The Youth World Championship had come to an end.
When Ethan defeated Stefan, when the legendary Pokémon fell in defeat, commotions of varying magnitude occurred in many places, and the name Ethan Black was engraved into the history of the World Championship.
At the same time, information about Ethan was investigated frantically; practically all public data about him was dug up by the various Leagues.
And right at that moment, an extremely shocking piece of news suddenly spread throughout the Daleron League and even the whole world.
"Pokémon Professor!"
"That Ethan is a Pokémon Professor!"
"My God, a twenty-year-old Pokémon Professor! He is probably the youngest in all of history!"
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves. Not only the academic world: the entire world erupted into agitation!
The appearance of every Pokémon Professor always heralded a major breakthrough in the field of Pokémon research.
"If it is Ethan... then it is surely related to Pokémon evolution."
As soon as they received the news, the leaders of all the major forces felt their hearts tremble.
A discovery capable of making Ethan directly ascend to the rank of Pokémon Professor could not be something ordinary!
And, without a doubt, Pokémon evolution was the best way to increase a Pokémon's strength, so it naturally became the most valuable finding.
After thinking about it, all the forces went mad!
Many facts already proved that Ethan's discoveries about new evolutionary forms of different Pokémon had truly influenced the development of the main factions.
Especially findings such as the evolutions of Magmortar, Rhyperior, and other Pokémon, which were enough to greatly increase the strength of a faction or even an entire League.
But even having discovered special methods of evolution, that still had not been enough for Ethan to directly enter the level of a Pokémon Professor.
Now then, if he had already reached that category, then his most recent discovery had to be even more extraordinary.
"Could it be... that this discovery is the key that allowed that Lucario to evolve again?"
Inevitably, their thoughts turned to the Lucario that had defeated Darkrai in that battle.
At that moment, the strength Lucario showed after evolving, as well as the fact that it later returned to its previous form, had already attracted the attention of the entire world.
Now, after learning that Ethan had ascended to Pokémon Professor, they could not help but connect both facts.
It was evident that the method by which Lucario had evolved again had to be different from conventional evolutionary methods, and perhaps that was precisely the key to why Lucario had become so strong!
"At any cost, we must obtain Ethan's latest research result."
Very soon, the leaders of all the forces issued that order, causing countless people to head en masse toward the headquarters of the Pokémon Researchers Guild.
"Friendship Evolution... That discovery should be this one, right?"
At the same time, the Silver family also naturally received the news.
However, as for Ethan having become a Pokémon Professor, they had already known that beforehand.
What truly interested them now was, of course, the fact that Lucario had evolved again.
After learning that Riolu evolved through Friendship, they naturally also connected Lucario's new evolution to that same concept.
...
Headquarters of the Pokémon Researchers Guild.
After returning to the Daleron League, Ethan went back there.
The decision to announce at that moment that Ethan had become a Pokémon Professor had naturally been something agreed upon between President Beckett and Ethan himself.
In President Beckett's office, Ethan and he were conversing.
And the topic, of course, was Lucario's evolution.
However, for reasons of personal interest, Ethan still chose to conceal the matter of Mega Evolution.
Right now, not even he himself had managed to fully master Mega Evolution, so naturally he was not going to hand it over selflessly.
Only when he managed to completely master it, gather enough Mega Stones and Key Stones, and fully display the power of Mega Evolution would it be the best time to make it public.
Only in that way could Mega Evolution bring him enough benefits; he was even certain that he could exchange that knowledge for a legendary Pokémon.
The power that the secret of Mega Evolution could bring was far greater than that of simply possessing a single Legendary Pokémon; Ethan had full confidence in that.
"President Beckett, do you believe humans can come to master psychic powers?"
Suddenly, Ethan changed the subject and raised a question he had been reflecting on for a long time.
"A psychic!"
President Beckett was stunned for a moment, and his eyes shone slightly.
After hesitating for an instant, he returned the question to him: "And what do you think? Do you believe humans can do it?"
Faced with that question, Ethan also remained silent for a moment.
Afterward, without the slightest hesitation, he nodded and continued: "I believe they can!"
"Humans also possess something like mental power. So, as long as we find a way to increase human mental power, naturally we will also be able to become psychics."
Ethan spoke with absolute certainty. In the Pokémon world, the existence of psychics was no secret, and furthermore, the blessings of legendary Pokémon truly existed.
"Human mental power is too weak."
After remaining silent for a while, President Beckett answered that.
As a trainer specialized in Psychic-type Pokémon, he naturally had also tried to study human mental power.
But the facts proved that human mental power was truly too weak, much weaker even than that of the weakest Pokémon.
"It is true, humans' innate mental power is weak. But, just as mutated individuals exist among Pokémon, there should also be such individuals among humans."
"Furthermore, the physical constitution of humans today is much stronger than before; there is no reason mental power would not have increased a little."
"If we start from the impact the arrival of the Pokémon world had on the human body and human mental power, perhaps we can achieve some progress."
After hearing Ethan's words, President Beckett nodded. As the Great President of the Pokémon Researchers Guild, he had naturally also thought about this, although so far he had not achieved any progress.
"Perhaps... we could start with Friendship energy."
At that moment, Ethan finally expressed his true idea.
"Friendship energy?"
President Beckett was stunned for an instant, but immediately his eyes lit up.
He suddenly remembered the change that had occurred in Ethan at the moment Lucario evolved.
If he was not mistaken, that must have been precisely Friendship energy!
(End of chapter)