Hatching Mareep

After finishing those preparations, Zhang Cheng let Poliwag and Pidgey out and gave the two little ones some Pokémon Food.

He headed to the school's Pokémon shop, planning to buy some food that Electric-type Pokémon liked, along with some Miltank milk.

Newborn Pokémon had weaker digestive systems and should not eat too much Pokémon Food. Feeding them milk was a better choice.

After buying the food Mareep needed, Zhang Cheng was almost out of Pokémon Coins. He had only two thousand left.

Money really doesn't last. Looks like I'll have to find a way to earn some, or my Pokémon and I will all starve.

Zhang Cheng was walking back to his dorm with the food he had bought when his phone chimed. He checked it and saw a message from Bai Yuling:

"What Pokémon did you catch today?"

"I took a Pokémon Egg instead of catching a wild Pokémon."

"Oh? What kind of Pokémon Egg?"

"An Electric-type. Mareep."

"Not bad. Mareep has pretty high Special Attack for an Electric-type Pokémon, but its drawback is that it's too slow."

"I know. I'm planning to have this Mareep learn Agility. That should help make up for its lack of speed."

"You're such a clever boy, haha. I was thinking the same thing and was just about to tell you."

Zhang Cheng chatted with Bai Yuling as he walked back.

After returning to his dorm, Zhang Cheng washed up, then massaged his Pokémon and coaxed them to sleep as though they were little children.

Once both Pokémon were asleep, Zhang Cheng played games with Bai Yuling for a while at her request.

As midnight approached, Zhang Cheng began to feel sleepy. He let Bai Yuling know, then went straight to sleep.

The next morning, the alarm rang, marking the start of a new week.

That was life in the final year of high school: the same things every week, repeated over and over.

After arriving in the classroom, Zhang Cheng lay his head on his desk to catch up on sleep as usual. He had not slept very well the night before, so today's theory class was the perfect chance to make up for it.

As the class bell rang, Bai Yuling arrived in the classroom and began the week's lessons.

The bell signaling the end of class rang right on time. It had gradually become Zhang Cheng's wake-up alarm. Hearing it, he sat up, stretched, then went out to find Ye Tian so they could eat together.

After lunch, Zhang Cheng did not go straight back to the classroom. Instead, he returned to his dorm to check on Mareep again. He now treated the Pokémon Egg like a treasure, afraid that even the slightest thing might go wrong.

Only after inspecting it carefully and confirming that everything was normal did Zhang Cheng return to the classroom with his mind at ease.

That afternoon, Bai Yuling handed out another test paper. Zhang Cheng glanced at it but had no desire to answer the questions.

What can I say? Bai Yuling spoils me. I don't listen in class or do the tests. I just spend every class having fun.

Everyone else was terribly envious. Bai Yuling was not nearly so lenient with everyone.

Although he did not have to do the test, he was honestly rather bored. Sitting at his desk, he had no idea what to do.

So Zhang Cheng idly browsed the test paper, looking for any interesting questions.

He found a multiple-choice question about the Nido family:

Which of the following Pokémon should Nidoking mate with to produce offspring? ( )

A. Nidoran♀

B. Nidorina

C. Nidoqueen

D. All of the above

The correct answer should have been A, because Nidorina and Nidoqueen no longer had reproductive organs after evolving.

That meant Nidoking could only breed with Nidoran♀.

A Nidoking over a meter tall and a forty-centimeter Nidoran♀—Zhang Cheng pictured that scene and found it rather bizarre.

There was still an hour before class ended. With absolutely no idea what to do, Zhang Cheng sent Bai Yuling a message on his phone:

"Pretty please, sis, can you let me out? I'm so bored."

"In your dreams. Sleeping in class isn't enough for you, and now you want to skip it too? Not a chance."

"(˙ー˙)"

Since Bai Yuling refused, there was nothing Zhang Cheng could do. He could only open some Pokémon news on his phone to pass the time.

The clear chime of the bell rang out. To Zhang Cheng, it sounded like a trumpet announcing victory in battle.

He was finally free. That oppressive feeling in the classroom really was a form of psychological torture.

After having dinner with Ye Tian, the two sparred and trained together as usual.

This time, Zhang Cheng chose to send Pidgey out against Butterfree. He planned to focus on training Pidgey for a while.

Once Pidgey's level was higher, it could serve as one of his main battlers in the future. Its level was currently too low, which was why it had not been able to compete in the friendly tournament.

After training, Zhang Cheng returned to his dorm and adjusted the incubator's temperature. Since it was a little colder at night, he needed to raise the temperature slightly.

While adjusting the equipment, Zhang Cheng noticed that cracks had already appeared on the Pokémon Egg. Mareep would probably hatch soon.

Poliwag and Pidgey were also watching the Pokémon Egg, their eyes full of anticipation. Clearly, they were eager to have a new companion join them.

Remembering that they had practical battle lessons the next day, Zhang Cheng urged both Pokémon to get some rest so they would be in good shape.

And so Zhang Cheng continued the same routine, moving between the classroom, the Cafeteria, and his dorm every day. It was a dull, monotonous life, but it helped him grow stronger.

To become an outstanding Trainer, hard work, tedious study, and training were all things he had to go through.

Before long, Sunday arrived—the only day off each week.

Zhang Cheng was in his dorm, keeping watch over the Pokémon Egg. The cracks had grown wider over the past few days, and he guessed that Mareep would hatch that day.

That was why Zhang Cheng had not gone anywhere. He stayed beside Mareep the whole time. He did not want the first person Mareep saw after hatching to be someone else.

Pokémon felt a strong affection for the first person they saw after being born, which would also make it easier for the Pokémon and its Trainer to get along later.

Around noon, Mareep's Pokémon Egg began to shake violently. With a crack, the shell broke apart completely.

A pink Mareep appeared before him. All the wool covering its body was pink, distinctly different from the white wool of other Mareep.

Looking at the adorable pink little Pokémon, Zhang Cheng reached out a hand in greeting. "Hello, Mareep. From now on, we're partners."

"Baa~ Baa, baa~"

Mareep gently rubbed its little head against Zhang Cheng, then picked up a piece of eggshell beside it and began to eat.