Chapter 136: The Fossil Revival Project
Basalt's casual remark left Professor Nina completely stunned. She stared at him as if she had just seen a ghost.
The Fossil Pokémon Revival Project was one of the nation's most top-secret research initiatives, still only in its theoretical stages. Very few people in the entire country knew of its existence, and every single one of them held a position of significant importance.
And now... some wet-behind-the-ears kid had just casually blown its cover.
"You..." Professor Nina's eyes narrowed, a flicker of killing intent rising in her heart. Could this kid be a foreign spy?
But just as quickly, she dismissed the thought. If Basalt were really a spy, why would he so carelessly reveal such sensitive information? Especially right in front of her? That was just asking for trouble.
Dr. Martin, on the other hand, was clearly out of the loop. "Basalt, what are you talking about?" he said disapprovingly. "The Pokémon in those fossils have been dead for tens of thousands of years. How could they possibly be revived? What kind of anti-scientific nonsense is this?"
Before he could finish, Professor Nina cut him off sharply. "Basalt," she said, forcing a relaxed smile while her eyes remained locked on his face, scrutinizing his every micro-expression. "Why would you say something like that?"
"Is it that hard to guess?" Basalt shrugged nonchalantly. "You're a leading expert in the field of Life Energy, and you have a strange collection of so many precious Pokémon fossils. I just put two and two together."
"This..." Professor Nina was speechless. She didn't know whether to blame Basalt's overactive imagination or her own carelessness with the details. The fact was, he had somehow managed to correctly guess the League's top-secret intentions. It was utterly unbelievable.
Holy smokes! It's actually real! Seeing Professor Nina's reaction, Basalt knew he had hit the nail on the head. Dr. Martin and Lucas weren't idiots; they instantly realized what was going on. Reviving extinct Pokémon... was it really possible? It seemed so far-fetched.
At that moment, the way Basalt looked at Professor Nina changed completely. This is a connection I need to hold onto tightly. If he played his cards right, he might be able to get his hands on a Fossil Pokémon. A real-life Fossil Pokémon! In terms of prestige, that was even cooler than a pseudo-legendary.
"Well then... I'd be grateful for your help, Professor," Basalt said smoothly, seizing the opportunity and agreeing to have Drilbur's Life Energy measured.
"It's... it's no trouble," Professor Nina replied, the corner of her mouth twitching. Still, a Drilbur that could sense Grass-type energy was a one-in-a-million find. From a statistical standpoint, it was an excellent research subject.
With that in mind, she smiled. "Besides, you're the captain of the Metro City team, aren't you? You'll be competing in the regionals. If all goes well, you might even end up attending South River University."
According to the tournament rules, any competitor in the individual bracket who made it to the main event was guaranteed early admission to the top universities in the Jiangnan region. As a seeded competitor, this was practically a sure thing for Basalt.
With one party eager to extend an invitation and the other eager to visit, the rest of the conversation went smoothly. Basalt, with his impressive social skills, managed to get Professor Nina's contact information within five minutes. Lucas could only watch in awe, recognizing a master at work.
Unfortunately, after the experiment, Professor Nina was in no mood to linger. She had Lucas pack up their things, and they left the institute immediately to head back to Centralis City, not even staying for lunch. She was a workaholic, through and through. Lucas had hoped to chat more with Basalt, but it was not to be.
After Professor Nina left, Dr. Martin led Basalt to his director's office. Basalt presented the tea as a token of his gratitude.
"Basalt, you should definitely focus on the regionals for now," Dr. Martin said. "But after the tournament is over, come by the institute whenever you have time. Think of it as doing your Uncle Martin a favor."
It was clear Dr. Martin was still fixated on Drilbur. But compared to before, his request was much more reasonable now; he only wanted Basalt to cooperate with him when he had free time.
"Of course, Dr. Martin. You don't even have to ask. Once I have the time, I'll be sure to visit often," Basalt said with a grin. A top-tier Rototiller manual was dangling right in front of him; there was no way he would let that opportunity slip by.
This also made him consider catching a Grass-type Pokémon. What was the point of learning Rototiller if he didn't have a Grass-type to benefit from it? It would be a complete waste.
"Then it's settled!" Dr. Martin nodded in satisfaction. "But for now, the most important thing is for your Drilbur to practice sensing and controlling as much Grass-type energy as possible. That way, when it learns Rototiller, the training will be much more effective."
"As it happens, the lab is currently saturated with rich Grass-type energy, and it won't dissipate for a while. You should take Drilbur back in there to soak it up. It will be beneficial."
Thanks to the combined efforts of Rhyperior, Milotic, and Torterra, the concentration of Grass-type energy in the lab was probably comparable to that of a hidden grotto specializing in Grass-types. This was a huge boon for any Grass-type Pokémon or any Pokémon learning Grass-type moves.
"That's fantastic!" Basalt was overjoyed.
As the director of the institute, Dr. Martin was a busy man. After chatting a little longer, he gave Basalt access to the lab and went about his business.
"This is amazing," Basalt said, taking a deep breath inside the lab. The air was filled with the sweet, refreshing scent of fresh grass. He released both of his Pokémon. Since Bronzor knew Grass Knot, it could also benefit. One Pokémon or two, it didn't matter. There was no reason to be polite.
"The Grass-type energy here is incredibly dense," Basalt instructed them. "It's the perfect place to train your Grass-type moves. Seize this opportunity. You won't get another chance like this."
"Chaa!"
"Dooo~"
The two Pokémon nodded seriously and immediately entered a state of focused training. Drilbur was still in the initial stages of perception, so the effects weren't immediately obvious. But for Bronzor, it was a different story. Outside, it could only form a Grass Knot as thick as a finger. Here, the knot's thickness instantly doubled.
"This place is incredible!" Bronzor's telepathic voice was filled with excitement. It looked up at the sun shining through the glass ceiling. "If I could train here regularly, I might even be able to learn Solar Beam. What a shame..." Its excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
"Uh... well, maybe, possibly, there might be another chance in the future," Basalt said vaguely, his eyes twinkling.
The rich energy here was mainly thanks to Milotic and Torterra. He couldn't believe that Professor Nina's own institute in Centralis City wouldn't have a similar setup. They had to conduct their own experiments, right?
Looks like I need to visit Professor Nina as soon as I get to Centralis City, Basalt thought, making a mental note. When it came to getting stronger, there was no time to waste.
The day passed in a flash. After five or six hours of training, while his Pokémon's overall strength hadn't changed drastically, their perception and control of Grass-type energy had improved significantly. Bronzor's Grass Knot, at the very least, was noticeably stronger. Unfortunately, Drilbur hadn't learned any relevant moves yet, so it couldn't put its newfound affinity to practical use.
"Hidden Power. Solar Beam. Professor Nina," Basalt jotted down in his notebook. These were his new priorities.
The night passed without incident. At eight o'clock the next morning, all the members of the city team and their advisory staff had gathered. They boarded a special bus and set off for Centralis City.
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