"Alright…"
Shiro didn't have any objections. Galar needed him, and he needed Galar as well.
Regarding the three years Oleana mentioned, it should refer to the three-year term of the Galar Champion, the period before the next Gym Challenge begins.
As the Champion, he had the right to recommend candidates and to directly enter the finals of the Champion Cup. But if he stayed outside and did not participate, it would count as forfeiting, and Leon could then rightfully take his place.
Right now, Leon was only the acting Champion.
As for the Dynamax data…
Shiro opened the file Oleana had sent. The first line read:
"Below are the research results of company researcher Oleana…"
He inhaled sharply. So it was her research results, which meant it was not academic theft. She had personally given it and authorized it.
Feeling at ease, Shiro read through the entire document and found that it mostly covered basic research on the Dynamax phenomenon. It did not involve its core nature or controllable Dynamax.
Calling it a Dynamax paper was really just a way to promote the phenomenon in Galar.
Still, since he would be the first to publish it, no matter how solid the content was, his name would be recorded.
He then logged into the researcher website and uploaded everything in one go. Only after that did he wash up and go to sleep.
* * *
The next day.
Buzzt! Buzzt! Buzzt!...
Before Shiro even got out of bed, the laptop he had forgotten to close and the communication device beside it kept ringing nonstop.
'Shiro! Shiro!'
Unown A had been woken up early by the noise and rolled and bounced angrily on his face, successfully waking him as well.
"What's going on?" Shiro grabbed the small horn on top of Unown A's head and followed the direction of its tilted legs toward the laptop and communicator, quickly understanding.
He got up, tossed Unown A aside, picked up the communicator to answer the call, and pulled the laptop in front of him to check.
"Shiro, you're the Galar Champion?" It was Agatha on the other end.
"Yeah," he replied lazily.
Her tone calmed down. "Check the news. I'll be waiting for you in Kanto."
Not giving him a chance to ask anything, she hung up.
Shiro felt a bit confused and lowered his head to check the news from various regions.
The headlines everywhere were bold and sensational:
"Kanto Daily: What? This Champion is actually…?"
"Devon News: The undisclosed Champion battle revealed. Unbelievable. It was completely one-sided."
"Sinnoh Morning: That visiting Galar researcher actually has such an identity?"
"Kalos World: Even the top star Diantha expressed admiration. This man…"
"Galar News: The Champion and Dynamax. Trainers from all regions are welcome to come and exchange!"
"Ah…"
This had the unmistakable style of Macro Cosmos.
Shiro skimmed through quickly and realized all these reports were based on a single video from the Galar official website, the recording of his Champion Cup Finals battle with Leon.
In just one day and night, the video had gone viral across several major regions.
As expected, the Galar official site was flooded with trainers. The company had clearly prepared for this, and everything was running very smoothly.
The focus of the promotion was this unbelievable Champion Cup battle, Galar's signature Pokémon Corviknight, and of course, the Dynamax used by Leon.
It was only natural that it became popular. It wasn't just because of money.
After all, most people recognized Charizard, but very few outside Galar knew Corviknight. Yet the battle was completely one-sided. A clearly Elite-level Charizard was defeated in just a few moves.
And that wasn't all. One after another, all six were quickly taken down by Corviknight in a short time. The scene was so brutal that it felt like an Elite Four member crashing into a beginner match.
Below were countless comments from trainers across regions:
"Charizard! My Charizard… defeated in one move? That had to be Elite-level!"
"That Galar bird Pokémon is extraordinary. I think its strength might be at Champion-level."
"So violent. I like it… hehe."
"Pure power suppression. No technique at all. But it's crushing an Elite-level opponent, so nothing to argue."
"That other guy is wrong. What kind of battle do you think this is? The techniques are so deep… you just couldn't see them."
Arguments broke out immediately, with people debating whether the battle involved high-level techniques, each side sticking to their own view.
Most of them were experienced trainers, though very few were even quasi-Gym level. In the end, they could only admit there might indeed be techniques they could not understand.
As the one involved, Shiro knew best whether there were techniques or not.
Smiling, he scrolled to the Dynamax section, where the comments were filled with amazement:
"This is the first time I've seen something like this. Pokémon can actually grow bigger!"
"Dynamax! That's awesome. I want to head to Galar right now!"
"Normally this kind of thing would be monopolized. Galar is actually making it public…"
"And did you see? Completing official tasks can even get you a free Dynamax Band? Damn!"
"Calm down. Galar is only planning to open. It's not open yet. And can you even afford to go?"
Many people understood that a system like Dynamax would usually be inaccessible to ordinary trainers. Something that directly enhanced Pokémon like this would normally be tightly controlled.
It seemed Galar was going all out for this opening.
But Shiro knew the truth. The so-called "free" Dynamax Bands were inferior mass-produced versions. After various limitations, the interval between each use was long, and the Pokémon could not use all their moves due to energy interference.
In fact, these free bands worked like a simplified system. Most moves were reduced to releasing internal energy, given fancy names like "Max something" to make them sound impressive.
However, many moves had important effects, and those could not be used after Dynamax. Whether these mass-produced bands were truly good depended on actual use.
Of course, trainers outside Galar did not know any of this. They assumed it was normal and had no reason to complain.
Scrolling further, Shiro soon saw Galar's official explanation for the Champion's departure.
It followed Rose's statement about pursuing higher levels and so on, and the reasoning was convincing enough for most trainers. The comments below were full of support.
"A Champion is a Champion. Trainers should always strive for the peak."
"Traveling is the lifelong pursuit of every trainer…"
"Will Shiro challenge Sinnoh trainers when he's there?"
"…"
"The influence of a Champion is really huge…" Shiro muttered.
He then closed the Galar website and logged into the researcher platform with his Corviknight account.
Ding, ding, ding…
The flood of notifications almost overwhelmed the system.
The moment he logged in, an urgent message popped up in the center of the screen.
[Shiro! Get online and reply to me first!] —Professor Oak.
"…"
Shiro could almost picture Oak anxiously scratching his head.
**
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