drops that are said to swirl eternally in a small unknown lake in the woods of Cerulean. The story claimed that the woman looked at her creation, sat down next to the lake and passed away peacefully. It is said that the water drops are a symbol of the tears shed from the woman at the death of the boy, the fact that it was of water was a symbol of their love for Water Pokémon and the shape of the abstract heart represents their unusual, but true friendship that they both shared.
Though the story was just a legend, Misty had always hoped that it would one day be proven true. What a beautiful story! And what a beautiful necklace…
She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice that Professor Oak had come up behind her.
"You like it?" he asked, bringing Misty out of her thoughts.
"Oh! What, this?" she asked, pointing to the necklace, "I think it's stunning!"
Oak nodded in agreement and bent down to get a better look.
"Isn't that the same symbol from a Cerulean legend?" he asked, "Do you know what I'm talking about? The one about the boy and the old woman?"
Misty looked up at the professor in delight, "I was just thinking of that story! I'm impressed, Professor! I've never met anyone outside of Cerulean who is familiar with that story!"
Oak grinned. "I've been around, Misty. That story is a favorite of mine."
"Me too!"
The blond worker, Ashley, who had first greeted them when they entered the store came behind the counter and brought out the necklace.
"It's a beautiful piece, isn't it?" she said, holding gently in the light, and indeed the angle she was holding it under the light showed off all the hues of the blue in the stone, "This one is a personal favorite of mine."
"I love it!" said Misty excitedly as she admired it in the hand of the worker.
With a tender movement of her fingers, Ashley opened the charm in two to reveal that the charm was also a small locket.
"How neat!" Misty gasped, her eyes widening with this new found knowledge of the beloved necklace.
"May I see it, miss?" asked the professor, as he gently reached out his hand towards the woman. She willingly obliged and Oak slowly turned the piece in his hands. Misty watched him carefully, curious as to what he was doing. She was surprised when he suddenly held it up next to her face and smiled.
"The stone used for the charm matches your eyes perfectly," said Oak, looking pleased that he noticed.
Ashley nodded. "You have a good eye, sir. Are you her grandfather?"
Misty's heart skipped a beat at the comment. Ashley didn't mean anything by it, of course, but Misty was concerned how the professor would react.
Unless one spent enough time with the professor, they would've never have spotted the dark shadow that momentarily replaced the light in his eyes. Though Misty was thankful that that was all the reaction that was given to the question, it was still sad to see Professor Oak still mourning.
"I'm not her grandfather", said Professor Oak, as he turned back toward the lady and slowly handed her back the necklace. With a quick after thought, he added, "Unfortunately."
Shocked by what Misty saw as a very genuine compliment from the professor, she felt her face turn hot and quickly looked to examine a display of earrings, pretending to have not have heard the last comment. The woman tittered and returned the piece back to its spot behind the glass display case.
For a moment, Misty considered getting the necklace for herself. What's the harm in getting something for yourself every once in a while? She turned back to look at the price tag of the piece. She suppressed a groan and felt her eyes widen at the asking price for the necklace. It was way too much, especially since she was already investing money in the surprise for Professor Oak and was getting three charms for her sisters. And with it being the holiday season, she hadn't had a challenger for a while and wasn't expecting any until after New Year's. Sighing, she looked back to the cases that showed off glitzy and outrageous charms. She finally decided on three of the most "girlified" charms available. For Daisy, she got a pink jeweled cell phone charm, for Violet, a purpled jeweled sunglasses charm, and for Lily, she picked out a hot pink and silver jeweled lipstick charm. None were anything that Misty would ever like, but she was sure her sisters would be thrilled.
She turned to pay for the items and found the professor looking at another display case, his eyes taking on a distant look about them. Misty paid for the items and placed them carefully in her bag next to where Azurill was napping. She walked up quietly towards the professor, not wanting to disturb his train of thought. The display case he was looking at was of wedding bands and engagement rings. She attempted to catch his eye to see where his line of vision was taking him, but it went nowhere in particular. He seemed to be examining the display as a whole. After another moment of staring off and being silent, Oak said quietly to Misty, as to not disturb the peace, "I was married at one point in my life. Did you know that, Misty?"
"No, sir," said Misty surprised by this piece of information. Then embarrassment hit her and she continued to stare intently at the case to avoid eye contact with Professor Oak. How else did he have a son and two grandchildren? She'd only known him for a few years. She never really thought about there being a 'Mrs. Oak.'
