Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Heaven only knows if Duan Tianxing has a sixth sense.

The two senior sisters had just arrived when he appeared shortly after.

"Master~!"

The moment Qi Sunsun, the second senior sister, spotted the dashing elder in his long summer robes, her eyes lit up. She dashed over and buried herself into his arms, rubbing against him affectionately.

"I missed you so much, Master!"

Li Xiang found it hard to believe that a twenty-year-old girl could still act so openly spoiled in front of an elder.

Typically, by the age of twenty, the rebellious phase has passed, and people begin to appreciate the efforts of parents and elders, but they rarely express it. Interactions tend to be restrained and distant.

Of course, there are exceptions.

And here was one right in front of him.

The third senior sister, Jiang Shangrou, walked up more reservedly and greeted with a soft and respectful, "Master."

"Mm."

With a calm expression, Duan Tianxing gently pushed Qi Sunsun away. "Good that you're back. Go change and help Li Xiang with his technique drills."

Straight to the point.

They'd just come back after who knows how long, and he wasn't even giving them a moment to rest before putting them to work?

Li Xiang couldn't help but think that Duan Tianxing's approach to being a master was rather unorthodox.

Yet Qi Sunsun and Jiang Shangrou seemed perfectly accustomed to it. They nodded without complaint and left promptly.

The three senior brothers, who hadn't dared meet Duan Tianxing's gaze, scattered to attend to their tasks.

This left only Li Xiang standing there, clutching his swollen cheek.

It wasn't Duan Yu's doing. Li Xiang had messed up his own stance while taking a hit, causing his face to smack into the marble floor.

Duan Tianxing's sharp eyes swept over Li Xiang's face without much reaction. Instead, he remarked, seemingly out of nowhere:

"You need to let go of your preconceptions about interactions between men and women."

Preconceptions?

Li Xiang blinked, confused by the comment.

It didn't take long for him to figure it out.

Duan Tianxing was referring to the notion of "propriety between men and women."

Whether it was during drills or sparring, physical contact was inevitable.

At his age, Li Xiang wasn't entirely clueless about such matters, but he wasn't completely knowledgeable either.

Faced with "intimate contact" with the opposite sex, most eleven-year-olds would undoubtedly react with hesitation, discomfort, or shyness.

Duan Tianxing was simply giving him a heads-up.

Li Xiang nodded in response.

Not that it mattered—his sense of decency wouldn't allow him to entertain improper thoughts, and when he was being pummeled, how could he even have the luxury to daydream?

Besides, his body hadn't reached that developmental stage yet!

Duan Tianxing, satisfied with the response, didn't seem to care if Li Xiang fully understood. He simply turned and left.

....

It had to be said that the senior sisters' experience and attention to detail, combined with their age and gender, made them far more meticulous and professional compared to the "oafish trio."

Though their strikes hurt even more.

After taking a few hits, Li Xiang began noticing differences in their Beng Quan styles.

Qi Sunsun's punches felt like being lashed by a whip—they didn't hurt much at first, but the pain built up over time. It was like being bitten by ants, followed by a fiery sting that made him instinctively want to scratch or rub the area.

Jiang Shangrou, on the other hand, was much more straightforward. Her strikes delivered instant pain. Despite her petite and delicate appearance, she could unleash an extraordinary level of force.

According to Qi Sunsun, however, Jiang Shangrou was the strongest among them but had the weakest Beng Quan.

Her true strength lay in her mastery of blade techniques.

Yes, Blade Techniques.

Duan Tianxing had once explained the "Eight Techniques" of Zhenxing Dojo:

Fist, Spear, Blade, Sword, Staff, Halberd, Axe, Hook.

Blade Techniques, originally called Combat Blade Techniques, had been renamed Dancing Blade Techniques due to certain historical reasons.

Despite the name change, their effectiveness remained unchanged.

The blades in Dancing Blade Techniques came in two types:

- Long-handled, double-handed, slender blades, such as the Podao or a Halberd.

- Single-handed, sometimes double-handed, blades with shorter handles, like the Chinese sword, Huan Shou Dao, or the ZhanMaDao (single-bladed anti-cavalry sword)

The styles and techniques of these two types were as different as night and day, much like the difference between spears and halberds.

Jiang Shangrou excelled in the Podao, wielding a blade nearly as tall as her 1.65-meter frame with remarkable vigor and power.

....

During a break, under Qi Sunsun's encouragement, Jiang Shangrou gave her junior brother a demonstration of the Dancing Blade Techniques.

As her blade danced through the air, the performance was awe-inspiring, a perfect blend of beauty and ferocity.

Though she wasn't quite comparable to a legendary Guan Yu figure, her display was captivating, a combination of elegance and intimidation.

Li Xiang was thoroughly impressed. His eyes lit up like spotlights, and he clapped enthusiastically, his hands red from the effort, while showering her with compliments.

Even Jiang Shangrou couldn't help but blush at his excessive praise.

Afterward, it was Qi Sunsun's turn.

Standing over 1.7 meters even without heels, Qi Sunsun exuded a fashionable aura. She specialized in Hooks—dual-wielded, multi-bladed weapons that demanded agility and finesse.

