Early the next morning.
After finishing breakfast, Chen Shi immediately gave Steven a call.
"Hey, Old Chen," Steven's voice came through quickly, though there was a hint of fatigue in it. "What's up?"
Chen Shi knew at once—Steven must have gone straight back to work after returning home and hadn't rested much.
So he didn't waste time with small talk.
"Nothing major. Just letting you know—I'll be publishing the Mega Evolution paper today. You should get ready on your end."
"Today?!"
Steven's voice jumped an entire octave.
"You finished it that fast?"
"I thought you'd need at least a week!"
Chen Shi rolled his eyes. "It's just a paper. Why would it take that long? I finished it yesterday."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"Alright then," Steven finally said. "Since you're ready, go ahead and publish it."
"The auction announcement has already been circulating—we were just waiting on your timing. If you publish today, then Devon Corporation will officially announce the auction."
"How about the day after tomorrow?"
Chen Shi thought for a moment, then nodded. "No problem. The day after tomorrow works. Where's the venue?"
Steven smiled. "In Rustboro City. Devon has a dedicated auction hall. Don't worry about it."
"Alright, then that's settled."
After hanging up, Chen Shi greeted his grandparents and Cynthia, then rushed upstairs and published the papers he'd prepared in advance.
Not one—but two.
The Mega Evolution paper and the Fairy-type paper, released simultaneously.
The moment the papers went live, countless people around the world who had been waiting poured into the pages.
Within minutes, the comment count began skyrocketing at an insane rate.
"So Mega Evolution doesn't just require a Key Stone and a specific Mega Stone—it also needs a deep bond between Trainer and Pokémon to activate the power inside the stone and break past the limits of evolution!"
"I understand the theory now. Question is—where do we get Mega Stones and Key Stones?"
"Holy crap, so that glass bead I used to have was a Key Stone?! I sold it years ago for 100,000 PokéDollars—this hurts so bad."
"Brother, that's not just 'hurts.' That's 'pants completely lost.' I just saw someone online offering a sky-high price for Mega Stones."
"How high?"
"A thousand 'holy sh—'."
In a dim basement in Mauville City, a middle-aged man stared at his screen.
Thinking back to the Mega Stone he'd sold months ago for 100,000 PokéDollars, his face twisted in agony.
"GAIAAAAAA!!!"
A scream of pure regret echoed endlessly through the basement.
...
At the same time, just as many people turned their attention to the Fairy type.
Professor Birch was among the first to comment.
"Fairy type, huh? Complete immunity to Dragon-type moves… and the reason it was never discovered before was that Fairy-type energy in the world had completely vanished."
"What caused Fairy-type energy to disappear in the first place?"
Professor Oak immediately joined the discussion.
"The cause is too far in the past to verify. However, based on my preliminary research, Fairy-type energy in the world is now recovering."
"Before long, Fairy-type Pokémon may no longer need special Energy Blocks to awaken. From birth, they'll naturally possess complete Fairy typing."
Also paying close attention to both Mega Evolution and the Fairy type was Professor Sycamore of the Kalos region.
In the past, he had discovered several Mega Stones containing an unfamiliar power. After researching them for a while without results, he'd shelved the project.
Only after reading Chen Shi's paper did he finally understand their true function.
And then there was the Fairy type.
In Kalos, many Pokémon existed that simply didn't fit into any of the other seventeen types.
Take Florges, for example.
Calling it a Normal-type didn't make sense—it learned many Grass-type moves.
Calling it Grass-type didn't work either—it wasn't weak to Fire.
It was strange.
And the mystery had plagued Sycamore for years.
Today, he finally had his answer.
Without hesitation, he left a comment:
"Mr. Chen Shi, may I ask which Pokémon are Fairy-type? Could you also publish a paper specifically about Fairy-type Pokémon? Please—I would greatly appreciate it."
The comment was instantly flooded with likes and shot to the top.
Upstairs, Chen Shi—who was closely monitoring the paper—noticed it as well.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
A paper specifically cataloging Fairy-type Pokémon wouldn't be too difficult. If he focused, he could probably finish it by this afternoon.
It wouldn't delay his plans for the next few days—but still, better not promise too much.
So he replied:
"That was an oversight on my part. I'll do my best to organize all Fairy-type Pokémon and Fairy-type moves into a comprehensive paper and publish it within this week."
Professor Sycamore's account replied almost immediately.
"That's wonderful. I look forward to your next paper."
Chen Shi leaned back, gazing out the window at the blue sky and drifting clouds, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Why does it feel like I'm getting busier and busier…?"
"Where exactly did things go wrong?"
Just as he was questioning life, another comment suddenly surged to the top.
...
Sinnoh. Celestic Town. Historical Research Institute.
Professor Rowan finished reading both papers and smiled.
"That kid really is something."
"Mega Evolution… Fairy type…"
"What an interesting little fellow."
Then, as if something occurred to her, the smile on her face slowly turned mischievous.
Her fingers danced across the keyboard.
Soon, a new comment was posted:
"Xiaoshi, my granddaughter is missing. She hasn't come home in a long time. Could you help me look for her? I'm worried she's been tricked away by some little punk out there!"
Upstairs, in his room, Chen Shi stared at the comment and rubbed his temples.
Instant headache.
He had always thought Professor Rowan was a serious, dignified scholar.
Only after getting to know her did he realize—
her mischievous side was completely maxed out.
Every now and then, she'd drop some absolutely explosive line, constantly teasing him and Cynthia.
Just like now.
She clearly knew Cynthia had gone to Hoenn with him—yet she still posted this under his paper.
"My granddaughter is missing."
"Afraid she's been tricked away by some little punk."
As for who that "little punk" was supposed to be…
Did that even need thinking?
...
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