Thursday morning,
The town of Celestic was shrouded in a thin veil of mist.
"How strange…"
Johan glanced at his phone, which stubbornly refused to turn on, and frowned.
Did the battery die?
He looked toward Haunter.
Realizing Johan's unspoken question, Haunter hastily raised its hands in mock innocence, vehemently shaking its head to declare its innocence.
Thankfully, after plugging it in to charge, the phone booted up without issue.
With Vulpix in his arms, Johan walked toward Cynthia's room.
Since they had arrived late the previous night and stayed up until two or three in the morning chatting over midnight ramen, they hadn't gotten much sleep.
"Are you up?" Johan gently knocked on the door.
"… Coming."
A sleepy yawn filtered out from the room, followed by the sound of chaos.
BANG!
"Graaah?!"
"Luu!"
"Eevee!!"
Amid a cacophony of thuds and cries, Cynthia eventually opened the door, her hair slightly disheveled.
Under the watchful eyes of Garchomp and Lucario, Johan scratched his head awkwardly and explained,
"I wasn't sure of the exact address, so—"
It was then that Cynthia suddenly remembered.
Today was the day of the Pokémon Researcher Conference!
SLAM!
The door closed again.
"Give me a moment!" Cynthia called out.
Johan and Haunter exchanged glances before deciding to wait outside.
It had snowed all night, and the entire town was now cloaked in a pristine blanket of white.
"Oowu!"
"Chu!"
Vulpix and Tinkatink leapt gleefully into the snow, kicking up flurries as they dashed through the drifts.
For Vulpix, the scene evoked nostalgic memories of Alola's snowy peaks.
For Tinkatink, it was a first-time marvel—a wonderland of snow-covered hills.
Haunter, in contrast, crossed its arms and shook its head in mock disapproval, exuding an air of exaggerated maturity.
"Ka-kah~~"
Kids these days. Unlike me, an experienced elder…
Johan gave it a side-eye.
The next second—
SPLAT!
A snowball exploded against Haunter's face.
"Ka-kah!! (‵‵)"
So that's how it is? You've forced my hand!
With mischievous glee, Haunter joined the snowy battlefield.
It wasn't long before Cynthia's Pokémon joined the fray as well, one after another stepping outside.
What awaited them, however, was an onslaught of snowballs.
Garchomp in particular seemed to have been singled out.
No sooner had it stepped out than it found itself under a giant shadow.
"Graah?"
It tilted its head upward in confusion.
"Graaah?!" (Σ(дlll)）
Haunter stood atop a snow mound, hoisting an enormous snowball over its head, a wicked grin on its face.
THWACK!
The snowball struck with enough force to bury Garchomp completely.
For a moment, the snowy field was still.
Haunter hesitated, muttering to itself,
"Ka-kah…?"
Surely you're not… going to lose your temper over this, right?
Then—
With a deafening roar, Garchomp erupted from the snow, kicking off a high-speed chase across the field.
What followed was a chaotic spectacle of "Dragon Rush Snowplow" and Haunter's desperate "Great Escape."
After weaving through streets blanketed with snow, Johan and Cynthia arrived at the Celestic Historical Research Institute by 8:30 AM.
The institute, headed by Cynthia's grandmother, was expansive.
Its front courtyard was a wide-open square paved with white bricks, the snow already cleared away.
Behind the institute lay a vast forest, stretching up to the slopes of Mt. Coronet.
Scholars and experts from various fields were already gathered at the institute's entrance, conversing in small groups and sharing their latest research findings.
"You're here."
Professor Carolina greeted them warmly, lifting her briefcase as she approached.
"This is Professor Oak," she said, gesturing to a familiar figure.
Professor Oak!
The legendary researcher himself, a towering figure in the field of Pokémon studies, stood before them with his trademark genial smile.
"Ah, you must be Cynthia! Professor Carolina's spoken highly of you—a brilliant researcher and an exceptional Trainer," Oak said, his tone as warm as his demeanor.
"You're too kind," Cynthia replied with a polite smile.
Oak's gaze then shifted to Johan. "And this young man is…?"
"Johan," he introduced himself with a smile.
