~ [Assistant Arceus Reminder: Please investigate the abnormal disturbances within the First Emperor’s Mausoleum subspace.
For a Savior, unexpected events often signify danger.] [Reward: 100 BP Points, Pokéblock Manufacturing Technology Lv.1] So there really was a problem…
The system notification confirmed his suspicions.
Gray’s heart sank slightly as he committed the matter firmly to memory.
“Stop eating.” He suddenly scooped up Gastly, who was practically burying its entire face inside the bowl and eating until its gaseous body had swollen from all the steam.
“You’ve practically eaten yourself into a ball.
Hurry up and take a bath before bed.” “Gast!
(This Emperor protests!)” Protest denied.
Gastly was mercilessly carried into the bathroom.
… The next morning.
Yawning repeatedly, Gray wandered downstairs.
Just as he was preparing to sneak back to his workstation and enjoy another wonderful day of slacking off, he was immediately intercepted by Professor Oak with sniper-like precision.
“Gray!
Come here, come here!” Professor Oak wore a beaming smile as he wrapped an arm around Gray’s shoulders and enthusiastically guided him forward.
“Work has been piling up like a mountain lately.
To improve efficiency, I’ve decided to temporarily relocate your workstation…” His smile widened.
“…to here!” Gray’s footsteps halted.
He instinctively stepped backward and tilted his head up to check the sign hanging above the door.
Professor Oak’s Office Wasn’t this your personal office?
Noticing his confusion, Professor Oak scratched the back of his head and smiled somewhat sheepishly.
“You’ll have to squeeze into the same office as me for a while.
This isn’t Kanto, so arranging a separate office for you involves a bunch of troublesome procedures.” Then he quickly added: “Of course, if you’d rather work from your room, that’s perfectly fine too!” “No, no, no!” Gray waved his hands frantically.
Words came out automatically.
“I’m just worried…
worried that I’d disturb your work.” The real reason was much simpler.
If he sat directly under his boss’s nose, how was he supposed to secretly slack off?
“Disturb me?
Not at all!” Professor Oak waved a hand dismissively.
He pressed Gray into a nearby chair and pulled several reports labeled “Ghost Energy Tides” from a drawer before handing them over.
“I’ve been investigating that abnormal energy fluctuation we detected previously.
My conclusion is that it could very likely trigger widespread agitation among the Ghost-type Pokémon throughout the city.” He tapped the reports.
“Take a look.” Gray quickly flipped through the documents.
As he read, his brows gradually furrowed.
“Energy appearing out of nowhere?
That seems unlikely…” He thought for a moment.
“The source of the spread still hasn’t been identified?
Wasn’t that jade coffin…” “You found the key point that quickly?” Professor Oak’s eyes lit up with appreciation.
“That’s right.” He nodded.
“The jade coffin is indeed the source of the energy.
However, the coffin itself doesn’t actively emit energy.” His expression became serious.
“The energy diffusion is being caused by something else.” “We’ve attempted to move the jade coffin several times, but no matter what methods we used, we couldn’t budge it even an inch.” The atmosphere in the room became noticeably heavier.
“The troublesome part is that if we don’t intervene, every Ghost-type Pokémon in the city could continue being affected.” He sighed.
“The consequences are difficult to predict.” “So I’ll have to trouble you to work a little overtime these next few days.
Help me analyze and refine the data, provide your insights, and then enter everything into the electronic archives.” He smiled apologetically.
“Sorry to burden you.” “No problem.” Gray accepted immediately, though his thoughts were already racing.
The jade coffin had been opened.
Gastly had awakened.
The subspace was experiencing energy tides.
Was it merely an accident?
Or was there someone operating behind the scenes?
Was their target that mysterious jade coffin?
It seemed necessary to remind Professor Oak to pay closer attention to local forces and organizations.
Even if it turned out to be a false alarm, being a little more vigilant could never hurt.
With that thought, Gray immediately laid out all of his deductions and theories.
“A mastermind behind the scenes…” Professor Oak stroked his chin thoughtfully.
His expression turned solemn.
“We definitely can’t ignore that possibility.
I’ll contact the Pokémon League right away and request…” “Wait!” Gray interrupted him so quickly that his voice almost cracked.
The last thing he wanted was for Professor Oak to make a single phone call and summon every powerful figure under the sun.
“Our speculation may not be accurate.” He quickly explained.
