Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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"Don't take what the teacher said about Water-types being awkward and unpopular too seriously. In reality, Water-types have always been a top-tier type. Just look at Mo Ye's matches for proof," Song Jie whispered, casually undermining Luo Wei's point. Since they stood toward the back, there was no worry of being overheard.

"Besides, in places like Yuzhou and Yunzhou, where the climate is relatively humid, Water-type Pokémon naturally have more of an advantage. Qingcheng's location is unique, and with it being summer right now, if you visit other cities, you can clearly feel how different the air is."

Adapt to the environment.

In colder regions like Northern Europe, Ice-types have a huge advantage.

Meanwhile, desert areas are the playground of Rock, Steel, and Ground-types.

Li Xiang understood this point as well. He had experienced the humid climate firsthand during a trip to Mancheng.

Not to mention Yuzhou, home to a place called Rain City.

Man, that place gets rain every other day. Fire-type Pokémon living there would have an unbearably hard time.

"Then why are you specializing in Rock-types? Aren't you afraid of getting steamrolled?" Li Xiang asked Song Jie.

Specializing in Rock-types was a path most players would avoid in the games due to the type's poor resistances and an overwhelming number of weaknesses, much like Ice-types.

"Just pair them with Steel-types," Song Jie replied nonchalantly, grinning.

Li Xiang: "?"

Rock and Steel? Steel doesn't counter Water either, but it seemed this guy had a plan in mind.

"Enough about me. What's your plan? Fire? Dark? Or are you going to follow the local environment and pick Water? Or go with a multi-type approach?" Song Jie waved his hand dismissively and turned the question on Li Xiang.

"Currently, I think I'll most likely go with Steel," Li Xiang said, shaking his head. "And maybe branch out into a few other types as well, Idk."

While the candy gave him a solid foundation, currently, Li Xiang still believed it was better to specialize in one type.

It wasn't a matter of self-confidence; it was simply that he had kind of had a preference for Steel-types and their solid, reliable nature.

"Steel, huh… It's definitely a popular choice," Song Jie remarked. Whenever he spoke with Li Xiang, he seemed particularly chatty.

"Plus, it counters Fairy-types pretty well. That's a nice bonus."

Li Xiang nodded in agreement, especially with that last point.

In the Zhu Xia region, there were three insurmountable mountains for aspiring Trainers:

Xia Chunyu, the genius multi-type Trainer who had already become a Champion.

Mo Ye, a Master-level Water-type specialist who won the Attribute King Tournament and earned the title: Abyss King. He was Xia Chunyu's strongest rival.

Nangong Meng, a Master-level Fairy-type specialist, runner-up in the Attribute King Tournament, and holder of the Dream Enchantress title. She was hailed as Zhu Xia's strongest woman.

At just over thirty years old, Miss Nangong Meng, the Dream Enchantress, was the idol of nearly every female Trainer in the Zhuxia region. She also ignited a massive trend dubbed "Fairy Fever."

Everyone used Fairy-types. Everyone loved Fairy-types.

Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but the fact remained: many female Trainers—and even male Trainers—chose Fairy-types because of her influence.

As a result, the abundance of Fairy Trainers relentlessly squeezed Dragon Trainers out of the competitive scene, leaving them battered and demoralized for quite some time.

The harsh battling environment left Dragon Trainers with no choice but to adapt, gradually finding ways to counter Fairy Trainers.

Even so, in the current meta, Fairy Trainers were undeniably one of the strongest groups, and no one could avoid dealing with them.

When Li Xiang first noticed this trend, he was speechless for a long time.

Seriously, even in a world without Tapus, Fairy-types were still standing strong and thriving.

Dragon Trainers really had it rough.

Li Xiang, too, wanted nothing to do with those Fairy experts.

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After school...

Ms. Yin brought Li Xiang good news:

Li Zhehan, who had been overseas, was finally coming back.

After nearly two and a half months, the mysteriously locked-down Archipelago Region was finally reopening.

The reason for the lockdown was still unknown—or at least, it hadn't been publicly disclosed.

The moment Li Xiang heard the news, he couldn't resist the urge to rush home and dive into some serious online research.

In this world, there were no internet barriers, and accessing global information didn't require bypassing restrictions. He'd been itching for this opportunity for a long time.

Locking down an entire coastal region was no small matter.

But despite scouring the news and online forums, Li Xiang found little valuable information.

Sure, there was plenty of discussion, but it was all wild conspiracy theories or posts from people claiming to be in the Archipelago Region: sensationalized talk about impending wars and similar nonsense.

No photos, no proof—just empty words. And checking the posters' history revealed they were all the equivalent of internet trolls, spouting baseless drivel.

Frustrated, Li Xiang even went to regional forums for the Archipelago and painstakingly translated the posts word by word using a dictionary.

Unfortunately, after all that effort, he still didn't uncover anything useful, only wasting a lot of time in the process.

Now that the region was open again, surely some information would eventually slip out.

And yet...

His distracted martial arts training earned him extra punishment from Duan Tianxing—an additional half-hour of stance-holding practice.

Meanwhile, Lu Chengfeng and Wang Dong, his shameless senior brothers, stood by, laughing hysterically at his plight.

But after they were done mocking him, they dutifully helped him with muscle relaxation massages.

The two of them always tried to assert their seniority in front of Li Xiang, but he never took them seriously.

Whether they were strict or lenient, he just wouldn't play along.

What could they do?

Lu Chengfeng and Wang Dong had high hopes that Li Xiang might someday take over the dojo, so they couldn't afford to antagonize him.

And besides, having a junior brother who respectfully called them "senior brother" felt immensely satisfying.

What choice did they have? Of course, they chose to forgive him.

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That evening, it was time for the nightly phone call with Li Zhehan.

As the saying goes, "You only treasure something after it's gone."

In his past life, Li Xiang's father had passed away after years of hard labor left him with a body riddled with ailments. In this life, Li Xiang cherished him all the more.

Now, with his father overseas and his safety uncertain, Li Xiang, still just a powerless child, could do little but exchange daily updates with him over the phone.

It was a small comfort.

Today's call, however, was particularly cheerful.

Li Zhehan, seated aboard a cargo ship on his way home, was speaking to him via satellite phone. His voice brimmed with joy.

After more than two months away, he deeply missed his wife and son.

"I got you a present. You're going to love it," Li Zhehan said with a hearty laugh.

In the background, there were occasional deep, muffled growls and sharp cries.

Those were the calls of Feraligatr and Floatzel.

To be honest, Li Xiang couldn't fully understand what they were saying, but communication was essential nonetheless.

Otherwise, those two big guys might get upset and sulk after coming back.

Hmm... rough and moody—that was his dad's Pokémon for you, perfectly matching his temperament.