Chapter 4

The stadium's filled to the brim. Fans shouting out excitedly at the battle they witnessed between titans of the Pokémon world.

Jack stood in the middle of the arena, waving at fans before being crown the new champion. It was a spectacular battle, but Jack came out victorious.

"Jack! We love you, Jack!" He hears the female fans shout to him. Jack winks at them, and they scream louder.

Suddenly, the clouds parted, and a ray of light shined down on him. A large white equine Pokémon with golden hooves floats down to him.

Arceus, known as a Pokémon God, approaches him and says in a booming voice, "Jack. You have proven to be a true Pokémon Master. I, Arceus, name you the Supreme Champion of the Pokémon world."

The crowd explodes in applauds as they start chanting, "Jack! Jack! Jack! Jack!"

xxx

Jack wakes up, looks around him, and sighs.

"A man can dream." He says, then looks around again. Jack sees he's in an unfamiliar room with yellowish cream-colored walls. With a groan, he sits up, feeling achy all over. The room he was in had large windows and blue-tiled floors with lab equipment all over the place. His backpack was on the table next to him.

Getting up from the sofa where he lay, Jack grabs his backpack to check on the egg. Taking out the incubator, he sighs in relief, seeing it is okay.

Storing it again, Jack looks out the windows to see if he could spot anything that would help him identify where he is.

Before him was a wide-open grass plain with trees and ponds dotted throughout, with dozens of different Pokémon scattered around.

Jack looked back at the room, which looked like a lab. That plus the Arcanine and Jack guess he's at Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pallet Town.

'That Arcanine has to be Oak's.' Jack thinks to himself. There was no way a Pokémon of that caliber was anything other than one from a person like Oak. It was a powerhouse at Deep Gold potential, as expected from a former Pokémon Champion.

Jack was sure this was the perfect place to start as a Pokémon trainer, especially if he could get Oak to give him a Pokémon.

While Jack has his egg, he'd be a fool not to try getting one of the three starters Pokémon Oak usually gives out to new trainers. Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander are all excellent Pokémon that have powerful evolve forms.

Jack doubts that he gives them to just anybody, though. There must be some test or process that Oak puts people through, for there can't be that many Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander out there.

Hearing the door open, Jack turns around the sees the man himself. Standing at average height with dark eyes and graying hair wearing a lab coat is Professor Samuel Oak.

Seeing Jack, Oak said, "Oh good, you're awake. You had me worried there for a bit."

Deciding to play dumb, Jack says, "Oh hello, can you tell me where I am, please?"

Oak smiled at him. "You're in my research laboratory. My name is Professor Samuel Oak, Pokémon Professor, and researcher. My Arcanine brought you here early this morning. From the look of it, you got attacked by some wild Pokémon."

Deciding how he wanted to play this, Jack nodded, "Yes, that's true. My name is Jack Taylor, I'm 16, and I'm from Viridian City. I was headed here to Pallet Town, wanting to be a Pokémon trainer, but on the way, I got attacked by Spearow." He said half-truthfully.

"Really? Well, I'm glad my Arcanine helped you. The Spearow around Pallet Town can be quite troublesome, especially when they have a Fearow leading them." Oak said to him, then followed it up. "Now about becoming a trainer, you're the right age, but you're a little early. I don't usually hand out starter Pokémon for another few months, though I have to ask if you're from Viridian, why didn't you go to the gym instead of traveling here?"

Jack answers. "I have a Pokémon egg that I'm waiting for to hatch, but I wanted to see if I could get a starter to train right away. I was going to go to the Viridian Gym, but I heard the Gym Leader is... Unpleasant. I then learned about the starter Pokémon you usually give out and wanted to see if I have a chance for one of them."

Oak frowns in thought, "Yes, I see. Giovanni isn't the most welcoming of individuals."

Then he brightens, "Well, I do have a test that I usually give to prospective trainers to see how qualified they are. If you like, you could take it, and we'll see where we go from there. But first, how about some food. You must be hungry after the ordeal you went through."

Jack smiles and says, "That would be wonderful, thank you, Professor."

Oak waved off his thanks, "No problem at all, lad. Now let's eat, shall we? Afterward, I can also check your egg to make sure it's healthy."

Jack nods, picks up his backpack, and follows the Professor out of the room.

As Jack follows Oak through the building, he sees many people he believes to be Oak's assistants. Some were gathered around different lab equipment, while others worked on computers, so engrossed in their work that they didn't notice the two walk by them.

Arriving at the kitchen, they take a few premade sandwiches and sit at the table.

Before eating, Jack takes out his egg and shows the Professor. Oak looks over the white egg with blue spots and sees it's in perfect condition. Oak asks Jack how he acquired the egg, as he recognizes the coloring from his research and knows of the Pokémon inside.

Jack then explains he received the egg from a family friend from another region. A weak excuse, to be sure, but he couldn't think of a better one to use in the short time he had.

Thankfully, the Professor took it at face value and didn't question him on it. They then started eating.

During their lunch, Jack and the Professor had an interesting discussion about various topics revolving around Pokémon. Jack tried his best to impress Oak with his knowledge, hoping it would help his chances of receiving a Pokémon from the former champion.

As time went by, Jack relaxed and started to enjoy the conversation. Oak, as expected, was a fountain of knowledge when it came to all things Pokémon. But Jack, not to be outdone, kept up with him the whole time, remembering all the facts he practically memorized as a kid.

Before they realized it, hours passed. They were so engrossed by the discussion they were having that time flew by in a heartbeat.

When Oak looked up at the clock on the wall and saw the time, he said, "My goodness, is that the time? We've been talking here for hours."

Oak chuckled to himself and said, "Well, I don't think my test is necessary at this rate. I haven't had such a fascinating conversation in years. I think you're more than qualified to start your life as a Pokémon trainer."

Oak was honestly impressed. It felt like he was speaking to one of his fellow Professors and not a 16-year-old boy.

But what was more impressive was the passion Jack had while talking about Pokémon. Oak saw the drive Jack had to be a great trainer, wanting to go out and explore the world to its fullest. To train and battle Pokémon against the best, there was out there. It reminded him of himself when he was that age, making Oak nostalgic about his past, back when it was him, and his Pokémon against the world.

Coming out of his thoughts, Oak heard Jack say enthusiastically, "Really? That's amazing! Thank you so much, Professor."

Jack was ecstatic. Soon he'll be able to start his journey as a Pokémon trainer.

"Your welcome. Now, why don't you get washed up while I get everything ready? One of my assistants can show you the way to the bathroom, cause no offense, but you smell a little ripe." Oak said, then chuckles.

Jack agrees, and they part ways, Jack to the bathroom, while Oak, who knows the perfect Pokémon for Jack, goes to talk to an old friend.

After having an assistant show him to the bathroom, Jack showers and washes all the dirt from the forest away. As Jack stands under the hot water, he feels all the aches and pains from his adventure disappear.

Refreshed, Jack dresses in one of his spare outfits, which consists of a white shirt, dark pants, and a blue hoodie. After putting his shoes back on, he heads out to find the Professor.

Asking around, Jack is informed that Oak would meet him outside, so he exits the lab and sees what could only be described as death incarnate standing next to Professor Oak.

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Author Note:

The next chapter should be up in a day or two.