Chapter 51: Hatching! A Dragon Dance Ekans!
The white light intensified, forcing Kenji to squint, his heart pounding faster and faster.
After two long minutes, the light finally began to fade.
"Sss-haa..."
The incubator lid had opened on its own. The eggshell and nutrient solution were gone, and in their place, a tiny, palm-sized snake was curled up, letting out a faint, baby-like hiss.
Kenji studied the hatchling. It was tiny, having just been born. Unlike a normal Ekans, which was purple, this one's scales were a deep, inky black. Its ring-like markings, normally yellow, were a brilliant, shimmering gold, as if plated. The rattle on its tail was also golden. Most striking of all, its smooth, snakelike skin was overlaid with rows of hard, black scales, just like a dragon's.
As Kenji watched, the little Ekans slithered out of the incubator. It showed no fear, as if it had already imprinted on Kenji as its parent. It moved its tiny body directly toward his hand.
Kenji held out his palm, and the Ekans obediently crawled onto it.
In his past life, Kenji had always liked reptile pets like snakes and geckos, so he felt no fear. Although Ekans was a Poison-type, he knew the Pokémon itself wasn't inherently toxic (unlike its venomous bite). The world of Pokémon was full of strange logic, like Dodrio being a Flying-type, Groudon not being a Fire-type, and Garchomp not being able to learn Dragon Dance.
Besides, what harm could a newborn hatchling do? It was clear from the way it affectionately nuzzled his palm, flicking its long tongue, that it had no intention of hurting him.
Kenji took a single, mid-grade Poison-type Pokéblock and placed it in his palm. The Ekans tentatively tasted it with its tongue, and upon confirming it was food, began to happily nibble on it.
One mid-grade block was more than enough to fill the tiny stomach of a hatchling less than an hour old. After eating, the Ekans curled up into a tight ball in Kenji's hand and promptly fell fast asleep.
Baby Pokémon were just like human infants: eat, sleep, and repeat. The only difference was that their growth cycle was exponentially faster, a necessity for surviving in the wild. It usually only took about a week for a newborn Pokémon to exit its infant stage and begin to develop its combat abilities.
Seeing it asleep, Kenji took out an empty Poké Ball and gently tapped it against the Ekans. The ball opened, and a beam of red light pulled the small Pokémon inside. It didn't even wobble; it just clicked shut instantly, signaling a successful capture.
Kenji immediately released it again, eager to check its status.
Ekans (1-Star)
Gender: Male
Level: 1
Type: Poison / Dragon
Base Stats: 340 (HP: 40, Atk: 80, Def: 45, Sp.Atk: 40, Sp.Def: 55, Speed: 80)
Ability: Multiscale
Moves: Leer, Wrap, Dragon Dance, Dragon Rage, Poison Fang
Potential: S-
Kenji's jaw dropped.
He rubbed his eyes, convinced he was hallucinating.
Dragon Dance?!
His newborn Ekans, a Pokémon that shouldn't even be a Dragon-type, knew Dragon Dance right out of the egg! But as he looked at the Multiscale ability and the new "Dragon" typing, he supposed it all made a twisted sort of sense. If its very genetics and ability could be rewritten, inheriting an egg move like Dragon Dance seemed plausible. After all, Pokémon like Whiscash and Crawdaunt—which looked nothing like dragons—could learn Dragon Dance. His Ekans was at least part-Dragon now.
Its base stats were also significantly different. A normal Ekans had a base stat total of 288. Thanks to the infusion of Dragonite genes, his had started at 340. The most significant boost was to its Speed, which was 25 points higher than normal. This was ironic, considering Dragonite itself only had a base Speed of 80, despite its Pokédex entry claiming it could circle the globe in 16 hours.
Kenji gently recalled the sleeping Ekans and headed for the Edgecliff Gym.
"Kenji! What did you call me over for?"
Melody met him in the training hall, tilting her head in confusion.
Kenji just smiled mysteriously and pulled a Poké Ball from his bag.
"Here. A present."
Melody blinked. "A Pokémon?"
He nodded. "Yep. I picked it out especially for you. Consider it a thank you for all the help you and your father have given me."
Hearing that Kenji had "specially selected" it, Melody's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What is it?"
Kenji didn't drag out the suspense. He tossed the Poké Ball, and a familiar red fish appeared on the floor, flopping uselessly. It stared up with its signature vacant eyes, its mouth gaping.
Melody was stunned into silence.
"A... Magikarp?"
Kenji nodded. "I know you were pretty impressed by my Gyarados. This one has incredible potential. If you raise it right, I guarantee it will evolve. No question."
Melody's eyes instantly brightened. She knew about Kenji's "special ability" to sense a Pokémon's potential, so she didn't doubt his word for a second.
"Thank you!" she beamed, her excitement obvious. She had, in fact, been incredibly jealous of his Gyarados.
The problem was that finding a Magikarp with B-Rank potential or higher—the minimum needed to evolve—was like finding a needle in a haystack.
To find this one, Kenji had returned to the fishing port and spent hours scanning thousands more fish until he finally found a natural A- potential Magikarp. With A- potential, it was not only guaranteed to evolve, but with proper training, it had the capacity to one day reach the Elite Four Class. It would be a massive asset to her future team.