Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Wednesday.

The situation in the archipelago region was finally settled.

But it wasn't what Li Xiang had speculated—that the Masters of the archipelago region had captured all the Guzzlords.

The official statement declared that these Guzzlords had left through those unknown tunnels of light.

They even released footage of them voluntarily entering the Ultra Wormholes.

Left?

What's going on?

Li Xiang became increasingly convinced that there was something off about the archipelago region.

These Guzzlords, who would destroy anything and everything in their path, had left after razing Furnace City to the ground without advancing further.

Why?

It couldn't possibly be because they were full—there was no such thing as being full in the vocabulary of Pokémon like Guzzlords.

These creatures had eaten entire regions' worth of food in a single sitting.

It was incomprehensible.

As for whether any Guzzlords were left behind in the archipelago region, Li Xiang personally believed there might be. Though the capture rate of Ultra Beasts without an Ultra Ball wasn't high, it wasn't entirely impossible either.

For instance, a Heavy Ball would be particularly effective against a massive beast like a Guzzlord.

Of course, none of this really had anything to do with him for now.

It was naturally for the best if the Guzzlords left. Li Xiang was empathetic and understood the concept of mutual dependency.

He just hoped these creatures wouldn't treat this world like a buffet, coming and going as they pleased.

Heading downstairs for a drink of water, he heard Riolu's spirited shouts from the backyard. They were accompanied by Feraligatr's roars and Floatzel's sharp cries.

That little rascal had boundless energy, no different from a Husky, constantly causing a ruckus and endlessly training and battling despite already getting more than enough exercise every day.

At first, Li Xiang worried about whether it might overexert itself. But after consulting Mrs. Yin, he realized that this was simply the baseline activity level for a Pokémon like Riolu.

Though not as exaggerated as described in the Pokédex, its endurance and resilience were remarkable.

Speaking of which...

The conservation center housed two Lucarios and a Riolu, all under Mrs. Yin's group, where she and her breeders cared for them.

They were all Pokémon rescued from poachers by the rangers—poor creatures deceived and abused.

Because of those vile acts, these Pokémon, who could sense emotions through their Aura, became extremely wary of humans.

They believed humans were deceitful, capable of disguising their true selves, and that any temporary kindness was merely a tool to lull them into complacency.

Fortunately, the conservation center had methods for handling such Pokémon.

Through long, persistent efforts over many years, they managed to build a friendly and equal relationship between at least one breeder and these Aura Pokémon.

However, many who came seeking to adopt them left empty-handed.

There were even those who tried to exploit connections, thinking they could "grab the fruit first and worry about its sweetness later."

But every single one of them failed.

To this day, the conservation system, tightly integrated with the rangers, had yet to succumb to corruption.

"Hmm? Chocolate?"

Li Xiang noticed a half-opened brown box on the coffee table. Inside were overly sweet chocolates he wouldn't dare eat now.

Next to it was a half-eaten, open pack.

What a waste.

Mrs. Yin wouldn't have eaten them—she was very health-conscious and careful about her figure.

Li Zhehan only liked meat. While he might buy snacks, they were usually meant for Li Xiang.

Back when Li Xiang was chubby, both Su Yiliu and Li Zhehan were partly to blame.

"Was it you?"

Li Xiang squinted at Meowstic lounging on the sofa. The chocolate was closest to it.

Meowstic, engrossed in a drama, glanced at him but neither confirmed nor denied anything.

Guess it wasn't the culprit.

Li Xiang then questioned Purugly and Pelipper, who also denied it.

Litten?

"Meow!"

The little cat shook its head resolutely—it didn't like the stuff. However, after hesitating for two seconds, as though it had undergone an internal struggle, it struck an expression Riolu often made—a look of stubborn defiance.

You know what?

It was actually quite convincing!

Not bad! It's even tattling now!

Li Xiang chuckled. Ever since Riolu arrived, Litten had become much more interesting.

…Wait.

Riolu ate the chocolate?

A dog eating chocolate?!

Li Xiang's expression darkened. Dogs couldn't metabolize caffeine or theobromine found in chocolate—it was as good as poison to them.

Especially dark chocolate.

For them, eating it was like taking poison directly. Not to mention, many cats couldn't tolerate it either.

"Are you sure?"

Li Xiang asked Litten seriously.

Startled, Litten thought he was upset about its tattling and shrank back, nodding reluctantly.

Once it decided to tattle, though, there was no turning back—it would see this through to the end!

"You…are the best!"

Li Xiang leaned down, and as Litten closed its eyes and braced for a smack, he gave it some gentle head pats.

Litten froze, trying to process what just happened. By the time it gathered itself, Li Xiang was already sprinting toward the backyard.

…

Backyard.

Riolu was practicing Ice Punch with the two hulking figures of Feraligatr and Floatzel when it heard Li Xiang's enraged shout.

"Ri—o—lu!!"

It was the first time it had heard Li Xiang yell like that. Startled, its ears drooped instinctively.

"Rio?"

Feraligatr looked puzzled and turned to its buddy. Floatzel shook its head, equally clueless about Li Xiang's sudden anger.

But they soon found out.

"Did you eat the chocolate on the table?"

Li Xiang grabbed Riolu by its legs, flipping it upside down and shaking it. "You can't eat that stuff, do you hear me? It's poisonous! Spit it out! Right now!"

