After the battle concluded, Aiden and Cynthia returned to the competitor's lounge.
However, before they could even reach their room, they ran into Professor Oak, who seemed to have been waiting for them.
"That Pokémon is truly fascinating, Aiden!"
Professor Oak walked over with a smile and handed him his red-and-white colored tablet computer.
"Although I haven't thoroughly studied its physical data yet, judging from the battle just now, it should be a Pokémon with an aura-type ability, right?"
"Like—"
Professor Oak suddenly frowned, seemingly struggling with how to describe it.
"Intimidate?"
"That doesn't feel quite right either. It's more like some sort of persistent field effect as long as the Pokémon is on the field."
"Exactly."
Aiden nodded, thinking to himself:
As expected of Professor Oak, who has spent most of his life researching Pokémon. Just from watching a single match, he managed to guess the ability's effects with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy.
"Ting-Lu's ability is very unique, and there probably aren't any other Pokémon with an effect identical to it."
"I've named it 'Vessel of Ruin.'"
"Vessel of Ruin? Why 'ruin'?"
Professor Oak was a bit confused.
Judging by its appearance and aura, it did inspire a bit of fear, but to call it a 'disaster' or 'ruin'—
Wasn't that a bit of an exaggeration?
Aiden completely understood the other party's curiosity.
After all, the original versions of the four Treasures of Ruin were stained with the purest malice, whereas the ones in his possession were primal forms that had already been "purified" by the system, so they naturally lacked that intense resentment.
So, over the next few moments, Aiden briefly recounted the story of the Treasures of Ruin to Professor Oak.
"I see—so they're from that mysterious region."
After listening, Professor Oak nodded thoughtfully, his gaze landing on the unassuming wooden tablet in Aiden's hand.
"Then it makes sense."
Ancient artifacts from the East from thousands of years ago, gaining power through the influence of human thoughts and bringing massive disasters to Paldea—
For this world, there were actually many similar urban legends, and the vast majority of them were directly related to Ghost or Dark-type Pokémon.
It was just that the severity wasn't as extreme as in Paldea.
At the end of the day, many Ghost Pokémon were born under similar circumstances, and their behavioral patterns depended heavily on the spiritual energy they absorbed.
"But in that case, it definitely counts as a Legendary Pokémon, right?"
Professor Oak identified the key point.
"And there are actually three other corresponding Treasures of Ruin!"
"This is a massive discovery. If we can compile and categorize their data, we'll have a relatively clear understanding of the power levels of Legendary Pokémon!"
"The same goes for those two Pokémon named Miraidon and Ogerpon!"
"We received the data you transmitted when you were recording their Pokédex entries on our end a long time ago, but the content was so sparse that we couldn't determine their actual combat capabilities!"
"Now that we have the chance, we might as well resolve it all at once~"
When the topic shifted to his area of expertise, Professor Oak immediately became much more passionate. He looked like he was about to grab Aiden's arm right then and there and drag him off to a research lab.
However—
"Professor Oak, we're currently in Lumiose City, you know?"
Seeing this, Cynthia immediately spoke up with a troubled expression.
They had just finished a match and hadn't even reviewed it or planned their tactics for the next round yet. How could Aiden just get dragged away—
"Oh, that's no problem!"
Professor Oak patted his chest, continuing proudly.
"The real reason I came to Kalos this time was specifically to find Aiden, so I brought along all the researchers from my lab who had some free time."
"As long as we borrow Professor Sycamore's lab nearby, we can compile data just as well in Kalos!"
"..."
Aiden's mouth twitched.
As expected of you, Professor Oak!
So entering the tournament really was just a side quest; your true motive was to do research, wasn't it?!
"Cough, cough——!"
Just as Professor Oak was about to drag Aiden away, the door to the nearby lounge suddenly opened, accompanied by an elderly, cold cough.
The previously enthusiastic Professor Oak instantly froze in his tracks, and the smile on his face stiffened considerably.
"Old man Oak, even after all these years, your ability to read the room is still as terrible as ever."
Unexpectedly, Granny Agatha didn't fly into a rage like last time. Instead, her expression held a hint of nostalgia as she looked at Cynthia beside Aiden.
