After all the officials had left, the lord's castle once again returned to its tranquil silence.
Inside the castle, aside from Aven himself, there were no servants present. For him, as long as he had his Pokémon by his side, that was already more than enough.
Leaving the castle hall, Aven stepped into the private garden attached to the castle. At this moment, his Pokémon were still in the midst of their daily training regimen.
Up above the wide garden sky, two radiant suns were currently suspended side by side. Their warmth blanketed the entire space, maintaining the temperature around a pleasant twenty-five degrees, completely driving away the late autumn chill.
"Lil~ lil~"
From beneath the sun's rays, the little Petilil cried in its soft, milky voice, while its whole body brimmed with flowing normal energy.
Bathed in the dense fire-type energy that filled the atmosphere, this normal energy gradually transformed into fire energy, coalescing into a small, glowing fireball that hovered right in front of Petilil.
"Lil~ lil!"
Seeing the fireball, Petilil's eyes lit up with joy. Raising its small leafy arms, it suddenly sent the fireball soaring toward the sky.
Yet after floating for only a fleeting moment, the fireball quickly began to dim, sputtered out, and finally dissipated into faint sparks that scattered into the air.
Even so, Petilil's expression still carried excitement. After this period of intense training, it could clearly feel that it was already very close to learning the move Sunny Day.
"Lil~ lil!"
Lifting its gaze toward the twin suns above, Petilil suddenly spread open both its arms.
In the next instant, a faint green glow radiated from its body. Its ability, Chlorophyll, had activated, allowing it to attune itself to the solar energy shining down from the sky.
Vaguely, it felt its body becoming lighter and faster. In a blink, its figure disappeared from its original position.
When it reappeared, Petilil was already standing before Luxio, who had been training its electric energy. The next moment, Petilil again darted away at astonishing speed.
"Meowr!"
Luxio was momentarily stunned, then electricity crackled across its fur as it dashed forward to give chase.
The two Pokémon began a high-speed pursuit across the vast grassy lawn. With Chlorophyll empowering it under the bright sunlight, Petilil displayed truly astonishing speed.
"It seems Petilil is not far from fully mastering Sunny Day."
Aven watched the distant chase with a smile. He held high expectations for Petilil's progress toward evolution.
After all, around Aspiration City there were no Sun Stone mines at all. Thus, if Petilil wished to evolve, this method—absorbing solar energy in combination with life force and natural energy—was its only possible path.
If it succeeded, what would it become? And what sort of transformation would follow its evolution? Aven could not help but feel anticipation.
"Rhyyy!"
Elsewhere in the rocky training ground, his Rhydon was honing its mastery of Fire Punch.
With the weather locked into perpetual bright sunlight, the flames on its massive fists blazed intensely, burning hotter than ever.
The flames whipped violently, scorching its tough hide, while continuously spreading outward from its fists, climbing up toward its elbows.
Right now, Rhydon was working on the advanced move Heat Crash, a move that demanded extremely fine control over fire energy—compressing it to the point of becoming nearly tangible!
Gradually, the flames spread past its elbows, and the surrounding space began to ripple with distortion from the searing heat. A wave of hot air surged violently in every direction.
BOOM!
Finally unable to withstand the pressure, Rhydon roared and threw a devastating punch forward. The blazing fire exploded outward, colliding against a massive boulder—shattering it into rubble with a thunderous blast!
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
By contrast, Ralts appeared exceptionally quiet.
It sat calmly beside an incubator, eyes closed, immersed in meditation.
Although Aven always practiced meditation alongside Ralts each night, clearly, Ralts had no intention of wasting even a single opportunity. It wanted to train at every possible moment.
"Froslass, you just stay inside the room and rest for now. I'll go check on the others outside," Aven called gently toward the icy specter who preferred the shade.
For a Pokémon with the dual typing of Ice and Ghost, exposing itself under blazing twin suns was certainly not a pleasant experience.
"Lass~"
Froslass waved her hand in acknowledgment.
At that moment, she was carefully holding a peculiar stone in her pale hands.
