Manor Lord in the Pokémon World

Chapter 112 Gathering at the Research Institute

"Daigo." Aomori stepped forward and gave him a hug.

Then he stepped aside to make way for Ark, "This is also from your Hoenn region, the lord of the Pokémon Manor in Littleroot Town, an excellent Pokémon breeder, named Ark."

Daigo raised an eyebrow and looked Ark up and down. "So you're Ark."

Recently, Three Bees honey has become very popular, and the trademark on it has also attracted attention. Pokémon Manor has begun to come into the view of other cities in Hoenn.

Even though Daigo was obsessed with mining all day, he had heard a little bit about it.

Of course, that's not his main focus.

"I remember there's a really interesting mine in your Weibai Town. Every now and then, a hole pops up. It contains a lot of very precious minerals. I even went there to mine before."

As expected of a mining expert, he has a deep love for stones. We hadn't even exchanged two sentences before he steered the conversation to mining.

Qinglv interrupted him, "Alright, alright, I haven't finished introducing you yet. Fangzhou, this is Daigo, the eldest son of Devon Corporation."

Fang Zhou nodded, and the two shook hands: "So you're the young master of Devon Corporation. Your company is really famous in the Hoenn region. I heard you even have the technology to revive fossils."

Daigo, who was just about to exchange a few polite words, suddenly had his eyes light up when he heard Ark mention fossil resurrection technology.

"Yes, it was just developed recently. Do you have fossils you want to revive? Take them out and let me see."

Ark took out the fin fossil from his backpack, while Daigo sat down on the ground and took out various items from his backpack, ready to examine them on the spot.

"Alright, alright, you two, let's discuss this further when we get back. We have a meeting today."

Qinglu was speechless, clearly at a loss for what to do with her good friend.

So the two agreed that after returning, Ark would contact Daigo at some time, and he would take Ark directly to headquarters to try to revive the fossil using the fossil revival machine.

At this moment, the research institute's lobby was already bustling with activity.

The invited trainers gathered in small groups to exchange pleasantries.

The air was filled with the aroma of coffee and tea, and several suction cup puppets and assistants were carrying trays and weaving through the crowd, serving drinks to the guests.

Before the meeting started, Qinglu led Fangzhou and Daigo around the room, introducing them to the guests from the Kanto and Johto regions.

"That's Tsubaki, the Gym Leader from Smoky City. She and Lance, the League Champion, are both from the Dragon Family. Lance has a match to play today and couldn't spare the time, so he sent Miss Tsubaki instead."

Fangzhou followed his gaze and saw a woman wearing a black, tight-fitting combat suit, her hair tied in a bun at the back of her head, with a large, obedient animal standing beside her.

"That's Shiba, one of the Four Heavenly Kings." The muscular fighting master stood alone by the window, his eyes closed as he rested, exuding an aura of calm and composure.

"Misty, the Gym Leader from Asagi City, is here too. Her ace is a Steelix..."

Fangzhou silently matched these characters from the anime from his previous life with the figure in front of him, and couldn't help but marvel at Professor Oak's appeal.

Although the atmosphere was harmonious, there was a subtle sense of gloom.

According to Professor Birch, Professor Oak's gathering was actually to unravel the mystery of the dark aura and announce some of his findings.

Fangzhou felt a strange mix of unease and anticipation.

It seemed that the trainers around them were chatting and mentioning words like "black aura" and "black substance," and they all looked worried.

About half an hour later, a researcher in a white lab coat clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Everyone, the doctor is ready in the conference room. Please follow me."

The group followed him through the corridor and into a spacious conference room.

This place doesn't feel like a formal conference room; it's more like a comfortable lecture hall with a huge holographic projection screen right in front of you.

Professor Oak stood at the podium, smiling kindly as everyone took their seats. "Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to come to my little research lab."

"Seeing so many outstanding young people gathered together makes this old man feel full of energy."

The opening was a lighthearted and humorous speech in which the professor recalled some funny stories with the trainers present, eliciting continuous laughter from the audience and creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

As the opening remarks ended, the doctor's smile gradually faded, and his expression became serious.

"That's enough of the reminiscing. I invited everyone here today because some disturbing things have happened, concerning the safety of the entire Pokémon world."

He lightly touched the control panel, and the room lights slowly dimmed, while the huge projection screen lit up.

"I believe this scene is familiar to everyone," the professor said in a deep voice. On the screen appeared a Snorlax of unusually large size, shrouded in ominous black aura, wreaking havoc on the streets of Cerulean City.

"This is the Snorlax rampage that happened in Cerulean City a month ago. I remember that it was Siba who went to handle it."

