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pokemonthenovel2015-11-27 09:15 pm
2bamaster) wrote in pokemonthenovel2015-11-27 09:15 pm
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Chapter 2: An Electrifying Meeting With Pikachu... (English terminology)
In order to talk about Ash's departure, you must first know more about Professor Oak. This may get a bit long, but I'm going to tell you a little bit about Professor Oak.
You can skip to the next *** if you like, but if something from here comes up later and you find yourself lost, then it's not my fault, so please bear with me.
Professor Oak was well known within the Pokémon scientific community.
In his book “An Introduction to the Research of Portable Beasts” he presented the claim that “Pokémon are different to all other creatures on this planet.”, which gained Professor Oak a lot of attention within the scientific community at the age of 20.
With the results of his studies widely accepted, he became an esteemed professor in the Celadon University Portable Beast Department at the unprecedented age of 25.
However, for some reason he didn't publish any other notable studies and moved back to his hometown Pallet Town in his 30s and started up a small Pokémon Laboratory.
There were many rumours about the reason for this ranging from having reached the limits of his research or having his heart broken by an actress in a Pokémon movie that he had acted as a supervisor for, along with many other explanations, however the true reason remains a mystery to this day.
Just like Pokémon themselves, there are many mysteries regarding Pokémon researchers.
When you think about it, it's also a mystery how after all these years of aiming to become Pokémon Trainers that the names of Ash's father and grandfather still don't appear on the official registry of Pokémon Trainers. It is said that effort brings results... But no matter how pathetic someone is as a trainer, you would think that after ten years their name would at least appear on the official registry of trainers. Even if you can't afford the membership fee, there's registration for free associate memberships as well.
... Anyway, there are many mysteries that are related to Pokémon.
In the 20 years since Professor Oak returned to Pallet Town, he's continued his own personal Pokémon research.
So how does he still earn the same kind of money he did as a prestigious professor at Celadon University when he's living like a hermit...? Twenty years ago he wrote a reference book for prospective Pokémon Trainers called “Oak's Poké Reference”, it's a classic reference that anyone's mother or father would instantly recognise the cover of, with “Useful charts and current surefire methods to success with Pokémon” it has remained a constant best seller... Which is the most likely explanation of his income.
Ash had seen Professor Oak late at night before coming to Pallet House: Delia for dinner.
It was always right before his bedtime, and it wasn't something he'd ever really discussed, but he considered him to be a strange old man as despite having the option of Delia's famous cooking he would simply order furikake ochazuke and instant curry, then quietly read a book in the corner of the restaurant while eating his meal.
“What an oddball. He could get furikake and curry at the convenience store.”
The restaurant is busy at night. And Delia never seemed to take much notice of Professor Oak.
No matter what kind of person he was though, Professor Oak ran the only official Pokémon Laboratory in town.
That is the Oak Pokémon Laboratory. There was nowhere else for trainers to get their first Pokémon.
***
“Wait for me, Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur!”
Ash continued to run, run, run and run towards the Oak Laboratory.
For some reason there was a large crowd gathered outside the Oak Laboratory.
The sound of bells and drums rang out.
Ash pushed his way through the crowd.
“Move, move, move it! I'm going to the lab!”
He thought he was finally through the waves of people when, wham! He had a head-on collision with a boy coming out of the lab.
“Owowow”
Ash fell to the ground and grabbed his now red nose.
“I'm the one hurt here.”
Said the person he crashed into.
“Hm? Oh, you're Ash. Hey there, Mr. Ketchum. Are you alright?”
He offered his hand to help Ash up.
“Ａｒｅ ｙｏｕ ａｌｒｉｇｈｔ？”
He deliberately repeated the question in English.
He was a smug bastard.
Ash instinctively muttered his name.
“Gary...”
“That's Mr. Gary to you. Show some respect. So, Ashy-boy, are you here to see me off as well?”
Gary Oak.
He was related to Pallet Town's mayor and is Professor Oak's grandson. He's also the same age as Ash. Gary was also leaving on his journey today.
However, his departure as a Pokémon Trainer was downright gaudy. For one thing, he was wearing a frilly shirt with a tuxedo and a cattleya flower pinned to his breast. He looked like he was a member of the royal family or something.
And lets not even get into what other people were wearing. But Ash was in his pajamas.
“See you off? Don't make me laugh.”
Ash replied.
Gary just nodded as if he'd only just grasped the situation.
“Eh? Oh, right, you're going on a Pokémon training journey as well.”
“Damn straight. I'm the same age as you.”
“But to turn up late on the day of departure means you're already...”
Gary pointed straight at Ash.
“Unfit to be considered one of my rivals.”
“Mr. Gary.”
Ash held back his bile as he addressed Gary politely.
“Yes? What is it, Ashy-boy?”
He was already a smug bastard, but his polite response was dripping with sarcasm.
Ash went ahead and asked the most important question.
“Have you already got your first Pokémon?”
“Of course. It's right inside this Poké Ball.”
Gary held his Poké Ball up on the tip of his finger so the crowd could see.
He then span the Poké Ball on his fingertip.
The crowd cheered wildly.
“Go, go, Gary. Good luck, good luck, Gary.”
There were even cheerleaders with pompoms and a brass band.
The cheer squad to see him off was huge.
Gary waved to him as he answered.
“Thank you. Friends, girlfriends. I am going to become a super first rate Trainer and make the name Pallet Town known throughout the world.”
“Go, go, Gary. Good luck, good luck, Gary.”
The cheers of the cheerleaders intensified.
“I hate to interrupt you, but... Mr. Gary.”
Ash whispered to Gary.
“Yes?”
Gary gave a genuinely polite response.
“What Pokémon did you get, Gary?”
Gary cracked a smile.
“I have no reason to tell you. Because I'm the grandson of the famous Pokémon researcher Professor Oak.”
He stood in front of the Oak Laboratory nameplate and posed with the V sign for the people who came to see him off.
Several camera flashes went off. Probably a journalist for the Pallet Town News.
Gary turned towards the flashes and shouted.
“In the name of my grandfather, I will capture all of the world's Pokémon!”
The Poké Ball on Gary's fingertip spun and spun. Round and round.
... Hmph, he's practised quite a bit...
Ash was honestly mortified.
Gary had totally dissed him and was focused on the crowd that came to see him off.
“I thank everyone who has come to see me off. This is the moment that I, Gary Oak, depart to become a Pokémon Trainer. The day I return is the day that this town named after my grandfather's grandfather's grandfather, Pallet Oak, has its name changed to Gary Town.”
“Kyaah, he's so dreamy!”
The cheerleaders grew excited.
... Where exactly has this town been hiding girls like that?...
Ash stretched his neck out.
He had never seen them before.
They were middle school students from the next town over who worked part time for a campaign girl company that Pallet Town's mayor, Gary's grandfather's older brother, always hired around election time.
The mayor himself now had the mic.
“Now, my dear citizens of Pallet Town, in honour of his future exploits let us follow Gary of the Oak family to the outskirts of town before we see him off.”
The brass band played emphatically.
Gary continued to wave as he hopped into a convertible with a chauffeur.
Still speaking into the mic, seemingly on purpose, the mayor spoke to Gary.
“Gary, you haven't forgotten anything? You have your bento?”
“Yep, my bento is right here, by the way, this car is a foreign model. It's a Jerman Vento.”
It was a set-up for a lame pun.
... How pathetic... Ash thought dejectedly.
But the crowd who had come to see him off laughed.
How exactly the cheerleaders and brass band managed laugh at Gary's overly forced joke is a mystery.
“I'm glad you came. Thank you. Thanks for all your support.”
Poof!
Gary's car blasted gas from its exhaust all over Ash as it departed.
Ash coughed choking on the gas, by the time he caught his breath there was neither hide nor hair of the crowd from before, Ash's only remaining companion was the wind.
