Ash's eyes widened as he took in the sheer scope of Professor Oak's lab.

Everywhere he looked, there was something that begged for attention.

The giant monitor displaying a detailed map complete with Pokémon migration patterns dominated one wall.

Ash's gaze wandering over to a row of complex-looking equipment and rows of shelves crammed with tech and books.

"Impressive, isn't it, my boy?" Professor Oak beamed.

Ash, still trying to absorb everything, turned to Oak with a curious tilt of his head. "Professor, can I ask you something?" He glanced around to make sure they were alone.

"What is it?" Oak inquired, adjusting his glasses.

"What exactly do you do here?" Ash asked, aiming to unravel one of his childhood mysteries about what exactly a Pokémon Professor did all day.

Professor Oak's smile briefly faltered, replaced by a look of confusion.

"I am sure my book, 'Bond: Man and Mon,' is part of the standard curriculum in Kanto," he stated, somewhat taken aback.

Panic swept through Ash like a whirlwind. 'Fuck, you dumbass, you couldn't check before saying shit like that,' he berated himself internally.

His face flushed a deep shade of pink as he frantically searched his brain for a salvage plan.

'Look, look, it's not like Professor Oak is going to suspect us just because we are ignorant on a topic,' he reasoned with himself, trying to quell the rising anxiety.

'Ahem, Tier 10, aced the written exam! Say something,' his inner voice urged him.

'What?' Ash thought, almost ready to blurt it out loud.

'Anything,' his mind hissed in desperation.

"O-Oh, P-Professor, y-y-you wrote that book? That's amazing! I-I-I didn't know that. Could you tell me more?" he stumbled through his words, trying desperately to cover his tracks.

Perhaps Professor Oak was giving him a break, or maybe he actually bought Ash's hurried flattery—which Ash seriously doubted. Oak raised three fingers and began, "My lab primarily focuses on ethology, anthrozoology, and behavioral ecology."

Seeing Ash's blank expression deepen with each scientific term, Oak couldn't help but chuckle.

"My boy, try to read more. A good trainer is a knowledgeable trainer," he advised, his tone light but firm.

Ash nodded earnestly, mentally preparing to add 'read books' to his to-do list.

"Let me break it down for you," Oak continued, warming up to the topic. "Ethology is the study of pokemon behavior in natural conditions—like observing how Pikachu behaves in the wild. Anthrozoology deals with interactions between humans and pokemon—like how trainers bond with their Pokémon. And behavioral ecology? It's about how animals behave in response to their environment—like why some Pokémon migrate and others don't."

"So, it's all about understanding Pokémon on a deeper level, right?" Ash ventured, hoping he got it right.

"Exactly, my boy!" Oak exclaimed.

"Any more questions?" Professor Oak asked, noticing Ash's hesitation.

Ash gulped, gathering the courage to voice his thoughts.

"Professor, this might be a stupid question, but may I still ask?"

"My boy, a question is never stupid; it's merely a stepping stone to greater knowledge," Professor Oak reassured him with a warm smile.

Professor Oak didn't judge Ash for his ignorance, even though the boy was a Tier 10 and had aced the written exam. That didn't mean he expected Ash to be some kind of academic genius, especially since the written test was designed to be accessible rather than overly academic—even if Oak sometimes wished it could challenge the trainers more.

The concern in Oak's eyes wasn't due to Ash's lack of knowledge, but rather the fear and panic that flashed across the boy's face as he scrambled to cover his ignorance. To Oak, it was troubling because it suggested Ash felt pressured to know everything just because he was Tier 10.

'This isn't healthy,' Professor Oak thought with a sigh, placing a comforting hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Before you ask your question, remember, every opportunity is a learning point. So what if you didn't know what I do? So what if you think your question might seem silly? Is it because you're a Tier 10?"

Ash nodded slightly, his anxiety visible.

"My boy," Oak continued, his voice gentle yet firm, "being Tier 10 isn't the end-all, be-all. It doesn't make you some sort of deity. Take it at your own pace. Make yourself better. That test was just the starting line. No one expects you to know everything, but at the same time, no one wants you to stay ignorant. So, ask away."

Ash couldn't help but feel a wave of relief mixed with gratitude.

Ash thought, 'I wish you had been my teacher back on Earth. Maybe then, I wouldn't have always kept my hands down, even when I had a question, all the way through university.'

"Alright then," Ash said, his voice steadier.

"Can you tell me how the study of behavior affects society?"

Professor Oak nodded, clearly pleased.

"That's a good question, my boy. Pokémon and humans are intrinsically linked to each other, you see this in all parts of society. Let's take the example of air taxis."

Ash looked puzzled. "What?"

