Chapter 223

Chapter 223: Chapter 223

After they ate, everyone remained outside, sitting in their chairs and chatting.

"By the way, Mike," Professor Oak said while watching him stroke Glameow, "I heard you’re planning to establish a research institute here in Sinnoh?"

"Yeah."

Mike stopped petting Glameow for a moment and looked toward him.

"I’m pretty interested in Dynamax, so I figured that once I have my own institute, we can cooperate with Professor Magnolia’s laboratory and study how Pokémon from the Hisui era interact with Dynamax."

"Dynamaxing Hisuian Pokémon..." Professor Oak nodded thoughtfully. "That’s actually a promising research direction."

"Have you decided where you’re going to build the institute?"

Mike shook his head.

"Not yet. We still don’t know what the League will approve."

He looked toward Oleana.

Oleana had just raised her head from her food.

The moment she noticed Mike looking at her, she hurriedly swallowed, wiped her mouth, and answered.

"I’ve already finished discussing the matter with Elite Four Lucian. He said that once we decide on a location, he’ll submit the report to the League and have construction funds allocated for the institute."

"I’ll also compile a full list of required research equipment and submit it to you."

Mike shook his head.

"No need to give it to me."

Oleana stared at him, confused.

"I’ll send you Manryo’s contact information later—Manryo Hisaishisai. You two can discuss the equipment yourselves."

"Understood."

"You’ll also need research staff," Professor Rowan added from nearby. "It’s best to recruit several Pokémon researchers as assistants. Otherwise, the workload will become overwhelming."

Mike turned toward Oleana.

Oleana: "..."

"I understand. I’ll publish recruitment notices and let you know when it’s time for you to conduct the interviews."

"No. You can handle the interviews too."

Mike immediately delegated that job as well.

Oleana stared at him in disbelief.

"I’m doing the interviews too?"

"You’ll be the one managing the institute most of the time once it’s established. I probably won’t be there very often, so what you need are assistants who can actually make yourwork easier."

Mike leaned back comfortably.

"I still have a journey to continue. I need to photograph more Pokémon, more people, and more places!"

Oleana: "..."

’If I’m doing everything, then who exactly is in charge of this research institute?!’

’And which one of us is supposed to be the Pokémon Professor?!’

"...Understood."

Oleana eventually accepted her fate.

"So, Mike, have you decided where you’d like the institute to be built?" Professor Kukui asked curiously.

"The institute..."

Mike thought for a moment.

"Twinleaf Town, maybe. Would that work?"

"Twinleaf Town?"

Professor Rowan considered it.

"Actually, that’s a good choice. There’s plenty of open land, and it’s right beside Sandgem Town. Our laboratories would be close enough that we could help each other whenever necessary."

Mike immediately nodded with suspicious enthusiasm.

Watching him repeatedly nod, Oleana suddenly developed the distinct impression that Mike wanted the institute in Twinleaf precisely so that whenever she encountered something she didn’t understand, she could ask Professor Rowan first.

And whenever something went wrong...

She could also ask Professor Rowan first.

They had known each other for less than two days, but Oleana was already beginning to understand Mike rather well.

Whenever anything needed doing, his first instinct was to make someone else handle it.

Oleana touched her forehead and felt a wave of melancholy.

’I’m going to lose even more hair...’

Once it became unmistakably clear that Mike intended to leave practically everything to her, Oleana began questioning Professor Oak and the others about everything required to establish and operate a research institute.

She carefully recorded their advice, then began compiling the initial equipment list and contacting Gholdengo Bro.

Once that conversation ended, she called Lucian at Sinnoh League headquarters and informed him that they intended to establish the institute in Twinleaf Town.

Lucian instructed her to travel there, meet with the town’s mayor and Officer Jenny, determine how much land the institute would require, complete the necessary paperwork, find a construction company, calculate the projected cost, and submit everything to the League.

And so Oleana, who had only just finished dinner and hadn’t even had time to rest, boarded a flight to Jubilife City before continuing from there by road to Twinleaf Town.

