After a round of discussion, everyone finally decided to select from the Trainer Association someone familiar with agriculture who also loved Pokémon.
To keep things rigorous, the Trainer Association would first conduct an internal assessment of its Trainers before choosing the final candidate.
Draconis left the matter entirely in the hands of the Trainer Association.
Once the person was chosen, they only needed to bring him to meet Draconis and the Forces of Nature.
After that, he would have the Forces of Nature cooperate with the chosen one to travel across the land of Unova, spreading abundance to every corner of the region.
At that time, Unova would become the most fertile region in the entire world.
The assessment would take some time, but Draconis was in no hurry.
After returning from Undella Town to Nimbasa City, Draconis immediately threw himself into his busy official duties.
Meanwhile, at 32 Pidove Street…
The home of Scholar Derrick.
He had converted the second floor into a dedicated research space for studying the so-called magical beasts—Pokémon.
Long ago, he had been filled with curiosity about these creatures.
Now that humans and Pokémon had achieved initial integration, Derrick could no longer suppress his thirst for knowledge.
A week earlier, he had bought several Poké Balls at the local Poké Mart and headed to the forest outside town.
After a slapstick series of being chased by Rattata, pecked by Vullaby, and Tackled by Geodude, Derrick finally met a Pokémon friendly to him.
It resembled a flying squirrel, mostly white, with black eyes, a tiny nose, and two yellow electric sacs.
Round ears sat atop its head like a hood; yellow wing-membranes allowed it to fly.
This Pokémon had yet to appear in any newspaper, so Derrick had no data on it.
Based on its looks and energy, he christened it "Emolga."
Because it could release powerful energy that paralyzed people, His Majesty Draconis had mentioned it in the papers.
That energy was called "electricity."
This Emolga lived in the forest canopy, nesting inside a tree hole carved by Pikipek.
At first Derrick had accidentally intruded into its territory, instantly captivated by its adorable appearance.
He took out some human-made Pokémon treats from his bag.
His Majesty Draconis had said Trainers could win Pokémon over with food, not just by proving their strength.
The Emolga was wary at first, but gradually relaxed and ate the sweet berries.
Overjoyed, Derrick could barely contain his excitement at being so close to a Pokémon for the first time.
He reached out a "devil's claw" toward Emolga.
Startled, Emolga released a blinding electric flash that knocked Derrick to the ground.
Yet his tenacity won out; after relentless effort he gained Emolga's trust and invited it home.
Back in the present, Derrick watched Emolga gnawing a berry, curiosity shining in his eyes.
"Emolga, come on—use that move again!" Derrick said.
Emolga, never having met such a weird human, let yellow current leak from its cheek pouches; a blinding bolt exploded inside the room.
The blast startled the Pidove perched outside the window.
Hearing the noise, the couple downstairs rushed upstairs to check on their son.
They found Derrick in tatters, hair frizzed, face blackened—utterly disheveled.
"Derrick!" the old man exclaimed.
Snapping out of it, Derrick scratched his head sheepishly. "Father, don't worry, I'm fine—just doing research!"
The couple exchanged glances; recalling the recent explosions and screams, they feared their son might be losing his mind.
"Old man, should we call a doctor? The boy seems a bit craz—"
Upstairs, Derrick murmured while studying Emolga: "Just as I thought—Emolga stores electricity generated in its cheek pouches inside its cloak-like membrane, letting it discharge even while flying…"
"Emolga, go play for a bit; I need to record these findings," he said.
Emolga sighed in resignation, spread its wing-membranes, and glided out the window.
Derrick took out a pen and scribbled his observations into a notebook.
Time slipped by unnoticed.
When he came to, dusk had already fallen!
Emolga hadn't returned, so Derrick hurried out to search; after much effort he spotted it on a grassy clearing.
However, the Emolga was now facing off against a Grass-type Pokémon called Roselia.
Emolga unleashed a powerful electric current that struck Roselia, yet surprisingly caused little damage.
The yellow electricity ran down Roselia's legs and into the ground.
At the sight, Derrick froze.
"Roselia channels the current into the earth to reduce the move's power?" he muttered.
In a flash, inspiration struck him.
Type advantage!
Grass-type Pokémon naturally resist Electric-type moves!
He itched to jot the revelation down at once.
He felt the door to a new world slowly opening before him.
So many unsolved mysteries lay within Pokémon—he burned to know more, to learn everything—
Spotting a human, Roselia spun about and fled in alarm.
Left behind, Emolga chattered angrily, turning to Derrick: "Emol!"
Derrick snapped back. "All right, it's dark—let's head home; tonight you've got your favorite syrup-soaked Pecha berries."
"Emol!" Hearing that, Emolga gave a huff, turned its head, and forgave him—barely.
Man and Pokémon returned home, wolfed down dinner, and Derrick plunged straight into the lab to jot his discovery in a notebook.
The notebook was already crammed with dense pages of data.