This was the Odd Keystone. In recent times, both the keystone and Spiritomb's Poké Ball had been entrusted to Froslass for safekeeping.
Froslass seemed particularly fascinated with this keystone. Spiritomb itself was a being born from countless souls bound together by its strange power.
Every time she picked it up, she felt her ghost energy settle into calm stillness.
Once, she had cautiously channeled a little ghost energy into it, only to find the violent surges within her body instantly soothed. This confirmed that the Odd Keystone truly suppressed her unstable power.
Perhaps, through its aid, she might one day solve the problem of losing control entirely. If so, she could regain her full might and ascend once more into the ranks of true king-level Pokémon!
The thought made Froslass' eyes curve in delight. She clasped her face dreamily, imagining Aven's praise once she regained control of her strength.
Peeking secretly at Aven, who was now standing beside Petilil, she clenched her icy hands into fists and looked again toward the stone, filled with determination.
Meanwhile, Aven handed a small orange vial to Petilil.
This was a carefully concocted elixir, infused with both fire- and grass-type energies. In fact, it was his attempt at recreating the effect of solar power in liquid form.
"Here, try this potion I prepared specially."
Petilil happily took the vial, sniffed it curiously, then tilted it back and drank it all in one gulp.
Instantly, warmth surged through its body, flooding every vein with invigorating strength.
"Lil~ lil!"
Feeling the influx of power, Petilil eagerly summoned its life energy.
The vital force intertwined with the potion's essence, merging slowly into its being, continuously stimulating its growth.
After some time, the energy ripples faded. Petilil opened its eyes again, thoughtful yet unsatisfied.
"How do you feel? Was there any sign of evolution?" Aven asked.
Petilil shook its head. It had already tried imitating the familiar flow of life energy it sensed when other Pokémon evolved, but this time, nothing truly happened.
"That's alright. We'll keep experimenting. Sooner or later, we'll definitely succeed in recreating the power of the Sun Stone." Aven encouraged with a firm nod.
"Lil~!"
Petilil responded with equal determination, then eagerly resumed practicing Sunny Day.
Aven stepped back a few paces, handing another healing potion to Cherrim, before wiping sweat from his brow and moving over to Ralts.
His gaze then fell upon the Pokémon Egg nestled within the incubator.
Based on Petilil and Ralts' senses, the egg was due to hatch within the next two days. What kind of Pokémon would emerge? Aven's expression filled with anticipation.
As if responding to his presence, the egg suddenly rocked within the nutrient solution, almost like it was greeting him.
"Ralts~"
At the same time, Ralts abruptly stopped meditating, its eyes snapping open before turning directly toward the egg.
Muttering softly, it began communicating through telepathy with the life stirring inside the shell.
Moments later, Ralts stood up in excitement, its face glowing with joy.
"Ralts… Could it be? Is the Pokémon Egg about to hatch?" Aven asked in surprise.
"Ralts!"
Ralts nodded vigorously. The little one inside had just told it—yes, it was ready to come out!
"Finally… the moment we've been waiting for."
Exhaling deeply, Aven carefully lifted the egg out of the incubator.
For a breeder, the process of hatching was familiar—one only needed to provide a quiet, secure environment.
Petilil, Luxio, and the others quickly rushed over, gathering around, wide-eyed with excitement. None of them had ever witnessed an egg hatching before.
"Come, let's head inside."
Aven smiled and led them back to the castle's hall. Placing the egg gently upon a table, he stepped back.
At once, every Pokémon in the castle fell silent, holding their breath, gazes locked upon the egg as they awaited the miracle of birth.
"Lil~"
Petilil suddenly stirred, sensing life energy pulsing strongly within the egg.
In the next instant, the entire shell glowed brilliantly, almost as though it were undergoing evolution. Within the shining light, the egg's form shifted and cracked.
As the radiance faded, a small, round pink body appeared—a Pokémon with stubby limbs, a curl of hair-like growth atop its head, and a little pouch-like formation that held a smooth stone.
"Ha~ piiiiiny~"
With a joyful cry, Happiny was born!
