Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Chapter 258

The Following Day

Mike crawled out of his tent the next morning and stepped outside the Jynx’s cave.

The moment the cold mountain wind struck him, he shivered.

"Brrr!"

Fortunately, Snivy was already waiting with some warm water.

Mike gratefully accepted it and began washing up.

After a simple breakfast, he made his way to the cave entrance and sat down on the stone seat the Jynx had specially prepared for him.

Now all he needed to do was wait for the researchers to arrive.

He hadn’t been sitting there for very long when a powerful rushing sound came from the sky.

Mike raised his head.

A familiar, imposing figure was descending toward the cave.

Garchomp!

The Dragon-type glided down through the mountain air before landing in the snow.

A moment later, Cynthia jumped down from its back.

Her heels touched the snowy ground, but she landed without the slightest difficulty, maintaining her balance as though she’d simply stepped off a small platform.

The cold mountain wind caught her long black coat, making the fabric snap and flutter around her.

Cynthia looked toward Mike, who was still sitting on his stone seat.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Long time no see Mike."

Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Has it really been that long?"

Cynthia considered that for a moment.

Then she smiled again.

"I suppose not."

Before their conversation could go much further, another familiar Pokémon appeared in the distance.

Wyrdeer.

Lucian was riding sidesaddle on its back, looking considerably more relaxed than someone who’d supposedly been working himself to exhaustion.

Wyrdeer approached at an unhurried pace, carrying its Trainer through the snow until they reached Mike and Cynthia.

Lucian climbed down.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning," Cynthia replied with a nod.

Mike greeted him as well before glancing toward Wyrdeer.

"Hey, Lucian. How come you didn’t fly here on Bronzong this time?"

Lucian adjusted his glasses.

"Mount Coronet is a much more suitable environment for Wyrdeer, so I decided to ride him instead."

Mike nodded.

That made sense.

After all, Wyrdeer were accustomed to living in cold, mountainous environments.

Cynthia, meanwhile, had a more practical question.

"Have you arranged everything at League headquarters?"

"Yes. Bertha and Aaron are covering the duties while I’m away."

"Good."

The three of them chatted for a little while as they waited for the others.

Before long, the sound of beating wings echoed through the mountains.

A Charizard descended from the sky, carrying a familiar figure on its back.

Professor Kukui!

"Hey! Long time no see, everyone!"

Kukui greeted them enthusiastically as Charizard landed.

Not long after his arrival, Professor Rowan and Professor Oak also reached the research site.

With the professors beginning to gather, the quiet area outside the Jynx’s cave quickly became much livelier.

Then a cheerful voice rang out from nearby.

"Sorry! Sorry! I’m late!"

Everyone turned toward the sound.

A young woman was hurrying toward them through the snow.

She ran as quickly as she could, apparently worried that the meeting might have started without her.

When she finally reached the group, she stopped abruptly.

And froze.

"..."

Her eyes widened.

’Wait...’

’Is that...?’

She looked from one person to another.

Professor Rowan.

Professor Oak.

Professor Mike.

Professor Kukui.

Champion Cynthia.

Elite Four Lucian.

’WHAT?!’

’What kind of ridiculous lineup is this?!’

She’d known she was coming to assist with an important research project, but nobody had told her she’d be walking into a gathering of some of the most respected researchers and Trainers in the Pokémon world!

Mike, meanwhile, was examining the newcomer with interest.

She had long black hair styled into two large, rounded pigtails, held in place with blue hair accessories.

Her outfit consisted of a white collared shirt with a blue bow, a light-blue jacket casually tied around her waist, a brown skirt, and long socks patterned with white and blue horizontal stripes.

Mike stared at her legs.

Then he looked at the snow surrounding them.

’Wait a second...’

’Isn’t she COLD?!’

The young woman was none other than Candice, the Gym Leader of Snowpoint City.

After standing there in shock for another moment, Candice finally remembered why she’d come.

"U-Um... GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!"

She bowed deeply, her voice full of nervous enthusiasm.

Lucian stepped forward.

"Candice, thank you for coming."

Candice immediately straightened.

"Of course!"

Lucian explained the situation.

"We’re going to attempt to evolve Bergmite into Hisuian Avalugg. Since you’re an Ice-type Gym Leader, we’d like you to assist with the research."

Candice stared at him.

"...Huh?"

Her mouth slowly fell open.

’Hisuian Pokémon?’

’An evolution experiment?’

’And they want ME to help?!’

For a moment, she could barely believe what she’d heard.

Then she bowed again.

"YES! I’LL DO MY VERY BEST!"

Lucian nodded approvingly.

"There’s one more thing you should know. This project may take quite a while, so we need to make arrangements for your Gym."

