"They're Misty and Brock, Gym Leaders of Cerulean City and Pewter City, and my traveling companions. They've been helping me out ever since I started my journey!" Ash said brightly, gesturing toward his friends.
Chloe smiled politely and gave a small bow. "Nice to meet you both! I've heard a lot about Ash's travels from my dad, it's great to finally meet the people brave enough to keep up with him."
Her light teasing drew an amused laugh from Brock and a knowing smirk from Misty.
After a bit of friendly chatter, Chloe clapped her hands together. "You know, you should all come over for dinner! It's no trouble, just three extra plates. And honestly, it's been ages since we've had guests. I'd love to catch up and hear how you've been, Ash."
So, the group left the Cerise Laboratory and followed her home.
Professor Cerise's house stood just a short walk from the lab, a cozy, two-story home surrounded by neat hedges and a few potted flowers near the steps. Inside, the warm smell of food greeted them the moment they stepped through the door.
There, they met Talia Cerise, Chloe's mother.
Talia was calm and elegant, with the same green eyes as her daughter. Her long reddish-brown hair was braided neatly down one shoulder, and the glasses she wore lent her a gentle, intelligent air, a perfect reflection of the nurturing, steadfast woman she was.
Beside her was Chloe's younger brother, Parker, a bright-eyed eight-year-old who wasn't old enough to begin his own journey yet, but clearly had inherited his father's fascination with Pokémon. Within minutes of meeting Ash, Parker was already bombarding him with questions about training, battles, and adventures.
The dinner that followed was full of warmth and laughter. It didn't feel like two families meeting for the first time, it felt like a reunion among old friends.
Over steaming bowls of stew and rice, Ash recounted his journey from Pallet Town to Vermilion City. The others listened intently as he spoke of his encounters, the Shiny Ralts that had fallen from the sky, the unexpected bond he'd formed with the "Trio," and the near-miraculous hatching of Riolu.
He left out only the secret of Ho-Oh and the mysterious chat group. Everything else, he shared openly.
By the time he finished, Professor Cerise could only shake his head in disbelief. "Ash, your luck defies logic. A Shiny Ralts alone is rarer than one in several million, and you just found one? Not to mention your other partners... truly incredible."
As a researcher, Cerise knew how infinitesimal those odds were. Even among the entire Pokémon League worldwide, there were probably only a handful of Trainers lucky enough to meet one, let alone hatch one.
And to think that Ash's Ralts had literally fallen from the sky, the professor could only marvel. "It's almost as if fate itself keeps guiding you, Ash," he said, half in awe, half in wonder.
...
Once the plates were cleared, Talia moved to the kitchen to wash up, and Brock naturally went to help her. Misty offered too, but Chloe waved her off with a grin.
"There's barely room for two people in there, trust me. Just relax in the living room."
So Ash, Misty, and Chloe settled onto the couch. The warmth from dinner faded into a gentle quiet, and Ash finally had time to ask the question that had been nagging at him all day.
"Professor Cerise," he began slowly, "about Riolu… what exactly happened? Why was the Egg like that?"
He frowned slightly, remembering the deep cracks that had run across the shell. Normally, a Pokémon Egg, especially one in a lab, was handled with the utmost care. They were sturdier than they looked; even a fall from a table wouldn't normally harm them.
For Riolu's Egg to be so damaged… it must've been from something severe.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Professor Cerise's expression froze. Chloe's smile faltered, her gaze lowering to the floor. The air grew heavier, as if he'd accidentally brushed against something painful and private.
Misty, sitting beside Ash, nudged him subtly in the ribs, a silent "Drop it."
He gave a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah… never mind. Forget I asked."
However, Professor Cerise spoke at this moment.
"It's shameful to say, but I trusted the wrong person, which led to the Pokémon Egg becoming that way."
"Uh… it's okay. If it's something you'd rather forget, it's better not to talk about it," Ash replied.
"No, Ash," Professor Cerise shook his head. "You're now considered Riolu's Trainer, so you have the right to know about this matter."
He paused for a moment, then began recounting the reason behind the Pokémon Egg's damage.
Five years ago, he had organized a summer camp for children aged eight to twelve, aimed at helping them relax and deepen their understanding of Pokémon.
Ash had heard about that camp but happened to attend a different one that year, so he was not present.
However, an accident occurred during that summer camp.
Chloe had also taken part in that camp, and with her was their neighbor, a boy named Kota, with whom she got along quite well.
Kota's personality was rather arrogant. He often felt his intelligence and behavior were above those of his peers, and he loved doing things that drew attention.
