After chatting with Professor Oak for a while, Ash noticed how eager the professor was and decided not to keep him waiting. He placed Venusaur's Poké Ball onto the transfer device and sent him back to the laboratory.
After all, Oak wasn't just excited to have Venusaur help revitalize the garden, he was also dying to study the Life Branch that Venusaur had absorbed.
On the surface, it seemed like Oak had guided Ash to seek out the Life Branch in the Mysterious Garden, so of course he should've known all about it.
But in reality, that information had actually come from Champion Ash in the group chat.
So, Oak's curiosity was sky-high. Even though the Life Branch had completely fused with Venusaur, the lab's professional instruments could still detect traces of its unique properties.
It was probably a good thing Oak didn't know that Charizard had fused with a Rainbow Feather. Otherwise, he'd have been even more desperate to get Charizard back for research.
Compared to the Life Branch, whose origin was still uncertain, the Rainbow Feather within Charizard's body was an artifact of immense mythical value.
But thankfully, Oak was still blissfully unaware.
After sending Venusaur back and hanging up, Ash stretched, then turned to Misty and Brock. "All right, guys, next stop, Cinnabar Island!"
But just as he was about to pack up, he felt a faint vibration—coming from the incubator stored inside his backpack.
Ash quickly set his bag down, unzipped it, and carefully lifted out the egg incubator from inside.
Inside the transparent chamber, Togepi's Pokémon Egg was glowing faintly.
After obtaining Togepi's Egg in the Grand Canyon, Ash had immediately gone to the next Pokémon Center and asked Nurse Joy for a proper Egg incubator.
Using an incubator kept the embryo healthy, regularly injected nutrients, and ensured safe, timely hatching.
Ash normally carried the incubator in his backpack, but the Egg itself remained inside the incubator, not loose.
Now, the incubator's alert light was blinking rapidly.
"What's wrong, Ash? Is it about to hatch?" Misty asked, stepping closer, her big blue eyes shining with excitement.
"Yeah," Ash said with a grin. "The incubator's reacting, it should be hatching any minute."
He gently removed the Egg from the incubator and placed it in his palms.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu climbed up onto his shoulder, its curious gaze fixed on the softly glowing Egg.
Crack… crack… crack!
Tiny fissures began spreading across the eggshell, pieces flaking away under the morning light.
Brock quietly patted Misty on the shoulder and motioned for her to step back. Misty blinked in confusion for a moment, then realized what he meant and immediately backed away two steps.
Pokémon hatched from eggs form an instant bond with the first person they see.
That's one of the biggest benefits of raising a Pokémon from an egg, it saves the Trainer a lot of time in building trust, and it almost guarantees obedience in battle.
But if someone else was standing closer when the egg hatched, and the newborn Pokémon imprinted on them instead…then there will be big trouble.
If the Pokémon develops a fondness for that person, it would be a huge blow to the Trainer themselves.
Not only would the Trainer have to rebuild their bond from scratch, they'd also need to keep the newborn Pokémon away from the person it accidentally imprinted on, just so its attachment could slowly fade and return to its rightful Trainer.
That was exactly why Brock reminded Misty to take a few steps back. Even if she was dying to see what Pokémon was inside the egg, she absolutely couldn't get too close right now.
If the hatching Pokémon saw her first, things would get messy very quickly.
A few seconds after Misty retreated, the top of the Egg in Ash's hand was already split with thin cracks, and then, with a soft pop, it burst open.
A small, creamy-white face poked out of the shell. Tiny arms stretched out next, followed by short, stubby feet.
The shell didn't completely break off; instead, it remained wrapped around the little Pokémon like a snug outfit.
"What kind of Pokémon is this? It's so adorable!" Misty exclaimed, instantly captivated. Girls, after all, had a natural weakness for cute things.
Brock stroked his chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowing. Then he snapped his fingers.
"I remember now, this is Togepi, a Pokémon said to bring good luck."
"Togepi?"
"Yeah. It's native to the Johto region, but even there it's extremely rare. Honestly, in terms of rarity, it's not far behind a pseudo-legendary. You could say it's even rarer and no one would argue."
Misty blinked in surprise.
This adorable little thing… was actually that rare?
Ash just casually found something this valuable in an underground cavern?
What kind of insane luck was that?
"I wonder how many years this Egg sat alone in that cave," Brock mused aloud. "Ash found it, and it hatched so quickly… just like when Riolu awakened. It's almost like it was waiting specifically for Ash."
This couldn't just be explained as good luck anymore, it felt like destiny.
"That's great! Togepi, from today on, I'll be your Trainer!" Ash said happily as he held the newly hatched Pokémon up.
He had already known what species was inside the Egg, but seeing Togepi emerge with his own eyes still filled him with warmth and affection.
Perhaps it really was the connection between lucky ones.
Togepi herself was said to be a symbol of fortune, and she brought blessings to Trainers who cared for her.
And Ash's Togepi had even hatched with the Hidden Ability: Super Luck, her luck buff was maxed out from the start.
"Toge?" Togepi tilted her head to the side, then smiled brightly at Ash.
She was newly born, her mind even more childlike and pure than Ralts had been back then.
She smiled simply because the first person she saw, her Trainer, was smiling at her.
As for what the word "Trainer" meant, she didn't really know yet. She just knew that the human in front of her was the one she trusted most.
After the brief excitement of the hatching, the group cleaned up and continued onward.
