Despite not participating in any battles, Lilith felt exhausted. She reviewed her notes and went straight home, despite still having a hard time calling it that. Readjusting had been weird. Some things were easy, but talking to people had been particularly hard.

Bianca greeted her in the doorway. The two talked about her week and how her classes were doing. She offered to explain anything in class she might not understand, but Lilith turned down the offer. Shirley seemed like a particularly competent teacher as well as a nice person. She even took time out of her day to review the materials she had missed.

With their conversation done, Lilith rushed to her room. A large box of supplies sat right beside the door as she entered. She had done research on the more imperative things to have on hand when hatching a Pokemon Egg. Most were superfluous, Pokemon were designed to be able to fight even days after birth for their survival.

Lilith got into bed as the Egg jostled next to her. It was covered in blankets around the base to keep it upright and close to her. Occasional sounds came from it, signaling its hatching, as she turned off the lights and climbed into bed.

***

Lilith opened her eyes. Fantastical noises woke her from slumber.

“Crack!” she jumped at the noise.

Lilth knew exactly what it was. A large fracture radiated down the shell of the Egg. she inspected it carefully, only to find it expanding outward at a fast pace.

‘It’s finally time!’ She thought.

Lilith picked up the Egg off her bed and placed it on the floor mat in the center of the room. Bianca had bought it for her several days ago, saying that any fluid or egg shells would be her responsibility to clean. She scrambled to the box and pulled out a small orb. It was bisected by a large black line and a black button sat at its center. One side of the sphere was white while the other red. She tapped the circular button and watched it expand to the size of her hand.

With the calibration complete, Lilith grabbed the Dread Plate from her personal bag and turned back to the Egg. She completed her task just in time to witness eggshells fly everywhere as a soft glow filled the room.

‘So much for not having to clean,’ She thought.

A small Pokemon stretched its legs and shook droplets of an unknown liquid off herself. She looked around curiously. She set her sights on the eggshells that were shot out in all directions. Nibbles and crunches filled the room as Absol feasted on the largest parts closest to her.

Lilith watched in wonder. Despite coming from such a large egg, her body was comparatively smaller. She shared the same soft white coat as the Absol that had bestowed her Egg upon Lilith. That was where the two’s similarities ended, a small change made a much larger impact on appearance. Instead of the usual black claws, tail and face, her body gave off a soft red tint. The color pattern changed her whole demeanor. Her silky white fur gave off a rosy hue while her eyes were an aquamarine green. They were much different than Absol's usual dark red.

‘Shiny…’ She thought.

Lilith sat patiently as Absol got up and went around the room. With the largest shell fragments consumed, she shifted focus to the smaller projectiles. The mat she left behind was stained off color by embryonic fluid. If Bianca hadn’t told her, Lilith’s bed would have been soaked in the stuff. She silently made a note to thank her the next time she saw her.

With her feast complete, Absol finally turned towards Lilith. Curiosity was apparent in her eyes as the two watched each other. Absol tilted her head to one side in a cute manor.

“Hello.” Lilith called out in a soft voice.

Absol walked up to her. She but heads with Lilith’s hand in greeting. she stroked the fur of her new friend as a noise that could only be described as a pur filled the room. Absol gave soft kisses to her hands and face as the two got to know each other. She tried licking her hand before it was removed from her vicinity. Lilith grabbed for her present.

“This is for you.” She said.

Lilith held out the Dread plate to Absol. The energy was soothing to all Dark Types, and made a unique gift. She accepted the plate as she lay down on Lilith’s lap. Its energy seeped into her body, slowly starting to strengthen Absol's own internal energy.

“Would you be my Partner Pokemon?” She asked. “ Equals, helping each other in our goals. I help you become the strongest Pokemon, and you protect me.”

Lilith held out the Pokeball that had been primed with her own energy signature. All Absol would have to do was touch the ball and accept. She understood the intent behind her words. Despite being a newly born Pokemon, she instinctively knew what was asked of her.

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Absol could feel Lilith’s energy. It was warm and uniquely similar to her own. She knew they were kindred souls. Of her own free will, Absol reached out with one paw and touched the Pokeball in Lilith’s hand as the connection was sealed.

‘Is this what being a Pokemon Trainer feels like?’ She wondered.

The two reveled in their newfound bond as Lilith stroked her new Partners fur in silence. The newborn grew tired from her struggle. The hatching had been a strenuous effort.

Lilith and Absol fell asleep on the ground and in each other's arms.

***

The Next Day

Bianca rushed around the apartment while doing chores. She liked to tidy up on her days off. Her workload had been minimalized, allowing her to better keep an eye on her guest. She fixed the cushions on the couch as she checked her watch.

“Shouldn’t she be up by now?” she wondered aloud.

Lilith normally got up by herself and made food. She had been acting the total opposite of the research Bianca had done on children her apparent age. Lilith took care of herself despite kids doing the exact opposite. Bianca had been expecting her to wake up by now.

“Hey Samurott! Can you go check on her?” She asked her Partner.

Samurott huffed and then walked down the hall. Water coalesced around the knob as it hardened into ice and spun the door open. He stuck his head in, expecting one but found two. He scanned the rest of the room before closing the door quietly and heading back down the way he came.

