Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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In the end, Li Zhehan still ended up paying a hefty sum because Riolu not only soaked the ceiling but also ruined the expensive sofa in the living room with its Rain Dance, including the plush carpet underneath.

Additionally, the bathroom tiles that Torracat had smashed and the bathtub, which now had cracks, also had to be compensated for.

That guy really didn't hold back when it went all out.

Even Feraligatr was more sensible than it.

At least that big oaf understood the concept of being gentle and didn't splash water everywhere.

Sigh… The downside of staying in a luxury suite is that the furniture is way too delicate.

Li Xiang, who had been unfairly scolded by Mrs. Yin as a "spendthrift" and had to bear the brunt of the blame for the cat and dog, remained calm. 

Having been scolded by Mrs. Yin for over forty years (including his past life), he was already used to it.

The Li family didn't believe in physical punishment, but verbal reprimands were unavoidable.

After changing rooms.

In the following days.

Li Xiang spent his time exploring the temple fair with his parents, soaking in the rich cultural atmosphere of the Wind God Festival.

At the same time, he sorted out the gains Torracat and Riolu had made.

Durability was a given.

It was crucial for both Pokémon. Torracat followed a durability-focused attack style—the tankier, the better.

As for Riolu, it was too fragile. It couldn't withstand a single super-effective move without a Focus Sash, so boosting its durability was essential.

The Rain of Life had given them exactly what they needed in terms of durability.

Next.

The weather move—Rain Dance.

According to Li Xiang's tests, the largest rain cloud Riolu could currently summon was about four meters by six meters in size. It consumed a lot of elemental energy, making it somewhat impractical.

This was unavoidable. Moves in this world were all about adaptability, not just for attacking moves but for status moves as well.

The Rain Dance used by a Water-type Pokémon was vastly different from that used by a non-Water-type Pokémon.

On a regular battlefield.

For support purposes, Riolu's rain was sufficient. A 4x6 area wasn't small, but it couldn't compete with others for weather control. Therefore, it had to learn to share the weather.

Half rain, half sun, that kind of thing.

As for recovery moves…

To be honest, Life Dew was a pretty good move.

Since fixed healing had been replaced with gradual healing in reality, group healing moves had become incredibly valuable.

—The effective range was four meters in diameter. Any Pokémon within four meters covered by the ripple would recover stamina.

However, the more targets there were, the slower the recovery and the more elemental energy it consumed.

In the end, what limited a Pokémon's strength in this world wasn't the complexity of its moves or the stamina consumed by moving and dodging.

It was elemental energy.

The more energy you had, the more you could do. Without elemental energy, even if you knew dozens or hundreds of moves, you wouldn't get a chance to use them.

After testing all this, Li Xiang had to comfort a certain big cat that was drowning in jealousy. 

This cat was so angry that it even had a sour expression while eating and was restless at night.

"Hey, every Pokémon has its strengths. There's no need to be so upset," Li Xiang said, rubbing Torracat's head. The latter gently bit his hand, its tuft of fur swaying slightly.

It was said that Torracat's mane was an excellent sensory organ. Even in extremely dark environments, it could clearly perceive its surroundings, detecting the movements of hidden enemies.

What was this?

"Stop hiding! My fur can sense you!"

Wasn't that a bit ridiculous?

"Meow!"

Torracat, seeing that Li Xiang had zoned out while staring at its fur, became even more annoyed. It raised its muscular paw and gave Li Xiang's chest a light smack.

Thwack!

"Oof!" Li Xiang snapped out of his daze and awkwardly apologized to Torracat.

Torracat narrowed its eyes, and seeing that his attitude was decent, it grudgingly forgave him, but the jealousy didn't diminish in the slightest.

Its shameless behavior, successfully managed to make the once proud Riolu feel awkward.

There was no helping it. Those resentful eyes were too much for the dog to handle.

Honestly, Riolu hadn't intended to show off in front of Torracat. It was just practicing its new move as usual. However, Torracat had taken it to heart.

Lately, its attitude toward Riolu had cooled significantly.

The lively, slightly jealous but never grudge-holding cat that would return a smile with an even bigger one was gone!

Who was this cold, resentful cat acting like it was in a family feud?

Riolu could hardly believe its eyes.

Having gradually overcome its psychological barriers and learned to coexist peacefully with Torracat, Riolu suddenly understood how it must have felt when Torracat had tried to be friendly but was ignored.

Simping truly led to a miserable end!

However, there was always a silver lining.

On the day before the Li family was set to return to Qingcheng, after the Wind God Festival ended.

An unexpected event occurred.

Torracat, while Riolu was practicing Rain Dance, got so angry that it exploded!

Yes!

It literally exploded!

Its body suddenly burst into ethereal flames, which then spread out in a fan-like shape with a loud boom!

The flames surged forward like a nuclear blast, consuming everything in front of it!

The falling rain was instantly vaporized, making the scene look incredibly cool!

"Is this… Burning Jealousy?"

Li Xiang's breathing grew slightly heavier. "Really? You too?"

Burning Jealousy was a move that Torracat could only learn after evolving into Incineroar. At its current stage, it shouldn't have been able to learn it—

Theoretically.

Game Freak's move pools for Pokémon often changed with each generation. For example, Secret Power was a TM in Generations III, IV, and VI, meaning most Pokémon could learn it.