"Yup", chuckled Oak softly, sensing her embarrassment, "Her name was Gloria. She died when Gary was just a toddler and Daisy May was about six after a second round of cancer. Though I didn't want to see her go, I was thankful that the grandkids didn't have to see her in pain for long amounts of time like she was in during her first battle with cancer before either of them was born. During the second round, she went quickly. Gary and Daisy only remember 'Fun Grandma', thankfully."
Misty merely nodded, unsure what to say. She never realized what all he went through himself, along with helping others cope with their problems, both big and small. She'd never heard of the professor having a wife and since the funeral, he hasn't even mentioned his family much and especially not Daisy May.
"And she was a lot of fun," continued Oak thoughtfully, "I called her my 'Glorious Sunshine' and joked how she brought light into this nerds' dark study hall."
Misty giggled. She never imagined the professor talking about someone else that way, nor had she ever thought that he viewed himself as a 'nerd'. It did seem appropriate, now that he mentioned it…
Oak continued, a smile forming on his worn face as he continued to study the rings on display, "'Sunshine' is a great description of her, actually. No matter how bad a day you have, you go to bed that night expecting a new day tomorrow. The sun hides behind a cloud, waiting to the storm to blow over. It bides its time, knowing that it has to be patient to be the most effective. It warms you up and no matter how many 'cloudy' days you have, you long for sunshine and you know that it'll come and everything will get better. That's her exactly. When we had our cloudy days, and we most certainly did, I could always count on my Sunshine to be strong. When I came home after a long day of studying or work, she warmed me up with just a look from her. Always so positive! I needed that Misty. I really did. She always said I was too logical. I thought she always had her head in the clouds. But we were a perfect pair, even when we were kids. She was my Sunshine even before we were married. She befriended me when my father died when I was a young child, encouraged me during my Pokémon journey. When my mother fell ill and died when I was a teenager, she was always there to bring a bit of light into the house. When we were married and could barely make ends meet with my salary from teaching, she always laughed and said that that only meant that she had to get creative with meals. When our first child was stillborn, her light was still shining. Not as bright, but it was still there. Oh, how we rejoiced so much when Peter was born and was a healthy baby! Then I became depressed when I lost my first teaching job and had great difficulty finding another. She was always positive and we rejoiced greatly again when I started teaching at Celadon U. When the League rejected my theory of Mew and the beginnings of the Poke'Dex and so much more, she encouraged me to, and I quote, 'Badger them 'til they set guards up to stop you, and even then, Sammie, bug them to death until they look into your work!' For little things, she was my Sunshine. When I worked late into the night, she'd come in and bring me some tea. When I fell asleep during my work, she'd gently wake me and put me to bed", Oak gave a chuckle, "She even corrected some of work research, believe it or not! She wasn't just bright emotionally, but mentally as well."
Oak gave a small sigh and continued.
"When she first got cancer, I thought it was my turn to bring her some of the sunshine that she had brought into my life. How foolish to think that! I'll admit it; I'm not nearly as strong as she was. Not even close, even in her weaker states. She ended up pouring more into me and really showing me how to live. And that attitude allowed her to beat that cancer the first time. When she got better, life seemed to really be looking up. Daisy May was born and we got to spoil her, then Gary. Then the cancer came back, worse this time. She finally just looked at me a few days after the news and said 'I'm tired this time, Sammie'. I understood, though it hurt so badly. She passed away peacefully in her sleep one night. I was even with her. It was as if a great burden was lifted from her."
It took every fiber in Misty's being not to gasp and ask a billion questions. Who knew about all this? Why was he telling her? Curiosity was also hitting Misty. She wanted to hear more about his wife. Were they seriously childhood sweethearts? How cute! How long were they married? Was he really orphaned as a teenager? What happened to his parents? Was he really as logical and introverted as he claimed to be? Did his wife have something to do with his supposed change in personality? Did he really lose his first teaching job? And Peter wasn't their first child, but their first was a stillborn? How awful! His wife really corrected his work? And did the League seriously refused his work, him, THE Professor Oak?
Misty stared at him, not sure what to do. Did he expect her to comment of his sudden life story? Not that she minded listening, it was just so shocking. Everything that she and the Pokémon World knew about Professor Oak was suddenly dramatically changed in about the span of two minutes.
Oak looked back at her, his eyes looking both tired and full of light, a small smile still on his face. He raised his eyebrows a bit expectantly and laughed softly.
"Gloria always said that I had a habit of being too talkative when I get sentimental at times…you OK, Misty?"
