Professor Oak's Laboratory

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Professor Oak's Laboratory オーキド研究所
Okido Institute
"Wild Missingno. appeared!"
Professor Oaks Laboratory.png
Map description: {{{mapdesc}}}
Location: Pallet Town
Region: Kanto
Generations: I, II, III, IV, VII
Kanto Pallet Town Map.png
Location of Professor Oak's Laboratory in Kanto.
Pokémon world locations

Professor Oak's Laboratory (Japanese: オーキド研究所 Okido Institute), also called the Oak Pokémon Research Lab (Japanese: オーキド博士のポケモン研究所 Professor Oak's Pokémon Research Lab), is a Pokémon lab located in Pallet Town that is directed by Professor Samuel Oak. Its functions are to research Pokémon, unravel the mysteries of these creatures, and study their characteristics and behavior in a natural environment. Another important job is to take care of the Pokémon that belong to Pallet Town's Trainers.

The lab has many different environments for the correct development of all kinds of Pokémon. There are areas of grass, sand, rocks and lakes to promote good interaction between the different types of creatures. The laboratory has the technology to keep Pokémon healthy, and to make the largest scientific investigations in the country.

In the games

Professor Oak's Laboratory appears in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. In the Generation I games and their remakes, it is where Oak gives the player their starter Pokémon and a Pokédex.

Appearance

The lab is a small building near the player's house that has been slightly modified in every game.

In Pokémon Red and Blue, the sign says "Oak Pokémon Research Lab" ("Here is the Institute of Dr. Okido." in Japanese). Inside are three of Professor Oak's aides, two men and one woman, a couple of shelves full of books, a table with three Poké Balls, a computer, two blank Pokédexes, and two tips for the player.

In Pokémon Yellow, the lab is the same as Red and Blue, except there is only one Poké Ball on the table, and next to the table stands a trash can.

In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the lab is almost unchanged except recoloring, only adding two windows, removing a table and adding another shelf to bookshelves.

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, other than the significant graphical enhancements, the laboratory also has two plants in the entrance, a mysterious machine, books on the floor, two regular machines in the corner, and a window.

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the building is modified to look 3D, but still has the overall design from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the laboratory also mostly retains its overall design from Generation III. However, in these games, the content of one of the Poké Balls on the table is never revealed.

Items

Item Location Games
  Pokédex Obtained from Professor Oak after obtaining the partner Pokémon  P  E 
  Poké Ball ×5 Obtained from Professor Oak after delivering him his Parcel  FR  LG 
  Pokédex Obtained from Professor Oak after delivering him his Parcel  R  B  Y  FR  LG 
  Razz Berry ×20 Obtained from Professor Oak after delivering him his Parcel  P  E 
  Poké Ball ×5 Obtained from Professor Oak after defeating Blue on Route 22, if the player has no Poké Balls in their Bag and has added no caught data to the Pokédex  R  B  Y 
  Key Stone Obtained from Blue after earning seven Badges and meeting Trace in front of the Viridian Gym  P  E 
  Venusaurite Obtained from Blue after earning seven Badges and meeting Trace in front of the Viridian Gym  P  E 
  Charizardite X Obtained from Blue after earning seven Badges and meeting Trace in front of the Viridian Gym  P  E 
  Charizardite Y Obtained from Blue after earning seven Badges and meeting Trace in front of the Viridian Gym  P  E 
  Blastoisinite Obtained from Blue after earning seven Badges and meeting Trace in front of the Viridian Gym  P  E 
  National Pokédex Obtained from Professor Oak after entering the Hall of Fame and catching at least 60 Pokémon  FR  LG 
  HM08 (Rock Climb) Reward from Professor Oak after obtaining all 16 Badges  HG  SS 
  Jade Orb Obtained from Professor Oak after shown the Groudon and Kyogre from the Embedded Tower  HG  SS 

Pokémon

Generation I

Pokémon Games Location Levels Rate
Gift Pokémon
  Bulbasaur
R B Y
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
  Charmander
R B Y
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
  Squirtle
R B Y
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
  Pikachu
R B Y
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.


Generation III

Pokémon Games Location Levels Rate
Gift Pokémon
  Bulbasaur
FR LG
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
  Charmander
FR LG
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
  Squirtle
FR LG
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.


Generation IV

Pokémon Games Location Levels Rate
Gift Pokémon
  Bulbasaur
HG SS
  Gift
5 One
  Charmander
HG SS
  Gift
5 One
  Squirtle
HG SS
  Gift
5 One
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.


Generation VII

Pokémon Games Location Levels Rate
Gift Pokémon
  Pikachu
P E
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
  Eevee
P E
  Starter Pokémon
5 One
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.


Trainers

In every game where the player gets their starter at Oak's, they will also have their first Trainer battle at the Laboratory against their rival.

