Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

Once the hatching animation finished, John eagerly opened the stats for his newly hatched Smeargle to see if its individual values (IVs) were worth keeping. If they weren't up to par, he'd consider re-hatching later.

[Smeargle (Normal-Type)]

[Level 1]

[Ability: Unstable Mood(At the end of each turn, one of Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, or Speed is randomly increased by 2 stages, while another stat is decreased by 1 stage.)]

[Individual values: HP (25), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (21), Special Defense (17), Speed (31)]

[Moves: Sketch]

[Held Item: None]

"Not bad," John thought, pleased with what he saw. Smeargle was certainly good enough to serve as a support Pokemon, and its ability—Unstable Mood—made it a bit unpredictable, but it could definitely have its uses.

John tossed out the Pokeball, and Smeargle appeared in the room with a cheerful "Wang woo~" It blinked up at him with innocent curiosity. Then, its eyes lit up with excitement. Before John could even speak, Smeargle dashed toward him, tail wagging madly as it leapt onto his shoulder. With a swift motion, it jumped off and landed on the nearby wall, its tail in hand as it began to draw a bold green streak across the surface.

One swipe.

A bright green slash cut through the otherwise pristine white wall.

It seemed like Smeargle had been struck by inspiration, absorbed in its artistic process. To John, it looked more like reckless scribbling than anything resembling art.

"Maybe I just don't get its genius," John muttered under his breath, pulling out a canvas and some white paint from his bag. He figured he might as well let Smeargle enjoy its creativity while he prepared to clean up the mess.

After a few more frantic strokes, Smeargle seemed satisfied with its work. John recalled it back into the Pokeball, grabbed his phone, and called Daisy.

"Hey, Daisy," John said when she answered. "The egg I got this morning hatched. It's a Smeargle."

"What? Already? Did you put it in a pot to cook or something?" Daisy's voice crackled with surprise.

"Wait...is it possible that warming it up speeds up the hatching process?" John wondered aloud.

"Of course not! Pokemon eggs don't work like that!" Daisy laughed.

John couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Well, just bring the Smeargle to the breeding center when you can."

After hanging up, John let Smeargle stretch its legs a little before recalling it and heading out. He grabbed his Mach Bike—another recent gift from the local bike shop—and took off. It wasn't quite the speed of sound, but it was faster than a normal bike, and it made for a fun ride.

At the breeding center, John saw a few upperclassmen from the breeding department hanging out outside. Daisy and another senior were waiting by the door when he arrived.

"Hey, over here!" Daisy called out, waving him in.

"We're excited to see the newly hatched Pokemon!" the senior added, smiling warmly.

John released Smeargle from its Pokeball, and the little artist immediately began scanning the room for a blank wall. Unfortunately for Smeargle, the walls were all bare. Instead, the senior and Daisy stepped forward to take a closer look at it.

"It's a Smeargle! You're lucky," the senior said, excited. "I've been looking for one to give to my sister. She's a painter, and I thought a Smeargle would be perfect, but no luck after weeks of searching the mountains."

"Smear Gle~" Smeargle whined a little, clearly indifferent to the attention. However, since John didn't mind, Smeargle reluctantly accepted some petting.

Daisy observed the Pokemon closely. "It's fresh, definitely just hatched. Soft skin, thin fur... I'd say this is a newly born Pokemon."

The senior nodded and added, "For a Pokemon this young, you should feed it Moo Milk for the first few days."

"Wait, didn't you say these eggs take about seven days to hatch?" John asked, trying to act puzzled. "How did this one hatch in just half a day?"

"There are always a few that hatch early," Daisy shrugged. "We can't control the timing. Maybe Smeargle just couldn't wait to see the world."

She seemed a little disappointed as she added, "I was hoping we could encourage the Pokemon to be more enthusiastic about hatching… oh well."

Turning to John, Daisy smiled. "Your Smeargle looks pretty standard, but I'll send you a Silk Scarf tomorrow. It'll help boost its power."

"Thanks, Daisy," John said with a grin. "I appreciate that. By the way, do you know what's next for the military training?"

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "The second stage? You're heading to Trial Island with the Battle Department."

John's face fell. "Wait, if I've already hatched a Pokemon, can I skip it and just stay in the dorm with my Smeargle?"

"Don't worry," Daisy reassured him, sensing his reluctance. "Even though you're with the Battle Department, it's not like a battle camp. You'll be gathering tree fruits for the breeding department. Think of it more like a field trip."

She continued, "Trial Island has tons of fruit. As long as you collect what's needed, you're set. Plus, there's a reward for the first person to collect everything: a Pokemon item."

"Is it a rare item?" John asked, intrigued.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "What do you think? It's not going to be some legendary item."

"Yeah, I figured," John sighed. "Well, I've got some other things to focus on anyway. Professor Scarlett gave me a new task, and I'm not worried about some random item."

"Good luck, then," Daisy said as John walked off.

After grabbing some lunch at the cafeteria, John headed back to the dorm. He plopped down in front of his tablet to watch a show but soon grew restless. Reaching for his Gameboy, he began hunting for more Shiny Pokemon to add to his collection.