Ch.137 The Egg is Missing

Trainer Template: Professor Oak. 

Looking at the latest notification, Akira's mood is quite subtle. 

Originally, it was just a casual meme, but who would have thought it would actually become real? 

What is this? Actively creating memes? 

But this Professor Oak template doesn't seem all that impressive. Just a Pokémon researcher, nothing special for me—wait, I take that back. 

I was wrong. Dead wrong. 

Seeing that elderly, kind-faced man who occasionally gets "bullied" by the Pokémon in his lab, and whose full name is rarely known, I thought he was easy to push around. 

Being a guide for new trainers and handing out starter Pokémon is just one of his roles. 

Beyond that, he's also a foundational figure in Pokémon academia, the creator of the Pokédex, a true titan in the field. 

In some versions, he's even the champion of the first Pokémon League, whose past glory left a lasting impression on Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four. 

The whole thing about him casually flirting with Ash's mom is just a meme. Professor Oak is usually busy. 

Not to mention, running such a large research institute that houses various Pokémon and earning the trust of so many trainers to entrust their collected Pokémon to him is already remarkable. 

Ash's contributions to the institute are just a small part of it. 

Professor Oak is the true all-rounder in the Pokémon world. While his individual stats might not be top-tier, his overall evaluation is undoubtedly the highest. 

Equipped with this template, Akira can better understand Pokémon behavior and provide them with a better growth environment. 

This wave? This wave is called "unintentional actions yielding fruitful results." 

Distributing the Pokémon eggs was originally meant to reduce pressure, but who would have thought it would lead to such gains? 

Indeed, good deeds bring good rewards. This batch of Pokémon training is bound to go very smoothly. 

That's what Akira thought, but just one night later, his fantasy was shattered. 

On a summer morning, a high-pitched scream shattered the tranquility of Jujutsu High. 

"Egg? My egg? Where's my egg?" 

The scream was so piercing that it penetrated the walls of the dormitory, disturbing Akira's peaceful sleep. 

"Egg? Did someone hatch an Exeggcute?" 

The young man rubbed his eyes as he got out of bed, glancing at the alarm clock on his bedside table. 

"It's already this late?" 

Perhaps because he had just returned home, all the accumulated fatigue was released, and Akira had slept in—a rare occurrence. 

Accustomed to early morning training, his biological clock had been honed to precision, a level that office workers from his past life would envy but never achieve. 

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he stepped out of his room and saw Zenin Maki in the hallway. 

"Morning. You overslept too." 

"You too." 

Just then, another scream echoed from outside. 

"Egg! My egg!!!" 

The two looked at each other. 

"That's Rika's voice, right?" 

"Should be." 

"The egg she's talking about… is it the Pokémon egg? The one buried in the soil." 

"Probably. But how could the egg disappear? Could it have been stolen?" 

"Let's go check it out!" 

The thought of a Pokémon going missing made everyone uneasy. They opened the window and took the shortest route to the scene. 

When they arrived, the small grove near the dining hall was in complete disarray. The once dense trees looked as if they had been hit by a natural disaster-level tornado, either uprooted or broken into pieces. 

At the center of this tornado was Rika Orimoto in her fully manifested form. Yuuta was trying to calm her down, but while he managed to stop her from causing further destruction, he couldn't get her to de-manifest. 

Seeing Akira running over, Yuuta looked dejected. "Akira, the Pokémon egg is gone." 

"Calm down. Start from the beginning. When did you notice it was missing?" 

Of course, Akira was anxious about the missing egg, but the more critical the situation, the more important it was to stay calm. 

Yuuta took a deep breath and recalled, "About half an hour ago—Rika was really looking forward to the Pokémon hatching, so she woke me up at dawn. But when we got to where we buried the egg yesterday, it was gone." 

"How did it disappear? Was it dug up by someone?" 

Yuuta shook his head. "No, it doesn't look like it was dug up… The surface of the soil was intact, and the mark Rika made was still there, but when we dug it up, there was nothing." 

"Are you sure there was nothing? Not even eggshells?" 

If there were eggshells, it could mean the Pokémon hatched and ran off on its own. 

