Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Chapter 263

"Hey, Mike." Lorelei looked up at him, unable to hold back her complaint any longer.

"Could you please take that Mamoswine somewhere farther away? You’ve been riding it around here all day, frightening the local Pokémon into running for their lives. We’ve already had a ridiculous number of wild Pokémon wander into the research area because of you!"

Mike, who was sitting comfortably on the Mamoswine’s back, gave her an embarrassed smile.

"Well... I was filming."

"Filming?!" Lorelei stared at him. "Who films wild Pokémon by chasing after them on a Mamoswine?! Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were out hunting!"

"All right, all right. I get it."

Mike reluctantly climbed down from the Mamoswine’s back and patted one of its enormous tusks.

"Thanks for helping me out these past few days, buddy. You can head home now."

"Mamoswine..."

The enormous Pokémon gave a soft grunt, turned around, and slowly made its way toward the deeper parts of Mount Coronet.

Mike watched it leave before returning to where Professor Rowan and the others were sitting.

Oleana had just poured a cup of hot tea.

Mike casually took it from her, raised it to his lips, and enjoyed a long sip.

The warmth spread through his body, driving away the chill that had settled into his bones.

’Ahhh... That’s much better.’

Oleana stared at her suddenly empty hand.

’???’

’Boss...’

’That was the tea I poured for MYSELF...’

Professor Rowan glanced at Mike.

"Finished with your photography?"

"Actually, I’ve been finished for a while." Mike grinned. "Over the past few days, I’ve managed to capture footage of most of the Ice-type Pokémon living around here. From now on, I only need to set up cameras in a few fixed locations to record their behavior."

It was already the fifth day of the Hisuian Avalugg research project.

During those five days, Mike had spent most of his time exploring Mount Coronet, filming every Ice-type Pokémon species he could find.

That included Weavile.

Although Mount Coronet was enormous, the variety of Ice-type Pokémon living in the areas he’d explored was relatively limited.

As for the more remote regions deeper within the mountains, Mike hadn’t ventured into them.

There might be traces of other Hisuian Pokémon hidden in those places, and perhaps there were even more secrets waiting near the higher peaks.

Unfortunately, those weren’t areas he could safely explore with his current abilities.

He intended to wait until both his Pokémon and his own physical condition had improved considerably before attempting to travel farther into the mountains or climb to greater heights.

Professor Rowan looked at him curiously.

"Then why have you been riding around on that Mamoswine every day?"

Mike handed his teacup back to Oleana.

"Because sitting around here all day was getting boring, so I decided to make a video about the Ice Age with the Mamoswine."

He sounded quite pleased with his idea.

"You know, something like primitive humans riding mammoths, carrying spears, and chasing prey across the frozen wilderness. It’s been ages since I filmed a video of myself just having fun with my Pokémon."

Mike smiled.

"And the results look pretty good! Gengar and the others had a wonderful time."

"Unfortunately, the people conducting the research haven’t been having nearly as much fun."

Oleana spoke with her usual professional calm.

Despite having her tea stolen a moment earlier, she dutifully poured Mike another cup.

"During the past two days alone, twelve Delibird, two Glalie, eight Abomasnow, and several other Pokémon native to Mount Coronet have wandered into our research area."

She continued, "Fortunately, Champion Cynthia intercepted them before they could interfere with the experiments."

Mike looked at her in surprise.

"You actually counted them all?"

"That’s my job, Boss."

Oleana met his gaze without the slightest embarrassment.

"I do have some experience handling secretarial duties and keeping track of these kinds of matters."

"Hahaha!"

Professor Oak, who was sitting nearby, burst into laughter.

"I have to admit, Oleana learns remarkably quickly. There are plenty of things she only needs to hear once before she remembers them."

He gave Mike an approving look.

"At this rate, it won’t be long before she’s capable of managing your entire research institute independently. Once that happens, you’ll be able to travel wherever you like without worrying about what’s happening back home."

"Isn’t that basically what he’s doing already?"

A familiar voice interrupted their conversation.

Cynthia approached the group, her hands tucked comfortably into the pockets of her black coat.

"He’s already leaving the institute’s affairs to Oleana while he goes off traveling."

Oleana immediately poured another cup of hot tea and handed it to her.

"Thank you."

Cynthia accepted it, took a sip, and turned toward Mike.

"By the way, I need to return to League headquarters later."

Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Something happen?"