Her demonstration was equally dazzling, her long limbs moving gracefully and precisely, perfectly suited to her weapon of choice.

Li Xiang clapped and cheered, fully aware of the importance of building good relationships with his senior sisters.

Taking advantage of his young age, innocent appearance, and sweet talk, he successfully earned a considerable amount of goodwill from both sisters.

By the end of the session, it was even the senior sisters, not the three "bathhouse attendants," who helped him with post-training muscle relaxation.

Later, when it was time to return to the daycare center, it was Qi Sunsun who drove him there.

Before leaving, the two sisters handed him their phone numbers and home addresses, urging him to visit anytime or call them if he needed help.

Connections… it was all connections for the future.

In a world where you want a smooth, trouble-free, and exciting life, connections are indispensable.

Li Xiang had always understood this principle.

.....

At the Conservation Center.

The report for Litten's health check was out. It was perfectly healthy, with no abnormalities.

As for the burnt catnip—it was just regular catnip.

Neither of these had any issues.

This meant the problem likely stemmed from Litten's physical constitution.

"Physical constitution?"

Li Xiang, holding the obedient Litten, looked at Mrs. Yin, puzzled.

"Yes, every Pokémon has individual differences, just like people. Some are allergic to certain things or physiologically unable to handle certain substances."

Mrs. Yin flipped through the report in her hands. "For Pokémon, these differences manifest in various ways—be it in appearance, physical traits, even how they use moves, or their Abilities."

Abilities!

Li Xiang froze for a moment, recalling Lin Feng's Charmander, which turned berserk when its Blaze Ability activated.

"There's no need to be surprised. Every Pokémon has its unique traits, some more pronounced than others."

Putting down the report, Mrs. Yin looked at him. "Next week, we'll take a trip to Mancheng. I've already arranged for Professor Qian, an expert on Pokémon individuality and abnormalities in the Ranger Alliance, to examine Litten."

The Ranger Alliance—a group closely connected to the Conservation Center.

So far, they, along with the Pokémon Research Institute, were considered the most knowledgeable about Pokémon biology.

"Alright."

Li Xiang nodded. Guesswork wouldn't yield results, and jumping to conclusions wouldn't benefit Litten.

Professional problems required professional solutions.

"Do you have a match tomorrow?" Mrs. Yin suddenly asked.

"…Yes," Li Xiang responded.

"Keep participating. Don't give up halfway."

Mrs. Yin could tell his enthusiasm for the competition had waned.

"Litten is healthy. Just avoid giving it burnt catnip until after our trip to Mancheng."

The tournament wouldn't last more than a week.

Clearly, Mrs. Yin had deliberately scheduled the trip afterward, signaling she wanted him to finish the competition.

The "family motto" of the Li household: See things through to the end.

Li Xiang silently nodded and left the office.

...

Outside the door.

Litten leapt from his arms, looking worriedly at the quiet Li Xiang.

"Meow~"

It meowed softly, rubbing against his leg.

Ever since it inhaled the "fake" catnip and disobeyed orders yesterday, Litten could sense his bad mood.

If Meowstic hadn't repeatedly reassured it that the problem wasn't its fault, Litten would've thought it had done something wrong.

"It's fine."

Li Xiang crouched, stroking Litten's head.

An unusual constitution.

It sounded exciting since, for Pokémon, it often meant a potential to grow stronger, but there was always a chance it could bring negative effects.

It felt like flipping a coin.

Besides, if burnt catnip really triggered the effect, how was that different from the Battle Items in games that temporarily boosted stats during battles but were otherwise useless?

As someone already lucky enough to have Rare Candies, Li Xiang felt he shouldn't ask for too much. More than that, he feared he couldn't handle it.

...

Litten.

First, it had learned a technique that caused opponents to flinch, then inexplicably gained an unusual constitution.

Its innate talent was so high it felt like Li Xiang had monopolized all the blessings in the world.

"…Whatever happens, happens."

Li Xiang decided to stop overthinking for now.

Even if it turned out to be a negative trait, he could just avoid letting Litten near burnt catnip in the future.

So far, Litten had inhaled ordinary catnip many times without issues, which meant the regular version was fine.

Outdoors.

Today's plan remained unchanged.

While another Litten was out exercising, Li Xiang's Litten was learning Fake Out from it.

It had been almost half a month since they started.

Unfortunately, Fake Out was a Normal-type move. If it were a Fire-type move, Litten might have learned it faster.

It was common knowledge among Trainers that Pokémon picked up moves of their own type more easily.

At the moment, Li Xiang was focusing on teaching Litten three moves: Fake Out, Bulk Up, and Flame Charge.

Among them, Bulk Up already had practical usage, and it seemed like full mastery was just days away.

Flame Charge came about by chance, possibly from running around with Infernape all the time. Litten had unintentionally pulled it off halfway once.

—Why halfway?

Because the flames didn't fully envelop it.

Also, the fire was red, not blue, making it distinctly different from Flare Blitz.

Only Fake Out showed no signs of being executed yet, which frustrated Li Xiang.

It seemed like it would take another month or so.

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Read up to 35+ (previously 25) advance chapters of [Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer] and up to 25 (previously 20) chapters of [Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!] exclusively on my Patreon!