Special Delivery for Aether Paradise!

Winter in Alola wasn't very obvious, as Alola was a tropical region and never received snow (except on Mount Lanakila) unlike northern regions like Unova. Alola typically stayed at a constant, warm temperature.

Still, Wicke tried to play it off that she felt cold. The AC was almost always on in most parts of Aether Paradise, so this worked for the most part. She wore a number of layers and dark colors, something she didn't usually do, nor did anyone else in Aether Paradise.

No one had a clue—well, maybe some people did, but they weren't sure if they were right—but Wicke was pregnant. She was doing all she could to hide it. She was pregnant by Faba (they'd gotten frisky in the storage room a while back), and even he had no idea. Making sure he didn't find out was her top priority. If he found out, she feared he'd leave her, and she loved him lots. She could only hide this for so long, though.

"Hey, Faba!"

"Oh, hey, cutie."

"You wanna cuddle?" This question was pretty risqué, as he might notice her belly if they got intimate like that, but he might start suspecting something if she avoided contact with him. Wicke loved to hug and snuggle with Faba.

"Oh, sure!"

"Then come here, sweetie." Wicke wrapped her arms around Faba and hugged him, giving him a little kiss on the cheek. Surprisingly, he didn't notice anything off. She kept him to her side in an awkward side-hug, just to make sure her belly didn't make things weird. She gave him some more kisses, nuzzling into him more. Faba giggled, obviously liking this.

Then pain hit her. She did her best to conceal it as she made up an excuse to leave. "Oh, I just remembered!" Wicke giggled nervously, blushing deeply. "I have to make a call! I'll be back in a minute." She'd done a good job keeping her secret, but secrets like this could only be kept for so long. She was falling into labor. She left, looking for a place people wouldn't notice her while she still could.

Come on... Where to go, where to go... she thought, staying as calm as she could. Then a thought came to her. Wicke knew where she could go: the storage room. That was where she and Faba got naughty during their lunch break that one time. It was a really embarrassing thing to think about, but it would probably work. Enough thinking; she needed to hurry before her water broke and made a mess, let alone where everyone could see it.

The storage room was unoccupied as always. This place worked, though dark and uncomfortable. It was better than dropping her bundle of joy somewhere where she could easily be seen.

Wicke closed the door behind her so she wouldn't be seen, and to block any noise she made. She sat down, her back against a stack of boxes, as she undressed and prepared herself for the birth. Just in time, her water broke and contractions seized her body.

Trying to stay as quiet as she could, Wicke took a deep breath to try and ease the pain. The pain only surged. Great. Birth was definitely a lot closer than she had initially thought. The pain intensified. She'd be here for a while. All she could do was hope no one would come in as she tried to keep herself from crying out in pain. It was awkward enough to be naked in the storage room, but to be actively giving birth as well was even worse.

Another contraction hit, the pain magnifying. Wicke could just barely stay quiet as the pain only worsened with time. She reclined, trying to get comfortable on the hard floor, in an attempt to make room for the baby. She was surprised she still hadn't made a sound. Wicke shuddered as another contraction gripped her body. It was time. She could feel the head inside her, ready to come out. One more push, and the baby emerged. Blood and other birth fluids came pouring out as well.

The pain ceased. Wicke picked up the messy, crying newborn, tying the umbilical cord into a knot.

"Shh, shh." Wicke gently rocked her baby, offering her breast to nurse from. The new mother wrapped one of her jackets around her newborn and sang a lullaby.

"Yoake o machi nagara,
shizuka ni me o tojite,

atarashii kaze matteta dake no,
kokoro ni hikari sashiteku.

Oyasumi, watashi no ichiban boshi, zutto kagayaki tsuzukete.

Negai o kanaete nante, iwanai

yo sotto mimamotteru dakara...

Kotae nante, iranai kara, tada kiite hoshii,

Sayonara janai saigo no kotoba,

Kimi no uta

O kimi ga inai machi de utai tsuzukeru

Fuku kaze ni, sarawareta, kimi no nioi o,

Sagashite shimau yo,

Kioku no naka de

Kitto deaeru dokoka tooi sora de,
ano hi no you ni,

Yume no naka karenai hana."

Hearing the cries and soft singing, Faba, who happened to be passing by, opened the storage room door to see her. "Wicke?"

Wicke sat there, holding the newborn and attempting to calm the little peanut down.

"Oh..." She looked over at him, letting him see the baby. "Um..." She blushed deeply. "It's a girl..."

Faba froze. He stared for a few seconds as he processed what he saw.

"YOU WERE PREGNANT AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ANY OF US?!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"Shh! Faba!"

"I've gotta go tell the other employees!" Faba ran out frantically, almost knocking down some boxes.

"GUYS! OH MY ARCEUS!"

The employees sighed. "What is it this time, Faba?" one of them asked.

"WICKE HAD A BABY IN THE STORAGE ROOM!"

They all froze.

"What?" one said.

"We need to see her. I hope she's okay," said another.

"She was pregnant this whole time? I had no idea!" exclaimed yet another.

Wicke turned her head at the sound of the employees entering with Faba.

"Everyone..." Wicke turned so everyone could see her baby, who was now nursing peacefully. "...meet Kiminouta."

"Kiminouta..." Having overcome his shock, Faba was now crying with joy. "I love that name..." Still, he was confused. "Wicke... Why did you keep this a secret from all of us?"

"I was afraid you'd leave me..."

"What?" Faba scoffed. "Hell no! Of course I wouldn't!"

"What?"

"I'd have done that if I didn't love you. And I love you, Wicke! When you love someone, you stick together!" He gave her a kiss on the cheek, hugging her. He kissed her over and over, staring at the baby, hugging her, and repeating in whatever order.

Then Faba stood, moving in front of the new mother. Then he kneeled, eyes locking with hers. "Wicke... My love..." He held his hands together, the colors of a Love Ball seen between his fingers. He took his top hand off the ball, then pressed the button to open it. Inside was not a Pokémon, but something silver and shiny.

A ring.

"Wicke, dear..." Faba was still crying from love. "Will you marry me?"

Wicke stared. She could barely believe what she was seeing. Was this even real? Yes, it was, because she could still feel the warm and joyous feeling of her baby girl gently suckling from her breast.

"Yes."

With that, the new father moved closer for a kiss on the lips with his lover. It was time to begin a new life—a new life as a family. "Welcome to the world, Kiminouta."