"Gym Leader Roark and Gym Leader Norman from Hoenn are scheduled to arrive on Lily of the Valley Island tonight. I need to represent the Sinnoh League and welcome them, particularly Norman."

Cynthia paused.

"Champion Wallace will also be arriving with them."

Mike looked puzzled.

"What are they coming for?"

For some reason, Cynthia fell silent.

Before she could answer, Oleana spoke up.

"According to the original schedule, Kleavor and Ursaluna are supposed to make their public debut tomorrow."

Somehow, she’d already produced a tablet. She glanced at the schedule displayed on its screen before continuing.

"However, Champion Cynthia changed the exhibition arrangements. Instead of proceeding with the original battles involving Elite Four Aaron and Elite Four Bertha, she decided to invite Gym Leader Roark and Gym Leader Norman to participate in special exhibition matches."

Oleana scrolled down the document.

"Champion Cynthia will need to visit the stadium to oversee the arrangements and maintain order. She’ll also participate in an exhibition battle against Champion Wallace to build excitement before the main event."

"The goal is to use the public interest surrounding Kleavor and Ursaluna to attract visitors to Lily of the Valley Island and the surrounding islands, encouraging tourism and local spending while generating additional revenue for the League."

She continued her report without hesitation.

"Furthermore, after discussing the matter with several members of the Elite Four, Champion Cynthia decided to offer a quantity of recently excavated Black Augurite and Peat Blocks for sale on Lily of the Valley Island."

By the time Oleana finished speaking, Mike had a clear understanding of the entire arrangement.

"Ohhh. So that’s what’s happening."

He looked toward Cynthia.

"Need me to help with anything?"

Oleana answered before Cynthia could speak.

"If you could use your account to promote tomorrow’s exhibition matches, that would be ideal, Boss."

She put away her tablet.

"The matches will be livestreamed across the internet. With your help promoting the event, we should be able to attract a considerably larger audience, which would also increase visitor numbers and spending on Lily of the Valley Island and the surrounding areas."

"That’s easy enough."

Mike nodded.

"Once I finish editing the video I’ve been making with my Pokémon, I’ll add an announcement about tomorrow’s exhibition matches at the end and upload it."

"That should be sufficient."

Oleana nodded, clearly satisfied.

Throughout the entire conversation, Cynthia hadn’t said another word.

However, the small smile on her face made it obvious that she was extremely pleased.

Mike was about to return to his tea when something suddenly occurred to him.

"Wait a second."

He turned toward Oleana.

"How do you know so much about the League’s event arrangements?"

Oleana straightened.

She wasn’t wearing the cream-colored coat associated with her original appearance.

Instead, she’d changed into a white laboratory coat appropriate for the research expedition.

She raised one hand and lightly adjusted her glasses.

"Because I arranged the entire event."

Mike blinked.

"...Huh?"

"While you were out filming and enjoying yourself, Champion Cynthia asked me to provide a few suggestions for the exhibition."

Oleana spoke matter-of-factly.

"After examining the original plan, I ended up optimizing the entire schedule. I also suggested that Champion Cynthia send invitations to Champion Wallace and Gym Leader Norman in Hoenn."

She looked directly at Mike.

"So, while you were outside filming and playing with your Pokémon, I was studying, participating in the research, training the new assistants, and helping manage the League’s administrative affairs."

Mike stared at her.

Then he slowly turned toward Cynthia.

A broad smile spread across his face.

"Cynthia, Oleana’s worked so hard designing such a perfect event schedule for the League that she’s practically losing her hair. Surely there’s going to be a bonus for all that effort, right?"

The corners of Cynthia’s mouth lifted.

"Of course."

She didn’t hesitate.

"I’m the one who asked her to assist with the League’s affairs, so naturally she’ll receive compensation for her work. If the event produces good results, we’ll pay her an additional performance bonus."

Hiring outside specialists to help manage League affairs wasn’t unusual.

Different regional Leagues frequently contracted capable individuals or organizations to handle work they couldn’t conveniently manage themselves.

One of the most common examples was Lance, who regularly traveled between regions to deal with criminal organizations.

The Devon Corporation in Hoenn had hired him on numerous occasions to help suppress criminal activity in the region.

As for why a company in Hoenn would need to hire the Champion of Johto...

Well, that was simple.

Hoenn’s two Champions had a habit of spending more time outside their own region than inside it.

