Chapter 5 –The Incubator
"I've got things sorted at home, no need to worry," Jason said casually.
Ethan nodded. "Good. Neither of your families are doing badly, so I'm guessing the Pokémon your folks prepared for you will be a cut above the average."
"Maybe even a two-star potential!"
Liam shook his head. "That's a stretch. Two-star potential Pokémon are ridiculously expensive these days."
"I checked the websites for all the breeding centers in Bay City last week. The cheapest two-star Pokémon I saw was going for a hundred thousand credits."
"I'll be happy if I can get one with just one-star potential."
Chris widened his eyes. "No way, that pricey? That's insane! I've never even seen that much money in my life."
"Spending a hundred thousand credits on just one Pokémon? Total madness."
The others shook their heads as well. None of their families could fork out that much just to buy a Pokémon.
Just as humans varied in talent, Pokémon did too. After over three centuries of research, people had classified Pokémon potential into five tiers, denoted by the number of stars.
One-star was the lowest, five-star the highest.
Pokémon kept purely as pets were usually "unrated," with no stars at all.
Serious trainers would choose at least a one-star Pokémon, otherwise it simply wasn't worth training—no matter how much effort you poured in, the results would be negligible.
Most ordinary trainers owned one-star Pokémon. Some pooled money to get a two-star, or tried their luck capturing one in the wild.
Only the wealthy elite could afford Pokémon with two- or three-star potential.
As for four-star and five-star Pokémon—those were beyond the reach of regular folks entirely.
And potential could only be accurately tested with specialized equipment, usually found in research labs, breeding centers, or schools.
Ordinary people could only guess based on size, coat, skin condition, and other surface clues.
In their dorm, Liam's family was probably the best off financially.
His parents ran a barbecue restaurant near the Bay City University food street.
You'd think running a barbecue joint wouldn't make much money, but the reality was the opposite—it was highly profitable, bringing in over a million credits in net profit annually.
It was hard-earned money though. His parents worked odd hours, rarely took breaks, and barely had time to look after him.
If Liam hadn't been mature for his age, he could've easily gone down the wrong path. Even so, buying a two-star Pokémon would still be a painful hit to the family's finances.
---
After dinner, the six of them left the crowded cafeteria, drenched in sweat from the summer heat.
Back in the dorm, they immediately turned on the fans.
"Seriously, when is the school going to install air-conditioning?" Ethan groaned, standing right in front of the fan. "We're gonna melt out here."
"No kidding," Will muttered as he came back from washing his feet. "They promised they'd install AC last month, and now the semester's nearly over and nothing's happened. What's the admin even doing?"
Jake sipped from an iced tea. "Maybe they're waiting for us to graduate first."
That was exactly what had happened in Jason's previous life—the school had kept promising AC and new dorms, everyone had gotten their hopes up, and then… nothing.
The renovations started right after graduation.
Good things always seemed to come after you were gone.
"At least next semester I'll be in the Pokémon Studies program," Liam said. "Those dorms have AC. And they're four-person suites."
"Guess you guys are stuck here in this sauna."
"Man, Pokémon Studies sounds like the life," Ethan grumbled. "Stay in this sweatbox long enough and I'm gonna drop dead."
They moved on to other topics.
"Oh, Jason," Liam said. "The World Championship starts next week."
Jason blinked. "Right, I almost forgot. Good thing finals are next week—once they're done, I'll actually have time to watch."
"Yeah, I'll be watching every day at home. Can't wait," Liam said.
---
That afternoon, the homeroom teacher handed out the subject selection forms for next semester, telling everyone to return them by Monday.
Classes wrapped up for the week, and many students headed back to their dorms to pack for the weekend.
Jason did the same, stuffing clothes and textbooks into his backpack before catching the bus home.
As he sat there, watching other students board with their Pokémon by their sides, he couldn't help wondering—what would his starter be?
"Alright, everyone seated? Let's roll!" the bus driver called.
Half an hour later, the bus stopped outside his apartment complex—Oakview Gardens, about three miles from school.
The surrounding buildings were a little worn down, but the streets were lined with restaurants and convenience stores.
At the gate, Jason tapped a blue keycard against the scanner. Inside the guard booth, a few security guards were glued to their phones. Only the older guard outside looked up.
"Hey, Mr. Lee!" Jason greeted.
The man smiled. "Jason, back from school?"
"Yeah, just for the weekend."
Oakview Gardens had eight buildings. Jason's family lived in 6B, unit 501.
