Heart of Gold

I took my pokemon back to the Pokemon Center with a shiny new badge in hand. "I knew you could do it," Luca said and clapped me on the back.

"It wasn't just me," I said. "My pokemon took all the pounding."

When I checked Cupid and Ulric in, we sat in the waiting room and chatted. Usually all Pokemon Center's looked the same in layout and most furniture, only magazines or toys for kids changed. "How much money did you get?" Luca said.

"Enough to get us supplies to the next town," I said. "I think they'll be trainers on the road to battle, so we won't go broke."

"I can't battle, so you're going to be our prime source of cash," Luca said. "I still have some from home, but it won't last all summer."

"You can battle," I told him. "Are you still bitter about losing?"

"Of course not. I just know my limits." He leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his head. "You're doing really well. It takes some people months to get a badge."

"It's not that impressive. I grew up with pokemon and have experience from the lab."

My pokegear rang. I apologized to Luca and answered it. Professor Elm's voice came on the other end. "Hi Astrid, I was just thinking about you two," he said. "I have a present for you both. I sent my assistant to the Violet City Pokemart to deliver it for you, I hope you haven't passed it!"

"Wow, thanks! We're still in Violet City. We'll head over now."

I hung up and relayed the information to Luca, and after my pokemon returned from their checkup, we bounded to the Pokemart. The aide was Takashi, one of the assistants that had been with Professor Elm for ages. He milled about looking at the X Speeds on the shelf. "Mr. Takashi," I said.

I startled him, and when he turned around, I saw the egg pouch strapped to his chest. "Long time no see," he said. "I'm glad you two are doing good."

"Professor Elm said you had a present for us," Luca said.

"Yes, I do." He said this as a customer entered the Pokemart. She caught my eye with her flashy kimono, but Takashi unstrapped the egg from himself and handed it to us. A shiver of surprise ran through me when I held it. "Professor Elm thought you should take care of the egg," Takashi said. "He said it'll only hatch when around other pokemon, and he couldn't think of anybody better than you two to take care of it."

"Really? I'm going to be a daddy!" Luca said.

I snorted with laughter. The newcomer to the store moved closer to us. I saw now she was in entirely performance attire like in a Noh Theater; white face, sparkling red kimono, and crisp, perfect black hair pinned back. She smiled with small red lips. "Excuse me," she said with articulate formality, "is that the egg Professor Elm owned?"

"Yes," Takashi said. "He entrusted it with his two aides here. They're on a pokemon journey."

The kimono girl lifted her head to me. She was shorter than me by two inches, and I was already short, five feet and two inches, though with the intense gaze her eyes gave me, she could have been looking at me straight on. "You'll be good to raise that pokemon," she said.

That stunned me. She looked back at Takashi. "Thank you for your time. I only wished to inquire about the egg. I hope our paths cross again."

With that, she turned and walked out of the Pokemart. I strapped the egg to my chest and felt a maternal surge of feeling go through me. The egg felt familiar and nice.

"I guess I'll be a mommy, too," I said.