Professor in the making
I own nothing but my own ideas
A prompt from MaidMarian17
When one thinks of the most famous Pokémon professor one would think of Pallet town. While that may be true now, it was not his city of origin. Or region ,even. For his origins, one would have to go into Wintown, in the Fiore. Of course, it wasn't called Wintown, back then. It was just a random clump of houses.
Interactions between people and Pokémon were different from the rest of the world. People saw no need to become trainers, because the native Pokémon were quite friendly. Occasionally- normally when someone was leaving the Region- a Pokémon was caught. Pokémon in other regions were known to be a bit hostile to strangers, and better to be safe then sorry. Or at least that was the reasoning.
Sam was leaving home a bit earlier then most children. He had been asked to be the apprentice of an artist, Digory Pole. Dig was a going to travel the world, and Sam's parents were quite happy to give him the opportunity, provided he sent letters of course.
In honor of the event, Sam's dad had gotten a red acorn. He had given it to a neighbor, Tirian Miraz, to carve a Poké ball out of. Then ,he had taken Sam on a spirit quest.
In Fiore a spirit quest meant you meditated deep inside the forest for a day and a night, after traveling for three days. On the dawn of the fifth day, you would emerge, and your Pokémon would be in the deep clearing. It would let you catch it, and it would be your trusted partner forevermore.
On Sam's fifth day, he was calm. He would later describe the feeling as dreamlike. Everything felt crystal clear, and the answers to the universe were at the tips of his fingers. It was a feeling he would seek for the rest of his life, and never achieve again.
In the clearing, he found a Charmander. Later, even after years of experience, he would recall that as the easiest Pokémon he had ever caught.
Dig was a good sort. Dig was fascinated by small details, and sometimes followed the Pokémon to get a feel for their habits.
"Knowing their habits, means you can draw them naturally, Sammy." He had told Sam.
"And natural is the key to realistic artwork."
They spent a lot of their time watching Pokémon. Or "Poké- watching" ,as Dig called it. Dig had him spend several hours making notes by watching then in battle, the wild, and natural environment.
Sam traveled far. He met the legends. He timetravled He left Dig to become one of the best trainers alive, but that didn't make him happy. In his thirties, a scientist saw his art notes, and told him.
"You should submit those."
He decided he had nothing left to lose. So he did. A year later he was surprised at receiving a research grant from the Kanto champion. Apparently he wanted to catalogue all the Pokémon in the region, and wanted Sam to create a recording device for field use. There was only one request. Sam needed a last name.
That may have sounded strange, but Fiore wasn't a place to keep last names. With so little people, why would they be needed? He chose the name Oak, after a character in a children's story. He honestly didn't think it would ever be very important.
He also unknowingly started the tradition of Pokémon professors taking on the last name of a tree, similar to the tradition of dressing up as the hero Nurse Joy, when healing at the Pokémon centre.
She really can't have THAT many sisters. Can she? So it's a homage.
Sorry I haven't posted or answered people in awhile. Going back to school keeps you so busy. Thank you reviewers! On that note, Rui is not very popular for some reason. Shame, I tried to make that one a serious story. Pleas leave more reviews!