Generation I

Pokémon Red and Blue

  If the player chose Bulbasaur:



  If the player chose Charmander:



  If the player chose Squirtle:



Pokémon Yellow



Generation III

  If the player chose Bulbasaur:



  If the player chose Charmander:



  If the player chose Squirtle:



Generation VII

  In Let's Go, Pikachu!:



  In Let's Go, Eevee!:



Appearance

Outside

Inside

In spin-off games

Pokémon Puzzle League

In Pokémon Puzzle League for the Nintendo 64, an area called "Prof. Oak's Labs" acts as tutorial area. Professor Oak will teach the player how to play the game.

Pokémon Snap

Professor Oak's Laboratory also appears in Pokémon Snap, shown as the background of the main menu of the game. Todd Snap reports back here regularly to show his photos to Professor Oak. Presumably, the professor keeps information like the Pokémon Report, Pokémon Album, and all information on Pokémon signs in his laboratory. It appears the same way in this game that it does in the anime.

Pokémon Stadium

Professor Oak's Laboratory, known as the "Pokémon Lab", also appears in Pokémon Stadium. In it, the player can interact with a copy of Pokémon Red, Blue, or Yellow inserted into the Transfer Pak, allowing them to view their Pokédex, organize the items in their PC, access their Box, trade Pokémon, and send prize Pokémon received at the Gym Leader Castle into the inserted game.

Oak has another Lab in White City in Pokémon Stadium 2, which has the same basic functionality expanded to support Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

In the anime

In the main series

 
Ash and his friends talking in the lobby

The laboratory debuted in the first episode, Pokémon - I Choose You!, when Ash received his Pikachu. Since then, it has been seen in many episodes, mostly in the start and ending of Ash's journey through a region, but also in Pokémon Chronicles and in the movies. The building stands out in Pallet Town for its wind turbine.

Every time Ash catches a Pokémon when he has already a full party, the new Pokémon is automatically transported here. Ash also has a habit of leaving all of his Pokémon besides Pikachu here each time he leaves for a new region, starting with Hoenn.

Since The Rivalry Revival, Pokémon watcher Tracey has been working at the lab as an assistant to Professor Oak.

Structure

Infrastructure
 
Butch and Cassidy find the storage room

The lab is composed of two floors. Inside the entrance door is a hallway with several doors, and to the left is a chest of drawers and the stairway to the second floor.

The living room is the space where Professor Oak hosts, eats, relaxes, and presumably studies. On a pink carpet (sometimes shown as green) are two couches and a table. To the side are a computer and bookshelves. This is where many scenes in the lab take place. There are also two science rooms full of various machines.

The Poké Ball Storage Room stores the extra Pokémon of every Trainer born in Pallet Town. This treasure of hundreds of Pokémon has been the target of attempted robberies by Team Rocket. In addition, the lab has a library, composed of two rooms. One is a study room with a large bookshelf and a pair of windows. The other, in the back, is a storage room full of books, including Oak's old sketchbook.

 
The study room of Professor Oak

Upstairs is the research floor. Here are all the technological pieces, the heart of the laboratory. It includes several machines used for Pokémon testing and a table with various chemicals on it. Nearby is a blue chair. In front of it are the status screen, which shows the health and power of a Pokémon, and Professor Oak's computer, where he records his research. This computer doubles as a videophone, which he uses to communicate with other professors or Trainers. Beside the computer is the Poké Ball Transfer machine, for the transportation of Pokémon to their Trainers in a Pokémon Center. The room also includes a bookshelf, a desk with a lamp, a brown couch, and a drawing board. A few machines are connected to a glass container full of water, possibly to study aquatic Pokémon. Hanging from the ceiling is a large lamp.

The stairs lead up to an inner balcony, which has a door and the three large windows seen in most outside views of the lab.

 
A full view of the research floor


Superstructure

The Oak Corral is a natural environment for Pokémon development. It is divided into regions according to type; there are areas that are perfect for Rock Pokémon, desert areas for Ground and Fire types, grassy regions, and several lakes. Sometimes the Pokémon don't get along; for this reason, some Pokémon, such as Ash's Bulbasaur, act as mediators between quarreling Pokémon.

 
A panoramic view to the Oak Corral

In Pokémon Origins

 
Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pokémon Origins

Professor Oak's Laboratory first appeared in File 1: Red, where Red and Blue got their first Pokémon and Pokédexes from Professor Oak. In File 4: Charizard, Red returned to the lab after having caught all 149 known Pokémon. Later, after Red had successfully caught Mewtwo in Cerulean Cave, Professor Oak held a minor celebration at the laboratory to congratulate Red and Blue on completing of the Pokédex, although Red soon realized that Mew still remained uncaught.

In I Choose You!

 
Professor Oak's Laboratory in I Choose You!

Professor Oak's Laboratory appeared at the beginning of I Choose You!. It was where Ash obtained his Pikachu.

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

 
Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pokémon Adventures

The laboratory first appeared in A Glimpse of the Glow, where Red went to see Professor Oak. The first view of the inside of the lab was seen in Bulbasaur, Come Home!, and was shown to have machines, tables, bookshelves, a glass container full of water and a Poké Ball storage area. Red accidentally let all the Pokémon in the laboratory out of their Poké Balls, with some even escaping the building altogether, forcing Red and Professor Oak to chase them.

