As the boy cradled Mareep in his arms, Mareep sensed Ash's presence and slowly grew attached to him. Ash was wiping Mareep clean with a cloth. Looking at Mareep, who had fallen asleep after using all his strength to hatch, he asked Nurse Joy, "Nurse Joy, could you check whether there's anything wrong with Mareep?"
Nurse Joy smiled. "Of course."
While waiting at the Pokémon Center, Ash wanted to tell his parents that Mareep had hatched safely. But just as he approached the phones, his Pokédex rang, notifying him that his parcel had arrived. He decided to collect it first and then tell his parents everything at once, so he headed toward the parcel center instead.
As he approached, however, he saw a Delibird hopping around in a panic, while a staff member beside him watched helplessly. Ash activated his Aura to see whether he could sense Delibird's feelings, only to hear Delibird say, "The parcel is missing!"
Ash instinctively repeated those words. Delibird's eyes seemed to light up, and he immediately rushed over to Ash, hopping and pointing at him. The parcel center employee came over to pull Delibird away and apologize to Ash. "I'm sor-" But Ash quickly interrupted him. "Delibird says a parcel is missing."
"What?!"
The employee immediately pulled Ash and Delibird over to the counter and showed Delibird the list. "Delibird, do you know which parcel it was?"
Delibird glanced at the parcel list and immediately pointed to the third entry from the bottom, labeled "Poké Ball." The employee collapsed onto the floor in panic. "What am I going to do? That was the most important Poké Ball in this shipment! Apparently, the higher-ups commissioned the Steel Master in Azalea Town to make it. I'm done for."
Just then, Nurse Joy emerged from the examination