IS02

Pidgey was in a location where it doesn't usually exist, and just that much information was enough to create chaos in the professor's plans. Professor Oak is a researcher from the core. He doesn't mind stuff that happens early the next day. Once he finds out he's got interesting data, a switch flips in his mind.

ポッポが普段いない場所にいた、たったそれだけの情報が博士の予定を狂わせた。オーキド博士は根っからの研究者だ。翌日も早いことなんてお構いなし。興味深いデータが手に入ったと分かるやいなや、スイッチが入ってしまうのだ。

Professor Oak utterly forgot two things, one of these being what he wrote in his own research memo yesterday. He was absolutely lost in his path, first off, because he had something in the back of his memo stating what's needed to present something as a new theory. He's got to do something about it. Right now at 8 in the morning, the desk at Oak's Laboratory can't even be called clean as a matter of sweet talk but he took the stacked books and the lots of memos and he began wrapping together the pieces of his memory from last night.

Pidgey was in a location where it doesn't usually exist, and just that much information was enough to create chaos in the professor's plans. Professor Oak receives newly registered data in the Pokédex on the daily. It serves as proof that the Trainers he gave the Pokédex to is catching Pokémon in all sorts of places. What was sent to him at dusk yesterday was data saying Pidgey was caught outside of any locales it is distributed in. Oak is a researcher from the core. He doesn't mind stuff that happens early the next day, and once he finds out he's got interesting data, a switch flips in his mind.

When looking for their target Pokémon, or when running into a Pokémon, where that Pokémon is distributed is used to determine that Pokémon's system of living. But from the perspective of professors, the distributed locations are the ultimate pivotal indicator for the creatures and their natural environment. The normal person may find it trivial where Pidgey is roaming, but Professor Oak's head is chock-full of possibilities, for example: "Did the Trainer release it?" "Was it a large scale, short term occurrence caused by any prime factor?" "Has anything changed in the distribution locales presented?" The finalized write-up can wait until after. He's still going to wiggle out possibilities one by one, refer to documents, and put his pen to paper on the memo he's holding. By the time he had touched up on the paragraph, the night should have completely passed, or so he thought.

But when morning hit and he had now reflected on it, the memo just stopped partway at "to present something as a new theory". Of course he hasn't touched up on the paragraph! Not able to recall why he left it ending off like this, the sun was rising up. Feeling frustrated, he suddenly looked to the bottom of his feet to notice a photo that dropped down. It must have fallen out without him noticing, maybe from his notebook. It was a very old photo. In the photo, the professor was full of youth and looked full of hope. He doesn't seem like one to ever feel insecure or anxious. But he's no longer the way he was. Perhaps age caused him to forget about his research yesterday. But even so, picking up the photo made the professor open his eyes. The back side of the photo read "further investigation is necessary", and specific ways to conduct investigation were packed together in a memo. Apparently, it had stuck out from the memo without him realizing and he ended up writing it on the photo. He instantly recovered his memory about his research, and laid his hands down on his chest in relief that his staying up overnight was not in vain.

As for the other thing he forgot, he heard the sound of footsteps meshing together with nervousness and anticipation, so all was fine.

"Yes! I remember now!"

Today was the day a new trainer would arrive. Although he was dipped deep in his research until the dead of night and completely forgot, he was able to avoid oversleeping and ending up being later than the Trainer. There were three Poké Balls with the Pokédex readily prepared. What was essential to the aforementioned "further investigation" was a Trainer who would begin their journey. Perhaps as a result of the Pokédex he gave today, he was able to make discoveries that would annihilate what he had in his essay papers up to now. In spite of his age, which had just crossed his mind, the professor's spirit waved around akin to that of a young boy. Professor Oak is a researcher from the core. After just a few seconds, the door to the laboratory would open up. Another new journey would then commence. There is no end in sight to the professor's research.

オーキド博士は２つのことをドわすれしていた。ひとつは昨日自分で書いた、研究メモの内容である。メモの末尾に書かれた「新たな論として発表するには」という文を前に、博士は途方に暮れていた。これはなんとかしなければ。現在、朝８時のオーキド研究所のデスクはお世辞にも綺麗とは言い難いが、積まれた書籍と大量のメモを手に取り、博士は昨夜の記憶をつなぎ合わせはじめた。

ポッポが普段いない場所にいた、たったそれだけの情報が博士の予定を狂わせた。オーキド博士の元には日々、ポケモン図鑑に新しく登録されたデータが送られてくる。博士が図鑑を渡したトレーナー達が、各地でポケモンをゲットしている証拠だ。それで昨日の夕方送られてきたのが、そのポッポが分布外の場所でゲットされたデータだった。オーキド博士は根っからの研究者だ。翌日も早いことなんてお構いなしに、興味深いデータが手に入ったと分かるやいなや、スイッチが入ってしまった。

トレーナーは目当てのポケモンを探す際、またはポケモンに遭遇し、どのような生態なのか確認する際にポケモンの「分布」を活用することが多い。しかし、研究者側の視点で捉えると、分布とは生き物と自然環境にとってきわめて重要な指標である。ポッポがどこにいようと些細なことと思われるかもしれないが、トレーナーがにがしたのか？なんらかの要因による一時的な大量発生なのか？現在発表されている分布に変化が起きたのか？……オーキド博士の頭の中にはさまざまな可能性が浮かんでいた。清書は後で良い。ひとつひとつの可能性を洗い出し、文献を参照して、手元のメモに筆を走らせる。ひと段落ついた頃にはすっかり夜が更けてしまっていた、はずだった。

しかし、朝になった今見返すと、メモは「新たな論として発表するには」と文の途中で終わっているのだ。ひと段落ついていないではないか！なぜここで終わらせたのか思い出せないまま、太陽の位置は高くなっていく。焦りを覚える中、ふと足下を見ると一枚の写真が落ちていた。ノートにでも挟んでいたのが気づかないうちに落ちたのだろう。随分と昔の写真だ。写真の中の博士は若々しく、希望に満ちた目をしている。まるで不安や焦りなんて一切無縁とでもいうように。もうこの頃の自分ではない。昨日の研究も忘れるなんて歳なのかもしれない。そう思いつつ写真を拾うと、博士は目を見開いた。写真の裏に「更なる調査が必要」の文字、続いて具体的な調査方法がびっしりメモされていたのだ。なんと、気づかない内にメモからはみ出して写真に書いてしまっていたらしい。たちまち研究の記憶が戻り、夜更かしを無駄にせず済んだと胸をなでおろした。

もうひとつのドわすれについては…、緊張と期待が入り混じった足音が聞こえてきたので、もう大丈夫。

「そうだ 思い出したぞ！」

今日は新人トレーナーが来る日だ。深夜まで研究に没頭してうっかり忘れていたが、寝坊してトレーナーより遅刻、という事態は回避できたようだ。ちゃんとモンスターボールは３つ、それにポケモン図鑑も用意できている。「更なる調査」には、ここから旅立つトレーナーが不可欠なのだから。もしかしたら今日渡した図鑑がきっかけになって、今までの論文すべてを覆すような発見があるかもしれない。もう歳か、なんてよぎった後なのに、博士の心はまるで少年のように踊っていた。オーキド博士は根っからの研究者なのだ。数秒後には研究所の扉が開かれるだろう。また新たな旅がはじまる。博士の研究に終わりはない。