Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 263: New Life!

From past conversations with the others, Mark knew that Sato had "raised" a remarkably little Murkrow in the Forest of Shadows.

Through persistent questioning, he had eventually gotten Joseph to reveal the Murkrow's incredible experiences.

So at this moment, Mark naturally understood what Joseph needed from him.

But Mark was completely different from Sato and Joseph. Whether it was Dark Energy or Viridian Power, those two could naturally manifest their powers and use them directly.

His special ability, however, was something intangible: luck.

Mark glanced at Sato, silently standing guard over them, then looked at Joseph, whose lips were pale and body trembling. Finally, he lowered his gaze to the lifeless Pokémon Egg in his hands, yet one that somehow felt deeply connected to his fate.

At that moment, he wished he had taken things a bit more seriously, that he had studied his special ability more.

At the very least... at the very least, he wouldn't be dragging his friends down again, especially when standing before the partner destined for him...

He wouldn't be this powerless.

Mark closed his eyes, his heart consumed by a single thought.

Let the Egg live...

LIVE!

---

But ten minutes passed, and aside from Joseph's face turning even paler, nothing else changed.

Mark kept muttering to himself. Beneath his eyelids, his eyes rolled with anxiety, but still, it was useless.

He had closed his eyes to help him focus, but after all this time without results, impatience and restlessness crept in. He grew desperate, unsettled.

---

Another ten minutes passed. Joseph was nearing his limit, but the Pokémon Egg still showed no sign of change.

Outside the cave, the sound of rushing water pounded like a death knell, relentlessly hammering Mark's sensitive heart.

Anxiety, panic, hesitation, fea... these emotions gradually twisted into regret, madness, and despair.

Mark murmured in desperation, "Live... live... live..."

Tears flowed from the corners of his eyes. As time slipped by, Mark felt as though the small life inside the Egg was slipping away from him forever.

"No... please, no..."

Boom!

A loud noise rang out.

With his eyes still shut, Mark suddenly felt as if he could no longer hear or see anything. It was as if he had fallen into a deep abyss. His body gone, leaving only his consciousness behind.

"Do you hate it?"

A voice suddenly echoed, startling Mark.

"Hate what? Who are you? Where am I? What do you want?!"

"Do you hate it? Hate the kind of luck that can never be used for yourself?"

The voice continued, as if talking to itself.

"I... hate what? This is an ability others envy!" Mark shouted, as if raising his voice could ward off the fear.

"Do you really not hate it? Luck that never benefits you, always making you face life-and-death situations just to earn each of your Pokémon?"

"I don't hate it. I already have Arbok, Lapras, and that Pokémon Egg... Right, the Egg hasn't been saved yet. Please, let me out! I have to go save my partner!"

Mark finally remembered what was most important. But now that he was just a disembodied consciousness, he could only beg.

"No, you DO HATE IT! You could've had so many partners without suffering... back then, Arbok survived only after losing half its body. But Hoothoot died... Teddiursa died too! Don't tell me those didn't matter to you!"

The voice grew furious, shouting accusations.

"No... I don't," Mark finally said, unable to refute. Hoothoot and Teddiursa were wounds in his heart that would never heal.

"See? You do hate it. You hate this cursed luck. You hate how it only brings you misfortune while always benefiting others."

"I... Yes. I hate it," Mark replied softly after a long silence.

"You should hate it. If you hate this power, I can help you strip it away. That way, you can escape this suffering and live like a normal Trainer, catching many Pokémon..."

"No. That's not what I hate," Mark cut the voice off.

"What I hate... is how I've always been so cowardly, so timid. I couldn't protect Hoothoot, I couldn't protect Teddiursa, and now... I can't even protect the little life inside this Pokémon Egg...

I HATE MY WEAKNESS!"

Bang!

The darkness shattered like a mirror. Mark once again heard the rushing of the water and felt his body return to him.

In that instant, Mark seemed to sense a strange, intangible power. Instinctively, he wanted to send that mysterious force into the Pokémon Egg.

And that power responded without resistance, flowing straight into the Egg in his hands.

Buzz!

The Egg began to tremble slightly, then emitted a dazzling flash of blue and white light.

This was... the light of hatching!

Moments later, the white glow faded. Mark looked down at his hands, and there he saw a teary-eyed, gentle little Togepi staring straight at him.

"Toge~"

Togepi affectionately raised its tiny arms toward Mark, as if asking for a hug.

"Togepi, I'm so happy to meet you!" Mark gently held Togepi in his arms, a single tear once again sliding down his cheek.

"Toge!" Togepi nestled peacefully into Mark's chest, let out a soft yawn, then curled up into a ball like an Egg and fell sound asleep.

Exhausted, Joseph was supported against the wall by Sato. When Mark looked at him with grateful eyes, he simply gave a faint smile.

Togepi had been saved... and that alone made everything worth it.

Steven watched the entire scene in silence.

Part of the reason was simply that he had no place to interject. But more than that, he was utterly stunned by what he had just witnessed.

Though he didn't quite understand what Mark had done in the end, based on their conversation, Steven guessed that all three of them might possess special abilities.

Meeting even one person with a special power was rare enough... but he had just met three at once.

What fascinated him even more was how these three came to know each other in the first place. Did they win the lottery?

Even someone as brilliant as Steven had to reevaluate Sato and his companions.

---

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So far, Steven had gained a fossil Pokémon, Armaldo. Mark had obtained his fated third partner.

Though the journey had its twists and turns, the results were undeniably worthwhile. Judging by what they had achieved so far, this expedition to the Seafloor Cavern was already a success.

Still, it was far from over. There were many unexplored areas remaining, and the Origin Ore Sato had been hoping to find had yet to appear.

Regardless, given Joseph's current condition, the group decided to return to the submarine to rest before continuing their exploration.