Chapter 118: Another Grass-type Starter?
When the light from the egg connected into a single, brilliant beam, the sea around the reef was illuminated.
"Nya~"
He heard its voice before he saw its form. It was a soft, cat-like cry. When the white light dissipated, a small green cat stood in its place.
A Sprigatito.
"Nya~" The newborn's gaze focused on Ryu. Same color... similar aura... It's Mom! "Nya~" she purred, pouncing into his arms.
"Hello, Sprigatito," Ryu said, gently rubbing his cheek against her. This Pokémon was a dark horse from his old world, incredibly popular. Its final evolution, Meowscarada, was known for its high Speed and Attack, and an exceptionally wide move pool.
"0.15 meters, less than a kilogram? Looks like a girl," he observed. Given the 87.5% male gender ratio for starters, a female Sprigatito was quite rare.
"Nya?" the little cat purred, pointing a paw at Tom and Corphish, who were still dancing.
"Don't mind them. Are you hungry?" he asked, walking over to the food boxes the thief had left. "Pokémon Paste? That guy was well-prepared."
He opened a can of green, plant-based paste. Sprigatito sniffed it, her eyes lit up, and she began to devour it. In less than three minutes, the tiny cat had finished the entire can.
"Huh? What kind of Pokémon is this? I've never seen it before," Tom said, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Cor!" Corphish waved his claws in greeting.
"Nya..." The little cat trembled at the sight of the two big strangers and shrank back into Ryu's arms.
Tom's reaction made Ryu realize something. Sprigatito was a starter from the Paldea region. Tom, who mostly sailed the waters of the Northern Hemisphere (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh), would have no knowledge of a Pokémon from the distant Southern Hemisphere. The concept of "starter Pokémon" itself was probably not even fully established in this early period of the Alliance Calendar.
"Does that mean Sprigatito and I will be very conspicuous in the Johto region?" he mused. Being a rare, unknown wild Pokémon would make him a target. It would be best to find a Poké Ball and capture himself first. As for Sprigatito... he was reluctant to turn her over to the Pokémon Alliance. He wanted to keep her by his side and raise her himself.
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Founding Pillars"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]