Until the eggshell had completely fallen away, the appearance of the Pokémon inside wasn't fully revealed.
Curled up with its eyes closed, hugging its knees, it looked very cute—almost tender.
Its body was blue, resembling a small dog.
Its legs and lower torso were black, with a blue tail and a light yellow-colored collar.
On the backs of its forepaws, there was a white circle. When it evolves into Lucario, that circle will grow into a spike.
In addition, there was a black pattern on its face resembling a mask.
Its eyelids trembled slightly, and then it slowly opened its eyes, revealing pure, untainted red eyes in front of Cain.
Riolu!
"Riou~!" Riolu murmured softly, gazing at Cain with affection and tenderness.
Riolu's fur, which had previously clung to its body, fluffed up as soon as it opened its eyes.
Now it looked even more adorable.
"Riou~!"
Riolu let out another soft sound and jumped straight into Cain's arms.
Its little nose sniffed eagerly, taking in Cain's scent as if trying to remember it forever.
It didn't know why, but from the very first moment it saw Cain, it felt a strong closeness, and there was something warm and comforting about him.
Cain smiled and gently stroked Riolu's back.
There was no need to explain it—it was undoubtedly the effect of the aura blessing within his body.
This Riolu, from the moment it was born, showed deep dependence and affection for Cain.
Feeling the warmth of Cain's hand, Riolu closed its eyes comfortably, its blue tail swaying slightly. It was clearly very happy.
Riolu not only looked like a little dog—it acted like one too.
Cain pulled out a Pokéblock he had prepared in advance and placed it in front of Riolu.
With its puppy nose, Riolu immediately picked up the scent, and its face lit up in surprise.
It looked at Cain, then at the Pokéblock in his hand, as if asking, "Is this for me?"
Cain nodded with a smile and placed the Pokéblock in its small paw.
Its little fingers had soft pads—it felt very pleasant to the touch.
At that moment, Riolu was still very small, fitting into Cain's palm. It hugged the Pokéblock with both hands and began eating right away.
Taking advantage of the moment, Cain scanned Riolu with his system.
Pokémon: Riolu (Light Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 1
Type: Fighting
Ability: Inner Focus
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Cross Chop, High Jump Kick, Blaze Kick, Meteor Mash
Basic Moves: Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure
Learned Moves: None
TM Moves: None
There weren't many changes in other aspects, but in terms of potential, it had gone from Dark Blue to Light Purple.
That was likely due to the egg cracking incident.
Because of that crack, the ointment Cain had prepared worked even better. A portion was used to repair the egg, but a large part was absorbed directly by Riolu.
When a Pokémon is still in its egg—especially if it hasn't fully formed—any change can have a significant impact.
Even more than what happens during evolution.
Cain was satisfied with the improvement in Riolu's potential.
After all, Riolu only has one evolution, and the chances to strengthen it aren't many.
So gaining a boost at birth was excellent.
With Riolu's hatching, the rest of the Pokémon came over to congratulate their new companion.
Riolu is a very sensitive Pokémon, able to sense the emotions and states of others.
And it could feel that everyone was welcoming it warmly.
It closed its eyes even more happily.
Its tail wagged with joy, and the Pokéblock disappeared in no time.
After a second Pokéblock, given its tiny body, it was already full.
Barely hatched and after eating, Riolu fell asleep in Cain's arms.
Cain smiled and took out a Friend Ball he had already prepared and captured it.
The system scanned its body.
It was in excellent condition from birth, and being a Fighting-type Pokémon, it had a strong physique. So there was no problem capturing it directly with a Poké Ball.
And since it was a Friend Ball, the friendliest of them all, it posed no harm to Riolu.
Moreover, using the Friend Ball would rapidly increase the trust and bond between Cain and Riolu.
Cain was confident that once Riolu entered its growth phase, it would soon evolve into Lucario.
A Fighting/Steel-type Lucario could integrate perfectly into the sandstorm team.
Now that Tyranitar had fully evolved, Cain would prioritize forming the sandstorm team.
Also, his rain team had been delayed for various reasons, so in the coming days, Cain would focus on training the members of his second and third teams.
After storing Riolu, Cain also recalled the rest of his Pokémon.
Then, taking advantage of Slowking's increasingly strong psychic powers, he used Slowking's Teleport to disappear from the backyard.
...
Three days later.
Viridian City received the visit of a cold-faced youth, dressed in black with black hair.
His presence on the streets of Viridian drew many stares.
Unknowingly, Cain had grown during this accelerated development stage—he was already 1.80 meters tall!
If he hadn't bought new clothes in Saffron City, he probably wouldn't have anything left to wear.
Not being able to use Slowking's Teleport at times was quite inconvenient.
Especially since he'd stopped using his thin skin mask, he felt a bit strange.
Soon, he arrived at the entrance of the Viridian City Gym.
Just like last time, after a special inspection, he entered directly into the Team Rocket base.
This time, Cain felt more confident.
With the Elite Official-level badge hanging on his chest, no one dared look him in the eye.
With his hands in his pockets, he walked steadily toward Giovanni's office.
Knock, knock.
He gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," came a strong, familiar voice from inside.
Cain opened the door and stepped in.
He saw that, apart from Giovanni, there was no one else in the room.
He glanced at the corners of the room out of the corner of his eye.
There was no sign of Tenebris.
In the entire room, it was just him and Giovanni. Everything indicated this was a confidential mission.
"Leader," Cain greeted with a respectful bow.
Giovanni waved his hand.
"You've arrived."
"Yes. Is there something the leader wishes to assign me?" Cain asked curiously.
(End of chapter)