Before this, Professor Oak had been stuck on this problem for quite some time.
He didn't even know exactly what he was aiming for—just a vague idea in his mind.
At most, he had hoped to create something like a Pokédex—something that could scan Pokémon and provide basic information.
But after listening to Chen Shi's explanation, Oak grew more and more excited.
If they could really create a device like Chen Shi described—
One that combined photography, video recording, internet access, and real-time communication—
Wouldn't that be a hundred times better than his original idea?
He could already imagine how revolutionary such a device would be.
It would become something people simply couldn't live without.
Of course… there were still plenty of challenges.
After all, this device only existed in theory for now.
Turning it into reality wouldn't be something that could be done overnight.
There were countless technical hurdles to overcome.
"Chen Shi," Oak said after a pause, smiling, "your idea is excellent—but I'm afraid it won't be easy to achieve."
Chen Shi frowned slightly. He knew Oak was right.
In his previous life, entire nations and telecom companies had built massive infrastructure—signal towers everywhere—just to make mobile communication possible.
Trying to replicate that with a few words was unrealistic.
Still, Professor Oak was going to create the Pokédex anyway.
Chen Shi was only offering a direction.
With Oak's ability, these challenges wouldn't be insurmountable.
"Professor, where there's a will, there's a way," Chen Shi said. "It's not impossible."
"And if it succeeds, it'll benefit not just children—but everyone."
Oak cleared his throat. "Of course I know it's a good thing."
"But I can't handle it alone."
"You know how busy I am. I barely even have time to cook for Gary—he's been surviving on instant noodles."
"And now you've handed me an even bigger project…"
"So…"
"So what?" Chen Shi suddenly had a bad feeling.
"So… you should come over and help me with the research," Oak said cheerfully. "I'll even put your name on the paper. You won't be doing it for nothing."
Chen Shi: "..."
So after all that—
This old man just wanted to rope him in as free labor?!
But Chen Shi didn't have the time for research right now. He still had plenty of things to deal with.
"I refuse!"
"Professor, you know I'm busy too. I still have to go to that Secret Realm in Hoenn—how could I possibly come help you?"
"A mere Secret Realm? How is that more important than my research?" Oak shot back immediately.
"If you ask me, you should just skip it and come here tomorrow. We can work on this together. Why bother with all that?"
Chen Shi sighed and shook his head. "Forget it, Professor. I'll pass on this. I'd rather go explore the Secret Realm with Cynthia and the others."
Ever since the last time he had worked with Oak on that friendship-based evolution research—
He had sworn off research completely.
Too exhausting.
And worse—
With Oak working right beside him, slacking off felt impossible.
How could he be lazy when a renowned professor was working tirelessly next to him?
Oak tried to persuade him again, but Chen Shi quickly changed the subject.
"Professor, you know about the Devon Corporation auction from before, right?"
"I found something really interesting there. Want to guess what it is?"
"I guarantee you'll be interested."
"…Hm?" Oak paused, slightly puzzled.
He knew about the auction in Hoenn.
Even the Mega Stones didn't interest him that much.
But if Chen Shi was calling something "interesting"—
Then it was worth hearing.
"What did you find?"
Chen Shi grinned. "I bought a meteorite at the auction."
"And that meteorite… was actually Jirachi in its dormant state."
"It's already awakened now."
"Oh? Jirachi? That's quite intere—"
"…Wait. What did you just say?! Jirachi?!"
Oak's voice suddenly shot up several levels.
"You mean the legendary Pokémon from Hoenn's myths—the one said to grant wishes?!"
"That's right. Jirachi."
"Where is it now? Can it really grant wishes? Can you take photos for me? Record its physical data? Observe its behavior—"
The more Oak spoke, the more excited he became.
He practically wanted to fly straight to Hoenn.
Although he had encountered Legendary Pokémon before—even battled some with his Dragonite—
Those were mostly Pokémon like Moltres or Zapdos.
Jirachi, however, was different.
It was mysterious.
Its existence had never even been fully confirmed.
Now that he finally had a chance—
Of course he wanted to study it thoroughly.
Seeing that he had successfully changed the topic, Chen Shi naturally agreed to everything.
As long as he didn't have to get dragged into research, a few photos and data points were nothing.
Besides, Jirachi probably wouldn't mind.
They chatted for a while longer, with Chen Shi promising quite a few things.
Just before hanging up, he suddenly remembered something.
"Professor… Gary's still young. He can't keep eating instant noodles all the time."
"If you're really too busy, just give Delia some money and let him eat at her place."
"Otherwise, his health won't hold up."
Hearing this, Oak felt a bit embarrassed.
He knew it wasn't right.
But he really was busy.
Letting Gary eat at Delia's wasn't a bad idea—
But she was already raising a child on her own.
He didn't want to trouble her.
So things had just continued like this.
Looking at Gary standing nearby with hopeful eyes, Oak felt a pang of guilt.
The boy had indeed endured quite a bit over the years.
"…You're right. I'll take care of it. Don't worry—it won't be like this anymore."
Chen Shi nodded, then brought up one last matter.
"Professor, there's one more thing. In a while, I'd like to borrow your…"
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