"As you have all been informed, today is the day that your new arrangement will be announced."
The interns (including Anthony) made their Pokemons behave immediately as they perked their ears for the announcement of Prof. Oak. The Pokémon Professor waited for the kids to properly make their Pokemons behave as they made them sit on the roller seats, the table, etc., to calm down.
After a while, Prof. Oak continued.
"Interns here who may have friends, brothers, parents or anyone in their lives that are part of the Kanto Pokemon academe knows the main job of researchers: to collect data, synthesize them and publish the findings in different journals, of course as future associate field researchers, you're not required to be publish research articles unless you wanted to become a 'Pokemon Professor' like me and the other head of the different labs of Kanto, or the world in general."
For a moment, Prof. Oak paused, as if wanting to curate something from his memory. Then he said rather proudly:
"One of the examples of associate field researchers wanting to be Pokémon Professors is your sir Jeremy and ma'am Melissa, you can search their names on the internet, and you will see their publications."
At this moment, the interns nodded, fully intending to search the names of their two 'instructors'. Furthermore, they also now have an idea of what the next and new phase of their internship will be.
Though, of course, they want Prof. Oak himself to announce it.
"Going back, this will be the next phase of your internship: to provide logistical help to the data collection of the different labs throughout the Kanto region, and because the whole monthly tournament thing is cancelled for your batch, you will have it as the last day-to-day activity of yours."
While strictly speaking, the monthly bond assessment is not a day-to-day activity, it was the culmination of all their efforts of the month, so they were rather close-hearted to this format and still have some bad taste regarding its cancellation. In any case, however, the interns will not only have two activities: their Pokémon development with their unofficial Pokemons and the utility activities they will be having later on.
At this moment, a student raised his hand.
"Will we also be required to write research papers ourselves?"
Anthony glanced a little at the boy, who obviously had a researcher somewhere in his family, by how he got a little excited by the announcement and hurriedly asked such a question. Anthony technically has two of them, though they only have one paper during their entire career in Pokémon demographics.
Prof. Oak nodded with satisfaction at this question.
"Yes, that's why you will be divided into 3 groups, 2 groups will be pairs each, and one group will be 3. You will not be given the liberty to choose your field nor your partner; instead, we will be drawing all of them through a digital wheel of names. As you are field researchers in training, you will only be assigned the following possible subfields: Environmental Science, Marine Sciences, Demographics, Pokemon Behaviors, and Pokemon Types. You will be required to publish a critically curated and defended research paper depending on your field."
Prof. Oak paused for a moment as he saw some interns having solemn expressions while others had excited ones. Mary, in specific, is nervous or even dislikes this activity... and Anthony seems to be neutral with some hints of interest.
_I hope I get to be in the same field as my mom and dad..._
All of these fields are fields that are most likely to be the contents of the research papers of associate field researchers, though Melissa may be a special case. While they're not in any way less complicated than hard physics, chemistry, biology, etc., they do sure are aligned to the profession since it also promotes challenging the league, and they don't have the time for lab-intensive fields.
In any case, all students here already know how to operate a compound microscope and other lab and medical equipment, so in the case that someone wanted to become a pure researcher, they can smoothly transition. Though additional bridging units are required.
"The pairs or trio will be required to produce and publish a research paper while also making lab reports on the progress of their Pokemons. The research paper needs to be passed by November 1st week, including the revisions, and screenings of ethics, rigor, and grammar qualities. Also, a thesis book is not required, though a report of progress may be required by your adviser, which will either be the lab professor or will be assigned by the lab professor."
At this moment, the interns nodded; however, Mary suddenly raised her hand before gulping and asking a question.
"So, we have to help them collect data while we also collect ours and write about them?"
Obviously, Mary is someone who faces the knowledge acquired in the internship, but obviously not the side where they have to create knowledge themselves. In any case, Prof. Oak answered:
"Yes, however, of course, it's not like all lab researchers needed your help. There will be times when you just have to clock in and do nothing; furthermore, these labs, especially Pokemon Behaviors... well, I can't really say anything encouraging about the whole process because it's also hard for me the first time, but you should know that this is coming your way long before you enrolled."
Mary silently nodded while Anthony silently looked at her.
_She looks really scared..._
Well, Anthony is not the one to talk because this activity is basically a child who was supposed to not even know how to write emails or even use phones, being demanded to produce a publishable research paper that would go through ethics, rigor, and impact panels, before again going through 4 to 5 reviewers in journals. It's simply ridiculous, and the only saving grace is that, from what Anthony can see, as long as the literature, supervisor, and the journals permit it, quantitative research will become limited.
Well, that would not really do anything with the difficulty, but observation analysis is definitely better for someone in the humanities, his previous life, and only knows Likert scale quantitative analyses and not those that don't use it.
Anthony just happened to be a great fan of Pokemons and wanted to observe them all day long, if possible, you see.
_But still, it's in an open field, and the data respondents are mostly not humans... hmm..._
Anthony... is also quite scared.
