Chapter 146

Chapter 146: Chapter 146

Floaroma Town was blessed with clear skies and brilliant sunshine, perfect weather for a day trip.

Mike left town with Gengar and the others and followed the road toward the Gracidea flower fields, enjoying how different Floaroma’s countryside felt from the routes around other cities.

Even the roadside verges were overflowing with flowers, and for a while the path was so colorful and peaceful that simply walking through it felt refreshing.

That description, however, only applied to the first part of the journey.

Once Floaroma Town had disappeared behind them and they had walked far enough that nobody was around to complain, Gengar finally unleashed his inner master swordsman.

Armed with his treasured bamboo staff as though it were some legendary hero’s blade, he began mercilessly whacking every weed and stray stalk within reach until the road behind him looked as though a tiny one-Pokémon landscaping crew had passed through.

Glameow had her own entertainment.

She slipped between bushes and flower beds, peering through the leaves with bright blue eyes whenever she discovered a pair of Kricketot or Kricketune quietly meeting somewhere out of sight.

Mike, meanwhile, walked with his hands clasped behind his back and hummed a cheerful little tune about sunshine, flowers, and birds welcoming the morning.

Completely unaware of how much chaos Wyrdeer’s public debut had already caused around the world, he looked less like the man at the center of a major scientific discovery and more like a parent taking a group of children on a pleasant weekend outing.

Whenever he passed an especially beautiful wildflower, he would carefully pick one and hand it to Snivy.

She accepted each gift with quiet pleasure, eventually tucking one beside the leaf on her head before turning toward Mike with a sweet smile.

Mike immediately raised a thumb.

"That looks great on you."

Snivy’s smile grew a little brighter.

A while later, Mike noticed a broad patch of color in the distance that looked distinctly different from the surrounding flower fields.

"That should be the Gracidea field, right?"

Gengar finally suspended his campaign against roadside vegetation and floated over to look.

"Gar—"

Mike shaded his eyes for a moment, then shrugged.

"Only one way to find out. Let’s go."

When they finally reached the field, its actual scale caught Mike completely off guard.

From a distance it had looked large, but standing inside it was another matter entirely; no matter which direction he looked, he couldn’t see where the Gracidea field ended.

An elevated railway crossed part of the landscape, and every so often a high-speed train thundered overhead before vanishing toward some distant destination.

Mike watched one race across the flower fields and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"We should take a train sometime. The view from up there has to be incredible."

Gengar and the others all seemed to like the idea.

Mike then returned his attention to the flowers around them.

The Gracidea had not yet fully bloomed.

Most of the flowers remained closed in heavy buds, their heads drooping slightly until the breeze passed through and made the entire field sway in gentle waves.

Plenty of other visitors had come to see them anyway.

Many were young couples using the Gracidea’s association with gratitude to express their feelings for one another, although Mike also noticed the timeless sight of several girlfriends criticizing their boyfriends’ photography skills.

He couldn’t help smiling.

Apparently some things were universal.

One particularly nervous young man was struggling so badly with his camera that Mike eventually walked over and offered to help.

Once the couple saw the first few photographs he took, their expressions immediately brightened.

That should have been the end of it.

Instead, someone nearby noticed.

Then another couple noticed.

Before Mike knew what had happened, a sizable crowd had quietly gathered around him, all patiently waiting for the wandering photographer to take their pictures too.

...

While Mike was unexpectedly running an outdoor photography booth in the middle of the Gracidea field, the Pokémon academic world was experiencing an entirely different kind of chaos.

At almost the same time, Professor Oak of Pallet Town, Professor Rowan of Sandgem Town, and Professor Kukui of Alola released a wave of major papers and research reports.

"Are There Still Pokémon Unknown to Modern Science? I Believe There Are."

— Samuel Oak, Professor Rowan

"An Ancient Lineage Reawakened: Wyrdeer and the Pokémon of Hisui."

— Mike, Samuel Oak

"Special Evolution: The Relationship Between Stantler and Wyrdeer."

— Mike, Professor Rowan

"Wyrdeer and Ancient Hisui: Ordinary Evolution or Regional Adaptation?"

— Mike, Professor Rowan, Samuel Oak

"Possible Evolutionary Forms of Other Pokémon from the Hisui Era."

