Chapter Nine. The First Bucket of Gold

Cheng Cheng returned to his room on the second floor and took out the two Pokémon eggs. After checking the data on both eggs, he found that there was no sign of change.

“System, can this Natu egg still hatch?”

“It can. This Pokémon egg has reached the point where it should hatch, but due to mutation, some anomalies have occurred. These anomalies have left the Pokémon itself very weak, unable to break out of the eggshell on its own.”

“So what should I do?”

“The breeder’s manual provided by the system contains relevant information. You may consult it.”

“The breeder’s manual?” Cheng Cheng suddenly remembered that he had won such a manual in his first lottery draw but had never looked at it.

Cheng Cheng took out the breeder’s manual, opened the table of contents, and found the section on abnormal Pokémon eggs.

There were many reasons for such anomalies in Pokémon, each manifesting with different symptoms. After some effort, Cheng Cheng found the solution for a Pokémon unable to break out of its shell.

“Method one: Use energy potions to give the Pokémon enough strength to break the shell on its own. Success rate: 30%.

Method two: Carefully crack the eggshell using special techniques to help the Pokémon emerge. Success rate: 100%, but there is a 20% chance of death after hatching.

Method three: Wait for the Pokémon to break the shell on its own. Success rate: 1%.”

The third method was obviously unwise; the first required a significant amount of energy potions and wasn’t very reliable. Cheng Cheng immediately chose the second method—even though there was a risk of death, it was not high, and he didn’t have many achievement points to spare. Since the second method was viable, he decided to use it.

He continued to read the manual and saw the specific technique for cracking the shell. After half an hour of study, Cheng Cheng decided to help the Natu break out.

He took out an ordinary stone he had won in a previous draw. The method was simple: tap to crack the shell, but the key was applying the right amount of force at the correct spot.

Pokémon inside the egg are positioned differently, so Cheng Cheng needed to find an empty spot within the egg. The manual offered a simple trick: submerge the egg in water, and the part that floats upward is likely to be empty.

Cheng Cheng located the empty area and gently tapped a crack into the shell with the stone. Then, using a fine needle, he carefully pried the shell open little by little, until he saw some downy feathers through the opening.

Bit by bit, Cheng Cheng widened the opening, and a weakly breathing Natu appeared before him. He didn’t remove the entire shell but left half of it intact, creating a small bed for the Pokémon to rest in. However, the Natu was so still that it seemed lifeless, lying quietly in the shell. Cheng Cheng quickly used the system to check on its condition and found that Natu was still alive, just extremely weak.

According to the manual, Pokémon hatched this way are very frail and require something to restore their energy. Fortunately, Cheng Cheng had previously drawn some Moomoo Milk.

He took a straw, drew some milk up, placed the straw in Natu’s beak, and let the milk trickle in. He repeated this five times, each time waiting for the milk to be swallowed.

Cheng Cheng then brought some soft cloth to keep Natu warm. After hatching, the manual advised feeding milk every half hour, so Cheng Cheng stayed up all night, continuing to feed Natu until half the bottle was gone.

The next morning, when he opened his eyes, he saw that the Natu on the bedside table was awake and staring at him with its round eyes.

Cheng Cheng was overjoyed and jumped up, startling Natu.

He then checked Natu’s stats:

Pokémon: Natu (Mutated)
Type: Psychic, Flying
Level: 1
Rank: Pale Azure
Rarity: Epic
Ability: Synchronize
Hidden Ability: Magic Mirror
HP: 4/35/40
Attack: 2/40/50
Defense: 5/40/45
Speed: 3/65/70

Special Attack: 10/80/70
Special Defense: 4/40/45
Total: 24/300/320
Held Item: None
Moves: Peck, Leer

Cheng Cheng noticed that this Natu’s base stats were different from ordinary Pokémon and asked the system about it.

“Because of the mutation, this Pokémon has certain defects. Also, hatching with external help has left it with insufficient innate abilities. Due to the mutation, its special attack currently exceeds its base stat.”

Cheng Cheng saw that it was true: Natu’s final stats were generally lower than its base values, except for Special Attack, which had surpassed the base.

“What does this mean for Natu?”

“This Pokémon will be very weak, but it has unique psychic abilities. I suggest you focus on psychic training with it.”

Hearing the system’s explanation, Cheng Cheng realized he might have to give up on Flying-type training and specialize in Psychic abilities instead.

Next, he took out the other egg—the one with completely unknown data.

“System, when will this Pokémon hatch? Don’t tell me it’s another unknown?”

“This egg is covered in a special energy, making it impossible for the system to detect its data. Based on analysis, it will take about three months to hatch, though using energy potions can speed up the process.”

“Three months? Then I’ll just wait.”