Misty blinked and managed weakly, "Yes, sir. Just a bit surprised. I wasn't expecting anything like that…"
Oak, looking a bit embarrassed, replied sheepishly, "You shouldn't have had to expect any of that. I just got carried away looking at the rings and all…my sincerest apologies, Misty."
"Don't apologize! There's no reason to be sorry, Professor. But, I am curious…why tell me now?"
Oak smiled thoughtfully, as he turned to look back at the rings.
"It was just looking at these weddings bands, I suppose. It brought back a lot of great memories. I still have our wedding bands-Gloria and I's. I have them in safe keeping at the lab."
Misty paused for a second, unsure of what to say. This was so surreal. She looked up at the professor and flashed him a brilliant smile, "I'd love to hear more about Gloria. If you don't mind of course", she added hastily.
Oak smiled the most sincere smile Misty had seen since Daisy May's death.
"I'd love to share about her, Misty."
They both left the store and headed to a small coffee shop, where Misty ordered a hot chocolate and Oak got a specialty coffee. Despite Misty's refusal, Oak insisted upon paying for the drinks, which he did. They found a quiet booth in the back of the shop and settled there. Misty blew across her hot chocolate a bit to cool it off some and took a small sip.
Oak looked across the booth at Misty studying her. He desperately hoped that he didn't shock her too much.
He took a sip of his coffee. "So, were you a bit surprised, Misty?"
"More than a bit, I think", said Misty shaking her head, "I just didn't realize all the stuff you told me, like your wife, though it really should've made sense to me way before now."
Oak laughed at the comment. "Yeah, I really can't think of any other way of how to have Peter without her…"
Misty snorted into her hot chocolate. Professor! Did he really just make a factious comment like that? Her grabbed a napkin and dabbed her chin where the hot chocolate dripped and looked back up at the man. Who was he? To the Pokémon World, he was the highly intelligent and kindly, old Professor Oak. He liked tea and poetry and lived a quiet and eccentric life at the Oak Lab in simple little Pallet Town, Kanto. Occasionally he spoke on a radio talk show or gave an interview, but it was always over Pokémon. The man sitting there before her seemed nothing like the Professor Oak that everyone was familiar with. It was strange. Did he play the character of the jolly professor, or did he just feel the need to keep his private life just that-private? Why talk now? Did Daisy May's death bring up much more than coping with her death, but also other pains he felt? Where to begin in this?
"So…," began Misty slowly, "What was Gloria like? Was she pretty?"
"Beautiful", answered Oak, "So beautiful. She was a replica of Daisy May, actually. Except her hair. Her hair was long and straight like Daisy May's, but was jet black. She didn't have bangs or layers like Daisy May, it was all one length. Besides that, facial structure was the same, same smile; same figure, same voice and laugh….oh, and their eyes were different, too. Daisy May got her eye color from her mother. Gloria's eyes were this dark blue color. It was like the deep end of the ocean. I sorta wished that her eye color was inherited. After Peter was born, we learned a few years later that we couldn't have any more children and Peter had inherited my dark brown eyes. When Peter and Bianca, his wife, were expecting Daisy May and Gary, I secretly hoped one of them would get Gloria's unique eye color. But Daisy May ended up with her mother's light brown eyes and Gary got the dark eyes from Peter and me. Not that I'm complaining, I think all of them turned out fine."
Misty nodded, inwardly very pleased that Professor Oak was beginning to talk about Daisy May without looking so sad. She wanted to press forward, but wanted to do so gently as to not bring him back to the state he was before he started talking to her about his family.
"You really knew each other when you were both children?" asked Misty, "How did that happen?"
"Her parents moved to Pallet Town when we were about four. Her parents were gardeners who died when we were pre-teens in a fire when lightning struck their greenhouse while they were working. Thankfully, she was with her grandmother visiting when that happened, so she wasn't injured."
"She didn't have any siblings?"
Oak shook his head 'no'.
"That makes you both only children, right?"
"Wrong."
Misty furrowed her brow. "Huh?"
Oak took another drink of his coffee and continued. "I'm the middle of two other brothers. Didn't you know that, Misty?"
This was getting to be too much for the young red head. "Wait-two brothers? Since when do you have two brothers?"
"Since forever, I suppose", laughed Oak, "Learning a lot today, Misty? Now I'm a little surprised. I thought people knew about Jeremiah and Isaac."
Misty thought for a second. "Wait", she began slowly, "'Jeremiah'? 'Isaac'? And your name is 'Samuel'. Those are all biblical names. Was that on purpose?"
