The moment the word "Fairy" left his mouth, it was like dropping a bomb into the arena.
The entire venue instantly erupted.
"A new type?! Did I hear that right?"
"Holy crap—doesn't that mean an eighteenth type? And it's immune to Dragon-type moves? That's insane!"
"The more I think about it, the more likely it sounds. A quasi–Elite Four Florges defeating Hydreigon in three moves without type advantage? That was impossible!"
"Exactly! And that move Florges used—what if it was a quadruple effectiveness hit? That would mean this new type not only counters Dragons, but Dark-types too!"
"Bro, you might be onto something!"
"Wait—if Chen Shi really discovered a brand-new type, doesn't that mean he could be nominated as a Pokémon Professor?"
That sentence caused a brief silence—
then the noise exploded again.
"That's totally possible! Look at how much research he's already done—friendship evolution, Mega Evolution, and now discovering a new type. Becoming a Professor would be perfectly reasonable!"
"Exactly. If he earns the title, it's by pure merit. I'd accept that without complaint."
"But he's still really young. The League has never had a Professor this young before."
"So what? Does research care about age? If he has the ability, why shouldn't he be one?"
"Yeah! Age shouldn't matter!"
"That's not what I meant—I'm saying the League might use his age as an excuse to block him."
"Damn it, the League always has issues with everything. I don't care—if he becomes a Professor, I'm backing him no matter what!"
...
The discussion in the stands grew louder and louder, while the reporters' questions continued unabated.
"Mr. Chen Shi, could you share more details about the Fairy-type?"
"Well…" Chen Shi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"You can follow the researchers' forum. I'll be publishing a detailed paper on the Fairy-type there."
"I'll explain its mechanics, characteristics, and also list some Pokémon that belong to the Fairy-type."
"Then may I ask—were the moves your Florges used in the tournament Fairy-type moves?"
Chen Shi smiled without warmth.
"You can follow the researchers' forum. I'll be publishing a paper on that as well."
Reporter: ...
"Then what are your thoughts on winning the World Tournament?"
"You can follow the researchers' forum. I'll be publishing a paper."
Reporter: ...…
Audience: ...…
The reporters were clearly not ready to give up.
"Mr. Chen Shi, there are rumors that you were seen holding hands with Miss Cynthia while walking through town at night. Are the two of you in a romantic relationship?"
Chen Shi froze.
Wait—someone saw that?
Thinking it over, it wasn't impossible. They'd only worn hats and masks, not really hiding, and Cynthia's hair color was hard to miss if someone paid attention.
After a brief pause, Chen Shi replied with a perfectly straight face:
"You can follow the researchers' forum. I'll be publishing a related paper."
Reporter: ...
Audience: ...
Steven: ...
Cynthia: ...…
The reporter slowly lowered the microphone, staring at Chen Shi with a deeply aggrieved expression.
Are we really fighting with academic papers now?
Everything needs a paper?
Fine—publishing research about Mega Evolution is understandable.
Publishing one for a new type is reasonable too.
But even your love life needs a paper now?
What's next—asking senior Professors to peer-review your dating strategy?
"Pfft—!"
Steven finally lost it and burst out laughing.
That reporter had it rough. Last time, he'd been fooled by Chen Shi's "children's trick," and now he was getting completely stonewalled again.
His mentality was probably on the verge of collapse.
Unfortunately for Chen Shi, that single laugh caught the reporter's attention.
The reporter immediately abandoned him and rushed straight toward Steven instead.
Seeing Chen Shi stuck in full "I only publish papers" mode, the rest of the reporters could only retreat helplessly.
...
By the time afternoon approached, the four of them finally returned to the villa.
Steven collapsed straight onto the sofa.
"What kind of award ceremony is this? It's more exhausting than battling."
After the interviews, there had been countless other tasks—photos with fans, autographs, group pictures, and all sorts of miscellaneous events.
That was why they'd only just gotten back now.
Chen Shi hugged the Pokémon Egg tightly against his chest and replied casually,
"Stop complaining. Hurry up and have Auntie make lunch—I'm starving."
"Don't we still have to go to headquarters at two to pick our other rewards?"
Cynthia cradled her own egg and asked curiously,
"The egg you picked for me—what Pokémon is it? I don't think I've seen one like it before."
"You want to know—"
Chen Shi was just about to tease her—
but the moment he met Cynthia's cold gaze, he instantly caved.
"It's a Goomy Egg."
"Goomy?" Cynthia frowned slightly.
"I don't remember Goomy eggs looking like this."
Chen Shi immediately perked up.
"That's because it's not an ordinary Goomy."
"It's a Hisuian Goomy. When it evolves into Sliggoo and then Goodra, it becomes a Dragon / Steel-type Pokémon."
"The strength is absolutely ridiculous."
"Hisuian Goomy?"
Cynthia's eyes lit up as she looked down at the egg in her arms.
As a researcher with a strong interest in history, how could she not know that Sinnoh had once been called Hisui thousands of years ago?
She also knew that many Pokémon from the Hisui era were vastly different from their modern counterparts.
For example—Hisui Growlithe was Fire / Rock-type.
But all of that had existed only in ancient records and fragmented ruins.
And now—
A Hisuian Goomy Egg was being given out as a tournament reward.
And it was sitting right in her arms.
For a moment, Cynthia felt as if she were dreaming.
On the other side, the moment Steven heard Dragon / Steel-type, the Mawile Egg in his arms suddenly felt far less appealing.
He stared at Chen Shi with a deeply resentful look.
Chen Shi felt a bit awkward under that gaze and coughed twice.
"Don't look at me like that—it's not like I can do anything about it."
"There was only one Goomy Egg."
"And besides," he added shamelessly,
"I value romance over friendship. You should know that by now."
Steven's face darkened instantly.
He no longer felt like speaking at all.
...
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