It was only after speaking that Luther recalled Ash's illustrious history of hatching Pokémon eggs.
The Phanpy, which had an impressive pre-evolution battle record but then became the disastrously underperforming Donphan after evolving, had been hatched from an egg.
Luther didn't understand Base Stats at the time, so he didn't realize what a missed opportunity it had been when Ash hatched and later released the Larvitar.
Noibat was even simpler. Ash had just picked up an egg by the roadside, hatched it, and raised it all the way to Noivern.
Of course, compared to Goodra, even the most fortunate egg-hatching lottery wins paled in comparison. After all, Goomy had literally fallen from the sky, a future pseudo-legendary Pokémon landed on Ash's head while he was walking.
Joy led Luther and Ash to the hatching room. Two Pokémon eggs, specially marked by Joy, rested on a padded table.
One had a pale green, dog-paw-shaped pattern.
The other was light blue with striped markings and dark spots.
The light blue egg was noticeably larger than the green one.
"To be honest, I'm not sure if I should let you adopt these eggs. According to their incubation time, both should have hatched long ago."
Their previous owner was traveling and, after caring for them for so long with no response, asked us to find a suitable trainer to adopt them. He simply didn't have the time to continue caring for the eggs."
Mai had already mentioned this. The most common fear when incubating Pokémon eggs is prolonged dormancy, no movement, no feedback.
Ash circled the eggs while Brock widened his squinted eyes, trying to assess their condition and species.
Mai leaned close to Luther and whispered, "Have you decided which one you want?"
"I'm leaning toward the blue one. I like the color," Luther replied. "Which one do you want?"
"The green one. I love the paw-print pattern..." Mai offered her opinion.
Luther approached Joy and handed her his Pokédex. "I've decided. I'll take the green Pokémon egg. Please register it for me."
Ash didn't hesitate either. He decisively handed his Pokédex to Joy and chose the remaining egg.
As Joy registered Luther's choice, Mai tugged at his sleeve. "Didn't you want the blue one?"
"I'm borrowing your luck," he said, pressing the Pokémon egg into her hands. "Your luck has always been pretty good, and you wanted this one so badly. Of course I'd listen to you."
After Joy gave them their Pokédexes, Luther and Ash officially became the new owners of the two Pokémon eggs.
The Pokémon Center's only request was that they be patient and return to a nearby center to update the data once the eggs hatched.
Back in the restaurant courtyard, the Pokémon who had finished their chores gathered around Luther and Ash eagerly.
This marked the first new addition to Luther's team in quite some time. Though still unhatched, all the Pokémon instinctively assumed their new companion would share their type.
As the team's sole Water-type Pokémon, Marill secretly hoped for a little brother. Otherwise, the Weather Espurr that she always helped capture in battles could only be used by her, which was a real waste of its potential.
The Wooper that Dakota brought back showed no shyness whatsoever. He was a natural optimist, grinning from ear to ear and squinting with a goofy smile at everyone he met.
"Truly adorably silly," they thought.
The team's elder members were overjoyed to have a new little brother. Even the two powerhouses, Salamence and Eelektross, lay down on the ground, mimicking Pikachu's way of teasing Milcery, just to play with Wooper.
Surskit also received rave reviews from Mao's team.
She was so tiny that whether she perched on someone's shoulder or clung to their back, she looked like an exquisite ornament. She was also exceptionally well-behaved.
However, her way of showing affection to Igglybuff was rather peculiar.
Seeing her press her face against Igglybuff's reminded Luther of facehuggers.
Through the telescope's lens, the courtyard beneath the night sky appeared to be alive with revelry.
Team Rocket wore mixed expressions; their hearts churned with conflicting emotions.
There were so many Pokémon, most of them with impressive strength. Now there were two more Pokémon eggs, who knew what might hatch from them?
It was too tempting. Jessie nearly leapt into the hot air balloon, ready to charge in and take action.
But reality quickly crushed her ambition.
"If we don't stop, the Lily of the Valley Conference won't have money to restock supplies or rent temporary market stalls."
Meowth's words caused Wobbuffet to nod vigorously.
Jessie grabbed Wobbuffet's face and began kneading it frantically. "Are we just going to watch all these Pokémon and not catch a single one? That's not Team Rocket's style!"
James sighed. "The kid's got a tough crowd around him. We can't overpower them. Rushing in would be like throwing away all the equipment we spent so much money on. Let's just call it a loss for now."
"James, why don't you sell some of your bottle caps? I remember you saying they're highly collectible. They must be worth a fortune by now."
James flatly refused. "Absolutely not! I've been collecting these bottle caps for years, acquiring them through all sorts of means. Jessie, you'll never understand the feeling!"
Meowth took a bite of his sandwich, glanced left and right, and sighed.
"Business comes first. With enough money, we can make even better equipment to take down that brat and his friends. The Lily of the Valley Conference is just around the corner. Let's save our money."
Meowth's words shattered Jessie's resolve. She snatched his sandwich and devoured it in one bite.
"Let those brats act tough for a few more days. Once the conference is over, I'll make sure they pay!"
Luther and his group were unaware that Team Rocket had gone quiet. Ash, ever the worrier, insisted that he had a bad feeling that Team Rocket was about to strike again.
To guard against a surprise attack, Darkrai patrolled the courtyard every night.
Yet Team Rocket had vanished completely.
For a full two weeks, not a single member was sighted.
"Maybe they've finally learned their lesson," Etorre suggested.
But Ash and the others, having experienced Team Rocket's relentless persistence firsthand, knew it couldn't be that simple.
Without Team Rocket's interference, things proceeded smoothly.
Etorre shared his Pokémon breeding methods, Ash shared his thoughts on Bond, and Luther explained his understanding of the battle system.
Dakota was astonished by this openness, believing that even "no topic off-limits" discussions had their limits.
The three of them were undoubtedly sharing insights and experiences they usually kept hidden, reserved for the deepest recesses of their hearts.
Luther, in particular, seemed to be sharing his experiences without reservation.
His opening remarks plunged everyone into a long silence. When Etorre and Ash added their perspectives on Battle, Dakota finally realized something.
They truly didn't see him as an outsider.
Ash explained that he and Paul had grown stronger through the process of learning from, battling, and understanding each other. The fact that such a dynamic was unfolding here felt truly remarkable.
No one pressured Dakota to speak, but he found himself trembling in silence.
He felt petty for keeping his thoughts to himself.
During a pause while Luther elaborated on Ash's experiences, Dakota joined in with a casual tone.
(End of Chapter)
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