Chapter 267

Chapter 267: Chapter 267

"So these are their base stats?"

Lorelei studied the detailed information Oleana had just published, her expression betraying genuine surprise.

"Ursaluna’s base stats are this good?"

She continued reading through the newly released profiles of Kleavor and Ursaluna, examining their abilities, moves, and other characteristics with growing interest.

Meanwhile, something else had caught Mike’s attention.

"Hey, why does the account publishing all this information have my research institute’s name on it?"

He stared at the name displayed above the announcement.

[Mike’s Research Institute.]

Mike turned toward Oleana.

"Wait, we already have an official account?"

"I registered one a while ago," Oleana replied with a nod. "Since our institute will be opening soon, I thought it would be better to establish an official account in advance. That way, we’d have somewhere to publish our research findings and make important announcements."

She continued, "As for why we’re using our account to release these results, everyone involved in the project agreed to it."

"After all, you’re the one who proposed the research in the first place," Professor Rowan added from nearby.

"We decided it would be most appropriate for Oleana to publish the findings through your institute’s official account."

"Oh, I see."

Mike nodded, accepting the explanation without further comment.

...

"Seriously? Ursaluna can learn this many moves?!"

In Galar, Raihan was sitting beside Leon, staring at the newly published research information in disbelief.

The more he read, the more astonished he became.

Ursaluna possessed excellent base stats, tremendous physical strength, and an exceptionally broad movepool.

For an experienced Trainer, that combination offered an enormous amount of tactical flexibility.

’High stats and a movepool this versatile?’

’Man, Ursaluna could be incredibly useful!’

Leon studied the information on his own phone and nodded.

"Definitely. Ursaring was already a pretty strong Pokémon, but after evolving into Ursaluna, its overall capabilities improve considerably. Add a movepool like this, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ursaluna became a common sight in competitive battles."

"Yeah, although the evolution requirements are a little troublesome."

Raihan scrolled down to the section detailing the newly discovered evolution methods.

"Look at this. Apparently, Scyther has to be in an uncaught, wild state when Black Augurite is used on it to evolve into Kleavor."

He continued reading.

"And Ursaring needs to use a Peat Block during a full moon to evolve into Ursaluna."

Raihan frowned thoughtfully.

"Speaking of which, what exactly are Black Augurite and Peat Blocks? I’ve never even heard of these things before."

"There’s an explanation farther down."

Leon pointed toward the relevant section of the announcement.

"See? Black Augurite is a black mineral that resembles glass, while a Peat Block is something similar to coal. According to the research report, both were excavated from Oreburgh Gate in Sinnoh."

"Oreburgh Gate?"

Raihan looked surprised.

"Wouldn’t that make them extremely rare?"

"Probably," Leon replied. "But the Sinnoh League has organized a trade fair on Lily of the Valley Island, and apparently, they’re selling Black Augurite and Peat Blocks there."

"Then what are we waiting for?!"

Raihan immediately stood up.

"Let’s go buy some! I’m seriously interested in Kleavor and Ursaluna, and I’d love to see what we can do with them!"

He was already preparing to leave for Sinnoh when a familiar voice interrupted him.

"Where are you going?"

Sonia had just entered the room.

She looked at Raihan, who seemed ready to rush out the door, and raised an eyebrow.

"What’s the hurry?"

"Sinnoh!" Raihan answered without hesitation. "I’m heading to the Sinnoh League to buy a few pieces of Black Augurite and some Peat Blocks. I’m pretty curious about Kleavor and Ursaluna."

"Oh, you don’t need to do that."

A smile appeared on Sonia’s face.

Raihan stopped.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because Oleana contacted me a little while ago."

Sonia looked rather pleased as she explained.

"She said Professor Mike’s research institute would be sending us two pieces each of Black Augurite and Peat Blocks as a gift. It’s their way of thanking Leon for helping capture those Bergmite."

Raihan immediately turned toward Leon.

Leon looked just as surprised.

’Wait...’

