The Wager

The door opened again, and the three people sitting on the sofa playing with their phones instantly turned their heads toward the entrance.

The person standing in the doorway was dressed fashionably, wearing a black flight jacket on top and black ripped pants below, with a black backpack slung over his shoulders. He looked like someone who enjoyed riding motorcycles.

He was handsome, with a somewhat long face, sharply defined features, and a cold expression. Just from his appearance, he gave off an unapproachable, hard-to-mess-with impression.

But no matter how handsome he was, he was still not as handsome as Jiang Jing. When he came in, his expression did not change as he looked at Sun Le and Liu Bin, but the moment his gaze fell on Jiang Jing, his expression shifted before quickly returning to normal.

He did not speak after entering. Instead, he looked around the room before asking, "Have you all chosen your rooms?"

Liu Bin pointed to the last room and said, "The three of us have already picked. Only the one near the restroom is left."

The man had entered carrying only a backpack, without a suitcase. Jiang Jing carefully examined the backpack and realized it was actually a spatial backpack, which meant his family circumstances were not bad.

He then said to the other two, "This guy's family is well-off. He's carrying a spatial backpack."

Liu Bin said in surprise, "Damn, does that make him a rich second-generation heir? Our room finally has one. But he doesn't look very easy to get along with."

"Hey, Sun Le, do you know him?"

Sun Le thought for a moment and said, "I think he's from Class Four. I've seen him around during breaks before, but I don't know him."

Liu Bin took out his phone and began asking around about the person. Two minutes later, he said, "I asked a friend from the neighboring class. His name is Zhang Haocheng. He used to be in Class Four, and he's in the top hundred of the grade."

"My friend said he looks hard to get along with, but he's actually just kind of full of himself. He's not a bad person."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Haocheng came out of his room and said to the three of them, "I want to switch rooms. I don't like that room."

Liu Bin asked in confusion, "The problem is, we don't want to switch either. Who do you think would be willing to trade with you?"

"Look, this dorm is already way better than our previous one. What is there to be dissatisfied about?"

Zhang Haocheng replied, "I've never lived in a school dorm before. This is my first time. I don't like that room."

Sun Le said, "That room is pretty good. What's there to switch?"

Liu Bin tried to persuade him, "Come on. Live there properly for a month, and you'll get used to it."

Jiang Jing also said at that moment, "You could try living there for a month and see if you can adapt. If you still can't, then think of another solution."

Seeing that none of the three agreed, Zhang Haocheng frowned. He looked extremely displeased, but he did not say anything, and the atmosphere in the room instantly fell silent.

Then he returned to his room and shut the door.

The three looked at each other, thinking that was the end of it.

But after a while, he came out of his room again and began pacing around the living room. After inspecting every corner, he walked to Jiang Jing's door and asked, "Whose room is this?"

Jiang Jing asked doubtfully, "Mine. What's wrong? Still not giving up?"

Zhang Haocheng made a shocking proposal. "How about this? Let's have a Pokémon battle. If I win, you switch rooms with me."

Jiang Jing was almost angered into laughter. "Why should I agree to that? If you win, I switch rooms, but if you lose, what do I get?"

"So it all benefits you. Who would agree to a challenge like that?"

Liu Bin said from the side, "You've really got some nerve. You can actually say that out loud?"

Sun Le added, "Student Zhang Haocheng, that really isn't a very good proposal."

After being criticized like that, Zhang Haocheng was a little dumbfounded. But after thinking about it, he felt they did have a point.

He lowered his head slightly, his eyes rolling once before he made another startling proposal. "How about this? We have a Pokémon battle. If I win, we switch rooms. If I lose, I'll give you ten thousand yuan. How about it?"

Liu Bin instantly jumped up. "What? Ten thousand yuan? That much? Bro, switch with me! Just give me the ten thousand yuan!"

Zhang Haocheng pointed at the room. "I want this room."

Jiang Jing's heart skipped a beat when he heard that. The temptation was too great—ten thousand yuan. This guy really was rich. He was offering ten thousand right off the bat. If Jiang Jing won, he would get ten thousand yuan; if he lost, he would not lose much, at most switching rooms.

So he said, "Fine. Since you said it, I accept. If I lose, I'll switch rooms."

Joy flashed in Zhang Haocheng's eyes after hearing that. He had confidence in his own strength, and school had not even started yet. It was unlikely that he would run into a powerful opponent right away.

Jiang Jing asked, "Then where are we going to battle?"

Sun Le raised a hand and said, "I know! Every floor of every new dorm building has battle arenas, though there are only a few of them."

"The others are probably in the battle hall, which has dozens of battle fields."

Liu Bin said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get over there."

The four of them left the dorm and followed Sun Le. As they walked, he explained, "The regular battle arenas are usually built in the middle of the U-shaped dorm buildings, where there's more space."

After passing more than a dozen dorm rooms, they finally reached the middle of the building. The space there was indeed large enough for two cars to pass side by side, with two entrances standing there.

Through the large windows in the walls, they could clearly see several battle fields inside. The doors were sensor-operated and required room cards to open, meant to prevent students from other majors from sneaking in.

After entering, they saw that the area was divided into four sections, or four battle arenas. Each arena was separated off, with benches around them for people to sit on.

At the middle of the right boundary line of each arena stood a machine with an electronic screen hanging in front of it.

One of the battle fields was already hosting a Pokémon battle, with more than a dozen people watching nearby.

Liu Bin had never seen this equipment before and curiously looked around. Jiang Jing was much the same.

Sun Le walked up to one field and said, "Let's find a field and start right away. How about this one?"

Jiang Jing nodded. "No objections from me!"

Zhang Haocheng looked it over and said, "Works for me."

Liu Bin said, "Then let's begin!"

Jiang Jing and Zhang Haocheng each stood on one side, facing each other.

Acting as the referee, Liu Bin said, "This will be a one-on-one battle, ending when one side's Pokémon loses its ability to battle or its trainer admits defeat."

Jiang Jing and Zhang Haocheng threw out their Poké Balls one after the other.

"Go, Aron!"

"Go, Tauros!"

The two Pokémon appeared on the ground.

Zhang Haocheng's Tauros resembled a bull, with fur around its neck. It had three tails and three spots on its forehead. Its pair of horns were powerful weapons.

Jiang Jing immediately activated Data Eye and scanned it.

Pokémon: Tauros

Type: Normal

Talent: ★★

Level: LV15

Ability: Intimidate