Mike remained behind in Celestic Town to help Professor Rowan finish dealing with the remaining Kleavor and Ursaluna arrangements.

After seeing Professor Kukui and Professor Oak off, Mike walked through Celestic Town beside Professor Rowan.

"When are you leaving?" Rowan asked.

"Tomorrow."

Mike watched Glameow walking ahead of them, repeatedly stopping and glancing back to make sure he was still following.

"We’ve stayed in Celestic Town long enough. It’s time to start the next part of the journey."

"I’ll be returning to Sandgem Town tomorrow too."

Professor Rowan nodded.

"Now that you have your own research institute, don’t think that means you can completely ignore research. If the institute goes too long without producing meaningful results, the League can revoke its status and reclaim it."

"I know."

Rowan didn’t lecture him any further.

Once they returned to the courtyard, he went directly to his room.

Mike returned to his own room and sank into a hot bath.

Snivy and the others remained outside packing for tomorrow.

Mike leaned against the edge of the tub, staring blankly at the bathroom ceiling.

Gengar soaked a towel in the hot water, wrung it out, folded it neatly into a square, and gently placed it across Mike’s forehead.

"Gar—"

[Rest properly, Mike.]

"Thanks, Gengar."

Mike smiled.

"When we get to Eterna City, we’ll do a huge shopping run. We need to buy some warmer clothes too, and then we’ll head toward Mount Coronet to photograph Pokémon we’ve never filmed before."

He stared dreamily toward the ceiling.

"To tell you the truth, I’ve never actually seen snow before. I heard Mount Coronet stays covered in snow all year. I wonder if that’s really true."

Mike rambled on for quite a while.

Gengar sat quietly on the opposite side of the bath and listened without interrupting him.

Eventually, Mike smiled, climbed out of the tub, grabbed Gengar, and dragged him out as well before dropping him onto the bathroom floor.

Rotom immediately spoke up.

"Combining current observations with historical data, the probability of Gengar passing out from soaking in the bath is 99.99 percent, roto..."

Mike looked toward Rotom.

"Shouldn’t you charge? We’re leaving tomorrow."

"Forgot, roto!"

The moment the words left Rotom’s speaker, he turned into electricity and disappeared into the wiring, quietly absorbing power.

"Snivy~"

[Everything’s packed~]

"Thanks."

Mike stepped over Gengar’s unconscious body and walked toward Big Sis Snivy, who was sitting on the bed.

He gently stroked her little head.

She narrowed her eyes contentedly and rubbed against his palm.

Mike lay down but found himself unable to fall asleep immediately.

Looking toward Beedrill, who was hanging upside down in one corner of the room, he suddenly remembered something.

He took out his phone, opened his conversation with Steven, photographed the Key Stone, and sent the picture.

[Mike: Steven, look what I got.]

[Steven: A Key Stone? In that case, how about I have the Beedrillite sent directly to you?]

[Mike: Thank you so much, Steven!]

[Steven: No need to be so formal.]

Mike put away his phone, yawned, and pulled Hatenna into his arms beneath the blanket.

"Snivy, can you turn off the lights tonight?"

Click.

The room went dark.

At the foot of the bed, Glameow stopped playing with her red ball of yarn.

She carefully put the ball away, slipped beneath the blanket, and crawled into Mike’s arms.

Her tail wrapped gently around his wrist as she yawned and closed her eyes.

"Good night, everyone."

...

Sinnoh, August 19. Clear skies.

Mike walked with Professor Rowan all the way to the station, Gengar and the others accompanying them.

"I’ll be heading back to Sandgem Town first." Professor Rowan patted Mike on the shoulder. "You don’t need to worry about the research institute. I’ll help keep an eye on things."

"Thank you, Professor."

Mike bowed politely in gratitude.

Beside him, Gengar pressed his hands together and bowed as well.

"Gar—!"

"It’s fine. Seeing you establish your own research institute is something I’m happy about too."

Professor Rowan looked at Mike with unmistakable appreciation in his eyes.

