Another day, another exploration opportunity for Team Omnipotent Travelers.
As usual, their team passed through Treasure Town on their way to Wigglytuff's Guild. They greeted the Kecleon Brothers, taking their profits from the products they placed and buying all the Gummies.
They stayed around for a while, chatting about their adventures before heading to Chansey's Daycare for a customary visit.
However, when they arrived, a hurried Chansey quickly asked them to follow her in.
"Chansey, what's wrong?"
Dante said as he stared at the fat, pink Pokemon walking quickly in front.
"You're just in time! The Eggs you left have begun to crack!"
"What? They're hatching!?"
Dante's eyes widened. Then, he zoomed past Chansey and into the hatching room.
The formation of Pokemon Eggs are quite mysterious. Unlike humans, most Pokemon don't possess a reproductive organ, at least externally.
Even Dante himself is the same. The reason he is so comfortable walking around in his Zorua form 'naked', is because he didn't have a penis dangling around.
The reproduction method for Pokemon is through the use of bonds. When two Pokemon of the opposite genders hold deep enough affection for each other, then as long as their energy (egg group) is compatible, they are able to produce an Egg as proof of their love.
This is the reason a Wailmer and a Skitty are capable of producing an Egg, without the Skitty getting flattened. The same principle applies for genderless Pokemon, such as Metagross, who emerges from an Egg.
And as mysterious as their conception, the same can be said for their hatching.
When Pokemon Eggs are made, the eggshells form a tight seal, trapping the energy inside for the baby Pokemon to absorb. Except for some special Pokemon, no one can exactly determine when the baby Pokemon has finished growing and is about to break out of their shell.
The only warning signs one can have is, just like Chansey said just now, is when the eggs start to move and crack.
Dante quickly arrived at the hatching station, where he focused on two of the Eggs he brought. He thought only one of them was hatching. So he was quite shocked seeing the cracks forming on the two Eggs.
"Heehee, isn't it wonderful? They must have communicated with each other and decided to hatch together."
At this time, Chansey walked over from the entrance, followed by Pikachu and the others. Chansey had a doting smile as she stood beside Dante and gazed at the two Eggs.
"Congrats, Dan! You're gonna have three more children."
Pikachu joked as he looked curiously at the two Eggs.
"I'll be the Big Brother now, too."
Ursaring gulped, feeling excited and anxious at gaining three new siblings.
Azumarill, Riolu, and Mawile just stared in wonder at the phenomena happening before them. Mawile, in particular, had a dreamy look in her eyes as her gaze shifted back and forth between the Eggs and Dante.
Soon, the cracks on the larger Egg spread further, splintering from the top, until the egg cracked in the middle and revealed…
"Vulpix and…Eevee?"
Dante looked in disbelief. Then, he grinned and almost laughed out loud. He had chosen an Alolan Vulpix from the Forest Ranger Base. When Chansey said the Egg had twins, he assumed that meant he would have two Alolan Vulpix. But he didn't expect- it would contain two different Pokemon!
Unlike in the Pokemon games, Pokemon breeding in this world does not have a rule where the offspring would be the same as its mother. Instead, the Pokemon inside the Egg could either be the same species as the father or the mother.
Dante stepped forward and brushed his nose against the fur of the two newborn Pokemon.
"Vulpix, Eevee, welcome to the world. I'm Dante, your father."
The two Pokemon hummed in comfort, their eyes, which were curiously wandering among the faces of the Pokemon in front of them, focused on Dante.
"D-Dante?"
Vulpix tilted her head, her cute innocent voice made Dante's eyes go soft.
"Father?"
Eevee said, her tail swishing behind her.
"That's right. I'm your father, or Dad. Let's wait for your younger sibling to hatch first, okay? I'll introduce you to your big brothers and sisters later."
At this time, the Egg which Shinobu had chosen also began to crack. The spiderweb lines slowly expanded, until a furry, gray chinchilla-like Pokemon with scruffs of fur on its head and neck, large ears on the sides of its head, and large, brown eyes poked its head out.
It was a Minccino!
When Shinobu was choosing her 2nd Pokemon, her criteria had been for an agile, physical attacker. Her sight was set on either Sneasler or Tauros. However, when Dante saw a Minccino was available, he advised her to choose it instead.
To be honest, even Dante had been tempted to choose Minccino for himself. After all, Minccino had two Abilities which were considered broken if paired together: Skill Link and Technician. However, it also had a somewhat useless third Ability. Therefore, it's a matter of luck whether the Minccino hatched for Shinobu can get the two desired Abilities.
But for now, Dante didn't care about any of that. He pulled the confused Minccino, together with Vulpix and Eevee, and wrapped them with his tail.
"Minccino, I'm your father, and these two are your siblings. You must do your best to protect each other and not fight, okay?"
