Day 253

[from Pokémon: Shattered Crystal]

After booking a hotel room for the night, I try to get some sleep, but I can't. Dusk's death still haunts me. If Dusk could go that easily, what's to stop my other Pokémon from falling that easily? Firebrand will be able to take on the Azalea Gym all by himself, I'm certain of that, but my other Pokémon are still very weak in comparison. Tomorrow I'll have to hold another training session, just like I did prior to taking on the Violet Gym.

As soon as the sun comes up, I get out of bed and head to the Azalea Poké Mart to buy some more supplies. I then head out onto Route 33, revisiting the place were Dusk fell. Her grave is still there, along with the scorch marks from where Firebrand killed that Machop. Strangely, I don't feel as remorseful about that as I thought I would. I guess I can rationalize it as Firebrand's murder, and not my own, not to mention it having been revenge. Whichever way you look at it, though, I can't deny it: I killed another trainer's Pokémon. I'm going to have to live with that. But then, so is that Machop's owner. I wonder where he is now.

Well, in any case, it's no use thinking about those things now. I need to focus on the future: namely, strengthening my team and getting that Azalea Gym Badge. There's not much grass on the route, but I make-do, taking on any wild Pokémon that happens to cross my path. I can sense my team growing stronger with every vanquished foe, and at the same time, I feel the bonds between us strengthening. In spite of what happened to Dusk, my remaining Pokémon still trust me, and I'm indebted to them for that.

Not long into my training, I receive a call from Wade, out on Route 31. He's found some rare-looking Berries, and he wants to share them with me. I figure that I could always train along the way, and it beats standing around in one place all morning, so I decide to head over there and see what he's found. It turns out to be a cache of Cheri Berries, which he duly shares with me. I thank him, and head off on my way. Halfway through Route 32, however, I hear a sudden cracking sound.

“The egg!” Quickly, but carefully, I take off my backpack, put it on the ground, and unzip the main compartment. The egg within is starting to crack: it's undeniably hatching. I pick it up as delicately as I can and place it on the ground. As I do so, I feel the weakened shell flex beneath my fingers. Smiley, who's been the main beneficiary of my training, peers curiously at the egg as the cracks grow ever longer, spreading across the entire surface of the egg.

Just as I'm thinking that I should probably phone Professor Elm about this, the top half of the egg smashes completely, and there, sat before me, is an entirely new Pokémon the likes of which I've never seen before. It's a small, creamy-yellow Pokémon, with a rounded body that seems to still be stuck in the lower half of its egg. It has two stubby little arms and legs that stick out from the shell, and two beady black eyes with which it looks up at me in curiosity. A ring of five spikes stick out from the top of its head, forming a sort of crown. It takes a tottering step towards me, then lets out a high-pitched cry.

It's adorable. I kneel down and pick up the newly-hatched Pokémon. “Well, hello there, little guy,” I say. Well, I assume it's a guy. Honestly, I have no way of knowing, since its shell is still covering a certain area. “What kind of Pokémon are you, huh…? Professor Elm will be really excited to see you~ Oh, right-”

I put the Pokémon back down again, take out my Pokégear, and as the new arrival watches on with interest, I dial Professor Elm's number. He picks up pretty quickly. “Hello?” he says. “Ryan? Is everything alright?

“Professor, the egg's hatched,” I tell him.

This seems to catch Professor Elm by surprised. “...what?” he says. “It's hatched?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I was down on Route 32, I heard a cracking noise coming from my backpack, I opened it up, and it just… hatched right in front of me.” As I say this, the Pokémon begins to chirp happily below me.

“That's excellent news!” says the professor. “Well? What kind of Pokémon is it?”

“I don't know,” I admit. “I've never seen one like it before.”

“Is that so?” says Prof. Elm. “In that case, could you come and show me it at my lab, please? I'd love to see it!”

