An Egg Appears!

It had been some days since Ghost stayed at the Daycare. They'd had a fun time there, frolicking and playing with the other Pokemon, but when their trainer, Crystal, came back it was instantly apparent that Ghost had taken a particular liking to a Sylveon on site, Martin. The Daycare Attendant reported that they'd gotten along splendidly, spending most of their time foraging for berries, which they presented to one another, and embracing lovingly.

Taking a good look at Martin, it was apparent that he was quite a fluffy Sylveon, of impressive size and heft, and would be a good fighter in battles if he chose to do so. He would make a good protector for Ghost if there had been an altercation, but it seems like everyone got along swimmingly at the daycare. The other thing Crystal noticed was that Martin was a bit more purple in tone rather than a bright pink, and she thought that this made him and Ghost match one another perfectly. His blue eyes were captivating, and his ribbons moved gracefully and wonderfully. All in all, he was quite the majestic Pokemon.

Crystal was pleased that Ghost had made a new friend, and suspected they may have been involved romantically, based on the way that Ghost reached out their arms for a final hug before departing. Only time would tell, but Crystal made a mental note to ask if Martin would be joining them again next time Ghost remained at the Daycare. It wasn't that Crystal minded caring for Ghost, not at all, nor was she too busy, however she simply felt that it was good for Ghost to spend time around other Pokemon, since Crystal had gotten her starter but had yet to catch a single other Pokemon.

The two of them headed home, happily enough, and Ghost was waving their arms and chittering excitedly, trying to tell Crystal all about the fun time that they'd had. Crystal, for her part, didn't understand much of the words since they mostly amounted to "Cynda, Cyndaquil, Quil, Quil!", however she really got the excitement and knew that this day had been something special indeed, and would go on to be remembered for quite some time.

When they arrived home, Ghost seemed completely tired out and immediately collapsed onto their bed, snoring loudly as they caught up on rest. They must have had quite the adventure, to be so tuckered out! Respectfully, Crystal shut the bedroom door and then went downstairs to prepare some fresh Curry with her parents. Her Dad especially loved cooking with her, and although he preferred to bake desserts such as Poffins and PokePuffs, he wasn't averse to making a good hearty meal earlier in the day.

The trio set to work gathering and preparing all of the ingredients for a Burger-Steak Curry, one of Crystal's personal favorites, which Ghost hadn't tried before. She hoped that her Pokemon would love it as much as she did! Dad fanned the flames while Mom stirred it, and Crystal really put her heart into making the dish as good as possible, adding a little extra Roux so that it would turn out just a bit dry, as she liked it.

By the time that the Curry was finished, Ghost had woken up and begun scratching at the door, perhaps because they'd smelled the food cooking. Crystal smiled and carried her companion downstairs, presenting them with a bowl full of food. Ghost bounced up and down excitedly, diving headfirst into the meal and eating quite sloppily. My, they had worked up an appetite! Crystal and her parents sat down and ate theirs more slowly and carefully, really savoring the flavor, and then scraped their leftovers into Ghost's bowl so they could have a second helping.

After that they went outside and gazed at the stars, waiting for the meteor-shower to begin. It was due to start in about half an hour, and it takes roughly that length of time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness so they laid back on a blanket in the grass and looked above, making up their own constellations and pointing them out to one another. Crystal's Dad was the first one to see a shooting star go by and he called out, "Make a wish everybody!" as he pointed skyward, directing their eyes toward it. Crystal already knew what she would wish for. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, as she always did when wishing, she whispered to herself, "I hope that my Pokemon team grows bigger! I want to make friends with more Pokemon and help them to become a strong team, which I will always love and care for!" When she opened her eyes again, the shooting star fell lower in the sky and fizzled out, and she hoped that it had caught her wish and would make it come true.

For the next few hours they watched star after star shoot by and fall, replaced by others twinkling just as bright or perhaps even brighter. The longer they were outside the more impressive the view became, until finally it got so late that they were having trouble keeping their eyes open, even to enjoy the view. Bleary-eyed Crystal looked beside her and saw that Ghost was actually sleeping already, laying flat on their back with their paws resting on their belly. Crystal smiled and scooped her friend up in her arms, carrying them inside, and her parents followed as well, ready to get some shut-eye.

A few days went past, full of adventure, but Crystal still didn't manage to catch any Pokemon. Honestly, she was great at seeing them, finding and encountering them, but her aim with a Pokeball was just not accurate, she didn't really have great hand-eye coordination, although she was determined to work on it continually! However it turned out that wasn't the most important thing right now, because something even greater was going on.

One morning, quite early, Crystal woke up to an unusual sound. It was Ghost chittering softly, almost like a lullaby. Ghost usually slept in late, and Crystal had to gently touch them and whisper their name to rouse them from sleep. What could they be doing up at this hour, when the sun had not yet even risen? Crystal turned her head and looked toward Ghost's bed, and in amazement she saw that Ghost was sitting atop a large, spotted green Pokemon egg!

Oh, what a glorious day! Surely this was Martin's doing, an egg from that time the two had spent at the Daycare! It didn't matter if Crystal couldn't throw a Pokeball to save her own life, her wish of having a bigger team was coming true already! She jumped up out of the bed in her excitement, ran over to Ghost and wrapped her arms around them joyously, crying happy tears. "Oh Ghost, my sweet Ghost, you're going to be a parent, and I am sure that your baby will be just lovely!"

Crystal turned up the heat in her bedroom, provided extra blankets, and made sure to bring a bowl each of food and water to place beside Ghost's bed so that they could tend to the egg as much as they wanted without letting it out of their sight.