The cutest new Pokemon Go feature: Holding those sweet, baby Pokemon

An update to Pokémon Go made the game about a thousand times more adorable yesterday, especially for fans of some of the tiniest, most popular Pokémon in the Pokédex. Baby Pokémon mark the first new monsters available in the game, and trainers who have begun to hatch them from Pokémon eggs are discovering an especially cute quirk these babies brought along with them.

When selecting one of the six second-generation Pokémon players have confirmed are now included in Pokémon Go to be a Buddy Pokémon, they’ll do more than sidle up next to the trainer. Just like a real infant, a player’s in-game avatar will cradle the baby in their arms, carrying them so they don’t have to put their tiny paws on the ground.

Niantic/The Pokémon Company via Reddit

Although this flourish may come as a surprise to some, Niantic hinted at the closeness trainers and baby Pokémon share on the notification screen that pops up with the new update. These aren’t just babies in name-only; they demand to be held as such.

Niantic/The Pokeémon Company via Imgur

Cuteness is subjective, but this is inarguably endearing. Since the new Pokémon update is a bit lighter than many were expecting — only six gen-two monsters are now in the game, after all, despite code suggesting 100 more Pokémon would arrive — these tiny extra touches matter a lot.

There’s one more little thing that players may enjoy, even if it’s just cosmetic. Alongside the new Pokémon is a special holiday Pikachu, which can be found in the wild and comes wearing a special hat. But what happens when Pikachu evolves into Raichu?

Well, take a look:

Niantic/The Pokémon Company via Reddit

Yep. Raichu gets to keep that festive piece of headgear. Again: Pokémon Go is prioritizing the cuteness this season.

We’d still like to see some more new Pokémon in the months to come, but for now, cradling a sweet Igglybuff sure sounds nice.