Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Although academy trainers have gradually become the mainstream in recent years, that doesn't mean traditional trainers—who travel between cities to continuously strengthen themselves—have disappeared.

Camping Grounds.

This was where many traditional trainers stayed when camping out in the wild.

Surprisingly... bustling?

Li Xiang gazed at the lively campsite on the hillside, and the words involuntarily popped into his head.

Despite being in the middle of nowhere, this place actually had a Pokémon Center and numerous convenience stores.

In the distance, there was even a small marketplace teeming with people. Vendors sold everything—from overseas ornaments to specialty products from neighboring regions, and even Pokémon.

Only a few Pokémon were displayed at a time, carefully toeing the line between legal and illegal.

At a glance, this campsite was hardly different from an ordinary small village.

The street stall economy of this world was truly flourishing.

Li Xiang couldn't help but sigh.

Above him, a flock of Pidgeot carrying people glided by, flapping their wings as they flew off—a rather cool sight.

There were no restrictions against trainers riding their Pokémon in the wild, so many who didn't want to walk opted to ride their Pokémon. From Onix to Machamp and even Starmie—anything was possible.

They called it—embracing their true nature.

Li Xiang was envious. Ever since reading the Pokémon Adventures manga, he had dreamed of soaring through the sky on a Pokémon.

Now that fate had brought him to this world, there was no doubt—he would fulfill that dream someday.

But as for riding land Pokémon? 

No, thanks.

Back in his old life, he had once gone horseback riding at a ranch. After just half an hour, his butt and the insides of his thighs ached like they were being torn apart.

From that day on, even when people insisted he was just using the wrong posture, he still kept his distance from horseback riding.

"Riolu!!"

Behind him, Riolu's soft voice called out.

Li Xiang turned to see his partner waving at him while balancing a metal basin on his head, standing next to a few large water buckets.

Fetching water, huh?

"Coming!" he called back and ran over.

Honestly, it was embarrassing. Everyone else was busy helping out—heck, even Torracat was using its moves to help Li Zhehan start a fire—yet he was the only one dawdling at the bottom of the hill.

Time to make up for it.

The boy and his Pokémon grabbed their respective water containers and headed toward the water source to the east.

The campsite's water came from a mountain stream in the far east, pure and unpolluted—something that made it quite popular among travelers.

It was said that the source was a large lake behind the mountain.

Even in winter, flocks of Swanna gathered there, along with countless Water-type Pokémon, making it a hotspot for traditional trainers.

Rumors even claimed that a trainer once spotted a Dragonair and a Dragonite there.

No wonder so many trainers stopped at this campsite.

Since leveling up Pokémon became increasingly time-consuming as they grew stronger, high-level, fully evolved Pokémon were in high demand and always sold at a premium.

Trainers would rather spend three or four years forming bonds with strong, high-level Pokémon than spend seven or eight years raising one from scratch just to reach an "acceptable" level.

After all, trainers had a golden age in their careers—time was money.

"Be careful."

Li Xiang reached out to steady Riolu, who was teetering under the weight of the basin on his head, nearly spilling water everywhere.

Riolu looked embarrassed. It had thought balancing a water basin would be easy—but it was much harder than expected.

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After dinner.

Li Zhehan went to stroll through the marketplace with Mrs. Yin to help with digestion. That left Li Xiang and a group of Pokémon to guard the camp.

There was no way he was just going to sit around and do nothing.

The moment they left, he eagerly took Torracat and Riolu to watch some battles. Maybe, just maybe, he'd find a trainer at his level and win a few candies from a friendly match.

As for guarding the camp? That was Pelipper and the others' job—they were professionals.

Unfortunately…

Li Xiang had overestimated himself.

Most of the trainers here were far stronger than him.

A single glance told him that—nearly every Pokémon in sight was in its final evolution. Under the dim lighting, they all looked intimidating.

There were plenty of kids in the audience, but they didn't seem like trainers—just regular tourists.

As night fell, several large floodlights turned on, casting bright white beams that illuminated the area.

Traditional trainers weren't limited by their environment. No matter how dark it was, they battled regardless. If poor visibility led to their defeat, that was simply a reflection of their lack of skill—no one would complain.

But society had advanced, and with battles becoming more competitive, a few streetlights were an affordable investment.

Standing at the edge of the battlefield, Li Xiang scanned the crowd.

There were a lot of battles going on.

Everywhere he looked, colorful moves flashed, filling the air with dazzling lights. Fire and smoke erupted from different corners—if he didn't know better, he'd think a war was breaking out.

Still, some battles attracted more attention than others.

Like the one happening about a hundred meters west of him.

