Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Li Xiang couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.

During the practical training class, he noticed that Teacher Luo didn't seem particularly enthusiastic. His expression appeared strained, as though something was weighing on his mind.

Could it be that someone in his family was in the Archipelago Region?

It wasn't impossible.

"Teacher's been zoning out a lot today," Song Jie commented quietly beside him. Evidently, he had also picked up on Luo Wei's unusual behavior.

Li Xiang nodded in agreement.

Today's lesson was about how Trainers should manage themselves during Sandstorm weather. 

As everyone knows, weather moves have a limited range. For something like Sandstorm, this range is especially pronounced.

Weaker sandstorms may only span three or four meters, but stronger ones can expand to cover 20 to 30 meters around the Pokémon.

In some cases, they might even reach hundreds or thousands of meters, becoming walking natural disasters.

However, such phenomena were far beyond the level of the students. The class only touched on them briefly.

The real-world effects of a Sandstorm were essentially:

Fine sand particles swirling within a defined area, much like desert tornadoes, continuously wearing down Pokémon that aren't Rock, Ground, or Steel types, dealing varying degrees of damage.

For Trainers, figuring out how to protect themselves during such conditions was a critical topic.

Generally speaking, to guard against Sandstorm or similar granular weather like Hail, Trainers typically wore cloaks that covered their entire bodies and donned dust-proof goggles—much like travelers crossing a desert.

And honestly, that was sufficient.

Yes, that's all it took.

With the physical constitution of humans in this world, wearing basic protective gear was enough to handle sandstorms created by Pokémon moves.

It was only in cases of large-scale phenomena like Sand Tomb that Trainers would actively avoid the area.

After all, in this world, such moves weren't like the fixed-percentage damage mechanics in games that could defeat a Rayquaza in 16 turns. Their power was significantly reduced.

Even in the games, there were areas with perpetual Sandstorm weather, and yet all it took was wearing goggles to venture through them.

This highlighted how much weaker Sandstorm and Hail were here—they were more of a minor inconvenience than a real threat.

This was one of the reasons why Sandstorm and Hail weather conditions were considered relatively weak in this world.

But weather-based moves weren't particularly popular to begin with.

They consumed a lot of energy and were prone to being countered by the opponent.

An infamous example occurred years ago in the Zhu Xia Youth Battle Tournament during a team match:

Both teams aggressively used weather moves to gain the advantage, constantly switching between Sunny Day and Rain Dance.

This back-and-forth ultimately drained their weather Pokémon of their elemental energy, leaving them with only physical attacks to rely on.

In the second match that followed, both teams opted to wait for the other side to initiate the weather, planning to override it with their own.

But neither side acted.

As a result, they entered the third match.

By then, they'd grown smarter, splitting the field in half and shrinking the weather ranges.

Each team stood within their respective weather zones and used long-range moves to attack their opponents. Neither side wanted to fight in the opponent's weather zone, nor at the boundary between the two.

In the end, Sunny Day proved slightly more advantageous, allowing that team to defeat their opponents and advance to the next round.

These three matches were later used as case studies by many schools to teach students how to properly and effectively use weather moves.

Although Li Xiang had chosen to specialize in Steel types, he found Sandstorm unappealing. Instead, he was drawn to Rain Dance.

Rain Dance could significantly reduce the threat of Fire-type moves to Steel-type Pokémon, effectively eliminating a key weakness.

Of course, it wasn't the best synergy for Litten.

But tactics weren't limited to a single strategy. There was no need to fixate on just one.

...….

An hour and a half later,

That day's practical training class concluded.

Luo Wei left in a hurry, his face serious, saying only "class dismissed" and not even assigning homework.

Li Xiang reluctantly put away his notes. With the teacher so distracted, he hadn't learned much practical knowledge today.

Even the segment where they were supposed to experience Sandstorm firsthand had been glossed over.

"Not very professional," he muttered to himself, sighing. But then again, if Luo Wei really had something urgent going on, it was only fair to try and understand.

...

Back in the classroom, their homeroom teacher dropped by, gave a short announcement, and declared school over for the day.

Cheers erupted from the students.

It was Friday, and the long-awaited weekend had finally arrived.

"Li Xiang."

Song Jie's voice came from behind him.

"Hm?"

"Tomorrow's a day off. Do you have any plans?" Song Jie hesitated, looking slightly awkward. "If you're free, maybe…"

"What? Are you inviting me over to your place for the weekend?"

Li Xiang grinned. "As much as I'd like to say yes, my dad's coming back tomorrow. We're having a family gathering, so maybe next time—definitely next time."

He had always been curious about Song Jie's family background but never got the chance to explore it.

At his words, a fleeting look of disappointment and regret crossed Song Jie's face.

It was the first time Song Jie had ever invited someone to his house, and after working up the courage, he was promptly turned down.

"Hey, don't make that face! I'm serious—next time. How about next weekend? As long as I'm free, I'll come over."

Li Xiang chuckled, lowering his voice in an attempt to console him.

The forlorn expression on the boy's face made him feel a little guilty about refusing.

"…Alright, next weekend. It's a promise."

Song Jie nodded earnestly, gave a serious reply, then left the classroom with his bag slung over his shoulder.

As usual, he didn't stay on campus.

...…

At the school's battle arena.

After the routine endurance-training session with Litten, which yielded its customary candy reward, Li Xiang sat outside the infirmary on a bench with Qu Sheng and a few others.

They shared a bag of shaved ice, dividing it evenly among themselves. The treat was surprisingly refreshing.

"You're getting pretty close with Song Jie, huh? He's even inviting you to his place."

A younger boy started the conversation.

"What do you mean, 'getting close'? Listen to yourself…" Li Xiang replied. "And how do you even know?"

"Overheard it. I was passing by on my way to talk to so-and-so and caught your conversation. You're the only one in class he talks to regularly. That guy doesn't bother with anyone else."

Yang Tianwang chimed in with a smirk. "Well, duh. The guy's way out of our league."

"Stop it with the weird tone already!"

Li Xiang playfully punched Yang Tianwang. The kid had a habit of making sarcastic remarks, likely a byproduct of his upbringing. Fortunately, he didn't mean any harm—he just had a sharp tongue.

Yang Tianwang, sipping the last of his shaved ice, choked as he got punched. "Cough, cough! I'm just stating facts. Why are you so worked up?"

"Well, he's not wrong," Qu Sheng muttered, adding his two cents.

Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. "Even you're saying that? Care to explain?"

"It's not much of a mystery."

Having recovered from his coughing fit, Yang Tianwang jumped back in. "Song Jie isn't originally from Yuzhou. He's from Jizhou, the young master of Jin Nan Mining. I heard his mom's from Qingcheng."

Jin Nan Mining?

Wow, his family literally owns a mine!

Still, Jizhou was quite a distance from Yuzhou. What was he doing here?

Curious, Li Xiang voiced his question directly. However, neither Yang Tianwang nor Qu Sheng knew the details.

They only knew bits and pieces of Song Jie's background.