"Yup," laughed the professor again, "The joke was that the Oak family was full of prophets. My father's name was 'Eli', who was, ironically, the one in the Old Testament who helped to raise Samuel. My mother's name was 'Hannah', who was, another irony, the mother of Samuel. The Oaks' have a long line of biblical names'. It ended with Gary and Daisy May, though. Peter and Bianca wanted to name the two of them after some relatives on Bianca's side. Though Gary does have my middle name, 'Vernon' and 'May' was Gloria's middle name. I like the names, personally."
"You're the middle brother, you said? By how many years a part? And what about your brothers? Where are they now?" asked Misty, her dying curiosity showing through.
"Jeremiah is the oldest by five years and Isaac is the youngest by four years", said Oak, "Neither one of them really got into the Pokémon field like I did. I mean, we grew up around Pokémon and all, as our father was a rancher. Father, who died after being caught up in a Rhyhorn stampede, ingrained in us all a love for Pokémon. We even all became Pokémon Trainers. I received Charmander, Jeremiah chose Bulbasaur and Isaac got Squirtle when it was our time to pick our first Pokémon. I was the only one who stuck with it. Isaac managed to get four badges and Jeremiah did receive all eight badges from Kanto, but I received all eight badges from Kanto, as well as those from Jhoto, along with competing and placing in the Pokémon League Competition of both regions, along with the Orange Island League. Jeremiah, being the eldest, was always so serious. He loved Pokémon and all, but he's all business. Going out into the wilderness and training Pokémon just wasn't for him and he knew that a few weeks into his journey as a ten year old. He's not a quitter though. He did get all the badges for Kanto before retiring in his Pokémon career. After he completed his journey, he came back home and worked odd jobs constantly. He's always working, that Jeremiah. He worked and finished his education in Pallet, then went on to Vermillion University, where his years of all work and no play landed him a scholarship and the money he saved up from all his working paid all of his other expenses. He never asked for a dime out of any of the family, not to mention that he worked full time as a waiter during his first years at the university. In fact, a frequent costumer of his was a well-to-do banker in Vermillion and noticed how hard Jeremiah worked and got him a good job at his bank. That job later helped Jeremiah get some very high up connections. He got into politics and later became major of Pallet. He did a lot for the community. He just recently retired and is now limiting his work to some charities. Jeremiah now lives on the outskirts of Pallet, which is a private high end community."
Misty had heard of there being a couple of well-to-do families living in the private outskirts of Pallet, but never had reason to believe that they were there until today.
"Does Jeremiah have any family?" asked Misty.
"A wife, Camilla, and three sons, Matthew, Mark and Luke", said Oak, "All of them living the typical Pokémon World dream. A bit boring to me, personally, but there is no denying that they each worked hard to get to that status."
"Are his sons married? Do they have any kids?" asked Misty, eager to hear more.
"All of them are married. Matthew married Donna from Celadon. They met at the same university I taught at. Matthew went on to become a lawyer in Hoenn and Donna went into real estate. They now live in Rustboro City and have a fifteen year old son, Jonathan, and eleven year old twins, Micah and Tabitha. Mark went to Opelucid University in the Unova region to study technology and met his wife, Ella. He works at some high class computer lab in that same city and Ella is a housewife. They have a fourteen year old daughter, Naomi, and a ten year old son, Zach. Luke got a degree from Cianwood College in the Jhoto region and works as a high class banker Viridian City. His wife, Flo, is also a stay-at-home-mom. They have an eight year old daughter, Rebekah, another daughter, Alexa, who is twelve and their eldest son is sixteen, James."
"And Isaac?"