Ash clenched his trembling fist...
“I won't lose.”
His hand loosened again.
“Gary... is my rival.”
And then a sighing voice spoke up behind Ash.
“Haah... Well, I'm sure Gary is capable of living up to expectations. But if he keeps that attitude into adulthood, it could be trouble... He better watch out...”
Professor Oak stood there scratching at his hair full of dandruff.
Ash was flustered when he heard the Professor's voice.
“Professor Oak, wh-where's my Pokémon...?”
“Huh? You're leaving on a Pokémon jour... Oh right, there were four people leaving today, but... Whippersnapper. Gary may be going a little overboard with the tuxedo, but surely you aren't planning to travel in your pajamas?”
... I don't need any pajama drama. And perhaps I could have snapped the whip a little to get here sooner, but I'm no whippersnapper... Wait... Oops, recycling mom's old jokes is only going to make me even later.
“Anyway, about my Pokémon...”
“Oh right... This way.”
Professor Oak lead Ash into the Laboratory.
***
“The Pokémon are in those capsules.”
Three capsules sat on a testing bench in the lab room Professor Oak lead him to.
“My Pokémon...”
Ash rushed over to the bench.
The capsules were translucent, you couldn't see inside them but there were labels on them to tell you what was inside.
Ash swallowed as he stared closely at the labels on the three capsules.
Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander...
The labels showed the three from his dream.
Ash then spoke up to Professor Oak.
“I was indecisive up until now. But I've made my decision.”
“What is it?” Professor Oak asked in reply.
“Squirtle. I choose you as my Pokémon.”
“Well then, open it up.” Professor Oak said.
“Alright.”
Ash opened the capsule barely able to maintain his excitement.
“Huuh?”
It was empty.
“It was already taken by a kid who wasn't late.” Said the Professor.
“Ugh... My fault for being late.”
Ash regained his composure.
“In that case, Bulbasaur will be my Pokémon.”
He opened Bulbasaur's capsule. Empty.
“It's gone... Bulbasaur...”
“Don't be a sore loser. Also taken by a kid who came on time.”
“I see... No, in that case... I'll choose you as my Pokémon instead Charmander.”
And the final capsule had no Charmander, it was also empty.
“No way.”
“Being moments late for the train or for Pokémon can change your life drastically. This is a universal truth. I've already had three trainer wannabes today. There are three Pokémon I recommend... Three minus three is zero, they're all gone... Please understand.”
Professor Oak nodded greatly.
“Don't you 'please understand' me, zero... Are you saying I have to leave home without a Pokémon?”
“There's one more, but...”
Professor Oak brought out a capsule from a cabinet in the back of the lab.
“So you have got one. I'll take it.”
Professor Oak's expression was grim.
“This last Pokémon has some, let's say problems.”
“Problems... The fact I got here late... is a big enough problem.”
“Well, I feel these problems should really be resolved.”
Ash had decided on the capsule Professor Oak held.
“I choose this one.”
“Close, close, ending impending.” Professor Oak murmured.
“Eh?” Ash stretched his neck out. He had no idea what the Professor was saying.
“To close yourself off is to give in, but closing in to be closer to your goals is the path to happiness, close is a word with multiple meanings. It's important to endure as you close in and get as close as you can without bringing things to a close... It's a universal truth. Please understand.”
Professor Oak seems to be the kind of person to throw incomprehensible logic at people and expect them to understand.
Come to think of it, despite his regular visits to Delia's restaurant, Ash had never had a real conversation with him.
But based on this conversation, he didn't feel like he'd have understood him anyway.
“So then, just endure it.” Professor Oak said.
What he said didn't explain anything, but Ash was willing to do anything to get his Pokémon.
“I'll endure anything.”
“I see.”
Professor Oak placed the capsule on the lab bench.
There was no label.
“What's inside?”
“Take a look and see.”
Ash touched the capsule and a glow emanated from it.
“Pika...”
That was the voice that spoke up.
If you were to put what it said in writing, then Pika is the only way to spell it.
“Peeka?” The capsule opened as Ash repeated what the voice said.
“Chuu...”
This time a Pokémon appeared from within the capsule.
It was short and stout.
Its colour was yellow.
If you looked closely, you could see some brown stripes on its back and the tips on its ears were black, but in general you could still say its whole body was yellow.
It had short limbs and soft fur, making it looks somewhat like a plush toy.
It was just small enough for a small child to hold, the kind of thing you'd want to pick up and hug.
“It's a Pokémon known as Pikachu. Can you endure having him?” Professor Oak asked.
“Woah... Endure... He's so cute. He's the best.”
“You think?”
“Totally. Nice to meet you, Pikachu.”
Ash picked Pikachu up with both hands.
“Pikah!”
... Don't touch me!...
Pikachu spoke with a clearly irritated expression on his face.
And then.
Pikachu discharged a strong electric current through Ash's body.
Right from his heart to his fingernails, rather than being numbing, the electricity felt like it was going to tear his body into atoms.
“Th-th-th-th-this is...”
He was twitching to the point where he couldn't even move his body enough to put Pikachu back down.
Professor Oak used a magnifying glass to examine some odd marks on Pikachu's cheeks.
“Looking at Pikachu's electricity pouches, he's got quite a bit of charge.”
Apparently you can determine a Pikachu's charge by examining its cheeks.
“Qu-qu-quite shocking.”
“Well, of course. Pikachu are commonly known as the electric mouse, this Pikachu in particular is rather shy and not fond of humans, if you touch him the wrong way he'll respond like that.”
“You should have told me that first.”
Ash grumbled as he continued to twitch slightly, little sparks still leaping from his hair.
Professor Oak seems to be the type of person who not only doesn't think about others, but also doesn't care about them.
“Yeah, probably should have.”
He opened the drawer of the lab bench once Ash recovered from his shocking experience.
He then produced two things that Ash had previously only seen in his dreams.
“Now, here are some parting gifts for your journey... Poké Balls to capture Pokémon and a Pokédex.”
When you open the cover of the Pokédex you have an LCD screen inside, similar to a PDA. ... It's roughly about the same size and thickness as the book you're currently reading...
Just as Professor Oak was handing the Pokédex to Ash...
At that same moment, Pikachu sent another jolt through Ash's body.
“I see, this is quite electrifyiiiiiing.”
“I-i-it's quite a buuuuuzzzzz.”
Pikachu continued to shock the two of them for over two minutes.
Eventually...
While Ash's hair was simply letting off a few residual sparks, Professor Oak's was standing on end and letting off smoke.
It seems the electricity had ignited his dandruff.
At this point, Professor Oak's head could potentially catch fire and leave him bald.
“Pikachuuuuu... I don't think it's good, ha ha ha... to waste your energy like that.”
Professor Oak said to Pikachu, his tongue tingling.
Hearing the Professor's words, Pikachu stopped his discharge.
“You expect me to take this thing?”
Ash, whose pajamas were now tattered, asked Professor Oak, whose white lab coat was burnt black.
“He's the only one left. But as a species, Pikachu are generally gentle natured and get along well with humans. I've raised several of them as pets, they are also good as a backup power source during a blackout.”
“I'll take one of those instead.” Ash snapped back.
“You expect me to give away one of my beloved pets?” The Professor replied coldly.
“Oh... Right.” Ash shrugged.
“Anyway, this Pikachu is a bit different to most.”
Ash took a look at Pikachu's face, being careful not to be shocked.
“You're a twisted one... aren't you?”
Pikachu looked away in a huff.
“All Pokémon have their exceptions. Anyway, being a little different may make raising it all the more rewarding.”
Professor Oak spoke as if it wasn't his problem.
“Yeah, you're right.”
Ash looked at Pikachu.
If you looked closely, or well, if you looked at all, he was still cute.
