Oliver suddenly understood the real intention behind the attack.
The other side never planned to truly prove that Oliver was an academic fraud. All they needed was for ordinary people to believe that he was.
That meant evidence was unnecessary.
As long as Oliver couldn't prove the accusation was slander, and a group of paid online commenters continuously steered public opinion, the narrative could be completely controlled.
The real goal was simple: ruin Oliver's reputation.
The accuser wouldn't lose anything. On the contrary, in the eyes of part of the public, he could even become the so-called "true discoverer" of the Fairy type.
When Oliver realized this, a cold glint flashed through his eyes.
Using him as a stepping stone?
They had chosen the wrong target.
At first, Oliver had entered the field of research purely to better train Pokémon. But after everything he had experienced—and after publishing three papers in succession—his understanding of what it meant to be a Pokémon researcher had changed.
Research represented humanity's courage to explore the unknown.
It was the chain that drove human progress forward—
linking civilizations together,
pushing ever deeper into the unknown,
while leaving a clear path for those who came after.
After speaking with Lu Xinghe, a man who had devoted his entire life to Pokémon research, Oliver's conviction had only grown stronger.
Someone like that professor was not worthy of being called a Pokémon researcher.
After a brief moment of thought, Oliver made a call.
It was to He Sheng—the person in the Alliance's upper ranks with whom he had the closest connection.
"Uncle He," Oliver said directly, "I want to borrow the Alliance's Porygon."
There was a short pause on the other end.
"…How do you know about Porygon?"
He Sheng was genuinely shocked.
Porygon was among the highest-level secrets of the Xia Kingdom Pokémon Alliance—no, even worldwide, it was an absolute classified asset.
The reason was simple: its ability was absurdly powerful.
Porygon was an artificial Pokémon created from pure programming. It could convert its body into digital data and enter electronic networks directly.
In other words, in front of Porygon, all conventional cybersecurity defenses were meaningless.
Only the very top nations in the world possessed such a Pokémon, and all of them kept it under strict secrecy. There was no reason an outsider should even know of its existence.
That was why He Sheng was so surprised.
As for why Oliver knew—Porygon had actually been created years ago during one of Lu Xinghe's experiments.
During Oliver's previous exchange with Lu Xinghe, he had intentionally mentioned the concept of Porygon, laying groundwork for the future and implying that he had already thought along those lines.
Lu Xinghe, however, had calmly told him that such a Pokémon already existed—and that it had been created by his own hands.
Oliver couldn't reveal Lu Xinghe's existence, so he replied carefully:
"I do know about Porygon, but I can't disclose my source for now."
He Sheng fell silent.
He already understood what Oliver wanted to use Porygon for—but lending out Porygon was no small matter.
This was the age of the internet. The destructive potential of Porygon in such an era was self-evident. Every Porygon owned by the Alliance was under the strictest supervision.
"I can't approve this on my own," He Sheng finally said.
"I'll need to report this to President Qin."
"That's only right," Oliver replied calmly. "I'll wait for your answer."
Oliver wasn't disappointed.
He understood Porygon's importance better than anyone. He also knew that He Sheng had no authority to make this decision alone.
But at the same time, a research genius who had already demonstrated talent rivaling the world's top scholars at the age of eighteen was also extremely valuable.
Oliver trusted that the Alliance's leadership understood that balance.
And sure enough, not long after, He Sheng called again.
"Oliver, the Alliance leadership has discussed your request. It's been approved."
He paused, then added honestly:
"To be clear, I didn't play a major role this time. President Qin pushed this through."
"I'll remember this favor," Oliver said sincerely.
He was genuinely surprised that the president of the Xia Kingdom Pokémon Alliance would support him so decisively.
"Tomorrow, the Poké Ball containing Porygon will be delivered to you," He Sheng continued.
"You must keep it safe. There can be absolutely no mistakes."
"I understand."
That evening, Mu Xue came by out of concern.
Seeing that Oliver looked no different from usual, she finally relaxed a little.
"Are you sure you don't need me to step in?" she asked.
"I'm sure," Oliver replied. "I already have a solution."
Even though he had figured out the professor's motive, Oliver still felt that the situation might not be so simple beneath the surface.
That was why Mu Xue was better kept as a final trump card.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/SwipeSage