Smell ya later

“Hey!” Fire huffed in disapproval as he fidgeted with the egg until he had it secure enough in one arm to have a free hand, and righted his cap again, shooting Green an offended glare. He was unable to suppress a smile though, which ruined the look somewhat, but it didn’t bother him too much.

“Alright then, let’s go. It’ll be just like old times!” He nodded towards the door.

“Now?” Fire asked, though it was more of an offer than a question. He hugged the egg close to his chest and smiled at Green. “Know a good place to go? I haven’t been back here in a while, so I don’t know if anything’s changed.”

Fire shook his head at Green’s joke, laughing. “Aww, that’s too bad, I was just thinking I need a new hobby!” He grinned. "And a backpack sounds like a great idea, though I'll have to buy a new one since I need this one here for my things already. I could use the occasion to buy other supplies I’ll need too…“

"Hey Green, do you want to come with me if you’re not too busy? You can make sure I don’t forget anything.”

He jokingly punched Fire’s shoulder, a smirk on his face. “It’s always good to have a backup anyways.” He said with a shrug. 

“Thank you,” Fire said, sincerity in his voice as he took back the egg. He tapped his fingers against the surface much like he’d seen Green do earlier, and indeed, he could feel the pokémon inside move in response, knocking against the shell from the other side almost as though it was returning his greeting.

He drummed a short rythm on the egg’s shell and then waited as the Pokémon inside responded in kind. He couldn’t contain a laugh at that. “Hey Green, I think we might have a smart one here.”

A hand was rested on Fire’s shoulder, Green’s emerald gaze boring into Fire’s own; determination filling the Gym leader’s eyes. A gentle squeeze from Green as a crooked smile seeped its way onto his face. “No problem, now remember, now would be a good time not to take up gardening.: He said it in a joking manner.

“Are you feeling something?” Fire asked, grin widening the slightest bit. “There’ve sometimes been noises coming from inside lately, so I’m thinking it might hatch soon.” He snapped the journal closed, satisfied with the information he’d gotten. It wasn’t much but it was important. Anything else could be researched along the way.

The book disappeared back where it came from and Fire turned his attention back to the egg still in Green’s hands. He reached out and brushed his fingers against the shell and, in a rare moment of openness, said “Do you think this’ll work out?”

“I should be able to do that,” Fire said, flipping open the notebook and starting to write down some notes. “I’ve never raised a pokémon from an egg before. I hope the little one will get along well with the rest of the team.”

“Oh, if Larvitar usually live underground, should I keep them out of bright light? At least until they’re a bit older?” He looked up at Green holding the egg and grinned. “You know, you look good with that.”