Meeting Elm and Birch (rewrite)

(Ash POV)

'School has started, and I gotta admit, this is way more interesting than elementary school from my previous life. The way they teach here is more like a college than anything else. The school is divided into two main parts. First, we have an advisory with Professor Oak, where we can ask him general questions. He also brings in special guests to teach us different topics.'

'Also we got put into advisories of 18 with me, Bianca, Cheren, Chloe, Dawn, Hilda, May, Paul, Rosa, Shauna, Silver, Tierno, Trevor, Wally, Yellow, Barry, Green, and Gary. Man all that's missing is us being called class 1A and a jealous rival class and we got ourselves a school life slice of life anime.'

'Now, about my progress. The required classes are pretty simple, even Pokémon Biology isn't that complicated. It's similar to the stuff I studied in college, like cellular biology and genetics. Pokémon Research hasn't brought up anything groundbreaking yet. Also, yes, Fairy-types and Mega Evolution are real. Thankfully, this isn't that alternate timeline where Nintendo ditched Megas just to push gimmicks.'

'Next, for electives, I chose to take were; battle studies from the Ace trainer department, move tutoring from the ranger department, and Pokemon research. And because I was asked to do it, care of Pokemon and Pokemon battling.'

'Now, onto my classmates. There've been some ups and downs. Paul and Silver mostly avoid talking to anyone. The only real interaction I've had with them was during Pokémon Battling class, and even then, it was mostly because Gary decided to approach them. The thers Wally and Yellow, they are more reserved, but I've managed to get friendly with them during Pokémon Care class, but it's hard for me to get more than a few words with them, as soon as class is over they are usually the first to ask Oak's Alakazam to send them back home'

'Bianca, Cheren, Chloe, and Trevor all became friends, (mostly due to Bianca) in Pokemon research class. I got to become friendly with Dawn, May, and Shauna in the care of Pokemon. I even met Tierno in the move tutoring class and he immediately became my friend when he found out I was interested in learning the dance moves like swords and dragon dance. And I got a bit more friendly with Hilda, Rosa, and became friends with Barry during Pokemon battling class.'

'So far, I've been learning a lot, though nothing too major. The most exciting thing coming up? Oak mentioned he's inviting two of his colleagues from other regions to come and teach us something, so that's going to be fun,'

As Ash finished thinking, he realized Gary had been talking to him, "So who do you think Gramps is bringing in as a guest speaker?" Gary asked with his arms behind his head, sounding bored. He didn't seem to expect much.

"I don't know," Ash said with a grin. "Maybe he's bringing in some researchers to convince you to go back down that path." Gary's eye twitched, "Wha-! You know that—" but was cut off as Rosa suddenly jumped into the conversation, pushing his face away "Hey! You guys talking about who's coming in? I want in on this!" she said excitedly as she put her finger on her chin to start thinking, "I think he'll bring someone from the Elite Four!"

"No no, I hope it's Wallace!" May exclaimed. Dawn and Shauna immediately nodded their heads in agreement, clearly just as excited.

Bianca pushed her way into the group with stars in her eyes. "I hope it's a Pokémon researcher, they're super cool!"

"I-I hope it's a Pokémon..." whispered Yellow softly, but no one heard her over the noise.

As the entire class erupted into chatter and debate over who the mystery guests might be, Oak entered the room and looked around at the lively scene, "Alright everyone, settle down," he said with a small smile. "As I'm sure you're all well aware, I'll be bringing in two guests as special speakers."

As he said that, the class quieted down a little, some kids still fidgeting in their seats, others rocking on their heels or whispering excitedly to their neighbors. Professor Oak continued, "I've invited my colleagues from other regions to speak about their research. As many of you know, I study the relationships between humans and Pokémon. But I'm certainly not the only professor out there! Please welcome Professor Elm from Johto, an expert on Pokémon breeding and evolution, and Professor Birch from Hoenn, who studies Pokémon habitats and regional differences." Two men entered the room, both holding bags and small cases filled with supplies. They looked friendly

Professor Elm is a man with short brown hair and gray eyes. He wears a pair of glasses, as well as a white lab coat with two pockets and a collared teal shirt. Professor Elm also wears brown pants with a black belt and brown shoes.

Professor Birch is a tall, large man with fair skin, dark eyes, short and slightly wavy brown hair, and a squarish face with a beard. He wears a navy blue T-shirt under a white lab coat, khaki shorts with a black belt, and tan sandals on his feet.

Elm cleared his throat, already looking a little shy in front of so many small, squirmy kids. "Ah, well, Professor Oak, I wouldn't say I'm the best at evolution, Professor Rowan could teach circles around me." He chuckled. "But yes, I am Professor Elm. I study Pokémon breeding, and I'm credited with discovering Pokémon Eggs! I also look into strange Pokémon abilities. And I actually brought an egg with me today," Elm said, pulling out a yellow egg with black markings near the bottom. "This one should hatch in just a few minutes."

That got the kids' attention. A few of them sat up straighter, or tried to. Barry ended up toppling off their chair with a quiet thump, before quickly sitting back up acting like nothing happened.

Elm smiled at their curiosity. "While we wait, I'll let Professor Birch introduce himself."

Professor Birch beamed. "Thanks, Elm! Hello, everyone! I'm Professor Birch, and I study Pokémon habitats and how the environment changes Pokémon, sometimes in small ways, and sometimes in big ways."

