Giving Birth...

Amid the cheerful conversation between Yuga, Flint, and Volkner, the train gradually left the bounds of Jubilife City and entered a mountainous area.

Sinnoh was a place filled with mountains, and these were the steep and treacherous kinds of peaks, unlike the low hills commonly found throughout Hoenn.

As Yuga gazed at the scenery outside, he let Eevee out as well, allowing it to take in the unfamiliar sights and cultivate their bond.

"Eevee," the little Pokémon cooed.

Nestled in Yuga's arms, Eevee was immensely pleased by the outside view, especially as the train's speed caused the rapidly retreating trees to appear curious.

"Yuga, I miss it. Back in the day, Volkner and I also had an Eevee," Flint reminisced.

"Back in the day?" Yuga inquired, puzzled.

Flint chuckled and explained, "Yeah, but they've evolved into Flareon and Jolteon now."

A realization dawned upon Yuga as he understood the context behind "back in the day." Initially, he had interpreted it differently, thinking something had happened to their Eevees.

"What form are you planning for this Eevee to evolve into?" Volkner inquired curiously.

Both of them were specialists in Electric and Fire types, and their Eevees naturally evolved into Jolteon and Flareon. However, Yuga's Pokémon didn't have a fixed attribute, so he wondered if Yuga specialized in any particular type.

Yuga patted Eevee's soft fur around its neck and replied, "I'm planning for this little one to evolve into an Umbreon."

Flint remarked, "I see. That's more challenging than evolving into other forms."

While Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon forms required evolution stones, and though they cost some money, they were affordable. These evolution stones were quite common, and their prices weren't exorbitant. Forms like Leafeon and Glaceon required specific conditions, though these conditions were manageable and required some effort but weren't overly complicated.

Consequently, among Eevee's eight evolutionary forms, Umbreon, Espeon, and Sylveon were the most challenging. They required high levels of bond and friendship between the Trainer and the Pokémon.

However, in reality, this wasn't as difficult as one might think. Pokémon were rather straightforward creatures, and as long as Trainers genuinely cared for them, it was quite easy to earn their affection. Especially in Yuga's case, as he had witnessed Eevee's birth, it was effortless to foster Eevee's fondness.

"No matter how hard it is, I believe that Eevee and I can definitely achieve evolution, right, Eevee?" Yuga scrawatched under Eevee's chin, smiling.

"Eevee, Eevee!" Eevee lifted its head confidently and responded to Yuga's statement.

"Noctowl, Noctowl, Noctowl..."

While Yuga and the others happily chatted away, the nearby Noctowl suddenly let out an urgent cry.

"Kitty-chan, what's wrong?" Chatot, perched on Yuga's shoulder, looked at Noctowl with concern.

"Noctowl, Noctowl!"

"What! You say you're about to give birth?" Chatot's sharp voice echoed in the train compartment, startling Yuga as well.

About to give birth? What do you mean? Did I understand that correctly? Giving birth on the train?

Yuga stared at Noctowl, whose expression had turned increasingly pained, finally comprehending the situation.

With a jolt, he placed Eevee down from his shoulder, stood up from his seat, and helped Noctowl lie down flat on the chair.

Under normal circumstances, a Pokémon's birthing process would proceed smoothly on its own. However, it required a calm and stable environment. With the train compartment filled with people, even an imposing Pokémon like Noctowl felt anxious.

After all, this was its first time experiencing childbirth as well.

Meanwhile, Chatot, the expectant father, was flying around frantically, displaying a sense of panic.

Although it outwardly dislikes the Noctowl, there's still a bond between them, especially considering that the Noctowl carries its bloodline.

"Darling, Kitty-chan will be fine, right?" Chatot's voice trembled as it addressed Yuga.

"Don't worry, I'm here." Yuga didn't have the spare time to quibble over the term "darling" at this point.

Yuga hadn't assisted with Pokémon childbirth before. The Pokémon in the Day Care completed egg laying on their own, and Yuga hadn't intervened.

Nevertheless, Yuga had been studying as a Breeder for quite a while now, so he had some understanding of Pokémon reproduction.

"Can we help with anything?" Seeing Yuga and Chatot bustling around, Flint and Volkner asked.

Yuga thought for a moment and replied, "Could you help us by keeping people away?"

The commotion Yuga and the others had caused had alerted quite a few passengers on the train. Many were craning their necks to see what was happening, which made Noctowl, already quite anxious, become even tenser.

Flint and Volkner nodded, got up, and stood by Yuga's seat to shield them.

Yuga looked at Noctowl lying uncomfortably on the small chair and asked, "Noctowl, can you move? How about we move from the chair to the table? It might be more convenient for you to give birth there."

Noctowl glanced at Yuga, nodded, and with Yuga's assistance, moved from the chair to the table.

"Noctowl, relax a little. We're here for you. You'll be able to safely deliver your child," Yuga comforted, stroking Noctowl's tense body.

However, Yuga's words didn't have a particularly strong effect. Noctowl still seemed very agitated.

Yuga released Chimecho and said, "Chimecho, Heal Bell."

Chimecho's soothing sound was enchanting. Its Heal Bell not only dispelled abnormal status conditions but also helped Pokémon relax and relieve tension.

As the melodious chime filled the air, Noctowl's body did indeed start to relax, and its expression appeared less tense.

Yuga's hands moved continuously over Noctowl's belly in a massaging motion. This technique was a kind of massage that relaxed the Pokémon's body, something he had learned during his studies as a Breeder. It made Noctowl's labor process easier.

Aside from aiding Noctowl's emotional relaxation, Yuga also employed a massage technique that would help facilitate the birthing process. These were all techniques he had picked up while studying Breeder knowledge.

To ensure Noctowl wouldn't become too exhausted during labor, Yuga made it eat some Oran Berries.

After about an hour of effort, signs of labor finally appeared in Noctowl. Yuga turned to Flint and Volkner and said, "Could one of you go to the train attendant and ask if we can borrow some warm water?"

Upon hearing this, Volkner promptly left to find the train attendant.

When Volkner returned with a basin of warm water, Noctowl finally successfully laid an egg.

By this point, the freshly birthed Noctowl was utterly spent, but it still kept its tired eyes open as it watched Yuga carefully place the egg into the warm water for cleaning. Only after Yuga assured it that the child was healthy did Noctowl finally drift off to sleep.