The first rays of dawn peeked through the trees lining Route 5, casting dappled shadows over the forest floor. Jun stirred from his slumber, blinking away the remnants of sleep as he took in the serene beauty around him. The smell of fresh pine and blooming wildflowers filled the air, accompanied by the soft sounds of rustling leaves and distant Pokémon cries. It was the perfect morning for breakfast, and for research.
As he set about preparing a simple meal, two small forms nestled beside him, the occasional wriggles of Echo chirping in his sleep, and the whistle of the light snores of Toxel, contributed to the background music to his cooking.
Gardevoir stood nearby, her graceful figure slightly glowing in the morning light, ever watchful. Though she hadn’t needed to, Jun felt reassured by her presence, knowing her psychic capabilities could shield them if trouble ever came knocking.
Echo stirred next to Toxel, their cozy forms nestled within the others' warm embrace. Jun smiled; the two baby Pokémon had connected remarkably well after just a single night. With a gentle poke, he nudged them awake.
“Hey, sleepyheads! Time for breakfast!” he called cheerfully.
Toxel rubbed her eyes while Echo chirped sleepily, their morning grumbles quickly fading as the tantalizing aroma of cooked berries in oatmeal wafted through the air. Jun plated the meal, watching as they perked up, their mouths watering at the sight of their favorite food.
Jun added some sugar to Gardevoir's bowl, recognizing her sweet tooth, but declined to do so for Echo. As for Toxel, she seemed to enjoy the tartness of the Salac berry. This probably meant she had a defense boosting nature, Jun marked that down in his journal as an afterthought.
After breakfast, Jun washed the dishes by hand, appreciating the tranquility of the forest around him as Gardevoir stood guard nearby, surveying the area with watchful eyes. Once the chores were done, he pulled out his laptop and sat down on a fallen log. It was time for a video call with Professor Aria.
The screen flickered to life and he adjusted the camera, ensuring that Echo and Toxel would be visible before tapping the call button.
The screen flickered to life, and the professor's familiar face appeared, framed by bookshelves crowded with references and evolution charts. “Good morning, Jun! How is Galar treating you?” he asked, a warm smile illuminating his features.
“Good morning, Professor! I'm doing quite well. As you know, I finally managed to find my partner pokémon 2 days ago. Here he is, this is Echo.” Jun reached over and placed the little bug type on his shoulder as Echo glared at the monitor with his large silver eyes, trying to wrap his head around the concept that there was someone both in the screen and not in the screen.
“I also received a Toxel from the pokemon nursery yesterday, they had an extra one from a clutch of eggs and were planning to release her. Here is Toxel.” As Jun was about to grab the purple baby, Gardevoir swooped into frame with the Toxel in her arms.
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‘Jun, please inform Aria that I miss him greatly.’ Gardevoir’s melodious voice rang in his mind.
Jun adjusted the camera to better frame Gardevoir. “Gardevoir says she misses you alot,” he added, feeling a little guilty at being the cause of their separation.
Professor Aria chuckled, his laughter echoing softly through the speakers. “Tell her I miss her too. You seem to have had a wonderful adventure, ah I remember back in the day when Gardevoir and I left Sinnoh for the first time, I was still an assistant to Professor Rowan at the time. Rowan and I went to Kanto and that was when I truly saw so many pokemon capable of evolving into different forms for the first time. It was there in Kanto that I decided to make branching evolution the focus of my research, you see…”
Once the pleasantries and stories were exchanged, Jun shifted into a more serious tone, eager to discuss his findings. “Since I've received a Toxel, I've decided to make Toxel the first subject I will be researching. According to the information I've seen from Galar’s Pokemon Research Lab and from the breeders I talked to yesterday, I’ve noticed some intriguing variations not only physically but also in behavior among the two forms of Toxtricity. For instance, Amped form Toxtricity is known for being short tempered and confident to the point of arrogance, almost hyper-aggressive in some cases. On the other hand, Low key form Toxtricity display vastly different attitudes, they are known for being selfish and dismissive to other pokemon and seem to enjoy provoking others into fights before fiercely retaliating. So for my research I was hoping to see if it is their inherent nature that causes them to evolve differently or is it their evolution that causes their temperaments to shift towards these extremes. Therefore, in order to test this, I'm wondering if there are ways to identify and determine Pokémon natures effectively?”
The professor nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “That’s a fascinating hypothesis and a great follow-up question, Jun. We know that a Pokémon’s nature can influence its personality traits, but whether these traits are the cause or effect of evolution is a deeper layer to explore. I’ll need to look into it, but I suspect you’re right to hypothesize that there’s a connection there. I'll look through some literature and get back to you in a few days.”
“Thank you! That would really help!” Jun said, feeling the spark of excitement that fueled his research. “In the meantime, I’d like to find more Toxel. What are the lab protocols in this scenario? I would need to monitor a lot of Toxel to verify my hypothesis. Should I catch them and send them to the lab reserve via GTS?”
“Ah I would strongly advise against that, I wouldn't mind having a few to bolster the reserve but catching many would stress the local populations, and it’s vital to maintain balance in the ecosystem.” Aria replied. “Instead, you could capture, tag, then release them with tracking devices and monitor their evolutions in their natural habitats. Our laboratory has recently developed a highly advanced mechanical tag, containing mechanical parts that charge the sensors through the movement of the pokemon, the sensors then gather data such as location and aura level, and then send the data wirelessly to the closest internet connection, where it gets transferred back to the lab. A genius piece of kit if I've ever seen one.”
“That sounds very impressive, even if I'm very much not an engineer. Tagging it is, how would I go about acquiring these tags?” Jun responded, jotting down notes. Tagging instead of catching aligned with his own values; he wanted to ensure his research wouldn't negatively impact the environment.
The two chatted for a while longer, discussing field study methods and potential locations where Toxel might be found.
The professor then focused on the two babies rolling around, mock fighting in the background, he gestured at the duo. “Have you decided how you’re going to approach their training?”
Jun trailed off momentarily, then answered, “I was thinking of waiting for a week first, then maybe some physical exercises first…”
Professor Aria’s face turned serious, “That’s a valid approach, but I encourage you to start with physical strength training soon. Even Pokémon just a day old can be surprisingly resilient. Teach them what each command means, then train them on following those commands. Finally, you can also gradually introduce them to battling against each other or against other baby Pokémon.”
Thanking the professor for his advice, the Professor finally noted that he would first send over 50 tags via the Laboratory exclusive bandwidth of the GTS and that he should go and pick up the tags at Professor Magnolia's tomorrow. When the call wrapped up, Jun felt a wave of anticipation wash over him. Equipped with encouragement and guidance from Professor Aria, he looked at his Pokémon companions, who were now exploring a nearby patch of grass.
Thinking back on how Gardevoir had spent two weeks away from her trainer, he realized that he really should put Echo’s training on the table. However, considering that it was only Echo’s third day in this world, he decided to spend the next couple days exploring the outskirts of the wild area, with the main goal of accumulating some pokepoints.