So- the question I had about soaking in aerated water.
I looked up a bunch of articles, some by botanists and horticulturists. Even forestry research. They all show germination results are better using aerated water.
Some articles says that H2O2 is used for that purpose, one says it gives O2 directly, and the other says it chemical scars the coating, allowing more O2 to get to the embryo. My idea is to let them swim around an air-stone for a while.