Pokemon: Legacy

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On his phone's notepad app, a new entry had appeared, filled with a distinct and exaggerated personality:

"Champion Sir~! The lovely little Dragonite brought back the latest nutrient solution from Silph Co.! It's only a teensy bit expensive, but trust me it works wonders for hard-to-hatch Pokémon eggs! For details, check the instructions. Mwah! 💕~ Iono ☆"

Even through the text, Eric could picture Levincia's eccentric streamer Gym Leader delivering these words in her signature overly energetic style.

The excessive embellishments and little star symbol made it clear this was her handiwork.

"Damn! Lono!"

Eric sighed heavily, his frustrations bubbling over. But as annoyed as he was, the real source of his growing headache wasn't Iono's flamboyant personality it was his rapidly dwindling savings account. After all, he had just checked his bank balance.

Before purchasing trial seed packets, fertilizer, and enough grass seeds to cover his farm's pasture, Eric still had 210,000 Pokédollars saved up. However, the display on his bank app now showed only 60,000 Pokédollars.

It was clear: the nutrient solution alone had cost him a staggering 150,000 Pokédollars.

"What kind of nutrient solution costs 150k?!" Eric yelled inwardly, clutching his head in despair. "Even the hatch aid I used for Dragonite didn't cost more than 50k altogether."

Rage built up inside him as his eyes drifted toward the neatly sealed delivery box sitting nearby. Unable to contain himself, he stomped over, tore the packaging apart, and glared at the bottles of green liquid inside like they were the physical manifestation of his misery.

"I swear, Iono, if you're trying to bankrupt me, I'm gonna put you on a forced streaming hiatus and make you sell farm produce on live streams to pay me back!" Eric muttered darkly as he fished out the instruction manual.

The box contained three carefully secured bottles of nutrient solution, each filled with vibrant green liquid. Ignoring them for now, Eric picked up the instruction manual and started reading.

A few minutes later, his anger melted away into a resigned sigh.

"Iono, you eccentric gremlin… you actually went out of your way to get this," Eric muttered.

The manual described the nutrient solution as Silph Co's newest product, specifically formulated for difficult Pokémon eggs.

It was designed to address two major issues: eggs with insufficient internal energy and eggs with prolonged hatching delays. It claimed to significantly improve the egg's health and development, with visible results after each weekly application.

The instructions also explained that a full course of treatment required three weeks, with one bottle per week.

Considering the rarity of such products and their life-saving potential for certain Pokémon eggs, Eric had to admit it was worth the exorbitant cost.

Still, his wallet felt like it had taken a critical hit.

Letting out a deep sigh, Eric set the instruction manual down and reached for his phone. "I should probably let Professor Sada know that her kid spent the night here. They're probably worried sick by now."

But as he scrolled through his call history, Eric's expression grew puzzled. Despite the situation, there were no missed calls from Professor Sada or Professor Turo.

His eyes narrowed, and he turned toward Arven, who had been silently observing him from the corner of the room. The boy stiffened under his gaze.

"So…Arven," Eric began slowly, "are you telling me your parents don't know you're here?"

The awkward silence that followed said it all. Arven fidgeted, avoiding Eric's eyes like a guilty child caught red-handed.

"Oh, for—" Eric pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "So you're telling me they don't even know you stayed out all night? What, did you sneak out of the house after I sent you home yesterday?"

Arven flinched, clearly feeling the weight of Eric's frustration. "I… I didn't exactly sneak out," he mumbled, his voice barely audible. "They weren't home, okay? They left me a note saying they had to deal with something urgent… something about their research."

That stopped Eric in his tracks. He stared at Arven for a moment before releasing a long, slow exhale. "Alright," he said, his tone softer now. "So, they're away on business again. Did they leave a way to contact them?"

Arven shook his head. "No. And… they're probably somewhere with no cell service. I overheard them mentioning Area Zero before they left."

Eric frowned. The Great Crater of Paldea… just hearing those words left a bad taste in his mouth. If Sada and Turo were dealing with something related to the crater, that could mean anything from groundbreaking research to life-threatening risks.

Realizing that pressing Arven further would only upset him, Eric let the matter drop. Instead, he ruffled the boy's hair and said, "Alright, listen up. If your parents don't know where you are, you're staying here until we sort this out. I'll call them later and explain the situation once they're reachable. In the meantime, make yourself at home."

Arven blinked in surprise, then nodded eagerly. "Thanks, Eric."

"Don't mention it," Eric replied. "But no sneaking off anywhere without telling me first, got it?"

"Got it."

---

The next morning, Eric woke up at dawn. After making sure that everything at the farm was in order, he checked on the Pokémon egg resting in its incubator.

It had already begun absorbing the green nutrient solution, and the liquid was starting to turn translucent.

"This is faster than I expected," Eric muttered. He tapped his temple in thought before addressing the system in his mind. "Hey, any idea why this egg's soaking up the nutrients so quickly?"

The system responded with its usual smug tone.

[Why didn't you ask me sooner? This egg comes from a species with exceptional potential & from the distant past. Its natural energy was insufficient for hatching, but the nutrient solution is helping it recover. You'll also need a Fire-type Pokémon with Flame Body to further assist the incubation process]

Eric groaned. "So that's why. Guess I need to double-check with Luxray and others later"

He sighed, staring at the now-faintly glowing egg. "This had better be worth it."

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