Pokémon: Farm Story

Inside the incubator, a Pokémon egg with blue and red patterns shook violently, pulsing with rhythmic bursts of light resembling breaths.

At a glance, it almost looked like a bomb about to explode.

"Bunn!"

Spinning in a panic, Buneary calmed down the moment Natsume arrived, darting to him as if seeking reassurance, waving its little arms wildly.

"Relax, relax. It's fine," Natsume said soothingly.

He had a pretty good guess about the egg with the blue and red diamond-shaped patterns. After all, in the Pokémon world, not many Pokémon sported this coloration.

Could it be one of those jet fighters?

"Buneary, could you go downstairs and grab two bottles of Moomoo Milk for me? And bring the pokéblocks I packed in the pink pouch."

"And Minccino, please prepare a clean towel and a basin of warm water."

Even though he wasn't sure if he'd need all of it, Natsume preferred to be prepared. Caring for a newly hatched Pokémon was entirely different from reading about it online.

"Bun!"

"Mi!"

The two Pokémon dashed off towards the stairs to complete their tasks.

Behind Natsume, Persian padded into the room. It glanced at the soon-to-hatch egg, then at Corvisquire, who was crouching by the incubator like a fool, its face almost pressed against the glass.

"Meow~"

Letting out a soft sigh, Persian nudged Corvisquire out of the way, completely ignoring its squawks of protest. It also herded Furret and Sandshrew out of the room for good measure.

Before stepping out, Persian used its tail to gently nudge the door closed, leaving it open just a crack—wide enough for the Pokémon outside to peek in without disturbing Natsume.

Persian vaguely remembered reading somewhere that a newly hatched Pokémon often bonded with the first being it saw, considering them the closest presence in its life.

For this reason, most trainers chose to be alone in the room during such moments, even excluding their closest companions.

Where had Persian picked up that tidbit?

Ah, yes. It was back when a younger Natsume had been struggling with schoolwork and dragged Persian into his studies, explaining textbook material as if it were a captive student.

Peering through the crack in the door, Persian watched as Natsume calmly prepared everything. It couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia.

The mischievous little boy had grown up.

Granted, Natsume had always seemed mature for his age, but there was a certain unchanging essence about men.

High EQ phrasing: "A man's heart is forever youthful."

Low EQ phrasing: "Boys stay childish no matter how old they get."

"Bunn!"

Carrying milk and Pokéblocks, Buneary handed the supplies to Natsume before retreating to sit beside Persian, peeking into the room.

Minccino followed suit.

Many people underestimated the strength of smaller Pokémon, assuming their petite stature meant limited power.

In reality, even "small and cute" Pokémon like Buneary could knock the wind out of you with a single punch.

Inside the room, Natsume carefully lifted the egg out of the incubator and placed it into a small, prepared nest.

Unconsciously, sweat formed in his palms. The birth of new life always carried a sense of awe and profound emotion.

Finally, a crisp "crack" sounded.

The egg bathed in white light began to change.

When the glow faded, a small Pokémon still mostly encased in its eggshell appeared before Natsume.

It blinked its wide eyes in confusion, the hazy world around it gradually coming into focus.

In its emerging vision, one figure dominated the view.

"Tokii?"

Guided by instinct, the tiny Pokémon reached out with its arms.

Warm hands gently scooped it up.

"Hello, Togepi," Natsume greeted with a smile. "I'm Natsume. From now on, we're family."

Togepi, its tiny lips puckered, didn't quite understand the words. But the warmth of Natsume's presence and the comforting aura he exuded were enough to make it instinctively clutch his shirt.

"Toki-toki!"

Nestled in Natsume's arms, Togepi happily kicked its little feet, enjoying the milk Natsume fed it from a bottle.

The milk, warmed to just the right temperature, was mixed with crushed energy cubes specially made for young Pokémon, giving it a sweet flavor that Togepi adored.

Once its belly was full, Togepi was placed back in its nest.

Curious, its tiny eyes roamed around the vast and unfamiliar world. To the newborn, everything seemed enormous.

"Toki!"

Gripping the corner of its blanket, Togepi attempted to roll over, but after several tries, its tiny limbs couldn't muster enough strength to accomplish the task.

Squirtle could surely relate.

"Mi-mi!"

"Ri-ri!"

Outside the door, Natsume's Pokémon waited impatiently.

After Togepi's birth, Persian had closed the door even tighter, wary of the group's noisy antics scaring the newborn.

Persian understood this little one would be the farm's center of attention for the foreseeable future.

Although Natsume believed in treating all his partners equally, emotions weren't always so easily controlled. It was inevitable that his focus would shift to the newcomer for a while.

As the de facto second-in-command on the farm, Persian saw it as its responsibility to care for the new arrival and maintain harmony among the other Pokémon.

The last thing it wanted was petty squabbles over attention.

Glancing at the gathered Pokémon, Persian appeared as calm as ever, but its mind was already planning.

"Meow~"

Its tail swished lazily. A cat's thoughts were always mysterious and difficult to discern.

The door creaked open slightly.

Natsume peeked out, addressing the group softly. "Togepi's asleep. You can come in and see, but don't wake it up."

At his words, the Pokémon quietly—well, as quietly as they could—poured into the room.

Gathering around Togepi's little nest, they gazed at their new companion with curiosity and affection.

"Does this make me a senior now?"

Furret tilted its head, staring at Togepi's sleeping face adorned with a goofy smile.

Its tail swayed gently, a clear sign of its good mood.

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