Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Although petting a particularly obedient and affectionate big kitty was comforting, Li Xiang eventually followed Zhong Hai to begin touring the base.

Of course, they started with the outdoor areas.

Li Xiang had noticed a beautiful little garden earlier when he arrived and was curious to explore it.

The only issue? It was raining outside, making his request somewhat unreasonable.

"That place? Hmm… alright. It's fine since they're not here right now. Normally, you wouldn't be allowed in," Zhong Hai said casually, agreeing without much fuss. As he reached into his pocket for a cigarette, he noticed Li Xiang by his side and sighed, putting it back.

"I don't mind, Uncle Zhong," Li Xiang said with a smile, though he was already pondering whom Zhong Hai meant by "they."

Zhong Hai chuckled, patting Li Xiang's head. "Smoking is bad for you, kid. Don't pick up the habit."

Every smoker says this to others, yet continues to indulge themselves.

Li Xiang shrugged. These older smokers always told their juniors not to smoke, even as they puffed away happily.

Thankfully, he'd never developed the habit, though he often carried high-quality cigarettes for business occasions. He'd only ever smoked when absolutely necessary—and never got into it. It was an expensive vice.

Dressed in transparent raincoats, the two humans—one tall, one short—and two feline Pokémon of varying sizes stepped out into the rain.

It's common knowledge that cats dislike water, but not all feline Pokémon share this trait.

For example, Zangoose didn't mind the rain, and neither did Purugly. Even if their fur became wet and clung to their skin, they remained unfazed.

Litten, however, was "normal" in this regard, refusing to step into the rain and glaring at Li Xiang from under the eaves. It seemed to question why he had such a brilliant idea of heading outside during a downpour.

Li Xiang grinned at it, stepping joyfully onto the wet gray stone path.

Raindrops splashed onto his ankles, sending a refreshing chill up his legs.

If not for the risk of catching a cold—and the fact that the rain was a bit heavy—Li Xiang would've happily removed his raincoat.

After all, what's the point of experiencing nature through a layer of plastic?

...

Entering the Garden.

The garden had a distinctly Western aesthetic, with a white gazebo at its center, neatly trimmed shrubs, and a wooden vine swing—all in an elegant European style.

Despite the drizzle, the garden was alive with activity.

For instance, a group of Lotad waddled about. Their blue bodies, yellow bills, and lily-pad-like hats gave them a charming appearance.

Li Xiang noticed one Lotad with a small puddle of rainwater collected on its hat. Unable to resist, he poked it gently.

The rainwater slid smoothly down the back of the hat, satisfying some deep-seated urge in Li Xiang. He smiled contentedly.

The Lotad, however, seemed unimpressed, waddling away as if it had encountered a lunatic.

Trailing behind it were several round, balloon-like Pokémon with blue fur and white bellies: Marill and their pre-evolved forms, Azurill.

Water-type cuties!

Speaking of Azurill, Li Xiang had always assumed it was a Water-type Pokémon. He was surprised to learn later that it was actually a Normal/Fairy type with no Water-type affiliation.

A curious quirk for such a Pokémon.

The larger Marill led the smaller Azurill in a waddling procession past them.

"Are there many Pokémon in this garden?" Li Xiang asked curiously.

"Plenty. It's only because it's raining that there aren't more. On a sunny day, especially when the owner is around, this place would be teeming with them," Zhong Hai replied, glancing around as if searching for something.

Owner?

Li Xiang's expression turned incredulous. Was there really a private area within the Ranger Union's base?

Impossible.

Zhong Hai noticed his disbelief and laughed. "You came at just the right time… or maybe not. On a sunny day, you wouldn't even get in, but on a rainy day, the owner's not here. Haha."

This cryptic way of speaking was seriously annoying.

"Uncle Zhong, could you just speak plainly? Riddles on a rainy day are just unfair! You keep going on about 'the owner.'"

Li Xiang's gaze wandered to a distant pond, where a Wooper and some Poliwag were blowing bubbles to see whose were bigger.

Also, skimming across the water's surface were Surskit, their golden "hair" giving them a quirky resemblance to water-themed toy figures.

Zhong Hai raised an eyebrow. "It's not that I'm being cryptic—it's just that even if I told you, you wouldn't know them."

"How do you know I don't know them if you don't tell me? Maybe I do," Li Xiang retorted. His penchant for arguing suddenly flared up. Even if he didn't recognize the name, it wouldn't hurt to hear it.

After all, who could this be?

"Magearna. Heard of it?" Zhong Hai finally said, his tone deliberate. His expression suggested he was preparing to enjoy Li Xiang's reaction.

Li Xiang froze, his mind momentarily blank. He stared in shock, his jaw practically dropping.

Magearna

How could any Pokémon fan not know that name?

It was the star of the movie Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, a mythical Pokémon created in ancient times by a genius inventor named Eliphas.

A Steel/Fairy-type Pokémon classified as a mythical species.

And now, Magearna existed in this world.

