High Aptitude

After dinner, Xinhai carried the incubator back to his room and gently set it on the table.

After a day, the color of the hatching fluid in the incubator had become very faint. By tomorrow morning, it should be almost completely absorbed.

Xinhai gazed at the Pokémon Egg, his eyes filled with tenderness and anticipation. He murmured softly, "Little one, come out soon. Once you do, we'll work hard and grow stronger together."

Then Xinhai lay down on the bed, his gaze still fixed on the Pokémon Egg. Filled with anticipation for Ralts to hatch, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before he knew it, he had drifted into a sweet sleep.

The entire room was silent, with only Xinhai's steady, even breathing echoing through the air.

Suddenly, the Pokémon Egg in the incubator trembled slightly. The egg, which had been perfectly still, seemed to sense the earnest anticipation coming from Xinhai's dreams and began to emit a soft glow.

At first, the light flickered like a weak candle flame, but it soon gradually brightened, painting the surroundings in a dreamlike hue. It was as though it were conveying the joy of their upcoming meeting to the sleeping Xinhai, telling of the wonder of new life being born.

The next morning, the alarm broke the silence, and Xinhai slowly woke up. He quickly got dressed, then released Torchic.

Xinhai and Torchic eagerly approached the desk to check on the Pokémon Egg. The hatching fluid had been completely absorbed and had turned entirely transparent.

Looking at the Pokémon Egg in the incubator, Xinhai could hardly contain his excitement. He said to Torchic, "Torchic, it looks like Ralts is about to hatch! We'll have another little companion soon." Torchic cried out excitedly, flapping its little wings as its eyes stayed fixed on the Pokémon Egg, equally eager for their new companion to arrive.

Seeing how happy Torchic was, Xinhai smiled. "All right, let's head downstairs. We still need to train after breakfast."

Torchic followed Xinhai downstairs to wash up. Though Torchic was still a little listless after washing up, it was much better than the previous few times. After feeding Torchic some chicken soup for the soul, Xinhai headed to the living room for breakfast.

Holding the incubator, Xinhai asked his father, Yantai, "Dad, Ralts has absorbed all the hatching fluid. What should I do with what's left?"

His father froze for a moment upon hearing that. "That fast? Bring it over and let me take a look."

Having already reached the dining table, Xinhai handed the incubator to Yantai. "Dad, take a look."

Yantai took the incubator and studied the color of the hatching fluid. Somewhat puzzled, he said, "It's already absorbed it all? I thought it would take at least another day."

Nami asked in confusion, "What? Is there a problem?"

Thinking of several possibilities, Yantai explained excitedly, "It's a good thing. The hatching fluid I exchanged for was Advanced hatching fluid from the League Hall. It provides plenty of benefits to the Pokémon inside the egg. Under normal circumstances, a Pokémon that inherits two Egg Moves needs at least two or three days to fully absorb the nutrients. But this Ralts Egg absorbed everything in just over a day, which means this Ralts has exceptional aptitude. It may have inherited three moves."

Nami was extremely surprised after hearing that. Even though she did not know much about Pokémon, she understood what three Egg Moves meant.

Xinhai's eyes were full of surprise and anticipation, and his hands clenched unconsciously. He asked his father eagerly, "Dad, is that true?"

Yantai nodded heavily. "Of course. This absorption speed has already completely exceeded the limit for a Pokémon with two Egg Moves. We can now be almost certain that the Ralts in this Pokémon Egg has three Egg Moves."

Xinhai was overjoyed. Watching the excited father and son, Nami shook her head and reminded Xinhai, "Xiao Hai, encountering this Pokémon Egg is both your good fortune and your fate with Ralts. You must treat it well." Xinhai nodded vigorously and looked toward the Pokémon Egg in the incubator, the corners of his lips curling upward.

At that moment, Torchic jumped out indignantly and chirped at Nami, "Torchic! Torchic!"

Nami smiled. "All right, all right. Meeting you is also Xinhai's good fortune and fate—our whole family's fate."

Torchic closed its eyes in satisfaction and nodded, looking as though it were saying, That's more like it. The whole family burst into laughter at its adorable appearance.