He liked showing off the Pokémon knowledge he had learned from Professor Cerise in front of the other children, which always earned him admiration and cheers.
As Professor Cerise's daughter, Chloe naturally knew far more than Kota. To her, his behavior was childish, but since they were only children, it was not surprising.
At worst, his attitude made others a little uncomfortable, but it was harmless.
However, precisely because Professor Cerise did not take Kota's personality seriously, the incident that followed became something he regretted for five years.
On the day of the summer camp, Professor Cerise happened to receive a Pokémon Egg sent from Aurant Town in the Rota Kingdom.
The Egg came directly from Queen herself. It was extremely important, tied to one of Rota's ancient legends.
However, the Egg had not hatched for a very long time. No matter the method, nutrient immersion, constant carrying, or any other incubation process, it showed no progress.
After extensive discussions, Rota's officials decided to send the Egg to outside researchers.
Because Professor Cerise was nearby, a respected academic, and a student of Professor Oak, he was chosen as the one to study it. If he couldn't solve the mystery, he could easily consult his mentor.
Queen left a note explaining that the Egg had already been in their possession for several months. They had never seen a Pokémon Egg that failed to hatch for so long.
After receiving it, Professor Cerise began researching it every day, even bringing it along to the summer camp.
But during the camp, one of the children suddenly went missing. Just as Professor Cerise prepared to take the Pokémon Egg and search for the child, Kota volunteered to stay behind and look after it.
He told Professor Cerise not to worry, that he would guard the Egg carefully.
After a brief hesitation, and judging that there were no wild Pokémon in the area, Professor Cerise agreed. Kota had always seemed more mature than others his age, so he entrusted the Egg to him.
However, when Professor Cerise returned after finding the missing child, he realized that both Kota and Chloe were gone.
This made him extremely anxious. He had just located one missing camper, only to lose two more.
That summer camp truly seemed cursed with misfortune.
He immediately instructed the remaining children not to move from the campsite, then set out again to search for Chloe and Kota.
Finally, he found them nearly a kilometer away from the camp, and they were being chased by a flock of Spearow.
Professor Cerise quickly released the Pokémon he had brought with him to drive the Spearow away. But just as he was about to reach them, he witnessed something shocking: as one of the Spearow dove toward Kota, the boy panicked and lifted the Pokémon Egg in his hands to block the attack.
The Spearow's sharp beak struck the shell with full force, and under that impact, a visible crack spread from the point of contact.
"That," Professor Cerise said quietly, "is the reason the Pokémon Egg cracked. I can only blame myself. I should never have left it there… and I should never have trusted..." He stopped, sighing heavily. "Ah, it was all my fault."
His face was filled with sorrow and regret. Even now, he admitted, he sometimes dreamed of that day, waking in the middle of the night with the memory burning in his chest, the feeling of guilt clinging to him like a shadow.
Ash and the others were silent after hearing this. No wonder Professor Cerise's expression had darkened when the Egg was mentioned earlier, and Chloe's as well. Now they understood. She had been there when it happened.
After a long pause, Ash finally spoke. "Why did that boy, Kota, go to that place at all?"
Professor Cerise had clearly told him to stay at the camp and watch over the Egg. So why had he left? And not only left, but taken Chloe with him?
What angered Ash even more was that, when danger came, Kota had actually used the Egg as a shield.
He hadn't taken responsibility for provoking the flock of Spearow, and in Ash's eyes, he had nearly killed an innocent life. Even though the Egg had survived thanks to the restorative waters of the Clear Lake, it was, in truth, little different from being dead.
If Ash hadn't arrived at the Cerise Laboratory when he did, that Pokémon Egg would likely have lost its life completely before long.
And the one responsible for it all was that boy named Kota.
Chloe's expression grew dark as she spoke softly. "It's my fault, too. I couldn't stop him… Everyone at the camp was curious why Dad brought a Pokémon Egg, so Dad explained the reason. After hearing that, Kota wanted to hatch it himself, to impress everyone, including Dad. That's why he volunteered to watch over it."
She lowered her eyes. "Then he took the Egg into the forest, trying out strange 'folk remedies' he'd read about. None of them worked. When he grew frustrated, he threw a stone into the trees… and by bad luck, it hit a Spearow on the head."
As Chloe recounted the story, everyone finally understood what had happened.
It was all the result of one boy's vanity, his childish desire to stand out.
Because of that vanity, he took the Pokémon Egg into the forest. Because of his arrogance and temper, he threw the stone that struck the Spearow. And because of his selfishness, he used the Egg as a shield to protect himself.
If he had possessed even a little more restraint, or one less of those flaws, the Pokémon Egg would never have ended up in such a tragic state.