The Gardevoir who had been secretly glaring at Auron suddenly felt a surge of power well up from within her body.
Now she had no time to glare at him. Her entire form was already enveloped in white light, and within that radiance, Gardevoir's shape gradually transformed.
Soon the evolution was complete, and an even more noble and elegant Gardevoir appeared before everyone.
While Gardevoir was still admiring her new body, she was suddenly swept up in Ji Qianyi's embrace.
"Ahh, Gardevoir! You're even more beautiful after evolving!"
Gardevoir gazed warmly at this girl who was less like her trainer and more like her best friend.
"Alright, Gardevoir needs to have her physical data measured. I'll just stand here and quietly admire your beauty."
As she spoke, Ji Qianyi released Gardevoir and stepped aside to make way for the researchers.
She had watched Dax's Aggron evolution process and knew that Mega Evolution didn't last very long. Understanding this, she considerately avoided delaying anyone's work—after all, she had offered to help.
After watching everyone spring into action, Auron said his goodbyes, indicating he was heading home first. The rest just needed to follow the established procedures.
And so, while everyone else busied themselves, Auron slipped away on his own.
But since it was still early, Auron didn't go home. He called his mother to ask where she was, then headed over.
The distance wasn't far, though he had to take a roundabout route. Since that area was still just a cluster of abandoned buildings, the passageway connecting to the Pokémon habitat hadn't been opened yet.
"Mom, this is the place?"
When Auron arrived, he found his mother staring at a building under construction, her eyes practically glowing.
"Mm-hm! Your grandfather found this spot. Not bad, right? Once it's finished, I can commute to work with your dad."
His mother spoke excitedly, though her eyes never left the construction site.
"Alright then. You staying here? I'll head back first?"
Auron watched for a while and found it rather boring. There wasn't even an excavator to watch. Honestly.
"Don't go! Come with me to pick out some Pokémon Eggs. This place will be done in a couple of days, and then I'll be opening for business. How can I do that without any eggs?"
His mother quickly grabbed Auron, hooking her arm through his and dragging him toward the Pokémon shop.
"Why don't you just call and order a batch? Why drag me along?"
Auron felt helpless. I want to go home. I want to lie in bed.
His mother smacked him in annoyance.
"Your dad told me you can sense the approximate potential of the Pokémon inside eggs. Come help me pick out some good ones so I can sell them at premium prices. Is that so wrong?"
Auron was startled. "Dad told you? How does he know?"
His mother smiled and gave him a look. "You think your parents can't see through your little schemes?"
"Uh, how did you figure it out? I didn't give anything away."
Auron asked with a wry smile. Well, the cat was already out of the bag—he might as well understand how it happened.
"Remember that Morpeko egg you got from raiding that cult base? After it hatched, the potential was exactly as you described—really excellent."
"Plus, a long time ago, one of our ancestors also awakened a similar Aura ability. So your dad suspected your Aura might have this power too. And look—the moment I made a fuss about it, you confessed on your own."
His mother looked at Auron, smiling as she winked at him.
Auron surrendered completely. "Fine... I'll do my best."
"Not 'do your best'—you will. Your mother is counting on you. We absolutely need to start with a bang!"
His mother's expression turned serious as she addressed him.
"Your dad's Aura ability is useless. It's all up to you now."
With that, she picked up the pace, cheerfully dragging Auron toward the Pokémon Egg shop.
Meanwhile, Ashen sneezed. "???"
And so, after all those twists and turns, Auron found himself back at the Pokémon Egg shop. This time, a different tall saleswoman greeted them.
"Hello! What can I help you with? I can guide you to the designated area."
"No need, no need. I know my way around."
Auron waved his hand, then led his mother inside.
"Know your way around?"
His mother tilted her head, eyeing Auron suspiciously.
"Yeah. This morning I came here with Jace and Fugui. The two of them each picked out an egg, and I found a Dratini egg."
"A Dratini egg?"
His mother exclaimed in shock. A pseudo-legendary! How much would that be worth? Then her eyes narrowed as something felt off.
"You can also see what species of Pokémon is inside an egg?"
"??"
Smack! Smack!
Only then did Auron realize his mistake. Frustrated with himself, he slapped his own mouth twice.
"No, I can only roughly judge based on the patterns on the egg."
Auron refused to give up, stubbornly maintaining his story.
His mother smiled at him like a little fox.
"Sure, sure, sure. Today, find me three pseudo-legendary eggs in the regular Pokémon section. Do that, and I won't tell anyone about this. Otherwise... heh heh."
She didn't specify the consequences, but that "heh heh" gave Auron a pretty good idea of what they'd be.
"Fine..."
And so, Auron was forced into service as a tool. Row after row of Pokémon Eggs passed before his eyes. Whenever he spotted one with decent potential, his mother would record it, then flip the tag to indicate someone had their eye on it.
Auron was stunned. That's a thing you can do?
After covering nearly half the regular egg section, Auron finally spotted the first pseudo-legendary egg.
"Mom, this one. A Deino egg."
Auron pointed at an egg with brown markings.
"You found one already? That's amazing! As expected of my son!"
His mother's face lit up with joy. She didn't bother with the tag this time—she simply scooped the Deino egg into her arms.
"Mom, it's getting late. How about we call it a day?"
Auron asked wearily. They hadn't even covered half a lap, yet it was already past 6:40. If they went through the whole place, wouldn't they be here until midnight?
"Hm? It's that late already?"
His mother checked her phone, then looked at the number of eggs she'd recorded.
"Hmm, including this pseudo-legendary, that's two hundred forty-one total. That should be enough for opening day."
She nodded, acknowledging that this would do for now. Then she turned to Auron and added:
"But Auron, remember—you still owe me two pseudo-legendary eggs."
Auron froze. "???"
Then he said, caught between laughter and tears: "How does that count as owing you two pseudo-legendary eggs?"
His mother looked at the Deino egg in her hands and deliberately put on a confused expression.
"Hm? Isn't that right? Didn't we agree on three pseudo-legendary eggs? But this is only one."
Seeing his mother like this, Auron knew there was no reasoning with her. He could only sigh in resignation.
"Fine. I'll find you two more pseudo-legendary eggs someday. But you're paying for them—I don't have money."
"Deal!"
This time his mother agreed without hesitation. After agreeing, she didn't give Auron a chance to say anything else, hugging the Deino egg as she hurried off to pay.
Auron watched his cheerful mother with a wry smile. He was just about to follow when his eyes swept across something and he immediately called out:
"Mom, wait!"