When Natsui and Sabrina returned to the main town of Shamouti Island, they happened to run into Professor Oak and Professor Ivy, who were just arriving at the banquet hall.
Their paths crossed, and they all nodded to each other in a friendly manner.
Now that the festival was over, the islanders had returned to their normal lives. The crowds had dispersed, and with Ash and his friends gone, the place felt quite deserted.
Inside the hall, Professor Ivy took a laptop out of her bag, opened a document, and showed it to Natsui.
"Take a look. This is the data we gathered from our investigations yesterday and today. Although it's just a first draft, the general direction is set. All that's left are some details that need to be revised."
"Me?" Natsui raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This is the result of two professors' research. It doesn't seem appropriate for an unrelated person like me to look at it…"
"It's fine," Professor Oak interjected. "Actually, we took the liberty of adding your idea about the butterfly effect, so strictly speaking, you also have a share of the credit for this paper."
Natsui felt a sweat drop.
The butterfly effect wasn't his idea at all. It was one thing to mention it in conversation, but seeing it included in a research paper made him feel both ashamed and a bit nervous.
But since the matter was tied to his identity as a transmigrator and the background of his original world, he couldn't explain the truth. He could only bite the bullet and lean in to look at the screen.
Under their watchful eyes, Natsui gently pressed the down arrow key.
After just a few lines, he realized the paper was extremely academic. There were even formulas and terms he couldn't understand at all. The large blocks of text were dizzying to look at.
Most importantly, as the most renowned Pokémon scholars, Professor Oak and Professor Ivy's expertise was unquestionable, so Natsui didn't dare to offer any random opinions.
Fortunately, the two of them weren't expecting him to find anything; they just wanted to include him in the process.
Continuing to scroll down pretentiously, Natsui eventually saw the passage about his butterfly effect idea. At the very end, he discovered that in the author attribution section, his own name was written after the two professors!
"Why is my name on this? This… isn't right, is it?"
Professor Ivy waved her hand. "You were a direct participant in the events, so of course, you have the greatest say. Besides, Professor Oak has already agreed to it, so don't worry."
Professor Oak added, "Ivy is right. We just used our brains a little. If you and Ash hadn't stepped in to resolve the situation, we wouldn't have the peace of mind to be here conducting research. And aren't you a research fellow for the Sakuragi Institute? Including you fits your status perfectly."
"Alright then."
Natsui sighed softly.
He could foresee that with the publication of this paper, his name would naturally become known to others in the field.
Although he had no plans to become a Pokémon scholar and this wouldn't bring him any tangible benefits other than more recognition, the decision had already been made, so there was nothing more to say.
Protesting further would be a complete disregard for the two professors' kindness.
…
After such a long delay, it was finally time to leave.
Natsui took his luggage, went outside the banquet hall with Sabrina, and summoned Charizard, ready to depart for the next gym island.
The two professors chose to stay behind to continue the next phase of their research. They, along with Delia, only walked them to the door before stopping.
Hearing that Natsui was leaving, Melody and Carol also came to see them off.
On the steps, Melody looked at Natsui with a complex expression.
Through their brief contact over the past two days, she had to admit that she had developed a strong liking for Natsui. The moment in the cage of the collector's airship, in particular, had made her heart flutter!
Not only was he handsome, but he also owned the three legendary birds, but…
Watching his busy figure, Melody knew that after this farewell, they would probably never meet again in this lifetime.
To think that love, having just begun to sprout, was about to be mercilessly nipped in the bud.
Sigh, if only he could stay here forever…
At this thought, she couldn't help but feel a bitter pang in her heart. She took out her ocarina and placed it to her lips.
A melodious yet slightly melancholic tune drifted out, echoing over the small town…
But no matter how unwilling she was, some things could not be changed by human will.
On the other side, Natsui naturally didn't notice the young girl's feelings. He was just a bit surprised by her somber attitude. Why would such a cheerful girl be saddened by their departure?
He waved to the group as a final farewell, then helped Sabrina onto Charizard's back. Just as he was about to climb on himself, he heard Melody suddenly call out to him.
"Natsui… please wait!"
This was the first time Melody had called him by his name.
Natsui turned around and saw Melody quickly walking towards him. She opened her arms and, to everyone's confusion, gave him a big hug.
He didn't understand. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Melody stand on her tiptoes and plant a light kiss on his cheek.
Looking up at Natsui, Melody said with tears in her eyes, "Don't overthink it. It's a farewell kiss, as is tradition~"
"Melody…" In the distance, Carol watched her sister, wanting to say something but holding back.
She had also been a festival maiden before and knew very well that there was no such tradition as a farewell kiss…
This was all Melody's own doing. Without a doubt, her younger sister had fallen for the man before her.
Carol sighed softly. Unlike the others who were still in the dark, she had cleaned his room after Natsui and the others checked out and had seen some used tissues in the trash can. She naturally knew about Natsui and Sabrina's relationship.
Silly sister, not only is there an age gap between you, but he already has a girlfriend. You shouldn't hold on to such unrealistic fantasies…
Since he had a similar experience before, Natsui didn't think too much of it.
He looked at the girl in front of him and gently hugged her back.
"Take care of yourself. Let's hope our paths cross again~"
After a solemn farewell, Natsui released his arms and, without any hesitation, mounted Charizard. With a gentle kick of his heels, the next moment, Charizard flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
The strong wind from its wings not only made it hard for people to open their eyes but also tousled the girl's hair.
At that moment, apart from Carol, no one else saw the two streams of clear tears running down Melody's face.
As for Natsui, this island was just a small interlude on his journey. His ambitions lay across a much wider world!
There, countless more exciting adventures were waiting for him!
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