"Wait... maybe we can start with healing moves!"
"In fact, using healing moves also involves, to a certain extent, life energy. Lucario can master two healing moves: Life Dew and Heal Pulse; we can start from there to sense life energy."
"Just like mastering aura power, using healing moves only means utilizing life energy; that is a completely different concept from truly mastering life energy."
"However, Lucario already has experience in controlling aura power, so perhaps it can also make use of that to master life energy. Moreover, aura power can also help, to a certain extent, with the mastery of life energy."
The more Ethan thought about it, the more excited he became. Although he did not know whether his idea would be feasible, at the very least it was a method well worth trying.
...
After the battle ended, Ethan left the competition venue directly.
With his victory over Blackridge City Pokémon University, the exchange tournament could be considered a perfect conclusion.
The performance of the second representative team formed by Ethan received high praise from the university's professors and administrators.
Naturally, a considerable amount of resources as a reward from the university was indispensable, which once again significantly replenished Ethan's already tight budget.
"It seems it's time to return to the guild's main headquarters. President Beckett hasn't stopped urging me. Besides, this paper on Lucario's evolution method should also be handed over to him by now. I wonder what kind of expression they'll have when they see it."
Ethan looked at the long list of missed calls from President Beckett on his phone and shook his head helplessly.
After that, he released Charizard, mounted it, and flew straight toward the direction of the Sky Secret Kingdom.
...
"Ethan, you've finally returned."
As soon as Ethan arrived at the headquarters of the Pokémon Researchers' Guild, President Beckett immediately went to find him.
At that moment, Ethan was at Professor Harris's home, chatting animatedly with Professor Harris and Professor Reynolds.
"President Beckett is already here. Isn't it time to reveal the mystery of Lucario's evolution?"
Professor Reynolds covered her mouth and laughed softly as she saw President Beckett arrive in such a hurry.
"What?"
"Lucario's evolution method?"
"Ethan, you've already figured it out?"
After hearing Professor Reynolds's words, President Beckett was greatly surprised.
"Yes, that's right."
Ethan smiled faintly and took out from his backpack the paper he had prepared in advance.
Everyone present was someone he trusted—President Beckett, Professor Harris, and Professor Reynolds—so there was nothing to hide.
"This is...?"
"Evolution through friendship!"
Upon seeing the title of the paper, the three of them were stunned.
President Beckett reacted immediately and, unable to restrain himself, took the paper and began reading it.
In the introduction, Ethan first explained Riolu's special ability to perceive the emotions of humans and Pokémon.
Next, starting from that special ability, he elaborated on his research and discoveries.
The most important part of the paper was, naturally, the method by which Riolu evolves into Lucario. Then, Ethan shifted the perspective to Lucario itself and, based on its ability to perceive emotions, explained that Riolu absorbed a special type of emotional energy to complete its evolution.
In the final section, after summarizing and synthesizing his conclusions, Ethan named this energy "friendship energy." By continuously accumulating friendship energy between Riolu and its trainer, when it reached a certain level, Riolu could absorb it and thus complete its evolution.
After studying for so long, Ethan realized that his paper was surprisingly well written, and he couldn't help but feel secretly proud.
"So this is evolution through friendship..."
Ethan's paper was very detailed, so President Beckett and the others understood it immediately.
At the same time, they looked at Ethan in amazement; they could hardly believe that in less than a year he had completed research on Lucario's evolution.
"Although you relied on Lucario's innate ability to perceive emotional energy, your growth during this time has truly been enormous."
"You are now worthy of the title of Elite-level Researcher in Pokémon evolution."
Professor Harris looked at Ethan with emotion, recalling the first time they had met.
Back then, Ethan was just a novice who didn't even know how to use research instruments, and when writing papers he needed Alex Baxter to do it for him. He had absolutely none of the bearing of a Pokémon researcher.
And now, relying on his own abilities, he had independently completed research on a Pokémon's evolution, proposed the concept of evolution through friendship through analysis and synthesis, and written the paper himself.
He felt that Ethan's growth was truly astonishing.
"That's right. Previously, your research on Pokémon evolution depended on the mysterious murals you discovered. But this method of Lucario's evolution can be said to have been discovered completely by your own efforts."
"Now, without a doubt, you are worthy of the title of Elite-level Pokémon Researcher."
President Beckett sighed with emotion and reread Ethan's paper on evolution through friendship, nodding in satisfaction.
"I've just been a little lucky..."
Ethan scratched his head awkwardly and blushed slightly.
What Elite-level Pokémon researcher... in reality, he was just a "plagiarist."
Embarrassing, very embarrassing.
"However, although this paper has no problems in any aspect..."
"Even so, we must scientifically verify its authenticity. And as for the concept of friendship that you've proposed, we also need to rigorously test it."
"Moreover, cultivating friendship doesn't seem like something simple; it will require time. Therefore, it's possible that your paper cannot be published in the short term."
President Beckett spoke with a somewhat apologetic tone. Although he already believed in the content of Ethan's paper, as a researcher he had to maintain a rigorous attitude.
"Yes, I understand."
"Moreover, I believe that evolution through friendship, just like evolution through items, should not be an isolated case."
"In our real world, there are actually many Pokémon whose evolutions present situations similar to Riolu's. I think those Pokémon whose evolution is particularly difficult could give it a try."
Ethan thought for a moment before speaking. Riolu was quite rare; if it couldn't be evolved into Lucario, that would truly be frustrating.
But other Pokémon that evolve through friendship, such as Golbat or Buneary, are not that rare. If large-scale experiments were carried out, results would surely be obtained very soon.
(End of chapter)