Chapter 143: Chat Logs in the Group.

Egg Hatching Fan: "Dr. Chen Ouh is giving a public lecture at Celadon University tomorrow!"
Walking Pokémon Map: "???"
Light of Mega Evolution: "???"
The Royal Mask: "???"
Sonia Not Yet a Doctor: "???"
Dream Seeker: "???"
Burnet: "Really? Is this confirmed? Shouldn't a public lecture be announced well in advance?"
Egg Hatching Fan: "Heard it with my own ears, saw it with my own eyes."
Origin: "I can vouch for it. Chen Ouh is giving a lecture tomorrow, though it doesn't seem to be a public one."
Origin: "@Dream Chaser, are you going, Fennel?"
Dream Seeker: "Are you going, Juniper?"
Origin: "I just saw him a couple of days ago. I'm not planning to fly to Kanto again so soon."
Dream Seeker: "Then I'll take Truffle and go. It really has been a long time since we last met."
The Royal Mask: "Burnet and I are planning to attend as well. There's still time to book plane tickets."
Sonia Not Yet a Doctor: "Waaah~ I want to go too, but Leon has an exhibition match tomorrow..."
Walking Pokémon Map: "Leon's exhibition match happens every month... As for that lazy little guy Chen Ouh's lecture, who knows when the next one will be if we miss this time."
Light of Mega Evolution: "I want to go too... What kind of welcome gift should I bring? After all, this is my first time meeting Dr. Chen Ouh. It feels a bit impolite not to bring anything. @Origin, Juniper, what gift did you give Dr. Chen Ouh?"
Origin: "I sent him a pretty young lady."
Egg Hatching Fan: "!"
Dream Seeker: "???!"
The Royal Mask: "[Thumbs Up]"
Burnet: "[Thumbs Up]"
Walking Pokémon Map: "..."
Sonia Not Yet a Doctor: "!!!"
Light of Mega Evolution: "...Is that really okay? I heard from Diantha that Dr. Chen Ouh already has a girlfriend. It's Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh."
Origin: "o(^▽^)o, you've misunderstood, I just sent an assistant who is also an apprentice over there..."

Egg Hatching Fan: "Oh~ So that apprentice by little Ouh's side was sent by you. I was wondering where that guy managed to find an apprentice."
Light of Mega Evolution: "^_^ Fine then, what is Dr. Chen Ouh's Pokémon? I'll bring him a set of Mega Stones."
Origin: "It's a Charmeleon, so if you're bringing stones, you should bring Charizard's evolution stones."
Light of Mega Evolution: "^_^||| , should I bring the X or Y version for Charizard???"
Egg Hatching Fan: "Bring the X one. I remember little Ouh has always had his eyes on Red's Mega Charizard X."
Light of Mega Evolution: "OK!"
Burnet: "Then Kukui and I will just bring a Fire-type Z-Crystal and a Z-Ring."
Sonia Not Yet a Doctor: "I'll bring a Dynamax Band too... Even though a Dynamax Band probably won't be of any use in Kanto..."
Walking Pokémon Map: "I'll pass. I already gave him a gift when we met before. Speaking of which, should I bring Sapphire and Ruby along? I think it's necessary for the kids to get to know him."
Egg Hatching Fan: "(??`w′?), Professor Elm, you're just taking the kids along to score some welcome gifts! Great idea!"
Walking Pokémon Map: "Elm! This is slander! Am I that kind of person? The main point is to let Chen Ouh meet his juniors, gifts are definitely not the main priority! [Dog Head]"
Light of Mega Evolution: "(??????)??"
The Royal Mask: "(??????)??"
Sonia Not Yet a Doctor: "(??????)??"
Dream Seeker: "(??????)??"
Burnet: "(??????)??"
Origin: "@Egg Hatching Fan Elm, find a chance tomorrow to pull Chen Ouh into the group chat. I forgot to add him last time I went."
Egg Hatching Fan: "Can do."

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Kalos Region, Professor Sycamore's Laboratory
Professor Sycamore put his phone back into his pocket, then turned to his assistant nearby and said, "Help me book a flight to Kanto's Celadon City for tomorrow morning."
The assistant nodded without asking why, then withdrew to book the tickets.
Professor Sycamore glanced at a set of Mega Charizard X stones sitting on the experimental bench, nodded, and murmured, "I hope Dr. Chen Ouh is satisfied with this gift. After all, strictly speaking, I don't really have anything else decent to offer."

——————————————
Alola Region, Professor Kukui's Laboratory
Kukui and Burnet were having a meal at the dining table.

Burnet spoke up, "How did it feel when you went to listen to Dr. Chen Ouh's lecture last time?"
Kukui answered without hesitation, "Breathtaking. For someone so young to have already reached such significant conclusions, he is truly a youthful genius!"
There was undisguised admiration—or rather, awe—on Professor Kukui's face. It was hard to imagine a young man in his early twenties sitting on equal footing with them as a fellow doctor, coming close to Professor Oak's academic status.
Burnet took a bite of her sandwich and said, "I heard people saying he might take over Professor Oak's position?"
Professor Kukui nodded with a slightly serious expression, "As long as he publishes two more papers of sufficient weight, it will basically be certain that he's the successor. He reached our level with just a single paper. If he comes out with another two of comparable weight, he'll be able to compete directly with veterans like Professor Oak and Professor Rowan."
Burnet clicked her tongue, "Talk about a youthful genius!"
Then she looked at her husband and said, "Don't worry, even though you might be weaker than him in research, your strength as a Trainer is definitely superior to his!"
Hearing his wife bring this up, Kukui instantly perked up: "Of course! Your husband is no weaker than the Champion of any region!"
That was indeed the truth. Professor Kukui was genuinely the most formidable fighter among all the current professors. Although Professor Oak had also been a mighty powerhouse in his youth, he had grown old now, and an elderly person's reaction time was inevitably much slower than before. Professor Oak's current strength wasn't weak, but it could only be described as merely not weak.

——————————————
Kanto, Celadon City
Chen Ouh, who was still polishing his lesson plans, had no idea how massive a pit Professor Elm had just dug for him.
Right at this moment, he was discussing tomorrow's lecture procedure with White, and then helplessly went to seek wisdom from Professor Oak.
After a brief conversation, Professor Oak smiled and said, "Keep it up, little Ouh! Tomorrow I'm bringing Green and Daisy along to watch your lecture!"
Chen Ouh smiled and replied, "Senior brother Elm said he's coming too."
Professor Oak's mouth twitched slightly before he said, "Then I reckon tomorrow's turnout is going to be quite something."
As if suddenly remembering something, he added, "Alright, I'll help you contact a few more people. Since it's your first public lecture, let's make a big deal out of it!"
With that, Professor Oak hung up the phone.
Chen Ouh scratched his head in utter bewilderment...
"Wasn't the lecture I'm giving supposed to be... just a regular public lecture?"