Mime Jr.

The Pokémon rocked gently, then went still.

After a while, it moved again, and then its movements grew more and more frequent.

Finally, it fell still once more.

With a crack, a split appeared in the shell, then cracks spread across its entire surface.

Shauna held her breath at the sight, and Fang Yan, influenced by her, held his breath too.

A tiny pink hand lifted a piece of shell, and then a pink Pokémon appeared before them.

"Mime?"

Mime Jr. gave a faint cry.

The Mime Jr. before them had a pink body and face, deep blue feet, a red bump on his belly, and a little red clown nose on his face. His arms were slender, and he looked as though he wore a blue clown hat on his head.

He looked very cute.

[Mime Jr.]

[Sex: male]

[Types: Psychic, Fairy]

[Ability: Technician]

[Known moves: Pound, Baton Pass, Encore.]

[Mood: curious]

[Condition: naive, curious]

[Friendship: 100 (Mom)]

[Description: A Mime Jr. hatched from a Pokémon Egg. He regards the first person he saw as his mother.]

He even has a Hidden Ability. Is this the good-luck buff at work?

Fang Yan silently said this to himself as he looked at the status panel.

Then he reached out with both hands and picked Mime Jr. up.

"Hello, Mime Jr. My name is Fang Yan. But I'm not your mom. I'm your family."

"Mime?"

Mime Jr. nestled in his arms and gave a puzzled cry.

Mime Jr. did not understand.

"Never mind. You'll understand when you grow up."

Fang Yan shook his head, then took the feeding bottle Gengar handed him.

Mime Jr. hugged the bottle and began sucking down the Moomoo Milk mixed with Honey.

After he finished, Fang Yan stroked his nose. It was soft and springy.

"Meet everyone in the family. This is Gengar, your eldest brother. That's Dali, your eldest sister, and those are Er Li and San Li, your big brothers. This is Petilil, your big sister."

At the words "eldest brother," Gengar immediately snapped to attention in midair, his expression solemn.

Dali was the same. Being called the eldest sister filled her with delight, and Er Li and San Li behind her were equally pleased.

Petilil's eyes filled with joy as she looked at Mime Jr.

I'm a big sister now?

"And this is little Shauna. She's your big sister too."

Shauna's little face was taut. Unskilled at expressing her feelings, she tried hard to look serious.

"Everyone, meet your little brother. This is Mime Jr."

Holding Mime Jr., Fang Yan solemnly introduced him to everyone.

"Gengar-"

"Ni-keh, ni-keh!"

"Lil~"

"H-hello."

Seeing Shauna, Gengar, and the others greeting him, Mime Jr. jumped out of Fang Yan's arms and waved his hands.

"Mime, Mime Jr.~"

Seeing Mime Jr. getting along well with Gengar and the others, Fang Yan nodded, then retrieved the Lucky Egg he had received from his grandparents from Gengar.

"Mime Jr., here's a welcome gift for you. Welcome to the family."

Fang Yan bent down and held out his hand, a smooth stone resting in his palm.

"Mime~"

Mime Jr. took the stone and held it high, then happily spun in circles while clutching it.

"G-Gengar-"

Startled at the sight, Gengar hurriedly used his psychic power to clear away all the obstacles, suspending them in midair.

"G-Gengar..."

Gengar wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed.

"Looks like our Gengar already knows how to be a good eldest brother."

At Fang Yan's praise, Gengar puffed out his chest with an expression that said, "Of course."

Noticing that Shauna kept looking down at the Pokémon Egg in her arms, Fang Yan smiled and walked over to her.

"Let me check for you."

Shauna looked up, her hair tied in twin ponytails, and nodded delightedly.

Fang Yan put on his stethoscope and checked.

[Chingling Egg] [Hatching progress: 29/30]

Sensing the bell-shaped silhouette stir, Fang Yan opened his eyes.

"Probably within the next couple of days. Looks like our little Shauna has been taking very good care of it."

Fang Yan put the stethoscope earpieces in her ears, then guided her to carefully sense what was happening inside the egg.

When she opened her eyes, they were filled with delighted surprise.

Taking back the stethoscope, Fang Yan gently pinched Shauna's delicate little nose, then stood up, stopped the camera recording, and took a cute photo of Mime Jr.

"Mime Jr., l-let's go play."

Holding the egg in her arms, Shauna spoke to Mime Jr. nearby.

"Mime~"

Mime Jr. looked at her and nodded.

Then Shauna held the egg against her with one arm and held Petilil's hand with the other. Petilil held Mime Jr.'s hand as they ran toward the backyard.

"Don't play out in the sun. Find somewhere shady."

Fang Yan called after them as he watched them head off hand in hand.

"Okay."

He looked away, and after he cleaned up the eggshells, a call came in from an unknown number.

He answered. The caller wanted to buy Petilil herbal tea.

Since Petilil herbal tea had proved so popular among the middle-aged and elderly, the leaves Petilil shed had quickly fallen into short supply. Only thanks to Petilil shedding leaves rapidly had they barely managed to cover the shortfall.

However, providing so many leaves in such a short time had left Petilil somewhat weak lately, so Fang Yan had decided to stop selling Petilil leaves and sell only the Petilil herbal tea made from them, limited to one bottle per person.

Considering that some elderly people had trouble getting around, Fang Yan would have Gengar deliver it to their homes.

Now Fang Yan returned to the kitchen and filled several bottles bearing the Pokémon Day Care and Gengar emblems. When he returned to the counter, he found Gengar already wearing his cap and carrying a shoulder bag.

Fang Yan had specially ordered it for Gengar. It bore a logo of Gengar making a funny face, along with the large words "Gengar's Paradise."

He packed the bottles into the little bag, straightened Gengar's cap, then patted his shoulder.

"Sorry for the trouble again today, Gengar."

"Gengar!"

Leave it to me!

Gengar stood at attention, looking every bit a little soldier.

Fang Yan tugged at the corners of Gengar's mouth, and Gengar obligingly grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

He also took the opportunity to lick Fang Yan.

"Come straight back when you're done, and stay safe. Off you go."

Gengar nodded, turned, and floated toward the door.

"I'll make you something tasty when you get back."

Fang Yan called after him.

"Gengar!"

Without looking back, Gengar raised a hand in an okay sign.

Fang Yan looked away and sighed. Since the herbal tea was so popular, he decided to develop a few more varieties.

After asking Dali to watch the counter, Fang Yan went to the backyard.

He glanced over and saw Shauna sitting on the swing with Petilil and Mime Jr., playing.

The tiny swing actually held her, two Pokémon, and an egg.

He greeted them with a smile, reminded them to be careful, then headed to the herb garden.

With help from Petilil and Torterra, a small portion of the medicinal herbs had already matured, while some had not.

As for why the herbs could grow so quickly, Fang Yan could not figure it out either. He could only put it down to an effect unique to the Pokémon world.

Fang Yan took a quick look at the mature medicinal herbs and found that he could make some herbal teas to clear internal heat and relieve coughs. He decided to add them to the herbal tea list for now and ask Gengar to take it to the people of Twinleaf Town tomorrow to see whether they wanted any.

He entered the herb garden and picked those medicinal herbs. On his way back to the Pokémon Day Care, sounds from an open space caught his attention.

He discovered that Er Li and San Li were sparring with Electivire and Aipom.