’All I did was help catch a few Bergmite.’

’And they’re giving us something this valuable in return?’

He certainly hadn’t expected such a generous reward for what he’d considered a fairly simple favor.

"And that’s not all," Sonia continued.

"Professor Magnolia sent me another message just now. Apparently, Professor Rowan’s institute has already transferred a Kleavor and an Ursaluna to her laboratory."

She paused, looking between Leon and Raihan.

"Grandma wants me to come back and help study what happens when Hisuian Pokémon undergo Dynamax."

Then she smiled.

"Would you two like to come along? We might need your help conducting some Dynamax battles."

Leon and Raihan exchanged a glance.

They didn’t need to discuss it.

Leon immediately stood up and headed for the door.

"Let’s go!"

Unfortunately, he’d barely started walking when Raihan caught him by the arm.

"Wrong way dumbass!"

"..."

Raihan dragged him in the opposite direction.

The two hurried outside, summoned their Pokémon, and were soon soaring into the sky.

Sonia followed them out of the house.

She looked up.

Leon and Raihan were already flying away.

"..."

Her expression slowly changed.

"HEY!"

She stared at the two rapidly disappearing figures.

"DID YOU TWO FORGET ABOUT ME?!"

Leon immediately realized his mistake.

Charizard descended from the sky and landed in front of the house.

Sonia was standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

Leon gave her an awkward smile.

"Um... Sorry. I was so excited that I accidentally forgot..."

Sonia continued glaring.

Leon quickly extended his hand and helped her climb onto Charizard’s back.

Only then did they finally set off together.

...

Lily of the Valley Island

Wallace was examining the detailed information published by Mike’s Research Institute.

He scrolled through Ursaluna’s profile, studying its enormous movepool with considerable interest.

"Were all these moves documented by Professor Kukui?"

"Yes," Cynthia replied. "Professor Kukui was responsible for compiling that section. Pokémon moves are his primary field of research, after all."

"I see."

Wallace nodded thoughtfully.

Then he looked toward Cynthia.

"By the way, I imagine you’ve already made some progress toward discovering another Hisuian Pokémon, haven’t you?"

"Hmm?"

Cynthia gave him a questioning look.

"What makes you say that?"

"I don’t know. Something about Lucian’s speech earlier made me feel as though he was hinting at something."

Cynthia didn’t deny it.

Instead, a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Perhaps."

Wallace studied her expression.

Then understanding dawned.

’So that’s how it is.’

He smiled to himself, choosing not to press the subject.

"Today’s battles really were excellent," Wallace remarked as he rose from his seat. "Norman is certainly strong enough to compete at the Elite Four level. He’s simply never been interested in accepting an Elite Four position."

He shook his head slightly.

"Still, I hadn’t expected him to lose to Bertha."

"The members of the Sinnoh Elite Four have earned their positions through their strength," Cynthia replied, rising as well.

Wallace nodded.

"Indeed."

He glanced toward the exit.

"Well, I should be going. The next Wallace Cup is approaching, and I have preparations to make."

"All right."

Cynthia accompanied Wallace out of the stadium and said goodbye before turning toward the area where the League’s trade fair was being organized.

"Lucian."

She found him busy coordinating the preparations.

Lucian looked up.

"Cynthia?"

"I’m leaving things here in your hands for now. I want to return to Mount Coronet and check on the research."

She considered the remaining arrangements.

"Once everything here is more or less settled, you can hand the responsibilities over to Aaron. He hasn’t left yet, has he?"

"No."

Lucian adjusted his glasses.

"He’s probably still taking photographs and signing autographs for his female fans."

"Good. I’ll speak with him before I leave and ask him to take over when you’re finished."

With that, Cynthia turned to depart.

Then she added almost casually, "The research should be approaching its final stages by now."

Lucian watched her leave.

He rubbed his forehead and let out a long sigh.

Then he returned to work, systematically assigning personnel and organizing the trade fair.

The Sinnoh League’s future subsidies and operating funds could depend heavily on the results of this event.