Cheng Cheng went downstairs, fetched a Pokémon incubator, placed the egg inside, and set it on the table.

He noticed that Natu was still weak, so he poured out some more Moomoo Milk and placed it in front of Natu. Natu pecked at it, then continued drinking.

“Come on out, Chimecho.”

“Chim—chime!”

The appearance of Chimecho startled Natu, who quickly tucked its head in.

“Chimecho, this is our new friend Natu. It’s still very weak, so please take good care of it.”

“Chime—chime.”

“Chim—chime—chime—chim—”

Chimecho sent out a gentle wave. Under its effects, Natu seemed to relax, and Cheng Cheng himself felt a wave of calm.

“This is Heal Bell? No, Heal Bell is a move Chimecho only learns at level 38. This must be Psywave.”

Cheng Cheng was surprised that Chimecho’s Psywave could have an effect similar to Heal Bell, though it only relaxed rather than healed.

With Chimecho’s help, Natu relaxed and continued drinking the Moomoo Milk.

Because of Natu’s hatching, Cheng Cheng set aside preparations for the morning’s grand opening, deciding to postpone it until the next day.

That afternoon, Cheng Cheng logged onto the official website, registered his breeder house and his name, and posted an announcement that he was selling Psychic-type Pokémon eggs, specifically mentioning that only Natu and Ralts were available.

At present, those were the only two Pokémon he had to offer, so he could only start with those.

He browsed other shops on the site and found that none were offering Natu for sale, nor were other Psychic-types mentioned. Perhaps some shops had a few, but not enough to list. It seemed Cheng Cheng would have to find his own way forward.

Early the next morning, Cheng Cheng opened the doors to his breeder house and hung up the sign indicating official business. Unlike other shops, he didn’t hold a special event or host a meal—mainly because he didn’t have much money.

He brought Natu along, wanting to care for it personally, and let Chimecho out to help as well.

All morning, Cheng Cheng received no business. He alternated between leaning on the counter in boredom and playing with Natu.

Thinking it over, he wasn’t surprised. His breeder house was in a poor location with little foot traffic, and it had only just opened, so few people knew about it. With that, the morning passed.

In the afternoon, he remained in the shop, reading over Chimecho and Natu’s data repeatedly and bombarding the system with questions—until it shut itself off in protest. Remembering the breeder’s manual, he picked it up and began to read.

After a while, Chimecho waved a ribbon at him.

“Chime—chime!”

“What is it, Chimecho?”

When Cheng Cheng looked up, he saw two women approaching his breeder house. One was Aunt Mei Xuzi, who had always been kind to him, and the other was a stranger.

“Cheng Cheng, how’s business today?” Aunt Mei Xuzi asked.

“Not much to report. I haven’t really opened yet, and there aren’t many people looking to buy Pokémon eggs.”

“I see. Well, I brought someone with me today.”

“Jingzi, this is the breeder house I mentioned, and this is Cheng Cheng.”

“Hello, Cheng Cheng.”

“Hello, Aunt Jingzi.”

“Cheng Cheng, I know business might be slow for you today, so I brought a customer for you.”

“Really? Thank you, Auntie.” Cheng Cheng hadn’t expected another favor from Aunt Mei Xuzi.

“I wonder, Aunt Jingzi, what kind of Pokémon are you looking for? I only have Ralts and Natu here.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m not especially fond of either of those. Do you have any others?”

“Sorry, we only sell Psychic-types, and I’ve just started, so there aren’t many varieties yet.”

“I see. Well, this Chimecho looks wonderful—can you sell it to me?”

At her words, Chimecho froze and stared blankly at Cheng Cheng.

“Sorry, Aunt Jingzi, Chimecho has been my companion since childhood and isn’t for sale. However, I do have a Chingling, which will evolve into a Chimecho. Would you consider that?”

“Chingling? All right, that will do.”

“Thank you, Aunt Jingzi.”

“Come on out, Chingling.”

“Ching—”

A Chingling appeared before them.

“All right, I’ll take this Chingling.”

“Here’s its Poké Ball. The original price was twenty-five thousand, but since you were introduced by Aunt Mei Xuzi and you’re my first customer, I’ll only charge you twenty thousand.”

“Very well.” Jingzi quickly paid.

“I’ll be off, then.”

“I’ll walk you out!” Aunt Mei Xuzi said to Jingzi.

“We’re going now!”

“Goodbye, Aunties!” Cheng Cheng called.

After the two left, Cheng Cheng leapt for joy, hugging Chimecho and giving it a kiss.

His first earnings had arrived!

———

(If you’ve read this far, you’re a true fan. Welcome to join QQ group: 786448142. I hope we can chat and share together.)