Without uttering a single word, Riku bid farewell to the people of the Orange League. He made up an excuse, summoned Lapras, and rushed back to the small island in a hurry.
Bang—
"Where's my Ralts egg?!"
"Has little Ralts hatched?!"
Riku hurriedly pushed open the door of the small wooden house. What greeted him was the sight of Lorelei carefully watching a chair, on which sat a cute little girl with blue hair, obediently seated.
Riku's heart melted.
Lorelei, who had just been observing with shining eyes but dared not approach, was startled by Riku's sudden intrusion.
Turning quickly, she complained,
"Riku, you came back just in time."
"Ralts actually doesn't want me to get close. After all, I was the first human to see her hatch from the egg, and I'm a woman..."
"Don't, don't, don't—"
"Little baby, don't move, don't run!"
Suddenly, as Lorelei was speaking, the Ralts who had been sitting cautiously on the chair jumped down and rushed straight toward Riku.
Riku was slightly startled.
She was a newborn, after all. Even though she was a Pokémon, her delicate skin looked just like that of a human baby girl. If she tripped or got hurt, Riku would never forgive himself.
"Ralts..."
Unexpectedly, Ralts ran steadily and hugged Riku's leg tightly.
That wasn't the main point.
The main point was what Ralts called him.
Because of the system, Riku could understand any Pokémon's language. And now... he seemed to hear Ralts call him—Papa?
"Ralts..." Riku squatted down carefully, afraid of hurting her.
"What did you just call me?"
"Ralts..."
Whoa!
He hadn't misheard!
She really called him Papa?
Oh my god...
Although Riku had always intended to raise Ralts like his own daughter once the egg hatched, being called Papa so naturally—right after hatching—was something else entirely.
Riku felt something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Riku, what is Ralts saying?" Lorelei asked with a slight frown.
"I've learned some Pokémon language too. I think... she's calling you Papa?"
"Seems so," Riku replied helplessly.
"Don't look at me like that. I have no idea what's going on either."
"This child… why would she call someone Papa the moment she sees them?"
Riku's words made Ralts pout.
Lorelei rolled her eyes and retorted,
"Stop showing off."
"Why is world so unfair? I'm a gentle big sister, yet the moment Ralts saw me, she didn't even call me Mama—and she was very wary of me."
"And you weren't even there when she was born..."
"That's not right," Riku muttered, puzzled.
"According to animal instincts, the first creature they see should be the one they get attached to."
"Are Pokémon different?"
As he spoke, Riku excitedly and gently picked up Ralts.
She was so light—truly no different from a human newborn girl.
"Riku, haven't you noticed something different about Ralts?" Lorelei asked curiously.
"Something different?" Riku looked confused.
"I saw the Pokédex entry from May earlier. To be honest, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would've thought this egg was going to hatch directly into a Gardevoir."
"I... I have nothing to say," Lorelei said, speechless.
"Look at her hair."
"Ordinary Ralts have green hair. But this little Ralts of ours has blue hair! Do you have any idea how insanely lucky you are—to have yet another shiny Pokémon?"
"Another shiny?" Riku was stunned.
"Didn't you say shiny Pokémon only appear once in ten thousand? How come I..."
Seeing Lorelei's expression shift suddenly, Riku changed the subject.
"Lorelei, bring me the Pokédex. Let me take a look."
"This is my precious baby. I have to be careful," he added.
"Here!" Lorelei huffed, clearly a bit jealous at how close Ralts was with Riku. She handed over the Pokédex with a scowl.
Ding—
"Ralts, Psychic/Fairy-type Pokémon.
Ralts has a white body. Its body and legs give the appearance of oversized clothing.
Ralts's green hair resembles a bowl cut, covering most of its face.
Ralts has no gender differences.
Ralts can use the red horn on its head to keenly sense the emotions of people and Pokémon.
Ralts is timid and hides in the shadows when sensing hostility. However, when Ralts senses positive and optimistic emotions from others, it will actively approach and its body will gradually warm up.
If its Trainer is happy, Ralts will also be happy.
Note: Ralts lives in forests and grasslands near cities and rarely appears before humans. It is said to appear around happy people."
——
"Oh, right." Lorelei suddenly remembered something.
"You weren't here earlier. Just before Ralts hatched, her egg emitted a dazzling red and blue light."
"This doesn't seem normal."
"I've seen regular Pokémon hatch. Even the powerful ones only emit a burst of white light at most. Nothing this... strange."
Riku pondered.
"Do you notice anything unusual about Ralts now? I mean, physically?"
Lorelei looked closely at Ralts again—so much that the little one began to frown in displeasure. Only then did Lorelei shake her head with slight frustration.
"I don't see anything right now. Shiny Ralts do have blue hair, so that checks out... Huh?"
Suddenly, Lorelei stepped forward and quickly lifted one of Ralts's tiny feet.
"Ralts... Ralts!"
Ralts struggled furiously, but at that moment, Riku gently patted her on the head.
"Don't worry. Sister Lorelei won't hurt you."
Just from that sentence, Ralts calmed down.
Lorelei was clearly envious but continued,
"Look at the soles of Ralts's feet—why is one blue and the other red? That's not normal!"
Riku quickly looked down.
"You don't know... and I know even less!"
"Could this be some sort of prodigy with 'seven stars on the soles' or something?"
At that moment—
Groudon, who had been sleeping in the berry forest, suddenly opened its eyes.
Far away, deep in the ocean, Kyogre also turned and looked toward the small island.
-----------------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 200 power stones = Bonus Chapter
Give me more Power Stones
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