Pokemon: The Scientist’s Rebirth

Ethan awoke groggily, his eyes slowly adjusting to the bright lights of the room. The throbbing pain that had plagued him since arriving in this strange new world was gone, replaced by a dull ache that felt more like fatigue than injury.

Taking in his surroundings, he found himself in a sterile, white room reminiscent of a med bay from the movies he vaguely remembered from his past life. Relief washed over him – it seemed he had been healed.

"Hopefully, I'm still in Oak's lab and haven't been transferred elsewhere for treatment," he thought. "Meeting the Professor is crucial if I'm to convince him to let me stay in the lab," Ethan mused.

As if on cue, the door swished open, and an elderly man in a white lab coat entered the room. Ethan's eyes widened in recognition. The striking resemblance of the professor to the anime character, albeit not in 2D anymore, caught Ethan off guard, leading him to exclaim unintentionally, "You're Professor Oak!"

The professor raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you know me?"

"Yes, you're the Pokémon professor of Kanto. Who doesn't know you?" Ethan replied, showcasing some excitement in his eyes.

"Well then, you know me, but I don't know you. So why don't you tell me your name?" Oak asked, curiosity lacing his voice.

"I'm Ethan," he responded, relieved that the child's original name was also Ethan, saving him from any potential complications.

"Alright, Ethan, where are your parents? How did you end up so badly injured and on the verge of death?" Oak inquired, concern furrowing his brow.

Ethan hesitated. The memories of the past few days were a jumbled mess, filled with fear, pain, and a possible encounter with Team Rocket. He wasn't sure how much he could reveal without raising suspicion about his identity.

Luckily, the original Ethan's memories provided a convenient cover story. Drawing from them, Ethan began to narrate his tale.

"I don't have parents. I grew up in the Viridian Orphanage. I can't remember much about how I got injured, but it all started when the matron told us that all kids above 12 would be moved to a different facility, where we would be given the opportunity to become Pokémon trainers if we proved competent enough. Everyone was excited since we had heard that Pokémon training was expensive, so we didn't have much hope of becoming trainers earlier."

Oak nodded, listening intently.

"Then, two men came at midnight to move us to this new facility," Ethan continued. "They were gruff and kept shouting at those who were still sleepy. They rushed us towards the entrance of the orphanage and asked us to wait quietly. One guy even smacked Ren on the face for asking why we were traveling at night. He threatened us with more to make sure we kept quiet. Then we waited until a Gengar magically appeared in front of us."

"A Gengar? The Ghost Pokémon? Are you certain?" Oak interjected; his interest piqued.

Ethan nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm sure. It was a Gengar, the evolution of Haunter." His tone was steady, almost matter-of-fact. "I know my stuff when it comes to Pokémon, Professor. Though the orphanage didn't teach much about them, I used to sneak into the public library and study everything I could find. I wanted to be a renowned Pokémon researcher like you when I grew up." He paused briefly, then added with quiet confidence, "So, I can identify a Pokémon when I see one—even without a Pokédex. At least the Kanto species."

Oak's eyes twinkled with delight. "It's delightful to see you interested in Pokémon research. Nowadays, all the kids want to be Pokémon Masters and Champions; no one wants to do research." He sighed wistfully before continuing, "Alright, what happened after the Gengar was released?"

"But it wasn't released," Ethan countered, shaking his head. "The men had Poké Balls on their belts, but they never released the Gengar. I would have noticed. It just suddenly appeared – it was probably hiding. I've heard that Gengars can hide in shadows. Or maybe they were waiting for Gengar to show up because we had to wait until the Gengar appeared to start moving from the orphanage."

"Is that so?" Oak replied, a contemplative look on his face. "Then what happened?"

"A big black van then showed up in front of the orphanage. They put all of us in it and took us to somewhere along Route 1" Ethan stated.

"I believe it was somewhere along Route 1 because I saw some road signs by peeking from a small hole in the van near to where I was sitting." Ethan clarified

"From the small gap, I also saw something very creepy and scary. While travelling through the city to the outskirts whenever the van passed by, all the lights seemed to momentarily switch off until the van passed through. I think I saw the silhouette of Gengar when this happened but I am not sure"

"Does Gengar have such an ability professor?" inquired Ethan.

"Yes, it's probably the move Night Shade. It can plunge an area around the Ghost Pokémon into complete darkness, rendering its opponents blind. It's a challenging move to counter in a Pokemon Battle," Oak explained.

[Yes, I know this is not what Night Shade does but this is AU besides from the name this sounds much more logical]

"Wow, so cool," Ethan exclaimed.

"Alright Ethan then what happened?" Oak enquired.

"Okay, after traveling some more time, the van parked on a dirt path, and we were asked to get down. Instead of following the road, they made us venture into the forest at the side, while the van returned. The Gengar was also nowhere to be seen," Ethan narrated.

"The two men then released their Pokémon – an Arbok, a Koffing, alongside a Zubat and a Beedrill. They acted as guardians on the journey through the forest," Ethan said, his voice trembling slightly at the memory. "We were made to walk for hours. They told us only the people who could endure this test would be allowed to become trainers. Anyone who got tired and fell behind was forced to keep moving with threats. At one point, they even dragged Emily by her hair when she fell behind."

Oak listened with rapt attention, his expression grave.

"Occasionally, their Pokémon used moves to scare away some wild Pokémon," Ethan continued. "We kept walking, and then suddenly, we heard angry squawks from above. A flock of Spearows attacked. The men swore and urged us to run while their Pokémon tried to fight off the flock. But their numbers were too much, and the only hope was to sneak away. So, they made Koffing release a Smoke Screen, and we ran in complete darkness. Then I think I stumbled and fell down. When I got up, I lost my direction and was stranded in the smoke. I started running towards what I felt was the sound of footsteps, but I got hit in the head and was thrown to the side. Now that I think about it, it was probably a Wing Attack. Then everything became blurry and very painful, then nothing but blackness."

Ethan paused, the memory still fresh and haunting. "I woke up when the sun was high, and there was no one around but some wild Pokémon. I was hurting all over and scared. I wanted to get away from the forest, and then somehow, I ended up on a dirt path, and finally in front of a house. Then I think I fell unconscious again, I think. Well, this is all that I can remember."

The professor was silent for a few moments, processing the harrowing tale. Finally, he spoke, his voice tinged with sympathy. "You've been through a lot, but don't worry; you're safe now and all healed up. You just need a bit more rest. I'll send some food over; eat that and rest. I'll come to visit you again later." With that, he exited the room, the door swishing shut behind him.

Ethan sank back into the bed, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.