"Ah, the little brother!" mused Oak, grinning, "The name 'Isaac' suits him well. It means 'laughter', and that's typically what's he's doing. A real honest and laid back guy, that Isaac. He never got into battling because he hated watching his Pokémon get hurt and the high society life that Jeremiah got into wasn't for him either. It's just too serious. When he came back home from his Pokémon journey, he began working part-time at the post office doing grunt work like mopping and dusting. They later move him to the front desk, which he loved. He's real social, hates being alone. After a few years of that, they had him be an official mailman. In other words, he got to actually deliver the letters that he sorted. I thought it suited his social personality perfectly, but Jeremiah couldn't stand it. Well, he couldn't stand my low-income teaching job, either…really into making the big bucks, Jeremiah, and he never really understood doing something for the sake of loving to do it. Sure Jeremiah wasn't exactly dining on steaks every evening with the income he made during his time as a waiter and he knew that. He always preached about starting from the bottom and making it to the top. He just didn't understand why my idea of 'top' involved hours of painstaking research and study just to get a result that involved more studying and research, along with taking in poor college assistants. And he definitely didn't understand why Isaac was so thrilled to be out and about every morning (except Sunday's, of course) going door to door delivering mail, whistling and talking with everyone with no plans of going any further, career-wise. Which he did, by the way. After many more years, they promoted him to head post master and he got to run the mail of Pallet. Very prominent job, good pay too, but he still delivered the mail when he could. He just loved interacting with the people so much. He and his wife, Gwen, live in a nice home on the opposite outskirts of Pallet. They have five kids; Terry, Tanya, Belinda, Bruce and Taylor. Terry is a shrink out in Fuschia City and is married to Heather, who is a high school math teacher. They have three kids, Mary (who is nineteen), and twins, Calvin and Victor (who are seventeen). Tanya married Ivan, who works as an electrician in Mauville City, and she is a secretary at the same electric company. They have three girls; Emma (who is fifteen), Lindsey (who is thirteen) and Zoe (who is nine). Belinda is a counselor at the school in Saffron City. Her husband owns a shop there and they also have three children; Joy (she's ten), Tristan (he just turned six), and Roy, the baby of the family. He'll be two this March. Bruce is a doctor in Striaton City and his wife, Lanie, is a school teacher there. They have three children as well; Monty, who is nine, Joey, who is four, and Sarah, who is three. Taylor, being the youngest, is still looking for 'Mr. Right', so she doesn't have any kids yet. She still lives in Pallet and commutes to Vermillion for college."
Misty's head was spinning and swimming in a mental pool of all the knowledge that she had just learned about from Professor Oak. He had family? And a good sized family, too, by the sounds of it. And he knew all these details about every one of them? Where they went to school, who his nieces and nephews married, their kid's names and ages…she was lucky to be called the right name during the rare times that she, her parents and her sister were home. By the way he sounded when he talked about them, he could probably rattle off any other bits of information about them, if she so desired to ask him to do so. She bet he knew everything about them; where they were married, how old they were when they got engaged, food allergies, etc., etc.
"Sounds like you're kinda the odd ball in the bunch, Professor", said Misty, "Well, you and Gary. You both are in the Pokémon business."
"I enjoy being the odd ball", stated Oak with a smile that gave off a sense of pride, "And my son is in the Pokémon business too, per se. He's an archeologist Pokémon researcher. Not as public as my work, but crucial nonetheless. Daisy May also loved Pokémon. I know that you know that she had her house open as a guest home for Trainers to rest and get them and their Pokémon cleaned up, but she was also a part-time Coordinator and an assistant of mine. Nothing professional, but she enjoyed it."
Misty nodded and took another sip of her drink, carefully contemplating how she was going to ask the next question burning within her without causing an awkward moment.
"With so much family", said Misty slowly, "Isn't it a bit odd that you aren't with them during this time?"
Oak knew exactly what she was asking and he looked down into his half drunken cup of coffee. Misty desperately hoped that she didn't offend him. After a moment of silence, she heard him sigh and look up at her.
"I suppose that's fault on everyone," began Oak gradually, "Her death was just so shocking and sudden, we did all we could to get a funeral arranged ASAP. Things like that are simpler for older individuals who have already made such arrangements, but what do you do for a sixteen year old with her life ahead of her, whom we all intended to live until we older ones were gone? She had no plans, no arrangements if something happened to her. We just all got caught up in plans and arrangements that when the funeral ended and guests stopped coming, reality truly hit home for us all. Daisy May really wasn't going to come back. We weren't going to see her laugh or smile on this side of Heaven. And with a mindset like that, it's easy to become selfish and forget about others, much less comforting your own family. Everyone left back to their own homes to tend to their own family and grief, which left me alone in my lab. Don't get me wrong, my brothers and son and other close friends of mine tried to comfort me, but when it came down to it, I was still alone in my lab. They offered to take me in for a little while, but I didn't want to be a bother. I tried to say it was for the best and that I'd only get in the way. I tried to act as though the deed was a noble one, but that's something about adults, Misty. The older you get, the more you understand what people expect you to say with the intentions behind it. I'm particularly knowledgeable in this area since I'm in the public eye so often. When I gave excuses as to why I would just stay at the lab, people took my deed for my word; that I truly did have work and didn't want to be a bother. Truth was I was selfish. I didn't want to let anyone comfort me or allow myself to comfort others. As you've heard, I've had my share of death. Before Gloria died, it was not any easier to deal with these deaths, but it was manageable with her at my side. When she died, I was sure I was going to go insane. My Sunshine was gone. Who was going to comfort me? Thankfully, she had left me with a sense of peace about her passing. It was no easier getting into a new swing of things, though. The saying 'You can't teach an old Arcanine new tricks' would have definitely have applied to me during this time. Waking up alone in bed, fending for myself during meals…I still have a bad habit of setting the table for two when it's just me in the lab. But, can you blame me? We have known each other for nearly our entire lives. We were married for…oh, my, how long was it Sammie? Was it really nearly forty years of marriage? Once I had managed some sort of a new routine, things got better. But when Daisy May died, it hit me hard and it was mostly because my Sunshine wasn't there to help this time. And Daisy May was so much like Gloria that when she died, it was as if Gloria had died again."
