Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Waiting is often a torment.

It can also make people nervous.

Fortunately, Duan Tianxing had taught Li Xiang some techniques for maintaining composure, and although he hadn't mastered them, he had learned enough to manage his mindset. After all, impulsiveness and losing control were taboo in martial arts.

Looking at it this way, learning martial arts was truly rewarding.

Beside him, Song Jie bit his lip under the scarlet gaze of the Dusknoir. His face had gone pale, his fists were clenched, and his slender body trembled slightly.

He looked like a student being reprimanded in front of the whole class or a child caught sneaking a TV show when their parents suddenly walked in.

However, the moment the Dusknoir shifted its gaze away, Song Jie's expression quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Even his Aron remained composed, calmly scratching the grass as if nothing was amiss.

Was he acting?

The thought crossed Li Xiang's mind, but before he could ponder further, the Dusknoir slowly loomed over him.

Its enormous figure resembled a towering wall, blocking out the sunlight and casting a dark shadow over him.

It was his turn.

Li Xiang took a deep breath. He had prepared himself, but as his eyes met the Dusknoir's single crimson eye, his vision was instantly consumed by its blinding red glow.

In that instant, an overwhelming sense of terror engulfed him.

It felt as though something was lightly scratching the back of his head and spine. His breathing quickened involuntarily, becoming heavy and uneven.

He had thought he could stay calm, but his body betrayed him. This primal fear was something he couldn't control.

Every fiber of his being screamed to flee, yet he was paralyzed, standing stiffly in place as his mind went blank, like a computer frozen mid-task.

Even the presence of his Litten momentarily slipped from his awareness.

And then—

As the crack on the Dusknoir's stomach began to part ever so slightly, the dread in Li Xiang's heart surged to its peak—

"Meow!!!"

A fierce, furious snarl erupted next to Li Xiang's ear!

How dare you intimidate my Trainer?!

"Huff—!"

Li Xiang gasped sharply, regaining control over his body.

Only then did he realize that although he was still standing, his back was drenched with sweat. His hands were numb from clenching so tightly, and his legs were stiff, as if he had been holding a stance for hours.

Yet, barely five seconds had passed.

Below him, Litten let out a low, threatening growl, its fur bristling with anger. It stood ready to pounce at any moment, seemingly unaffected by the Dusknoir's intimidation, but thoroughly enraged by its actions.

The Dusknoir shifted its gaze to the Litten, its scarlet eye devoid of any emotion.

The two Pokémon stared each other down, both exuding a tense aura, ready to clash at any moment.

Of course, Li Xiang wasn't about to let that happen.

"My apologies, my apologies," he said hurriedly, picking up the furious Litten and shielding it from the Dusknoir's gaze.

"It's okay now. Thank you," he whispered, stroking the Litten's back to calm it down.

The Dusknoir observed the scene for a moment before turning to its next target.

Watching silently, Luo Wei glanced at Li Xiang and the Litten, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought.

Nearby, Song Jie, who had been watching Li Xiang console his Litten, said, "So this really is your first courage trial?"

"Why would I lie about that?" Li Xiang rolled his eyes, then sighed. "Honestly, it was pretty terrifying. I was genuinely scared."

He had initially thought it would be like watching a horror movie, but it turned out to be far more intense, akin to the peak moments of a fully immersive scare. He had almost crumbled under the pressure.

"Your first time is always like that," Song Jie remarked. "You'll get used to it."

His gaze shifted to the Litten. "But your Pokémon… it's remarkable."

His compliment was a bit stiff, as if he wasn't used to giving praise.

"Of course! I'm counting on it in the future," Li Xiang replied, scratching the Litten's chin. Without its roar of warning, he might still be frozen in place.

This was what it meant to have a one-of-a-kind partner!

"Meow…"

The Litten purred softly, as though agreeing with him.

And with that...

Their group, following tradition, experienced the feeling of being roared at up close by a Gyarados.

To be honest, Intimidate was quite effective. Out of the six of them, only Li Xiang and Song Jie remained in place, hands covering their ears.

The other four bolted as fast as they could, as if a ferocious beast were chasing them.

And in truth, a Gyarados—known by fishermen as the "Calamity of the Sea"—was far more dangerous than any wild beast.

Encountering the "Three Ocean Menaces" could still be dealt with using Trainers and various equipment or tools.

But when faced with more than ten Gyarados in the sea, most ordinary ships would choose to steer clear of the area entirely.

Because the presence of over ten Gyarados typically meant there were even more lurking beneath the waters of that region.

And their danger level far surpassed the so-called "Three Ocean Menaces."

The main issue was their explosive tempers and relentless nature, often fighting to the bitter end once provoked.

Gyarados found in rivers were slightly less threatening, not like the infamous ones in the Lake of Rage, where an entire pool could be filled with them.

Even if a Gyarados appeared in the moat or rivers of a city, excited Trainers would usually step in to catch them.

After all, Gyarados was a highly sought-after Pokémon. They were easy to train, had strong base stats, and a versatile move pool.

For most Trainers, raising a Gyarados was always worth it. Even at Ultra Ball or Master Ball-tier competitions, it wasn't uncommon to see specialists in Water-types or other Trainers utilizing them.

Back to the experience.

Enduring the roar of such a massive creature at close range wasn't pleasant for Li Xiang.

Aside from the deafening volume and the spray of saliva, there were bits of leftover food in its mouth, and it clearly hadn't bothered with dental hygiene.

For a Water-type Pokémon, its breath was unreasonably foul.

Thankfully, as Song Jie had mentioned earlier, the second time around, Li Xiang was much more accustomed to the scare. He even had time to examine the structure of its mouth.

Though his heart still skipped a beat when the Gyarados unleashed its power.

From this, Li Xiang realized that his willpower wasn't as strong as he'd imagined, only slightly better than the average teenager's.

There was still room for improvement.

With that in mind, this first lesson already proved valuable, helping him identify areas to improve. He was optimistic that future classes would offer even more practical benefits.

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After school.

As always, Song Jie was picked up in his family's luxury car.

Li Xiang, on the other hand, was headed to accept Yang Tianwang's invitation for a full-on battle against his Grovyle and Scyther.

What surprised Li Xiang was that his close friend Lin Feng also had a match lined up.

However, Lin Feng's opponents weren't as amicable as Qu Sheng and the others. They often mocked him and spoke harshly.

Li Xiang couldn't remember the last time he heard such crude language in real life—it was something he only encountered in online trash talk.

He realized that kids could be shockingly blunt, saying the nastiest things without hesitation.

"This kind of person… Don't hold back later. Go all out and beat them until their heads spin."

Even as a bystander, Li Xiang found it unbearable and patted Lin Feng on the shoulder.

Lin Feng, however, was unfazed. He chuckled and said, "What are you talking about? We're all classmates here. That's too much."

"Just make them cry," Li Xiang said with a grin, flashing a row of gleaming white teeth.