Chapter 54: Chapter 54: The Ten‑Something‑Year‑Old Super Ancient Pokemon Research Doctor

"You mean that Dragonite is not only an Ancient Pokemon, but also looking for its kind?" Zheng Hui asked vaguely while spearing a huge mouthful of fried noodles with a fork and devouring it, and after swallowing the noodles immediately added, "By the way, these fried noodles are incredible! Even tastier than my mom's!"

Seeing his face full of satisfaction as he ate, Xiao Gang couldn't help but laugh, wiping his hands on his apron: "If Dr. Zheng Hui likes it, have some more; there's still plenty left in the pot, enough for you!"

Huo La also picked up a chopstick of fried noodles, and inwardly mused: Professor Oak is obsessed with instant noodles and tofu soup, and Dr. Zheng Hui has a special fondness for fried noodles—could it be that to become a top doctor one must first pick a noodle dish as one's "life's calling"?

"I've always suspected it's an Ancient Pokemon, but there's no evidence," Huo La said calmly while chewing slowly.

Zheng Hui finally slowed his eating, set down his fork and looked at him: "I've never come across the term Ancient Pokemon despite combing through the League's database. Where exactly did you see it?"

Xiao Gang also put down his utensils; after Huo La's brief remarks at the table, he now looked at Huo La with full curiosity, after all the word "Super Ancient" sounds like a mythic tale.

Seeing both of them staring at him, Huo La set aside his handmade wooden chopsticks, took a napkin to wipe his mouth, and slowly began: "It's a miscellaneous book left by my father; the cover is worn thin, and I only regarded it as myth when I was a child. The book says that after Arceus created the world in ancient times, humans and Pokemon were of super‑giant size, their bodies bearing strange patterns, which were said to be the medium through which they condensed their power."

He paused, recalling the book's content: "However, as time passed, that initial batch of Pokemon either vanished naturally or fell into slumber; the remaining groups slowly evolved into the forms we see today. And the Dragonite at the Lighthouse, I guess, is one of the 'primeval' Pokemon that have been sleeping since then."

The small table in the Observation Room fell silent instantly. After a while, Zheng Hui frowned and spoke, his tone scholarly and rigorous: "What you say can barely explain its size and patterns, but relying solely on a miscellaneous book's account is untenable—without empirical evidence, everything is speculation."

"Then let's consider it from another angle," Huo La leaned forward slightly, "Are you ever curious why Pokemon look the way they do now? I boldly guess that what we call 'evolution' might actually be a form of 'Atavism'? You see, after evolution a Pokemon's size can increase, its appearance changes, even its type may shift. If we combine that with the book's account, the original Pokemon were already in a 'final evolution' state, but later gradually regressed, becoming what we recognize as 'juvenile' or 'unevolved' forms."

Zheng Hui's brows furrowed even tighter, his fingers unconsciously drumming the table—Huo La's words seemed fanciful, yet they managed to link the anomalies he observed: the massive Dragonite's size indeed shares a similar silhouette with a normal Dragonite's 'final evolution' form, only magnified several times.

"That's not right!" Xiao Gang interjected suddenly, "If we go by your logic, some Pokemon would never evolve, like Scallion Duck, Giant Rock Snake, Sky Mantis, Kairos, etc. —how does that explain it?"

Huo La had anticipated this question and replied calmly, "I have two lines of inference."

"First, these Pokemon might not be 'incapable of evolving'; we simply haven't discovered their evolution conditions, or perhaps their evolved forms. They may require specific items or environmental triggers, just as Evolution Stones work for certain Pokemon."

"Second, they may have already completed an 'evolutionary closed loop'; the form we see now is the final stable state after their lineage regressed over vast time, naturally requiring no further evolution."

Those words plunged Zheng Hui into deep contemplation.

It was as if a new door opened before his eyes—if Huo La's hypothesis is true, the entire Pokemon evolution and ecological history would need to be rewritten.

He sprang to his feet, grabbing Huo La's wrist excitedly: "Let's go! We'll head to the Observation Platform right now! I have clear photos taken earlier, plus its sound wave recordings! Maybe we can find evidence related to the 'Super Ancient' from its patterns and Cry!"

"Wait!" Xiao Gang hurriedly grabbed him, pointing at the empty plate on the table, "Doctor, don't rush—there's still fried noodles in the pot; if you don't eat them they'll get cold!"

Huo La also laughed, patting Zheng Hui's back of the hand, soothingly saying, "Yes, Doctor, don't hurry. You said the last time you saw that massive Dragonite was on a foggy night; tonight the moon is bright and the sea is clean and dry, it probably won't appear."

He said that outwardly, but in his mind he had another calculation— the real reason wasn't "foggy"; it was clearly that Ash hadn't arrived in the vicinity yet.

In this world, whether encountering a Divine Beast, traversing Time and Space, or triggering all sorts of bizarre events, it seems impossible to avoid Ash as the 'core'. He was certain that as long as Ash didn't wander near the Lighthouse, even if he and Xiao Gang lived here until death, they might never see that Super Ancient Dragonite appear.

"Right, right, it's my impatience that made me forget this!" Zheng Hui slapped his forehead in frustration, then became excited again, grabbing Huo La's arm, "But you also said you need to verify the hypothesis; since we're not in a hurry to leave, stay at my place a few more days! We'll combine what you said with my observation data, organize and analyze—if we can substantiate the 'Super Ancient Pokemon' hypothesis and publish a paper, you might even earn a doctoral title right away!"

He grew more animated, his eyes sparkling: "Imagine, a 'teenage Super Ancient Pokemon research Doctor'—if that got out, it would shake the entire academic world! Even more impressive than when Professor Oak discovered Pokemon gender differences!"

Huo La looked at his excitement and smiled helplessly: "The doctoral title can wait; I first want to confirm that Dragonite's true identity. Besides, I'm still doing Gym Challenges; I haven't gone to the Withered Leaf Gym in Vermilion City yet."

"What does the Withered Leaf Gym matter!" Zheng Hui waved his hand dismissively, "Once we have results, I'll call the Withered Leaf Gym Leader Ma Zhishi and get him to give you the green light! Besides, researching a Super Ancient Pokemon is far more important than earning a single Gym Badge!"

Xiao Gang, nearby, chimed in: "Huo La, I think Dr. Zheng Hui is right! This could rewrite Pokemon History; staying a couple more days is worth it! And I also want to see that Super Ancient Pokemon!"

Huo La scoffed, "Dr. Zheng Hui really says anything; getting Ma Zhishi to give a green light—he might not even know you, you know."

Anyway, he had originally planned to wait for Ash, trigger the Dragonite storyline, then challenge the Withered Leaf Gym; now it's perfect to use these two days with Zheng Hui to sort the data, maybe even find more clues about the Super Ancient Pokemon from his observations.

"Fine, we'll stay two more days," Huo La agreed, "but I need to release the Bellsprouts first so they can move around; keeping them all in Pokeballs isn't good for them."

"No problem! There's an open area in the Lighthouse backyard where I usually test Pokemon items!" Zheng Hui sprang up, "I'll take you there! By the way, that Bellsprout of yours came from Professor Oak, right? I haven't seen the latest cultivated Bellsprout yet—let me have a look!"

Saying that, he grabbed Huo La and headed toward the backyard, continuously probing about details in the ancient tome—such as what the patterns of Super Ancient Pokemon look like, and whether the book mentions other gigantic Pokemon similar to Dragonite.