Initially embarrassed and indignant, Riolu struggled. But upon hearing Li Xiang's words, it was utterly shocked.

"Riiiooo!!"

'Put me down! I'll throw up myself!'

Riolu let out a sharp yelp, and for once, its voice sounded more feminine and delicate.

Behind Li Xiang, Feraligatr and Floatzel stood with their mouths slightly open, their expressions blank.

Feraligatr tilted its head, muttering, "Fera?"

Was that the thing I unwrapped and fed it, which it ate so happily and willingly?

Floatzel nodded with a knowing look, confirming, Yes, that was chocolate. Then it shot Feraligatr a pitying glance, as if saying, Buddy, you're doomed.

"Gator…"

Feraligatr's fearsome face twisted into a troubled expression. How was it supposed to know Riolu couldn't eat that stuff? It had eaten some itself and felt fine.

Poor Feraligatr was too old and still clueless about the concept of individual dietary differences.

Meanwhile, Li Xiang was desperately trying to make Riolu vomit.

Hanging it upside down and shaking didn't work, so he pried Riolu's mouth open and tried to trigger its gag reflex.

Riolu, miserable and unwilling, struggled until it finally relented.

After much effort, Riolu threw up, leaving a mess on the ground.

Li Xiang bent over, pinching his nose at the stench, but all he saw was an unrecognizable blob of mush.

"It's already digested," he muttered. "Guess we need to find Mom."

He sighed and scooped up the sick-looking Riolu, racing back into the house. Having a breeder at home was convenient, especially when emergencies called for expert advice.

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Upstairs, Mrs. Yin and Li Zhehan were cuddled together on the bed, watching TV.

They hadn't expected their son to burst into the room like a storm, holding Riolu in his arms.

"Mom! Riolu ate chocolate!"

Li Xiang's face was filled with panic, as if his dog had just eaten rat poison.

Startled, the couple stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Take it easy. Tell us slowly," Li Zhehan said, rolling off the bed. His muscular frame was completely covered by his pajamas.

Mrs. Yin followed closely, her expression serious.

Li Xiang held down the still-nauseous Riolu, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "The chocolate on the table—Riolu ate it! Mom, you need to check on it! Or we should go to the hospital!"

"Chocolate? Why would we need to go to the hospital?"

Li Zhehan turned to Mrs. Yin, puzzled.

Mrs. Yin raised an eyebrow, thinking carefully before replying. "Yeah, why would we go to the hospital? That's perfectly normal."

"...What?"

Li Xiang froze, confused. "Dogs can't eat chocolate! Isn't it poisonous for them?"

"Poisonous?"

Mrs. Yin glanced at the door, where all the household Pokémon were now gathered, peeking curiously into the room.

"Where did you hear that? I've never heard of such a thing," she said.

Li Xiang quickly explained what he knew, hoping she'd take it seriously.

To his surprise, Mrs. Yin chuckled.

"Sweetheart, where'd you pick that up? That's nonsense. Pokémon can digest caffeine and theobromine; it's not toxic for them."

She smiled warmly. "It's good to be concerned about your Pokémon, but you can't blindly believe everything you hear."

Li Zhehan nodded in agreement. "Mom's right. There's a lot of unreliable and exaggerated information online."

Blindly, my foot…

Li Xiang bit back a retort, looking down at the still-unwell Riolu.

In hindsight, he realized Mrs. Yin might be right.

After all, Pokémon had significantly different biological systems compared to animals.

Come to think of it, wasn't there a scene in one of the movies where a Lucario ate chocolate? Sure, that Lucario didn't survive long, but its death had nothing to do with the chocolate.

And hadn't the family cats eaten chocolate when "Li Xiang" was younger?

Caring too much leads to overreacting.

He remembered his mentor Duan Tianxing, who often scolded him for being too overly cautious.

Still, better safe than sorry. Asking wouldn't hurt, but neglecting could lead to regret.

"You're absolutely sure it's fine?" he asked Mrs. Yin.

"Trust me. I know everything about Pokémon biology. Remember the Lucario at the base that drank canned coffee? It didn't get poisoned, but it did get into trouble with Arcanine for littering."

Mrs. Yin laughed at the memory.

The Arcanine she referred to was a legendary figure at Qingcheng Conservation Base. Known as "Grandpa Dog" or the "Gatekeeper," it had been there for 35 years, with a level as high as 71. 

It considered the base its territory and would attack anyone causing trouble.

To make matters worse, this Arcanine had OCD and hated littering.

When a Lucario stole a breeder's coffee, drank it, and tossed the can on the ground, it got caught red-handed.

What followed was a rampage so intense it almost demolished an entire building.

Of course, both Pokémon faced consequences.

Arcanine was scolded harshly by the director and had to work double shifts, guarding the gates by night and helping with outdoor tasks as a mascot by day.

It was a grueling punishment, but it had brought it upon itself.

Li Xiang had once been terrified of that Arcanine, worried it might bite him. Ironically, the ferocious-looking Arcanine adored children, often licking them with its massive tongue.

Li Xiang, as a child, had been licked so thoroughly he almost developed PTSD and kind of avoided Arcanine ever since.

"Well, if you say so…"

Relieved, Li Xiang closed the door behind him and shooed away the Pokémon gathered outside.

Feraligatr, the accidental culprit, also sighed in relief. At least nothing serious had happened. Otherwise, it would've faced the wrath of all three family members.