21. Aria

The Blazing Plains stretched out as an immense open expanse of land. Due to the strong fire energy permeating the area, the entire plain was barren, without a single blade of grass growing. When walking on the path, one could feel a scorching sensation underfoot. The environment here was particularly suitable for Pokémon that excelled at running, such as Rapidash, Arcanine, and others of their kind.

Asher took Jacob on a tour around the Blazing Plains, visiting various Pokémon habitats before heading directly to the incubation facility. After all, their main purpose for coming here was to select Pokémon eggs, with sightseeing being merely a secondary activity.

The incubation facility in the Blazing Plains was one of only two such facilities in the entire Flame Realm. The other was located in the volcanic area, specifically designed to hatch Pokémon eggs that could withstand extreme temperatures, such as Slugma, Magmar, and Charmander, which preferred to live in magma-rich environments. The number of Pokémon eggs housed there was considerably smaller, approximately one-tenth of those kept in the Blazing Plains facility.

Most Pokémon eggs were placed in the incubation room of the Blazing Plains. As soon as Asher and his companion approached the entrance, a young, attractive woman came forward to greet them.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to our incubation facility," she said warmly.

There were many young women working in the incubator facility. They all appeared quite youthful, between 20 and 30 years old—the prime of beauty for women. Standing at least 5'6" tall and dressed in matching uniforms, they created a picturesque scene within the facility.

"I'm Aria, your guide for the incubation facility, and I'll be assisting you in selecting Pokémon eggs today. Gym Leader Asher, it's an honor to serve you. I'm actually a fan of yours." After introducing herself, Aria smiled sweetly, turned around, and walked ahead to lead the way for the two brothers, her graceful posture evident as she moved.

Aria was the guide specifically assigned by the Flame Realm officials for Asher. She had been waiting for him since nine that morning, which was why she recognized Asher immediately.

Aria was in excellent spirits. She was a junior at Frosthollow University and would be advancing to her senior year in September, soon facing the challenge of employment. To enhance her resume, she had submitted her application before the holiday break and applied for an internship at the Flame Realm.

Given her background, she ordinarily would have had no chance to intern at the Flame Realm. The place was filled with people who had connections, and outsiders were desperately competing for internship positions. Logically, someone as ordinary as her would never have gotten the opportunity.

However, during her interview, because she was a top student majoring in Pokémon breeding at Frosthollow University, combined with her outstanding appearance and excellent academic record, her internship application was approved on the first attempt. She was subsequently assigned to serve as a guide in the incubation facility of the Blazing Plains, specifically responsible for introducing the facility to VIP visitors and promoting high-end egg hatching services.

The egg hatching business was one of the core revenue sources for the Flame Realm. Many wealthy trainers paid to send their fire-type Pokémon here for hatching. Firstly, the Flame Realm had abundant fire-type energy, which could slightly improve the potential of Pokémon. Secondly, there were specialized breeders to care for them, virtually eliminating any risk of accidents. Naturally, the cost wasn't cheap, and average families certainly couldn't afford it.

"Each Pokémon egg in the incubator has its own separate unit," Aria explained as they walked, maintaining a professional smile. "These incubators are all the latest high-end models manufactured by the international Devon Corporation. Each unit provides 24-hour individual temperature control, humidity adjustment, light regulation, heart rate monitoring, and eggshell condition monitoring."

Jacob's gaze swept over the rows of incubators. He noticed that many had nutrient solution added, and several contained expensive fire energy nutrient solution. This observation made Jacob sigh at the wealth of some trainers who could casually use nutrient solutions worth millions of Pokédollars—truly the lifestyle of the rich.

"Gym Leader Asher, the Pokémon eggs with blue labels on the incubators have been deposited by customers for hatching. Those are not available for selection," Aria explained carefully, her smile radiant. "The eggs with red labels belong to the Flame Realm. If you wish to select eggs, you may only choose from those with red labels."

"This area contains Pokémon eggs that are for sale. You can purchase them with Pokédollars. Your opportunity to choose Pokémon eggs is quite valuable, so I wouldn't recommend wasting your selection chance here. If you truly like one, you can simply buy it. I suggest that you select Pokémon eggs from the collection room. The eggs there are not for sale and are only distributed as rewards."

"I understand. Let me look around first. It's not often that we visit the Flame Realm. I'd like to see if there are any promising Pokémon eggs I could purchase," Asher responded with a smile. Having lost two of his ace Pokémon in battle, he needed to replenish his fighting strength. It wouldn't hurt to explore his options.

Asher immediately walked toward a Fennekin egg, examining it carefully and seriously assessing its potential.

Jacob also began quickly searching for Pokémon for his brother. Regarding the three Fennekin eggs, Jacob gave them a brief glance before moving on. The potential of these eggs wasn't particularly impressive—two had only Elite-level potential, while one possessed Lord-level potential. Among the three eggs, they were considered subpar.

Of course, this wasn't the fault of the Flame Realm officials. Fennekin was a Pokémon imported from abroad that could be exported overseas, so its quality was naturally limited. These three eggs were only first-generation, explaining their mediocre potential.

After passing over the three Fennekin eggs, Jacob used his system's identification ability to scan around, shopping like someone browsing market stalls.

"Gym Leader-level Houndoom... no, it needs to be at least King level."

"How can this Growlithe's potential be so poor? How dare they display it? It's only at the Elite level."

After examining just one-fifth of the area, Jacob had already spotted three Pokémon with Overlord-level potential and one with Gym Leader-level potential—something unimaginable in other facilities. He had to admit that the Flame Realm was indeed a paradise for fire-type Pokémon. Even a slight improvement in a fire-type Pokémon's potential was enough to make trainers willingly pay for it.

"What a shame, there are no Pokémon with King-level potential or higher. It seems that regardless of location, Pokémon with King-level potential remain extremely rare."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Aria was introducing the three Fennekin eggs to Asher.

"These three Pokémon eggs are the first batch bred from our imported Fennekin. Normally, we don't offer them to the public. Firstly because the quality of these eggs isn't ideal for starter Pokémon, and secondly because we intend to hatch them within the Realm to expand the Fennekin population. Of course, if you as a Gym Leader are interested, exceptions can be made."

"That's unfortunate," Asher sighed, clearly noticing the eggs' mediocre potential. He genuinely liked Fennekin, but its potential was too limited, forcing him to pass. The quota for selecting eggs rewarded by the Pokémon Association was too precious to waste on these Fennekin eggs unless he lacked judgment.

"Hey, where's Jacob?" Asher suddenly realized that Jacob had wandered quite far without him noticing. "Miss Aria, you don't need to accompany me—it's not necessary to be so formal. I can manage on my own. Please go and accompany my brother."

"Certainly, Gym Leader Asher."

Jacob continued evaluating Pokémon when he suddenly caught a pleasant fragrance. Turning around, he saw Aria approaching him.

"Mr. Jacob, are you helping your brother select Pokémon eggs? There are several eggs in the collection room that were laid this year by rare Quasi-Champion Pokémon in the Flame Realm. Their potential should be excellent. Perhaps you'd like to take a look?"

"There's no rush. I'll finish examining these eggs before going over. You don't need to follow me—I'm just browsing. Please attend to my brother," Jacob replied. Although the beauty was pleasing to the eye, he was completely focused on the Pokémon eggs and had no time to pay attention to Aria.

"..."

Aria was momentarily speechless. This made her question her own charm. She was the campus beauty of Frosthollow University—why did both brothers seem so disinterested in her company?