Seeing another talented researcher rise to prominence in the academic community was exactly the sort of thing he and Professor Oak wanted most.

"What about the experiment you proposed?" Rowan asked. "Having Pokémon first relearn their old signature moves before attempting to recover their ancient evolutionary forms. Should we wait until your institute is established before starting that?"

"That works." Mike nodded. "We’ll probably need to consult some particularly skilled Trainers about training specific types anyway. I can also use this trip to investigate whether any Pokémon from the Hisui era managed to survive continuously into the modern day."

"For example, Hisuian Growlithe and Arcanine."

"All right. I’ll discuss it properly with Samuel and the others once I’m back."

Professor Rowan glanced toward the arriving train.

"That’s mine. I should go."

"See you."

"Gar—!"

"Goodbye."

Professor Rowan picked up his small suitcase and boarded the train bound for Sandgem Town.

Mike headed toward the platform for Eterna City instead.

...

Once they were aboard, Gengar and the others immediately pressed their faces against the window again.

Mike genuinely couldn’t understand what was so fascinating about it.

Still, seeing how completely absorbed they were in the scenery, he left them alone.

Instead, he grabbed the Rotom Phone and started scrolling.

Rotom: "???"

’I want to look outside too, roto...’

Ignoring Rotom’s protests, Mike opened his conversation with Oleana.

She had already sent several messages.

[Oleana: Professor, I visited Grandma.]

[Oleana: [Photo together]]

Mike looked at Grandma in the picture. She didn’t seem to be in especially good condition.

He sighed softly and tapped out a reply.

[Mike: Thanks for going. When you have time, please spend a little more time with Grandma for me. If there’s anything about the institute you don’t understand, ask Professor Rowan.]

[Mike: Make sure Grandma eats properly and stays warm.]

Oleana replied almost immediately.

[Oleana: Of course, Professor. Please don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Grandma.]

[Oleana: Grandma was praising you to me too.]

[Oleana: Officer Jenny and I are choosing the site now.]

[Oleana: [Aerial photo]]

[Oleana: What do you think about this location? It’s close to the forest, quiet, spacious, and also very close to Grandma’s house.]

Mike examined the photograph carefully.

Most of the site consisted of open, level ground, but there were also several low hills and a moderately sized lake.

A forest bordered the rear of the property, while Grandma’s house was only a short distance away.

Mike liked it immediately.

[Mike: Looks pretty good. But isn’t it a little far from Twinleaf Town itself?]

Grandma lived in a rural village outside Twinleaf, so there was still some distance between her house and the town proper.

[Oleana: Professor, you could discuss it with Elite Four Lucian and request additional funding to build a direct road between the institute and Twinleaf Town. That way, people wouldn’t have to take the longer route around.]

Mike’s eyes widened.

[Mike: !!!]

[Mike: You’re a genius! Great idea. I’ll talk to Lucian.]

[Oleana: You flatter me.]

[Oleana: Then shall I confirm this as the location?]

[Mike: Sure.]

[Mike: How much land can our institute actually occupy? Is there a limit?]

[Oleana: An ordinary research institute usually occupies around fifty acres. But since we’re handling such a major Hisuian Pokémon project, I discussed it with Elite Four Lucian and secured somewhere between roughly 130 and 165 acres.]

[Mike: Huh?! That little? I thought we could have something like Professor Oak’s place.]

[Oleana: ...]

[Oleana: Professor, that’s Professor Oak...]

[Oleana: Once the necessary buildings are accounted for, our rear grounds will already be extremely large. We’ll be able to house a great many Pokémon...]

[Mike: Got it. I’ll leave construction of the institute to you. I’m going to talk to Lucian.]

[Oleana: Understood.]

Mike closed Oleana’s chat and opened Lucian’s.

[Mike: Beep beep beep. Overtime Bro, are you still working overtime? If you’re catching up on sleep, I can call and wake you up so you can start sleeping again.]

[Lucian: ...Try being human for once.]

