After a night of heavy rain, Tetsuya had stayed awake the entire time. Every Trainer traveling to Pallet Town had undoubtedly experienced the same thing. However, Tetsuya's pace was fast, and before noon he had already reached a household in Pallet Town.
A woman in her early thirties was tending the flowers and plants in the courtyard when Tetsuya rang the doorbell…
The woman put aside what she was doing and walked over to the front gate.
"Oh~ Hello! May I ask who you are?" The woman asked as she looked at Tetsuya.
"Hello, I'm a Trainer who came to attend Professor Oak's lecture. I was caught in a sudden downpour last night, stayed awake the entire night, and got completely soaked… I'd like to borrow a place to take a bath and rest for a while. Would five hundred Pokédollars be acceptable?" Tetsuya said. He certainly did not look like a "bad" person.
Seeing how pitiful Tetsuya looked, the woman felt sympathetic. She quickly opened the gate and said, "Come in quickly. You Trainers travel everywhere, and what you need most is help! There's no need for any money. I'll take you to the bathroom."
---◓---
At the woman's house, Tetsuya took a hot shower and changed into a clean set of clothes. By then, it was already noon. The woman prepared lunch and invited Tetsuya to join her.
"No, no! I really couldn't impose like that," Tetsuya said, somewhat overwhelmed by her hospitality.
"Don't be silly~ Go ahead and eat! There's no one else here. My son, Ash, is attending Professor Oak's summer camp," The woman said.
The moment he heard the name "Ash," Tetsuya immediately recognized the identity of the warm-hearted woman before him.
She was Ash's mother, Delia!
"Itadakimasu… I'm Tetsuya from Ecruteak City in the Johto Region." Tetsuya said, introducing himself.
"Tetsuya, that's a wonderful name~ My name is Delia. I have a four-year-old son named Ash. He absolutely loves Pokémon and is always saying that he wants to become a Pokémon Trainer~ If he were here, he'd definitely keep pestering you!" Delia said. The moment she mentioned Ash, her face was filled with a happy smile.
"Ash, huh…"
---◓---
Delia's cooking was absolutely delicious. Tetsuya had not enjoyed a proper meal for several days, and under Delia's warm hospitality, he ended up eating twice as much as usual. After feeding his Pokémon lunch in the courtyard, he was finally overcome by exhaustion and fell asleep on Delia's sofa.
It was not until dinnertime that Tetsuya finally woke up.
"You were sleeping so soundly on the sofa at noon that I couldn't bear to wake you. Tonight you can sleep in the room," Delia said.
"The room? Umm, Delia-san[1], that wouldn't be appropriate."
Tetsuya said this while thinking that, although he was only thirteen years old physically and Delia was nearly thirty… well, it would inevitably be rather awkward.
"It's fine~ Ash isn't home anyway," Delia insisted.
Tetsuya smiled awkwardly. "No, really, I couldn't…-"
"I insist! I've already cleaned up my son's room. It's very tidy," Delia said.
"Ash's room? Oh… all right. That's fine then. Thank you!" Tetsuya said several sentences in succession before lowering his head and continuing his meal.
After dinner and another bath, Tetsuya settled into Ash's room and began planning for the next day.
Jessie still had not contacted him, which meant there was probably still no news from Viridian City. There were still three days left before Professor Oak's lecture.
Tomorrow, he could pay the Professor a visit first. After all, he also held the title of Pokémon Scholar, so Professor Oak was unlikely to turn him away.
Moreover, Professor Oak's backyard was home to a vast number of Pokémon. It could be said that it contained almost every Pokémon found throughout the Kanto and Johto Regions, along with quite a few Pokémon from other regions as well.
It would also be a good opportunity for his own Pokémon to broaden their horizons.
---◓---
The next day, Tetsuya bid farewell to Delia and headed for Professor Oak's Laboratory.
There were also many Researchers working at Oak's Laboratory. They were all elites in the academic community and were currently busy preparing for Professor Oak's upcoming lecture.
Then Tetsuya, an unexpected visitor, arrived.
"May I ask who you are?" One of the Researchers asked.
"I'm here specifically to attend Professor Oak's lecture," Tetsuya replied.
"Oh, but Professor Oak's lecture isn't for another three days. You've arrived a little early," The Researcher said politely.
"Professor Oak is renowned throughout every region and is an idol to those of us engaged in Pokémon research. I'd like to pay him a visit," Tetsuya said.
After hearing that, the Researcher asked in surprise, "Y-You're involved in Pokémon research as well!?"
"Un."
After saying that, Tetsuya handed his Pokédex to the man.
"You're already a Pokémon Scholar at such a young age… That's incredible! When I was your age, I was still in school," The Researcher said with a sigh of admiration. He then asked Tetsuya to wait while he went to inform Professor Oak.
Before long, the man led Tetsuya into Professor Oak's research room. Upon seeing Tetsuya arrive, Professor Oak set aside the work he had been doing. The Researcher poured two cups of #MoomooTeaNoAd before returning to his own work.
"Tetsuya, right? You're truly outstanding for someone so young. I first learned your name five years ago. I heard that Professor Witherwood's published Evolution theory regarding Politoed and Slowking also benefited from your contributions, and that you played an important role in it?" Professor Oak said.
Tetsuya was rather surprised. What he had considered to be something insignificant had actually made such a "great" impact in the academic community that even the famous "Professor Oak" remembered him.
"I only happened to discover it by chance," Tetsuya replied.
"Oh? Tell me how…"
---◓---
Professor Oak chatted with Tetsuya for a while. Naturally, Tetsuya answered every academic question with ease, leaving Professor Oak with an even higher opinion of him.
Tetsuya's main goal, however, was to visit Professor Oak's backyard. When he made the request, Professor Oak did not refuse. He merely explained that children from various regions were attending a summer camp there and asked Tetsuya to be careful not to frighten them.
Of course, instructors were accompanying them, and all of the Pokémon in Professor Oak's backyard had been trained, so they would not attack people easily. The children were therefore perfectly safe.
Upon entering Professor Oak's backyard, Tetsuya found that it stretched so far he could not see its boundaries. It occupied more than half of Pallet Town. There were grasslands, forests, lakes, rivers, mountains, and caves.
It truly brought together every type of ecological environment!
Groups of Pokémon played happily everywhere, and as far as the eye could see, many children of four or five years old were being introduced to all kinds of Pokémon under the guidance of their instructors.
Tetsuya also released the four Pokémon he currently had with him. Seeing such a peaceful and harmonious scene immediately lifted everyone's mood.
Tetsuya led them on a stroll through Professor Oak's backyard.
Whenever they encountered a new Pokémon, he explained to them what type it was, whether it specialized in Attack, Defense, or Speed, the strengths and weaknesses of each type, and how to overcome opponents effectively.
All four Pokémon listened attentively. After all, this place was like a miniature version of the Pokémon world.
[1] In japanese is "Mama-san" hahaha.