After some conversation, the awkwardness between both sides eased, and Du Ruiguang formally got down to business.
"Xiao Yi, when it comes to Egg Moves and breeding, do you have any different ideas?"
"Even though the League has poured huge amounts of manpower and resources into researching Egg Moves, the results have always been… less than ideal."
"If it weren't for your livestream, we still wouldn't know that Pokémon like Slowpoke and Spheal can actually be bred with Azumarill—and pass down Egg Moves."
When it came to genetics and inheritance, it was a major problem—whether in his previous life's tech-filled world or in the Pokémon world now.
The biggest obstacle was time.
Because every generation of Pokémon needed time to grow.
And researchers couldn't guarantee that every time they raised a Pokémon, they were raising it in the right direction.
Which made progress painfully slow.
Not to mention—even Qin Yixue's Azumarill work had been something she'd inherited from her seniors.
Strictly speaking, the results she'd arrived at didn't belong to her alone, but to every silent researcher who'd devoted themselves to this cause.
And because she carried so many people's expectations, even knowing Guo Yi had reached his conclusions on his own, Qin Yixue still couldn't help feeling unhappy about it.
Facing Du Ruiguang's question, Guo Yi thought for a moment, then decided to drop a bombshell.
"Professor Du, it's not just those few Pokémon. Squirtle, Psyduck, Dratini, Totodile—whole lines like those also can be bred with Azumarill."
"It's just that those are still at the hypothesis stage right now. There isn't supporting data or theory yet."
The moment Du Ruiguang heard the word "hypothesis," his interest spiked.
He immediately pressed, "Xiao Yi, then what is that hypothesis based on?"
Even a hypothesis needed some foundation. You couldn't just make it up out of thin air.
Guo Yi enunciated each word clearly:
"Egg Groups."
That's right.
The bombshell Guo Yi threw out was Egg Groups.
Because Egg Groups had introduced an entirely new way to play.
In the games, breeding a Pokémon with perfect 6 IVs, the nature you wanted, the moves you needed—none of that could be separated from Egg Groups.
After all, only Pokémon in compatible Egg Groups could breed.
Otherwise, there was reproductive isolation between species too.
"Egg Groups?"
Hearing Guo Yi introduce a completely new concept, everyone present blurted out in surprise.
"That's right."
Guo Yi nodded, then explained to them what Egg Groups were.
After a full hour of explanation, his mouth was practically dry.
Only then did he manage to give them a rough overview of Egg Groups.
"Extraordinary. Truly extraordinary. Xiao Yi—your teacher really is something else!"
After hearing the Egg Group theory, Du Ruiguang couldn't help praising Guo Yi from the bottom of his heart.
Because if this Egg Group theory was viable, then their future research on Egg Moves and breeding would become far smoother.
In experimental research, the scariest thing was having no direction.
And the appearance of this Egg Group theory gave them a direction to move toward.
The significance was enormous.
"Xiao Yi, would it be possible… for me to meet your teacher?"
For someone so powerful and so knowledgeable—this "Bug Master"—Du Ruiguang truly wanted to meet him in person.
At that, a trace of bitterness surfaced on Guo Yi's face.
"Professor Du, it's not that I'm unwilling."
"It's just that my teacher is always traveling through various Secret Realms. Even I have a hard time getting in touch with him."
"And, well—so people wouldn't bully me with their seniority, he deliberately left his Beedrill and Zapdos with me."
"So… about this, I can only apologize."
"However, everything my teacher told me about Egg Groups is stored in my head. If you need it, I can tell you every detail."
"Sigh…"
"What a pity."
Du Ruiguang's face showed a hint of disappointment.
Not being able to meet such a titan of academia was inevitably regrettable.
Fortunately, Guo Yi still had the information they needed.
Even so, though they couldn't meet right now, Du Ruiguang still made a point of reminding him.
"Then, Xiao Yi—if you do manage to contact your teacher, you must tell him."
Guo Yi nodded. "No problem. As long as I can reach my teacher, I'll definitely pass along your request."
After that, everyone discussed some more details about Egg Groups.
During that time, Du Ruiguang also invited Guo Yi to go to the Capital City and do research together.
But Guo Yi refused.
Compared to lab work, he preferred being a teacher.
And with Egg Groups, Guo Yi was only providing theoretical material. It still needed experimental verification, and whether he was present or not didn't really change much.
At the same time, to make up for Qin Yixue's losses, he specifically asked her to be the one to communicate with him about Egg Group information.
Seeing Guo Yi's attitude was firm, Du Ruiguang didn't press further.
"Since that's the case, Xiao Yi, I'll have to trouble you to put more effort into Egg Group work in the future."
"Also, I'll apply to the League for an official researcher position for you."
"When the Egg Group theory is verified, you'll still have a shot at becoming a Pokémon Professor."
Guo Yi didn't refuse the researcher position.
That status really could help him avoid a lot of trouble.
And going forward, it would also make his statements about Pokémon far more persuasive.
Right after that, Sun Derong spoke to Guo Yi again. "Xiao Yi, the data on the Life Orb is basically ready."
