Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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That night, Li Xiang didn't sleep well.

The value of the silver ring was simply too high. Having it hidden under his bed felt like he was lying on top of several billion dollars.

Coupled with his anticipation for Mega Evolution, he found it hard to rest.

He had already told his parents about it.

Both of them were surprised by Li Xiang's discovery, but unlike him, they remained calm and composed.

Li Zhehan suggested depositing the silver ring in a bank and using their safe deposit box service for security and convenience, but Li Xiang wasn't comfortable with that.

In his mind, banks were institutions that always demanded responsibility from you but never took responsibility for themselves. 

There was no guarantee that once the ring was handed over, someone who recognized its value might make it disappear.

As for Mrs. Yin, she leaned more toward taking the ring to the conservation base. As the deputy director now, her office was so secure that even a direct hit from a Pokémon wouldn't cause any damage.

Plus, she had a safe for important documents.

To be honest, Li Xiang was tempted.

There were few places in the world with a higher security level than a conservation base, but in the end, Li Xiang decided to wear the ring on a chain around his neck, keeping it close to him.

If it wasn't within his reach, he would definitely worry about it every single day...

"Tsk, I wasn't even this nervous when I found the candies..."

Li Xiang clicked his tongue. It seemed that Mega Evolution held a much greater place in his heart than the candies, even though, the candies offered more immediate benefits than Mega Evolution.

Perhaps this was the difference between short-term and long-term gains in terms of psychological impact.

With a somewhat restless mood, Li Xiang made it through the weekend without incident.

...

Monday.

Li Xiang tried to gather some information about the Sky Pillar in Dragon City from Song Jie.

"You're planning to go there during summer break? I'd advise against it. The Sky Pillar is off-limits."

Song Jie shook his head, "Not just the Sky Pillar, even the Dragon Temple isn't open to the public. There are other fun places to visit, but that area is quite remote, and it gets really hot in the summer."

But Li Xiang wasn't interested in hearing about that. He feigned curiosity and asked, "Why is the Sky Pillar off-limits? Is there some secret?"

"...It's not exactly a secret."

Song Jie took the bait. After a moment of hesitation, he continued, eager to show off in front of Li Xiang.

He said, "The Sky Pillar is said to be the residence of Rayquaza, right? But actually, that's not just a legend—it's true."

Li Xiang played along, showing a surprised expression, "No way! Does Rayquaza really live at the top of the Sky Pillar?"

The existence of Rayquaza has always been known to the public.

Whether it's full-body photos or high-resolution images, they've been circulating online for years.

In fact, the first time the public saw Rayquaza with their own eyes was during a live broadcast of a satellite launch into outer space years ago.

Since rocket launches inevitably pass through the ozone layer, and Rayquaza's whereabouts are largely unknown, the rockets often ended up intruding into Rayquaza's roaming territory.

Rayquaza's temperament wasn't exactly mild—or rather, all three of the Hoenn legendary Pokémon were quite temperamental. When it spotted the rocket as an intruder, it didn't care where it came from and immediately blasted it with a Hyper Beam!

A Hyper Beam from a super Legendary Pokémon was nothing like one from an ordinary Pokémon.

Even though the rocket had considerable durability, it was instantly reduced to rubble.

And just like that, Rayquaza became famous.

The Legendary Sky Dragon was no longer just the Dragon God of Dragon City.

"Of course. But the more important point is..." Song Jie glanced around and lowered his voice, "You know about inheritors, right?"

Li Xiang quickly nodded.

"Ninety percent of the inheritors in Zhu Xia got their Key Stones and Mega Stones from the Sky Pillar!"

Song Jie emphasized, "For those who come after, the best way to obtain Key Stones and Mega Stones is also to go to the Sky Pillar!"

Li Xiang feigned a gasp and continued to chat with Song Jie.

Once Song Jie started talking, he couldn't stop, pouring out everything he knew to Li Xiang.

Most of it aligned with what Xu Dongran had said, but there were some new details. For example, every time the Dragon God Trial is held, there are never fewer than twenty participants.

And by the end of the trial, no more than ten people make it to the top of the tower. Among those, only three or four actually gain anything.

There was even one time when only a single person walked away with something, while everyone else was eliminated.

And there's no second chance. Rayquaza doesn't allow humans to challenge it twice.

The reason for this is twofold.

First, the Sky Pillar is incredibly difficult to climb. The main challenge lies in the gatekeepers and their Pokémon, who are extremely tough to deal with. The trials are also varied, including single battles, double battles, and even triple battles.

There are also puzzles, escape rooms, traps, and other strange elements.

The danger level is quite high. While it's unlikely to be fatal, broken limbs are not uncommon.

Second, Rayquaza's standards are incredibly high. Whether you're from Dragon City or not, if it doesn't like you, you're not getting a Key Stone.

And how to win Rayquaza's favor... no one knew. The Sky Dragon was truly capricious.

It was completely unreasonable. Whether you got anything or not depended entirely on its mood.

It might be in a good mood one second, and then the next second, just seeing you could ruin its day.

How messed up was that?

