Back in the hospital room, Iono lay asleep on the bed, recovering from childbirth. Beside her, in a cozy baby incubator modeled after the ones used for Pokémon, their newborn daughter was already peacefully napping.
Iono's parents stood nearby, gazing lovingly at their granddaughter. Even her father, usually stern and expressionless, had a soft, gentle smile on his face.
Naoki knew that Iono would need rest, so he left her in the care of her parents and returned to the ranch with Koraidon. Once home, he stepped into the kitchen and began preparing a pot of warm goat milk porridge, rich and nourishing.
The Pokémon at the ranch hadn't heard the news yet. As soon as they saw Naoki return, they rushed over, full of curiosity.
"Baa-moo?"
"Mew?"
"Teddi?"
"Tini"
One after another, they chirped and called out.
Naoki laughed as he stirred the porridge. "The baby in Iono's belly has been born!"
The Pokémon gasped in unison. Their wide eyes sparkled in surprise, and they all looked around excitedly, trying to spot the baby.
"Mew?" (Where's the baby?) asked Mew, tilting its head.
"She's at the hospital. Want to come visit?" Naoki asked while pouring the porridge into a thermal container.
"Mew!" Mew and the rest of the Pokémon nodded eagerly.
"Alright then," Naoki grinned. "Let's go together."
Soon, a small parade of Pokémon was assembled. Mew, Victini, Teddiursa, Alcremie, Cyclizar, Dragonite, Ogerpon, Fluttermane, Magnemite, and even more gathered around.
From a distance, Raikou had been silently observing the ranch. Upon hearing the news, the Thunder Pokémon rose to its feet and began walking toward them.
Entei and Suicune, who were visiting at the time, looked at Raikou in confusion.
"What's going on?" they asked.
Raikou's deep, magnetic voice rumbled softly. "Don't you want to meet the child of the Rainbow Hero?"
A moment later, just as Naoki had finished placing the excited Pokémon into Poké Balls for transport, he looked up to find the three Legendary Beasts standing before him.
He blinked. "Uh… is something wrong?"
Suicune stepped forward gracefully. "Raikou wants to see your child."
Raikou immediately flared. "I never said that. You're the ones who want to see."
Naoki chuckled awkwardly. Even the Legendary Beasts were interested in meeting his newborn? It was surreal.
"Well… if you're all coming, let's go."
When Naoki arrived back at the hospital with the Legendary Beasts and several Pokémon in tow, Iono's parents were utterly stunned.
Her father, in particular, stood frozen at the sight of the three towering Legendary Pokémon.
"Aren't those the Legendary Beasts?!" he stammered. After a long pause, he turned to Naoki. "Did you catch them?"
Naoki scratched his head. "Ah, not exactly. We're… friends."
"Friends…" Iono's father murmured, astonished. He remembered seeing Raikou back when Naoki had temporarily acted as Gym Leader of the Levincia Gym. Back then, rumors had already circulated. Raikou was one of the Legendary Beasts, and wherever it appeared, Entei and Suicune were never far behind.
Now, standing before him in reality, were all three.
His admiration for Naoki rose tenfold.
Naoki smiled and gestured toward the baby's incubator. "She's over there. Feel free to look, but please don't wake her."
Iono had woken up by now, and Naoki sat beside her, feeding her the warm porridge he'd prepared.
Meanwhile, the Pokémon gathered quietly around the baby's incubator, eyes full of wonder as they peeked in at the tiny human.
"Mew…?" (So this is Naoki's baby?) Mew asked with wide eyes.
"Teddi!" Baby Bear nodded vigorously.
Even Entei, Suicune, and Raikou felt something stir within them.
Entei stepped closer, gently sniffing the air around the newborn before speaking to the others through telepathy.
"She carries the scent of the Rainbow Hero."
Suicune's voice was serene. "There's more than that. I can sense a strong natural energy in her. It feels just like the aura of the World Tree."
Hearing this, Raikou became curious and moved in to get closer. But before he could, the baby stirred.
With a soft coo, the infant opened her eyes, and her tiny hands reached out.
Her hand latched onto Raikou's whisker.