The muscular Four Heavenly King in the audience nodded. "Its power is abnormal, its eyes are completely insane, and after being defeated, it left behind some black crystals that I've never seen before, but they quickly dissipated."

"Please look at this photo again." The doctor switched the screen, and this time the content shown made Ark's pupils shrink.

A Safi'jiiva with crimson eyes and surrounded by black mist bursts out of the forest with its gaping maw.

Fang Zhou's eyes narrowed; could this be the Salamence that attacked Safia?

All Ark knew was that the Salamence was quickly subdued by Officer Jenny from Petalburg City.

"This incident occurred not long ago in the Hoenn region, where a frenzied Salamence attacked a child. And similar reports..."

The professor continuously switched between scenes: Vermilion City, Inkstone City, Asagi City...

One shocking scene after another unfolded before the public, "and an increasing trend has emerged in various places."

A suppressed murmur arose in the conference room. Those present were all seasoned trainers who keenly sensed the unusual nature of the situation.

"We'll temporarily call this phenomenon 'black gas erosion,'" the doctor said, pacing on the stage and sharing the information he currently possessed.

"All corrupted Pokémon become extremely aggressive, their power surges, and after being defeated, unstable black crystals appear and quickly shatter and dissipate."

Fangzhou inexplicably recalled what was mentioned in the movie "Guardians of Water City": in ancient times, demons shrouded in black mist invaded, but were eventually driven out by the Latios and Latias tribes.

"There are many theories about the origin of this black aura," the doctor continued.

"Some believe it comes from the reversed world of Giratina, because it is a gathering place for all kinds of negative energy. Others speculate that it comes from outer space, or even some unknown parallel dimension. But the truth remains elusive."

The doctor then presented analysis reports from research institutions around the world on this matter, as well as heated discussions on various research forums.

"The Pokémon International League has made this a top priority and has assigned several Interpol agents with codenames to conduct a special investigation."

Fangzhou immediately remembered the handsome guy he had met briefly in Mauville City and Littleroot Town. It seemed that his mission was to investigate these dark Pokémon.

"Although the current black aura infestation is only affecting ordinary Pokémon, the signs appearing in some areas are still worrying."

The doctor opened another video.

On the screen, there is a scene of a storm in an area.

The violent wind, rain, and lightning raged, as if trying to destroy everything.

"The residents of Asia Island have sent a distress message. During their daily rituals, they discovered they could no longer sense Lugia, and at the same time, the weather in the vicinity has become strange..."

The doctor sighed. "I just hope we're overthinking it. I'm heading to Asia Island tomorrow to conduct my investigation."

The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became even more tense.

Everyone understood the professor's unspoken meaning: with the frequent outbreaks of dark Pokémon, the sudden loss of contact with a deity was bound to make people think too much.

Fang Zhou's heart sank further; he couldn't contact the divine spirit...

He suddenly remembered what the mayor had said: the priests of Arceus had not responded for many years.

Fangzhou shook his head vigorously; Arceus wasn't responding because he hadn't grown the golden radish.

Now that I've successfully grown the golden radish, everything will be alright.

Arceus is the creator god, possessing infinite power; there's no way he could be in trouble!

If, really, something goes wrong...

Fangzhou shuddered, finding it hard to imagine what the world would become.

Professor Oak concluded, "In any case, this dark aura is extremely dangerous. Everyone here is a top trainer in their respective regions, a vital force for maintaining peace. I hope that once you return to your regions, you will remain highly vigilant regarding this phenomenon."

"Our current breakthrough lies in the black crystals that appear after a Pokémon is defeated. Unfortunately, these crystals are extremely unstable and have a very short lifespan."

"So I would like to ask everyone, if you encounter a corrupted Pokémon in the future, please subdue it while ensuring your own and the Pokémon's safety..."

"Please do everything you can, even if it's just to collect a little bit of powder, and send samples of this black substance to my research institute. This could very well be our only clue to solving the whole case."

……

Meanwhile, in the Quartz Plateau region of the Kanto region, League Champion Watari is having an exhibition match here today.

Outside the stadium, a large number of tourists came to watch the game and lined up to have their tickets checked before entering.

A hippopotamus king appeared outside the venue, raising its head to look at the towering hall.

When the Hippo King heard that a champion would be performing today, he rushed over immediately, wanting to see if that champion was the savior from his dream.

Tickets are required to enter the venue, but Hippo King did not have a ticket.

The venue was surrounded by barriers designed to interfere with teleportation, but these barriers were no match for it. Its strength was far beyond what these methods could restrict.

The Hippo King's eyes lit up with blue light, and the next moment, his body appeared inside the venue.