**Chapter 36: Hatching and Evolution**
After the lively housewarming feast last night, only Bai Feng, Bai Ye, Popplio, and Helioptile remained at Home tonight.
Bai Feng waved his small hand and said to everyone, "Tonight, I'll show off my skills and make you a delicious feast!"
"Shana~" Yay!
"Woo woo~" Agreed!
"Aibee~" Excited!
The three Pokémon cheered simultaneously.
Since there were still quite a few ingredients left over from yesterday that hadn't been used, Bai Feng utilized them to make a meal of Chinese cuisine from his previous life for everyone.
Due to the limitations of the ingredients and seasonings, and the fact that he hadn't cooked for many years, the taste of the food Bai Feng made was actually just average. However, everyone still ate with great relish.
On one hand, it was because the family was gathered together, creating a great atmosphere and sense of happiness while eating. On the other hand, the food was very new to everyone; it was their first time trying this kind of food.
Everyone ate and chatted, and the atmosphere was very lively. Just then, Helioptile suddenly let out a loud cry, giving everyone a real scare.
"Woo~" What are you yelling about!
Popplio had always been unilaterally at odds with Helioptile, so it was the first to speak up and accuse.
Whoosh~
Helioptile ignored Popplio and quickly climbed from the chair onto the table, appearing beside the incubator holding the Pokémon Egg.
"Aibee~ Aibee~"
Helioptile pointed at the Pokémon Egg inside the incubator and kept calling out.
"You said you just saw it glowing?" Bai Feng asked.
"Aibee~ Aibee~" Helioptile nodded frantically.
"Woo~" Where was it glowing? Why didn't I see it?
Popplio interrupted from the side.
"Aibee~ Aibee~" Really, I really saw it!
Normally, Helioptile completely ignored Popplio's provocations, but today it seemed a bit anxious and quickly defended itself.
Bai Feng quickly comforted it, saying, "I believe you. Maybe this Pokémon Egg is about to hatch. After all, we've had it for two months now."
"Aibee~ Aibee~" Yes, it must be!
Just then, a white light flashed across the Pokémon Egg again, disappearing in an instant. This time, not only Helioptile saw it, but Bai Feng, Bai Ye, and Popplio all saw it clearly and distinctly.
"Aibee~ Aibee~" Helioptile jumped and bounced excitedly.
"Alright, alright, we all saw it," Bai Feng said with a smile. "It seems this Pokémon Egg is really going to hatch. How about we take it out of the incubator first!"
"Aibee~"
Helioptile nodded heavily, then quickly pressed the incubator's switch button and slowly carried the Pokémon Egg out.
Looking at Helioptile's careful manner, Bai Feng said laughingly, "It seems you really like this new partner who hasn't even hatched yet."
Helioptile gently patted the Pokémon Egg and nodded shyly.
At this moment, the Pokémon Egg lit up again, and the light was even stronger than before.
"Helioptile, put the Pokémon Egg in the center of the table. We can eat and watch," Bai Feng suggested.
"Aibee~"
Helioptile nodded and carried the Pokémon Egg to the middle of the table. Bai Ye thoughtfully added a soft cushion for it.
So the family ate, chatted, and waited for the birth of the new member.
As time passed, the frequency of the light on the Pokémon Egg increased, and the brightness of the light also became stronger.
But it didn't seem to be in a hurry to be born. Everyone finished dinner, the table was cleaned, and the dishes were washed, but it still hadn't been born.
Popplio was getting a little impatient. It lay on the table and complained, "How much longer is it going to take? Why is it so slow!"
Bai Feng said helplessly, "How can you rush something like this? A baby's birth definitely takes time. Maybe you were even slower when you were born!"
Just as Bai Feng finished speaking, the dark green Pokémon Egg suddenly burst into bright light. A strong milky white light enveloped the entire Egg.
When the light dissipated, a little guy about twenty centimeters tall appeared before everyone. It had a grey-green rocky skin, a long blunt horn on its head, and a red diamond-shaped scale on its belly. It looked like a small dinosaur.
Larvitar!
Seeing this Pokémon, Bai Feng was overjoyed. He hadn't expected to actually hatch a Pseudo-legendary infant! Legendary Birds, you are the best!
The newborn Larvitar looked blankly at everyone surrounding it. Not only was it not afraid, but it even glared at Bai Feng and the others one by one. It had a very fiery temper, but it was also very cute.
