I'm live-streaming Pokémon science popularization on New World.

The following afternoon, near the temporary headquarters building of the Pokémon Culture and Development Group.

Li Ren and his small team of five were crammed into a corner of a small restaurant across from the office building.

Several of them had heavy dark circles under their eyes, looking like a row of tired pandas.

After receiving Shen Yu'er's message last night, the studio was in an uproar. Excitement, tension, and disbelief were all mixed up, so no one slept soundly. They only managed to doze off for a short while as dawn was approaching.

Afraid of missing the deadline, they arrived early, found a place nearby to have a quick lunch, and then took turns "catching up on sleep" and "standing guard".

Now it was Li Ren's turn to "be on duty".

He stared intently at the entrance of the impressive office building across the street, his gaze fixed on it with a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, and a hint of dazedness, making him look somewhat like a "pervert."

The others were fast asleep, sprawled on the table or leaning against the wall in various awkward positions.

A black sedan slowly drove up and stopped in front of the building.

The rear window rolled down, and Lin Dao, who had just finished arranging Pikachu's training and was on his way to the company to handle some business, glanced out. His gaze swept across the restaurant window and he saw the young man with the "determined" look in his eyes and his slumped companion beside him.

Lin Dao was slightly taken aback, then remembered the resume photo Shen Yu'er had shown him, and a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

He whispered something to Shen Yu'er beside him. Shen Yu'er nodded, and after the car stopped, she didn't go upstairs with Lin Dao, but turned around and walked straight to the small restaurant.

Li Ren, who was intently "keeping watch," suddenly saw a beautiful woman in an elegant suit, exuding a capable air, walking towards him. As she drew closer… he jolted awake, recognizing her, and frantically nudged his companion beside him: "Wake up! Wake up! Sister Yu'er! President Shen is here!"

After a chaotic commotion, several young people with huge dark circles under their eyes, trying to look energetic but unable to hide their unease, stood in front of Shen Yu'er.

Shen Yu'er looked at them, and although they were dressed neatly (obviously they had taken special care of themselves), they couldn't hide their fatigue and nervousness. She felt both helpless and amused.

"You guys... stayed up all night preparing for the battle? Come on, Lin Dao has arrived, he told me to take you straight up."

As Li Ren and his group followed Shen Yu'er into the building, they immediately sensed a completely different atmosphere.

The lobby was spacious and bright. Although the signs of relocation were still fresh, the staff coming and going (most of whom were temporary staff or newly recruited key personnel from various government agencies) were all walking quickly and looking focused. The occasional glances they cast were also scrutinizing and evaluating.

Zhang You muttered under her breath, "It feels like I've stumbled into some kind of government agency..."

"Don't be nervous," Li Ren said in a low voice, but his own palms were sweating.

The invisible pressure only changed when Shen Yu'er pushed open a door with a sign that read "Chairman's Office".

The office wasn't luxurious, but it was clean and bright.

Lin Dao was standing by a small table near the window, holding several oddly colored, tree-fruit-like things in his hand, squeezing juice into several glasses.

A refreshing fruity aroma subtly permeates the air.

"You're here? Have a seat." Lin Dao turned around, his smile gentle, pointed to the sofa, and then gestured to the cups.

"You must be in a rush on the way? Have some of this, it's a 'refreshing drink' I made myself, with some Yu Ling fruit juice added. It's quite effective in relieving fatigue and reducing dark circles under the eyes."

Li Ren and the others sat down awkwardly and carefully picked up their cups.

The juice initially tasted distinctly sour and astringent, but quickly transformed into a sweet aftertaste, with a refreshing sensation spreading down my throat. Amazingly, within just a few seconds, the fatigue and drowsiness of the past few days receded like a receding tide, my mind cleared, the dryness and swelling in my eyes disappeared, and my heavy dark circles faded visibly.

"This...is amazing!" Xiaoyou couldn't help but exclaim softly, touching the corner of her eye.

Lin Dao smiled and said, "Many berries in the Pokémon world have special effects."

"You'll get used to it as you spend more time with them."

He walked back to his seat, sat down casually, and adopted a relaxed posture.

"Don't be nervous, everyone, let's start by briefly introducing ourselves. We're just having a casual chat."

Li Ren instinctively wanted to stand up and give a formal introduction, but Lin Dao waved his hand.

"Sit down, everyone. I'm a former wage earner myself, and I hate all that fancy formalities. Let's do it the way young people do."

These words seemed to have a magical power, instantly making the air in the room much more relaxed.

Lively Xiaoyou was the first to raise her hand, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her idol.

"Hello Teacher Lin! I'm Zhang You, my friends call me Xiao You. I'm mainly responsible for art design and concept art! I love your live streams! Growlithe is so cool!"

With her starting, the others relaxed and introduced themselves in turn:

"Teacher Lin, I'm Wu Li. I used to be a backend developer, and now... I'm learning animation technology and engines."

"Mr. Lin... no, Teacher Lin, I'm Wang Fei. I used to be a food deliveryman, but now I'm learning to write screenplays. People call me Fei."

"Teacher Lin, I'm Bao Hao, a graduate in animation, specializing in rigging and animation."

"I...I'm Zhang Qian, I also studied animation, and I'm good at...good at post-production compositing and special effects." The voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Finally, it was Li Ren's turn. He took a deep breath and said, "Teacher Lin, I am Li Ren, the founder of the studio. I do a little bit of everything, but my main focus is on the direction and the final quality."

Lin Dao listened patiently and nodded: "Okay, I've remembered them all. Xiao You, A Fei, Lao Wu, Hao Zi, Qian Qian, and Shui Jiao."

He deliberately used their nicknames or abbreviations to make the atmosphere more intimate.

Then, Lin Dao leaned forward slightly and asked the first, and most important, question.

"So, before we start discussing specific work, I'd like to hear your most honest thoughts. How do you view Pokémon? What do you think our future, or rather, the shared future of humans and Pokémon, should look like?"

The question was posed, and the room fell silent for a moment. Everyone looked at Li Ren.

Li Ren knew that the real "interview" had begun.

He clenched his fist, gathered his thoughts, and said, "Teacher Lin, in my opinion, Pokémon... they are like visitors from distant stars, or intelligent life forms in different forms."

"They are not monsters, not tools; they have emotions, personalities, families, and social functions."

"I think the future world shouldn't be a world where humans 'tame' Pokémon, but rather like... like two originally independent civilizations that, because their fates collided, had to learn to coexist, and then discovered that they could complement each other, become partners, or even family."