Now that Ash had sent Venusaur back, he had one free team slot, the perfect place for Togepi's Poké Ball to go.
Originally, Ash had kept seven slots open because Riolu, back then, couldn't be trained normally. But now that Riolu had recovered and was growing rapidly, Ash had planned to reduce his team back to the standard six. Being "special" all the time didn't feel right.
Before, he had a reason. But now that Riolu was fine… still having seven slots felt odd.
Now, though, everything lined up. The seventh slot naturally belonged to Togepi.
She didn't look battle-ready at all, much like Ralts back then, but Togepi was even more delicate.
Ralts had only been tiny when she was born; her intelligence and comprehension were extraordinary. After she became a Kirlia, she practically had no rivals at her level and could even fight above her weight, she was a real Valkyrie.
Togepi, on the other hand… was small, fragile, and her way of thinking was a bit slow.
Aside from being cute, she didn't seem capable of much yet. Training her didn't look feasible.
So Ash decided: This extra team slot would be reserved for Togepi, to be cute, to stay safe, and to act as a little good-luck charm.
Seven days later, under a brilliant sun, aboard a luxurious cruise ship, Ash leaned casually against the railing and let the salty breeze wash over him.
Pikachu perched steadily on his shoulder, watching the open sea.
"Ash, that must be Cinnabar Island, right?"
Misty stood beside Ash, holding Togepi in one arm. With her free hand, she pointed toward a small island in the distance, a tiny dark speck on the horizon.
"Pretty sure that's it. Where else would this ship be heading besides Cinnabar Island?" Ash said with a shrug.
"It really takes forever to reach Cinnabar Island," Brock sighed, leaning on the railing. "We've only been traveling a little over three months, and yet getting here alone took a whole month."
They'd been on their journey for around three months total; the trip to Cinnabar Island had eaten up nearly one of those months all by itself. That meant they had collected six Gym Badges in two months, but the seventh Gym had dragged on for an entire month.
And there was still a chance they might not even be able to challenge the Gym, not because the Gym was difficult, but because the Leader might not even be there.
"I hope Blaine is still on the island," Ash muttered, unable to hide the worry in his voice.
He had prepared for the possibility that the Cinnabar Gym would be empty, but even so, disappointment was disappointment.
"If Blaine's not there, then he's not there," Misty said soothingly. "Cinnabar Island's a tourist hot spot now anyway. We can relax for a day or two, enjoy ourselves, then head somewhere else to get another Badge, and save Viridian Gym for last."
If they treated it like a short vacation, the frustration wouldn't sting nearly as much.
"Yo, isn't that Ash?"
A cocky voice called from behind. Ash turned to see a boy with spiky hair, a beach shirt, and sunglasses leaning casually against the deck railing.
"Gary? What are you doing here?"
"Heh, what a genius question. Where else would this ship be going besides Cinnabar Island?" Gary huffed, rolling his eyes behind his shades.
"Are you here to challenge the Cinnabar Gym too?" Ash ignored the attitude and cut straight to the point.
"The Cinnabar Gym? That's closed already." Gary snorted. "I wanted to go at first, but once I heard it was shut down, I went somewhere else for my Badges. And guess what? I already collected all eight!"
His grin was smug, almost unbearably so.
Collecting eight Badges in only three months… For a new Trainer, that achievement was practically legendary.
In Kanto's history, you could count on one hand the newcomers who had ever done it.
"Heh, are you seriously proud of driving your junky sports car all over the region?" Ash shot back immediately. "If I had driven from city to city, I'd have all eight Badges too."
Ash might only have six Badges, but he certainly didn't feel inferior.
Gary traveled in a car, while Ash walked everywhere, the amount of time they spent on the road wasn't comparable at all.
Besides that, Ash's six Badges were absolutely record-shattering.
They weren't feats any rookie Trainer could accomplish.
Gary knew this. That was why he didn't brag about the difficulty of his Badge battles, only that he'd gotten all eight. Of course, Ash immediately brought up Gary's sports car.
Gary's face darkened. He wanted to say something like, 'Is walking supposed to be impressive?!'
But he didn't, because it was impressive.
Walking nonstop for three months straight took unbelievable perseverance. Gary, as a pampered rich kid, couldn't imagine doing that now. He might walk sometimes, sure, but driving was still his main method of travel. Telling someone like him to travel on foot was basically a joke.
"Doesn't matter how I got my eight Badges. You should be thinking about how you're going to get yours!" Gary growled. "So you really came all the way here to look for Blaine?"
"That's right, we're going to try our luck," Ash replied.
"Try your luck? You do know the Cinnabar Gym is closed, right? How many Badges do you have now?"
"I know. Even if Blaine's gone, we'll treat it like a trip. As for Badges, I've got six."
"Let me warn you now," Gary said, lowering his sunglasses slightly. "There are only a little over two months left before the Indigo Plateau Conference. If you don't get all eight Badges by then, I'll be very disappointed."
He wasn't wrong. With just over two months before the tournament, Ash was cutting it close.
Trainers could still register up to one week before the event, but if Ash went to Viridian Gym early, lost, and then wasted time… he might actually miss the deadline.
That would be a disaster.
"Don't worry," Ash said confidently, clenching his fist. "I'll definitely collect all eight Badges. After all, I still have to beat you at the Indigo Plateau and take the Champion title!"
...
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