Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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The "feint" used by Blaziken on New Year's Eve left a deep impression on Li Xiang.

Whether it was the technique of using the air for leverage or the seemingly ferocious fake kick.

Especially the latter. Despite being a feint, it had a convincing disguise, successfully startling Barbaracle and forcing it to defend, while the attacker effortlessly retreated.

Undoubtedly, these were highly advanced combat techniques.

If Riolu could learn them, its strength would undoubtedly increase significantly.

Using such techniques to bait an opponent's Protect and create distance would be far more useful for a fragile Pokémon like Riolu than close-range feints.

Li Xiang couldn't help but take this to heart.

New Year's Day.

With no guests visiting, Li Xiang went to his maternal grandparents' house.

Mrs. Yin came from a family of teachers, with two older brothers and an older sister.

She was the youngest, and a late-life child for her parents.

Her eldest brother was nearly fifty, and his son, Li Xiang's cousin, was already married with children.

Even Mrs. Yin's sister was thirty-eight years old, but Li Xiang wasn't the youngest in his generation.

Mrs. Yin's sister had a little girl, only seven years old, shyly hiding behind her mother and peeking at Li Xiang with her big, dark eyes.

As for this cousin, Li Xiang's memories were a bit hazy.

He rarely interacted with his maternal grandparents' side of the family, only seeing them during New Year gatherings, so he didn't pay much attention to his cousins or their futures.

He only vaguely remembered that she attended a decent university, and that was it.

Li Xiang didn't care much.

As for their comments about him attending a trainer academy, he just smiled politely or gave simple responses.

Second Day of the New Year.

A few guests visited his paternal grandmother's side.

They barely filled a table, and the adults drank while commenting on Li Xiang's decision to attend a trainer academy.

Third Day of the New Year.

No guests.

Li Xiang was finally free. He successfully convinced Li Zhehan to give him the keys to the company warehouse, where he found a large number of supplies.

After thorough preparation, he waited at the park entrance for Lin Feng to arrive.

At 9:50 a.m.

Lin Feng arrived late.

"Sorry, sorry, we suddenly had guests at home, and my mom made me serve tea."

He apologized first, then noticed Li Xiang and Feraligatr, both fully equipped.

"Are you... going to war?"

"Nonsense! These are essential supplies!"

Li Xiang patted the bulging backpack on his back. Last time, they hadn't been prepared enough. This time, he even brought the high-end underwater respirator Li Zhehan had bought.

All for the purpose of exploring underwater.

The underwater respirator, also known as an artificial gill, looked like two bicycle handles joined together. It was compact and lightweight, far more convenient than an oxygen tank.

If it weren't for the fact that wearing heavy protective suits would hinder their movement, Li Xiang would have brought those too.

For the sake of flexibility and considering their age, they had to settle for protective vests.

"Here."

Li Xiang took a vest-like item from Feraligatr. This was a simplified version of a protective suit. It couldn't compare in terms of defense, but it was lightweight.

There was no other choice.

The limitations of their young bodies.

Lin Feng took the vest in a daze and put it on with Li Xiang's help.

"Wow, this has some weight to it."

He moved around a bit. It was still flexible and didn't hinder his ability to run.

"Alright, stop playing. Put it on when we get there. Save your energy for now."

Li Xiang took the vest off him. They were just testing the fit earlier.

...

Not long after.

The two returned to the deserted dock.

Unsurprisingly, there were more signs of activity on the ground.

When Li Xiang had returned home, he had checked an encyclopedia of Pokémon footprints but forgot to take photos. Without remembering the shapes, he couldn't figure out what had left them.

This time, since they were conducting a thorough exploration, the small building wouldn't be overlooked.

Once again, Feraligatr led the way.

They searched the first floor, which was no different from before. The Rattata that had lived here were gone.

But on the second floor, they found something unusual.

"The thickness of the dust here is different. Clearly, something stepped here."

Lin Feng pointed to a rounded mark by the window, then found many similar marks nearby.

They were somewhat chaotic, as if the Pokémon had passed through here many times.

Why did it always go through the window?

Li Xiang took photos of the footprints with his camera. The footprints were strange—dots?

What Pokémon has dot-like feet?

Did a Tentacruel come ashore?

Unlikely.

"Let's go into the cave."

Lin Feng looked around, confirming there were no other clues—

"Wait."

Li Xiang suddenly stopped him.

He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the broken window ledge. He reached out, making a grasping motion.

Then, he touched it.

"Do you know any Water-type Pokémon with five fingers?"

Li Xiang turned his head, feeling the smoothness on his hand.

If he hadn't looked closely, he might not have noticed the five-fingered print pressed against the wooden window ledge, along with the thread-like, sticky liquid on it.

The "oil" on a Water-type Pokémon's body.

"Five fingers... Feraligatr?"

Lin Feng tilted his head, looking at Feraligatr beside him.

Indeed.

This guy had five distinct fingers, similar to a human hand, but the footprints didn't match.

"Simipour, I think, also has five fingers," Lin Feng added.

Simipour?

Li Xiang was stunned for a few seconds before realizing what he was talking about.

Another Pokémon with almost no presence.

Li Xiang then remembered that the eighth-generation Water-type starter, Inteleon, also had five fingers.

