Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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— Actual combat is the best way to test your strength.

Li Xiang had always agreed with this saying and practiced it diligently.

As a result, the first to experience the might of Torracat was none other than its trusty partner, the adorable Riolu.

This self-reliant and helpful Pokémon, after feeling the enhanced power of the revamped Flare Blitz and Heat Wave, had to admit: Torracat was the stronger one now.

Seeing Riolu's frustrated expression, which was purely a result of dissatisfaction with its own shortcomings, Li Xiang understood that his efforts hadn't been in vain.

Moreover, Torracat had an uncanny knack for finding innovative ways to use its moves. For example, it could blow a fireball from the bell around its neck and then smack it with its paw.

While this slightly increased the wind-up time, it significantly expanded the area of effect and even enhanced the impact.

The difference between style and strength?

Li Xiang didn't quite understand it fully.

With Pokémon, the power and form of a move often depended on how it was executed.

Just like how Hydro Pump released from Blastoise's cannons differed significantly from that of other Water-types.

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Taking advantage of the early hour, Li Xiang arranged a friendly meeting with Lin Feng, his go-to battle partner.

Thanks to the newly evolved and highly motivated Torracat, he managed to earn some rare candies.

Lapras, now fully recovered, had also been discharged from the Pokémon Center. Lin Feng successfully persuaded it to join him and registered it with the association.

Although there had been minor hiccups during the process, none of them were worth worrying about.

The real headache was figuring out what to do with Lapras.

As an aquatic Pokémon without legs, its terrestrial mobility was nearly nonexistent—it had to wriggle to move.

Lin Feng's family couldn't afford to build a pond for it, and they didn't live near the sea or a lake. Leaving it in a park would be an open invitation for theft.

So, Lin Feng bought a plastic inflatable pool to house the still relatively small Lapras temporarily.

But living in such a place was clearly not a long-term solution. For Lapras to grow healthily, a spacious and free environment was absolutely necessary.

Lin Feng often complained to Li Xiang about how hard it was to find quick ways to make money to improve not only his family's living conditions but also those of his Pokémon.

Well, there was a way.

Participating in tournaments.

These days, winning commercial tournaments was like celebrities attending performances in Li Xiang's past life. If you had enough hype, the prize money could be astronomical.

With real skill, earning a few million at a young age wasn't unheard of.

The recent small Ho-Oh Cup Li Xiang participated in had only offered three Evolution Stones as prizes because it was geared towards absolute beginners.

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Monday.

Torracat made its presence known among Qu Sheng and the others, and the feedback left it quite satisfied.

However, when it came to Song Jie...

Things were different.

The scruffy little pup that always seemed to act like a lunatic, rubbing its spiky neck against everyone, had evolved! It was now even bigger than Torracat!

"Are you kidding me? I catch a Pokémon, you catch a Pokémon. My Pokémon evolves, and yours evolves too?"

Li Xiang sighed, covering his face.

Song Jie, who had been eager to show off, froze for a moment upon seeing Torracat.

"What a coincidence," he said awkwardly.

Li Xiang wasn't one to dwell on it. Looking at the formerly goofy little pup, now a red-haired, white-furred, crimson-eyed edgy Lycanroc in its Midnight Form, he asked, "Why choose the Midnight Form? Why not Midday?"

The Pokémon before him, a Midnight Form Lycanroc, sported spiky white hair that looked like it had consumed gallons of hair gel, a red-and-white body, and a sharp stone embedded in its forehead.

It looked cool, to be sure.

But Song Jie's Rockruff had the Vital Spirit ability. If it evolved into the Midday Form, Vital Spirit would turn into Sand Rush. In contrast, evolving into the Midnight Form meant retaining Vital Spirit.

Considering Song Jie's plan to pursue a Rock-Steel strategy, the Midday Form's Sand Rush would have provided greater benefits.

"It suits Midnight Form better," Song Jie said with a grin. "You and your Pokémon should understand that."

Personality shaped destiny.

Unlike Riolu's unyielding determination to win, his Rockruff was the type that relished the thrill of battle, reveling in the pain of getting hit.

It was even more of a masochist than Torracat, perfectly matching the Midnight Form's traits.

"Huh, fair enough," Li Xiang replied dismissively, focusing his attention on the Lycanroc. "Still remember me?"

When Pokémon evolved, their personalities could sometimes change.

Take Ash's Charizard, for instance. Although the show explained it as Ash lacking enough badges, it was clear that Charizard's shift from docile to aggressive was a real thing.

The 1.2-meter-tall Lycanroc glanced at Li Xiang, its previously cold and bloodthirsty eyes softening instantly. It approached with an unusually goofy expression, licking Li Xiang's face affectionately with its pink tongue.

Gone was the cool, aloof demeanor.

Riolu, watching this, made a face of disgust and darted to the other side of the room. No way it was going to act like that—it would rather die.

"Alright, alright," Li Xiang said, pushing the Lycanroc away. Its personality hadn't changed; it still loved licking people.

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When he first learned about Song Jie's family situation, Li Xiang had assumed Rockruff had the rare Own Tempo ability and debated whether to sell Song Jie intel about the Dusk Form.

After all, this world had neither Dusk Lycanroc nor Ash-Greninja.

Turned out, it wasn't the case.

A missed business opportunity, Li Xiang thought regretfully.

Still, as long as no one else knew about the Dusk Form, this intel would never lose its value. He could sell it later.

"Final exams are next week. I heard they're splitting us into two groups. The top three advanced classes will mix, and the other ten will mix too. That's how they'll calculate rankings," Song Jie mentioned out of nowhere.

"Rankings will be split?" Li Xiang asked, surprised.

"Yup." Song Jie nodded. "The bottom thirty might get moved to regular classes, and new students will take their place. Probably the bottom thirty and the top thirty."

Four hundred students total.

The competition was intense.

Li Xiang wasn't too concerned. This kind of class sorting was commonplace, but dropping thirty out of ninety advanced students seemed harsh.

Fortunately, he was confident he wouldn't be among the bottom thirty.

Recalling his scores from previous exams, Li Xiang felt secure.