Misty looked down into her cup, trying to hide the fact that her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. Who know about this? Family and close friends, obviously, but did they really understand? She began to question the man that she once thought was Professor Oak, who she now just dubbed "outer layer Oak". Was "outer layer Oak" ever truly that happy and go lucky as he seemed, or was it an act to ensure that no one would worry about him?
Misty took a breath not sure where to begin, so she decided with the obvious question, "Why doesn't anyone know about any of this?"
Much to her surprise, Oak blinked confusingly at this remark.
"It wasn't as if I was hiding this information from the world, Misty," said Oak, "Honestly, I thought people knew more about the man behind the lab coat," he chuckled at his own joke and Misty grinned, "Like my wife. Granted, we were married and she had passed before I really became famous, but I assumed people would take a hint really. And both my brothers had made the top news before, too. Not to extent as I have, obviously, but I thought it was enough for people outside of Pallet who didn't know to put two and two together. Some things, yes, not a lot of people know about, like Gloria and I having a stillborn, for example. And about my parents, too. Only my brothers, family and a couple of people who were there to remember those instances, like Agatha, David Rowan and Charlie Goodshow, truly know about that."
"Who are David Rowan and Charlie Goodshow?" asked Misty, though the names had sparked a feeling of déjà vu.
Oak raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Professor Rowan of the Sinnoh Region and President Goodshow of the Indigo League, of course, Misty! You didn't know that we knew each other when we were all Trainers?"
Misty shook her head 'no' and replied, "Not really, sir. I mean, I knew you and Agatha were long-time rivals and all and I knew that you and Professor Rowan knew each other for a long time too , but I didn't know about President Goodshow and I didn't think that all of you knew one another since you were Trainers…"
Oak sighed and shook his head. After another sip of his coffee, he continued.
"I really ought to write a book or something…I mean I know I never wanted to be at the forefront of the public eye, but this is ridiculous…Well, it's obvious that Agatha and I were rivals. She never lets me forget, or anyone else for that matter. And you better believe that if she hears that I'm in her neighborhood or vice versa, she's going to want to challenge me to a battle. As for Rowan, we crossed paths a good bit as Trainers and even more so when we both went into Pokémon research. Goodshow was a Trainer, too, and we both crossed paths a good bit as well. In fact, all ended up competing against each other in the Indigo League. That's actually when news of my mother got to me was right before a battle."
"What happened?" asked Misty, who both wanted to hear more, yet hated how childish and eager her voice sounded.
"It was my first time competing in the League", began Oak, "All of our first times'-Agatha, Rowan, Goodshow and I. We were all about fifteen. You see, back in those days, a League for each region only had a competition every few years. Each region planned their competition at separate years so Trainers who qualified could make it to more than one, if they so desired. And as proud as I am that Ash had made it into so many different League competitions, it was much harder to become accepted to compete in a League when I was a Trainer. And they only accepted a certain number of Trainers, too. Even if you did have eight badges, you still had to go through certain qualifications to get in. Just to be in that group meant you were a cut above your average Trainer. To actually get top ten really meant something. It took us all so long to get in because of those qualifications. By the time that I was accepted in, I had already earned over ten badges, which was more than Rowan and Goodshow, but Agatha was tied with me during our entire journey. In my opinion, she should've qualified at least two years before the rest of us, but the League just wouldn't let her compete. They gave a couple of corny excuses, but we all knew that it was because she was a girl. Pokémon business back in my day was pretty biased-"
"Wait, Agatha couldn't compete because she was girl?" interrupted Misty in outrage. The sudden outburst caused some costumers in the shop, as well as a few workers to look their way. Misty blushed. She had gotten so wrapped up in Professor Oak's story that she had completely forgotten that they were still at a coffee shop in the mall.