But in Generations VII and VIII, the TM was changed, and Pokémon that could previously learn it naturally lost access to it.

Therefore-

There was no fixed rule for what moves a Pokémon could or couldn't learn. No one could definitively say what a Pokémon could or couldn't learn.

After all, moves changed with each generation, and so did Pokémon move pools.

"Meow?"

Torracat was also stunned. Honestly, it wasn't sure why it had been acting so sensitive lately.

It had been nitpicking every little thing, especially when it came to others learning new moves. The more it thought about it, the more upset it felt, as if something was influencing it.

When Riolu summoned the rain cloud and the raindrops fell on it, reducing its firepower, it truly couldn't hold back anymore.

Why could others learn new moves, but it couldn't?

Frustration boiled over, and the bell around its neck kept ringing, making it so angry that it felt like it might as well just explode.

And then…

Torracat really did "explode."

"This is Burning Jealousy! Little cat!" Li Xiang laughed as he lifted Torracat up. "You've learned a new move! A functional area-of-effect move!"

Burning Jealousy, an eighth-generation Fire-type special move. When used against an opponent whose stats have been boosted, it burns them!

In certain situations, it was more effective than Will-O-Wisp!

"Meow?"

Torracat tilted its head, completely baffled.

For some reason, after the explosion, it felt an immense sense of relief.

When it looked at Riolu again, that sour, bitter feeling in its heart was gone.

"Riolu!"

The clever Riolu, hearing that Torracat had learned a new move, hurried over to congratulate it with a cheerful expression.

The now-relieved Torracat returned to its lively self. When Riolu smiled at it, it returned an even bigger smile.

Thus.

The cat and dog made up—

Hmm… It seemed like Li Xiang, the trainer, didn't have much to do with it?

Well, not exactly.

Li Xiang's role was to mediate and act as a bridge.

The superficial friendship between Riolu and Torracat existed because of him.

Without him.

The jealous cat and the aloof dog would never have gotten along, even if given eight hundred years.

Riolu had gone from being a cold, aloof pup that wouldn't even let Li Xiang hug it to feeling wronged when it accidentally hurt Torracat and seeking comfort from him.

Li Xiang's subtle "education" had played a significant role in this transformation.

Riolu's initial aloofness was mainly due to being in an unfamiliar environment and distrusting others.

Li Xiang had given it a sense of security, making it feel that life was comfortable and enjoyable, battles were exciting, and training was fulfilling. This had slowly opened its heart.

Turning its once proud and distant nature into something softer.

This was the role of a trainer.

"Let's go, back to Qingcheng."

Li Xiang hugged the cat and dog. There were still many days ahead, and they had only taken the first step.

…

Originally, Li Xiang had planned to get his third Pokémon on Qiong Island.

With its clear waters and abundant resources, the Pokémon raised here were bound to be exceptionally strong and intelligent.

Unfortunately, he hadn't found a suitable one.

Mainly because Torracat and Riolu had raised his standards too high. He couldn't bring himself to settle for an ordinary Pokémon.

The wild Pokémon he encountered all seemed like a bunch of misfits.

As for going to a Pokémon nursery, Li Xiang felt that catching one himself would be more meaningful. He had already "gotten two for free."

As a trainer, shouldn't he experience what it was like to catch a Pokémon in the wild properly?

He did have a clear target in mind.

In a place like Qiong Island, with its vast waters, Water-type Pokémon were as common as fish in the sea. He hoped to find a Piplup or a Feebas.

The former's final evolution, Empoleon, was Water/Steel type with excellent resistances. With candies, its somewhat awkward base stats and Defiant ability would no longer be limitations.

Instead, they would become Empoleon's strengths!

The latter's final evolution, Milotic, was a typical tank Pokémon with a deep move pool. Its Competitive ability also gave it offensive potential.

A true all-rounder.

Whether in singles or doubles, Milotic had a place on any team!

Plus, it was beautiful.

These two Pokémon were undoubtedly the best choices.

The next best option, was Primarina with its hidden ability. Its low usage in the game was due to being overshadowed by Tapu Fini, its superior counterpart.

But in reality, Tapu Fini was a Pokémon that humans could hardly even approach.

Thus, Primarina's status was naturally elevated.

The downside was that it wasn't as agile on land as the svelte Milotic. On land, it moved by wriggling, much like a seal.

The next option after that - a Gyarados. Its offensive power was undeniable.

Magikarp's evolution requirements were low, allowing it to shine from level 20 all the way to the late game.

The only drawbacks were its 4x weakness to Electric-type moves and its massive size, making it unsuitable for homes without ample space.

Beyond that… Li Xiang didn't have many other preferences.

There were plenty of strong Water-type Pokémon, but he preferred those that he felt a connection with.

For example, he had no interest in Lapras.

Unfortunately.

In just seven days, while juggling sightseeing, training Riolu and Torracat to improve their strength, and even participating in a small competition to earn some candies, Li Xiang hadn't been lucky enough to find what he was looking for.

So, with a hint of regret, he returned to Qingcheng.

Counting the days, Lin Feng should be back from Xiangcheng soon. It was the perfect time to explore that cave again with him.

Who knows? They might stumble upon something unexpected.

After all, one must always have dreams!