Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

Whether he made it to the semifinals of the Champions Cup or not, Shiro was determined to leave Macro Cosmos. And for that, he had to start preparing early.

Strengthening his team was important, but it wasn't enough; he also needed to increase his own "value" in other ways. By then, even if Rose tried to force him to stay in Galar, pressure from a few well-known professors would make him let Shiro go.

As Rose tightened his grip on Galar, the main league was gradually loosening its control. If the right opportunity arose, they might step in and interfere with Galar's league again.

If Shiro could make himself valuable enough to create a conflict of interest, Rose would have no choice but to make the best decision for himself. Once he left Galar, he'd finally be free of Rose and Macro Cosmos. For now, though, he needed the company to see his research.

"Pokémon evolution..." Shiro murmured, scrolling through an article on his laptop. "Some Pokémon don't evolve based on level alone but require special conditions. These conditions vary and are still being explored by researchers..."

He leaned back slightly, recalling the three main methods of Pokémon evolution.

The first was level-based, where Pokémon evolved naturally by accumulating enough energy.

The second required Evolution Stones, like how Eevee evolved into different forms depending on the stone used.

The third involved special conditions; some evolved through trading, while others needed specific items or even the presence of another Pokémon.

The post he was reading focused on the third type. It was written by Professor Rowan, a well-known researcher in Sinnoh who specialized in Pokémon evolution.

"Evolution under special conditions? This explanation is too vague," Shiro muttered. "They still haven't figured out trade evolution, huh?"

He thought for a moment and searched for discussions about trade evolution and special magnetic fields. He found nothing useful—just scattered, irrelevant posts and papers. There were several articles under Rowan's research topic, but most were either off-track or pure nonsense.

It made sense. The Pokémon world was vast, and while there were plenty of researchers, true discoveries required significant funding and years of effort. Only a handful of professors had the resources and influence to push the field forward.

Shiro began typing up his own article, carefully structuring his thoughts.

[A Hypothesis on Special Magnetic Fields and Pokémon Evolution]

He proposed that certain Pokémon evolved under the influence of special magnetic fields, a phenomenon distinct from traditional evolution methods. These fields, he theorized, might act as an environmental trigger, altering a Pokémon's energy flow in a way that facilitated evolution.

To support his idea, he provided examples of Pokémon commonly found in Galar.

For instance, his own Rhyperior had evolved from Rhydon not just through trade evolution but by holding a special item called a "Protector." This suggested that evolution required a specific external factor.

Besides Rhyperior, he also mentioned Gengar, Golem, Gigalith, Trevenant—Pokémon that have special evolution methods and could be found in Galar. To avoid making his theory seem too definitive, he intentionally included a few incorrect examples, keeping the paper balanced.

After detailing his hypothesis, he ended with a disclaimer:

"Due to current limitations, I cannot conduct concrete experiments to confirm these ideas. This paper serves only as a theoretical framework, providing a possible direction for further research."

Shiro read it over one last time.

"Alright, that should do it."

He clicked the "Submit" button, watching as the status changed to "Under Review" before closing his laptop and sliding it into his bag.

It was still early—barely past four in the afternoon. He could still go for a short run around the garden near the building.

"Growl! Growl!"

The moment Shiro got up, Growlithe, who had been playing with Dreepy in the room, immediately ran over. It bounced excitedly, tail wagging like a propeller.

Drakloak slipped into Shiro's shadow, while Dreepy floated onto Growlithe's head, joining in on the excitement.

Shiro exhaled, tapping his forehead lightly. "Fine, you can come too."

He really had no way of dealing with the dog's endless energy. But this level of energy also proved that Growlithe was in excellent health and had great potential. If it were weak or sickly, it wouldn't act like a true Fire-type—full of energy and eager to run.

Since he had free time, Shiro decided to take it for a walk.

...

At the top floor of the Macro Cosmos headquarters, a cold, striking woman with golden hair lightly knocked on the office door.

Knock, knock, knock…

Buzz!

The door automatically slid open.

Rose leaned back in his chair, but when he saw who it was, he straightened up and smiled.

"Oleana, I've told you before, you don't need to knock. Just come in."

Oleana, tall and poised, strode inside without responding immediately. Dressed in her usual white coat, she carried a folder filled with documents. Without a word, she pulled out a few pages and placed them in front of Rose.

As the vice president of Macro Cosmos, she handled nearly all of the company's affairs. Only the most critical matters ever reached Rose's desk.

Glancing at her attire, Rose casually twirled a lock of his own hair and said lightly, "Hmm~ Oleana, are you still handling the Dynamax research yourself? I told you, just leave that project to Professor Magnolia—"

"I know," Oleana cut him off coldly, still flipping through her files.

She retrieved a specific document and handed it to him. "Someone from the special squad posted something online. The review team isn't sure whether to approve it or not."

"Oh? They're unsure?" That piqued Rose's curiosity. He accepted the paper with one hand.

If it were something anti-league or anti-company, no matter how well it was disguised, he trusted Oleana to block it without hesitation. But for something to make her uncertain…

Oleana was one of his most capable subordinates. What kind of content could make her hesitate?

"It's him again?" Rose skimmed through the document. "Pokémon evolution? He's got plenty of time, huh? Instead of focusing on training his Pokémon, he's off doing research…"

After a while, he finished reading and frowned, his confusion growing.

"What's wrong with this paper?"

It wasn't anti-league or anti-company. It was purely an academic study. He didn't understand why there was any hesitation about approving it.

"There's nothing wrong with the paper itself," Oleana replied. "In fact, it's an excellent one. The hypothesis is highly specific and logical, supported by clear verification methods. He even provides Pokémon examples..."

She paused briefly before adding, "Even if I gave my researchers a clear direction, they wouldn't be able to produce something this polished. It's as if... he already knew the results before he even wrote it."

"He's that good?" Rose chuckled, still twirling his hair between his fingers.

He knew Oleana's research capabilities rivaled, if not exceeded, those of well-known professors. He had personally discovered her potential in a research lab.

Even the Dynamax Band, the device that allowed trainers to control Dynamax transformations, had been her invention.

"So what you're saying is... he's right about everything he wrote?"

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