Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Yang Tianwang's words undoubtedly hit Zhu Huihui's sore spot.

Despite spending a fortune on a high-potential Pokémon, having guidance from top-tier Trainers, and enjoying endless resources, it still took him over four years to evolve his Chespin into a Chesnaught.

Way too long.

"Get lost!"

Zhu Huihui, panting heavily and glaring with bloodshot eyes, growled, "Don't push me!"

His temperament was bad, and his intelligence wasn't much better. After all—

If he had even a shred of decency or common sense, he wouldn't have mocked Lin Feng for picking up litter by calling him a "garbage-collecting beggar" and instigating others to join in.

What else could you call it but idiocy and asking for a beating?

And now he was acting like a victim, as if Yang Tianwang and Qu Sheng would coddle him like his family did.

"Oh, what's the matter? The teacher is right there. If you've got the guts, have your Chesnaught attack me. Let's see if you're not scared of your dad beating you half to death!"

Yang Tianwang despised people like Zhu Huihui—brash and spoiled by a nouveau riche upbringing that tainted the atmosphere of their entire circle.

It made his own family keep nagging him about things he had nothing to do with and knew nothing about.

Nearby, Qu Sheng frowned slightly. He felt that Yang Tianwang was getting carried away, and that was not a good thing.

They were only trying to block Zhu Huihui from bothering Lin Feng and Li Xiang, not to escalate into a fight.

And Zhu Huihui wasn't the type to think before acting. If he really went through with something rash—

"What are you all standing around for? If you're battling, then battle! If not, disperse!"

The stern voice of the field supervisor suddenly rang out.

At some point, the teacher had already arrived, with Li Xiang and Lin Feng in tow.

A timely intervention.

Qu Sheng let out a small sigh of relief.

Sure enough, the arrival of the burly, no-nonsense-looking teacher instantly defused the tension between the two.

"Alright, let's go to the infirmary. I'll treat you all to some milk tea afterward. There's a new shop by the school gate—let's check it out."

Li Xiang walked over, slung an arm around Qu Sheng's shoulder, and patted Yang Tianwang on the back. "Your Grovyle's leaves are already singed. You should hurry up."

And just like that, Li Xiang easily led the group away.

Lin Feng trailed at the back, glancing at Zhu Huihui, who stood there awkwardly with a flushed face, utterly ignored by everyone.

It was laughable and pathetic.

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The First Day of School.

All in all, it was a success.

Though there were a few unpleasant incidents, most of them centered around Lin Feng, who seemed to have a knack for attracting trouble.

To run into such things on the very first day—poor Lin Feng really had it rough.

Fortunately, the teachers at this school weren't just for show. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that teachers in this world were generally diligent and responsible. At least within the school grounds, Lin Feng's safety was guaranteed.

According to Qu Sheng and Yang Tianwang, the school had stationed bird-type Pokémon as scouts all over the skies and the edges of the battlefields' fences.

If anything happened, these scouts and the field supervisor would intervene immediately, with the rest of the staff arriving shortly after.

So Zhu Huihui had no real chance to cause trouble.

As for doing something outside of school, that would be even more interesting.

Though this era didn't yet have something like a global surveillance network, it did have two investigative marvels: Identify and Scent Detection.

Internationally, the highest record for Identify was microscopic-level detection, achieved by an Alakazam.

Scent Detection boasted a range of 5,000 kilometers.

Yes, you heard that right—5,000 kilometers. A feat so absurd that it sounded like a tall tale from the internet.

The record-holder was a Stoutland of an unknown level, which, together with its Trainer, located a hidden gold medal in a remote village farm within fifteen days.

Additionally, certain powerful Psychic-type Pokémon possessed special abilities, such as Bending Spoon to reveal paths or Future Sight to gain brief glimpses of future events.

There was no limit to what Pokémon could accomplish.

If Zhu Huihui dared to cause trouble, unless his family could control Qingcheng entirely or were willing to abandon everything and flee to another region, capture would be inevitable.

As Qu Sheng and the others mentioned, Zhu Huihui's character was so poor that few in their circle wanted to associate with him, let alone help him.

He only acted arrogantly in front of people with good tempers.

Thankfully, there were no fools like him in their class.

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At the dojo, Li Xiang recounted the events of the courage test to Duan Tianxing.

"When you can take a hit without flinching, you'll no longer fear such things," Duan Tianxing said in a tone that implied Li Xiang lacked skill.

The old master believed in learning through practice—facing one's weaknesses head-on to overcome them.

That very afternoon, with the help of his third senior sister, Li Xiang experienced what it meant to train himself not to blink.

Though she looked petite and delicate, his senior sister wore boxing gloves and swung her fists toward his face. If he blinked, the punch landed for real.

If he didn't, the fist would stop.

Li Xiang wasn't particularly talented in this area and couldn't even count how many punches he endured by the end of the evening. His face swelled like a pig's head, and he was seething inside.