It held every harvest of his days in Nimbasa City: reams of ecological intelligence on Pokémon, all gleaned through observation and experiment.
Yet—it was not enough.
Under the yellow kerosene lamp, Derrick stared at the papers on his desk and fell into thought.
Too little; he needed far more.
But within the Kingdom, who else possessed deeper knowledge of Pokémon?
The instant the question surfaced, a figure rose in his mind.
His Majesty Draconis!
If anyone in all Eindoak truly understood Pokémon, it was unquestionably His Majesty Draconis.
After all, it was through Draconis's efforts that humans and Pokémon had turned from enemies into the companions they were today.
If only he could meet His Majesty Draconis—
Looking at the research notes in his hand, Derrick felt a sudden spark.
Why not take these findings and present them to His Majesty Draconis himself?
He decided on the spot.
At dawn the next day, Derrick set off for the Castle with the fruits of his recent labors and his Emolga.
Inside the Castle, Draconis was grooming the white fleece of his Larvesta when a Guard entered.
"Your Majesty, a man outside the gates claims to be Derrick the Scholar and seeks audience!" The Guard saluted and reported.
"Hmm? A Scholar?" Draconis was surprised. "What sort of Scholar?"
"I do not know, sire—yet he bears a Pokémon. He says he has something to offer you!" the Guard replied.
Something to offer him?
Draconis's interest was piqued.
"Bring him to me."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Guard turned and left; moments later he returned leading a young man.
An Emolga perched on the man's shoulder; in his hands he clutched a notebook, his expression taut with nerves.
"Your Majesty!" Derrick hastily bowed.
"Rise." Draconis glanced at the Emolga. "Who are you?"
Derrick answered excitedly, "I—I was once a Scholar in Castelia City. After reading in the newspaper about Nimbasa City and the Grand Library, I moved my family here. All this time I've been studying Pokémon; these are my findings, a gift for Your Majesty!"
A Scholar?
Draconis was surprised, then reflected that in this age Pokémon Scholars were only natural.
Under his rule, Pokémon culture had flourished across Unova; countless poets and painters had created verses and canvases centered on Pokémon.
After a pause Draconis said, "Let me see it."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Derrick respectfully offered up the notebook with both hands.
Draconis opened it; the very first page bore a drawing of a notably large Pokémon.
It was a mighty tortoise. An oak-like tree rose from its shell, beneath which lay grass and rock, forming a miniature ecosystem.
Smaller Pokémon gathered atop the motionless Torterra, building nests, raising young, and living out their entire lives upon its back.
Clearly Derrick had observed this scene long ago.
Below the Torterra he had penned a hypothesis.
Might there exist a colossal Torterra beneath the earth?
Could humans and Pokémon, like those tiny creatures, be dwelling upon the shell of an immense Torterra?
"An intriguing notion," Draconis thought.
Further on he found records of other Pokémon, mostly harmless Grass-types living close to human settlements.
The most recent entry was the Emolga.
Indeed, Derrick had named it Emolga.
Seeing the name, Draconis felt a surge of curiosity.
"Coincidence—or were these creatures fated to bear that very name?"
The notes detailed the Emolga's feeding, sleeping, and even its combat capabilities.
Clearly Derrick had poured immense effort into the work.
After skimming a few pages Draconis closed the notebook and, meeting Derrick's eager gaze, asked, "Truly precious data—yet you offer me your life's labor. What reward do you seek?"
Derrick's heart leapt. "To serve Your Majesty is my honor! Sire, I am fascinated by Pokémon; within the Kingdom none knows them better than you. I wish only to learn more from you!"
So his interest was purely academic!
Draconis nodded, then deliberately said, "Yet there are countless Pokémon in the world; even I know only a fraction."
Though disappointed, Derrick understood—His Majesty had lived within the capital; how could he know every Pokémon?
Before Derrick could speak, Draconis continued.
"Still, though my knowledge is limited, I can fund your research and send you to survey their ecology."
"Ah?" Derrick's mouth fell open; joy flooded him. "Tr-truly, Your Majesty?"
"Of course." Draconis nodded. "From your notes I see you are deeply interested in Pokémon."
"Exactly!" Derrick bobbed his head.
Draconis smiled; his realm sorely needed such a person.
He could not forever play nursemaid to every Trainer, lecturing on types, moves, and Pokémon ecology.
One man's strength was finite; he required a Scholar, a researcher—indeed, a Professor—to gather data and pass it to students and Trainers alike.
"Very well. I shall fund you and establish a dedicated institute. From this day forth you shall be responsible for studying and observing unknown Pokémon."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Derrick was ecstatic.
Draconis gave a slight nod; henceforth Professor and Trainer could cooperate—Trainers would receive pokedex tasks, venture into the wild, capture Pokémon, and bring them to the institute for the Professor to study and record their ecological data.
In this way the pokedex for the Unova region could gradually be completed.
....
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