20demayo Chapter 78: Reunion with Professor Sakuragi, a mysterious call, and a broken elf egg!
Chapter 78: Reunion with Professor Sakuragi, a mysterious call, and a broken elf egg!
Chapter 78: Reunion with Professor Sakuragi, a mysterious call, and a broken elf egg!
However, in the years after he turned ten, Dr. Sakuragi visited less often.
His daughter, Xiaochun, has hardly ever come over; it seems she's gone to study at an elf research school.
The Pokémon Research School is specifically for those who want to learn the theoretical knowledge of Pokémon. Graduating from the research school will make it easier to enter the research field in the future, and will also lay a solid foundation for your studies.
Ash didn't know exactly where Professor Sakuragi lived; it was only after Professor Oak mentioned it today that Ash found out.
Dr. Sakuragi actually lives in Konoha City.
And today is also the opening day of his research institute.
"Professor Sakuragi - I've heard of that name before. He seems to be Professor Oak's student. He's published quite a few academic papers and is quite famous in the research community. I never expected that today would be the opening of his research institute!" Xiao Gang rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, finally remembering the name Professor Sakuragi.
As a former gym leader, it's essential for Xiao Gang to read the news and stay informed about the latest rumors around the world every day. So, Xiao Gang knows about Professor Sakuragi, but he's never met him.
"Yeah, that guy used to fly around everywhere, but this year he finally decided to open a research institute near his home and settle down. As the saying goes, it's better to be lucky than early. Ash, you haven't seen Haru in a long time, have you?" Professor Oak said to Ash while eating instant noodles.
Xiao Zhi nodded: "Yeah, it seems like it's been a year or two since we last met, right? The last time we saw her was during her summer vacation, and it seems like she's been studying during her vacation ever since."
"Who is Xiaochun? She sounds like a girl?"
Xiaoxia frowned slightly and asked in a calm tone.
"She's Professor Sakuragi's daughter. Professor Sakuragi used to bring her to Pallet Town often, but she went to study at the Pokémon Research School and hasn't come here much since," Ash explained casually. He then asked Professor Oak for the address of Sakuragi's lab before hanging up.
"Let me see. This place isn't too far from the Pokémon Center. It should only take about ten minutes to get there." After hanging up the phone, Ash glanced at the location Professor Oak had mentioned on the large map of Vermilion City and realized that it was quite close to their location.
"Let's go then. It's a good opportunity to see what the research institute's opening is like. I've never seen it before." Xiaoxia picked up her small backpack and took the lead towards the entrance of the Pokémon Center.
"Hey, wait for me! Why are you walking so fast!" Xiaozhi called out to Xiaoxia as he grabbed his backpack and jogged after her.
Xiao Gang, looking thoughtful, slowly followed behind the two.
IIII
The three of them soon arrived at the location of the research institute that Professor Oak had mentioned. Some fallen ribbons were still hanging on the steps at the entrance, which looked like they had just been fired as a salute.
The group walked up the steps and soon arrived at the entrance of the research institute. The institute's doors were open, and inside, a middle-aged man was standing on a high platform with a huge screen projecting onto it.
The middle-aged man seemed to be explaining research related to elves.
When Ash saw the picture above, he felt both familiar and unfamiliar. It was unfamiliar because he had only seen the Pokémon in the picture once, but familiar because he had firmly remembered it from that one time. The picture showed Ho-Oh!
"...—Ho-Oh has not appeared before humans for hundreds of years. Legend has it that those who see Ho-Oh will be blessed with eternal happiness and have a chance to become the hero chosen by Ho-Oh, known as the Rainbow Hero. However, all of this is just a legend, and research on Ho-Oh has been stagnant for countless years."
As Professor Sakuragi, a middle-aged man, explained everything about Ho-Oh, his tone tinged with regret.
Upon hearing everything Professor Sakuragi said, Misty and Brock couldn't help but glance at Ash in the middle. The Rainbow Hero, who had met Ho-Oh and received Ho-Oh's recognition, was standing right here.
After hearing what Professor Sakuragi said about Ho-Oh, Ash couldn't help but smile smugly. He had encountered Ho-Oh, a once-in-a-century phenomenon, and even become the Rainbow Hero. This was indeed something to be proud of and happy about.
