Unaware that he'd just jinxed himself, Su Feng pressed onward toward the summit.
The mountain, though massive, wasn't overly steep. Even with half a meter of snow forcing high steps, his trekking poles made the climb manageable.
Twenty minutes in, the slope grew sharper. Along the way, he spotted several snowflake-like Pokémon marching in formation before vanishing at a higher elevation.
[Whoa, those are the "snowflake" Pokémon I saw earlier!]
[They're real?! I thought you were trolling!]
[Are they snow or Pokémon? Or both?]
[Probably just ice-type Pokémon shaped like snowflakes.]
[Snow is frozen water—how can it become a Pokémon?]
"Actually, Cryogonal are made of water," Su Feng explained.
"Cryogonal, the Crystallizing Pokémon. Pure Ice-type."
"Their bodies are geometric ice formations with glowing eyes and 'mouths' formed by frozen chains. They're born in snow clouds and only appear in frigid regions."
"In heat, they evaporate into vapor, only to reform when temperatures drop. In battle, they unleash -100°C blizzards or refract sunlight into laser-like beams—hence the 'geo' in their name."
[Great, even Pokémon understand geometry better than me.]
[Living ice crystals? How does that work?]
[Newbies smh. Carbink are literal diamonds. This is tame.]
[At this point, a Pokémon made of pure uranium wouldn't surprise me.]
[But where'd they go? Poofed into thin air?]
Su Feng frowned. "Good question."
Just then, a straggler Cryogonal hurried past, disappearing at the same spot as the others.
Hidden cave? Secret passage?
Tracking their path, Su Feng reached a fissure in the mountainside. Aside from a gnarled dead tree, there was no sign of the Cryogonal.
Did they jump down?
Peering over the edge revealed only darkness. But a narrow, winding path along the cliffside hinted at a way down.
Now, two choices:
Descend into the fissure to follow the Cryogonal.
Ascend to confirm his theory about the blizzard's origin.
Su Feng grinned. Why pick? He'd summit first, then explore the fissure on his return.
As he marked the dead tree as a landmark, he noticed its hollow trunk—and something inside.
Brushing aside weeds, he gasped.
"An Egg!?"
The small, white Egg bore delicate blue patterns.
"Who abandons an Egg in a tree!?" Su Feng yelled into the wind. No response came.
Placing a hand on it, he felt a chill. The system's scan confirmed:
[Pokémon Egg - Status: Alive - Species: Unknown]
[That's huge! Ostrich Egg?]
[On a mountain? Try 'frost-resistant bird.']
[Name one bird that lays patterned eggs. Dinosaurs?]
[With Pokémon around, dinosaurs wouldn't shock me.]
"It's a Pokémon Egg," Su Feng corrected. "Nearly all Pokémon hatch from Eggs—ghosts being rare exceptions."
He glanced at Haunter, who grinned, unbothered.
"Even mammal-like Pokémon lay Eggs. Breeding follows rules:
Weak species reproduce faster (e.g., Rattata: multiple clutches yearly).
Strong species have longer gestation (e.g., Dragon-types: years per Egg).
Traits like moves or stats can be inherited.
Cross-species breeding is possible within Egg Groups (e.g., wolves and dogs). The offspring matches the mother's species."