Four days had passed.
No monsters or creatures had come to disturb him or Pichu's cocoon.
The strongest monster in Rastor's Safari Zone had been the Jujig Boar King—whom he and Pichu had already taken down. Since then, the remaining weaker monsters, already wary of the area, hadn't dared to approach the cave. Not a single one had even tried to sneak in and scavenge the carcasses of the king or its kin, too afraid of whatever had overthrown the forest's ruler.
Arthur hadn't taken the initiative to hunt them down either—he had no intention of wiping out the native species.
First of all, it would be impossible.
Second, there was no need. Pokémon were fully capable of coexisting with the native species—aside from the overly aggressive or fast-breeding types like the Jujig Boars. Then again, certain Pokémon could be aggressive too, so it all came down to whether they could live together without much conflict.
Was he being too optimistic? Perhaps. But without that optimism, he wouldn't be able to make progress toward his goals or dreams.
Problems would come—of that, he was certain—but he wouldn't let them derail his future.
Arthur glanced at the cocoon resting beside him and smiled softly.
Based on his estimates and data gathered from other Pokémon evolution timelines—especially Bulbasaur's—Pichu should emerge from its cocoon sometime today, likely by evening.
It was already afternoon. The wait wouldn't be much longer.
His mom, dad, and sister had visited him now and then, bringing supplies and checking on his well-being, making sure his stay in the forest was as comfortable as possible. Still, with the protective magic circles he'd set up around the cocoon and himself, he was confident that nothing nearby posed a threat.
His dad and sister had been alternating visits, since the Lapras and Scyther eggs back home required close monitoring. Lena, his sister, had mentioned that her Squirtle had entered a cocoon of its own, preparing to evolve. She'd paid close attention when Wentia's Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur, so she now felt confident using the Evolution Altar on her own—especially since Arthur had already granted his family access to his magic circles inside the Pokémon Breeding Room. It was a simple mechanism, not much different from pressing a button to activate.
Arthur had repeated the advice he'd once given Rosaria about delaying evolution to learn certain moves faster. Lena, however, barely gave it a moment's thought before deciding to evolve her Squirtle as soon as it hit level 16.
Her reasoning? "If my Squirtle evolves, its shell will be stronger, right?"
Somehow, Lena had become a little obsessed with turtle shells... and Arthur couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe it was the texture? Like how most people liked fluffy things?
As a result, Lena had stopped checking in on him, choosing instead to personally care for her cocooned Squirtle and the Lapras egg.
The Paras egg, on the other hand, had already hatched. His mom, Anna, now carried the little Paras around with her everywhere.
Arthur pulled a slab of Jujig Boar meat—harvested from the hunt four days ago—out of his spatial waist bag. With a simple activation of a magic circle, a small campfire flickered to life, and he began cooking the meat for dinner. He'd been relying on the boar meat as his main food source since the battle. It was hard to get tired of steak cooked over a natural flame—the charred, smoky flavor gave it a satisfying edge every time.
As the aroma filled the air, Arthur cast another glance at the cocoon beside him, never letting it stray far from his sight. He wanted to be there the moment Pichu's evolution completed.
During these four days, aside from tending to his own basic needs, Arthur had devoted all his attention to his partner and friend, focusing entirely on the cocoon. The thought of doing research hadn't even crossed his mind—it was as if it didn't exist. He hadn't taken out a single book to record observations. All he had done was care for the cocoon, dedicating himself fully to Pichu's evolution.
He was waiting here—just as he had promised.
As he finished eating the last bite of the Jujig steak, the cocoon gave a tremble. A faint line appeared along its surface.
Arthur's heart skipped. Quickly, he washed his hands with a water-gathering magic circle that pulled moisture from the air, then approached the cocoon.
This was a delicate moment. While it was possible to help a Pokémon break free, it was always better to let them do it on their own. Trainers only needed to step in when a Pokémon had trouble breaking out—but so far, there were no signs of any issues with Pichu's cocoon.
The cocoon cracked wider, a faint hiss escaping as steam and static fizzled from the seams.
A small, trembling paw pushed through—pale, almost colorless. Then, slowly, the rest of Pikachu emerged, its fur a soft, washed-out yellow, slick with cocoon fluid. It collapsed gently onto the mossy ground, limbs weak, breath shallow.
Arthur knelt beside it, careful not to touch. This stage was delicate—fresh from evolution, the body was still adjusting, hardening, and stabilizing.
"You did well, Pichu… No—Pikachu," he whispered, smiling as faint sparks flickered across Pikachu's cheeks.
Its body and skin were fragile now, but in time, it would transform into a vibrant yellow.
"Pika…" it cried out softly, a happy smile on its face. It was genuinely thrilled to have evolved for Arthur, its Trainer and friend.
Arthur returned the smile. "You'll be back to normal in about half an hour. In the meantime, let me tell you about the past four days—what happened while you were inside that cocoon." He then began narrating what he'd done and who had come to visit during that time.
There wasn't much to share, but Pikachu still listened attentively, enjoying the simple yet interesting tale Arthur told about what had happened in its absence from the outside world.