Bai Feng stepped forward, opened his arms, and said to Larvitar with a smile, "Little darling, congratulations on your birth. Come, let big brother give you a hug."
"Yo~"
The moment Bai Feng reached out his hand, Larvitar slapped it away with a "Pa!" sound, wearing an expression that seemed to say, "Don't touch me!"
"This little guy is quite fierce," Bai Feng said awkwardly. He then took out a Berry and held it in front of Larvitar. "Are you hungry? Want to eat?"
When one plan failed, Bai Feng came up with another.
Larvitar stared at the fruit for more than ten seconds, then looked up at Bai Feng again, silently took the fruit, and crunched it down in two bites, leaving not even a fruit pit.
After eating, it paused, looking at Bai Feng with hesitant eyes.
"What's wrong?" Bai Feng tried his best to make his expression look gentle.
Larvitar hesitated for a little while, then silently extended a pair of small short hands towards Bai Feng again.
"Not full yet?" Bai Feng asked tentatively.
"Yo~" Larvitar nodded gently.
Seeing this, Bai Feng quickly took out a few more Berries and placed them in front of Larvitar. Larvitar immediately picked one up impatiently and started munching.
Soon the Berries were eaten clean again, and Larvitar looked at Bai Feng once more. This time, its eyes lacked the previous wariness and fierceness, replaced by a hint of anticipation.
Baby is hungry, baby wants food too~
"This little guy sure can eat!" Bai Feng exclaimed, but his hand obediently reached out for more fruit.
Larvitar was truly a big eater. Despite being less than twenty centimeters tall, it had already eaten a pile of Berries in no time. Its little belly was simply a bottomless pit; it ate so many Berries but showed no change in size.
Bai Feng now seriously suspected that the Legendary Birds might have been afraid of this little guy eating them out of house and home in the future, so they were forced to send it to someone else's hands in a hurry.
The little guy had just been born. After eating and drinking its fill, it immediately closed its eyes, lay on the table, and fell asleep soundly.
"Sigh~ Let's carry it to the room to sleep."
Saying this, Bai Feng reached out to pick up Larvitar. However, on the first attempt, the little guy didn't budge an inch; on the second attempt, the little guy lifted, but Bai Feng put it down again.
"Is this guy a bit heavy?" Bai Feng said, looking bewildered.
"Aibee~ Aibee~"
Helioptile also tried to hug Larvitar, and indeed, it couldn't lift it either. Its small body wasn't much bigger than Larvitar's.
"I'll try again!" Bai Feng said again.
This time he finally managed to pick it up, but his face was flushed red, and he struggled with each step, having a hard time getting Larvitar to the room.
"Phew~ That was exhausting!" Bai Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead.
After settling Larvitar, Bai Feng said to the other three, "Today is the time to light up the hidden energy circuits again. Let's do that before everyone goes to sleep! Who wants to go first today?"
"Aibee! Aibee!" Helioptile raised its hand first!
"Alright, then Helioptile will go first today."
After saying that, he led the three Pokémon to the room he had specially built for lighting up hidden energy circuits. After Helioptile lay down on the bed in the middle of the room, Bai Feng began to work.
The first step was to inject Helioptile with anesthetic to make its pain disappear.
Bai Feng had specifically learned injection techniques from Nurse Joy and spent quite some time practicing, so Helioptile lost consciousness with almost no sensation.
Next, he could begin lighting up the hidden energy circuits.
After several years of practice, Bai Feng was extremely familiar with the energy circuits within Helioptile's body and operated with practiced ease, so he quickly completed the work.
Helioptile was the last of the three Pokémon to have its hidden energy circuits lit up. Except for Bai Ye, whose hidden energy circuits were too complex, resulting in slow progress, Helioptile's progress still lagged behind Popplio's.
After Helioptile finished, Bai Feng carried it to the side to rest, then looked at Bai Ye and Popplio and said, "Who's next?"
Bai Ye stepped forward without hesitation.
Bai Feng was now gradually reducing the use of Thunder Wave to assist in lighting up hidden energy circuits, instead slowly replacing Thunder Wave with anesthetic.
Although Thunder Wave was effective, its effect on blocking pain was not as good as anesthetic, and sometimes pain would still remain, so there was naturally a risk. Now that he wasn't poor anymore, there was no need to settle for the next best thing, so using anesthetic was safer.