In Kalling Kadabra, Sabrina's Kadabra disguised itself as Professor Oak, rampaging around the place in front of Red. Sabrina herself also briefly appeared, giving Red a message to come to Saffron City. Blue then arrived with his Charizard, showing Red a picture of Saffron City, which had been taken over by Team Rocket and was where they kept the citizens of Pallet Town they had imprisoned.

The laboratory was once again seen in Return to Pallet Town, when Red and Blue received messages from Professor Oak to return their Pokédexes. This was later revealed to be a trap set by Team Rocket, intending to force Professor Oak to create them their own version of the Pokédex in preparation to capture Deoxys.

In Pokémon Adventures, Crystal works as Professor Oak's assistant at the lab.

 
Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pokémon Pocket Monsters
 
Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pokémon Zensho

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

Professor Oak's lab debuted in Introducing the Pokémon Clefairy!!. This was where Red chose Clefairy and Green chose Charmander. Unlike other media, Professor Oak has different laboratories in various regions. Similar to many of the buildings in the series, they would often get destroyed or burnt by Clefairy's antics.

In the Pokémon Zensho manga

The lab appeared in Prologue: Pallet Town where Satoshi chose his Charmander and Shigeru chose Squirtle. Satoshi had his first battle there with Shigeru and emerged victorious.

Trivia

  • In Generation I, there is a moment when it is possible to stop the game. This happens if the player holds the A button after choosing their starter, which will stop Blue from choosing his own starter until the player releases the button. This happens in all Generation I games, but is easier to perform in Yellow.[1]
  • If the player's Pokémon takes damage in his/her first battle against their rival in FireRed and LeafGreen, their Pokémon will be healed after the battle.
  • Professor Oak's lab's iconic theme is not played in Generation IV, with the background music instead being Pallet Town's theme. The only way to hear the lab theme is to listen to the Pokégear radio.
  • In Yellow, there is a trash can on the right side of the table containing the starter Pokémon, unlike in Pokémon Red and Blue. This effectively blocks the player from walking to the other side of the table to collect Eevee where the rival can't push them.
  • In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Sam's sketchbook from Celebi: The Voice of the Forest can be seen on the top of a bookshelf at the back of the laboratory.
    • The same bookshelf also contains poems written by Professor Oak, referencing his habit of making senryūs in the anime.

In other languages

Professor Oak's Laboratory

Language Title
Mandarin Chinese 大木研究所 Dàmù Yánjiūsuǒ (Taiwan)
  Danish Professor Oaks laboratorium
  Dutch Lab van Professor Oak
  Finnish Professori Oakin laboratorio
  Korean 오박사 연구소 O-baksa Yeonguso
  Norwegian Professor Oaks laboratorie
  Polish Laboratorium Profesora Oaka
  Brazilian Portuguese Laboratório do Professor Carvalho*
Laboratório Carvalho*
  Swedish Professor Oaks laboratorium*
Professor Oaks Pokémonlaboratorium*
Professor Oaks lab*
  Vietnamese Viện nghiên cứu Okido

Oak Pokémon Research Lab

Language Title
  Finnish Professori Oakin Pokémon-tutkimuslaitos
  European French Labo Pokémon du Prof. ChenRBYFRLG
Labo Pokémon de ChenGSC
Laboratoire Pokémon du Professeur ChenHGSS
  German Professor Eich Pokémon-LaborRBYFRLG
Prof. Eich Pokémon LaborGSC
Prof. Eichs Pokémon-LaborHGSS
  Italian Laboratorio del Professor OakRBYFRLG
Lab. Ricerca Pokémon di OakGSC
Laboratorio di ricerca Pokémon del Prof. OakHGSS
  Korean 오박사님의 포켓몬 연구소 O-baksanim-ui Pokémon YeongusoGSC
오박사의 포켓몬 연구소 O-baksa-ui Pokémon YeongusoHGSS
  Brazilian Portuguese Laboratório Pokémon Professor Carvalho
  European Spanish Laboratorio de Investigación de Pokémon del Profesor OakRBYFRLG
Laboratorio de Investigación Pokémon de OakGSCHGSS
  Vietnamese Viện nghiên cứu Pokémon

Related articles

References



Kanto
               
Settlements
Pallet TownViridian CityPewter CityCerulean CityVermilion CityLavender Town
Celadon CitySaffron CityFuchsia CityCinnabar IslandIndigo Plateau
Routes
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
Landmarks
Professor Oak's LaboratoryViridian ForestDiglett's CavePewter Museum of ScienceMt. Moon (Square) • Cerulean Cave
Underground Path (Kanto Routes 5–6)Underground Path (Kanto Routes 7–8)S.S. AnneS.S. AquaSea CottageRock Tunnel
Power PlantCycling Road/Pokémon RoadTeam Rocket HideoutSilph Co.Magnet TrainPokémon TowerSafari Zone/Pal Park
GO ParkSeafoam IslandsPokémon MansionCinnabar LabPokémon League Reception GateVictory RoadTohjo Falls
Access to
Sevii IslandsJohto


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