Chapter 1: Grassroots
I remember my first history course at Celadon University, taught by the famous Professor Nanakamado Rowan. It was his lecture on The Critical Approach to Pokémon History, which is now called the Origin of Species.
I mean, we all loved the class. It was an easy elective: most of it was just clocking in our attendance with one of the TAs. My "classmates" preferred to use that time to catch up on sleep, or to fool around with one of the many J.O.Y. girls. Yes, I was surrounded mostly by idiots not worth the ink to even mention.
There were probably seven of us in total that actually paid any kind of attention in Rowan's lectures. Five grad students, all shamelessly currying favour with the man in hopes of possibly scoring a spot on his research team. Me, who just happened to really enjoy the topic. Pokémon are a fascinating subject, after all, with so many conflicting opinions on how they came to exist. It baffles me the ignorance with which my peers have dealt with our unique and precarious partnership.
For example, there's the theory of universal implosion. That somewhere out there, researchers have discovered traces of a human civilisation predating the first documented emergence of pokémon. It's a ridiculous notion, I acknowledge, though entertaining. Regional myths in Kalos and Galar point to humans instead splitting off from common ancestry with these creatures. Professor Drewin coined us as Sapiens of the genus homo, impossible to completely distinguish from our distant cousin the Ambipom.
You're probably wondering what any of this has to do with my story. I won't begrudge you what you really want to hear. All things will come out in due time, with a little patience. You're probably here to ask about my involvement with Mr. Giovanni, the leader of the criminal organisation that decimated the Silph Company and plunged Kanto into the Age of Terror. If not that, you're surely here to ask about my role in the sinking of the S.S. Anne. It was a terrible ordeal, frankly, that I hate recounting. Giovanni regrets it too, I'm sure.
Yes, I'll have you know that he is still a dear friend of mine. I cannot just give up his current location. Just know that he is still alive, probably still scheming in the shadows of our periphery. No, I am not a member of his "Team Rocket." I only helped take care of the legal stuff: cleaning his money, purchasing properties on his behalf. Just ask any attorney worth his licence; my operations were legitimate.
Perhaps if the invisible spectre called Guilt should visit me one day, it will take pity in its haunting. For I embrace my part in wreaking havoc upon this land I called home. Kanto. Oh beautiful Kanto, the soil tainted by one man's greed. I am a wicked man, far beyond redemption.
Back to the story at hand, my first history course with Professor Rowan. He'll never mention this now, but I was one of his favourites. Always stopping by his office after hours, a strong drink in hand and even stronger questions burning in the back of my throat. He was always too fond of the pecha berry wines. That's what we were drinking on the day that my journey truly began.
Celadon University, Rowan's Office
"-which is why it is thoroughly important to make isolated observations before forming any kind of experiment, especially when it comes to inter-species breeding," Rowan said. He sounded bored, but I knew that my notes on the vaporeon line had intrigued him. I had little doubt that he would conduct his own research once he was safely back in his own laboratory in Sandgem.
With his left index finger, he was gently mixing in the fresh limes into his wine glass. Frankly, I considered it abhorrent, adding lime wedges to such an expensive beverage.
"Professor, I really enjoyed your class this semester. It's been great learning about all these theoretical approaches to Pokémon Origin exploration," I said. It'd be a lie to say that I wasn't nervous. I was about to ask one of the foremost experts in the field of Pokémon Evolution to sponsor my independent research project.
Rowan didn't respond to my flattery, just sipping on his pecha wine. His eyes were boring into me intensely, however, showing me that I had his full and undivided attention.
"I started off as a chemistry major, but I was hoping to switch over to practical biology. I have all the necessary paperwork from Professor Giorgio and Dr. Lambert. I just need someone to be my field advisor-"
"Before you get all worked up for nothing, boy, the answer would be no." His voice was rough, probably from his filthy smoking habit that he tried to conceal. Anyone that sat in the first three rows of his lecture could tell from his breath his fondness for death sticks.
His initial refusal didn't throw me off in the slightest. Even the brightest grad students of Celadon couldn't budge Rowan with words alone.
"Professor, I-"
"After you leave my office, I am catching the flight returning to Sinnoh. The semester is over, boy. It's time for me to get back to Sandgem, where my actual research awaits."
"I understand, sir," I grit my teeth, pushing out each word with my tongue. "This would be for the next semester. Professor Giorgio said that my credits would take a few weeks to transfer over, anyways."
"I will not be returning to Celadon University for the next academic year. My contract with the Silph Foundation is over. They've agreed to supply me with the necessary elemental stone diffuser, which is why I came to this forsaken school in the first place. A bunch of brain dead whelps, having to babysit them for hours," Rowan visibly shuddered. His frown had somehow gotten deeper, eyebrows furrowed up in an almost comical way. "I cannot say that my experiences in Kanto have been pleasant. Your people just aren't developed enough for the more intricate nuances of Evolutionary Studies."
