Chapter 260

Chapter 260: Chapter 260

"All right. First, let’s try evolving Bergmite within this magnetic field and see what happens."

He gestured toward the research area.

"We need to determine whether they evolve into ordinary Avalugg or Hisuian Avalugg."

Then he continued, "At the same time, I’d like another group to work with Professor Kukui on a plan for teaching Bergmite the signature move associated with Hisuian Avalugg."

Mike looked toward Lorelei.

"I’ll probably need your help with that part, Lorelei."

She nodded without hesitation.

"No problem. I’ll follow your arrangements."

Mike then turned toward Lucian.

"Lucian, could you work with Candice and handle the normal evolution training?"

Lucian nodded.

"Understood."

"Yes!" Candice answered enthusiastically.

Mike looked toward the two elderly professors.

"Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, I’d like you two to oversee the research. Please supervise the experiments, record any problems that come up, and help direct the teams."

Neither professor objected.

They were more than happy to take responsibility for coordinating the scientific work.

"And Cynthia..."

Mike looked toward the Sinnoh Champion.

"I’ll leave the safety of the surrounding area to you."

Cynthia didn’t say anything.

She simply gave him a look that suggested she’d already understood what he wanted.

Finally, Mike turned toward Oleana.

"Oleana, just help coordinate with the others and assist wherever you’re needed."

"Understood."

With that, everyone had received an assignment.

Everyone except Mike.

Lorelei noticed immediately as she looked at him.

"And what about you?"

Mike grinned.

"Me?"

He pointed at himself.

"Well, obviously, I’m cooking!"

Lorelei blinked.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, one eyebrow rising as she pressed her lips together in confusion.

"You’re.... cooking?"

"That’s right!"

Mike nodded as though he’d just announced the most perfectly reasonable thing in the world.

"And besides cooking, I’ll continue exploring the surrounding areas of Mount Coronet."

He lifted the camera hanging around his neck and showed it to her.

"After all, my real job is being a photographer! I still haven’t gathered enough footage for the next episode of The Wide World of Pokémon, so naturally, I need to keep filming."

Lorelei frowned.

Candice’s mouth fell open again.

Lucian, meanwhile, merely sighed.

"Lorelei, you’ll get used to it."

Lorelei turned toward him.

Lucian spread his hands helplessly.

"He’s been like this ever since we started researching Wyrdeer."

He continued explaining with the weariness of someone who’d already experienced the same situation several times.

"From Wyrdeer to Kleavor and Ursaluna, it’s always been the same arrangement."

"Mike comes up with the general research plan, and the rest of us handle the actual experiments."

"Meanwhile, he usually wanders around with his camera, taking photographs and gathering footage."

Lucian paused.

"And when it’s time to eat, he comes back and cooks for everyone."

He considered that for a moment before adding, "To be fair, his cooking is excellent. You’ll understand once you’ve tried it."

Lorelei stared at him.

"..."

She was beginning to feel as though she’d been tricked.

’What kind of Pokémon Professor leads a research project and then doesn’t participate in the research?!’

’Can a project organized like that REALLY succeed?’

But then something Lucian had said caught her attention.

’Wait a minute...’

Lorelei turned toward him again.

"Did you just say Kleavor and Ursaluna?"

She looked genuinely startled.

"You’ve already succeeded in reviving BOTH of those Pokémon?"

"That’s right."

This time, Cynthia answered.

She’d been standing nearby, listening to the conversation.

"It won’t be long before Kleavor and Ursaluna are officially introduced to the rest of the world."

Lorelei fell silent.

Candice, meanwhile, was practically frozen in place.

’WHAT?!’

’KLEAVOR AND URSALUNA HAVE ALREADY BEEN REVIVED?!’

She’d known about Wyrdeer, of course.

That discovery had attracted enormous attention throughout the Pokémon world.

But apparently, Mike and the others had already managed to revive two more Hisuian Pokémon without the news becoming public!

Candice suddenly felt as though she’d stepped into the middle of something far more important than she’d originally imagined.

Lorelei drew a slow breath.

Then she nodded.

"All right. I understand."

Her earlier doubts hadn’t disappeared completely, but she was willing to set them aside.

"I’ll cooperate fully with the research."

At that moment, Professor Kukui approached Mike.

"Hey, Mike! There’s something you still haven’t explained."

Mike turned toward him.

"What is it?"

"Mountain Gale! Hisuian Avalugg’s signature move!"

Kukui looked genuinely curious.

"You haven’t actually told me what kind of move it is yet."

