Inside the Breeding House, the lamplight was dim.
Wooden windows were battered by rain, the fine, dense dripping sound unceasing.
A tranquil atmosphere permeated the space, mingling the scent of wood with the damp air.
Shiraishi pushed the door open and stepped in slowly, his footsteps so light they were almost silent.
He raised his hand to remove his silver-framed glasses, the lenses dotted with raindrops that refracted swaying light and shadow.
He didn't wipe them immediately, instead standing quietly by the window, gazing at the blurred curtain of rain outside.
The rain outside remained endless.
This land seemed never truly dry.
Even the air carried a chill, damp breath.
Shiraishi's expression was as placid as ever, only a trace of indescribable loneliness flickering in the depths of his eyes.
After a long while, he sighed softly, took out a clean cloth, and meticulously wiped the lenses.
When the glasses were put back on.
[Detection complete, Host: Shiraishi]
[Basic Constitution: Ōtsutsuki Bloodline]
[God Tree Unlock Progress: 1%]
That familiar mechanical voice echoed deep in his mind, as if the boundary between memory and reality had been torn open once more.
Instantly, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
The space around him twisted slightly, the sound of rain outside sucked into nothingness, replaced by an eerie silence.
Shiraishi slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the wooden floor, walls, and lamplight beneath his feet had vanished without a trace.
Where he stood had transformed into an endless gray expanse.
And at the far end of that space, a colossal tree stood silently.
Its presence seemed to pierce the order between heaven and earth, its roots coiling like ancient dragons, deeply embedded in the boundless earth; beneath those roots, the breath and pulse of the entire world seemed to gestate.
The trunk was majestic, its surface covered with patterns resembling sacred scriptures, each line flowing slowly with light.
That light was not a single blue or green, but an interweaving fusion of countless colors, like rivers of Chakra circulating within the tree's body, sometimes clear, sometimes blazing, as if whispering the secrets of life and destruction.
The canopy blotted out the sky, branches and leaves hanging like a fallen galaxy, faint light spilling from the leaf veins, casting a dreamlike radiance.
It was less like a tree and more like a living being.
Both solemn and eerie. The entire space was enveloped by its aura, even the air seeming to carry a faint pulse.
This was the root system of the Ten-Tails, intertwined and fused with the life network of the Pokémon World Tree.
Gazing at it, Shiraishi still felt that indescribable helplessness welling up in his heart.
This tree was his only anchor since arriving in this world.
And the root of his exile here.
He didn't know why he had appeared in this Shinobi World.
He only remembered that night, falling asleep in his original world and waking up in the wilderness of this Land of Rain.
His body had changed in appearance, even the blood within him becoming that of the Ōtsutsuki.
And when he first touched those glasses.
The voice of this system had sounded in his mind.
Those glasses were the authentication tool left by the God Tree.
They not only recorded his connection to the God Tree but were also the key to that alternate space.
The information left by the God Tree indicated.
To grow stronger, he must unlock all life samples of the World Tree.
In this Shinobi World, he had to re-hatch and awaken all Pokémon forms.
Shiraishi remembered his reaction at the time.
Absurdity, confusion, even fear.
Yet, the facts were undeniable.
Whenever he channeled Chakra into that World Tree core, peculiar eggs would appear one after another.
Their exteriors resembled stone, yet life pulsed within.
These eggs were Pokémon Eggs formed from fragments of the God Tree's energy merging with Chakra.
They could absorb environmental Chakra in the Shinobi World, even evolving into entirely new forms.
But precisely because of this, Shiroishi alone couldn't hatch them.
These eggs required a host's soul, will, and Chakra as catalysts.
Only different individuals could awaken different life forms.
No single person could ever awaken them all.
Thus, Shiroishi began to contemplate.
To revive the God Tree—or even return to his original world or travel to others—he needed to harness these powers.
He couldn't reveal his identity.
So, in this seemingly desolate slum, he established this Breeding House.
To outsiders, it was just an odd shop.
Selling Ninja Beast Eggs, providing feed, allowing labor as payment.