Ash liked to look on the bright side.
“Just gotta think of him as my own special Pikachu.”
“No matter what you think, there's no other options.”
“Right!”
Ash pointed at Pikachu and declared.
“Pikachu, I choose you.”
Pikachu still refused to look at him.
“So, what about his name?” Professor Oak asked.
“Eh?”
“Pikachu is his species. You don't go calling all your human friends 'human', do you whippersnapper?”
Ash already knew that. He's decided on names.
... Squirtle would be Squirty. If it was a Bulbasaur, then Sauron. A Charmander would have been Mandarin. ... If his mother Delia knew these names, she would probably question his naming sense and thwack him with a paper fan...
Anyway, Ash had never predicted the possibility that he'd end up with a Pikachu.
“Uh, a name... Got it! Pikky... Pikachon... Pikarin.”
Pikachu had merely been looking away until now, but at this point turned his back completely.
“I don't think he likes those names.” Professor Oak shrugged.
Ash continued calling out names as he thought of them.
“Pikao. Pikata. Pikazaemon. Pikanosuke. Pikabee...”
... Cut it out... Pikachu shot Ash a glare that seemed to say that.
The electricity pouches on his cheeks began to spark again.
“Maybe you should give up on naming him.” Professor Oak said nervously.
“Is the Pikachu angry?”
Pikachu nodded.
“Some Pokémon who aren't suited as pets resent the idea of humans arbitrarily deciding names for them.” Stated Professor Oak.
“So that's the case with Pikachu?”
“Usually it would be fine. In fact, they quite like being given a name. Normal Pikachu are well suited to life as pets.”
“So this Pikachu isn't normal...?”
“That's right.”
Ash then addressed Pikachu.
“So then, your name is Pikachu. You okay with that, Pikachu?”
... Whatever...
Seemed to be the sentiment Pikachu responded with, shrugging it's lack-of-shoulders.
Ash nodded in response.
“Right, Pikachu. From now on, you are Pikachu.”
“Oh, by the way.” Professor Oak spoke up nonchalantly.
“There's more?” Ash asked.
“That Pikachu hates small spaces.”
“Huh?” Ash didn't understand what the Professor was getting at.
“It refuses to go inside its Poké Ball. Since it refuses to go in the Poké Ball, you can't carry it in your pocket.”
“...”
Ash was speechless.
... Pokémon is short for Pocket Monsters. They are called that because you keep them in your pocket using Poké Balls. A Pokémon that won't go in your pocket. What does that make this Pikachu?
Pikachu muttered to himself.
“Pikachu, pika, Pikachu...”
I'm just Pikachu... is what Pikachu seemed to be saying.
***
“Mom!”
Ash was surprised as he left the laboratory with Pikachu in tow.
“Since it's around lunch time, I thought I'd come see how you were doing.”
Delia was standing before the gate.
And it wasn't just her.
“Everyone else had some free time too, so they came to see you off... It's mostly our neighbours and customers... You should be grateful to them...”
Delia's tone of voice was in Japanese mother mode rather than just casual mom.
The old folks who lived nearby and a number of regular customers were there with pots, pans and wooden spoons from the restaurant. Some people even had headbands or flags with 'Certain Victory' written on them.
So that Delia could deliver Ash's forgotten items, the restaurant had taken the day off.
And with the restaurant closed, the customers who received the special lunch menu bento figured that as long as they were eating it outside they'd tag along with Delia.
Seeing as most of the neighbours and customers that came along were actually more interested in eating with Delia than seeing Ash off, the atmosphere was rather laid back... Nothing like Gary's brass band and cheerleaders.
“I can't believe you, always late to the end, making me worry to the end, well then, it's farewell for now...”
Delia looked into to distance as she teared up a little. She had a lot of different feelings, but she put on a brave face as a mother.
“I brought you your clothes and gear you left at home.”
Delia showed Ash his rucksack before pulling a cotton handkerchief from the pocket on her mini-apron to blow her nose.
“Right up until the very, very end you're still causing me trouble... sniff sniffle”
Delia returned to mother mode.
The crowd of acquaintances were starting to get emotional as well.
They had somewhere along the way forgotten their desire to eat lunch with Delia.
It's sometimes difficult to distinguish between people who are fans of Delia's cooking and those who are fans of Delia herself.
Delia got gradually more emotional.
She opened the rucksack as she cried.
“Here's your shoes and jeans. Some shirts and pants... I've got some instant meals in here as emergency rations. Some rubber gloves for cooking, you don't want to damage your skin... Ah, there's also some line so you can hang out your laundry.”
... What the heck is this?... Pikachu wondered stretching his neck out.
Ash's face was bright red as Delia kept speaking.
“Cut it out. This is too much, way too much... I'm not Gary, I don't need anything big like this until I come back here as the ultimate Pokémon Trainer.”
“I suppose you're right.”
Delia was now smiling like nothing happened.
“But well, since everyone's already here... We might as well cheer you on with a bit of go, go, go~”
She had now suddenly switched into teenage girl mode.
“... Huh?”
Delia's expression then went into ten year old girl mode.
She had noticed Pikachu.
“Aah, it's so cute. This little animal.”
Pikachu was somewhat offended by the description of little animal... What?...
“Chuupika...?” His attempt at a threat only came off as being cute.
Ash spoke to Delia.
“Ah... He's my Pokémon... His name is Pikachu.”
Pikachu snorted... “Piiiiiika.” And ignored them.
Ash did his best to show off.
“This Pikachu and I are going to get all the world's Pokémon.”
Delia innocently spoke up.
“Hmm, if he's a Pokémon, then why...”
“Eh?” Ash asked in return.
“Pokémon are usually kept inside those things... aren't they?”
She pointed at the Poké Ball Ash was holding.
The curiosity behind Delia's “... aren't they?” was spoken in ten year old trainer wannabe girl mode.
“Ah... You're right... Ah... Yes... Pikachu. Get in the ball...”
Professor Oak did say he wouldn't go in, but he couldn't be sure unless he tried. Maybe... the Professor was mistaken.
Ash brandished the Poké Ball.
He took a flashy pitching form, before lightly tossing the ball.
But a moment later, the Poké Ball was back in his hand.
“Eh...?”
Pikachu had smacked it back with his tail.
“He can do that?”
Ash softly tossed the ball again.
“Pi...”
Pikachu kicked the ball back.
“I guess he can.”
Ash tossed again.
“Ka...”
Pikachu headbutted it back.
“That too?”
Ash tosses the ball one more time.
“Chuu!”
Pikachu did an attack shoot with his arms.
The Poké Ball was aimed to nail Ash hard in the stomach.
“Guh...”
Ash barely managed to stop the ball with both hands.
“Not bad. Not bad.”
Delia applauded with a smile.
“You're playing catch... You're friends already. A pitcher and catcher are like a married couple... Proof you're getting along...”
“Eh? ... That's right, Pikachu and I are best... friends.”
Ash timidly patted Pikachu on the head.
Pikachu glared up at Ash.
But he didn't shock him.
... Seems he might be warming up to me a little...
Ash breathed a sigh of relief.
Delia spoke earnestly.
“You're a perfect couple. ... But... Y'know. Tossing the ball back like that...”
Ash and Pikachu waited for Delia to finish her sentence.
Delia pointed at Pikachu.
“He's one really weird Pokémon.”
“... Weird Pokémon...”
Ash fell into despair.
“You shouldn't have said that...”
Pikachu's electricity pouches began to spark.
It was obvious that he had been offended.
“There's nothing I can do to stop him now.”
Ash looked to the sky.
“Chuu!”
Pikachu's sharp voice echoed and Ash's body once again felt that unbearably painful sensation.
It was Pikachu's electric shock.
Everyone who came to see him off were electrocuted... The flow of current continued.
