Chapter Sixteen: Dr. Giantwood

"Kid, you're a Grass-type trainer too. I used to have three students, but they've all graduated and moved on..." Elder Wenye hinted further.

"I'm not exactly a professional Grass-type trainer... Have you already given your Leaf Stone to your students?" Am was a bit disappointed.

Elder Wenye: ...

After all this conversation, Am still seemed to think Elder Wenye's worth was simply "a Leaf Stone."

"I only acquired the Leaf Stone recently! And... if my students can't even find a Leaf Stone on their own, then they're not graduating—they're being expelled!" Elder Wenye emphasized.

Am breathed a sigh of relief...

Elder Wenye saw Am's relief and couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated...

So you only care about the Leaf Stone?

Was my hint not clear enough?

"Pfft." Misty couldn't help laughing.

Elder Wenye immediately glared at her, and Misty reminded, "Am! This master of Grass-types is probably trying to take you as his student!"

"Huh?" Am was startled, unprepared for this.

In this world, the "master-apprentice relationship" is no longer strictly observed and is more like a "teacher-student" dynamic. It's not unusual for trainers to study under several gym leaders or have multiple teachers...

Only in secluded tribes or ancient traditions might there still be formal apprenticeships.

But Am was still unprepared, and more importantly—

Am had his own plans!

First, he found the abilities granted by the Divine Path very effective and was more inclined to explore that direction;

Second, while Grass-type was one of the specialties Am would focus on in the future, he was far from being a pure Grass-type trainer, so Elder Wenye's teachings might not suit him.

That was the long-term view; in the short term, Am's current goal for advancing along the Divine Path was to win the Newcomers Tournament. He couldn't afford to spend years learning under Elder Wenye.

"So... sir, I think learning through travel and practice suits me better," Am politely declined.

Elder Wenye: !!!

Misty: ???

Not only Elder Wenye, but Misty also looked at Am in surprise—normally, no one would pass up such an opportunity, right?

Though the academic and traveling schools differ in their approaches, if a true master offers to take you as a student, that overrides both!

"Kid, I possess the Power of Viridian!" Elder Wenye glared at Am.

"Well... innate talent isn't the key, I think. Some special gifts might let me more easily reach the rank of Elite Trainer, but to go further, it depends on my own heart," Am replied reasonably.

Elder Wenye: ...

At first, Elder Wenye thought Am was joking with him using his own words, but...

Then he sensed the confident aura radiating from Am, and his expression gradually softened, until—

"Ha ha ha... Good! You have spirit!" Elder Wenye suddenly laughed.

With that hearty laughter, Am found his face even more familiar!

"Professor Oak?" Am murmured softly.

"Hmm? You know my younger brother?" Elder Wenye said as he pulled out a pair of super-cool goggles and put them on.

"You and Professor Oak..." Am showed a look of surprise.

With the change in attire, Elder Wenye instantly looked half like Professor Oak, and his smile and laughter were even more alike!

"Wenye is just a name others call me. My real name is Giant Oak. Besides being a Pokémon trainer, I guess I can be considered a professor as well," Giant Oak said, taking off his leafy accessories and donning his glasses.

Am now understood: the Oak family, though far less imposing than the Junsha or Joy families, had produced many professors too...

In the anime, there was also a Professor Oak in the Alola region, jokingly called "Alola-Form Professor Oak," but actually a cousin of Kanto's Professor Oak—Samson Oak, also known as Professor Samson.

"I see, what a coincidence! My Bulbasaur was given to me by Professor Oak," Am quickly tried to establish rapport.

"Then your Pokémon are registered with Oak, right? I'll contact him and transfer them to my lab... It's good you have your own convictions, but you don't need to stay here if you prefer to travel. I don't live in Mapleleaf Town all the time, just visit occasionally.

I can help you plan your journey, and send you some study materials... Heh, it's just recordings I made for my previous students anyway." Giant Oak seemed genuinely optimistic about Am.

But hearing this, Am felt a bit uneasy—for the simple reason that he wasn't purely a Grass-type trainer!

Transferring his Pokémon's storage to Giant Oak's lab would inevitably mean "checking his homework," and that couldn't be hidden...

"Um..."

Seeing Am's hesitation, Giant Oak grew impatient: "What is there to hesitate about?"

"No, no, Professor Giant Oak, it's not hesitation... It's just, I'm not a pure Grass-type trainer. In fact, if you count my specialties, I'm actually more adept at Ghost, Fairy, and Dark-types," Am hurriedly explained.

Giant Oak: ...

With the exaggerated goggles, Am couldn't tell what expression Giant Oak wore.

Misty, on the side, looked at Am in surprise—Ghost and Fairy are both rare top-tier types!

"Not Grass-type oriented? Then... why did you have those insights earlier?" Giant Oak asked, more calmly than Am expected.

"I'm interested in Grass, Ground, and Poison-types... Plus, I'm a Level 1 Potion Master, so I started my trainer career with Grass-types..."

Am spoke plainly, but Misty glanced sideways, sensing a strong "Versailles style"—the Versailles Castle in the Kalos region is southwest of Lumiose City, and before the League era, was synonymous with decadence and luxury.

Giant Oak's eyes behind the goggles flashed with excitement: "I see... Ground, Fairy, and Grass-types..."

Clearly, he was reminded of Am's earlier insights, realizing they weren't just about the essence of Grass-type power!

"That's perfect. I have some hypotheses about whether the Power of Viridian is an extension of Grass-type energy. Would you like to assist me? Of course, you only need to follow my plan for a few key steps during your journey, you don't have to stay here." Giant Oak invited Am again.

This time, Am readily agreed and corrected his address: "That would be wonderful! I'm honored to receive your guidance, Professor Giant Oak."

"Good, let me give you a Pokémon—a very rare one... Though I haven't trained it personally, it won't be easy for you to fully tame it." Giant Oak said, taking out a Poké Ball.

Am could guess what it might be, but still hoped it might be a pseudo-legendary—though he knew, it was probably a Grass-type.

——

Note 1: "Professor Giant Oak" isn't entirely original; he appears in Pokémon Home as a Pokémon professor specializing in storage and transfer. The author here borrows the "shell" to enrich the character.

Note 2: Lumiose City is modeled after Paris, and Versailles is southwest of Paris. The old town where Versailles Castle stands is also southwest of Lumiose, so the author uses "Versailles style" to represent the Pokémon world's equivalent of "Versailles literature"—the name itself is an Easter egg from the game's translation.