The unexpected encounter with Nessa had been a pleasant surprise, but in the end, it was just a small interlude. The daily training still had to go on.

However, sometimes, luck just wasn't on your side.

The next morning.

Marie slowly awoke to the soft patter of raindrops outside her window.

"..."

Still groggy, she opened her eyes to the sight of Yuri's peaceful sleeping face. Curled up in Yuri's arms were Fluff and Toxel. Since evolving, Toxtricity had matured quite a bit. While it still clung to Yuri with affection, it no longer insisted on sleeping next to her.

There was some noise coming from the bathroom. Probably someone playing around in the water.

Marie turned over gently, only to have her vision blocked by a large, fluffy mass.

Chiu had snuck over to her pillow again during the night.

Marie sighed internally. She and Yuri had never minded letting their Pokémon climb into bed with them, so she couldn't exactly single Chiu out for special treatment.

She lifted her hand and lightly stroked the little bird's body. Its feathers were soft and warm to the touch something she'd definitely miss after it evolved.

The rain outside drizzled on, not a downpour, but enough that it was unclear when it might stop.

"Eee... good morning..."

A soft voice drew Marie's attention. She looked up to see Eijan lightly hop over from the next bed. Wrapped in a familiar veil of psychic energy, she floated gracefully down onto Marie without making a sound.

Marie held her big cat in her arms and nuzzled her cheek against Eijan's fur, murmuring, "Good morning, Eijan."

With Eijan's warmth pressed against her, Marie sat up in bed and glanced out the window. The sky was heavy with clouds, and the rain looked like it was picking up. She hesitated should they go ahead with training today or not?

"Haa..."

Marie stifled a yawn, and for once, the idea of slacking off crossed her mind.

Back when it was just her and Eijan, rain in the Wild Area made even eating troublesome. On days like that, she'd often curl up in the tent with Eijan and pass the time by watching a show or brushing up on study materials.

She tugged the strap off her shoulder and pulled Eijan closer. The lightweight sleepwear was comfy for bedtime, but it wasn't quite warm enough in this kind of weather.

Grabbing a knitted cardigan from a nearby chair, she slipped it on. In weather like this, something soft and cozy always lifted her mood.

Once she let go, Eijan instinctively stepped on Marie's belly to stand, then quietly leapt off the bed to make space.

Wrapped in familiar psychic energy, Marie felt her body grow lighter. She smiled at Eijan and carefully lifted the covers, slipping out of bed without disturbing anyone else.

She waved at Balu, who had already woken up and was quietly watching over the sleeping Pokémon. On her way past, she patted the translucent tail that had just happened to lift near her. Consider it a morning greeting.

Her eyes drifted to the egg incubator on the table, as they often did only this time, something was different.

The signal light on the device was blinking.

Marie blinked, startled. What did that light mean again?

She turned back to her backpack and rummaged through it, pulling out the product manual for the incubator.

The machine was fairly straightforward to use, so the manual was thin. She found the relevant section quickly. According to it, the current signal meant the egg was expected to hatch in about an hour.

"..."

Marie stared at the incubator, still not fully awake. According to her brother, it shouldn't have been ready to hatch for another two weeks at least.

So why so suddenly?

It caught her off guard, but thankfully, she wasn't entirely unprepared.

She had berries stocked, specially made Dark-type Pokéblocks ready, and while she hadn't expected the timing, it wasn't enough to throw her into a panic.

She set the manual aside and turned toward Eijan, who had walked over.

Crouching down, she said softly, "Looks like it's going to hatch soon. Can you keep an eye on it for a bit? I need to freshen up."

"Eee~ I got it."

Eijan didn't seem surprised. If anything, she looked excited. Marie had been carrying that egg around for quite a while, and she was just as curious about what might come out of it.

Marie leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on Eijan's forehead, then headed off to the bathroom.

To this day, Marie still didn't know what kind of Pokémon was inside the egg. You could tell based on the pattern on the shell, of course, but she'd never studied up on egg identification.

And honestly, part of her had wanted to keep the surprise intact.

Since her brother hadn't spoiled the answer either, she figured he wanted to keep the mystery alive too.

Of course, at the very least, Marie was confident he wouldn't be crazy enough to give her something like a Larvitar egg she wouldn't be able to raise one even if she tried.

Entering the bathroom, she greeted Toxtricity, who was splashing around in the tub, then pulled out her toiletry kit and started freshening up carefully.

The arrival of a new partner was always a joyful occasion for Marie.

Once she finished washing up, she tidied her hair, dabbed her cheeks dry, turned on the overhead light, and studied herself in the mirror. Satisfied with her reflection, she exited the bathroom with Toxtricity in tow.

Back at the incubator, she found Yuri already up. Wearing a cardigan and standing barefoot on the carpet, she hovered near the device with a look of childlike excitement.

The other Pokémon had also woken up. After Eijan had told them the egg was about to hatch, they'd all gathered around, eagerly awaiting the unknown creature about to be born.

"Good morning, Marie! You're done getting ready?"

"Yeah. You should wash up too."

Seeing Yuri's bedhead, Marie playfully pinched a messy strand between her fingers, then gave her pillow-marked cheek a light squeeze with a smile.

"Don't squish me! I'm going! Wait for me, Marie!"

Leaving behind a string of half-formed words, Yuri dashed into the bathroom, not even taking time to greet Toxtricity just gave its damp head a quick pat before vanishing inside.

"...Wait for what exactly?"

Marie chuckled and pulled up a chair. Like she could just pause the hatching process if she wanted to.

There was still about half an hour to go, so she reached into her bag and brought out a small box of Pokéblocks, some berries, and a Soothe Bell, placing them neatly nearby.

Incidentally, Eijan used to have one of her own. But since it might get damaged during battle, Marie had put it away for safekeeping. Eijan still cherished the gift, but nowadays, she was too embarrassed to play with it in public.

Which meant only Marie knew how much Eijan actually loved the sound of a Soothe Bell.

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