“Where's your Mumma, little egg?” Chloe wondered out loud, turning the egg this way and that way as she walked. She had no idea what sort of egg it was, not even her Pokedex had recognised it, which had her mystified.

  She had been unsure if she should touch it, not wanting to steal some poor Mum’s egg while she was away from her nest, but considering that she found the thing covered in moss in a sealed cavern, she figured that the parent wasn't returning any time soon.

  Which left Chloe with a mystery egg that may or may not still be viable. She didn't know if it would hatch, it could be a waste of time, but the thought of this poor egg, lying alone and forgotten for who knew how long? It was heartbreaking.

  “Don't worry eggy,” Chloe soothed, gently petting it, “We’ll be your family. Isn't that right Mi…I mean, Salad?”

  She had almost forgotten that Mimi wasn't around. It had been so long since she had been separated from her girls. Still, there was no time to dwell. She had to find the others.

  They walked for a few uneventful hours, encountering little other than an endless, smooth tunnel of rock winding its way through the depths of the mountain. It got rough in a few places, forcing Chloe to scramble up small ledges or squeeze through narrow gaps.

  It was hard going, especially given the egg she was carrying. It would have been easier to tuck it away into her bag, but Chloe felt bad. She didn't plan to let the egg out of her sight until it either hatched, or she had confirmation that it wouldn't. Besides, maybe her body temperature would help.

  “Damn it…” Chloe muttered.

  She had been hoping to find the others quickly, but the hours had dragged on to the point where it was clear that she would have to spend at least one night down here alone. She was exhausted, her feet hurt and her arms ached from carrying the egg. She would have to find a spot to bed down.

  Chloe found herself a small alcove, a crack in the wall where she could set up out of the way of the tunnel.

  “This will do, I suppose,” she said, looking around. It wasn't much, but it was dry, and would put her back to a wall. Chloe set up quickly and efficiently. She didn't need a tent, obviously, so she laid out her little bed mat and sleeping bag, then set about making some food.

  Or at least, that was the plan until she remembered that Troy was the one that had been carrying the stove. Chloe had plenty of prepacked meals, but no way to heat them. Instead, it looked like she would be having bread and ham. Luckily, she did have plenty of food for the three Pokemon with her, though the hours in darkness had been harsh on Salad. The poor Oddish was getting sleepy being away from sunlight or her Pokeball.

  “I hope Reinette is okay…” Chloe mused, thinking of her own Grass Type, who should be with Fiona. She just had to trust that her friend would take care of her girls for her.

  Meal finished, Chloe prepared to go to bed, when another problem presented itself. No Mochi.

  “You’ll just have to be my Jigglyplush for the night,” Chloe told the egg, who didn't reply. Nor did it squish when she rested her cheek against it. It really was a poor substitute for Mochi, but she enjoyed the comfort of having someone else nearby. She might have been lost in a cave, but with an egg cradled carefully in her arms, Salad pressed against her back, and Tank sitting stoically at the entrance of the alcove, she didn't feel entirely alone. That was the best part of being a Trainer, she didn't have to be alone at night anymore.

  Memories of an empty, quiet house late at night filled her mind. Lying in bed, listening to every creak and groan, wondering if they were a monster sneaking in, wishing her Mum didn't have to work so many late shifts.

  But, she was a big girl now. And any monster would have to get past Tank, whose enormous carapace blocked the entire entrance to her little safe space.

  “Good night everyone,” Chloe said, turning the dial on her little lamp. She didn't turn it all the way off, just down, that way it wouldn't be pitch black when she woke up. She laid her head down, and tried to sleep, listening to the ambience of the cave, and doing her best to let it lull her to sleep.

  “Not now, Mimi…” Chloe muttered, feeling something hard nudge her from the side. Chloe was a morning girl, but this morning she ached. Unfortunately, Mimi clearly had other plans, the nudging growing more insistent. Chloe sighed. She really needed to stop spoiling her little princess so much.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  …that was a lie. Chloe would never stop.

  Still, this morning she was reaping the consequences of her actions.

  “Fine,” Chloe mumbled, opening her eyes and turning to face the Fairy Type nuisance.

  Chloe froze.

  “You’re not Mimi,” she said, dumbly, taking in the Pokemon before her.

  Hard, brown skin like rock, long sharp claws, two big legs, two little arms, and a set of enormous, oversized teeth. Chloe looked up into two big, hungry eyes as a mouth the size of her head drooled over her.

  She couldn't help it. She squealed, jerking backwards away from it.

  The Pokemon immediately backed away, startled. Chloe froze. It looked… offended? Hurt?

  She looked down. Fragments of egg shell lay scattered across the floor and in her sleeping bag. She looked back at the Pokemon, its eyes welling with sadness.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Chloe said, scrambling forward to wrap her arms around the little Pokemon in a big hug.

  “You startled me, that's all.”

  “Ty…” it sniffled, leaning into the hug.