But again, the footprints didn't match.

So, there was only one other possibility.

A five-fingered Pokémon had touched a Water-type Pokémon's body, leaving traces of its bodily fluids on its hands, which were then smeared on the window ledge when it passed through.

Li Xiang couldn't help but look out the window, suddenly realizing that the building's elevation was quite high. From the second floor, he could see far into the distance, even the cranes and ants at the dock.

Of course, the massive cargo ships were also visible.

A great vantage point for sniping and surveillance.

Li Xiang thoughtfully glanced at the marks on the ground and called Lin Feng to head downstairs.

Hopefully, they could solve the mystery today.

And if Lapras returned to its original location, it might remember something.

Arriving at the cave entrance.

It was still dark and deep, impossible to see the bottom at a glance.

"Don't rush. Riolu, you go in with Pelipper and find that spot. Take some photos and come back. For safety, don't get too close."

Li Xiang placed Riolu and a home video camera into Pelipper's mouth. At this stage, only Riolu could move around with Pelipper.

The bird and dog flew into the sky, searching for the hole they had seen before.

"You even thought of this—"

"It's common sense."

Li Xiang rolled his eyes at Lin Feng. Charging in recklessly would be foolish.

Taking remote photos wouldn't cost them anything. With these conditions, they had to be prepared.

Otherwise, it would be a waste of Li Zhehan's shipping company.

The two waited at the cave entrance for a while.

During this time, Li Xiang used a high-powered flashlight to shine into the cave. Its maximum range was about 300 meters, but the cave's twists and turns made it impossible to see the end.

Like last time, there were no wild Pokémon near the top, but that didn't rule out the possibility of some deeper inside.

Next, he took out a bright red stick.

—A handheld flare.

The kind often used in cave exploration movies. Twist it, and it emits fire.

This thing would provide light for about thirty seconds. Its special composition allowed it to work even underwater.

In a winding cave, it was far more effective than a straight-beam flashlight.

If there were wild Pokémon, they would be startled by it.

Li Xiang first had Feraligatr throw a flare deep into the cave, mainly to scare away any wild Pokémon.

Feraligatr took it and, using its headlamp to aim, threw it with incredible precision!

The strength of its wrists was incomparable to a human's.

If Li Xiang had thrown it, he might have managed twenty meters in such a narrow space, but Feraligatr threw it over a hundred meters!

The cave's interior lit up.

Unfortunately, there were no Pokémon inside, nor did any fly out.

Torracat, resting on a rock, suddenly looked up, its orange tuft of fur twitching, but it didn't notice anything.

"This thing is so cool!"

Lin Feng watched the burning flare deep in the cave with interest. "Do you have more? Let me try one."

"Try one... If there are extras when we get back, you can play with one. Not now." Li Xiang shook his head. If they ran out, it would be a disaster. He hadn't brought many.

Lin Feng pouted. "Fine..."

About ten minutes later.

In the sky.

Riolu and Pelipper returned, shouting loudly, their expressions panicked, as if they had seen something shocking.

"Retreat!"

Li Xiang's face tightened. Without hesitation, he immediately pulled Lin Feng away from the cave entrance.

Whatever they had seen, playing it safe was the right move.

Lin Feng didn't fully understand Li Xiang's reasoning, but he had no choice but to follow.

They moved away from the abandoned dock, to an open seaside road.

Pelipper and Riolu finally descended from the sky, flustered and trying to explain something, but ultimately handed the camera to Li Xiang to see for himself.

Li Xiang frowned as he took it, turning on the small screen on the side. He and Lin Feng huddled together to watch.

The footage started with ordinary rocky cliffs.

Soon.

The scene shifted to a deep cave, exactly where they had been before.

The angle wasn't great, so Pelipper had to fly lower and forward a bit, but in the next second, what appeared on the camera made both Li Xiang and Lin Feng widen their eyes and gasp!

On a high cliff wall, a white hole, glowing with colorful light, was attached like a spider web.

Below, on the beach.

A crimson Pokémon, covered in bulging muscles, with wings on its four limbs and a mosquito-like head, was plunging its needle-like mouthpart into a Wailmer!

The needle acted like a straw, slowly sucking something out of the Wailmer!

The Wailmer was covered in wounds, just like Lapras had been!

"Is this..." Lin Feng's voice trembled. The impact of the scene was too much for the young boy to handle.

Li Xiang didn't answer, just kept watching with wide eyes.

The shattered cave walls, Lapras's medical records, the broken shell on its back, the fist-like moves, the five fingers, the dot-like footprints...

Every detail pointed to the answer!

They had miscalculated. That wall wasn't destroyed by a level 30 Pokémon.

This thing was an Ultra Beast—

UB-02: Absorption!

Buzzwole!

The footage ended, shifting downward, meaning Riolu and Pelipper hadn't dared to risk alerting it and had hurried back.

However, Li Xiang clearly saw, in the split second before the footage cut, Buzzwole in the video pause, as if it had sensed being watched!

An illusion?

No! Not an illusion!

They had been discovered!

Li Xiang's breathing quickened.

Behind him, the startled cries of Pokémon and the sound of something tearing through the air suddenly rang out!