The kitten gave off a scent like fresh grass with the faintest hint of gardenia — clean and calming, the kind that cleared both the mind and the body. Nova decided on the spot that nuzzling a Sprigatito was even more addictive than skating.
But Sprigatito was a newborn, and newborns had limited stamina. After half an hour of being buried in Nova's face, the little kitten began to yawn.
Nova moved quickly. He took the Moomoo Milk he had prepared in advance from the fridge, stirred in a small piece of Combee Honey to add a touch of sweetness, warmed it on the stove, then poured it into a bottle and brought it over.
Sprigatito lay across Nova's arm and gripped the bottle with both tiny paws, drinking eagerly.
Once it had its fill, it was time to sleep. The incubator was no longer a suitable bed, so Nova repurposed the carrier box that had been used to transport Riolu, turning it into a temporary nest for Sprigatito.
As for Riolu suddenly losing its sleeping spot — who could say? Riolu was already at Level 5. It was old enough to learn how to share a bed with Growlithe.
Nova checked the time. It was nearly noon. Guessing that Aresdra's morning classes had ended, he quickly pulled out his Pokégear and gave her a video call.
It wasn't that he wanted to show off — Aresdra had been just as excited about the Egg hatching as he was, and she deserved to hear the good news right away.
Aresdra always said she preferred powerful and cool Pokémon, but the moment she saw the tiny green kitten on the screen, all of that went straight out the window. If not for her afternoon classes, she would have come straight home to hold Sprigatito herself.
For the rest of the lunch hour, Nova stayed at the stove.
He threw together something quick for himself — a slice of bread with smoked synthetic beef — but he could not afford to cut any corners with the meals for his two big eaters.
On the road, those two were easy enough. Nova would prepare large batches of simple food, and it kept them going for days at a time. But at home, they expected something else entirely. Freshly made meals, every time. If the food wasn't freshly cooked, they made life difficult for him in every way they could think of.
The poor Trainer had no idea how a scrawny person like him was supposed to hold his own against two Pokémon that size.
Just keep raising them! Every single one found a way to leave him speechless.
Though, to be fair, Nidoking and Corviknight had their own perspective on the matter. If he made them the same batch cooking on the road and the same batch cooking at home, what exactly were they coming back for?
Fresh. It had to be fresh. A different meal for every sitting. They had standards. What else did a Pokémon live for, if not a good meal?
On top of the two big eaters, Growlithe and Riolu also needed proper food and plenty of it if they were going to grow quickly. By the time Nova finished preparing everything, he was exhausted enough that the only cure he could think of was petting the cat again.
The cat was still asleep. So Nova sank into the sofa and let his thoughts wander.
He kept staring at Sprigatito's stat panel, and the longer he looked, the more he felt there was real depth to it.
The key entry was "Love is the Greatest Force." With no ceiling on Friendship stat bonuses, a Pokémon with this trait could, in theory, grow indefinitely stronger the closer its bond with its Trainer became. To draw out its true potential, a Trainer would need to keep building and deepening that connection without ever letting it weaken.
That was also why a Pokémon with this trait would resist staying inside a Poké Ball. It needed to be near its Trainer at all times.
And suddenly, something clicked.
A Pokémon that grew stronger the closer it was to its Trainer. One that resisted entering a Poké Ball. One that, at its peak, could stand up against Legendary Pokémon.
Nova had a strong feeling he had seen this before.
Could it be...? Was the Pikachu from the anime carrying a trait like this all along?
In the anime, the first time Pikachu showed that kind of overwhelming power was when Ash threw himself in front of a flock of Spearow to shield the injured Pikachu, refusing to back down no matter what. That single act of selfless protection had pushed their bond to its absolute limit — and the Thunderbolt that followed was on a level comparable to Zapdos, wiping out the entire flock in one strike.
The more Nova thought about it, the more he felt it made sense.
And that thought made him look at Sprigatito differently.
Because he realised he might be the only Trainer in this world who could bring out Sprigatito's full potential.
Other Trainers couldn't see the trait entries. Without the Cultivation System, they would have no way of knowing what was written there. At best, they would see a clingy Pokémon that refused to go into its Poké Ball and assume it was simply being difficult.
Even a Trainer who put in the effort to build a bond like Ash and Pikachu's — purely through dedication and instinct — would end up with something like a Grass-type Pikachu. Impressive, yes. Frightening, even. But unpredictable in the way Pikachu had always been: capable of overwhelming Leon's Charizard in one battle, then losing to a Bug Catcher on a quiet route the next.
That kind of burst power could win individual battles. It could not win a League.
The best Trainers at the top level weren't the ones who could peak in a single match. They were the ones whose Pokémon were always performing near the top — consistent, balanced, and reliable across every single battle.
Stability was the real foundation. And without being able to see the trait, even the most devoted Trainer would struggle to develop Sprigatito in the right direction.
The only one who could read that panel clearly, plan around it properly, and avoid the mistakes Ash had stumbled into — that person was Nova.
He was still sitting with that thought when the sound of trouble reached him from down the hall.
Riolu came trotting over with an urgent look on its face. Nova followed it to the first-floor bathroom and pushed open the door to find Growlithe sitting inside the bathtub — the one packed with ice — happily pawing at the incubator holding the blue-grey Egg.
Nova stared.
Seriously?
He supposed it made a certain kind of sense. Growlithe was a Fire-type with a double resistance to Ice. After running around the backyard, it had apparently decided the ice-filled bathtub was the perfect place to cool off.
That didn't make it any less of a problem.
Nova grabbed Growlithe by the scruff of its neck, pulled it out of the tub, found a large bath towel, and wrapped it up firmly before carrying it away.
I just got too hot from running and needed to cool down, Growlithe seemed to be saying, squirming in the towel with its best innocent expression. I wasn't trying to cause trouble. Honestly.
Nova dried its fur and decided not to risk letting it roam freely again. He simply held it in his arms — the most reliable containment method available — and resigned himself to keeping it there.
The commotion had woken Sprigatito.
The tiny kitten blinked its eyes open, looked around, and immediately went still.
It had only been asleep for a few minutes. And the Trainer was already holding another Pokémon.
A Pokémon that was, at this very moment, licking the Trainer's hand with its tongue.
This was unacceptable.
Nova felt it before he saw it — a sharp spike of something almost like Resentment rising sharply nearby. He turned his head.
Sprigatito was already on the move. It padded past Riolu with slow, deliberate steps and the air of someone who owned the room, pausing just long enough to let out a soft, pointed "Hmph."
You're no better, its expression said, directed squarely at Riolu. Running off to tattle and earn a little favour — don't think I can't see exactly what you're doing.
Riolu paid the cat absolutely no attention. It was busy chewing on its own paw, eyes fixed with quiet longing on the carrier box in the corner — the one that used to be its sleeping spot.
...So, Riolu's eyes seemed to ask. If you're awake now, can I have my bed back?