After Roy and his group left the Grand Canyon of Fossils, they continued their journey toward Cinnabar Island.
Their next destination was the harbor.
They would have to take a boat from there to reach Cinnabar Island, and the journey was not short.
Along the way, they had to pass through several areas inhabited by wild Pokémon.
Roy naturally didn't stay idle; he was frantically grinding levels, as the Cinnabar Gym was, after all, a high-level Gym.
After a few days of rapid travel, Roy checked the panels of each of his Pokémon in his mind.
[ Pokémon: Pikachu, Level: lv53 → lv54 ]
[ Pokémon: Venusaur, Level: lv52 → lv52 ]
[ Pokémon: Pidgeot, Level: lv43 → lv44 ]
[ Pokémon: Wartortle → Blastoise, Level: lv36 → lv38 ]
[ Pokémon: Charizard, Level: lv53 → lv54 ]
[ Pokémon: Primeape, Level: lv39 → lv40 ]
(Perfect Rage Fist usage count: 16)
[ Pokémon: Ancient Aerodactyl, Level: lv46 → lv47 ]
[ Pokémon: Dratini, Level: lv13 → lv15 ]
[ Pokémon: Zapdos, Level: lv65 ]
Except for Zapdos, whose level was too high to change, every other one had improved to some extent.
Roy nodded with satisfaction.
This progress was not bad.
The Cinnabar Gym was a high-level Gym, and the Gym Leader's strength was incomparable to the previous ones.
If he didn't grind enough levels, he would be at a disadvantage when fighting.
"Alright, that's it for today."
Roy put away the Poké Balls, leaving only Pikachu at his side.
The human and his Pokémon walked toward the campsite.
The campfire at the campsite had already been lit.
The orange-red flames flickered in the twilight.
Delia was crouching by the campfire, holding a ladle, gently stirring the thick soup in the pot.
Steam rose in wisps.
The aroma wafted around the campsite.
She was wearing a plain travel outfit with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her fair arm.
The stray hairs on her forehead were dampened by the steam and stuck to her brow; she would occasionally lift the back of her hand to wipe it away.
Her movements were gentle and skillful.
Eevee and Dragonair were both guarding her side, their eyes fixed on the soup in the pot, licking their lips from time to time.
"You're back?"
Delia looked up and smiled at Roy.
"You finished earlier today than yesterday."
"Yeah, efficiency was high today."
Roy walked over and sat down by the campfire.
Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and ran over to lie down beside Eevee.
The two little ones lay side by side, their ears twitching.
Delia scooped a small spoonful of soup, blew on it, and brought it to Roy's lips.
"Taste it."
Roy took a sip.
"The seasoning is just right."
Delia's face flushed slightly in the firelight.
Roy glanced around.
"Where's Misty?"
Delia pointed not far away.
"She's over there, looking at her egg again."
Roy looked in that direction.
Misty was sitting on a large rock at the edge of the campsite with her legs crossed.
She was holding the Togepi egg in her arms.
That girl, who was usually so boisterous and prone to bickering with him, was unbelievably quiet right now.
She kept her head down, staring unblinkingly at the egg in her arms.
Her fingers gently stroked the surface of the eggshell with cautious movements, as if she were caressing the most precious thing in the world.
Her mouth was moving slightly, whispering secrets to the egg.
That expression. That look.
Roy raised an eyebrow.
Since when did Misty become so maternal?
He stood up and walked over with light footsteps.
Misty was too focused and didn't notice him approaching at all.
She was still there, head down, muttering to herself.
"Baby, you have to be good..."
"Should big sister tell you a story?"
"Once upon a time, there was a very powerful Water-type Pokémon..."
"It swam freely in the ocean..."
"One day, it met a very, very good Trainer..."
Hearing this, Roy almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He stopped behind Misty, bent down, and leaned close to her ear, suddenly saying, "Oh my."
"It's rare to see you so well-behaved."
Misty was startled.
She jumped, clutching the egg as she spun around.
Seeing it was Roy, she first let out a sigh of relief, then immediately puffed out her cheeks, lifted her chin, and glared at him with a tsundere expression.
"Of course!"
"This is my first time hatching a Pokémon egg; I have to be very attentive!"
After saying this, she lowered her head again, whispering softly to the egg in her arms.
"Baby, you must hatch healthily."
"Big sister is waiting to see you."
Her tone was so gentle, it was like a completely different person from a moment ago.
Roy found her behavior quite interesting as he watched her.
"Big sister?" Roy sat down beside her, tilting his head to look at her.
"Your seniority isn't right, is it?"
Misty looked up and thought for a moment: "But we haven't gone to get the official certificate yet, so I can't be the mom, can I!"
"Big sister it is!"
After saying that, her fingers lightly traced the eggshell, her voice growing softer and softer.
Roy sat beside her and watched.
The firelight shone on her face, illuminating the focused and gentle expression on her face clearly.
