I am not sorry for the title of this chapter.

"Hey!"

Ash, Clay, and Cyrus turned to see a man dressed in an archeologist's uniform running up behind them. "Oh, thank goodness," said Ash. "We thought you were Team Rocket."

"Who told you that?" the man yelled. "Uh…I mean, why would you ever think that?"

Ash shrugged. "I dunno. Anyway, what's up?"

"We…uh…never really thanked you for chasing off all those fossils," said the archeologist. "We might've all been stampeded if you hadn't been there. Several hours ago, we found this egg underground." He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a glass case containing a white egg with strange red and blue patterns dotted across it. "The archeologists - including me, because why wouldn't I be one of them - agreed that you should have it, as a reward for your actions."

"Oh, thanks!" Ash took the egg with a grin on his face. "We'll take good care of it!"

"I hope you do," said the archeologist. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better get back to the Game Corn…uh, I mean, the archeological dig! To do more archeologicing!" He turned and ran off.

"What a weird guy," said Ash. "Didn't seem suspicious in any way, though. Hey, Clay, Cyrus, do either of you know how to take care of a Pokemon egg?"

Clay and Cyrus looked at one another, and collectively decided to just go along with it.

"Yes, boss," said the archeologist. "They bought it. They're heading off with the egg now."

"Good work," came the voice of his boss through the radio he was holding. "You've done Team Rocket proud. Now, you did give them the fake egg with the tracking device in it, correct? Not the real egg?"

"Indeed I did, boss!" said the man (who was clearly not actually an archeologist). "As if I would ever allow such a rare Pokemon to fall into the hands of someone outside Team Rocket! Hang on, why's this tracking device-synced radar tracking my backpack?"

A long-suffering sigh came from the other end of the radio. "I should really learn to save my praise for after I am certain the mission is complete."

As it turned out, while Cyrus and Clay knew the basics of how to take care of a Pokemon egg - namely that it needed warmth, stability, and above all time - neither of them had actually hatched an egg themselves before, and so the trio quickly headed to the nearest Pokemon Center. Not to get Nurse Tabitha's help - they didn't want to intimidate the egg, after all - but to exchange a few of Ash's Pokemon with others back at the ranch while Ash himself placed a call to Professor Archie.

"Ahoy there, Ash!" the Professor exclaimed as soon as he picked up. "I heard ye be having a run-in with Miette the other day! She told me you're 2 and 0 against her now - guess you got yourself a hearty crew, Ash, even if they all be filthy landlubbers!"

"Yeah," said Ash. "They're great! Anyway, we found an egg. What should we do with it?"

"Yarr, ye eat it hard-boiled!" Professor Archie replied. "Or scrambled, if ye be preferring it that way."

"I mean a Pokemon egg," said Ash.

"Oh."

Fortunately, Professor Archie turned out to be a great help once he'd gotten past the initial confusion. He told Ash that he was doing everything right, though he recommended it be transferred to a softer container. He also noted that it seemed close to hatching, but sadly he couldn't identify it. "It doesn't seem to be a Water-type," was all he could ascertain.

"So how are Noctowl and her flock doing?" Ash asked as the call wound down. "I know she prefers to stay at the ranch with them, so I haven't really been able to check in on her like I have with my other Pokemon."

"Oh, they be fine," said Professor Archie. "They be getting into territorial disputes with the Zygarde - which is a sentence I not be expecting myself to ever say - but your other Pokemon be breaking things up if it gets too rowdy. By the way, you just transferred your Kricketune back here, right? I think I be seeing him walk into the forest."

"Yeah," said Ash. "Why?"

"He be a good storyteller," Archie told him, "from what I can tell. The Hoothoot be much less rowdy whenever he's around."

"Huh," Ash murmured. "Good to know. Maybe I'll keep Kricketune at the ranch for a little longer this time around, in that case."

"So there I was," said Kricketune, "wounded, tired, and facing down a Blastoise several times as big as me. And he starts firing Ice Beams at me, and I'm jumping around trying to dodge, but then one of them catches me in the leg and I go down. Hard."

A loud gasp came from the listening Hoothoot.

"And Miette calls out an order, and suddenly there's this giant wave of ice coming down upon me," Kricketune continued. "I'm thinking this is it, when suddenly Ash calls out. Tells me to use Bide, because he knows I can take it. And, let me tell you, when a Trainer says that…you don't let him down."