However, it was definitely something that couldn't be said aloud. "Professor Sakuragi, it's been a long time!" Ash shouted as he walked into the research institute, and immediately all the guests' eyes were on him.
Professor Sakuragi on the stage was also stunned for a moment, then reacted and a slight smile appeared on his face: "Isn't this Ash? What are you doing in Vermilion City? You didn't even tell me you were coming."
"I came here to challenge the gym. After defeating the Vermilion Gym, I called Professor Oak and learned that your lab was opening today, so I came to see you," Ash said, looking around the lab with curiosity.
Compared to Oak's lab, this place is a bit smaller, but renting such a large space in Vermilion City would definitely cost a lot each month, at least much more expensive than renting a house in Pallet Town.
"Professor Sakuragi, who is this?" one of the guests asked curiously.
"Oh, this is Ash, a trainer from Pallet Town. Ash, why don't you go inside and have a seat? I'll be right there." Professor Sakuragi pointed to the screen, indicating that he had some things to do and asked Ash to go inside the garden of the research institute and sit for a while.
Ash nodded and led Misty and Brock to the garden inside the research institute.
Upon arriving at the garden, Ash couldn't help but compare it to the garden inside Professor Oak's lab. Naturally, there was little to compare. Professor Oak's lab was more like a huge backyard than a garden, its area probably several times larger than Ash's lab. But as the saying goes, being able to acquire such a large area in Vermilion City already shows considerable strength.
"Buzz~~~" Just as Xiaozhi was strolling in the garden with Xiaoxia and Xiaogang, he suddenly felt a jolt in his head, and a strange fluctuation appeared in his mind.
"Screech—." Ash suddenly covered his head and knelt on the ground.
Brock and Misty, who were with Ash, were startled. Misty rushed to Ash's side, her small, white hands supporting him, and asked worriedly, "Ash, what's wrong?"
"My head hurts a little, and it feels like something is calling to me."
"Huh? Is something calling you?" Xiaoxia looked up, her eyes shifting slightly, but she didn't see any living beings around her. All she could see were flowers and plants; there were no people or fairies at all.
But what's wrong with Xiaozhi looking like this?
"Over there—" Xiaozhi felt the pain in his head lessen slightly, and then he shakily stretched out his finger and pointed in one direction.
The place Ash pointed out was hidden by a patch of grass, and nothing could be seen except for flowers, plants, and trees. In other words, it was behind those flowers and plants?
With Xiaoxia's help, Xiaozhi slowly walked towards the patch of grass he had mentioned. After passing through the grass, there was a small waterfall and a pool of water behind it.
In terms of environment, this place is indeed very beautiful and very suitable for elves to live in.
After Professor Sakuragi opened his research institute here, some people connected to Professor Sakuragi could also choose to use Professor Sakuragi's place as a storage location for their Pokémon, just like Professor Oak behind Ash.
But that's not the point right now—the point is that there's nothing here at all. There are flowers and grass, mountains and water, but no people or elves.
Xiaoxia looked at Xiaozhi, who had calmed down considerably, and asked hesitantly, "Xiaozhi, are you sure you're not mistaken? There's nothing here."
"No mistake, it's right there." At this moment, he felt less pain and also understood the reason for his headache earlier.
His mind was attacked by the waveguide, and the message that called to him was contained in the waveguide that attacked him.
If he were on guard, that level of waveguide wouldn't even be able to get close to him, let alone harm him. But who would use a waveguide for self-protection when they have nothing better to do?
Therefore, even with Ash's powerful Aura, he still had a slight headache from that attack.
Fortunately, the attack was only intended to convey information, and the force of the attack was not strong for Ash, so Ash recovered quickly.
He pointed out that the direction from which he was being called was over by the pond. Xiaoxia and Xiaogang looked in the direction Xiaozhi was pointing, but could only see a small pond and nothing else.
After pointing out the direction, Xiao Zhi stepped forward without hesitation, and the others followed closely behind.
A few seconds later, they arrived at the small pool, which was separate from the pond and the artificial waterfall. It was only about 60 or 70 centimeters wide.
When Xiaoxia and Xiaogang arrived at the small pond, the former couldn't help but cover her mouth because she saw a fairy egg in the pond!
"The Pokémon Egg—is that the one Ash was calling out to?" Brock couldn't help but ask.