Soon, Bai Ye also finished.
Finally, it was Popplio's turn. It obediently lay down on the bed, then closed its eyes and remained still, looking like it was ready for anything.
Bai Feng always had a fixed planning for lighting up the hidden energy circuits of his Pokémon. He would light up a specific amount each time, neither too much nor too little, ensuring it wouldn't cause a burden to the Pokémon while also guaranteeing efficiency.
After completing Popplio's task for the day, Bai Feng was surprised to find that its hidden energy circuits were almost completely lit up, with only a tiny bit left, less than a fifth of the amount for the next session.
Should he just light it all up today? Occasionally adjusting the task amount shouldn't have any impact.
So Bai Feng persevered and lit up the remaining bit.
He didn't know if it was his imagination, but the moment Popplio's hidden energy circuits were fully lit up, Bai Feng seemed to see Popplio's entire energy circuit faintly glowing. The origin energy surging within seemed to be sparkling, like the Milky Way in the starry sky, very beautiful!
After the hidden energy circuits were completely lit up, they perfectly integrated into the entire energy circuit cycle.
After Popplio finished, the Pokémon gradually recovered from the anesthetic.
"How do you guys feel?" Bai Feng asked.
"Aibee~" Same as before, no special feeling.
Helioptile replied.
Bai Ye nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Bai Feng looked at Popplio and asked, "Popplio, how about you? Your hidden energy circuits are completely lit up now!"
"Woo~"
Just as Popplio was about to answer, its voice startled everyone because it had changed significantly. The tone became clearer and more resonant, giving people the feeling of listening to their first love singing.
Popplio itself was also startled by its own voice. It quickly covered its mouth with its hands.
(°□°) Whose voice is this?
"This might be a change caused by the hidden energy circuits being completely lit up. It shouldn't be a bad thing," Bai Feng explained.
Hearing this, Popplio finally released its hands from its mouth.
"Woo woo~ Woo woo~"
It tentatively began to speak. Its voice was indeed very pleasant. Bai Feng's own feeling was that when he heard Popplio's voice, it was like on a hot summer day, after exercising and being covered in sweat, someone handed you a bottle of ice-cold drink.
That feeling was refreshing and soothing to the soul!
This was a spiritual enjoyment.
"How about we go outside and try to see if the change in your voice affects your moves!" Bai Feng suggested at this point.
"Woo~"
Popplio nodded in agreement. It was uncomfortable with the change in its voice and hoped to figure out this change as soon as possible.
Everyone walked outside the house together, chose an empty lot, and Popplio stepped forward and began to Sing.
The first move it used was Disarming Voice.
As the beautiful singing began, the air started vibrating violently, as if it could explode at any moment. But Bai Feng and the others were captivated and mesmerized by the singing.
Bang~
The violent vibration of the air indeed caused a strong explosion. The huge explosion successfully brought Bai Feng and the others, who were immersed in the singing, back to their senses.
Looking at the large pit blasted out by Disarming Voice in the distance, Bai Feng asked in disbelief, "Popplio, did you do that?"
Popplio itself was also surprised, completely unaware that its voice had such a powerful amplification effect on Disarming Voice. But getting stronger was a good thing, so it proudly puffed out its little chest.
"That's right, it was me!"
Bai Feng rubbed Popplio's little head and praised it, "Good, good. It seems lighting up all the hidden energy circuits is indeed powerful! Do you want to try other moves?"
"Woo~" Okay!
Popplio nodded heavily. The next move it experimented with was Sing. But as soon as it opened its mouth, Bai Feng and the others immediately felt their eyelids felt heavy, so Bai Feng quickly shouted:
"Stop, let's forget about this move for now. We can try it another time." He didn't want everyone to be sung to sleep before they finished testing the moves.
Just then, Bai Feng suddenly thought of something else, so he asked Popplio:
"Popplio, your hidden energy circuits are all lit up now. There shouldn't be any impact on evolution anymore. Do you want to choose to evolve?"
Hearing Bai Feng's words, Popplio's eyes instantly lit up: "Really? I can really evolve?"
Popplio had wanted to evolve for a long time. If Bai Feng hadn't told it that evolving too early might affect its future growth and advised it not to be limited by the present, it would have evolved into Brionne long ago.
All Popplio hope to evolve into the beautiful, elegant, and powerful Primarina as soon as possible! This is an instinctive pursuit etched into their genes.