If they managed to attract several more substantial cooperation agreements, the League’s financial position would improve considerably.

Which meant someone had to make sure everything ran smoothly.

And apparently, that someone was him.

’Why am I doing this again?’

Lucian sighed.

’I’m a member of the Elite Four!’

’Why am I responsible for attracting sponsorships too?!’

In other regions, didn’t the Champions usually handle this sort of work?

Just look at Leon!

The man’s cape was practically covered in advertisements.

’Seriously...’

’I wish I could bring Oleana over here.’

Lucian sighed again.

Then, despite his complaints, he continued arranging everything with his usual efficiency.

Meanwhile, after speaking with Aaron and confirming that he would take over the remaining responsibilities, Cynthia climbed onto Garchomp.

The Dragon-type spread its wings and launched into the sky, carrying her straight toward Mount Coronet.

...

While Professor Kukui and the others were busy teaching the Bergmite new moves, Mike was sitting in the research camp’s rest area with his tablet.

His fingers moved rapidly across the screen as he edited another video.

This one contained footage of Scyther evolving into Kleavor and Ursaring evolving into Ursaluna.

He’d forgotten to edit those recordings yesterday.

Now that both Pokémon had officially been introduced to the world, it seemed like the perfect time to release the evolution footage as well.

After finishing the edits, Mike uploaded the video.

He rolled his neck from side to side, trying to ease the stiffness that had built up from sitting in the same position for so long.

Then he stretched his arms as far as they would go.

"Ahhh..."

A satisfying sensation spread through his shoulders and back as his muscles finally relaxed.

Mike let out a comfortable sigh.

Then something occurred to him.

"Hey, Professor Oak."

"Hmm?"

"How come we don’t need to publish another research paper about Scyther and Kleavor this time?"

Professor Oak laughed.

"Hahaha! We don’t need to personally write another major paper for every Hisuian Pokémon discovery."

He set down what he was holding and explained.

"The Wyrdeer research was different because it marked the first successful reappearance of a Hisuian Pokémon. That was an extremely significant discovery, so it required a comprehensive academic publication."

He continued, "We covered most of the important foundational material in that first paper."

"As for Kleavor and Ursaluna, both evolve through the use of special items. Rowan and I have already handed the relevant research material to our laboratory assistants and asked them to prepare the papers."

Mike listened attentively.

"Those assistants participated throughout the research and contributed a great deal to its success," Professor Oak explained. "They’re researchers too, and they deserve opportunities to publish their own findings."

He smiled.

"Rather than having Rowan and me write everything ourselves, it’s better to let these younger researchers explore some of the remaining questions and publish their own work."

Professor Oak paused before adding, "At our age and with our current standing in the academic community, there aren’t many research achievements left that could meaningfully advance our careers."

Mike nodded repeatedly.

That made sense.

Professor Oak and Professor Rowan were already among the most respected figures in the entire field of Pokémon research.

In the academic world, they were towering authorities whose reputations had been established through decades of work.

Another ordinary publication wouldn’t change much for either of them.

For a younger researcher, however, publishing a meaningful paper could make an enormous difference.

"Of course, Professor Kukui will still be publishing papers about the moves and Abilities we’ve discovered," Professor Oak continued. "He’s responsible for that part of the research, after all."

He glanced toward the training area.

"He’s rather busy at the moment, though. I imagine he’ll get around to publishing those papers once things settle down."

Then Professor Oak looked back at Mike.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Speaking of which, you little rascal..."

"Yes?"

"Don’t tell me you haven’t written any papers yourself."

Mike blinked.

Then he grinned.

"Well, I was thinking about giving the assistants at my institute more opportunities to develop their careers!"

He looked perfectly innocent.

"Just like you said, Professor Oak!"

"Don’t give me that nonsense."

Professor Oak glared at him.

"When we revived Kleavor and Ursaluna, your research institute was barely more than an idea! You hadn’t even properly established it yet!"

Mike scratched his head.