Pikachu and Ralts curiously approached the small pond and looked at the Pokémon egg that was quietly sitting in the water. The Pokémon egg was mostly white with some blue patterns on it, and there was a tiny but clearly visible crack on its top.
"There's a crack on this Pokémon egg. Is it about to hatch?" Xiaoxia lowered her hand from her red lips, blinked, and also noticed the crack on the top of the Pokémon egg.
Generally speaking, when cracks appear on the surface of a Pokémon egg, it's the limit for it to hatch.
"It should be hatching soon, but why is this Pokémon egg in the water?" Xiao Gang also came closer to take a look. For some reason, when he got close to the small pool, he felt a comfortable and clear-headed feeling.
It was as if I had suddenly received something that refreshed me.
"It's not going to hatch; this crack is a sign of damage to the Pokémon egg," Ash said slowly after a moment of silence.
One sentence caused Xiao Gang, Xiao Xia, and Pikachu's expressions to change drastically, and Ralts also let out a small gasp.
Pokémon eggs damaged? This is actually quite rare. After all, whether it's a wild Pokémon egg or a farmed one, it's handled with great care before it hatches.
Wild Pokémon eggs are guarded by their parents. After giving birth, wild Pokémon are very aggressive towards the outside world. If you want to touch their eggs, you have to step over their bodies!
Needless to say, artificially bred Pokémon eggs are basically kept in nutrient boxes before hatching, and are provided with ample nutrient solution every day.
Therefore, generally speaking, it is rare for Pokémon eggs to be damaged, which is why Xiaoxia and Xiaogang never thought about it at first.
It turns out the Pokémon egg in Professor Sakuragi's lab garden was damaged? What happened to this Pokémon egg? Why did it call for Ash?
Even when it's damaged, it can still call out to Ash from inside the egg. What kind of supernatural event is this?
Ash reached out and slowly dipped his hand into the pool. "What are you doing?!" Just then, a startled cry rang out, and Ash jumped back in fright.
He looked in the direction of the sound and found that it was the sound of Professor Sakuragi arriving.
Professor Sakuragi looked a little angry. He had asked Ash and the others to come and rest, but he didn't expect them to find this place and even want to get the Pokémon egg.
The Pokémon egg was in bad shape. If they took it out of the water, it would be all ruined. Ash's actions also reminded Professor Sakuragi of some unpleasant memories, which is why the usually gentle professor subconsciously scolded him.
"Hero Sakuragi! We're sorry, we didn't mean to come here, but some special circumstances have arisen," Xiaoxia quickly apologized upon seeing that the visitors were Hero Sakuragi.
This is Professor Sakuragi's territory. It's really wrong of them to wander around here and even try to touch other people's Pokémon eggs.
"Phew—sorry, I got too excited. I told you to just wander around here, but I suddenly remembered some bad memories, so my voice got a little loud—" Professor Sakuragi let out a light breath, as if he had exhaled his anger, and a gentle smile returned to his face.
"It was our fault, but Sakuragi-sensei, what's wrong with this Pokémon egg? The cracks on it don't mean the egg is about to hatch, but rather that it's damaged, right?" Ash apologized as well, and then quickly got to the point.
He sensed from the Pokémon egg that it was constantly transmitting subtle auras to the outside world, but apart from him, who possessed aura power,
No one can sense it.
Even if he didn't come within ten meters of the elf egg, he wouldn't be able to sense the faint wave it emitted.
If the elf egg hadn't hit him like that, he really wouldn't have known there was an elf egg about to die in this place.
Indeed, in Ash's perception, the Pokémon Egg, which represents life, was on the verge of death, like a candle flickering in the wind, clinging to life with only a breath left. Once that breath was gone, it would mean that the Pokémon Egg had completely lost its vitality.
Hearing Ash's question, Professor Sakuragi sighed softly, a wry smile appearing on his lips: "This is a long story."
Actually, this Pokémon egg has been in this pool for five years. If it weren't for the pool keeping it alive, it would probably be a bad egg by now.
Five years!
"The pool is hanging by a thread?!"
Xiaoxia and Xiaogang both exclaimed in surprise; they were utterly shocked by what Dr. Sakuragi had said.
The fact that a damaged Pokémon egg can survive for five years is absolutely unprecedented and unheard of!