[Here.]
Axel sent a reply, then slowly waited for Flint to continue responding.
He could not quite figure out which patch of skin on Flint was feeling itchy again.
[Great!]
When Flint saw Axel's reply, he directly started spamming messages.
[I thought you might not be back yet, so I was just trying to contact you. I didn't expect us to be so in sync!]
[Do you know Professor Rowan's theory of evolution?]
Axel blinked and replied with a "Yes" + a "question mark".
He did know Professor Rowan's theory of evolution, that much was true, but since when did this guy Flint start taking an interest in research?
Professor Rowan was the professor of the Sinnoh region, and his research direction was Pokémon evolution.
Decades ago, Professor Rowan was the first to propose that Pokémon evolution was a transcendence and perfection of the level of life, perfectly explaining why most legendary Pokémon did not have evolutionary forms.
At the same time, he also successfully discovered many new evolutionary forms of Pokémon, making outstanding contributions to the Pokémon world.
But why was Flint asking about this? In terms of his relationship with Professor Rowan, he should be closer than Axel, right?
[If you know, that makes things easier. Can I ask you to come help with something?]
Axel: "..."
They had talked this long, and he still did not know what Flint wanted to talk about.
Could this be the legendary martial meathead, the modern version of Lord Wang?
Luckily the tone on the other side quickly changed.
[Axel, this is Lucian. I've run into some trouble.]
[You know the Aether Foundation came over not long ago, right? They started a project with Rowan's lab to research Pokémon mental abilities.]
[If the research succeeds, it might allow Psychic-type Pokémon to rise again, and could even give them new evolutionary forms.]
[The problem is that not long ago, just after they developed a new resource, the Aether Foundation suddenly tore up the contract and tried to buy out this resource with money.]
Seeing Lucian's words, Axel let out a breath. He finally knew what had happened.
What made Axel more concerned was that this newly appeared resource was very likely to speed up Gardevoir's comprehension of the power of "I think".
He replied: [Professor Rowan shouldn't agree, right? After all, they're standing together with the Berlitz family.]
Lucian: [Yes, and that's exactly where the problem is.]
[Of course Professor Rowan wouldn't agree, it's just that there's an issue with the contract they signed with the Aether Foundation.]
[Actually, you could say there isn't really an issue. Their contract said that whoever breached it would have to compensate 100 times the research expenses to the lab.]
[That figure is already astronomical, but Professor Rowan didn't expect the Aether Foundation to actually choose to pay.]
Axel: "..."
The power of money really did whatever it wanted. They actually said they would pay even 100 times.
He thought about it. If he put himself in Professor Rowan's position, he would probably just directly stiff the Aether Foundation and refuse to acknowledge the account.
Axel: [So the reason you're coming to me must be for something else?]
In a certain research institute, Lucian pushed up his glasses and shot Flint a sideways look.
"This is what you call 'no way to communicate'?"
"If you'd yelled 'hang in there,' maybe you really wouldn't be able to communicate."
Flint: "..."
"You talk, you talk."
Lucian: [Today both sides keep adding money. If they keep increasing the amount, I'm afraid the economies of the entire Sinnoh and Alola regions will collapse.]
[Later Cynthia stepped in and set a new rule for them.]
[The Pokémon will only use mental power to battle, and whoever can make the other side 'give up' the result first will get to take the result away.]
[This stuff is extremely important, so Professor Rowan hopes you can step in.]
'No wonder so many injured were coming to the Pokémon Center. So they had all strained their brains?'
[Address.]
Axel replied simply and neatly, then patted Glastrier's hoof.
"Get up, I'm taking you to go show off!"
Axel knew far more about the Aether Foundation than anyone in Sinnoh.
They were the receivers for the forces on the other side of the Ultra Wormhole. A large part of the reason his parents still could not come back was because of their interference.
The Sun & Moon Research Lab left by his parents had also had its research results stolen by the Aether Foundation with a similar method.
For Axel, whether or not the Aether Foundation had some deeper plot, he had to crush their scheme this time.
There was another point. As long as this research result stayed with Professor Rowan, Gardevoir would definitely be among the first batch to enjoy the resource.
Who told him to be Sinnoh's savior?
"Neigh!", Hearing that he could show off, Glastrier's eyes lit up.
He had fought hard and long, and in the end learned the Shu army's trump-card ability in only three days, all so that he could come back and show off big time.
Now it seemed the chance had come.
He quickly stood up and gathered a massive frozen throne on his body.
He lowered himself so Axel could sit on his back, then suddenly shot out of the Pokémon Center and charged toward the research institute on the east side.
"It's west, you idiot. We have to pick up Gardevoir first, the match is about mental power!"
"If you charge over like this right now, are you planning to be a dump truck that runs people over?"
"Neigh!"
Glastrier flicked the ice-crystal bangs on his forehead and handsomely turned around.
'Big Sister Garde, carry me to victory!'
———
"That's it? You're not going to tempt him a little?"
Seeing the address at the end of the chat log, Flint stared at Lucian, dumbfounded.
"Didn't you say when we ask others for help, we have to make an equivalent exchange?"
Lucian looked at Flint like he was an idiot.
"From now on you only need to be in charge of fighting. Trying to teach you how to deal with people was my mistake."
"Axel has already saved Sinnoh. What could he possibly ask from the Sinnoh League that they wouldn't give him?"
Flint scratched his head and looked at Infernape. The two exchanged a glance.
That was true... last time after Axel saved Sinnoh, he just asked Cynthia for a few days off and didn't ask for anything else.
Seeing Lucian scolding Flint, not far from them, a man wearing green sunglasses let out a cold laugh.
"They say Alola is the weakest, but these Elite Four don't look that impressive either."
"Strong in power, low in intelligence... they're perfect tools to borrow a knife to kill with, and become this lord's help in dealing with Lusamine."
If Axel were here, he would have realized this man was Faba of the Aether Foundation.
The true final villain of the Alola region, the mastermind behind bewitching Lusamine and stirring up disaster.
He straightened up his prepared excuse, and when he saw Lucian walk away, he patted the dust off himself and walked toward the not-so-bright-looking Flint.
All of a sudden, a chilling aura swept over. Snowflakes began to fall heavily from the sky.
The next moment, Faba felt a pain in his chest and was sent flying.
Axel reined in Glastrier and stared blankly at the even-more-blank Flint.
"Wasn't there someone standing here just now?"
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