CHAPTER 19

c19: School Is About to Begin! And... Four Years of "Cohabitation"?!!

"Well towels, toothpaste, toothbrush, water cup, sheets, mat… Xiaoxiao, have you packed all your clothes?"

Grandma's voice rang out from the hallway as she busied herself gathering daily necessities, while Chen Xiaoxiao zipped around the room, packing her things.

It was August 31st the eve of the new academic year. In this world, the education system skipped middle school altogether. Students progressed straight from elementary school to high school, where dormitory life was mandatory. With high school students boarding on campus, Grandma had risen early to help Chen Xiaoxiao prepare.

"All done, all done!"

Chen Xiaoxiao's voice rang from the room. She soon emerged, holding a duffel over her shoulder and a Poké Ball belt clipped to her side.

"When you get to school, you must listen carefully in class and pay attention to your teachers," Grandma began as she folded towels and checked the checklist again. "They're older, wiser, and even if you're talented, experience can spare you a lot of detours. Don't think you know better just because of your abilities."

Her eyes sharpened slightly.

"And you must live in harmony with your classmates. Don't look down on anyone. Don't rely on your Psychic powers to bully people. Understood? You have to take care of yourself you can't be reckless anymore."

"I got it, Grandma! I can still come back on weekends, right?"

Chen Xiaoxiao replied with a grin, balancing herself on one leg while she adjusted her backpack.

"And you'll be doing your own laundry at school. No more relying on Gardevoir to do it for you! If you really must skip it, bring it home during holidays but don't slack off, understand?"

Before Chen Xiaoxiao could answer, Gardevoir, who had been quietly hovering nearby, stepped forward with a soft blush.

"Sha~nai! (It's alright, Grandma. It's no trouble at all!)"

Her voice was elegant and filled with warmth.

"Gardevoir, don't spoil her." Grandma clicked her tongue. "Did you hear that, Xiaoxiao?"

"Grandma, we have a washing machine in the dormitory!"

"…"

"Alright, alright I need to get going. Take care of Solgaleo and Metang for me, okay?"

Seeing Grandma about to launch into another round of instructions, Chen Xiaoxiao quickly interjected, pulling two Poké Balls from her belt and placing them gently into Grandma's hand.

She looked at them with a faint smile and said softly, "Solgaleo, Metang, I'm heading to school. It's hard to bring you with me right now, but I'll be back to visit every weekend. Be good and listen to Grandma, okay?"

The Poké Balls gave a quick flash of light in response, indicating understanding.

Chen Xiaoxiao then reached into her bag and pulled out a small container.

"And here's your favorite Steel-type Energy Cubes. I made them using the formula we learned at the breeder course. These are fortified with Silver Powder and enriched Lum Berry extract."

Grandma accepted the container and the Poké Balls, nodding.

"Got it. I'll take good care of them. Are you sure you don't want me to escort you to school?"

"Nope! I'm not a kid anymore. I've got this! I'm heading out bye!"

After hugging her tightly, Chen Xiaoxiao slung her space bag over her shoulder, waved once more, and darted out the door.

---

Shencheng Pokémon High School was located on the outskirts of the city, surrounded on one side by dense forest and on the other by a calm stretch of sea. The school itself sat in splendid isolation, with no neighboring structures for kilometers, save for one narrow road that connected it to the city proper.

Chen Xiaoxiao arrived by taxi and followed the large signs clearly marked with "Freshman Registration" at the school gates. After submitting her ID and paying tuition and boarding fees, she was handed a digital keycard and directed toward her assigned dormitory.

The dormitories were divided by grade and performance: standard, elite, and exceptional tiers. Unsurprisingly, Chen Xiaoxiao had applied for and received a spot in the best-tier dormitory.

Her assigned space was a small two-story villa, covering over 100 square meters. On the first floor was a modern living room, a full kitchenette, and a laundry nook (with the very washing machine she mentioned). The second floor housed two private bedrooms, each with its own desk, bathroom, and built-in storage. The villa was surrounded by a lush private garden with space to train, plant berries, or simply relax under the open sky.

It was, in a word, perfect.

