stonecrandall Chapter 94 Geologists and Imposters
Chapter 94 Geologists and Imposters
Samuel was a geology PhD who studied sedimentology and structural geology.
In the isolated United States, geology is an extremely obscure subject. So obscure that even when scholars achieve significant breakthroughs in this field, they don't receive much enthusiastic response.
But Mr. Samuel still loved this discipline that dealt with stones.
Throughout his thirty-year academic career, he has been constantly studying the internal structure of this blue planet, while also paying attention to the soil beneath his feet and the meteorites in outer space.
He collaborated with archaeologists to accurately determine the age of the ancient city buried beneath the desert; he personally surveyed every landform on this continent, deducing the approximate distribution of the Unova during the Paleozoic era on the Pangaea plate; he also ambitiously published an encyclopedia of Unova's underground minerals, but ultimately sales were disappointing...
To outsiders, Samuel was a complete outsider, rarely appearing in public. University students would occasionally see this always travel-worn man, dressed in unassuming, simple clothes, his face etched with a weary expression that kept strangers at bay.
It neither offends people nor attracts attention, just like a stone that can be seen everywhere by the roadside.
He either spent his time tinkering with stones in his university lab or sleeping outdoors in the desolate desert. He had no social life, no friends, and his few relatives treated him as if he were already dead. His only romance ended with his wife's angry rebukes because of his neglect of his family.
But Samuel was still studying the stone—
The magma flowing beneath the earth, the bedrock beneath the weathered layer of the land surface, the axe-cut cliffs, the charred remains in the meteorite crater, the stalactites in the deep cave, the city bricks of the ancient kingdom... These silent yet solid rocks captivated this equally dull man, so he continued to wander alone among the mountains and barren hills, enjoying it immensely.
Recently, a new round of field surveys was launched in the Snowflake Wetlands in the northwestern part of the Unova region. While investigating the ecology of wild Pokémon, the expedition team discovered a strange rock in the nest of a social Toad King.
It's not entirely accurate to say that the expedition team discovered it; they were just passing by and captured precious footage of wild Pokémon nursing their young. At the time, none of the people in the group noticed the strange mineral with its pinkish sheen.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Mr. Samuel, who stayed overnight at the camp instead of traveling with the group, eventually saw the stone.
After seeing his companion's photos, the geology fanatic charged into the Toad King's lair in the wetlands, yelling and screaming. Almost under the combined attack of the wild creatures, he managed to drag a half-person-high rock back to camp.
Faced with questions from fellow scholars, Samuel passionately explained it this way—
"This rock could be the biggest geological discovery in Unova in the last decade! Its rock characteristics are almost identical to those of Mega Rock Ore from regions like Hoenn and Kalos! There is a strong possibility that this rock contains a special ore that can Mega Evolve Pokémon! If we can confirm its existence and analyze the reason for its appearance in Unova, it could potentially overturn our current understanding of the Mega Evolution phenomenon!"
However, people's perceptions are not so easily overturned. The prejudices of educated people are actually far greater than those of ordinary people. Their minds contain many self-consistent theoretical systems, enough to convince themselves to reject truths that defy common sense and continue to stick to their own opinions.
There is no Mega Evolution in the Unova region; this is common knowledge among local scholars. Therefore, the scientists who were with him dismissed the geology PhD's discovery, and Samuel had no choice but to take the rock back to the university to continue his research.
At university, he polished a pink gemstone hidden in a rock. Both its appearance and the analysis of its internal energy fluctuations seemed to prove that this jewel, dug out of wetland rocks, was a genuine Mega Evolution Stone.
Dr. Samuel could have reported his research findings directly to the Elf League through the university.
However, he changed his mind after he happened to see the news on the public television in the school cafeteria.
President Zufitch, the head of Devon Corporation, the father of Daigo Zufitch, the man from Hoenn, he has come to Unova!
For geological researchers, the Hoenn region is simply paradise.
Abundant resources, diverse terrain, and a strong emphasis on geology and mineralogy; the former champion was a stone enthusiast; and even one of the two major local evil organizations passionately sings the praises of the land.
