Kaito felt a surge of excitement at Kenji's words. A starter egg, just like that? He wondered what would hatch from it.
He quickly followed Kenji, keeping his questions to himself.
The two of them made their way to the backyard of Granny Yuki's house, a greenhouse-like structure. On a pedestal, Kaito spotted an egg—white with green spots, roughly the size of a human head.
The pedestal was lined with soft sponge, and several heat lamps glowed around it.
Granny Yuki stood to one side, observing something on a device that looked like a smartphone.
"Come closer," she beckoned to Kaito. "It's important for the Pokémon to see you first when it hatches. It helps with your bond."
"Oh, right." Kaito hurried over, glancing around.
Any Poké Balls? He'd need one to catch the Pokémon after it hatched.
And... what would come out of this egg?
Pikachu? Charizard? Bulbasaur?
His knowledge of Pokémon was truly limited, mostly hazy memories from that old anime. He didn't realize that Pikachu and Charizard weren't obtainable from eggs.
Crack!
A faint sound drew the attention of everyone in the room.
Granny Yuki watched the data on her instrument intently, while Kaito and Kenji stared fixedly at the Pokémon Egg.
Crack, crack...
The cracking grew more frequent, and the egg began to shake.
About thirty seconds later, finally, a large fissure appeared on the shell.
As the egg broke open, a figure emerged in a burst of golden light.
Kaito didn't blink, afraid to miss a single detail.
Not Pikachu. Not any he recognized. What hatched from this egg... was a mangosteen.
Yes, exactly like the one his mother had held in the family portrait.
This was a Pokémo,n too?
Kaito had always assumed that thing was just a fruit.
In fact, the "mangosteen" before him smelled sweet and fragrant, and he felt saliva pooling in his mouth.
But up close, Kaito noticed the mangosteen actually had eyes and a mouth, with a pair of tiny feet at the bottom. There was actually a Pokémon like this?
"Sque~"
The newly hatched Pokémon showed no fear at all. Upon seeing Kaito, it leaped directly into his arms.
"Whoa!" Caught off guard, Kaito fumbled to catch it.
The texture was soft and warm, not unlike a kitten or puppy.
"Steenee~"
Its cry was adorable too. His manly heart felt like it was melting.
He never imagined that one day, he would actually own a Pokémon from the anime.
At this moment, Granny Yuki approached. "It seemyouto limeyou very much. Its mother grew up with you, and after she passed, she left this egg behind. I believe you two will create wonderful memories together."
Its mother?
Kaito's first thought was of the mangosteen his mother had held in the family portrait.
Was that the one?
Granny Yuki's mother had "gone"—did she mean left, or... died?
Pokémon had lifespans, too. He remembered seeing an elderly Scyther in the anime once.
Pokémon were once called Pocket Monsters, but many people treated them as pets.
On Earth, owning a pet dog meant eventually facing its old age and death. Having a Pokémon grow old here would probably feel similar.
Except their family's old Bounsweet had left behind an egg before dying, which was incubated here at Granny Yuki's and hatched into this new little Bounsweet. That was why Kenji had said it belonged to Kait.
Though he didn't ask, Kaito pieced together a rough understanding of the situation.
He believed he wasn't far from the truth.
"Thank you, Granny Yuki." Kaito petted the little Bounsweet like a household pet while expressing his gratitude.
"No need to thank me. I have plenty of free time anyway," Granny Yuki replied kindly.
Their small village had so few people that everyone knew each other. Helping incubate an egg was no big deal.
Kenji came over now. He had deliberately stepped back during the hatching to ensure the Pokémon saw Kaito first.
Now that was settled.
"Hey, Kaito, aren't you going to give it a name?"
Kaito glanced at him. Why did he seem more excited than Kaito himself? Didn't he have his own Pokémon?
In the anime, everyone had Pokémon, and some people even kept entire collections.
But a name... Kaito looked at the little Bounsweet in his hands. It really did need one.
Like how Ash never gave his Pokémon nicknames, just calling them by their species names—that wouldn't do. What if he confused it with someone else's?
Had anyone ever seen someone name their pet dog simply "Dog"?
Besides, Pokémon evolved. Calling it Caterpie today, Metapod tomorrow, and Butterfree the day after—wouldn't that be awkward?
So what should he name his little Bounsweet?
"Fortune? Lucky? Money?" Kaito muttered these names, and Kenji's face darkened beside him.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't give it a terrible name! If you can't do it, let me!"
"Scram, scram, scram. Who says I can't? A grown man can always perform," Kaito elbowed him aside. "I was joking. I'm going to call it 'Fragrant.'"
The little Bounsweet had smelled fragrant from the moment it hatched, and Kaito had swallowed his saliva several times already. He wondered what it would taste like to lick it.
"Fragrant?" Kenji seemed dissatisfied. "That sounds like a girl's name. If it were me, I'd call it 'Great Heavenly Dragon' or 'World-Honored Ksitigarbha.'"
Kaito couldn't be bothered and rolled his eyes.
This guy was at that chuunibyou age, completely shameless.
Naming a Bounsweet "Great Heavenly Dragon"—what was he thinking?
Granny Yuki brought over a bag of what looked like dog food. "Here, this is what Bounsweet likes to eat. Take it home and feed it well."
"Thank you, Granny Yuki," Kaito accepted the bag and asked, "How much does this cost?"
"It's not worth much. I made it myself," Granny Yuki smiled. "Just take it. No need to pay me."
"That won't do. There must be give and take. Otherwise, is there anything here you need help with? I can assist you," Kaito said.
On one hand, he wanted to repay Granny Yuki. On the other hand, he hoped to learn more about Pokémon from her.
Their family's egg had to be incubated here at Granny Yuki's place, after all. Her knowledge of Pokémon must be far beyond that of ordinary people.
Like how Professor Oak was to Ash.
Granny Yuki said, "Very well. Come help out when you boys have a day off. Until then, focus on preparing for your high school entrance exams."
"Entrance exams?" Kaito froze. Was this the time in his life when he was supposed to take high school entrance exams?
Well, it was manageable. Junior high school knowledge was limited, and he could master it again with some review. If it were university entrance exams, he'd be doomed.