After returning home, Father and Mother began cooking, while Minato carried the Pokémon egg back to his bedroom.
After gently placing the egg incubator on his desk, he opened the instruction manual he had received.
On the first page, an image of a Pokémon entered Minato's eyes.
This Pokémon appeared to be based on a fox, with most of its fur being brown.
The tip of its fluffy tail and the fur around its neck were cream-colored. Its legs were short and thin, each ending in three toes with pink paw pads. Its eyes were also brown, drawn very vividly, and its long, rabbit-like ears were quite cute.
Eevee, Normal-type, evolution-class Pokémon...
No matter how many times he looked at it, it was still adorable.
Truly, the most suitable Pokémon as a pet. Simply a cute creature...
"According to the manual's introduction, pressing the buttons in sequence will drain the nutrient fluid. After that, the Trainer must stay by the Pokémon egg's side at all times."
Minato sighed. The process of becoming a Trainer was quite different from the anime.
In the anime, the starter Pokémon given to new Trainers had already been raised for a period of time. After receiving them, they could directly participate in battles.
But here, new Trainers like them basically had to start from eggs and raise them themselves.
Of course, such regulations had benefits. It made it easier for Pokémon and Trainers to establish deep relationships. After hatching, Pokémon typically liked to imprint on the first creature they saw.
Minato didn't rush to operate the device. He continued reading. The back of the manual contained some Eevee data. Calling it data was generous—it was just a few lines, simply recording Eevee's information.
And the moves it could learn.
After looking at it, Minato lost interest. This was clearly an extremely cut-down, ultra-low-end version of a Pokédex, probably on the same level as the single Pokémon cards James held in the anime...
"The only useful thing is the food recommendations. However, this information should be common knowledge available online. Still, having it is better than not."
Time passed quickly. By the time Minato finished reading the manual, lunch was ready.
Minato actually rarely ate with his parents. He usually ate in the school cafeteria. Father and Mother were busy with work and had no time to cook for him. Today was an exception.
Gathering as a family for a meal felt good to Minato.
After lunch, Father and Mother also helped Minato fiddle with the incubator. They hadn't benefited from the good policies of today. Neither were Trainers. Plus, they were poorer back then, so they couldn't afford to raise Pokémon. Therefore, they were also quite curious about Pokémon.
In fact, operating the incubator was indeed very simple. In less than ten minutes, they successfully drained the nutrient fluid from the device.
Looking at the sticky egg, Minato decided that from now on, he would take it with him even when bathing or sleeping. He absolutely couldn't miss the hatching.
Two days later.
Wearing a scarf, Minato received the fresh milk he had ordered from the delivery person and placed it on the living room table.
Don't ask why he was wearing a scarf in summer. It was because this scarf was truly comfortable.
A Silk Scarf, a luxury item made from Trubbish's mucus and Bug-type Pokémon silk through multiple processes. It was a hold item for Pokémon, priced comparable to luxury brand handbags. It was a gift from Father and Mother to the unborn little Eevee, and also indirectly a gift to Minato, who had just become a Trainer.
After holding this scarf, the power of Normal-type moves would increase slightly. It was very good for Eevee. Minato had also tried using "Tackle" on walls while wearing it, but it still hurt. However, that wasn't the main point...
It was too comfortable to wear.
This texture... unparalleled.
Quickly opening the box, Minato took out a bottle of milk and stared at it, wanting to see how it differed from ordinary milk.
This was food Minato had prepared for Eevee.
Pokémon were much stronger than animals or humans. Some Pokémon could battle immediately after birth.
As for eating, there weren't so many restrictions. As long as it was nutritious, it was fine.
In the anime, when Brock's Happiny first hatched, it could speak and walk, and could even throw an adult dozens of meters into the air with one hand. Although Happiny might have been exceptionally gifted, it was enough to show how miraculous Pokémon were.
According to upperclassman Yukari recommendation, having newborn Pokémon drink Miltank milk would help them grow more robustly.
This was also highlighted in the instruction manual.
Miltank was a cow Pokémon, Normal-type. This Pokémon was female-only. After absorbing sufficient nutrients, it could produce 20 liters of milk daily. The milk was extremely nutritious for both humans and Pokémon, far surpassing ordinary milk. It had always been a premium dairy product. Therefore, ranches raising Miltank existed worldwide. For the unborn Eevee's food, Minato felt there was no better choice.
One bottle of Miltank milk was 250 ml, priced at 45 ₽. Minato bought a case of 24 bottles, totaling 998 ₽ with the discount.
Keep in mind, ordinary workers earned only about 3.000 to 4.000 ₽ per month. This milk was truly expensive... but the newborn period was when nutrition was most needed. Minato couldn't afford to be stingy. When the milk arrived, he didn't even bear to drink it himself.
Although... in the end, he couldn't resist drinking one bottle to taste it...
"Truly fragrant."
After finishing the bottle, Minato licked the white liquid at the corner of his mouth, a sweet aftertaste lingering endlessly. The taste was more special than any other milk.
"When I have money, I must have my family drink Miltank milk like water..."
Now, Minato had a new goal... As a food enthusiast, he couldn't resist the temptation of gourmet food.
Milk was just the beginning. Before Eevee hatched, Minato was extremely busy. He also used the remaining 6.000-plus ₽ in his bank account to order things online that might be useful for Eevee.
Over these two days, every night, Minato felt exhausted and drowsy. This also taught him a truth:
If you don't idle during the day, you won't suffer from insomnia at night.
Another day ended. Minato quickly rinsed himself with warm water, refreshed, then placed Eevee's egg by his bedside, preparing to sleep.
In his dream, Minato dreamed of himself. He passed the entrance exams with flying colors, becoming the top scorer in Heiwa City. Then he was courted by various elite universities offering excellent conditions, no longer needing to worry about resources... After that, he and Eevee rose quickly, passing the Professional Trainer examination before even graduating from university, gaining both fame and fortune.
As for what happened next, the dream woke up. Sunlight streamed into the room, and the Pokémon egg also emitted a dazzling light. Bathed in double light, Minato opened his eyes with satisfaction.
As he looked at the slowly cracking Pokémon egg, he instantly showed an expression of anticipation.
He had waited so long that the flowers had wilted.