By the time Wally climbed Mt.
Chimney, it was already noon of the following day.
Searching for a relatively flat path, he carried a thermometer and carefully surveyed the surrounding conditions.
Only after venturing deep into the area did the thermometer finally register a temperature that met Wally’s requirements.
Delighted, he made his way toward a massive red boulder nearby.
Although this was volcanic terrain, it was only on the outer slopes.
It could hardly be called hot.
If anything, the temperature was pleasantly warm.
Given a Pokémon’s remarkable adaptability, Swablu could probably hatch successfully even without such elaborate preparations.
Nevertheless, Wally still wanted to create the best possible environment for it.
Now that he had found a suitable location, it was time to make the necessary preparations.
Swablu’s Egg had already reached the verge of hatching.
It was only missing the final trigger.
Combined with the fact that the surrounding environment was extremely suitable, it probably wouldn’t be long before Swablu successfully broke out of its Egg.
During this period, Wally needed to scatter some homemade medicinal powder to prevent other Pokémon from intruding.
The smell of this powder was extremely unpleasant to the Pokémon in this area, and it had been one of Wally’s essential supplies whenever he ventured alone into Autumnleaf Forest.
Besides that, he had prepared several other useful little items.
He had even carefully prepared Swablu’s initial food.
After completing all the preparations, fatigue began to wash over Wally, making him feel sleepy.
Although he had rested along the way, the constant traveling and the concentration required to remain alert had continuously drained his mental energy.
He wanted to sleep again.
That was essentially what Wally was thinking at that moment.
But the Pokémon Egg had already reached the verge of hatching.
No matter how sleepy he was, Wally didn’t want to give up.
He wanted to witness Swablu’s birth with his own eyes.
For a Trainer—or a Breeder—this was an unavoidable responsibility.
If he missed the hatching of this Pokémon Egg, even the word regret would be insufficient to describe how he would feel.
But the drowsiness was difficult to resist.
Wally could only periodically take the water bottle from his backpack and gulp down some water, trying to keep his mind awake.
Ten minutes…
Thirty minutes…
Two hours…
The Pokémon Egg floated in the nutrient solution, its constant movements continuously drawing Wally’s attention.
Three hours…
Then, after an even longer period had passed, Wally reached for his water bottle for the fourth time.
This time, he accidentally choked himself.
“Cough, cough…”
Wally hurriedly pulled the bottle away and pounded his chest a few times.
Fortunately, the commotion cleared some of his sleepiness.
He wiped the water from the corner of his mouth.
But before he could recover, dazzling white light suddenly filled his vision.
“This is—”
Wally widened his eyes.
His brown eyes stared intently at the Pokémon Egg inside the container, and for the first time, the calm expression he had maintained for so long finally changed.
“Crack…”
As though stimulated by something, the cultivation container instantly split apart beneath the brilliant light.
Pale-blue nutrient solution spilled across the ground.
But Wally couldn’t care less about that now.
He reached out and lifted the Pokémon Egg from the fixture at the bottom of the container.
The dazzling light continued to fade as he did so.
Finally—
Crack, crack, crack!
Spiderweb-like fractures appeared across the white-and-blue shell of the Pokémon Egg.
Wally ignored his rapidly pounding heart and held his breath.
At that moment, all traces of sleepiness seemed to have vanished.
“Come on…”
He silently encouraged the tiny life inside.
Wally watched nervously as the little Pokémon struggled its way out of the shell.
A graceful sky-blue body emerged, along with soft, fluffy wings that resembled cotton.
Seeing the little Pokémon hatch safely, Wally finally let out a sigh of relief.
He had waited a full seven hours for Swablu to hatch.
He hadn’t expected this little one to be so patient.
Even after reaching the verge of hatching, it had “dragged its feet” for another seven hours.
It was evening once again.
The surroundings were peaceful and quiet.
Swablu gently flapped its wings in Wally’s palm, gazing at the unfamiliar world with bewilderment.
Then, after finally seeing Wally, its body gradually relaxed, and a sense of familiarity slowly emerged within it.
It let out a cheerful cry, seemingly wanting to get closer to Wally.
Wally even had the strange impression that Swablu wanted to climb onto his head, as though that was where it would be most comfortable.
After thinking about it for a moment, Wally gently placed Swablu on top of his head and slowly sat down.
For some reason, Swablu loves quietly climbing onto people’s heads and disguising itself as a hat.
Its wings are fluffy like cotton, and when it perches on someone’s head, it looks like a cotton ball.
Swablu has light, fluffy wings that resemble cotton.
It isn’t afraid of people.
When it lands on someone’s head, it looks just like a fluffy cotton hat.
Those facts about Swablu that Wally remembered surfaced in his mind.
He knew this was an innate habit of the species.
Feeling Swablu shifting around on top of his head, Wally found it somewhat awkward, but instinctively chose not to disturb the little Pokémon.
In fact, it only took a few minutes for the newly hatched Pokémon to become tired.
It quietly curled up on Wally’s head and fell asleep.
As for the food Wally had prepared, there was no need to feed Swablu just yet.
After spending so long immersed in the nutrient solution, Swablu had already absorbed more than enough nourishment.
Wally extended a finger and touched the nutrient solution remaining inside the broken container.
Based on his estimation, at least seventy percent of the nutrients had already been absorbed.
That was already an excellent figure.
The surrounding environment had probably contributed considerably to that result as well.
After all, how could the ingredients in the nutrient solution meticulously prepared by Professor Birch possibly be ordinary?
With such an excellent foundation, Swablu would probably experience explosive growth during its newborn stage.
Its strength might increase at an astonishing rate, and it could potentially grow considerably within just one month.
That was also why Professor Birch had been confident enough to make this bet.
Generally speaking, the beginner Pokémon given to new Trainers by the League in each region were also at this newborn stage.
Only a small number of Pokémon that had been delayed for some reason would have developed somewhat ahead of schedule.
Such Pokémon were often more difficult for ordinary rookie Trainers to handle, but their strength was usually somewhat greater as well.
The Pokémon distributed by the League initially possessed almost no foundation in terms of training.
At this stage, their growth had only just begun, making it the ideal time to test a Trainer’s ability to train and raise Pokémon.
A Pokémon’s increase in strength was often closely tied to its Trainer’s guidance.
The two were inseparable.
Wally looked forward to seeing how Swablu would grow.
But right now, he was exhausted.
His daily routine had always been fairly disciplined, but ever since leaving Fallarbor Town, one unexpected event after another had gone far beyond what Wally had originally prepared for.
Now that Swablu had slowly fallen asleep, Wally carefully cradled the little Pokémon and ducked into the tent.
Fortunately, the surrounding environment wasn’t particularly cold, so the two of them could get a peaceful night’s sleep.
Once this night passed, a completely new journey would await them.