Just now, Brock mentioned that Ralts is a Pokemon that resides in the Hoenn Region, and even in Hoenn, it's extremely rare.
This means Ralts itself is already quite rare, and then if you add in the fact that it's shiny and has full S stats... good grief, this is even rarer than a Legendary Beast, isn't it?
Encountering this type of Pokemon in Kanto is even harder than drawing two S-level abilities in a row.
To meet a Ralts in such extreme conditions, it must be due to that 'Chosen Radiance'.
"This really is a Pokemon gifted to me by heaven..."
"What did you say, Ash?" Misty couldn't quite hear Ash's muttering.
"Nothing, nothing, I was just saying that since Ralts was just born, does it need some milk powder or something? But it seems like we didn't bring any milk powder." Ash remembered Ralts was newly hatched, and just like a baby, it might need some nutritional supplements.
"Pokemon are different from human children; even if they're just born, they already possess preliminary combat power, and their best nutrition is that." Brock pointed to the eggshells below Ash.
For Pokemon, the eggshell they hatched from is the best nutritional supplement; nothing compares to these eggshells.
Ash placed Ralts back on his shoulder, then bent down to pick up the eggshells from the ground. He grabbed the water bottle from the side of his backpack to wash the dirt off the shells and then handed them to Ralts.
Ralts took the eggshell, opened its small mouth slightly, and then 'crunch, crunch' devoured a large piece of eggshell in a single gulp.
After that, Ash broke the remaining eggshells into small pieces and fed them to Ralts, and soon the entire Poke Egg shell was completely eaten by Ralts.
Looking at Ralts after it finished eating, Ash saw that its level had directly risen from Newbie Beginner Level to Advanced Beginner immediately; was this the effect of the shell, or was it Ralts' inherent talent?
Regardless of the reason, at least now, the newly-born Ralts already had greater combat strength than the Caterpie Ash had just captured earlier.
However, all its Ability Values were still E, meaning it would need regular training to improve them.
"Ralts, would you like to be my Pokemon?" Ash asked, taking out a Pokeball and directing the question at Ralts.
Even though Ralts was displaying extreme affection towards him, Ash still prioritized respecting Ralts' wishes, only choosing to put her into a Pokeball with her consent.
The Ralts hatched from a Poke Egg is different from wild Pokemon. Wild Pokemon are already accustomed to the rules of the wild, where the winner is king, and defeating them allows you to capture them as Pokemon.
But she's just a newborn child; it's impossible to use that approach and one must respect her wishes.
Misty and Brock were a bit nervous watching this unfold because if Ralts didn't want to, Ash would really let her go, as that's just the kind of person Ash is.
If it happened, they would feel extremely regretful, as this is a Shiny Ralts!
Leaving aside Ralts' rarity, cuteness, and potential future strength, just the fact that it's shiny would be enough to draw endless competition!
Only Ash, at a moment like this, would be thinking about respecting the Pokemon's wishes, while anyone else would have thrown the ball without hesitation, figuring they could cultivate feelings later on.
"Lalu?" Ralts tilted her head, seemingly confused about what Ash was saying.
"Pika Pika, Pikachu Pika." Ash is asking if you'd like to stay by his side, Ash is his name.
Pikachu pointed at Ash, gesturing broadly, trying to explain to Ralts in a way she could understand.
Standing aside, Misty and Brock, unable to understand Pokemon language, exchanged confused glances; from their perspective, Pikachu's actions looked like a sudden seizure, appearing rather amusing.
However, they also realized that it might be Pikachu trying to persuade Ralts to become Ash's Pokemon, but they didn't know what Ralts' thoughts were...
"Lalu? Lalu Lalu!!" With Pikachu's explanation, Ralts finally understood what Ash meant. She quickly nodded her little head like pounding garlic, worried that if she nodded too late, Ash might misunderstand her intentions.
"Awesome, Ash, Ralts agreed!"
"Yeah, Ash, congratulations, capturing a... Pokemon from heaven, it's like a dream."
Ash captured Ralts, and Brock and Misty were even more excited than Ash, the latter marveling at how today's events felt like a dream.
Even if the whole world were turned upside down, others might never find a Ralts, and yet, here she was, willingly coming into Ash's hands without any hindrance; this couldn't merely be described as dumb luck.
"So, please take care, Ralts." Ash said, pulling out a Pokeball and gently touching it to Ralts, a beam of red light drew her into the Pokeball the next second.
The Pokeball didn't shake at all, immediately producing a 'click' sound, indicating that Ash had captured Ralts.
"I captured Ralts!"
"Pika Pika Pikachu!!" With that, Ash had added another future star to his team, making Moon Mountain's gains mostly Ash's.
"Clap Clap Clap!!" Applause rang out, startling Ash and Pikachu who were posing.
It was only then that the pair remembered that besides them, there were a lot of Clefairy present; but earlier, the Clefairy had been silent, and Ash had been so absorbed in communicating with Ralts that he'd forgotten about them. Now, with the Clefairy applauding, they remembered their presence.
"It looks like the Clefairy were moved by your sincerity towards Ralts, Ash." Brock said with a smile, his arms crossed.
"Speaking of which, weren't you planning to capture a Clefairy, Misty?" Ash, seeing the Clefairy, turned to remind Misty.
Misty shook her head and replied, "Forget it; I thought that Clefairy was alone, but now that I see it's part of a group, it's better not to capture her, unless she wants to come with me."
Misty wasn't really that determined to capture a Clefairy; if that Clefairy had no companions, it would have been fine to capture her, but since her family and friends were here, capturing her wouldn't do any good.
Though if it were a Shiny Clefairy, Misty would perhaps try to entice it and see if there was a chance to capture it; only Ash could remain calm and allow Shiny Pokemon to make their own choices.
If Misty and Brock knew that this Shiny Ralts was a top-grade S-class talent Pokemon, they would likely be even more amazed by Ash's choice.
Because that wasn't even a real choice; only an idiot would let such a Pokemon slip through their fingers.
Later, Ash also helped Misty ask the Clefairy if it would like to join her, but unsurprisingly, the Clefairy preferred to stay with its group rather than follow newly met humans, so Misty completely gave up the idea of capturing it.
Before leaving, the Clefairy gave each of the trio a Moon Stone, and according to skilled rock expert Brock, the Moon Stones they received were all top-grade!
If these three Moon Stones were sold, they would fetch an exaggerated seven-figure price at least.
This made the duo open their mouths in surprise, carefully packing away the Moon Stones.