Pokemon: The Scientist’s Rebirth

Professor Oak adjusted his lab coat, smiling warmly at Ethan. "Well, Ethan, are you ready for the grand tour?"

Ethan nodded eagerly. "Yes, Professor. I'm really curious about everything."

"Excellent. Follow me," Oak said, leading Ethan out of the room and into the sterile corridor of the building. He began explaining the intricate structure of his renowned facilities.

"Because the Oak Pokémon Research Lab is the most well-known facility here, many believe the Oak Coral is just a research lab. But we are much more. We're a conglomerate that encompasses various facilities," he said, his voice carrying a hint of pride. "This is one such facility—the Pallet Medical Center."

"This particular section," Oak continued, "is the human medical wing. It also serves as the primary hospital for Pallet Town residents."

"We also have a Pokémon medical wing where injured or sick Pokémon are treated. It doubles as the Pokémon Center of Pallet Town, where traveling trainers can rest, recuperate, and heal their Pokémon," Oak explained as he led Ethan to that section.

Reaching the new wing, Oak gestured toward a room where nurses in pristine white scrubs operated advanced medical equipment under the instructions of a nurse in a traditional outfit, a small white cap perched atop her head. Her shoulder-length pink hair was styled in two looping pigtails.

Ethan's eyes widened. "Nurse Joy?"

"That's right. We're fortunate to have a wonderful Nurse Joy heading this department," Oak confirmed. "But she seems busy now, so let's not disturb her. You can visit again later."

"Let's go to the next building," Oak said, directing Ethan to the exit.

"The Pallet Medical Center is near the town so that residents and traveling trainers can easily access it, but the other facilities of Oak Coral are farther away. Only people with the required clearance can access those areas, so we have a bit of a walk ahead of us," Oak clarified, leading Ethan along a paved road toward a cluster of buildings atop a small hill.

Ethan frowned, recalling the pink-haired nurse he saw earlier. "Professor, Nurse Joy isn't just one person, right? My friends at the orphanage said all the Nurse Joys are clones of someone named Joy. That can't be true, though. The Nurse Joy in Viridian City looked similar to the one here, but their faces weren't exactly the same."

Oak smiled. "That's a common misconception. Nurse Joy isn't an individual's name—it's a title. They dye their hair the same color and dress similarly, which makes people think they're clones. It doesn't help that they call each other 'sisters.'"

"But why do they want to look the same?" Ethan asked.

"That's part of the Joy clan's tradition," Oak explained. "It has to do with their internal clan politics."

"Professor, you keep mentioning about Joy clan. What is this clan?" Ethan asked.

"To understand the clan system, we need to go back in history, before the world as we know it existed." Oak said.

He paused for a moment, his eyes seemingly lost in the past. "A few hundred years ago, humans were at the bottom rung of the food chain. We were weak, vulnerable, and constantly under threat from wild Pokemon, which were then known as 'beasts.'"

Ethan listened intently as they slowly walked along the paved road.

"Then came the age of beast tamers," Oak continued. "People realized they could tame the beasts they earlier feared. They started with less aggressive ones and eventually even tamed ferocious ones by raising them from cubs or hatching them from eggs."

"So, the clans became beast tamers?" Ethan asked.

"That's right," Oak said. "Small clans expanded and developed secret techniques to strengthen their companions, and they guarded these secrets fiercely. But it wasn't all smooth sailing, the scramble to steal beast cubs and eggs often lead to confrontations with the pissed off parents. This initiated frequent conflict with humans sometimes even triggering a phenomenon known as a beast wave. Rampaging parent beast who lost their cubs often destroyed their surroundings resulting in a cascading effect where various beast habitat were destroyed and a large-scale brawl and migration among beast got initiated"

"Any human enclave caught in its path was as good as dead. Individual clans could no longer survive on their own; the threat demanded collective resistance. To combat the relentless beast waves, larger towns and cities began to emerge as clans banded together for safety. Each clan specialized in taming beasts of specific types—fire, water, and so on. By uniting their unique strengths, they could effectively defend against wild beasts of all kinds, overcoming the challenges of type disadvantages through cooperation. This led to the era of city states, most of the prominent city you find today in Kanto is a remanent from these times"

"So, the Joy clan is one that specialized in healing?" Ethan asked, steering the conversation back to the topic from which the professor seemed to have left in a tangent.

"Exactly," Oak confirmed. "But soon everything changed with the invention of Poké Balls. It revolutionized society. Imagine, catching and carrying a Pokemon with you, anywhere, anytime! The world transformed within a few generations."

"With Pokeballs, beasts became Pocket Monsters or Pokemon for short, and beast tamers became trainers. Trainers quickly gained immense power, catching and training a variety of Pokemon. They started exploring previously unknown regions, connecting human settlements and even discovering new regions beyond the oceans."

"This sudden growth led to substantial transformations in societal structures, clans that used to have the pre-eminent position in society started to lose their relevance. Businesses like Devon and Silph Co that made pokeballs and various other technologies started to become behemoths that were rapidly eroding the power of clans that they seem to closely horde for generations."

"But even through this drastic change, the old clans retained their secrets and resources. Some clans realized that they couldn't compete with the new businesses and institutions that were popping up everywhere. Clans are limited by their family size, while businesses can easily expand by hiring new people."

"So, the clans started recruiting outsiders?" Ethan asked becoming curious.

"Yep," Professor Oak continued. "They incorporated outsiders into their ranks while maintaining control within the main family. That's how some clans, like the Joy clan and the Jenny clan, grew as big as multinational corporations like Devon and Silph Co."

Ethan absorbed this new information, his mind racing. Clans, beast tamers, Nurse Joys – it was all so much more fascinating and enriched from the world he knew.

Professor Oak, noticing Ethan's thoughtful expression, continued, "The Joy clan specializes in healing, both Pokemon and human. They hold rigorous recruitment exams every year for young women aged between 18 to 21 who aspire to become healers."

"Once selected, the recruits undergo five years of specialized training. They learn secret techniques for healing Pokémon, nurturing them, and building teams with healing-focused Pokémon. Completing this course earns them the title of Nurse Joy." Oak explained as they continued walking.

"They dye their hair and wear identical outfits to maintain professionalism," Oak remarked. "It creates a sense of unity, like a uniform, and also pays homage to the original members of the Joy clan, who have natural pink hair. Outside members are required to alter their appearance to resemble the main branch Joy clan members, though their numbers are few today. Despite their small size, the original members hold most of the clan's leadership positions, maintaining significant control over the clan."

Ethan nodded. "So, the Jenny clan does the same for law enforcement?"

"Exactly. Both clans are matriarchal, with women holding key positions, so they tend to be a bit biased and only recruit females as outside members," Oak explained. "Males within the clan are given little importance."

"On the other hand," he continued, "some clans, like the Blackthorn clan—from which our current Champion, Lance, hails—are far more exclusive. They keep their dragon-taming techniques strictly within the clan and don't recruit new members from outside. There is nothing like a branch clan for them only the main one. Instead, they hire outsiders for less critical roles, such as administrative tasks or managing clan businesses."

They soon reached a large building with a security checkpoint at the entrance. "This is the reception area for Oak Coral," Oak explained. "Others need to pass a security check before accessing the main facilities. But since you're with me, we can go straight in."

After smiling at the receptionist and security personnel, they proceeded inside.