Chapter 65 A Shining New Life

Johto Region, New Bark Town.

Professor Elm also received the package from Celadon City.

The reason he purchased the Arceus sculpture was because the workshop's description stated that the sculpture would have a special effect on the hatching of Pokémon. As an expert in Pokémon breeding and Pokémon egg groups, ever since Professor Elm unraveled the unique phenomenon of Pokémon eggs, the special service of "raising Pokémon eggs" had become common in day-care centers starting from the Johto Region and extending to other surrounding regions.

However, Pokémon eggs always appeared suddenly; not even Professor Elm had ever witnessed the exact moment a Pokémon egg was laid.

"To make the hatched Pokémon even stronger, and even give them a chance to encounter a unique new life... What on earth does this mean... Could it be a change in their abilities?"

The workshop's description was vague. Professor Elm tried to inquire with the seller, but the reply he received was simply: ["You will understand once it hatches."]

It seemed this would cause a tremendously profound impact, which was perhaps why there were only three such sculptures in existence. If the seller wasn't a fraud, Professor Elm felt he truly needed to thank his own lightning-fast clicking speed.

Fortunately, he happened to have a batch of unique eggs on hand right now.

Of course, Professor Elm also knew that another peer of his had purchased one of this sculpture; that person was Professor Rowan from the Sinnoh Region, who was also his senior. Moreover, Professor Elm's research on evolution and abilities had been learned directly from Professor Rowan. Professor Elm had briefly communicated with Professor Rowan beforehand, and according to Professor Rowan's speculation, this uniquely shaped Pokémon was likely related to the legends of the Sinnoh Region.

Originally, he thought it was an original artistic design, but he never expected it to be related to an unknown Pokémon from myth... Furthermore, even though Professor Elm knew nothing about the art of sculpture, he could feel a strong ancient aura emanating from the exquisite statue before him. If he listened closely, there seemed to be a faint sound of music, but the moment he concentrated slightly, the sound would vanish, as if it were merely a figment of his imagination.

Beep, beep—the videophone rang. Professor Elm hurriedly answered it, and on the other side of the screen was his mentor, Professor Oak!

"Teacher, you called at the exact right moment. I am just about to hatch a batch of new Pokémon eggs."

Professor Elm greeted Professor Oak, and Professor Oak immediately perked up with interest: "So, are you going to use that sculpture?"

The three sculptures of the unknown Pokémon had actually been purchased by three different professors, with the final sculpture bought by Professor Oak.

[ "I also bought some other sculptures, but I've been quite busy lately, so I haven't had time to test their effects. As for the carving of that unknown Pokémon, I've already asked Professor Rowan about it. It seems he is having the Sinnoh Champion investigate the matter; she is an excellent archaeologist." ]

[ "I plan to buy a few more items and then conduct a unified test all at once. For this purpose, I've also invited a few very capable trainers to help me..." ]

"Ahem! Anyway, let me see what happens when the new Pokémon eggs hatch. This is a test in itself."

Professor Oak said, though his expression looked somewhat peculiar, which Professor Elm failed to notice. Instead, he excitedly linked the videophone stream to his Pokémon device so that Professor Oak could observe this batch of impending eggs from all angles.

Professor Elm walked over to the incubation device and explained to Professor Oak: "This is a batch of 'first partner' eggs—specifically, eggs of Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile."

The so-called first partners referred to the Pokémon given to novice trainers when they set out on their journeys, usually presented by the institute's professor. They possessed many characteristics such as rapid growth and strong abilities. The first partners chosen by institutes in all regions were carefully selected, and some first partners were also raised by the League or the professors themselves, then uniformly distributed to rookie trainers wishing to receive a Pokémon.

However, their wild populations could still be found in the natural world.

As an expert in egg groups, Professor Elm was naturally one of the finest breeders. The Pokémon eggs he possessed were all nurtured right in his own laboratory. Right now, inside the three incubation devices, three eggs were quietly awaiting the moment of hatching, and the fluctuations from the instruments indicated whether the Pokémon eggs were close to hatching.