Candice listened carefully.

"If there aren’t many Trainers coming to challenge the Snowpoint Gym, you can return whenever necessary to handle those battles yourself."

He paused before adding, "Alternatively, I can temporarily arrange for someone to cover your Gym duties until the research is finished."

Candice blinked.

’Wait...’

’Someone else can handle the Gym while I participate in research with all these amazing people?’

’THERE’S AN OPTION LIKE THAT ALL THIS TIME?!’

She was just about to answer when another powerful rush of wind swept down from above.

Everyone looked up.

A magnificent blue figure was descending toward them.

"ARTICUNO!"

A Legendary Pokémon!

Articuno spread its enormous wings and landed gracefully among the gathered researchers.

A woman with long, wine-red hair climbed down from its back.

She looked around at the assembled group and smiled.

"I hope I’m not too late?"

Candice froze.

Her eyes moved from Lorelei... to the beautiful Legendary bird standing beside her.

Then back to Lorelei.

"ELITE FOUR LORELEI?!"

She pointed toward Articuno, looking utterly astonished.

"D-DID YOU CATCH AN ARTICUNO?!"

Lorelei smiled at the young Gym Leader’s reaction.

She reached out and gently rested a hand against Articuno’s back, stroking its beautiful feathers.

"Not exactly. Articuno occasionally stays on Four Island, and we’ve become good friends."

Her expression softened as she looked toward the Legendary Pokémon.

"When it heard I was coming here, it offered to bring me."

Candice stared at them in wonder.

Lorelei turned back toward her with a gentle smile.

"Ice-type Pokémon do have a charm that’s impossible to resist, don’t they?"

Candice immediately nodded.

"YES!"

There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in her answer.

As far as she was concerned, Lorelei had just stated an undeniable truth.

Ice-type Pokémon were wonderful!

Cynthia stepped forward and greeted Lorelei.

"Thank you for coming."

"It’s my pleasure," Lorelei replied, her voice carrying a trace of genuine excitement. "Having the opportunity to participate in the revival of Hisuian Pokémon is an honor."

She then noticed Professor Oak standing nearby.

Her smile grew warmer.

"Professor Oak, it’s been a long time."

"Haha! It certainly has, Lorelei!"

Professor Oak was naturally quite familiar with Lorelei.

After all, they were both from Kanto, and Lorelei was one of the region’s most prominent Elite Four members.

After exchanging greetings with Professor Oak, Lorelei also greeted Professor Rowan and Lucian.

Only then did she turn toward Mike.

She approached him with a polite smile and extended her hand.

"Professor Mike, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you."

Mike immediately reached out and shook her hand.

"The pleasure’s mine! I’ve heard a great deal about you, Elite Four Lorelei."

"Please, just call me Lorelei."

Mike smiled.

"All right, Lorelei. And you can just call me Mike."

Lorelei nodded approvingly.

With the introductions finished, Mike finally had a chance to look more closely at the Articuno standing beside her.

’Whoa...’

’Another Articuno?!’

He stared at the Legendary Pokémon.

’Don’t tell me it’s going to get into a fight with the one living deep inside Mount Coronet!’

The idea of two Articuno encountering each other in the same mountain range was already interesting enough.

But considering what the resident Articuno had told him about driving away its own kind...

’Oh, man.’

’Two Articuno in one place...’

Mike could only imagine what might happen if they met.

While he was entertaining those rather troublesome possibilities, another vehicle finally arrived near the cave.

Oleana had reached the research site.

She climbed out of the car, looking visibly exhausted.

After spending so much time traveling, she’d barely had an opportunity to rest.

She pulled her coat more tightly around herself against the cold and approached Mike with two young men following behind her.

"Boss."

Mike turned toward her.

"You’re here! Thanks for all your hard work, Oleana."

She gave him a small nod.

Mike then looked toward the two assistants standing behind her.

Both were men in their twenties.

They wore glasses, and judging by their hairlines, they already looked like people who’d spent far too many nights buried in research.

Mike regarded them thoughtfully.

’Yep. They definitely look like researchers.’

At the very least, they already possessed the distinctive appearance of people who devoted their lives to laboratories and academic papers.

He smiled at them.

"For now, I want you two to work alongside Professor Rowan’s assistants. Watch what they do and learn as much as you can."

He gave them an encouraging nod.

"Make good use of this opportunity, all right?"

"Yes, Professor!"

The two assistants immediately agreed.

They were clearly eager to learn from such experienced researchers.

Once everyone had arrived, Mike finally stood up from his stone seat.

He took a breath and looked around at the assembled group.

"All right, everyone! Here’s what I’m thinking."

The conversations gradually stopped.

