May 2, 2023 – by Riding Wind on a Bicycle
Alliance Calendar, Year 210. January 3rd.
After nearly two months of lazing around at home like a Magikarp, Hayato finally welcomed the representative delegation from LaRousse City.
Originally, he thought that Dr. Lund would be like Professor Birch—studying Pokémon by simple observation and field notes.
But when he saw a professional transport aircraft descending from the sky, his whole mood sank.
Knowing that Dr. Lund was arriving today, Professor Birch had brought Brendan over to the Ecological Park early in the morning.
As the plane slowly descended, Professor Birch chuckled and explained:
"Lund is a renowned Pokémon scientist and the director of LaRousse City's high-tech research institute. Their equipment is on a whole different level compared to us old-timers!"
The LaRousse High-Tech Research Institute was a relatively new project launched by the Hoenn League in recent years. Its main purpose was to utilize advanced technology to gather data on wild Pokémon—monitoring, recording, and analyzing their lives.
Hearing this, Hayato understood at once.
This world wasn't static. In places he hadn't been watching, things were rapidly developing and changing.
As they talked, the aircraft from LaRousse finally touched down on an open field.
The hatch opened, and the boarding ladder extended.
Several men and women in white lab coats appeared in the doorway. Leading them was a tall, stern-faced man in his thirties with light-blue hair.
The image matched perfectly with Hayato's memory of Lund. When he glanced at the child beside him, the name immediately surfaced in his mind.
Tory—Dr. Lund's son. The boy who feared Pokémon in the Destiny Deoxys film.
Dr. Lund descended the steps, a bright smile spreading across his serious face as he shook Professor Birch's hand.
"It's been a long time, Professor!"
Professor Birch also smiled warmly, looking over his junior."The last time we met was… what, years ago?"
Lund nodded with a laugh.
Then Birch's eyes turned toward the boy at his side."This must be Tory, right?"
"Yes." Lund gently guided the blue-haired boy closer."Tory, this is Professor Birch—the one I told you about."
"Hello, Professor Birch~" Tory greeted obediently.
After the pleasantries, Lund finally turned his attention to the two teenagers nearby.
The boy on the left he knew—Professor Birch's son, Brendan.
But the boy on the right…
Realization struck. The trainer of the Relicanth colony—so young!
Somewhat surprised, Lund looked back at Birch."This must be the mysterious trainer you mentioned in your paper?"
Birch nodded."Yes. Hayato, this is Dr. Lund."
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Lund," Hayato said politely.
"Pleasure's mine," Lund smiled.
At that moment, several researchers came down from the plane carrying equipment. One of them called out,"Doctor…"
Lund turned back, scratching his head with an apologetic smile.
"Originally, I only planned to bring Tory. But since it's the New Year holiday, flights were impossible to book. So… we had to borrow the Institute's transport and equipment."
Professor Birch glanced at Hayato, the host of this Ecological Park.
Hayato waved it off. "It's fine. Come with me."
Led by Hayato, the group entered the Ecological Park and made their way directly to the Relicanth lake.
The white-coated researchers busily set up their instruments, taking water samples from the lake and analyzing them with advanced devices along the shore.
Brendan stood aside with Hayato, his young face full of awe."This is way too professional…"
Compared to this, his father's research suddenly seemed like child's play.
Hayato, however, wasn't so focused on the machines. His eyes were on Tory.
The boy crouched at the lakeside, staring wide-eyed at a golden Magikarp, curiosity shining on his face.
No trace of fear.
Hayato frowned slightly.
In the film, Tory was terrified of Pokémon.
That fear came from trauma—caught in the middle of Deoxys and Rayquaza's battle during the Arctic incident. The experience scarred him, leaving him unwilling to touch Pokémon again.
But now…
Hayato watched as Tory reached out a hand, trying to touch the Magikarp.
Could this mean… the Deoxys vs. Rayquaza battle hadn't happened yet?
Brendan noticed Hayato spacing out."Big Bro Hayato, what are you thinking about?"
Hayato: "…"
That title again left his expression complicated.
"Just call me Hayato." He shook his head. "Nothing much. Just watching that kid."
"Tory?" Brendan tilted his head. "I've met him before. He's just like Dr. Lund—he really likes Pokémon."
As if summoned by his name, Dr. Lund looked up from his instruments and spotted Tory by the water. He frowned and called,"Tory! Be careful, don't get too close to the lake!"
"Yes, Dad!" Tory backed up quickly.
Professor Birch chuckled, then looked at his son."Brendan, why don't you go play with him? Didn't you two used to be close when you were younger? Now you won't even talk?"
Brendan froze.
That was years ago… now, after so long, they were practically strangers.
Tory also turned, meeting Brendan's gaze.
The two boys stared at each other awkwardly, silence stretching between them.
Hayato: "…"
Leaving the boys to their awkward reunion, he walked over to Professor Birch's side.
Seeing him approach, Lund eagerly explained:
"These devices are designed to monitor Pokémon habitats in real time, analyzing all kinds of survival data."