Mike was about to answer when he noticed something else.

Professor Kukui was still wearing his white laboratory coat completely open, leaving his muscular chest exposed to the freezing mountain air.

Mike stared at him.

"..."

’Seriously, what the hell?’

’We’re standing in the middle of a freezing mountain range, and this guy is dressed like he’s on a tropical beach!’

He couldn’t help feeling a little envious.

’Why is it that some people are practically built like superheroes, while the rest of us have to suffer like ordinary humans?’

Kukui, completely unaware of Mike’s thoughts, continued enthusiastically.

"Judging by the name, Mountain Gale sounds like it should be similar to moves such as Hurricane or Heat Wave, right?"

He rubbed his chin.

"So maybe we could teach Bergmite using the same principles as Hurricane?"

Then he frowned slightly.

"But how would Bergmite generate that kind of wind? They don’t exactly have wings."

He continued thinking aloud.

"Could it work like Icy Wind? Maybe they release a concentrated stream of freezing air from their bodies?"

Kukui kept offering possibilities, clearly enjoying the chance to analyze an unfamiliar move.

Mike listened quietly.

Then he pressed his lips together.

’Uh...’

’Mountain Gale isn’t actually a wind-based attack.’

’It uses ice.’

He was trying to think of a natural way to explain the move without making it seem as though he possessed information he shouldn’t have.

Fortunately, before he could come up with an explanation, a familiar cry sounded from above.

"ARTICUNO!"

Everyone looked up.

The resident Articuno descended from the sky and landed on a nearby rock.

It settled comfortably into place, looking down at the gathered researchers with an expression that suggested it had come to watch something interesting.

Apparently, it had heard their conversation.

"Articuno?"

[Mountain Gale? If I remember correctly, Avalugg used that move to attack enemies with enormous blocks of ice.]

Mike’s eyes immediately lit up.

’Perfect!’

He turned toward the Legendary Pokémon.

"Thanks, Articuno!"

Then he looked back at Kukui.

"According to Articuno, Mountain Gale isn’t actually a wind-based move. It uses ice!"

Kukui blinked.

"Ice?"

"Exactly!"

Mike nodded.

"Articuno says that when Hisuian Avalugg used Mountain Gale, it would attack by hurling enormous blocks of ice at its opponents."

Kukui considered the explanation.

"So... something similar to Rock Slide?"

"More or less!"

Mike smiled.

"Considering Hisuian Avalugg is both an Ice- and Rock-type, it makes sense that its signature move might resemble Rock Slide in how it’s performed."

Kukui’s expression brightened.

"Ohhh! If that’s the case, we might be able to adapt the training methods used for Rock Slide!"

He immediately began thinking through the possibilities.

"Instead of gathering Rock-type energy, we’d have Bergmite concentrate their Ice-type energy and use it to form large blocks of ice."

He gestured with his hands.

"Then we’d train them to launch those blocks toward a target!"

The idea seemed promising.

Kukui turned toward Lorelei.

"Elite Four Lorelei, I’d appreciate your help with that part!"

Lorelei smiled confidently.

"If we’re dealing with Ice-type energy, that’s something I know quite a bit about."

"Excellent!"

Kukui nodded enthusiastically.

Then he paused.

"Still, though..."

He rubbed his chin again.

"Calling a move Mountain Gale when it’s basically throwing enormous blocks of ice at your opponent is a little strange, isn’t it?"

Mike’s smile gradually faded.

Kukui continued, completely oblivious.

"Mike, I really think you could’ve come up with a better name!"

He began offering suggestions.

"What about Ice Avalanche? Or Ice Block Attack? Maybe Ice Cannon!"

"..."

Mike stared at him.

Cynthia: "..."

Lorelei: "..."

Lucian: "..."

Professor Oak: "..."

Professor Rowan: "..."

Candice: "..."

Oleana: "..."

For several seconds, nobody said anything.

Then Professor Oak laughed.

"Hahaha! Personally, I think Mountain Gale sounds perfectly fine!"

He nodded approvingly.

"Let’s keep the name Mountain Gale."

Professor Rowan immediately agreed.

"Samuel makes a good point."

"Agreed."

"Yes, Mountain Gale is fine."

"I think it’s a good name too!"

The others quickly voiced their support.

Kukui looked around at the unanimous response.

Apparently, nobody was particularly interested in renaming the move Ice Block Attack.

Mike quietly let out a breath.

’Thank you, Professor Oak.’

With that little discussion finally settled, he clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

"All right! Then let’s begin working on both approaches at the same time!"

