Chapter Thirty-One: Finally Out

In the days that followed, with Muzi’s help, Cheng Cheng learned much about Pokémon. He discovered that Muzi was far more skilled in breeding than he was; her abilities surpassed his own. At the same time, Cheng Cheng learned more about Muzi herself. She was not from the Hoenn region, but from Unova, and her hometown was the same as Iris’s—a place known as the Village of Dragons.

Muzi exclusively used Dragon-type Pokémon, none of which Cheng Cheng had seen before. In contrast, Muzi was familiar with all of Cheng Cheng’s Pokémon, especially his Chimecho and Mr. Mime, since Cheng Cheng often relied on Mr. Mime to help him with tasks.

Today was an especially important day. According to the system’s calculations, the mysterious Pokémon egg Cheng Cheng had bought previously was due to hatch. He planned to find a safe place to wait for the egg to hatch.

Since the breeder school was completely closed off, Cheng Cheng couldn’t leave, so he had to find a relatively secure spot within the campus. There was a small forest on the eastern side of the school, inhabited by some Pokémon raised by the school. It was quiet and offered places to hide, so Cheng Cheng chose that as his location.

He placed the egg incubator containing the Pokémon egg in his backpack, packed some food, and ventured alone into the forest. Cheng Cheng selected a tranquil spot and settled in to await the hatching. The sun rose and fell, but the egg showed no signs of hatching. He began to suspect the system was wrong.

Cheng Cheng asked the system again, and it assured him that the egg would definitely hatch today. He ate some of the food from his backpack and waited patiently, wondering what kind of Pokémon would emerge from the egg.

Suddenly, Cheng Cheng sensed something approaching. He used his psychic abilities to scan the area and realized someone was coming. Quickly, he put the egg back into his backpack and hid in a bush.

“What are you doing hiding here?” A figure appeared before him. Cheng Cheng relaxed when he saw who it was.

“Muzi, what are you doing here?” He sat down on the ground.

“I came looking for you. You haven’t attended classes all day, though fortunately you’re usually so inconspicuous that the teachers didn’t notice. After school, I started searching for you. Since you can’t leave campus, you must be somewhere inside. I checked your dorm first but you weren’t there, so I searched elsewhere. Luckily, my Sticky Dragon is sensitive to scents—I brought one of your shirts, and Sticky Dragon followed the trail right to you.”

Cheng Cheng took the jacket from Muzi’s hand—it was his own, and just in time, as he was feeling chilly. He also noticed the Sticky Dragon in Muzi’s arms.

Pokémon: Sticky Dragon
Type: Dragon
Level: 27
Rank: Deep Green
Rarity: Rare
Ability: Grass Eater
Hidden Ability: Slippery
HP: 30/45
Attack: 26/50
Defense: 19/35
Special Attack: 21/55
Special Defense: 32/75
Speed: 20/40
Total: 148/300
Held Item: None
Moves: Tackle, Bubble, Absorb, Protect, Endure, Dragon Suck, Rain Beg.

Cheng Cheng gazed at this so-called weakest pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Despite its reputation, he coveted it; Dragon-types were inherently powerful, and this Sticky Dragon was well-raised. Psychic-types, on the other hand, were weak early on, forcing Cheng Cheng to develop cautiously.

“So, what are you doing here? You haven’t been here all day, have you?” Muzi asked.

“Well, I…” Cheng Cheng was about to make up an excuse when the system prompted him.

“Ding! Please take out the Pokémon egg immediately and place it in an open area. The egg is about to hatch.”

Cheng Cheng had no time to hide anything. He took the egg out of his backpack.

“What are you doing with a Pokémon egg? You didn’t steal it, did you?” Muzi’s expression was incredulous.

“That’s right, I stole it. So, are you going to report me?” Cheng Cheng replied, exasperated.

“You really stole it?” Muzi was surprised. “Can you share half with me?”

“…You think it’s food?” Cheng Cheng sighed. “I got this Pokémon egg a long time ago. I came here today to let it hatch.”

“Couldn’t you do that in the school or your dorm?” Muzi asked.

“No, this Pokémon is special. I don’t even know what it is yet. I hope you’ll help me keep it secret.”

“So this is our secret?” Muzi asked.

Cheng Cheng didn’t answer, focusing on the egg instead.

The egg began to shake, its shell cracking, then breaking open completely. A strange-looking Pokémon appeared before Cheng Cheng.

“What Pokémon is that?” Muzi asked, puzzled. She took out her Pokédex to look up the information.

Cheng Cheng received the details the moment the Pokémon hatched.

Pokémon: Sigilbird (Unknown Energy)
Type: Psychic, Flying
Level: 1
Rank: Blue
Rarity: Epic
Ability: Magic Guard
Dream Ability: Tinted Lens
HP: 8/72
Physical Attack: 3/58
Physical Defense: 4/80
Special Attack: 6/103
Special Defense: 4/80
Speed: 4/97
Total: 29/490
Held Item: Unknown
Moves: Gust, Miracle Eye
Inherited Moves: None

Cheng Cheng hadn’t expected the Pokémon to be Sigilbird. It had appeared once in the original anime, seemingly as a guardian of ancient ruins. Why had it appeared here, and what was this unknown power it possessed? The questions only deepened his curiosity.

Moreover, Sigilbird had inherited skills, though it hadn’t mastered them yet, proving it had immense potential.

“Who would have thought it’d be Sigilbird! Such a rare Pokémon. How did you get it?” Muzi asked.

“I told you before I ran a breeding house. I got this egg by accident when buying Pokémon eggs. It didn’t hatch for ages—I thought it never would. But here it is.”

“You’re really lucky,” Muzi said.

“You’re not unlucky yourself—Dragon-types are among the strongest Pokémon, after all.”

“Anyway, now that it’s hatched, let’s head back,” Muzi suggested.

“No, Sigilbird just hatched and isn’t yet acclimated to the environment. I can’t put it in a Poké Ball, and I don’t want others to know about it. That could cause trouble. I’ll stay here tonight, and by tomorrow morning it should be safe to recall it.”

“In that case, I’ll stay with you. Even though this is the school, it’s not safe to be alone outside at night. I’ll keep you company!”

Cheng Cheng didn’t protest, though he felt he might be safer alone. He took some food from his backpack and handed some to Muzi. Then, as before, he took out a bottle of Moo Moo Milk and fed it to Sigilbird, just as he had once fed it to Starling.

“Ni~Ni~” Sticky Dragon seemed to smell the Moo Moo Milk and wanted some too.

“Sticky Dragon, no, this is for Sigilbird,” Muzi soothed her Pokémon.

Muzi was about to return Sticky Dragon to its Poké Ball, but Cheng Cheng stopped her. He took out another bottle of Moo Moo Milk for Sticky Dragon.

“Ni~”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Consider it payment for your help these past days.”
“Who wants your payment? And anyway, a bottle of milk isn’t enough.”

Cheng Cheng felt the sting—Moo Moo Milk cost thirty achievement points a bottle, and he’d spent sixty for two.

Cheng Cheng and Muzi cared for Sigilbird together as time passed quickly.

Early the next morning, to make Sigilbird more comfortable, Cheng Cheng used a premium Poké Ball to recall it, then returned to school to attend class.

Unfortunately, his absence from class was discovered, thanks to his three helpful roommates. Cheng Cheng made a mental note to properly thank them for their efforts.