"With them, we can quickly determine a Pokémon's ecological traits, drastically reducing the time—and danger—field researchers face."
Birch laughed sheepishly."That's a huge convenience. Back in my day, I often got chased all over the grass by wild Poochyena and Zigzagoon!"
Then he gave Hayato a knowing look."Speaking of which, Hayato, aren't you interested in Pokémon ecology yourself?"
Hayato blinked, not sure where Birch was leading, but nodded. "Yes."
Lund's face lit up."Perfect! In one week, we'll be heading to the Arctic icefields to observe the wild Pokémon there. If you're free, why don't you join us? Consider it a little trip."
For Lund, inviting an outsider along on a research expedition was nothing unusual—especially since he wanted to thank Hayato for granting them access to study the Relicanth.
Hayato froze.
Wait… the Arctic? Wasn't that…?
Lund leaned in sincerely. "What do you say?"
Of course, Hayato agreed.
He nodded, interest flashing in his eyes.
"Great," Lund said cheerfully. "You can return with us to LaRousse first, and from there we'll depart for the Arctic."
"Then I'll be in your care."
"No trouble at all." Lund waved it off.
Just then, a shadow darted in through the skylight of the Ecological Park.
Golden feathers gleamed. Razor-sharp eyes swept the area. Sparks of electricity crackled across its wings as it soared.
"That's…" One of the researchers froze, then gasped in excitement."Could it be—the Legendary Pokémon from the paper—Zapdos?!"
Lund instantly turned toward Birch, eyes wide.
Birch smiled knowingly."That's right. The mysterious trainer from those two papers… is the same person."
"You didn't tell me?!" Lund glared at him.
"You never asked," Birch replied innocently, shrugging.
"…" Lund choked, then lifted his head to gaze at the forest where Zapdos had vanished. His voice trembled with excitement."What a discovery…"
To avoid missing anything else Birch might be hiding, Lund got Hayato's permission for his researchers to freely explore the Ecological Park.
While Lund himself stayed behind to record Relicanth data, the others fanned out with their communicators. Soon, one report after another came in:
"Doctor! I spotted a Ralts and a Gardevoir! Ah—they noticed me! They used Teleport to escape!"
"Doctor! A Krookodile and a Flygon here! But… isn't Trapinch supposed to be Krookodile's prey? Why is its evolution peacefully coexisting with it?"
"Report! In a cave, I found a Charmeleon and a Fraxure together. Charmeleon is so cute!"
"Oh my Arceus! Doctor! There's a Slowking here—speaking human language! It's reading a book called Advanced Theory of Herb Cultivation!"
"Doctor! I found a Gengar—it isn't scary at all! It even waved at me! But… aren't Gengar supposed to be mischievous pranksters?"
"This is Yoshiko. Reporting: I spotted a Roserade dancing on branches with Vine Whip—it's so graceful!"
"Strange… what's that Pokémon? I've never seen it before. Ah! It looked up—so silly and dazed!"
Listening to the endless stream of shocked voices, Lund went numb.
He hadn't expected so many rare Pokémon hidden in this seemingly modest Ecological Park—let alone such peculiar behaviors, different from any research data they had.
His gaze slid to Professor Birch.
Birch only chuckled, as if he had long expected this."That's exactly what you're hearing."
"Impossible…" Lund muttered, shaken.
Birch shook his head."We can't summarize a Pokémon's nature with a few cold words. Like humans, every individual is different."
"I know what you're wondering," Birch continued. "You're asking why these Pokémon act differently from your recorded data, right?"
Lund nodded slightly.
"The answer is simple," Birch explained."They've been influenced by their trainers."
"Pokémon feel no less deeply than humans. They learn, they mimic, they change themselves—for the sake of their trainers. They're the most mysterious beings in the world. There's still so much we must learn."
"So Lund, conclusions from machines alone can never define them."
Silence fell.
At length, Lund whispered sincerely,"…I understand. Thank you."
Hayato thought Professor Birch really was a good man.
He truly loved Pokémon.
The researchers, like kids drunk on wonder, immersed themselves in this strange paradise—peeking through bushes, hiding behind trees, carefully watching the Pokémon go about their lives.
The resident Pokémon had long since grown accustomed to visitors, thanks to Birch and Brendan. Even Zapdos ignored them, going about its business.
Several friendly Oddish even bounded over, happily greeting the strangers.
Hayato, after watching a while, leaned against a tree and flipped through his Pokédex.
Beside him, Gengar materialized from thin air, hugging a tub of ice cream, munching away with blissful satisfaction.
"You're going to get a stomachache…" Hayato sighed.
He remembered—back when they first met, Gengar had seen students eating ice cream at school and wanted some, but couldn't eat it due to its ghostly body.
It had nearly forgotten, until the New Year's festivities stirred those memories again—snowmen, dinner, and all.
So it had pestered Hayato until he helped it relive everything it had once missed.
Including ice cream.
But… could Ghost-types even get stomachaches?