A Champions Beginning

The Pewter City Gym Leader!

The white glow from the egg was blinding for a moment before it suddenly went dark again. Ash opened his eyes and looked to where the egg had been, in its place was a pokemon.

"Riiii..." the pokemon yawned out, opening its own eyes to the sight of Ash and Serena.

"It's a Riolu..."

"Wait, Ash aren't Riolu blue though?" Serena looked over to the boy, "This one has yellow on it too..."

"I don't really know," Ash told her, "Let's get it to Professor Oak and Elm, they'll know."

They hadn't visited earlier int he day due to the time, but if Brock was right then both professors would be hard at work. Ash and Serena arrived at the door to the lab and Ash knocked on it before walking in, "Professors!"

"Ash?" Oaks voice called from behind a shelf, "Is that you?"

"Yeah! We need you and Professor Elms help!"

"Oh! Elm, come here!" the professors had been up all night working on important research, "What's wrong Ash?"

"I, uh, I hatched an egg." Ash held up the now sleeping Riolu to the professor.

"A Riolu-" Oak began, but soon noticed the coloration, "Fascinating! The colors on this Riolu are a mix of a normal and shiny coloration!"

Elm walked into the room and saw Ash, Serena and the Riolu, "Oh, hello Ash and..."

"I'm Serena, a friend of Ash's from Kalos."

"Ah, pleasure to meet you then." Elm nodded to the girl before looking to his colleague, "What's the problem?"

"Ash seems to have hatched a very unique Riolu." Oak explained, "See here? The left half appears to be normal, but the right is a yellow color much like that of a shiny variation."

"Simply fascinating!" Elm exclaimed, reaching towards Riolu to inspect it.

As soon as the young professor touched the small fighting type however, its eyes shot open and it buried itself in Ash's arms.

"I uh, I don't think it wants to be touched." Ash told him, "But I'm curious, what can you tell about it just off the bat? Health wise I mean."

"It appears to be in good health for a baby," Elm told him, "Though you'd do best to take it to Pewter City, and more specifically Brock, to have him give it a checkup."

"Right." Ash nodded, "We'll be heading that direction soon anyway for Bonnie's battle."

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"So then," Clemont spoke up as they all walked out the door, "You take Riolu to the daycare and ask Brock if knows anything about this kind of thing. Then Bonnie battles him?" 

"That's the plan." Ash grinned, holding up the pokeball he had put Riolu in, "Then we can plan from there."

"I can't wait to have my first Kanto Gym Battle!" Bonnie exclaimed happily, Dedenne leaping out of her bag while Fen cheered beside her.

The walk to Viridian City was pleasant, Bonnie battled another rookie trainer, Ash looked longingly once more at the Viridian Gym; only to be dragged away by an exasperated Serena. Ash had Riolu out of the pokeball for the walk as well, it seemed to enjoy the group of humans as well as their pokemon. It also seemed to have taken to Ash and Serena like they were its parents, whenever someone else tried to touch it, Riolu simply hid against them.

"You know," Bonnie nudged Serena, "Since Riolu won't let either one of you get to far away, you might just have to share a tent..."

Serena yelped as she jumped away from Bonnie, but she ended up next to Ash which caused her to let out another yelp of embarrassment.