After all, the hatching process is continuous, and people need to sleep, so they can't keep watch all the time. 

This was also due to the inexperience of the young trainers, who hadn't prepared protective measures—both against others and against the Pokémon themselves. 

"I'm sure," Yuuta shook his head again. 

"That's strange." 

Some Ghost-type Pokémon can ignore physical barriers, but they shouldn't be able to take the eggshell with them… Wait, since it's a Ghost-type, it might not leave an eggshell behind, instead forming fully upon hatching. 

When Darkrai hatched, it didn't leave anything behind either. 

"Where was it buried?" 

"Over here," Yuuta pointed. 

Akira leaned over to look. The hole was about 20 to 30 centimeters in diameter, matching the size of a Pokémon egg. He reached in and felt around. 

"Why is it so soft… Wait, no!" 

He released a burst of cursed energy, and the soil beneath the hole crumbled, falling away. 

Yes, falling. 

Beneath the hole was a hidden passage, about the same width as the hole but much deeper. 

Now, everyone understood. 

"So it went underground. No wonder we couldn't find anything. It even sealed the hole with soil. Pretty clever." 

Yuuta sighed in relief. "If we follow this tunnel, we should be able to find it, right?" 

Maki nodded. "Probably, but who's going? And how?" 

"This width is too narrow for a person to fit through, unless—" 

Yuuta's gaze shifted to Akira's neck, where Serperior was still coiled, basking in the sun. 

Even though its tail is a leaf, as a snake, it should have no problem slithering through tunnels. 

"Little Serperior…" 

Akira pinched Serperior's tail, and it responded by nibbling on his skin. 

"Be good, help us out. You're a Grass-type, so you have an affinity for the earth." 

Akira was still coaxing it when the tsundere Serperior extended its vines, hooked onto a nearby half-broken tree, and swung away like a pendulum, throwing a tsundere glance over its shoulder at Akira mid-air. 

Akira sighed and shrugged at Yuuta. Every family has its struggles. 

If it were a disobedient Pangoro, Akira could have given it a few smacks, but with a little Serperior, he really couldn't bring himself to do it. 

For a moment, everyone was at a loss, until they heard a gentle greeting. 

"Akira, Yuuta, Maki, good morning. What's going on?" 

"Good morning, Mom, and Toge. Your Pokémon hatched too?" 

Akira turned around and saw Hayami and Inumaki Toge, both holding newly hatched Pokémon. 

Hayami was cradling a fox-like Pokémon, pure white in color. Though still very young, it exuded an elegant and noble aura. 

As expected, it was an Alolan Vulpix. 

However, it only had one tail for now. As it grows, the tail will gradually split until it becomes six. 

Inumaki Toge's Pokémon matched his surname perfectly—Inumaki, a curly-haired dog. 

Its body was primarily orange, with black stripes on its back and limbs, and cream-colored fur on its neck, tail, and head, with a bit of a natural curl. 

Feeling Akira's gaze, it looked up and let out a bark. 

Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. 

Friendly and loyal to its trainer, it's one of the most popular Pokémon among trainers. Unfortunately, they're not very common, mostly found in police systems. Its evolution, Arcanine, is even considered a legendary Pokémon in some regions. 

Getting one was definitely a stroke of luck for Inumaki Toge. 

Unsurprisingly, out of the new batch of nine Pokémon, Growlithe is the easiest to raise. 

Most importantly, Growlithe has a keen sense of smell. Once it catches a scent, it never forgets it, and it can even sense the emotions of others through smell. 

Seeing this line in the system's description, Akira's eyes lit up. 

Being able to sense emotions through smell means it can communicate with Inumaki Toge without needing words, solving the biggest communication barrier. 

And never forgetting a scent… That's exactly what we need right now. 

"Can you help us out? Smell the scent in that hole and find the owner of the scent." 

"Woof!" 

Growlithe glanced back at Inumaki Toge, and after seeing him nod, it jumped out of his arms and stuck its head into the hole. 

Clearly, like Serperior, it's a very precocious Pokémon. 

Though its intelligence might need some work. 

After sticking its head into the hole, Growlithe got stuck.