Incubation Chamber (Please Bookmark, Recommend, and Vote)

After eating, the six of them walked out of the packed cafeteria, drenched in sweat from the heat.

The moment they returned to the dorm, they switched on the fan. Standing directly in front of it, Guo Yong complained, "When is the school going to install air conditioning? I'm seriously about to be cooked stupid."

After washing his feet, Wang Yi came back and said, "Fuck, didn't the school say they'd install air conditioning last month? It's almost vacation now, and we still haven't seen a single unit. What the hell do the school leaders even do?"

Taking a sip of iced tea, Jiang Jing said leisurely, "They're not going to wait until after we graduate to install it, are they?"

That was exactly how it had been in his previous life. They kept saying they would install air conditioning and renovate the new dorms, and everyone stupidly looked forward to it.

In the end, the school only began renovating the dorms and installing air conditioning after they had graduated.

Sure enough, all the good stuff only came after graduation.

Liu Bin also washed his feet before climbing onto his bed. "But after we choose our streams next semester, we'll be changing dorms. I remember the Spirit Studies dorms have air conditioning, and they're even four-person rooms."

"But you guys are a bit unlucky. You'll probably still be staying in these dorm buildings."

Guo Yong said unhappily, "Damn, Spirit Studies sounds great. I'm starting to want to join it too. If I keep living in this kind of dorm, I'll die of heat sooner or later."

After they finished discussing that, Liu Bin continued, "Jing, the World Championship starts next week."

Jiang Jing was startled. "Right, I completely forgot. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would've forgotten altogether. Luckily, final exams are next week too. Once they're over, I'll have time to watch it."

Liu Bin said, "I'll be watching at home every day anyway. I just hope finals end early."

That afternoon, the homeroom teacher handed out the stream selection forms. She did not rush them to turn them in and said they could submit them next Monday.

After classes ended the following week, many students returned to their dorms to pack their luggage and prepare to go home.

Jiang Jing did the same. He packed some clothes and textbooks into his backpack, then got on the bus home.

As he watched other students board the bus one after another, along with the Pokémon by their sides,

he began looking forward to finding out who his starter Pokémon would be.

"Everyone sit tight, we're leaving!" the driver shouted before setting off.

Taiyu Residential Complex on Shangcang Avenue, five kilometers away from Pine City No. 8 High School, was Jiang Jing's home.

After about half an hour, he arrived at Taiyu Station. After getting off, he walked thirty meters forward beneath the blazing sun and reached the entrance.

The walls around Taiyu Residential Complex were somewhat old, and the nearby area was filled with restaurants and convenience stores, with people constantly coming and going.

The entrance was bustling with people, and Pokémon of all kinds could be seen everywhere. Pokémon kept as pets were not particularly expensive; the cheaper ones could be bought for just a few hundred.

Jiang Jing walked to the entrance, took out a blue key card, and placed it against the scanner. Inside the guard booth, the security guards were each playing on their phones and scrolling through Douyin.

Only an older security guard stood outside.

"Uncle Li!" Jiang Jing greeted him.

The old guard smiled when he saw Jiang Jing. "Little Jing, you're out of school?"

Jiang Jing replied, "Yeah, I came back for the weekend."

Taiyu Residential Complex had eight buildings. Jiang Jing's home was Apartment 501 in Building Six. He passed through the renovated pathway, entered Building Six, and took the elevator.

When the elevator arrived, he stepped out, turned right, and found his home at the first door at the end of the hall. He took out his key, inserted it into the lock, turned it once, and opened the door.

The first thing he saw was the shoe cabinet built into the entrance, followed by the round brown dining table in the middle of the hall.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of food. The living room was to his left, and the television in the center was broadcasting the news.

As Jiang Jing changed his shoes, he said, "Mom, I'm back."

A woman's voice came from the kitchen. "Mm. Get ready to eat."

As Jiang Jing entered the living room, two figures sprang down from the sofa and threw themselves into his arms.

"Pikachu, Jigglypuff, long time no see."

One was Pikachu, resembling a yellow mouse with red cheeks; the other was Jigglypuff, with a pink, balloon-like body.

They were both Jiang's Mother's Pokémon, and both were extremely adorable. When Jiang's Mother was home alone, it was their company that kept her from feeling lonely.

"Pika-pi, Pikachu~!"

Pikachu:~

Jigglypuff rubbed its round face against Jiang Jing's body.

Jigglypuff:

After a while, Jiang Jing and Jiang's Mother sat at the dining table eating, while Pikachu and Jigglypuff happily ate their own dinner beside them.

At the table, Jiang Jing asked, "Mom, why hasn't Dad come back?"

Jiang's Mother said, "Your dad still has things to handle at the construction site and doesn't have time to come back. He probably won't be free until the day after tomorrow."

Jiang Jing said anxiously, "Then I'll just go to Dad's construction site tomorrow."

Jiang's Father worked in construction, taking on contracted projects—in other words, he was a contractor. Jiang's Mother used to stay by his side and handle the cooking, but after her health worsened, she stopped working and stayed home every day.

His family could be considered fairly well-off, so Jiang's Father had not stopped him from becoming a Trainer. On the contrary, he had been especially supportive.

The next day, Jiang Jing took a bus and spent two hours reaching his destination: Jiang's Father's construction site.

In this residential area, Jiang Jing could see several buildings ahead, with a section between them enclosed by a layer of temporary construction fencing.

The sounds of excavators, tower cranes, and all kinds of construction work could be heard clearly from inside.

This was Jiang's Father's construction site. Jiang Jing was stopped when he reached the entrance, as unauthorized people were not allowed inside.

Jiang Jing had been here before, and the guards usually knew him, but the guard on duty today was new and refused to let him in no matter what.

With no other choice, he called Jiang's Father. Less than a minute later, a burly gray figure covered in muscle walked over.

It was a Machoke wearing a red safety helmet, with a yellow safety helmet in its hand.

Jiang Jing recognized at once that it was Jiang's Father's Pokémon and raised a hand in greeting. Seeing this, Machoke quickened its pace and hurried over.

Jiang Jing took the safety helmet from its hand, registered his information, and followed Machoke inside.

Walking beside the buildings, he saw workers and Pokémon busily coming and going. Steel bars, concrete, blocks, and bricks were everywhere.

At the second container ahead, he saw two rows of sofas, an office desk, and a coffee table inside.

A middle-aged man of average build wearing a black T-shirt was on the phone.

Seeing him, Jiang Jing called out, "Dad!"

This man was Jiang's Father. When he saw Jiang Jing, he said into the phone, "Handle it quickly. Make the corrections immediately. I'll come inspect it later."

After saying that, he hung up and looked at Jiang Jing, who was sitting opposite him. "Why did you come over today?"

Jiang Jing said, "I came to take a look, and also to see the starter Pokémon you prepared for me, Dad."

Jiang's Father smiled without exposing Jiang Jing's true intentions. Instead, he stood up and said, "Wait here. I'm going to get something."

After saying that, he went out, with Machoke following behind him. When they returned a while later, Machoke was carrying a transparent, capsule-shaped oval Incubation Chamber.

Inside the Incubation Chamber was a Pokémon Egg covered in black markings.

The moment Jiang Jing saw the Pokémon Egg, his heart began pounding uncontrollably, and he swallowed reflexively.

Is this my starter Pokémon?!

Thank you to reader Yuan Fen for the 200 Qidian Coins reward. Thank you to reader When Storms Rage for the 100 Qidian Coins reward.