Roy cleared his throat and put on an expression that was just right.
"It's like this."
"You saw it just now when Charizard used Seismic Toss to slam Aerodactyl into the bottom of the valley."
Delia and Misty nodded in unison.
"After it fell, it happened to crash into a crack in the cliff wall."
"It seemed like there was some ancient power hidden inside that crack."
"Then, suddenly, there was a flash of bright light that made it impossible for me to open my eyes."
"By the time the light faded, it had already turned into this state."
Roy spread his hands.
"But even so, it didn't matter. In the end, it was still beaten down by Charizard, allowing me to successfully capture it."
As soon as he finished speaking, a low, clearly dissatisfied dragon roar came from behind him.
The Ancient Aerodactyl held its head high, its amber-gold eyes glaring at Roy's back.
It minded.
It minded very much.
What do you mean "it didn't matter"?
What do you mean "it was still beaten down by Charizard"?
Saying that to its face—did it have no pride?
Roy didn't even turn his head; he just waved his hand.
The motion was as casual as shooing away a mosquito.
But when the Ancient Aerodactyl saw that gesture, its dissatisfied roar got stuck in its throat.
It blew a heavy puff of air from its nostrils, kicking up a cloud of dust from the ground.
Then it turned its head away and sulked.
Forget it.
I'll give my Master some face.
Next time.
Next time during team training, I'll definitely grind that Charizard into the dirt.
Let Master see exactly how strong this ancient form of mine really is.
The Ancient Aerodactyl secretly swore to itself.
Delia and Misty exchanged glances.
Although this explanation sounded a bit mysterious, it didn't seem entirely impossible.
After all, this world was full of strange things to begin with.
Legendary Pokémon, ancient ruins, mysterious energy, and so on.
Delia didn't know much about Pokémon to begin with, and while Misty knew more, her knowledge was mainly focused on the Water-type.
For an ancient Pokémon with the Rock/Flying dual type like Aerodactyl, their understanding was indeed limited.
It was normal not to understand.
Both girls quickly accepted this explanation.
A happy smile appeared on Delia's face.
"Roy, you are really so lucky!"
Misty nodded vigorously from the side.
"Isn't that right? You can even run into such a good thing."
"You go out for an adventure, and not only do you capture an Aerodactyl, but you also run into ancient power that transforms it into a new form."
"What kind of luck is that?"
The corners of Roy's mouth curled up as he deliberately put on a thoughtful expression.
"Maybe..."
"Was I a Chansey in my past life?"
Misty burst out laughing.
"You're so vain!"
"You're not nearly as cute as a Chansey!"
Delia was also amused and covered her mouth while laughing.
Halfway through her laughter, Misty's expression suddenly changed to one of surprise.
It was as if she had remembered something important.
"Hey!"
She grabbed Roy's sleeve.
"Don't just stand there being smug, Roy!"
"You aren't the only one with good luck!"
As Misty spoke, she pulled Roy toward the edge of the cliff.
"Hurry, hurry, come here!"
"Look!"
Delia followed, her expression even more excited than before.
Misty led Roy to the rock crevice where they had been crouching earlier and pointed at the ground.
Her tone was full of unconcealable excitement.
"Look!"
"What did I just find?"
Roy looked in the direction Misty was pointing.
About five or six meters down the cliff.
A thick, dead tree branch protruded from the cliff wall; the bark was long since dried and cracked, and it was covered in gray-green moss.
Caught at the base of that dead wood was something.
White.
Round.
The eggshell was covered with blue and red circle patterns, crisscrossing each other.
It looked like some kind of graffiti.
The moment Roy saw that egg.
His heart skipped a beat.
Oh? A Pokémon egg?
This pattern...
This color...
Could it be?
A Togepi egg?
Scenes from the anime flashed through his mind instantly.
He had originally planned to take Misty around the mountains of this Grand Canyon of Fossils after capturing the Aerodactyl.
To search.
To see if he could stumble upon this egg.
But as it turned out?
He hadn't even started looking yet.
And the egg had just appeared on its own?
The corners of Roy's mouth couldn't help but curl up.
All that searching, and here it is.
Effortlessly obtained.
This luck.
"Roy, Roy! Did you see it?"
Misty was jumping with excitement on the side, tugging hard on his sleeve.
"That's the egg! I found it when I was crouching there looking down!"
"Look, look! That pattern is so unique! It definitely isn't an ordinary egg!"
Misty's eyes were shining like two stars, and the smile on her face was almost reaching her ears.
