Turns out, Professor Oak did forget his promise with Nina. It took a while before Nina gathered up the courage to ask Bill about it. In part, because she did not want to be a nuisance, and also because she wanted to give the old man the benefit of the doubt.

In the end, the younger Professor just laughed at Nina’s anxieties and sent a casual email over to his senior as a reminder.

“My apologies Nina,” began the regretful Professor. “I got too preoccupied with other matters, and well… my memory isn’t what it used to be.”

Nina was currently in the school’s meeting room facing a laptop with Professor Oak on the other end of a video call. She had released Tini and Espy to keep her company, with Ms Roxy seated from across her to monitor the proceedings, not that the latter was strictly necessary.

“No worries, Professor, I understand that you’re a busy man. I’m just glad that you remembered me at all.”

Oak chuckled. “Of course I remember you, my dear. You wrote quite a memorable essay.”

Nina blushed, not expecting her shoddy writing to be brought up so suddenly. “You’re being too kind, Professor. I’m sure you’ve probably seen better work in your day. And speaking of, I just reread ‘The World of Pokemon’ in anticipation of today and it truly is a timeless classic.

“I wanted to ask — do you still stand by what you wrote about Pokemon battles being the purest expression of a bond between trainer and Pokemon?” She added, in a clumsy attempt to change the subject.

Professor Oak gave the girl a wry smile as he lightly shook his head. “No, as a matter of fact, I do not. We lived in a very different time back then, an age of great violence and bloodshed. That was merely my immature attempt to divert the people's ire to less destructive means of competition, by glorifying battles as a sport and denigrating the taking of lives as savagery.”

The Professor carried on to say that there are much more peaceful means of showcasing the bond between man and mon these days. “Mega Evolution is actually a great example of this. Without a strong bond between a trainer and their Pokemon, the phenomenon is simply impossible to achieve.”

“I’ve always wondered actually. Why is there a need for a Pokemon to link with a human to achieve Mega Evolution?” Nina asked, grateful that the Professor had so elegantly brought their conversation back on track.

“Ah, a very good question,” said Oak. “Previously you had speculated about the link between Mega and Alpha Pokemon. Now, the biggest difference between the two phenomena is that one is temporary while the other is permanent.”

The Professor explained that the temporary boost provided by Mega Evolution carries an immense mental strain on the Pokemon involved, hence why a failed Mega Evolution, more often than not, will result in said Pokemon going berserk.

“The link between a Mega Stone and their corresponding Key Stone helps to share that burden. But of course, that’s an oversimplification. In truth, we’ve found that there’s more to the connection than simply a mental one. The Mega Evolution process also deeply entwines the very being of the two parties involved.”

Nina tilted her head in confusion. “Do you mean it also connects a trainer and a Pokemon’s soul?”

Oak laughed out in amusement at the question. “The soul eh? I suppose that is one way of putting it. Souls are very abstract concepts after all, we know it exists but have no way of proving it. To be more specific, Mega Evolution also connects the aura and life force of trainer and Pokemon. To what extent? We do not know. Even Professor Sycamore who is the foremost expert of the field is still diligently conducting studies to unravel such mysteries.”

At this point, Nina chimed in with her own thoughts. “So that is to say, because the process of a Pokemon becoming an Alpha occurs gradually and over a much longer period of time, they can achieve empowerment wholly through their own means.

“But then what makes an Alpha Pokemon? Are there specific standards that need to be met to apply that label?” She asked.

Nina came to the realization that the games were never too specific outside of labeling Alphas as abnormally large Pokemon. Even the scientists of this world seemed to use fairly abstract means of identifying Alphas, mainly relying on the ‘feeling’ that a Pokemon gives off, or their aura.

“Another good question,” praised Oak. “I have a feeling that you’ll make an excellent researcher in the future. Knowing the right questions to ask is half the battle after all. Some people are so ignorant that they don’t even know what they’re ignorant about.”

The answer he gave to Nina’s question was less than satisfactory, however. “To be honest this is the biggest hurdle to our research into Alpha Pokemon. We are still unsure about the Alpha-fication process of Pokemon. Is it simply an accumulation of Type Energy? If so, then what makes it different from an Evolution? Or if it is Infinity Energy as you and so many others believe, at what point does that mutation occur?

“This is why you’ll find that most studies pertaining to Alpha Pokemon are simple dissections and observations of active Alphas as opposed to a study into the underlying phenomena.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“But surely your cousin over in Alola would have some insight,” argued Nina. “Professor Samson Oak is the foremost expert on Totem Pokemons. And those are pretty much Alpha Pokemon in all but name.”

Professor Oak laughed boisterously at Nina’s blatant call out. “Truthfully, I agree with your assessment,” he said with a wink. “Though don’t tell Samson I said that. He’s been out to prove everyone wrong as of late.”

“So it's true then?” Asked Nina. “Does that mean that the Alolan Trial Captains hold the secret to imbuing Pokemon with Infinity Energy?”

Oak hummed in consideration. “I wouldn’t exactly say that. They have specific means of training their Totem Pokemons, yes. Though I'm unsure if even the Captains understand the workings behind their methods. To my knowledge, it is highly reliant on their respective Island Legendaries.”

“So the secret lies with the Tapus then…” murmured Nina. “That’s very interesting. Thank you for entertaining my questions, Professor. I didn’t mean to pry too much into the secret traditions of Alola.”

“No worries,” laughed the old Professor. “It’s not that big of a secret. The Alolans are a very generous people. And the Tapus are some of the most well documented Legendary Pokemon due to how well integrated they are in human society.”

“Since we’re on the topic of Alola,” continued Nina. “How in Arceus did Alolan Vulpix develop an Ice Typing in a tropical environment of all places?”