He really couldn't tell usually. This girl actually had such a side.
Just as Misty was gently stroking the eggshell, suddenly!
"Crack." A faint, crisp sound.
Misty's hand stopped.
Her pupils dilated sharply.
Her whole body seemed frozen. She even held her breath.
"Crack." Another sound.
A thin crack appeared on the eggshell.
Misty gasped, her voice cracking.
"It's time! Roy! It's time!"
"Roy!"
"It's coming out!"
She was shaking all over from nervousness, but her hands held the egg steadily, without moving an inch.
Roy also leaned in.
The cracks on the eggshell increased, spreading out like a spiderweb, and a white light shone from the fissures.
Then, the top of the eggshell cracked open.
A small, pointed horn poked out first.
Then came the whole body, round and chubby, like a small, spiky ball.
Togepi had come out!
It tilted its head, looked at Misty, and blinked its eyes.
It let out a cute, milky cry.
Misty held Togepi in both hands, incredibly excited.
"Ahhhhh!" A scream pierced the night sky.
Roy's ears were almost deafened by her.
"Roy! Look, look!"
Misty stood up abruptly and held Togepi up in front of Roy.
"Our baby is born!"
As soon as these words came out, the air went quiet for a second.
In the distance, Delia, who was serving soup, paused with the ladle in her hand.
She turned her head, glanced at the Togepi in Misty's hands, then smiled and shook her head, withdrawing her gaze and continuing to serve the soup.
Roy was also amused by Misty's words.
"Our baby?"
Misty was so excited right now that she couldn't care less about what she had said.
She held Togepi in her palms and brought it close to her eyes to examine it carefully.
Togepi also tilted its head to look at her.
Two big eyes met two big eyes.
Misty's tears were almost falling.
"So cute..."
"Too cute..."
"How can there be such a cute Pokémon in the world..."
She held Togepi and spun around in circles on the spot.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she held Togepi up to Roy again.
"Roy, come over quickly!"
"Aren't you going to come and see our baby?"
She still hadn't realized what she was saying, or rather, her brain had no time to worry about phrasing right now.
Her mind was full of Togepi, Togepi, Togepi.
Roy stood up and leaned over with a smile.
"Oh? If you like babies so much."
"Tonight we can..."
Before he could finish, Misty froze, then her face turned bright red instantly.
She freed one hand and lightly hit Roy on the chest.
"Disgusting!"
"I'm talking about this Pokémon!"
"No saying dirty things right now!"
"We'll talk about tonight later!"
She withdrew her hand and shielded Togepi in her arms, even turning slightly to block Togepi's view, as if Togepi might hear what Roy had just said.
"Don't teach this baby bad things!"
Roy laughed at her protective mother-hen demeanor.
Misty glared at him with a flushed face, then put all her attention back on Togepi.
"Baby be good, baby be good."
"You didn't hear anything the bad big brother just said."
"Big sister will protect you."
Roy shook his head with a smile and didn't tease her anymore.
He brought up Togepi's panel in his mind.
The system had previously rewarded him with an ability where this Togepi's intimacy was shared between him and Misty, so he could directly view Togepi's data.
[ Pokémon: Togepi ]
[ Type: Fairy ]
[ Level: lv1 (Juvenile Level) ]
[ Potential: Elite Four Level ]
[ Ability: Super Luck — Because it has Super Luck, attacks are more likely to hit the opponent's critical spot. ]
[ Moves: Pound, Growl, Metronome. ]
[ Held Item: None ]
[ Special Enhancement: None ]
Roy raised an eyebrow.
Elite Four Level potential. This was quite a surprise.
The Super Luck ability was even rarer among the rare, significantly increasing the chance of landing a critical hit.
The probability of dealing critical damage was much higher than with normal abilities.
The most critical thing was that move — Metronome.
It came with Metronome right from birth.
This move had extremely high randomness, capable of randomly selecting one from all moves to unleash.
What it got depended entirely on luck.
With good luck, a level 1 Togepi could even roll a Hyper Beam.
Combined with the Super Luck ability, this thing would be a walking critical hit machine in the future.
When it eventually evolved into Togekiss, it would have a thick health bar, a deep move pool, and could attack, tank, and support.
Misty was a Water-type specialist Trainer.
When opponents saw her, their first reaction would definitely be to prepare tactics targeting Water-types.
As a result, she would pull out a Togekiss.
Just the tactical surprise alone would be enough to give the opponent a hard time.
Although this egg wasn't the Water-type legendary Pokémon she had been talking about, Togepi's cuteness had clearly completely conquered her.
Misty held Togepi, unable to put it down.
She wouldn't even put it down when eating.
She sat by the campfire, placing Togepi on her lap, holding a bowl in one hand, while the other hand would occasionally stroke Togepi's head.
"Come, baby, eat something."
She used a spoon to scoop a small spoonful of the soft, mushy food that Delia had specially made.