[Mike: Huh? You’re still working?]

[Lucian: Just got off. I’m about to go home and rest.]

[Mike: You actually got off work? My youth is over...]

[Lucian: ...]

[Lucian: What do you want?]

[Mike: Well, here’s the thing...]

Mike explained the road proposal.

[Lucian: That? No problem. Thanks to you, the Hisaishisai Group recently sponsored the Sinnoh League with a large shipment of supplies and a significant amount of funding. Have Oleana calculate the cost and send it to me.]

[Mike: Roger.]

[Mike: By the way, when are you going to sleep? Tell me before you do. I’ll wait an hour and call you so I can wake you up and let you start sleeping all over again.]

[Mike: See how well I treat you?]

[Your message could not be delivered. Please add this user as a friend again...]

Mike stared at the screen.

"...He blocked me? Damn you, Lucian!"

Shaking his head, Mike reopened Oleana’s chat and passed along what Lucian had said.

Oleana replied with a simple acknowledgment.

Just then, another message arrived.

Steven.

[Steven: Mike, are you still in Celestic Town?]

Mike opened the chat and began typing with practiced ease.

[Mike: I’m on the way to Eterna City now. I’ll probably rest there for one day. Once I’ve bought everything we need, we’ll head into the Mount Coronet range.]

[Steven: Mount Coronet? I’ve heard there are mineral veins up there too. I’ve just never had time to search for them. If you find anything interesting, tell me.]

[Mike: Don’t worry.]

[Steven: I’ll have someone send the Beedrillite directly to Eterna City. Keep an eye out for it.]

[Mike: Thank you very much!]

[Steven: Consider it a gift to celebrate you becoming a Pokémon Professor, haha. Stay safe, and if you need help with anything, just ask. I’m heading out to mine now.]

[Mike: Hope you find the ore you’re looking for, Steven.]

Mike then opened the fan group.

Seeing the usual handful of people still chatting away, he wrote a message and pinned it.

[Mike: Everything’s finally taken care of. I’ll be heading into Mount Coronet for filming in a couple of days. Stay tuned!]

Everyone noticed the pinned message almost immediately.

[Juice Bro: WOOHOO~ He’s finally going out to film again.]

[Mad Silence: It’s the New Year’s!]

[ReallyWantIceCream: I’m on Mount Coronet right now. Maybe we’ll actually run into each other.]

[IDontWantOvertime: Film plenty. Update sooner.]

[Mike: @IDontWantOvertime By the way, when are you going to sleep?]

{System Notice: "GengarStoleMyDrumstick" has been muted for three hours by "IDontWantOvertime."}

[Mimikyu_DCX:∑(〇?〇)!!!]

[Mimikyu_DCX:Wait, isn’t Mike an admin?! How can he still get muted?!]

[GholdengoIsNumberOne: Oh, that. I’m probably going to be pretty busy lately, so I transferred group ownership to IDontWantOvertime.]

[Mimikyu_DCX: !!!]

Seeing that he had been muted yet again, Mike muttered, "Damn it," and put the phone down on the table.

Rotom immediately floated up and plastered himself against the train window.

"According to statistical analysis, Gengar and the others are most likely pressing themselves against the glass because they’re bor—"

Before Rotom could finish, a Vine Whip wrapped around him and tossed him onto the seat.

"My phone..."

Mike’s eyelid twitched as he watched the phone smack into the cushion.

Snivy turned around and looked at him.

Mike forced out a smile.

"As long as you’re happy."

"Snivy~"

She gave him a beautiful smile.

Mike looked at the spirals now spinning across Rotom’s screen, sighed, and closed his eyes.

Out of sight, out of mind.

When Rotom finally recovered and opened his mouth to complain again, Hatenna used her psychic power to clamp his mouth shut.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

Then Rotom noticed a slender bamboo staff and a long stinger simultaneously resting against him.

He immediately dropped back onto the seat and closed his eyes.

Only then did Gengar and Beedrill withdraw their respective weapons and return their attention to the scenery outside.