“Indeed, a homemaker's wisdom.”
Professor Oak commented on the rubber gloves for cooking, having at some point come out of the laboratory wearing a pair of rubber boots.
“Well, these rubber gloves Delia packed are certainly going to come in handy.”
“W-w-w-w-w-why's that?” Ash asked as he continued to be shocked.
“Electricity can't pass through rubber. Neither rubber gloves or rubber boots.” Professor Oak replied.
“I seeeeeeeeeeee.” Ash understood.
Hmph... Pikachu shrugged and ended his discharge.
Apparently Professor Oak's immunity caused him to lose interest.
All the people who came to see Ash off collapsed simultaneously.
Everyone was worn out by the thundershock.
Delia spoke up, having reverted to mother mode after the shock.
“Ash, make sure you wear your pajamas when you sleep.”
“Huh...?”
“Even if they're like that.”
On top of being tattered, Ash's pajamas were now burnt black.
Pikachu laughed with a pipipi... Then cried “Pikachu!”
“... I did it!”
“... Gotcha!”
Pikachu's declaration probably meant something along those lines.
Chapter 2 appendix
(... If you're in a hurry, feel free to skip ahead to chapter 3. ... However, there may be some important information written here that nobody has ever seen before.)
... Pokémon Related Reference Material 2...
In regards to a mystery I know of regarding Pokémon research...
The first person to publish research on Pokémon was a French author in the late 18th century, Count Tajirin. But if you look through the records of the 18th century when Count Tajirin lived, it's not only when the earliest Pokémon research began. It is also the era of research starting on many other creatures.
Until than point, research of animals, plants and legendary beings was all lumped in as things that weren't humans. The only notable research came from ancient Greece in the 4th Century BC from a scholar known as Aristotle, who had catalogued approximately 500 varieties of animal, but among them were none that appeared to be Pokémon.
Aristotle divided creatures into four broad categories, humans, animals with red blood, animals without red blood and animals resembling plants.
Animals without red blood include insects, shellfish, octopuses and squids.
Animals resembling plants included starfish and sea cucumbers.
The largest category, animals with red blood, was further divided into two subcategories, animals that give birth to their young and animals that lay eggs.
Animals that give birth to their young are what we would now refer to as mammals.
Animals that lay eggs included birds in the sky, creatures that slither on land (snakes, lizards, frogs) and fish in the water.
Surprisingly, Aristotle actually classified whales as separate from fish.
He reasoned that as whales breathe air, they must have lungs, and came to the conclusion that they give birth to their young.
However, Aristotle knew nothing of Pokémon.
After Aristotle, there was no further research in this vein until the 18th century.
It was a common opinion that among all the creatures on Earth, the greatest chosen by god were humans, and there was no value in deeply examining other species.
It wasn't until the 18th century that opinions changed to think that for humanity to better understand itself it should also understand other creatures.
In the latter half of the 18th century... A French scholar named Lamark was responsible for spearheading the movement to learn more about animals and plants.
However there were some creatures they could not clearly document.
For example, they could not document anything definitive on legendary creatures like dragons or mermaids.
Count Tajirin was among the people who studied such creatures.
At the time there were only 30 known species of Pokémon, for example... the flame Pokémon Charizard bore a resemblance to the dragon... the bubble jet Pokémon Vaporeon bore a resemblance to mermaids (I believe you are familiar with the tale The Little Mermaid, where it's stated that when mermaids die they turn into foam. I imagine that may be where the term bubble jet Pokémon came from.), it's only natural that something resembling the legendary dragons and mermaids existed.
However, there are mysteries.
Such as the origin of the term Pokémon.
Pocket Monsters... Or Keitai Juu rendered in Japanese, where did this name come from?
According to the existing documents, it wasn't until the year 1925 that it was discovered that Pokémon could be stored in small objects like Poké Balls or capsules, this groundbreaking discovery was made entirely by accident by the Japanese Professor Westwood. (While examining the energy of the Pokémon species Primeape's rage, he accidentally weakened it with a drug overdose, leading it to somehow get captured inside the case for the Professor's reading glasses, forgetting its anger entirely and falling asleep peacefully. ... This is a well known event among Pokémon researchers.)
So what were Pokémon called prior to Professor Westwood's discovery? Think about it. We call them Pokémon because they can be stored in our pockets, before we knew this they wouldn't have been called Pocket Monsters. However there is no name for Pocket Monsters other than Pocket Monsters recorded in history.
It is unknown what name Count Tajirin referred to Pokémon by.
No matter what name they went by, Pokémon clearly existed.
But it bothers me that no name for them other than Pokémon remains.
This is only my supposition, but I believe that Pokémon had another name in the days of Count Tajirin. Why was this name erased? And by whom?
As such, the name Pocket Monsters itself carries a certain amount of mystery.
Also, famous Pokémon researchers such as Professor Westwood and Professor Oak at some point retired from doing public studies. In the 18th century Count Tajirin ceased publishing his research after discovering 30 varieties of Pokémon.
Since then, this has become a trend among many prestigious Pokémon researchers around the world.
Why is this? Why would they leave the field after gaining recognition for their studies?
Regardless of this, more people who love Pokémon get into the field of research each year.
There are also new Pokémon being discovered all the time, in Count Tajirin's era there were 30 known species and in Professor Westwood's era there were 80 known species, currently there are officially 151... This number is likely to expand in the coming years. There could easily be new species unveiled as soon as tomorrow.
In this era, other creatures have been heading towards extinction.
The only other newly discovered lifeforms have been new forms of bacteria and viruses.
Why is it that only Pokémon are increasing in number...? (Or to word it differently, newly discovered?)
It is a mystery. Pokémon are surrounded in mystery. Hence why humans are so fascinated by them.
... A nameless Pokémon Researcher with absolutely no relation at all to Professor Oak...
An excerpt from an email sent to Bill Sonezaki
A Pokémon Analyst who participated in the 98th International Portable Beast Academic Conference
Translation Notes:
• Furikake is a type ofjelly seasoning put on donuts rice. Ochazuke is rice with tea spilled on it, similar to how milk is put on cereal.
• Germany (Doitsu) was written in kanji as opposed to the usual katakana, so I altered the spelling like with other countries previously. I explained bento last chapter and a Vento is apparently a model of car made by Volkswagen. They sound similar, hence the pun.
• While speaking to the Professor, Ash uses the pronoun "boku" instead of "ore".
• Whippersnapper and snapping the whip... In Japanese, Oak referred to Ash as "bouya" (Little boy, the same term Delia used last chapter), to which Ash's retort was he may have dilly dallied (boyaboya) but was no little boy (bouya). Pajama drama was "pajama" and "jama" just like with Delia last chapter as well.
• "Don't be a sore loser.", Bulbasaur's Japanese name name "Fushigidane" can be read as either "mysterious seed" or "how mysterious", when Ash commented on the Bulbasaur being gone, Oak replied "Fushigi wa nai", or "It's no mystery". The term "sore loser" was chosen to similarly play on the "saur" in Bulbasaur.
• Oak's dialogue about "close" meaning both to end and to be near was originally about the word "koufuku", which depending on the kanji used can mean either surrender (降伏) or happiness (幸福). There's some change in meaning, but I tried to keep it as thematically similar as I could.
• Seeing as readers of this translation don't have a physical copy of this book, the book's measurements are similar to that of a 3DS XL. The book is approximately the same thickness as and a centimeter wider than the XL when it's closed. Somewhat smaller than your typical manga volume. (And somewhat larger than the toy Pokédex I got about 15 years ago. THIS TOY IS NOT THE RIGHT SIZE, DAMMIT.)
• In case you just don't get the reference, Count Tajirin is a reference to Satoshi Tajiri, creator of Pokémon.
• The appendix of this chapter renders France and Greece in katakana as per regular usage, rather than kanji.
