For the past several days, Sunny had devoted almost all of his attention to the Pokémon Egg.
Even when his Pokémon friends came to invite him out to play, he rarely joined them anymore.
Having absolutely no experience caring for an Egg, he sought advice from several older Pokémon mothers in the forest.
Their answer was surprisingly simple.
There was no need to be overly anxious.
As long as the Egg was kept at a suitable temperature, everything would be fine.
Baby Pokémon were not nearly as fragile as ordinary animals.
They would not easily fall ill, nor would they die from a little hardship.
Sunny understood that Pokémon generally possessed exceptional vitality.
Even so, this was his Pokémon.
Of course he wanted to give it the very best care.
Determined to ensure that the Egg hatched safely, Sunny began figuring everything out on his own.
Every day he carried the Egg in his arms, trying to warm it with his own body temperature.
Spring had only just arrived, and the weather was still rather chilly.
He absolutely could not let the Egg catch a cold.
Besides, he firmly believed that the Pokémon inside could somehow sense what was happening outside the shell.
If that was true, then perhaps it would become even more affectionate toward him after hatching.
He even wrapped his scarf around the Egg.
Since it was the Egg of a Fire type Pokémon, it probably needed warmth even more than other Pokémon did.
Fortunately, Entei had previously brought back thick clothes for him.
Combined with the fact that winter had already passed and the weather was becoming milder, Sunny no longer needed the scarf himself.
Whenever the sun was shining, he would take the Egg outside to bask in the sunlight, allowing it to absorb as much warmth as possible.
He honestly could not remember where he had heard that sunlight was beneficial for creatures still inside their eggs, but it certainly sounded reasonable enough.
Watching the shell shimmer faintly beneath the sunlight, Sunny could not help wondering what Pokémon was growing inside.
He had already tried using the God’s Eye to inspect it.
Unfortunately, the ability refused to reveal the Pokémon’s identity.
Instead, it only displayed an estimated hatching time.
About two weeks remained.
That was fine too.
Not knowing what was inside only made the surprise that much greater.
The joy of finally seeing the hatchling would surely be doubled.
Actually, the possibilities were fairly limited.
There were not many Fire type Pokémon native to the Kalos region.
That made guessing much easier.
Fennekin?
Fletchling?
Litleo?
Those were the only three he could remember from Kalos.
At least, he was fairly certain they were.
Of course, it was also possible that it was a Fire type Pokémon originally from another region.
After all, many species existed across multiple regions rather than being exclusive to one.
Personally, he hoped it would be Litleo.
Its evolved form, Pyroar, was incredibly majestic.
It even resembled his father to a certain degree.
Maybe he simply liked lion shaped Pokémon.
Alright.
No point pretending otherwise.
He really did love giant lions.
Still, regardless of what Pokémon eventually hatched from the Egg, he would be thrilled.
After all…
This would be the very first Pokémon that had been with him since before it was even born.
Hidden nearby, Entei quietly watched Sunny smiling foolishly at the Egg while carefully protecting it.
His expression remained as indifferent as ever, though a trace of unmistakable affection lingered in his eyes.
No matter what Sunny was doing, Entei found it adorable.
His child always approached everything with complete sincerity.
That earnest, slightly clumsy innocence made him irresistibly lovable in the eyes of Pokémon.
As expected of his own child.
Entei himself was also looking forward to the birth of this Pokémon.
After all, it would become Sunny’s first Pokémon that truly belonged to him as a human Trainer.
Surely he would be overjoyed.
Wait.
That was not right.
Didn’t I count as his first Pokémon?
I’m clearly Sunny’s very first Pokémon.
He just hasn’t realized it yet.
Entei’s thoughts wandered in amusing directions.
Naturally, Sunny had no idea what his father was thinking.
He had already begun planning how he would care for and train the little Pokémon once it hatched and safely passed through its most vulnerable stage.
While the Egg was enjoying the sunlight one afternoon, an unfamiliar Spearow suddenly flew over.
It landed directly on top of the Egg.
Tilting its head, it pecked lightly at the shell beneath its claws.
After a moment, it seemed disappointed.
Shaking its head, it spread its wings and flew away without another sound.
Sunny had no idea what the Spearow had been trying to do.
At first, he thought it intended to attack the Egg.
He had already been preparing to chase it away.
Yet, instead of harming the Egg, the Spearow simply left.
Judging from its disappointed expression, it almost looked as though it had been searching for something.
Could it have lost an Egg of its own?