— Mike, Professor Rowan, Cynthia

"Beyond Alolan and Galarian Forms: A Survey of Hisuian Pokémon."

— Mike, Professor Rowan

"Methodology for the Evolution of Stantler into Wyrdeer."

— Mike, Professor Rowan

"From Hisui to Sinnoh: Environmental Change and Divergent Pokémon Evolution."

— Mike, Professor Rowan, Samuel Oak

"Psyshield Bash: The Relationship Between Stantler’s Signature Move and Its Evolution into Wyrdeer."

— Mike, Professor Kukui

"Training Stantler to Rediscover Its Signature Move, Psyshield Bash."

— Professor Kukui

At the same time, Cynthia and Lucian released papers and reports of their own.

"Methods for Strengthening Stantler’s Psychic Power."

— Lucian

"Does the Strength of Stantler’s Psychic Power Affect Its Evolution?"

— Mike, Lucian

"Hisui: The Predecessor of Modern Sinnoh."

— Cynthia, Professor Rowan

"Hypotheses Concerning the Hisui Era."

— Cynthia

"Legends of Hisui: The Deity Who Bestowed Affection Upon the Land."

— Mike, Cynthia

"The Fourth Member of the Forces of Nature."

— Mike, Cynthia

"The Forces of Nature in Hisui and Unova: Where Did Their Legend Originate?"

— Mike, Cynthia

"From ’Wild Creatures’ to ’Pokémon’: Poké Balls, Terminology, and the Hisui Era."

— Mike, Cynthia

"Dialga, Palkia, and the Hisuian Concept of ’Almighty Sinnoh.’"

— Cynthia

And those were only the major publications.

One heavyweight paper followed another, sending shockwaves through the academic community.

The rediscovery of a single Pokémon had unexpectedly opened entire new fields of inquiry encompassing ecology, ancient regional adaptations, mythology, lost evolutionary mechanisms, move acquisition, training methodology, and the historical relationship between Hisui and modern Sinnoh.

More importantly, the names attached to the research were impossible to ignore.

Professor Oak and Professor Rowan were authorities among Pokémon Professors.

Cynthia was one of the world’s foremost experts on mythology and ancient history.

Professor Kukui specialized in Pokémon moves, while Lucian was both a powerful Elite Four member and one of the world’s most accomplished Psychic-type specialists.

Researchers throughout every region began calling the moment they finished reading.

When Professor Oak and Professor Rowan’s lines became impossible to reach, people started calling Professor Kukui and Cynthia instead.

As for Lucian...

He had his own problems.

Among all the researchers scrambling for answers, Professor Juniper of Unova was arguably the most anxious.

Her own specialty was the origins of Pokémon, which meant Cynthia’s papers struck directly at the heart of her field.

The Forces of Nature were generally associated with Unova.

Tornadus and Thundurus were known for creating destructive storms, while Landorus appeared to restrain them and restore fertility to the land.

For generations, this had led people to treat the trio as legendary Pokémon intrinsically tied to Unova.

Cynthia’s research challenged that assumption.

According to the newly uncovered records, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus had been appearing in ancient Hisui more than a thousand years ago—perhaps far earlier—and those records also described a fourth member of the group that had effectively vanished from modern history.

Enamorus.

There was no chance Professor Juniper could simply sit still after reading that!

For someone whose research centered on Pokémon origins, discovering that academia might have misunderstood the historical homeland of such important Legendary Pokémon was not a minor detail.

She immediately called Cynthia.

...

While several Professors and a Champion were being buried beneath an avalanche of phone calls, Mike had finally finished taking pictures for everyone who had gathered around him.

He dropped onto the blanket Gengar had spread across the ground and started chatting with his viewers and fan group.

After receiving a flood of astonished reactions about the Wyrdeer research, Mike naturally became a little smug.

Then Gholdengo Is Number One started offering increasingly absurd amounts of money just to convince him to livestream, and Mike finally agreed.

He had already promised Lucian, Professor Rowan, and the others that he would show his face and publicly explain some of the research once the papers were released anyway.

"Gengar, help me set up the equipment," Mike called. "I’m probably going to talk about Wyrdeer for a while, so this could be a long stream."