Pikachu had seen Bulbasaur evolve into Ivysaur before, but experiencing it for itself was something entirely new. It felt as though it had entered a long, dreamless slumber, yet throughout the process, it could sense the heat and warmth from its Trainer, who stayed close the entire time.
For Pikachu, it was as if it had been embraced by warmth for a month, though in reality, only four days had passed.
After he finished his narration with skill on par with a bard who made the audience covered their ears or ran away, he found out that only 5 minutes has passed while Pikachu, who's getting stronger bit by bit, looked up at him with an odd expression.
"Don't look at me like that. Nothing much happened, okay? Ahem..." he coughed to hide his embarassment as he decided to pulled out a Pokédex to scan Pikachu, both to check its status and to pass the time.
---
[Pikachu]
[Types: Electric]
[Ability: Lightning Rod (Hidden Ability)]
[Level: 16]
[Pikachu are typically friendly creatures that enjoy being cuddled. They especially love having their tails rubbed, particularly at the base, and they also enjoy being stroked. However, if threatened or angered, Pikachu can become quite aggressive. If someone pulls or steps on its tail, it's likely to bite or shock anyone nearby, including the one who caused the pain.]
[Base stats: -Redacted- (Total: 320)]
[Moves: Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Charge, Play Nice, Sweet Kiss, Nuzzle, Volt Switch, Nasty Plot, Feint]
---
Arthur nodded in satisfaction, but then his expression shifted to one of surprise.
Feint was a move that could be learned after Pikachu reached level 16—not when Pichu evolved at level 16. The only reason it appeared in the movelist now was likely a bug or glitch in the template he had created. While it wasn't too late to fix, he felt it wasn't necessary.
After all, in this world, there was no NPC as convenient as a Move Relearner or Move Reminder. It would be impossible to recall previously learned moves directly. So, he had made sure that Pokémon could relearn old moves on their own, as long as they were at a higher level than the move's required threshold.
That's why getting Feint at level 16 wasn't a big issue.
However, to prevent Pokémon or their Trainers from constantly relearning moves and swapping them in and out of the nine available slots, he had implemented a time delay for relearning. This was to ensure that Trainers couldn't exploit the system and essentially have more than the allowed nine active moves during a battle.
Arthur did wish, however, that Pokémon could have more than nine moves in total. But the reason he had to impose restrictions—like extended learning times—was rooted in caution. He feared that constantly swapping and replacing moves in the limited slots could destabilize a Pokémon's genetic structure.
After all, the ten-move limit—String Shot included—existed for a reason. Pushing beyond that threshold risked triggering a collapse in the Pokémon's very biology. Their genes, their body structure… everything could fall apart. And while constant move relearning wasn't the same as exceeding the limit, the cumulative strain could potentially lead to the same disastrous result.
That was, in truth, the worst-case scenario. Based on his calculations, the most likely outcome would be temporary stress and physical strain on the Pokémon. However, if that strain were allowed to accumulate without sufficient rest between changes, a full genetic collapse could eventually become a reality. That's why Arthur had built in a delay between move relearning attempts—to minimize risk and keep things stable.
As for Volt Switch, his Pichu had somehow managed to learn it during his fetch training, which was a nice surprise.
For now, Pikachu had a solid set of moves to relearn, such as Charm, Quick Attack, Thunder Wave, Double Team, and Electro Ball. Arthur planned to help it relearn them soon.
Twenty minutes passed, and Pikachu had fully regained its strength. Its fur, once pale yellow, now glowed with a bright, healthy shade.
"Pika Pika~!" Pikachu chirped happily, jumping onto its favorite spot—Arthur's shoulder—and began nuzzling his cheek with its soft, non-electric affection, its eyes crescent-shaped in contentment.
"Congratulations, partner!" Arthur smiled, petting its head and tail, before feeding it another boiled egg, admiring how strong and vibrant it had become.
Pikachu was a small, mouse-like Pokémon with short yellow fur, long pointed ears with black tips, brown stripes on its back, and a lightning bolt-shaped tail. It has big, black eyes, red circular cheeks, and small forepaws.
Now that Pichu had successfully evolved into Pikachu, the subject of evolution research resurfaced in Arthur's mind.
Beyond from friendship-based evolution, Arthur wasn't too concerned about external tools like Evolution Stones or similar catalysts. Those were tangible, physical mechanisms—not nearly as abstract or unpredictable as emotional bonds—so he had full confidence they would function as intended. What concerned him now were Pokémon that required the presence of others to evolve, like Magnemite and Slowpoke.
He could simplify things and mimic the games by letting them evolve upon reaching a certain level, but that felt too artificial. It lacked authenticity.
Fortunately, Reden now had a Slowpoke. When the time was right, perhaps he could gift her a Shellder and observe what would happen.
There were still many unique evolution methods out there—some obscure, some complex—and Arthur knew he'd need to study them all.
Shaking his head free of spiraling thoughts, Arthur packed up his things and left Rastor's Safari Zone, Pikachu perched happily on his shoulder.
---
Finally back home—now looking more and more like a fully functional Pokémon Research Lab—Arthur stepped into the Pokémon Breeding Room and found Lena there with their father, Hector.
