On the message screen, several striking names appeared:
Professor Elm: "What are your thoughts on Pokémon populations? Should eggs be considered part of the evolutionary chain?"
Professor Birch: "I was wondering when you might be free to meet in person?"
Professor Juniper: "Are you familiar with the legends and myths of Galar? Do you have any material related to the origin of Pokémon?"
Three of the leading Pokémon professors had sent messages, each with different intentions.
Elm from Johto was also focused on Pokémon biology, and his message centered around academic inquiry.
Birch from Hoenn, who specialized in Pokémon habitats, had surprisingly asked if they could meet. Shiro couldn't guess what the man was up to. They had no past interaction, nor any academic exchanges. Was he trying to make some secret deal? Or maybe academic fraud?
As for Juniper... she was based in Unova and studied the origins of Pokémon. Myths were important to her, and since Galar was so closed-off, it made sense she'd want information from there.
Shiro approved all their friend requests without much hesitation. But he ignored Birch's strange question and didn't reply to it.
Instead, he opened Elm's chat and responded:
"Are you referring to whether a Pokémon's egg form should be included in its evolutionary chain? The issue is that Pokémon eggs can't be clearly identified. You can't determine the exact species just by appearance, so it's probably not realistic to include them as part of the evolution chain. As for Pokémon populations..."
He paused and thought for a moment, then decided to just copy Elm's own theory from his memory:
"Pokémon populations can be classified based on their biological traits and grouped according to whether or not they can reproduce. That's what defines an Egg Group. That's your theory, isn't it? I fully agree with it."
After typing a few solid lines, Shiro nodded in satisfaction. He then opened Juniper's chat window, and replied simply:
"Sorry, I don't have the authority to share information about Galar's ancient legends."
"Phew…" With all the replies sent, Shiro stretched his arms. Finally, he opened Rowan's chat window and asked directly:
"Can you explain what the Pokémon Academic Summit is? A lot of people have been contacting me because of it."
It didn't take long before Rowan's chat began to shake, and a reply came in quickly:
"The Pokémon Academic Summit is a major event for the research community across all League regions. It's held once every three years and is…"
It was essentially a grand conference to summarize the past three years of research, hand out awards and funds, and grant the title of 'Professor' to researchers who had made significant contributions.
Since it was led by Professor Oak, who also had authority over the Professor title, most well-known researchers would be present. That made the summit a kind of sacred place for researchers and even apprentices who dreamed of joining the academic world.
Because the venue couldn't accommodate a massive crowd, entry requirements were strict. Only those with a Professor title or researchers with proven contributions could attend.
Rowan added:
"The main point is... Professor Oak publicly announced that he's reserving a special slot just for you to deliver a research presentation. Most likely, it'll be during the golden opening segment. That's why everyone's trying to reach out; they're hoping to join your presentation team and get in, maybe make some connections."
"Oh~" Shiro nodded in understanding, then he recalled Birch's message about meeting in person...
'Could he also be trying to sneak someone into the presentation team?'
And if people were coming to him, then Rowan, who conducted the actual experiments, must be receiving tons of similar requests as well.
With that thought, he began typing again:
"Professor Rowan, the presentation team is entirely under your responsibility, since this is your own experimental result. I just hope everyone involved has studied the research in detail and understands it clearly."
Rowan's response was quick:
"Of course. You don't need to worry. I've turned down everyone who tried to contact me. There won't be anyone clueless on-site."
"Good. I trust you." Shiro sent the message, then asked casually, "By the way, has Professor Birch contacted you?"
* * *
"BIrch?" Rowan mumbled, recalling that the man had indeed approached him before. He figured Birch must've already spoken to Corviknight too, probably about the same thing.
Birch wanted to sneak someone into the presentation team so they could get access to the summit.
But Rowan would never agree to that. That would betray Corviknight's trust.
He quickly explained:
"Yes, but I didn't agree. Birch came to me earlier. He said he wanted to bring his daughter to get some experience. He also said he talked to Professor Oak and just wanted to switch out one attendee. But rest assured, I would never allow something like that."
* * *
'Birch wanted to bring his daughter? And his daughter... wasn't that May?'
Shiro instantly thought of the main character with the red bandana. She was pretty important... Wait, in the anime and games she was called May, but in the manga she was Sapphire. Not sure which one applied here.
Still, he couldn't just come out and ask about someone else's daughter. That'd be weird.
Thinking it through, Shiro typed:
"If it's just to attend and not to be part of the presention team, that's fine. I don't have a problem with it. You can keep talking to him."
* * *
Rowan read the message and immediately understood.
After all, Corviknight was from Galar and didn't have many connections in the League. Helping him with this small favor could be a good way to build relationships.
He replied:
"Got it! Don't worry. I understand."
* * *
After that, they exchanged a few polite messages and ended the chat.
Shiro yawned and started browsing the web for information about the Pokémon Academic Summit.
* * *
Johto Region, New Bark Town.
On the second floor of Professor Elm's lab, several white square incubators stood in the center of the room. Through the semi-transparent blue glass panels on the sides, one could see over a dozen Pokémon eggs quietly resting inside.
Around the room, a few exhausted apprentices slumped in their chairs, dozing off with their heads on desks or research equipment.
Every day, they had to record data from the same eggs. Over and over again. On top of that, Professor Elm was strict and didn't tolerate even the slightest bit of slacking.
Recording the temperature, humidity, and the life signs of the Pokémon embryos was one thing. But even the patterns on the eggshells had to be documented in detail. Who in their right mind would call this a reasonable job?
Buzz!
Suddenly, a computer made a noise.
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