Professor Oak, full name Samuel Oak, once studied science and engineering at Celadon University. He was a leading authority in Pokemon research, with his primary focus being the relationship between Pokemon and humans.
As a professor, his favorite thing to do in his spare time was study rare and unusual Pokemon.
For the past six years, he had been trying to uncover the pattern behind Ho-Oh's appearances.
In recent years, Ho-Oh had frequently shown itself in the human world. Every time it appeared, it caused a massive stir.
Within academic circles devoted to Pokemon research, the excitement was even more intense, driving countless scholars into a frenzy.
Based on what humanity had discovered so far, the existence of these Legendary Pokemon was deeply tied to the world itself.
There were the legends from the Sinnoh region, speaking of the gods of time and space.
And the tales from the Hoenn region, where two Legendary Pokemon were said to have created the land and the sea.
Ho-Oh, too, had to play a significant role in the workings of this world.
Scholars flocked to study why it appeared and who the mysterious child riding on its back was, hoping to uncover the truth hidden behind it all.
Yet six years had passed, and the entire Pokemon research community had come up empty-handed.
Ho-Oh's movements were completely unpredictable. One moment it would appear in Ecruteak City in Johto, and the next it might show up in the Orange Islands.
When researchers shifted their attention to the Orange Islands, Ho-Oh would quietly slip into Kanto instead.
This utterly erratic behavior drove countless scholars to despair.
Even Professor Oak, a towering figure in the academic world, had no answers.
Even now, while bringing a group of children here for summer camp, his thoughts kept drifting back to the mystery of Ho-Oh's appearances and the true identity of the child suspected to be "Ho-Oh's Trainer."
What troubled him even more was a deeper question.
Could Legendary Pokemon, beings powerful enough to influence the world itself, even be captured by human Trainers?
"Professor Oak! Professor Oak!"
A shout suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.
He turned around to see a child of six or seven running toward him, face full of admiration.
"Saito? What is it?" he asked with a smile. "Did something go wrong?"
The boy shook his head, looking like he was waiting for praise. "Professor Oak, we finished setting up all the tents!"
Oak glanced over and saw a neat row of tents standing in the clearing.
"Excellent!"
He patted the boy on the head. "Go rest in the tents for a bit. After lunch, I'll take everyone to observe the wild Pokemon living around here."
"Yay!" Saito cheered and ran off to share the news.
Professor Oak scanned the camp.
"Ash and Serena still aren't back?" he muttered.
Hopefully nothing had happened.
Serena had come all the way from the distant Kalos region. As hosts, they needed to take good care of her.
Oak looked around again.
There were over twenty children attending this summer camp. Most were from Kanto and Johto, with only a few from overseas regions.
"Gary!" he called out.
A handsome boy with a confident, slightly arrogant look hurried over.
"What is it, Grandpa?"
"Ash and Serena may have run into trouble. They still haven't returned," Oak said. "Take Fearow and help look for them."
Gary crossed his arms. "That Ash really knows how to cause trouble. Fine, I'll bring them back safe and sound myself."
Oak chuckled, then released a Fearow from its Poke Ball to accompany him.
Just then, a wave of gasps erupted from the children behind them.
Grandfather and grandson turned around at once.
Several figures were emerging from the forest together.
At the front were Ash, practically bouncing with excitement, and Serena, her face filled with wonder. Beside them walked an unfamiliar boy with black hair and dark eyes, clean-cut and quietly adorable.
Behind the three of them came a massive, mysterious Pokemon.
Its body resembled a saber-toothed tiger, covered in golden fur, with powerful limbs and sharp fangs. A black, steel-like crest covered its forehead, nose, and mouth, and beneath it were X-shaped whiskers.
That was…!
Professor Oak froze.
As a top authority in the field, few people knew Pokemon better than he did. He had personally studied many Pokemon that existed only in legends.
And the one standing before him was unmistakable.
Raikou, the Legendary Pokemon of thunder.
According to legend, Raikou descended upon the land alongside lightning itself.
It possessed immense power, its body brimming with lightning-fast speed. As it ran across the land, it unleashed the energy surging within it in the form of thunderbolts.
Its long roar, like a bolt of lightning crashing down, could shake the air and make the earth tremble.
This Legendary Pokemon was extraordinarily rare, with almost no confirmed sightings.
But… what was going on?!
Why was Raikou suddenly standing in their campsite?!
Professor Oak's mind raced, shock leaving him momentarily unable to react.
It wasn't until Ash spoke that he snapped back to reality.
"Professor Oak, we're back!" Ash said excitedly. "This is Raikou, and this is Fuyuki! He appeared together with Raikou and helped Serena and me!"
"Raikou… Fuyuki…"
Oak immediately fixed his gaze on the unfamiliar boy.
A thought surfaced in his mind, impossible to suppress.
Could this child be Raikou's Trainer?!
He noticed the boy was studying him with equal curiosity.
As an experienced professor, Oak quickly steadied himself.
He looked from Raikou, which appeared calm yet faintly impatient, to the mysterious child beside it, then bowed slightly in thanks.
"Thank you both for helping Ash and Serena. Your name is Fuyuki, correct? Hello, I'm Professor Oak. We're holding a summer camp here."
"Hello, Professor Oak," Fuyuki replied politely.
He glanced at his panel and, as expected, saw notifications flashing nonstop.
In just a short moment, Professor Oak had already generated 300 Shock Points, more than enough to show how shaken he was by Raikou's appearance.
And the notifications kept coming.
"Professor Oak, I want Fuyuki and Raikou to join us for the summer camp too!" Ash said eagerly.
"Join the camp?" Oak paused, then broke into a smile. "Of course. You're more than welcome."
Being able to observe a Legendary Pokemon up close was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If word of this got out in academic circles, countless scholars would be scrambling over each other just to claim a chance like this.