Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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After dinner.

Li Xiang took a quick shower, enjoying the cool breeze from the air conditioner for a while before packing his things. He gathered all his Pokémon and prepared to head out for his nightly training.

As he was about to leave, Song Jie—holding a laptop and seemingly planning to show him something—paused when he saw Li Xiang in sportswear, ready to go downstairs.

"Isn't it at seven?"

He thought Li Xiang had misheard the time.

"Night training. It's a habit I've worked hard to build—I can't afford to break it now." Li Xiang slung a bag over his shoulder, filled with rewards for Incineroar and the others.

Song Jie immediately turned back to his room. "Wait for me. I'm coming too."

Li Xiang had no choice but to wait.

A short while later, Song Jie emerged in similar sportswear, and the two headed downstairs together.

"How long have you been doing night training?" Song Jie asked as they walked, glancing at the sky, which hadn't fully darkened yet despite it being past six.

"About five months."

Li Xiang did a quick mental calculation. As they walked through the lush greenery under the dimming twilight, his destination came into view—a massive, egg-shaped training facility.

Bathed in countless golden lights, its white exterior shimmered like a Hollywood theater under the glow.

"It really is open!"

Li Xiang couldn't hide his excitement. His biggest worry had been that the training center might be closed, forcing him to train outdoors.

But tonight, most of the students were still adjusting, holed up in their dorms, waiting for the evening drills.

It would probably take a few days before they started exploring on their own.

People like Li Xiang and Song Jie—skipping rest to seek out the training center—were rare.

Like the cafeteria, the training center seemed to operate on a card-access system.

Several armored security officers stood at the entrance. Instead of stopping the two, they guided them inside after they swiped their cards and summoned a staff member.

"Welcome to the B-Class Training Center, you two! Today's a special trial—no additional conditions required~"

The staff member, a woman, softened her tone upon seeing the two cute and good-looking boys.

Li Xiang and Song Jie exchanged glances. The former stepped forward with a smile and asked in a low voice, "Big sister, what do you mean by 'additional conditions'?"

"That's something your instructors will explain. I don't have the authority to spoil it." She smiled but remained firm.

Song Jie, however, wasn't giving up. He put on his best pleading expression. "Beautiful, kind-hearted big sister, please tell us! We'll find out sooner or later anyway, right? And we promise not to say a word—who'd know you told us?"

Then, he pulled out a box of chocolates from Li Xiang's bag. "Here, have some candy!"

There was no denying the lethal effect two adorable boys could have on a woman—especially when one was a silver-haired boy and the other had striking dark hair, the contrast dealing double damage while they looked at her with their puppy-dog eyes, offering expensive imported chocolates. 

The staff member hesitated, glanced at the brand (a expensive high-end import that had been trending lately), and calmly accepted the bribe.

"Fine, but just a little."

The two nodded eagerly, pretending they'd forget everything the moment they walked away.

Then… she spilled everything she knew.

Admittedly, it wasn't much—just details about the training centers.

The camp had three classes of training facilities—A, B, and C—with A-Class reserved for those who battled in A-Class arenas.

D-Class arena users? No training center for them.

"Where's the A-Class Training Center, then?" Li Xiang asked. The B-Class one was already massive—he hadn't seen anything bigger on the way here.

The woman led them to a floor-to-ceiling window and pointed at a few square buildings near the brightly lit Pokémon recreation area.

Compared to the B-Class center, they were much smaller and looked more like research labs than gyms.

"See those? That's the A-Class Training Center. Don't let the weird appearance fool you—the facilities inside are way better than here."

According to her, the A-Class center had top-tier equipment and even elite Pokémon Breeders on standby for support.

But it wasn't open yet, so they'd have to settle for the B-Class trial.

When they asked the final question—how to qualify for A-Class battles—she shook her head.

"No idea. I'm just in charge of the training center. That's beyond my pay grade."

Not getting all the answers was disappointing, but they'd learned enough to be satisfied.

The two headed inside to the training rooms.

Many of the machines were ones Song Jie had at home—weighted vests, aerial hoops, projectile launchers, and more.

Incineroar, for example, could use specialized fitness equipment while wearing weights to boost its physical strength.

