Chapter 38: A Champion-Potential Egg! Multiscale?!
Multiscale. In the entire world of Pokémon, only two known species possessed this ability.
One was the pseudo-legendary Dragonite, renowned as one of the fastest Pokémon despite its bulky appearance.
The other was even more legendary: the Guardian of the Seas itself, Lugia.
The effect of Multiscale was brutally simple and incredibly powerful: if the Pokémon was at full health, the damage it took from any attack was halved. In the competitive scene of Kenji's old world, it was considered a god-tier ability. A Dragonite utilizing Dragon Dance and Roost, combined with the damage reduction from Multiscale, was a terrifying force.
What Kenji couldn't wrap his head around was why this Ekans egg had Multiscale. It defied everything he knew about Pokémon abilities. His years of study felt like they were crumbling around him.
While Kenji was frozen in shock, the researcher had already started running again.
Kenji snapped back to reality. Without a second thought, he leaped out from behind the tree. "Beedrill, stop him! Quick Attack!" he commanded sharply.
Beedrill became a blur, shooting toward the fleeing researcher's back with terrifying speed.
Hearing the command, the researcher's eyes widened. He started to turn, trying to see who was there. But before he could even complete the motion, Beedrill was already upon him.
Extending one of its lances, Beedrill didn't stab, but swung it like a club, swatting the man off his feet. The researcher went flying, crashing hard onto the forest floor several meters away.
The precious egg flew out of his grasp, tumbling through the air.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Beedrill caught the egg securely in one arm, while pointing its other lance directly at the fallen researcher's throat.
The researcher lay dazed on the ground, his head spinning. While humans in this world were generally more resilient than those of Kenji's old world, they still couldn't take direct hits from Pokémon moves. This researcher looked particularly frail. Luckily for him, Beedrill had used the flat side of its lance; otherwise, there would have been a hole clean through him.
Kenji walked over calmly and took the egg from Beedrill's grasp, cradling it carefully. The surface felt slightly sticky, and he noticed faint traces of some greenish, viscous fluid. He wrinkled his nose in mild disgust.
He pulled up the egg's status panel again. Multiscale. S- Potential. It hadn't been a mistake. A fierce excitement burned in Kenji's eyes. What kind of insane luck was this? He just takes a casual stroll through the forest and stumbles upon an S-Rank Ekans egg with an impossible ability?
"Give... Give it back..." the researcher gasped from the ground, his eyes, now refocused, fixed desperately on the egg in Kenji's arms.
Kenji's expression turned cold, a mocking sneer touching his lips. He looked down at the man as if he were an idiot.
"Tell me," Kenji said, holding up the egg slightly. "Where did this come from?"
The researcher just stared, seemingly not even hearing the question, repeating over and over like a broken record, "Give it back to me! Give it back!"
Seeing the man's crazed state, Kenji sighed. He wasn't going to get any answers out of him like this. A fleeting, cold glint flickered in his eyes.
He took a couple of steps back, still holding the egg, and gave Beedrill a silent command.
"Beedrill, finish him."
From the moment he had revealed himself, Kenji had never intended to let this man go. The origin of this egg was clearly suspicious, and judging by the researcher's desperate reaction, Team R would undoubtedly launch a full-scale investigation if it went missing. Leaving aside the baffling Multiscale ability, an S-Rank Pokémon was practically guaranteed to reach Champion-Class potential. A single Champion-Class Pokémon was priceless. If he let this researcher go and Team R tracked the egg back to him, it would be disastrous.
Beedrill raised its lance, the tip glowing white, preparing to strike the man down.
"Stop!"
"SKREEE!—"
A loud shout echoed from above, accompanied by the sharp cry of a bird Pokémon.
Kenji flinched, his blood running cold for an instant. He snapped his head up. High in the sky, a figure riding a Pidgeot was rapidly approaching.
Recognizing the rider, Kenji quickly shouted, "Beedrill, hold!"
At the sudden command, Beedrill froze, its lance hovering just centimeters from the researcher's head.
"Kenji? What are you doing out here?" the rider called down, landing the Pidgeot gracefully in the clearing.
It was none other than the Edgecliff Gym Leader, Marcus.
"Uh, Uncle Marcus," Kenji stammered, forcing a smile. "Just exploring. Thought I'd try my luck catching a few Pokémon."
Marcus nodded dismissively, his eyes glancing at the egg in Kenji's arms, then at the terrified researcher on the ground. "Looks like you had some luck. Find this egg, did you?"
Kenji shook his head, deciding honesty (or a version of it) was the best policy. "No, sir. I took it from him."
As he said it, Kenji maintained a calm expression, but his heart was pounding. This was an S-Rank egg. If Marcus asked him to hand it over... it would hurt. A lot.
Marcus raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Actually, Uncle Marcus, what are you doing out here?" Kenji asked, trying to deflect.
"League investigators pinpointed a Team R base operating near Edgecliff," Marcus explained calmly. "I was called in to assist with the raid. A few operatives and researchers escaped during the cleanup. I've been tracking them down."
Kenji nodded, noticing for the first time that there were five unconscious figures in Team R uniforms tied securely to Pidgeot's back.
"Well, in that case, I guess this one belongs to you," Kenji said, gesturing politely toward the researcher still pinned under Beedrill's lance.
Marcus grunted in agreement and walked over, grabbing the researcher roughly. The man's face was ashen, but then his eyes darted back to the egg in Kenji's arms. "My egg! Give me back my..."
Kenji's heart leaped into his throat. He suddenly had the urge to personally mince this guy into paste.
THWACK!
Before the researcher could finish his sentence, Marcus delivered a swift, brutal kick to the side of his head, knocking him out cold.