Oak waited until the costumers and workers continued what they were doing before he continued his story. "Shocked again, Misty? The League never right out said anything, but we all knew that that was the case. There were even some gyms at Agatha couldn't compete in because the Leader refused to be challenged by a girl. She got her badges out of order because of this. It took us guys four years before we had gotten accepted into the League, and that was just because we didn't qualify. After the first year, Agatha wasn't accepted because she really couldn't make the cut. She was very close, though. She went off and trained even harder in Jhoto and got a few badges. Tried again a year later at another League, refused her again, and this time, we knew the real case. That's when she went and trained all around Kanto. Didn't collect any badges, just trained in Kanto. The League refused her a third time. After that, she went to the mountainous regions and trained like a maniac in near seclusion for another year. I'm pretty sure that the only reason she managed to go through all that was because she was fueled by her anger of the injustice that was being shown to her and her passion for Pokémon. Finally, the Indigo League couldn't refuse her that time. She was just too good and she made it very apparent. You should really thank Agatha that you even have your Gym Leader position, Misty. She was the one that started the movement for equal treatment for both male and female Trainers. Anywho, when she was finally accepted into the competition, that was also the same year Goodshow, Rowan and I qualified. But, back to my mother…she had always been a more ill and fragile woman, especially after my father died so suddenly. I entered the League with her blessing. She was unable to attend because she was sick again. I tossed around the idea of quitting and going back (I was top sixteen by that time), but she assured me that her sister and my brothers were taking good care of her and promised that she would listen to every match of mine on the radio and cheer me on every step of the way. I continued the match thinking it was just another one of her illnesses. How wrong I was. As I began to toss my first Pokémon out into my top eight competition match, an errand boy ran out onto the field and had the referee stop the match. The boy whispered something to the referee and ran off the field. The referee called time and came up and informed me that my mother had just died. Devastated, I ran off the field. You see, Misty, back in those days, it was considered disrespectful for a Trainer to battle so soon after a love one had died. They gave me the option of rescheduling the match. I'm a little old fashioned, so I stuck with tradition and took myself out of the competition. The judges were generous, though. When a person takes themselves out of a competition, they usually reorganize the line-up so that that person loses their position. They just counted my drop-out as a loss, so I was still top eight that year. I competed the next year along with Rowan, who made it to top ten the first year, and Agatha, who got to top five the previous year. Goodshow is about fifteen or twenty years older than the rest of us and he is really not that great as a Trainer. He prefers watching battles. The first time he even qualified for the League was also the same time the rest of us did and by that time, he'd been a Trainer for years. And he didn't even get nearly as far as the rest of us-he got to top 100 before he lost. He tried to improve his battling skills, but he just wasn't cut out for it. When we entered again, he was a referee for the matches, which later led him to become president of the Indigo League. So, that was what he was doing while the rest of us competed. Agatha and I tied for third and it about killed us both. We both would have rather have lost to another Trainer than tied with each other," Oak chortled at the remark and continued, "Rowan went on to Pokémon research after making top fifteen that year. Didn't surprise me, to be honest. Rowan was always the serious type like my older brother. He was also a bit older than us, too, by about ten years. Battling just wasn't for him and he realized that during that competition. The next year, Agatha and I competed again. This time, she got third and I placed second. The next year, the positions switched. Then at the next competition, I placed first and Agatha got runner-up. That was also when I realized my love for research and study, as well as my affection for Gloria. That was my last competition and when Agatha found out, it was as if I threw cold water on her. Her rival was gone. She ended up getting every badge known to man and Pokémon-kind and finally placed first at the next competition after I ended my Trainer career. After several more years, she made it to the Elite Four and is now the Gym Leader at the Viridian City Gym. But I don't think she had truly forgiven me for not staying as a Trainer until recently."
Misty nodded and remembered how much had changed in her own short life. Performing with her sisters, life on the road with Ash and now the Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym….and she was barely out of fourteen.
Ash.
She could relate to Agatha, in a sense. When Professor Oak quit Pokémon training and went to a life of studying and raising a family, Agatha had lost her rival; her drive. She was probably jealous of the life he was leading; jealous that he had picked something else over their rivalry, and so easily too. When she was forced to maintain the gym, jealousy hit her when Ash found another travelling companion, May. Then it was Dawn. Now Iris. It would've been one thing if he had just gotten another guy to tag along with him, which he did, but girls? She had thought what they had was special and he just replaced her so quickly…she knew that he probably thought nothing of it and had probably had still not realized that she cared for him as a bit more than a friend, but still….
