"I can do that."
After Siyu explained the pros and cons, Owen took a moment to think. He wasn't particularly worried about the logistics; his main motivation was that his assistance would speed up the verification process for the new ability—which meant he'd get his royalties faster!
Owen, who was currently very "money-oriented," found the prospect quite enticing.
"Really? Thank you so much, Owen!" Siyu hadn't expected things to go so smoothly from the start.
Taking a small sip of her coffee, she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Owen, do you mind if I ask a few personal questions? What made you decide to publish a thesis in the first place?"
She wanted to understand the thought process of a genius.
"Just call me Owen," he chuckled. "Adding 'student' every time feels a bit stiff."
"Alright then, Owen. If you don't mind, you can just call me Siyu-jie," she replied with a warm smile.
Siyu-jie?
Owen gave a mental dry laugh. The last person who insisted on being called "Jie" was Zoe, and she was already in her late forties.
Adding in Ethan, who preferred "Ethan-ge," Owen was starting to feel a bit dizzy from all these honorary siblings.
Siyu looked at him, waiting for his answer.
"About that..." Owen glanced at the Eevee sitting beside him. "Actually, I started out just trying to help Eevee overcome the weaknesses inherent in her personality.
I am a trainer, after all. But as we trained, I noticed how unique she was. One thing led to another, and I just kept researching. I guess you could say it was an overactive sense of curiosity."
Eevee remained silent, busily munching on the snacks provided by the café.
"My professor always tells me that curiosity is the most precious quality a researcher can have," Siyu said, looking at Owen with genuine admiration.
"As for why I published it... I thought about how many other Eevee out there must be in the same situation.
They might be looked down upon or even scolded by their trainers for being 'timid' or 'cowardly.' I mainly wanted to prevent that.
I hope our experience can help other trainers realize that this isn't a defect!" Owen said with a touch of sentiment.
Siyu's heart stirred. Suddenly, Owen seemed to glow with a noble light in her eyes. This was exactly what her professor described as a "natural-born researcher"—the kind of person who pushes a field forward for the benefit of countless trainers.
"Well said!"
In an instant, Siyu's gaze toward Owen became much friendlier. She truly felt he was a remarkable person.
"Vee... Vee-!"
Beside her, Eevee suddenly slapped her throat—she had choked on her snack. After recovering, she shot a glance at Owen, thinking, You scumbag!
When he was writing the paper, Owen hadn't said anything like that to her. If it weren't for the royalties, Eevee couldn't imagine Owen spending so much time on such a mind-bogglingly tedious manuscript.
However, remembering that a share of those royalties belonged to her, she went back to her snacks.
"So, what's the estimated value of this article?" Owen asked.
The two chatted for a while longer, and eventually, the conversation drifted toward the royalties—Owen's primary concern.
"Based on my experience, the royalties should be between 100,000 and 200,000 credits. Anticipation is, after all, a very useful ability for combat," Siyu said.
"Over 100,000? That much?" Owen was slightly surprised.
"Is it a lot?" Siyu smiled. "I have a junior who's a video creator. She gets tens of thousands just for a single ad placement. Her monthly income equals what we researchers get for publishing multiple papers..."
Owen felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. Is everyone trying to trick me into becoming an influencer?
"If it weren't for government subsidies..." Siyu shook her head. General research results are just that—research. Unless they have immediate commercial value, the state pays the royalties. For a new ability, a six-figure bonus was already quite generous.
Research that could be turned into long-term profit was rare. Grassroots Pokémon researchers didn't have it easy; not everyone was like Owen, with a head full of "unknown" data and research results ready for the taking.
During the National Day holiday, Owen's submission status changed again: all three rounds of review had passed.
Since Pokémon-related papers are supported by national policy, there were no publication fees. Owen received an official confirmation email.
The reply thanked him for his contribution, recognized his findings, and informed him of the specific publication date.
However, to Owen's slight annoyance, the bank transfer for the royalties required further approval and wouldn't arrive until some time after the paper was actually published.
"How is it? Did 'The Home of Pokémon' get back to you?"
While collecting Eevee's test data, Owen and Siyu exchanged social media contacts. Today, she sent him a message.
"Yeah, it passed," Owen replied.
"Congrats! I'm looking forward to seeing it in print. But don't rush—make sure to stay focused on preparing for the college entrance exams..."
After a few more exchanges, Owen ended the conversation with the classic "I'm going to take a shower."
No rush, no rush. I can start preparing the next paper now, Owen thought, scratching his head. Having "source material" everywhere felt great. The next target? The Rattled ability of the "pathetic" Magikarp.
After his shower, Owen headed out. Ethan and Zoe had summoned him to the Trainer Association. Only Owen among the trio was called, giving him a strange feeling.
It should be something good... he thought.
Sure enough, Zoe delivered excellent news.
"We have the learning method for Shadow Ball. Additionally, from the collection of standard move manuals held by the Fairview Trainer Association, you may choose one additional move to learn."
Ethan and Zoe knew Owen's situation, so they provided these resources early, believing they would be of the most help.
"Eevee can learn Shadow Ball now?"
Owen was thrilled. He had been coveting the method for Shadow Ball for a long time. Eevee currently lacked a new training goal, and this was perfect timing. Furthermore, Zoe's second offer piqued his interest.
A standard move manual allows a Pokémon to master a move in a short time—essentially, it's a recorded "shortcut" method for a specific technique. Owen wasn't sure how many manuals the Fairview Association had, but he assumed the selection would be decent.
"Take a look first." Zoe tossed a booklet to Owen.
It was a catalog of move manuals: Rest, Toxic, Refresh, Hyper Voice, Dig, Double Kick...
Owen filtered out the moves Eevee couldn't learn. Among the viable options, Rest, Toxic, and Refresh were tempting, but ultimately, his eyes settled on the only Psychic-type defensive move on the list.
Reflect.
"Shadow Ball and Reflect—Ghost and Psychic moves. These are the most difficult to learn. These two alone might take months of Eevee's focus.
You likely won't be able to learn anything else before the competition. Are you sure?"
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