Ralts leapt onto Ash, sending the eggshell on her head tumbling to the ground. The other half still rested in Ash's hand, but no one paid it any mind. Misty, Brock, and even Pikachu all had their eyes locked on the little Ralts.
After a long beat, Misty let out something between a squeal and a scream: "She's so cute!!!"
That tiny body, pale pink frame, and that striking blue hair—compared to Clefairy, this was another kind of adorable. Even without being able to see her eyes, just looking at her made you want to blurt it out: so cute!
And for girls especially, a Pokémon like Ralts was simply irresistible.
"Uh, well… she seems kinda clingy with me," Ash said awkwardly. He crouched carefully, set the eggshell down, then gently supported Ralts so she wouldn't have to cling so hard just to hold onto him.
He honestly didn't get it. Why was Ralts so attached to him? And more importantly—what kind of Pokémon was she? He'd crammed like crazy with the veterans in the Chat Group these past weeks, memorizing almost every Pokémon in Kanto. But he'd never seen this one before. (In the group, you could send pictures straight from your memories, or even from your imagination.)
Could she be a Pokémon from outside Kanto? Come to think of it, her Egg had practically fallen out of the sky… wait—did she seriously come from the moon?!
"Can I hold her, Ash?" Misty stepped closer, her big blue eyes pleading as she looked up at him. It was clear she desperately wanted to cuddle Ralts—her eagerness even stronger than when she first met Clefairy.
Back then, Misty hadn't shown this kind of look at all.
"Well, I mean, I don't mind… but she's not really my Pokémon. You'll have to ask her first," Ash replied. This time, unlike with Ho-Oh, he didn't blurt out Ralts's name.
If he knew her name without knowing what kind of Pokémon she was, that'd be suspicious as hell.
Misty crouched in front of him, speaking softly: "Um… what's your name? Can I hold you for a bit?"
At her voice, Ralts turned her head. After a moment of silence, her small figure suddenly vanished. Both Ash and Misty jumped. Ash even almost reached for his Aura to sense where she went—but the very next second, he felt a light weight settle on his other shoulder.
He turned his head, and sure enough—there she was, perched on his shoulder just like Pikachu, little hands tangled in his hair.
The meaning couldn't have been clearer: she didn't want Misty to hold her. Misty looked absolutely crushed.
Even Pikachu had warmed up to Misty after their first meeting, but Ralts outright rejected her. The only one she clung to was Ash.
"Why is she so stuck on Ash? Just because he caught her when she fell?" Misty asked, frustration and confusion mixing in her tone.
She was just born! How could she bond only with Ash and not with her, too? That made no sense!
"It's probably because the very first person Ralts saw after being born was Ash," Brock explained, speaking up at last. "Some Pokémon imprint like that. Once they lay eyes on their first Trainer, they'll follow them for life. Ralts is one of those kinds."
"Ralts? So that's her name?" Misty frowned. Even with her wider knowledge, she didn't recognize this Pokémon. After all, Ralts didn't appear in Kanto at all—and even in the Hoenn Region, they were incredibly rare.
"That's right. They're native to the Hoenn Region. You won't find them in Kanto—maybe never at all. Even in Hoenn, they're scarce. I only recognized her because I've studied Pokémon from other regions."
"Ralts, huh? So that's your name?" Ash played along, pretending he'd just learned it. He reached out and gently patted her tiny head.
Ralts wriggled a little, clearly enjoying the attention. From the half of her face visible, Ash could sense her happiness. It seemed even such a small gesture from him could keep her delighted for ages.
Brock leaned closer, face almost pressing in. His behavior was downright creepy-uncle-like, and Ralts immediately darted behind Ash's back, her little head poking out timidly. Misty's heart nearly melted at the sight.
"Brock! What are you doing? You scared her!"
"Ahh, sorry! I just wanted to confirm something," Brock apologized with a sheepish gesture, but it didn't help much. A newborn like her was naturally skittish.
"Confirm what?"
"Whether this little one's a Shiny Pokémon."
"Shiny Pokémon?!" Ash and Misty shouted in unison—Ash's face confused, Misty's stunned.
"What's a Shiny Pokémon?" Ash asked, once again hitting a blind spot in his knowledge.
"Shinies are also called alternate-colored Pokémon," Brock explained. "They have appearances different from their normal kind. They're extremely rare—you might not even find one among tens of thousands. And because they stand out in their species like a flash of light in the dark, they're called Shiny Pokémon."
This time, Misty didn't roll her eyes or mock Ash. Hardly anyone knew about Shinies. Some Trainers went their entire lives without seeing one—let alone catching one.
And here Ralts was, practically glued to Ash. He'd done nothing, yet he'd already gained a Shiny Pokémon. How was that even fair?
"A Shiny Pokémon… wow, you're really amazing, Ralts." Ash laughed in delight, pulling her into his arms and lifting her high. Only he knew the truth—Ralts wasn't just rare for being Shiny. What was even rarer was her aptitude. That kind of all-S stat potential… something so close to divine that you could search millions of Pokémon and never find another.
Shiny plus full S-rank aptitude—most people could pour their entire life's luck into the gacha of fate and still never get one. This was basically a blessing straight from the heavens. Wait… heavens… blessing?
Ash's eyes widened. He remembered something. Just last night, he'd drawn an S-rank one-time ability—Chosen Radiance.
That ability guaranteed that within three days, he'd encounter an extraordinarily rare Pokémon and have a high chance of capturing it. He'd assumed "extraordinarily rare" meant some Legendary Pokémon. And he knew he had no shot at catching one of those.
But now, staring at the blue-haired little girl clinging to him, Ash realized—wasn't this Shiny, full-S Ralts every bit as rare as a Legendary Pokémon? Maybe even rarer?