Chen Yan stood to one side, listening carefully to Professor Rowan.
"Chen Yan told me today that a friend of his had some questions about Pokémon evolution and wanted to consult me. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to try livestreaming and explain some common issues with Pokémon evolution and how to resolve them. I hope you won't find it boring?"
The chat was filled with comments like "Not at all," "Sitting down and behaving now," and "Please teach us."
Professor Rowan squinted at the chat. Finding that the messages scrolled too quickly, he said:
"Your messages are moving too fast for me to read clearly. Well, if there are no objections, I'll begin."
Professor Rowan glanced at Chen Yan after speaking. Chen Yan nodded, and the professor began going through the material he had prepared.
"As we all know, Pokémon evolution is extremely common, because evolution means growing up and becoming stronger."
"That's why many Trainers choose to evolve their Pokémon into their final forms. But first, I'd like to briefly explain a few common types of Pokémon evolution."
"The first is evolution during battle. I'm sure many of you are Trainers, so you're no strangers to this. Essentially, this happens when a Pokémon unlocks its potential in response to its Trainer's wishes. It doesn't harm the Pokémon's body; on the contrary, it improves its potential."
"The second is when an ordinary Pokémon evolves naturally at the appropriate time. Everything falls into place, and this doesn't harm the Pokémon's body either. This is also the type of evolution we see most often."
"The third involves Pokémon that evolve using various items, such as Eevee, which evolves with the help of different stones. Essentially, this doesn't harm the Pokémon either."
"None of these methods of evolution harm the Pokémon itself. However, we need to understand one thing: evolution doesn't just mean changes to the body and strength. Sometimes, their personalities change as well."
Chen Yan knew about that one: Ash's Charizard.
"Take the Sinnoh Region's starter Pokémon, for example. Piplup may be very attached to its Trainer before evolving, and remain that way after becoming Prinplup. But once it finally evolves into Empoleon, it may act completely differently and deliberately keep its distance from its Trainer."
"At times like this, we need to understand that it hasn't started disliking its Trainer. Rather, it believes it has grown up and should..."
Chen Yan listened with particular attention from the sidelines. So there were this many things to consider when Pokémon evolved...
It made sense when he thought about it. In the real world, Pokémon evolution was irreversible. You couldn't press B to cancel it like in the games.
"Here's another little tip for you: regulating a Pokémon's rate of evolution within reasonable limits can greatly improve its potential."
"Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia, told me that."
"This allows them to learn other moves and improve their strength before evolving."
"All right, that's all I have to share today. Next..." Professor Rowan turned to Chen Yan, asking with his eyes what he should do next.
"Oh, next, you can post your questions in the public chat. If the professor sees your question and can answer it, he'll do so."
"That's right." Professor Rowan nodded.
"What's my relationship with Chen Yan? He's currently my assistant. His understanding of Pokémon is also very profound. You can tell just by looking at the Gengar and Weedle he's raised."
"Isn't he a photographer? Yes, he is. I've just temporarily kept him here as my assistant."
"Neglecting his real job? Chen Yan, they're saying you're neglecting your real job."
Chen Yan immediately protested, "What do you mean, neglecting my real job? Champions can be historians, miners, and actors, but a Pokémon Professor's assistant can't be a photographer?"
Professor Rowan looked at Chen Yan and thought, Why does one of those Champions sound so familiar?
"What should you do if your Pokémon refuses to evolve? As I said earlier, evolution isn't just a matter for the Trainer. It's also a matter for the Pokémon. Only by respecting your Pokémon can you become a better Trainer."
Professor Rowan had caught on and learned to pick Pokémon-related questions to answer.
He seemed quite interested in answering questions on a livestream and kept talking nonstop. Chen Yan exchanged glances with the assistants nearby, who spread their hands helplessly.
Only when it was nearly dark did Chen Yan speak up. "Professor, it's time for the call-in segment."
"The call-in segment? Oh, right. I nearly forgot what you asked me to do. Mostly because this is rather fun. Remember to set one up for me sometime, so I can share Pokémon knowledge with everyone whenever I have time."
Professor Rowan pointed at the livestream camera as he spoke.
"Of course, Professor. Absolutely."
Smiling, Chen Yan enabled viewer calls and pulled Rich Guy straight into the stream.
