Days passed, and during this time the life within the egg remained stable.
On the seventh day, after absorbing a significant amount of Petilil's condensed life energy, the life within suddenly made a faint movement.
Right after that, they saw something remarkable—the originally plain white shell now bore delicate pink markings. The life energy within became richer and denser, and faint waves of power began radiating from it.
"We did it—it's finally transformed into a true Pokémon egg." Aven let out a slow breath, relief washing over his face as he gazed at the egg adorned with pink patterns.
"Ralts~"
From a short distance away, Ralts suddenly sensed a pulse of emotional energy coming from the egg and immediately came closer.
It was clear now—inside the Pokémon egg, a tiny life had fully taken form. All that remained was for it to break free of its shell, and it would become a living, breathing Pokémon.
"In that case, all we have to do now is wait for the Pokémon to break out of its shell."
With that thought in mind, Aven's eyes were filled with anticipation as he gently lifted the Pokémon egg and placed it into the breeding incubator he had already prepared beforehand.
Inside the incubator, the Pokémon egg floated up and down in the nourishing liquid. Seeing this, Petilil slowly infused a stream of life energy into the nutrient solution.
"I really am looking forward to this… a Happiny." Aven took a deep breath, then walked over to his desk.
On the desk lay a notebook, and on its cover—written in the script of the future Pokémon League—were the words: "HappinyBreeding Methods."
Although the Happiny inside this egg had not yet hatched, Aven felt it was not too early to start formulating a training plan for it. After all, in the future world, Chansey held an extraordinarily important position within the entire League.
In the future Pokémon League, Chansey was the most common assistant Pokémon in Pokémon Centers. Not only could they produce eggs rich in high nutritional value, but their innate healing abilities were also outstanding.
Through natural growth alone, Chansey could easily learn a variety of healing moves. Among these, the move Soft-Boiled allowed it to infuse healing energy into the eggs it produced, creating effects comparable to medical potions.
"That's why Chansey's training route is beyond question—it must follow the healing path."
"Once Chansey masters healing moves, it will be able to help treat injuries. At that point, I can build an entire Pokémon Center around it!"
In his mind, he recalled scenes from his previous life of the Pokémon Center—Nurse Joy and Chansey working tirelessly, aiding one injured person after another to recover.
When he had traveled in his previous life, he had also received treatment from Pokémon Centers many times. He held a deep fondness for them, which was why, no matter what, he was determined to build one himself.
"However, relying on just a single Chansey won't be enough."
"I can use this Chansey to breed more Chanseys."
Aven's expression turned thoughtful. Because Chansey were all female, obtaining more Chansey eggs meant finding another Pokémon species that could be paired with them.
This led to a topic every breeder had to master—egg groups. Only Pokémon within the same egg group could breed with each other to produce eggs.
For example, the Happiny egg in Aven's hands must have been laid by a Chansey that bred with another Pokémon from the same egg group.
This was also one of the main reasons Chansey numbers were so limited. Although Pokémon from the same egg group could interbreed, breeding was still easiest between members of the same species.
After all, for most living creatures, their own kind were the most attractive partners. Without special circumstances, cross-species pairing was rare and difficult to achieve.
Aven wasn't sure whether Marquis Salt knew about Chansey's egg group pairing information. His guess was that the marquis likely didn't—after all, so much time had passed, and yet no new Chansey had appeared.
The Chanseys owned by Marquis Salt all came from the Great Marsh. They were probably wild-born from rare, natural pairings in the wild—then captured by the marquis in one sweep.
"Chansey belongs to the Fairy Egg Group."
"And Fairy Egg Group Pokémon… really are quite rare."
Aven mused aloud. The most common members of the Fairy Egg Group were Fairy-type Pokémon, but unfortunately, Ralts did not belong to that group and thus could not breed with Chansey.
Aside from Fairy-types, some Grass-types also belonged to the Fairy Egg Group, such as Jumpluff, Breloom, and Cherubi.