Guys could be clueless sometimes…
"Thinking about Ash?"
Professor Oak's comment snapped her out of her reverie. She looked up to see that the professor's face had softened and he had something of an understanding in his eyes. Misty blushed at the comment and took another sip of her dwindling hot chocolate.
"I'll take your aversion to my question to mean 'yes'," said Oak softly as Misty shyly looked up at him.
"How'd you know?"
Oak smiled a little wider at the question.
"It's the same expression most usually take on when they think about someone who is very special to them. An expression of calm, happiness, contentment, nostalgia…I know a lot about that expression, Misty. And my advice to you is to give it time; he'll come around."
"But he's already replaced me!" exclaimed Misty looking intently at the professor.
Oak shook his head. "He doesn't see getting other females to travel with him as replacing you. He views it more as having more friends. You're the reason he stuck with Pokémon training, in my opinion. Take it from me; the first six months are the hardest for Trainers. Most of the Trainers that come through my lab have a 50/50 chance of leaving Pokémon training within the first year. The chance of continuing for years to come, as Ash has, then drops to a one in four chance. You challenged and encouraged him and gave him a good knock on the head to get some reason into him every once and a while. With all the cheerleaders Gary had after him, where are they now? Nowhere to be found. To me, you're more valuable than any of those high class cheerleaders any day. And Ash knows that, too."
Misty blinked. "You really think so, Professor Oak?"
"Absolutely."
"Thanks, Professor", beamed Misty.
"No, Misty, thank you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end of Chapter 7
OK, so that went into a completely opposite direction than what I had previously intended. I am pleased with the results and I hope that you are too. The story about the old woman and the boy came completely from my imagination and has never been mentioned in Pokémon before. And, yes, Pokeshipping has a special place in my heart, as I am a true fan who says Kanto and Jhoto were the best seasons hands down. And I know nothing about the Sinnoh and Unova regions, as I think that they are complete crap. Unova more than Sinnoh. Sorry, gang. With that being said, for those of you who actually do like and pay attention to the Sinnoh and Unova stuff, would you mind messaging me if I make a mistake on a fact from those regions? I do my research, but I'm more likely to get something wrong from those regions than I am from the Kanto, Jhoto and Hoenn regions. Thanks! And as for Oak's life story, some of you older fans may recognize some stuff from the good ol' days. In the games, Agatha always mentions Oak being a former rival of her's, the description I gave to Gloria (by the way, his wife has never been mentioned in any of the games or whatnot, I made her up, but it does make sense!) comes from Oak's granddaughter, May, from the Viz Comics Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu and Pokemon: Pikachu Shocks Back, both by Toshihiro Ono. And yes, the Daisy May from this fic is described as Oak's granddaughter from the manga. I combined the names given to Oak's granddaughter when she does make an appearance in the games or the comics….May or Daisy, which is it gonna be, people? The bits about Goodshow and Rowan were made up, too, but Rowan has been mentioned to have known Oak for a long time in the anime, so who knows…For those who are hardcore fans, you're probably familiar with Bulbagarden, which is a site which gives you the Wikipedia on all things Pokémon. It's been a great help as I research some of my characters, like Oak. The idea of giving Oak two brothers with their perspective jobs comes from this site, while I invented their names', personalities and families. Oak's Trainer career was also made up, but I think I did a fair job guessing. Same goes for Agatha and the parts about the Pokémon business being biased against girls. Yeah, I came up with that, you won't find it anywhere else. All the details about Oak's life are of my own invention save for his work on the Poke'Dex, the discovery of Mew, and anything else that wasn't obvious. I made up his son and wife, too, but that was because it only made sense. Oh, and Daisy May working in the lab came from the manga and her being a Coordinator was my idea.
I say all this to bring about two points: I'm obsessed with details and I don't want to confuse some of you who actually believe what I'm writing. Yeah, some of it is based off the games and whatnot, but a lot of it is from me. It's kinda like unofficial pics of new Pokémon coming out or something like that. Unless you know, you're very likely going to believe it. Why? Because it's on the Internet. And I hate it when that happens. This chapter included a lot of details and background, which is why I'm going over it. Point two: If I see any other fanfiction on here or anywhere else that took my well thought out story line of these characters, I will find you and feed you to my pet Charizard.
Alright, enough chit-chat, time to review!
~MastermindMedley10