He looked toward the rocky crevice where the wild Bergmite lived.

"I’ll go talk to the local Bergmite and see whether they’re ready to participate."

Mike walked over to the crevice and crouched down.

The little Bergmite were already familiar with him by now, so they didn’t seem particularly frightened when he approached.

He spent a little while explaining what the researchers wanted to do.

Eventually, two Bergmite agreed to accompany him.

Mike returned to the group with the little Pokémon following behind him.

He handed one to Lucian and the other to Professor Kukui.

The remaining Bergmite emerged from the crevice and gathered behind some nearby rocks, watching the preparations with obvious curiosity.

Once the Pokémon had been assigned to their respective groups, the researchers immediately got to work.

Professor Kukui first sat down with Lorelei to discuss the training methods they would use to teach Mountain Gale.

He also gave her the records from the earlier experiments involving Stantler learning Psyshield Bash.

Lorelei examined the documents carefully.

After reading through the previous research, she offered several suggestions based on her own experience training Ice-type Pokémon.

Kukui listened attentively, occasionally stopping to discuss a particular point in greater detail.

Then Lorelei released some of her own Pokémon and began demonstrating various Ice-type moves.

The two continued comparing techniques and discussing how those principles might be adapted to help Bergmite learn Mountain Gale.

Meanwhile, Lucian and Candice began working with the other Bergmite.

Their approach was more straightforward.

They arranged training battles and exercises designed to help the Bergmite gain experience and grow stronger, with the goal of encouraging ordinary evolution.

Sonia had sent five Bergmite from Galar.

Mike assigned two of those to Lucian’s group, along with one of the local Bergmite, bringing their total to three.

Professor Kukui and Lorelei’s group received the remaining four.

The division would allow the researchers to investigate both possible approaches simultaneously.

Mike watched everyone settle into their respective tasks.

The professors were already discussing research methods, the Trainers were preparing their Pokémon for training, and the assistants were busy recording observations and arranging equipment.

Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly.

Satisfied, Mike approached Oleana.

"Oleana, I want you to use this opportunity to learn as much as you can."

She turned toward him.

"This is your first time properly participating in one of our Hisuian Pokémon research projects," Mike continued. "How much you gain from the experience is going to depend on how much effort you put into learning."

He smiled encouragingly.

"And don’t be afraid to ask questions. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask Professor Rowan or Professor Oak. You can ask me too!"

"Yes, Professor!"

Oleana nodded seriously.

"I understand. I’ll do my best!"

Her existing knowledge of Pokémon research was certainly respectable.

After all, Oleana had already established herself as a capable researcher long before joining Mike’s institute.

However, research into Hisuian Pokémon was an entirely new field.

Even though she’d previously requested notes from Professor Rowan and Professor Oak and spent time studying them, there was still a great deal she didn’t understand.

And beyond their knowledge of Hisuian Pokémon, the three professors possessed an enormous amount of experience that she simply couldn’t match.

Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, and Professor Kukui were all outstanding researchers in their own right.

Being able to work alongside them was already an extraordinary opportunity.

But being allowed to observe their research firsthand and receive direct instruction from them?

That was something Oleana considered genuinely invaluable.

Especially when it came to Professor Oak and Professor Rowan.

Both were renowned authorities in Pokémon research.

If she could spend the next several days learning from them while they worked, she would undoubtedly gain knowledge that couldn’t easily be obtained from books or research papers.

Mike noticed the anticipation in her expression and smiled.

"You’ve been working really hard lately, Oleana."

Then he asked casually, "What do you feel like eating for lunch?"

Oleana blinked.

"Huh? Lunch?"

She hadn’t expected him to change the subject quite so suddenly.

"Um... Let me think..."

After considering it for a moment, she looked at him a little shyly.

"Could we have cola and chicken wings?"

"Of course!"

Mike agreed without hesitation.

"Anything else?"

Oleana’s eyes brightened slightly.

"Well... Maybe some pork too?"

She then named several other dishes she’d been craving.

Mike listened carefully, making sure he remembered everything.

"All right, got it!"

He smiled.

"I’ll leave things here to you, then. If anything comes up, just call me. I’m going to prepare the ingredients and start cooking."

With that, he turned around and walked away.

Oleana watched him leave.

For a moment, she remained standing there, thinking about their conversation.

Then she turned back toward the research teams.

Her earlier exhaustion hadn’t disappeared entirely, but the prospect of participating in such an important project had already renewed much of her enthusiasm.