• "Keitai Juu" has previously been rendered as "Portable Beast".
• Professor Westwood V appeared in the 66th episode of the anime, The Evolution Solution, almost a full year after this book was published.
You can skip to the next *** if you like, but if something from here comes up later and you find yourself lost, then it's not my fault, so please bear with me.
Professor Oak was well known within the Pokémon scientific community.
In his book “An Introduction to the Research of Portable Beasts” he presented the claim that “Pokémon are different to all other creatures on this planet.”, which gained Professor Oak a lot of attention within the scientific community at the age of 20.
With the results of his studies widely accepted, he became an esteemed professor in the Celadon University Portable Beast Department at the unprecedented age of 25.
However, for some reason he didn't publish any other notable studies and moved back to his hometown Pallet Town in his 30s and started up a small Pokémon Laboratory.
There were many rumours about the reason for this ranging from having reached the limits of his research or having his heart broken by an actress in a Pokémon movie that he had acted as a supervisor for, along with many other explanations, however the true reason remains a mystery to this day.
Just like Pokémon themselves, there are many mysteries regarding Pokémon researchers.
When you think about it, it's also a mystery how after all these years of aiming to become Pokémon Trainers that the names of Ash's father and grandfather still don't appear on the official registry of Pokémon Trainers. It is said that effort brings results... But no matter how pathetic someone is as a trainer, you would think that after ten years their name would at least appear on the official registry of trainers. Even if you can't afford the membership fee, there's registration for free associate memberships as well.
... Anyway, there are many mysteries that are related to Pokémon.
In the 20 years since Professor Oak returned to Pallet Town, he's continued his own personal Pokémon research.
So how does he still earn the same kind of money he did as a prestigious professor at Celadon University when he's living like a hermit...? Twenty years ago he wrote a reference book for prospective Pokémon Trainers called “Oak's Poké Reference”, it's a classic reference that anyone's mother or father would instantly recognise the cover of, with “Useful charts and current surefire methods to success with Pokémon” it has remained a constant best seller... Which is the most likely explanation of his income.
Ash had seen Professor Oak late at night before coming to Pallet House: Delia for dinner.
It was always right before his bedtime, and it wasn't something he'd ever really discussed, but he considered him to be a strange old man as despite having the option of Delia's famous cooking he would simply order furikake ochazuke and instant curry, then quietly read a book in the corner of the restaurant while eating his meal.
“What an oddball. He could get furikake and curry at the convenience store.”
The restaurant is busy at night. And Delia never seemed to take much notice of Professor Oak.
No matter what kind of person he was though, Professor Oak ran the only official Pokémon Laboratory in town.
That is the Oak Pokémon Laboratory. There was nowhere else for trainers to get their first Pokémon.
***
“Wait for me, Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur!”
Ash continued to run, run, run and run towards the Oak Laboratory.
For some reason there was a large crowd gathered outside the Oak Laboratory.
The sound of bells and drums rang out.
Ash pushed his way through the crowd.
“Move, move, move it! I'm going to the lab!”
He thought he was finally through the waves of people when, wham! He had a head-on collision with a boy coming out of the lab.
“Owowow”
Ash fell to the ground and grabbed his now red nose.
“I'm the one hurt here.”
Said the person he crashed into.
“Hm? Oh, you're Ash. Hey there, Mr. Ketchum. Are you alright?”
He offered his hand to help Ash up.
“Ａｒｅ ｙｏｕ ａｌｒｉｇｈｔ？”
He deliberately repeated the question in English.
He was a smug bastard.
Ash instinctively muttered his name.
“Gary...”
“That's Mr. Gary to you. Show some respect. So, Ashy-boy, are you here to see me off as well?”
Gary Oak.
He was related to Pallet Town's mayor and is Professor Oak's grandson. He's also the same age as Ash. Gary was also leaving on his journey today.
However, his departure as a Pokémon Trainer was downright gaudy. For one thing, he was wearing a frilly shirt with a tuxedo and a cattleya flower pinned to his breast. He looked like he was a member of the royal family or something.
And lets not even get into what other people were wearing. But Ash was in his pajamas.
“See you off? Don't make me laugh.”
Ash replied.
Gary just nodded as if he'd only just grasped the situation.
“Eh? Oh, right, you're going on a Pokémon training journey as well.”
“Damn straight. I'm the same age as you.”
“But to turn up late on the day of departure means you're already...”
Gary pointed straight at Ash.
“Unfit to be considered one of my rivals.”
“Mr. Gary.”
Ash held back his bile as he addressed Gary politely.
“Yes? What is it, Ashy-boy?”
He was already a smug bastard, but his polite response was dripping with sarcasm.
Ash went ahead and asked the most important question.
“Have you already got your first Pokémon?”
“Of course. It's right inside this Poké Ball.”
Gary held his Poké Ball up on the tip of his finger so the crowd could see.
He then span the Poké Ball on his fingertip.
The crowd cheered wildly.
“Go, go, Gary. Good luck, good luck, Gary.”
There were even cheerleaders with pompoms and a brass band.
The cheer squad to see him off was huge.
Gary waved to him as he answered.
“Thank you. Friends, girlfriends. I am going to become a super first rate Trainer and make the name Pallet Town known throughout the world.”
“Go, go, Gary. Good luck, good luck, Gary.”
The cheers of the cheerleaders intensified.
“I hate to interrupt you, but... Mr. Gary.”
Ash whispered to Gary.
“Yes?”
Gary gave a genuinely polite response.
“What Pokémon did you get, Gary?”
Gary cracked a smile.
“I have no reason to tell you. Because I'm the grandson of the famous Pokémon researcher Professor Oak.”
He stood in front of the Oak Laboratory nameplate and posed with the V sign for the people who came to see him off.
Several camera flashes went off. Probably a journalist for the Pallet Town News.
Gary turned towards the flashes and shouted.
“In the name of my grandfather, I will capture all of the world's Pokémon!”
The Poké Ball on Gary's fingertip spun and spun. Round and round.
... Hmph, he's practised quite a bit...
Ash was honestly mortified.
Gary had totally dissed him and was focused on the crowd that came to see him off.
“I thank everyone who has come to see me off. This is the moment that I, Gary Oak, depart to become a Pokémon Trainer. The day I return is the day that this town named after my grandfather's grandfather's grandfather, Pallet Oak, has its name changed to Gary Town.”
“Kyaah, he's so dreamy!”
The cheerleaders grew excited.
... Where exactly has this town been hiding girls like that?...
Ash stretched his neck out.
He had never seen them before.
They were middle school students from the next town over who worked part time for a campaign girl company that Pallet Town's mayor, Gary's grandfather's older brother, always hired around election time.
The mayor himself now had the mic.
“Now, my dear citizens of Pallet Town, in honour of his future exploits let us follow Gary of the Oak family to the outskirts of town before we see him off.”
The brass band played emphatically.
Gary continued to wave as he hopped into a convertible with a chauffeur.
Still speaking into the mic, seemingly on purpose, the mayor spoke to Gary.
“Gary, you haven't forgotten anything? You have your bento?”
“Yep, my bento is right here, by the way, this car is a foreign model. It's a Jerman Vento.”
It was a set-up for a lame pun.
... How pathetic... Ash thought dejectedly.
But the crowd who had come to see him off laughed.
How exactly the cheerleaders and brass band managed laugh at Gary's overly forced joke is a mystery.
“I'm glad you came. Thank you. Thanks for all your support.”
Poof!
Gary's car blasted gas from its exhaust all over Ash as it departed.
Ash coughed choking on the gas, by the time he caught his breath there was neither hide nor hair of the crowd from before, Ash's only remaining companion was the wind.
Ash clenched his trembling fist...
“I won't lose.”
His hand loosened again.
