Accidental Alcremie

The evolution of Milcery had caused an uproar, and thankfully, only a handful of people had witnessed the remarkable transformation.

"Wow, I've never seen this Pokémon before! Even in the textbooks, there's no record of this Pokémon!" Cynthia exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief as she hurried over to get a closer look, her Pokémon egg still carefully cradled in her arms.

Trailing behind her was Caitlin, and soon, the small group was surrounded by people, all staring at the unfamiliar Pokémon in awe.

"Creamiee~"

The little cake let out a soft cry, her eyes wide with panic as she realized she was surrounded by curious onlookers. The crowd's fascination with her felt overwhelming—like they were staring at her as if they wanted to eat her!

The poor Pokémon's heart raced in fear. 'Where's my trainer? Where's my trainer?!'

When the little cake finally spotted Haaland, she sighed in relief. She tried to float like she always had, but to her surprise, she couldn't move.

Her small, sugary body trembled as she fluttered her cream-covered arms, desperately attempting to float up. But no matter how hard she tried, her levitation just wouldn't work.

"Cleamie~ Creamie!" she cried in distress, her tiny form hopping up and down, trying with all her might to escape. But despite her efforts, she couldn't lift off the ground, and her cute little jumps were more like hops.

The crowd chuckled at the adorable sight, but Haaland quickly stepped forward, his voice gentle yet full of surprise. "Hey, hey, is it really you, Cherry? B-but how?"

He knelt down beside her, offering his hand to calm her. Then, as if a thought occurred to him, he turned to his nephew, seeking an explanation.

Drasna approached and knelt beside Allen. "Do you already know about this? Is this related to why you always ask your aunt to bring Lancet anatomy books?"

Professor Carolina chimed in, "No, that's not important. How could Milcery evolve? Milcery never even went to battle. Or is it friendship, like Marill and Nurse Joy's Chansey? But even if it were friendship, it should have been with Haaland, not Allen." 

She racked her brain, unable to find an answer, and could only look at Allen, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Soon, everyone's eyes were on Allen, and he felt like he wanted to cry. The thing he feared the most was when people started placing expectations on him.

'Great, it's going to be like my previous life all over again!' Allen thought, fighting the urge to pull his hair out.

But seeing everyone look at him like this, he could only sigh. "It looks like the evolution changed more than just Milcery's appearance. It might have affected her ability to levitate."

"Do you know all this was going to happen?"

"Impossible!!" Allen quickly rejected such a notion.

But everyone looked at him weirdly. 'Why is your reaction so exaggerated?'

"Mill~?"

As the little cake settled into Haaland's arms, her cute little face softened. She glanced back at the crowd, only to realize that the people around her were all so familiar.

The shock of not being able to float had made her so flustered that she almost didn't recognize them. Her face turned as red as the rosy hue on her creamy form, her little eyes wide with embarrassment.

"Buneary~!"

Soon, Buneary and Chingling hopped toward the little cake, their eyes sparkling with excitement as they asked her to play.

A new playmate!

Haaland gently set the little cake down, and in an instant, the three Pokémon started bouncing around happily, their laughter filling the air. 

After the Pokémon had left, only the people remained.

Allen sighed deeply, then turned to Professor Carolina. "Grandma Carolina, what will happen if people find out I was the first to make Milcery evolve?"

Professor Carolina raised an eyebrow, her expression thoughtful. "Well, people might be curious—"

"S-stop it, Grandma!" Allen quickly raised his hand to stop Professor Carolina, already feeling a chill run down his spine.

Professor Carolina chuckled softly, understanding something. "Don't worry too much. No one will expect you to become an evolution expert overnight. But... maybe," she paused for a moment, then asked, "What if Grandma brings a friend here to help? He's really good at this kind of thing."

Allen's eyes lit up instantly. "Professor Rowan?"

"How did you know?"

"Of course! He's the expert on Pokémon evolution and form changes."

"Hahaha, it seems you really read Lancet a lot, huh?" Professor Carolina smiled warmly. "But it's not just Professor Rowan. Grandma also needs to contact Professor Magnolia from Galar."

"Why's that, Grandma?" Before Professor Carolina could answer, Cynthia spoke up, with Caitlin trailing behind, both eager to know what was going on.

Professor Carolina looked toward Cynthia and gently rebuked her. "It's not good to leave the Pokémon egg out like that," she said. "Why not place it in an incubator?"

But Cynthia refused, shaking her head, causing Professor Carolina to give up trying to persuade her. She returned to the topic. "Because Milcery is registered in Galar. So, we need to inform them about this—sooner or later."