My cheeks flustered at his display of rampant bigotry. This was the man who I'd looked up to for months, hoping to work with him further. What infuriated me more than anything was the nonchalant way he disparaged my people, as though it never even registered to him how offensive his statements were.
Kantonians were no better than the stupidest of beasts in the eyes of this Sinnoh native. I was realising this just now, how wrongly I had judged this man. I'd considered him to be a potential mentor. He had been eyeing us like dirt stains on his shoes.
"I find your remark to be in poor taste, professor," I said, forcing myself to remain civil. Even so, the last word I almost spat out. "After all, the greatest mind in the study of Pokémon, Professor Oak, is from Kanto."
"Yes, but there has never been another Samuel Oak. There will likely never be another Samuel Oak, either. Celadon is the most destitute of academies out there, boy. It scores the lowest in most all metrics. If you can't even outperform the savages over in Hoenn or Paldea, what makes you believe that Kanto stands a chance against historical institutions such as Jubilife College?"
"Kanto is a proud country with a rich history," I said. Even I could tell how weak that sounded.
"Kanto is a piss poor leech, draining Indigo resources for no decent reason. It's a sham of a region. This city of yours, Celadon? It is a cesspool of sin and debauchery—devoid of even a semblance of redeemability. You want any kind of future in academia, boy? Leave this muk stain of a continent behind you. Go to Unova, or even Galar. At least there you'll have some inkling of a formal education. A degree from Celadon will be worth the paper it's printed on and nothing more."
His frown had turned into something closer to a sneer at this point. He had long since ignored the drink in his hand, choosing rather to stare into my face. Was this a look of pity? My embarrassment had reached an all-time high, but I was adamant in seeing this through.
"You really shouldn't say those horrible things, professor." Like a lowly magikarp squirming under the eyes of a predator, I was trapped under the glare of this terrible man. He knew that he was better than I could ever hope to become. It was a suffocating, nauseating feeling.
"Horrible? Boy, if you had half the sense I thought you did, you'd be begging me to take you with me."
"All I'm saying is-"
"Shut it. You must learn to listen when your betters are speaking. Now, I understand that you may be prone to your own sentiments. This is your home and you are proud of it. What I'm telling you now is to dispel of such foolishness as pride. It will get you nowhere in life, especially not in the world of Pokémon Academia."
The heat moved from my cheeks into the corners of my vision. The insides of my cheek felt dry and chapped, as my hands clenched into iron balls at his vitriol.
"Pathetic, lowlifes, the lot of you. If I had half a mind, I would tear down this excuse for a school for the bricks in its foundation…"
In the far side of Rowan's office, an image of Samuel Oak taunted me with his kindly features. A hero to many, the former champion of Kanto seemed to tantalise me further than anything that Rowan could possibly utter. Will you let this man ridicule you? It seemed to ask me. Will you let him besmirch your country, belittle the little pride left in you?
Everything happened in slow motion. It happened faster than even an electrode's barrelling onslaught. One moment, I was standing in front of a man who I'd admired for forever. His harsh words were cutting into my skin, ravaging the respect that I'd so carefully piled in every recess of my mind.
I lunged forward, my fist connecting to the cheekbone of a senior citizen. His jaw made a sickening crack as knuckle met sagged flesh, my well-aimed attack driving through his skull. He barely had time enough to widen his eyes as I punched him in the face. Like a clefairy doll taking to a battering ram, Professor Rowan crumpled to the ground as I stood above him.
And I knew, somehow, that this signalled the end of my time at Celadon University.
Celadon University, Oddish Hall
For a disciplinary board meeting, the whole affair seemed remarkably simplistic. Rowan, having woken up a few hours after our altercation, immediately reported me to the local authorities. Since he was a visiting professor of some renown, it didn't take long for the police to take me away.
I followed along willingly, compliant as a mareep. Thankfully, nobody put me in handcuffs or anything of the sort. I was asked to remain in custody at the dean's office while the CCPD took Rowan's statement. Everyone considered it an open-and-shut case of assault in the first degree. I for one, had no intention of refuting these charges.
The officers led me to one of the lecture halls in Oddish Hall, which was to serve as the makeshift hearing room. Several faculty members began to trickle in a few at a time, many of whom were familiar to me. Dr. Lambert, who was the advisor for the chemistry department, gave me a sad smile as he walked by. I mustered up a nod of my own, breathing to keep back the tears that threatened to spill out.
Once all of the disciplinary board members had been seated, the hearing officially began with the dean banging a gavel against his podium.
"We will now begin the hearing of Nanakamado Rowan and…" the man began to speak. He frowned, gesturing towards me with one finger. "What's your name, boy?"
I swallowed, my throat threatening to clam up with all that bottled-up emotion. "It's Roth, sir."
"Roth, what?"
"Just Roth. I don't have a second name," I said.
"Very well, just Roth. Like I was saying, we're here to discuss your punishment for violently assaulting an esteemed member of our faculty. You understand that this is a very serious offence, with a maximum penalty of suspension from our institution?"
"Yes sir… But I just want to-"
"You will speak only when we give you permission to. Remember that this is a tribunal to discuss your punishment. It's in your best interests to show some respect, Mr. Ruth."
