Inside the Gymnasium of Songjiang No. 1 High School.
One high school student after another, under the guidance of the Gymnasium teachers, orderly paid their fees and received their Pokémon Eggs.
“So many eggs!”
At the end of the Class 3 line, Liu Jianhao looked at the rows of similarly sized Pokémon Eggs in the Gymnasium, his eyes full of anticipation.
Although Liu Jianhao had a somewhat feminine appearance, his height was not low at all, a full 176 cm, only half a head shorter than Mu Yun. Among girls, he would definitely be considered fair-skinned, beautiful, and long-legged.
No, why would he be considered among girls?
Mu Yun felt it must be the sun, making him a little dizzy.
“Next!”
Soon, the line for receiving eggs was nearing its end. Liu Jianhao and Mu Yun successively presented their student IDs and student cards.
As the top student and the twenty-second ranked student in their grade, both could receive a Pokémon Egg for free as their first Pokémon.
It’s worth mentioning that obtaining a first Pokémon wasn't necessarily dependent on the school's distribution.
In fact, the school's distribution of Pokémon Eggs only started in the last decade, as a welfare benefit for students from ordinary families.
It is said that the initiator was Zhou Shijin, who ranks second among the four Elite of the Northern Great Region, one of the seven major regions of the current Yanhuang Alliance.
To be fair, this guy seemed quite capable, otherwise it would have been unlikely for him to push through this welfare measure.
You know, the Pokémon Eggs distributed by the school are all descendants of professional-level Pokémon. Even the cheapest common bug Pokémon are worth over 10,000 alliance coins.
If it's a Pokémon with higher base stats and stronger utility, like common bird Pokémon, the value can be as high as tens of thousands of alliance coins.
Not to mention, there are also free Pokémon Egg incubation devices, and discounts of 50% to 20%, just these alone would amount to an expenditure of probably no less than a million alliance coins.
This is just one school in one city; promoting it nationwide would be an astronomical figure that Mu Yun couldn't even imagine.
As a beneficiary of this welfare, Mu Yun was very grateful to this Elite Zhou.
After all, given his family situation, if it weren't for the school's welfare, he would have prepared to spend one or two thousand alliance coins at a private small Breeder house to buy a normal or veteran-level common bug Pokémon Egg, register as a new Trainer, to cope with the college entrance examination.
Anyway, he wasn't planning to major in Trainer, and the Breeder major didn't look at the Pokémon's potential. As long as his academic scores were sufficient, applying would have no impact whatsoever.
If he wanted to breed Pokémon, it wouldn't be too late to buy high-potential ones after he received university scholarships.
“Mu Yun, student ID 20220301, academic ranking: 001. Congratulations, you have qualified to receive a Pokémon Egg for free.”
The staff member responsible for checking student IDs and student cards completed the verification expressionlessly, congratulating him mechanically.
Mu Yun glanced at the heavy dark circles under his tired eyes and felt sympathetic.
He hoped he wouldn't be an overworked lab worker in the future... After putting away his documents, Mu Yun entered the Gymnasium.
Because they were distributed for free, they had no right to choose, only to receive them in order.
However, Mu Yun noticed that when the staff member retrieved his Pokémon Egg, he didn't take it from the outermost shelf in order, but instead turned into a small room and brought out a Pokémon Egg with light green spots.
Mu Yun thoughtfully took the incubation device containing the Pokémon Egg, thanked him, and then left through the back door of the Gymnasium, holding it.
On his way back to the classroom, Mu Yun took a moment to carefully examine the appearance of the Pokémon Egg.
It was a bit longer and thinner than a basketball, looking like a Dynamaxed oval egg.
If it weren't for the light green spots on its shell, Mu Yun would have thought it was some edible ostrich egg.
After all the Pokémon Eggs were distributed, everyone returned to their respective classrooms.
Mu Yun glanced at his “pretty best friend” Liu Jianhao’s Pokémon Egg.
It was a Pokémon Egg with white and pink spots.
It suited him quite well.