The Hoothoot leaned closer as Kricketune's story reached its conclusion. "So I use Bide, and that wave of ice slams into me like a truck, but I'm not done yet. I swear that Blastoise looked like it had seen its worst nightmare when I burst through that wave glowing with the energy of Bide. And he charges straight at me, and I know instantly that he's gonna hit and take me out, but not fast enough to prevent me from getting my Bide off, so I look him straight in the eye and I say…"

The Hoothoot waited with bated breath.

Kricketune grinned. "'Better. Luck. Next time.' And then I release it, and just as that Blastoise hits me I blow him to kingdom come!"

A chorus of loud cheers erupted from the Hoothoot flock, every one of them jumping up and down in joy. "That was awesome!" "Two Pokemon!" "And that line at the end - so cool!"

"I wanna be a Trainer's Pokemon someday!" one of the Hoothoot cried.

"No, I do!" "No, I would like to." Two others joined him, all three chirping louder and louder to try and make themselves overheard.

"Children!" Noctowl hooted over all three. "I know Kricketune's stories are fun, but he has things to do aside from telling them. It's about lunchtime, so why don't you go eat?"

"Yes, mom." "Sorry, mom." "My sincere apologies, mother." The Hoothoot stepped after their fellow flock-members.

Noctowl smiled. "They really grow up so fast, don't they?"

Kricketune nodded. "You know, I've been…meaning to ask you something."

"Go ahead," said Noctowl, spreading her wings.

"I almost hate to ask this," Kricketune murmured, "but are you really the mother of all these Hoothoot? Because it seems like-"

"No."

"Oh, thank Arceus," Kricketune uttered, then saw the look on Noctowl's face. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It is an understandable question," Noctowl admitted. "The truth is, the flock used to have several Noctowl, all of whom were in charge of their own smaller group of Hoothoot. But then, one by one, all of them were caught by Trainers. Trainers who wanted a fully grown Noctowl without having to take the time to raise a Hoothoot instead. And eventually, I was the last one left. That was when I started moving from place to place - I knew that if I was taken…"

"I'm starting to realize why you don't want to battle for Ash," Kricketune remarked.

Noctowl chuckled softly. "I have said it before," she said, "and I will say it again: even though Ash is easily the nicest Trainer I have ever met, battling for a Trainer - even him - is just not in the cards for me. But, as you no doubt noticed, three of my Hoothoot desire otherwise. The rest either share a similar outlook to myself or are too intimidated by the violence, but those three will not rest until they're allowed a spot on Ash's team."

"I'm sure Ash wouldn't mind that," said Kricketune.

Noctowl frowned. "Are you certain he'd want all three?"

"He's currently cycling through thirty Zygarde and doing a decent job of it," Kricketune pointed out.

"Yes, but those are Zygarde," Noctowl protested.

"I really don't think Ash cares about things like that," Kricetune said with a chuckle. "If he did, he'd be using nothing but his Legendaries. Speaking of which…have I told you about his first attempt at the Vermillion City Gym Battle?"

"No," said Noctowl. "I'm sure there's quite an interesting story behind that."

"I could make a good story out of both battles." Kricketune smiled. "Perhaps after dinner tonight? If it's not too much trouble for you, that is."

Noctowl erupting in full-blown laughter was all the answer Kricketune needed.

The egg had been secured in a more comfortable container, the group had rented a small hotel room to wait for it to hatch, and now all three were having the discussion all of them had known would have to eventually happen and yet none of them had been looking forward to in the slightest.

"So who is going to get the egg?" Cyrus asked.

"Ash," Clay answered. "The archeologist did give it to him, after all."

Ash shook his head. "Nah, I don't want it."

"Really?" Both Clay and Cyrus looked at him in shock.

"To be honest," said Ash, "I've got a lot of Pokemon. So many, in fact, that after the Indigo League, I'm thinking of dropping them all at Professor Archie's ranch and starting over with some new ones. Minus Hisui, of course - and maybe I'll bring a few with me to the next region, just in case I run into Team Rocket again."

"That sounds like an interesting idea," Cyrus murmured. "So you are planning to go to another region after the Indigo League, then?"

"Yeah!" Ash grinned. "Not sure what, though."

"Anyway," said Clay, "back to the topic at hand…if Ash doesn't want this egg, then who gets it?"

"You have three to my five," Cyrus pointed out.

"And I got a new Pokemon more recently than you," said Clay.

