The egg was, of course, a Pokémon egg.
For all the complaints Leon had about his "cheap gacha system," one design choice actually made sense: Pokémon didn't drop from defeated curses. If that were the case, the only partners he'd ever obtain in this world would probably resemble Ghost-types born from resentment rather than the full variety of Pokémon species.
Instead, the system appeared to react to living individuals with strong narrative presence—people connected to significant events. Leon hadn't received any response after clearing dozens of curse hotspots, yet the moment he met Maki, Panda, and Inumaki, the system had triggered:
Pokémon Signature Detected → Converting Signature → Pokémon Egg Acquired
The exact logic still needed confirmation, but Leon had a strong suspicion: meaningful encounters, not simple battles, were the real key.
Which meant one thing—
He hurried home immediately.
Artificial incubation equipment didn't exist for him, and the system certainly wasn't kind enough to provide any. That left only the most traditional Pokémon method: warmth, attention, and time.
Talking to the egg. Sleeping with the egg. Keeping it close.
After all, that was exactly how Ralts had hatched years ago.
Leon still remembered waking one morning to find a tiny green-haired Pokémon curled up against his arm—small enough to fit in his palm. That moment had confirmed everything: unconventional methods worked just fine.
So now, back in the apartment, he sat on the couch with the black-and-white egg cradled in his arms, gently rubbing its surface.
"Come on, hatch already…"
From the kitchen, Kamo Mayumi peeked over, slightly alarmed. "Leon… are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he said quickly. "This is part of the process. If I treat it well, it'll trust me."
"Just don't forget Xiaosha might get jealous."
"Sha~"
Gardevoir shook her head, but the faint droop of her posture made her feelings obvious. She was used to receiving this level of attention, especially back when she had been a tiny Ralts who practically lived on Leon's lap.
Leon noticed immediately. "Sorry, sorry. My fault."
He reached out to hold her hand—only to realize he had nowhere to place the egg. Gardevoir solved the problem with a small pulse of telekinesis, gently lifting the egg into the air so she could examine it curiously.
"Think you know how to hatch eggs?" Leon joked.
"Sha?" She tilted her head, then carefully hugged the egg herself.
Leon blinked. "…That's exactly what I was doing."
Before he could take it back, Mayumi stepped in and lifted the egg from both of them.
"I'll hold it for now," she said warmly. "Let's hope it hatches into someone as adorable as Xiaosha."
Gardevoir beamed at the praise.
Leon laughed. "Alright then, Mom's officially on incubation duty."
"Good. Now go cook dinner. Xiaosha, help him."
"Sha~"
"And Leon," Mayumi added, "there's a letter from your publisher on your desk."
Leon sprinted to his room, returning moments later with the envelope already opened. "Contract approval! The print edition's confirmed—I need to call the editor."
He dialed immediately. "Hello, this is RED, the author of Infinite Stratos…"
The apartment filled with quiet excitement. Even the egg in Mayumi's arms trembled slightly, as if responding to the cheerful atmosphere.
Three days passed.
Between preparing his publishing contract, allowing Gardevoir to recover from heavy battles, and waiting for the new egg, Leon stayed home more than usual. The rare rest felt surprisingly refreshing.
What finally woke him one morning was a strange tickling sensation across his nose.
"Xiaosha, stop messing around…" he muttered half-asleep.
The scratching continued.
Leon opened his eyes—and froze.
A small red panda-like creature, barely half a meter tall, stood directly on his chest, chewing a bamboo leaf while curiously poking his face with tiny black paws.
"…Well, that was fast."
Startled by his sudden movement, the little Pokémon jumped off his face and bolted toward the open doorway.
"Hey—don't run!"
Leon scrambled out of bed and chased after it.
In the living room, Mayumi and Gardevoir were already watching the tiny creature bounce wildly from wall to couch to ceiling, full of chaotic energy. Compared to calm, elegant Gardevoir, the newborn Pokémon was pure mischief.
"Xiaosha, catch it—gently!"
"Sha~"
With a soft pulse of telekinesis, Gardevoir suspended the tiny red panda in midair. Leon tapped its forehead lightly.
"Playing's fine, but don't wreck the house, alright?"
Mayumi laughed. "It just hatched. Don't expect it to understand discipline yet."
She scooped the little Pokémon into her arms, rocking it gently. "There, there. They're not scolding you."
Unlike the composed Gardevoir, this new partner radiated playful chaos—and strangely enough, Mayumi seemed delighted by it. After years of raising calm, overly mature children, a bit of energetic trouble felt refreshing.
Right then, the doorbell rang.
Leon headed for the entrance, assuming it was his editor arriving earlier than expected. As he walked, he gestured subtly for Gardevoir to take the new Pokémon back into the room—better to keep supernatural matters hidden from ordinary visitors.
But the mischievous newborn had other ideas.
The moment Gardevoir turned away, the little panda wriggled free, leapt across the hallway, and bounced straight toward the open door—landing squarely on the visitor's face.
Leon froze.
"…Oh. No."