“Samurott, you missed this stain on the floor!” Bianca called out from down the hall.

She inspected the floor and the stain she had accidentally made the night prior. Bianca was incredibly clumsy and prone to dropping and breaking things.

“Ott, Ott!” Samurott made one swift, well practiced movement. Water rushed over the floor, and all that remained was the sparkling clean hardwood.

“Ott!” he huffed at Bianca and her antics.

“What?!’ Bianca could hardly believe it.

She had to see for herself. Bianca tiptoed to the end of the hall before peeking inside. The door slid open for the second time as another intruder presented themselves. Sure enough, Bianca found the hatched Absol in Lilith’s lap asleep. She took out her Holo Castor and zoomed in to take a photo. With the deed done, she closed the door and gave them privacy as she tapped away at her Castor. Periodic beeps sounded out as she sat down into her favorite living room chair. The line connected as Professor Juniper picked up the call.

“Yes Bianca?” she asked.

“The egg hatched, I've sent you a picture.” Bianca said.

Aurea opened up the sent file before speaking.

“Hmm yes, thank you. It was indeed an Absol. And a mutation too... I wonder if this is a good omen or bad…” She paused.

“That will be all, thank you Bianca.” Professor Juniper ended the call.

***

Lilith woke up feeling giddy. She hadn’t even remembered falling asleep with all the excitement. One thing had led to another and she finally had a Partner of her own.

She got up and rummaged around in the crate of supplies. She pulled out food and a plate to hold it. Absol’s food was hand picked and contained multiple different kinds of Berries and natural herbs. Lilith really hoped Absol wasn’t a carnivore. To her understanding, no one in Unova had ever raised one, so their dietary habits were unknown. Carnivores, however, dined on other Pokemon. They only had to eat about once a month, but she really didn’t like the thought of eating sentient, possibly sapient, beings.

There were no classes during the weekend, so she had the entire day to herself. Lilith’s first aim was to go to the Pokemon Center and have her Partner checked out. They could also check things like Abilities and moves a Pokemon might know, not just heal a Pokemon’s injuries. She hadn’t ever heard of anything regarding deformities or health complications regarding Pokemon, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

‘A Shiny could be seen as something wrong if they don’t know what they are looking at…’ She thought.

But then a new thought came to the forefront.

‘Shiny odds were about 1 in 10,000 so people must be aware of them unless their coloring becomes a hindrance to their survival. That is, unless the shiny odds are different here.’ Lilith’s thoughts went down a dark hole.

If a Pokemon species that naturally blended into their environment found themselves a radically different outer appearance, their survival chances would go way down. It would be like an ambush predator holding up a neon flashing sign saying ‘here I am!’ when trying to hunt.

After hounding Bianca for a long while, she finally gave in and came to the Pokemon center with her. Absol’s body had grown a good margin from last night but still did not look full grown. She munched on the food with no problem. It even appeared that she liked it.

It took some convincing, but Absol was recalled into her Pokeball with a touch of its button. Lilith had no idea how they worked and hoped Pokemon were alright inside them all the time. The checkup had to be done in a Ball, but she planned to have her out and by her side at all times. That's what a Partner was.

***

Pokemon Center - Aspertia

Bianca and Lilith walked into the Pokemon Center together. It was her first time being in one with other people and the energy was infectious. People ran here and there, talking to people as they went along their business. It held a similar floor plan that she had seen, but was just much, much bigger. Hundreds of people filled the room.

Aspiring Trainers crowded the job board. Nurses ran around with their Audino helping heal any serious injuries while others stood in line for the shop. The duo walked down the central isle and got in line before an older gentleman. The healing station easily held the longest line. People placed their Pokeballs onto the healing pad as it lifted up and locked into place.

Divots were carved out and were where the Pokeballs were held. The Healer then pushed a yellow button, covering the balls before pressing the large green button right afterward. Energy was injected into the Pokeballs as the Pokemon inside were healed. The action sped up the natural healing factors all Pokemon had. Pokemon could recover from the same injuries in the wild but it took an exorbitantly larger amount of time. Just one more reason for Pokemon to pair with humans.

Lilith tried to hide her giddiness as she waited. The line took much longer than she realized it would. A half hour later and the gentleman before her finally was finished. She walked up to the receptionist.

“Welcome, please place your Pokeballs on the tray.” she said.

“Oh, I'm actually here for a full scan and to register my first Pokemon!” Lilith let out a bright smile.

She had smiled often in the past but it was usually hollow. In this case, her expression was genuine. She unleashed her inner child.

“Oh, congratulations!” the receptionist praised.

Registering Pokemon was an unfortunate necessity. For many reasons the League needed to know what Pokemon a person had caught. They couldn't have people trying to steal each other's Pokemon. It didn’t work well at the higher levels when their sapience had been achieved, but a baby would have no clue it was stolen.

Lilith unfastened Absol’s Pokeball from her magnetic belt. She was still unsure if it was the safest way to store them. It seemed like a prime location for them to be stolen. She placed Absol’s Pokeball into the PokeReader tray. The machine floated up before entering the large machine to the side.

“What kind of Pokemon did you capture?” the receptionist made small talk.

“An Absol!” she replied.

The woman’s smile faltered. Lilith had not yet grasped the connotations that Absol carried with her.