Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Inside the Hall

Li Xiang was practicing positioning with Litten when he noticed the sounds from above had stopped. He sighed quietly to himself.

'So this is what they call "loud whispers"?'

'In such a quiet environment, they still managed to argue and somehow thought they were speaking softly. They must think everyone else is clueless.'

Judging by the voices, it sounded like three people were up there, but two had left.

Should he call them out?

Also, what was the deal with this house having a hidden loft? Was it designed for spying?

Distracted, Li Xiang lost focus and made a misstep in his positioning, which didn't escape the watchful eyes of Litten.

"Meow~"

The Pokémon called out softly to remind him.

"Ah, my bad."

Realizing he had gotten too close to Litten, Li Xiang quickly stepped back a few paces.

Good habits needed to be cultivated, and when it came to positioning—something that could be a matter of life and death—there was no room for carelessness.

As for the person upstairs, Li Xiang decided to let it slide. If they enjoyed watching so much, then let them watch.

He was also curious how long this "observation" would last—and whether they'd offer him lunch.

...

A few more hours passed.

There was still no sign of anyone.

The master had left him hanging, the apprentices were spying from above, and no lunch was in sight. Sitting on his bag, Li Xiang glanced at his watch.

Eleven o'clock.

By the looks of it, this meeting was probably a bust.

"Hungry?" he asked, stroking the Litten curled up beside his legs.

"Meow!"

Litten's eyes lit up as it nodded enthusiastically. High-intensity training always made it ravenous.

Seeing this, Li Xiang smiled and opened his bag, taking out a metal container, a small bottle of Moomoo Milk, and two Oran Berries resembling large blue-skinned tangerines.

A nutritious meal!

In this world, Pokémon Nutrition was a critical field of study for breeders.

The type of food a Pokémon consumed could significantly impact its growth and development—aside from genetically determined traits like height.

Nearly everything else could be adjusted with carefully tailored diets.

Professional breeders were often skilled Pokémon chefs, and there was even a specific career called Pokémon Nutritionist focused on managing and improving Pokémon health through diet.

The food Litten ate was specially formulated by Mrs. Yin, far superior to the generic store-bought options.

Pokémon food was somewhat akin to pet food in Li Xiang's previous life and generally came in two categories: dry food and wet food.

Dry food was easy to store, portable, and nutritionally balanced, making it ideal for travel. Wet food, on the other hand, was easier to digest, vacuum-sealed for long-term storage, and equally rich in nutrients.

The dry food Li Xiang had brought today was custom-made by Mrs. Yin, tailored to Litten's age and physical condition.

Litten wasn't fond of wet food, so it usually got its water intake from berries or Moomoo Milk.

There was also freshly made Pokémon meals, prepared and consumed immediately. Whenever Mrs. Yin was home, she would cook this kind of food.

As for treats like PokeBlocks, Poffins, Poké Puffs, and Poké Beans, those were more like snacks than proper meals. Though they could be eaten as meals if necessary.

Moomoo Milk, however, was the perfect drink for young Pokémon, promoting healthy growth and a strong body.

"Meow~"

Litten meowed happily, eagerly diving into the bowl of food. It didn't forget to pause occasionally to lap at the Moomoo Milk nearby.

Li Xiang couldn't help but pat its head, thinking how voracious Litten was—like a bottomless pit. Three full meals a day, and it still ate to its limit each time, leaving its little belly round and full.

"You're a tiger-striped cat, not a chubby orange tabby! Although… I have to admit, a chubby cat is cute."

Still, in most cases, being overweight wasn't ideal.

"Here's hoping you don't turn into a fat tiger."

He prayed silently while taking out some toast and fruit from his bag, munching on them quietly.

He couldn't eat too much himself.

....

In five minutes, the meal was over.

Li Xiang cleaned up the food crumbs and used a wet wipe to clean his hands and face.

Glancing at Litten, who was still engrossed in its meal, Li Xiang pulled out a book from his bag.

The book was a biography of a master Fire-type Trainer. It detailed not only the Trainer's dazzling performances on the battlefield but also the habits and routines of their Incineroar.

Even details about its early life stages were included in the book.

If he could finish reading it, Li Xiang thought he might uncover something useful. Sometimes, genuinely valuable knowledge was hidden in such texts.

Sure enough—

After flipping just two pages, he stumbled upon something fascinating.

Litten's fur contained a special type of oil that was highly flammable, enabling it to shed and burn its old fur all at once when necessary.

This much was common knowledge, something Li Xiang had already read about in the handbook from the breeding facility.

However, this book elaborated further:

Litten's fur had a remarkable accelerant effect. By coughing up hairballs accumulated in its body, it could amplify the power of moves, especially when its energy levels weren't yet high enough to execute stronger attacks.

The extent of the boost depended on the size of the hairball stored in its stomach, varying significantly from small to large.

But the book also noted that not every Litten could do this effortlessly.

Since cat fur was a physical substance, not purely composed of elemental energy like most moves, controlling it was much trickier. If the move's flames were too intense, the hairball might ignite and explode the moment it was coughed out.

It would be akin to lighting a compact ball of gunpowder.

Additionally, accuracy and range required extensive practice to perfect.

At the end of the section, there was a disclaimer:

"This method carries a degree of risk and should not be attempted lightly. It is for reference and entertainment purposes only. The author assumes no responsibility for any incidents that may occur."

Reading this, most people would likely feel intimidated. Reckless experimentation would be an entirely different story.

Still, the idea of boosting move power with hairballs...

Li Xiang glanced at Litten. If he remembered correctly, it hadn't coughed up any fur in the past week, but it hadn't stopped grooming itself, which meant it was probably close to forming a hairball in its stomach, right?

And since young cats frequently shed their baby fur, Litten was likely going through its molting phase.

The thought made Li Xiang itch to try using Heat Wave combined with a hairball to see how powerful it could get.

It was probably no small boost, but the disclaimer at the end of the passage quickly doused his enthusiasm.

Was the risk to Litten? Or to the Trainer?

Most likely, both.

Ultimately, this would require a proper training ground and professional care to safely practice.

Li Xiang recalled the breeding facility's specialized equipment, training spaces, and the team of professional caregivers.

It felt like they were there specifically to help him uncover the mysteries of a Pokémon's physiology.

Sigh.

'Forget it. Better to keep reading.'

Thinking about his current situation was like having a bucket of cold water dumped on his head—refreshing and sobering all at once.

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