No, I don't think any mother reacts like that when seeing her newborn.
Green glanced at the squirming Chansey on the ground, wanting to say something, but in the end, she held her tongue.
Caleb pulled out his Pokédex and scanned.
Beep~ Litten, Fire-type, Fire Cat Pokémon.
Ability: Intimidate
Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember
Egg Moves: Fake Out, Parting Shot, Swagger
Description: Burns off stomach furballs by licking its fur and expelling flames. The flame's shape and intensity change depending on how it's emitted.
Intimidate, Fake Out, Parting Shot... it was already shaping up nicely.
In Caleb's eyes, Litten was the spitting image of Incineroar—"the Number One in the Universe" incarnate.
He still remembered how every one of his battles included an Incineroar on the team. Even in his final match before traveling to this world, Incineroar had been the one to finish the fight...
Now, looking at this still-young Litten before him, Caleb felt a surge of unexplainable anticipation and affection.
"Looking forward to working with you, Litten." Caleb smiled, gently picking it up.
The newborn showed no fear. Its ears twitched, and its little black nose sniffed curiously at Caleb's unique scent.
"Meow~"
Slowly gaining confidence, it began to nuzzle against Caleb, clearly enjoying the sensation.
The scene hit Caleb right in the heart. Ever since arriving in this world, he'd been surrounded by nothing but troublemakers.
The lazy glutton Pachirisu, the mischievous Gastly, the ever-fighting Garganacl and Dusknoir, and the instigating Gliscor...
Those guys had caused him no end of headaches. He had almost forgotten how endearing and lovable Pokémon could be!
One glance at the still-squirming Chansey on the ground made it clear she wouldn't be of much help right now.
So Caleb brought over some warm water to clean the sticky fluid off the newborn.
While gently washing Litten, he pulled out a bottle of fresh Moomoo Milk.
At first, the little guy resisted, but the rich, creamy scent of the milk quickly got its attention. Its eyes lit up with excitement.
"Take it slow, take it slow, no one's stealing it from you..."
Caleb poured the milk into a bowl and gently stroked Litten's back as he spoke.
"Pachi~!"
Slurp~
Pachirisu had also caught the scent of the milk, drooling as it stared longingly at Caleb.
…Right. This guy still exists.
Caleb shooed it away like a beggar. "Shoo, shoo. This is for Litten. Not for you."
"Pachi~"
Pachirisu hit him with starry eyes and a cute little pout.
But that move had long since lost its power on Caleb.
After all this time, he'd built up full immunity.
Seeing its best weapon fail, Pachirisu froze on the spot.
So… love really does fade, huh?
"Meow~"
Litten licked the milk from its lips, its bright round eyes staring curiously at Pachirisu.
It couldn't understand what Pachirisu was saying, but guided by an innocent heart, it extended a friendly invitation.
Wanna share?
Litten wagged its tiny tail, gesturing for Pachirisu to come over and enjoy the food together.
Pachirisu, still emo, instantly sprang back to life as if showered by heavenly rain.
Kid's got potential!
It hopped over to Litten, gulping down the milk while mumbling:
From now on… gulp, in this house… gulp, I've got your back.
Buuurp—
Letting out a milky burp, Pachirisu licked its lips in satisfaction.
Litten stared wide-eyed at the now completely empty bowl, not a single drop left, in utter disbelief.
Its tiny little heart suffered its first big betrayal in life.
The first lesson it learned: never trust crocodile tears.
No matter how hard it tried to hold back its tears, at its age—where it couldn't even control its bladder—how could it control its emotions?
Finally, it couldn't take it anymore and burst into loud sobs.
At that moment, Chansey shot upright like a spring, and in the blink of an eye, teleported in front of Pachirisu.
"Lucky~" Explain.
"Pa-Pachi~"
Looking up into Chansey's half-smiling, half-not eyes, a wave of unspeakable terror washed over Pachirisu. Its legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
It had personally witnessed how Chansey disciplined disobedient Pokémon in the backyard—with relentless back-to-back slaps.
Especially, especially...
Back when Gliscor first arrived and didn't know the rules, it talked back to Chansey. She smiled and pulled out her prized little whip—then launched a full-on hundred-hit combo.
A full hundred lashes in ten minutes.
The whole time she smiled, never hesitating once.
It left Gliscor so traumatized that it still couldn't compete in battles.
For the first time in its life, Pachirisu regretted eating.
Determined to save its rear end and avoid Gliscor's fate, Pachirisu gritted its teeth and dumped out some of the Poké Puffs it had hoarded in its tail.
It was just a small portion, but still quite a stash.
All sorts of flavors, colorful and fragrant.
Even Green was shocked. Was Chansey really that terrifying? Enough to make Pachirisu willingly part with its secret stash?
But wait—can newborn Pokémon even eat Poké Puffs?
Especially ones of such high quality?
Next second—
Litten stopped crying. It walked up to the mountain of Poké Puffs, sniffing curiously.
What is this amazing smell... and why is it so addictive?
It pawed through the pile, sniffing each one until it came across... a lollipop?
Yep. A pitch-black lollipop, with some weird powdery residue on its surface. It didn't even look appetizing.
But that was it.
The moment it saw it, Litten's eyes turned into glowing stars. It lunged forward like it was possessed.
Thankfully, Caleb—who'd been watching closely—was quick to snatch it away before Litten could get to it.
You can't just eat random stuff!
He sniffed the lollipop and immediately recognized its distinct aroma—catnip!
Anyone who's raised a cat knows this stuff stimulates their brain, sending them into an excited frenzy. In extreme cases, it can even cause hallucinations.
But it wasn't addictive or habit-forming.
Cats get high once, lose interest quickly, and after a while… crave it all over again.
"You're way too young for catnip. I'm confiscating this for your own good," Caleb said sternly.
"Meow~"
Litten blinked up at him with big watery eyes.
"Pachi~"
Even Pachirisu begged for it on Litten's behalf.
Think this through, man. If you take the one thing this little ancestor likes, my butt's doomed.
"Lucky~"
If the kid wants it, let them have it.
"Gaaaast~"
Seeing the crowd, Gastly floated over to join in.
Under the four-way starry-eyed assault, Caleb finally caved.
"Okay, just this one time." He handed the lollipop back to Litten with a stern warning.
Litten took it excitedly, completely forgetting about the whole milk theft.
It tore open the wrapper with its tiny claws and started licking it like its life depended on it—totally absorbed, as if joining some secret society.
A few minutes later—
A rush of stimulation hit its brain like a lightning bolt.
A euphoric bliss flooded its body...
"Meooow~~"
One minute later, the high wore off. Litten yawned, cuddled the half-eaten lollipop, and fell fast asleep...
Green looked at the sleeping Litten, once again wanting to say something.
She really wanted to comment, but the words caught in her throat and wouldn't come out. In the end, all she could do was sigh.
She had a strange feeling… this kitten was going to grow up to be something big.