Li Xiang was somewhat speechless but couldn't help wondering if he would appeal to Rayquaza's tastes.

After nearly a year of martial arts training, the baby fat on his face and the love handles around his waist had long since disappeared.

Now, he had a well-proportioned figure, striking looks, and lively eyes, having inherited Mrs. Yin's eyes and Li Zhehan's handsome features.

He was the epitome of a charming, lovable young boy.

Especially after learning Beng Quan and practicing internal energy, his aura had become even more serene. Even when silent, there was a certain radiance in his expression that made people feel goodwill toward him.

If it weren't for his looks, his second senior sister Qi Sunsun, who was clearly a sucker for appearances, wouldn't have teased him so often.

His classmates also wouldn't have called him "Class Rep" so affectionately.

Even Song Jie's close friendship with him might not have been so strong.

Everyone admired good looks.

Coincidentally, Li Xiang did too!

He has a soft spot for all kinds of beautiful ladies, especially his third senior sister.

The more he interacted with her, the more he found her full of virtues!

...Ahem, getting off track.

Despite the crazy conditions for obtaining Key Stones and Mega Stones, the number of people vying for the silver ring, the "ticket" to the Dragon God Trial, was still countless.

Currently, the Zhu Xia Association issued one silver ring to each Branch Association president.

That was also the ring Li Xiang obtained.

The remaining rings were distributed through various other channels.

For example, to those who have made significant contributions to the region or through other means.

But the demand for silver rings far exceeded the supply.

In some unknown circles, the price of a single silver ring could reach as high as one billion!

Just think about it—the mere "ticket" to the trial was enough to make people go crazy.

This alone showed how attractive the title of inheritor was.

Of course, the Sky Pillar wasn't the only way to obtain Key Stones and Mega Stones in the world.

There were methods to acquire them all over the globe, and they could even be found in the wild.

Tracing their origins, there were two ways Key Stones and Mega Stones were formed. One was like the Mega Evolution universe in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, where they came from outer space and landed on the planet.

They were fought over by Groudon and Kyogre but ultimately ended up in Rayquaza's possession.

The other theory came from Professor Sycamore in Pokémon X and Y.

He believed that Mega Evolution originated from the life energy of Xerneas or the destructive energy of Yveltal.

They infused the life energy obtained from the ultimate weapon into the earth, eventually forming the two types of stones.

In Li Xiang's world, while it was unknown if the ultimate weapon existed, both theories about the origins of Mega Evolution seemed to coexist.

The fundamental reason the Dragon God Trial was so highly sought after was that it granted trainers Key Stones.

In short, Mega Stones for Pokémon were not as valuable as Key Stones for trainers.

In fact, they were relatively "plentiful."

It was even like in the final episodes of the XY anime, where humans discovered a vein containing Mega Stones (in the anime, it was Key Stones), which produced a variety of Mega Stones.

But Key Stones were different.

Key Stones were truly rare—so rare that while Mega Stones could be sold, sometimes even two or three at a time, Key Stones were almost never seen. Only fools who couldn't hold onto them would transfer them to someone else.

It was no exaggeration to call them a family's heirloom treasure.

"Mega Stone veins... Key Stones... Dragon God Trial..."

Li Xiang rubbed his chin. The amount of information Song Jie had just dumped on him was massive.

He really wanted to ask if Song Jie also had a Key Stone, but he didn't have the nerve to bring it up.

"Don't worry, there are many ways to obtain the ring."

Song Jie thought Li Xiang was envious of those who had rings and said, "Every year, the top teams from higher education institutions participate in the Youth Championship, starting from the regional level, then moving up to the national level, and finally the global level."

"Once a team reaches the global level and achieves a good ranking, the Zhu Xia Association will definitely issue rings to them."

The Youth Championship, officially known as the Youth Trainer Academy Battle Championship, was a competition where the strongest teams from higher education institutions across the globe compete for supremacy.

Its popularity was no less than the Global/World Battle Championship held every four years.

"Heh..."

Li Xiang felt an inexplicable surge of excitement.

He had naturally watched the Youth Championship.

From the regional to the national to the global level, he hadn't missed a single match.

Truly, only by watching those matches did Li Xiang realize that what he was currently doing was child's play—basic battles that were hardly worth mentioning.

The Championship was the shining stage where a young trainer truly belonged!

Even Li Xiang couldn't help but be drawn to the Youth Battle Championship, inspired by the battles that represented the dreams, honor, and fame of so many, fought with all their might.

He longed to step onto that vast battlefield, to bask in the cheers of thousands of spectators, the live orchestral music, and the passionate commentary of the announcers.

To stand on the champion's podium, holding the golden trophy high, showered in confetti, and crowned with countless accolades—a true prodigy!

And all of this was something that the current Zhu Xia Champion, Xia Chunyu, who had led his team to victory on the global stage, had experienced!

This Charizard-wielding trainer had entered everyone's sights from that moment onward, continuously climbing higher until, in less than ten years, he became the number one trainer in Zhu Xia, leaving all those powerful Master-level trainers far behind!

He was practically a watered-down version of a protagonist's template.