Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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It was almost 6 PM.

Since it was summer, the days were longer than the nights, and the sky was still bright.

Sitting in the passenger seat of a sports car, Li Xiang held a Luxury Ball in his hands, casually chatting with Su Yiliu.

In this world, the mechanics of PokéBalls leaned toward those in the anime, featuring a shrinking function. While specific numerical stats weren't displayed, different types of PokéBalls had their own unique effects.

For instance, the Luxury Ball subtly enhanced the bond between a Pokémon and its Trainer over time.

The Friend Ball made captured Pokémon naturally more agreeable toward their Trainer, and so on.

Li Xiang preferred building relationships slowly. Based on reviews from most Trainers online, the Luxury Ball was considered a fantastic choice, often receiving highly positive feedback from Pokémon.

Even in the anime, Team Rocket's Meowth almost fell for its comforts, describing the Luxury Ball as incredibly cozy.

Its downside was the price—2,000 PokéDollars per ball.

A standard red-and-white PokéBall cost only 100 PokéDollars, making the Luxury Ball 20 times more expensive.

It was essentially the pinnacle of consumable luxury items.

Of course, if all your Pokémon came from a breeding facility, the Luxury Ball wasn't a consumable but standard equipment.

Still, not everyone preferred Pokémon from breeding facilities.

Some Trainers believed Pokémon from breeding facilities were inferior and preferred catching wild ones themselves.

This mindset was shared even by some Master-level Trainers and top Breeders.

Reportedly, decades ago, this view was the mainstream.

However, as times changed, society evolved, and environments grew safer, competitive Pokémon battles became more civilized, regulated, and professionalized.

Purchasing Pokémon from breeding facilities became the societal norm.

Venturing into dangerous, distant wilderness areas to hunt for starters, pseudo-legendaries, or other Pokémon seemed too risky and luck-dependent.

Back then, starters and pseudo-legendaries were incredibly rare and seemed monopolized.

But with the rapid expansion of the Pokémon League, along with the public demand for starters and pseudo-legendaries, breeding facilities began to emerge.

Early breeders pioneered large-scale standardized breeding, developing habitats akin to Mudkip Marshes or Charizard Valleys from the anime.

Eventually, urban breeding bases were established, implementing more systematic and modernized breeding practices.

Nowadays, people have almost forgotten that early breeding facilities only offered services like Pokémon daycare or egg management.

Even those functions are now partially handled by preservation bases.

...

Preservation Base.

Parking Lot.

"Miss Yiliu, thank you so, so much for your help today. Sorry for any trouble I caused," Li Xiang said, bowing slightly to Su Yiliu.

While this reward might not mean much to her, it was incredibly important for him, who was just starting out.

He already felt a step behind those who had gotten a head start. Falling behind even further would only widen the gap.

Besides, Li Xiang knew that Su Yiliu's care stemmed from her connection to Mrs. Yin and had nothing to do with him personally.

As long as he bore the title of "Yin Tao's son," it didn't matter if his name was Li Xiang, Zhao Xiang, Qian Xiang, or anything else—appearance or personality didn't matter either.

As a mentally mature person, Li Xiang felt it necessary to express his gratitude directly to Su Yiliu.

One should always be grateful.

Su Yiliu looked at him with a strange expression before saying, "You brat! Don't you know you should call me godmother? What's with this 'Miss Yiliu' and all this formal stuff all of a sudden? Are you trying to draw boundaries now so you can distance yourself when you're successful?"

Her face was a mix of amusement and mock anger as she reached out with slender fingers to pinch his cheek. "I even washed your little butt when you wet your pants as a kid!"

When Su Yiliu first came to the preservation base, she started at the bottom without revealing her background, determined to succeed on her own.

Naturally, she faced many challenges, mostly related to interpersonal relationships.

At that time, Mrs. Yin took great care of her, even arguing with a director for her sake.

To repay Mrs. Yin, Su Yiliu occasionally helped take care of a five- or six-year-old Li Xiang.

"!!!"

Li Xiang froze. He had no memory of this. But since Su Yiliu had brought it up, he couldn't argue. Indeed, his words earlier had sounded a bit distant.

"Sorry, my bad, sister Yiliu," he admitted readily.

When you're wrong, you admit it. When scolded, you stand firm. Li Xiang swiftly apologized and even hugged Su Yiliu lightly, purely to show friendliness.

"One pinch and I'll forgive you... Hehe, so soft."

Su Yiliu demonstrated just how quickly she could switch moods. Without waiting for his consent, she gleefully pinched his cheek again.

Li Xiang was speechless. He resolved to slim down soon—otherwise, his cheeks would eventually cave under her relentless pinching.

Elsewhere, Su Yiliu took his hand and, carrying a bag, led him into the base.

At this hour, the daytime breeders had all gone home, but Mrs. Yin was on the night shift and wouldn't leave until 6 AM the next day.

Li Xiang would also stay until morning since Mrs. Yin didn't trust him to spend his first night alone with a Pokémon.

...

Three Minutes Later.

"Sister Tao, I've brought your son back!"

Su Yiliu stormed into the office, calling out to Mrs. Yin.

Mrs. Yin, seated at her desk, immediately stood up to greet her with tea.

