Afterward, Grandpa Swampy led Ash and the others to the hatching chamber. Three Mudkip eggs sat snugly in incubators—today was the day they would hatch.
Right before their eyes, one of the eggs began to glow with a soft white light.[1] In moments, it hatched into an adorable baby Mudkip, blinking as it entered the world.
"Ralts~" Ralts happily gazed at the newborn. After all, she herself had just hatched from an egg the day before.
"Wow! It's so cute!" May crouched down to take a closer look.
Pshh!
The baby Mudkip immediately greeted her with a faceful of Water Gun.
Everyone: (￢_￢)… As expected, May and Mudkip are a natural mismatch.
Ash chuckled before turning to Grandpa Swampy. "By the way, that bigger Mudkip we saw earlier—it's not from here, is it? It seemed really strong."
"Oh, that one?" Grandpa Swampy scratched his head. "Nah, it's a wild Mudkip that wandered in from who-knows-where. Seems it thinks this place is home now—treats the others like its family."
"That must mean it's got great instincts," Brock noted.
Grandpa Swampy nodded, but his expression dimmed slightly. "It's strong, yes, but too strong. No novice Trainer could handle it. And when the others here eventually leave… it'll be alone. It has no true companions."
Brock sighed. "That's rough."
As they returned to the wooden hut, the baby Mudkip that Ash had rescued earlier jumped into his arms with a cheerful "Gelele~."
"It's the one you saved!" May said, surprised.
Soon, Ralts and the baby Mudkip were playing happily together. But then—
Ding-a-ling-ling!A loud alarm rang through the swamp!
"Uh-oh! That's the emergency alert!" Grandpa Swampy exclaimed and took off running.
"Let's go too!" Ash said, scooping up Ralts and Mudkip. "We might be able to help!"
"Alright! I wonder what thrilling incident awaits the May Exploration Team next!" May grinned, slipping into her commentator mode.
Ash, May, and Max followed Grandpa Swampy toward the swamp's perimeter fence, but they noticed Brock had split off—drawn toward the large Mudkip from earlier.
At the fence, they found a large section torn apart.
"Who did this?!" Grandpa Swampy yelled.
A familiar voice rang out.
"Wahahaha! Prepare for trouble and make it double…"
Yep. Team Rocket.
"Wobbuffet~!""Meowth, that's right!"
Grandpa Swampy blinked. "Team... Rocket? Who—what are these clowns?"
"They're Pokémon thieves," May whispered. "Watch out, Grandpa—they're after the Mudkip."
"So you're the ones trying to steal the Mudkip I raised for the Pokémon League?!" Grandpa Swampy snapped, furious.
"Mudkip are rare and valuable Pokémon," James said, adjusting his hair.
Meowth nodded. "And these ones come with the League's seal of approval, meow!"
"I can already picture the boss fawning over them," Jessie fantasized.
"He'll promote us to executives!"
"Give us a company car!"
"Annual bonuses!"
"It feels good to dream!"
Grandpa Swampy tilted his head. "What… is wrong with these people?"
May groaned. "Ugh, they're nuts. Grandpa, this is your fault for talking so much—they're getting ideas!"
"Ah! You're right!" Swampy quickly covered his mouth. "My wife did warn me about that…"
"Let's just stop him before he spills everything," Ash cut in.
"Good call," Max muttered.
Jessie snapped her fingers. "No more stalling—Meowth, activate the robot!"
"Roger that!" Meowth hit a button on a remote. A crude robot clanked into view, holding a shovel and wearing a basket around its waist like some twisted scarecrow farmer.
The robot lunged toward the baby Mudkip!
"Not on my watch! Come out—Quilava, Croconaw! Use Flamethrower and Hydro Pump in rotation!"
Meowth's ears drooped. "Oh no… I know where this is going."
Sure enough, alternating fire and water attacks overwhelmed the robot's circuits. It sparked, sputtered, and exploded into scrap metal.
"We're blasted again!" Meowth cried.
"Pikachu, send them off with a Thunderbolt!"
"Pika-chu~!"
BOOOOM!!
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again~!""Wobbuffet~!!"
Brock returned moments later with the large Mudkip at his side.
"Huh?! It's over already?"
"Yep," Ash nodded. "But it looks like you and that Mudkip really hit it off."
"Wait—wasn't it super wary before?" Max asked.
"As expected of Brock!" May grinned.
Brock rubbed the back of his head, sheepish.
Then Grandpa Swampy stepped forward. "Brock, I have a request."
"A request?"
"That big Mudkip… it has no one here now. But it's clearly bonded with you. If you're willing, would you take it with you?"
Brock blinked, then saluted. (｀•ω•´)ゞ"Thank you, Grandpa Swampy! Mudkip, want to come with me?"
"Gele~!" Mudkip nodded and leapt into Brock's arms.
"Then from today, you and I are partners," Brock said warmly.
"Gele~!"
As the group prepared to leave, the baby Mudkip in Ash's arms started to cry.
"Gelele~!"
Everyone rushed to calm him down.
Watching the little guy, Grandpa Swampy made a decision.
"Ash—if you don't mind, I want you to take this Mudkip with you."
"Huh? But… this Mudkip belongs to the League, right?" Ash was clearly tempted, but he hesitated.
"Haha, don't worry about that! I've raised Mudkip for the League my entire life. Giving one to a Trainer like you? That's an honor."
Ash bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Grandpa Numa."
He looked down at the Mudkip in his arms. "You okay with coming along?"
"Gelele~!" Mudkip beamed and nodded.
[Mudkip]Gender: MaleType: WaterAbility: Torrent (Boosts Water-type moves when HP is low)Strength: Normal (Infant Stage)Moves: Tackle, Growl, Water Gun, Mud-SlapDynamax Type: Water
Ash smiled and tapped Mudkip gently with a Poké Ball, capturing him on the spot.
Since his party was full, Bayleef was automatically sent back to Professor Oak's lab.
…Unfortunately, Bayleef was not happy about it.
As soon as she realized she'd been swapped out, she threw a massive tantrum—causing chaos throughout the lab!
And so, with both Ash and Brock gaining new Mudkip partners, the day's adventure ended in perfect harmony.
To be continued...
[1] He said we will see how they are made, not how they hatch, wtf?! lol