Some kids started whispering again. "Habitat? That's like... where they live, right?"

Birch chuckled and pulled out three Poké Balls. "I know it might sound boring, but let me show you why it's not." He released the Pokémon, and three very different-looking Wormadam appeared, one covered in leaves and grass, one wearing a sandy cloak, and one that looked like it had collected pieces of trash and metal.

"These are Wormadam," he said, pushing each one forward. "This one evolved near a grassy area..." he pointed to the leafy one, "...this one near rocks and sand..." he gestured to the sandy one, "...and this one near trash in a city."

Now the kids were clearly interested. Bianca raised her hand and asked, "Can I make a Bug Pokémon wear a dress if I want?"

Birch blinked. "Well, uh... sort of?" he answered. He reached into his bag again. "But wait, there's more!" He released two more Pokémon onto the desk, a regular Meowth and an Alolan Meowth with a sleek, dark-gray coat and a smug little grin.

Everyone in the class was surprised, one even blurted out, 'What's wrong with that Meowth?' but Birch chuckled, "Nothing's wrong," Birch said, chuckling. "This Meowth is from a different region with a totally different climate. See, even Pokémon we think we know really well can look and act completely different depending on where they're from, And here's the kicker," Birch said. "We still don't fully understand why this happens. Why some Pokémon change forms depending on their home, and how those changes affect their behavior, strength, and growth."

As the kids murmured among themselves, comparing the Meowths and pointing at the worm Pokémon like they were on a game show, Just then, the egg in Elm's hands began to glow. With a soft cracking sound and a burst of warm light, the egg hatched, revealing a small, yellow Pichu with oversized ears and wide, blinking eyes. The little Electric-type squeaked curiously and wobbled on its feet.

"Awwwwwwww!" a chorus of kids squealed, several clapping or bouncing in their seats. Even Paul's frown twitched into something less grumpy, "It looks so cute," Yellow mumbles softly" Can we pet it?" asked Green, practically vibrating. "I wanna name it!" yelled Barry.

Elm laughed as he gently cradled the newborn Pichu. "This is a Pichu, the baby form of Pikachu. It was this discovery that helped me confirm that Pokémon hatch from eggs and sometimes have earlier life stages," He looked at the curious faces around the room. "Now, I know it might seem simple. 'Pokémon lay eggs, they hatch, so what?' But understanding how Pokémon breed and where they come from is important. It helps us take better care of them, understand their growth, and even discover new species. Every tiny clue can lead to a big discovery."

Rosa raised her hand with a sparkle in her eyes. "Can we all get an egg to raise?" Elm and Birch both laughed. "Maybe one day when you're older," Elm said, smiling. "For now, let's start with understanding them. Elm continued, "You see, Pokémon don't need to be the same species to breed. They just need to be in the same breeding group. For example, a Rattata can breed with a Pikachu because they're both part of the Field breeding group. We've been researching this for years, and even now, there are still over a hundred Pokémon we don't fully understand when it comes to breeding." Some kids leaned in curiously, but a few others started to zone out, swinging their legs or whispering again.

Noticing this, Elm quickly shifted gears. "Now, what you all might find more interesting is this Pichu!" He gestured to the little yellow Pokémon still wobbling gently on the desk. "This Pichu is special. You see, there's something called Egg Moves, these are moves that Pokémon can only learn by inheriting them from their parents. This particular Pichu was bred from a very strong Raichu and Pikachu. Because of that, it knows a powerful move called Volt Tackle."

After that he started taking questions, most of the questions where little small ones, "What other moves does it know?" "Can I hold it?" "Can it shock someone?" "Can I have one?" then Ash raised his hand, and Elm pointed to him. "You said something about Egg Moves," Ash began, tilting his head. "If Pokémon are born from eggs like normal, then how come only some learn special moves like that?"

Elm paused for a moment, pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful question. "Well," he said with a sheepish chuckle, "if I'm being completely honest... I don't actually know. Sometimes, under rare conditions, Pokémon hatch with Egg Moves even if their parents didn't know them. And sometimes, they don't learn anything at all. That's part of why I study Pokémon breeding and eggs, there's still a lot we don't understand."

Ash nodded slowly, deep in thought, 'That still doesn't explain why Pikachu was able to use Volt Tackle once but never before, he thought to himself. Was he born with it? Or did he learn it some other way?' As he was thinking everyone else started asking more questions, "Can Pichu wear clothes?""Does it have teeth?""Can it talk?" Elm and Birch tried to keep up with the chaos, laughing and answering what they could. Even Pichu seemed overwhelmed, its big ears twitching as it looked around the room wide-eyed.

Finally, Professor Oak stepped in with a chuckle. "Alright, alright, that was very informative. Let's not overwhelm our guests, I'm sure Professors Elm and Birch need to return to their research.""Awwwww!" the class groaned in unison.Elm gave a small wave. "Thanks for having us, everyone! Keep asking questions!"Birch raised a hand high above his head. "Stay curious!"Even the tiny Pichu raised its paw and gave a squeaky little wave, which earned a round of delighted "Awwwws!" from the class.

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Hey what's your favorite Pokemon, Like un-ironically what is your favorite Pokemon, and no legendaries because everyone chooses Rayquaza.

Mine is Umbreon.