Professor Oak's Laboratory

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Professor Oak's Laboratory オーキド研究所 Okido Institute "Wild Missingno. appeared!"
Map description:	{{{mapdesc}}}
Location:	Pallet Town
Region:	Kanto
Generations:	I, II, III, IV, VII
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 surrounding them, 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 Pokémon. The laboratory has the technology to keep Pokémon healthy and to make the largest scientific investigations in the region.

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 the table that had the Pokédexes on it in the previous games, 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
None	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 at the optional battle on Route 22, if the player has no regular Poké Balls in their Bag and has not added any caught data to the Pokédex (permanently missed if the player skips this battle by earning the Boulder Badge first, or attempts to receive them with a full Bag)	R  B  Y
	Poké Ball ×5	Obtained from Professor Oak either after defeating Blue at the optional battle on Route 22 or after battling Blue in Cerulean City (regardless of winning or losing), if the player has no regular Poké Balls in their Bag and has not added any caught data to the Kanto Pokédex (permanently missed if the player earns the Earth Badge first)	FR  LG
	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 First partner	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 Partner	P			E			Starter Pokémon	5	One
Eevee Partner	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:

Blue Professor Oak's Laboratory Red, Green, and Blue Reward: $175
Type: Fire Unknown Charmander Lv.5 Scratch Normal   --       Growl Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

If the player chose Charmander:

Blue Professor Oak's Laboratory Red, Green, and Blue Reward: $175
Type: Water Unknown Squirtle Lv.5 Tackle Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

If the player chose Squirtle:

Blue Professor Oak's Laboratory Red, Green, and Blue Reward: $175
Types: Grass Poison Bulbasaur Lv.5 Tackle Normal   --       Growl Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

Pokémon Yellow

Blue Professor Oak's Laboratory Yellow Reward: $175
Type: Normal Unknown Eevee Lv.5 Tackle Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

Generation III

If the player chose Bulbasaur:

Rival Blue Professor Oak's Laboratory FireRed and LeafGreen Reward: $80
Type: Fire Unknown Ability: Blaze Held item: None Charmander♂ Lv.5 Scratch Normal   --       Growl Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

If the player chose Charmander:

Rival Blue Professor Oak's Laboratory FireRed and LeafGreen Reward: $80
Type: Water Unknown Ability: Torrent Held item: None Squirtle♂ Lv.5 Tackle Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

If the player chose Squirtle:

Rival Blue Professor Oak's Laboratory FireRed and LeafGreen Reward: $80
Types: Grass Poison Ability: Overgrow Held item: None Bulbasaur♂ Lv.5 Tackle Normal   --       Growl Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

Generation VII

In Let's Go, Pikachu!:

Pokémon Trainer Trace Professor Oak's Laboratory Let's Go, Pikachu! Reward: $120
Type: Normal Unknown Ability: No Ability Held item: None Eevee♂ Lv.6 Tackle Normal Physical   --       Growl Normal Status   --       Curse Unknown Status   --       Curse Unknown Status   --

In Let's Go, Eevee!:

Pokémon Trainer Trace Professor Oak's Laboratory Let's Go, Eevee! Reward: $120
Type: Electric Unknown Ability: No Ability Held item: None Pikachu♂ Lv.6 Thunder Shock Electric Special   --       Growl Normal Status   --       Curse Unknown Status   --       Curse Unknown Status   --

Appearance

Outside

• 

  Red and Green (Japanese)

• 

  Red and Blue (International) and Blue (Japanese)

• 

  Yellow

• 

  Gold, Silver and Crystal

• 

  FireRed and LeafGreen

• 

  HeartGold and SoulSilver

Inside

• 

  Red and Blue

• 

  Yellow

• 

  Gold, Silver, and Crystal

• 

  FireRed and LeafGreen

• 

  HeartGold and SoulSilver

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

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, 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

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.

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.

Pokémon Evolutions

Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pokémon Evolutions

Professor Oak's Laboratory appeared in The Discovery. Green met Professor Oak there, apologizing for having failed to complete the Pokédex. Professor Oak, however, revealed that other Pallet Town Trainers had been taking on the same project as well, and thanks to them, the Pokédex was now complete. Just then, he received a call from a colleague of his, who informed him of a new Pokémon made entirely of metal. However, when Professor Oak turned around to share the news with Green, Elaine, and Trace, he was surprised to see them having already left.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Red, Green & Blue arc

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.

FireRed & LeafGreen arc

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.

Emerald arc

Crystal started working as Professor Oak's assistant at the lab. She was seen in the lab while she supplied Emerald with Pokémon for use in the Battle Frontier challenge.

Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pokémon Pocket Monsters

Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pokémon Zensho

Pokémon Pocket Monsters

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.

Pokémon Zensho

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 the rival 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.
• In all Western Generation I games, when Professor Oak gives the player five Poké Balls, his dialogue contains some errors that do not exist in the original Japanese versions:
  • In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, part of the text overlaps the previous line as opposed to inserting a new line and scrolling the text box accordingly.
    • In English Yellow only, this was fixed. However, a word is now misspelled.
    • Specifically in the Italian versions, another error was made; one of the words is rendered on top of the textbox's right border instead of appearing in a new line.
• If the player's Pokémon takes damage in their 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 only, there is a trash can on the right side of the table with the starter Pokémon on it. 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 Hindi प्रोफेसर ओक का प्रयोगशाला / पोकिमोन प्रयोगशाला (Professor Oak Ka Prayogshala / Pokémon Prayogshala) 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* Urdu پوکیمون پرائوگشالا 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

• Professor Oak
• Pallet Town

References

Kanto
Settlements Pallet Town • Viridian City • Pewter City • Cerulean City • Vermilion City • Lavender Town Celadon City • Saffron City • Fuchsia City • Cinnabar Island • Indigo Plateau Routes 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 Landmarks Professor Oak's Laboratory • Viridian Forest • Diglett's Cave • Pewter Museum of Science • Mt. Moon (Square) • Cerulean Cave Underground Path (Kanto Routes 5–6) • Underground Path (Kanto Routes 7–8) • S.S. Anne • S.S. Aqua • Sea Cottage • Rock Tunnel Power Plant • Cycling Road/Pokémon Road • Team Rocket Hideout • Silph Co. • Magnet Train • Pokémon Tower • Safari Zone/Pal Park GO Park • Seafoam Islands • Pokémon Mansion • Cinnabar Lab • Pokémon League Reception Gate • Victory Road • Tohjo Falls Access to Sevii Islands • Johto

This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world.