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After speaking with Delia, the three of them left the house and headed toward Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Although they had been traveling all day, both Misty and Brock were still excited about visiting Professor Oak's Laboratory because of its legendary reputation.
They set off with Ash, and the Laboratory wasn't far from his home—just a few minutes' walk away.
Upon arriving at the entrance, Ash pressed the doorbell and waited by the door.
"This is Professor Oak's Laboratory? It looks more modest than I expected." From the outside, Professor Oak's Laboratory appeared quite plain and unassuming.
"This is just the exterior. Behind the entire Laboratory complex is an area no smaller than Viridian Forest. Professor Oak prefers to invest his resources in creating better environments for Pokémon!"
Ash explained while waiting for Professor Oak to answer.
"That's incredible!" Misty was genuinely surprised. A place the size of Viridian Forest would take an ordinary person several days to traverse if they didn't know the way.
Even someone familiar with the paths would need at least a full day to cross it in a straight line. If you considered the entire range of Viridian Forest, estimating its true scope would be nearly impossible—it was vast beyond measure.
"Professor Oak truly is remarkable. If I could communicate with him, I'd definitely learn so much valuable knowledge!"
Brock was equally excited. As an aspiring Pokémon Breeder, the most important thing was understanding Pokémon. Communicating with a renowned Pokémon Professor like Professor Oak would surely provide invaluable experience.
BEEP!!
"This is Professor Oak's Laboratory. Who's there?" A voice soon crackled through the intercom.
"Professor, it's Ash!"
"Oh?! Ash! You're back! Just give me a moment—I'll open the door right away!" Professor Oak sounded pleasantly surprised to hear Ash's voice.
After his response, the door mechanism activated with a mechanical hum, and the gate swung open automatically.
Seeing this, Ash pushed the door wider and led Misty and Brock inside. Beyond the entrance was a long walkway with stairs leading up to the main Laboratory building.
"Let's go!" Ash closed the gate behind them, then gestured for the other two to follow. They quickly reached the building's entrance, and Ash opened the door and stepped inside.
"Professor, we're here!" Ash called out as they entered the Laboratory. He spotted Professor Oak descending the stairs.
"Ash! It's been a while! And Pikachu looks as energetic as ever!"
Professor Oak approached to greet them, reaching out to gently pat Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. Pikachu smiled and nuzzled against his hand affectionately.
These days, Pikachu was no longer as wary of strangers as it had been in the beginning, which made Professor Oak feel satisfied. Giving Pikachu to Ash had definitely been the right decision.
"Hello, Professor Oak! My name is Brock!"
"And I'm Misty!" Brock and Misty politely introduced themselves.
"Hello to both of you! Welcome to my Laboratory. Oh? Is that a Togepi? How wonderful and rare!"
After greeting them, Professor Oak's eyes lit up with surprise when he noticed the Pokémon cradled in Misty's arms.
"Togepriiii~~~"
Togepi radiated its usual boundless energy, perhaps because it was still so young.
"You know about Togepi, Professor Oak?" Misty asked with curiosity.
"Indeed I do! However, Togepi is an extremely rare Pokémon. Many people even believe it's a Pokémon that doesn't belong to this world. This one must have hatched recently!"
Professor Oak explained, leaning down to get a better look at Misty's Togepi and playfully wiggling his finger at it.
"Doesn't belong to this world?" Misty murmured quietly to herself, pondering the mysterious statement.
"And what about this little one?" Professor Oak then straightened up and glanced at the top of Ash's head.
"This one? I picked it up on the road!" Ash tilted his head slightly and responded with a teasing tone.
"Puff~~~"
Jigglypuff puffed out its cheeks indignantly at that comment, and Professor Oak chuckled. He was aware that Ash had a limit of six Pokémon registered to his team.
He hadn't seen Jigglypuff before, which meant Ash hadn't officially caught it yet. Otherwise, he would have seen it at least once—specifically when it was first transferred over after being captured.
Catching Pokémon was one thing, but earning the trust and affection of a wild Pokémon to this degree was truly remarkable.
"By the way, Professor, where's Gary?" Ash glanced around but couldn't spot any sign of Gary. His rival should have arrived before them.
"Gary! He's already returned. I expected you'd be arriving soon after him, but he went home instead of staying here at the Laboratory."
Professor Oak explained the situation, and Ash nodded in understanding.
"Can I go see my Pokémon?" Getting straight to the point, Ash stated the main purpose of his visit.
"Of course! I'll take you there!"
Professor Oak smiled warmly and led Ash and his companions toward the back entrance. As they walked, Professor Oak brought up a topic he'd been curious about.
"I heard that when you were in Viridian City, you encountered the boss of Team Rocket. And apparently... you convinced him to disband Team Rocket?" Professor Oak asked with evident curiosity as they walked.
"Gary told you that?" Ash paused momentarily at the question.
"Yes! But this matter—if you turn on the television right now, every news station would be covering it. It seems you haven't been keeping up with current events!"
Professor Oak nodded knowingly, though from Ash's expression, it was clear he wasn't fully aware of the situation's magnitude.
"Disbanding Team Rocket—that's what Giovanni said at the time. I'm not certain whether it's actually been disbanded or not!"
Ash shook his head slightly. He honestly didn't care much whether Team Rocket had truly disbanded.
If it was disbanded, that was fine. If it wasn't, things would simply continue as they had been.
"I'm afraid it's genuine! Currently, some radical Team Rocket members have banded together and are still operating under the Team Rocket name. Most of them have retreated to the Johto Region!"
"However, many members have taken the opportunity to quit the organization entirely. A few have remained in Viridian City, which is currently under strict surveillance by the authorities!"