The bus made good time, and by late afternoon, Haruki arrived in Sandgem Town.
As soon as he stepped off the bus, the salty sea breeze hit him, instantly bringing to mind all kinds of delicious seafood dishes.
Sandgem Town, though small, sits right by the sea and has a thriving fishing industry.
Especially after Professor Rowan established his Research Lab here, the town's development took off, and it now rivals some of the smaller cities in terms of activity.
Haruki looked down at the slightly wilted Skiploom in his arms and had a sudden idea.
"Come on, let's get you guys a nice seafood feast."
"Skip~?"
Skiploom tilted its head in confusion. Growing up inland, it had no idea what seafood even was.
But a feast? That had to be something delicious…
An hour later, Haruki returned to the Pokémon Center, his arms loaded with two large bags of freshly packed seafood.
This time, he decided to stay at the Pokémon Center instead of a hotel.
As for the takeout? Naturally, he wanted to share it with Beldum as well.
The Pokémon world has a deep understanding of Pokémon nutrition, and even seafood can be prepared in ways that appeal to different Pokémon types.
So, one human and three Pokémon happily dug in, thoroughly enjoying their meal.
The next morning, Haruki reached out to Professor Rowan and, after confirming that the Professor had returned, set off for the research lab.
As one of Sinnoh's most renowned Pokémon Researchers, Rowan's lab was far from small.
Haruki had checked satellite images in advance and discovered that the lab alone covered nearly a third of Sandgem Town.
Beyond that, it extended into dense forests, with the actual boundaries classified as top-secret, leaving the satellite images a pixelated blur.
In short, it was massive.
But despite its impressive scale, the main entrance looked surprisingly ordinary and understated.
Ding dong~
Haruki pressed the doorbell and waited patiently.
Soon, the door swung open. A relatively young-looking Researcher appeared, giving Haruki a polite smile.
"You must be Haruki. I'm Weston, Professor Rowan's assistant. I'll take you to see him."
Weston had a friendly demeanor but moved with the same no-nonsense efficiency as Professor Rowan.
"Thank you, Weston."
Haruki nodded, falling in step without further small talk.
To Haruki's surprise, the interior of the lab was extremely quiet, with only a handful of people moving around.
Everyone seemed entirely absorbed in their work, not sparing even a glance as Haruki passed by.
"The Professor is currently measuring Nosepass data. I'll take you straight to him. This way, please," Weston explained, leading Haruki down a side corridor into a large rock cavern.
Finally, Haruki caught sight of Professor Rowan, his hair a mix of black and white, his expression as serious as ever.
Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but the entire lab felt oppressively quiet. The only sound was the scratching of Rowan's pen as he took notes.
In this heavy silence, Haruki wisely chose to remain quiet as well.
However, while he held his composure, the two Nosepass stationed beside Professor Rowan suddenly swiveled to face him.
"PAAAASS!"
"PAAAS PASS!"
The two Nosepass let out sudden, thunderous cries, startling even Professor Rowan, who nearly dropped his pen.
The next second, the pair of Nosepass charged straight at Haruki, their magnetic noses crackling with energy as they prepared to unleash Zap Cannons!
"STOP!"
"Marowak, block it, Skiploom, Sleep Powder."
Bam!
Bam!
Two flashes of red light erupted, and Marowak and Skiploom appeared directly in front of Haruki.
The two Nosepass had already fired their Zap Cannons, but Marowak stepped forward and intercepted the attacks, emerging completely unscathed.
At the same moment, Skiploom spun its flower crown, releasing a large cloud of light blue powder into the air.
The two Nosepass immediately started to sway, their eyelids growing heavy. Within moments, they collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.
"Professor, about this…"
It suddenly hit Haruki that he had just unleashed his Pokémon inside Professor Rowan's lab… without permission.
"Quick reflexes, appropriate response. Well done!"
Professor Rowan gave an approving nod, then added with a slight bow, "But this was my oversight. I forgot that you might have some unresolved issues with these Nosepass. I apologize for my mistake."
Haruki blinked in surprise.
'This Professor… he's actually pretty reasonable.'
"Weston, please take care of these two Nosepass."
"Of course, Professor!"
Weston responded respectfully. He then gave a small gesture, and a Gengar silently floated out from behind him, easily picking up the two slumbering Nosepass and floating them away.
Haruki paused for a moment, realizing that even if he hadn't acted, he probably wouldn't have been in any real danger.
In fact, he couldn't even gauge this Gengar's level, which said a lot.
"Haruki, my young friend, please come with me!"
Professor Rowan's voice snapped Haruki out of his thoughts.
"Of course, Professor."
Rowan led Haruki through a small interior door.
Click.
The Professor pressed a button, and a previously sealed wall slowly lowered halfway, revealing a thick pane of reinforced glass.
Through the glass, Haruki saw a chaotic scene: an entire group of Nosepass were moving erratically, seemingly at random.
"Professor Rowan, what… is this?"
Haruki couldn't help but ask as he pointed at the frenzied Nosepass on the other side of the glass.
"We've recreated the magnetic field environment of the Steelrock Town cave/mine, and the Nosepass have been exhibiting all sorts of unusual behavior ever since."
Professor Rowan's face remained serious, but Haruki could hear the excitement in his voice.
"Just yesterday, one of the Nosepass even evolved into a Probopass!"
Rowan continued, his tone growing even more animated as he spoke.
"We traced the source of the magnetic field fluctuations back to Mount Coronet. It seems likely that the mountain itself is the true source of the magnetic field necessary for Nosepass to evolve! Going forward…"
The moment he started talking about his research, Professor Rowan's words came fast and furious.
Haruki, sensing his enthusiasm, wisely chose not to interrupt and simply listened quietly.
Ten minutes later, Rowan suddenly fell silent.
He seemed to realize that he might have been overwhelming Haruki with technical jargon that the young Trainer might not fully grasp.
"Forgive me for getting carried away. But thanks to your information, the upcoming paper on Probopass evolution will definitely include your name as a co-author. You'll also receive a share of any related royalties."
Here it comes… the classic moment!
Adding his name to a Scientific Paper was the kind of opportunity countless fictional predecessors dreamed of: fame, fortune, and a smooth path to the top!
But then Haruki's thoughts caught up with him.
'Wait… I'm a Team Rocket undercover agent. If my name ends up on a published paper, the four Admins will probably drag me back to HQ for forced labor the next day.'
More importantly, Haruki knew his own limits.
Providing clues was one thing, but actually participating in academic research and writing a full paper? That was out of his league.
Science wasn't something to be taken lightly.
So, this had to be handled carefully.
"Professor, I'm not really from your field, so the co-authorship isn't necessary. Honestly, I'd prefer a larger share of the royalties if possible."
Rowan's expression grew even more serious, and Haruki felt a sudden, intense pressure.
'Wait, is he going to get mad at me for refusing the co-authorship?'
"Actually, if it's not too much to ask…"
"Agreed!"
"A-ah? Oh…"