Inside the Academic Review Office of the Pokémon Research Forum, a group of editors were chatting idly.
"Sigh… Shen-ge, groundbreaking papers are getting rarer and rarer these days," one of them complained.
Shen Yuanwei smiled wryly. "That's inevitable. The deeper our understanding of Pokémon becomes, the easy discoveries have all been published already. What's left are the real headaches—even for the top experts."
"True," another colleague chimed in teasingly. "The Milotic evolution paper you reviewed last time was probably the most influential one in recent years, right? I heard the chief editor even gave you a raise. Shouldn't you treat us to a meal?"
Shen Yuanwei laughed and cursed good-naturedly. "Alright, alright. Late-night snacks are on me today."
"Shen-ge is generous!"
"Shen-ge is the best!"
Amid the laughter, someone sighed. "I wonder when we'll ever get to review a paper like that ourselves."
Shen Yuanwei patted his shoulder. "Human research will only keep advancing. Sooner or later, it'll be your turn. Now, stop chatting and get back to work—who knows, maybe today we'll witness a paper that changes the world."
Everyone laughed and returned to their desks, though they all knew how unlikely that sounded.
Shen Yuanwei opened the next submission and glanced at the title.
"Proof of the Existence of the Eighteenth Pokémon Type."
Hiss—
He sucked in a sharp breath.
People really are getting bolder these days, he thought. An eighteenth type? Everyone knows there are only seventeen Pokémon types. It's basic knowledge—even textbooks around the world say so.
Professional responsibility forced him to suppress the urge to close the paper immediately. He continued reading.
"But is what has always been accepted necessarily correct?"
The line was unexpectedly philosophical. Shen Yuanwei paused, pondering it for a moment. Still, eloquence alone couldn't make wild claims convincing.
Curious now, he glanced at the author's name.
His expression froze.
Like a paused frame in a movie, his eyes widened as he stared at the screen in disbelief.
He rubbed his eyes, then looked again.
The author field displayed two unmistakable characters:
Oliver.
Only five months had passed since that last bombshell, and this prodigious researcher had produced another result—one powerful enough to overturn humanity's established worldview.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, once he realized the author was Oliver, the paper no longer felt so outrageous. In fact, a strange sense of anticipation welled up inside him. He wanted it to be true. He wanted this young genius to shatter the beliefs drilled into everyone since childhood.
"…Hah."
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Yuanwei leaned back heavily in his chair, as if all his strength had drained away.
He had expected something big—but the contents still shook him to the core. Especially the part detailing the Fairy type's matchup chart… complete immunity to Dragon-type Pokémon.
He could already imagine Dragon-type Champions around the world crying in despair.
Still, the paper was far too important. Its implications touched every corner of the Pokémon world. Even though he was thoroughly convinced, he couldn't approve it on his own.
Back when Dr. Bruce discovered the Dark type, it had reshaped international power structures overnight. Nations famed for Psychic-type specialists were forced to overhaul their teams just to stay competitive. Some countries even saw their global standing decline as a result.
…
A phone rang sharply in the quiet darkness.
A man opened his sleepy eyes, quickly muted the ringtone, and slipped on his glasses. He grabbed the phone from the bedside table and glanced back at his still-sleeping wife.
She turned over and continued sleeping. The man sighed in relief and muttered, "What's wrong with Shen, calling me at this hour?"
He stepped out of the bedroom and answered the call.
"Hello? Shen, do you have any idea what time it is?!"
"Chief Editor, I'm sorry to disturb you," Shen Yuanwei said urgently. "But Oliver submitted another paper."
The chief editor frowned. "So what? If it's solid, just pass it. Why report this to me?"
"No—it's not like that," Shen Yuanwei said, sweating. "This paper is… it's hard to even describe. I'll send it to you. You'll understand once you read it."
The chief editor snorted. "Fine, send it over. Let's see what kind of paper could scare you this badly."
He opened his laptop as the email arrived.
Twenty minutes later—
The chief editor sat frozen, his hand trembling slightly on the mouse. Then, in a panic, he grabbed his phone and called the person in charge of the Alliance's Academic Forum.
The same scene repeated itself.
The Pokémon Research Forum, designated by the Pokémon Alliance as the official platform for all academic publications, was directly under Alliance control. Its top official was himself a renowned researcher.
And yet—even he turned pale after reading the paper.
After a long internal struggle, he picked up the phone and made another call.
Layer by layer, the report climbed higher and higher, eventually reaching the Alliance's upper leadership—the division specifically responsible for Pokémon research.
By then, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
"So… you've all read the paper?"
"It's certainly shocking. But are we sure this was written by an eighteen-year-old?"
"If this paper is published internationally, there's a real chance this year's Nobel Pokémon Prize will go to our country."
"But how do we verify its authenticity? All the data was provided by Oliver himself."
"…Should we invite him to validate it?"
"You mean…"
"…Elder Lu?"
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