Chapter 284: Pokémon Sleep

Although there was a brief incident with Rotom, Zhen Gu still successfully entered the Linking World.

Now it was Songlu who grew nervous.

She even muttered, “If my sister doesn’t come back, I’ll be the lead researcher—what should I do then?” as she tugged at her hair in front of the towering piles of documents, but soon Zhen Gu returned from her journey!

She still felt dazed, but when she saw Guang Tai and Songlu, she finally confirmed she had truly succeeded!

None of that was a dream!

Ah, although it’s powered by dream energy, the linked world isn’t the dream world!

“I’m already speaking nonsense! But I’m too excited!”

“I saw the Tree of Linking! So that’s the true will hidden in Unova all along—it took that form! It spoke to me, and in short… I suddenly feel I’ve been given a mission!”

The C Device must exist; in this new era, a new force is needed to connect all people. Human technology has even impressed the Tree of Linking, and in ancient times…

“Long ago, the King of the Sea possessed the ability to communicate with all people and Pokémon. Now, such ability is unnecessary—through technology and mechanical devices, people can communicate with each other even across great distances, and with the C Device, hearts grow closer, helping and thanking one another.”

“That’s what the Tree of Linking told me.”

Zhen Gu felt her whole body brimming with energy; her glasses gleamed with silver reflections, and though she hadn’t slept all night, she was exhilarated!

Dawn had quietly arrived; sunlight pierced the horizon and spilled through the second-floor window onto the machines, the floor, the three people, and the Pokémon.

The warm sunlight was like the world’s question mark—then, Shieldon finally woke from its sleep.

“Guh~”

Shieldon slammed its shield!

That was a truly comfortable sleep!

Ah! Two more Poké Balls!

Shieldon floated over to Guang Tai, folding its blade into three sections, scrutinizing the Pokémon inside—Wave Pokémon’s eyes widened instantly.

“Eh-oh-wai!” (Paldean accent)

“Who are you?!”

Wave Pokémon never imagined that tiny sword that once could’ve been burned by a single Ember could now grow so massive—though Guang Tai had told her before, seeing this form still stunned her deeply!

Hmph! But my Sunny Day + Flamethrower + Ancient Power isn’t weak either!

Guang Tai, meanwhile, was grumbling:

“That nap lasted more than three turns!”

“How did we just jump straight to Pokémon Sleep?”

“Hey, why not install that program too?”

“Since we’re aiming to put Pokémon to sleep, why not install a program like this?”

Guang Tai proposed a research idea to Zhen Gu!

Install Pokémon Sleep as a program into the C Device!

Though it might steal the spotlight from Dr. Orange Dream, who specializes in sleep, Dr. Zhen Gu is also a specialist in dreams!

Professionally, they’re identical—and Dr. Zhen Gu is even a pioneer in this field!

Besides, Dr. Orange Dream’s research also involves Dream Fragments—so perhaps that chubby doctor once worked in the same lab as Zhen Gu and Bannet.

And in Pokémon Sleep, there’s a special power called “Sleep Power,” possessed only by sleeping Snorlax, capable of attracting more Pokémon to join in sleep.

Zhen Gu pondered, the girl wearing a thoughtful expression: “Hmm… a program to detect Pokémon sleep patterns, presented as a game, measuring, recording, analyzing…”

Guang Tai snapped his fingers: “After measurement, classify results into Light Dozing, Sound Sleep, Deep Slumber, or No Distinct Pattern. As usage time and encountered Pokémon increase, the number of recorded Pokémon will grow.”

Dr. Zhen Gu herself entered the Dream World through her own research—no other doctor has such ability!

Just like her sister, she’s truly a genius girl!

“Ah! That sounds so fun! I’ll do it!”

Zhen Gu’s interest was instantly sparked; her eyes shimmered with longing: “A data world recording every Pokémon’s sleep information, while also collecting Trainer data—ah! It’s a dreamlike research subject!”

“No! That dream has already come true!”

“We can even write some sleep trivia! Yes—research on Pokémon sleep is still a blank slate; starting from the Dream World, this gap will be completely filled!”

“Ah! Thank you so much, Guang Tai! Because of you, I’ve realized my own dream!”

Zhen Gu opened her arms, closed her eyes, and welcomed the sunrise; her expression glowed with joy, still wrapped in the surreal wonder of a dream fulfilled—and everything she’d just experienced clearly told her it wasn’t fake!

“Real! Really real—it’s all real!”

“What a wonderful day!”

Morning arrived; people walked the streets, Trainers and their Pokémon began their daily training, shops opened, and workers busied themselves.

“Great! I’ll start a new research institute! You’ll be our deputy director!”

Zhen Gu made the suggestion—she was still in high spirits and decided to establish a brand-new institute!

And she appointed Guang Tai as deputy director!

But… this was only a temporary dream.

“Sister, you don’t have any money,” Songlu tugged at Zhen Gu’s white coat. “Without money, you can’t build an institute.”

“By the way, if Guang Tai-brother is deputy director, what about me?”

Zhen Gu: “Ah, once the C Device is successfully mass-produced… but! Those chasing dreams must never be held back by money!”

“My goal is to open a big institute in Freetown! Then we can have several deputy directors!”

Ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel.

In Black 2 and White 2, Zhen Gu moved to Freetown; the little boy downstairs complained that big cities really weren’t that great.