All eyes turned toward Mike.

He glanced toward the two assistants Oleana had brought.

"Make sure you write this down."

"Ah! Oh, right!"

One of the assistants, a young man named Kaito, hurriedly took out a notebook and pen.

He immediately prepared to record everything Mike said.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Mike began explaining his plan.

"First, I want to attempt to evolve Bergmite inside the area affected by that unusual magnetic field."

He gestured toward the deeper sections of Mount Coronet.

"The goal is to determine whether Bergmite can evolve into Hisuian Avalugg under those conditions."

Several of the researchers nodded thoughtfully.

Mike continued.

"If that doesn’t work, we’ll move on to the second approach. We’ll begin teaching the Bergmite Mountain Gale, the signature move associated with Hisuian Avalugg, then attempt the evolution again."

Before he could continue, Professor Rowan spoke up.

"We should investigate how the magnetic field affects other Pokémon first."

Mike immediately nodded.

"Agreed."

After all, they still didn’t understand the unusual magnetic field well enough to know whether prolonged exposure might produce unexpected effects.

It would be irresponsible to begin attempting evolutions without first examining the environment itself.

Mike then explained the arrangements he’d been considering for their temporary research base.

"Because the magnetic field is located much deeper inside Mount Coronet, and the location is fairly remote, I think we should establish our base camp somewhere around here."

He gestured toward the area near the Jynx’s cave.

"I’ve already discussed it with the Jynx living nearby. They’ve agreed to let us use the area, provided we don’t interfere with their daily lives."

That condition was perfectly reasonable.

The Jynx had been kind enough to welcome Mike into their home.

The last thing he wanted was to repay them by turning their habitat into an unbearable construction site.

"If we need to teach the Bergmite any moves, we can handle the training here. Then, once they’ve learned what they need to learn, we can take them into the area with the magnetic field and attempt the evolution."

Mike looked around at the assembled professors.

"What do you think?"

Professor Oak nodded.

"Sounds good to me! Let’s go with your plan."

Mike smiled.

"Great!"

He added one more practical consideration.

"Besides, this location gives us relatively convenient access to Rondo Town. If anything happens, we should be able to request support without too much trouble."

As he said that, Mike glanced toward Cynthia, Lorelei, and Lucian.

"..."

’Although...’

’With two Champions—well, Champion-level company—and several Elite Four-level Trainers around, what kind of trouble could possibly happen?’

He quickly dismissed the thought.

There was no point worrying about hypothetical problems before the research had even begun.

With the general plan decided, Professor Rowan’s assistants began organizing the construction of the temporary research camp.

Mike turned toward Oleana.

"Oleana, have our two assistants help them set everything up. They can learn how to operate the equipment while they’re at it."

"Understood."

Oleana spoke briefly with the two young researchers.

They immediately went over to help Professor Rowan’s team.

Once she’d finished giving them their instructions, Oleana returned to Mike.

Then she looked at him.

For a moment, she simply stared.

Mike blinked.

"...What?"

Oleana sighed.

"Boss, I only just got back from a business trip, and you’ve already dragged me into another research project."

Her tone carried a hint of complaint.

"Couldn’t you at least let me rest for a few days?"

Not far away, Candice was standing around without much to do.

She hadn’t yet been assigned a specific task, so when she overheard the conversation, she couldn’t help listening.

Mike, meanwhile, looked genuinely surprised by Oleana’s complaint.

"Wait, didn’t you spend some time exploring Unova while you were there?"

Oleana stared at him.

"...Exploring?"

Her expression became thoroughly puzzled.

"Boss, I went there on a business trip. I wasn’t on vacation!"

Mike looked at her as though she’d just said something completely unreasonable.

"So what? Just because you’re on a business trip doesn’t mean you can’t look around!"

He began explaining his reasoning.

"You should’ve gone sightseeing, tried some local specialties, and bought a few souvenirs! It’s a good opportunity to experience the local culture and see what the region has to offer."

Then he added casually, "Besides, wasn’t Lucian the one who approved the budget for the trip? If the money’s available, you might as well use it!"

Candice’s mouth slowly fell open.

’WAIT!’

’CAN HE ACTUALLY SAY THAT?!’

’Sightseeing?!’

’Local food?!’

’Souvenirs?!’

’ON A LEAGUE-FUNDED BUSINESS TRIP?!’

Candice looked from Mike to Oleana in disbelief.

Was this what working with important researchers was like?

Oleana wasn’t doing much better.

She stared at her boss, struggling to process what he’d just said.

’Wait...’

’I was ALLOWED to do that?!’

She’d spent the entire trip concentrating on negotiations, meetings, and administrative work.

