Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 80 – Lugia… Tea Egg?

"Lugia!?"

Both Professor Oak and Professor Sakuragi gasped in shock.

Even though they had expected this underwater ruin to be connected to Lugia, hearing that this massive egg was actually a Lugia egg still left them completely astonished.

"That's right," Asahi confirmed.

He then recounted everything that had happened inside the underwater ruins.

"…In short, Gardevoir and I managed to heal it, but we couldn't make it hatch. Since I helped stabilize its condition, the Unown agreed to let me take it with me."

Professor Oak stepped forward and carefully examined the egg.

Even though he didn't have specialized Pokémon egg analysis equipment, he could tell that the egg's condition was extremely poor.

Professor Oak frowned. "By all accounts, this egg should already be dead. The fact that it's still alive is a miracle."

"But even if we took it to the Pokémon League Headquarters and gave it the best medical care possible, it still might never hatch."

At that moment, Asahi had a strange feeling—

For just a brief second, the silver glow on the egg's surface dimmed slightly after hearing those words.

Asahi trusted Professor Oak's assessment.

Professor Oak wasn't the type to exaggerate, and as Kanto's leading Pokémon researcher, if he said that even the Pokémon League couldn't save this egg, then that meant they truly didn't have the ability to do so.

Fortunately, Asahi had never put his hopes on the League in the first place.

He gently ran his hand over the egg's surface.

"Actually… I have a method, but I don't know if it will work."

With that, he pulled out a box containing Herba Mystica from his backpack, along with the special Pokéblocks he had made.

Professor Oak and Professor Sakuragi looked at him in confusion.

Asahi explained, "This box contains Herba Mystica from Paldea. These special herbs are known to have powerful healing properties. And this Pokéblock here—I made it using Herba Mystica."

"Earlier, when Magikarp ate one of these, it instantly evolved into Gyarados, proving that the Pokéblock does contain energy beneficial to Pokémon."

"So, my question for you, Professor Oak, is—is there a way to help the Lugia inside the egg absorb this Herba Mystica?"

After hearing Asahi's proposal, Professor Sakuragi also turned to Professor Oak, waiting for his response.

"Asahi, you sure know how to give me tough problems," Professor Oak sighed, falling into deep thought.

It was common knowledge that Pokémon inside eggs didn't need to eat.

So how could they get Lugia to absorb the Herba Mystica?

Just as Professor Oak was reviewing everything he knew about Pokémon eggs, Green—who had been silent this whole time—suddenly made a suggestion.

"I remember hearing a story in Johto," Green said.

"There's a hot spring on Mt. Silver that can heal frostbite caused by Ice-type moves."

"Lugia is the Guardian of the Seas, so it should be able to absorb energy from water, right? Why don't we boil the Herba Mystica into a medicinal bath and soak the Lugia egg in it?"

"The medicinal water could seep in through the cracks, allowing Lugia to absorb it that way."

After finishing, Green looked quite pleased with her own idea.

But—

Professor Oak, Professor Sakuragi, and Asahi all stared at her in shock.

Feeling their intense gazes, even Green—who was usually fearless—suddenly felt a little nervous.

"D-Did I say something wrong…?"

Professor Oak hesitated. "Well… not wrong, exactly… but your method is… a bit strange."

Professor Sakuragi and Asahi nodded in agreement.

Strange? More like downright bizarre.

Egg + Water + Seasonings… and the egg already had cracks in the shell.

That's literally how you make a tea egg.

Asahi was seriously concerned that instead of healing Lugia, he might end up marinating it instead.

But… try as he might, he couldn't come up with a better idea than Green's.

"Well… should we… give it a try?"

After all, he would be right there monitoring the situation. If anything went wrong, he could step in immediately.

Once this idea took root, Asahi couldn't shake it off.

He activated Verdant Aura and connected with the egg. After confirming that Lugia had no objections, he boiled some water—wait, no— he took out a large container and filled it with warm water.

Then, he chopped up all five types of Herba Mystica—Sweet, Sour, Spicy, Bitter, and Salty—and tossed them in.

To enhance the healing effect, Asahi also added several healing berries based on his understanding of berry medicine.

Soon, a strangely aromatic herbal bath was ready.

"...Are we really putting the egg in?" Professor Sakuragi asked, looking a little nervous.

Truth be told, it wasn't just him—

Professor Oak, Green, and even Asahi himself felt a bit uneasy.

After all, who in the world has ever tried cooking a Legendary Pokémon egg?!

If Lugia's parents found out, wouldn't they hunt them down?

But when the moment arrived, Asahi actually felt calm.

"It'll be fine," he reassured them. "I'm watching closely, and besides—I'm doing this to save Lugia. Even if the true Guardian of the Seas found out, it wouldn't hold it against me… right?"

…Wait. He was starting to second-guess himself.

No! He had already decided!

With gritted teeth, Asahi lowered the egg into the herbal bath.

At the same time, he pressed his hand against the eggshell, keeping Verdant Aura active to monitor its condition.

One second… Two seconds… Ten seconds… Thirty seconds.

Nothing happened.

The egg remained still, and Asahi couldn't detect any change in its life force.

"Did it… fail?"

So far, it seemed like the herbal bath wasn't working.

Was the method incorrect? Or was the Herba Mystica simply ineffective on Lugia's egg?

Just as Asahi was lost in thought—

"Look!" Professor Sakuragi suddenly shouted.

Asahi snapped his head back toward the container—

The egg's surface was glowing silver.

And as time passed, the glow grew even stronger.

At the same time, in Asahi's Verdant Aura senses, Lugia's life force surged upward like a blazing fire.

The medicinal water was being absorbed through the cracks, and the liquid level in the container visibly decreased.

Finally—

When the last drop of the herbal bath was fully absorbed—

The egg's glow reached its peak.

Then—

The egg trembled.

At first, it was just a small shake.

Then, it shook violently, the cracks spreading as the shell began to break apart.

And finally—

CRACK!

With a burst of dazzling light, the eggshell completely shattered.

The Lugia that Asahi had poured so much effort into saving finally hatched before his eyes.

Asahi looked at the newborn Lugia, its pure white body, blue-black dorsal fins—

And the unmistakable scent of herbs clinging to it.

…Wait.

Why did it smell like a tea egg?!

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