Plop!
Just as Aven was deep in thought, a sudden sound broke the silence.
Turning his gaze, Aven discovered that Muk had, at some unknown point, slipped down into the poisonous swamp.
Then, right before his eyes, Muk's body slowly began to blend into the swamp itself, little by little sinking away until it completely vanished from sight.
"Muk!" Aven's expression changed in shock upon witnessing this scene.
But now it was already too late to stop it. Muk's figure had completely disappeared!
"Lil~ lil~ lil~!"
Petilil quickly began to sense with all its might.
Very soon, it picked up on Muk's life energy. The pulse of life emanating from Muk's body was indeed still there, only it was sinking deeper and deeper toward the very bottom of the poisonous swamp.
Nobody knew how long had passed when suddenly the swamp's surface began to surge and ripple violently. Slowly, Muk's body floated back upward from the depths.
But this time, within Muk's gooey arms was an enormous, astonishing purple crystal. That crystal radiated an intense poison-type energy, its entire form faintly wrapped in a layer of glowing violet light.
However, what shocked Aven the most was not the crystal itself. What made his heart tremble was the sight of what was sealed within the purple crystal—inside it was a Pokémon egg, a mysterious violet egg covered in bizarre, ominous patterns!
"Lil~ lil~ lil~!"
Even Petilil, resting in Aven's arms, widened its eyes in complete disbelief.
It quickly closed its eyes to sense carefully. Immediately, it detected a faint wave of life force leaking out from within the Pokémon egg!
It was now clear. Inside this purple crystal, within this strange Pokémon egg, a new life was indeed quietly slumbering. The only reason Petilil hadn't sensed it before was because the crystal had sealed the egg away!
That fleeting pulse of life it had picked up on earlier—most likely it had been triggered only because Muk's body had reacted to the crystal, which in turn caused the life sealed inside the egg to respond!
"A Pokémon egg… It truly is a Pokémon egg! And this purple crystal seems to be the thing sealing it away." Aven muttered with astonishment, his mouth slightly agape.
His mind swirled with countless thoughts. He raised his head to look at the sky, a faint ache creeping into his temples. For the moment, even he could not make sense of the situation unfolding before his eyes.
Even as a professional Pokémon Breeder, he had never once seen such an eerie Pokémon egg. The fact that it was encased within such a mysterious crystal meant there had to be a very special reason behind it.
Perhaps the Pokémon inside was too dangerous. Or maybe the conditions for its hatching were extremely demanding. The poison energy within this crystal might very well be an essential factor required for the egg's incubation.
"But regardless of what the truth is, the life within this Pokémon egg is innocent."
As countless thoughts swirled in his mind, Aven finally shook his head slowly. In the end, a newborn Pokémon was always like a blank sheet of paper.
No matter its origins, no matter what kind of background this egg possessed, he firmly believed that the Pokémon within would not be harmful by nature!
With that thought, the weight pressing down on his chest gradually lifted. His next step would be clear: to help hatch this mysterious egg, and then raise the newborn Pokémon properly.
"Muuuk~!"
In the swamp, Muk was still foolishly clutching the crystal tightly.
For some inexplicable reason, it felt a deep sense of familiarity and intimacy with this crystal. After all, it had once been born and nurtured thanks to the very power of this mysterious crystal.
Hearing Aven's words, Muk immediately began swimming back toward the shore, carefully carrying the egg-sealed crystal with it.
"Nido~ Nido~ Nido~!"
Nidoking rushed forward the moment it saw this.
Its gaze circled the mysterious crystal again and again, then turned toward Aven, clearly asking what should be done next.
"This… even I am not entirely sure."
"However, since it is a Pokémon egg, it must naturally respond to life energy."
Aven pondered for a moment, then said, "Petilil, try channeling your life energy into the egg."
Upon hearing this, Petilil immediately nodded. A soft glow of life energy gathered around its body, which then slowly enveloped the crystal.
The energy continuously seeped into the crystal, penetrating deeper until it touched the Pokémon egg inside.
In the next instant, faint light suddenly flickered on the egg's surface—it had responded!
Petilil's eyes lit up in excitement. It quickly gathered even more life energy, steadily channeling it in an unending stream into the egg.
Soon, the glow radiating from the egg became increasingly intense, to the point where even the entire crystal trembled faintly in resonance.