Yet Zhen Gu rented an entire floor in Freetown for her institute—clearly, her finances were still decent then.

But…

“Real wealthy doctors all run labs in the countryside, right?” Guang Tai grumbled. “I know Prof. Oak, Prof. Sycamore, Prof. Kukui—they all live outside big cities.”

“Pallet Town, Sandgem Town, Viridian Town.”

Zhen Gu fell into confusion and thought.

“No, small towns are fine—studying Pokémon ecology is great—but the C Device is special. I still think the diverse people in cities are easier to record and test.”

“Besides!” Zhen Gu suddenly snapped her fingers, as if something clicked; she crossed her arms and grinned:

“Professor Juniper’s institute already exists! Her institute is my institute—my institute is still my institute!”

As if using Professor Juniper’s institute was perfectly natural!

Is this the friendship of college best friends?

“Alright, you handle the new program development… Oh, I’ll leave you something.”

Guang Tai subtly applied the program knowledge he’d gained from the Transport Factory—Dr. Park’s knowledge was extremely advanced; Guang Tai quickly outlined a foundational development direction.

“Whoa! Amazing! That’s exactly the direction!” Zhen Gu adjusted her glasses, gripping the paper tightly with her slender hands:

“You’re really a genius!”

“We can install all sorts of new programs into the C Device later! This device is truly full of potential!”

Guang Tai: “No, actually—it’s knowledge I learned from Dr. Park.”

This was the honest truth!

【Extra: C Device Program Knowledge Loaded!】

Guang Tai’s gaze sharpened slightly.

【Description: Special knowledge derived from World Communication knowledge, enabling the C Device to interface with most programs and machines. Requires writing extremely complex code and using the special item “Link Rope.”】

【Note: Some special machines require specific powers or conditions to establish connection and function.】

“Dr. Park… Ah! The one from the Transport Factory! I don’t know him well, but Juniper knows him! He’s also incredibly talented! Come to think of it, he’s conducting some massive experiment.”

Guang Tai spread his hands: “It failed—but the future is promising. Extremely promising.”

Zhen Gu’s expression suddenly turned serious:

“Hmm… when you were developing the C Device, you didn’t say its future was extremely promising!”

“You rate Dr. Park’s experiment so highly? Fine—I won’t lose to him!”

“Alright, I’ll continue my journey. The one burdened with a mission isn’t just you—I have my own special work.”

Guang Tai tucked away the C Device; it could be worn directly on the wrist, looking quite tech-savvy.

After all, it’s the latest device.

Then Guang Tai transmitted the unsold electronics into the Linking World.

“Ah! The Linking World can be used as a storage space too!” Songlu was amazed.

“Right—then Rotom, residing in the C Device, can… activate Super Transform!”

Guang Tai made a gesture; the C Device’s screen erupted in bright light, and Rotom was teleported out in fan form!

“In battle, you can switch forms anytime, anywhere via Linking!”

Later, we can stop by R9 Shopping Plaza to buy unsold refrigerators, lawnmowers, and washing machines. Apparently, only the washing machine sold well.

But the products from Pluto are terrible—when selecting, let Rotom help. That comfortable one—pick that one.

“Professor Juniper has two Rotoms of mine. If you need research materials, go to her,” Guang Tai explained about the Trickster and the Arrogant. Zhen Gu stared at the junk products.

“Hss… if Rotom could perfectly combine with special motors and enter all kinds of strange devices, wouldn’t that be artificial intelligence?”

“It might become a major future direction for the electronics industry! Should I research this too?”

Listening to Zhen Gu’s muttering, Guang Tai nearly retorted.

Wow.

Is Dr. Zhen Gu about to steal the Nimoh family’s business too?

No wonder she’s called the “Dream Girl”—ideas keep popping up one after another.

"By the way! Are you going to challenge the Gym? You're back after so long!" Zhen Gu suddenly raised a finger: "Didn't you have the Beetle Badge and the Basic Badge before?"

"Well! The Three Suns Gym isn't that hard anyway—your strength makes it a breeze to win! By the way, if you win, your meal's on us!"

A sly glint appeared in Zhen Gu's eyes.

So there's the solution for breakfast!

Truffle: "After all, scientific research costs a fortune! Saving on meals to fund research, sneaking extra meals—it's only natural!"

"Eh?! What are you saying, Truffle!" Zhen Gu quickly covered Truffle's mouth, her cheeks instantly flushing red.

"Challenge?" Guang Tai rubbed his chin.

Fine! To hone my strength for battle against the Three Gods of the alternate universe, obtaining Badges to unlock more knowledge is essential!

The Three Suns Gym won't take much time!

But I never received a starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan—how will the Three Suns brothers face me, a challenger like this?

"Then your first battle will be yours! This is your first real-world battle!"

On sunny days, they're the Sunny Brothers; on rainy days, they're the Rainy Brothers.

Guang Tai picked up the Dream Ball; inside, Wave Water was eager and ready to leap!

It couldn't wait to run wild and cause chaos in this era!

"Oh, one more thing."

Guang Tai suddenly remembered and warned Zhen Gu and Truffle: "Be careful with the Storage System!"

"Team Plasma might target the Storage System! You must notify the Unova League as soon as possible!"

"By the way... Zhen Gu, you probably have plenty of wires here."

With wires, you can craft a special item: the Link Rope!

(End of Chapter)