Young people's feelings are so easy to read. They can't hide their emotions at all; everything is concentrated in their eyes.
It was probably only this old blockhead Oak who completely couldn't see it and was still trying to interfere with this interesting young couple.
Agatha suddenly slammed her cane on the ground, the sound ringing out crisply.
"Since you're already an old man, stop interfering with the young folks' 'serious discussions.' A few days won't make a difference for your research."
"Besides, I haven't even settled the score with you for what you said earlier. Don't think I didn't hear you!"
"This—"
Professor Oak looked reluctant. He glanced at the seemingly awkward Aiden, and after a long while, finally nodded.
"You're right. My request really would affect your tournament preparations."
"Then just forget what I just said."
Professor Oak nodded magnanimously, then carefully leaned in and whispered to Aiden.
"We'll talk about this after the tournament is over!"
"Oak—you old bastard!"
Obviously, Granny Agatha might no longer be young, but her hearing was still as sharp as ever.
Regarding the grievances between the two elders, Aiden could only smile helplessly. He looked at Cynthia, who was also sporting an awkward expression, and they shared a wordless glance.
"It actually doesn't affect us that much. Battles don't really require last-minute cramming anyway."
After exchanging a look with Cynthia, Aiden turned to Professor Oak, who was currently being glared at by Agatha, and smiled.
"Besides, I'm also very interested in the various physical data of the Treasures of Ruin. If there's a chance to confirm it, that would be for the best."
"However, it is currently tournament time. Leaving the venue early probably wouldn't look good."
"After dinner, I'll come find you, Professor."
"Of course, to avoid affecting the upcoming matches, let's cap the daily research time at two hours. How does that sound?"
"Deal!"
Having unexpectedly received Aiden's compromise, Professor Oak immediately nodded repeatedly.
His and Agatha's match was scheduled for the second day, so technically, it wasn't their turn to take the stage today anyway.
Although having to wait until nighttime was a bit torturous, there was an old saying that "good things come to those who wait." He would just endure it with high expectations!
And this way, even Agatha probably wouldn't refuse.
Thinking this, Professor Oak quietly glanced at Granny Agatha.
Sure enough, although her eyes showed a hint of helplessness, she ultimately nodded.
"Since the young man put it that way, we'll leave it at that."
And so, on the night of the first day of the Kalos Doubles Championship, another collaboratively uploaded video suddenly appeared and rapidly claimed the top spot on PokéTV's trending list.
The reason, of course, was obvious just by looking at the two uploaders.
"Samuel Oak" & "Azure Wings"
One was a renowned Pokémon Professor who had almost single-handedly developed the modern field of Pokémon studies;
The other was Aiden, a massive star who had been constantly going viral over the past year.
And the title of their collaborative video was also very straightforward.
Want to Meet Some Brand-New Legendary Pokémon?
For the audiences of both uploaders, any topic related to Legendary Pokémon was incredibly attractive.
Therefore, countless people clicked on it the very first second they saw it.
[Front row! Wasn't Teacher Azure just battling this afternoon? How did he suddenly collab with Professor Oak to drop a video?]
[Is there a possibility that these are pre-recorded?]
[—Someone doing a second playthrough here to tell you that this actually was recorded right after the match!]
[This video is goated!]
The storm of bullet comments frantically scrolling across the screen was enough to prove the audience's enthusiasm.
Upon clicking in, the very first thing that entered their line of sight was a very unique Pokémon.
Aiden's deliberately serious narration voice played in their ears: "It stands tall with a giant 'Ding' (ritual vessel) atop its head, its aura astounding;"
"It is the incarnation of disaster, a nightmare for Special Attackers."
"Let's welcome today's guest, one of the legendary 'Four Treasures of Ruin' of Paldea—Ting-Lu!"
After the voice faded, Aiden didn't appear on the screen, and even the photo of Ting-Lu vanished.
The scene shifted, suddenly showing the invitation venue of the Kalos Doubles Championship.
The match between Aiden & Cynthia and Tate & Liza.
The moment Aiden sent out Ting-Lu, a gasp erupted from the audience stands.
At the same time, Professor Oak's booming voice began his performance, seemingly intentionally mimicking a spectator.
"I never expected it to be Ting-Lu, that Dark/Ground-type Legendary Pokémon!"