After all, who could be happy after taking so many punches to the face?

However, his anger dissipated when his senior sister gently held an ice pack to his swollen face, patiently explained what he had done wrong, and encouraged him to improve.

Her gentleness was genuine, but so were her punches.

In the end, it was his own fault. If only he could open his eyes wider and avoid instinctively blinking, he wouldn't have been hit so much.

Sigh.

Martial arts truly was a long and arduous path.

No shortcuts.

Still, through this, Li Xiang found an opportunity to ask Jiang Shangrou for advice on Pokémon battles.

At just eighteen years old, his senior sister had already become a substitute for her University's varsity team. Her exceptional skill set her apart from the rest and hinted at the potential to one day reach the Master Trainer level.

Naturally, Li Xiang was curious about the composition of Jiang Shangrou's Pokémon team.

In this world, single battles are the mainstream, and the core of single battles lies in team composition.

Different type combinations, Pokémon with varying base stats and abilities, can be combined to alternate between defense and offense, maximizing efficiency.

This is what's referred to as "synergy."

Of course, due to the various complexities of real-life battles, synergy isn't as indispensable as it is in games.

Nonetheless, a team must consist of Pokémon with distinct roles and functions.

Jiang Shangrou wasn't very talkative, but she didn't mind sharing her team composition and training insights with her junior.

However, she only brought two Pokémon with her today, as the rest were left at home, so she couldn't showcase the full lineup.

Li Xiang didn't mind—having any to observe was already a treat.

Then, Jiang Shangrou released her two Pokémon from their PokéBalls.

They were:

A tall, humanoid Pokémon standing about 1.8 meters high, encased in a crimson, hardened exoskeleton, wielding claw-like pincers resembling crab claws. Known for its sleek design, the Bug/Steel-type: Scizor.

And—

A gray-green, heavily armored, anthropomorphic Pokémon resembling an oversized marine isopod. As a Bug/Water-type, it was none other than Golisopod.

Bug-type specialist?

Li Xiang's interest was piqued. In this world, trainers specializing in certain types were plentiful. Among every ten trainers, at least seven were type specialists.

Such trainers often minor in one or two additional types to counter opponents who have a natural advantage over their primary type.

After all, there's only so much a person can manage.

While Pokémon can learn moves of various types to expand their coverage, learning and mastering are two entirely different concepts.

The same move, when used by different trainers and Pokémon, can vary significantly in power and execution.

Indeed, Jiang Shangrou's ace was the cold and aloof Scizor, a Pokémon whose demeanor alone radiated an air of superiority. Her specialty was Bug-types, with a secondary focus on Water-types.

She excelled in executing hit-and-run tactics under rainy conditions, with rapid switches and high-speed battles as her forte.

Her heightened dynamic vision and reflexes, honed through martial arts training, had left countless peers defeated under her swift assault tactics.

Yes, that's right—

A Scizor with a base Speed of 65 and a Golisopod with a Speed of 40 specializing in high-speed combat.

How?

Thanks to Scizor's innate burst potential and Golisopod's priority moves.

This clearly showcased how awkward the concept of base Speed stats from games could be in real-life battles. Turn order isn't calculated the same way.

When Li Xiang learned about Jiang Shangrou's expertise in U-turn strategies, he was both thrilled and a bit regretful.

Having someone teach moves is undoubtedly faster than self-learning. For Litten, U-turn was a crucial move—the sooner it learned it, the better.

But his third senior sister was about to return to school soon, and she had her own life to focus on…

Opportunities like today, where she sparred with him, applied ice packs to his bruises, and chatted with him, wouldn't come often.

What a shame.

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By evening, Jiang Shangrou took him home.

Unlike the second senior sister, who drove a sports car, Jiang Shangrou preferred a heavy motorcycle—a beastly machine that perfectly complemented her petite stature, creating a striking visual contrast.

Only then did Li Xiang notice that his third senior sister actually had quite long legs, despite not looking particularly tall.

As for her all-black biker outfit, while it matched the motorcycle... wasn't it hot?

"Not too bad, it's manageable."

In response to Li Xiang's question, Jiang Shangrou adjusted her gloves, tossed him a helmet, and straddled the motorcycle. Patting the seat behind her, she said, "Be careful. Hop on."

Li Xiang wordlessly climbed on.

Some motorcycles aren't designed with a passenger in mind, but luckily, his senior sister's bike had a small rear seat, just big enough for someone his size.

"Hold on tight, or you'll get thrown off."

She grabbed his hands and placed them around her waist. Once she ensured he had a firm grip, she revved the engine and sped off.

Not bad.

Li Xiang silently noted her toned abs. At the same time, he felt dissatisfied with his own midsection, which had only managed to shed its love handles but hadn't yet developed the coveted six-pack abs.

Why can't they shape up faster?!

As the sun set, the motorcycle roared with a low, guttural growl, weaving through traffic under her command.

It raced toward the horizon.