Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Li Xiang, momentarily frustrated about forgetting what era he was in, felt a pang of regret.

If only I could join that tournament too, he thought, surely envisioning the potential prizes he could claim.

Clinging to a shred of hope, he searched online for Green City's local competitions.

Maybe there's still time to enter?

And luck was on his side—he discovered that the Junior Ho-Oh Cup had its final registration deadline for Green City set for the following afternoon.

While Lin Feng had only contacted him that afternoon, it turned out that the Xiang City event had already concluded the previous week.

Apparently, Lin Feng had been stuck in the countryside, unable to access an illicit internet café to message him.

Unlike most multi-city tournaments, the Junior Ho-Oh Cup didn't occur simultaneously across all locations. Instead, the event schedule depended on Sacred Flame Group and its collaborators' promotional campaigns, tied to the opening ceremonies of shopping malls in different cities.

The malls, akin to Wanda Plaza or Intime Mall, sold a variety of goods, with a primary focus on Pokémon-related products.

Without wasting another second, Li Xiang closed his chat with Lin Feng, ignoring the rapid-fire messages still coming through, and ran to find Mrs. Yin in the kitchen.

He asked her to take him to register for the tournament.

His mother had no objections, as long as he prioritized his safety. However, the tournament schedule would inevitably conflict with his martial arts training.

At least for now, it would.

The matches wouldn't always be in the afternoon, and the organizers wouldn't cater to his schedule. Once he signed up, there was a good chance he'd have to fight in the morning or afternoon, leaving no time for the martial arts dojo.

This meant he'd have to discuss it with Master Duan Tianxing.

Li Xiang wasn't willing to give up such a valuable opportunity to gain real combat experience and collect candies.

The grand prize was secondary; for now, he wasn't planning to raise multiple Pokémon.

What mattered most were the candies and the battle experience.

...

"No."

In the dojo, Duan Tianxing sat on a hardwood armchair, closing the lid of his teacup. His calm expression shattered Li Xiang's hopes.

"You're building your foundation right now," he said flatly.

"You'll start school after summer break," Duan Tianxing explained. "Then, the only time you'll have to come to the dojo will be evenings. If you don't cultivate good habits now, you'll regret it later."

He was essentially advising Li Xiang not to rush into "seeking fame and glory." The priority was to establish a solid physical foundation and develop the habit of practicing martial arts.

Habits were crucial.

Li Xiang was left speechless.

Duan Tianxing wasn't wrong. He was barely digesting his first bite of training and was already trying to cram in another, which seemed overly greedy.

After all, this world offered an endless array of tournaments.

But still...

Li Xiang truly wanted to join the Junior Ho-Oh Cup, both to hone himself and to sharpen Litten.

Proper battles often catalyzed the fastest growth for trainers.

Furthermore, the Junior Ho-Oh Cup would allow him to acclimate to the pressure of performing under the spotlight.

In both ranked matches and intercollegiate tournaments, spectators were an integral part of the experience.

At the park, having fewer than ten familiar faces watching might not make one nervous.

But seeing a massive crowd, packed like ants, and hearing the deafening cheers or jeers could easily cause panic, unease, or even emotional collapse.

Take Haikyuu!! for instance. Despite Hinata Shouyou's deep longing to play in a big volleyball tournament, and all the effort he poured in to prepare, he became so nervous upon reaching the event that he suffered from nausea and diarrhea.

That's how critical a strong mental state is.

As an adult, Li Xiang believed he had the right to make choices, even if they were wrong, and to accept the consequences.

So he reiterated his thoughts to Duan Tianxing.

.....

On the other side, Duan Tianxing frowned slightly at Li Xiang's insistence.

Clearly, his youngest disciple had his own perspective and wasn't going to abandon his idea with just a few words.

This reminded Duan Tianxing of a familiar scenario—his first three disciples.

When they were around fifteen or sixteen, they began to resent his authority and unilateral decisions.

They yearned to chase their dreams and decided to resist him through silent rebellion.