She approached Professor Rowan and Professor Oak, ready to learn.

And more than anything, she was looking forward to the possibility of seeing a Bergmite evolve into Hisuian Avalugg with her own eyes.

...

The food supplies had already been prepared in Rondo Town, so Mike didn’t need to spend much time gathering ingredients.

With Gengar and the others helping, he quickly got to work.

Before long, the temporary camp was filled with the aroma of cooking food.

Mike moved between the various dishes, preparing everything he’d planned for lunch.

By the time he finished, an entire table had been covered with delicious food.

The Jynx, who were still living nearby, had naturally been invited to eat as well.

Mike looked toward them.

"All right, everyone! You can go ahead and start eating. I’ll head over and call the researchers back for lunch."

"Jynx~!"

The Jynx happily acknowledged him.

Mike then made his way toward the research site.

Fortunately, traveling between the two areas had become considerably easier.

Cynthia’s Garchomp had already widened the narrow passage connecting the camp to the deeper parts of Mount Coronet, turning it into a route that was much more convenient for everyone to use.

Thanks to that, Mike reached the research area without much trouble.

When he arrived, Professor Kukui was in the middle of presenting the training plan he and Lorelei had prepared.

Professor Oak and Professor Rowan were carefully examining the proposal.

Once the two senior professors approved it, Kukui and Lorelei would be able to begin teaching the Bergmite Mountain Gale.

Mike watched them for a moment.

Then he took a deep breath.

Clap! Clap!

"EVERYONE! LUNCH IS READY!"

The researchers looked up.

Mike smiled.

"Come on! Time to eat!"

That was all the encouragement anyone needed.

The researchers gradually put down their equipment, set aside their documents, and stopped their discussions.

One after another, they followed Mike back toward the campsite.

The Bergmite came along too, eagerly joining the group.

However, just as everyone was preparing to leave, a familiar figure descended from the sky.

Garchomp landed nearby.

Cynthia climbed down from its back.

And beside her...

Was a very familiar Articuno.

A very battered Articuno.

Mike stared at the Legendary Pokémon.

Its beautiful blue feathers were somewhat disheveled, and its face looked as though it had taken quite a beating.

"..."

He slowly turned toward Cynthia.

"Um... What happened to Articuno?"

Cynthia looked perfectly satisfied.

"Oh, nothing much."

She lightly dusted off her hands.

"I had some free time, so we decided to have a little sparring match."

Her expression suggested that she’d thoroughly enjoyed herself.

Mike looked toward Garchomp.

The Dragon-type was covered in injuries as well.

There were scratches and other signs of damage across its body, making it clear that the battle hadn’t been easy for either side.

’Ohhh...’

Mike finally understood.

’So THAT’S what all those explosions were earlier!’

While he’d been cooking, he’d repeatedly heard distant rumbling sounds coming from the mountains.

At the time, he’d assumed the researchers were testing something or that the noise was simply coming from the surrounding terrain.

Apparently, Cynthia had been having a battle with Articuno!

And judging by their injuries, it had been quite an intense one.

Articuno noticed Mike examining it.

Despite its battered appearance, the Legendary Pokémon stubbornly raised its head.

"Articuno."

[That battle was a draw!]

Mike looked at it.

Then he nodded with exaggerated sincerity.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course it was. You did great!"

Articuno’s eyes narrowed.

"ARTICUNO!"

[Human, you—!]

Unfortunately, Mike didn’t give it a chance to finish.

He stepped forward, wrapped one arm around Articuno’s neck, and casually tucked the Legendary Pokémon’s head beneath his arm.

"Come on! Let’s go eat!"

Then he began walking toward the campsite, taking Articuno along with him.

"ARTICUNO?!"

The Legendary Pokémon was completely taken aback.

[Human! Release me this instant! RELEASE ME!]

Mike kept walking.

[How dare you treat me with such disrespect?! I am the ruler of these mountains! You cannot simply—OUCH! SLOW DOWN! MY LEGS CAN’T KEEP UP! IT HURTS!]

Mike pretended not to hear a word.

He continued dragging the protesting Legendary Pokémon toward lunch as though this were the most normal thing in the world.

And behind them...

Candice was standing perfectly still.

Her mouth was hanging open..... again.

’Wow...’

She watched Mike casually hauling Articuno away beneath his arm.

’He’s... He’s actually doing that?’

’He’s just dragging ARTICUNO along?!’

Candice stared at the scene, completely overwhelmed.

’Professor Mike is...’

’...SO AMAZING!!!’