As the helicopter soared into the sky, Carl gazed out of the window, his attention suddenly caught by a particular area below. He looked curiously at Cynthia and the others.
"Do you expect the champion of Sinnoh to be your tour guide?" Cynthia teased with a smile.
"Do you want the Sinnoh socialite to give you directions?" Caitlin mimicked, amused. She was used to having everything arranged for her, travel included, and rarely had to worry about such things.
Carl turned to Sabrina, "I suppose I can't rely on a recluse to be a guide. If you can recognize Goldenrod City, that's impressive enough, let alone the entire Kanto region."
"Glad you understand," Sabrina replied coolly.
Feeling a bit defeated, Carl asked the pilot, "Hey, buddy, you should know, right?"
"That's definitely the Safari Zone," the pilot confirmed confidently.
Carl's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected to find his target location so quickly and decided to explore the area thoroughly later.
Around fifteen minutes later, the helicopter landed on the rooftop of a building in Vermilion City. The helipad was crowded with people, including Ethan Cross and Professor Oak.
Carl was the first to step off the helicopter, greeting Professor Oak with a grin, "Ah, the world-renowned Pokémon Professor himself here to welcome me. What an honor."
"You'd better make a good impression then," Professor Oak replied, puffing out his chest with pride.
"You certainly know how to take advantage of a situation," Carl said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, not at all. I must learn from you, Carl," Professor Oak feigned humility, implying Carl was the true expert in the art.
"Well, the skilled should teach," Carl accepted with a smile.
Their playful banter left the onlookers amused and slightly bewildered.
"Oak…" Blaine clutched his chest, feigning heartbreak. He had thought he was Oak's best friend, only to see him buddying up with someone new.
Ethan Cross also thought jealously, "At least I have Bill. Oak's not the same innocent guy he used to be."
Suddenly, Carl and Professor Oak burst into laughter and embraced, their friendship clear despite their age difference.
"It's been a while, Carl," Professor Oak said with a touch of nostalgia in his voice.
Carl's eyes twinkled with understanding. "Indeed, forty years."
Professor Oak paused, surprised, "You remember?"
Carl shook his head lightly, "Why wouldn't I?"
"True," Professor Oak smiled, relieved. He remembered now that Carl seemed to know everything. At least he didn't have to bear those memories alone anymore.
"No wonder you call me that," Carl mused.
By his calculations, forty years ago, Oak was indeed two years younger than him. Given Carl's nature, it seemed he had been involved in some sort of time-traveling adventure.
"By the way, this is for you," Professor Oak suddenly produced a temperature-controlled device containing a black and blue patterned Pokémon egg. "The Ralts egg you asked me to keep safe all those years ago. I've been using freezing technology to delay its hatching."
"Ralts?!"
The mention of the Pokémon caught everyone's attention, especially Caitlin and Sabrina. Even a pair of eyes in the corner brightened with interest.
For trainers specializing in Psychic or Fairy types, raising a Gardevoir was a dream. In reality, any trainer would be captivated by such a Pokémon.
Gardevoir was not only elegant but could Mega Evolve, making it exceptionally powerful. More importantly, they were fiercely loyal, choosing a single trainer for life and even willing to follow them into the afterlife.
This loyalty made them highly sought after by many families as companions for heirs, enabling trainers to quickly reach professional levels and providing protection in critical moments with their teleportation abilities.
Gardevoirs were exceedingly rare and impossible to purchase. Even Caitlin, with her background and determination, had never managed to catch one.
Professor Oak presenting Carl with a Ralts egg was astonishing, claiming it to be a return of property.
"A Ralts egg for me?" Carl was taken aback.
Though he understood the connection with Professor Oak, he hadn't anticipated such long-term planning, nor how Oak had acquired the egg from forty years past. The real question was, where did the egg originate?
In his memory, there was no place where he could have stumbled upon a Ralts egg. The Hoenn region did have a Gardevoir family, but that was a couple of years away, and their appearances were unpredictable, reliant on sheer luck.
Even more perplexing was whether this would cause a time paradox or if future events would create a closed-loop timeline.
With his mind swirling with questions, Carl instinctively accepted the Pokémon egg. As soon as he touched the warmer, a stream of information flooded his mind:
[Pokémon: Shiny Ralts]
[Type: Psychic + Fairy]
[Nature: Modest (Special Attack up, Attack down)]
[Ability: Trace (Active)]
[Hidden Ability: Telepathy (Shiny exclusive)]
[Status: Pokémon Egg (Sealed by Jirachi crystal)]
Carl stared at the egg, his heartbeat quickening. A shiny Ralts egg, rarer than most Pokémon. He struggled to recall how he'd obtained it but drew a blank.
A shiny Gardevoir was extremely rare; revealing one would cause a stir. Professor Oak had entrusted such a precious Pokémon to him, claiming it was part of his own plan, leaving Carl both excited and puzzled.
He began piecing together clues. Although he knew many trainers with Gardevoirs, such as Diantha, Maria, and Helena, none were shiny, and he was unsure how they acquired theirs.
Suddenly, he remembered someone—the Azoth Kingdom's Princess Diancie from the Kalos region. She owned a uniquely beautiful blue-skinned shiny Gardevoir. The kingdom was known for its advanced technology and had created the powerful mythical Pokémon Magearna. However, in this world, such information seemed tightly guarded.
Gently stroking the warm egg, Carl pondered its possible origins.
Carl noted that Professor Oak's mention of a trade was crucial. After a quick mental calculation, he pretended to be pleasantly surprised and accepted the Ralts, then asked the Professor, "Is this from the Azoth Kingdom?"
"Don't you trust my work?" Professor Oak sounded a bit miffed.
This answer confirmed Carl's suspicions. He sighed with relief and joked, "Because it's your work, I'm worried."
"That's hurtful," Professor Oak feigned sorrow, "I handled it with just the Ralts egg you gave me."
Due to preconceived notions, Professor Oak trusted Carl's words implicitly, allowing Carl to easily glean the information he needed.