Chapter 379 · Unaware Professor Oak

"This is your food. If it's not enough, just ask for more," Gary said, placing a bowl full of Pokémon food in front of Great Tusk.

It was Gary's first time meeting a Great Tusk, and he wasn't sure how much it ate. Judging by its size, though, it clearly had a huge appetite.

Great Tusk stared at the bowl, looking confused. In ancient times, it was a carnivorous Pokémon that had never tasted modern Pokémon food.

"These food cubes are compressed and packed with beef, grains, and vitamins. Give them a try—they taste pretty good," Gary explained.

Pokémon food appeared as brown cubes, but they were made from a variety of nutritious ingredients, carefully balanced with vitamins.

Cautious but curious, Great Tusk sniffed the food with its trunk. Though the scent was unfamiliar, the rich aroma drew it in.

Knowing it couldn't afford to be picky in a strange world, Great Tusk took a bite—and its eyes lit up in surprise. In no time, it began devouring the contents of the bowl.

"Crunch, crunch... gulp."

When it finished, Great Tusk was still hungry and looked expectantly at Gary for more.

Gary, having prepared plenty of food, gave it another bowl and even added a few Energy Cubes formulated for heavy eaters to help fill its stomach.

Once satisfied, Gary concluded that Great Tusk's appetite rivaled that of a Snorlax. Clearly, he'd have to stock up on high-calorie Energy Cubes in the future.

After feeding it, Gary recalled Great Tusk into its Poké Ball. Following a brief rest, he and Zinnia resumed their journey toward Mauville City.

Upon reaching Mauville City, Gary headed straight for the Pokémon Center to call Professor Oak.

Though he owned a cell phone, it only supported calls and texts. Sending photos or making video calls required a Pokémon Center's equipment.

When the video call connected, Professor Oak's face appeared—and he immediately launched into a lighthearted scolding.

"Gary, it's been so long since you last called me!"

Ever since Gary bought a cell phone, he'd been reporting his status by phone instead of video, and Professor Oak hadn't seen his face in weeks.

"Relax, Grandpa. I'm fine. I'll try to call once a week from now on," Gary promised.

Professor Oak smiled, relieved to see his grandson in good spirits.

"So, tell me. You wouldn't call unless you had something important to ask," Oak said knowingly.

"Grandpa, I caught a Pokémon I've never seen before. Can you help me identify it?" Gary asked.

"Oh? Send it over—I'll take a look at it," Oak replied, intrigued.

If Gary, who had extensive knowledge of Pokémon, had never seen it before, it must be extremely rare.

"I'll wait on sending it for now. This Pokémon has a nasty temper. I'll work on calming it down first, then send it when it's more settled," Gary explained.

Based on his observations, Great Tusk had a naturally aggressive personality. Dropping it into a strange environment would only make it worse. Gary wanted to raise it himself until it adapted to this world.

"Then at least show me what it looks like," Oak insisted.

"I took a picture." Gary held up his Pokégear and showed Professor Oak the photo of Great Tusk.

At first glance, Oak's eyes widened. "Is that... Donphan? No, wait... those tusks are way too large."

The resemblance to Donphan was obvious, but on closer inspection, it was clear that this Pokémon was something entirely different. Professor Oak frowned, puzzled.

"I've never seen this species before," he admitted.

Gary was genuinely surprised. He thought for sure Professor Oak, one of the world's leading Pokémon researchers, would know about Paradox Pokémon. After all, they'd been known in Paldea for nearly a decade.

"You really don't know, Grandpa?" Gary asked in disbelief.

"Send me the photo. I'll ask the other professors. If anyone knows anything, I'll let you know," Oak said.

"Got it. I'll send it right away." Gary borrowed the Pokémon Center's fax machine and transmitted the image to Professor Oak.

"I'm off to investigate this. Talk later!" Professor Oak said, already consumed by the excitement of new research. He ended the call without another word.

Gary sighed, shaking his head. He knew his grandfather—once Oak found a new Pokémon to study, everything else faded away.

Stepping outside the Pokémon Center, Gary released Great Tusk and Ralts.

"Dungu!!"

Great Tusk looked around, overwhelmed by the bustling human city. The desert was wild and untamed, but this... this was something it had never experienced before.

"Don't be scared. This is a human city. You probably don't understand yet, but you've traveled to the future. I'm not sure how much of that you can grasp," Gary said gently.

Ralts stood nearby, using telepathy to help translate Gary's words into thoughts Great Tusk could understand.

"Dungu? (O_O)??"

Great Tusk tilted its head in confusion. In its time, humans didn't exist. Even the most intelligent Pokémon of ancient times had only childlike awareness—concepts like time travel were beyond its comprehension.

Seeing that Great Tusk didn't fully understand, Gary simplified his explanation:

"Basically, you're in a different world now, and you can't go back—at least for now."

"Dungu..." Great Tusk lowered its head, then raised its trunk to ask how it had ended up here.

"I don't know either, but I'll help you figure it out. For now, though, you need to learn how things work here," Gary said.

Great Tusk seemed to accept Gary's words. Sensing Gary's kindness and strength, it decided to trust him in this unfamiliar world.

Satisfied with its attitude, Gary gave some important instructions:

"This is a human city. People and Pokémon live peacefully here. You're not allowed to attack anyone or use any moves without my permission. Do you understand?"

Great Tusk looked around and spotted a few humans nearby. Though they looked small and harmless, it glanced at Eevee beside Gary and remembered how much power that little Pokémon had. Clearly, this world wasn't what it seemed.

"Dungu!!"

Great Tusk nodded firmly, promising to obey.

"Good. Here—hold onto this." Gary handed it a Soothe Bell.

Great Tusk caught the bell with its trunk. Giving it a shake, it heard the soft chime and, realizing it wasn't dangerous, stored it safely in its carrying space.

With that settled, Gary began training Great Tusk in modern Pokémon battle techniques.