Those would be relatively easier to find—after all, the Safari Zone already had such Pokémon. However, their body structures were quite different from Chansey's, making successful breeding difficult.
If he wanted a Chansey to willingly breed, the best choice would be to find Fairy-type Pokémon with appearances more similar to its own—Pokémon like Jigglypuff, Clefairy, and Marill were all excellent candidates.
Unfortunately, Fairy-types were notoriously rare. In fact, in some respects they were even rarer than Dragon-types. At present, aside from Ralts, he had yet to encounter another Fairy-type Pokémon.
"If possible, maybe I should make a trip to the Aspiration Mountains to search for a Ralts tribe," Aven thought as he glanced at the Ralts lying in front of the incubator.
Ralts, in truth, longed for companions. If he could gain the acceptance of a Ralts tribe, it would not only be good for breeding purposes but also heal a deep longing in Ralts' heart.
"Ral… Ralts~"
Sensing something, Ralts lifted its head to look at Aven.
Aven smiled at it, then bent down again and continued writing in his training notes.
Breeding more Chanseys could be done gradually—after all, a newly hatched Happiny was still a child and would need time to grow.
If possible, directly obtaining an adult Chansey from Marquis Salt would be the best shortcut. But given how precious they were, the marquis would never agree easily.
"Still… maybe there's a way through cooperation."
"If breeding more Chanseys is for the purpose of building more Pokémon Centers…"
"Then I could offer to help train his Chanseys to master healing moves in exchange for them joining the Pokémon Centers as contracted partners."
One idea after another formed in Aven's mind as his pen kept moving, recording everything into his notebook.
It wasn't until nightfall that Aven finally left the potion lab, carrying the incubator with him as he prepared to return to the farm. The egg had been successfully placed under optimal care and could now be raised gradually.
"Lord Aven…"
As soon as he arrived at the Pokémon breeding facility, Thomas hurried over to greet him.
Seeing Thomas, Aven's eyes brightened slightly—Thomas had been in charge of town planning recently. His presence here probably meant that the initial plans were complete and he had come to discuss specific details.
"Let's talk at the farm," Aven said with a nod.
The master architect agreed, following Aven back to the farm. They entered the study.
"Thomas, have a seat."
Aven placed the incubator on the desk, instructing Petilil and Ralts to watch over it, then sat down at the table and gestured for Thomas to sit.
"Lord Aven, here is the town construction blueprint I've completed," Thomas said as he sat down, quickly producing a rolled-up drawing.
Aven's eyes swept over it. The most striking feature was a cross-shaped pair of main roads in the town's center, dividing the town neatly into four districts.
Traditional towns were often built in concentric layers—outer district, inner district, and castle district—with little direct connection between them. But Aven's town layout was completely different.
"Yes, this is the town layout I had in mind. We'll divide it into four zones based on function," Aven confirmed with a nod.
"Yes, Lord Aven," Thomas replied, nodding as well.
At first, when he had heard Aven's concept, Thomas hadn't quite understood it. But after thinking it over, he realized the benefits.
Organizing the town into function-specific zones meant people of similar roles would be grouped together. This would not only make management far easier but also bring countless conveniences.
It was like the market outside Fruitvale Village, which separated traveling merchants from ordinary villagers. No matter how far they had traveled, merchants could always find a place to do business. Villagers, in turn, knew to go straight to the market when they needed to buy something.
Moreover, even within the market itself, goods were arranged by type, making it easy for the common folk to find exactly what they needed.
"Next comes the more detailed division," Aven continued, outlining his plan.
Just like with Fruitvale Village, the west district would be the commercial zone—all trade and business would take place there.
The north district would become the industrial zone, home to potion shops, blacksmiths, and all manner of workshops, as well as Pokémon food processing plants, fertilizer factories, and so on.
The south district would be the residential zone, where most commoners would live. Drawing on his past-life experience, Aven planned to arrange this area into multiple small communities.
These communities would be organized into neighborhood units, with further subdivision into streets, forming a manageable network. This could be paired with the rollout of identity cards for effective governance.