"Is it about the registration issue, Professor?" Drasna, who understood more about this, asked.

Professor Carolina nodded and looked toward Allen.

"That's fine, I think, if it's the professor," he said, feeling thoughtful as he considered it.

The Pokémon in the movie aren't such busybodies, right? So, there's nothing he needs to worry about. In fact, he could probably get some benefit from this, probably, right?

"Hey, that's settled," Professor Carolina said with satisfaction before turning toward Drasna and Haaland. "Haaland, Drasna, can you stay a bit longer? At least until Rowan and Magnolia are done with it?"

They both looked at each other and shrugged.

"I can close the desert shop for a while," Haaland said.

"I can extend my leave as well," Drasna added.

The conversation among the adults didn't bother Allen, Cynthia, and Caitlin. The trio had slipped away, and now they were all gathered around, completely absorbed in admiring the egg in Cynthia's hands.

"Allen, you read more often. How do you think we can get the egg to hatch faster?" Cynthia asked, gently warming the egg in her hands.

Allen paused for a moment, his finger tapping his chin as he thought. "Well, the textbook says Pokémon can sense their surroundings even while inside the egg. So, maybe if we keep it close and let it feel our warmth, it might help."

But Caitlin wasn't having it. She tugged at Cynthia's hand urgently, practically bouncing in place.

"..."

'Couldn't she just communicate properly? Why does she look like a criminal here?' Allen raised an eyebrow before sighing. "Why are you pulling her? Why not just say it? It's only us here, no one else is around!"

Caitlin stuck out her tongue before turning to Cynthia. "P-Papa says... incubators keep the egg warm, so it's just right for them. B-but, I also slept with Gothita when she was still an egg," she said proudly, before clamping her mouth shut, eyes going wide in realization.

"Gothita?" Cynthia asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Yeah, that's her Pokémo—Uwaaaghhh!" Allen's words got interrupted as Caitlin already charged at him, but Cynthia had already heard everything.

She looked at Caitlin with wide eyes, her excitement growing.

"I-I..." Caitlin faltered, cheeks flushing as she looked up at Cynthia, anxiety bubbling up. 'What if she's disappointed in me? This is Allen's fault!'

But Cynthia didn't look disappointed at all. Instead, her eyes twinkled with excitement. "Can I see it?" she asked, practically bouncing with joy.

Caitlin could only lower her head, embarrassed. But when she heard Cynthia's question, she was taken aback. "Y-You're not angry?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Cynthia blinked, confused. "Why would I be angry?"

"B-but—" Caitlin stammered, clearly flustered.

Allen, walking with a limp, sighed. "She was afraid you'd be disappointed. You know the rules, right? She didn't tell you from the start because she thought you'd be mad."

Allen's words only made Caitlin face fell even more. She lowered her head, ready to go in for a second round of headbutting, but Cynthia suddenly burst into giggles and reached down to gently pat Caitlin's head.

"You're too cute! And I'm not mad, don't worry." Cynthia said with a sweet smile.

"R-really?" Caitlin asked, raising her head.

"Of course!" Cynthia grinned, then leaned in closer and whispered, "But... this will be our secret, just you, me, and Allen. Is that okay?"

Caitlin wasn't thrilled that Allen's name was slipped into it, but she grudgingly agreed. She took out a Pokéball and released her Gothita, who appeared before them with a tiny, gentle "Thita~?"

"Wow, Gothita!" Cynthia squealed, kneeling down to look at the baby humanoid Pokémon with sparkling eyes.

"Thita~?!"

Gothita blinked, startled by Cynthia's sudden attention. But then, seeing Caitlin, she visibly relaxed, her tiny hands reaching out to Caitlin as if seeking comfort.

The duo, Cynthia and Caitlin, were happily playing with Gothita, leaving Allen to watch them from the side. As he looked at them, especially Cynthia holding her precious Pokémon egg, he suddenly got an idea and asked, "Hey, if you can answer my question, I'll give you a prize! How does that sound?"

Caitlin, of course, looked completely uninterested, but Cynthia, always the kind and curious one, was already paying attention to Allen.

Allen was satisfied with this reaction, so he asked, "Which came first—the Pokémon or the egg?"

Cynthia was taken aback, while Caitlin, for the first time, raised her head, though her face clearly showed she was confused by the question.

While it was an obvious play on the old 'Chicken vs. egg' question, Allen was certain this was something legitimately studied in both his previous world and the Pokémon world.

It seemed that all he needed for confirmation was to turn to the Sinnoh region's esteemed Professor Rowan.