That did not make much sense.
First of all, it was only a Spearow, not its evolved form Fearow.
Secondly, this was clearly the Egg of a Fire type Pokémon.
There was no way it belonged to the Spearow’s flock.
Perhaps there was some other reason entirely.
Still…
It was merely a brief encounter with a passing Pokémon.
There was no point overthinking it.
If they happened to meet again someday, he could always ask whether it needed help.
For now, his full attention belonged to the Egg.
Looking at it, Sunny suddenly felt like singing.
Perhaps a gentle song would have a positive effect on the unborn Pokémon.
Maybe it would allow the little one inside to feel warmth…
To feel love.
He was still a child.
Surely his singing could not sound that terrible.
Children naturally had pleasant voices.
After clearing his throat, he recalled a few nursery rhymes from his previous life before beginning to sing.
“Little Rattata climbed the lighthouse, Stole some oil, But couldn’t climb back down…”
“Two Incineroars, Two Incineroars, Running fast, Running fast…”
“Beneath the bridge outside the village, A whole group of Psyduck…”
…
Please forgive him.
Those were about the only children’s songs he could still remember.
At his current age, singing anything else would feel strangely awkward.
Nearby, Entei listened with obvious enjoyment.
He had never expected Sunny to suddenly start singing.
To his surprise…
It sounded wonderful.
The voice was youthful, pure, and refreshing.
Far more pleasant than the noisy chirping of birds filling the forest every day.
Hearing Entei make a sound nearby, Sunny instinctively turned around.
Only then did he realize that Entei had been standing there the entire time…
Listening.
His face instantly turned bright red.
He genuinely had not expected his father to be nearby.
This was far too embarrassing.
Back in his previous life, his singing had only been average at best.
He honestly had no idea whether he sang well now.
Originally, he had only wanted to secretly sing to the little Pokémon inside the Egg.
Instead…
Entei had heard every word.
This is so embarrassing.
Please let the ground split open so I can disappear into it…
Seeing the awkward expression on his child’s face, Entei immediately realized he had unintentionally embarrassed him.
This child really was far too shy.
Feeling a little guilty, Entei hurriedly ran away.
Even as he fled, he shouted behind him,
“Keep singing, Sunny! I didn’t hear anything! Nothing at all!”
Sunny fell completely silent.
…
That somehow made it even more embarrassing.
I’m never singing again.
No matter what happens, I’m absolutely never singing again!
Sunny pouted angrily as he made that solemn vow.
Life continued peacefully.
After two weeks of careful care, the Pokémon Egg finally began to show signs of movement.
It looked as though it was finally about to hatch.
Another day passed.
As usual, Sunny came to check on the Egg.
The moment he looked at it, he discovered a tiny crack running across the shell.
His eyes immediately lit up with excitement.
He knew that very soon…
He would finally have a Pokémon of his own.
Entei quietly stood beside him, witnessing the birth of another life.
For every Pokémon, hatching from its Egg was one of the most meaningful moments of its entire existence.
The crack slowly widened.
Soft cracking noises echoed through the air.
The little Pokémon inside was struggling to break free from its shell.
Finally…
The Egg could no longer hold together.
With a crisp snap, the shell completely shattered.
A small dark brown head poked out.
Its face, ears, paws, and the tuft of fur at the end of its tail were all a light tan color.
Its nose was bright red.
So was the flame shaped tuft of fur growing from the top of its head.
The fur at the tip of its tail curled into a shape resembling a pointed teardrop.
It really was…
A Litleo.
And judging from its appearance, it was perfectly healthy.
The newborn Litleo slowly opened its eyes.
The very first thing it saw was Sunny.
Its eyes immediately filled with curiosity…
And trust.
Unsteadily, it climbed out of the broken shell, stumbled across the ground, and clumsily crawled onto Sunny’s feet.
Looking up at him, it let out a series of tiny cries.
“Ahhh! Ahhh!”
It liked this person standing before it very much.
Warmth flooded Sunny’s heart.
He knew that from this very moment onward…
An inseparable bond had been formed between him and this little Litleo.
Meeting Pokémon…
Building connections with them…
There truly was no feeling more wonderful than this.
“Welcome, Litleo.”
“From now on, we’re family.”
Sunny carefully lifted the still slightly damp newborn into his arms and spoke happily.
Litleo seemed just as delighted.
It nodded enthusiastically without the slightest hesitation.
From this day forward…
Their family officially welcomed a brand new member.
(End of Chapter)