"Of course you can. If you want to evolve, just take off the Everstone you're wearing," Bai Feng replied.
As his words fell, Popplio quickly took off the Everstone hanging around its neck and threw it fiercely onto the ground, as if it had a deep grudge against that stone.
*Do you know how long I've waited for this day?*
Bai Feng silently picked up the Everstone and put it in his pocket: *Why did you throw it on the ground? I can still use it for Larvitar later!*
As the Everstone was removed, Popplio's body began to emit colorful light. Within the light, its size slowly grew taller and larger, and its form also underwent some changes.
Helioptile and Bai Ye also couldn't help but hold their breath, watching Popplio's evolution process with rapt attention, not blinking their eyes.
For all Pokémon, evolution is a sacred and solemn ritual.
"Seelai~"
As the colorful light dissipated, Brionne let out a cheerful cry.
No, it should be Brionne!
Compared to Popplio's voice, Brionne's voice had a hint of maturity, but not much.
"Seelai~" I finally evolved!
Brionne looked at its new form with curiosity.
Compared to Popplio, Brionne's skin color became much lighter, closer to the color of the sea. Its eyes gained a hint of charm, its two ears turned into two small pigtails, and it put on a layered little skirt.
In short, it was cute!
"Brionne, congratulations!"
Everyone stepped forward to express their blessings to Brionne.
After that, everyone returned to their respective rooms to sleep. Tonight, Helioptile didn't go to Bai Feng's room; it went to Larvitar's place to accompany Larvitar.
Early the next morning, not long after dawn, Bai Feng felt someone pulling his hair.
"Aibee~ Aibee~ Aibee~" Wake up, wake up, Bai Feng, wake up quickly!
"What happened? Was there an earthquake?" Bai Feng opened his eyes with a splitting headache.
Last night, he spent a little extra time lighting up Popplio's hidden energy circuits and stayed up late experimenting with its moves. Bai Feng had planned to sleep in this morning, but he didn't expect to be woken up at this hour!
This was truly... unbearable!
"Bai Feng, something's wrong! Larvitar is eating dirt in the garden! Hurry up and stop it!" Helioptile kept urging Bai Feng.
Just like that, Bai Feng was groggily pulled to the yard by Helioptile. Sure enough, he saw Larvitar with its rear end sticking up, digging in the flowerbed and stuffing dirt into its mouth.
The few flowers and grass Bai Ye had planted had long been dug up into a mess by it.
"Aibee~ Aibee~ Aibee~"
Helioptile pointed at Larvitar and shouted noisily, completely unable to understand why Larvitar was eating dirt. It had already given it a pile of Berries for breakfast!
"Alright, alright, calm down. I'll go ask," Bai Feng comforted Helioptile.
"Larvitar, what are you doing?"
Bai Feng was now fully awake. He walked to the flowerbed and asked softly, while comforting himself inwardly that this child had just been born and should be treated with tolerance.
Larvitar's movements were agile. Upon hearing Bai Feng's voice, it immediately stopped digging, lightly pushed off with its two small short legs, and instantly flipped over the edge of the flowerbed, holding a clump of dirt in its hand, as if asking Bai Feng:
*Do you want to eat?*
Bai Feng asked, "Is this delicious?" He suddenly remembered that Larvitar, as a Rock-type Pokémon, needed to supplement its diet with some rocks as food during its growth to meet the demands of its physical development.
Larvitar shook its head.
"Yo~ Yo~" Not very delicious.
Alright then, Bai Feng didn't blame Larvitar, thinking this might be because its body was sending it a signal of demand, causing it to act instinctively like this.
He planned to go to school later and ask Senior Zhenli how to arrange Larvitar's diet, and also get some Pokéblocks specially made for Larvitar.
Bai Feng threw away the clump of dirt in its hand and said to it, "We won't eat this anymore. I'll get you something better to eat later."
"Yo?" Really?
Larvitar stared fixedly at Bai Feng.
"Of course it's true!" Bai Feng promised.
Okay then! Larvitar cheerfully jumped out of the flowerbed, then put its small hands behind its back and waddled away.
Seeing this, Helioptile quickly chased after it.
Bai Feng was now completely awake and decided not to go back to the room to sleep. Instead, he chose to go out for a run, then came Home to wash up, eat breakfast, and carry his school bag to school.
(End of Chapter)