Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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The entrance exams took place on Friday.

Class rankings were announced two days later, and formal enrollment began on Monday.

It followed the usual routine—most schools with entrance exams operated this way.

As for Li Xiang, a self-proclaimed "side character," after Lin Feng had stolen his usual role of gathering and sharing information, he decided it was time to turn over a new leaf and manage his own intel.

At this stage, he happened upon a particularly effective method of information gathering.

—Joining a group chat.

By joining the new Cohort's WeChat Group for Qingcheng No. 1 Middle School, Li Xiang could quietly observe the chatter and glean all sorts of intelligence.

Surprisingly, this method proved to be quite effective.

In the group, Li Xiang discovered many interesting tidbits.

For example, the Trainer of the Wartortle he had previously been interested in was also in the group, using a flamboyantly edgy username. He seemed to argue incessantly with a few other members whose identities were unknown.

Apparently, his real name was Qu Sheng, and he came from a wealthy family—rumored to be the son of a local Qingcheng private enterprise owner.

He was also part of the same cohort as Li Xiang.

Besides him, there were two other individuals in the group who caught Li Xiang's attention.

One, tricked into revealing his real name as Yang Tianwang, frequently challenged Qu Sheng to battles in the group chat. He used a Grovyle and a Scyther. From both his own bragging and Qu Sheng's responses, it seemed his battle strength was formidable.

The other was someone who openly introduced herself as Zhou Ying. She loved sharing photos of herself traveling and eating gourmet food with her Eevee, treating the group chat as though it were a social media feed.

These two were among the active members that Li Xiang had identified as being potentially skilled peers.

To Li Xiang, all of them were competitors on the path of becoming a Trainer.

Especially Qu Sheng.

Li Xiang resolved to find an opportunity to battle Qu Sheng after school started.

As for whether he could win? That could only be determined in the ring.

Losing wouldn't cost him anything—he'd gain valuable experience against strong opponents.

If he won, he'd earn a candy.

No matter what, it was a win-win.

But just as he was contemplating how to approach Qu Sheng, the group chat suddenly shifted to discussing the recently concluded junior Ho-Oh Cup, and of course, its champion.

Yes.

They were talking about a newcomer Trainer who used a Litten and had appeared on television in commercial matches.

—Who else could that be but him?

Feeling a strange sense of being watched, Li Xiang began paying closer attention to what the group was saying.

However…

What could a group of 11-year-olds talk about? Naturally, it was all about who was strong and who wasn't.

In the end, Li Xiang saw a long string of "If it were me, I'd win too!" replies.

Some even questioned if the Ho-Oh Cup was a "low-tier competition."

Qu Sheng could probably handle it, Li Xiang believed that, as for the others, he reserved judgment for now.

Setting aside the rest, just the Skarmory and Scorbunny he faced were no pushovers.

Li Xiang had relied on type advantages to deal with Skarmory, and thorough preparation—with a dash of luck—to beat Scorbunny.

As for these kids, how capable they really were would become clear once school started.

Li Xiang quietly closed the group chat window and shifted his focus to a private discussion with someone whose username was [Vigorous-Tiger].

This person, whom Li Xiang had recently encountered on a forum, was an experienced Trainer also raising an Incineroar. Compared to the loudmouthed users online, this individual was much more reliable.

So, Li Xiang had reached out privately to exchange contact info on the WeChat platform.

Their Incineroar was already at level 40. If Li Xiang could learn from their experience, he'd be able to avoid many pitfalls.

That said, Li Xiang hadn't forgotten the principle of trusting others only partially.

Some advice would be double-checked for validity before he noted it down for future use.

...

Downstairs.

Three cats were watching TV.

When Li Xiang went down to pour himself some water, he noticed how intensely the trio was focused, their eyes practically glued to the screen.

His footsteps were loud enough, but none of them even bothered to glance his way.

Curious, Li Xiang walked closer.

"What's got you all so hooked—" PFFT!!!

Li Xiang nearly turned into a sprinkler, choking as he almost sprayed his water everywhere. Coughing, he pointed at the TV in disbelief.

"Which little genius dug this out?! I thought it was locked in the cabinet! Oh no, Dad's gonna kill me…"

On the screen was none other than a classic film.

Its title: The Godfather.

A movie that had won Oscars and was hailed as a timeless masterpiece.

In this world, movies always included Pokémon elements, but classics remained classics, regardless of setting.

However, the videotape for The Godfather should have been locked away by Li Zhehan— after all, it was a collector's edition. He had even planned to make it a family heirloom!

If it got scratched or damaged, Li Xiang's head was as good as crushed.

Unfortunately, no one—not even his ever-obedient Litten—paid him the slightest attention.

Li Xiang wasn't bothered and casually sat on the sofa with his water cup, glancing at Litten, who was completely engrossed in the movie.

This little guy was watching with unwavering focus, its amber eyes unblinking, almost as if it wanted to press its whole face against the screen.

Normally, it didn't get this absorbed when watching TV… Could it actually like gangster films?

Quite the taste!

Li Xiang used to love gangster movies too, a habit passed down from his dad. Be it Western gangster flicks, Hong Kong-style crime dramas, or even the Young and Dangerous genre, he enjoyed them all.

