Brock had just explained that Ralts lived in the Hoenn Region, and even there they were incredibly rare.
That meant Ralts was already rare enough on her own—add being Shiny, plus all S-rank stats… good grief, wasn't this even rarer than a Legendary Pokémon?
Running into a Pokémon like this in Kanto was harder than pulling two S-rank abilities back-to-back.
No doubt about it—the ability Chosen Radiance had kicked in.
"This really is a Pokémon heaven itself blessed me with…" Ash murmured.
"What was that, Ash?" Misty tilted her head, not catching his words.
"N-nothing! I was just saying… Ralts was just born, right? Doesn't she need, uh, formula or something? But we don't exactly have formula with us…" Ash thought about how she was basically like a baby. She'd probably need some kind of nutritional supplement.
"Pokémon aren't like human babies. Even newborns already have basic fighting power. And their best nutrition is right there." Brock pointed at the eggshell at Ash's feet.
For Pokémon, the eggshell they hatch from is the best nourishment—nothing else compares.
Ash placed Ralts back on his shoulder, bent down to pick up the eggshell, rinsed off the dirt with his canteen, and handed it to her.
Ralts took the shell, opened her tiny mouth, and with a crunch crunch sound, ate the big piece in one go.
Ash broke the rest of the shell into small pieces and handed them to her one by one. In no time, she'd eaten the entire thing.
The moment she finished, Ash noticed her Tier jump straight from Beginner—Primary to Beginner—High. Was that the effect of the shell? Or her own incredible aptitude?
Either way, the fact was undeniable: this newborn Ralts already had more power than his recently caught Caterpie.
Of course, her stats were still all E. Daily training would be the only way to improve them.
"Ralts, would you like to be my Pokémon?" Ash asked, holding up a Poké Ball.
Even though she already showed how close she felt to him, Ash still chose to ask her permission first. Only if she agreed would he let her enter the Poké Ball.
A Ralts hatched from an Egg wasn't the same as a wild Pokémon. Wild ones lived by the law of the jungle—defeat them, and they'd submit. But this little one had just been born. The only thing to do was respect her choice.
Misty and Brock both watched nervously. If Ralts didn't want to, Ash really would let her go—that was just who he was. And what a shame that would be. This was a Shiny Ralts!
Never mind her rarity, her cuteness, or even her future strength—the fact that she was Shiny alone would make countless Trainers fight over her.
Anyone else would've just thrown the ball already, catch first, worry about feelings later. Only Ash would ask.
"Ralts?" She tilted her head, not really understanding.
"Pika pi! Pikachu pika!" Pikachu gestured at Ash while chattering, trying to explain in words she'd understand: Ash was asking if she wanted to stay with him.
Misty and Brock, who couldn't understand Pokémon speech, just stared. From their perspective, Pikachu looked like he'd suddenly gone into spasms. It was pretty comical.
But they got the gist—Pikachu was convincing Ralts to become Ash's Pokémon. What she thought, though, was anyone's guess…
"Ralts? Ralts Ralts!!" With Pikachu's explanation, she finally understood. She bobbed her head up and down so fast it looked like she was pounding garlic, desperate not to let Ash get the wrong idea.
"That's great, Ash! Ralts agreed!"
"Yeah, congrats! Catching a Pokémon that literally fell from the sky—it's like a dream."
Brock and Misty were even more excited than Ash himself. Misty couldn't help but marvel at how unreal the whole day had been.
The kind of Ralts people might never find even if they searched the entire world… had just delivered herself to Ash, without a single obstacle. Calling it luck didn't even cover it.
"Well then, I'll be counting on you, Ralts." Ash smiled, tapped the Poké Ball gently against her. In an instant, a beam of red light drew her inside.
The ball didn't shake even once—click!—and it was done.
"I caught Ralts!" Ash cheered.
"Pika Pika Pi!!" Pikachu cried happily. With that, another future star joined Ash's team. Of everyone, he'd walked away with the greatest prize from their Mt. Moon adventure.
Clap clap clap! Applause rang out, startling Ash and Pikachu mid-pose.
Only then did they remember—the Clefairy were still here. Earlier, the whole crowd had stayed silent, and Ash had been so focused on Ralts he'd completely forgotten about them. Now, they all clapped together.
"Looks like even Clefairy were touched by your sincerity toward Ralts," Brock said with a grin, arms crossed.
"Speaking of, Misty—you wanted to catch a Clefairy, right?" Ash asked, glancing at the group.
Misty shook her head. "Forget it. I thought that one Clefairy was alone, but she's got a whole family here. Unless she wants to come with me, I won't force it."
Misty wasn't dead set on catching a Clefairy. If one had no group, maybe she'd try—but this one had a family. Taking her away wouldn't be right.
Of course, if it had been a Shiny Clefairy, Misty might've tried tempting her. Only Ash could look at a Shiny Pokémon and still calmly give them the choice.
If Misty and Brock knew this Shiny Ralts was also a full-S aptitude prodigy, they'd be floored by Ash's restraint. At that point, it wouldn't even be a choice. Only an idiot would let such a Pokémon slip away.
Later, Ash asked Clefairy about it for Misty, but sure enough—she wanted to stay with her clan. Misty gave up the idea for good.
Before they left, though, the Clefairy gave each of them a Moon Stone. According to Brock, the seasoned rock expert, the three Moon Stones were all of the highest quality.
If they sold them, they could fetch at least a seven-figure price.
Misty and Brock both gasped, jaws dropping, before carefully tucking their treasures away.