Chapter 240

Chapter 240: Chapter 240

At that moment, Oleana had just finished dinner and was spending some time chatting with Mike’s grandmother.

When Lucian’s message appeared, she looked at it in surprise before quickly replying.

[Oleana: I’m available, Elite Four Lucian. Is there something you need?]

Only a short while after she sent the message, her phone began ringing.

Lucian was calling.

Oleana quickly answered and gave Grandma an apologetic look.

Grandma, who was sitting nearby and affectionately rubbing Growlithe’s head, merely smiled and nodded, indicating that she didn’t mind.

"Hello, Elite Four Lucian?"

"It’s me, Oleana. Everything going smoothly with the research institute?"

"Yes. There haven’t been any problems," Oleana answered professionally. "With Professor Rowan and Officer Jenny helping, everything is proceeding according to schedule. I’ve also spoken with Mr. Manryo about the laboratory equipment, and those arrangements are in place."

"Good. I’m glad to hear it. Actually, there’s something else I’d like to discuss with you..."

Lucian briefly explained the situation.

Oleana listened carefully, although a puzzled expression gradually appeared on her face.

"So you’re asking me to help you organize and implement this project?"

"That’s right. The Lily of the Valley Conference is coming up soon, and the League has a lot of preparations that require my attention. Unfortunately, this project is important too, so I was hoping you might be willing to help."

He paused before adding, "Of course, I’ve already asked Mike. He said he has no objections as long as you’re willing."

Oleana hesitated.

The assignment itself wasn’t particularly difficult for her.

She would need to develop a workable plan, contact the people responsible at Naranja Academy and Blueberry Academy, consult them about their existing programs, and work out how a similar arrangement could be introduced in Sinnoh.

It was precisely the kind of administrative work she was good at.

The problem was something else.

She was technically employed as Mike’s research assistant now.

Would it be appropriate for her to take on unrelated League administrative work when she was supposed to be helping establish his research institute?

"Would it be all right if I discussed this with Professor Mike first?"

"Of course."

After ending the call, Oleana opened Mike’s conversation.

[Oleana: Professor, are you available?]

She had barely sent the message when her phone rang.

Mike was calling her directly.

Oleana answered immediately.

"Hello, Professor Mike."

"Call me Boss."

Oleana choked slightly on her response.

After a brief silence, she obediently corrected herself.

"Boss."

"That’s better. So, Lucian contacted you?"

"Yes."

"What do you think?"

Oleana hesitated before speaking.

"Boss, I’m your assistant, after all. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate for me to spend time handling work that has nothing to do with your research?"

"Would the project be difficult for you?"

"Not particularly," Oleana replied with confidence.

"How’s construction of the research institute going?"

"The general framework and preliminary arrangements are nearly complete. At this rate, we should be able to finish construction before much longer."

Mike blinked in surprise.

’That fast?’

Then again, this was the Pokémon world.

The efficiency of construction here could be almost ridiculous.

"Good to hear. As for Lucian’s request, if you want to help him, go ahead. Don’t worry about whether it’s directly related to my research."

Mike’s voice became a little more thoughtful.

"The reason I started making The Wide World of Pokémon was to help more people understand Pokémon. I especially wanted people who couldn’t travel themselves to experience their lives and natural behavior through my videos."

He chuckled.

"If those videos can help even more people by becoming educational material, that’s a good thing."

"And besides, you could use the opportunity to earn a little extra spending money."

Oleana blinked.

"Spending money?"

"Yeah. If someone asks you to do a job, it’s perfectly normal for them to pay you for it. Just decide what you want to do. I’m fine either way."

Oleana remained quiet for a moment before nodding.

"Understood, Boss."

A Growlithe barked somewhere nearby.

"Growl!"

Mike immediately recognized the sound.

"Are you at Grandma’s house?"

"Yes. She invited me over for dinner this evening."

"All right. Got it."

After ending the call, Oleana contacted Lucian again to discuss the assignment.

At almost the same time, Grandma’s phone began ringing.

...

Mike spent a little while chatting with Grandma before ending their call.

By the time he put his phone away, Nurse Joy was approaching with Gengar and the others.

She held out Glameow’s Poké Ball, although there was a slightly concerned expression on her face.

