Chapter 483 - Changes in the Pokemon Egg

Aoki once again poured an Catalyst onto Larvitar's egg.

The entire dose of the catalyst was swiftly absorbed by the egg. As the one holding it, Aoki could distinctly feel the temperature rising against his palm. Instinctively, he shielded it with his Psychic Powers.

Previously, he could sense the faint heartbeat within the egg, but it had been weak. Now, however, the rhythm was strong and steady. Even though the egg had absorbed nothing besides the catalyst, Aoki could feel its weight increasing.

With this new infusion, Larvitar's formation was progressing rapidly. According to the System's scan, the egg originally required fifty years to hatch, but that timeframe was now shortening at an astonishing rate—far beyond Aoki's expectations.

Aoki's expression shifted slightly. These unforeseen changes were unexpected, even for the System.

"System, analyze the current state of the egg," Aoki instructed mentally.

As the System executed the task, Aoki felt a faint electrical current travel from his fingers into the egg. This small current posed no harm, merely serving as a diagnostic pulse.

Ten minutes later, the System returned its findings. After reviewing the analysis, Aoki finally felt a sense of relief.

He had invested too much effort into obtaining this Larvitar egg. Any negative changes would have been a major setback. Fortunately, the System confirmed that everything was still within normal parameters. The only anomaly was the drastically increased absorption rate of the catalyst—over ten times faster than expected.

The System suggested that this acceleration might be due to the previous catalyst dose still being in effect. Now that the developing Larvitar had begun actively absorbing energy as a survival instinct, its intake efficiency had skyrocketed.

Moreover, the Earth Core Milk's influence on the egg was immense. It was so potent that it completely nullified the usual side effects of the Elf Catalyst, such as lifespan reduction. For Larvitar, which had been soaking in Earth Core Milk for an unknown number of years, such concerns were negligible.

Perhaps in the distant future, Aoki would grow old while Larvitar remained in its prime. Once evolved into Tyranitar, it would maintain peak strength for an exceptionally long time.

After receiving a more precise analysis, Aoki felt reassured. There was also an unexpected advantage—since Larvitar was absorbing the catalyst so quickly, Aoki wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow for another dose. If everything proceeded smoothly, the egg would hatch by nightfall.

Even with his usual composure, Aoki felt a surge of excitement.

This was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon of the Johto region—the one and only Sandstorm Titan. Among the seven known Pokémon regions, most pseudo-legendary Pokémon were Dragon-types, except for Tyranitar in Johto and Metagross in Hoenn. Hoenn was an exception, boasting both Metagross and Salamence as pseudo-legendaries.

To be a pseudo-legendary without being a Dragon-type was a testament to the sheer power of Tyranitar and Metagross.

However, all pseudo-legendaries shared one trait: slow growth rates. They only reached their true potential after their final evolution, and before that, they lacked significant advantages. Moreover, their evolution requirements were notoriously high—often needing to reach a Trainer's level or beyond.

For this reason, very few people chose pseudo-legendaries as their starter Pokémon. The transition phase was simply too challenging. Of course, exceptions existed—wealthy families like Steven's had the resources to raise Metagross from a young age. Even Lance, a direct descendant of the Dragon Clan, started with a Charizard instead of Dragonite, illustrating just how demanding pseudo-legendaries were to train.

Yet Aoki's situation was unique. Thanks to the Catalyst, Larvitar's hatching would be greatly accelerated, and residual medicinal effects would remain in its body, assisting in its growth. The usual lifespan trade-off was irrelevant to Larvitar, given its prolonged exposure to Earth Core Milk.

According to previous scans, the soon-to-hatch Larvitar had exceptional potential. Among its inherited moves were two extremely powerful techniques: Dragon Dance and Outrage. These would allow it to overcome the typical early-stage weakness of pseudo-legendaries.

That said, Aoki had no immediate plans to rely on Larvitar in battle. For now, its growth took priority.

He carefully placed the egg inside the incubator and set it aside. Then, he began preparing Larvitar's first meal, using pre-selected ingredients.

The most crucial component was Earth Core Milk. Both Aron and Larvitar's Pokéblocks contained it, as it enhanced a Pokémon's sensitivity and control over Rock- and Ground-type energy. Aron, being purely Steel-type, benefited to some extent, but Larvitar—possessing both Rock and Ground attributes—would experience its full effects.

Next came rare minerals. Unlike other Pokémon, both Larvitar and Aron consumed rocks and metals as their primary diet. However, whereas Aron leaned more toward metallic nutrients, Larvitar preferred solid rock.

Finally, Aoki included supplementary materials to promote Larvitar's overall growth.

Once hatched, Larvitar would need time to develop, but Aoki hoped the catalyst's effects would help it catch up to his second-echelon Pokémon. Currently, both Aron and Poliwag were in the level 10 range. Meanwhile, Torchic and Mudkip were due for focused training soon.