January 16. Clear skies.
Blackthorn City, Dragon's Cave.
Several professors had worked here through the night.
They had also connected remotely with Professor Sycamore, Professor Magnolia, and Principal Samson Oak.
All these professors had joined at Professor Oak's invitation to pool their knowledge.
Though hailed as a grand master among Pokémon Professors, Professor Oak had always been very humble.
With Lance's help, research on Giant Dragonite was ongoing. The professors continued gathering important information to help them find the true cause.
Giant Dragonite was willing to cooperate not only out of regard for Lance, but also because this would help uncover why giant Pokémon had gone extinct.
Aside from the sealed-away Super-Ancient Gengar, Alakazam, Jigglypuff, and Claydol, along with the recently discovered Giant Dragonite,
almost all other ancient Pokémon had vanished without a trace. They could therefore all but conclude that the ancient giant Pokémon were extinct.
But a sliver of hope remained.
Even if the odds were slim, Lance was still willing to keep searching for Giant Dragonite's former kin.
Because that was Lance's promise.
Setting Lance's promise aside for the moment, the professors focused on studying why ancient Pokémon had been so enormous.
Giant Dragonite's memories confirmed that they had hatched from tiny Pokémon Eggs.
Yet even at birth, the Dratini had been larger than their original eggs, gradually growing into Dragonite like the one before them.
Giant Dragonite had indeed belonged to a group. Back then, they had lived on the vast sea, with an island behind them.
Unfortunately, Lance had no idea where that island was.
As a researcher specializing in Egg Groups and breeding, Professor Elm offered his own view.
"I don't think these were their eggs-or rather, that they laid them."
Pokémon Eggs still held many unsolved mysteries, even for Professor Elm, whose specialty