"Back already? Thank you for your hard work. Did Xiao Xiang trouble you?"

Su Yiliu flopped onto a small sofa and said, "He was fine. Oh, and I want your premium tea, not some 300-PokéDollar per can stuff, okay?"

"Yes, yes, Lady Su."

Mrs. Yin retrieved a clay jar containing neatly compressed tea bricks.

The sight triggered a mental image in Li Xiang's mind of a middle-aged man begrudgingly handing over his precious tea leaves to his wife.

Both Mrs. Yin and Li Zhehan were tea enthusiasts, in both past and present lives. However, Li Xiang had not inherited this trait, feeling indifferent toward tea's aroma and aftertaste.

"Meow~"

A soft cry drew Li Xiang's attention.

He turned to see a plump, chubby Purugly staring at him with a serious expression, its nose twitching as if sniffing something out.

'Did it pick up on Litten's scent?'

Li Xiang instinctively wanted to take out the catnip lollipop but stopped himself, remembering it had been gnawed on by Litten.

However.

Once Purugly confirmed its discovery, it began meowing discontentedly, clawing at Li Xiang's clothes.

'You've got some nerve, buddy!

Spill it! Did you pick up another cat outside?!'

Its relentless cries successfully drew the attention of the Meowstic sitting on the windowsill, gazing at the scenery.

With its heightened psychic senses far sharper than Purugly's, it immediately noticed the fur clinging to Li Xiang's clothes—fur that didn't belong to either of them—and the faint unfamiliar scent.

'You actually brought home another cat?!'

"Meow!"

Meowstic broke its usually calm demeanor, pointing accusingly at Li Xiang with its tiny paw.

'I can't believe it! Even you, with your honest face and big eyebrows, turned out to be a two-timing scoundrel!'

'Are the two of us not enough for you?!'

Both Purugly and Meowstic were well aware Li Xiang would be bringing a new Pokémon home today.

What they hadn't anticipated was that it would be another cat.

Any emotionally sensitive creature could feel jealousy—especially these two, who had grown up alongside Li Xiang.

For them, it was difficult to accept the presence of a "rival" that could divide the affection they believed was solely theirs.

If Purugly ever found out that the catnip lollipop Li Xiang bought with his pocket money had been chewed on by Litten, it would have exploded in rage.

"Don't fight, don't fight! I've brought a little brother for you two. Be nice to him, okay?"

Li Xiang held up the shrunken Luxury Ball and gave it a gentle shake. For now, he wasn't planning to let Litten out.

The dangerous glints in the eyes of the two cats in front of him made him cautious. If a brawl broke out and something happened—like accidentally setting Mrs. Yin's files on fire—it'd spell disaster.

"Meow!"

"Meowww!"

Both cats protested loudly. One more cat would only mean a lower rank in their household hierarchy!

'Let that brat out! Let's see what flashy, third-rate fluff managed to captivate you!'

.....

Over on the sofa.

After listening to Su Yiliu's "report," Mrs. Yin sighed. "I really don't know how to thank you enough. You've been such a help today."

"Come on, sister Tao. You don't owe me anything! When I first started out, didn't you help me plenty?"

Su Yiliu waved her hand dismissively, then grinned mischievously. "But if you really want to thank me, how about you selling me Xiao Xiang?"

"Get lost!"

Mrs. Yin gave her a playful shove, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. "Can't you be serious for one second?"

"Fine, how about I set him up with a bride? My family has a gorgeous younger cousin—she's only thirteen! Perfect match for Xiao Xiang!"

Su Yiliu laughed cheekily. Around Mrs. Yin, her mischievous side was on full display.

Mrs. Yin didn't even bother rolling her eyes this time, simply grabbing the now-empty teacup from Su Yiliu's hand and pulling her off the sofa.

"Alright, tea's done. Time for you to leave."

"Hey, hey, hey! Kicking me out already?!"

Su Yiliu feigned reluctance, dragging her feet toward the door. "That's so heartless, Sister Tao!"

Mrs. Yin, amused yet exasperated, countered, "You're impossible. If you'd tone down the theatrics and act more composed, you'd have kids running around the house by now. Don't you have things to do anyway?"

"Ugh, you sound just like my mom—always nagging me about this!"

Su Yiliu pouted dramatically. "What, you think having a husband and kid makes you so great?"

Mrs. Yin smirked.

"Actually, yes. It's pretty fantastic."

"Ewwwww!"

Su Yiliu put on an exaggeratedly disgusted face, then turned her gaze to Li Xiang, who was still fending off the two cats. Her expression softened, her mischievous grin returning.

"Xiao Xiang, come over and let big sister pinch your cheeks one last time!"

Oh, come on.

Li Xiang felt like collateral damage in this exchange.

'Why not pinch my mom's cheeks instead?' (Lol)

But he couldn't outright refuse. After all, he owed her a favor.

Resigned, Li Xiang plastered a smile on his face and walked over, deftly avoiding the two cats.

"Goodbye, sister Yiliu."

"Such a good boy~ I'll bring you something delicious tomorrow."

Clearly pleased, Su Yiliu gave his cheek a light pinch before leaving, satisfied.

Left behind were Li Xiang, now more determined than ever to shed his baby fat, and Mrs. Yin, shaking her head in amused helplessness.

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