Each community would also have supporting facilities—schools and hospitals would be key priorities. Medical care and education would be central to the next stage of town development.
Finally, the east district—adjacent to the Safari Zone—would become the trainer zone. Here, numerous trainer-related facilities would be built: Pokémon Centers, breeding houses, battle arenas, battle clubs, and even a Pokémon Gym.
This would make managing trainers far more convenient, while also giving them a dedicated place to interact and exchange knowledge. Around these facilities, an entire trainer-related economy could flourish.
In this way, a modernized Pokémon town would take shape—capable of meeting all needs and potentially becoming the heart of the future Pokémon League.
"Lord Aven, what exactly are these 'hospitals' and 'schools'?" Thomas asked cautiously, a little lost.
He had worked as an architect for years, but had never once built either of those. He felt slightly embarrassed, realizing his own knowledge had gaps.
"Mm. A hospital is a place where ordinary people receive medical treatment," Aven explained.
"And a school is where ordinary people receive education. I plan to promote universal education in the territory."
Hearing this, Thomas was stunned again. "Universal… education?" he muttered.
He could understand the hospital after Aven's explanation—it was a bit like a potion shop, except for humans. But as for schools and universal education… was his lord truly planning to make everyone literate?
"Yes, it's a long-term plan," Aven said firmly.
"For now, your task is to follow my instructions for the town's layout. The most important thing at this stage is the construction of the south residential district. I want rows of two-story stone houses—neatly arranged, with well-planned areas."
"Fruitvale Village's houses are already clearly insufficient. Once autumn ends, many serfs will become free citizens, so we must prepare early!"
"As for the school and hospital, just reserve the land I asked for. Once the town is taking shape, we'll move to the next phase."
Aven explained further—schools and hospitals would be built no matter what, as universal education was, in any era, one of the most effective ways to advance civilization.
Of course, universal education required significant funding and produced slow results. Achieving it fully would require a strong and steady economy—something the territory didn't yet have. More financial accumulation was needed.
However, basic literacy could begin sooner, in specific groups. The trainee trainers were ideal candidates.
Most of them were illiterate villagers. To become competent trainers, they needed to learn basic trainer knowledge—which in turn required them to read and write.
Retired knights would be perfect teachers for this. Literacy was already a part of knight training, so they were well-suited to the role.
Moreover, Fruitvale Village had recently welcomed many disabled knights. While a few—like Mado and Jorah—had recovered enough to fight again, most would never return to the battlefield. Becoming teachers would allow them to contribute once more and earn a livelihood.
"I understand, Lord Aven," Thomas said.
"What about the Pokémon Center, Pokémon Battle Club, and Pokémon Gym in the east district?"
He could understand breeding houses and battle arenas, but the other three were unfamiliar.
For this, Aven smiled. "The battle club and gym can wait—but the Pokémon Center must be built first."
"A Pokémon Center is where Pokémon are treated. Right now, this work is mostly done by apothecaries, but I plan to separate it from their system."
"In the future, Pokémon Centers will not only employ master apothecaries but also Pokémon capable of using healing moves. There will also be inpatient care…"
He briefly described what Pokémon Centers were like in his past life. "We'll build one in Fruitvale Village first—it'll be very useful during the upcoming knight selection."
Hearing about the power of healing Pokémon, Thomas glanced at Petilil watching over the incubator. He was well aware of Petilil's healing abilities and felt this plan suited it perfectly.
He quickly agreed, then hurried off to find Fessen to finalize the Pokémon Center project and start building one in Fruitvale Village as soon as possible.
"With that, all that's left is to wait for Happiny to hatch."
"Until then, Petilil and Vileplume can handle the Pokémon Center's work."
Aven smiled faintly, his gaze settling on the Pokémon egg floating in the nutrient solution, his face full of expectation.
His territory was steadily advancing toward the vision he had planned. Before long, he was certain he could realize his ultimate goal—founding the Pokémon League.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Dang I hope I'm right with them being Happiny's.