"Oh, it looks like you've never been on an air taxi," Professor Oak said, remembering Ash's lower middle-class background. "Well, air taxis are vehicles that use flying Pokémon to carry them around."

Ash's eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of seeing one in real life, remembering some fan art of an air taxi he had seen on Twitter. Even though he had lost interest in the Pokémon franchise around the X and Y games, he still came across Pokémon stuff from time to time—it was, after all, the biggest franchise in the world.

"Where was I?" Professor Oak mused, momentarily losing his train of thought.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Taxis," Ash prompted, eager to keep the explanation going.

"Ah, yes, taxis," Oak continued. "So, when you look at air taxis, you can see the relationship between Pokémon and trainer. Their livelihood depends on each other—the Pokémon is responsible for the flight, while the human is responsible for directions and tending to the customer."

Ash nodded in understanding.

"Now, imagine if the human and Pokémon have some kind of disagreement, for one reason or another. Their business is affected. But if the human knows what to do in that situation, the business is saved. I'm sure you get the gist of the importance of behavior between man and 'Mon. Every part of society shows how humans and Pokémon depend on each other, and the studies we do here are important to help improve that relationship."

Ash nodded again, his understanding deepening. He was beginning to see his role in all this and why Professor Oak was willing to sponsor him.

Language was a gateway to understanding.

"If I helped develop a lexicon that helped Pokémon and humans understand each other better, then I could improve the relationship between Man and 'Mon and make society better," Ash considered the impact of such an endeavor.

"Holy shit!"

"Indeed," Professor Oak said, causing Ash to cough into his fist.

"So, how do we do this?" Ash asked, curious about the next steps.

He watched as the old professor pulled out a notebook and flipped it open to a marked page, handing it to him.

Ash paused, his eyes catching the cute Japanese kanji mixed with English text in the notebook. He chuckled lightly, a bit amused by the sight.

"What is so funny?" Professor Oak asked, peering curiously at Ash.

"Nothing, I just thought it's strange that you wrote down some scribbles in Japanese and some in English," Ash explained, pointing to the notebook.

Oak looked confused at the mention of "Japanese" and "English."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"This," Ash pointed to the Japanese kanji. Oak leaned in closer and then chuckled softly. "That's just me doodling the word 'consciousness.' I forgot its spelling," he admitted, his cheeks tinting with embarrassment.

Ash's jaw dropped as he watched the Japanese kanji seemingly melt away to reveal the word 'consciousness,' albeit misspelled as 'conshiousness.'

"What did I just watch? Did those letters just..." Ash's eyes widened with fear and confusion.

"My boy, what's wrong?" Oak asked with concern, grabbing Ash's shoulders.

"Professor, r-r-remember what Abra said about my soul being strong?" Ash stammered.

Oak nodded, indicating he remembered.

"I think I perceive language differently," Ash confessed, still trying to make sense of what he'd seen.

"What do you mean?" Oak probed further.

"I just saw your kanji melt into letters," Ash explained.

Oak, usually skeptical, found himself taking Ash's claim seriously—after all, Ash had already proven to be an enigma.

If Ash does perceive language differently, Oak wondered, could this affect the development of the Pokémon lexicon? He quickly wrote a few words in his notebook and showed them to Ash.

"Can you read these?" he asked, eager to test this further.

Ash nodded, confirming he could read them. Oak pursed his lips, his mind racing with hypotheses.

"How can I test this?" Oak muttered, trying to isolate the variable that triggered this phenomenon. He then wrote down the word 'Ash-Bash-Dash,' mixing in some kanji. "Tell me this word," he instructed.

"It's kanji, I can't read kanji," Ash replied. Oak covered the words 'Bash' and 'Dash,' focusing Ash's attention on 'Ash.' Suddenly, clarity dawned in Ash's eyes, only to be replaced by shock as Oak removed his finger.

"What do you see?" Oak asked, intensely curious.

"Ah! I see the word 'Ash' and then two kanjis," Ash said, his anxiety spiking.

"My boy, can you write down any jibberish word in how you perceive this unique language of yours?" Oak asked, his curiosity peaking.

Ash wrote down 'Bleithsgah.'

"Well?" he asked, eager to know if Oak perceived it as Japanese, English, or whatever the local language of Kanto was.

But Oak's expression went blank, his eyes reflecting a storm of thoughts. Something significant was unfolding, and Oak needed a moment to process it all.

"Professor?" Ash asked worriedly.

In a flurry of sudden energy, Professor Oak rushed to a shelf and started hurling books to the floor, searching frantically for something.

He pulled out a box, blew off the dust, and opened it to reveal an ancient parchment.

He handed it to Ash with a look of anticipation.

Ash unfolded the parchment, but his expression quickly turned to confusion—it was just a recipe.

