Chapter 75: The Blue Ball
The next day, just as Ryū expected, the egg was about to hatch.
"Scyther?" the old warrior looked on expectantly as the egg began to glow in Ryū's arms. The other five Scyther whispered amongst themselves, guessing what kind of Pokémon it would be.
"It will probably be born today," Ryū observed. A Pokémon egg begins to blink with a rhythmic white light within 24 hours of hatching.
He didn't want to stay, but he couldn't leave. Scyther's arms were sharp scythes, useless for caring for a newborn. Even with their own kind, Scyther were not gentle caretakers.
Time passed, and it was gradually approaching afternoon. The Scyther went to the nearby forest to practice, while Ryū stayed in the cave, flicking his tail impatiently. The temperature of the egg in his arms was rising, and the blinking frequency was increasing.
Suddenly, the light became continuous, turning the entire egg into a brilliant bulb. Ryū immediately raised his head. He knew it was time.
The oval egg slowly deformed as the dazzling light began to dim.
"Zubat!"
A strange cry came out first, followed by the soft pat-pat of something flapping against the ground. When the light faded, Ryū could clearly see the little guy that had appeared in his arms.
A Zubat.
This newborn Zubat was only 0.4 meters long, half the size listed in the Pokédex. It had no eyes and was using Supersonic waves to sense its new surroundings, including Ryū's presence.
"A Zubat, huh..." Ryū looked down at the not-so-good-looking creature and fell into thought.
The final evolution of the Zubat line is Crobat, a Pokémon famous for its unique Poison/Flying typing. This combination gives it excellent defensive matchups. Its base stat total is a high 535, and its most outstanding feature is its incredible Speed stat of 130.
From a practical perspective, Crobat was definitely worth training. The biggest difference between reality and the games was that real battles were not turn-based. High speed meant high mobility, which meant strength. Famous trainers like Brock, Janine, and even Giovanni had all trained Crobat.
"Zubat~"
The newborn seemed to have memorized Ryū's presence and now considered him its most important family member.
"...Hello there, little one," Ryū sighed, gently touching the little blue ball. Though he had been reluctant to take on this burden, there was nothing more to say. Since he had accepted the responsibility, he would do his best to raise this little guy. And then... hand it over to Liz.
"Zubat~" The Zubat let out a pitiful cry against his abdomen.
"Are you hungry? Hmm... try sucking on this?"
Ryū looked at the four tiny milk teeth inside the Zubat's mouth. Wild Zubat survive by feeding on blood, but those raised by humans can eat special food. A newborn, however, couldn't chew berries. Frowning, Ryū picked up a fruit with a relatively soft skin. He could only try letting the Zubat suck the juice from it.