"According to my recent research, I've discovered that before hatching, some Pokémon can actually see the outside world and perceive our presence... Now, I am going to place this sculpture right between the three Pokémon eggs."

Professor Elm waited nervously for the moment of hatching to arrive, though when they would hatch was entirely up to the Pokémon's own will; the incubation device could only play an assisting role and could not make the choice on behalf of the Pokémon.

Professor Oak also knew this was a long process, so he waited with a solemn expression as well. But in the very next instant, the statue of Arceus emitted a faint glow!

This sudden and abnormal change startled both professors greatly!

"That sculpture...! It's glowing!"

Accompanied by the brilliant flash of light, the three Pokémon eggs placed inside the incubation devices also began to shine. There was no doubt about the meaning of that change—it was the precursor to an imminent hatching!

"Three eggs, simultaneously?!"

***

Professor Elm's assistant was also checking the equipment. Professor Elm only had a single assistant, so the two of them were frequently swamped with work. At this moment, the assistant wore an expression of utter shock because violent fluctuations were appearing on the instruments!

"The hatching process is extremely intense, completely different from before! Professor..."

"Observe the instrument changes closely and gradually adjust the power to a safe threshold!" Professor Elm stared nervously at the three eggs, while Professor Oak on the other end of the videophone wore an equally grave expression.

The light emanating from the three eggs steadily intensified, and as the power of the incubation devices decreased, the outer appearances of the three eggs also began to shift!

There are two types of Pokémon hatching processes: one is hatching by breaking out of the shell, and the other is the egg itself directly transforming into a new life form. What was happening now was precisely the latter!

"Chigu?"

"Hino...?"

"Wa... Wani!"

The three Pokémon hatched simultaneously, transforming amidst the intense light into Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile!

On Chikorita's body, a bright, twinkling starlight effect flashed for a split second!

At the same time, Professor Elm immediately noticed that these three Pokémon appeared exceptionally large inside the incubation devices... They were significantly larger individuals compared to others of the same species!

In the natural world, the larger a Pokémon's size, the stronger its competitiveness among its peers, which meant their strength and speed far exceeded other individuals of the same species. However, Pokémon bred in laboratories rarely showed such differences between large and small sizes because the incubation conditions provided within the laboratory were roughly identical, making the probability of hatching exceptionally powerful individuals extremely low.

Yet right now, these three were clearly unlike anything hatched previously!

"How could this be? This is a startling transformation! Open the incubation devices quickly!" Professor Elm instructed his assistant to open the apparatus while stepping forward. Facing the three curious Pokémon, Professor Elm's eyes locked instantly onto Chikorita!

The color of Chikorita's leaf was different—no, the color of its body was different as well!

"Chi... Chiguchigu?" Chikorita looked at Professor Elm with a trace of puzzlement, while Professor Elm was immensely excited at this sight!

"Is this... a unique new life?!"

It hatched—the egg hatching produced a shiny!

On the other end of the videophone, Professor Oak was equally astonished, murmuring to himself: "A shiny Pokémon..."

"They've been found before!" Professor Elm quickly chimed in: "In standard natural environments, the probability of shiny Pokémon appearing is extremely low, and their appearance is entirely random. Previously, Team Rocket created a red Gyarados through a special experiment at the Lake of Rage. Research at the time suggested that the red Gyarados retained the coloration of Magikarp, causing it to change. But later on, individual golden Magikarp were discovered, which could also evolve into a red Gyarados through normal evolution."

Professor Oak stroked his chin: "Mmm, Pokémon of different colorations have indeed been discovered in the Orange Archipelago as well. They are alterations caused by changes in the natural environment, and such Pokémon fall somewhere between shiny and regional forms."

"However, we have now verified the function of this sculpture... Without a doubt, it holds immense significance for the study of hatching, breeding, and egg groups!"

Professor Elm forced himself to calm his surging emotions: "Once this batch of Pokémon hatches, they will soon be handed over to rookie trainers. I must hurry up and conduct research on them!"

"As for the study of the sculpture..."

