Professor Oak had a bad habit—whenever something good happened, he would celebrate by drinking a little alcohol at night. However, the professor wasn't much of a drinker, and every time he drank, he would end up going straight to bed.
Just a couple of days ago, after having a few drinks, he accidentally pressed the switch on a Poké Ball and released a very young Bulbasaur. Unfamiliar with its surroundings, the Bulbasaur panicked and ran around wildly before eventually disappearing.
The research institute didn't have any fences to keep Pokémon contained, so finding a Bulbasaur that might have run far away was nearly impossible. After a whole day of searching, both Professor Oak and Ryuuske had no choice but to give up.
"That Bulbasaur would have been perfect as a starter Pokémon for a new trainer. The previous Charmander was taken by my grandson, Gary, and now the Bulbasaur is missing too. That leaves only a Squirtle," Professor Oak muttered helplessly as he sat at the dining table.
In this world, Pokémon didn't have something like "potential" or "talent," nor did Ryuuske have some sort of system to judge a Pokémon's quality. In fact, he was skeptical about how one could even determine a Pokémon's potential in the first place.
By their appearance? But for Pokémon, appearance wasn't the most important thing—their true power lay in the energy they possessed, which could also be understood as a kind of force field. Their bodies were merely shaped by their own energy fields and the influence of their surroundings, gradually evolving over time.
As the most authoritative Pokémon expert, Professor Oak's research institute housed countless research materials and books. Over the past while, Ryuuske had spent most of his time immersing himself in this wealth of new knowledge.
Pokémon didn't determine their type based on appearance, but rather based on the attributes of the energy they possessed. For example, Gyarados might look like a dragon, but it wasn't actually a Dragon-type—its energy attributes were Water and Flying.
Pokémon could perform all sorts of miraculous feats, like breathing fire or summoning lightning, precisely because of the energy fields they possessed. To Ryuuske, the existence of Pokémon seemed more like "magic" or "immortal cultivation."
Theoretically, Pokémon created from Mew's DNA shouldn't have been particularly strong, because the reason legendary Pokémon were powerful was due to their vast energy fields—some even embodied certain natural laws. Their power didn't reside in so-called genes or DNA, which merely determined their physical forms. And yet, Mewtwo was born precisely this way, emerging with strength that matched or even surpassed Mew's. That was why Mewtwo's birth was considered a miracle, something absolutely impossible to replicate.
As for whether Mew—the "origin of life" that contained the DNA of all Pokémon—possessed some other unique trait that made this possible, that was something Ryuuske didn't know.
Aside from battles and training, Pokémon could also evolve simply by growing older. Additionally, their height and weight weren't fixed.
A domesticated Dratini that never underwent any training might evolve into a Dragonite standing only two meters tall once it reached the right age. But a Dratini that had been rigorously trained from a young age, fully unlocking its potential and allowing its energy field to grow sufficiently, could evolve into a Dragonite towering at a terrifying eight or even ten meters—looking every bit like a true dragon.
This was why it was said that trainers and ordinary people existed in entirely different social classes. Even the same species of Pokémon could possess power as vastly different as heaven and earth.
After finishing breakfast, Ryuuske acted like a dedicated scholar, flipping through Professor Oak's digital and physical research materials while scribbling notes in a book. Although his goal was to become a trainer rather than a researcher, learning this knowledge was absolutely necessary. To Ryuuske, these were the fundamental rules of this world—the explanation for why Pokémon possessed such incredible power.
Despite the many strange and seemingly illogical aspects of the Pokémon world, it still adhered to basic laws like the conservation of energy.
If the Pokémon world were treated as a set of data, then theoretically, every Pokémon's attack and defense could be improved infinitely. The "base stats" system from the games wasn't absolute in this real world, because what limited a Pokémon's growth was its own energy field, not its species or type.
Of course, Pokémon with naturally higher "base stats" were easier to train. But if a trainer had enough patience and determination, raising a Rattata to incredible heights wasn't a myth—it was entirely possible.
"There are no weak Pokémon, only weak trainers." That statement was nothing less than the truth.
As for legendary Pokémon, while their energy fields were undeniably immense, trainers could theoretically raise their own Pokémon to similar levels of power. The difference was that legendary Pokémon possessed abilities that operated on a rule-based level, allowing them to perform the earth-shaking, world-altering feats recorded in history.
However, the strongest trainers, with the coordinated efforts of their teams, could defeat legendary Pokémon. This was because trainers could cultivate their Pokémon's energy fields to comparable levels—the only thing they lacked were the strange, rule-defying abilities unique to legendaries.
Closing the densely packed notebook in front of him, Ryuuske stretched and stood up, letting out a tired sigh.
"Even though what I'm learning is just the conclusions of past researchers, it's still incredibly enlightening. At least now I won't be completely clueless about what to do."
Theory was just theory—putting it into practice still required personal effort. But with a solid theoretical foundation, he wouldn't be lost when facing challenges.
[Human knowledge is indeed vast. It's completely different from the evolution and growth of Pokémon.]
Mewtwo communicated telepathically from inside its Poké Ball. Though its intelligence was on par with—if not surpassing—that of humans, it didn't learn human knowledge at an exceptionally fast pace. Perhaps this was the difference between Pokémon and humans: their distinct approaches to imagery, logic, convergent thinking, and divergent thinking.
Humans had evolved astonishing intellect, while Pokémon had evolved unmatched power. When the two combined, the result was something far greater than the sum of its parts.
"It's a shame, Mewtwo. You can't just come out of your Poké Ball whenever you want. You can't breathe the air of Pallet Town or taste delicious food."
Ryuuske sighed regretfully.
[Your physical safety is more important. There will be plenty of opportunities to experience those things in the future.]
"You're right, Mewtwo. I'm running low on ingredients for dinner—time to head into Pallet Town for some shopping."
Ryuuske stepped out of the research institute and whistled. A Rapidash quickly trotted over. The Pokémon around the research institute and its vicinity were somewhere between wild and domesticated—while they might not be suited for battle, they could still handle everyday tasks.
This Rapidash, for example, was nowhere near as strong or fast as Blaine's, but even so, its running speed was comparable to a speeding car.
Mounting the Rapidash and carrying a backpack that Ryuuske considered incredibly high-tech, the pair set off for Pallet Town.
The Rapidash galloped swiftly across the open grasslands, and before long, the small town came into view. Some children were playing happily near the outskirts, and among them, one boy immediately caught Ryuuske's attention.
To be continued…