Chapter 6 – Aron
His father set the incubator down. "Here's your starter. To be honest, I have no idea what it is."
Jason blinked. "You don't know?"
His father lit a cigarette. "Nope. Funny story I was actually about to buy you a Pokémon when I found this egg on-site. Asked around, but no one claimed it, so I kept it."
"You'll hatch it and see. If it's got good potential, it's yours. If not, your mom can keep it as a pet and I'll buy you another one."
Jason nodded. It was a sensible plan and clearly his father had already thought it through.
"I'll transfer you twenty thousand credits tomorrow," his father added. "Use it to raise your Pokémon well. If you can make it into a good Trainer's college, your mom and I will be thrilled."
The two chatted for a while about school, training, and life. His father didn't expect him to get into the top universities, but he still believed being a Trainer was a solid path.
Then the office door opened, and a stocky, middle-aged man in a suit walked in.
"Well, well," he said with a grin. "Enjoying your tea in here, Old Frey?"
He glanced at Jason. "And this must be your boy handsome kid."
His father laughed. "Mr. Lee, what brings you over? Come, have some tea."
The man lounged on the couch. "Just passing by. Figured I'd drop in."
Jason guessed he was someone from the client side probably a project manager.
His father poured tea for them both.
"So, where's your son studying?" Mr. Lee asked. "How's his grades?"
Jason Frey's father nodded toward him. "Jason's in Rowens City High School, Class 8. He's a freshman this year well, sophomore next semester. His grades are decent."
Across the table, Mr. Leonard Wu spoke with a knowing tone. "Then he'll need to work hard. My son is at First City High and has been top three in his class for years. Since choosing the Pokémon specialization, he's stayed in the top ten of the entire grade."
"If he keeps it up, he has a real shot at getting into Imperial University or Magic City University after the entrance exams."
Mr. Frey paused, forcing a smile. "That's not something we can compare with. My boy… well, I don't expect him to be outstanding. As long as he can get into a decent university, that's good enough."
Jason could tell from the slight heaviness in his father's tone that, despite the modest words, the comparison still stung.
Mr. Wu's gaze drifted to the incubator on the table. "I heard a Pokémon egg was found at the construction site yesterday. This must be the one."
He leaned in slightly. "Old Frey, I've heard most Pokémon eggs picked up out in the wild don't have much potential. Fine for a pet, sure but don't expect them to go far."
"Plenty of people think they've struck gold with a wild egg, only to regret it once it hatches."
"So, you'd better be cautious."
Mr. Frey gave a polite nod. "Of course. I'll be careful."
Jason sat off to the side, silently shaking his head. Mr. Wu's tone made every sentence sound like friendly advice, but the subtext was all about belittling his father's judgment and him.
---
After lunch, Jason carried the incubator home.
His mother greeted him at the door, eyes immediately catching the strange container. "Is that the Pokémon your dad got for you? Why's it still an egg?"
Jason quickly explained how the egg had been found and added, "Judging by its condition, it should hatch in about a day."
"Once it does, I'll need to make a trip to the supermarket."
Mrs. Frey waved a hand. "We still have plenty of food for Pikachu and Jigglypuff it'll work for the new one too."
Jason nodded, then carried the incubator to his room. He set it carefully on the bed and crouched down to examine it, his heart pounding at the thought that he'd soon have his very first Pokémon.
In his mind, possibilities ran wild.
What if it was one of the starters? Charmander? Bulbasaur? Or maybe even Squirtle?
Okay, probably not likely but what if? Either way, whatever hatched would be his first partner.
His room wasn't large just a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe, nothing else.
Sitting at the desk, he pulled a notebook from his backpack.
Flipping to a blank page, he thought about jotting something down.
Pokémon egg? (Though he didn't know what species.)
If it was a Weedle or Caterpie… not great. But maybe he wouldn't be too disappointed.
Just as he was daydreaming, his whole body jolted. Something seemed to surge from within him.
It was like countless streams of water draining away. The air in his vision blurred, and a swirl of gray energy appeared, flowing like water and gathering in midair.
Jason's mind went blank. In that instant, he saw a multicolored orb something incredibly familiar.
Then it hit him it was the collectible sphere that came as a bonus when he bought an Arceus figure in his previous life.
He'd never expected it to come with him after crossing into this world. Could this be his "golden cheat"?
He'd suspected as much before, but now he was certain. What exactly could it do?
As he pondered wildly, the gray energy streams in the air poured into the incubator, flooding the Pokémon egg.
The egg began to shake as the life inside eagerly absorbed the energy.