“Gary... is my rival.”
And then a sighing voice spoke up behind Ash.
“Haah... Well, I'm sure Gary is capable of living up to expectations. But if he keeps that attitude into adulthood, it could be trouble... He better watch out...”
Professor Oak stood there scratching at his hair full of dandruff.
Ash was flustered when he heard the Professor's voice.
“Professor Oak, wh-where's my Pokémon...?”
“Huh? You're leaving on a Pokémon jour... Oh right, there were four people leaving today, but... Whippersnapper. Gary may be going a little overboard with the tuxedo, but surely you aren't planning to travel in your pajamas?”
... I don't need any pajama drama. And perhaps I could have snapped the whip a little to get here sooner, but I'm no whippersnapper... Wait... Oops, recycling mom's old jokes is only going to make me even later.
“Anyway, about my Pokémon...”
“Oh right... This way.”
Professor Oak lead Ash into the Laboratory.
***
“The Pokémon are in those capsules.”
Three capsules sat on a testing bench in the lab room Professor Oak lead him to.
“My Pokémon...”
Ash rushed over to the bench.
The capsules were translucent, you couldn't see inside them but there were labels on them to tell you what was inside.
Ash swallowed as he stared closely at the labels on the three capsules.
Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander...
The labels showed the three from his dream.
Ash then spoke up to Professor Oak.
“I was indecisive up until now. But I've made my decision.”
“What is it?” Professor Oak asked in reply.
“Squirtle. I choose you as my Pokémon.”
“Well then, open it up.” Professor Oak said.
“Alright.”
Ash opened the capsule barely able to maintain his excitement.
“Huuh?”
It was empty.
“It was already taken by a kid who wasn't late.” Said the Professor.
“Ugh... My fault for being late.”
Ash regained his composure.
“In that case, Bulbasaur will be my Pokémon.”
He opened Bulbasaur's capsule. Empty.
“It's gone... Bulbasaur...”
“Don't be a sore loser. Also taken by a kid who came on time.”
“I see... No, in that case... I'll choose you as my Pokémon instead Charmander.”
And the final capsule had no Charmander, it was also empty.
“No way.”
“Being moments late for the train or for Pokémon can change your life drastically. This is a universal truth. I've already had three trainer wannabes today. There are three Pokémon I recommend... Three minus three is zero, they're all gone... Please understand.”
Professor Oak nodded greatly.
“Don't you 'please understand' me, zero... Are you saying I have to leave home without a Pokémon?”
“There's one more, but...”
Professor Oak brought out a capsule from a cabinet in the back of the lab.
“So you have got one. I'll take it.”
Professor Oak's expression was grim.
“This last Pokémon has some, let's say problems.”
“Problems... The fact I got here late... is a big enough problem.”
“Well, I feel these problems should really be resolved.”
Ash had decided on the capsule Professor Oak held.
“I choose this one.”
“Close, close, ending impending.” Professor Oak murmured.
“Eh?” Ash stretched his neck out. He had no idea what the Professor was saying.
“To close yourself off is to give in, but closing in to be closer to your goals is the path to happiness, close is a word with multiple meanings. It's important to endure as you close in and get as close as you can without bringing things to a close... It's a universal truth. Please understand.”
Professor Oak seems to be the kind of person to throw incomprehensible logic at people and expect them to understand.
Come to think of it, despite his regular visits to Delia's restaurant, Ash had never had a real conversation with him.
But based on this conversation, he didn't feel like he'd have understood him anyway.
“So then, just endure it.” Professor Oak said.
What he said didn't explain anything, but Ash was willing to do anything to get his Pokémon.
“I'll endure anything.”
“I see.”
Professor Oak placed the capsule on the lab bench.
There was no label.
“What's inside?”
“Take a look and see.”
Ash touched the capsule and a glow emanated from it.
“Pika...”
That was the voice that spoke up.
If you were to put what it said in writing, then Pika is the only way to spell it.
“Peeka?” The capsule opened as Ash repeated what the voice said.
“Chuu...”
This time a Pokémon appeared from within the capsule.
It was short and stout.
Its colour was yellow.
If you looked closely, you could see some brown stripes on its back and the tips on its ears were black, but in general you could still say its whole body was yellow.
It had short limbs and soft fur, making it looks somewhat like a plush toy.
It was just small enough for a small child to hold, the kind of thing you'd want to pick up and hug.
“It's a Pokémon known as Pikachu. Can you endure having him?” Professor Oak asked.
“Woah... Endure... He's so cute. He's the best.”
“You think?”
“Totally. Nice to meet you, Pikachu.”
Ash picked Pikachu up with both hands.
“Pikah!”
... Don't touch me!...
Pikachu spoke with a clearly irritated expression on his face.
And then.
Pikachu discharged a strong electric current through Ash's body.
Right from his heart to his fingernails, rather than being numbing, the electricity felt like it was going to tear his body into atoms.
“Th-th-th-th-this is...”
He was twitching to the point where he couldn't even move his body enough to put Pikachu back down.
Professor Oak used a magnifying glass to examine some odd marks on Pikachu's cheeks.
“Looking at Pikachu's electricity pouches, he's got quite a bit of charge.”
Apparently you can determine a Pikachu's charge by examining its cheeks.
“Qu-qu-quite shocking.”
“Well, of course. Pikachu are commonly known as the electric mouse, this Pikachu in particular is rather shy and not fond of humans, if you touch him the wrong way he'll respond like that.”
“You should have told me that first.”
Ash grumbled as he continued to twitch slightly, little sparks still leaping from his hair.
Professor Oak seems to be the type of person who not only doesn't think about others, but also doesn't care about them.
“Yeah, probably should have.”
He opened the drawer of the lab bench once Ash recovered from his shocking experience.
He then produced two things that Ash had previously only seen in his dreams.
“Now, here are some parting gifts for your journey... Poké Balls to capture Pokémon and a Pokédex.”
When you open the cover of the Pokédex you have an LCD screen inside, similar to a PDA. ... It's roughly about the same size and thickness as the book you're currently reading...
Just as Professor Oak was handing the Pokédex to Ash...
At that same moment, Pikachu sent another jolt through Ash's body.
“I see, this is quite electrifyiiiiiing.”
“I-i-it's quite a buuuuuzzzzz.”
Pikachu continued to shock the two of them for over two minutes.
Eventually...
While Ash's hair was simply letting off a few residual sparks, Professor Oak's was standing on end and letting off smoke.
It seems the electricity had ignited his dandruff.
At this point, Professor Oak's head could potentially catch fire and leave him bald.
“Pikachuuuuu... I don't think it's good, ha ha ha... to waste your energy like that.”
Professor Oak said to Pikachu, his tongue tingling.
Hearing the Professor's words, Pikachu stopped his discharge.
“You expect me to take this thing?”
Ash, whose pajamas were now tattered, asked Professor Oak, whose white lab coat was burnt black.
“He's the only one left. But as a species, Pikachu are generally gentle natured and get along well with humans. I've raised several of them as pets, they are also good as a backup power source during a blackout.”
“I'll take one of those instead.” Ash snapped back.
“You expect me to give away one of my beloved pets?” The Professor replied coldly.
“Oh... Right.” Ash shrugged.
“Anyway, this Pikachu is a bit different to most.”
Ash took a look at Pikachu's face, being careful not to be shocked.
“You're a twisted one... aren't you?”
Pikachu looked away in a huff.
“All Pokémon have their exceptions. Anyway, being a little different may make raising it all the more rewarding.”
Professor Oak spoke as if it wasn't his problem.
“Yeah, you're right.”
Ash looked at Pikachu.
If you looked closely, or well, if you looked at all, he was still cute.
Ash liked to look on the bright side.
“Just gotta think of him as my own special Pikachu.”
“No matter what you think, there's no other options.”