  “I can't believe you hatched already!” Chloe told it, breaking the hug to examine her new friend at arm's length.

  “What is he?” she asked Salad, who was sleepily waking up in the corner. Chloe turned up the lamp to see better. It wasn't a Pokemon she recognised, so she pulled out her Pokedex.

  “Let me see…” she mused, holding it up.

  “Huh, a Tyrunt. Never even heard of those before, neat!”

  She packed her Pokedex away, and looked the Tyrunt in the eyes.

  “Well Mr Tyrunt,” Chloe told it, “I’m Chloe. I’m not your Mum, but I will be your family if you want. You have three siblings, but they're not here right now.”

  The Tyrunt stared at her blankly. Chloe wasn't sure how much he understood, still, she recognised one thing.

  “Now, let's eat. You look hungry.”

  “I’m going to need to buy a tougher bowl,” Chloe mused, watching her new Tyrunt eat his breakfast, bowl included. Once Salad had gotten over her own fright at seeing the new addition to their travelling group, Chloe had fed the Pokemon, then herself, and was now packing up her small camp.

  She rolled up and tucked away her bedding, an act she was getting better at with practice, (her first attempts had been disastrous), and pulled out her compact and brush to start work on the most important part of the day. Fixing her hair. She briefly considered just bundling it under a hat since she had places to be, but dismissed that idea. What if she ran into someone down here? It was unlikely, but possible. So Chloe carefully brushed out her hair, tied it up, and got ready to face the day.

  She then spent another fifteen minutes fighting with Tyrunt, eventually managing to get him to sit still long enough for her to tie a ribbon to one of his horns. She let him go, and stood back, satisfied with the result.

  “There, now you're the prettiest little growly-boy in Sinnoh,” she told him. He looked back up at her, pleased.

  “Ready to go?” Chloe asked Salad, who nodded in response. She had recalled Tank after feeding him, as well as Star, who had not been particularly impressed with Chloe's new Pokemon.

  Chloe considered for a moment. She was going to have to carry Salad. The poor Oddish was in a rough shape, and wouldn't be walking very far, but that left her with an unruly baby Dragon.

  “Hey little man,” she said, addressing Tyrunt who was exploring their little alcove with curiosity, “do you want to walk, or should I put you in a Pokeball?”

  Tyrunt paused his exploring, then wandered over. He stared pointedly at the Oddish in Chloe’s arms. Chloe shook her head.

  “No, she gets to be carried. You’re too heavy anyw… don't you growl at me young man!” she scolded as he bared his teeth at her.

  “Alright Mr Growly,” she said firmly, booping him on the nose when he didn't stop, “You get the Pokeball now.”

  She pulled out one of her empties and tapped him with it. He disappeared in a flash of light, and the ball clicked, cementing the capture.

  She shook her head, looking down at Salad. “That one is going to be a handful,” she told the Oddish.

  “Dish,” Salad agreed tiredly.

  “Come on,” Chloe told her, “Let's find the others.”

  “Tank, get the Nosepass! Star, can you get the Meditite?”

  Chloe stood in a tunnel, facing down a trio of wild Pokemon with Fiona’s two standing before her. Star snorted, firing off a Psybeam at the opposing Psychic Type while Tank charged the two Nosepass.

  She had been walking all morning with no sign of the others. She really hoped she would find them soon, the idea of spending another full day separated from her girls was not a pleasant one. She wondered how they were doing without her. She hoped Mimi wasn't giving Fiona too much trouble. Her princess could be needy. Even more needy than her new Tyrunt was.

  Chloe winced. She had two spoiled brats now.

  Ah well, she enjoyed babying them anyway, and they would learn to share.

  She watched Tank hammer away at the two Nosepass while Star casually engaged in a psychic battle with the Meditite. Chloe had been unsure how to approach using Fiona’s Pokemon. The other girl’s style was so different to hers after all, but Star and Tank were capable and adaptable, easily handling the encounters themselves. Salad unfortunately was in no position to help, and Chloe wasn't planning to throw a day old baby into a fight, so Tyrunt had remained in his ball.

  Star and Tank made quick work of their opponents, and Chloe was soon moving again. Still, as she walked she felt like something had changed. She wasn't sure what, but something was different from the day before.

  A few minutes later she realised what it was. The rocky tunnels she had been walking through all yesterday had all been gently sloped downwards, Chloe slowly but surely heading deeper underground. Now however, they were heading the opposite direction, with Chloe walking up a shallow incline. Hopefully that meant she would soon find herself leaving these spooky caves. Once she got out, she could either wait for the others or maybe call the Rangers if they hadn't gotten out yet. Either way, she felt her mood lift.

  In all honesty, the trip hadn't been that bad. Sure, she had gotten lost and spent the night alone, but she had a new friend, and with a bit of luck, it would be all over soon.

  Chloe started to skip, she couldn't wait to introduce her Tyrunt to the others.

  Fiona was going to be so jealous.