Chapter 42: The Shining Royal Family Riolu
"Can any Pokémon that can no longer evolve Mega Evolve?" Brock asked.
"I'm not sure about that either. Research on Mega Evolution is still incomplete. Currently, I know of over 50 Pokémon that can Mega Evolve."
Even with his system, Ash couldn't guarantee that all Pokémon could Mega Evolve. After all, some Pokémon are just for filling the Pokédex; whether they Mega Evolve or not, they're just numbers and don't have much significance.
"Hey, hey, Ash, which Water-type Pokémon can Mega Evolve?"
Misty looked at Ash with anticipation.
"Water-types, huh? There's Blastoise, Slowbro, Gyarados, Sharpedo, and Swampert."
As soon as Ash finished speaking, he noticed Brock's fervent gaze. He spoke again, "Onix's evolved form, Steelix, can also Mega Evolve."
"Then, Ash, where can I get the mega stone and key stone needed for Mega Evolution?" Brock asked eagerly.
He believed his bond with Onix was very deep, and Onix could have evolved a long time ago, but he had been delaying it because he didn't have money to buy a Metal Coat. Mega Evolution was still under research and hadn't become a mainstream battle system, so Brock felt that with his luck, there was no reason he couldn't find a loophole.
"These two types of stones are mainly concentrated in the Kalos and Hoenn regions, though other regions might have them too. As long as you keep traveling, you'll find them one day. Also, Pokémon that can Mega Evolve have an Aura for the mega stone that matches them."
.....
Perhaps it was divine favor, or perhaps Brock had opened his eyes, but Ash and the others traveled at a leisurely pace, taking two days without incident, and finally arrived at Vermilion City.
Vermilion City Pokémon Center.
As soon as they entered, the three of them realized the situation was not good. The Pokémon Center was too crowded, and most people were holding Pokémon with varying injuries, waiting for treatment.
Ash could tell that almost all the Pokémon in their arms had been injured by Electric-type moves.
"Nurse Joy, what happened? Why are so many Trainers' Pokémon injured?" Ash found Nurse Joy and asked.
"They all challenged Vermilion City Gym and were defeated by Gym Leader Lt. Surge's Raichu. Oh, by the way, are you Ash from Pallet Town, Pokémon Doctor..."
Before Nurse Joy could reveal his identity, Ash interrupted, "Nurse Joy, I am indeed Ash from Pallet Town, currently traveling as a Rookie Trainer."
Before he had the ability to protect himself, Ash felt it was better not to expose his identity as a Pokémon Doctor.
After all, human hearts are unpredictable.
Hearing this, Nurse Joy instantly understood Ash's meaning and said, "Ash, I've heard about you from a few of my sisters. You previously helped capture Team Rockets and exposed and apprehended rogue Trainers, contributing a lot to the Alliance. This is the reward the Alliance is giving you."
With that, she took out a blue and white Pokémon egg in an incubation device from under the counter.
The moment Ash saw the egg, the Aura in his body stirred.
He looked at Nurse Joy, somewhat unsure, "Is this a Riolu egg?"
"As expected from someone from Pallet Town, your insight is truly different." Nurse Joy praised.
"Hey, Nurse Joy, aren't you perhaps misunderstanding something about us Trainers from Pallet Town? We're not as abnormal as this brute!"
At this moment, a voice that was incredibly familiar yet utterly annoying came from the doorway.
Nurse Joy gave an awkward smile, then changed the subject, "Trainer Gary, did you succeed in challenging the Gym?"
That's right, the newcomer was the spiky-haired Gary, also Dr. Oak's grandson.
"I succeeded, but that Lt. Surge really has some skills. That Raichu's Electric-type moves are very strong." Gary took out three Poké Balls and handed them to Nurse Joy, "Nurse Joy, I'm troubling you again."
"Please wait."
Nurse Joy placed Gary's Poké Balls aside and looked at Ash, saying, "Ash, this child is entrusted to you."
"I will take good care of him."
Ash solemnly took the Riolu egg.
(PS: This is not Ash's fated egg. In this book, Ash has multiple dogs.)
[Pokémon: Shinny Riolu (Unhatched)]
[Gender: Female]
[Level: 0]
[Ability: Inner Focus, Aura Heart (Note: This is a Lucario royal bloodline ability, not unique, and can be taught to naturally awakened Aura members of the same species)]
[Aptitude: Elite]
[Moves: Quick Attack, Endure, Bite (Inherited), Aura Sphere.....]
Shinny?
A yellow dog, and female?
Ash still thought the blue dog looked better; the yellow one looked a bit odd.
Double abilities, one of which Ash had never seen before. But this Riolu was actually royalty, which was truly outlandish.
Indeed, in the original work, idiot encountered a royal Riolu during his travels in Sinnoh, and that one could also use Aura Sphere.
Could this egg have come from Sinnoh?
This thought suddenly popped into Ash's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
He wasn't familiar with the Sinnoh Alliance; why would they give him such a precious royal Riolu?
Little did he know, he had just excluded the correct answer. The Riolu egg indeed came from Sinnoh, and Dr. Oak had put a lot of effort into this matter. Of course, that's a story for later.
Ash replaced the Riolu's egg with a more advanced incubation device and nutrient solution, then, led by Gary, found a place to catch up.
"Gary, why are you here?" Ash asked, puzzled.
"Vermilion City has a Gym, why wouldn't I be here? It's you, Ash, you left earlier than us, yet you're so late. Xiao Cang and the others have already gone to the next City."
Gary was very dissatisfied with Ash's progress, but thinking that he seemed to be ahead of Ash, he felt a strange sense of pleasure.
"Traveling, you know, going too fast means you miss a lot of things."
Ash would never admit that they were behind because they got lost.
"Ash, aren't you going to introduce me to your companions?"
Gary looked at Misty and the others.
"Oh, I almost forgot. This is Misty, the youngest sister of the Cerulean Gym. She's currently traveling to become a Water-type Pokémon Master. This is Brock....."
"I naturally know Brock. But what's your relationship with this beautiful lady, Ash?" Gary showed a meaningful smile.
He seemed to have found an opportunity to get revenge on Ash for tricking him.
The love-hate relationship between the two originated from Gary's playboy nature, which Ash disliked intensely. By sheer coincidence, Ash took a photo and, out of concern for others, sent it to Koharu. As a result, Gary was beaten flying by Koharu, receiving a severe lesson.
It was indeed flying; Dr. Oak's Champion Dragonite was incredibly fast.
"Uh, about that....." Ash nervously rubbed the tip of his nose.
Misty, on the other hand, stared at Ash without blinking, her eyes filled with anticipation.
As a good brother for many years, Gary understood Ash quite well and immediately saw his nervousness.
He put his arm around Ash's shoulder, pulled him aside, and whispered, "Hehe, Ash, you really play hard."
"What's the condition?" Ash asked in a low voice.
"What do you mean?" Gary pretended not to understand Ash's meaning.
"A top-grade Moon Stone, as long as you don't mention Serena." Ash gritted his teeth.
He had confirmed these days that Charmander needed to eat Fire Stone and Dragon Scale to replenish its origin. Dragon Scale was fine since there was a giant Dragonite, but Fire Stone was troublesome, so Ash could only save his stock for Charmander.
In this situation, to make Gary shut up, he could only sacrifice the more precious Moon Stone.