"Bro, you're back!" Lena jumped up as soon as she noticed him, hurrying over and eyeing Pikachu curiously.
"Pika!" Pikachu leapt onto her shoulder, rubbing its cheek against hers.
"So cute!" Lena laughed, returning the affectionate nuzzle. The two were soon locked in a full-on nuzzling contest.
While Lena was busy with Pikachu, Arthur turned to his father. "How are the eggs?"
Hector smiled, but Arthur could see the tension behind it. "Still nothing from either mine or your sister's. No signs of hatching... Are you sure they're okay? Oh—and congratulations on your Pichu's evolution."
"It's Pikachu now," Arthur replied with a smile. Then he activated a magic circle to examine the eggs' condition.
A few seconds later, he deactivated the magic circle and said, "Don't worry, Dad. They're perfectly healthy," he reassured him. "The reason they're taking longer is because they're brimming with vitality. That means they'll be born stronger than average Pokémon."
He paused, then added, "Based on my readings, they'll take about a month to hatch."
It wasn't the first time Arthur had explained this—he'd repeated the same thing several times, even during his dad's visits to the forest—but Hector still seemed stressed, even though he clearly trusted his son's judgment.
"So... still around two to three weeks left," Hector murmured, mostly to himself. He glanced at Pikachu, a soft smile briefly touching his face, then quietly returned to tending his egg.
Judging by the time, Lena's Squirtle should be nearing the end of its evolution process as well. So, after their mother brought in dinner and joined them, the family and their Pokémon gathered around the cocoon to watch.
It didn't take long before Squirtle—now Wartortle—broke free from the cocoon.
"Wartortle!" it cried out energetically… only to immediately sag from exhaustion, just like Pikachu had earlier.
"Congratulations, sis! Your Squirtle's now a Wartortle!" Arthur said with a grin.
"Wartortle!" Lena echoed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her attention was laser-focused on its shell, clearly mesmerized. She reached out with both hands, stopping herself multiple times, trying hard to restrain her urge to touch it while Wartortle was still recovering.
Then she spun around and pointed at Arthur and his Pikachu. "Arthur! After Wartortle regains its strength, let's battle!"
Arthur chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. Let's give it at least a day. We can battle tomorrow night."
"Okay…" she pouted a little, clearly disappointed, but she knew he was right. Wartortle needed rest to stabilize after evolving.
With a contented sigh, Arthur joined his family for dinner, casually chatting as they all made sure Wartortle safely regained its strength. Since he'd already enjoyed his fill of Jujig steak earlier, he didn't eat much before heading back to his bedroom.
Once inside, he dropped off his things and made his way to the summoning area. Pikachu, perched nearby, curiously studied the glowing magic circle etched into the floor. It tilted its head, letting out a soft, inquisitive, "Pika~?"
"We will be summoning a new friend," he said with a smile, gently placing Harmonite onto the summoning magic circle.
The Pokémon he was about to summon wasn't from Gen 1, but rather from Gen 2, one of the most recent templates he had created. He had intentionally skipped over some unique Pokémon, such as Porygon, and all Legendary Pokémon for now—he still had no idea how to create authentic Legendary Pokémon at this stage of his research.
The Gen 2 Pokémon he had chosen was intriguing. It had the ability to feed on fear—a unique trait he wanted to explore firsthand, both in terms of how it would experience the world and how it would interact with others. However, its typing presented a potential challenge—one that needed to be addressed, or it might struggle to thrive in this world.
Yes, this was a Ghost-type—a type that, in Gen 2, had only one representative: the Pokémon known as Misdreavus.
Misdreavus, with its nature to feed on fear, seemed like an ideal choice. Additionally, it evolved using a Dusk Stone, which offered valuable research potential. While Arthur was confident that his Pokémon creations could evolve through Evolution Stones or similar resources found in this world, he still saw great value in collecting firsthand data on the process.
Initially, Arthur had planned to summon Gastly as his second Pokémon due to its evolution condition—evolving into Gengar through trade, a concept as abstract as friendship, which he needed research data on. However, he had hestiated on that idea after considering Hector's soon-to-be second Pokémon, Scyther, which could offer a comparable research opportunity.
In the end, after much deliberation, Arthur decided against summoning Gastly mainly due to its dual-typing of Ghost and Poison.
While there was nothing wrong with Gastly having Poison as its secondary typing, Arthur believed that to gather the most accurate data on how Ghost-types would interact with the world of Ocasia and its inhabitants, it would be better to summon a pure Ghost-type like Misdreavus.
This would help keep the data as controlled and precise as possible.
Of course, despite his focus on research, his true priority remained forming a bond and befriending his Pokémon.
He had learned that lesson from Pikachu and wasn't willing to make the same mistake again—even though Misdreavus didn't require friendship to evolve.
The magic circle flared to life, and an eerie egg materialized in its center, sending a chill through the air and causing Pikachu's fur to stand on end.
The egg was adorned with pale red orbs, veined with spectral shades of blue and green that shimmered like mist. It radiated a cool, ethereal aura, and, from within, a faint chime echoed occasionally.