But in Shiroishi's eyes, every person who came to adopt was a potential contractor for the God Tree.
Their Chakra, their mental fluctuations, would unknowingly flow into those eggs.
Currently, all eggs remained in their most primitive state.
The lifeforms within weren't fixed forms, but consisted of a White Progenitor Gene Body resembling Ditto.
It was a pure embryonic life.
Devoid of attributes, personality, or form, silently awaiting contact.
Only when these genes resonated with the hatcher's Chakra would the World Tree's Pokémon Genes awaken, fusing with the Ten-Tails' energy.
This fusion would reconstruct life forms based on the host's Chakra attributes, mental will, and soul characteristics, determining the final species of Pokémon—or Ninja Beast—that hatched.
Simply put, every hatcher was opening a mystery box.
When an egg hatched, new life was born.
And he moved one step closer to his ultimate goal.
Shiroishi's consciousness slowly withdrew from that gray-white space, returning to reality.
However...
Truthfully, there was another reason Shiroishi stayed in the Land of Rain.
When he first crossed over and descended, he'd been attacked by a strange monk.
Though he escaped using his Ōtsutsuki Blank Slate Physique, he still sustained injuries.
The reason he evaded pursuit was that during this battle, while resonating with his opponent, the God Tree within him awakened.
Forced to take refuge in the Land of Rain to recover, he later learned the mysterious monk was Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Both he and the Ten-Tails within him made easy targets.
However, after this encounter, both parties could sense each other within a certain range.
So after narrowly avoiding Isshiki several times, Shiroishi had no choice but to enter the Land of Rain. Only after planting the first Chakra Ninja Beast Egg and the God Tree entering a separate dimension could he barely shield himself from Isshiki's perception.
After all, his current abilities still couldn't oppose Isshiki's.
In the original storyline, Kara's base was also in the Land of Rain, though the timeline remained uncertain.
Currently, Isshiki was likely traveling the world searching for that mysterious Ōtsutsuki clansmate.
Thus, Kara might not yet have taken root in the Land of Rain.
The sound of rain seeped back into his awareness.
He sat behind the counter, fingertips unconsciously tapping the desk.
The lamp emitted a faint, sizzling whisper.
Suddenly, a slight tremor came from a corner of the wall behind him.
Shiroishi didn't turn around, merely stating calmly, "Come out."
As soon as the words fell, a small creature hopped out from the shadows.
It was a fluffy little being, its chestnut fur glowing softly under the light, with large eyes clear as amber and a slightly curled tail carrying a touch of innocent playfulness.
"Are you hungry?"
Shiroishi bent down, his voice so gentle it could almost melt the air.
The small creature responded with a soft gurgle, lightly rubbing against the hem of his clothes. The gesture carried trust and attachment, like a child acting coy.
A slight smile touched Shiroishi's lips as he retrieved a small porcelain bowl from under the counter and poured in a layer of pale green liquid.
The liquid shimmered faintly in the light—it was Energy Feed condensed from his Chakra, pure, gentle, and brimming with vitality.
The small creature obediently crouched by the bowl, lowering its head to lap up the liquid bite by bite.
The delicate sounds echoed through the room like raindrops falling on leaves.
In that moment, the entire space seemed to soften.
The interplay of lamplight, the scent of wood, and the sound of rain wove together into a peculiar tranquility.
Shiroishi watched quietly as it ate, the tenderness in his eyes gradually replaced by something profound.
He reached out, his fingertips gently stroking the soft fur, his tone low and dreamy: "Eevee, is it tasty?"
The small creature looked up, its eyes reflecting his image, softly uttering "Eevee" before affectionately licking his palm again.
That warm sensation made Shiroishi's gaze tremble slightly.
Looking at this little life, he suddenly felt a long-lost sense of reality.
Outside, the rain continued to fall, the wind rustling the paper lanterns, causing the light and shadows to sway.
Amid that gentle stillness, Shiroishi lowered his head and smiled softly.
Eevee was the first Pokémon he had hatched.
It was also the little one closest to him now, with him taking care of its daily meals and routines.