The next morning.
Rei Akagi was still deep in sleep when a sudden knock on the door woke him up.
He never thought that a man as upright and righteous as himself would one day experience sleep paralysis.
Well…
Technically it was a ghost pressing on him.
A Gastly, to be precise.
Picking up the mischievous Gastly—who was wearing a smug grin—and tucking it under his arm like a pillow, Rei Akagi rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked toward the door, mumbling vaguely:
"I'd really like to see who's disturbing my sweet dreams…"
The door opened.
Standing outside was a small elderly man with a gentle smile.
Rei Akagi instantly woke up. His drowsiness vanished as his lazy expression switched to a professional smile in the blink of an eye.
"Professor! Please come in! You should've told me you were coming—I would've gone downstairs to meet you."
"No need for that."
Professor Oak waved his hand casually and walked inside, his gaze scanning Rei Akagi with concern.
"Cynthia told me about what happened yesterday. You weren't injured, were you?"
However, when he noticed Gastly, he clearly froze for a moment.
Professor Oak valued Rei Akagi greatly.
From their very first meeting, he had sensed that this young man was an exceptionally powerful Pokémon Trainer.
Yet strangely, Rei Akagi had never shown any bonded Pokémon and had repeatedly refused to form new bonds.
He had even declined Oak's invitations to become a professor, always using excuses like "my strength is insufficient" or "my knowledge is still shallow."
Privately, Oak had speculated that perhaps Rei Akagi had once experienced a painful separation and still carried unresolved emotional baggage.
But now…
Had he finally decided to take that step?
A trace of relief welled up in Oak's heart.
He immediately took out an Energy Cube (Pokéblock) from his pocket and handed it to Gastly with a smile.
"Gaaas! (This pleases His Majesty greatly!)"
Rei Akagi helplessly pushed the mischievous Gastly back into his shadow, then invited Professor Oak to sit on the sofa and poured him a cup of hot tea.
"About the compensation for yesterday's incident—"
Oak had barely started speaking.
"There's no need for compensation!"
Rei Akagi quickly interrupted him with a sincere expression.
"Helping you with your work is part of my job."
"But—"
Professor Oak was about to argue when he suddenly noticed Gastly secretly poking half its head out of the shadow, trying to steal a sip of his tea.
He paused thoughtfully.
Perhaps…
The compensation could instead go toward training Gastly?
"Alright then…"
Oak nodded in compromise.
"In that case, you can set aside your research work for a few days and get some rest."
"You're too kind, Professor. It's an honor to help you—and I'm really fine."
Rei Akagi smiled, then suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right, there's something I'd like your opinion on… give me a moment."
He stood up and retrieved a Pokédex device, inserting a game cartridge labeled Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen and connecting it to the television.
After confirming it started properly, he sat down beside Professor Oak.
"Do you remember when I asked for permission to use certain character likenesses? I made a game using those materials and want to promote it. Could you take a look and tell me if it seems appropriate?"
"What's there to judge?"
Professor Oak's eyes lit up with anticipation as he looked toward the screen.
"If you think it's appropriate, then it certainly is!"
He had never doubted Rei Akagi's talent.
This young man always managed to bring surprises.
A game, huh…
Oak himself had enjoyed games when he was younger.
Unlike Red and the others, Rei Akagi didn't slowly explore every detail.
What he wanted to show Professor Oak was the core gameplay and the revolutionary concept behind it.
The opening animation flashed across the screen—
Nidorino facing off against Gengar!
Professor Oak's expression stiffened briefly before he quickly recovered, clearing his throat and taking a sip of tea.
Rei Akagi chuckled lightly, skipped the configuration screens, and rapidly advanced the story.
As the game progressed, the interest in Oak's eyes gradually turned into blazing excitement.
Then the first battle began.
"Real-time commands? Wait… Abilities, moves, and level quantification! Why didn't I think of this before?!"