“Right!”
Ash pointed at Pikachu and declared.
“Pikachu, I choose you.”
Pikachu still refused to look at him.
“So, what about his name?” Professor Oak asked.
“Eh?”
“Pikachu is his species. You don't go calling all your human friends 'human', do you whippersnapper?”
Ash already knew that. He's decided on names.
... Squirtle would be Squirty. If it was a Bulbasaur, then Sauron. A Charmander would have been Mandarin. ... If his mother Delia knew these names, she would probably question his naming sense and thwack him with a paper fan...
Anyway, Ash had never predicted the possibility that he'd end up with a Pikachu.
“Uh, a name... Got it! Pikky... Pikachon... Pikarin.”
Pikachu had merely been looking away until now, but at this point turned his back completely.
“I don't think he likes those names.” Professor Oak shrugged.
Ash continued calling out names as he thought of them.
“Pikao. Pikata. Pikazaemon. Pikanosuke. Pikabee...”
... Cut it out... Pikachu shot Ash a glare that seemed to say that.
The electricity pouches on his cheeks began to spark again.
“Maybe you should give up on naming him.” Professor Oak said nervously.
“Is the Pikachu angry?”
Pikachu nodded.
“Some Pokémon who aren't suited as pets resent the idea of humans arbitrarily deciding names for them.” Stated Professor Oak.
“So that's the case with Pikachu?”
“Usually it would be fine. In fact, they quite like being given a name. Normal Pikachu are well suited to life as pets.”
“So this Pikachu isn't normal...?”
“That's right.”
Ash then addressed Pikachu.
“So then, your name is Pikachu. You okay with that, Pikachu?”
... Whatever...
Seemed to be the sentiment Pikachu responded with, shrugging it's lack-of-shoulders.
Ash nodded in response.
“Right, Pikachu. From now on, you are Pikachu.”
“Oh, by the way.” Professor Oak spoke up nonchalantly.
“There's more?” Ash asked.
“That Pikachu hates small spaces.”
“Huh?” Ash didn't understand what the Professor was getting at.
“It refuses to go inside its Poké Ball. Since it refuses to go in the Poké Ball, you can't carry it in your pocket.”
“...”
Ash was speechless.
... Pokémon is short for Pocket Monsters. They are called that because you keep them in your pocket using Poké Balls. A Pokémon that won't go in your pocket. What does that make this Pikachu?
Pikachu muttered to himself.
“Pikachu, pika, Pikachu...”
I'm just Pikachu... is what Pikachu seemed to be saying.
***
“Mom!”
Ash was surprised as he left the laboratory with Pikachu in tow.
“Since it's around lunch time, I thought I'd come see how you were doing.”
Delia was standing before the gate.
And it wasn't just her.
“Everyone else had some free time too, so they came to see you off... It's mostly our neighbours and customers... You should be grateful to them...”
Delia's tone of voice was in Japanese mother mode rather than just casual mom.
The old folks who lived nearby and a number of regular customers were there with pots, pans and wooden spoons from the restaurant. Some people even had headbands or flags with 'Certain Victory' written on them.
So that Delia could deliver Ash's forgotten items, the restaurant had taken the day off.
And with the restaurant closed, the customers who received the special lunch menu bento figured that as long as they were eating it outside they'd tag along with Delia.
Seeing as most of the neighbours and customers that came along were actually more interested in eating with Delia than seeing Ash off, the atmosphere was rather laid back... Nothing like Gary's brass band and cheerleaders.
“I can't believe you, always late to the end, making me worry to the end, well then, it's farewell for now...”
Delia looked into to distance as she teared up a little. She had a lot of different feelings, but she put on a brave face as a mother.
“I brought you your clothes and gear you left at home.”
Delia showed Ash his rucksack before pulling a cotton handkerchief from the pocket on her mini-apron to blow her nose.
“Right up until the very, very end you're still causing me trouble... sniff sniffle”
Delia returned to mother mode.
The crowd of acquaintances were starting to get emotional as well.
They had somewhere along the way forgotten their desire to eat lunch with Delia.
It's sometimes difficult to distinguish between people who are fans of Delia's cooking and those who are fans of Delia herself.
Delia got gradually more emotional.
She opened the rucksack as she cried.
“Here's your shoes and jeans. Some shirts and pants... I've got some instant meals in here as emergency rations. Some rubber gloves for cooking, you don't want to damage your skin... Ah, there's also some line so you can hang out your laundry.”
... What the heck is this?... Pikachu wondered stretching his neck out.
Ash's face was bright red as Delia kept speaking.
“Cut it out. This is too much, way too much... I'm not Gary, I don't need anything big like this until I come back here as the ultimate Pokémon Trainer.”
“I suppose you're right.”
Delia was now smiling like nothing happened.
“But well, since everyone's already here... We might as well cheer you on with a bit of go, go, go~”
She had now suddenly switched into teenage girl mode.
“... Huh?”
Delia's expression then went into ten year old girl mode.
She had noticed Pikachu.
“Aah, it's so cute. This little animal.”
Pikachu was somewhat offended by the description of little animal... What?...
“Chuupika...?” His attempt at a threat only came off as being cute.
Ash spoke to Delia.
“Ah... He's my Pokémon... His name is Pikachu.”
Pikachu snorted... “Piiiiiika.” And ignored them.
Ash did his best to show off.
“This Pikachu and I are going to get all the world's Pokémon.”
Delia innocently spoke up.
“Hmm, if he's a Pokémon, then why...”
“Eh?” Ash asked in return.
“Pokémon are usually kept inside those things... aren't they?”
She pointed at the Poké Ball Ash was holding.
The curiosity behind Delia's “... aren't they?” was spoken in ten year old trainer wannabe girl mode.
“Ah... You're right... Ah... Yes... Pikachu. Get in the ball...”
Professor Oak did say he wouldn't go in, but he couldn't be sure unless he tried. Maybe... the Professor was mistaken.
Ash brandished the Poké Ball.
He took a flashy pitching form, before lightly tossing the ball.
But a moment later, the Poké Ball was back in his hand.
“Eh...?”
Pikachu had smacked it back with his tail.
“He can do that?”
Ash softly tossed the ball again.
“Pi...”
Pikachu kicked the ball back.
“I guess he can.”
Ash tossed again.
“Ka...”
Pikachu headbutted it back.
“That too?”
Ash tosses the ball one more time.
“Chuu!”
Pikachu did an attack shoot with his arms.
The Poké Ball was aimed to nail Ash hard in the stomach.
“Guh...”
Ash barely managed to stop the ball with both hands.
“Not bad. Not bad.”
Delia applauded with a smile.
“You're playing catch... You're friends already. A pitcher and catcher are like a married couple... Proof you're getting along...”
“Eh? ... That's right, Pikachu and I are best... friends.”
Ash timidly patted Pikachu on the head.
Pikachu glared up at Ash.
But he didn't shock him.
... Seems he might be warming up to me a little...
Ash breathed a sigh of relief.
Delia spoke earnestly.
“You're a perfect couple. ... But... Y'know. Tossing the ball back like that...”
Ash and Pikachu waited for Delia to finish her sentence.
Delia pointed at Pikachu.
“He's one really weird Pokémon.”
“... Weird Pokémon...”
Ash fell into despair.
“You shouldn't have said that...”
Pikachu's electricity pouches began to spark.
It was obvious that he had been offended.
“There's nothing I can do to stop him now.”
Ash looked to the sky.
“Chuu!”
Pikachu's sharp voice echoed and Ash's body once again felt that unbearably painful sensation.
It was Pikachu's electric shock.
Everyone who came to see him off were electrocuted... The flow of current continued.
“Indeed, a homemaker's wisdom.”
Professor Oak commented on the rubber gloves for cooking, having at some point come out of the laboratory wearing a pair of rubber boots.
