He just hoped it wasn't someone sent to shoot him again. But he'd learnt. He put his bulletproof jacket on and unlocked the front door.
"HIII!" Ash yelled excitedly.
"What is up with him?" Tracey asked Misty, nodding towards Ash.
"Excited to be home, I think. Is that a new jacket?"
"Sort of," Tracey said sheepishly and hung it up on a coat hook quickly. "Hey guys," he said, changing the subject, "Professor Oak said he'd got hold of a Pokémon egg."
"A Pokémon egg?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, he hasn't shown it to me yet though."
"Is it Ash?" Professor Oak called from inside his lab.
"Yeah, it's me!" Ash yelled.
"Ash, will you quit yelling? You're giving me a headache," Misty said pointedly.
"Chill out, you two," Brock said tiredly.
"Well, come on in then," the professor called. "Don't you want to see this egg?"
Ash and Brock stampeded like a herd of Tauros towards the egg.
"Ow..." Tracey said, lying on the floor where his friends had run over him.
"Are you okay?" Misty asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah... just fantastic," he said. Well, he was, now that Misty was looking at him like that, staring at him with her deep Vaporeon-blue eyes...
"Don't you want to see this egg?" Misty asked, offering her hand to pull Tracey up off the ground.
"Oh... yeah... of course..."
Walking towards the main lab, Tracey noticed he and Misty were almost brushing shoulders. He didn't dare stand any closer though; she might realise what he was doing.
"What's that?" Misty asked, nearly tripping over a wheelbarrow parked in the hall.
"Oh, nothing," Tracey said hurriedly.
"You have to be careful with the egg," Oak was saying. "You can't break it or anything."
"Pika," Pikachu said curiously.
"So what type of Pokémon is it?" Ash asked.
Oak stared at the smallish baby-blue egg on the table in front of him. "I'm not entirely sure..."
"Could it be a whole new specie of Pokémon?" Tracey asked excitedly, forgetting to try and stay cool in front of Misty.
"Could well be," Oak said. "We'll just have to wait and see."
"So where did you find it?" Misty asked.
"Professor Elm found it in New Bark Town, and thought maybe I could have a look at it, so he transported it to me," Oak explained.
"It's pretty," Misty commented. "It's such a beautiful blue, and it sort of sparkles."
Tracey looked again. It did seem to sparkle. "Could it be a... shiny Pokémon, professor?"
Oak shrugged. "I think it could be, but I don't want to get too excited yet."
"What's a shiny Pokémon?" Ash asked, looking confused.
"Some Pokémon are different colours to the rest of their kind, and they sparkle a little, a bit like this egg, and have higher stats, generally, than an ordinary one. Though of course I've only ever seen a shiny Nidoran, and a Caterpie."
"They sound rare," Ash said thoughtfully. At least, as thoughtfully as Ash could. "I gotta catch one!"
"Actually Ash," Oak said cautiously, "When this hatches it'll need a trainer. Would you--"
"I'd love to look after it!" Ash cried.
Suddenly, the egg began to wobble slightly.
"What--?" Ash asked loudly, before Oak shushed him.
"It's hatching," Tracey murmured, and Misty nodded in agreement.
"HIII!" Ash yelled excitedly.
"What is up with him?" Tracey asked Misty, nodding towards Ash.
"Excited to be home, I think. Is that a new jacket?"
"Sort of," Tracey said sheepishly and hung it up on a coat hook quickly. "Hey guys," he said, changing the subject, "Professor Oak said he'd got hold of a Pokémon egg."
"A Pokémon egg?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, he hasn't shown it to me yet though."
"Is it Ash?" Professor Oak called from inside his lab.
"Yeah, it's me!" Ash yelled.
"Ash, will you quit yelling? You're giving me a headache," Misty said pointedly.
"Chill out, you two," Brock said tiredly.
"Well, come on in then," the professor called. "Don't you want to see this egg?"
Ash and Brock stampeded like a herd of Tauros towards the egg.
"Ow..." Tracey said, lying on the floor where his friends had run over him.
"Are you okay?" Misty asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah... just fantastic," he said. Well, he was, now that Misty was looking at him like that, staring at him with her deep Vaporeon-blue eyes...
"Don't you want to see this egg?" Misty asked, offering her hand to pull Tracey up off the ground.
"Oh... yeah... of course..."
Walking towards the main lab, Tracey noticed he and Misty were almost brushing shoulders. He didn't dare stand any closer though; she might realise what he was doing.
"What's that?" Misty asked, nearly tripping over a wheelbarrow parked in the hall.
"Oh, nothing," Tracey said hurriedly.
"You have to be careful with the egg," Oak was saying. "You can't break it or anything."
"Pika," Pikachu said curiously.
"So what type of Pokémon is it?" Ash asked.
Oak stared at the smallish baby-blue egg on the table in front of him. "I'm not entirely sure..."
"Could it be a whole new specie of Pokémon?" Tracey asked excitedly, forgetting to try and stay cool in front of Misty.
"Could well be," Oak said. "We'll just have to wait and see."
"So where did you find it?" Misty asked.
"Professor Elm found it in New Bark Town, and thought maybe I could have a look at it, so he transported it to me," Oak explained.
"It's pretty," Misty commented. "It's such a beautiful blue, and it sort of sparkles."
Tracey looked again. It did seem to sparkle. "Could it be a... shiny Pokémon, professor?"
Oak shrugged. "I think it could be, but I don't want to get too excited yet."
"What's a shiny Pokémon?" Ash asked, looking confused.
"Some Pokémon are different colours to the rest of their kind, and they sparkle a little, a bit like this egg, and have higher stats, generally, than an ordinary one. Though of course I've only ever seen a shiny Nidoran, and a Caterpie."
"They sound rare," Ash said thoughtfully. At least, as thoughtfully as Ash could. "I gotta catch one!"
"Actually Ash," Oak said cautiously, "When this hatches it'll need a trainer. Would you--"
"I'd love to look after it!" Ash cried.
Suddenly, the egg began to wobble slightly.
"What--?" Ash asked loudly, before Oak shushed him.
"It's hatching," Tracey murmured, and Misty nodded in agreement.