Chapter 1

On a scorching summer day, dark clouds gathered, and thunder rumbled intermittently in the sky, warning all living things that a heavy rainstorm was imminent.

In an old apartment building, a girl in a uniform was climbing the stairs, carrying a package and sweating profusely.

"Heavens, this is killing me! Living so high up without an elevator, and the weather is so stifling and hot. I can't take it, I can't take it!"

Despite her complaints, she did not stop her ascent. A few minutes later, she finally reached the top floor of the old apartment. She leaned against the wall, panting heavily, and looked at the door number to confirm it was the right address. After taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, she wiped the sweat from her face, put on a red nose, and put on a characteristic smile. She then knocked lightly on the door and called out,

"Hello, Nifeng Express! Mission accomplished! I have your package, please receive it!"

...

Inside the room, it was silent. The girl looked puzzled and knocked again, calling out,

"Nifeng Express! I have your package! Is anyone home?"

This time, she heard movement inside the room.

After a series of clattering sounds, quick footsteps approached. The girl knew the recipient was coming out and quickly put on a smile, standing ready to greet them.

Creak...

The slightly worn door opened, and a thin, somewhat disheveled young man poked his head out. His eyes, slightly dark-circled, glanced at the delivery girl indifferently before focusing entirely on the package in her hands.

"Wow, such a handsome young man! That slightly disheveled look is really attractive!"

The delivery girl's previous fatigue and frustration instantly vanished, her heart pounding as she looked at the disheveled young man, finding it hard to speak.

"Um, is this my package?"

The disheveled young man, seeing the delivery girl's lack of response, asked.

The delivery girl snapped back to reality, composed herself, and quickly handed over the package, taking out a pen.

"Thank you for using Nifeng Express. Please sign here."

The disheveled young man quickly took the package and the pen, signed his name without much thought, and returned the pen to the delivery girl. His disheveled eyes looked at the package with anticipation.

"Leng Jun? Wow! What a stylish name! Is this your nickname or your real name?"

The delivery girl tore off the receipt, saw the signed name, and asked curiously.

The disheveled young man frowned, somewhat confused, and replied, "It's my real name. Why are you asking about this now?"

The delivery girl quickly waved her hands, "No, no, I just suddenly wanted to ask. Please don't mind it."

She then handed the package back, slightly opened her collar, and fanned herself, saying,

"The weather is really hot. It would be great to rest in a place with air conditioning."

As she spoke, she glanced at Leng Jun, as if hinting at something.

Leng Jun, focused on the package, replied somewhat dismissively, "Oh, the weather is indeed hot. Thanks for your trouble. You should go back and rest. Goodbye." He then closed the door, leaving the delivery girl speechless.

"This!! This!! Humph!! Born to be alone!!"

The delivery girl stomped her foot in anger, then turned to look at the long staircase, feeling bitter.

...

In the room, Leng Jun eagerly opened the package and excitedly took out two game cartridges.

"Ha! I got the latest Pokémon Sun and Moon!"

Indeed, Leng Jun's package contained the newly released Pokémon Sun and Moon games. As a die-hard Pokémon fan, Leng Jun had pre-ordered the games as soon as they were released. Now that the games were in his hands, he couldn't wait to play.

Leng Jun casually took two 3DS consoles from the bed, inserted the game cartridges, and waited for the games to load.

On Leng Jun's bedside, a row of various Pokémon game cartridges lined up, from the original Red and Blue, FireRed and LeafGreen, Diamond and Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver, Black and White, to the more refined Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, X and Y, all were complete. The room was filled with various Pokémon merchandise.

Leng Jun quietly waited for the game to load, but his stomach, which hadn't eaten for two meals, began to protest, growling loudly.

Leng Jun frowned slightly and muttered to himself,

"Really, I should eat something first. What a hassle. I wonder what the fruits in Pokémon taste like. If I had another life, I would wish to be born in the Pokémon world. Even if I couldn't be human, being a cute Pokémon would be fine."

As he spoke, his stomach growled even louder. Leng Jun reluctantly got out of bed and walked to the nearby refrigerator, opening it to search for the few edible items inside.

...

Downstairs in the apartment building, the delivery girl was panting and squatting, sweat dripping from her nose to the ground. She looked up at the top floor where Leng Jun lived, her face full of resentment, and grumbled,

"What a block of wood! Not even a proper look at me, not even a bit of chivalry. What good is it to have such a stylish and handsome face? Oh, God, what use is this person in the world? If you really have eyes, punish this lonely person!"

Her voice grew louder, and as she finished speaking, a torrential rainstorm hit, and a thick bolt of lightning struck the top floor, instantly turning it black and igniting a fierce fire. The fire was quickly extinguished by the heavy rain, and to everyone's surprise, a brilliant golden light shot out from the roof, piercing the sky, and then disappeared.

The delivery girl watched the scene in shock, drenched in the rain, the water streaming down her face. After a while, she finally reacted, trembling, and dialed 110.

"Hello! 110? Someone is transcending the tribulation here!"

...

In the top-floor room, Leng Jun, with a piece of bread from a few days ago in his mouth, returned to the bed. Just as he sat down and saw the game had finished loading, he took a big bite of the bread and was about to start playing. As the game began, two 3DS consoles displayed two different legendary Pokémon, a lion and a bat, followed by the opening animation. As someone who never skips the opening, Leng Jun, of course, watched it.

At that moment, a fierce storm raged outside. Leng Jun was startled, remembering that the window on his balcony was still open. He quickly jumped out of bed to close it. As he did, a bright light flashed before his eyes, and he lost consciousness.

...

After the lightning strike, a huge crack appeared on the top floor of the apartment, and the heavy rain poured in, extinguishing the flames that had just ignited. A charred, blackened figure lay in the room, clearly lifeless.

The rain seeped into the 3DS on the bed, and a spark flashed, followed by a strong golden light enveloping the "charcoal." The golden light then burst through the roof, piercing the sky, and disappeared.