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Luther looked at his hand, then at the crack on the egg. He was completely stunned.
'I didn't even use any force… am I naturally super strong or something?'
His confusion only lasted a moment before he quickly snapped back to reality.
'Wait, this is hatching?!'
'What should I do? Just watch? Or should I help it?'
Luther's mind was in total chaos. 'Why did Mai have to leave now of all times? If he'd known, he would've gone to get the drinks himself and let her stay.'
The eggshell continued to collapse. The small hole that was only the size of a pinky finger had now widened enough to fit two fingers.
"Slowpoke, stop jumping around!" Luther grabbed the Slowpoke, who was still marching in circles and hopping in an endless loop.
Once restrained, Slowpoke struggled a little, then shuffled forward a few steps before freezing in place like it had crashed. From Luther's angle, it looked like he was being punished in a timeout.
All the Pokémon gathered around, staring intently at the dark crack, hearts pounding.
A new life was about to enter this world. Luther had never witnessed something like this before. He wasn't sure if it was the room's warm temperature or just nervousness, but his palms were sweating.
Then the egg went completely still, which wasn't normal. Typically, after breaking through and seeing light for the first time, a Pokémon would gather all its strength to burst out.
But now?
A deathly silence.
Luther and the Pokémon didn't make a single sound, afraid of disturbing the baby inside the egg.
Kirlia sensed Luther's anxiety. After a moment of hesitation, she reached out a hand toward the egg.
That's when Mai pushed open the door. A refreshing blast of cold air swept into the room, dispelling the heat and stuffiness in an instant.
And with that breeze, came a sharp, thin cry from within the egg.
A sound! That's a good sign!
Mai froze in place.
The drinks she was holding slipped from her hands and hit the floor. She even forgot to close the door. She squatted down beside the egg, reaching out several times, only to pull her hand back each time.
"What's wrong?" Luther asked.
Still staring at the egg, Mai shook her head. "Let's just wait a little longer."
There were faint sounds from within the egg, tiny shuffling noises as the Pokémon baby inside adjusted its posture and tried to move.
"I've seen all kinds of hatching," Mai explained. "Some break the shell very easily, just shattering it completely. Some absorb all the shell's energy while hatching and leave behind nothing, then pop out full of life. And some… because of their strength or development, take a long time, needing lots of time to adapt…"
She lowered her voice for that last part, clearly worried the baby might hear her.
"That last scenario carries some risk."
Luther understood.
That "risk" was exactly what they'd all been dreading: becoming a dead egg.
It was the most painful thing for a breeder to accept. Even when a baby Pokémon had almost made it, so close to seeing the beauty of this world, so close to hearing its sounds, sometimes they still fell just short of the finish line.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Luther asked.
"For the thing you kept stressing when training Ralts," Mai replied calmly.
Luther's eyes widened with realization.
A Pokémon breaking out of its shell is its first battle. If it has the ability to do it on its own, the breeder shouldn't interfere. Helping it would deprive it of the tremendous sense of achievement from overcoming such a life-or-death challenge on its own.
Fate may have given them a difficult path to birth, but in exchange, they received a gift that easily-born Pokémon could never have: a priceless memory, a moment that would stay with them for life.
Suddenly, a rounded, feather-shaped tail gently covered the gap in the eggshell.
From inside, Luther and Mai could hear the baby letting out a low, forceful grunt as it fought with all its strength.
His tail successfully struck and cracked more of the shell around the opening. Sticky fluid from inside the egg splashed out, drenching the dazed Slowpoke standing nearby.
Luther and Mai both breathed a sigh of relief. It was clear that this Pokémon baby was doing its best to hatch using its own strength.
At regular intervals, the baby would rest, then fiercely smack the broken area with its tail again. As time went on, the crack grew larger, and Luther and Mai finally began to see which Pokémon was about to hatch.
It was a Poliwag, a rather skinny-looking one. According to the Pokédex data, this one was even smaller than the typical Poliwag.
Mai sighed. This egg must've come from someone who obtained it through some odd or questionable source.
The Pokémon that laid this Poliwag likely hadn't been well-nourished. The nutrients inside the egg were extremely limited, leading to Poliwag's frail condition.
Finally, the Poliwag poked its head out, its transparent, jelly-like body wedged tightly against the edge of the shell, using its tail for support. Its eyes sparkled with longing, this was a baby desperate to see the world.
But its hatching wasn't quite complete. The round body got stuck on the sharp edge of the shell, and the pain made it start to cry.
Mai and Luther, who had been observing quietly, both stepped forward to help,
but Chansey was even faster.
She gently broke off the jagged bits of shell holding the Poliwag back and scooped it out with her tiny arms.
The confused Poliwag sat on the floor, looking around curiously. Mai quickly rushed off and came back with a basin of warm water. She carefully wiped the sticky mucus from Poliwag's body and checked the spot where it had been stuck for any injuries.
Perhaps the hatching process had been too exhausting, the Poliwag dozed off just like that, still lying in the basin. No matter how Mai moved him, he didn't wake. Tiny snores came steadily from the sleeping baby.
This was Luther's first time witnessing a Pokémon hatch. It was different from what he'd imagined. He'd thought they would just absorb the energy from the shell and spring to life, full of vitality.
But Poliwag's birth had been a struggle between life and death.
And yet, it succeeded. Which meant it had earned the chance to experience the world.
While Luther was still basking in that joy, the other Pokémon had already joined in helping dry off the baby Poliwag. Jumpluff, unable to manage the towel with its fluffy limbs, used tufts of cotton to flick some water onto Poliwag instead.
The whole process felt like a blessing ritual, as if they were trying to share a bit of their strength with this fragile new life.
Mai quickly reported the successful hatching to the Day Care's owner, then called the person who had left the Poliwag in her care.
The Poliwag's trainer turned out to be a girl around the same age as Mai, wearing a single ponytail. Once she received the news, she arrived at the Day Care almost immediately.
Unlike the spontaneous traveler-types who set off at a moment's notice, this girl was the academic type, someone who insisted on learning the fundamentals before starting her own journey.
The call had been made by her father to her school's teacher, who then informed her.
She'd skipped her later classes to come straight here.
When she saw the tiny Poliwag in the water basin, she looked overwhelmed and unsure of what to do.
She peppered Mai with questions. Was it okay to touch Poliwag now? Would it negatively affect him?
Once Mai reassured her, she carefully picked up the Poliwag from the basin.
The sleeping baby still hadn't realized that its trainer had arrived and was holding it close. It simply let out a soft, contented sigh.
The girl was incredibly gentle, handling Poliwag like the most fragile treasure, her hands exploring the curve of its back with great care.
Luther and Mai exchanged a glance and smiled in unison.
"This is wonderful…"
Being frail didn't matter. As long as someone loved and cared for him, he would grow strong one day.
As long as one meets the right person at the right time,
everything will be okay.
(End of chapter)