"?!"
Raikou was startled, but he didn't dare move, afraid of scaring the baby clutching his whisker.
Then, the silence was broken by a loud wail from the incubator.
The sound instantly drew the attention of all the nearby Pokémon, who turned to look at Raikou.
"You woke her up," Entei scolded with a rumbling tone.
Raikou remained frozen in place, unsure what to do.
"She's probably just hungry," Naoki said with a calm smile. He stepped forward and gently lifted the baby out of the incubator.
He was used to this. After all, he had once taken care of a freshly hatched Eevee the same way.
Relieved, Raikou quietly backed away and settled beside Suicune and Entei, all three Legendary Pokémon lying down on the floor as they watched the scene unfold.
"I'll feed her!" Iono said with determination. After finishing the goat milk porridge Naoki had made, her strength had returned. She sat up against the headboard and took the baby from Naoki's arms, beginning to feed her gently.
Iono's father excused himself to get some fresh air and left the room to give them privacy.
Her mother, however, sat at the bedside and looked at her daughter with pride and tenderness.
"From today on, you're a mom now. You'll need to be even more careful from here on out."
"I know, Mom!" Iono responded with a bright smile.
Naoki and the Pokémon gathered on the other side of the room, quietly helping however they could.
After feeding for a while, the baby smacked her lips contentedly and began drifting off to sleep again.
That was to be expected. Newborns slept for up to twenty hours a day.
Naoki pulled a small blanket over her. Soon, she was sleeping peacefully once more.
Cyclizar stood nearby, tilting his head as he watched. Naoki noticed and asked with a grin, "Cyclizar, want to touch her?"
"Gaaao?" Cyclizar responded, hesitant.
Naoki nodded reassuringly.
Cyclizar slowly extended his hand and softly touched the baby's cheek.
Startled by how soft her skin was, he quickly pulled his hand back, afraid he might have hurt her.
"Gaaa!" he yelped in alarm.
Naoki laughed. "Don't worry, it's fine. Once she grows a little older, you can play with her outside!"
"Gaaa~" Cyclizar's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Mew and Victini floated beside him, their round eyes fixed on the baby in wonder.
Naoki then pulled out his Rotom Phone, aimed it toward the sleeping child, and took a picture with a soft click.
He uploaded it to his social feed with a simple caption:
[Naoki: Safe birth! The best gift to start the New Year! Picture.jpg]
The post quickly lit up with likes and comments.
[Geeta: Congratulations! I'll come visit once I wrap up my League duties in a few days.]
[Alder: Hahaha! I've been waiting for this day! Congrats, Naoki. You're officially a dad now. I've got a gift ready for you. Just wait at home!]
Leon, Sonia, Cynthia, Professor Oak, Steven Stone, and others also sent their congratulations.
Naoki thanked everyone who sent their congratulations, one by one.
At the same time, far away atop the World Tree, Pokémon from across dimensions had also seen the update Naoki posted.
In the Distortion World, Giratina stared blankly at the glowing screen in front of it.
It didn't understand the post at first.
After Rotom Phone patiently explained the contents in detail, Giratina's eyes widened in disbelief.
What? Such a major event, and Naoki hadn't even told it?
Unacceptable!
Giratina coiled its massive serpentine body and launched itself toward the portal, determined to join the celebration.
Meanwhile, perched on a branch high above the World Tree, Ho-Oh, silently read the post too.
It didn't say a word.
Instead, sensing the location of the Rainbow Hero, Ho-Oh spread its radiant wings and took off, soaring into the sky. A brilliant rainbow followed in its wake, trailing like a divine banner across the heavens.
At the headquarters of the Expedition Guild, Mewtwo also quietly viewed the image of the newborn on the Rotom Phone.
Was this Naoki's child?
So this was how humans created life... through love and family. If Mewtwo hadn't been born from a lab experiment, would it have arrived in the world this way?
With solemn curiosity, Mewtwo zoomed in on the photo, eyes fixed on the peacefully sleeping human infant.
She looked so small… so new to the world.
...
Bonus @500 PS
Stones PLzzz