Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Late June.

The day of life-and-death decisions.

The atmosphere in the classroom was heavy.

Though the students were only thirteen or fourteen years old, they were part of the elite class. Over this short semester, through discussions with peers and warnings from their parents, they had come to understand the significance of this selection quota.

Clearly, it would determine their future fate.

The homeroom teacher walked onto the podium carrying a laptop bag. Sensing the tension in the room, he smiled faintly. "Looks like everyone's nervous."

The selection list would first be announced by the homeroom teacher before being posted on the bulletin board.

Thus, the harbinger of fate would be none other than their teacher.

"Class Reps, set up the projector," Sun Chengbin said as he took his seat. "The list is ready."

Two other class reps stepped forward smoothly, pulling the laptop from the bag and connecting it to the projector.

Sunlight streamed into the classroom, casting a hazy glow on the white screen as a slightly blurred list appeared before everyone's eyes.

Forty names in total.

"Take a look for yourselves," Sun Chengbin said, sipping his tea.

Li Xiang glanced up and immediately spotted his and Song Jie's names at the very top, glaringly conspicuous.

Following them were Qu Sheng, Yang Tianwang, and others. Xu Wan and Lin Feng were undoubtedly included as well.

Surprisingly, out of the forty spots, Class 1 took seventeen, Class 2 took seven, Class 3 took eight, and the remaining eight were distributed among the regular classes.

Class 1 had scored a resounding victory.

And as expected, the four who had tried to cheat their way in were nowhere to be seen.

"Huh, our class got quite a few spots. The question is, how many will actually last?" Song Jie scanned the list coldly. "Not to be pessimistic, but aside from the ones you're familiar with, everyone else in this school will probably be eliminated in the first round."

'If that's not pessimism, then the word has no meaning.'

Li Xiang rolled his eyes at Song Jie. "You look so refined, but your words are poison."

"Just stating facts," Song Jie replied flatly. It wasn't that he lacked emotional intelligence—he simply saw no need for pretense.

In this school, the only person he regarded with any respect was Li Xiang. The others weren't even worth a glance, let alone befriending.

At his core, Song Jie was prideful. Outwardly, he might appear polite, but that was only because his upbringing forbade rudeness.

Only when facing someone he genuinely acknowledged would his true nature show.

In the classroom, some students leaped up in excitement, while others slumped in their seats, sighing or even crying.

Such was the spectrum of human emotion.

Sun Chengbin waited silently for them to vent their feelings before standing up to congratulate those on the list. He warned them not to grow complacent—the training camp was fiercely competitive, with an elimination system in place.

Then, he consoled those who hadn't made the cut, reminding them that they could still aim for prestigious academies. The training camp was just one path among many, and no one could predict the future.

Finally, he emphasized the camp's start date—one month earlier than the regular school year. They were to assemble at the designated location in early August.

He also handed out an enrollment guide to the selected students, detailing the camp's rules and required preparations.

"Being semi-closed seems like a disadvantage for you. Won't you miss out on all those resources at home?" Li Xiang turned to Song Jie. "And the dorms are doubles—think you can handle that, young master?"

"I don't mind rooming with you. Snoring, teeth-grinding, smelly feet—I've got solutions for all of them." Song Jie chuckled, as if he'd already planned to share a room with Li Xiang. "Besides, do you really think the training camp's rewards are limited to just shiny Pokémon you can't even touch?"

Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. "You mean…?"

"Every resource I've ever used? The camp probably has them all. Even if they're slightly inferior, they won't be far off. And everyone will have access."

Song Jie smirked. "The Association's investment in the training camp is far greater than you think."

This young man came from a family with deep pockets. Whether it was food, clothing, or Pokémon training, he enjoyed the highest-tier resources in all of Zhu Xia.

Li Xiang couldn't even fathom anything more extravagant than having a team of high-class professional breeders dedicated solely to a teenage trainer, with top-tier breeders making house calls.

It was terrifying just to think about.

Many top breeders only served Master-level trainers, their pride making them bow to no one else.

The fact that Song Jie's family could command such services meant they had spent an ungodly amount of money.

For Song Jie to claim that the training camp had comparable resources seemed almost absurd.

But a man could dream. Li Xiang wouldn't mind being pampered by top-tier breeders himself.

"I'll keep my expectations modest, then," Li Xiang said, waiting for August to arrive.

After the list was posted, some unpleasant incidents were inevitable. After all, some parents had invested sums that ordinary people might never earn in a lifetime.

To be told their efforts had been in vain? Unacceptable.

But unacceptable or not, it changed nothing.

No one would reason with them—only rules and the law mattered now. The backdoors they once relied on had been firmly sealed.

In fact, a secret division of the Association had already gathered evidence and submitted it to the prosecutor's office, ensuring penalties for both the guardians and the students involved.

If there was a history of violent behavior? Straight to detention.

No hesitation.

At this point, no one dared plead for leniency.

