Although Professor Oak's artificial Pokémon breeding center had no shortage of Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution, Haru didn't find himself all that interested.
There were plenty of species that could Mega Evolve, but only a handful really caught his eye.
And among those, a fair number happened to be Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.
Pokémon like Rayquaza, Diancie, and Latias—none of them were the kind of beings you could just casually bump into.
Even if Haru knew the places where such Pokémon might appear, actually meeting them was another matter entirely.
Asking Professor Oak for those kinds of Pokémon would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
After all, Oak wasn't someone who specialized in hatching or raising Pokémon; expecting to find the perfect partner from him was probably wishful thinking.
It'd be smarter to pay a visit to Champion Caitlin—the wealthy Psychic-type specialist and "bestie" of "Miss Korrina." At the very least, she was guaranteed to have Ralts eggs.
And even if Haru couldn't catch one of Caitlin's Ralts, well… catching Caitlin herself was always an option.
Just as the group was about to head off to Oak's backyard—bigger than Sullivan's estate, no less—Sonia stood up.
"Mind if I come along too?" she asked brightly.
"I heard Professor Oak has all sorts of adorable little ones here."
Her eyes sparkled as she said it, the excitement plain on her face.
Pokémon researchers were a peculiar profession. Normally they didn't battle much, nor did they catch large numbers of Pokémon.
But that didn't mean they lacked strength.
In fact, many researchers weren't weak at all when it came to battling.
Especially the Professors—most of them had once been elites, even Champions.
Professor Oak himself had been a formidable Trainer in his youth.
When he decided to retire and become a researcher, even Agatha, the Ghost-type Elite of Kanto's Four, had expressed disappointment, calling his choice an act of "cowardice."
Sonia, destined to become a Professor herself one day, was no exception.
Back in the day, she had been known as Leon's rival.
Of course, "rival" didn't last long—Leon utterly crushed her on every front, turning her career into the stuff of legends for all the wrong reasons… until she eventually gave up being a Trainer altogether and switched paths to research.
Funny thing, really: Leon had basically beaten Sonia into becoming a researcher.
And later, the protagonist of Sword and Shield, Gloria, did the same thing to Leon's little brother Hop—battled him into depression and pushed him down the same path.
Hop, now "retired," ended up as Sonia's assistant.
A strange cycle, wasn't it? Behind every Champion lurked a poor researcher who'd been beaten into submission.
Even Gary in the anime ended up walking that road…
Was "researcher" some kind of officially designated loser's career?
Either way, Sonia had once been a proper Trainer. Naturally, she was fascinated by Pokémon from every region.
Even if she couldn't capture anything in Oak's backyard, sightseeing alone would be worthwhile.
But at that moment, Cynthia suddenly spoke up:
"Aren't you still researching Galar's legends? Are you sure it's okay to slack off like this?"
As a fellow scholar of antiquity, Cynthia found Sonia's hair-pulling struggles with research endearingly familiar.
After all, she used to look the same way herself.
Thankfully, she was "on vacation" now, and research wasn't even her main occupation—otherwise, she'd be equally haggard.
"Ah… well…" Sonia twirled the end of her braid nervously, trying to justify herself.
"Work and rest go hand in hand. Besides, there are only so many clues to follow. Even if I wanted to keep digging, I'd just hit a dead end.
I might as well wait until I'm back in Galar to continue the research."
That was Sonia's personality in a nutshell.
She might have been a full-fledged researcher now, but keeping her cooped up in one place was torture—like Lusamine strapped into a straitjacket.
She'd worked hard long enough. Wasn't she allowed to enjoy herself a little?
"Hmm… so you've hit a wall," Cynthia mused.
"That happens often in research."
She rested her chin on her hand, then for some reason shifted her gaze to Haru.
"Haru, do you know much about Galar's legends?"
She remembered his earlier boast—that he understood every Pokémon legend. And she'd seen firsthand how easily he could talk about Sinnoh's myths.
So it wouldn't be too strange if he really did know something about Galar as well.
"Why do you think that?" Haru deflected lightly, recalling Mew into its Poké Ball before tossing back the question.
"You said so yourself, didn't you? That you know everything."
Haru shook his head.
"Not everything. If I truly knew everything, why would I ask for your help in finding Mega-capable Pokémon?
That said, I have dabbled a little in Galar's lore.
At the very least, I know more than most."
That caught Sonia's and Oak's attention immediately.
What puzzled them was how calm Cynthia and Haru's other companions seemed about it.
Did this mean Haru really did know something? If not, why weren't they surprised?
Before they could press further, Haru changed the subject:
"Speaking of which, Professor Oak, how does one actually become a Pokémon Professor?"
"Oh? You're thinking of becoming a researcher yourself?" Oak's curiosity was piqued.
"It's simple," Oak explained. "Specialize in a certain field of research and publish work recognized by the academic community.
Of course, your conclusions must be truly groundbreaking.
Once you've reached a certain height in your area of expertise, the League will naturally acknowledge you as a Professor."
He paused, then added wryly:
"But… research on humans and Pokémon falling in love or coupling? That won't get you a doctorate. More likely, it'll spark massive controversy. I wouldn't recommend it."
Oak gave Haru a sidelong glance, his expression hard to read.
"…Why would you even assume that's what I meant?" Haru's voice rose, indignant at the implication.
Oak just shrugged. "Good. In any case, that's all it takes."
Simple words, but everyone knew it wasn't nearly that easy.
The sheer rarity of Pokémon Professors—rarer than Legendary Pokémon, almost—proved how steep the requirements really were.
Oak peered at Haru's thoughtful expression.
"Don't tell me… you're planning to publish a paper on Galar's legends to earn your title?"