"Um, this Glameow of yours seems to have some difficulty with people approaching her..."

Mike accepted the Poké Ball.

Almost immediately, Glameow emerged in a flash of light, jumped onto his lap, and curled up comfortably against him.

Mike stroked her soft fur before giving Nurse Joy an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. I forgot to mention it earlier. Glameow doesn’t like strangers getting too close because of some things that happened to her in the past."

Nurse Joy nodded sympathetically.

"That’s all right. I understand. I had Blissey take care of her treatment, so she’s fully recovered now. Gengar and the others have all been treated too."

"Thank you very much."

"You’re welcome."

Nurse Joy smiled warmly.

She didn’t find Glameow’s behavior particularly unusual.

Over the years, she had encountered many Pokémon whose personalities had changed dramatically after being abandoned or mistreated by their previous Trainers.

Some became frightened of humans, while others responded to unfamiliar people with hostility.

But looking at the Glameow curled so comfortably on Mike’s lap, Nurse Joy could tell that she deeply trusted the person holding her.

Her current Trainer must be treating her very well.

Besides, she had dependable companions like Gengar and Beedrill looking after her.

Wait a minute.

Gengar?

Beedrill?

Glameow?

Nurse Joy suddenly felt that this particular group of Pokémon was very familiar.

She studied Mike for several seconds as he continued petting Glameow, then reached into the pocket of her nurse’s uniform and took out a pair of glasses.

After putting them on, she looked at his face again.

Her eyes widened.

"Assistant Mike... No, Professor Mike?!"

Mike raised his head.

"You know me?"

"Of course!"

Nurse Joy’s face immediately lit up.

"I’ve watched every one of your videos several times! You have no idea how much I enjoy them. Working up here, I don’t usually have many people to talk to."

She leaned forward excitedly.

"Professor Mike, are you here to film on Mount Coronet? Does that mean we’ll get another episode of The Wide World of Pokémon soon?"

Mike hadn’t expected the usually gentle Nurse Joy to become quite so talkative.

She continued asking questions for a little while before apparently realizing just how excited she had become.

An embarrassed smile appeared on her face.

"Sorry. It’s just that even though plenty of people pass through this Pokémon Center, most only come to have their Pokémon treated. Once their Pokémon recover, they leave again."

She gestured toward the windows and the snow-covered mountain beyond them.

"And since this Pokémon Center is located on Mount Coronet, there aren’t any villages or towns nearby. Compared with working at other Pokémon Centers, things can get rather lonely up here."

"Just call me Mike," he said with a friendly smile. "By the way, aren’t you worried about wild Pokémon attacking the Center when you’re this isolated?"

"Blissey and I know how to battle too," Nurse Joy assured him. "And this Pokémon Center is located along the route leading down to Rondo Town. If something serious happens, Officer Jenny can get here pretty quickly."

"Rondo Town?"

Mike looked surprised.

So that was why Officer Jenny’s reinforcements had arrived so quickly earlier.

Rondo Town was apparently situated farther down the very route this Pokémon Center served.

"Oh, that reminds me," Nurse Joy continued. "Mike, would you like to stay here tonight? We have some spare rooms available for travelers."

"Wouldn’t that be inconvenient for you?"

"Not at all."

"In that case, I’d appreciate it."

"It’s no trouble. You should have a hot shower first. We have plenty of hot water, and you can change out of those wet clothes. I’ll ask Blissey to take everything to the laundry room afterward."

"Blissey~"

[Follow me.]

Mike stood and followed Blissey to one of the guest rooms.

Once inside, he went to the bathroom and changed out of his winter clothes.

Grandma’s scarf had also become wet.

Snow had accumulated on it throughout the day, and the warmth inside the Pokémon Center had gradually melted it, leaving the fabric thoroughly damp.

Mike handed the scarf over with the rest of his laundry.

Snivy gathered the clothes in her arms and followed Blissey toward the laundry room.

After Mike and Gengar had enjoyed a long, much-needed hot shower, Mike glanced out of the guest room window.

The snow had stopped.

He gathered his Pokémon and headed outside, where he found an open area suitable for cooking dinner.

Once everything was prepared, Mike portioned out the food and carried several servings back inside the Pokémon Center.

