Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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As time passed, the glow of the Pokémon egg grew brighter and its shell began to tremble ever so slightly. Each small movement made Liam, who was anxiously watching, flinch as well. 

His right hand gripped Delia's hand tightly, and he unconsciously squeezed even harder with every shake of the egg.

Beside him, Delia noticed Liam's tension and glanced at her hand, which was still being tightly held. A slight blush spread across her face. 

She gently patted Liam's shoulder with her free hand, and when he turned to look at her, she offered an encouraging smile and said:

"Please don't worry so much. I'm sure this egg will hatch into a healthy and strong Pokemon. It's being looked after with so much care and anticipation by someone as kind as you. I'm sure it can feel your care."

Delia's words momentarily stunned Liam, but a warm feeling filled his chest. When he turned back to look at the glowing egg, the tension melted away, replaced by pure excitement and anticipation.

"Thank you, Delia," Liam said, his gratitude heartfelt.

Delia smiled sweetly at his thanks, then, with a playful tongue-out expression, shyly said, "There's no need to thank me. But, um, Liam… if you could let go of my hand, that'd be great too. You're kind of gripping it too hard."

It was only then that Liam realized he was still clutching her hand, his face turning a bit red as he quickly released it. "Sorry, I didn't notice," he mumbled awkwardly, turning away, unable to meet her gaze.

Delia withdrew her hand, her face also tinged with red, and softly replied, "It's okay." Neither of them spoke again as they waited in that peculiar atmosphere for the egg to hatch.

Time ticked by, and soon it was midday. The gentle glow of the egg had drawn nearby Pokémon, who gathered curiously to watch the miraculous scene.

Ekans, in particular, stared intently at the glowing egg, its mouth practically watering. Instinctively, it wanted nothing more than to swallow the egg whole. But one sharp glare from Liam made it huff indignantly, slither away, and climb a tree to sleep.

The riverside grassland fell silent as everyone, Pokémon and humans alike, held their breaths, waiting for the moment of birth.

Suddenly…

"Hey, Liam! I knew you'd be here! I've been looking all over for you!" Professor Oak's voice rang out from not far away. He approached with a cheerful wave but then paused mid-sentence upon spotting Delia. 

"Oh! Delia's here too? Oh my, I see… Sorry for interrupting your little date!"

Despite his words, Professor Oak showed no intention of leaving, standing there with a wide grin plastered across his face.

Liam didn't reply, simply turning to the professor and pressing a finger to his lips.

"Uh… What's going on?" Oak asked, lowering his voice.

Liam shifted slightly, giving the professor a clearer view of the glowing egg. Somehow, in the process, he moved closer to Delia.

"Wait! Is that—?!"

The sight before him almost made Professor Oak shout in surprise, but he quickly realized the egg was glowing intensely, a clear sign that something incredible was about to happen.

"It's… hatching." Oak whispered as he crept closer. From seemingly nowhere, he pulled out a mini camera and began taking pictures furiously.

"Yes," Liam replied, frowning slightly at the professor's actions. 

"The egg is about to hatch, and we didn't dare move it, so we stayed here to watch over it."

At Liam's subtle motion to stop, Professor Oak reluctantly put the camera away. With a wistful sigh, he said, "The process of Pokémon hatching and the eggs themselves are still such a mystery. Getting a few more first-hand footage like this… If I could organize the data properly, I might finally pass my next doctoral certification!"

Liam hesitated but didn't object. After all, if the professor achieved certification, there might be rewards for him too.

And so, the group of watchers grew, their eyes glued to the egg, waiting for it to change.

Suddenly, the egg emitted a dazzling light! 

Its shape began to change, the glow outlining delicate curves. Finally, with a burst of brilliance, the shell cracked open, revealing an adorable round, white Pokémon.

The newly hatched Pokémon had a snow-white body, a slightly grayish belly, and an enormous mouth that took up almost a third of its head, lined with sharp teeth. 

Cone-like ears sat on either side of its head, a long fin extended from its back, and a tiny pointed tail wagged adorably.

The little creature, likely still disoriented from being born, kept its eyes tightly shut, blindly groping at its surroundings with its short forelimbs. It let out soft, adorable cries of "Gi! Gi!" that melted everyone's hearts.

"What… What Pokémon is this? I've never seen such a Pokemon! Is it an undiscovered species?!" Professor Oak exclaimed in shock and awe.

Liam was pretty shocked too. 

When he saw that the egg was completely white, he had anticipated a lot of different Pokemon hatching, but seeing what hatched out of the egg had left him stunned!

Although he knew the Pokemon egg from the system would be special, being able to hatch this Pokemon was just an insane amount of luck. 

Hearing Prof. Oak's question helped him snap out of his stupor. 

Chuckling slightly, he explained, "This Pokémon is a Gible. It's from the Sinnoh region. You can think of them as the Sinnoh counterpart to the Kanto Dragonite line. Its evolved form, Garchomp, is a pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Normally, Gible are blue, but this one looks like a special white variation, different from even the normal shiny ones. Isn't it adorable?"

Hearing this, the good professor's jaw dropped slightly. 

"Wow.. I see. The Sinnoh region is so far from Kanto, and communication between regions is still very limited. It makes sense that we'd be unfamiliar with their unique Pokémon. But you, Liam… You really are full of surprises!"

Professor Oak looked at Liam with renewed curiosity. It wasn't the first time the boy had surprised him—Liam had once mentioned ancient Pokémon still living today. 

The professor was growing more and more intrigued by the background of this mysterious yet pure-hearted youth.

Prof. Oak crouched down to gently poke Gible's forehead, clearly captivated by the newborn Pokémon.

"Uh… Professor, I'd be careful, if I were you. Gible usually tend to—" Liam began, but he was too late.

Chomp!

The Gible suddenly opened its enormous mouth and clamped down on Prof.Oak's hand, making the professor yelp and jump around in pain. 

Despite his frantic attempts to shake it off, Gible held on tightly, growling adorably.

"Professor, stop moving! I'll help!" Liam hurriedly approached, trying to calm both the professor and Gible.

Liam gently cradled the round Pokémon in his hands, stroking it affectionately. "There, there. It's okay. No more biting, okay? What if you accidentally eat something dirty and upset your stomach?"

Hearing Liam's soothing voice, Gible relaxed. It released its grip on Oak's hand, turned to look at Liam, and happily nuzzled into his arms before curling up and falling asleep.

Prof.Oak, nursing his swollen hand, sighed heavily as he glanced between the snoozing Gible and his injury. 

"I see… Looks like this 'bitter medicine' is mine to swallow."