Professor Ivy's main academic research focus was on the regional forms of Pokémon. She was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, perhaps even older, but because she took such good care of herself, it was impossible to guess her exact age from her appearance.
Even under her loose, white lab coat, her fiery figure could not be concealed. Although she looked somewhat, always appearing as if she hadn't quite woken up, it had to be said that she was indeed a beautiful woman, exuding a mature charm with every gesture.
In fact, it was upon seeing her that Brock had become so utterly smitten that he had voluntarily left the group and was still at her research institute to this day, doing odd jobs without complaint.
Natsui only glanced at her for a moment before looking away.
He extended his hand and said to Professor Ivy, "So you're Professor Ivy. I've heard so much about you. I heard about you from Misty before, I never thought I'd meet you here."
Whether it was Oak, Sakuragi, or the woman before him, Natsui held a great deal of respect for these professors, so he spoke very politely.
In truth, he didn't need Misty's introduction. The moment Natsui saw this woman, he had already recognized her.
After all, Professor Ivy had left a deep impression on him from his past memories. In the entire Orange Archipelago arc, besides the Crystal Onix, she was the most memorable character.
Professor Ivy also smiled and shook his hand. "Mr. Natsui, please don't be so formal. Speaking of which, I'm the one who has been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. I watched several of your matches during the Indigo Conference broadcast. The way you defeat your opponents so cleanly—I must say, it's very impressive!"
"Not at all, it was all thanks to my opponents making me look good..."
The group exchanged pleasantries for a while. At Melody's enthusiastic invitation, they returned to the town of Shamouti. By now, the tourists had thinned out considerably. It was unclear if it was due to the effects of the battle or because the festival time was over, but a large number of people had already left.
However, although the Lugia incident was over, Professor Oak, Professor Ivy, and Delia chose to stay for the time being.
Having encountered such an event, the two professors seemed to have been inspired and decided to jointly write a paper on the environmental impact of Pokémon battles.
As for the reporters who had come with them, they would have to wait until a boat passing by Shamouti Island stopped in the evening to leave and return to the Kanto mainland. The two helicopter pilots had to wait for their company to come and investigate, answer questions, and help finalize the report on the crash.
By now, the sky was approaching dusk. Melody led them directly to the same banquet hall they had been in before.
She first had someone arrange for food, then found her sister and the old man and began to whisper with them.
One could feel that as the three of them spoke, their gazes kept drifting over to Natsui and Ash.
It was obvious that Melody was recounting everything that had just happened. Fortunately, she had listened to Natsui's earlier request and did not reveal the matter of his three legendary birds.
Rumble, rumble~
Just then, a sound from his stomach brought Natsui's thoughts back to the present.
He looked at the long table, which was now filled to the brim with all sorts of delicious food. The aroma was enticing, making one's mouth water.
Counting the time, it had been more than ten hours since they had left here last night until their return now. They hadn't eaten or rested properly, and now, looking at the sumptuous food before them, everyone felt famished.
They exchanged a smile and, without caring for table manners, began to wolf down the food. Only Sabrina maintained her elegance, eating slowly and deliberately.
Compared to them, Professor Oak's group was much more normal. They had set out from Kanto at noon, and only a few hours had passed, so it was just the right time for dinner.
For a moment, the banquet hall was somewhat quiet, with only the sounds of chewing and swallowing, until Natsui and his group had eaten their fill and their pace slowed down.
Seeing Ash's stomach bulging, Delia finally had a chance to talk to her son. She looked at him with a loving expression, listening to him talk endlessly about his experiences during this period, occasionally chiming in with a few words. Beside her, Professor Oak and Professor Ivy were enthusiastically discussing their paper. But perhaps having heard enough, Misty, who was sitting next to them, suddenly interjected, telling them about Natsui's theory of the butterfly effect.
"Oh?" Professor Ivy, after listening, looked at Natsui with interest. "The butterfly effect? I've never heard of this theory. It seems Mr. Natsui is not only very talented in battling but also has unique insights in science!"
Hearing her say this, Professor Oak seemed to remember something and smiled at Ivy. "Ah, I almost forgot. Speaking of which, besides being a trainer, Natsui is also Sakuragi's assistant!"
"Sakuragi?" Professor Ivy looked at Natsui in surprise. "You mean the one in Vermilion City? So you're working for that guy? Does that make you a semi-scholar as well?"
Natsui quickly shook his head. "You flatter me, Professors. I have no academic qualifications or experience in this field. I just run errands for Professor Sakuragi. I wouldn't dare call myself a scholar!"
Unexpectedly, Professor Ivy didn't believe him at all and just took it as him being modest.
Just then, the old man, along with Carol and Melody, came to their table to thank Natsui's group for helping Shamouti Island through the crisis and to welcome the two professors.
"Commanders, thank you so much! If you hadn't intervened, the world might have been destroyed!"
In truth, Natsui knew that even if the place had exploded or frozen over, the world would not have been destroyed. But he couldn't be bothered to explain, knowing it was an ingrained belief of the people here, so he just went along with the old man's words.
And only then did he learn that this old man, who had been acting so mysteriously before, was actually the mayor of Shamouti Town!
However... looking at Carol, Natsui had a feeling he had forgotten something.
It was only when Carol's gaze also turned to him and she asked, "Mr. Natsui, did Mei not come back with you?" that he remembered.
"Oh no!" Natsui said with a wry smile. "We forgot her on Fire Island! I'm so sorry... but I think she should still be there. After all, her boat was stranded on the shore, so she couldn't have returned to this island on her own."
"I see..." Carol also gave a helpless smile. "It's alright, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it. I'll go and pick her up myself in a bit."
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