As the classroom filled up, Song Fu, the homeroom teacher, once again stood at the podium with his ever-present thermos cup.
“Students, now that you have your Pokémon Eggs, it means a month-long summer vacation is ahead. Although it’s a holiday, as college entrance examination candidates for next year, everyone must remember not to neglect your studies. Even if you want to bond with your Pokémon, you must not forget to study…”
Homeroom teacher Song Fu used a status move—Jabbering!
The move landed, with super effective results!
The students, who had been somewhat excited, suddenly felt sleepy.
Fortunately, Song Fu also knew that the holiday was about to begin and didn't say too much. He took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea from his thermos cup and gave a final summary:
“Remember to go to the Trainer Association for registration as soon as your Pokémon Egg hatches.”
“Also, for those who choose the Elf Class, the school will conduct a battle assessment after the start of the semester and issue certain rewards based on the ranking. But even students who want to train Pokémon must wait until the Pokémon has passed its one-week infant stage.”
“Alright, that’s about it. Class dismissed!”
“Yay!”
“Bye, homeroom teacher, bye, Zhu Mama!”
“Zhu Mama, have a happy summer vacation, and don’t let the homeroom teacher exploit you anymore!”
Accompanied by laughter, the classroom, which had just been full, quickly became empty.
“Xiao Yun, want to come to Uncle Song’s house for dinner tonight?”
Song Fu called out to Mu Yun, asking while tidying the documents on the podium.
Song Fu was a friend of Mu Yun’s late father, and he had taken good care of him in his studies and life over the years.
Moreover, he had lost his wife early, and his daughter was studying away from home, leaving just him and Grumpig at home. He would often invite Mu Yun over for a meal, with or without a reason.
Mu Yun knew that Song Fu was worried he might not take good care of himself, not eat properly, which would affect his physical development and delay his studies.
Initially, to consider Mu Yun’s feelings, Song Fu would always find excuses like tutoring or it being too late to keep him for dinner. Over time, he became more casual about it.
“No, Uncle Song, the staff member said my Pokémon Egg is already over five days old, and it might hatch in the next two days. I need to buy some essentials,” Mu Yun said.
“Hmm, hatching the Pokémon Egg is important.”
Song Fu didn't insist.
Grumpig, however, looked a bit disappointed at the situation.
Her pink, floppy ears drooped slightly, looking exactly like a mother who felt sad because her “son had grown up and no longer needed her care.”
“Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since I’ve had Zhu Mama’s homemade fish-flavored shredded pork. After the Pokémon Egg hatches, can I trouble Zhu Mama to satisfy my cravings!”
Seeing Grumpig sad, Mu Yun immediately stepped forward and said.
As expected, upon hearing this, Grumpig’s eyes immediately lit up, and her big ears perked up with a 'poof'.
“Grumpig!!”
She patted her chest, indicating that she would take care of it.
“See you in a few days then!”
After bidding farewell to Song Fu and Grumpig, Mu Yun walked out of the school gate, hailed an Electric Rodent brand shared bicycle with a basket, and rode towards the Asia-Europe Hypermarket in the city center.
As the top student in his grade, Mu Yun not only had a high level of academic knowledge but also naturally dabbled in Pokémon-related knowledge.
Following the information on Pokémon infant care recorded in books and found online, Mu Yun quickly bought all the necessary items for a newborn Pokémon.
It must be said that anything related to Pokémon was expensive.
Just a 100ml bottle of moo-moo milk cost a full 150 alliance coins, which was half again as expensive as the cheapest Berry.
Enough for him to eat for a week in the school cafeteria!
Life is not easy, Mu Yun sighed.
After purchasing all the necessary items for the infant Pokémon, Mu Yun rode the shared bicycle away from the hypermarket.
His home was an old residential building, not large, only about fifty square meters, but though the sparrow is small, it has all its internal organs.
Plus, he lived alone, so it was perfectly sufficient.
After neatly putting away the purchased items in the refrigerator and having a simple dinner, Mu Yun took the incubator to his desk.