"O-okay."
Even though the three were a little confused by what Dante means, they still nodded in agreement to this kind-looking Pokemon who calls himself their 'Father'.
Dante smiled then turned to the Chansey who was watching them with a doting smile.
"Chansey, can I take them out now?"
"Well~ Let me just do some basic check-ups first."
Chansey trotted over and began touching the three Pokemon all over. Her hands, covered with Normal-type energy, seemed to detect everything inside their body.
"Done!"
Chansey clapped, looking at Dante and nodding in approval.
"They're as healthy as can be! Just make sure to feed them, okay? Newborns require lots more energy to grow strong and healthy. And don't take them to the dungeon yet, they…"
She droned on for a while about safety precautions. And only when she finished did Chansey finally let them leave the daycare.
At this time, parent Pokemon had started arriving to send their children to Chansey's daycare. Seeing the famous team Omnipotent Travelers with the three newborn Pokemon, they showed expressions of surprise.
"Wow! Team Omnipotent Travelers expanded their members again!"
"1,2…9! They now have 9 members! That's already enough to form a Guild!"
"Hey, maybe they'd become the next Wigglytuff Guild. I saw they already began building their headquarters on the cliffside.
Dante ignored the discussion regarding their team. He just smiled at the surrounding Pokemon then quickly led everyone back to their base. And after feeding the three baby Pokemon with the Miltank milk from his bag, Dante introduced the rest of the team members.
"Vulpix, Eevee, Minccino, this is Pikachu. He formed the exploration team at the same time as me. You can call him Uncle Pikachu."
"Hello, Uncle Pikachu!"
The three cute baby Pokemon chorused.
"Hey! No! I'm only a few months older than you. Don't listen to Dan! Call me Big Brother Pikachu, instead."
Pikachu fumed and glared at Dante. He wasn't even 1 year old! Not to mention, he hasn't found the love of his life yet. What if they disliked him after hearing himself being called Uncle?
Vulpix and the others looked quizzically at their Dad, who was laughing at the side. In the end, under Pikachu's persuasion and begging, his title was changed to Big Brother.
Next, Dante introduced Azumarill, Ursaring, and Riolu as their Big Brothers.
Azumarill had a fond smile as he rubbed their head like an elder, while Ursaring patted his chest and told them to rely on him if they ever needed help. Riolu also awkwardly waved at the trio, still not used to getting siblings other than Mawile.
And speaking of the chompy Pokemon…
"Hello! I'm Dante's wife! You can call me Mother or mom-!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Dante slapped the back of her head, causing her to faceplant into the floor.
"I-is mother alright?"
The three baby Pokemon looked at their newfound 'mother' in worry. Dante, seeing this, felt a headache, especially when he heard a muffled giggle from the Pokemon responsible for this mess.
"Don't listen to her nonsense. She's Mawile, your big sister. You can call her Big Sister, just like you call the others big brothers."
The three nodded in understanding and called out "Big sister Mawile", causing the cream-colored Pokemon to whine in disappointment as she pushed herself up from the ground.
"Dad, what mother she said?"
Eevee asked, her head tilted cutely to the side.
"Do you mean what's a mother?"
Seeing her nod, Dante explained. About a mother and a father. And other basic things they should know. With his experience from teaching Teddiursa, Dante was able to quickly let them understand these things.
"When we meet Mom, Dad?"
After Vulpix digested what Dante said, she asked in her soft and cute voice.
"I'll take you to meet her right now."
Dante said as he added the three Pokemon to the team. He glanced at their Abilities and moveset, and then, his eyes widened in surprise.
Alolan Vulpix (Infancy Stage)
Type: Ice
Abilities:
Snow Cloak (Grants Camouflage Ability in the snow)
Snow Warning (The Pokemon can easily summon hailstorm)
Moveset:
- Powder Snow
- Tail Whip
- Baby-Doll Eyes
- Freeze-Dry
- Howl
- Hypnosis
- Moonblast
- Bouncy Bubble
- Freezy Frost
- Sparkly Swirl
- Moonblast
Eevee (Infancy Stage)
Type: Normal
Abilities:
Adaptability (Powers up moves of the same type as the user)
Anticipation (Sense threats within a certain distance)
Moveset:
- Tackle
- Tail Whip
- Growl
- Helping Hand
- Detect
- Double Kick
- Veevee Volley
- Bouncy Bubble
- Freezy Frost
- Sparkly Swirl
- Wish
- Yawn
Minccino (Infancy Stage)
Type: Normal
Abilities:
Technician (Powers up moves with low Base Power)
Skill Link (Gain great mastery over multi-strike moves)
Moveset:
- Pound
- Baby-Doll Eyes
- Aqua Tail
- Knock Off
- Tidy Up
A/N: As twins, it's not outrageous they have partner moves, right?