Aaron, Braveon, and the others entered a warmly furnished incubation room.
The store had prepared everything a newly hatched Pokémon might need, including emergency medical equipment, basic medicine, Pokémon food, and bottles of Moomoo Milk.
After spending tens of thousands on the store's best incubator, Aaron had expected premium service.
So far, it seemed worth the price.
"Come on, hatch it already," Blaze said impatiently. "I want to see whether it really is a Legendary Pokémon."
He folded his arms.
"You've been making some pretty bold claims."
Aaron gave him an exasperated look.
"You're more impatient than I am. Relax."
He placed the incubator carefully on the table, then gestured for everyone to move back.
"Give me some room."
"Newly hatched Pokémon sometimes imprint on the first person they see. After carrying this Egg around for so long, I'm not letting one of you steal my moment."
"Okay, Aaron!"
Liora obediently stepped away.
Braveon followed without complaint.
Blaze, however, rolled his eyes.
"You're really treating this like some once-in-a-lifetime event. We've all seen Pokémon hatch before."
"Stop complaining and get over here."
Liora grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the table.
The three of them gathered behind Aaron, their attention fixed on the incubator.
Everything was ready.
His first Legendary Pokémon was moments away from hatching.
Even Aaron could not keep his heart from beating a little faster.
He pressed the activation button.
HUM...
Soft white light filled the incubator.
The nutrient solution surrounding the Egg began to circulate, steadily releasing energy that was absorbed through the shell.
As the process continued, a faint yellow glow spread across the Egg's surface.
Aaron watched without blinking.
Crack.
A thin fracture appeared in the shell.
Crack... crack...
The fracture spread.
A pair of small yellow claws suddenly pushed through from inside.
A moment later, a feline head emerged from the broken shell. Clear blue eyes opened and immediately settled on Aaron.
Aaron's expression softened.
He had expected Zeraora to be impressive.
He had not expected him to be this adorable.
"Zera...?"
The instant Zeraora saw him, his eyes brightened.
With surprising energy for a Pokémon that had only just hatched, he scrambled free of the shell and launched himself into Aaron's arms.
"Zera!"
The newborn Pokémon pressed his fluffy head against Aaron's chest, purring happily as he rubbed against him.
Aaron laughed and carefully supported him with both arms.
"Hey there."
He gently stroked the soft fur between Zeraora's ears.
"Welcome to the world, Zeraora."
"Zera!"
Zeraora nodded enthusiastically, a bright smile spreading across his face.
Still holding him, Aaron opened the System panel.
[Name: Zeraora]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Relaxed]
[Type: Electric]
[Ability: Thunder Charge — While developing inside his Egg, Zeraora absorbed power from the Zap Plate and awakened a new Ability. Electric-type attacks deal no damage and instead restore his HP. Zeraora can also absorb electricity to enhance his body and increase his Speed. The more energy he stores, the faster he becomes, with no fixed upper limit.]
[Base Stats Total: 600]
[Level: Advanced (Early Stage)]
[Potential: Legendary Tier III]
[Known Moves: Spark (Basic), Hone Claws (Basic), Quick Attack (Basic), Volt Switch (Basic), Fake Out (Basic), Charge (Basic), Thunder Punch (Basic), Wild Charge (Basic)...]
[Description: Zeraora, the Thunderclap Pokémon. A rare Mythical Pokémon capable of generating and controlling tremendous amounts of electricity.]
...
Aaron stared at the panel.
Zeraora had been born at the Advanced level.
That alone was remarkable, but his Ability was even more startling.
The standard Volt Absorb had transformed into Thunder Charge—a far more powerful version that not only healed him when struck by Electric-type attacks, but also allowed him to absorb electricity and continuously increase his Speed.
And according to the System, there was no fixed limit.
That was absurd.
Aaron glanced down at the newborn Pokémon nestled contentedly in his arms.
Could Zeraora eventually become his world's version of the Flash?
In the comics, the Flash had run fast enough to break through the time barrier itself.
If Zeraora continued growing stronger and eventually surpassed the speed of light, could he accomplish something similar?
Could he outrun time?
Aaron had no idea.
But the possibility alone was exciting.
He turned his attention to Zeraora's potential.
Legendary Tier III.
So this was the rank above Master. Beyond it were presumably Legendary Tier II, Legendary Tier I, and finally the Creator Tier.
But Aaron doubted Tier III represented Zeraora's true limit.
Once he was strong enough to wield the Zap Plate directly, his potential would almost certainly rise to Legendary Tier II.
He might even reach Tier I.
The Zap Plate was one of the world's greatest treasures—an artifact imbued with primordial Electric-type power and tied directly to Arceus.
There was no telling how far it could push Zeraora.
"Aaron, he's adorable!"
Corviknight's spirit drifted closer, studying the newborn Pokémon with unmistakable fondness.
"Yeah."
Aaron smiled and scratched Zeraora beneath the chin.
"He's part of the team now. Keep an eye on him for me."
"Of course," Corviknight replied cheerfully. "No one's hurting him while I'm around."
"Zera...?"
Zeraora suddenly turned his head.
His clear blue eyes followed Corviknight's spirit as it floated beside Aaron.
Aaron's hand stopped mid-stroke.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Corviknight..."
He looked from the spirit to Zeraora.
"I think he can see you."
…