Pokemon: Path to the Unknown

Chapter no.14 Sponsorship

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Professor Oak had been around the block more than a few times.

He was the kind of man who had seen it all, or at least he thought he had until Ash Ketchum came bouncing into his life, full of surprises.

When he heard Ash was ranked Tier 10, Oak merely raised an eyebrow.

The new ranking system, a post-World War II creation by the United Region Pokémon League, was still shiny and new, and Oak had known plenty of trainers who would've been Tier 10 if they hadn't had the misfortune of being born too early.

Red, for instance.

But then, Oak saw the footage of Ash in action - his battle with Gary, his performance in the practical exam - and his eyebrows went so high they nearly left his forehead. Ash's rapid-fire strategy shifts, his unorthodox approaches, and his almost unnerving confidence were not something Oak had expected from a newbie.

But the real kicker came when Ash started chatting up Abra as casually as if they were discussing the weather.

Oak's initial confusion quickly turned to fascination.

The idea that Ash could talk to psychic Pokémon because of a "strong soul" was intriguing.

Oak couldn't quite wrap his head around it, but that didn't matter.

The prospect of what this meant for human-Pokémon relations had him practically drooling with excitement.

"My boy," Oak began, trying to contain his enthusiasm but failing miserably, "how would you like to be sponsored by Oak Labs?" He tried to make it sound grand, but in his excitement, it came out more like he was offering Ash a spot in a secret club.

Ash, for his part, looked as if he had just been asked to join a circus.

"Like, you want to study me?" he asked, one eyebrow cocked.

Oak, realizing how his offer must have sounded, waved his hands frantically.

"No, no, well, yes, but not like a lab rat! Think of it more like... like a partnership! Your unique abilities could revolutionize our understanding of Pokémon!"

"What does this sponsorship entail?" Ash asked, trying to sound as calm and collected as he could, despite feeling like he was in over his head as he noted the reactions around him.

Delia's mouth dropped open so wide you could've caught a Zubat in there.

Yellow looked like she had just been told she could fly, and Daisy... Daisy just gave her grandfather that "I knew you'd pull something like this" look.

"Okay, so being a sponsored trainer is a pretty simple thing. I give you access to the Oak Lab's ranch and the League fronts you a bi-weekly stipend of 10k to use as you see fit."

Ash blinked.

Delia's jaw hit the floor.
Literally, there might have been a crack.

"But what's the catch?" Ash wondered aloud, his mind racing with the possibilities of what "10k" could mean in this world.

Ash's mind was a whirlwind of numbers and possibilities after Professor Oak's bombshell offer. 10k Pokedollars bi-weekly? That sounded like a fortune, but then again, Ash remembered something from his video game days that put a damper on his excitement: a bike costing a million Pokedollars.
If a bike was a million, what in the world could 10k buy you in this reality?
A wheel?
A bike bell, maybe?