"Maybe a super powerful Water-type legendary Pokémon will hatch from this egg!"
She became more excited as she spoke, holding her hands in front of her chest, already starting to daydream.
"Then I'll have a super powerful Water-type Pokémon!"
"One that's even stronger than all the Water-type Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym!"
"Maybe it can even evolve into some legendary Water-type Mythical Pokémon!"
"Then I'll be a true Water-type Master!"
Roy looked at her longing expression.
It was truly cute.
But then again.
Togepi isn't a Water-type, but it's still pretty strong when it evolves into Togekiss.
However, Roy didn't intend to reveal that right now.
Seeing how happy she was.
Let her be happy for a while longer.
"Wait here."
Roy patted Misty's shoulder.
"I'll go down and get it."
As soon as he finished speaking.
He focused his mind.
Psychic power activated instantly, his feet left the ground, and he hovered in the air.
Delia and Misty stood on the edge of the cliff, watching him slowly float down.
Although it wasn't the first time they had seen Roy use Psychic, both girls still found such a sight amazing every time.
Roy controlled his body, slowly descending to beside the dead branch.
Up close.
The patterns on the egg were even clearer.
The white eggshell felt warm to the touch, and the blue and red circle patterns on it seemed naturally formed, with the crisscrossing lines having a rhythmic beauty.
The surface of the eggshell was faintly glowing.
You wouldn't notice it if you weren't paying attention.
Roy reached out and carefully took the egg out from the gap at the base of the dead wood.
It felt a bit heavy in his hand.
It was heavier than a normal Pokémon egg.
A faint pulsation came from inside the shell.
Like a heartbeat, very light, but very strong.
Roy held the egg, activated his Psychic power again, lifted his body, and landed steadily back on the cliff.
"Here."
He handed the egg to Misty.
"For you."
"Your future Water-type legendary Pokémon."
Misty looked at the egg presented before her.
She was stunned for a moment.
She blinked her eyes.
Then she quickly waved her hands.
"No, no, no!"
"I was just saying that!"
"If there really is a Pokémon with super potential inside this egg..."
She bit her lip, her eyes lingering on the egg for a second before moving away.
"It's better for you to raise it."
"You're so much stronger than me, so you could definitely make it even stronger if you raised it."
"You should keep this egg."
When Misty said this, there was a hint of reluctance in her tone.
But there was more sincerity.
She genuinely felt that this egg should go to Roy.
Roy looked at her expression, raised his hand, and gently patted Misty's head.
"I already captured that super powerful Aerodactyl today."
He turned and pointed behind him.
The Ancient Aerodactyl was still lying there, and when it saw Roy pointing at it, it immediately turned its head to the other side and let out another puff of air from its nostrils.
It was still sulking.
"So, you should take this Pokémon."
Roy turned back and looked at Misty.
"Besides, wasn't it you who found this egg?"
"I just helped you pick it up."
Misty opened her mouth, wanting to say something else.
Roy didn't give her a chance to speak.
He leaned down slightly, bringing his face close to Misty's, with that half-smile on his lips.
"What?"
"The future Water-type Pokémon Master doesn't have the confidence to raise a legendary Pokémon?"
A taunt.
It works every time on Misty.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking.
Misty's eyes widened immediately.
Her mouth puffed out.
Her cheeks flushed red.
"How could that be!"
Her voice went up several octaves.
"I am the super mermaid Misty who will inherit the Cerulean Gym and stand at the pinnacle of Water-types!"
"How could I lack the ability to raise a legendary Pokémon!"
She snatched the egg from Roy's hand and held it tightly to her chest.
"Fine! Then I'll accept this egg!"
"I will definitely raise it well!"
"And then I'll make you all very surprised!"
Misty lifted her chin high, her eyes full of confident light.
She said she would give it to Roy.
But when she actually held the egg in her arms.
The smile on her face couldn't be hidden.
Her eyes curved into crescents.
She looked down at the egg in her arms and reached out a finger to gently poke the shell.
"Little one, you're coming with me from now on."
"I will definitely make you the best Water-type Pokémon in the world."
Delia stood to the side, covering her mouth and laughing.
"Misty, congratulations."
"You finally dug up the treasure you've been thinking about today!"
Misty nodded vigorously, the smile on her face becoming even brighter.
"Yeah!"
Roy watched this scene.
He felt warm inside too.
And just at the moment Misty accepted the egg.
In his mind.
The system's notification sound rang out one after another.
[Sky Hegemony mission completed!]
