Although Haruki wanted to ask why Rowan had agreed so readily, he hesitated and chose not to press the matter.
He was starting to understand why the lab was both so busy and so quiet.
For a while, the two of them simply stood there in silence, watching the Nosepass move erratically within the enclosed testing area.
But then Haruki remembered his primary objective and decided to speak up first.
"Professor Rowan, do you think other Pokémon might also be capable of evolving through exposure to magnetic fields?"
Professor Rowan turned to face him, his sharp eyes locking onto Haruki.
"If you have any ideas, feel free to share."
"It was actually what you mentioned earlier about Mount Coronet that reminded me of a rare Pokémon that has only ever been found there… Magnezone."
Haruki felt like this transition was a bit forced, but he said it anyway.
"Hmm. Sharp observation. Just last night, I put in a request for a batch of Magneton. I had a similar thought."
Haruki felt a slight chill. 'As expected of a leading Researcher, the Professor had already taken action, meaning he was likely very confident in his hypothesis.'
"Looks like we were thinking along the same lines, Professor. This really might be possible!"
Haruki forced a smile, feigning surprise, but found himself at a loss for further conversation.
Talking with someone as serious as Professor Rowan was more mentally taxing than he'd expected.
Thankfully, Weston soon returned, giving Haruki a slight sense of relief.
He suddenly felt a newfound respect for the Professor's assistants.
"Haruki, if you're interested in discussing your share of the royalties, you can work out the details with Weston. He'll make sure you get the best possible compensation. And if you make any new discoveries in the future, don't hesitate to reach out."
Professor Rowan promised earnestly.
"Thank you, Professor… actually, there is one more thing I was hoping to ask you about…"
Haruki seized the opportunity, deciding to push his luck a bit further.
"Go ahead."
"It's about my Skiploom. You see…"
Haruki released Skiploom from its Poké Ball, cradling it in his arms as he explained its strange inability to use offensive moves in detail.
Fortunately, Haruki had already discussed this with Skiploom the night before, so while it was a bit nervous, it managed to keep its cool.
"An unusual support moves talent, but incapable of using offensive moves…"
Professor Rowan's face remained serious as he listened, his brows gradually furrowing in thought.
Skiploom, sensing the tension, nervously shrank back into Haruki's arms.
"Weston, bring me files A-408, C-1104, and Z-33. Meet me in the examination room."
"Understood, Professor."
Weston quickly exited the room, and Haruki followed Professor Rowan into the nearby examination area, Skiploom still in his arms.
A few minutes later, Weston returned with the requested files.
"Let's start with a full physical examination for Skiploom. Hand me those files."
Professor Rowan took the documents and immediately began reading through them.
Weston, clearly used to this routine, turned to Haruki.
"Alright, Skiploom, we're just going to run a full-body checkup. Don't worry, it won't hurt."
Weston said with a reassuring smile, giving Haruki a brief, encouraging nod.
"Go ahead, Skiploom. I'll be right here."
"Skip skip!"
Skiploom gave a small nod, clearly eager to resolve its lingering issues.
Weston moved with practiced ease, running the necessary tests while Professor Rowan remained focused on the documents.
After about ten minutes, both the exam and the file review wrapped up almost simultaneously.
"Are the examination results ready?"
"Here they are, Professor."
Haruki couldn't help but stare, a bit impressed. Clearly, not just anyone could handle a job like this.
After reviewing the report, Professor Rowan approached Skiploom and carefully examined its flower crown.
"Hmm. Alright, I have a basic understanding of the situation. Fixing this won't be easy…"
Hearing this, Haruki felt a pang of disappointment, but he quickly reminded himself that Skiploom had other viable paths ahead.
"There are three main options. You can decide which one is best for you."
"???"
'Three options? That didn't sound so bad…' until Haruki actually heard them, and his heart sank.
[Option 1: Intensive, targeted training. This might give Skiploom a roughly 10% chance of breaking through its current limitations and learning offensive moves.]
[Option 2: Expose Skiploom to a near-death experience before its next evolution, using the intense surge of energy from the evolution to potentially awaken its offensive moves. This method relies heavily on luck.]
[Option 3: Use high-grade energy guidance along with a high-quality Energy Crystal to compensate for Skiploom's weaknesses. However, this option is both costly and luck-dependent, as it requires energy levels typically found only in Legendary Pokémon.]
That last one was just absurd.
"Professor Rowan, those three files you just had Weston bring over… do they correspond to these three methods?"
Professor Rowan nodded. "Yes. I've encountered several cases like this before, but only three have ever succeeded, each using a different approach."
As he spoke, Rowan didn't hesitate to hand the files directly to Haruki.
Haruki flipped through the documents, quickly getting a sense of the situation.
None of the three methods would be easy, but the third one, while the most expensive, also seemed the safest and potentially the most effective for boosting a Pokémon's overall power.
'Legendary Pokémon, huh?' Haruki actually knew of quite a few…
As for the high-quality Energy Crystal…
"Professor, about the royalties from the Probopass evolution papers… would that be enough for me to exchange for a suitable Energy Crystal?"
Professor Rowan paused for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, that should be possible."
Weston, standing nearby, opened his mouth as if to say something but then quickly closed it, holding his tongue.
Haruki noticed this but chose not to comment.
If the balance truly ended up being unfair, there were other ways he could make it up to the Professor later.
He would remember this favor.
"Haruki, you might want to consider combining the second and third methods. Evolution remains one of the most mysterious aspects of a Pokémon's abilities."
Seeing that Haruki had made up his mind, Professor Rowan couldn't help but offer a final piece of advice.
"Thank you, Professor. I'll keep that in mind."
With that, Haruki had accomplished most of what he'd come to the lab for.
As for the Starter Pokémon… Haruki decided to hold off for now. His relationship with the Professor wasn't quite there yet.
But his next goal was clear.
Head north, to Eterna City.
The path to Eterna City would first take him through Jubilife City and Floaroma Town, followed by the dense Eterna Forest.
It wasn't a short journey, but Haruki felt a surge of excitement just thinking about it.
He briefly considered sharing his knowledge about the evolution methods for Leafeon and Glaceon, but without a physical Eevee to back up his claims, it would be difficult to explain where the information had come from.
After all, Eevee was a rare and highly valuable Pokémon, often treated as a species on par with Starters and carefully regulated.
Without an Eevee in hand, there was no point in revealing this secret just yet.
---
After staying in Sandgem Town for three days, Haruki took every opportunity to visit the lab.
Though he didn't see Rowan often, he did grow quite close with Weston.
Only then did Haruki realize that Weston wasn't just an assistant but also a high-level Breeder.
Seizing the opportunity, Haruki humbly sought his advice and eventually persuaded Weston to prepare the most suitable Pokéblocks for both Skiploom and Marowak.
"For now, stick with mid-level Pokéblocks. Anything higher could lead to energy overload, which wouldn't be good for them at their current stages."
Weston explained as he handed Haruki two small boxes of Pokéblock samples along with the matching recipes.
Haruki carefully accepted the items, feeling like this was his biggest gain from the entire Sandgem Town visit so far.