Professor Oak's eyes suddenly lit up.
This line of thinking perfectly matched the speculation he had long held in his heart!
The only problem had been the lack of direct evidence—he had never been able to turn the hypothesis into a formal theory.
Yet Rei Akagi had pointed it out so clearly. His breadth of knowledge far exceeded Oak's expectations.
"An outstanding insight!"
Professor Oak praised sincerely before falling into thought again.
"It's just that… without an actual case involving a Legendary Pokémon, the idea of 'authority-driven form transformation' can only remain a hypothesis."
"Professor, I can prove it."
Rei Akagi smiled lightly. Under Oak's puzzled gaze, he tapped the black dragon ring coiled around his collar.
"Rayquaza, say hello to the Professor."
"Hmph. Boring."
A disdainful voice echoed through telepathy.
The next moment, the miniature black serpentine dragon uncoiled and spiraled upward from Rei Akagi's collar.
It raised its head proudly. Despite its tiny size, its majesty remained undiminished. Golden vertical pupils looked down upon all things as it examined the elderly man before it.
"…Th-this is—Rayquaza?!"
Professor Oak shot up from his chair.
His hands slammed onto the desk as he leaned forward dramatically, eyes wide.
His vast knowledge surged to life in an instant. Every record, myth, and document concerning Rayquaza flooded his mind.
Aside from its size and color, the Pokémon before him matched the historical descriptions perfectly.
In that instant, all doubt vanished.
His gaze turned… obsessed.
Professor Oak knew Rei Akagi wasn't an ordinary person.
But he never imagined Rei Akagi was this extraordinary.
Rayquaza.
In legend, when the God of Land and the God of the Sea battled and pushed the world toward catastrophe, the Sky Deity would descend from the heavens to quell the disaster.
And Rei Akagi… was its trainer.
Unbelievable.
Absolutely unbelievable.
Because Professor Oak knew those legends so well, the shock struck him like crashing waves.
"Hmph!"
Rayquaza frowned when it noticed Oak's intensely probing gaze.
A terrifying dragon's pressure erupted.
The entire research institute trembled. A swirling shockwave blasted through the office, throwing papers and objects everywhere.
"Rayquaza, stop!"
Rei Akagi grabbed the tiny Rayquaza and forcibly cut off its display, stuffing it back into his coat pocket.
Professor Oak paid no attention to his hair now blown into disarray.
He rushed around the desk and seized Rei Akagi's shoulders with both hands. His eyes burned with excitement, his voice trembling.
"Rei Akagi! Please—please allow me to observe Rayquaza for a period of time! I swear, on the reputation of my life's research, I will not allow it to suffer even the slightest harm!"
"Sorry, Professor. That decision… you'll have to ask it yourself."
As soon as Rei Akagi finished speaking, a small dragon head peeked out from his pocket. Rayquaza slithered back onto his collar and looked at Oak.
"Boring."
The telepathic reply was as concise as ever.
Rejected so directly, the light in Professor Oak's eyes instantly dimmed. His entire figure visibly deflated, disappointment written all over his face.
Still, he respected Pokémon's wishes and did not insist.
Watching Professor Oak look as if life had lost all meaning, Rei Akagi almost laughed. After adjusting his expression, he said with a smile:
"Professor, about the research project—what do you think?"
Oak paused.
The dejection from earlier vanished instantly.
Knowing that I've been stuck on this research bottleneck for years…
He proposes cooperation…
Even reveals Rayquaza to prove the theory's feasibility…
And deliberately gives me leadership of the project…
To Oak, it all looked like Rei Akagi was helping an old man fulfill his dream.
His eyes grew moist.
Rei Akagi… what a good kid…
The Next Day
For once, Rei Akagi didn't sleep in.
The reason was simple—
Professor Oak showed up at his house.
And he looked terrible.
Messy bedhead.
Bloodshot eyes.
A wrinkled lab coat with mysterious stains.
"Professor Oak… what happened to you? Did Team Rocket attack?"
Rei Akagi stared speechlessly before quickly pouring a refreshing cup of tea.
"Haha, it's nothing."
Oak gulped down the tea.
"After our conversation yesterday, I basically didn't sleep."
He pulled out a stack of documents and placed them on the table, then handed another thick bundle to Rei Akagi.
"After we talked, I went through a lot of materials. Most of it aligns with what you said. This is a paper I finished overnight—take a look and see if there's anything that needs revision."
"…Me?"
Rei Akagi froze, mouth slightly open as he pointed at himself.
"Yes. After all, my understanding mostly comes from documented sources. But you're different—you should know more about this."
Oak scratched his messy hair, though his eyes kept drifting toward Rei Akagi's collar.
Rei Akagi stared at the forty-plus-page paper in silence.
I'm… proofreading Professor Oak's academic paper?
Am I crazy? Or is the world crazy?
Out of respect, Rei Akagi read it carefully.
To be honest, even though he had once dealt with divine Pokémon regularly, he still couldn't help but admire Oak's brilliance.
In the end—
Aside from a few trivial typos…
He couldn't find a single thing worth correcting.
Instead, he had actually learned quite a bit from the paper himself.
Rei Akagi sighed sincerely.
"Perfect! Professor Oak, this is the most wonderful academic paper I've ever read."
"So… anything to add?"
Oak's eyes sparkled with expectation.
Rei Akagi gritted his teeth and searched through fragments of knowledge in his mind.
After hesitating, he said:
"Maybe… you could add a small trivia point?"
"For example, the shell that Minior sheds… is actually one of Rayquaza's favorite snacks…"
At that moment—
"Assistant A Reminder: Enter the academic world! Please publish an academic paper and gain recognition and attention. As the Savior, you must possess knowledge."
"Reward: Determined by the level of recognition and attention after publication."
Shut up, system!
Look at me carefully—do I look like someone who belongs in academia?!
Even while mentally raging at the system prompt, Rei Akagi maintained a relaxed smile.
"Actually, Professor, you really don't need to rush like this. My research topic was only just decided, and Rayquaza isn't going to suddenly disappear."
"You're welcome to come by anytime and chat with it."
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