"To defeat the external enemy, first secure the homeland."

Zhu Xia had already entered a state of wartime alert. Every Master-level trainer had been deployed to cities across the nation, stationed locally to respond to incidents at a moment's notice.

The number of patrolling officers on the streets had reached staggering levels, and even the rangers were on high alert, scouring the wilderness for any foreign infiltrators.

Zhu Xia was not a nation that would take a beating lying down. Once the machine of a state began to move, no one dared stand in their way.

Anyone foolish enough to obstruct them would be crushed without exception—unless they were powerful enough to defy Zhu Xia's three great pillars.

Thus, these absurd incidents faded into obscurity.

....

Summer break arrived.

With only a month of free time and his sixth Pokémon already decided (a shiny Beldum), there was no need to add another teammate for now.

Instead, it was better to focus on strengthening Incineroar and the others, competing in more tournaments to earn more candies.

Coincidentally, Jiang Shangrong had become a mainstay of Yuzhou University's team for the Junior World Tournament, having advanced from the divisional rounds to the regional level.

Following the usual progression—divisional, regional, then global—Yuzhou University's team was about to step onto the world stage.

Considering that even prestigious academies had their hierarchies, Yuzhou University was considered a strong school within its division, qualifying year after year.

But at the regional level?

Sorry, but the competition was far stiffer. Yuzhou University wasn't even in the conversation.

Of course, what ultimately determined a school's strength was its performance in the Junior World Tournament.

If Jiang Shangrong made it to the global stage, Yuzhou University would rightfully be considered a top-tier team. Otherwise, it would remain a fallen elite school—a weakling that only bullied lesser competition in low-tier matches.

Next year's enrollment quality would suffer as a result.

Simple as that.

The senior brothers and sisters were keeping close tabs on the situation. Eldest senior sister even bought tickets to take them to the live event—held at the Yuzhou Battle Fortress.

Yuzhou University's team had lucked out with a home game, facing off against Tiannan University's team from neighboring Yunzhou.

To be honest, the Junior World Tournament's format was somewhat complicated.

At its core, there were two categories: individual team battles and doubles team battles.

Individual matches followed a single-battle format, with five participants from each side. The team that defeated all five opponents advanced, with final rankings determined by total wins.

Doubles matches used a double-battle format, with each school team fielding three pairs. The winning teams advanced based on total victories.

Combined scores from both categories determined the top three teams to advance to the next stage, all the way to the global finals, where the world champion would be crowned.

Because of this system, 'match champions' were plentiful, meaning the global champion wasn't necessarily the winner of any individual match.

The Junior World Tournament also awarded a single-match MVP, honoring the most outstanding contributor across all teams and immortalizing their best moments in the Alliance's Hall of Memories.

What was the Hall of Memories? Think of it like the in-game Hall of Fame, recording champions from various regions and competitions.

The Alliance headquarters' Hall of Memories was undoubtedly the most prestigious. Only the most extraordinary moments were enshrined there, destined to be remembered for millennia.

Li Xiang's future goal was to leave his mark on this world through such means.

You came into this world with nothing, and you'll leave with nothing. If you didn't leave something behind, it'd feel like a waste.

That said—

Yuzhou and Tiannan were old rivals. The former's best finish was overall regional runner-up, while the latter had taken third. Both had reached the global stage before, though that was years ago.

In recent years, neither had been performing well.

From Li Xiang's perspective, it wasn't hard to see why. If someone as strong as Jiang Shangrong had been benched for so long, it made you wonder if the coach was blind.

But soon, he realized the problem wasn't just the coach—it was Yuzhou's students too.

Though Li Xiang wasn't yet on their level, he'd watched enough high-level matches to be a self-proclaimed keyboard warrior, a master of armchair analysis.

And at a glance, he could tell—these guys weren't impressive.

Setting aside technical skill, even in terms of entertainment value, their plays were painfully mediocre, like watching two scrubs duke it out.

It made you wonder—this was Yuzhou's best and Yunzhou's second-best?

Really?

Thankfully, Jiang Shangrong and one other male student went on a winning streak, barely scraping out a narrow victory against Tiannan University's team and advancing to the next round.

Otherwise, Yuzhou University's team would've been torn apart by public criticism.

Yet despite this, the next day's headlines still declared: "Elite School Reduced to Weakling."

…It almost felt like they were setting the stage for someone.

An elite school falls, earns a mocking nickname, endures ridicule—only for a certain someone to arrive, gather a team of prodigies, and soar to new heights.

A classic trope straight out of a Japanese sports manga.

Of course, Li Xiang was just musing. In the history of prestigious academies, schools had risen and fallen before. It wasn't unheard of for one individual to turn the tide.

No world lacked golden geese—nor people eager to ride their coattails.

And because everyone believed they were the golden goose, hoping to make a name for themselves—

That was why prestigious academies commanded such attention and adoration.