As for the Pokémon Logan had deployed at the very end—Mewtwo—everyone present was left utterly confused.
Whether Trainers or Pokémon scholars, all of them felt as though they were lost in a fog. No one knew what that Pokémon truly was.
"A Pokémon I've never seen before… Oak," Professor Rowan said slowly, his expression grave. Even in his composed eyes, a flicker of astonishment flashed—clearly shaken by the sheer power Mewtwo had displayed.
"That Pokémon is Mewtwo," Professor Oak replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "A man-made Pokémon created using Mew's genetic material… Since I never formally discussed this matter with Logan, I couldn't publicly publish any papers regarding Mewtwo's existence. But now that he's revealed Mewtwo in front of so many people, it likely means he no longer cares whether the world knows of it."
As he spoke, Professor Oak was already calculating in his mind the workload awaiting him after returning home—most notably, drafting research papers centered on Mewtwo.
In truth, Oak had made remarkable progress in Pokémon research recently.
His primary focus had always been Pokémon ecology—the most fundamental yet demanding branch of Pokémon science. For common Pokémon, locating their habitats was enough to observe their behaviors. But for Legendary Pokémon like Zapdos, meaningful research was extraordinarily difficult.
With Logan's assistance, Oak had conducted extensive investigations into the habits and life cycles of Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres, publishing numerous papers on Legendary and Mythical Pokémon that sparked intense debate across academic circles.
Among all Pokémon native to Kanto, only Mew remained largely unexplored by Oak.
Logan had deliberately never disclosed Mew's existence to him.
Mew still served other purposes for Logan, and until his plans were complete, he had no intention of making Mew public. At most, he occasionally provided Oak with limited research samples.
"As expected of you, Oak," Professor Rowan praised sincerely. "You truly have insight into every Pokémon."
Though Oak had once been his junior in university, when it came to research achievements and influence, Rowan had long acknowledged that Oak surpassed him.
"Haha, I've just been lucky," Oak chuckled. "I deliberately left Pokédex Entry No. 150 blank all these years—it was reserved for Mewtwo. Now, at last, its data can be officially recorded."
Rowan nodded slowly. "I've already completed detailed ecological records for most Pokémon in the Sinnoh region, excluding certain elusive Legendary Pokémon. Once the university celebration ends, we should return to your lab and compile everything together to create a National Pokédex."
He paused, then added, "Still, the two of us alone won't be enough. We'll need collaborators from other regions—far more efficient that way."
"You're right," Oak agreed. "I once mentored a student from Hoenn—Professor Birch. He's been conducting extensive field research on Pokémon ecology. He's here at Celadon University for the anniversary as well. We can speak with him later and see if he's willing to share Hoenn-region data."
"Professor Birch?" Rowan mused. "He does have a solid reputation. We'll meet him later and see if he truly lives up to it. Though… Hoenn's situation lately hasn't been very good."
Rowan's expression darkened.
"You mean because of those super-ancient Pokémon?" Oak asked quietly. There were few secrets in this world unknown to him.
"Yes. Groudon and Kyogre," Rowan confirmed. "Seven years ago, a Hoenn League scholar detected unknown energy fluctuations deep at sea. After returning to Hoenn and examining ancient records, they determined the energy originated from the super-ancient Pokémon—Kyogre and Groudon."
"…According to historical texts and modern research," Rowan continued heavily, "Kyogre and Groudon have been locked in cycles of battle since ancient times. Each clash ends with both falling into slumber—only to awaken again and resume their conflict. This cycle has repeated countless times. Even in relatively recent human history, their battles caused catastrophic disasters."
His tone was somber enough to draw the full attention of the Berlitz family beside him.
Though the Berlitz family was one of Sinnoh's wealthiest conglomerates, they lacked access to information on the same level as Oak and Rowan—and much of this was entirely new to them.
"You're saying their battles once destroyed an ancient human civilization," Oak said gravely.
"Yes," Rowan nodded. "That civilization existed not so far from our own era, and its influence was vast. While it couldn't compare to today's Pokémon League, it unified both Hoenn and Kanto at its peak…"
"…Their technology was primitive in some ways, yet astonishingly advanced in others. During the height of that civilization, Groudon and Kyogre awakened once more. The people even discovered methods to control them—creating tools to do so. But abruptly, all records end there."
"…It seems their final attempt failed. That civilization was likely annihilated in the clash between Groudon and Kyogre."
Rowan noticed the Berlitz family listening intently and made no effort to conceal the truth.
"Or perhaps," Oak interjected suddenly, "that civilization fell precisely because they tried to control Groudon and Kyogre."
Rowan froze, then nodded thoughtfully. "…You're right. That explanation may be far more accurate. The gods of land and sea were never meant to be controlled by humans."
"Back to the main issue," Rowan sighed. "After detecting rising energy fluctuations, Hoenn scholars unanimously concluded that Kyogre and Groudon are likely to awaken again. The exact time is uncertain, but estimates place it within the next twenty years."
"The League has been desperately seeking solutions. If those Pokémon aren't properly contained, the entire Hoenn region could be destroyed."
Rowan exhaled deeply—resigned to Hoenn's long history of calamity.
Since ancient times, Hoenn had been the battlefield of Groudon and Kyogre. No one could count how many times the region had been devastated by those two gods.
Other regions had their own Legendary Pokémon, but few made a habit of threatening global annihilation.
"Still," Oak added with a wry smile, "because Groudon and Kyogre have appeared so frequently, humanity's research on them is actually more extensive than on most Legendary Pokémon."
Then, as if remembering something, he continued, "…Which reminds me—Logan has been using his position as Kanto Champion over the past year to access League archives on super-ancient Pokémon."
"Oh?" Rowan asked with interest. "What is he searching for?"
Oak's gaze sharpened.
"The Legendary Pokémon of the skies…
The ruler of the heavens that has lived in the ozone layer for billions of years—
Rayquaza."
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