"You regained your old one, that does not count."

"It does so!"

"You know," said Ash, "I kinda figured we'd be fighting over who gets the egg, not over who doesn't get the egg."

"Yeah, it is kinda weird," Clay admitted. "You know what, Cyrus? Fine. I'll take the egg, if it makes you happy."

"Indubitably so," said Cyrus. "See, that was not so hard, was it?"

"Yeah, yeah, shut it."

That evening, Kricketune regaled the Hoothoot flock with his tale of Ash's two attempts at the Vermillion Gym. The flock went from laughing uproariously at Kricketune's description of Genesect curb-stomping its way through Spenser's team, to listening attentively as Kricketune explained the rationale behind Ash returning for a second attempt, to cheering just as uproariously as Kricketune launched into a retelling of his final clash with Spenser's Shiftry. Kricketune loved telling these stories, though he had to admit that he was beginning to run out. Oh, well, he thought. I'll just have to have more adventures with Ash, and tell them about those.

As the flock (reluctantly) dispersed, Noctowl flapped down to a spot beside Kricketune, accompanied by three Hoothoot that Kricketune at once realized were the ones that wanted to join Ash's team. "Hello, Kricketune," said Noctowl. "This is Hooty, this is Hoppy, and this is Strigidae Nocturnus. Say hi, you three!"

"Hi, Kricketune!" exclaimed two of the Hoothoot. The third remained silent.

"…right," said the somewhat nonplussed Kricketune. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We want you to teach us how to fight!" cried Hooty.

"Yeah!" Hoppy was quick to back up her sibling. "Teach us! Teach us!"

"I believe my siblings and I could greatly benefit from your instruction," stated Strigidae Nocturnus.

"I don't see why not," said Kricketune. "Can I call you S.N?"

Strigidae Nocturnus glared down his beak at Kricketune. "My name is Strigidae Nocturnus."

"Understood," said Kricketune hastily; he didn't really know why, but that particular Hoothoot made him slightly nervous. "Right. First lesson - attack me, all of you. Let's see how sharp your skills - OW!"

Hoppy had already lunged forwards and Pecked him in the leg. Kricketune swiftly lashed out with a Fury Cutter - a light one, of course, he didn't want to hurt these Hoothoot too badly - to knock Hoppy away. Hooty lunged in from the other side with a Peck of his own, while Strigidae Nocturnus held back, a low growl emanating from his throat.

Of course they know Growl, Kricketune thought as he felt his strength inexplicably decrease. Why wouldn't they know Growl?

But these Hoothoot weren't really a challenge, not to a Pokemon who had fought and won in multiple Gym Battles. Kricketune sidestepped Hooty's Peck and swatted him away, then flung a Bullet Seed outwards at Strigidae Nocturnus. The strangely-named Hoothoot tried to dodge, hop-fluttering away from the barrage, but he was too slow; a seed caught him in the side and sent him tumbling to the dirt.

"Hi-yah!" Hoppy leaped back into the fray, her beak glistening with another Peck. Kricketune twisted to face her and used Sing; a gentle melody cascaded out of his stomach, and Hoppy dropped mid-charge, falling to the ground sound asleep.

"I wish I could do that every night…" Noctowl murmured, half to herself.

As Kricketune turned to face the rising Hooty, he heard another growl from behind him and felt his strength decreasing further still. Grimacing, Kricketune lunged for Hooty; the Hoothoot, surprisingly, froze, the energy coursing across his beak dissipating for a moment as his eyes went wide. Even in this practice battle, Kricketune did not hesitate to take advantage of this misstep; he grabbed Hooty around the middle, twisted, and threw him at Strigidae Nocturnus. Hooty let out a squawk of panic as the two Hoothoot collided.

"I think that's enough," said Kricketune, with a glance at Noctowl, as the pair of Hoothoot rolled across the ground in a ball of furled wings and talons.

Noctowl nodded in agreement.

"So, let's start with the good," said Kricketune, once Hoppy had woken up and Hooty had disentangled himself from Strigidae Nocturnus. "You've got decent instincts, and you did excellently in choosing your roles and sticking to them. If I had been on your level of battling, I would have been easily overwhelmed."

"But you aren't," Hooty murmured.