“If we make too much noise, we’ll only alert whoever’s behind it.” He paused.
“Wouldn’t it be better to investigate quietly first?” “And if the League gets directly involved but it turns out to be a misunderstanding, that would be awkward too.” “A covert investigation?” Professor Oak considered the suggestion.
“That could work.” After a moment, he nodded.
“Leaving it to Cynthia shouldn’t be a problem.” Then he hesitated.
“Although she’s not very familiar with this area…” His gaze slowly shifted toward Gray.
Then suddenly— His eyes brightened.
“Excellent idea!” Professor Oak slapped the table.
“Then we’ll leave the investigation to you!” “I’ll have Cynthia cooperate with you and ensure your safety.” He smiled broadly.
“Go for it!” “…” Gray froze.
Actually…
What he meant was: Let Cynthia investigate by herself.
There was absolutely no need to drag him into it.
He still had his own work to do!
Unfortunately, when he looked up, he was met by Professor Oak’s burning gaze filled with trust and expectations.
The refusal that had already reached his lips was forcibly swallowed back down.
Yes, he had been the one who suggested an investigation.
But nowhere in that suggestion had he intended to throw himself into the hole too!
Gray.
Oh, Gray.
Why did you have to say that extra sentence?
Now look what happened.
You picked up a rock and dropped it directly onto your own foot.
Congratulations.
You’ve successfully increased your workload for no reason whatsoever.
Satisfied now?
“Oh right, there’s one more thing.” Professor Oak suddenly slapped his forehead as if he had just remembered.
Instantly, his serious expression disappeared, replaced by an easygoing smile.
“It’s about the promotion of Pokémon: FireRed/LeafGreen.” “The online advertising campaign has already been launched on all fronts, and the results have been pretty good.” He rubbed his hands together.
“I’ve been wondering…” “Should we organize a formal offline launch event?” His eyes sparkled.
“You could personally go on stage and introduce the game.” “What do you think?” “I think…” Gray became instantly alert.
When it came to games, his brain functioned at maximum efficiency.
“…that’s probably not a good idea.” He began analyzing calmly.
“First, launch events are formal, expensive, and provide limited returns.” He raised a finger.
“Games are meant to be played.” “They’re not luxury goods.” “They’re not household necessities.” “Players care far more about the actual gameplay experience than they do about the grandeur of a launch event.” Then he raised a second finger.
“Second…” He pointed at himself.
“I’m a nobody.” “I have zero influence.” “If someone like you or Cynthia appeared on stage, the promotional effect would be several times greater.” He continued: “And the core value of Pokémon isn’t limited to battling.” “Collecting and social interaction are equally important.” “Rather than spending resources on a launch event, we’d get much better results through targeted advertising and community management.” “I see…” Professor Oak looked thoughtful.
He seemed slightly disappointed.
“So we have to give up on the launch event?” “Not necessarily.” Gray changed the subject.
“I do have an alternative.” “Oh?” Professor Oak immediately perked up.
Gray revealed his plan.
“When the time comes, I can host a livestream.” “A gameplay livestream.” “I can showcase the game’s systems, explain battle mechanics, share training strategies, and demonstrate gameplay directly.” He smiled.
“It would be intuitive, entertaining, highly interactive, and capable of building popularity in real time.” “We could also use it to generate interest in the Pokémon Studio account.” After all: Livestreaming had low costs.
High traffic.
A broad audience.
Fast feedback.
And most importantly…
It generated BP points.
If the stream performed well, Pokémon: FireRed/LeafGreen could easily explode in popularity and build a massive fanbase before release.
Besides…
A livestream didn’t necessarily require showing his face.
Building hype and gathering followers for the studio account was practically guaranteed profit.
“Livestreaming?” Professor Oak’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Great idea!” He slapped his thigh.
“Then it’s settled.” “We’ll organize a livestream once the online promotional campaign is nearly complete.” … With the matter decided, Professor Oak returned to his seat looking completely satisfied.
Like a hidden master who had accomplished everything and quietly retreated from the spotlight.
Meanwhile— Gray remained standing where he was.
Silently.
Sighing.
Data analysis.
Crisis investigation.
Game livestreaming.
All of a sudden…
The number of things he needed to do had multiplied dramatically.
Gray stared blankly into space.
Then he leaned back in his chair and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
“I really want to retire and spend my days lazing…” (End of Chapter)