Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Qu Sheng and his group approached aggressively, their intentions unclear.

But it was obvious they were here for Li Xiang.

Not wanting to drag the innocent Song Jie into trouble, Li Xiang considered leading them elsewhere.

However, Qu Sheng had no patience for that and directly issued him a challenge. Afterward, he turned and left.

"After lunch, meet me at Field 35. Don't forget," he declared.

Li Xiang found himself momentarily speechless.

He had actually been thinking about battling Qu Sheng earlier, but the latter had come to him instead.

What luck!

Li Xiang couldn't hide his excitement.

Nearby, Song Jie noticed his reaction, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

....

Lunch.

Li Xiang ate in the school cafeteria.

While there was also a cafeteria for Pokémon, most students chose to either bring their own food or purchase it and find a spot to feed their Pokémon elsewhere.

The cafeteria rules were too strict and the space too confined, which many Pokémon couldn't tolerate.

Students could also eat off-campus if accompanied by an adult.

The Trainer Academy wasn't a fully enclosed institution like a typical middle school.

Li Xiang had brought his own meal, as the food prepared by Ms. Yin was far superior to anything sold in the cafeteria.

In his opinion, the best place to feed his Pokémon was the small rooftop garden atop the teaching building.

Quiet, shaded, and fragrant—it was surprising such a lovely spot wasn't more popular.

"Take your time, no rush," he said, sitting on a wooden bench while stroking Litten's head.

The Litten silently focused on its meal, its fine teeth crunching through the food with a satisfying crack.

Its appetite had been growing recently, and its body was becoming noticeably stronger.

At this rate, in less than two months, it would surpass the standard size of a typical Litten and leave its juvenile stage entirely.

Li Xiang was naturally pleased with this progress.

As for Song Jie, his family had picked him up after class, likely for a home-cooked lunch.

During the short morning they spent together, Li Xiang found the boy to have a good personality.

He seemed introverted at first glance but was actually quite talkative and spoke with clarity and logic.

Unlike certain others, whose words made no sense at all.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng had already befriended several classmates with his excellent social skills. Earlier, he had shared a meal with Li Xiang, but now he was nowhere to be found.

"Wartortle…"

Li Xiang began strategizing.

This Wartortle was different from the Doublade he had previously encountered. That Doublade had been unremarkable, but this Wartortle had potential.

It wasn't certain that Litten could defeat it.

Still, victory wasn't out of reach—as long as Litten could break through its shell.

Learning how to deal with shell-armored Pokémon was a fundamental lesson for any trainer.

.....

Field 35.

Every field in the school was numbered, as these identifiers were used during exams.

Field 35 was a standard medium-sized 40-meter arena, surrounded by chain-link fencing. It was slightly smaller than the ranking arenas at association clubs.

There were hundreds of such fields scattered throughout the school.

When Li Xiang arrived, he found Qu Sheng and his group waiting under the shade of a tree outside the field. They had clearly been there for a while.

The two girls from the trio, Zhou Ying and another, were nowhere to be seen, leaving just the boys.

"Well, well, I thought someone might be too scared to show up!"

Yang Tianwang's voice carried a mocking tone.

The hot weather, combined with Li Xiang's perceived "tardiness," had clearly irritated him.

The others seemed equally annoyed.

Li Xiang smiled without responding. There hadn't been a specific time set, so how could they blame him? He had already hurried as much as he could.

It had been just over half an hour since lunch began.

What, was he not even allowed to eat?

Yang Tianwang grew angrier at Li Xiang's silence and was about to say more when Qu Sheng strode toward the field's entrance.

"Let's get started! I've been waiting long enough!"

Qu Sheng was impatient. If Li Xiang had taken any longer, he would have declared a forfeit by default.

Yes, a unilateral decision. That's how domineering he was.

Li Xiang remained silent, calmly following him into the arena while fiddling with his PokéBall.

This kid was clearly irritated.

Losing composure during a battle was a cardinal sin for trainers.

Ah, the heat was clearly taking its toll.

Summer wasn't so bad after all—just a little hot.

Feeling oddly cheerful, Li Xiang thought to himself that today's win was practically guaranteed.

Without further ado, both sides took their positions and released their Pokémon.

The "heavyweight" Wartortle landed with a thud.

The summer heat undoubtedly affected Water-type Pokémon, especially during outdoor battles.

However, judging by its dripping wet appearance, it had probably just been in the shower area.

The school provided designated shower facilities for Pokémon, as some Water-types needed regular hydration in summer to avoid issues.

Its tail was unusually long—Li Xiang couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to the touch.

Ah, the thoughts of a fur enthusiast.

Under the watchful eye of the field's supervising teacher, Yang Tianwang loudly declared:

"Match, start!"

"Withdraw into your shell!"

Despite his irritation, Qu Sheng didn't forget his tactics, especially when facing a Pokémon he had the type advantage against.

Playing defensively was a safe move.

Opposite him, Li Xiang began with his usual strategy: Intimidate followed by setting up a trick.