"Oh, leave that to me." Professor Oak was also full of enthusiasm: "What kind of force on earth influenced the coloration of the Pokémon and made them even stronger? Before hatching, the sculpture glowed, as if it were telling us in advance that a new life was about to be born. It must have affected the surrounding incubation environment, which led to this situation..."

"Mmm... Things related to mysticism are incomprehensible by science. Many similar situations have happened in this world before..."

As Professor Oak spoke, his expression shifted, as if recalling some distant memory.

***

Celadon City, Traveler's Workshop.

Hikokoke clicked away the pop-up customer window and let out a long breath.

Some regular customers who had bought items before, along with a few new clients, had all offered valuable suggestions!

"Ice-type items, Never-Melt Ice and Snowball...? But I have no idea where to find those. Scaling ancient mountain peaks is far too dangerous."

"Dolls are indeed worth a try making—Substitute dolls and Clefairy dolls? I still have some materials here; they should be enough."

"Supernatural paper—this is a wonderful idea. I genuinely never thought of using paper to craft supernatural items. Who knows, it might create something unexpected, much like that curse email sent by the Gengar of the ancient explorer? If that's the case, I should have the Doublade learn modern writing... No, perhaps writing books using ancient text would be even better! It would add to the mysticism. I'll place the paper from my warehouse into the fourth room right now for supernatural infusion. Wrapping them in a ghost cloth and having the Doublade process them should allow me to manufacture supernatural paper even faster."

"Paintings and decorations... carpets, wallpaper, tea sets... psychic glass whistles. There is still some gap between my painting skills and my sculpting skills, but if I draw them in a ruins style, it might actually work!"

"Musical instruments—I haven't made any yet, but through forging techniques, I might be able to give it a try. The materials needed are brass, or perhaps Bronze钟 fragments? I wonder if I can buy them."

Although Bronzor weren't particularly rare Pokémon, most of them gathered in ancient ruins, abandoned buildings, and ancient tombs, making them not all that easy to encounter.

"In that case, I'll need to purchase a large variety of item materials from the outside world. Fortunately, I've earned quite a bit of money recently; I'll use it all!"

Hikokoke began searching the computer for necessary items and materials. Some Pokémon materials could be purchased online, such as Wigglytuff fur, which was a high-grade Pokémon material that could be spun into premium yarn, so there were specialized ranches raising them. But others couldn't be bought; the rarer ones were even harder to acquire.

"Recent income from selling sculptures and various items has accumulated to about 3 million."

The prices of the sculptures weren't uniform; some were cheap while others were expensive. Factoring in inventory differences, the Arceus sculpture alone had brought Hikokoke a revenue of 600,000, and the other sculpture products combined added up to around 1.5 million.

The remainder—two types of talismans, battle items, pottery of light, lure baits... those accounted for another 1 million.

"At the same time, there is still some unrecorded income. The sculpture products of Ghetsis and Mustard are not included yet; they will only be counted once the items are received."

"Purchasing various Pokémon materials, common ores, cotton for stuffing dolls..."

"Cotton, Whimsicott cotton is a specialty of Unova."

"Minerals, the mines of Galar produce abundant brass and high-quality minerals related to Cufant."

"For painting, the pigment from Smeargle tails in the Johto Region is top-tier goods!"

"Fabrics, yarn woven from Wigglytuff fur in the Kanto Region is a premium luxury commodity."

These Pokémon were quite common, living alongside humans for extended periods in a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship with mankind. Therefore, with just a brief search, they could be purchased online. However, because high-end commodities were very expensive, Hikokoke's funds shrank rapidly.

"Just buying a few extra quantities of these four materials cost 1.88 million. Now I have 1.5 million left..."

"Art scrolls and stained glass from Altomare, unique musical instruments from Alamos Town, retro-style crafts and clothing from Rota City, volcanic ash from the Hoenn Region..."

"Expenditure of 1.1 million. As expected, the price of artwork is truly not cheap."

Hikokoke checked his remaining balance. Although he still had around 400,000 left, it was already enough for him to buy a few additional extra materials.

When Charizard and the others delivered goods next time, it was probably going to be quite exhausting for them!