"It is widely known that Pokémon evolution studies is a highly inclusive field, covering a broad range of topics. Among them, there are still many kinds of Pokémon with unique evolution methods that we haven't uncovered yet."
Inside the lab, Shiro typed while muttering to himself.
"Research shows that bonds, or friendship, are one of the factors that influence Pokémon evolution."
His fingers moved across the keyboard quickly, and he barely needed to think as he produced most of the paper in one go.
Maybe he wasn't great at actual experiments, but when it came to fabricating… he really did have experience.
No, that wasn't right.
How could this be called fabrication?
It was as real as it could be.
After finishing the paper, Shiro leaned back in his chair and sighed softly.
Friendship was indeed one of the hardest evolution factors to discover.
First, only a small number of Pokémon were involved, and they were either extremely rare or extremely common. For those common ones, like Sewaddle, they usually grew very fast. Once their friendship with the trainer reached the required level, they could evolve quite early.
Second, evolution through friendship still had to be accompanied by a level increase. Since level growth and friendship were mixed together, it was very hard to determine the real cause.
When evolution happened, newbie trainers raising Sewaddle were often completely confused. They simply thought the Pokémon evolved once it reached a certain level.
Even if it failed to evolve due to insufficient friendship, most people would assume something was wrong with the Pokémon itself. That often led to frustration, and in the end, they would abandon it.
The same applied to Pokémon like Lopunny, Woobat, and Pichu.
They were too common, and only low-level trainers or newbies were willing to raise them. Those trainers didn't understand the factors that influenced evolution, and even if they accidentally discovered something, it rarely went anywhere.
As for rarer Pokémon like Snorlax and Lucario, trainers with strong backgrounds usually raised them from a young age, so their evolution was smooth and natural.
"Friendship… friendship…"
Shiro thought about it and felt that there probably wasn't enough time left to create a device to measure it.
This friendship paper should be enough to pave his path toward becoming a Professor. Still, out of caution, he couldn't completely relax.
* * *
In the afternoon.
After receiving the data from Dale, Shiro filled it into the paper one by one and then clicked publish.
Once it was done, he didn't bother checking the response. Instead, he returned to his room and took out his communication device.
Buzzt!
"Hello, is this Oleana?" Shiro spoke first.
"Who else would it be?" Oleana replied calmly. "What is it?"
"I want to know in detail how the company will operate during the upcoming Academic Summit."
Shiro was unsure what methods the company would use to support him, and faced with this uncertainty, he wanted to understand it in advance.
"You understand the Professor title confirmation process at the summit, right?" Oleana asked in return.
"Yes, I do," Shiro answered.
The process was simple. Each researcher applying for the title would go on stage and present their research achievements, then the professors would vote for recommendations. Getting more than three votes was enough to pass that stage.
That part wasn't difficult. Although there weren't many professors, aside from the main regional figures, there were still over a dozen others.
The real challenge was the final vote from all members of the summit. Anyone seeking promotion would attract attention and jealousy, and to pass, one needed two-thirds of the total votes, meaning support from the majority.
Shiro was somewhat worried. If even one or two professors disliked him and spoke against him, they could influence their followers and make the approval process much harder.
"The key is those ordinary researchers and apprentices," Oleana said steadily. "The company has already reached out to them to win them over. The process is going smoothly. You don't need to worry."
She then explained the details to Shiro.
After getting the full information, he finally felt relieved and hung up the call.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, Shiro thought it over carefully and confirmed that everything for the conference was already prepared.
He had his own friendship paper, support from the company, and also Professor Oak's help… or perhaps possible help.
Right now, he wasn't familiar with Oak. His understanding of him came either from hearsay or from the internet, and none of it felt very reliable. Until he met him in person, no matter how good the words sounded, he couldn't be sure what kind of person Oak really was.
But from the details so far, it seemed like Oak was probably hiding quite a lot…
Knock, knock.
A knock came at the door. It was Rei outside.
"Dr. Corviknight, Professor Rowan has finished the basic report. He wants you to come and review it."
"Alright, let's go."
Shiro followed Rei all the way to Rowan's lab.
* * *
Inside the lab, Rowan held a stack of documents, surrounded by researchers.
"No one has any questions about the evolutionary magnetic field anymore, right?"
As he spoke, the other researchers nodded while taking notes.
At that moment, Rei brought Shiro inside.
The sound of the door opening drew everyone's attention. Rowan pushed through the crowd of researchers.
"Shiro, come, come…"
He greeted him warmly and pulled him over to sit on a chair.
The researchers formed a circle around them.
"The report is already complete. We just need to do the final check," Rowan said, handing over a document. "Evolutionary Magnetic Field, related Pokémon classifications, the simplified evolution device derived from it, and one more key point, the Pokémon transport device!"
He spoke nonstop, growing more and more excited.
Shiro listened quietly and kept nodding from time to time.
When it came to preparing reports, Rowan was clearly far more experienced than him. In truth, there was no real need for his involvement.
This academic report felt more like a stage performance. The script had already been written and handed to him. He only needed to follow it, while being careful in case someone from the audience suddenly interrupted and questioned the meaning of the lines.
As for evolutionary magnetic fields, he understood them well, since that was his own theory.
Rowan was simply worried something might be off and wanted him to review it in case there were improvements to be made.
But Shiro had nothing to object to. He just nodded.
"I can't find any problems. It's already very well done."
"Oh, haha…" Rowan smiled and continued checking the remaining details.
The discussion carried on into the evening.
Shiro knew his foundation in research wasn't very strong, so he mostly listened and occasionally added small suggestions. Seeing how modest he was, Rowan didn't elaborate too much either.
In this atmosphere, the researchers freely exchanged ideas, and before long, the report was fully completed.
**
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