Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 16: Nothing Special, Just Psychic Powers

"Hello, Professor Oak!"

When Asahi arrived at the Oak Laboratory, he was greeted by a scene of chaos.

"You must be Asahi. Lance told me you'd be coming. Apologies, I can't properly greet you right now," Professor Oak said, looking frazzled.

"What's wrong? Maybe I can help," Asahi offered.

"Oh, right! You're with the International Police!" Professor Oak exclaimed, recalling Lance's words. "One of the Squirtles I prepared for new trainers has gone missing. Could you help find it?"

Hearing this, Asahi immediately thought of the brown-haired girl he'd just passed.

In the original story, Green had stolen a Squirtle from Professor Oak, naming it "Turtley."

With a suspect in mind, Asahi glanced around the lab and pointed to a corner. "Why not check the security footage?"

Professor Oak sighed. "The camera system's been sabotaged."

He brought up the feed, which was nothing but static.

Asahi wasn't surprised. Disabling security was standard practice for anyone committing a theft.

"Were there any other witnesses?" he asked, his eyes landing on two Poké Balls containing Bulbasaur and Charmander.

Pokémon in their balls could see their surroundings.

Following Asahi's gaze, Professor Oak froze. "You're not thinking of questioning them, are you...?"

To Professor Oak, the idea sounded far-fetched. Even if the Pokémon had seen the culprit, extracting useful information from their limited "language" seemed nearly impossible.

"Leave it to me!" Asahi assured him confidently.

Under Professor Oak's watchful eyes, Asahi released Bulbasaur and Charmander.

As soon as they were out, both Pokémon felt the calming aura of Asahi's Viridian power and instinctively approached him.

Patting their heads, Asahi said, "I need your help."

He then released Gardevoir and gestured for her to proceed. "It's your turn, Gardevoir. Use telepathy to communicate with them and sketch the suspect's likeness."

Nodding, Gardevoir levitated a pen and paper with psychic energy. Her eyes glowed blue as she linked her mind to Bulbasaur and Charmander.

Swish, swish, swish.

Within moments, a sketch appeared on the paper—a familiar figure wearing a mask.

It was the girl Asahi had seen earlier, Green. The mask she wore bore the symbol of the Masked Man's organization.

Asahi's expression darkened.

The Masked Man was no ordinary villain. As a Johto Gym Leader and leader of the Masked Group, Pryce wasn't someone to take lightly.

Fortunately, for now, the Masked Man's influence hadn't yet spread to Kanto, where Giovanni and Team Rocket held power.

[For once, I'm actually grateful Giovanni is around…]

Handing the sketch to Professor Oak, Asahi said nothing.

After seeing the drawing, Professor Oak slammed the table. "A thief?!"

Muttering complaints about the state of the world, he finally sighed, sinking into his chair. "Looks like I'll have to call the League to send another starter Pokémon."

For someone of Professor Oak's stature, requesting another starter Pokémon from the League wasn't difficult.

What truly irritated him, however, was the audacity of someone sneaking into his lab to steal a Pokémon.

"I just hope Squirtle is okay..."

The thought of a starter Pokémon, prepared for new trainers, falling into the wrong hands left Professor Oak deeply concerned.

"Don't worry..." Asahi reassured him.

If the thief was Green, then perhaps Squirtle might actually be better off than with some of the increasingly careless new trainers these days.

"In any case, thank you for your help this time!"

Professor Oak expressed his gratitude to Asahi.

---

With the matter of the missing Squirtle set aside for now, Professor Oak brewed a pot of tea and invited Asahi to sit and chat.

He was particularly curious about how Asahi had so easily gained the trust of Bulbasaur and Charmander.

Even though starter Pokémon were specially bred by the League to be friendly toward humans, most trainers still needed time to establish a close bond with them.

"Oh, it's nothing, just psychic powers."

Asahi didn't hide the truth and explained the effects of his Viridian power.

"I never imagined there could be such an incredible ability in the world!"

Hearing this, Professor Oak felt more reassured about the decision he had made earlier.

To be honest, when Lance first called him the day before to ask him to help a friend from the International Police maintain a cover identity, Professor Oak's initial reaction was to refuse.

He was well aware of the recent major incident involving the disappearance of the entire Kanto branch of the International Police, rumored to be tied to Team Rocket.

Although Professor Oak wasn't afraid of Team Rocket, as a pure researcher, he had no desire to involve himself in such matters.

What eventually changed his mind was hearing that Asahi had served as a forest ranger for an extended period.

"You were a ranger?" Professor Oak asked, looking at Asahi.

It was well-known that among the many public service roles in the League, forest rangers endured low pay, heavy workloads, and harsh working conditions. It was essentially a job fueled by passion and love for Pokémon.

Anyone willing to take on such a role was undeniably someone who deeply cared for Pokémon.

That was what convinced Professor Oak to lend a hand!

"That's right, for two and a half years. It was a memorable time."

Of course, it was only worth remembering—Asahi had no intention of returning to that job.

Asahi's reminiscing made Professor Oak recall his younger days, back when he and Agatha...

Cough, cough. Shaking his head to dispel those wandering thoughts, Professor Oak pulled out a recommendation letter and placed it in front of Asahi.

"I was planning to recommend you to Rainbow University as a temporary lecturer under the guise of a researcher. That way, Team Rocket wouldn't suspect your identity."

"But now, I have a different idea!"

"Would you consider becoming my assistant researcher?" Professor Oak asked, extending an invitation.

This idea had come to him on a whim after learning about Asahi's psychic abilities.

Interpreting what Pokémon wanted to express wasn't easy—it often required years of companionship and observation.

Even after all his years of research, Professor Oak couldn't communicate with Pokémon as effortlessly as Asahi. Misunderstandings and mishaps still happened frequently.

Asahi's abilities could change all that, greatly accelerating his research.

Professor Oak looked at Asahi with anticipation.

But he was destined to be disappointed...

"Sorry..." Asahi shook his head. "As an International Police officer, I have my duties."

Sure, Professor Oak was a legendary authority in Pokémon research, and countless people would line up for the chance to work as his assistant.

But why would Asahi give up the perks of being the sole officer in the Kanto branch of the International Police? No one to micromanage him, ample benefits, and all the free time he wanted. Becoming someone's assistant would only bring restrictions and responsibilities.

Hearing Asahi's rejection, Professor Oak felt a tinge of regret but understood. It was just a casual question, after all.

Thinking for a moment, he decided to help Asahi further.

"In that case..."