Pokémon: The Genetic Researcher Just Wants to Slack Off

Chapter 14 Final Decision: Intermediate Researcher?

In the familiar conference room, all the members of the academic committee were present, including representatives from the alliance.

Professor Oak, who had been aggressive on the first night, now had a big smile on his face, beaming with joy.

The alliance's chief representative smiled even more brightly than Professor Oak, enthusiastically stepping forward to put his arm around Professor Oak's shoulder, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for many years.

"Xuecheng, you have such a discerning eye! Even the trainee researcher you chose has incredible potential. It's truly enviable."

"Oh, not at all, it's all good luck. I didn't give him any guidance, he figured it all out on his own. I'm envious of his talent."

After exchanging pleasantries, Professor Oak stood at the front of the conference room and took on the role of host.

"Alright, let's now begin the final vote on Natsuno's promotion from trainee researcher to senior researcher. Those who agree with his promotion, please raise your hands."

Everyone raised their hands.

"Unanimously approved. So, those who agree to award Dr. Natsuno the title, please raise your hands."

"Swish, swish," everyone raised their hands again.

"Unanimously approved. Now, please welcome the alliance's chief representative to announce the results."

The alliance's chief representative went up.

"Based on the academic achievements of trainee researcher Xia Ye, entitled 'An Investigation into the Existence of Genetic Factors,' the committee unanimously approved the promotion of him to senior researcher."

Upon hearing this result, Daiki's eyes widened, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to step forward and teach the chief representative a lesson.

But the other person raised their hand and pressed down on Daiki: "I haven't finished announcing yet, what's your hurry?"

"Furthermore, since Natsuno led all five of the achievements reported by Dr. Anthony, the committee unanimously approved awarding Natsuno the title of doctoral researcher."

"The committee's decision will be announced tonight, and the conferment ceremony will be held at a later date."

Upon hearing the result, Professor Oak's smile returned, and he led the applause.

But soon, the trend of online discussions about genetics over the past few days flashed through his mind, the rapid evolution from neutral to opposition. He sensed something unusual, and something that seemed familiar.

Raising his hand in acknowledgment, Professor Oak made a new decision and looked at the others: "Everyone, I have some new ideas. Do you remember Professor Akihabara?"

The others nodded in agreement, their voices filled with regret as they mentioned Dr. Akihabara.

This Dr. Akihabara was a newly appointed doctor fifteen years ago. He researched the Pokémon deposit system, which has benefited countless trainers, and thus he was awarded the title of doctor.

Ten years ago, he proposed adding tracking chips to the storage system and Poké Balls so that Pokémon could be found even if they were lost. The League also piloted this in a certain city.

However, many opposing voices quickly emerged online, rapidly growing from just a few scattered individuals to nearly half of the people opposing it, citing reasons such as "invasion of privacy."

The problem is that in the cities where the league is piloting the program, there have been several incidents where trainers' use of marking has actually confused their respective Pokémon. For example, trainer A got trainer E's Pokémon, trainer E's Pokémon ended up with trainer B, and so on.

The most serious issue is that some trainers have lost their Pokémon as a result.

Due to the wide-ranging impact of the incident and the uproar online, the alliance had no choice but to suspend the pilot program, and Dr. Akihabara also issued a public apology.

However, wherever this doctor went afterward, he was met with hostility from the locals, and even committed malicious acts.

Disheartened, he withdrew from the public eye and stopped appearing in public. He joined the headquarters of the Kanto Alliance and requested that the Alliance not disclose his name or the content of his research.

Seeing that everyone was recalling Dr. Akihabara, Oki voiced his doubts: "I've noticed that the online discussions surrounding Natsuno these past few days are very similar to what Akihabara experienced back then."

"Furthermore, the Akihabara incident at that time was viewed with many doubts by the Alliance at the time, but the voices of the angry victims overwhelmed everything, and no thorough investigation was launched at that time."

"Given the lessons learned from the past, and given the coincidental shift in public opinion surrounding Natsuno these past few days, we have to consider whether there is a larger conspiracy we are unaware of."

"Out of concern for Natsuno's safety, he is indeed being targeted too much online right now, and in order to find out if someone is behind this, I have a new suggestion."

Professor Oak surveyed the thoughtful expressions on everyone's faces and slowly said, "Officially, it will be announced that Natsuno will only be promoted to intermediate researcher, but in secret, he can be given the authority of a professor directly."

"It can both distract us from the possibility of a mastermind behind the scenes, making it easier for us to investigate whether such a mastermind exists, and also reduce everyone's attention on Natsuno, allowing him to focus on the subsequent project research."

"Moreover, the necessary permissions have been granted covertly, and the alliance has been secretly allocating resources. This could also allow certain restless individuals to step forward on their own, achieving three goals at once. Is this feasible?"

Seeing everyone nodding, Daiki once again exercised the committee's authority: "Let's vote. Raise your hand if you agree with the new plan."

It passed by everyone again.

"Then, let's call Natsuno over and ask him his personal opinion. If he agrees, we'll implement the new plan; if he doesn't agree, we'll stick to the previous plan."

At that moment, Natsuno, who had just returned to his room, received a phone call from Professor Oak. Without going into details, Professor Oak simply told Natsuno to come to the large conference room on the upper floor of the teaching building immediately.

It's like the Joker using Bombshell—completely baffling.

However, the system indicated that his influence points were increasing rapidly. He guessed that it might be related to Anthony's academic presentation, but he didn't care. He went to the conference room, knocked on the door, and entered.

The people in the conference room nodded to him, and Professor Oak introduced him to the representatives from the League.

Then Oki told Natsuno about his speculations, including the committee's latest proposal.

"That's the situation. We respect your wishes. We won't object to whichever option you choose; we'll proceed directly."

"However, as your mentor, I personally recommend that you choose the new option, since it was my suggestion."

After listening, Natsuno stroked his chin with his right hand and fell into deep thought.

Blue Star had never heard of the name Dr. Akihabara, but his experiences seemed somewhat familiar.

The doctor's suggestion makes a lot of sense. I should indeed keep a low profile and secretly grant the doctor the authority, only making him a mid-level researcher on the surface.

Once the results are in, there will definitely be a promotion in rank, so why not take advantage of it?

Professor Oak's analysis made Natsuno 99.8% believe that there was something fishy going on behind the scenes. He had seen plenty of things on Earth, but he never imagined that there would be something like this in the Pokémon world.

That makes sense. Where there are people, there are all sorts of desires. Although anime only shows the positive side because it's geared towards children, there are also instances of evil organizations wanting to destroy the world. It's perfectly normal for someone to cause trouble.

Natsuno nodded: "Doctors, I agree to the new plan. If there is anything I need to cooperate with, please let me know. Finding out if there is a mastermind behind this will benefit everyone, and I will fully cooperate."

Seeing Xia Ye's decision, the alliance's chief representative stepped forward and grasped his hand tightly: "Good, with young people like you, the future of the world will only be brighter. I will report this to the alliance and record it."

"Then announce the decision as soon as possible, otherwise netizens will be unable to sleep again."