Chapter 130

Days passed, and the investigation by the Yuhong City Police Department made no progress; they neither found the person who blew up the Rainbow Gym nor discovered any useful evidence.

Secretly, Team Rocket also used all its power to search, and even Jessie, James, and Meowth had looked for Huo La several times, but in the end, they gained nothing.

During this time, Erika was temporarily staying at Yuhong University.

As a special external lecturer for the school, the university was willing to provide her with a stable place to live, which could also be considered a form of protection.

This day, Huo La received a video call from Erika.

On the screen, Erika pressed her palms together, her tone carrying a hint of pleading: "Huo La, please come to Yuhong University! The students heard from somewhere that you are in Yuhong City and insist on having you talk about ancient Pokémon."

"Ms. Erika, the report on ancient Pokémon was written by Dr. Zheng Hui; I just tagged along for the authorship." Huo La refused helplessly. "For such professional content, you should still look for Dr. Zheng Hui."

"The school has already contacted Dr. Zheng Hui, but he is still doing research at the newly built Jellyfish Reserve and said he could try to find you." Erika explained hurriedly. "Besides, they heard that when the Rainbow Gym exploded, you rushed into the fire to save me, which is why they asked me to invite you."

She paused and threw out the bait: "The President said that as long as you are willing to come and hold a lecture on ancient Pokémon, you can read the ancient books collected by the school."

"Ancient books..." Huo La fell silent.

This condition did indeed move him—to him, understanding the secrets of the world was far more important than anything else, and those ancient books might very well contain the clues he needed.

"When is the time set for?" He finally relented.

"You agreed?" Erika opened her eyes wide in surprise on the other end of the phone. "I'll have them arrange it for tomorrow!"

"But I have one condition." Huo La added. "Is there any way I can avoid showing my face?"

"Not show your face?" Erika was a bit puzzled. "This is a good opportunity to accumulate popularity..."

Although Pokémon Researchers often hide behind the scenes, there are also well-known figures like Professor Oak. The higher the popularity, the more resources and information one can access. Huo La's idea puzzled her.

"Social anxiety." Huo La said simply.

"Fine, I'll think of a way." Erika didn't ask further and hung up the video call.

"Giving a lecture to Yuhong University students..." Huo La grinned helplessly.

He was only ten years old, more than two months away from eleven, and he actually had to give a lecture to a group of college students. Sure enough, collaborating with Dr. Zheng Hui to publish the paper was showing off too much.

On the other side, Erika hung up the phone, let out a long sigh, and turned to the kind-looking old man leaning on a cane behind her: "President Ran, I didn't fail the mission; I finally invited Huo La."

President Ran nodded, his tone carrying a hint of emotion: "If it weren't for Dr. Zheng Hui insisting that the paper only organized Huo La's manuscript and ideas, I really wouldn't believe that such a young child could have such a deep understanding of ancient Pokémon, and even find a way to talk to an ancient Dragonite."

"This is not impossible; his father is Dr. Yuki, after all." Erika said with a smile.

"It's Yuki, then no wonder." President Ran suddenly realized.

It is only natural for a Pokémon Doctor's child to become a Pokémon Doctor in the future; there is nothing to be surprised about.

"And, this child is also a very strong Trainer." Erika added.

The next day, Huo La dressed neatly and took a taxi with Brock straight to Yuhong University.

This university, located in the center of Yuhong City, is a famous higher education institution in the Kanto region. It not only has a good reputation but is also equipped with Kanto's premier research facilities.

Countless students have graduated from here, and many are now somewhat famous in the world.

That day, the largest college auditorium at Yuhong University was rarely crowded—everyone was full of curiosity about the "mysterious researcher" highly recommended by Dr. Zheng Hui.

Because Huo La requested not to show his face, a huge screen was hung in the center of the auditorium. On the screen, Huo La's image had been specially processed, and only a blurry outline could be seen.

Long before coming, Huo La had re-read the paper published by Dr. Zheng Hui. Now, combined with his own conjectures and hypotheses during this period, his lecture had a few more unique insights than the original text, making the students below nod frequently.

The lecture ended quickly, and it entered the Q&A session.

A female student raised her hand first, her tone curious: "Dr. Huo La, you said that ancient Pokémon not only exist in our world but also come from other worlds. Then how should we go to other worlds?"

Huo La pondered for a moment and replied: "This matter involves space, and even time. Currently, the most likely way to achieve cross-world travel is with the help of Pokémon, such as Dialga and Palkia—they control time and space respectively."

"Then you haven't said anything at all... If we could catch these two Pokémon, we wouldn't need to ask." The female student muttered in a low voice.

But her words were amplified by the microphone, and the whole auditorium heard it. Many people couldn't help but laugh.

Huo La wasn't embarrassed either and responded with a smile: "I believe that other people and organizations are already studying the concepts of time and space. Think about it, Poké Ball technology is essentially a type of space technology. Since we can put Pokémon into small balls, maybe in the future we can use technology to achieve cross-world travel."

At this time, a male student raised his hand to ask: "Dr. Huo La, you mentioned Poké Balls, so I want to know, can ancient Pokémon be captured by Poké Balls?"

"Good question!" Huo La's eyes lit up. "Actually, when I saw the ancient Dragonite at the time, I wanted to try it too, but unfortunately, I was shaking with fear and didn't dare to act. However, if you encounter an ancient Pokémon next time, you can try—if you really catch one, you must tell me!"

He changed the subject, his tone teasing: "But I must remind you, be prepared to run before you try, lest you be slapped away by the ancient Pokémon."

"Hahahaha!" A burst of laughter erupted in the auditorium, and the atmosphere instantly became relaxed.

Subsequently, a middle-aged teacher stood up and asked seriously: "Dr. Huo La, the current prevailing theory is that the world was created by Arceus. Do you think our world was really created by Arceus?"

Huo La answered honestly: "I don't know, or rather, I cannot confirm it."

"The ancient Dragonite told me that their world was created by Arceus. And our world also has legends of Arceus creating the world. From this point of view, we can temporarily believe that the Creator is Arceus."

He paused and added: "But from the perspective of academic rigor, I can only say 'cannot confirm.' Perhaps one day, I can travel through time back to the beginning of the world and witness the process of creation with my own eyes. Only then can I give you a definitive answer."

As his voice fell, warm applause erupted in the auditorium. Many students and teachers were moved by his honest and imaginative answer.

As the Q&A progressed, time passed quietly. The Q&A session, originally planned for one hour, finally ended after being extended by a full half-hour.