Professor Burnet
| Professor Burnet | |
|---|---|
| Species | Human |
| Hair color | White |
| Eye color | Yellow |
| Height | 5'7" |
| Base | Dimensional Research Lab, Heahea City, Akala Island |
| Relatives | Professor Kukui (husband) |
| Debut | Pokémon Dream Radat |
Professor Burnet is a Pokémon researcher who originally appeared as the host of the Pokémon Dream Radar before reappearing as a supporting character in the seventh generation games of the Pokémon games: Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Her research specializes in the study of other dimensions, and she is also married to Alola's resident Pokémon Professor, Professor Kukui.
Background[edit]
Professor Burnet went to college with Fennel, and the two bonded over their mutual studies of dreams. While dreams were the initial focus of Fennel's research, it connected to her later focus on other dimensions, as she came to study the Interdream Zone, a space that existed between dreams and reality in which Pokémon could appear. In Pokémon Dream Radar, she enlisted the help of an unnamed assistant to explore the Interdream Zone and collect Dream Orbs that could help her with her research. The assistant used devices invented by Fennel to help out, although she admitted that her inventions were considered odd and not well-received by other researchers. Burnet also had them catch Pokémon found there and send them to their friend in the real world. She had them look into mystery Pokémon she saw there, which turned out to be the Therian Formes of Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus. She also seemingly coined the term 'Therian Forme'. Once all three had been caught, Burnet said that this would be a great boon for her research and suspected that this was a clue about a new dimension.
At some point, Burnet established her own Dimensional Research Lab at Heahea City on Akala Island within the Alola region. She was drawn to the stories about the Ultra Wormhole from which fearsome Pokémon known as Ultra Beasts were said to hail. She conducted a lot of research on the matter, but she had trouble ascertaining how much of the legends and folk lore were true. Regardless, she knew that there was a lot of evidence about the existence of other dimensions within the Pokédex alone, and she collected books detailing information about connections between certain Pokémon and other dimensions. While in Alola, Burnet married Professor Kukui and became a devoted fan of The Masked Royal, without realizing that Kukui was the man behind the mask. She prided herself on never missing one of the battle royals that The Masked Royal took part in.
Three months prior to the beginning of Elio/Selene's adventure, a girl named Lillie sought out Burnet. Lillie was protecting a Cosmog named Nebby and sought out Burnet at Wicke's suggestion. Burnet stayed up all night listening to Lillie's suggestion. She arranged for Lillie to stay in the loft of Kukui's lab and act as his assistant, while she continued her research, now with the additional motive of trying to find a way to get Nebby back to its home. Lillie came to feel that Burnet was like a true mother to her. During the seventh generation games, Professor Burnet first appeared when Kukui and the others brought Elio/Selene to the Dimensional Research Lab to meet Burnet. Burnet told Elio/Selene the basics about the Ultra Wormhole and the mysteries surrounding other dimensions, and she left them with directions on how to find Olivia as well as a warning to beware Team Skull. She later found Lillie after she got lost while trying to avoid Team Skull and brought her to Elio/Selene by the Ruins of Life, before departing to make sure that she did not miss The Masked Royal's next match, while wondering what he looked like under the mask. After Elio/Selene completed Olivia's Grand Trial, she commemorated their victory by giving them a Reveal Glass. She also mused about how mirrors could be scary, as sometimes after working through the night, she would look into the mirror and feel that she was looking at a stranger.
After Elio/Selene became Alola's first champion, Professor Burnet attended the celebratory festival at Iki Town. There, while looking at Kukui, she seemed to notice his resemblance to The Masked Royal to the first time. In Sun/Moon, Lillie departed for the Kanto region, and Kukui mentioned that Burnet did not want to see her off as she felt that it would be too sad, but she left her with the invitation to return to Kukui's loft indefinitely.
Other Appearances[edit]
Other Media[edit]
- In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Professor Burnet played an supporting role during the Sun/Moon arc, after making a cameo appearance late in the Black 2/White 2 arc when mentioned by Fennel. In this version, Lillie was secretive about her past, so Burnet sent her to Kukui in hopes of helping her to open up. Burnet investigated the mysteries surrounding Nebby and worked to protect Lillie. At the end of the arc, it was shown that Burnet had found out The Masked Royal's identity, and the two of them ended up fighting together in battle royals as Luran and Kommo.
- In the Pokémon anime, Burnet made recurring appearances during the Sun/Moon-based series. She was introduced as the first active researcher to win the Alola Woman of the Year award and coordinated with scientists from the Aether Foundation to investigate sources of Ultra Aura. One notable difference in this version was that Burnet and Kukui were not initially together; over the course of the series, they eventually got engaged and married, at which point she appeared more often after moving in with Kukui. Burnet also helped to coordinate the missions of the Ultra Guardians. After The Masked Royal's identity was publicly revealed, Burnet's reaction was to collapse with hearts in her eyes. At the end of that series, it was shown that Burnet was pregnant. Burnet and Kukui reappeared in several episodes of the Pokémon Journeys series, where it was shown that they had a young son named Lei. Her only known Pokémon in this version was a Munchlax that usually accompanied her.
Trivia[edit]
- In the original Japanese, she is referred to as a doctor instead of a professor. Her name is the same in both versions, being named directly after the burnet flowering plant genus.
- She was depicted with pale skin the Pokémon Dream Radar and tan skin in the seventh generation games. This implies that she did not originally hail from Alola and only got a tan after living there.
- Going to college with Fennel means that Burnet also attended as the same time as Professor Aurea Juniper, although it is never mentioned if they met. Despite Fennel and Juniper living in Unova, Burnet refers to Unova in the Pokémon Dream Radar as if she is unfamiliar with it, implying that she did not hail from the region. This leaves her original home region unknown.