Ash nodded and led Misty and Brock into the garden inside the research institute.
Once inside the garden, Ash couldn't help but compare it to the garden inside Oak's Research Institute, and naturally, there's no comparison...
The garden at Oak's Research Institute is more of a giant backyard, with an area estimated to be several times that of this research institute, but still, to acquire such a large site in Vermilion City already shows significant strength.
"Buzz~~~" Suddenly, while strolling in the garden with Misty and Brock, Ash felt a jolt in his head, and an unusual wave appeared in his mind.
"Ugh..." Ash suddenly covered his head and half-knelt to the ground.
Brock and Misty, who were with Ash, were startled, the latter hurriedly came to Ash's side, her pale hands supporting Ash's body as she worriedly said, "Ash, what's wrong with you?"
"My head... hurts a bit... it feels like something is calling me."
"Huh? Something is calling you?" Misty raised her head, her eyes shifting slightly, yet saw no living creatures in the surroundings, only flowers and plants, no people or Pokemon.
But what's going on with Ash?
"Over... there..." Ash felt the headache ease a little and, trembling, stretched out his finger to point in a direction.
The place Ash pointed at was obscured by a foliage, apart from the vegetation, nothing else was visible, meaning... could it be behind those flowers?
With Misty's support, Ash slowly advanced towards the clump of foliage he indicated, passing through and revealing a small waterfall and pool.
In terms of the environment, this place is indeed beautiful and very suitable for Pokemon to live.
After Professor Cerise established the research institute here, associates linked to Professor Cerise could choose to use this location as a repository for Pokemon breeding, similar to the principles of Ash's mentor, Professor Oak.
However, that's not the main focus right now... the point is, there's nothing here, there's plants and flowers, mountains and water, but no people or Pokemon.
Misty looked at Ash, who had calmed down considerably, hesitantly asking, "Ash, did you feel wrong? There's nothing here."
"No mistake, it's right over there." At this moment, Ash felt less pain and also realized the cause of his previous headache.
It was Aura Power...
His mind was attacked by Aura, and the information calling him was embedded within that attack.
If he had been prepared, such an Aura attack wouldn't hurt him; it wouldn't even get close, but who goes around guarding themselves with Aura for no reason?
Therefore, even Ash's powerful Aura got him a slight headache from that sudden shot.
Luckily, the intention of that attack was merely to deliver information, and its strength wasn't potent against Ash, allowing Ash to recover swiftly.
The direction that was calling him was precisely by the pool, Misty and Brock followed Ash's finger towards the pool, seeing only a small pond with nothing else in sight.
After Ash pointed out the direction, he stepped forward without hesitation, and the others followed closely.
Seconds later, they arrived by the small pond, which was separate from the water pool and artificial waterfall, measuring merely sixty to seventy centimeters wide.
Upon reaching the pond, Misty couldn't help but cover her mouth because she saw a Poke Egg in the water!
"A Poke Egg... Is this what was calling Ash?" Brock couldn't help but comment.
Pikachu and Ralts curiously approached the pond, observing the Poke Egg resting quietly in the water. The egg was mostly white with some faint blue patterns, and it had a slight but distinctly visible crack on its top.
"There's a crack on this Poke Egg, is it going to hatch?" Misty lowered her hand from her red lips, blinking her eyes, seeing the crack on the Poke Egg as well.
Generally, a crack on the egg's surface signals it's ready for hatching.
"It should be preparing to hatch... but why is this Poke Egg in the water?" Brock leaned in for a closer look and strangely felt a comfortable and clear-headed sensation upon approaching the pond.
It felt like he suddenly received a refreshing boost.
"It's not about to hatch; the crack indicates damage to the Poke Egg." Ash remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
The words caused a change in the expressions of Brock, Misty, and Pikachu, while Ralts let out a small gasp.
A damaged Poke Egg? It's quite an unusual occurrence since both wild and artificially bred Poke Eggs are treated with utmost care before hatching.
Wild Poke Eggs are guarded by their parents; post-birth wild Pokemon are aggressive against any external threats, and whoever wants to harm their Poke Eggs would have to cross their fallen bodies!
Artificially bred Poke Eggs need no explanation; they are kept in incubation chambers before birth, supplied daily with plenty of nutrients.
Thus, damaged Poke Eggs are rare occurrences, making it understandable why Misty and Brock didn't consider this possibility initially.
Yet, this Poke Egg in Professor Cerise's garden is actually damaged? What has this egg gone through? Why is it calling Ash?
Even damaged, it can still call out to Ash... What kind of paranormal event is this?
Ash extended his hand, and his palm slowly reached into the pool...
"What are you doing?!" Suddenly, a startled voice came, scaring Ash into pulling his hand back.
Looking towards the source, he found that the voice was from Professor Cerise.
Professor Cerise's face held a touch of anger; he intended for Ash and the others to come and relax, but unexpectedly, they found this place and wanted to tamper with the Poke Egg.
The condition of the Poke Egg isn't good; if they removed it from the water, it would be disastrous. Ash's actions reminded Professor Cerise of unpleasant memories, thus his usual gentleness turned into an instinctive reprimand.
"Professor Cerise! Sorry, we didn't mean to come here; it's because of a unique situation..." Misty, upon realizing it was Professor Cerise, hurriedly apologized.
This place belongs to Professor Cerise, and roaming around, attempting to touch his Poke Egg, was indeed inappropriate.
"Phew... Apologies, I got too worked up. I asked you to explore freely here, but suddenly remembered unpleasant memories, so I raised my voice..." Professor Cerise breathed out, seemingly releasing the anger in his heart, and his gentle smile reappeared.
"It's our fault... But Professor Cerise, what's up with this Poke Egg? The crack doesn't represent hatching but indicates damage, right?" Ash joined in apologizing and then swiftly addressed the topic.
He sensed the Poke Egg continually emitting tiny Aura waves to the outside, which only he, with Aura Power, could detect.
Even ten meters away, he couldn't sense the Aura emitted by the egg.
If the egg hadn't struck him with Aura, he wouldn't have discovered there was an almost dying Poke Egg in this place.
Indeed, almost dying...
In Ash's perception, the Aura of life within the Poke Egg was mere candle light, just barely preserved, and once its life force faded, it would signify the complete loss of vitality for the Poke Egg.
Upon Ash's inquiry, Professor Cerise sighed lightly, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "It's a long story, actually this Poke Egg has been in this pool for five years, and without the pool's support, it would have been a bad egg."
"Five years!!"
"The pool supports its life?!"
Misty and Brock exclaimed, utterly astonished by Professor Cerise's revelation.
The fact that a damaged Poke Egg could survive for five years is truly unprecedented, unheard of!