"Morning, Professor Oak."
Elias waved casually as he descended the stairs, spotting Professor Oak cooking instant noodles in the kitchen.
The simulation had taken up real-world ti, and this ti, he had spent the entire night inside it.
"Morning." Seeing Elias, Professor Oak paused his stirring to greet him.
"Oh, by the way, I finished writing that paper on the Farfetch'd-flavored Pokéblock formula you gave . Shouldn't be long before so companies start reaching out to purchase the rights."
When it ca to churning out research papers, Professor Oak's efficiency was unmatched.
With decades of experience in academic publishing, he had managed to put together an entire paper on Pokéblock formulation based solely on the data Elias had provided—all within a single night.
After thanking the professor, Elias decided to bring up the main reason for his visit.
"Professor Oak, you don't need to worry about finding a starter Pokémon anymore."
"Hm?" The professor's hand froze mid-stir.
"You finally ca to your senses? Giving up on being a Trainer and deciding to pursue a career in research with instead?"
A hopeful smile spread across his face.
He had spent the past few days stressing over Elias's starter Pokémon—because the boy was practically repellent to Pokémon.
Even Chansey, the supposed angel of kindness, had rejected him outright.
That loving, gentle Pokémon had looked at Elias with the sa expression one might reserve for roadkill.
If people didn't know better, they might've suspected Elias was so kind of serial Pokémon abuser.
Under these circumstances, Professor Oak had genuinely doubted whether Elias could ever form a bond with a Pokémon.
Since Elias also showed great talent in research, the professor naturally assud he had decided to change paths.
But—
Elias's next words shattered that assumption entirely.
"No, I just happened to find a partner willing to travel with ."
With that, he placed a Poké Ball on the table.
"…You found one?"
Professor Oak's eyes widened in disbelief.
Elias didn't bother answering directly—he simply pressed the Poké Ball's center button.
Boom—
A large, round, purple figure materialized in the room.
Gengar.
Having rehearsed this scene beforehand, Gengar played its part flawlessly.
Right in front of Professor Oak's stunned expression, it lunged forward and wrapped Elias in a big, affectionate hug.
"Gengar!"
The emotion was so raw, so genuine, that there wasn't even a hint of pretense.
Professor Oak's mind went blank.
In all his decades of research, he had never seen anything like this.
This was Elias—the most Pokémon-repellent human in existence.
And yet, sohow, he had managed to acquire a fully evolved Gengar as his first Pokémon?
Even among powerful families, this would have been nearly impossible.
Pokémon didn't just follow a Trainer because of ownership or force—they chose their partners based on many factors, including the Trainer's strength.
A weak Trainer couldn't command a strong Pokémon.
Even if one were caught through external ans, it would likely disobey—or worse, turn against its own Trainer.
But Elias…
Elias, who hadn't even owned a single Pokémon before this…
Where was his supposed strength coming from?!
"…Where did you get this Gengar?"
Completely unable to wrap his head around the situation, Professor Oak asked the question outright.
Elias smiled, reaching up to pat Gengar's head, his expression tinged with nostalgia.
"Oh, this guy? It just wouldn't stop following around. In the end, I had no choice but to catch it."
Technically, he wasn't lying.
Back in Saffron City, when Gengar was still a Haunter, it had been the one to insist on following him.
Professor Oak wanted to imdiately call out the absurdity of that claim.
A Pokémon willingly chasing after Elias? Impossible.
But then—
He saw Gengar nodding along enthusiastically, its eyes reflecting a similar sense of nostalgia.
For a long mont, the professor just stood there in silence.
…Was it true?
After what felt like an eternity, he finally muttered:
"…Maybe you just have a natural affinity for Ghost-types."
That was the only possible explanation.
Seeing the professor's ntal stability on the verge of collapse, Elias decided not to push the poor man any further.
But suddenly, sothing occurred to him.
"Oh, right—Professor Oak, don't tell Gary about Gengar."
At those words, a wicked smirk curled across Elias's lips.
Professor Oak blinked in confusion at first.
But then—as if realizing sothing—
He, too, let out a knowing grin.
"Don't worry. I won't say a word."
Elias finally felt at ease.
The reason for their unspoken understanding?
Gary Oak was many things—but above all, he had one major flaw:
He loved talking smack.
When he saw how Pokémon avoided Elias like the plague—and how hard Professor Oak was trying to find him a starter—
Gary's exact words had been:
"With Elias's anti-Pokémon aura, and Grandpa's terrible eye for picking starters, even if he gets one, it'll probably just be a useless mascot."
One sentence—and he had managed to insult both Elias and Professor Oak.
Even though half a month had passed, Elias hadn't forgotten.
So, naturally—
The mont he officially received his starter Pokémon, Gary would be the first one to experience its full power.
After finalizing their "Gary Humiliation Plan," Elias sat down to enjoy his breakfast.
Just then, Professor Oak, glancing at the newspaper in his hands, casually remarked:
"Co to think of it… tomorrow's a full moon."
There was sothing nostalgic in his tone, as if the full moon held so deeper aning.
Coincidentally, the full moon had significance to Elias as well.
He paused.
"What's special about the full moon?"
Professor Oak sighed softly.
"Ah… nothing much, just…"
"…An old friend of mine died—or rather, disappeared—on a full moon night, years ago."
"…An old friend?"
Elias raised an eyebrow.
Most of Professor Oak's friends were either renowned Trainers or researchers.
Yet, he didn't recall hearing about any notable figures passing away in recent years.
"You might've heard of him—Pryce, the Gym Leader of Mahogany City.
"He, Agatha, and I were friends in our younger days… but as ti passed, he beca more and more… extre."
Professor Oak's voice carried a trace of regret.
Pryce.
The mont the na was spoken, Elias's mind went blank.
Pryce… was dead?
He could hardly believe it.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had noticed so differences from the original Pokémon lore.
But this—this was the first major deviation.
Not only that—
He had just fought Pryce in the simulator not long ago.
If Pryce had already died years ago in this world…
Then that ant—
The simulation really was just a virtual world.
---
T/N: OR HEAR OUT GARDEVOIR KILLED PRYCE INM HIS WORLD AHISHOPFS
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