He chuckled. "If so, Sonia might be in trouble—since that's her field."
Of course, Oak was only joking. He couldn't imagine Haru truly knew much about Galar.
Rumors, perhaps—but not enough for a full-fledged paper.
Haru had never even set foot in Galar, as far as Oak knew. How could he possibly be that familiar with its legends?
Impossible.
If Haru actually pulled it off, Oak swore he'd confess to the shiny female Machamp in his backyard.
Still, should Haru somehow prove himself, Oak would help him regardless of favoritism. He respected all researchers—and despised the idea of academic gatekeeping.
Sonia, however, was rattled.
Wait—if he publishes before me, what happens to my work?
Could she at least… piggyback her name onto his paper?
Thankfully, she calmed down quickly. No one had gotten further in this field than she had. Haru was probably bluffing.
But Haru's tone suddenly grew more serious.
"No. Even though I know more than most, I won't go that route.
My goal is research on Legendary Pokémon. Not just Galar's—but the entire world's.
I intend to meet them, verify everything I know with my own eyes, and compile a complete Pokédex devoted to Legendary and Mythical Pokémon."
For someone like Haru, a transmigrator starting from an absurdly high vantage point, such an ambitious goal felt fitting.
To achieve it, he would need to encounter every Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.
(Arceus excluded, though. Haru still had no clue how to approach that one safely—unless the "alpaca god" one day turned up disguised as a grieving widow, maybe.)
And privately, Haru had another "personal project": a "Trainer Dex."
He wanted to meet interesting Trainers and record "battle data" on them. Of course, what counted as "interesting" was entirely up to him.
That statement made everyone turn and stare. Cynthia included.
Wasn't this ambition… absurd?
Legendaries were rare enough. Even minor ones appeared like shadows, let alone first-tier gods.
And Haru was talking about studying all of them?
It was like a Caterpie declaring it would defeat Mega Rayquaza. Ridiculous.
Still… Cynthia recalled his earlier words:
"I'm only interested in certain Mega-capable Pokémon—like Mega Rayquaza."
From the beginning, hadn't his sights always been set on legends?
"Don't look at me like that. I mean it," Haru said, waving dismissively at their skepticism.
"Think about it—who else already has this many Legendaries at their side? Isn't it natural I'll meet more?
Professor Oak, you've always wanted the Pokédex completed, right?
Then my mission is to complete one dedicated solely to Legendary Pokémon."
Oak exhaled deeply, settling back into his chair.
"If you truly manage it… that would be an unparalleled achievement.
But this path is… unbearably difficult."
His tone carried disbelief, but he softened it to avoid crushing Haru's enthusiasm.
Haru, however, shook his head firmly.
"I know you don't believe me. So today, let me show you the first page of the Galar section.
Tell me—have you heard of Eternatus?"
Though the question was posed to all, Haru's gaze was locked firmly on Sonia.
As a transmigrator, his claim of "knowing all legends" wasn't an empty boast.
He might need firsthand encounters to confirm details like stats or behavior, but the lore itself—those he already knew.
And Galar's myth was simple:
The cosmic tyrant Eternatus crash-landed in Galar, draining its land's energy and spreading the phenomenon known as the Darkest Day.
This unleashed Dynamaxing across the region.
Eventually, the two local Legendaries—Zacian and Zamazenta—rose up together and defeated Eternatus in its Eternamax form.
Their roles as Sword and Shield gave rise to the entire legend.
A story quick to tell, lacking in depth, but Eternamax Eternatus itself was the real marvel—
boasting a base stat total of 1125, hundreds higher than even Arceus.
Had players been allowed to use it, it would've been the strongest Legendary in history.
At the name, Sonia's brow furrowed.
"That sounds… familiar."
Rummaging through what she had once dismissed as "dead-end notes," she unearthed a small notebook.
Sure enough, scrawled on one page was the word "Eternatus"—copied from an excavated Galarian tablet she'd once struggled to translate.
Nothing but the name had been decipherable at the time. The rest was nonsense fragments.
"What does it mean?" she asked, her voice tense.
"Oh? So there was a record after all."
Haru smirked, scooping up the Hatenna that had popped from its Poké Ball, and continued.
"Eternatus is what you've been researching all along—the Darkest Day.
But in truth, it isn't a phenomenon. It's a Pokémon. A Legendary from space."
"The Darkest Day… was a Pokémon?!"
That single revelation upended all of Sonia's theories.
She had believed the Darkest Day to be a disaster, a calamity ended by the Sword and Shield.
Yet Haru spoke of it as a living being—worse, a Legendary.
"Its power still lingers in Galar. And some people have already begun exploiting it."
"Criminals?" Cynthia asked sharply.
She knew full well how catastrophic it would be if an organization controlled a Legendary.
"Hard to say," Haru replied. "But strictly speaking, even Miss Sonia here has benefited from Eternatus."
"What… what do you mean?" Sonia stammered, bewildered.
"Dynamaxing traces its origin back to Eternatus. Without its power, Dynamax would never have existed.
That's why it can only be used in Galar—and nowhere else."
He leaned in slightly.
"So tell me—who's been pushing Dynamax all this time?"
"…Grandma?!" Sonia bolted upright, shaken.
Her grandmother, Professor Magnolia, had spearheaded Dynamax research and even helped develop the Dynamax Band. Without her, the phenomenon could never have spread.
But Haru only gave her a strange look.
"No. Think about it. If Professor Magnolia were secretly controlling Eternatus, do you really think her own granddaughter would be kept in the dark?"
"Then… what's really going on?"
With just those few exchanges, Sonia's view of Haru had been turned upside down.