Yi Shu, her heart filled with joy, extended her hands and gently caressed the Pokémon egg. Her fingers slowly glided over the delicate and smooth texture of the eggshell, engaging in a silent communication with another life.
The moment Yi Shu gently touched it, the egg began to tremble slightly, as if it had felt her affection.
This subtle reaction thrilled Yi Shu; her eyes widened, and she looked at the trembling Pokémon egg in her hands with a face full of surprise.
"Wow! Zhang Heng, come and look!" Yi Shu's voice trembled with excitement.
"It's amazing! It's actually responding to my touch!" She turned her head, eager to share her joy with Zhang Heng beside her.
Zhang Heng quickly walked over, curiously leaning in to observe the gently trembling Pokémon egg. "It really is interesting," he said with a smile, "who knows, there might be a cute Pokémon hidden inside!"
Yi Shu's gaze returned to the Pokémon egg, her eyes filled with anticipation: "I really want to know what kind of unique little guy will hatch from this egg. No matter what it is, I will take good care of it and accompany it as it grows!" As she spoke, she couldn't help but gently touch the Pokémon egg again, feeling that warm and wonderful connection.
Zhang Heng caressed the eggshell with one hand, slowly transferring the pure Water-type energy from the water scroll on his right wrist into it.
At this moment, the Miss from the Research Institute brought a cylindrical constant-temperature glass box, which also contained several bottles of nutrient solution, and handed them to Yi Shu in a cardboard box.
This Miss could tell that Zhang Heng and Yi Shu were both new Trainers, because their passion for Pokémon was as pure as hers when she first got her own Pokémon.
"Do you have any extra Poké Balls? Can I help you scan and register them? Also, since you purchased the constant-temperature box and nutrient solution, you get a complimentary aptitude test. If you need it, I can do that at the same time."
Yi Shu didn't have her own Pokémon, so of course she didn't have any Poké Balls. However, Zhang Heng took out a Dive Ball from the system's mall.
He couldn't redeem anything in the mall because his mission progress hadn't increased, and the redemption permissions hadn't been unlocked. However, he had 999 Dive Balls...
"Here, take this." Zhang Heng handed the Dive Ball to Yi Shu.
As the heir to a top Chinese item company, he could tell at a glance that this Apricorn Ball was of excellent quality, made with remarkable craftsmanship.
Yi Shu looked at the Dive Ball and said, "Are you sure? This ball..."
Zhang Heng might have been afraid that Yi Shu would notice something unusual about the Dive Ball, or perhaps, as a 17-year-old boy giving a gift to a girl, his tone and demeanor became a bit awkward.
"Of course, you gave me a love ball earlier. Of course, I ended up using that ball to catch a Mudkip; the pink love ball really suits a Shiny Mudkip."
The staff member looked at the two young figures and broke their awkwardness with an auntie smile.
"Then give me the Dive Ball, and I'll help you scan it."
Yi Shu handed over the Dive Ball. The Miss nodded, took the Dive Ball, and pulled out her personal Pokédex.
After the Miss's operation, the Dive Ball's scanning function was activated. The Dive Ball opened, and a red light emerged from its body, beginning to scan the Pokémon egg in Yi Shu's arms.
After the Dive Ball scanned the Pokémon egg, the Dive Ball slowly closed, and a certain connection formed between the Poké Ball and the egg. As long as the Pokémon hatched from the egg, it could be directly received into the ball without needing a battle to capture it.
Also, Yi Shu's personal information and the Pokémon's information were all registered with the Alliance.
The Miss handed the ball back to Yi Shu and asked, "Do you need me to do an aptitude test for you?"
Yi Shu wasn't too concerned about the Pokémon's aptitude and said, "No, thank you."
"Let's do one. After all, we privately used up this selection opportunity, and if we choose a Pokémon, we still need to explain it to our families."
Zhang Heng also offered his suggestion, feeling that choosing a Pokémon egg without going through the family was a very irresponsible thing to do, but he believed that once this aptitude report came out, it should alleviate some of the parents' complaints.
"Hmm... Alright then, please help me with an aptitude report."
The Miss placed the Pokémon egg into the constant-temperature box, then carried the constant-temperature box into the research room to prepare the aptitude report. Zhang Heng and Yi Shu also returned to the upper floor of the Research Institute.
Ding, the elevator doors opened, revealing Uncle Luo talking with a middle-aged woman in the Research Institute's reception lobby.
After Zhang Heng recognized the person, he said, "Yi Shu, your aunt is here to pick you up."
This woman was Yi Shu's aunt, Ou Yuhua. She was a Water-type Elite Four Trainer registered with the Alliance, and it was under her aunt's initiative that Yi Shu brought the s-level ground gem to the Water-type Wilderness Area to exchange for the opportunity to choose a Pokémon.
Yi Shu's aunt, despite her youth being gone, still exuded unique elegance and nobility through her inner cultivation and confidence.
The two walked forward and greeted their elders respectively.
The middle-aged woman put away her smile and said, "Yi Shu, why did your father tell you to go home? Why have you been lingering here? I heard there was a group of bandits in the Wilderness Area this time, and you were in danger?"
Zhang Heng immediately smoothed things over, as Yi Shu had lingered there to wait for him.
"Aunt Ou, those bandits didn't cause us any harm. We just helped locate Swampert's habitat. Perhaps it was our first time encountering wild Pokémon, which was quite new to us, so Yi Shu and I stayed here to observe Pokémon. We are truly sorry."
Ou Yuhua, hearing Zhang Heng's explanation, no longer intended to be angry. As long as the children were not in any danger, excessive blame would only alienate their relationship.
"Oh, you two..."
At this moment, the Miss from the Research Institute came out with the aptitude report and the Pokémon egg in the constant-temperature box.
"Little Miss Yi Shu, your Pokémon's aptitude report is ready."
Zhang Heng was a bit surprised; the aptitude test was surprisingly fast.
Ou Yuhua, however, was somewhat angry. Looking at the Pokémon egg in the constant-temperature box, she said, "What? Yi Shu, you've already used up your selection opportunity? How could you make such a decision on your own? This was an opportunity we exchanged for with an s-level ground gem that we searched for a long time."
Indeed, just as Zhang Heng had expected, choosing a Pokémon without authorization would inevitably cause parents to worry and complain.
Yi Shu's aunt took the aptitude report from the Miss's hand, continuously flipping through the aptitude report book.
She continued to mutter, "Couldn't you have waited for me, your aunt? As a Water-type Elite Four Trainer, it would have been a piece of cake for me to help you choose a Water-type Pokémon. This is nonsense! At most, you could have chosen... Hmm? Elite Four level or above?"