Professor Oak's Laboratory
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| Recommended Level: | {{{reclvl}}} | ||||
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| Map description: | {{{mapdesc}}} | ||||
| Location: | Pallet Town | ||||
| Region: | Kanto | ||||
| Generations: | I,II,III,IV,VII | ||||
 Location of Professor Oak's Laboratory inKanto. | |||||
| Pokémon world locations | |||||
Professor Oak's Laboratory (Japanese:オーキド研究所Okido Institute), also called theOak 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 aPokémon Research Lab located inPallet Town that is directed byProfessor 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 toPallet Town'sTrainers.
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 differenttypes of Pokémon. The laboratory has the technology to keep Pokémon healthy and to make the largest scientific investigations in the region.
In the core series games
Professor Oak's Laboratory appears inPokémon Red, Blue, andYellow,Pokémon Gold, Silver, andCrystal,Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen,Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, andPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. In theGeneration I games and theirremakes, it is where Oak gives theplayer theirfirst partner Pokémon and aPokédex.
Appearance
The lab is a small building near the player's house that has been slightly modified in every game.
InPokémon 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 threePoké Balls, a computer, two blankPokédexes, and two tips for the player.
InPokémon 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.
InPokémon Gold, Silver, andCrystal, 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.
InPokémon 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.
InPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the building is modified to look 3D, but still has the overall design from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
InPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the laboratory also mostly retains its overall design fromGeneration 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 fromProfessor Oak after obtaining thepartner Pokémon | P E |
 | Poké Ball ×5 | Obtained from Professor Oak after delivering him hisParcel | 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 defeatingBlue at the optional battle onRoute 22, if theplayer has no regularPoké Balls in theirBag and has not added any caught data to thePokédex (permanently missed if the player skips this battle by earning theBoulder Badge first, or attempts toreceive them with a full Bag) | R B Y |
| Poké Ball ×5 | Obtained from Professor Oak either after defeatingBlue at the optional battle onRoute 22 or after battling Blue inCerulean City (regardless of winning or losing), if theplayer has no regularPoké Balls in theirBag and has not added any caught data to theKanto Pokédex (permanently missed if the player earns theEarth Badge first) | FR LG |
 | Key Stone | Obtained from Blue after earning sevenBadges and meetingTrace in front of theViridian 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 theHall of Fame and catching at least 60Pokémon | FR LG |
 | HM08 (Rock Climb) | Reward from Professor Oak after obtaining all 16 Badges | HG SS |
 | Jade Orb | Obtained from Professor Oak after showing him theGroudon andKyogre from theEmbedded Tower | HG SS |
Pokémon
Generation I
| Pokémon | Games | Location | Levels | Rate | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First partner Pokémon | |||||||||||||||
| R | B | Y |
| 5 | One | |||||||||
| R | B | Y |
| 5 | One | |||||||||
| R | B | Y |
| 5 | One | |||||||||
| R | B | Y |
| 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 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First partner Pokémon | |||||||||||||||
| FR | LG |
| 5 | One | ||||||||||
| FR | LG |
| 5 | One | ||||||||||
| FR | LG |
| 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 After defeatingRed | |||||||||||||||
| HG | SS |
| 5 | One | ||||||||||
| HG | SS |
| 5 | One | ||||||||||
| HG | SS |
| 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 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First partner Pokémon | |||||||||||||||
| P | E |
| 5 | One | ||||||||||
| P | E |
| 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 first partner Pokémon at Oak's, they will also have their first Trainer battle at the Laboratory against theirrival.
Generation I
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Yellow
Generation III
Generation VII
Walking Pokémon effects
When interacting withwalking Pokémon inPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the Pokémon may occasionally show an altered mood specific to this location.
| Games | Pokémon | Area | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| P E | |||
   Bulbasaur,Charmander andSquirtle | Anywhere | <Pokémon's name> is positively beaming! Seems it feels very at ease. |
Appearance
Outside
Red and Green (Japanese)
Red and Blue (International) and Blue (Japanese)
Yellow
Gold, Silver and Crystal
FireRed and LeafGreen
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
Inside
Red and Blue
Yellow
Gold, Silver, and Crystal
FireRed and LeafGreen
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
In the side series games
Pokémon Stadium
- Main article:Pokémon Lab (Stadium)
Professor Oak's Laboratory, known as the "Pokémon Lab", also appears inPokémon Stadium. In it, the player can interact with a copy ofPokémon Red, Blue, orYellow inserted into theTransfer Pak, allowing them to view theirPokédex, organize theitems in theirPC, access theirBox,trade Pokémon, and send prize Pokémon received at theGym Leader Castle into the inserted game.
Oak has another Lab inWhite City inPokémon Stadium 2, which has the same basic functionality expanded to supportPokémon Gold, Silver, andCrystal.
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Puzzle League
InPokémon Puzzle League for theNintendo 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 inPokémon 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 thePokémon Report,Pokémon Album, and all information onPokémon signs in his laboratory. It appears the same way in this game that it does inPokémon the Series.
Pokémon Masters EX
Artwork of various depictions of Professor Oak's Laboratory is seen inProfessor Oak andAsh's mindscapes.
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Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
InPokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, the interior of Professor Oak's Laboratory as depicted inPokémon FireRed and LeafGreen can be seen in the illustration of theProfessor's Research card.
