Chapter 3: Mutations and Pokémon Eggs
If you look closely, you'll notice this caterpillar is actually quite old.
Back when Evan used to hang around with the local bug catchers in town, he picked up a thing or two about how to tell the age of Caterpies and Weedles.
The age of a Caterpie is surprisingly easy to determine. They have a "Y"-shaped antenna on their head, and the texture on each Caterpie's antenna varies.
The deeper the texture, the older the Caterpie. One look, and Evan could tell: this little guy was way past his prime.
Most Caterpies this age would've already evolved into Butterfree. If not, it's usually due to malnutrition or poor genetic potential.
Normally, Caterpie and Weedle evolve into their final forms in about ten days. A month, tops, if they're slow.
But the Caterpie in Evan's hand had been around for months—it probably wasn't going to evolve at all.
Evan pressed the release button on the Poké Ball.
A burst of white light—and the Caterpie appeared, looking dazed.
Caterpie: ?
Evan pointed forward. "Go on. You're free."
The Caterpie seemed to understand. It gave a nod, turned around, and waddled off with its plump little body bobbing up and down until it disappeared into the tall grass.
Evan let out a long sigh, quietly reset his trap, and kept waiting.
Over the next few hours, several Pokémon wandered into his traps. A few like Pidgey and Spearow slipped away. Some he caught but let go because they didn't seem promising.
After half a day, he still hadn't found one he was satisfied with.
Feeling a little discouraged—and hungry—Evan took a break. He grabbed some dry food from his backpack and started eating.
Hmm!
Honestly, the food wasn't bad… but why were his eyes itchy again?
He rubbed them absentmindedly. They'd been itching all day, which was starting to get annoying.
Then, his eyes suddenly flashed—blue light, flickering rapidly.
The itch became worse, unbearable even. He rubbed harder, until he felt something slip out of his eyes.
A sharp sting shot through his vision, and Evan yelped in pain, quickly shutting his eyes.
A moment later, the stinging stopped.
When he opened his eyes, everything seemed normal… except for the weird green aura swirling in the air ahead.
Just like the energy effects in those old martial arts movies—flowing like mist, glowing faintly.
Evan blinked. What the heck?
The strange energy drifted off into the woods, and Evan, naturally, followed.
The path narrowed as he walked. Tall grass surrounded him. After about 500 meters, there was no trail at all—just thick vegetation.
The green energy led him to a patch of tall grass. Evan pushed through, brushing leaves aside. After a few minutes of digging, his hands brushed against something smooth and round.
It was… an egg. A Pokémon egg. The swirling energy vanished the moment he touched it.
Was this really a Pokémon egg?
Evan carefully lifted it. It was warm, smooth, with orange and brown cloud-like patterns in rings.
He quickly opened his backpack and nestled the egg inside, heart pounding with excitement.
He didn't even bother collecting his traps—just hurried back down the mountain.
Back home, he locked the door, went to his room, and took out the egg.
His first Pokémon… What kind could it be?
Hopefully, something low-maintenance.
He decided to wait until his dad got home. Maybe he could help find an incubator.
Time passed quickly. When Evan heard the front door open, he knew his dad was back.
He peeked out and saw his dad unloading dinner from his backpack—takeout, probably. He always brought food when work ran late.
While eating, his dad asked, "So? Catch anything good today?"
Evan grinned. "Hang on, I have something to show you."
He hurried back to his room and brought out the Pokémon egg.
His dad's eyebrows shot up. "Where did that come from? Did you find it?"
"Yeah," Evan said. "Found it in Evergreen Forest."
"Do you know anyone with an incubator?" he added.
His dad thought for a moment. "Your Aunt Rachel works at the daycare. Ask her tomorrow if you can borrow one."
"Awesome. I'll go see Aunt Rachel tomorrow." Evan beamed.
Aunt Rachel had been best friends with Evan's mom. Even after his mom passed, she remained close to the family.
Turns out she worked at the local Pokémon daycare.
In the Pokémon world, daycares aren't just for breeding—they help raise and care for Pokémon too. Trainers often leave their extras there to keep them battle-ready.
Daycares also sell Pokémon. Most people either catch their first Pokémon or buy one from there—unless they're sponsored by the League. In that case, they get a top-tier starter from a local professor.
Daycare Pokémon might not be cheap, but they're way more affordable than elite starters.
Even in the games, leaving a Pokémon at the daycare boosts its level when you pick it up.
So they had to have incubators.
That night, Evan lay in bed, holding the egg in his arms. Yup—he planned to sleep with it. Keep it warm. Safe.
His thoughts drifted.
What was up with his eyes today?
That strange energy he saw—was it real?
Why did it lead to the egg?
Was it a coincidence?
Or… was this his "golden finger"? His cheat? His advantage?
He fell asleep with those questions swirling in his head.
In the darkness, a faint green glow radiated from his chest—then slowly flowed into the egg.
Evan didn't notice a thing.