Accepting Responsibility

The Pokémon Egg had a red base color, suggesting some connection to Fire-type Pokémon, but its gray-black stripes broadened the range of possibilities.

At least, with what Luo Mu knew so far, he couldn't accurately identify the species of the Pokémon Egg.

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

Luo Mu voiced his confusion. Juko pondered for a moment, then said gently, "My son is an explorer. He found this Pokémon Egg while exploring the Sinnoh Region. At first, he wanted to keep it and raise the Pokémon himself once it hatched, but even after a long time, the Pokémon Egg still wouldn't 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 it here, saying that if it hatched, it could help me run the shop."

"Unfortunately, it still hasn't hatched after all this time. When I took it to the Pokémon Center in town to have it examined, Nurse Joy said it was still alive, not a dead egg."

"I may be old, but I still have a good eye. The Pokémon you sent that peddler packing with last month was very strong. Maybe you, as a Trainer, can help this little life come into the world."

In truth, Juko had been thinking about giving the Pokémon Egg to a reliable Trainer or Pokémon breeder. Luo Mu seemed like just such a person, so she took this opportunity to bring it up.

Luo Mu accepted the Pokémon Egg. It felt cool and smooth in his hands. He examined it carefully, but in the end, all he could determine was that it was at least still alive.

Even Nurse Joy, who specialized in Pokémon medicine, had only been able to reach that conclusion. Luo Mu didn't think he had a better eye than she did.

After all, all he had was the information and knowledge he'd gained from his past life as a game player and anime viewer, with the benefit of an all-seeing perspective. In terms of expertise, Nurse Joy was leagues ahead of him.

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

On the selfish side, this was an Egg of an unknown species, and it might not even hatch. With both risks combined, reason told him he should refuse.

On the emotional side, Grandma Juzi, her son, and Nurse Joy must have already tried everything they could. After they'd exhausted every option, the Pokémon Egg had ended up in his hands.

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

"That's enough. That's enough." Juko carefully reached around the Pokémon Egg with her aged hand and gripped Luo Mu's sleeve, as if she'd found something to hope for.

She was getting old. She couldn't bear to see a living being trapped in its Egg, dying without ever seeing the sun.

"If this child hatches, let it help out on your farm. I'd be satisfied with that."

"Okay."

Luo Mu left the seed wholesale shop. When he'd arrived, he'd been empty-handed, but now he had not only six bags of Crop Seeds, but also a Pokémon Egg tucked under his right arm.

He searched online for the unknown Pokémon Egg, but couldn't find any with similar markings. He'd have to look for another way.

Besides seeking help from experts, he'd also need to prepare some Nutrient Solution for hatching. That stuff was expensive. Luo Mu remembered how much trouble he'd had getting some for Dragonite back when Dragonite was still a Pokémon Egg.

As for the even more expensive Pokémon Egg incubator, he didn't need to worry, since he still had the one he'd used for Dragonite's Egg.

Next, Luo Mu took the Pokémon Egg to other shops to order some ordinary fertilizer, then went to a shop to buy enough Grass Seeds to cover the ground in the pasture area.

All his expenses came to exactly ten thousand League currency. The Crop Seeds had cost next to nothing; the bulk purchase of Grass Seeds accounted for most of the expense.

The Grass Seeds and fertilizer were scheduled for delivery by truck, so Luo Mu didn't have to carry them himself.

With his hands free, Luo Mu cradled the Pokémon Egg and carried the Crop Seeds as he ambled back to the farm. The sky had turned a dusky yellow, and he felt completely at ease.

The day had really flown by.

By the time he got back to the farm, dusk had given way to darkness. Bright stars dotted the sky, and the soft moonlight made the path ahead easy to see.

From a distance, Luo Mu spotted a pair of brilliant golden eyes and a sword of flame like Will-O-Wisp near the entrance, which was surrounded by a battered fence.

A rush of warmth filled his heart. Even the chill of early spring couldn't stop his body from warming. Cradling the Pokémon Egg, he hurried to the gate. All six Pokémon were there, with Luxray at the head, as if they'd been waiting for him to come home for a long time.

Serperior gave Luo Mu a reproachful look, as if blaming him for often disappearing whenever he had free time—and now for coming home so late.

Luo Mu didn't explain. He simply took the Pokémon Egg from his arms. It had grown a little cold in the wind. "The weather's still a bit chilly. The Pokémon Egg can't handle low temperatures. Let's go inside before we talk."

A flicker of surprise passed through Serperior's eyes. On closer inspection, they were filled with disbelief.

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

Weren't the six of them enough!?

Their love was already divided six ways. Did they have to split off another share!?

Dragonite carefully hugged Luo Mu, afraid of bumping or jostling the Pokémon Egg. Then Dragonite turned around and flapped its tiny wings, indicating that he'd safely escorted Pepper home.

Luo Mu patted Dragonite's head as a reward, then looked toward Mimikyu, who had once again been "ignored" by the other Pokémon and was sinking into an emo mood. He smiled and said, "Mimikyu, come on! Let's go home together!"

Mimikyu's drooping rag-doll body perked right up. On the belly of the doll, which looked a lot like Pikachu, Mimikyu's own pair of eyes curved into happy crescents. Bubbles of joy began to rise all around him.

Luo Mu's voice made Luxray and the others notice Mimikyu. Luxray in particular wore a visible look of remorse on his imposing face. He'd reminded himself countless times already, so how had he managed to overlook Mimikyu again?

As Luo Mu's Starter Pokémon, Luxray felt it was his duty to bring everyone together. Only by strengthening their bonds could they become an unbeatable team.

But Mimikyu's peculiar aura of being "overlooked by the world and having no presence" kept foiling Luxray's efforts.