It hadn't happened all that suddenly.
As May walked beside Xia You along the mountain trail, chatting and laughing with the egg in her arms, she first felt it wobble slightly. At first, she thought nothing of it, assuming she simply hadn't held it steady on the mountain path. Only when she heard a faint cracking sound did she realize something was wrong.
"Xia You, look!" Her eyes lit up, and she hurriedly looked down, saying excitedly, "This egg looks like it's about to hatch!"
"Yes, it looks like it'll happen any moment now."
With just one glance, Xia You noticed the change in the egg too, then looked around.
They were halfway up a mountain, with neither a town ahead nor a village behind them. Forest surrounded them, with no sign of habitation for a dozen kilometers or more, let alone a Pokémon Center.
"Looks like we'll have to welcome this new life ourselves. All right, it's getting dark. Let's stay here tonight."
Hatching an egg was hardly difficult, and didn't even require Xia You or May to intervene. Still, this was their first time experiencing it. Since neither had any relevant experience and they feared something might go wrong, Xia You remained as cautious as possible.
He released several Pokémon, methodically pitched the tents, set up a simple campsite, and prepared hot food and water. Once everything was ready, Xia You, May, and all the Pokémon gathered around the fire, their eyes fixed on the egg.
At some point, Gengar had emerged from the shadows too and was watching with great interest.
Seeing this, Xia You couldn't help laughing. "What? You've lived all these years and never seen a Pokémon being born?"
"I really haven't." Gengar shook his head. For once, his expression lacked its usual irreverence. Instead,