“Well, these rubber gloves Delia packed are certainly going to come in handy.”
“W-w-w-w-w-why's that?” Ash asked as he continued to be shocked.
“Electricity can't pass through rubber. Neither rubber gloves or rubber boots.” Professor Oak replied.
“I seeeeeeeeeeee.” Ash understood.
Hmph... Pikachu shrugged and ended his discharge.
Apparently Professor Oak's immunity caused him to lose interest.
All the people who came to see Ash off collapsed simultaneously.
Everyone was worn out by the thundershock.
Delia spoke up, having reverted to mother mode after the shock.
“Ash, make sure you wear your pajamas when you sleep.”
“Huh...?”
“Even if they're like that.”
On top of being tattered, Ash's pajamas were now burnt black.
Pikachu laughed with a pipipi... Then cried “Pikachu!”
“... I did it!”
“... Gotcha!”
Pikachu's declaration probably meant something along those lines.
(To be continued in chapter 3)
Chapter 2 appendix
(... If you're in a hurry, feel free to skip ahead to chapter 3. ... However, there may be some important information written here that nobody has ever seen before.)
... Pokémon Related Reference Material 2...
In regards to a mystery I know of regarding Pokémon research...
The first person to publish research on Pokémon was a French author in the late 18th century, Count Tajirin. But if you look through the records of the 18th century when Count Tajirin lived, it's not only when the earliest Pokémon research began. It is also the era of research starting on many other creatures.
Until than point, research of animals, plants and legendary beings was all lumped in as things that weren't humans. The only notable research came from ancient Greece in the 4th Century BC from a scholar known as Aristotle, who had catalogued approximately 500 varieties of animal, but among them were none that appeared to be Pokémon.
Aristotle divided creatures into four broad categories, humans, animals with red blood, animals without red blood and animals resembling plants.
Animals without red blood include insects, shellfish, octopuses and squids.
Animals resembling plants included starfish and sea cucumbers.
The largest category, animals with red blood, was further divided into two subcategories, animals that give birth to their young and animals that lay eggs.
Animals that give birth to their young are what we would now refer to as mammals.
Animals that lay eggs included birds in the sky, creatures that slither on land (snakes, lizards, frogs) and fish in the water.
Surprisingly, Aristotle actually classified whales as separate from fish.
He reasoned that as whales breathe air, they must have lungs, and came to the conclusion that they give birth to their young.
However, Aristotle knew nothing of Pokémon.
After Aristotle, there was no further research in this vein until the 18th century.
It was a common opinion that among all the creatures on Earth, the greatest chosen by god were humans, and there was no value in deeply examining other species.
It wasn't until the 18th century that opinions changed to think that for humanity to better understand itself it should also understand other creatures.
In the latter half of the 18th century... A French scholar named Lamark was responsible for spearheading the movement to learn more about animals and plants.
However there were some creatures they could not clearly document.
For example, they could not document anything definitive on legendary creatures like dragons or mermaids.
Count Tajirin was among the people who studied such creatures.
At the time there were only 30 known species of Pokémon, for example... the flame Pokémon Charizard bore a resemblance to the dragon... the bubble jet Pokémon Vaporeon bore a resemblance to mermaids (I believe you are familiar with the tale The Little Mermaid, where it's stated that when mermaids die they turn into foam. I imagine that may be where the term bubble jet Pokémon came from.), it's only natural that something resembling the legendary dragons and mermaids existed.
However, there are mysteries.
Such as the origin of the term Pokémon.
Pocket Monsters... Or Keitai Juu rendered in Japanese, where did this name come from?
According to the existing documents, it wasn't until the year 1925 that it was discovered that Pokémon could be stored in small objects like Poké Balls or capsules, this groundbreaking discovery was made entirely by accident by the Japanese Professor Westwood. (While examining the energy of the Pokémon species Primeape's rage, he accidentally weakened it with a drug overdose, leading it to somehow get captured inside the case for the Professor's reading glasses, forgetting its anger entirely and falling asleep peacefully. ... This is a well known event among Pokémon researchers.)
So what were Pokémon called prior to Professor Westwood's discovery? Think about it. We call them Pokémon because they can be stored in our pockets, before we knew this they wouldn't have been called Pocket Monsters. However there is no name for Pocket Monsters other than Pocket Monsters recorded in history.
It is unknown what name Count Tajirin referred to Pokémon by.
No matter what name they went by, Pokémon clearly existed.
But it bothers me that no name for them other than Pokémon remains.
This is only my supposition, but I believe that Pokémon had another name in the days of Count Tajirin. Why was this name erased? And by whom?
As such, the name Pocket Monsters itself carries a certain amount of mystery.
Also, famous Pokémon researchers such as Professor Westwood and Professor Oak at some point retired from doing public studies. In the 18th century Count Tajirin ceased publishing his research after discovering 30 varieties of Pokémon.
Since then, this has become a trend among many prestigious Pokémon researchers around the world.
Why is this? Why would they leave the field after gaining recognition for their studies?
Regardless of this, more people who love Pokémon get into the field of research each year.
There are also new Pokémon being discovered all the time, in Count Tajirin's era there were 30 known species and in Professor Westwood's era there were 80 known species, currently there are officially 151... This number is likely to expand in the coming years. There could easily be new species unveiled as soon as tomorrow.
In this era, other creatures have been heading towards extinction.
The only other newly discovered lifeforms have been new forms of bacteria and viruses.
Why is it that only Pokémon are increasing in number...? (Or to word it differently, newly discovered?)
It is a mystery. Pokémon are surrounded in mystery. Hence why humans are so fascinated by them.
... A nameless Pokémon Researcher with absolutely no relation at all to Professor Oak...
An excerpt from an email sent to Bill Sonezaki
A Pokémon Analyst who participated in the 98th International Portable Beast Academic Conference
Translation Notes:
• Furikake is a type of
• Germany (Doitsu) was written in kanji as opposed to the usual katakana, so I altered the spelling like with other countries previously. I explained bento last chapter and a Vento is apparently a model of car made by Volkswagen. They sound similar, hence the pun.
• While speaking to the Professor, Ash uses the pronoun "boku" instead of "ore".
• Whippersnapper and snapping the whip... In Japanese, Oak referred to Ash as "bouya" (Little boy, the same term Delia used last chapter), to which Ash's retort was he may have dilly dallied (boyaboya) but was no little boy (bouya). Pajama drama was "pajama" and "jama" just like with Delia last chapter as well.
• "Don't be a sore loser.", Bulbasaur's Japanese name name "Fushigidane" can be read as either "mysterious seed" or "how mysterious", when Ash commented on the Bulbasaur being gone, Oak replied "Fushigi wa nai", or "It's no mystery". The term "sore loser" was chosen to similarly play on the "saur" in Bulbasaur.
• Oak's dialogue about "close" meaning both to end and to be near was originally about the word "koufuku", which depending on the kanji used can mean either surrender (降伏) or happiness (幸福). There's some change in meaning, but I tried to keep it as thematically similar as I could.
• Seeing as readers of this translation don't have a physical copy of this book, the book's measurements are similar to that of a 3DS XL. The book is approximately the same thickness as and a centimeter wider than the XL when it's closed. Somewhat smaller than your typical manga volume. (And somewhat larger than the toy Pokédex I got about 15 years ago. THIS TOY IS NOT THE RIGHT SIZE, DAMMIT.)
• In case you just don't get the reference, Count Tajirin is a reference to Satoshi Tajiri, creator of Pokémon.
• The appendix of this chapter renders France and Greece in katakana as per regular usage, rather than kanji.
• "Keitai Juu" has previously been rendered as "Portable Beast".
• Professor Westwood V appeared in the 66th episode of the anime, The Evolution Solution, almost a full year after this book was published.