Jason's heart raced his instincts told him this egg would not hatch into an ordinary Pokémon.
Soon the egg shook violently, straining against the incubator as if it were a prison.
He quickly opened it and lifted the egg into his arms. It was hot to the touch, radiating the heat of life.
After three seconds, the egg burst into dazzling light, illuminating the whole room. The glow even leaked through the door into the living room.
Within the white light, the egg stretched and changed shape, sprouting four limbs.
A second later, the light faded, revealing the Pokémon within.
"It's hatched!" Jason exclaimed.
It had a round black-and-white body, four short sturdy legs, and a large round head. Its deep gray body had light blue eyes, and its head, legs, and back were partially covered by steel armor, with a horn on its back.
The holes in the armor matched Aron's distinctive pattern six on the head, three on each side. The largest two were its eyes, and there was a pair of holes near the base of the horn.
"This is… Aron?!"
Jason knew this Pokémon well he used to catch one in the games, train it into Aggron, and teach it Hyper Beam for maximum style points.
Aron, the Iron Armor Pokémon its body was encased in steel plates, which it shed during evolution. The discarded armor was a valuable crafting material.
He remembered reading about Aron in his textbooks its shed armor could sell for about ten thousand credits per pound, making him envy Trainers who had one.
The newborn Aron blinked its big eyes at him.
Pokémon fact: A newly hatched Pokémon bonds with the first person it sees.
"Aron~"
It waddled forward and threw itself into his arms, rubbing its steel head against him.
He held it close, feeling the warmth through its hard body like a block of heated steel.
Alright, maybe it wasn't as soft as Pikachu or Pachirisu, but it was his starter, and he was more than satisfied in fact, it exceeded his expectations.
He'd have been happy with a Sandshrew, Pichu, Oddish, or Machop. Getting an Aron was a jackpot it evolved into the powerful and imposing Aggron, with a base stat total of 530.
Best of all, even the lowest-tier Aron was at least two-star potential, and they sold for over 100,000 credits in breeding centers.
He'd hit the motherlode.
Before he could celebrate further, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock!
"Jason, what happened? Your room just lit up like crazy."
Jason opened the door. "Mom, the egg hatched."
Mrs. Frey stepped inside, eyes widening. "Isn't this… Aron? I saw one at Greenfield Breeding Center once. A two-star Aron cost 190,000 credits! I remember clearly because someone bought one right in front of me."
"To think your dad found an Aron egg you've struck it rich."
Jason grinned. "All thanks to Dad."
Mrs. Frey turned to leave. "I'll go get some Moomoo Milk. We still have two bottles."
Moomoo Milk, produced by Miltank, was packed with nutrients and could be consumed by both humans and Pokémon though this batch was specially formulated for Pokémon, giving them more benefit.
Jason watched Aron drinking in the living room, already planning his next steps.
No training for the first ten days just good food, good rest.
Feeding was the next priority. Aron deserved nothing less than the best. A 300ml bottle of basic Moomoo Milk cost 15 credits; Aron could easily drink six a day 90 credits daily.
By comparison, Pikachu had only needed half a bottle when it arrived.
Pokémon food was another matter. The standard "all-Pokémon" pet-grade feed cost 49 credits per 2kg bag. Pikachu and Jigglypuff ate that, but battle-grade feed came in low-, mid-, and high-tier versions and could also be type-specific, like Fire-Type Mid-Tier Feed. Specialized single-species feeds were ridiculously expensive.
Then there were Pokéblock sunlike in the games, here they significantly boosted a Pokémon's abilities. Of course, they were also beyond his current budget.
He pulled out his phone and searched "Pokémon food."
The top results were the three biggest brands in the country: Mauri, Penguin, and Snorlax. Prices and quality were similar. Mauri gave more volume, Penguin tasted better, Snorlax was cheapest.
Mrs. Frey bought Penguin for Pikachu and Jigglypuff, but Jason decided Snorlax-brand was the best value. He'd get it at the local supermarket tomorrow Sundays meant 10% off everything.
He also accepted the 20,000 credits his dad had transferred.
On top of that, he had his own savings mostly from New Year's red envelopes. Sixteen years' worth, untouched until now.
From under his bed, he pulled out a golden Meowth-shaped piggy bank and smashed it with a hammer.
Bang!
Coins and notes spilled everywhere.
He sat on the floor, counting for over an hour mostly because of all the small change.
Total: 46,375.5 credits. With his dad's 20,000 and another 573 in loose change, he now had 66,948.5 credits the most money he'd ever had.
He'd have to spend it wisely.