Taking the elevator up, he unlocked the door and was immediately greeted by the smell of home-cooked food.
"Mom, I'm back," he called.
"Dinner's almost ready," came his mother's voice from the kitchen.
Before he could step inside, two small figures launched off the couch and straight into his arms.
"Pikachu! Jigglypuff! Long time no see!"
Pikachu's yellow cheeks sparked faintly as it squeaked in excitement, while Jigglypuff rubbed its round face against his chest.
These were his mother's Pokémon—her constant companions when Dad was away on work trips.
A little while later, Jason and his mother sat down to eat, with Pikachu and Jigglypuff happily munching their own meals nearby.
"Where's Dad?" Jason asked between bites.
"Still at the construction site," his mother said. "He won't be back until the day after tomorrow."
Jason thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll just visit him tomorrow."
His father was a contractor—what people liked to call a "site boss." His mother used to cook for the workers until her health declined, and now she stayed home.
They weren't rich, but they were comfortable enough. And when Jason had said he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer, his father had supported him wholeheartedly.
---
The next day, Jason endured a two-hour bus ride to his father's worksite.
From a distance, he could see the steel skeletons of several apartment blocks, the whole area surrounded by temporary fencing.
Inside, the noise of excavators, cranes, and construction work was constant.
Jason tried to enter but was stopped at the gate. The guard didn't recognize him—apparently he was new.
With no choice, Jason called his dad. Less than a minute later, a muscular gray figure in a red safety helmet strode toward him—Machoke, his father's Pokémon.
It carried an extra yellow helmet, which Jason took before signing in and following it inside.
Workers bustled around with tools and Pokémon alike, steel bars and concrete blocks stacked high.
Machoke led him to a row of site offices—converted shipping containers—and into the second unit.
Inside, his father was on the phone, seated behind a desk.
"Dad!" Jason called.
His father held up a finger, finishing his call with, "Get it fixed now. I'll come check in a bit."
Hanging up, he smiled. "What brings you here today?"
"Wanted to see you—and check out the Pokémon you've got for me."
His father chuckled. "Hold on, I'll grab it."
A few moments later, he returned carrying a transparent, capsule-shaped incubator. Inside was a Pokémon egg—its shell a pale hue traced with black patterns.
Jason's heart skipped a beat. This is it… my starter?
"I've got things sorted at home, no need to worry," Jason said casually.
Ethan nodded. "Good. Neither of your families are doing badly, so I'm guessing the Pokémon your folks prepared for you will be a cut above the average."
"Maybe even a two-star potential!"
Liam shook his head. "That's a stretch. Two-star potential Pokémon are ridiculously expensive these days."
"I checked the websites for all the breeding centers in Bay City last week. The cheapest two-star Pokémon I saw was going for a hundred thousand credits."
"I'll be happy if I can get one with just one-star potential."
Chris widened his eyes. "No way, that pricey? That's insane! I've never even seen that much money in my life."
"Spending a hundred thousand credits on just one Pokémon? Total madness."
The others shook their heads as well. None of their families could fork out that much just to buy a Pokémon.
Just as humans varied in talent, Pokémon did too. After over three centuries of research, people had classified Pokémon potential into five tiers, denoted by the number of stars.
One-star was the lowest, five-star the highest.
Pokémon kept purely as pets were usually "unrated," with no stars at all.
Serious trainers would choose at least a one-star Pokémon, otherwise it simply wasn't worth training—no matter how much effort you poured in, the results would be negligible.
Most ordinary trainers owned one-star Pokémon. Some pooled money to get a two-star, or tried their luck capturing one in the wild.
Only the wealthy elite could afford Pokémon with two- or three-star potential.
As for four-star and five-star Pokémon those were beyond the reach of regular folks entirely.
And potential could only be accurately tested with specialized equipment, usually found in research labs, breeding centers, or schools.
Ordinary people could only guess based on size, coat, skin condition, and other surface clues.
In their dorm, Liam's family was probably the best off financially.
His parents ran a barbecue restaurant near the Bay City University food street.
You'd think running a barbecue joint wouldn't make much money, but the reality was the opposite it was highly profitable, bringing in over a million credits in net profit annually.
It was hard-earned money though. His parents worked odd hours, rarely took breaks, and barely had time to look after him.
If Liam hadn't been mature for his age, he could've easily gone down the wrong path. Even so, buying a two-star Pokémon would still be a painful hit to the family's finances.
---
After dinner, the six of them left the crowded cafeteria, drenched in sweat from the summer heat.