“Sure thing, Professor.” It's always a pleasure to help the professor out, plus I'll get to do a little more training at the same time. That being said, this Pokémon is definitely not ready for any battles. I'll have to tread carefully.

“Thanks, Ryan,” says Prof. Elm. “I'll see you soon.”

I hang up, put the Pokégear away, and take out a spare Poké Ball. “You'll be safe in here, buddy,” I say. Actually, that reminds me: I should give him a name. It doesn't take me long to think of one: Dawn. This Pokémon was brought into the world the day after Dusk was wrenched from it, so somehow, it just feels… right. The light after the darkness. I press the button on the Poké Ball, and Dawn is sucked within, safe from harm.

It doesn't take me too long to make it back to New Bark Town. It's strange to be back home: it feels like forever since I was last here. I pay my mom a brief visit, then head straight to Elm's lab. He's sitting at his desk, as usual. “Hey, Ryan!” he says. “You look great. I'm sorry I couldn't come and see you at the hospital, but I had my research to be getting on with.”

“I understand, Professor,” I say. “It's no big deal, really.”

With the formalities over with, Professor Elm decided to get down to business. “Alright then,” he says, getting up from his desk. “Care to show me this unknown Pokémon of yours?”

I nod, pluck Dawn's Poké Ball from my belt, and send him out. The professor certainly seems surprised at the Pokémon's appearance. “So this is it...” he mutters aloud, crouching down to get a better look at the Pokémon. “Undeniable proof that Pokémon really are hatched from eggs… or at least, some of them are. We can't say for certain that all Pokémon hatch from eggs. There's really a lot of research still to be done.”

After staring thoughtfully at Dawn for a few moments, Prof. Elm straightens up to look at me. “Anyway, thanks, Ryan!” he says. “You're really helping me out a whole bunch here! I've learned a lot thanks to you!”

It's weird to hear a world-renowned Pokémon researcher tell me he's learned a lot from me, but I guess he has. Hearing him say it fills me with pride, and I suddenly feel happier than I have for the last few days. “Thanks, Professor,” I say. “It's always a pleasure to be able to help you out.”

“You're a good kid, Ryan,” says Professor Elm. “I know you'll make an excellent trainer. Here.” The Professor reaches into one of the pockets of his lab coat and pulls out a smooth, rounded grey stone. “As a token of my appreciation, I want you to have this. It's an Everstone. If you give it to a Pokémon to hold, it'll stop that Pokémon from evolving.”

I don't see how this could possibly be useful, but if it's a gift from the professor, I'll keep hold of it anyway. “Thanks, Professor,” I say, slipping it into my pocket.

“Well, if that's all, I guess I'll let you be on your way,” says Prof. Elm. “You've got the Azalea Gym to take on next, right?” I nod. “I'm sure you'll do fine. Good luck, Ryan.”

“Thanks, Professor. See you later.” I recall Dawn into his Poké Ball, wave goodbye to the professor, and set off on my way.

It's a bit of a walk back to Azalea Town, but I make it there without any further problems. I am starving, though, so after healing my party as usual, I head to a café to get some lunch. While there, however, I overhear an interesting snippet of conversation:

“Did you hear what's happening over in Slowpoke Well, on the edge of town?”

“You mean those guys claiming to be Team Rocket?”

“Yeah. You hear what they're doing to those poor Slowpoke?”

“Yeah. It's disgusting. Why hasn't anybody tried to stop them?”

“Funnily enough, I heard Kurt went over there this morning to check it out, but apparently he hasn't come back yet. I just checked and his Apricorn shop's still shut, as is the Gym.”

“That's odd. I woulda thought Kurt would clear 'em out in five seconds flat. Speaking of odd… didn't Team Rocket split up three years ago, after that kid broke up their organization? What was his name… it was all over the news… Red, wasn't it? What ever happened to that kid, anyway? He broke up the biggest criminal organization Kanto's ever seen, and then just vanished into thin air...”

NEW COMPANION: DAWN THE TOGEPI (Lvl.5, Route 32)