Roth, I thought to myself. But I stayed silent, heeding his thinly-veiled warning. For all intents and purposes, this hearing would decide my future at Celadon University. I wasn't planning on jeopardising it for something so trivial as getting my name right.
"Professor Rowan, how are you feeling today?" the dean asked. I jerked my head around to see the very man who had brought us both there, wrapped up in layers of gauze and plaster. He gave me the evil eye, unable to do much more than grunt as a response. "I'm terribly sorry and embarrassed for our student's actions. Please be assured that he will be punished suitably for his behaviour."
One of Rowan's aides leaned forward, ear nearly pressed against the old man's lips. She frowned, seeming to ponder his words, before standing up in place. "Professor Rowan is asking for Mr. Roth's immediate expulsion from the university, as well as criminal charges from the Kanto government."
The dean's face turned a few shades whiter as he pursed his lips. It was obvious that while he was expecting the request for expulsion, that he'd assumed that it would remain an internal matter for the school.
"Please forgive us, Nanakamado. I'm afraid that I have no control over what the Celadon district attorney can and cannot do…"
"Professor Rowan says that if Roth is not suitably punished, that he'll be pursuing this matter in his home region. It won't just be the matter of the student getting expelled. He will be seeking suitable reparations from the University as well," the aide said.
Suddenly, even the most laid back of board members snapped into attention. Everyone knew that Celadon U. was already on its last legs as a college. A lawsuit from a man like Rowan could have catastrophic consequences, which meant that this hearing had direct ramifications for their own jobs.
I could feel a room full of eyes piercing into my soul, judging me and sentencing me to the deepest and darkest holes of the Distortion World. Nothing could forgive a man that stood in the way of a tenured academic and their meagre earnings, especially not a delinquent upstart like me.
"R- right. Very well, Rowan. I'll contact the authorities as soon as we come to a suitable verdict regarding Mr. Roth's future here at Celadon. In the meantime, we do have some procedural matters to get out of the way…" Dean Godwin said. He turned to me, pity replaced with growing anger in his eyes. "Do you have anything that you wish to say for yourself before the board votes on your punishment, Roth?"
This was my chance. I knew that once Godwin banged his gavel once more, that it would be too late to try and salvage anything out of this situation. I only had one opportunity to plead my case before this matter escalated out of proportion. I stood up, taking a sad little sip from my glass before clearing my throat.
"He provoked me, sir. Ma'am," I said, nodding towards Professor Sinita, the board's sole female member. "He insulted me, Kanto, and all of us Kantonians. He called us leeches and low lifes. He called us pathetic. He called us scum. This man has no respect for any of us. He has no respect for any of you," I practically screamed. There was little point in holding back the tears of frustration, so I let myself cry freely. "I know that I messed up. But I only did what I did because I love my country."
This got some mixed reactions from the people present. Rowan grit his teeth, eyes boring holes into my skull. The dean's face remained impassive, contemplating my words. Lambert, the only one not to actively sneer in my direction, was beginning to look like he might take my side. As much as everyone hated violence, for such a famous man to smear the name of our region was also unforgivable. I knew that I had to hedge my bets on their mercy…
"Special member of the Board, making appearances," a voice spoke out from the entrance. It sounded old and tired and there was not a single person in Kanto who would not recognise its owner. A man in a sharp white lab coat walked inside of the room, an air of power and intrigue surrounding him.
Samuel Oak. The Pokémon Professor.
Immediately, my heart began to soar with excitement. This was a living hero, the man who could split apart the seas with his reputation alone. This was the foremost academic in most all fields of science. This was the Champion of Kanto. This was Oak, the one and only. The patriot of all patriots. I knew that with Oak present, that my case was all the stronger. He was my fighting chance at staying at Celadon. He was-
"Are you alright?" Oak asked, worried eyes washing over Rowan. "How badly did this boy hurt you?"
Rowan gave me a sinister look, one of victory, as Samuel Oak stopped by to check on his injuries. He made a show of looking pained and pathetic, a model victim in this case of assault. Professor Oak delicately brushed a finger on Rowan's back, patting him as though consolingly.
Godwin sputtered some nonsense about lateness before the hearing began once again. This time, there were no looks of sympathy or understanding afforded to me. With Oak's declaration of support, Rowan was no longer the besmearing bigot that had insulted our country. No, he was just a tired old man who had triggered the ticking time bomb that was Roth. And I had punched him. It was as simple as that.
When Rowan made his case, the board was put to a vote. All twelve members were asked to rule on the suitable punishment for my egregious actions. Dr. Lambert was the first to raise his hand in favour of my expulsion. Twelve to none, I was to be removed from the school immediately and handed over to the Celadon authorities.
I was alone.
A/N: You might be wondering what the hell I'm doing, posting another story with Catastrophe 23 yet unfinished. I'm sorry to say that C23 is on hold while I complete my mandatory military service in South Korea. It's a very regretful turn of events, for which I apologise for.