"Legend has it that it, along with the other Treasures of Ruin, destroyed the ancient Paldean kingdom a thousand years ago and was sealed within four shrines in Paldea. Just hearing about it makes it sound incredibly powerful!"
"Its Vessel of Ruin ability is even more absurd. It lowers the Special Attack stat of all other Pokémon on the field except itself. It's an absolute nightmare for any Pokémon that relies on Special Attacks!"
"And that absurdly overpowered signature move, Ruination, which causes the Pokémon it hits to rapidly lose a massive amount of HP. It's a completely unreasonable move!"
"Truly worthy of being a Legendary Pokémon. How amazing~"
Even though it was a bit of a fluff piece, the audience genuinely found it entertaining, so they didn't mind.
[Hello? How did Teacher Azure manage to get this veteran to cooperate?]
[Fun fact: Professor Oak's team has always done little skits and cheesy Pokémon introductions—]
[Compared to the Professor's usual ideas, this one is actually pretty normal haha~]
[Teacher Azure: I have no idea either. I just said I wanted to film something cringe related to Legendary Pokémon, and Professor Oak just showed up on his own!]
[Pokémon + Skit, what kind of Professor bait is this?]
Professor Oak had never been one to put on airs, so his appearance didn't feel out of place at all.
In fact, this slightly cheesy but perfectly timed commentary style made the audience feel right at home.
However, since this was ultimately an educational video, soon after Aiden and Cynthia's battle ended, Professor Oak and Aiden immediately appeared on screen.
"Cough—just to be clear, that little skit earlier wasn't my idea. Professor Oak himself said it would be fun to do it this way!"
Right off the bat, Aiden skillfully passed the buck, pointing his finger at the sturdy Ting-Lu behind him.
"Anyway, it is the star of our video today~"
Because it had been purified by the system, Ting-Lu looked very docile, completely lacking the demeanor a "Treasure of Ruin" should have.
After Aiden pointed at it, the three-meter-tall deer immediately knelt on its front legs, presenting its full figure to the camera.
"Some viewers might be wondering why this Legendary Pokémon is here—"
"The answer is actually quite simple—"
Professor Oak quickly took over the topic, putting on a mysterious face as he asked a question, immediately answering it himself.
"After all, Aiden has already caught all four Treasures of Ruin and purified the malice that was tainting them~"
"Thanks to Aiden, we are able to make contact with a cooperative Legendary Pokémon for the first time, record its various data, and unlock their Pokédex entries!"
Professor Oak's sincere words immediately triggered a storm of question marks in the bullet comments.
[???]
[Wait, so this is humanity's first time recording data on a Legendary Pokémon? I've been watching Teacher Azure for so long, I thought this kind of thing was normal!]
[Tbh, you really can't compare Teacher Azure to other trainers. It's completely unfair—]
[Teacher Azure: Which Legendary do you want to see? I can summon it for you right now, okay?]
[Wait a minute—? Did Professor Oak really come all the way to Kalos to enter the championship just for this bit of research??]
[YouKnowTooMuch.jpg]
Just as the chat said, Aiden had indeed come into direct or indirect contact with many Pokémon. But because he wasn't a professional Pokémon Professor, he hadn't really thought much about it.
After all, the truly professional Pokémon Professors in Paldea—those two were currently still stuck in the past and future timelines, unable to return.
In the remainder of the video, Professor Oak spent a few minutes detailing the information regarding Ting-Lu, as well as the moves it had used during the match.
This was, of course, done with Aiden's consent.
Even the audience felt that maybe they should have kept some of this data hidden. After all, Teacher Azure still had to compete in the tournament. Releasing this information would definitely have an impact.
However, Aiden himself couldn't care less. He even welcomed it.
The reason was very simple—
He just had too many cards up his sleeve.
From the Top 64 to the finals, he only needed to play six matches. And just the Treasures of Ruin alone gave him four different ones he could reveal one by one.
If he wanted to, he could easily use a completely different Legendary Pokémon in every single match, and he'd still have leftovers—
Therefore, he had absolutely no intention of repeating his Pokémon.
Just as Professor Oak said, he might as well just turn this major tournament into a Legendary Pokémon press conference~
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