Chapter 50: Origins

Inside the video call room of the Hualan City Pokemon Center, Professor Oak on the other side of the screen was holding a steaming bowl of instant noodles, and the slurping sound came through the handset clearly.

His desk in front of him was piled with research materials, leaving only a small spot for the noodles.

"Hi, Huo La! Have you had dinner yet?" Professor Oak said vaguely while chewing the noodles, not caring that the broth splashed onto the papers.

Huo La had long become accustomed to his casual demeanor— in Huo La's memory, Professor Oak was either munching instant noodles at the research institute or dropping by Ash's house to steal food made by Hanako, and the serious researcher look was rare.

He glanced at the blue‑shirt girl in the lounge who was bent over recording something, then said, "Professor Oak, I met someone today at the Hualan Gym— she used a Shellder and claimed to be a girl from Pallet Town."

As the words finished, Huo La stared at Professor Oak's expression on the screen, trying to catch his subtle reaction.

But Professor Oak simply slurped another bite, his tone as flat as saying "the weather's nice today": "Oh? You mean Bilan, right?"

"Do you know her, Professor?" a flash of surprise crossed Huo La's eyes; he had expected Bilan's background to require more questioning, but Professor Oak named her outright.

In this world, Green is Xiao Mao's older brother; he went traveling last year.

As for Bilan... she herself is a mystery, and behind her lies huge trouble; her sudden appearance now forces him to take her seriously.

Professor Oak finally finished the last bite, then gulped a big mouthful of broth, placed the empty bowl on the desk, wiped his mouth, and his expression grew a bit serious: "Since you ran into her and even called to ask, you must have some guesses. Anyway, there's no need to hide this from you."

His fingertips brushed the stacked papers twice, as if recalling the past: "Do you remember last year's Pokémon Transport Truck incident? The official statement was 'a Pokémon had an unexpected condition and needed to be sent back to the training base for treatment,' which also caused Red to miss out on his Initial Pokemon last year, so he only received it with you this year, right?"

Huo La nodded; at the time he thought it was truly an accident, but seeing Professor Oak's current demeanor, he feared there was another hidden story.

"Those were just public statements," Professor Oak's voice deepened, his fingers lightly tapping the desk, "It wasn't an accident at all back then; someone deliberately blocked the transport truck— it was that girl named Bilan."

"She blocked the transport truck?" Huo La was somewhat surprised.

"Exactly," Professor Oak sighed, his tone taking on complexity, "She was only ten then, somehow heard that the transport truck was delivering Initial Pokemon and tried to intercept one. Her strength and luck were insufficient; after a couple of attempts she was caught by the transport crew, and both she and the 'stolen' Pokemon were taken to my research institute."

He paused, then added, "What I saw in her eyes wasn't that of a bad kid, but someone eager to get a Pokemon for some purpose. She negotiated with the transport crew to have herself released, even paid the shortfall herself, and gave her the slot that should have gone to Red. Because of this, Red was delayed a year and only got his Charmander this year."

A brief silence fell on the other side of the screen; Huo La's fingers gripping the phone tightened slightly— he never imagined Bilan's Shellder was tied to such a past, even the reason Red's departure was delayed a year was linked to her.

"Do you know why she wanted to snatch an Initial Pokemon?" Huo La pressed, the image of Bilan's resolute eyes during the gym battle flashing in his mind; he felt she wasn't the type to rob without reason.

Professor Oak rubbed his forehead, his tone a bit helpless: "That girl is tight‑lipped; even after asking for ages back then she wouldn't say. I only heard she wanted to get stronger quickly, to find someone... I don't know exactly who or why she was looking for them."

He shifted tone, looking at Huo La on the screen, "But since you've faced her, you should sense— she's not bad at heart, just impatient and tends to dig herself into a corner when acting."

Huo La recalled Bilan's calm demeanor when she admitted defeat, and the pity in her eyes as she cradled the weakened Shellder, and gave a gentle nod.

"Alright, I've told you everything I need to," Professor Oak stretched lazily, returning to his usual nonchalance, "If you run into her again, don't be overly guarded, and don't press too much about the past— once she figures it out, she might tell you herself. By the way, have you gotten the Blue Badge? Don't lose to that girl!"

"Got it, Professor," Huo La smiled.

"Good! Remember to send me lots of Pokemon photos; so far only you and Ash haven't sent me any, and I'm not counting on Ash...," Professor Oak said, then grabbed the papers on the desk, "I still have experiments to run, so I'll hang up now!"

The video call ended, and the screen went black.

Huo La sat where he was, replaying Professor Oak's words in his mind, and when he looked toward Bilan in the lounge, his gaze carried a deeper thought.

He knew Professor Oak was gentle and truly a good‑natured elder who would back up his juniors, but the fact that he "paid out of his own pocket to fill the starter Pokémon quota and caused Red to delay his departure by a year" was far more than just "feeling sorry for Bilan."

Leaving aside that Initial starter Pokémon are a scarce resource allocated centrally by the League, each one is logged, and you can't just throw some money at it to "fill."

The transport truck's security was already high; how could a single girl like Bilan dare to block it alone? Even if she acted impulsively and was caught, League rules would at least issue a verbal warning or short‑term discipline. Yet Professor Oak not only released her outright but also gave her the slot meant for Red, which exceeds any "leniency."

More crucially, Red.

Red's talent had been noted by Professor Oak since his youth; normally the professor would care about his development pace, so why let a complete stranger cause him to miss out on his Initial Pokemon for a year?

One must understand how vital a trainer's start time is; a year later means a year less to gain experience and bond with a partner. Professor Oak has been deep in Pokemon research for decades; he couldn't be unaware of this.

The more Huo La thought, the more he felt Professor Oak must be hiding something.

Perhaps the person Bilan is looking for has some connection to Professor Oak? Or maybe that "robbery" wasn't accidental at all, and Bilan's background involves matters even he doesn't know?

Even the transport truck "incident" could be more complex than the official story— after all, the League's routes are always secret, so how could an ordinary girl like Bilan know the exact schedule and route?

He shook his head, temporarily shelving those speculations.

Since Professor Oak hasn't disclosed everything, perhaps the timing isn't right, or it involves matters he doesn't want Huo La entangled in. With his current strength, even pressing further might not yield answers and could disrupt the professor's plans.