The possibility of taking some time to enjoy herself hadn’t even occurred to her.

And now Mike was telling her that she should have treated part of the trip like a vacation?

Before she could decide how to respond, someone nearby cleared his throat.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Lucian had apparently heard enough.

He looked toward Mike with a warning expression.

"Mike, could you watch what you’re saying? Cynthia and I are standing right here, you know."

Cynthia had been discussing battling experience with Lorelei.

However, when Mike started talking about spending League travel budgets on sightseeing, her attention naturally shifted toward him.

Lorelei had also stopped talking.

Both women were now watching the conversation with considerable interest.

Unfortunately for Lucian, Mike didn’t seem particularly concerned.

He simply looked at him.

"Oh? In that case, should I stop helping the League with its problems next time?"

Lucian froze.

"..."

Then he immediately lowered his head.

"Gomenasai."

His apology was remarkably sincere.

Candice: "!!!"

’HE APOLOGIZED?!’

’E-ELITE FOUR LUCIAN ACTUALLY APOLOGIZED?!’

The young Gym Leader stared at the scene, wondering whether she’d somehow wandered into another world.

Mike, however, wasn’t finished.

"Besides, if I remember correctly, Manryo recently negotiated another cooperation agreement with the Sinnoh League, didn’t he?"

He looked toward Lucian.

"And I heard he provided a pretty substantial amount of sponsorship funding!"

Lucian’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

He turned his head slightly, looking off into the distance.

"Wow, the wind’s really strong today. I can’t hear a damn thing here."

Mike stared at him.

Then he shook his head.

’This guy...’

He really was getting better and better at pretending not to hear things.

Rather than continue teasing Lucian, Mike turned back toward Oleana.

He reached out and patted her gently on the shoulder.

"Listen, Oleana. From now on, you can treat the extra work you do for the League as a way to earn some additional income."

He spoke quite seriously.

"If there’s a fee you’re entitled to, ask for it. If there’s an approved budget available for the work, use it properly. Don’t feel like you have to save every last bit of money at your own expense."

Mike gave her an encouraging smile.

"We’ve worked hard for the League, after all. There’s nothing wrong with making sure we receive the support and compensation we deserve!"

As far as Mike was concerned, this was perfectly reasonable.

He had absolutely no intention of making Oleana work herself to exhaustion without receiving anything in return.

She was already handling an enormous amount of work for his research institute.

If he kept sending her all over the world on business trips without giving her a chance to rest or enjoy herself, what would happen if she eventually decided she’d had enough?

What if she quit?!

’Absolutely not!’

Mike shuddered at the thought.

’If Oleana runs away, who’s going to handle all this work?!’

’Me?!’

He didn’t even want to imagine it.

Oleana, however, had no idea what was going through her boss’s mind.

She simply looked at him, feeling a pleasant warmth spread through her chest.

’Professor Mike...’

She hadn’t expected him to be so considerate.

He wasn’t merely telling her to work harder or take on more responsibilities.

He was actually reminding her to look after herself and make sure she received proper compensation.

’Did I... actually choose the right person to work for?’

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.

’Of course I did!’

’Becoming Professor Mike’s assistant was the best decision I’ve ever made!’

Beside them, Candice was still standing in complete disbelief.

She’d come here expecting to participate in a serious research project.

Instead, she’d witnessed Mike casually discuss spending League travel budgets, threaten to stop helping with League affairs, make Lucian apologize, and then encourage his assistant to demand better compensation.

And nobody had even tried to stop him!

’What kind of person IS Professor Mike?!’

Candice was beginning to suspect that this research expedition would be far more interesting than she’d originally imagined.

...

Omake : Several Years Later

Oleana looked back on the day she’d decided to become Mike’s assistant.

And regretted everything.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING BACK THEN?!"

"WHY DID I EVER AGREE TO BECOME MIKE’S ASSISTANT?!"

"AND WHY DID I HAVE TO COME TO SINNOH OF ALL PLACES?!"

She was practically ready to tear her hair out!

"I’m supposed to be an assistant at a RESEARCH INSTITUTE! Fine, I understand handling the institute’s administrative work! That’s part of my job!"

"BUT WHY THE HELL AM I HANDLING THE SINNOH LEAGUE’S WORK TOO?!"

Oleana stared at the mountain of responsibilities that had somehow ended up on her desk.

"AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M SUPPOSED TO GIVE ORDERS TO FLINT AND THE OTHERS?!"

"HELLO?! I’M JUST A RESEARCHER!"

"I STUDY HISUIAN POKéMON AND DYNAMAX!"

"I’M NOT A MEMBER OF THE ELITE FOUR!"

"AND I’M DEFINITELY NOT THE CHAMPION!!!"