"Hello? Hello there, Trainer. Can you hear me?"
Professor Rowan asked tentatively.
There were some clattering noises from the other end before a voice answered, "Hello, Professor Rowan. Yes, I can hear you."
Oh? A man's voice? So it really is Rich Guy!
He has a pretty nice voice, too.
Chen Yan thought to himself.
"Chen Yan mentioned that you seem to have encountered a problem with Pokémon evolution. What is the issue? Would you mind explaining it so I can analyze it for you?"
"If you trust me, that is," Professor Rowan added.
"Of course, Professor. You must be joking. I never expected you to analyze it for me personally."
"Everyone knows you're an authority on Pokémon evolution. In fact, I wanted to consult you from the start, but the Paldea Region is too far from the Sinnoh Region, and I couldn't book an appointment with your schedule."
Just listen to him. No wonder he's Rich Guy. He certainly knows what to say.
"Here's the situation, Professor. My..."
Rich Guy explained his Pokémon's problem.
"So you're saying your Gimmighoul wants to evolve but can't, and now it's refusing to eat?"
"Yes, exactly. It's doing a little better today. I found a coin for it, and it finally agreed to eat."
"If I remember correctly, Gimmighoul's evolution method is..." Professor Rowan pondered.
"Apparently, after collecting 999 Gimmighoul Coins, it evolves through battle," Chen Yan said quietly.
"Yes, Chen Yan is correct. Has your Gimmighoul already collected 999 coins, then?" Professor Rowan asked.
"It already has 9,999."
Professor Rowan: ...
Chen Yan: ...
The viewers: ...
Chen Yan could already imagine the other Gimmighoul crying out:
"How can you be so selfish!"
"To be honest, Professor, at first I thought I'd misremembered the number of coins or bought fake ones. So I bought some more, but it still couldn't evolve. What could be causing this?"
"This is very rare. It could be related to the Pokémon's physical condition, bloodline, or other factors. Could you let me take a look at your Gimmighoul?"
"Of course. Just a moment."
Chen Yan heard footsteps moving away, then approaching again.
Then Rich Guy turned on his camera. However, he wasn't in the frame himself. Only a Gimmighoul appeared, curiously inspecting the screen.
Professor Rowan examined Gimmighoul and found nothing wrong. But after looking around, he couldn't find its chest, so he asked curiously:
"Where is Gimmighoul's treasure chest? Where did it go?"
"Treasure chest? What treasure chest?" Rich Guy's puzzled voice rang out.
Chen Yan and Professor Rowan instantly understood the cause.
Professor Rowan explained, "Gimmighoul has two forms. One is Chest Form, which has a treasure chest. Only that form can evolve into Gholdengo. The other is Roaming Form, like this Gimmighoul here. Without a treasure chest, it can't evolve into Gholdengo."
"What should I do, then?"
"Just find its treasure chest and bring it back."
Professor Rowan said, "As long as you find its own treasure chest, it will be able to evolve."
"So that's it. Thank you for your guidance, Professor."
"You're welcome."
"Then I won't take up any more of your time."
Rich Guy promptly ended the video call, sent three "Poké-Carnival" gifts, and left the stream. He had probably gone to look for the treasure chest.
Professor Rowan continued offering advice through viewer calls.
"Chen Yan."
"Huh? Oh? I'm here." Hearing a fan call his name, Chen Yan answered.
"The Suicune in your video... is it real?"
Chen Yan froze for a moment. You pass up Professor Rowan's advice to ask me whether Suicune is real?
"Suicune? You encountered Suicune too?" Professor Rowan was also curious.
"I ran into it beside a lake just before coming to Sandgem Town. Let me show you." Chen Yan took out his tablet and shared its screen with the livestream.
Professor Rowan watched the tablet in Chen Yan's hands, and even the assistants farther away came over.
Chen Yan's voice played in the video. "Um... Suicune, could you say hello to everyone watching?"
What happened next was unexpected.
The Shiny Suicune actually greeted them.
Professor Rowan: ?
The assistants: ??
The livestream viewers: ???
Call Me Purple Scholar: Is this what a real photographer looks like?
Li Luochen Doesn't Like Lolis: So it really is real... and it's Shiny, too...
Before you continue