Wearing a perfectly polite smile, Rush opened his mouth and threw out a piece of basic Pokémon knowledge he had studied for years.
"Mr. Shiro, may I ask, after a Blastoise becomes pregnant, how long does it usually take to lay a Pokémon egg?"
Although Blastoise was native to Kanto, breeding studies never depended on species, so this kind of knowledge was as basic as it got. Naturally, it had nothing to do with the academic report being presented on stage.
Anyone with a clear mind could see it. This was a deliberate probe, testing whether Shiro truly understood breeding.
In fact, this question had already been raised back when Elm first revealed his connection with Shiro. At that time, Oak, who was known for supporting young talents, had stopped it.
Down in the audience, Sycamore's eyes flickered. He recognized Rush as a researcher under Oak Research Institute.
Oak did support talented researchers, but if that researcher was about to become a professor, things might not be so simple. After all, becoming a professor meant standing on equal footing with him.
A mocking smile appeared on Sycamore's face.
On stage, Elm, who stood slightly behind, frowned. He was clearly displeased by such an obvious test, yet his gaze unconsciously shifted toward Shiro, waiting for his answer.
A genius in breeding, or even a master. Was it real or fake? Did he truly understand, or not?
Elm knew very well that the massive amount of knowledge he had previously sent could not be memorized fluently by someone with no foundation.
If Shiro was truly a master, he would not even need to look at it. If he was a genius who had already studied breeding in Galar, then it was possible he had only used that material to fill in some gaps.
Elm leaned toward the second possibility.
Of course, there was also a third. That this report would become the greatest stain in Pokémon research history, and even this conference itself would become a disgrace.
But Elm did not care about disgrace or reputation. As a researcher, he only cared about the truth.
The entire hall fell into a heavy silence. It was so quiet that even a pin dropping could be heard.
Doubt or trust, every thought gathered onto one point. All eyes were on Shiro.
They waited for his answer, or perhaps his embarrassment.
"Heh, I didn't expect this gentleman to ask such a basic question."
Shiro smiled and replied calmly, "After becoming pregnant, a female Blastoise takes an average of fifteen days to lay an egg. The egg then takes about two months to hatch… Do you have any other questions?"
In the audience, Rush froze for a few seconds. He clearly did not expect such a smooth and confident answer.
Just a coincidence. He just happened to know that one.
Rush took a deep breath and pressed on, speaking rapidly, "Then what about Dragonite? After laying an egg, how many days does it usually take to recover from weakness? And what materials can reduce that recovery time to one day?"
"Five days. A mixture of Lum Berry and Sitrus Berry," Shiro answered instantly.
Rush's mouth was still open when he fired off another question, "Then what does a Lucario egg look like? And how long does it take to hatch?"
"White base, with dark blue jagged patterns. Three months."
"Then Poliwag. The spiral pattern on its belly is—"
"It is part of its internal organs visible through the skin."
Hearing the smooth and effortless answers, Rush's voice grew sharper. "Then Suicune! When Suicune appears, what kind of phenomenon happens?"
"When Suicune appears, a north wind will suddenly begin to blow. It runs away along with that wind. It is said to be the embodiment of the north wind." Shiro's smile deepened. "Sir, your questions are getting quite off topic. And…"
He glanced at the confused faces of researchers from other regions, then added, "These questions might be a bit beyond everyone here."
Rush's face turned pale in an instant. He simply could not believe that the person on stage truly understood Pokémon breeding.
He even knew about legendary Pokémon from Johto.
'Impossible. This is absolutely impossible! Professor Oak must be right! How can he know everything?'
Looking almost unhinged, Rush shouted again, "Then what about Mew?! Tell me what abilities it has, and how it reproduces—"
Before he could finish, someone beside him hurriedly pulled him down.
"Stop embarrassing yourself!" another researcher from Oak Research Institute said in a low voice.
In the quiet hall, that whisper sounded especially loud.
On stage, Shiro looked around with a faint smile.
'Sorry. I didn't actually know the earlier ones. But this one, I really do.'
"Mew," he raised his voice, "a mythical Pokémon said to be the origin of all Pokémon. It looks like a small pink cat. It can turn invisible at any time and can transform into any Pokémon. As for its reproduction, Mew has no gender. I believe it reproduces through a splitting method, similar to Ditto."
After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.
Oak, the one who started all this, sat frozen. His mouth was slightly open, one hand resting on his neck, his expression blank.
He only wanted to make Shiro embarrass himself and give up on applying for the professor title.
It would have been enough if he could just answer smoothly.
But he even brought out research related to Mew.
Mew was still extremely mysterious, with very few records. Even Oak himself had never seen one, only making guesses based on old texts.
So how did Shiro speak as if he had seen it with his own eyes, even studied it up close?
"Does anyone else have questions?" Shiro asked, breaking the silence.
Clap, clap, clap…
The applause began behind him, starting with Elm.
Then it spread.
Not just Elm, but Rowan, Birch, Juniper, Sycamore, even Mohn from Alola, who had been invited to observe.
They were all clapping.
Soon, the entire hall roared with thunderous applause.
Amid the deafening sound, discussions broke out among the researchers.
"So Corviknight really is a master of Pokémon breeding."
"I used to doubt him. Who would willingly hand over their own results like that?"
"His knowledge is incredible."
"This is what a true genius researcher looks like. No wonder he's famous."
"I knew he understood everything. He just didn't want to show off."
At this moment, Oak's face in the front row slowly darkened.
Beside him, Delia leaned over and asked, "Professor, is what he said about Mew true?"
"…" Oak shot her a look, signaling her to sit properly.
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