Considering that the topic of super evolution is a hot topic in the academic community in the Hoenn region, and that Devon Corporation is heavily sponsoring related research projects, Samuel had long had the idea of going to the Hoenn region to publish his research results.
And now is the perfect time!
President Zvage is visiting Unova! He doesn't even need to fly across the ocean to the Hoenn region; he can meet this important figure simply by taking a car to the dock in Flying Cloud City!
Watching the news footage on TV of the white-haired president of Zvoich waving to those around him as he stepped off the giant luxury cruise ship, Samuel easily made up his mind.
.
The three-man detective team mingled in the makeshift police post set up on the beach.
"Hugo, Officer Jenny and the others have identified the deceased." Azure put down her phone and reported to the detective in a very fast voice.
"It was a geology PhD named Samuel. Six months ago, during a field survey, he found a large rock in a nest in the Snowflake Wetland. The scientists who were with him said they believed that the rock contained a super evolution stone. The university has already identified the deceased's portrait photo, and they say that it is indeed Samuel."
"Have you called Tetsuya from Hoenn?"
"I've already called him. He said he wasn't very clear about the president's situation, but he has Daigo's contact information and is currently confirming it."
Azure's phone vibrated, and the girl answered it immediately. After listening for only a few seconds, Azure loudly reported to the detective, "President Zivucci has not left the Hoenn region in the past six months. He is currently inside the Devon Corporation building!"
The detective snapped his fingers crisply.
"That makes sense."
Hugo breathed a long sigh of relief; he now knew the full picture of the case.
He was incredibly grateful for Torterra's meticulous nature. This usually unassuming Torterra possessed exceptionally keen eyesight and astonishing stamina beyond that of any ordinary Pokémon. Even humans couldn't accurately capture a fleeting pixel of a suspicious person in hours of fast-forwarded video footage.
"The situation is clear now. The president of Unova, Zvoch, was impersonated. This imposter came to the Unova region openly as a celebrity, hoping to take the opportunity to make some kind of deal with Team Plasma. But his identity was discovered by Samuel."
Hugo sighed. Only a few months had passed, and yet another serious case of celebrity impersonation had occurred in the United States. Truly, life is unpredictable.
It's certain that there is no such unofficial organization as the "Zufuge President's Support Group" in the Unova region. But this imposter's acting skills are even more superb, having even fooled the president of the Unova Pokémon League.
"Was your identity exposed because of that stone?" asked the old man Naoki, who had been following the detective and his assistant.
“Yes,” Hugo nodded. “Samuel discovered the Mega Stones native to the Unova region, and naturally he hopes to publish this academic finding in the Hoenn region, because research on Mega Evolution is more valued there, and Devon Corporation is vigorously promoting a new energy project centered on the theory of Mega Evolution. Publishing the paper there will not only gain wider recognition, but also potentially secure a large amount of research funding…”
"And then he saw the imposter President Zvoich appear on the TV news?" Azure asked, following up on the question.
"That's right, Samuel naturally thought: President Zuvucci is the father of that Hoenn champion who is obsessed with stones, and he also has a deep understanding of geology. Moreover, he is the president of Devon Corporation and the initiator of the new energy project. It is obviously more likely to succeed by communicating directly with Zuvucci with the Mega Stone, and he will be more valued. So Mr. Samuel wore an expensive suit and came to Flying Cloud City alone with the Mega Stone."
"Then the doctor realized that the president was an imposter, and the imposter killed him on the spot? But the incident doesn't make sense. President Zvoich visited United States a month ago, and that imposter even went to the United States headquarters once."
“That’s precisely where their ruthlessness lies,” Hugo said with a grim face. “The two actually met twice. The first time was when ‘President Zvoich’ first arrived in Flying Cloud City. Samuel approached him and tried to sell him his research results, but the imposter wasn’t interested and casually dismissed Samuel.”
"Afterwards, perhaps realizing that he had exposed his weakness, before leaving the United Continent, the imposter summoned Samuel to Flying Cloud City and executed our victim to silence him. As long as Samuel stopped speaking, no one could discover the flaw left by the imposter. It was precisely because of this that the murderer dared to abandon the body in the shallows of the beach without disposing of it."
The detective gazed intently at the sea: "Anyway, they're about to fly far away."