At the same time, streaks of poisonous energy within the crystal began to shimmer as well, flowing gradually into the egg alongside the life energy.
It truly seemed as if Petilil's efforts had awakened the life sleeping within, causing the egg to once again absorb the mysterious energy it required.
"Lil~ lil~ lil~!"
After a long while, Petilil finally stopped, exhausted from channeling so much energy.
But the egg did not cease its activity. It continued voraciously devouring the poisonous energy stored in the crystal, as though desperately feasting.
Only after half an hour did the egg finally calm down. The violet glow radiating from the crystal gradually faded, and it was obvious that its stored poison-type energy had been significantly depleted.
In stark contrast, the egg itself was now radiating a strong life aura. Unlike before, when it was so faint that Petilil could barely sense it, this time it pulsed vividly and unmistakably with vitality.
"Muk, return the crystal back to the swamp." Aven finally instructed.
Muk nodded and obediently carried the crystal back into the swamp. But instead of sinking like before, this time the crystal floated upon the swamp's surface.
From it, one could see poisonous energy being drawn back into the crystal from the swamp, as though it were recharging itself. Soon, it would no doubt replenish its reserves.
"Ralts?"
Ralts curiously poked its head out, extending its senses.
But from within this egg, it still could not detect any emotional energy.
It was clear that the life inside had yet to form its own consciousness. It was still at the very earliest stage of its evolution.
It was just like Chansey had once been—only after continuous growth would awareness gradually emerge, and from that, emotions unique to life itself would be born.
"This egg has remained unhatched for such a long time… There must indeed be some issue."
"Perhaps its parents sealed it inside this crystal to protect it, borrowing the crystal's strength to sustain its development until it could hatch."
Aven exhaled softly at the thought, his heart suddenly touched by the painstaking care and love that the egg's parents must have had.
"Don't worry… I'll find a way to help hatch this egg." he silently vowed.
"Lil~ lil~ lil~!"
Petilil turned its head back toward Aven, its gaze asking what should be done next.
"For now, let this Pokémon egg remain here in the swamp."
"We will continue nurturing the life inside by steadily providing it with life energy."
"In addition, it clearly requires poison-type energy as well. That too is something it needs."
Aven decided not to rush things. Different Pokémon eggs always had different incubation needs, and he would need to create a proper hatching plan step by step.
As the thought took root, a long-lost sense of excitement stirred in his heart once again. After all, as a Pokémon Breeder, incubating Pokémon eggs was also one of his core duties!
If he could successfully bring this mysterious life into the world, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous source of accomplishment for him.
"Lil~ lil~ lil~!"
Petilil nodded firmly, as if declaring it would give its utmost cooperation.
Gently patting Petilil on the head, Aven then turned toward Muk and said, "Muk, I'll be entrusting you to guard this place."
Muk's body squirmed happily at the command, quickly sliding back across the swamp until it stopped beside the mysterious crystal.
It could feel it clearly: as long as it remained near the crystal, its power would continuously grow stronger. The sensation was strange, but also deeply satisfying.
Watching Muk's behavior, Aven fell into deep thought.
"Could it be… that the Pokémon within this egg is somehow related to Muk?"
After thinking about it for a moment, he shook his head slightly once again, feeling that it probably was not very likely. However, considering that the mysterious crystal contained a strange kind of power that had been able to mutate the poisonous sludge into a Muk, such a possibility could not be entirely ruled out either.
No matter what the truth was, Aven still had great trust in Muk's strength. Especially in this swamp of poisonous sludge, Muk possessed an absolute advantage. Even if it were an Empoleon, there was no guarantee that it could inflict any harm upon Muk while within this toxic terrain.
"Nido, Nido, Nido~"
On the other side, the Nidoking Leader also voiced his intentions, making it clear that he would remain stationed nearby as well.
The poison energy within this area was truly far too dense, and for the Nidoking tribe, it was an exceptionally ideal place to undergo training.
In addition to that, the areas of land that had been corroded and eroded by the highly toxic substances also drew the Nidoking's attention. He intended to remain here for some time to study those lands carefully. Perhaps he could gain something valuable from his research.
"Alright, I'll be leaving this place in your hands," Aven nodded in response to Nidoking Leader's request to stay.
By now, after having stayed inside this place for so long, even Petilil was beginning to have trouble enduring the environment. So, together with his Pokémon, Aven began making a quick return journey.
(End of Chapter)