Chapter Ninety-Six: The Conversation

Chen Ou led Lance and Lucian into the room.

Then he said to Professor Juniper apologetically, "Lucian and Lance came to see me as well, so I simply brought them along. I hope you don't mind."

Professor Juniper, of course, wouldn't mind such a trivial matter, and besides, she had certainly heard of the reputations of Lucian and Lance. After all, while the Elite Four and Champions weren't strictly in the same system as Pokémon Professors, everyone had certainly heard of one another. So even if they weren't friends, there was no need to go out of one's way to offend anyone.

And for a Pokémon Professor, building good relations with the Elite Four and Champions could only bring benefits, never harm. In a sense, one could describe the status of professors within the League as transcendent.

"Welcome! I've long heard of both your names!" Professor Juniper said warmly.

Lance and Lucian both greeted Professor Juniper politely. For the Elite Four, the same principle applied. In fact, the vast majority of Trainers held researchers in great esteem. Not to mention that it was researchers who had truly founded the profession of Trainer in the first place—the mere possibility that a researcher might one day produce some extraordinary breakthrough was enough to earn their respect.

After all, you could never know whether the researcher standing before you might suddenly unveil findings capable of transforming the entire Trainer ecosystem.

Take Bill from back in the day, for example. Plenty of people thought he was an oddball, yet still, no one dared to offend him. And after he developed the Pokémon Transfer System, it completely changed the living environment for Trainers everywhere.

Bill rose to prominence overnight, and there were many such examples. This was why top-tier researchers held such an exalted position within the League.

So both Lucian and Lance considered themselves fortunate to have the chance to know a Pokémon Professor capable of representing an entire regional League. Or perhaps one could say Chen Ou was truly a loyal friend.

"This is Professor Oak—everyone knows him, so I won't bother with introductions. And this young lady is White, my traveling companion for the journey ahead."

Chen Ou's direct opening drew different reactions from everyone present.

Professor Oak, Professor Juniper, and White were naturally delighted. Lance and Lucian, however, both furrowed their brows.

Seeing this, Chen Ou patted Lucian on the shoulder and said, "Relax, Cynthia knows about this."

Only then did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief.

As Cynthia's close friend, Lucian certainly didn't want to see the romance she'd worked so hard to find fall apart. This had absolutely nothing to do with whether Chen Ou could be recruited to Sinnoh as free labor!!!

As for Lance, he believed Chen Ou shouldn't be doing this. After all, during that major incident back then, only two Champions had come as external reinforcements. Diantha had been involved because the matter concerned her, but Cynthia had truly come to face danger purely out of regard for Chen Ou.

What did it mean to be deeply indebted to a woman's kindness!

So if Chen Ou really did something like that, Lance wouldn't go so far as to say he'd loathe him, but he would certainly think less of him.

Chen Ou shot him a look of exasperation, then punched him lightly on the shoulder.

[Don't underestimate me!]

Chen Ou's eyes said it all.

Lance smiled and shrugged, then greeted Professor Oak. "It's been a while, Professor Oak. My old man was just talking about you the other day."

"Professor Oak, it's good to see you again."

"Hahaha, that old fellow—I'll go visit him in a couple of days. Have a seat, Lance, Lucian. Speaking of which, Lucian, you were my student, weren't you? I recall you took my elective course back when you were at Celadon University."

Professor Oak said with a hearty laugh.

Lucian, who had just set down the large pack on his back and was about to sit, immediately rose and said in the tone of a junior, "Yes, I did take your elective back then. I benefited greatly from it."

Professor Oak looked at the tense Lucian and said with a smile, "No need for that—don't be so nervous. This isn't a classroom anymore."

Only then did Lucian realize how flustered he'd been. He gave an embarrassed laugh and said, "I didn't pay much attention in class back then. Every time you called on me, I couldn't answer a single question, so it turned into a conditioned reflex."

Everyone laughed, and the room was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Chen Ou shot Lucian an appreciative glance. Whether Lucian had done it deliberately or not, he had certainly left a unique impression on everyone present.

That man really was quite clever.

But Chen Ou had no intention of digging deeper. It was enough to know that Lucian was harmless.

Chen Ou first extended his hand to White and said with a smile, "White, I look forward to your guidance on the journey ahead."

White's anxiety had already eased considerably from when she first arrived. So she shook Chen Ou's hand openly and said, "I'm the one who should be asking for your guidance. I apologize for the trouble, Professor Chen Ou."

"Just call me Chen Ou. Adding honorifics between companions makes things too distant." Chen Ou withdrew his hand and smiled.

"Alright, Chen Ou."

Seeing the two of them conversing on equal and normal terms, Professor Juniper and Professor Oak finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They really had been worried that the two might turn their partnership into a superior-subordinate dynamic. It seemed that conversations between clever people were simple after all.

"So, Professor Juniper, is it convenient to discuss the matter you wanted to talk to me about here?" Chen Ou asked bluntly.

"Of course. Everyone present is well-traveled and knowledgeable—perhaps they might even offer me some new inspiration." Professor Juniper agreed readily. This was an opportunity to curry favor, and besides, the question she wanted to ask was nothing shameful.

Professor Juniper organized her thoughts, then asked, "The question I want to ask actually relates to the three dragons of our Unova region—the Dragon of Truth, Reshiram, the Dragon of Ideals, Zekrom, and the Ice Dragon, Kyurem. According to my research, these three dragons were originally one entity in legend. But what I can't quite figure out is the reason they split apart, and how they might be reunited."

Everyone turned their gaze to Chen Ou in unison. Everyone present knew that Chen Ou was an expert on legendary Pokémon.

But Chen Ou didn't speak right away. Instead, he looked at Professor Juniper and asked, "Professor Juniper, does this question have anything to do with your research?"

This question was, in fact, far from simple. Chen Ou naturally knew the answer, but it wasn't something he could casually share with others.

Hmm, although everyone present was trustworthy, Chen Ou still needed to understand her purpose—and more importantly, he needed them to promise to keep it confidential.

"My main area of research is the origin of Pokémon. But I've discovered that legendary Pokémon are an obstacle that cannot be bypassed no matter what. Every line of research eventually traces back either to the myth of Mew or to the myth of Arceus. Yet there's no explanation for the birth of legendary Pokémon themselves. And the legend of one god dividing into three in the Unova region caught my attention. Could a god capable of splitting into three truly be a physical entity?"

The moment Chen Ou asked that question, Professor Juniper realized that her earlier query might be something capable of causing a disaster. So after explaining her own problem, she added, "If Professor Chen Ou feels it's inappropriate to tell us, then we don't have to discuss it. It was presumptuous of me."