Professor Oak's Laboratory
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| Location: | Pallet Town | |||
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| Region: | Kanto | |||
| Generations: | I, II, III, IV | |||
 Location of Professor Oak's Laboratory in Kanto. | ||||
| Pokémon world locations | ||||
The famous Professor Oak's Laboratory, also called the Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory, is a Pokémon lab located in Pallet Town that is directed by Professor Samuel Oak and, in the anime, his assistant Tracey Sketchit. 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, and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. In Generation I and the Generation III remakes, it is where Oak gives the player their starter Pokémon and a Pokédex.
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 "Here is the Institute of Dr. Okido." in Japanese, and "Oak Pokémon Research Lab" in the English language versions. 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. Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal have the lab 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.
Outside
Red and Green (J)
Red and Blue (E) and Blue (J)
Yellow
Gold, Silver and Crystal
FireRed and LeafGreen
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Inside
Yellow
Gold, Silver and Crystal
FireRed and LeafGreen
HeartGold and SoulSilver
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 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.
In the anime
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 a region adventure, but also in Pokémon Chronicles and in the movies. The building stands out in Pallet Town for its wind turbine, the three windows of the inner balcony, and for the four windows of the second floor. Every time Ash captures a Pokémon when he has six already with him, 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.
Structure
Infrastructure
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.
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.
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.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
The lab also appeared briefly in the Pokémon Adventures manga. In his search to be the best Trainer, Red went to see Professor Oak in A Glimpse of the Glow, but the laboratory, a one-floor building with a sign, was deserted and the door was open; Red entered anyway. 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.
In Kalling Kadabra, Sabrina's Kadabra disguised itself as Professor Oak rampaging around the place in front of Red, then disappeared. Blue then arrived with his newly evolved Charizard, showing a picture of Silph Co. to Red.
In the FireRed & LeafGreen arc, it is once again seen in Shapeless Attacker when Red and Blue receive a letter from Professor Oak to come and return their old model Pokédexes.
Trivia
- 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.
Related articles
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This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world. |
