Chapter 27 – Breakfast, Bickering, and a Goddess in Pajamas
Morning sunlight spilled over the forest edge, filtering between the trees in dappled gold. The campfire had long since died down, but the scent of roasted berries still lingered in the air.
Kai stirred first, blinking into the gentle glow. His hand instinctively went to the pendant at his neck—it was still warm. The memory of Arceus's voice echoed faintly in his mind.
> "She calls me… Shiny Moon."
A smile tugged at his lips.
Then—
"Mmmhhhnn... why is Psyduck on my face…"
Misty's groggy mumble was followed by a loud thud as she shoved the dozing Psyduck off her. The Pokémon squeaked indignantly, rolled over, and immediately fell asleep again in the dirt, legs twitching.
Kai turned, trying to stifle a laugh. "Good morning to you too."
Misty glared at him through her mess of bed hair. "Your duck drooled in my eye."
"He's not my duck," Kai said innocently.
"I don't care whose duck it is. It drooled. In. My. Eye."
From the side, Gardevoir tilted her head. "Would you like me to purify your aura?"
Misty flopped backward with a groan. "Unless that aura purifying comes with caffeine, no thanks."
Ash popped out of his sleeping bag with a loud yawn. "Man, I slept great!" Pikachu stretched beside him, cheeks sparking with lazy energy.
Blaze was already awake and tending to the fire pit, nudging logs into place with his tail.
Riolu sat on top of a log, trying to copy Blaze's proud sitting posture, but ended up wobbling and toppling backward into Frogadier, who promptly caught him by the scruff with a hmph.
"Alright," Kai said, standing and brushing grass off his pants. "Let's get breakfast started."
"I want pancakes!" Misty declared.
"I want peace," Gardevoir muttered.
"I want a week without bugs in my socks," Ash added.
"I want to evolve and punch the moon," Riolu announced confidently.
Everyone paused and turned toward the small blue Pokémon.
"…Okay then," Kai said slowly. "Let's start with pancakes."
---
Half an hour later…
The campsite was buzzing.
Kai flipped berry pancakes over a sizzling pan with expert precision. Blaze was roasting skewers of mushrooms nearby. Pikachu sat beside Misty, sharing a plate of mini pancakes, both of them chewing in perfect sync.
Gardevoir sipped herbal tea out of a tiny porcelain cup she'd somehow manifested from who-knows-where.
Riolu sat on Misty's lap, holding a napkin and insisting he be called "Master Riolu" now. She played along—mostly because it meant he would stop trying to climb her head like a hat.
Frogadier disappeared, reappeared, then disappeared again, each time reappearing somewhere closer to the pancakes.
Ash was lying flat on the ground, staring at the clouds.
"This is nice," he said. "Like, really nice."
"It's too peaceful," Misty muttered. "Something weird is going to happen."
As if on cue, the stasis chamber that held the Arceus egg—now propped beside a tree—began to glow faintly.
Kai glanced over.
The egg was pulsing softly. Not alarmingly. Almost like… it was humming.
And it shimmered with a warm light, gold and silver swirling just beneath the surface.
"She's happy," Kai said.
Misty looked up from her plate. "She?"
Kai touched the chamber lightly. "I… I think it's a girl."
Gardevoir nodded. "She's listening to us. Feeling emotions. The more we love, the more she grows."
Ash blinked. "That's really kind of cool."
Pikachu pressed both tiny paws to the glass, eyes big. "Pikapi!"
Inside, the light shimmered again—gently. Playfully.
Kai laughed. "Did she just giggle?"
"She did," Gardevoir confirmed.
And then—
The glow shifted.
The stasis casing popped open with a soft hiss, releasing a wave of pure, serene energy that washed over the clearing like a ripple in a pond.
Out floated the egg.
It hovered gently into Kai's arms. Warm. Weightless.
And then… cracks formed.
Slowly.
Softly.
Misty gasped.
Everyone leaned in.
A final crack—
And the shell split.
Golden light erupted.
And then—
She floated there.
Tiny.
Radiant.
Glowing white fur with faint silver shimmer across her back. Her eyes were massive, bright violet. A circular golden ring floated behind her back like a miniature version of Arceus's.
But most notably…
She was adorable.
"She's shiny," Misty whispered.
"She's mine," said a tiny, high-pitched voice.
Everyone froze.
The baby floated closer to Kai and gently bonked her forehead against his.
"You're warm," she mumbled. "You smell like pancakes."
Riolu burst out laughing.
"She speaks?" Ash gaped.
"She's a legendary," Gardevoir said gently. "Of course she speaks."
The baby blinked at Misty. "You're pretty. I like your hair. But your duck is weird."
Psyduck made a confused guaaah sound.
"And you," the baby said, pointing at Ash. "You're nice. You laugh good. Your yellow mouse sparkles. I like sparkles."
Pikachu waved shyly.
Then she turned back to Kai.
"I know who I am," she said, hovering a bit higher. "I am me."
Kai smiled. "And what do you want us to call you?"
The baby paused. Thought deeply.
Then she grinned.
"Shiny Moon. That's my name. Because I shine. Like the moon. And I like it."
Everyone stared.
Kai's heart fluttered.
Misty's eyes teared up.
Ash clapped slowly. "I like it. It's cool."
"Shiny Moon…" Kai repeated softly.
Shiny Moon floated into his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I like hugs," she mumbled. "You're my person. Forever."
Kai nodded. "And you're ours."
---
Later that evening…
Shiny Moon refused to sleep anywhere except on top of Kai's head.
No pillow.
Just his hair.
"She's using your spikes as a pillow," Misty whispered, giggling.
Shiny Moon peeked out, yawned, and mumbled, "My hair nest. Cozy."
Gardevoir levitated her tea again and sighed. "This is our life now."
Blaze had fallen asleep curled around the campfire like a warm protector.
Riolu was pretending to be a prince and Frogadier had stealthily stolen a pancake into his scarf.
Ash snored under a tree.
Pikachu had curled up next to Misty's lap.
And in the center of it all—
Kai sat cross-legged, smiling up at the stars.
The same stars that had once called to him.
But now… he had someone brighter.
Someone tiny.
Someone divine.
Someone who would one day call him something simple, but unbreakable.
> "Papa."
But for tonight—
She was just Shiny Moon.
Floating softly above his heart, fast asleep.