When Terrance reached the top of Mt. Chimney, it was already noon of the next day.
Searching for a smooth path, he carried a thermometer and examined the local conditions everywhere he went.
After a long while, the thermometer finally reached a level that pleased Terrance. Overjoyed, he arrived at a spot next to a red giant rock.
Although this area is located in a volcanic zone, it is only the periphery, so it can't be described as scorching. Instead, one could say it is quite warm.
Normally, with the excellent adaptability of a Pokémon, it could successfully hatch without so much trouble. However, Terrance still wanted to create an ideal environment.
Once he found a place he liked, it was time for him to prepare.
Swablu was on the verge of hatching now, just a small opportunity away. Considering the favorable environment here, it wouldn't take long before Swablu could successfully break out of its shell.
During this time, Terrance needed to scatter some self-made powder to prevent other Pokémon from interfering. The scent of this powder was highly disliked by Pokémon in this area, making it an essential item when he used to go alone to Fallarbor Woods.
In addition to that, he also had some other trinkets.
Even the initial food for Swablu had been carefully prepared by him.
After completing a series of tasks, exhaustion crept over Terrance, making him feel a bit sleepy.
Although he took breaks, his continuously moving forward and focused attention consumed his mental energy at all times.
He longed to take another nap.
That summarized Terrance's current mood, but the Pokémon egg was now on the verge of hatching. Even in his weariness, Terrance didn't want to give up. He wanted to witness Swablu's birth with his own eyes. It was a responsibility that a Trainer or Breeder cannot avoid. If he missed the hatching of this Pokémon egg, the word "regret" wouldn't be enough to describe his feelings.
However, sleepiness was hard to resist. Terrance occasionally picked up his water bottle from his backpack and took a sip, attempting to clear his mind.
Ten minutes...
Thirty minutes...
Two hours...
The Pokémon egg floated in the nutrient solution, its swaying frequency continuously attracting Terrance's attention.
Three hours...
After a significant passage of time, Terrance was taking his fourth sip of water, when suddenly, he accidentally choked on it.
"Cough, cough..."
Setting the water bottle aside, Terrance slapped his chest a few times, but luckily, this little disturbance alleviated his sleepiness to some extent.
Wiping the water droplets off his lips, before he could regain his composure, a dazzling white light instantly filled his vision.
"This is—"
Terrance tried to open his eyes wide, his brown irises fixed on the Pokémon egg inside the container. His previously calm expression had finally changed.
"Crack..."
Seemingly stimulated by something, the incubator instantly cracked under the intense light, causing the pale blue nutrient solution to spill onto the floor. However, Terrance was too preoccupied at the moment to pay much attention to it. He reached out and carefully lifted the Pokémon egg that was securely fixed at the bottom of the container. The dazzling light gradually dimmed during this process, until finally, with a series of cracking sounds, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the white Pokémon egg with blue patterns.
Ignoring his rapidly pounding heart, Terrance held his breath. At this moment, he seemed to have lost all traces of sleep.
"Come on..."
Terrance inwardly cheered for this little life in his heart. He nervously watched as the tiny guy broke out of its shell—a graceful, sky-blue body with fluffy wings like cotton. Seeing the little one successfully hatch, Terrance breathed a sigh of relief.
For the smooth birth of Swablu, he had waited a full seven hours.
He hadn't expected the little fellow to endure that long. Even on the verge of hatching, it took its sweet time, taking a whole seven hours.
Evening had come again, and everything was calm and peaceful. Swablu gently flapped its wings in Terrance's palm, looking blankly at the outside world. Finally, upon seeing Terrance, its body gradually relaxed, and a sense of familiarity slowly arose in its heart.
It chirped happily, as if wanting to get closer to Terrance. Terrance himself had a feeling that Swablu wished to climb onto his head, as if it could stay comfortably like that.
After a careful thought, Terrance gently placed Swablu on his head and slowly sat down.
『For some reason, it loves quietly climbing onto people's heads and pretending to be a hat.』
『It has wings that resemble cotton, and when it gently rests on someone's head, it looks like a fluffy cotton ball.』
『Swablu possesses cotton-like, lightweight, and fluffy wings. This Pokémon is not afraid of humans. When it lands on someone's head, it looks like a fluffy cotton hat.』
Impressions of Swablu floated in Terrance's mind. He knew that this behavior was a natural habit of Swablu.
Feeling Swablu moving around on his head, although it felt a bit strange, Terrance subconsciously refrained from disturbing the little guy.
After just a few minutes of playing, this newly born life grew tired and quietly lay down on Terrance's head to sleep.
As for the food Terrance had prepared, it was not urgent to feed Swablu at this moment. After tossing about in the nutrient solution for so long, Swablu had already absorbed enough nutrients.
Terrance extended his finger and touched the nutrient solution in the broken container. He speculated that at least 70% of the nutrients had been absorbed, which was already a very good number. Additionally, the environment here probably played a significant role in achieving this number.
One must understand that the ingredients contained in the nutrient solution carefully prepared by Master Victor couldn't be ordinary.
With such a solid foundation, Swablu would likely experience an explosive growth during the early stage, and within just a month, it would probably already mature. That's why Master Victor had the confidence to make the bet.
Generally speaking, the beginner Pokémon given to rookie Trainers in each region are in their early stages of growth. Only a few Pokémon, due to certain circumstances, mature a little earlier. These kinds of Pokémon are difficult for ordinary rookie Trainers to handle, but their strength is often slightly superior.
The Pokémon distributed by the League at the beginning are at a nearly basic stage. At this time, a Pokémon's growth has just begun, and it serves as the best test of a Trainer's training and breeding abilities. The improvement of a Pokémon's strength is closely related to the Trainer's guidance and cannot be separated.
Terrance was looking forward to Swablu's growth.
However, he was already tired.
His usual routine was fairly disciplined, but ever since leaving Fallarbor Town, the series of events had surpassed his initial plans.
Now, with Swablu slowly falling asleep, Terrance cradled the little guy and slipped into the tent. Fortunately, the surroundings weren't too cold, so they could enjoy a peaceful sleep.
After this night passed, they would embark on a brand new journey.