"When are you planning to make it public?"
Guo Yi thought for a moment.
"After I finish teaching the Dragon-Slaying Art, I'll find a suitable time."
"Alright."
"Just let me know when the time comes."
Sun Derong gave Guo Yi the utmost respect.
After chatting a bit more, Du Ruiguang and the others stood to leave.
After all, they were incredibly busy people.
Their institutes all depended on their guidance.
"Xiao Yi, goodbye!"
"Goodbye, Professor Sun. Goodbye, Professor Du!"
After a round of farewells, a whole convoy of vehicles pulled away from the villa in grand fashion.
"They're finally gone."
Watching the convoy disappear from view, Guo Yi let out a long breath.
Talking with those two just now was pressure on a whole different level.
Especially Professor Du.
Some of his questions were so hard that even with memories from his past life, Guo Yi struggled to answer them.
Which just went to show how wise it was that Guo Yi hadn't openly revealed his identity.
Otherwise—under interrogation from people like that, he'd be exposed in minutes.
But just as Guo Yi was feeling all kinds of emotions, a chill crept up his back.
Then Bai Cai's soft, eerie voice drifted over from behind him.
"Teacher Guo, could you explain something for me?"
"What exactly do you mean by 'discussing it with someone who doesn't understand'?"
Even if Guo Yi had been telling the truth—and the stuff they'd discussed earlier really had sounded like fog to Bai Cai—that didn't mean she could calmly accept his evaluation of her.
Uh-oh.
Guo Yi turned around awkwardly.
Meeting Bai Cai's eyes, gleaming with cold light, his heart tightened.
Welp. This is what I get for running my mouth.
Sighing as he shook his head, Guo Yi could only say helplessly, "Miss Bai, what do you want to do about it?"
Seeing Guo Yi give in, Bai Cai nodded in satisfaction. "Simple. You're handling lunch today."
If Guo Yi had made her embarrass herself in the kitchen, then Bai Cai was going to win her image back in the kitchen too.
As for whether Guo Yi could cook, Bai Cai wasn't worried in the slightest.
If he could cook, would Lilligant be ordering takeout every day?
In Bai Cai's eyes, his cooking skills had to be about the same as hers.
"Hmph."
I'm definitely filming you with my phone later.
Once I've got evidence, let's see if you still dare to laugh at me after this.
Bai Cai plotted silently to herself.
The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help but smile.
A rare chance to get leverage on Guo Yi—how could she possibly let it slip away?
Lost in her own little fantasy, Bai Cai didn't notice the teasing look in Guo Yi's eyes at all.
...
"Guo Yi, how do you even know how to cook?"
Staring at the table loaded with a hearty spread, Bai Cai fell into deep self-doubt.
"Don't tell me you secretly ordered takeout while I wasn't looking!"
Faced with Bai Cai's suspicion, Guo Yi set down the last homestyle dish and couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"Weren't you recording the whole time?"
"When would I have had the chance to order takeout?"
Guo Yi understood Bai Cai's little scheme perfectly well.
Unfortunately, Bai Cai still underestimated him.
As a man from his previous life, cooking was basic life skill, okay?
As for why Guo Yi only ever ordered takeout—he was simply too lazy to cook.
And takeout didn't taste bad. Plus, he wasn't short on money—why make himself suffer?
"Hmph!"
Seeing her plan fail, Bai Cai could only pour all her frustration into the food in front of her.
...
Meanwhile.
Far away, at the Jin family in the Capital City.
At this moment, the Jin family's upper ranks were also discussing Guo Yi's Dragon-Slaying Art.
"As for the 'Dragon-Slaying Hero' Guo Yi spoke about, what do you all think?"
The head of the Jin family asked slowly.
The moment his words fell, a snicker sounded from below.
"Heh, heh, heh!"
"An Azumarill, and it dares call itself a Dragon-Slaying Hero."
"I think this Guo Yi is just putting on a show to grab attention."
The one speaking was the Jin family's Second Elder.
And the reason he belittled Guo Yi so hard was simple: Jin Yu was his own grandson.
By emotion or by reason, he couldn't possibly feel any goodwill toward Guo Yi.
Even though some of the people present disliked how Jin Yu had dragged a powerful enemy onto the Jin family's doorstep, they felt the same way about the so-called "Dragon-Slaying Hero" Azumarill.
It's just an Azumarill, calling it a Dragon-Slaying Hero—was it even worthy?
Dragon-type Pokémon, to them, were practically a faith.
And the words "dragon-slaying," in their eyes, were an insult to themselves.
Of course.
Even if they looked down on Guo Yi, they were still deeply wary of the teacher behind him.
So the Fourth Elder spoke up. "Family Head, even though Guo Yi's theory has no factual basis whatsoever, letting this drag on isn't a long-term solution."
"How about we send someone to talk to Guo Yi?"
No sooner had he finished than the Second Elder's rebuke snapped out.
"Fourth, when did you get so timid?"
---
...
Umu! I am Nero Claudius—the brilliant Emperor of Rome, the dazzling Saber, the one and only performer who can steal a stage with a single smile!
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