After breakfast in a cheerful atmosphere, Xinhai left home with the incubator and Torchic, heading for Trainer School.

Looking at the fully absorbed hatching fluid in the incubator, Xinhai recalled what had just happened. He had originally planned to pour out the hatching fluid, but his father had stopped him.

Yantai had said with a serious expression, "Don't pour it out yet. Keep it for now, and dump it when you get back tonight."

Xinhai did not understand. "Dad, what's wrong? If it's already been absorbed, why not pour it out?"

Yantai frowned and said sternly, "Xinhai, I'm not letting you pour it out because someone might covet it. Think about it—if you pour it out now, others might be able to deduce, just like I did, that this Pokémon Egg contains a Ralts with three inherited moves."

Only then did Xinhai realize the seriousness of the matter. He hurriedly said, "Sorry, Dad! I was too careless. I'll be more careful next time."

Seeing Xinhai's attitude, Yantai slowly said, "Xinhai, outside isn't like home. You have to stay alert at all times. A single moment of carelessness could cost you your life."

Xinhai nodded. "Dad, I understand. Better safe than sorry. I'll be careful."

Yantai waved his hand. "As long as you understand. Go train, and make sure to stay cautious when you're out."

Xinhai sighed softly and looked at the Pokémon Egg. "The Pokémon world is still very dangerous. Little one, I'll be relying on you to protect me in the future."

Torchic chirped beside him as well. "Torchic! Torchic!"

Xinhai looked at Torchic and smiled. "Right, right, you too. I'll be counting on you from now on."

Torchic puffed out its chest and cried loudly, "Torchic!" as though declaring, Leave it to me.

Just as the boy and Pokémon were chatting and laughing, the incubator in Xinhai's arms emitted a faint glow. Torchic noticed it and pointed at the Pokémon Egg with one wing, crying anxiously, "Torchic! Torchic!"

Xinhai was startled and quickly asked, "You mean the Pokémon Egg lit up?" As he spoke, he looked at the egg, but it had already returned to normal.

Xinhai looked at the Pokémon Egg and smiled. "Looks like you heard what we said earlier too. Then I'll be relying on you both to protect me from now on."

The Pokémon Egg emitted a faint glow again. Seeing this, Xinhai smiled. Torchic also moved closer to him, tilting its head as it curiously examined the Pokémon Egg.

Looking at Trainer School in the distance, Xinhai anticipated the scenes of training together with Ralts.

After a full day of training in the training room, Torchic began its final fast run on the treadmill.

Watching Xinhai increase Torchic's speed, Hatake Changlin said, "Torchic is in great condition today! It's already at this speed, and you're still speeding it up."

As he increased Torchic's speed, Xinhai smiled and said, "Yeah, it's already surpassed yesterday's top speed."

Whether it was to respond to what had been said that morning or to set an example for Ralts, Torchic trained exceptionally hard today.

Seven or eight minutes later, Torchic slowly came to a stop, plopping down on the treadmill belt and panting heavily.

Xinhai took out a Nutritional Potion and calcium tablets from his backpack and fed them to Torchic. Then he used a towel to wipe off its sweat before giving it a full-body massage.

Even Hatake Changlin remarked, "Xinhai, your full-service treatment is really thorough. You'd make a fortune if you ran a Pokémon massage service."

As Xinhai packed up his things, he smiled. "You're joking, Brother Hatake. With my skills, I'd better not go causing trouble for other people."

Hatake Changlin laughed. "I think you just don't care about that little bit of money. If a rich woman hired you, you'd definitely go."

Xinhai slung his backpack over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "Why would she hire me? Wouldn't it be better to hire an Intermediate Breeder?"

Hatake Changlin looked at Xinhai with a lewd grin. "What do you think?"

Xinhai could not be bothered to respond. After returning Torchic to its Poké Ball to rest, he said to Hatake Changlin, "Brother Hatake, I'll be going first, then."

Hatake Changlin smiled at Xinhai. "All right. I won't see you off."

With his back to Hatake Changlin, Xinhai waved and headed home.

Over the next two days, Xinhai and Torchic lived a routine life between school and home. Though they were exhausted every day, their days were very fulfilling.

Until the morning of the third day, the Pokémon Egg emitted a dazzling radiance.