Accepting Responsibility

The Pokémon Egg had a red base, making it seem somewhat related to Fire-type Pokémon, but its grayish-black stripes broadened the range of possibilities.

At least, with Luo Mu's current knowledge, he could not accurately determine the species of this Pokémon Egg.

But why did Grandma Juzi want to entrust this Pokémon Egg to him?

Luo Mu voiced his doubts. After pondering for a moment, Juzi said gently, "My son is an explorer. He obtained this Pokémon Egg while exploring the Sinnoh Region. He originally wanted to keep it, wait for it to hatch, and raise it himself, but even after a long time, it simply refused to hatch."

"Later, carrying a Pokémon Egg around made it hard for him to move freely. When he came back to visit me last time, he left the Egg behind and said that once it hatched, it could help me watch the store."

"Unfortunately, even after all this time, the Pokémon Egg still did not hatch. When I took it to the town's Pokémon Center for an examination, Nurse Joy said the Egg was still alive. It is not a dead Egg."

"I may be old, but my judgment is still decent. The Pokémon you sent out when you subdued that peddler last month was very powerful. Perhaps, as a Trainer, you have a way to let this little life come into this world once again."

In truth, Juzi had long considered giving this Pokémon Egg to a reliable Trainer or Breeder. Luo Mu undoubtedly seemed reliable, so she brought it up while she had the chance.

Luo Mu accepted the Pokémon Egg. It felt somewhere between cool and warm in his hands. He examined it carefully, but all he could ultimately confirm was that it was at least alive.

Even Nurse Joy, who specialized in Pokémon medicine, could only reach that conclusion. Luo Mu did not believe his own judgment was better than hers.

After all, all he had were the information and insight granted by his former godlike perspective as a game player and anime viewer. In terms of professional expertise, Nurse Joy was miles ahead of him.

Should he accept this Pokémon Egg, or politely refuse Grandma Juzi's request? Faced with those two choices, Luo Mu fell into thought.

Selfishly speaking, it was an Egg of an unknown species that might not even hatch. With both risks stacked together, reason told him he should refuse.

Emotionally speaking, Grandma Juzi, her son, and Nurse Joy had surely tried everything they could. Now that they had exhausted all options, this Pokémon Egg had ended up in his hands.

After a long silence, Luo Mu still chose to accept this responsibility. He said, word by word, "I can't guarantee that I'll be able to bring it safely into the world, but I can promise that I'll do everything I can to help it come into this world."

"That's enough. That's enough." Juzi's aged hands carefully reached around the Pokémon Egg and grasped Luo Mu's sleeve, as though she were clutching onto hope itself.

She was getting old. She truly did not want to see a living life trapped inside a Pokémon Egg, dying without ever seeing the sunlight.

"If this child can hatch, then let it help out on your farm. That alone will satisfy me."

"Alright."

Luo Mu left Seed Wholesale. He had arrived empty-handed, but now he not only had six bags of Crop Seeds, he also cradled a Pokémon Egg in his right arm.

He searched online for this Pokémon Egg of an unknown species, yet found no Eggs with similar markings. He could only make other plans.

Besides seeking help from experts, he also needed to prepare some nutrient solution for hatching. That stuff was incredibly expensive. Luo Mu remembered worrying over it for quite some time when preparing it for Dragonite, back when it had still been a Pokémon Egg.

As for the even greater expense of a Pokémon Egg incubator, he did not need to worry since Dragonite's old incubator was still around.

Next, Luo Mu took the Pokémon Egg to several other stores, ordering some ordinary fertilizer and buying enough Pasture Seeds to cover the land in the pasture area.

The total cost came to exactly ten thousand League currency. The Crop Seeds were merely the small change; the bulk purchase of Pasture Seeds accounted for most of the expense.

The Pasture Seeds and fertilizer would both be delivered by truck as arranged, so Luo Mu did not need to haul them himself.

Traveling light, Luo Mu held the Pokémon Egg in his arms and carried the Crop Seeds as he slowly made his way back to the farm. Looking at the sky, now turning dusky yellow, he felt thoroughly at ease.

The day had gone by so quickly.

By the time he returned to the farm, dusk had already given way to darkness. Bright stars dotted the sky, and together with the soft moonlight, they provided enough light to see the road ahead.

From a distance, Luo Mu saw a pair of brilliant golden beast eyes and a Flame Sword like ghost fire waiting by the entrance enclosed by the rundown fence.

Warmth instantly surged through his heart. Even the chill of early spring could not stop his body from warming up. Cradling the Pokémon Egg, he hurried to the entrance, where all six Pokémon, led by Luxray, stood without a single one missing, as though they had been waiting for his return all along.

Serperior Looked at Luo Mu with a hint of resentment, as if blaming him for disappearing so often whenever he had free time, and for coming home so late now.

Luo Mu did not explain much. He merely took out the Pokémon Egg, which had grown slightly cold in the frigid wind, and said, "The weather's still a little cold lately, and Pokémon Eggs can't handle low temperatures. Let's go inside and talk."

A trace of surprise flashed through Serperior's snake-like eyes, and on closer inspection, they were filled with disbelief.

Luo Mu had only gone out for a while. How had he returned with a Pokémon Egg?

Weren't the six of them enough!?

Was the love that had already been divided six ways going to be split up even further!?

Dragonite carefully hugged Luo Mu, afraid of bumping or jostling the Pokémon Egg. Then it turned around and fluttered its tiny wings, indicating that it had safely delivered Arven home.

Luo Mu patted Dragonite's head as a reward, then turned his gaze toward Mimikyu, who had once again been "ignored" by several Pokémon and sunk into an emo state. Smiling, he said, "Mimikyu, hurry up and come home with us!"

Mimikyu's drooping rag-doll body instantly perked up. A closer look revealed that the pair of Mimikyu eyes on the Pikachu-like doll's belly had curved into happy crescents, and bubbles of happiness began rising from its entire body.

Luo Mu's voice made Luxray and the other Pokémon notice Mimikyu's presence. Luxray in particular showed visible guilt on its imposing face. It had reminded itself countless times already—how had it carelessly ignored Mimikyu again!?

Luxray believed that, as Luo Mu's Starter Pokémon, it had an obligation to unite every Pokémon and bring them closer together so they could form an invincible team.

Yet Mimikyu's peculiar aura of being "ignored by the world, lacking any sense of presence" continually left it at a loss.