Hearing Cynthia’s answer, Mike patted Oleana on the shoulder.

"See? Don’t worry. This organization takes care of its people!"

Oleana quietly let out a breath of relief.

Although Mike’s research institute hadn’t even finished construction, she’d already earned a considerable amount of money from the various assignments she’d been given.

At least all her hard work was being properly rewarded.

"Boss..."

Oleana sighed.

"Hmm?"

"After this research project is finished, could I please have a few days off?"

Her voice carried genuine exhaustion.

"I’d really like to get some proper rest."

"Of course!"

Mike nodded without hesitation.

"How about three days? Take three days off, enjoy yourself, and submit all your expenses to the League for reimbursement."

Oleana’s eyes widened.

"Wait... WHAT?!"

She stared at him in disbelief.

"You’re saying the League can reimburse the vacation expenses of a research institute assistant?!"

Apparently, she’d still underestimated just how shameless her boss could be.

"Why not?"

Mike smiled as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Just put it down as a request for research funding."

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Oleana hurriedly coughed twice.

Her meaning was obvious.

’Boss!’

’The Sinnoh Champion is standing RIGHT HERE!’

Unfortunately, Mike didn’t seem particularly concerned.

And neither did Cynthia.

"It’s fine," Cynthia said casually. "Just submit the expenses honestly when the time comes. I’ll speak with Lucian about it."

Oleana looked at her in surprise.

At present, the Sinnoh League possessed an enormously valuable advantage: the Hisuian Pokémon revival research project.

Countless companies had already approached the League seeking cooperation agreements, sponsorship opportunities, or access to the research results.

Much of that interest existed because of Mike’s discoveries.

Every time a successful cooperation agreement was negotiated, members of the research team received a share of the resulting funds.

Mike himself rarely bothered checking exactly how much money had been allocated to him.

Compared with the sums the Sinnoh League was now handling, reimbursing a few days of rest for his assistant was an insignificant expense, provided it was properly approved and recorded.

Oleana had still underestimated just how important Mike had become to the Sinnoh League.

"I understand."

She nodded.

Before the conversation could continue, Lucian’s voice came from nearby.

"Mike! Professors! Could you come over here for a moment?"

Mike exchanged a glance with Professor Oak and Professor Rowan before walking over.

"What’s going on?"

Lucian pointed toward one of the Bergmite.

"If nothing unexpected happens, this one should be ready to evolve soon."

He gestured toward Bronzong, which was hovering beside him.

"Bronzong can sense that the energy inside its body has reached a critical threshold."

"Brrroooong..."

A long, resonant chime emerged from the Steel- and Psychic-type Pokémon.

Mike stared at it.

’Wait... Psychic powers can even tell when a Pokémon is about to evolve?’

He couldn’t help feeling impressed.

’Seriously, Psychic-type abilities are ridiculously versatile!’

Every time he thought he’d seen everything they could do, another application appeared.

Professor Rowan immediately stepped forward.

"In that case, let’s examine it first. If everything looks normal, we can arrange for it to evolve."

He called several assistants over and began conducting a thorough examination of the Bergmite.

When it came to Pokémon evolution, there was no one in the group more qualified to oversee the process than Professor Rowan, whose research specialized in precisely that subject.

The other researchers gathered around.

Even Professor Kukui and Lorelei temporarily stopped their training session to observe.

After all, if this Bergmite successfully evolved into Hisuian Avalugg, there might be no need to continue teaching the others Mountain Gale.

A little while later, Professor Rowan finished examining the first Bergmite.

He carefully set it down before turning his attention toward another.

After checking its condition, he nodded.

"The first Bergmite is perfectly healthy. There are no physical problems that should interfere with its evolution."

He then pointed toward the second Pokémon.

"And this one should also be approaching evolution."

The Bergmite he indicated had a mark on its body.

It was one of the wild Bergmite native to Mount Coronet, rather than one of the Pokémon brought over from Galar.

Professor Rowan rose to his feet.

"Let’s have both of them evolve at the same time. That way, we can use them as a comparison group."

Lucian nodded.

Then he and Candice each took responsibility for one of the Bergmite and began directing them through a training battle.

The other researchers stood nearby to observe.

Mike raised his camera, while the institute’s assistants prepared their recording equipment and began documenting the experiment.

After several exchanges, something finally happened.

A brilliant blue glow erupted from both Bergmite simultaneously.