The secondary effect only fazed Wartortle momentarily.

'hat the heck—does the secondary effect stop working against second-stage Pokémon?

Li Xiang felt a bit frustrated but was even more annoyed by how Qu Sheng seemed to regain his composure.

Back to square one.

"Rapid Spin!"

Qu Sheng shouted, "Use the tactic I taught you earlier!"

At the command, Wartortle withdrew its limbs and head into its shell and began spinning rapidly around its plastron, like a spinning top. A low drilling hum filled the air as specks of light sparkled around it.

But instead of charging straight at Litten, the wildly spinning shell crashed into the chain-link fence at the side!

What is this, billiards?

Li Xiang frowned, muttering, "Not yet. Wait for it."

About to unleash Heat Wave, Litten hesitated slightly at his command.

It trusted Li Xiang completely. At his command to stop, it halted immediately, standing still without doing anything, fully focused on waiting for Wartortle to approach.

To outsiders, Litten's behavior seemed no different from giving its opponent a free chance to attack.

Young Qu Sheng looked disdainful.

"What can you even discern in just a few seconds by watching?"

In the arena.

The rapidly spinning Wartortle struck the iron fence with a loud "crack." For some reason—perhaps due to the angle or the force of the collision—it soared straight into the air!

The white glow around it slowly dissipated, marking the end of its Rapid Spin!

So that's how it is!

"Heh! Playing tricks on me!"

Li Xiang quickly saw through Qu Sheng's plan.

The arc of Wartortle's trajectory clearly aimed to pass over Litten's head.

If it used Water Gun mid-air, the residual spin could widen the attack's range, while the brief moment of stiffness Litten would suffer upon being hit by the water could allow Wartortle to land behind it and deliver a devastating follow-up blow!

If this combo landed, given Litten's typical endurance, it would likely decide the match.

Moreover, realizing the opponent's strategy at this point would usually be too late. Wartortle's shell flew with impressive speed, leaving Litten little chance to dodge.

Fortunately, from the very beginning, Li Xiang hadn't planned for Litten to dodge!

"Water Gun!"

"Heat Wave above you!"

Both trainers gave their commands almost simultaneously!

As expected, the spinning Wartortle, though no longer glowing, unleashed a Water Gun. Streams of blue water energy poured down like rain towards Litten!

The range was extensive!

But what awaited the water was a surge of blazing orange-red heat filled with sparks!

The water and fire collided mid-air with a loud explosion!

Boom!

The flames instantly expanded several times over, as if encountering an accelerant, but just as quickly transformed into vast clouds of steam that spread rapidly in all directions!

Caught in the blast, the airborne Wartortle was sent hurtling backward, landing on the ground a short distance away, enveloped by the rising steam!

Li Xiang raised his arms to shield himself. As the closest person to the action, he couldn't avoid getting affected.

The thick mist soaked his clothes and obstructed his vision.

Of course, Qu Sheng, who was moving closer, couldn't see clearly either.

The young trainer seemed unprepared for such an outcome, his face momentarily stunned.

—Three seconds.

Three seconds later.

The steam dispersed— revealing Litten, its jaws wide open, blasting Heat Wave toward Wartortle!

Without a doubt, this was a "spur-of-the-moment" move by Litten. Relying on the attack's wide range, it ignored Wartortle's position!

Coincidentally, Wartortle had just exited its shell defense and barely caught sight of Litten before its vision was engulfed by the incoming heat!

Instinctively, it tried to retreat its head—but it was a fraction too slow.

The Heat Wave struck Wartortle head-on, the high-temperature air currents sending it hurtling backward several meters!

Qu Sheng shouted in alarm, "Hang in there! Use Aqua Jet!"

As if it wouldn't endure without his encouragement, besides, losing sight of your opponent isn't exactly a great habit.

Li Xiang silently mocked him in his heart.

After many matches, he had noticed a recurring issue: sometimes after a clash of moves, even when a Pokémon's recovery was complete, it would remain stationary if its view was obstructed.

Isn't that just handing the opponent a free chance?

At least try to dodge!

"Jump up and use Heat Wave again."

Li Xiang gave his order.

Wartortle's defenses were respectable, and fire-type moves were naturally disadvantaged. Taking it down with one Heat Wave was nearly impossible.

It would need a few more rounds.

Sure enough.

The Wartortle, which had been knocked about like a spinning top, shook its head and stood back up. Though faint burn marks marred its body, it seemed to be in decent condition overall.

Following Qu Sheng's command, water-type energy surged from within its shell, enveloping its body entirely. Like a bullet, it launched straight toward Litten!

For a Pokémon weighing just over twenty kilograms, storing large amounts of water within its body was clearly unrealistic.

This was why most water-type Pokémon primarily consumed energy rather than relying on actual water reserves when using water-based moves.

Of course, when in aquatic environments, water Pokémon could significantly reduce their energy consumption, making it a unique advantage of the water type.

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