He glanced up at Oak, who was staring at him expectantly.

"I think it's a good recipe?" Ash ventured, as confused as ever.

Oak's face fell blank, his breathing quickened in what looked like a mix of excitement and distress.

"Professor," Ash said, concern edging his voice as he helped the older man sit down and handed him a glass of water.

"Professor Oak, should I call the hospital or...?"

"What does that parchment say?" Oak interrupted, his voice urgent.

"It's a recipe," Ash repeated, watching as a chuckle escaped Oak's lips.

"I wasn't wrong," Oak murmured, more to himself than to Ash.

"Professor, what is going on?" Ash asked, half-wondering if the old man had lost his mind.

"Ash, my boy, that parchment in your hand is a gift from my student who was excavating ruins. That parchment is written in a language lost to time, the language of the ancients, the language that was used by the first civilizations of humanity, the language of Unknown," Oak explained, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Unknown, like the Pokémon?" Ash asked, his mind racing to connect the dots.

Oak nodded. "Yes, exactly."

Ash scratched his head, puzzled.

'The first civilizations in the pokemon world spoke English?' he thought.

"Can you write me down the recipe?" Professor Oak asked, his curiosity piqued. Ash shrugged, not seeing what the fuss was about, and quickly jotted down the translation for Oak.

Within a few minutes, Oak had the translated copy in his hands.

Oak read the recipe over and over, his brow furrowing deeper each time, until he finally stopped and looked up at Ash.

"My boy, what kind of trainer do you want to be?"

Ash paused, the question catching him off guard.

There are different types of trainers? he wondered, making a mental note to grab some books later—he realized he was severely ignorant about the world around him.

"I think I would be like a trainer that battles and travels from town to town," Ash said, his mind filled with images of adventure and exploration, much like Ash Ketchum from the anime or Red from the manga.

"A field type trainer, eh," Oak muttered to himself. He then looked directly at Ash with a serious expression.

"I am willing to give you an upfront of 40 no, 50k no, 100k Pokédollars if you help me create a translated lexicon for this language, and I'll..."

Ash could hear the desperation in Oak's voice as he asked, "Professor, what's the big deal about this?"

Oak took a deep breath and asked, "What do you know about the ancient civilizations?"

"Nothing," Ash replied honestly.

"Well, the current year is 1996. Do you know what marks the year 0?" Oak probed further.

"Jesus Christ," Ash said without hesitation.

"Who?" Oak replied, genuinely confused.

Ash blinked, a realization dawning on him. Oh shit, Jesus doesn't exist in this world. Weird, he thought, watching Oak shake his head.

"No, what marks year 0 is called the Great Abandonment. Before year 0, there were numerous civilizations across the world, all protected by a type of Pokémon we call Legendary Pokémon," Oak explained, his voice filled with a mix of awe and solemnity.

Ash's eyes widened as Oak continued, "Each civilization worshiped these Legendary Pokémon as their gods, basing many religions on them. But in the year 0, every single Legendary collectively disappeared as if humanity was abandoned by the pantheon of gods that protected them. After year 0, those civilizations fell to ruin as humanity struggled to save themselves from the wild Pokémon around them, which were much stronger and more dangerous. After year 0, humanity turned from civilizations of nations to small tribes living and hiding."

Ash was practically sucked into the history lesson, hanging on every word.

"Do you know what the common denominator of all those civilizations was?" Oak asked, his eyes intense.

"Language of the Unknown," Ash replied, piecing together the clues.

Oak nodded, pleased with Ash's quick understanding.

"Exactly, my boy. If we can unlock this language, perhaps we can uncover secrets lost to time. That's why this is such a big deal."

Professor Oak looked at Ash, who now understood the gravity of their discovery, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"First the Pokémon lexicon, and now the unknown lexicon," Ash said with a giggle.

"Indeed, my boy, it's a lot, but I am willing to pay you whatever amount you think is appropriate for your time and efforts. And I can't stress this enough, my boy, you have the power to change the world," Oak said earnestly.

Ash nodded, his mind racing.

Okay, I really need to understand the value of Pokédollars if I want to make this deal worth something that could be beneficial for me.

As they say, money talks.

"Professor, I am willing to help you, and as for the money, we can discuss it later," Ash responded.

"Thank you, my boy," Oak said with heartfelt gratitude.

But before he could continue, the sharp sound of electricity slicing through the air made Ash jump.

Oak, unfazed, smiled a bit too widely. "Firstly, let us test out a few hypotheses about your ability to talk to Pokémon while I think of how to approach the language of the Unknown," he suggested.

Ash nodded, still a bit startled, as another thundering boom echoed around them.

"Looks like our test subject is quite eager. Wouldn't you say, my boy?" Oak said, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"What?"