At once, it hugged the smooth oval stone tightly against its belly, showing it off with pride. Though the stone wasn't an egg, Happiny cradled it with great care, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
Its round eyes looked up at Aven, narrowing into an expression of pure happiness.
"Hello, Happiny. It's wonderful to meet you. Please take care of us from now on," Aven greeted warmly.
"Ralts!"
"Lil~ lil!"
Ralts, Petilil, and the others eagerly came forward to greet their new companion.
"Haa~ piiiiny~"
Happiny responded bashfully, bouncing slightly on its stubby legs, overjoyed at the welcome.
Though it had faintly sensed the outside world while inside the egg, meeting everyone face-to-face was an entirely different experience.
"You must be hungry after hatching. Here, have some milk." Aven offered a cup of fresh farm milk, rich in nutrients, perfect for newborn Pokémon.
Unfortunately, he had yet to see a Miltank in these lands—their milk was the most nourishing of all, capable of greatly accelerating growth. Perhaps, when merchant caravans arrived, he could inquire further.
"Haa~ piiiiiny~"
Happiny drank eagerly, its eyes curving happily. Soon the entire cup was gone, and it waddled about to play with the others, cheerful laughter filling the hall.
The older Pokémon treated it tenderly, careful not to accidentally harm their delicate new sibling.
"What a cute little one," Aven murmured with a smile, sitting at his desk.
Now that Happiny had hatched, it was time for him to begin drafting a proper training and nurturing plan.
This, indeed, was something he had much experience in. After all, a breeder's role often overlapped with that of a healer. In the past, he had raised a Gardevoir with immense healing potential.
When he first caught Ralts, he had considered teaching it healing moves. But as its extraordinary psychic gifts emerged, he abandoned that path. Combat suited it better, and besides, Petilil already handled healing well.
Happiny, however, was different. Though it was still young and could not yet produce true healing eggs, once it matured and evolved into Chansey, it would naturally gain that gift. Chansey were Pokémon born for healing. Even without formal training, they could produce miraculous eggs capable of restoring health.
In the wild, evolved Chansey often acted as doctors, nursing wounded Pokémon back to health. It was their innate nature—no species excelled at recovery better.
"The move Soft-Boiled… Happiny must learn it when it evolves," Aven mused.
Its natural eggs already possessed healing properties, but with Soft-Boiled, that restorative power would be greatly enhanced. To compare: a normal Chansey egg was like a standard potion. But when enhanced through Soft-Boiled, it equaled a strong potion in effectiveness. This showed just how priceless its eggs were, considered natural miracle medicine and worth enormous sums.
"Besides Soft-Boiled, Chansey must also learn Heal Pulse."
Aven jotted notes rapidly into his book, recording all the methods he knew for nurturing healing Pokémon.
Heal Pulse was a psychic-type move. His Gardevoir had once mastered it perfectly, and it was the most important healing move in any Pokémon Center. Unlike Grass-type healing moves, Heal Pulse could also mend psychological wounds or spiritual damage—injuries beyond Petilil's capabilities.
In fact, for any Chansey working in a Pokémon Center, learning Heal Pulse was considered the minimum standard. Once it mastered this, it could treat nearly all common injuries.
"And lastly, the move Calm Mind," Aven wrote thoughtfully.
"Ralts can help Happiny train in this. By strengthening its psychic focus through meditation, Happiny will more quickly master Heal Pulse once it evolves."
Soon, Aven had formed a preliminary training plan.
Once Happiny matured into Chansey and succeeded in learning Heal Pulse, it would officially be ready to serve. At that moment, the foundation for his very own Pokémon Center would truly be complete.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Huhuhuhu, it came out as Chansey. I tweak and rewrote half of this chapter and changed it to Happiny. I'm having it as Happiny because it will bother me the whole time I'm translating this but I'll make it evolve pretty early after a few chapters since the author wrote as Chansey already. There will be no cute Happiny moments huhu.
You guys don't expect a great explanation or great writing when I do it ok. I'll pull an Oval Stone that Aven had out of nowhere and make it evolve, I'll make like a hundred words of it evolving. I never wrote before so you guys expect that it will not be good or doesn't match the feel of the story.