He placed it steadily on the floor beside his desk, and once he confirmed it was secure, he skillfully opened his second-hand laptop on the table.
It was the first day of vacation, and the Pokémon Egg hadn't hatched yet, so he decided to play some games to relax.
Pokémon Rant, launch!
As soon as he opened the game, Mu Yun found that a friend was online and inviting him.
【Yao Bu Deng Si Ba (Deng Siyao): Two rounds?】
【Yun Reader (Mu Yun): GO!】
Deng Siyao, Mu Yun’s online friend and gaming buddy.
Her shooting skills were average, but she had many skins, a nice voice, but her appearance was unknown. She claimed to be a university student majoring in Breeder at Changqing University.
Whether it was true or not, Mu Yun didn't know, but he did learn a lot of information related to the Breeder major from her.
【Yao Bu Deng Si Ba (Deng Siyao): How about it, do you want to apply for our Changqing University’s Breeder major next year? Sis is getting a guaranteed spot for graduate studies this year, seeing as you carried me in games, come to the school and I’ll help you soar! (Jigglypuff evil laugh.JPG)】
【Yun Reader (Mu Yun): Changqing University? With my scores, even if I don't go to the Five Capitals, I'd go to the Top Ten. What caliber is Changqing University, worthy of me? (Psyduck arrogant face.JPG)】
【Yao Bu Deng Si Ba (Deng Siyao): Young man, I advise you not to be too arrogant. The Five Capitals and Top Ten are deep waters for research. Even if you're smart, without some background, you'll only end up as a grunt doing odd jobs there. Unlike our Changqing University, with beautiful scenery, vast land, and kind people. Not only are there many experimental projects, but also freedom of activity. The most crucial thing is, I have connections, I can cover you! Stick with me, and you'll eat well! Understand? (Jigglypuff arrogant.JPG)】
【Yun Reader (Mu Yun): Really? Rich lady V50, show me your strength. (Psyduck squinting smile.JPG)】
While playing the game, Mu Yun chatted casually with Deng Siyao.
Although they had never met, two years of “fighting side by side” made them pretty good friends.
Soon, the last game ended with Deng Siyao’s excited shouts. He won the match in the 16th round with an impressive shooting performance of 40/14/6.
(Not a mysterious code, purely the author's good marksmanship, ╮(￣▽￣)╭)
【Yao Bu Deng Si Ba (Deng Siyao): You are my gun god!! (Jigglypuff worship.JPG)】
【Yun Reader (Mu Yun): Normal play, basic operation, no need to be impressed. (Psyduck wearing sunglasses.JPG)】
【Yao Bu Deng Si Ba (Deng Siyao): But seriously, if you want to develop in the Breeder major, our Changqing University is quite good. Although it's below the Top Ten, it's at least the first tier below the Top Ten. What's more, my advisor is an expert in energy cube production who ranks nationally. Seriously, I'm not lying! (Jigglypuff serious face.JPG)】
【Yun Reader (Mu Yun): We’ll see, there’s still a year, no rush. (Psyduck calm face.JPG)】
After a brief chat, Mu Yun exited the game.
After washing up, he lay in bed and began to ponder about life.
His original plan was to casually raise a Pokémon, complete the new Trainer registration, and thus gain the qualification to apply for the Breeder major.
However, just as he picked up his Pokémon Egg, a cold electronic prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.
Because of this, Mu Yun declined Song Fu’s dinner invitation and returned home alone to wait.
【Ding! Detecting that the host has obtained the first Pokémon Egg in his life, the diligence reward system is activating… 10%… 30%… 80%…】
Mu Yun squinted slightly, watching the loading progress bar in his mind.
When the prompt first sounded, the progress bar quickly loaded to 80%.
After that, it loaded at a rate of one percent per hour.
It was now eleven o'clock at night, and the progress bar had reached 90%.
If nothing unexpected happened, when he woke up tomorrow morning, the progress bar would be fully loaded.
“I wonder what functions this diligence reward system has. Is it the legendary Deep Blue stat allocation?”
With anticipation, Mu Yun drifted off to sleep.