Chapter 74: The Abandoned Egg
Will lay in the large, soft grass nest, his coiled body wrapped around a blue egg.
"This is not my egg!"
Will looked angrily at the six Scyther who were gathered around, staring at him. Probably because the egg's color was similar to his own and had appeared in his nest, the Scyther all thought it was his.
But Will was a male! And his preference wasn't for Pokémon! Unless it was a Gardevoir or a Meowscarada.
Some people who aren't familiar with the new Grass-type starter might not understand. How could a mere Meowscarada compare to the great Gardevoir? But the reality is that in a certain popularity poll where both game and anime fans participated, Meowscarada ranked No. 1, while Gardevoir fell to 10th place.
Of course, although the newcomer Meowscarada won this time, it will ultimately not be a match for the hegemon, Gardevoir. This was, after all, just a small poll. If all the fans in China were to vote, Gardevoir's rank would absolutely be above Meowscarada's. But it's undeniable that Meowscarada is also a very charming Pokémon that appeals to the aesthetic of many furry fans.
If it were a Gardevoir or a Meowscarada, then maybe Will would consider having an egg. But the problem was, where in the Kanto or Johto region would he find one? The Era of Primal Beasts was not the future; travel between regions was extremely inconvenient. If Kanto and Johto weren't connected, it would be difficult for the people of the Dragonite and Land Kingdoms to even meet, let alone see Pokémon from other regions.
"Scyther, scyther."
The old Alpha waved its scythes. Having been with Will for so long, it naturally knew he didn't have a mate. This egg had truly just appeared in their cave, in the short time they were away. Hearing their old leader's words, the other Scyther finally nodded in understanding. But the question remained: what to do with the egg?
"You guys go gather some berries nearby for today. Maybe the child's parents will come back. I'll stand guard here. Besides, with more of us now, the food we had collected isn't enough anymore," Will said, looking at the group of Scyther.
Say what you will, they might be old, but not a single one of them was weak. The youngest had lived for more than forty years and had reached a level of around 40.
Forty-something years old and only Lv. 40 might seem pathetic compared to Will, who had reached Lv. 44 in less than a year in this life. But it all depends on the comparison. From the perspective of a wild Pokémon, this was really not bad at all. These Scyther had some ambition; they had fought constantly in their youth all the way to the middle ring before settling down and relying on natural growth to raise their levels. And in this era, Pokémon sometimes had no choice but to fight for food and territory. So, the average level of wild Pokémon was naturally higher than in the Era of Leagues.
Think about the peaceful and comfortable Era of Leagues in the future. Pokémon rarely had to fight to the death over food. At most, they would fight over territory, and even then, they would stop when a clear winner emerged. Even if a fight got heated, it might be stopped by some righteous, meddling Pokémon like Ash's Bulbasaur or Turtwig, or by a Pokémon Ranger or an old man or woman living nearby.
Under those conditions, how could they gain experience through battle? So, the average level of wild Pokémon in the Era of Leagues would only be lower. For example, the Treecko herd that Ash met when he first arrived in the Hoenn region. The patriarch of that herd had lived for who knows how many hundreds of years and was still a Treecko, his body stooped and his face full of wrinkles. He had probably never been in a single battle since he was born, relying entirely on natural growth. This also showed just how slow natural growth was.
At Will's current level, if he wanted to level up just by natural growth, it might take him decades, or even a century. So, from a wild Pokémon's perspective, the levels of these Scyther were not low for their age.
With a group like this staying in the cave, Will figured that even if the egg's parents returned, they wouldn't dare to enter. So he had to send them away first.
"Scyther," the old Alpha nodded and led the other five out of the cave.
Although it wasn't a natural-born genius, having lived for so long, its mind was a bit sharper than the average Pokémon's. It had guessed Will's true intention and would lead the others to circle the nearby area. If a fight broke out at the cave, it could lead them back at a moment's notice.
And so, Will was left alone in the cave, holding the egg and waiting. A Dragonair's abdomen is very soft. Holding the egg close, he could feel its warmth. He could even seem to sense a little something moving inside.
"It's not going to hatch, is it...?" Will looked down at the egg with a bad feeling. He was worried that when the child hatched, it would imprint on him as a parent and cling to him. Will did not want to be saddled with a little burden in the middle ring of Mt. Silver. It was easy to imagine the dangerous situations he would be forced into because of this little thing.
But to just throw away or eat this innocent, helpless Pokémon egg... he couldn't bring himself to do it.
The human soul is a bit like a cat's. It has more patience and tolerance for the old, the weak, and the young. Will could abandon a heavily injured, strange adult Pokémon without batting an eye, but he couldn't turn a blind eye to a powerless egg like this, just as he hadn't been able to ignore the young Liz when she had wandered into Mt. Silver.
As the sky gradually darkened, Will's mood soured. The egg's parents still hadn't appeared. What kind of normal parents would leave their child in another beast's nest for a whole day? Even humans wouldn't do such a thing, let alone the more emotional Pokémon.
Will guessed that the child's parents were probably on the brink of death. As a last resort, they had left their child in his nest. Perhaps they had been secretly observing him for the past few days and discovered that he was a "good Pokémon who fights but doesn't kill," which was why they had chosen to take a gamble and leave the egg with him.
"Finding foster parents for one's child" is a very common occurrence in the animal kingdom. Therefore, it was also a common occurrence among Pokémon, who were designed based on animals. In the future Era of Leagues, it often happened that wild Pokémon, unable to care for their children or hoping they would receive better training, would leave their young to be raised by humans. But in this era, Pokémon didn't yet trust humans. So, they would observe and choose other friendly and kind Pokémon to be the foster parents. Generally, Pokémon like Kangaskhan, Miltank, and Chansey would be chosen.
"Looks like I really do have to take you with me."
Will looked at the mouth of the cave and sighed helplessly. The figures of the Scyther, carrying large amounts of berries, were already appearing. The day was almost over.
"Scyther?" the old Alpha asked, looking at the egg when he returned.
"Yes. It seems we'll be the ones to raise this child from now on."
"Scyther~" the old Alpha smiled and patted its chest. It was actually quite happy about the new life that was about to join their group. It didn't have much to do besides training anyway; it had plenty of time to take care of a baby.
Most Pokémon, in fact, feel joy and excitement at the birth of a new life. They are simple and don't overthink things like Will does.
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