The atmosphere inside Professor Oak's Laboratory was thick with a special kind of tension. It wasn't the stressful kind that came from a looming deadline or a failed experiment; it was the quiet, breathless anticipation that only happens when a new life is about to enter the world.
For the past forty-eight hours, I had barely left the side of the incubator. Between my morning research sessions with the Professor and my afternoon "field trips" with Ash, I had spent every spare second focusing my Aura on the egg. I didn't try to force anything; I just let my energy wrap around the shell like a warm blanket, whispering a silent hello to the little life inside.
Today was the day. According to the Professor's scanners, the structural integrity of the shell was at its limit.
I sat on a stool in the center of the lab, the incubator open in front of me. Professor Oak stood to my left, his arms crossed over his lab coat, a look of professional curiosity on his face. Ash had practically teleported to the lab the second his mother finished making breakfast, and now he was hovering at my elbow, vibrating with excitement.
"I can't take it! I'm so curious!" Ash whispered, though his "whisper" was loud enough to startle a Pidgey three blocks away. "What's in there, Julian? Is it a dragon? Is it a super-strong Fighting-type?"
"Patience, Ash," I said with a slight smile. "You'll know soon enough."
I looked at the red and blue triangular patterns on the white shell. I had a very good feeling about who was inside. It was a Pokémon that symbolized happiness and luck—perfect for someone like me who had been given a second chance at life.
Suddenly, the egg lurched to the left.
"It's moving!" Ash shouted, pointing a finger.
"Steady now," Professor Oak said, his voice calm and authoritative. "Ash, Floette, Sylveon—everyone back up. Give them some space. Many Pokémon are highly impressionable the second they hatch. They tend to imprint on the first thing they see, and we want Julian to be the primary focus."
"Right! Got it!" Ash scrambled back toward the bookshelves, dragging Sylveon and Floette with him. The two Fairy-types watched with wide eyes, their ribbons and flowers twitching in anticipation.
Crack.
A hairline fracture snaked across the top of the shell.
Crack. Crack-crack.
Small pieces of white calcium began to flake away, falling onto the soft padding of the incubator. From my perspective, I saw something yellow tucked tightly inside, looking like a series of soft, folded petals.
Slowly, the "petals" unfurled, revealing a tiny, crown-like head. Then, two stubby yellow arms pushed against the remaining shell, followed by two small feet that looked like they were still wearing parts of the egg as a permanent outfit.
The little creature shook itself, shedding the last of the shell. It looked up, its dark, beady eyes blinking as they adjusted to the light of the laboratory. Its gaze landed directly on me.
"Togi-togi... prrrr!" The little fellow gave a happy, chirping cry, its tiny arms reaching out toward my chest.
"Togepi," I whispered, a wave of genuine warmth washing over me. I reached down and gently scooped the Pokémon into my hands, lifting it up so we were eye-to-eye. "Welcome to the world, little one. I'm Julian. I hope we're going to be great friends."
"Togi-prii!" Togepi kicked its feet and giggled, its joy radiating through the air like a physical pulse of light.
"That's so cool!" Ash came charging back over, his excitement overriding his promise to stay back. "It looks like a little star-egg! Is it a Togepi? I've never seen one of those in Pallet Town!"
Professor Oak walked over, peering over his spectacles at the newborn. "This child is a Pokémon I specifically selected for you, Julian. I had a feeling you'd be the perfect match. But, scientific protocol first—we need to make sure everything is in tip-top shape."
The next hour was spent running Togepi through a series of non-invasive check-ups. We used the lab's high-tech scanners to check its heart rate, its respiratory health, and its energy output. Through the whole process, Togepi was a total saint. It didn't cry once; it just sat on the cold metal table, watching the blinking lights and reaching out to pat my hand whenever I got close.
"The results are in," Oak said, tapping a digital tablet. "Perfect health. Robust energy levels, and its reflexes are sharp for a newborn. You've got a healthy partner on your hands."
"I could feel it," I said, letting Togepi climb onto my shoulder. "This little one has a lot of heart."
Sylveon and Floette finally got their chance to say hello. Sylveon reached out a ribbon and gently poked Togepi's tummy, causing the little egg-Pokémon to burst into a fit of giggles. Floette hovered overhead, sprinkling a tiny bit of soothing pollen over the newcomer as a welcome gift.
"So, what's the deal with Togepi?" Ash asked, leaning in so close he was almost nose-to-nose with the Pokémon. "What type is it?"
"It's a Fairy-type, Ash," I explained. "For a long time, researchers thought Togepi and its evolutions, Togetic and Togekiss, were Normal or Normal/Flying types. It wasn't until the Fairy-type was officially classified that we realized their energy signatures were completely different. They're pure Fairy in this form, and they gain the Flying type later on."
"Thank you again, Professor," I said, turning to Oak. "This really is the perfect addition to my team."
"Haha, don't thank me yet," Oak chuckled. "Wait until it wakes you up at three in the morning looking for a snack! But in all seriousness, Julian, a Fairy-type scholar should have a diverse team of Fairy-types. I knew you wouldn't let this child's potential go to waste."
"That's three Pokémon now!" Ash said, counting on his fingers. "When are you going to catch the other three? You need a full team of six for the League!"
I looked at my three partners. "Actually, Ash, I'm in no rush. I've been traveling for a month, and Togepi is my first 'new' teammate since I left the lab in Sinnoh."
"Only one in a month?" Ash looked baffled. "If I were a Trainer, I'd catch every Pokémon I saw! I'd have like... fifty by now!"
I patted Ash's head, feeling the coarse texture of his hair. "I know you would, Ash. But for me, catching a Pokémon is a massive responsibility. If I take them away from their homes in the wild, I owe it to them to give them my full attention. If I catch too many, I'm afraid I'll start neglecting them. I'd rather have a small, happy family than a huge, lonely army."
Professor Oak nodded approvingly. "That's a very mature outlook, Julian. Many trainers send me dozens of Poké Balls a week, and I often wonder if they even remember the names of the Pokémon they caught on Route 1."
"Not me!" Ash declared, clenching his fists. "I'll remember all of them! They'll all be my best friends!"
I smiled, though a thought crossed my mind. I hope you remember your Pidgeot this time, kid. If I see you leave a Bird Pokémon in a forest for twenty years, I'm coming back to Pallet Town to have a very long talk with you.
"Anyway, Ash," I said, shifting the subject. "Now that Togepi is here, I need to focus on getting it settled. I'll stay for another two or three days to make sure its condition is stable, but then I'm heading back to the Sinnoh region."
"What? You're leaving so soon?" Ash's face fell. He looked like someone had just told him Christmas was canceled.
"I have to, Ash. The Sinnoh League starts in a few months, and I only have one badge. Plus, I'm also training for the Grand Festival."
"The Grand Festival?" Ash tilted his head. "Is that like a big party?"
I laughed. "Not quite. It's the ultimate competition for Pokémon Coordinators. It's about beauty, grace, and showing off a Pokémon's moves in a way that's totally different from a standard battle."
"Is it like... dancing?"
"Sort of. Tell you what—tomorrow during our last training session, I'll show you instead of telling you. We'll do a mock Contest Battle."
"Really?! A deal! It's a deal!" Ash started jumping up and down, his sadness replaced by a fresh wave of hype.
As Ash ran out of the lab to tell his mom the news, I looked down at Togepi, who had fallen asleep on my lap, its tiny chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
"The journey is finally picking up speed," I whispered.