"That is correct," Kricketune replied. "I will not mince words - in terms of strength I am far superior to all of you. And when you are journeying with Ash, you will encounter other beings of superior strength to yourselves. In that situation, you should make full use of the fact that there are three of you. If you had come at me all at once, I would have had more difficulty warding you all off. Instead, while your strategy was sound, in the end it boiled down to Hooty and Hoppy coming at me at different times while…uh…the other one-"

"My name is Strigidae Nocturnus."

"Yes, you - hung back and spammed Growl. Thus, it was fairly easy for me to defeat all of you in turn."

"So," said Hoppy, "we should've just all attacked you at the same time instead of using strategy?"

"Indeed," Kricketune responded. "Obviously, that is not applicable to every battle. But the level you are at is currently far below every other Pokemon on Ash's team. So, for now, sheer numbers are your friend. Now that we have gauged your strength and skill level, let us start practicing on inanimate objects. Pretend that tree over there is an enemy, and attack it all at once."

Hoppy and Hooty immediately lunged for the tree, shrieking in glee as they buried their beaks in the trunk and started ripping out pieces of bark. Strigidae Nocturnus, though, still hung back.

"What are you doing?" Kricketune asked.

Strigidae Nocturnus turned to face Kricketune. "I do not prefer to dirty my beak with the blood of my enemies," he said. "My preference is to play a supporting role in battle. After all, one cannot lose a fight if one does not get hit, and it is easier to avoid getting hit if you do not rush into melee."

"That is true," Kricketune admitted. "Hmm…I've heard Hoothoot can learn Echoed Voice. Maybe the two of us could work on that, and give you a ranged attack that can actually deal damage?"

Strigidae Nocturnus smiled (rather chillingly, if Kricketune did say so himself). "I believe that would be a reasonable pursuit."

"I do believe the egg is hatching."

Cyrus's pronouncement instantly brought both Ash running. Clay and Cyrus were sitting around the egg, the former holding it in his lap while the latter stayed respectfully some distance away; their teams had already been released to watch, for a live birth was, while not a once-in-a-lifetime moment, still always exciting to see.

Ash promptly made the mistake of releasing his entire team as well.

See, after hearing Professor Archie mention the fact that the Hoothoot flock and the Zygarde pack were disputing over territory, he'd decided to try taking all three of his Zygarde with him for now in order to give the Hoothoot flock and Noctowl some peace. Unfortunately, while the hotel room ceiling was tall enough that a human could comfortably stand in the room without hitting their head, the massive Zygarde were not so lucky.

CRASH.

"Oops," said Ash as several angry yells came from the room above.

Hisuian Arcanine glanced over at Pyroar and Kubfu. "Can we all agree to deal with that later?"

Pyroar nodded hastily, as did Kubfu, and all three turned back towards Clay and Cyrus as the egg began to hatch in force.

Cracks ripped open the shell from top to bottom as blue light shot out of the newly-formed gaps. A loud shattering noise filled the room - one that did not come from the ceiling this time - as the egg burst apart entirely. A small form rose inside the container, merely a dark shadow silhouetted within the blaze of blinding light. Gradually, the light faded, revealing a tiny pale yellow Pokemon that looked as if it was wearing half the eggshell. A spiked head, two stubby arms, and two just-as-stubby legs poked out of various holes in the shell, and a wide grin adorned its face as it surveyed the scene around it.

A Togepi, Hisuian Arcanine recognized immediately.

Clay leaned in close. "Hey there, pardner. The name's Clay - I'm gonna be your Trainer. That alright with you?"

The newly hatched Togepi looked up at Clay and beamed. "Mama!"

If Clay had any questions about why half of Ash's team had simultaneously erupted into peals of laughter, they would have to wait, because at that moment the hotel manager burst into the room. "Excuse me, but we're receiving a lot of complaints from the second floor. Might I inquire as to why-" He noticed the three Zygarde standing in the middle of the room with their heads and shoulders poking through the ceiling. "Ah, yes, that would do it."

"Ash, Clay," Cyrus declared, "I do believe it would be prudent to vacate the premises before we are set upon by an angry mob."

"Yeah, and we should also pay for damages," said Clay, pulling out his wallet. "Manager, could you tell us how much repairin' the ceiling would cost? And make it speedy."

Meet the Hoothoot Trio! They won't be joining Ash's team immediately - think of them as a seed planted for a later region. Because, yes, in case you were wondering, this is going beyond Kanto.

Also, Clay gets Togepi. Their relationship will be...interesting. And Ash learns why Zygarde are generally best kept outdoors.