Nurse Joy and Blissey were still busy working when he arrived.

"Dinner’s ready."

Nurse Joy looked up.

The moment she saw the delicious food in the bowls Mike was carrying, she quietly pushed her own work meal aside.

She accepted the food along with Blissey, and the two immediately began eating.

"Thank you~"

"Blissey~"

"There’s more outside," Mike told them. "If you want another serving, just let me know."

He left them to enjoy their meal and returned outside to eat with Gengar and the others.

Before long, Nurse Joy and Blissey came out as well and joined everyone around the dinner table.

After finishing her meal, Nurse Joy leaned back slightly.

"Burp..."

She immediately realized everyone was looking at her.

Her cheeks turned red, and she hurriedly covered her mouth with one hand.

"I’m sorry! I ate too much. It’s just that your cooking is so delicious, Mike."

Mike laughed.

"I’m glad you enjoyed it. Consider it my way of thanking you for letting me stay here tonight."

Nurse Joy smiled before asking, "By the way, are you planning to continue climbing the mountain tomorrow?"

"Probably not for the next few days," Mike replied. "I’m helping the Officer Jenny from Rondo Town film a safety video about Mount Coronet."

He paused before continuing.

"I also need to gather some more footage for my own series. Once I’ve finished those things, I’ll continue climbing."

"That’s probably for the best."

Nurse Joy nodded, although her expression grew a little more serious.

"Mount Coronet has been rather unsettled lately."

Mike noticed the change immediately.

"What happened?"

"Well, I don’t know who started the rumor, but apparently there’s an Articuno living somewhere higher up on Mount Coronet."

Nurse Joy sighed.

"Ever since that story started spreading, large numbers of Trainers have been coming up the mountain hoping to catch it."

She shook her head helplessly.

"Unfortunately, most of them can’t even endure the journey long enough to reach the area where Articuno was supposedly sighted. They end up giving up and coming back down before getting anywhere close."

"And some of the Trainers who did encounter Articuno tried battling it, only to get injured when they couldn’t defeat it."

"Articuno?"

Mike’s interest was immediately piqued.

"That’s right. From what I’ve heard, the Articuno eventually flew deeper into Mount Coronet."

Nurse Joy looked at him earnestly.

"According to the Trainers who’ve come through the Pokémon Center over the past couple of days, none of them has managed to find Articuno again. So if you continue climbing, please be careful."

"Don’t worry. I’ll be careful," Mike assured her.

He had no intention of doing anything reckless.

Articuno might be considered one of the lesser Legendary Pokémon, but it was still a Legendary Pokémon.

Its strength was on a completely different level from the Pokémon Mike could realistically challenge right now.

He wasn’t stupid enough to pick a fight with Articuno just because he happened to encounter one.

Nurse Joy seemed reassured by his answer, but she wasn’t finished explaining the recent incidents.

"There’s something else, too. Besides the Articuno rumors, several people have reported hearing singing somewhere on Mount Coronet recently."

"Singing?"

Mike looked toward her.

"Yes. They say the voice can be heard coming from somewhere deep in the snowy mountains."

Nurse Joy lowered her voice slightly.

"According to the reports, people who hear it sometimes begin behaving strangely, almost as though they’ve been hypnotized. They follow the singing without seeming to realize what they’re doing and eventually disappear."

She looked troubled.

"When those people are finally found again, they’re usually lying unconscious in the snow, and they can’t remember what happened to them while they were missing."

Mike’s eyes began to brighten.

’A mysterious singing voice deep in the snowy mountains?’

Now that sounded interesting.

Nurse Joy continued, "Quite a few people have already tried searching for the source of the singing, but—"

"Um, excuse me."

Mike interrupted before she could finish.

"Do you know roughly where people have been hearing it?"

"Huh?!"

Nurse Joy stared at him with her mouth slightly open.

The enthusiasm on Mike’s face made his intentions painfully obvious.

He wanted to investigate it himself.

"W-Well..."

She hesitated, clearly unsure whether she should encourage him.

After a moment, however, she reluctantly raised one hand and pointed toward a particular area of the mountain.

Mike followed her gesture, committing the direction to memory.

"Thanks!"