"Hehe..."

Apparently, that excuse wasn’t going to work.

Professor Oak shook his head.

"Honestly, you’re something else."

Then his expression softened.

"Well, I know you’re more interested in practical research than writing academic papers. That’s fine. Rowan and I will remind you whenever there’s something important you need to prepare in advance."

Mike’s grin immediately returned.

"Hehe! I knew Professor Oak and Professor Rowan were the best!"

His shameless flattery earned him another exasperated look.

After thinking for a moment, Mike glanced toward Oleana, who was still studying nearby.

"Oleana! Come here for a second!"

"Boss."

Oleana quickly approached and stood beside him, waiting for his instructions.

"How’s your studying going?"

"I’ve more or less mastered the material we’ve covered so far," she replied confidently.

There was no false modesty in her answer.

Mike nodded approvingly.

"Good. Do you still remember the research we conducted on Kleavor and Ursaluna?"

"Of course."

"Then I want you to investigate their special evolution conditions in greater depth."

Mike leaned forward slightly.

"Focus on two particular factors: the full moon requirement for Ursaluna and the wild-state requirement for Kleavor. There’s plenty of room for further research in both areas."

He continued, "Once you’ve completed the work, publish the papers under your own name."

Oleana looked at him attentively.

"Kleavor and Ursaluna have only just been publicly introduced, so there are bound to be plenty of researchers who want to understand them better. Their unusual evolution requirements are particularly interesting, and I think they’re worth investigating thoroughly."

He smiled.

"If you encounter anything you don’t understand, come ask me. You can also consult Professor Oak or Professor Rowan."

"Understood."

Oleana nodded seriously.

She was Mike’s assistant and effectively the second-in-command of his future research institute.

Although the Hisuian Pokémon project had already produced discoveries that shocked the entire world, those achievements were primarily associated with Mike.

Oleana understood that if she wanted to establish herself as a respected researcher in her own right, she would need a body of academic work to support her position.

And now Mike was giving her precisely that opportunity.

"There’s something else," Mike added.

"Once this research project is finished, I want you to organize the results into a paper as well."

He glanced toward the two young research assistants.

"Publish that one under your name, together with Koji and Kaito. You can also let those two try conducting some of the research independently."

Oleana nodded.

"I understand. I’ll speak with them shortly."

"Great. I’ll leave it in your hands, then."

Mike continued, "Later, I’ll organize the information I already know into a document and send it to you. You can use it as a reference for your research."

He paused before adding another instruction.

"And I want you to continue participating in the research being conducted at Professor Magnolia’s institute. When the time comes to publish papers from that work, just put your own name and our research institute’s name on them."

"All right."

Oleana nodded once more.

Seeing that Mike had nothing further to add, she returned to the research area and found Koji and Kaito.

She quickly explained the assignments Mike had given them.

When the two young assistants heard what she’d said, they immediately turned toward Mike.

Their eyes were shining with excitement.

’Seriously?!’

’The institute hasn’t even finished construction yet!’

’Being allowed to learn from all these professors was already amazing, but now we’re getting opportunities to conduct independent research too?!’

For young researchers like them, the chance to participate in meaningful projects and publish academic papers under their own names was extraordinarily valuable.

Mike noticed their excited expressions and smiled, giving them an encouraging nod.

Oleana watched the exchange and sighed inwardly.

’Working for Mike is definitely not going to be easy.’

If there was one thing she’d learned during her time as his assistant, it was that the workload never seemed to end.

There was always another assignment, another research project, or another unexpected responsibility waiting around the corner.

But...

’He really does give us a lot in return.’

And she wasn’t just thinking about the money.

Mike had even gone out of his way to identify promising research directions for her and the other assistants.

They wouldn’t have to waste years trying to find a worthwhile subject on their own.

Oleana sighed again.

’Well, what else can I do?’

’As long as the work doesn’t kill me, I guess I’ll keep going.’

----

Enjoy this arc cause next arc y’all be cursing a lot.