As the demonstration battle played out, Oak's voice grew increasingly excited. His face flushed visibly red.
"Using a game format to subtly popularize Pokémon knowledge! Genius! Rei Akagi—you're an absolute genius!"
His voice rose uncontrollably with excitement.
Rei Akagi hadn't expected such a strong reaction and felt a little flattered.
As a former Kanto Champion, Professor Oak had always been devoted to advancing the development of Trainers.
Whether through Pokémon research or inventing the Pokédex, his goal had always been the same:
To help more people understand and love Pokémon.
Promoting Pokémon knowledge had been his lifelong dream.
And now—
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had appeared before him.
"Rei Akagi!"
Professor Oak could no longer contain himself.
He sprang up from the sofa, eyes blazing with near-fanatical passion as he stared at Rei Akagi.
The intensity of that gaze made Rei Akagi shiver.
"Professor Oak—please calm down! Let's calm down first!"
Rei Akagi quickly soothed the excited professor and guided him back to the sofa.
"It's enough that you're willing to accept this format…"
Then he quickly moved to the main point.
"There's something I'd like your help with."
"What do you need me to do? Ahem… forgive my outburst."
Oak almost stood up again but forced himself to remain seated. He instinctively reached for his teacup to hide his excitement—only to find it empty.
"Tell me! As long as it's something I can do, I won't refuse!"
Rei Akagi casually gave Gastly—who had been peeking out of the shadow and snickering—a light chop on the head before explaining his plan.
"For the game's promotion and release, I'd like to establish a studio. But I don't have any production infrastructure yet, so I might need to use part of the Pokédex manufacturing line under your name."
"Hahaha! That's no problem at all!"
Professor Oak burst into hearty laughter and grabbed Rei Akagi's hand, shaking it vigorously.
"The Pokédex itself benefited greatly from your contributions! You've been handling the production work anyway. Use it however you like! I'd be thrilled if the game could be promoted sooner!"
"Thank you for your support, Professor."
Rei Akagi smiled.
After all, when it came to the Pokédex, both the basic data architecture and the mass-production optimization process had been built upon key suggestions he provided.
There were actually two kinds of Pokédex devices:
Special Pokédex models personally handcrafted by Professor OakStandard mass-produced Pokédex models organized and manufactured by Rei Akagi
Professor Oak had little interest in commercial matters.
The production and sales system for the standard Pokédex models had practically been entrusted entirely to Rei Akagi.
Meanwhile, Rei Akagi tried to subtly pull his hand free from Oak's grip—
Only to realize it wouldn't budge.
Embarrassed to force it away, he silently asked Gastly for help.
"Father is in danger! Quick—save me!"
Boss shall act!
Gastly didn't waste words.
It floated behind Professor Oak and immediately used Hypnosis.
"I meant make a distraction to draw his attention! Why did you use Hypnosis?!"
Rei Akagi panicked internally.
"Hm? Why do I suddenly feel sleepy…"
Professor Oak muttered in confusion.
He released Rei Akagi's hand, slapped his cheeks lightly—
And then continued discussing the project as if nothing had happened.
Rei Akagi: "..."
Professor… that resistance stat of yours…
Is it really okay?
After their discussion ended, Rei Akagi prepared to head to the League Affairs Center.
He needed to complete procedures for:
Studio registrationOfficial filingCard patent applicationsAnd various other formalities
Professor Oak enthusiastically accompanied him.
With such a prestigious academic figure personally present, the normally complicated procedures became incredibly efficient.
Everything was nearly finished within a single morning.
At the service counter, a young female clerk secretly glanced at Rei Akagi's handsome profile again.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she handed over a document.
"Please fill in the name of your studio. The relevant certification documents and patent acceptance notice will be mailed to you within seven working days. Thank you for your cooperation, and have a pleasant day."
"The name…"
Rei Akagi picked up the pen.
After a brief moment of thought, he wrote:
Pokémon Studio.