In animation
Pokémon the Series
The laboratory debuted in the first episode ofPokémon the Series,Pokémon - I Choose You!, whenAsh received hisPikachu. Since then, it has been seen in many episodes, mostly in the start and ending of Ash'sjourney through aregion, but also inPokémon Chronicles and in themovies. The building stands out inPallet Town for its wind turbine.
Every time Ashcatches aPokémon when he has already a fullparty, the new Pokémon is automatically transported here. Ash also has a habit of leavingall of his Pokémon besides Pikachu here each time he leaves for a new region, starting withHoenn.
Since the last episode of theBeginning series,The Rivalry Revival,Tracey has been working at the lab as anassistant toProfessor Oak. In the last episode of theJourneys series,The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!, Ash briefly filled in for Tracey while he traveled for a few days.
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 whereProfessor 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.
ThePoké Ball Storage Room stores the extra Pokémon of every Trainer born inPallet Town. This treasure of hundreds of Pokémon has been the target of attempted robberies byTeam 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 thePoké Ball Transfer machine, for the transportation of Pokémon to their Trainers in aPokémon 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 forRock Pokémon, desert areas forGround andFire types, grassy regions, and several lakes. Sometimes the Pokémon don't get along; for this reason, some Pokémon, such asAsh's Bulbasaur, act as mediators between quarreling Pokémon.
Trainer's Pokémon residing at the Lab
Other
There are various Pokémon that live on the Oak Corral. Only a handful have been seen but there are various kinds of different Pokémon. People like Professor Oak andTracey care for them. Other Trainers' Pokémon reside here such asGary's.
Previously resided at the Lab
 Arcanine |  Umbreon |  Bulbasaur ♀ |  Aipom ♀ |
Pokémon Origins
Professor Oak's Laboratory first appeared inFile 1: Red, whereRed andBlue got their first Pokémon and Pokédexes from Professor Oak. InFile 4: Charizard, Red returned to the lab after havingcaught all 149 known Pokémon. Later, after Red had successfully caughtMewtwo inCerulean Cave, Professor Oak held a minor celebration at the laboratory to congratulate Red and Blue on completing of the Pokédex, although Red soon realized thatMew still remained uncaught.
I Choose You!
Professor Oak's Laboratory appeared at the beginning ofI Choose You!. It was whereAsh obtainedhis Pikachu.
Pokémon Evolutions
Professor Oak's Laboratory appeared inThe Discovery.Green metProfessor Oak there, apologizing for having failed to complete thePokédex. Professor Oak, however, revealed that otherPallet 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 froma colleague of his, who informed him ofa new Pokémon made entirely of metal. However, when Professor Oak turned around to share the news with Green,Elaine, andTrace, he was surprised to see them having already left.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Red, Green & Blue arc
The laboratory first appeared inA Glimpse of the Glow, whereRed went to seeProfessor Oak. The first view of the inside of the lab was seen inBulbasaur, Come Home!, and was shown to have machines, tables, bookshelves, a glass container full of water and aPoké 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.
InKalling 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 toSaffron City.Blue then arrived with hisCharizard, showing Red a picture of Saffron City, which had been taken over byTeam Rocket and was where they kept the citizens of Pallet Town they had imprisoned.
FireRed & LeafGreen arc
The laboratory was once again seen inReturn to Pallet Town, when Red and Blue received messages from Professor Oak to return theirPokédexes. 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 captureDeoxys.
Emerald arc
Crystal started working as Professor Oak's assistant at the lab. She was seen in the lab while she suppliedEmerald with Pokémon for use in theBattle Frontier challenge.
Pokémon Pocket Monsters
Professor Oak's lab debuted inIntroducing the Pokémon Clefairy!!. This was whereRed choseClefairy andGreen choseCharmander. 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 inPrologue: Pallet Town whereSatoshi chose hisCharmander andShigeru choseSquirtle. Satoshi had his first battle there with Shigeru and emerged victorious.
Trivia
- InGeneration I, there is a moment when it is possible to stop the game. This happens if theplayer holds the A button after choosing their first partner Pokémon, which will stop therival from choosing his own first partner Pokémon until the player releases the button. This happens in all Generation I games, but is easier to perform inYellow.[1]
- In all Western Generation I games, when Professor Oak gives the player fivePoké Balls, his dialogue contains some errors that do not exist in the original Japanese versions:
- InPokémon 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.
- InPokémon 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.
- If the player's Pokémon takes damage in their first battle against their rival inFireRed and LeafGreen, their Pokémon will be healed after the battle.
- Professor Oak's lab's iconic theme is not played inGeneration IV, with the background music instead being Pallet Town's theme. The only way to hear the lab theme is to listen to thePokégear radio.
- In Pokémon Yellow only, there is a trash can on the right side of the table that Oak places the first partner Pokémon on. This blocks the player from walking to the other side of the table to collect Eevee in a spot where the rival cannot push them.
- InPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!,Sam's sketchbook fromCelebi: 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 ofmaking senryūs inPokémon the Series.
- In the gameSuper Mario Maker, the Pokémon-themed Event CourseI Choose You! features blocks arranged to look like Professor Oak's Laboratory at the start, where the player chooses between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle to obtain acostume of.
In other languages
Professor Oak's Laboratory
| Oak Pokémon Research Lab
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References
Related articles
 | This article is part ofProject Locations, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world. |