Corporal punishment no longer worked, and they gritted their teeth through increased training intensity.

But the laughter and chatter they once shared disappeared.

It was as though the voices had vanished from the vast courtyard.

Everyone lived like ghosts—silent and withdrawn, focused solely on their own tasks.

That unspoken war ended with Duan Tianxing's compromise.

His words, granting them permission to pursue their ambitions, drew the curtain on that conflict.

Unbelievable, wasn't it?

When Duan Tianxing told them he would allow them to become a lawyer and a Pokémon breeder, even he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Afterward.

Duan Tianxing came to a deeper understanding of the saying, "People are not plants; how can they be without emotions?"

By the time his favorite third disciple, Jiang Shangrou, entered her rebellious phase, Duan Tianxing had already grown accustomed to it.

The rigid master had finally realized that with today's youth, sheer force was ineffective.

Thus, he gave Li Xiang a choice.

Climb to the highest point of the Seven-Step Stakes and hold a standing posture for twenty minutes without falling.

Li Xiang understood this was Duan Tianxing's way of granting permission—a prerequisite task to prove the progress he'd made over the past month.

The Seven-Step Stakes were akin to the plum blossom stakes seen in martial arts films, designed to train one's lower-body stability.

The lowest stake was thirty centimeters high, while the tallest reached three meters. Beneath them were padded mats for cushioning falls.

Li Xiang had attempted it before but could only last just over ten minutes.

Twenty minutes?

It would be a significant challenge.

But without hesitation, Li Xiang respectfully expressed his gratitude. Under the curious gazes of his three senior brothers, he climbed to the highest stake, assumed the standing posture, and held on until the end.

By the time he finished, his entire body was drenched in sweat, as if he'd just been fished out of water. He collapsed onto the mat with a thud, completely exhausted, unable to even move his limbs. Like a broken puppet, he had to be carried away by Duan Yu and the others.

.....

In the bathhouse.

Lu Chengfeng massaged Li Xiang's aching muscles while expressing confusion over his persistence.

"For someone like you, still in school, the Junior Ho-Oh Cup seems way too niche. Nobody even talks about it on the school forums."

It wasn't surprising, though. The tournament was primarily aimed at soon-to-be academy students and their parents, capitalizing on their enthusiasm.

This period was when these families were the most eager—and willing—to spend money.

By contrast, students like Lu Chengfeng, who had already experienced the initial rush of Pokémon training and been fleeced once by the market, wouldn't fall for it again.

Li Xiang remained silent.

His reasoning was simple: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Never miss an opportunity, never underestimate any battle—that was how one could go farther.

When you don't have candies, you work hard. When you do have candies, you work even harder.

Among the three senior brothers, only Duan Yu stayed quiet.

Looking at the utterly fatigued Li Xiang, Duan Yu's mind was a tangled mess.

Given what he knew of Li Xiang, the idea of him inheriting the dojo was practically out of the question.

He was simply not someone who could be forced into anything.

After some rest and recovery, Li Xiang, still moving with unsteady steps, found Duan Tianxing standing at the threshold of the main hall, hands clasped behind his back, staring at something unknown in the distance.

"Master," Li Xiang called.

"...Hmm."

Duan Tianxing pulled his gaze back and said calmly, "No need to ask again. I agree. But any missed lessons must be made up later."

"Understood, understood!"

Hearing this, Li Xiang's face lit up with joy, and he nodded eagerly.

With Duan Tianxing's approval, he could finally throw himself fully into the competition.

....

That same evening.

Li Xiang shared the good news with Lin Feng and took the opportunity to ask about the tournament's rules and other important details.

The format was straightforward: single battles, one-on-one, with the matches based on the Pokémon chosen.

Because the number of participants was large, the early rounds had two matches per day. If you won, the details for subsequent matches would be sent to your registered phone number.

Participants were advised to arrive at least thirty minutes before their scheduled match.

As he chatted with Lin Feng, Li Xiang began formulating his battle strategies.

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