Oak, and the School.
8: Chapter 8: Dr.
Oak, and the School.
“A few uncles have arrived outside, and the Director is receiving them.
Everyone, please stay in your rooms properly.” Before the bell for the end of the noon break had even rung, the teacher pushed open the door to deliver the notice.
Kaname keenly caught the sense of incongruity in this.
The Daycare Center didn’t have many visitors on normal days; most were couples looking to adopt a child, and they were usually arranged directly into the reception room or led by a teacher to take a distant look from the edge of the playground.
A situation like this, where the noon break was specifically interrupted and the children were even ordered to stay in their rooms and not go out as they pleased, had never happened before.
No matter how she thought about it, something felt off.
Seeing the teacher about to leave after finishing her instructions, Kaname quickly threw back the covers and called out to her.
“Miss Chinatsu.” Hearing the young girl’s crisp call from behind, Chinatsu, who was about to close the door, stopped and turned around.
This recently arrived young daycare worker was the “victim” who had been led around in circles by Kaname’s crying act last night and had hurriedly bandaged her wound.
Seeing the young girl’s delicate and cute face now, A smile full of maternal radiance immediately appeared on Chinatsu’s face, and her voice couldn’t help but take on a high-pitched, gentle tone.
“What is it, little Kaname?
Are you feeling unwell somewhere?” Kaname suppressed the goosebumps on her skin and tried to put on a serious expression to probe indirectly.
“Teacher, who are those people outside?
It feels like the Director is very nervous.” However, To a five-year-old brat, no matter how serious the expression, in the eyes of an adult, it was nothing more than a “cute look of trying to act like an adult.” Chinatsu walked over, squatted down, and reached out to gently tap Kaname’s forehead.
“Children shouldn’t pry into adult business.
They’re just some staff from the government, probably here to inspect the Daycare Center’s environment.” The answer was vague, filled with meaningless official nonsense.
Kaname was somewhat unwilling and was about to try another angle to fish for information, but she saw that Chinatsu’s gaze had already shifted to her gauzed left hand.
The originally perfunctory attitude instantly turned into one of utmost concern.
“More importantly, does the wound still hurt?
Is there any bleeding?
If it feels itchy, you absolutely mustn’t scratch it…” While Chinatsu rambled on, she also reached out to check the tightness of the gauze.
Kaname could only helplessly let the other party fuss over her, coordinating with nods and shakes of her head while her heart was rolling its eyes all the way to the sky.
This was the downside of being a child.
…
After finally seeing off the overly enthusiastic Miss Chinatsu, the room became quiet again.
Kaname sat on the edge of the bed, her brow slightly furrowed, still very concerned about the sudden visitors.
Unfortunately, her current status was not only that of a five-year-old child but also a seriously injured person with a bandaged hand.
If she slipped out to eavesdrop and got caught red-handed now, she might not get any news, and she would definitely be scolded.
“Kaname…
do you want to know what’s happening outside?” Just as Kaname was at her wit’s end, an eager voice came from beside her.
Erika was kneeling on the bed, her large eyes blinking.
Kaname turned her head to look at Erika, and a flash of inspiration suddenly struck her mind.
“Erika.” Kaname reached out with her uninjured right hand and solemnly placed it on Erika’s shoulder.
“There is indeed a very important mission that I can only entrust to you.” “Mission?!” Erika’s eyes instantly lit up.
“During class this afternoon, can you please help me keep an eye on the teachers’ conversations?” “If there’s any new news about the guests, even if it’s just a little bit, write it down and tell me.” Kaname lowered her voice, creating just the right atmosphere.
“This concerns whether we can protect Eevee’s safety.” Instantly getting into character, Erika’s little face became incredibly serious.
She nodded forcefully and even gave a proper salute.
“Understood!
I guarantee the mission will be completed!” Not long after, the bell signaling the end of the noon break rang.
Erika gave Kaname a reluctant look, then pushed the door open and left with a solemn expression.
…
Only Kaname remained in the room, along with the occasional snoring of Venonat from under the bed.
With Erika acting as her eyes and ears outside, Kaname’s mind settled a bit.
She sat back down at the desk, took the unfinished book from the drawer, and continued her pending work.
Time passed bit by bit.
The afternoon sunlight crawled slowly across the tabletop, and the books by Kaname’s hand piled higher and higher.
From “Basic Berryology” to “Gazetteer of the Kanto Region,” and then to “Introduction to Common Pokémon Habits.” The Pokédex system operated, converting the massive amount of text into data streams.
Until Kaname’s finger stopped on the cover of a biography.
“Pioneer of the Pokémon Research World—Samuel Oak.” Looking at the man on the cover wearing a white lab coat, who was much younger but still showed the vague outline of his future self, Kaname’s movements paused slightly.
Even at this point in time, Dr.
Oak was a name that rang like thunder.
Although the Pokédex was still under development and Dr.
Oak’s most representative invention had yet to make its official debut, Samuel Oak’s name itself was a gold-lettered sign.
Kaname flipped through the pages while recalling the information she knew.
As early as his youth, Samuel Oak was a very capable and powerful Pokémon Trainer.
He had once traveled the continent with the master Poké Ball smith Kurt from the Johto region and Agatha, who was now elderly but still firmly held a seat in the League’s Elite Four.
This was a golden age that countless trainers in later generations would talk about with relish.
Only later, seemingly due to some disagreement in philosophy, Samuel Oak retired at his peak and stepped down from the Champion’s throne.
He returned to his alma mater—the highest institution of learning in the city where Kaname was currently located, Celadon University—to serve as a professor.
It was also from then on that he set his research topic as “The Relationship between Pokémon and Humans” and gradually became respected as “Dr.
Oak.” The biography in Kaname’s hand recorded his greatest academic contribution to date in detail.
[Type Classification Theory].
To later generations, this seemed like the most basic of common sense—Water beats Fire, Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water.
But before Dr.
Oak proposed this set of theories, although people had some awareness of types, it was limited to books and various private teachings, with no complete or systematic understanding.
Trainers fought more based on experience or even luck.
It was precisely because of Dr.
Oak’s efforts that humans could more easily understand what kind of creatures Pokémon were.
“…Dr.
Oak?” Kaname ended her reminiscence, suddenly remembering another very important matter.
She was also nearly at the age to start school.
If she were to consider a school for the future, Celadon University’s affiliated school seemed like a very good choice.