[Pokémon: Charizard, Level: lv50 → lv53]
[Female Bond Task — Bond with Togepi: Help Misty find the Togepi egg, completed!]
[Female Bond Aura — Great Love unlocked: Please select the sharers and the aura to be shared!]
Roy felt the Poké Ball at his waist vibrate slightly.
It was Charizard's aura; it had become stronger.
lv53.
It had caught up to Pikachu's level.
The corners of his mouth curled up.
Not bad.
This trip to the Grand Canyon of Fossils wasn't in vain.
Captured the Ancient Aerodactyl, Charizard's level increased, and helped Misty get the Togepi egg.
A big win.
Then his gaze fell on the newly unlocked aura.
Female Bond Aura.
Great Love.
Bind candidates...
Roy glanced at Delia and Misty beside him.
There was no need to think about this.
Naturally, he would choose both of them.
Next was to choose the aura to share.
Roy closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank into the system interface.
He currently possessed quite a few auras.
Harmonious Family Aura, Friend of Nature Aura, Thunder Power Aura, Fishing Grandmaster Aura, Strong Mental Aura.
He looked at them one by one.
Pondering which one was most suitable to share with them.
Harmonious Family Aura, this is for regulating female relationships.
Friend of Nature Aura, enhances affinity with wild Pokémon.
This is good, but it's not the most urgent for them.
Thunder Power Aura, increases the speed of commanding Pokémon.
Delia doesn't follow the combat route, and Misty uses Water-types; underwater combat is already fast, and enhancing it on the water doesn't have much effect.
Fishing Grandmaster Aura, this one has no use, and neither of them are the type to come home empty-handed from fishing.
Strong Mental Aura.
Roy's gaze stopped on this aura.
Enhances mental power.
Immunity to mental Hypnosis.
Immunity to various mental confusion interference.
This is good, it's the one.
Roy chose the Strong Mental Aura.
This aura is the most practical for traveling with them.
Although he now possesses Intermediate Psychic and Intermediate Aura, he can almost completely protect them on a physical level.
But what if they face mental attacks?
Hypnosis, Confusion Wave, Nightmare, Psychic...
These things are hard to defend against.
He himself has Psychic and Aura to protect his body, so he is basically not afraid of these.
But Delia and Misty are just ordinary girls.
If they encounter a Pokémon or Trainer who can use mental attacks, they have no ability to protect themselves at all.
There are many things he can do on a physical level.
But on a mental level.
There is actually very little he can do.
He can't cover them with Psychic power all the time, right?
With this aura, it's different.
It directly enhances their mental power from the root.
Immunity to mental interference and attacks.
Safety.
Is always the first priority.
Only by ensuring safety can the whole journey proceed with peace of mind.
[Selection complete!]
[Shared Aura: Strong Mental Aura!]
[Shared candidates: Delia, Misty!]
[Aura sharing successful!]
The moment the system notification fell.
Roy felt a cool energy surge from the depths of his mind.
Like a clear spring flowing through his consciousness.
Washing over every nerve.
Cleansing every thought.
His mental perception range expanded rapidly.
Ten meters, twenty meters, fifty meters around...
The sound of the wind blowing through the grass.
The low chirping of Bug-type Pokémon in the distance.
The sound of water rushing against the cliff wall below.
Delia and Misty's breathing, their heartbeats.
All were crystal clear.
The mental exhaustion accumulated from using Psychic to fly back and forth just now was also washed away in this instant.
His whole brain felt like it had been rebooted.
Mental power, directly doubled.
Roy slowly opened his eyes.
A faint blue light flashed in his eyes, then quickly faded.
And on the other side.
Delia and Misty also felt something at the same time.
A strange feeling suddenly flashed through their minds.
Like a cool breeze blowing into the depths of their minds.
Cool, very comfortable.
The melee they experienced in the cave just now.
The impact of Charizard and Aerodactyl colliding.
The thrill of Roy leaping off the cliff.
And all kinds of nervous, worried, and fearful emotions.
These messy things were mixed together, making their heads feel a bit dizzy.
But at this moment, all the chaos suddenly dissipated.
Their minds suddenly became clear.
Clear thinking.
Full of energy.
The whole person felt much lighter.
Misty looked down at the egg in her arms, then looked up at Roy.
"It's so strange."
"I suddenly feel so refreshed."
Delia nodded as well, touching her forehead.
"Me too."
"I was still feeling a bit dizzy just now, but now I'm suddenly fine."
The two girls exchanged glances, then looked at Roy at the same time.