"A Pokémon egg?"
Ethan immediately grew interested, observing it carefully from a distance.
However, he did not approach it right away. On one hand, the swamp where that venom floated was extremely dangerous; on the other, a Pokémon egg thrown casually in the middle of a poisonous swamp was definitely not something normal.
Since even that Drapion was being watched over by a powerful Gengar, how could this Pokémon egg have been left here so carelessly?
Either the egg had no value, or it had been placed there deliberately.
"If I'm not mistaken..."
"Since this egg appeared right in the center of Drapion's territory and is also in the middle of this poisonous swamp, it must certainly be that Drapion's offspring. Otherwise, I doubt that brutal Pokémon would tolerate another Pokémon's egg appearing in its territory."
Ethan's eyes gleamed. The child of a Totem Drapion, especially nurtured from the egg stage... its value was immeasurable!
In that moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Truly, that descendant of the Totem Drapion tempted him greatly.
Drapion already possessed extremely high combat power, sometimes even called a "hidden pseudo-legendary." Its nickname "Sand Devil" also showed its great compatibility with arid terrain, just like Cacturne, whose species was naturally suited to desert environments. This made it perfect for Ethan's Desert Terrain strategy.
Additionally, having the Poison and Dark typing was an excellent combination; combined with its racial advantage and sturdy physique, it could be trained as both an attacker and a defender.
Also, Poison-type Pokémon were extremely sensitive to toxins, allowing them to detect dangers in the wild.
And most importantly: he possessed a Toxic Orb, a supreme treasure for Poison-type Pokémon.
Normally, the Toxic Orb was used to help Cacturne train its Toxic move.
But Cacturne wasn't a Poison-type; even if it mastered Toxic, it couldn't fully utilize the Toxic Orb.
If one wanted to draw out the Toxic Orb's full potential, only a Poison-type Pokémon would do. And Drapion, famous for its powerful natural venom, was undoubtedly the best choice.
Ethan pondered and looked again at Drapion's egg. He didn't know if the descendant would also be a Totem Pokémon.
Even if it wasn't, its quality and aptitude would surely be far above that of a normal Pokémon.
"Except that... the Pokémon Researchers Guild wouldn't allow someone to take it that easily."
"But... if it were a reward for defeating Drapion... no, that sounds far too unlikely."
...
Inside the monitoring room.
"Whew, that was close. Good thing Drapion didn't die."
"If this Drapion had been killed, we wouldn't be able to explain it to the Pokémon Researchers Guild." The examiners exhaled in relief, still a bit shaken.
"Yeah, the Totem Drapion and its egg."
"The Pokémon Researchers Guild is really troublesome. They said they wanted to study how the region affects Totem Pokémon, and that's why they insisted on leaving this Pokémon inside the Secret Kingdom. And we had to assign a Gengar to watch it!"
"No kidding. But who would've thought that an examinee from this generation would be so strong that he nearly killed Drapion."
The examiners glanced at the Totem Pokémon, now withdrawn into its Poké Ball, and at the Gengar swiftly flying toward the exit of the Secret Kingdom, all sighing with relief.
"Wait... why did Ethan change directions?"
Suddenly, an examiner shouted, "His route leads to the poisonous swamp! Did he discover something?"
Immediately, all the examiners focused their attention. Under their fixed gaze, Ethan indeed approached the poisonous swamp and found the egg of Drapion's descendant.
"This is a real problem."
"Right now, neither Drapion nor Gengar is protecting the egg!"
Upon seeing Ethan inspect the Skorupi egg, the examiners slightly paled.
Normally, since Drapion and Gengar were nearby, the egg's safety was guaranteed. Who would've expected a situation like this?
...
In front of the poisonous swamp.
Ethan looked at the egg, still unsure.
"The fact that this Drapion's descendant is placed here must have some purpose. Otherwise, the Pokémon Researchers Guild would have taken it long ago."
Ethan thought for a moment and decided not to touch the Skorupi egg yet; he would observe first.
If the Guild had indeed placed it there deliberately, they should react soon and take action.
When they arrived, he would see whether he had any chance of obtaining the egg.
"But..."
"Even if I can't touch the egg, as for the poisonous swamp..."
His eyes reluctantly left the egg and turned toward the swamp before him.
Inside the swamp, the poisonous gas rising was clearly visible. And since Skorupi's egg was being incubated specifically here, there must be some Poison-type treasure beneath the swamp—perhaps something not inferior to the Toxic Orb!
Then, under the examiners' sighs of relief, Ethan walked around the swamp and stopped far from the egg.
"Cacturne, use Ingrain. Try to absorb the poisonous energy of the swamp."
Upon hearing this, Cacturne nodded and used Ingrain.
Thick roots emerged underground and plunged into the toxic swamp. It activated Absorb and began drawing in the poisoned water, staining all its roots black.
At the same time, its Toxic move also activated at full strength, absorbing as much poisonous energy from the swamp as possible to increase its power.
(End of chapter)