Back in the dorm, they immediately turned on the fans.
"Seriously, when is the school going to install air-conditioning?" Ethan groaned, standing right in front of the fan.
"We're gonna melt out here."
"No kidding," Will muttered as he came back from washing his feet.
"They promised they'd install AC last month, and now the semester's nearly over and nothing's happened. What's the admin even doing?"
Jake sipped from an iced tea.
"Maybe they're waiting for us to graduate first."
That was exactly what had happened in Jason's previous life the school had kept promising AC and new dorms, everyone had gotten their hopes up, and then… nothing.
The renovations started right after graduation.
Good things always seemed to come after you were gone.
"At least next semester I'll be in the Pokémon Studies program," Liam said.
"Those dorms have AC. And they're four-person suites."
"Guess you guys are stuck here in this sauna."
"Man, Pokémon Studies sounds like the life," Ethan grumbled.
"Stay in this sweatbox long enough and I'm gonna drop dead."
They moved on to other topics.
"Oh, Jason," Liam said. "The World Championship starts next week."
Jason blinked. "Right, I almost forgot. Good thing finals are next week once they're done, I'll actually have time to watch."
"Yeah, I'll be watching every day at home. Can't wait," Liam said.
---
That afternoon, the homeroom teacher handed out the subject selection forms for next semester, telling everyone to return them by Monday.
Classes wrapped up for the week, and many students headed back to their dorms to pack for the weekend.
Jason did the same, stuffing clothes and textbooks into his backpack before catching the bus home.
As he sat there, watching other students board with their Pokémon by their sides, he couldn't help wondering what would his starter be?
"Alright, everyone seated? Let's roll!" the bus driver called.
Half an hour later, the bus stopped outside his apartment complex Oakview Gardens, about three miles from school.
The surrounding buildings were a little worn down, but the streets were lined with restaurants and convenience stores.
At the gate, Jason tapped a blue keycard against the scanner. Inside the guard booth, a few security guards were glued to their phones. Only the older guard outside looked up.
"Hey, Mr. Lee!" Jason greeted.
The man smiled. "Jason, back from school?"
"Yeah, just for the weekend."
Oakview Gardens had eight buildings. Jason's family lived in 6B, unit 501.
Taking the elevator up, he unlocked the door and was immediately greeted by the smell of home-cooked food.
"Mom, I'm back," he called.
"Dinner's almost ready," came his mother's voice from the kitchen.
Before he could step inside, two small figures launched off the couch and straight into his arms.
"Pikachu! Jigglypuff! Long time no see!"
Pikachu's yellow cheeks sparked faintly as it squeaked in excitement, while Jigglypuff rubbed its round face against his chest.
These were his mother's Pokémon her constant companions when Dad was away on work trips.
A little while later, Jason and his mother sat down to eat, with Pikachu and Jigglypuff happily munching their own meals nearby.
"Where's Dad?" Jason asked between bites.
"Still at the construction site," his mother said. "He won't be back until the day after tomorrow."
Jason thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll just visit him tomorrow."
His father was a contractor what people liked to call a "site boss." His mother used to cook for the workers until her health declined, and now she stayed home.
They weren't rich, but they were comfortable enough. And when Jason had said he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer, his father had supported him wholeheartedly.
---
The next day, Jason endured a two-hour bus ride to his father's worksite.
From a distance, he could see the steel skeletons of several apartment blocks, the whole area surrounded by temporary fencing.
Inside, the noise of excavators, cranes, and construction work was constant.
Jason tried to enter but was stopped at the gate. The guard didn't recognize him apparently he was new.
With no choice, Jason called his dad. Less than a minute later, a muscular gray figure in a red safety helmet strode toward him Machoke, his father's Pokémon.
It carried an extra yellow helmet, which Jason took before signing in and following it inside.
Workers bustled around with tools and Pokémon alike, steel bars and concrete blocks stacked high.
Machoke led him to a row of site offices converted shipping containers and into the second unit.
Inside, his father was on the phone, seated behind a desk.
"Dad!" Jason called.
His father held up a finger, finishing his call with, "Get it fixed now. I'll come check in a bit."
Hanging up, he smiled. "What brings you here today?"
"Wanted to see you and check out the Pokémon you've got for me."
His father chuckled. "Hold on, I'll grab it."
A few moments later, he returned carrying a transparent, capsule-shaped incubator. Inside was a Pokémon egg its shell a pale hue traced with black patterns.
Jason's heart skipped a beat. This is it… my starter?