"Well then, even Professor Oak made a personal announcement…"
Shiro quickly opened the notifications tab. The first message, bolded and highlighted in gold, was from Oak.
"Shiro! What exactly is the principle behind Dynamax?"
The man was clearly anxious, having sent several messages in a row asking the same question.
Without hesitation, Shiro typed a reply, "I'm sorry, Professor. This involves the privacy of the Galar region and Macro Cosmos. I'm afraid I can't disclose it here."
Less than two seconds after sending it, Oak replied, "Could you help me ask what conditions they want?"
* * *
Inside the Oak Research Institute, Professor Oak sat in front of the computer with heavy dark circles under his eyes, yet his mind was extremely excited.
He had already expected Shiro's refusal. Just by looking at it, Dynamax was clearly top-secret, the kind of thing that would be locked away in a lab.
The paper Shiro published only described the most basic Dynamax phenomenon, so it was obvious he had been instructed to release it.
But since they had dangled this lead and stirred his curiosity, Oak felt there might still be a chance to uncover the truth behind Dynamax.
* * *
On the other side, Shiro did not hesitate at all and directly called Oleana.
"Oleana, Professor Oak wants to—"
Before he could finish, she immediately gave the condition, "Have Samuel Oak personally come to Galar for a 'visit.' The details of Dynamax will naturally be revealed."
He relayed her exact words.
* * *
Oak, however, hesitated and did not respond immediately.
Go to Galar for a "visit"?
He understood this was another move by Macro Cosmos to build momentum and promote Galar at all costs, yet he had very little trust in Galar and the company.
In the past, quite a few Galar researchers had gone out for exchanges, stolen research results, and then returned to Galar. That was clearly done under orders.
He was worried that if he went, he might not be able to come back.
His fingers tapped lightly on the keyboard before he replied, "Can we change the condition? We can exchange research."
Oleana gave a firm rejection.
In other words, if he wanted to learn the secrets of Dynamax, he had to personally go to Galar. Otherwise, there would be no discussion.
That naturally ended the negotiation.
With no other option, Oak sighed and said, "Young and capable, Galar Champion. I look forward to meeting you at the Kanto Academic Summit."
After that, he closed the chat window and logged off.
Only after standing up did he feel dizzy and weak. He held his lower back, yawned, and slowly rubbed his eyes as he walked toward the lab door.
"Professor Oak!"
A clear voice rang out, interrupting him just as he was about to stretch.
Standing at the door was a girl with brown-red braided hair. She wore a loose white coat and asked anxiously, "Professor Oak! About the arrangements for the Professor title ceremony at the Academic Summit…"
"Delia, don't rush."
Oak raised his hand to calm her. "Isn't Shiro the only one applying for the Professor title? What's the hurry?"
"But…"
Delia felt that after the Dynamax paper was released, and with the strength of Dr. Corviknight, he would definitely obtain the Professor title without issue.
Shouldn't they prepare in advance?
"Before something is confirmed, don't assume it's certain." Oak raised a finger and lectured in an experienced tone. "Delia, you're still too young. What if the vote doesn't pass?"
"But…"
She nervously held a corner of her coat, at a loss. She truly believed it would pass. There was no doubt about it.
"No 'but.'" Oak's expression turned stern as he waved his hand. "Have you finished today's research? Why are you asking about irrelevant matters? How are you going to become a researcher like this?"
After being scolded, Delia responded timidly and left.
Seeing this, Oak let out a deep sigh, stroking his short beard as he muttered softly to himself, "Not even twenty, already a Champion… and wants to become a Professor too? Even trying to use Agatha's connections? Can research be done through connections?"
If everyone relied on connections, wouldn't there be many unworthy professors?
Some people became professors and contributed nothing, just wasting funding and getting manipulated. In his view, even the current system of selecting professors every three years was too frequent. It should take longer and be stricter.
"If not, what would happen to the reputation of the entire research field?"
Oak shook his head as he spoke, his gaze lowering.
Others might think Dynamax was some incredible achievement, but he knew better. Who knew if it was just something Rose had stolen and passed on, with Shiro only summarizing it without revealing anything important?
That paper, or rather that promotional piece, had little real scientific value.
"Their courage is quite something, Galar…"
He let out a soft laugh and walked toward the nearby bedroom.
Since he could not obtain information about Dynamax, that line of inquiry was useless for now. As for Agatha, he would let her continue trying for a while.
"As for Shiro's Professor title…"
Oak had already made his decision.
"Better to wait a bit longer, kid. It's for your own good…"
* * *
"Professor Oak isn't willing to go to Galar. There's nothing I can do."
After saying that to Oleana, Shiro hung up.
He knew the origin of Dynamax better than anyone. It came from Eternatus, the poison dragon, but that was not something that could be revealed.
In a way, even if it were revealed, it wouldn't matter much. Eternatus only existed in Galar, and other regions couldn't replicate controllable Dynamax even if they knew the truth.
If Oak went, he would definitely learn the truth and probably feel deceived.
Still, there was no guarantee about Rose's character. If he tried to use some device to control Oak, it wouldn't be impossible.
Shiro tapped his head and pushed those thoughts aside, then refocused on the laptop in front of him. On the website, aside from Oak, many others had sent him messages and left contact requests.
Several well-known professors had reached out:
[Professor Birch: Dr. Corviknight, may I ask how the habitats of Dynamax Pokémon differ from normal Pokémon?]
[Professor Elm: Can Dynamax Pokémon reproduce? I've already completed their classification.]
[Professor Juniper: Congratulations. Dr. Corviknight, you should be able to obtain your Professor title this time.]
[Professor Sycamore: Impressive. But this must have been arranged between you and Galar's higher-ups, right? I didn't expect them to withstand the pressure above. Still, be careful not to become a tool for them…]
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!