He could even recite classic lines by heart:

- "Let your friends underestimate your strengths, and let your enemies overestimate your weaknesses."

- "What goes around, comes around."

- "Officer, I haven't been the boss for a long time."

- "I've relied on three things to survive in this world: ruthlessness, loyalty, and lots of brothers!"

His dad, Li Zehan, was so into it that he secretly bought a box of cigars behind Mrs. Yin's back, intending to sneak a try. Naturally, young and mischievous Li Xiang found a chance to take a puff as well.

The result? The cigars sat in the cabinet and rotted away; neither father nor son touched them again.

Ah, precious memories of youth.

But the question remained: why was Litten so interested in gangster movies? It had never shown interest in TV before...

Li Xiang glanced over at Purugly, suspecting it might have been the instigator.

After all, when it came to being absorbed in TV shows, Purugly was the undisputed champion of the household.

Watching soap operas? It imagined itself as the delicate and gentle heroine.

Watching spy thrillers? It saw itself as a tenacious undercover agent.

Watching food dramas? It fancied itself a charming and brilliant chef.

In short, Purugly was… dramatic.

Just recently, this cat had convinced itself it was some sort of covert operative, sneaking around in the bushes.

Hopefully, Litten wouldn't pick up these habits.

Enjoying gangster films was fine, but getting involved in real-life "gangster" activities was a whole different story.

Also, it better not follow the example of a certain someone who wouldn't utter a word even if hit with a stick.

For Pokémon, the most important thing was interacting with their trainers.

After mentally roasting the two cats, Li Xiang finished his water and, without disturbing the trio of focused felines, headed back upstairs to continue gathering intelligence.

The goal?

Extract as much valuable information as possible.

.....

Monday.

The official start of school.

Training dojo time was moved to the afternoon.

Trainer academies were unlike regular schools. There weren't as many theoretical classes, and they usually dismissed by 3 p.m. Most of the time, there wasn't even such a thing as detention.

For trainers, strength was what mattered most.

Theory came second.

The results of the class division were posted by the Academic Affairs Office on the bulletin board for all students and parents to see.

There weren't rankings, just the class assignments.

As expected, Li Xiang was placed in Class 1, student number 13.

His good buddy Lin Feng, on the other hand, was assigned to Class 2, student number 15. The two were no longer in the same class, becoming next-door neighbors instead.

For Lin Feng, this was both regrettable and somewhat of a relief.

There was no helping it—battling Litten always made him nauseous. Their matches revolved around the same few moves, and Lin Feng just couldn't bridge the sheer power gap.

He kept losing, repeatedly handing candy over to Li Xiang, with zero enjoyment in the battles.

Now that they were in different classes, Lin Feng could encounter more diverse Pokémon.

That was for the best.

Coincidentally, Li Xiang felt the same way. However, he didn't believe he'd lost a regular source of easy wins.

Class 2 was right next to Class 1. Blocking Lin Feng after school and spending ten minutes for a quick battle wasn't difficult at all.

Lin Feng, his reliable candy source, wasn't going anywhere for now.

After all, three pieces of candy were on the line.

Thankfully, Qu Sheng was assigned to Class 1 with him.

The photo-sharing Zhou Ying was also in the same class. Though as for…

Ah, there he was.

Upon entering the classroom, Li Xiang immediately spotted Yang Tianwang, arms crossed, lounging as he gazed at the ceiling.

Beside him stood a small, lizard-like Pokémon with long leaves on its head, hands, and tail. Its lower jaw and abdomen were grapefruit red.

——The Grass-type Pokémon, Grovyle.

It was said that this species performed best in dense forests, unable to unleash its full potential on ordinary terrain.

This also meant Grovyle had poor adaptability to different environments.

Battles in unfamiliar settings versus its home turf were bound to differ significantly.

At this moment, the classroom wasn't particularly crowded.

Most of the seats were empty, and people could sit wherever they wanted.

There were a mix of parents and students present.

Despite the sparse crowd, the atmosphere still felt somewhat noisy.

Li Xiang navigated past clusters of people and Pokémon to take a seat near the window, in the second-to-last "protagonist seat."

It was surprising that such a prime spot was left unoccupied. A real shame.

Following at his feet, Litten leaped onto the desk, swishing its long tail before lying down to groom its fur.

Perhaps to facilitate Pokémon movement, each seat was spaced apart with plenty of room, so the concept of desk mates didn't exist.

However, not all Pokémon were allowed in. Some particularly problematic species were banned outright, like Trubbish and Gloom with the Stench ability.

In addition, only small-to-medium-sized Pokémon were typically permitted.

Pokémon like Charizard, Blastoise, or Venusaur, which took up a lot of space, were best kept as far away as possible.

After all, the classrooms weren't as spacious as the strange six-student setups in Sun and Moon.

So.

Treasure your time here, little kitty.

Li Xiang ruffled Litten's fur, its red-and-black coat soft under his hands. The Pokémon blinked its big, watery eyes, looking a bit dazed.

It wasn't because it had gotten into catnip again.

No, it was still lost in the world of The Godfather.

Li Xiang, seeing Litten in such a state, couldn't quite figure out the reason. After all, he wasn't a mind reader, nor could he communicate telepathically with it.

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