Although Johan had spoken to Carolina over the phone a few times, this was his first time meeting her in person. As for Professor Oak, the extent of their prior interaction was limited to Oak's brief positive comment on one of Johan's research papers.
Oak's expression lit up with recognition. "Ah, I thought so! Your paper was excellent. I've also heard about your collaborative research with Professor Carolina—impressive work!"
Meanwhile, Carolina retrieved a few items from her briefcase: a document, a badge shaped like a pin, and a work ID, which she handed to Johan.
"This is…"
Johan glanced at the work ID, which read: Researcher – Johan
A researcher?
For a moment, he was taken aback. The pin, an official League Researcher badge, contained a chip storing key credentials.
The document detailed the recent progress of their Milotic natural evolution study.
Wait. I've been promoted to Researcher status already?
Lowering his voice, Johan leaned toward Cynthia and asked, "You knew about this in advance, didn't you?"
Cynthia gave him a sly smile.
Turning to Carolina, she asked, "Professor, where's my grandmother?"
"She's inside."
"I'll catch up with you all later—I'm going to say hello to her first."
With a quick apology to the two professors, Cynthia dashed inside.
Over the course of the morning, Johan met several prominent figures in the Pokémon research community.
Among them were Elm from Johto, who specialized in Pokémon breeding and was Oak's student, and Birch from Hoenn, known for his work on Pokémon habitats.
Kukui from Alola, already familiar with Johan from his "Masked Royal" persona, greeted him with warmth.
Then there was Sycamore from Kalos, the "heartthrob professor," whose research focused on Mega Evolution.
To Johan's surprise, Sycamore showed great interest in his theories. It wasn't until later that Johan realized the connection: Sycamore's work on Mega Evolution closely intertwined with the bond between Trainers and their Pokémon—a subject Johan had also explored.
"If you ever get the chance, visit Kalos," Sycamore said with a grin.
Johan smiled in return. "I'll definitely consider it."
The conference officially began with a keynote speech by Professor Oak. His appearance drew thunderous applause from the audience.
The subsequent sessions focused on sharing research findings, a realm in which Johan had little interest.
Instead, he wandered the institute grounds with Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink in tow.
When they reached the forest behind the institute, Haunter suddenly perked up.
"Ka-kah~~"
"What's up?" Johan asked.
Vulpix's ears twitched. It seemed to have picked up on something as well.
The two Pokémon exchanged glances before darting deeper into the woods.
Curious, Johan scooped up Tinkatink and followed.
The sound of a scuffle grew louder as they advanced.
Finally, Johan spotted the source of the commotion:
A boy of about ten, with short brown hair and a black jacket, was locked in battle with a wild Pokémon. He gripped a wooden stick, his expression serious and focused.
Standing in front of him was a fiery orange Pokémon with a flaming tail—Charmander!
Johan froze, blinking in surprise.
Was that… Gary Oak?
Or Blue?
Given the Charmander, it had to be Blue.
Professor Oak's grandson!
Facing them was a menacing Stunky, its fur bristling and its back arched as it prepared to attack.
Blue's strategy was simple but effective.
"Charmander, Ember!"
While Charmander unleashed a burst of flames, Blue used the opportunity to swing his wooden stick at Stunky, drawing its attention away from his partner.
Though his attack wasn't particularly damaging, it distracted the wild Pokémon long enough for Charmander's Ember to land a direct hit.
Burned and panicked, Stunky yelped and fled into the woods.
Blue let out a relieved sigh, dropping to the ground in exhaustion.
"You did great," he said, patting Charmander on the head.
"Char!" Charmander chirped, sitting down beside him.
Johan watched from a distance, observing Blue's youthful determination.
The boy, still in the early stages of his
journey, had a long way to go before becoming the Trainer he was destined to be.
Blue noticed Johan watching but said nothing.
After a brief nod of acknowledgment, he stood, patted the dust off his jacket, and walked away with Charmander.
"Hmm."
Johan clicked his tongue, amused.
Blue hadn't yet lost to Red or endured the "Champion for Five Minutes" humiliation. At this stage, his confidence and pride were still intact.
Watching the boy disappear into the woods, Johan mused to himself:
Time is running out for Giovanni. I wonder… can this world's Red and Blue really reach the summit by age ten?
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Powerstones?
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