Prof. Oak, after answering the question, fiddled with his computer before putting the screen in front of the students and pressing a key to trigger the spinning mechanics of the colorful wheel. The first is the individuals who will be paired up with each other, and when Anthony saw who he was with this time, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
_Mary again? Someone's getting lazy in thinking of new names, huh..._
Mary, however, is obviously happy since she has a pair that knows people that has experience in research. Also, someone who seems to be academically intelligent, as he can follow theories from the books into practice in a rather accurate way.
The pair nodded at each other before now looking at the colorful wheel with the several fields designated to the interns as well as their location: Environmental Science (Cinnabar Island Center of Green Development), Marine Sciences (Seafoam Island Laboratory), Demographics (Viridian City Demography Center), Pokemon Behaviors (Route 5 Kanto Main Daycare Center), and Pokemon Types (Route 5 Kanto Main Daycare Center). It was a rather varied set of places.
In the end, Anthony didn't get the demographics that he wanted and instead went to Environmental Science, which is not too far off. In any case, he can still study the Pokémon population as long as the paper focuses on how the environment affects them and not how they move within that environment.
Anthony also remembered the title of the work of his parents, which goes 'Migratory Pattern of Pidgeys in the Coastal Areas of Kanto'. It's a tracking and graphing research that contributed to designating several bans on making ports in certain coasts of the Kanto region, which found out that Pidgeys are less likely to stay in forests/inhabited islands within the great proximity of a port, despite the abundance in food and/or other resources for them.
While the reason for this is not yet confirmed because the focus of the paper is purely about migration and only theories are produced as of now (since cities are obviously not being avoided by Pidgeys), such as they associate ports with Wingulls, the Spearows of the Pidgeys in Hoenn and whatnot, it's a good enough basis to make it so that there will a stable route for Pidgeys that won't be disturbed by humans no matter what.
_The research could use some more funding to make Wingulls involved, but those two couldn't be bothered to pursue it again, nor did they publish ever again... those lazy assess._
After a few words, Anthony and co. went outside with one plan in mind: either find articles on the internet or have their parents send them the article they published. Anthony obviously did the latter and sent Mary a copy of the IMRAD. He then went and started to summarize the reason, methods, results, and significance of the study. He also clarified some things in the methodology area with his mom and dad.
Obviously, the last part is important as it's more likely that he would be doing something similar. Aside from the utility assistance that he needs to provide to the researchers, he also needs to think of a good research direction. In this regard, Anthony was advised that framing is as important as methodology. In technicality, the study published by them can also be used in environmental science if the framing has been different, and maybe if the variable is 'port fumes' instead of the ports themselves.
_I wonder what we would publish... this is too much for children, I tell you._
Anthony thought before pulling out his luggage bags to put all his belongings, emptying the drawers and cabinets provided by the dorm.
_______________
The next day, Anthony and Mary are already on the beach that faces Cinnabar Island directly. In his head is a baseball cap with Zubat on top of it, while on his sides are his luggage that will be lifted by both him and Miltank. Mary is also wearing a brown boater hat that's being pressed down by Pikachu, whilst Skitty is sitting on her shoulder.
She also requested to have Miltank carry her luggage towards the 'cruise ship' that they would be using to go to Cinnabar Island. Actually, at this moment, 'they' were already in front of Anthony and Mary, making the two's eyes shine and sparkle brightly.
You see, they were a male and female Pokémon of the same species, being around 3 to 4 meters tall with heavy and sturdy shells with seemingly blunted spikes attached to their bodies. Unlike the ones used in battle, they are obviously much bigger as they have a mini-lodging room in their shells.
They are the world-famous transport Pokémon, the Pokémon saved by the decade-long complete ban on using them in any form of training, and are still tightly protected despite the ban technically being lifted: Lapras.
Not only are the two humans thrilled, but even their Pokemons that immediately started to wave their hands and/or wings are too. The two Laprasses themselves seem to also be excited about transporting people as they waved their flippers into the Pokemons as well as the humans, as expected of the transport Pokemon. Anthony couldn't believe how majestic these creatures really were. In the games, they were just blue, but in this world, where their blue bodies can be hit by the morning sun, they look like deities that rule over the ocean.
_I hope I can catch one, but it's quite a pain to release them when they become adults... I would probably cry if I had to..._
Anthony looked at Mary, who was already raring to go, as well as Zubat, who was continuously slapping his baseball cap while making a continuous 'zuu zuu!' sound. Anthony, who has the most bond with Zubat, knew that he wanted to fly while Lapras swam in order to have some exercise.
It has long come to Anthony's attention that Zubat is very proud of its stamina and speed, as it usually makes itself circle around the jogging route of the interns several times at fast speeds before the interns even have one. So he silently nodded while he slowly went towards the Laprasses.
In order to reach the lab as fast as possible, the two Lapras will go at full speed the whole time while only slowing down at minimum speed at lunch and if necessary, dinner. Zubat is already aware of this, and the fact that it's still willing to go toe to toe with the speed of the transport Pokémon itself means that Zubat is ready for the smoke.
But of course, Anthony can always bring it back to its Poké Ball if ever it can't handle it.