It's Prof. Oak not Prof. Okay. What is 'okay'? Can you eat it?

The sun was setting. Pidgey and spearow alike ceased their territorial squabbles with each other and migrating bird pokémon, newborn rattata or those still in eggs were killed by females of their species that weren't rearing young themselves, and hoothoots began to groggily stir in their nests. Aquatic life was different, as many species went off to sleep, even more woke up. Some never really 'slept' at all. For example, sharpedo position themselves in an oxygen-rich current so that their gills automatically breathe while their brain 'shuts off'. Fascinating. This is why Professor Oak decided to relinquish his Champion seat and start over as a pokémon researcher.

But Professor Oak didn't retire to be greeted with an infant, barely breathing from the hypothermia, at his doorstep when he came back from the corral. He quickly brought the little being inside, softly chanting 'shitshitshit' under his breath as he called over Officer Jenny from Viridian City and a Chansey from the corral. How did Alakazam's survey scans not notice the infant?

The next hours passed in a blur. From giving his statement to the officer to remembering that Alakazam was lent as aide and protection for Bill's trip to Kalos and the surveillance software was wonky because of the Porygon Project. Nurse Joy checked the infant over and did a paternity test. Apart from a weakened immune system, she was fine. However, nothing matched in her database, so she was requesting assistance from abroad. The only thing that he could recall with crystal clarity was the call Lilian made. He dazedly picked up the call from the Pokécenter's human ward, and both father and daughter were stunned.

He was holding a child in his arms, and she held up a positive pregnancy test.

"...Is there something you'd like to tell us, dad." Lilian broke the silence. They both ignored the quiet giggling of his son-in-law. "Something about, I don't know, a breakthrough in fertilization medicine."

"It's Assisted Reproductive Medicine," he corrected her. "And no, not in humans at least. I found her at my doorstep."

"You're a forty-something man approaching fifty," she said, incredulous. "In an environment of constant exposure to pokémon. You gave a bulbasaur to a ten-year-old once because it didn't vine whip his ass. Who had the bright idea?"

"Hey! I saved Kanto with Saur, you know?" Red grumbled next to her. "Also I was already the best in town!"

He twitched. It wasn't something he was proud of in retrospect, but now everyone wanted a starter for their prepubescent children, and the least he could do was stuff educational programs down their throat. "Blue is going to kill you."

"This isn't about me, it's about you two!" He cheerfully redirected the conversation. "Are you going to…?"

"No," he sighed. "My baby-rearing days are blissfully over. I have my hands full with the corral, sponsorship, and research. I'm not a reliable guardian. I'm running purely on caffeine and worry right now. I think I'll find a good family for her instead and try to visit her occasionally."

The father and daughter pair fell silent at that, with Red unsuccessfully suppressing his squirming at the uncomfortable silence. "I've forgiven you," she said. "It's good that you're aware, though."

He smiled sadly, trying for a chuckle. It was silent again save for the muted bustling of the hospital and the electric kettle going off behind Red, who took the opportunity to excuse himself and make tea.

"It's time." She couldn't look him in the eye. "The assignment is starting sometime after I recover from childbirth."

He didn't want to fight with her again. He was tired of fighting with her, so he asked: "Boy or girl?"

"It's too early to tell," Lilian rolled her eyes. "Something you should know."

"Caffeine and worry," he replied. "Caffeine and worry."

Red returned with two steaming mugs of tea. "If it's a girl we'll name it Daisy. Gary if it's a boy. What's hers?" He squinted at his stiff expression. "Uh, Professor Oak?"

"We had to give her a name, for registration purposes!" he rushed. "And they pushed the naming to me after I had an entire bowl of espresso? I can go back and change it. No worries."

Lilian pinched her nose. "You better pray that your grandchild is a boy, or Arceus help me."

"I couldn't have possibly known you chose Daisy instead of Marigold or Jasmine!" He protested. "It was five in the morning! It's like the world wants to hastily finish unholy business during those times! ...I did find her at one, though."

The pair on the screen sighed. "Go to sleep, professor. You'll have it easier when refreshed. Give her to the nurses to take care of."

As soon as Red said that, the infant began to whimper, and Professor Oak quietly begged her not to scream again, that she'd stay with him until he found a good place, and that'd he visit. Under the incredulous eyes of his daughter and son-in-law, the infant went back to sleep as if by magic.

"Did you just...concede to a baby?"

He grimaced. He had faced gigantic tentacruels, freshly evolved gyarados on rampages, and stopped a beserk mother tyranitar. But he caved in front of a baby's cry, and if he was honest, a bit flattered that he was her favorite person so far.

Lilian sighed. "Go to sleep with the baby next to you, and have Alakazam wake you up."

"But Alakazam is on a trip-"

"Do you have other pokémon or not?"

...it really was the sleep deprivation and caffeine. Give him a thesis to debate over any day.

---

"Sam," Agatha was calm, but Professor Oak knew better than believing in false hope. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

"I guess that's a no?"

With a glare, the aged woman thrust her index finger and thumb towards the camera, their distance not too far apart. It signified her shortening temper. "Have you forgotten my condition?"

He shook his head. As if her condition was forgettable in the first place. "It's a sad day that I trust more in Agatha Crowley than she in herself."

"Fuck off," she scoffed, but there was no real heat or iciness to it. "I'll help in your harebrained scheme."

"It's not a scheme!" He scowled back, offended. He ran his fingers through his greying hair as he ignored her cackling. "I'm just politely ambushing them with a moral purpose."

Arcanine snorted disbelievingly in the background, not taking his eyes off Daisy. She was oddly fascinated with the infant. Was it because she had never seen a human baby before? She took in her scent again. No change from before. She still smelled remarkably mature for a newborn.

---

A small infant girl in a non-descript onesie was playing with blue fire. She attempted to draw a smiley in the air, but the Rain Flames fizzled out before too long. Daisy wasn't in a life-threatening situation after all or being particularly willful.

"How long do you think I need to repeat the crying routine until he just adopts me?" She asked the Archive. "I'm so bored... Bored, I tell you!"

[I do not have the resources to make a reliable prediction, as I haven't established any connection with the world yet. Keep it up, host! Think of this as an opportunity to impress the Quest Giver with your tenacity and overturn his image of agents!]

"I think I lost control of my bowels."

[...]

"Again, I'm a baby. What did you expect?"