Inside the high-pressure chamber room of the Solaceon Nursery, the air was thick with a mixture of humming machinery and the scent of ozone.
Julian had finished his "grooming session" with Growlithe, and now Sylveon was taking her turn, draped across his lap like a long, pink ribbon. Julian's hands moved with practiced ease, smoothing her fur and checking her feelers for any tangles, but his eyes were glued to the primary monitor.
After what felt like an eternity, Master Miller, who had been cross-referencing three different data streams, suddenly threw his hands up.
"It's ready!"
He didn't waste a second, slamming a large, red button on the console. On the monitor, the egg—which had been suspended in a bath of artificial magma and high-pressure gas—was slowly hoisted upward by a series of reinforced titanium chains.
"Master Miller! Is it finally time?!" Julian scrambled to his feet, nearly sending a blissfully dazed Sylveon sliding onto the floor.
The four little ones—Floette, Togetic, Growlithe, and Sylveon—all huddled around Julian's legs, their eyes fixed on the massive extraction hatch in the center of the room.
"Mhm. Just a few more moments," Miller nodded, his eyes bright with professional curiosity. "It's been deep in the 'mantle' simulation. The pressure needs to equalize as it comes up, or we risk a structural failure of the shell before the lifeform is ready."
About fifteen minutes passed in agonizing silence, punctuated only by the clank-clank of the machinery. Finally, a steaming, blackened platform rose from the floor. Sitting in the center was the egg, glowing with a dull, subterranean red heat.
As soon as the egg hit the cooler, atmospheric air of the lab, it didn't just crack—it seemed to ignite. A brilliant, pure white light burst forth, illuminating every corner of the dark cave-like room.
"Phew~~~ This little fellow is finally coming out," Julian exhaled. Unlike a novice Trainer who might have been blinded or panicked by the light, Julian stood his ground, his heart hammering against his ribs in a rhythm of pure joy.
Master Miller, being a veteran of a thousand hatchings, stepped back into the shadows. He knew the protocol. The first thing a Pokémon sees becomes its world. It was a sacred moment between a Trainer and their new partner, and he wasn't about to interfere.
As Julian and the team approached the glowing mass, the shell didn't shatter into pieces. Instead, it seemed to sublimate, turning into sparkling, crystalline dust that was pulled back into the center of the light.
When the glow finally faded, a small, top-heavy silhouette stood on the platform. It was conical, its body a soft, mineral gray. At the very bottom, a single, brilliant diamond-like stone acted as a base. Its face was framed by a circle of fine, white fluff, with deep sapphire-blue eyes and diamond-shaped ears that made it look a bit like a rabbit made of starlight and stone.
Julian's eyes widened. He had guessed correctly. This was a Pokémon rarely seen outside the deep caves of the Kalos region—the Rock and Fairy-type Gem Pokémon, Carbink.
The Carbink blinked, its sapphire eyes adjusting to the soft laboratory light. It looked up at Julian, then at the four colorful Pokémon surrounding it. It tilted its head, sensing the familiar Aura it had felt through the shell for weeks—the warmth, the kindness, and the smell of berry jam and cedar.
"Misi? (Mommy?)" the Carbink whispered, its voice sounding like tiny crystal bells chiming together.
Julian's hand, which he had been reaching out to offer a welcoming stroke, froze mid-air. His face went through a rapid-fire transition from joy to utter shock, and finally, to a deep, burning crimson.
His Aura was sensitive enough to catch the intent behind the sound instantly. He felt the pure, innocent attachment the Carbink was projecting.
"I... I am not Mommy!" Julian stuttered, his voice cracking. "From now on, I am your Trainer. Your partner. You can just call me Julian... or Jing."
"Misi? (Mommy Jing?)" Carbink tilted its body, its diamonds sparkling innocently.
"No! Don't include 'Mommy'! Just Jing! Just... Julian!" Julian's mouth twitched as he tried to maintain his "Cool Trainer" persona in front of Master Miller.
"Misi? (Jing?)"
"Yes! Jing!" Julian let out a massive sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping. "And these are your new siblings. This is Floette, Sylveon, Togetic, and Growlithe. We're all a family now."
"Woof... woof... (Pfft—!)"
Julian's ears caught a muffled, wheezing sound. He turned his head slowly, like a character in a horror movie.
Growlithe was currently curled into a ball on the floor, his face buried under his paws, his tail twitching violently. He was clearly vibrating from the effort of holding back a roar of laughter. Beside him, Sylveon had her ribbons wrapped around her own mouth, her aqua eyes crinkled with tears of mirth. Floette and Togetic weren't much better; they were hovering behind Julian, their faces flushed bright red.
Julian glared at them, his eyes narrowed into slits of pure "I-will-remember-this" energy.
[Go ahead, laugh it up! See if I don't 'accidentally' forget to put extra spicy berries in the next batch of Pokéblocks! I'll teach you all a lesson when we get back to the hotel!]
At that moment, Master Miller cleared his throat. "Alright, as much as I enjoy a good family reunion, I still need to run the post-hatch diagnostics. Bring the little one over here."
Julian nodded, squatting down and speaking to Carbink in his most soothing, "Parental" (though he'd hate to call it that) voice.
"Okay, Carbink~ We need to do a quick check-up to make sure you're healthy. Once that's done, we can go home and have a real feast. I'll introduce everyone properly then, okay?"
"Misi? (Check-up?)" Carbink tilted its stone body, looking confused.
"It's just a way to see how strong you are," Julian smiled, his heart softening at the sight of the little gem rabbit. He reached out and gently scooped Carbink into his arms.
He was immediately surprised by the weight. Despite its small size, Carbink felt like it was made of solid lead and high-density quartz. It was easily the heaviest thing he'd ever held that wasn't a piece of gym equipment.
As he turned to follow Master Miller into the examination room, he paused at the door and cast one final, death-glare at the four Pokémon staying behind.
"You four stay here! Don't touch a single button, don't sniff the beakers, and if I find one more paw-print on the floor, dinner is canceled! Understand?"
The four of them nodded vigorously, their mouths still tightly shut, looking like the picture of innocence.
The second the heavy door clicked shut and Julian's footsteps faded down the hall, the dam broke.
"Floette-flo! (Hahahaha! 'Mommy' Julian! It happened again!)" 🌸
"Sylveon-fly! (Oh my gosh, I can't breathe!)" Sylveon was rolling on the floor, her ribbons flailing wildly. "(I thought I was used to it after Togetic, but hearing that little rock-rabbit say it with such a straight face... it's comedy gold!)"
"Jia gei... (Hey, why am I the benchmark for this?)" Togetic complained, though she was giggling too. "(According to Julian, it's a natural instinct for my kind! But... honestly...)"
"Woof woof! (Haha! But look at how Julian treats us!)" Growlithe added, pounding his paws against the floor and leaving several dusty prints. "(He cooks for us, he grooms us, he worries about our health, and he tucks us in at night! The kid didn't even realize he's been acting like a 'Mommy' for months! Carbink just called it like it is!)"
"Floette-flo! (Shhh! Keep it down!)" Floette pointed at the door. "(Julian has ears like a Noivern when we're talking about him.)"
"Woof! (It's fine, it's fine! There's a soundproof door and a hallway between us! He's too busy being a 'Mommy' to hear us!)"
Growlithe let out one last, loud howl of laughter, then quickly used his tail to brush away the paw prints he'd left on the floor. He might be laughing, but he wasn't stupid enough to actually risk losing tonight's dinner.