The two continued on with their conversation for quite some time until Roxy had to step in and remind the two that the sun was setting and that they needed to shut down the school at some point.

“I’ll say. You are the most compelling child I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with, Nina,” said Oak, towards the end of their meeting. “If ever you have the chance, please stop by my laboratory in Pallet Town. It is nowhere near as impressive as Bill’s but I’m sure you’ll find it interesting all the same.”

“Thank you Professor, I’ll make sure to come visit if I’m ever in the area.”

***

“So how have you been, Nina?” Began Roxy as per the usual. Meanwhile the girl she was addressing was just slumped on the table of the restaurant they were at.

In a weird twist of fate, Nina’s teacher had invited her out for dinner after her call with Professor Oak. And Nina, being the cheapskate that she was, naturally said yes. Especially since the woman offered to pay.

“I’m just tired…” Responded the languid Nina.

“Is it really that bad? Can’t the Gym just hire more people?” Asked the teacher.

“I’m the only apprentice left. Violet, that miser, decided that we can manage with just two apprentices when Beverly was still around. Not to mention, there just weren’t any good candidates anyway.”

She also explained that hiring more Gym Trainers wasn't that simple since not every competent trainer was comfortable with showing off their figure. There’s no shortage of divas who aspire to be mermaid superstars of course, but whether or not they’re good with Pokemon is a whole other issue. Especially because these personality types tend to be quite narcissistic.

Roxy hummed. “Well, hopefully you find someone suitable among the minors this year. It was your idea, right? To allow more participants in the Little League?”

Nina groaned. “Yeah, but I’m gonna have to pull double duty to handle the logistics of the tests. I'm the one who’s actually setting the test questions, you know? Of course, the Sisters will do a final passthrough but I’ll be doing the bulk of the work.”

Roxy’s mouth gaped at Nina’s ridiculous statement. “You’re eight years old, Nina! I don’t care how smart you are. How could they make a child take on such a huge responsibility?!”

Nina shrugged. “It’s actually not that bad, just tedious. Bev’s mom is a lecturer working in the College. I reached out to her and she sent me some reference material that I just have to modify for the elementary level.”

The end result ended up being a bunch of Water Pokemon trivia and general trainer knowledge that even Beverly knew. In fact, she used her senior apprentice as the barometer for setting the difficulty of the test. Meaning, the testees will need to possess a fair bit of niche Water Type knowledge to pass.

“Isn’t that a little too advanced for other kids your age?” Asked the incredulous Roxy.

Nina was well aware that not every kid secretly had the brain of an adult, but she wanted someone competent, not just some random filler. Incompetent people tend to create more work than they take on and are simply not worth it.

“It’ll be fine,” assured Nina. “What about you Miss Roxy, how are you doing? Did you manage to find a boyfriend?”

The woman nearly spat out her drink at Nina’s brazen question. “That’s… an inappropriate question to ask you teacher, Nina. I think you might be spending too much time with the Cerulean Sisters.”

Nina giggled at Roxy’s response. “I mean we’re out of school right now so it should be fine. You know… if my mom never got better I would have supported your relationship with dad.”

Roxy choked and broke out coughing at Nina’s comment. But the girl just handed a napkin over to her teacher and continued speaking.

“I’m happy that mom got better. But at the same time, I also feel bad for you. Especially after all that you’ve done for me. I wouldn’t have been able to attend Professor Oak’s seminar and got to have that call with him earlier if it wasn’t for your nomination. So thank you Miss Roxy, I’ll make sure to pay you back some day.”

Roxy wiped her mouth and stared at the little girl in front of her with mixed emotions. After some deliberation, she decided that she couldn’t lose out in maturity to her own student, and a minor one at that. So she returned Nina’s sentiment with a smile and leaned in to stroke her student’s head.

“You’re very welcome Nina. I hope you can be a great explorer one day. And when you come home to visit, don’t forget old Roxy. I’m going to look forward to all the exciting stories you’ll share with me when the time comes.”

Roxy actually shared the same childhood dream as Nina. But unlike her student, Roxy was never a genius, nor did she share the same aptitude with Pokemon as Nina did. So she never made any strides in fulfilling her dreams, ultimately settling for a teaching job. “It’s like they say — if you can’t do, then teach. That’s my whole life’s story right there,” she thought, laughing deprecatingly at herself.

Nina did not know what her teacher was thinking about, but she could recognise the face of regret when she saw one. “You know Miss Roxy, it’s never too late to go on a journey. A stagnant pool needs to be churned to enable life. Don’t just let yourself rot away in discontent.”

Journeys were integral to the culture here in the Pokemon world, and it truly is never too late to go on one, despite the common starting point being in a person’s teenage years. In fact, a lot of the current reigning champions did not achieve any sort of greatness until their twenties, which meant they had been journeying all the while.

It’s also fairly common for a person undergoing a midlife crisis to just abandon everything and go on a journey of self discovery. Pokemon society was pretty accommodating of this fact and it wouldn’t be odd for these journeymen to be welcomed back into their old jobs with open arms upon their return. Something that would be unthinkable in Nina’s old world.

Roxy held Nina’s gaze, sensing the girl’s sincere concern lurking underneath. Then smiled wryly to herself. “Oh Roxy… To think the day would come where you need to be comforted by a child. What a failure of an adult you are.” She mused.

“Thank you for the encouragement, Nina,” responded the teacher. “You’re right, maybe I should venture out again one day. But for now, I’d like to put off any thoughts of journeying until you come of age. Someone has to keep you out of trouble after all,” she chuckled.

Nina beamed a bright smile at her teacher. “Yeap! Please don’t leave me yet, cause I won’t know what to do without your guidance, Miss Roxy.”

And with that, Nina and Roxy eventually left the restaurant feeling like they had developed a deeper bond with each other. One that goes beyond their status as teacher and student.