Corviknight, Riolu, and Greninja could train with the aerial hoops—a machine that shot out large rings for them to maneuver through, adjusting their posture and agility.

There were even impact machines to improve their endurance.

Even Rotom, despite lacking a solid body, had specialized equipment to use.

There was even a room dedicated to move practice.

Inside was a high-tech target dummy made of advanced impact-resistant composite material—far more durable than the outdated one at Li Xiang's home.

Yes, after all these years, new materials had been developed.

One test was all it took for Li Xiang to realize this thing was leagues ahead of his old equipment.

'Technology really does advance fast.'

Without money or connections, he'd never even know what the cutting edge looked like.

.....

6:50 PM

The evening drills were about to start.

After some hesitation, Li Xiang entrusted Incineroar and the others to the staff member, letting them continue training there.

If he couldn't even trust this place, then there was no point in joining the camp in the first place.

Besides, Incineroar and the others could take care of themselves.

He had complete faith in that.

Song Jie did the same. Unlike the paranoid Li Xiang, he was already used to leaving his Pokémon in others' care and didn't overthink it.

Drill Grounds.

The two arrived at Field No. 1—the same place where they'd gathered for the morning assembly.

Many students had arrived earlier, standing around in small groups, chatting.

Qu Sheng and the others were among them, quickly spotting Li Xiang and Song Jie.

"Where'd you guys go? Touring the camp?"

"Yang Tianwang knocked on your door forever—no answer!"

Li Xiang explained their trip to the training center, though he left out the intel they'd gathered—mostly to avoid getting the staff member in trouble.

A promise was a promise.

Qu Sheng and the others grumbled when they heard about the free trial, upset that Li Xiang hadn't invited them.

But it was too late now—the instructors had arrived.

Li Xiang muttered an apology while scanning the surroundings.

The field was connected to the wilderness, separated only by wire fences coated in repellent to keep wild Pokémon away, but at the far end of the field was a locked iron gate leading into the mountains.

Something about it gave Li Xiang a bad feeling.

The instructors arrived, blowing their whistles to assemble everyone.

Song Jie was called forward to collect everyone's ID cards, phones, and Pokémon.

Li Xiang's unease grew.

'No way… The first night, and they're already doing this?'

Couldn't they at least wait until tomorrow? Or the day after?

But clearly, the camp's leaders were determined to shake things up twice in one day—morning and night—catching everyone off guard.

Once all six squads were lined up neatly, Xiang Yangwei stepped onto the stage under the bright lights, smiling at the students.

"Well, everyone? How's the food? The store? The living conditions? After a full day, what do you think of the camp so far?"

Scattered responses came from the crowd, most positive—after all, the camp's facilities were genuinely good.

Everything they needed was here, and things were way cheaper than outside.

The meal discounts alone were insane.

"Glad you like it! But there's something we need to remind you of." Xiang Yangwei's voice boomed. "This is an elimination system. Competition is everywhere, at all times. So—"

"Tonight, we're doing a wilderness training exercise! See that mountain next to the field? The wild Pokémon there have been temporarily driven back to their nests."

He pointed at the dark, foreboding mountain, its shadowy outlines barely visible under the faint glow of distant lights.

"You'll follow a set route from the base to the summit, retrieve one of our camp's flags, and bring it back to your instructor.

"Your results will be recorded on your ID cards. The top 100 will eat breakfast first tomorrow morning. The rest will wait in the classroom until the first group is done!

"Rules: You must run up and down the mountain on foot—no Pokémon or vehicles. Only one flag per person. No stealing others' flags. Stay on the marked paths. And remember—we have surveillance. Break the rules, and you're out of the camp!"

'A night hike?! Who the hell came up with this idea?! And since when did "official matches" only refer to Pokémon battles?!'

Li Xiang's mind was flooded with complaints, but as he stared at the looming mountain and the dimly lit, winding path through the trees, he felt nothing but calm.

With his stamina, even a mountain this high—deliberately designed with a spiraling road—wasn't a problem.

He wasn't the chubby little kid from back then anymore.

'If running's all it takes, then fine.'

He glanced at his friends.

This should be easy enough that they wouldn't need his help.