"It's incredible, Ash. The condition of your Pokémon is truly perfect!"
In the battlefield area of the Grand Hotel in Lamport City, Professor Oak kept jotting notes down in his notebook, full of praise for Ash's team.
"Alright, let me introduce you all—this is my grandpa, and the one beside him is my mom. Be good and behave!"
Ignoring the overly enthusiastic Professor Oak, who was still fawning over his Pokémon, Ash turned to introduce his Pokémon to his family.
"No matter how many times I see them, it's still so awe-inspiring," Cynthia said with envy as she looked at Ash's Pokémon. Despite being a Champion herself, she only had about three Pokémon at the same level of mastery.
"Ash, you haven't told me about this Dragonite yet!"
Professor Oak, now done recording, pointed toward the Dragonite beside Ash.
"Oh, I just caught him not long ago," Ash replied. "Actually, this Dragonite is a Super-Ancient Pokémon. It's enormous—just like the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh!"
"A Super-Ancient Pokémon? Are they still around today?"
Professor Oak's eyes widened in shock. While ancient Pokémon were still occasionally found in the world, Super-Ancient Pokémon were extremely rare.
"Roo~?"
Feeling the intense gaze from Professor Oak, Dragonite broke into a cold sweat and slowly shuffled behind Delia to hide.
"Aww, it's so cute—just like your old Dragonite," Delia said softly, gently patting Dragonite's head. It squinted its eyes in contentment.
"A Super-Ancient Dragonite... That's incredibly rare."
Unlike Delia, who was simply enjoying its cuteness, Professor Oak was deeply intrigued. The existence of such a Pokémon was truly astounding.
Not to mention—this was Dragonite, one of the pseudo-legendary Pokémon of the Kanto region.
If the Dragon Clan ever learned of a Super-Ancient Dragonite, they'd treat Ash with the utmost respect. Professor Oak could already imagine the shock on Skye Draconis's face!
"Grandpa, don't underestimate him," Ash said, smiling. "My whole team lost to him. Even Suicune's type advantage didn't help.
This Dragonite has mastered the Law of Thunder—his power level easily rivals that of a second-tier Legendary Pokémon!"
Professor Oak's expression froze at the revelation. It was unbelievable.
Even most pseudo-legendary Pokémon could never breach the barrier into Legendary status. And yet, this Super-Ancient Dragonite was a living example.
"Rooo!!!"
Just then, the Dragonite that Delia was petting suddenly let out a pained cry, startling everyone nearby.
"Dragonite! What's wrong?"
Seeing the Pokémon in distress, Ash rushed forward in concern. This Dragonite was now his trusted partner.
Without hesitation, Ash activated his Aura Sight, his eyes glowing faintly as he scanned Dragonite's internal state.
"Ash, what is it?"
Professor Oak and the others, familiar with Ash's developing powers—some even believed he inherited them from his father—watched anxiously.
"...Strange," Ash muttered. "Dragonite's body seems fine, but its energy is flowing uncontrollably into its stomach."
He frowned, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "It's like... something's awakening."
"Is it Ash? Hurry and take Dragonite to Nurse Joy. Your Dragonite is probably pregnant!"
Hearing Ash's description, Professor Oak—drawing on his decades of research—immediately came to a conclusion.
"What?? Dragonite's a girl?!"
Ash froze as if struck by lightning.
Ever since seeing Dragonite's overwhelming power at Bill's Lighthouse, Ash had always assumed she was male. He never imagined she was female!
"So that's it… no wonder you fought so hard for me to get that Full Restore Capsule. It must've been for the baby growing inside you! Ugh, you should've just told me earlier! There was no need to panic like that!"
Ash scolded Dragonite playfully once he put the pieces together. He returned her to the Poké Ball and rushed off toward the Pokémon Center.
"Oh, Brock—tell me, did Ash's Dragonite learn any custom-made moves?"
As Ash disappeared into the distance, Professor Oak suddenly thought of something important.
"Yes! After he caught Dragonite, he had her learn one. She picked it up really quickly—easily the strongest among Ash's team right now," Brock replied.
In fact, after capturing Dragonite, Ash had used one of his two remaining move slots for a self-created technique.
The reason Dragonite had shown signs of pain today was likely related to that very move.
The act of learning it may have triggered the egg's development, causing energy to gather for inheritance. If nothing goes wrong, Dragonite should be laying an egg in the next few days.
"I knew it!"
Professor Oak's eyes sparkled.
"To think the first of Ash's Pokémon to have offspring would be Dragonite—and with a custom move inherited, no less. We need to inform Masaki immediately. With that kind of heritage, the baby Dratini will be incredibly gifted. It's guaranteed to be Champion-level material!"
Excited beyond measure, Professor Oak pulled out his phone and immediately called Masaki Oak.
Meanwhile, Delia and the others had arrived at the Pokémon Center. Seeing how anxious Ash looked, Delia stepped forward gently and ran her hand through his messy black hair, soothing him with a mother's warmth.
"Dad? Why are you calling me now? I just finished work…"
It was around 7 or 8 p.m., and Masaki Oak, having just wrapped up for the day, answered the call a bit irritably.
"Stop whining and listen! Ash captured a Super-Ancient Dragonite, and she's already pregnant—with a baby that's inheriting one of Ash's custom techniques! You need to get here immediately. If Ash agrees, think about it: the kind of talent this Dratini will have…"
Professor Oak's loud voice cut through the phone, instantly wiping the fatigue from Masaki Oak's face. His eyes widened like saucers, clearly stunned by what he'd just heard.
"Dad, hold on—I'll be there right away. If word of this spreads to the other clans, especially that foolish brat…"
Understanding the implications, Masaki Oak's tone turned urgent. He hung up and sprinted toward a private helicopter.
Unfortunately, things wouldn't go that smoothly.
As the heir of the Dragon Clan, Ash naturally drew attention from many powerful families. And this event? It had already caught the interest of more than just the Oaks.
They weren't the only ones who had noticed.
...
TN:
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