Here, of all places!

How was that even possible?

At first, Li Xiang found it hard to believe Zhong Hai's words. But then again, he realized there was no reason for Zhong Hai to lie to him.

After all, there was likely only one Magearna in the entire world, and very few people would even know about it.

"Never heard of it, have you?" Zhong Hai assumed Li Xiang's stunned reaction meant he was struggling to come up with a reply.

Li Xiang coughed lightly, pretending to act clueless. "A foreigner? If it's a foreigner, of course, I wouldn't know!"

There was no way he could explain how he knew about Magearna, so he decided to play dumb.

That didn't stop his curiosity, though.

Why was Magearna here in Mancheng, and in a Ranger Union base no less?

There had to be an intriguing backstory.

Unfortunately, as Zhong Hai mentioned, even on sunny days, it seemed unlikely he'd get to see it.

"Haha," Zhong Hai chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Li Xiang's hair.

Li Xiang dodged quickly. "Touching a kid's head stunts their growth! What if someone dislikes me for it? Will you compensate me, Uncle?"

"Hey! That's the first time I've heard that one!"

Zhong Hai wasn't offended and joked, "It's fine if you don't grow taller. Uncle won't mind. You can become a Ranger, and I'll pay your salary."

"Yeah, right."

Li Xiang rolled his eyes. There was no way he'd take on the lifelong responsibility of a Ranger. That wasn't his style.

Ignoring Zhong Hai, he carefully stepped across the slick ground and ran toward the pond.

Beneath the water was an adorable Finneon, and he wanted to try touching it.

"Slow down!" Zhong Hai called after him, smiling.

He found the kid amusing—polite yet lively and with a deep love for Pokémon. Maybe being a "babysitter" wasn't as boring as some of his colleagues had claimed.

.....

Li Xiang spent nearly three days in Mancheng, and it rained continuously the entire time.

He started wondering if the heavens were messing with him. He had been so eager to catch a glimpse of Magearna, only for the rain to keep it from appearing.

What a pity.

Who knew when he'd get the chance to come here again?

… Preferably never, he thought, considering how unsettling Litten's situation had been.

Speaking of Litten...

A team of experts led by a renowned professional had spent three days conducting a meticulous examination of the Pokémon. Surprisingly, they'd already achieved preliminary results—much faster than Li Xiang had expected.

He'd assumed it would take at least a week.

Of course, these were only initial findings.

Further research, which wouldn't require Litten's presence, was still needed since they had already collected plenty of samples.

Finally, the moment of truth had arrived.

What was the deal with Litten's reaction to burnt catnip?

"Simply put, it's a normal physiological difference," Professor Qian explained. Wearing reading glasses, he held a stack of papers in his hand.

"Just as Pokémon of the same species can exhibit differences in color or size—for example, shiny Pokémon, which are external differences—Litten's case is a more unusual form of internal variation."

The elderly professor's calm demeanor suggested he was accustomed to seeing such anomalies in Pokémon.

According to him, the smoke from the burnt catnip contained a specific alkaloid, akin to nicotine in cigarettes, that could stimulate Litten's cerebral cortex and trigger physical reactions.

What kind of reactions?

The kind Li Xiang had observed earlier—Litten entering a euphoric, dazed state of semi-consciousness.

Additionally, the alkaloid also had a stimulating effect on Litten's muscles, which explained its incredible leaping ability.

But why did Litten's state last so long? Could the alkaloid's effects really be that potent?

Professor Qian explained that this was because it was Litten's first exposure to the alkaloid, and it had inhaled a bit too much. That was why the effects had lasted so long.

If Litten were exposed again, the duration of the effects wouldn't be as prolonged.

"Based on our current research, Litten does not develop any dependence on this particular alkaloid. It's similar to the effect of actinidine in catnip—it's only temporarily stimulating. After experiencing it once, it might take a long time for Litten to become interested in it again," Professor Qian said, holding a slender brown wooden stick.

"As for whether it poses any nicotine-like health risks, I personally don't believe it does. But my opinion alone doesn't count; we'll need evidence. Until more detailed data is available, I'd advise against feeding it burnt catnip."

He added that while over 10,000 alkaloids are known, they hadn't yet identified the specific one affecting Litten. It was a first for their research team.

Hearing this, Li Xiang finally felt somewhat reassured.

Then came another key question:

Would the muscle stimulation caused by the alkaloid result in physical harm to Litten during intense activity, potentially overexerting its body?

The answer?

No.

Like humans, Pokémon have protective mechanisms.

When faced with unbearable strain, their bodies weaken, and they may temporarily lose consciousness. Once they recover a small amount of stamina, they naturally wake up.

In other words, when Litten's stamina is insufficient to support high-intensity activities, it will instinctively weaken or faint, so there's no need to worry.

Li Xiang immediately realized he could treat this as a stamina-draining, non-energy-consuming boost for Litten's abilities.

With that, he finally felt at ease.

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