The Fog Badgethis was the fourth badge Ash had earned in the Johto region. Unbeknownst to them, their journey was already halfway through.
Ash had completed Bond Evolutions for several of his Pokémon, including Pikachu, and had even captured Raikou! After winning the badge, Ash was in no hurry to leave Ecruteak City. Misty and Brock had places they wanted to visit, since it had been a long time since they were in such a large city.
The group of four split up. Ash took Molly with him to climb the Bell Tower.
"Ash, is this the Bell Tower? It's so pretty!"
On each floor of the Bell Tower, bells were hung at the four corners. These were used to summon Suicune and the other Legendary Beasts. In the room at the very top of the tower, four Clear Bells were hung.
Following Ho-Oh's departure, these bells had long since gone silent. Ash didn't know where the Clear Bell Suicune gave him had come from, nor did he know the beast's true intentions.
But he knew he had to come to the top of this tower.
Then, he pulled out his own Clear Bell.
One second... two seconds... Ding-dong!
Ash's Clear Bell emitted a crisp, pleasant sound and suddenly burst into flames! "Ash, it's on fire! It's on fire!" Molly cried out in surprise.
However, despite holding a ball of fire, Ash felt no burning heat. It was only warm and incredibly comfortable.
The flame burned brighter and brighter until it left Ash's palm, transforming into a shimmering phantom of Ho-Oh.
"Ho-Oh!" Ash whispered.
He remembered that his previous self had seen Ho-Oh flying through the sky just after leaving Pallet Town.
Ash threw his Ultra Ball. "Raikou!"
Raikou's injuries had fully healed at the Pokémon Center. Though Nurse Joy had been shocked, she only offered her blessings and didn't ask questions.
"Roar!"
Emerging from the Ultra Ball, Raikou looked at the phantom of Ho-Oh and roared with excitement. Even for a beast like Raikou, it had been far too long since it had seen its master.
"Is that Entei?" Molly's eyes were full of stars, but she soon realized it wasn't.
"This is Raikou, Molly. But I promise I'll catch an Entei for you one day!" Ash said, patting her head.
The phantom of Ho-Oh didn't last long before descending back toward Ash's hand.
Aside from the Clear Bell, another object appeared in Ash's palm: a Rainbow Wing! A feather that shimmered with the seven colors of the rainbow.
Just like the Clear Bell, it possessed the power to summon Ho-Oh.
Now Ash held both items and stood at the top of the Bell Tower, yet Ho-Oh had only shown a phantom. What was that about? Giving him a souvenir for watching a show? Ash pouted as he tucked both the Clear Bell and the Rainbow Wing into his bag.
"Raikou, what is your leader thinking?"
Ash looked at Raikou. The once cold and aloof god of lightning was now as well-behaved as a big cat, even letting Pikachu and Molly lean against its back.
Hearing Ash's question, Raikou simply rolled its eyes and ignored him.
Suddenly, Raikou and Pikachu sensed something and quickly gestured for Ash to check his bag! There, a Pokémon Egg was emitting a brilliant light! During their time at Mount Quena, Ash had kept the egg immersed in the Purity Spring at the center of the island.
The Purity Spring had the power to heal injuries, so it was bound to be beneficial for the egg! After arriving in Ecruteak City, Ash had also asked Nurse Joy for a detailed checkup, and the results showed the egg was perfectly healthy.
Now, at the top of the Bell Tower, witnessed by Ho-Oh and Raikou, it was finally hatching!
"Ash!" Molly's eyes were wide, terrified that if she blinked, she would miss the most precious moment. This was her first time seeing a Pokémon being born! The light from the egg grew more intensea light of life that was warm and moving.
"Hmm?"
The hatching had begun! The Pokémon inside the egg was surprisingly large, forcing Ash to quickly set it down on the floor.
In an instant, it grew to over a meter long, its silhouette becoming clearly defined.
Ash was intimately familiar with this Pokémon!
"Lapras!"
Before Ash had crossed over, his previous self had captured a young Lapras while traveling through the Orange Islands. At the time, it had been separated from its herd. Ash had captured it, and while it carried the group between the islands, they helped search for its family.
During that journey, that Lapras had performed heroically, whether it was the surfing race at the Mikan Gym, the ice boat building at the Navel Gym, or even the final Winner's Trophy tournament. Its performance had been outstanding.
At the end of the Orange Islands journey, it finally found its herd, and Ash released it so it could reunite with its family.
Ash loved Pokémon and respected their wishes. As long as it was good for them, Ash was willing to do it. This trait had never changed, whether it was his past self or the current Ash.
But now, a Lapras that belonged entirely to Ash was being born before his eyes.
Ash stepped forward and gently stroked its cool head. The feeling was incredibly nostalgic.
Lapras were gentle by nature and rarely engaged in conflict. They were intelligent, possessed high IQs, and loved carrying people as they swam. Because of this, trainers had another name for them: the Transport Pokémon. They had hard, grey shells on their backs with bumpy protrusions, providing a stable grip for passengers.
"Little fellow, I look forward to working with you!"
Ash pressed his forehead against Lapras's. Sensing Ash's affection, Lapras sang a delighted song.
[Name: Lapras]
[Attribute: Water / Ice]
[Ability: Water Absorb]
[Bond Value: 180]
[Moves: Water Gun, Sing, Sparkling Aria]
Perhaps because it felt Ash's meticulous care while still in the egg, or perhaps because it felt his joy and love upon its birth, this Lapras's Bond Value had reached the maximum limit of its compatibility! But since Lapras were gentle creatures that disliked fighting and it was a newborn, a compatibility of 180 was already exceptionally high.
As they spent more time together and engaged in training, that compatibility would surely skyrocket. By the time it developed its combat strength, a Bond Evolution was well within reach! Ash was confident.
Most importantly, despite being a newborn with few moves, this Lapras could use Sparkling Aria! This was a signature move of Primarina, the Water starter from the distant Alola region. It could only be passed down to a Lapras through breeding.
In other words, this Lapras likely came from the Alola region, and one of its parents was a Primarina!
It wasn't impossible! First of all, the Pokémon Professor of the Alola region was Professor Oak's cousin, Samson Oakan eccentric uncle who loved telling Pokémon puns.
Secondly, while Lapras was listed as an endangered and protected species in Kanto and Johto, its population had surged in Alola due to overprotection, even being developed as a rideable Pokémon for water transport.
So, the likelihood of Professor Oak obtaining a Lapras egg from Alola for Ash was very high! He truly had put a lot of heart into this!
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