One of the trainers was commanding a Rhyperior—a Ground/Rock-type Pokémon encased in crimson rock armor, with a massive drill on its snout, hammer-like arms, and a tail resembling a flail.

It was no wonder this battle was drawing a crowd.

And facing it was a Pokémon that looked like a massive black clay doll, covered in countless crimson eyes, with no hands or feet—Claydol, the Psychic- and Ground-type Pokémon.

"Huh… Claydol, huh?"

Li Xiang focused on the latter.

Reality wasn't like the games—just because this thing had little to no competitive value in the eyes of players didn't mean it was weak.

In truth, they were incredibly rare, typically found only in archaeological dig sites or hidden deep within deserts.

Unlike Beldum, Magnemite, or Starmie, which eagerly split and replicate themselves, Claydol—also a genderless species—had almost no interest in reproduction.

Even if a Ditto transformed into one right beside them, it wouldn't change a thing.

Their numbers would only dwindle as they were captured one by one.

Thus, from a "scarcity equals value" perspective, their market price was on par with pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

"If I ever explore some ruins and stumble upon a ton of Baltoy or Claydol, I might just strike it rich."

Clicking his tongue, Li Xiang watched the rare Pokémon absorb light through its jug-like "hands" in the night before releasing two bright greenish-yellow beams.

—Solar Beam!

Using Solar Beam at night? Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

But Claydol still pulled it off. After all, moonlight was just reflected sunlight.

At worst, the charge time would be longer.

Against such a devastating move—especially since Rhyperior had abysmal Special Defense, no Trick Room or Sandstorm support, and couldn't even Gigantamax to tank the hit—it had to defend itself.

A massive barrage of sand-like rocks suddenly materialized from Rhyperior's palms, cascading forward like a landslide, completely engulfing both Claydol and its Solar Beam!

Li Xiang: "!!!"

A landslide-style Stone Edge!

Wasn't this the signature move of that one Master Ball ranked Trainer?!

Normally, Stone Edge fired a single large rock that exploded upon impact.

But every now and then, geniuses would find ways to modify moves.

That Master-ranked Trainer's name escaped Li Xiang, but he distinctly remembered their Rhyperior using a "mudslide tactic."

It could generate and mix a huge quantity of rocks and mud, then fire them like Stone Edge to drown opponents.

Gossip columns claimed this technique worked by pre-detonating Stone Edge projectiles and leveraging Rhyperior's insane muscular strength to launch them at high speed.

Sounded legit enough.

But whether it was true, Li Xiang had no idea.

He never expected to see a real-life version of it out in the middle of nowhere. Was this guy actually him?

Narrowing his eyes, Li Xiang ignored Claydol getting buried and instantly knocked out. He strained to make out the trainer's face.

Hmm… no, not him, but the resemblance was there. His son? Younger brother?

That Master-ranked Trainer was in his forties—if he had kids early, his son would be about this age.

Most likely a relative.

In the distance, the battle ended with Claydol's defeat. The trainers recalled their Pokémon and stepped aside for the next challengers, cheerfully chatting as they did.

Modern-day trainers were generally more amicable, without the cutthroat hostility of the past where battles felt like life-or-death grudges.

It was more like the anime—where rivals could fight and still share drinks afterward.

Of course, there were always exceptions.

People like Lin Feng often ended up in battles where both sides got so heated that they became outright enemies.

Every time he witnessed that, Li Xiang felt grateful he didn't have the "natural enemy magnet" aura—though, with how many close male friends he had, it did make him seem a bit odd.

Shifting his attention elsewhere.

Another popular battle.

One side featured a humanoid Pokémon covered in yellow-ringed holes, its gaping mouth occupying nearly half its body—like a living pipe organ. Exploud, the Normal-type Pokémon.

Facing it was a Pokémon resembling fractured chunks of ice pieced together, its back as smooth as a mirror, appearing diamond-shaped from above—Cryogonal, the Ice-type Pokémon.

This match drew a crowd because…

That Exploud was actually using the holes on its knees, elbows, and tail to release tangible sound shockwaves, allowing it to briefly hover in midair.

Even when attacking with its mouth, it used its tail holes to counteract recoil.

By comparison…

Cryogonal's Gyro Ball dispersing the sound waves almost seemed unimpressive.

"There's no way that kind of flight control took less than ten years of training."

Li Xiang was thoroughly impressed. Online discussions were full of creative ways Pokémon could use their moves or bodies.

But how many of them actually worked in practice?

Just because something seemed possible didn't mean it was. It required countless hours of testing.

Without investing the time, how could it ever become usable?

For rookies like him, it was smarter to focus on mastering established moves first.

Raise their levels, build battle experience, then experiment with crazy ideas.

That was the most efficient approach.