From what she could gather, only the top-ranking students or those with special recommendations received this kind of dorm. It seemed the impact of her actions in the Beijing Pokémon Exchange Square, plus her battle record and rare Pokémon lineup, had bumped her far above ordinary freshmen.

Chen Xiaoxiao stood at the doorstep for a moment, keycard in hand, and smiled to herself.

Her new life was about to begin and apparently, she wouldn't be living alone.

Four years of cohabitation, huh…?

The cost, however, was staggering. Compared to the standard dormitories, which cost only a few hundred yuan per semester and housed four students per room in large shared buildings, this premium double villa ran as high as 100,000 yuan per semester. And with only a little over a hundred such villas on the entire Shencheng Pokémon High School campus, they were in extremely short supply.

Despite the hefty price tag, demand far outstripped supply.

This was something Chen Xiaoxiao had anticipated early on. She had asked her grandmother to pull a few strings and submit the application months in advance, using a connection her grandmother had with the school board to secure the placement.

Unfortunately, there were no single-person villas school regulations mandated cohabitation. High school students were still considered too young to live alone, and pairing up allowed them to look out for each other.

As she opened the door to her assigned villa, Chen Xiaoxiao immediately noticed a pair of shoes already neatly placed on the left-side cabinet in the entryway. Her "roommate," it seemed, had already arrived.

She quietly closed the door behind her and approached the right-side shoe cabinet. From her storage bracelet, she materialized her own pair of sneakers and placed them neatly on the rack. Just as she was adjusting her second shoe, the sound of someone coming down the stairs caught her attention. A clear female voice rang out:

"Chen Xiaoxiao! Is that you?"

"!!!!!!"

Huh? Who is it? How do they know it's me?

Puzzled, Chen Xiaoxiao stepped into the main hall and there stood a familiar figure at the bottom of the stairs.

"Chen Xiaoxiao, you're finally here!" the girl exclaimed joyfully.

"It's you?! He Xiaowen? What a coincidence! But… how did you know it was me?"

Standing before her was none other than Miss He Xiaowen, the class monitor from elementary school.

"Heehee~ I had my dad pull some strings and reassign the dorms," He Xiaowen said proudly, placing her hands on her hips. "Well? Were you surprised?"

Chen Xiaoxiao blinked, then laughed. "Surprised? Of course! At least now I don't have to worry about not getting along with my roommate."

"Exactly what I thought! I was afraid I'd get stuck with someone super weird, so I asked my dad to arrange for us to room together. Since you just got here, let me help you unpack!"

He Xiaowen cheerfully grabbed Chen Xiaoxiao's hand and started tugging her toward the stairs.

"It's fine, I can manage," Chen Xiaoxiao replied, amused.

"Come on, we're a team now! Oh, right since you hadn't arrived yet, I picked the room on the left. But if you'd prefer it, we can switch. I already cleaned both rooms."

Climbing the stairs, He Xiaowen turned to explain over her shoulder.

"No, it's totally fine. Thanks so much, Xiaowen."

When Chen Xiaoxiao heard that He Xiaowen had even cleaned her room, she grinned, wrapped her arms around her old classmate, and gave her an exaggerated kiss on the cheek before entering the room on the right.

The room was fully furnished: a wide two-meter bed, an L-shaped study desk, a built-in wardrobe, and a private en-suite bathroom. Everything was spotless, even the floor had been mopped and dusted. Chen Xiaoxiao gave an invisible thumbs-up no, 32 invisible thumbs-up to Xiaowen in her heart.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" He Xiaowen peeked in with a faint blush. "Don't be shy with me."

"No need. I'll be finished in no time."

Chen Xiaoxiao answered seriously, then unclipped a Poké Ball from her belt.

"Come out, Gardevoir!"

In a flash of light, her ever-loyal Psychic companion appeared beside her, elegant and composed.

Chen Xiaoxiao handed over the space bag containing her daily necessities, then removed the storage bracelet from her wrist and gave that to Gardevoir as well.

"I'm counting on you."

"Sha (No problem, leave everything to me!)"

Gardevoir responded with a gentle nod and immediately set to work.

Turning back toward the hallway, Chen Xiaoxiao grabbed He Xiaowen who was frozen in admiration of Gardevoir and pulled her along.

"Let's go downstairs."

"!!!!!!"

---