She blew on it until it cooled, then carefully brought it to Togepi's mouth.
Togepi opened its little mouth.
"Nom." It ate it in one bite, then happily shook its body.
Misty watched it eat, forgetting to eat her own meal, and the smile on her face never faded.
Delia, sitting opposite, couldn't help but laugh as she watched Misty.
"Misty, you should eat too."
"Your food is getting cold."
"Oh, oh, right, right." Only then did Misty remember she hadn't eaten.
She shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth, chewed twice, then lowered her head to feed Togepi a bite.
She ate a bite, then fed Togepi a bite.
The meal took twice as long as usual.
After the meal, Misty's excitement was even higher.
"Baby, let's go, big sister will take you to meet new friends!"
She carried Togepi and ran to where she kept her Poké Balls.
All her Water-type Pokémon were released.
"Everyone, come here, come here!"
"Let me introduce you!"
Misty held Togepi high.
"This is Togepi!"
"The newest member of our family!"
"You all have to take good care of it from now on!"
After introducing her Pokémon, Misty carried Togepi and ran over to Delia.
"Sister Delia! Look!"
Delia put down her work and looked down at Togepi, extending a finger to gently poke Togepi's little belly.
Togepi curled up from the tickle.
"So cute." Delia smiled gently: "Misty, you have to take good care of it from now on."
"Of course!"
Misty called Eevee over.
Eevee leaned in and sniffed Togepi, then wagged its tail.
Finally, it was Roy's Pikachu.
Pikachu walked over, tilted its head, and looked at this little thing.
Togepi also tilted its head to look at it.
The two Pokémon stared at each other for a few seconds.
Then Togepi stretched out its little hand, wanting to touch Pikachu's ears.
Pikachu didn't dodge; instead, it leaned its head in a little closer.
The little ones quickly got along well.
Although Togepi had just been born, its personality was very well-behaved.
It didn't cry or fuss.
Whoever came over to tease it, it would just tilt its head and look at them, occasionally letting out a milky cry.
Misty was overjoyed to see Togepi integrate into the big family so quickly.
She squatted nearby, resting her chin on her hands, watching Togepi, Pikachu, and Eevee play with a silly smile on her face.
This excitement lasted until nightfall.
The night deepened, and the campfire was extinguished.
The campsite quieted down.
Misty sat in front of her tent, holding Togepi in her arms.
Only then did her mind slowly withdraw a little from Togepi, because she suddenly thought of something.
During the day, that sentence Roy whispered in her ear:
"If you like babies so much, tonight we can..."
At the time, her mind was full of Togepi, and she didn't think too much about it.
Now that it was quiet, that sentence seemed to grow legs, running back into her mind, replaying over and over.
Misty's face started to burn bit by bit, and she bit her lower lip.
Although she had seriously rejected Roy during the day, now that it was late at night, that suppressed thought was like a ball pressed into the water—the moment the hand let go, it bounced back up.
She missed Roy, and it wasn't just a normal missing.
She looked down at Togepi in her arms.
The little one yawned, its eyelids drooping. It was sleepy.
Misty took a deep breath, stood up with Togepi in her arms, and walked lightly to the small tent where Pikachu and Eevee stayed.
She crouched down and lifted the tent flap.
Pikachu and Eevee were curled up together.
Eevee's big, fluffy, soft tail was spread out beside them.
Hearing the movement, the two little ones looked up.
"Pika?"
"Eevee?"
Misty gently placed Togepi into the tent, lowering her voice and speaking in a tone used to coax children.
"Togepi, you stay in this tent with Eevee and Pikachu tonight."
"They will take care of you."
Togepi was so sleepy it could barely open its eyes, but it still nodded obediently.
Misty stroked its head again.
"Big sister has to go deal with a big bad guy tonight!"
"You have to be good."
"Listen to Pikachu and Eevee."
She paused, her expression becoming very serious.
"You absolutely, absolutely must not follow big sister, okay!"
Togepi nodded groggily and then burrowed into Eevee's tail.
Eevee lifted its fluffy big tail, gathered Togepi into its arms, and then covered Togepi with its tail.
Pikachu also scooted over.
The three little ones huddled together and began to rest.
Misty lowered the tent flap, stood up, and turned around.
Her gaze fell on Roy's tent.
Her heart beat even faster, and then she walked tiptoe toward Roy's tent.
After two steps, she stopped again.
She looked back guiltily at Delia's tent.
Delia's tent was quiet. The light was already out. There was no movement.
Misty breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she felt that she was being so pathetic.
It wasn't the first time, after all. What was there to feel guilty about?
But even though she thought that, her movements were still sneaking.
She hunched her back, walked on tiptoe, looking back every few steps.
When she reached the entrance of Roy's tent, she took a deep breath, placed her hand on the tent flap.
She looked back at Delia's tent one more time to confirm there was nothing unusual.
Then, with a quick movement, she zipped inside.