Gengar stopped whatever he had been doing, put away his bamboo staff, and floated back.

He pulled out a small blackboard, secured it behind Mike, then began setting up the camera and livestream equipment.

Snivy was already thinking ahead.

She had Gengar bring out several Berries, washed them clean, arranged them neatly on a plate, and set out water as well.

Watching everyone prepare, Mike separately messaged Professor Rowan, Professor Oak, Professor Kukui, Cynthia, and Lucian.

[Mike: I’m about to livestream. If you’re available, would you be willing to join the call for part of it?]

Once all five agreed, Mike relaxed.

By the time Gengar finished setting everything up, Mike reached over and scooped up Glameow, who had been lying nearby playing with the Soothe Bell around her neck.

Her fur immediately puffed up.

Mike calmly smoothed it back down.

"Work with me today. I’m actually a little nervous about this stream."

Glameow looked up into his face.

When she realized he genuinely seemed slightly uneasy, she hesitated, then stopped struggling and allowed herself to remain in his arms.

Mike lowered his head so she couldn’t see the grin slowly forming on his face.

’Perfect.’

He looked toward Gengar.

"All right. Start the stream."

"Gar—"

Gengar went live.

Viewers poured in almost immediately.

[Propht: FIRST!]

[Mimikyu_DCX: First—DAMN IT, PROPHT!]

{System: Gholdengo Is Number One sent the streamer ×30 Poké Galas.}

[Xerotia: Gholdengo Is Number One going huge right out of the gate!]

[TheSuperiorLuxray: Damn it, he got his money in before gifts were disabled!]

[Siamus_404: Mike, are YOU the Mike listed on Professor Oak and Professor Rowan’s papers?!]

Mike saw the comment and almost smiled.

Finally.

Someone had asked the right question!

"Yes," he said, nodding toward the camera. "That’s me. Same Mike. No coincidence."

The chat exploded.

Not everyone watching the livestream had access to Mike’s fan group.

Gholdengo Is Number One had established some kind of entry requirement for the private group, although Mike himself had never bothered asking exactly what those requirements were.

As the viewer count continued climbing, Mike disabled donations altogether.

"I’m turning gifts off temporarily because of how today’s stream is structured," he explained, then settled Glameow more comfortably on his lap and began stroking her back.

[Kianimos: Can you explain Wyrdeer to us?]

"Explain Wyrdeer? Of course. You’re not from Sinnoh?"

[Kianimos: Nope.]

"All right. For anyone in Sinnoh, if you want the basic official information, open your Pokédex and search entry number xxx. Wyrdeer’s profile should already be available."

Mike looked back toward the camera.

"For people in other regions, I imagine the data will be synchronized to your regional Pokédex systems soon. The National Pokédex hasn’t updated yet either."

He then moved into the actual explanation.

"Wyrdeer is the evolved form of Stantler. After Stantler learns its evolutionary line’s signature move, Psyshield Bash, it needs to use Psyshield Bash twenty times in Agile Style. Once that condition is fulfilled, it can evolve into Wyrdeer. Professor Rowan, Professor Kukui, and Lucian have all discussed the process in the papers released today."

Mike lightly scratched Glameow beneath the chin.

"Wyrdeer is Normal- and Psychic-type, while Psyshield Bash is a physical Psychic-type move. Compared with Stantler, Wyrdeer possesses extremely powerful psychic energy, so if you encounter one in the wild someday, I strongly recommend not provoking it."

He smiled.

"According to our observations, the psychic power generated through its antlers can distort a person’s perception of space badly enough to leave them completely lost."

Mike paused.

"As for whether you can actually find wild Wyrdeer yet..."

He considered how much he was allowed to disclose, then checked his phone.

Professor Rowan had already sent a message.

[Professor Rowan: If you believe it’s appropriate to disclose, go ahead.]

Mike put the phone away and continued.

"When we started the project, we selected five Stantler as our primary research subjects. Three successfully evolved, while the remaining two came extremely close."

"One of the evolved Wyrdeer went with Lucian for training. That’s the one everyone saw in the exhibition match yesterday. Professor Rowan brought another back to his laboratory for continued observation."

Mike’s smile broadened.

"The third one returned to the wild, and I had it take the two Stantler that were close to evolving with it."