Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
After Greninja evolved, its ability to create foam ropes was undoubtedly retained, proving that Li Xiang's efforts hadn't been in vain. Normally, it would coat its bright red tongue with the foam to mask its overly conspicuous color.
There was no helping it—the tongue was simply too vivid, flickering like flames when moving, flamboyant and dazzling. This clashed with Greninja's stealth capabilities and even hindered its natural talent for lowering its presence. Covering it with foam made the effect much better.
However, one thing to consider was that the production of sticky foam was limited. If it used Water Shuriken too often, it might reduce the output of foam ropes. It couldn't have both at full capacity.
Of course, now that Greninja had evolved, Water Shuriken naturally took priority. Foam ropes weren't even a proper move—they were just for occasional tricks. The actual effect would depend on how Li Xiang and Greninja utilized them creatively.
With Greninja's evolution settled, Li Xiang gradually shifted his focus to Torracat.
Not evolving at level 34 meant this guy was delayed.
Slightly unexpected, but still reasonable.
He had already gotten two early evolutions—there was no reason the third would follow suit. A delay of a level or two wasn't too hard to accept.
Not that he had a choice.
It would probably take about another week for Torracat to level up again. No need to rush—patience would eventually lead to evolution.
And so, the tumultuous winter break came to an end.
.....
New Semester, New Faces
For teenagers in their growth phase, a month and a half could bring significant physical changes.
Yang Tianwang and Qu Sheng had both shot past 175 cm, giving off a somewhat handsome adolescent vibe.
As for their voices breaking... Qu Sheng was fine, but Yang Tianwang had truly turned into a duck-like croak, even worse than Lin Feng's.
This guy had once said he wanted a smoky, magnetic voice, but fate had dealt him this hand—he probably wanted to die inside.
In terms of Pokémon, both of them had new additions.
Yang Tianwang had acquired a Water/Dark-type Crawdaunt with a massive star on its head, a crimson body, and two large, menacing pincers. No doubt it had the Adaptability ability, ensuring solid damage output.
Qu Sheng had gotten a Skill Link Cloyster, mastering Icicle Spear, Rock Blast, Pin Missile, and Spike Cannon—downright terrifying.
Li Xiang was looking forward to seeing them in action.
As for a certain white-haired boy...
As his features matured, he increasingly resembled an anime pretty boy. His voice, as if kissed by Meloetta, was very refined.
Appearance-wise, he bore some resemblance to his sister—slightly feminine.
He claimed he took after his mother.
Moreover, his demeanor had grown calmer. The typical teenage restlessness seemed to have completely vanished. He spoke softly, often wore a smile, and carried himself with composure.
It felt... oddly artificial.
Like he was wearing a mask.
Luckily, after chatting briefly, Li Xiang grabbed him and punched him in the stomach a few times, and the guy returned to normal.
According to him, he had spent over a month learning so-called "social etiquette" during the winter break.
His face had stiffened from fake smiling, and he'd nearly gone insane before his etiquette teacher was finally satisfied.
"Why even learn that stuff? Planning to enter high society?"
"Preparing for the future."
Song Jie patted Li Xiang's shoulder. "You'll have to learn it sooner or later too. The era of trainers being roughnecks is over—this is the age of civility."
'What damn age of civility...'
Li Xiang couldn't even muster the energy to retort.
When discussing their new Pokémon, Li Xiang casually showed off Rotom, who promptly abandoned the washing machine to dive into his phone, spouting a stream of classic tsundere lines that made Song Jie's eye twitch.
Honestly, if someone didn't know Rotom's personality, they'd probably find it unbearable.
When it was Song Jie's turn to show off his new Pokémon, however...
He just waved a hand. "Not convenient in the classroom."
"What Pokémon is inconvenient in a classroom?" Li Xiang was genuinely curious.
"Aerodactyl."
"....."
'Ah, a fossil Pokémon?'
Li Xiang studied Song Jie's serious expression, confirming he wasn't joking, then rubbed his nose.
Fossil Pokémon were the true pinnacle of rarity.
So far, there were fewer than 300 fossil Pokémon in the entire world.
And the vast majority were kept under strict management, isolated from the public. Globally, fewer than 50 fossil Pokémon had ever been displayed in exhibitions or used in competitions.
Aerodactyl was even rarer among the rare.
"Respect."
Li Xiang clasped his hands in admiration. "Truly, the mines have a home."
If he could get an Aerodactyl, was there anything he couldn't get besides Legendary Pokémon?
"It's not that great. Strong, sure, but hard to control—nothing like modern Pokémon's docility." Song Jie complained about how aggressive his Aerodactyl was.
It simply wouldn't listen.
Its level wasn't even that high—only 31—but it was inherently violent. Unlike the one in the manga that helped Red fight Moltres, this one had zero natural affection.
On the contrary, it actively resisted Song Jie and had even attacked him multiple times.
"So?"
"So I spent the entire winter break just getting it to barely tolerate me." Song Jie rubbed his temples. "Too many people around make it aggressive."
Li Xiang was speechless. "You're raising a tyrant. Don't your other Pokémon help keep it in line?"
"It's not about whether they can beat it or not. The reason I accepted this Aerodactyl was because of its fearless, charge-at-anything attitude in battle."
Song Jie tapped the desk. "Suppressing it too much goes against my original intent. You can't just look at the bad parts of a Pokémon's personality—you have to consider the good too."
In short, he was worried that if Aerodactyl was bullied too much, it'd go from a headstrong berserker to a timid weakling.
Li Xiang said, "So you're just gonna put up with it?"
"I'll take it slow. There's still time." Song Jie's expression was calm—clearly, he believed he could fully tame the unruly fossil within half a year.
Li Xiang didn't comment further. He actually had quite a bit of faith in Song Jie.
Before long, their homeroom teacher, Sun Chengbin, arrived, followed by the long-suffering class monitor carrying a stack of materials.
Despite being one of the Class Reps, Li Xiang was still chatting with Song Jie at his seat.
"Quiet." Sun Chengbin rapped the blackboard, his face stern. "The new semester is here, and I know everyone's still in vacation mode. But this year, there's something very important I need to tell you all."
He picked up the stack of papers the monitor had placed on the podium and began explaining slowly.
Just as Li Xiang's mother had mentioned, the documents for the Youth Training Camp had officially arrived.
The requirement was for the top 40 second-year students from schools across the city to undergo semi-closed professional training in the mountains at the border of Qingcheng and Xiangcheng.
The final 20 would be selected, and these 20 could freely choose any higher education institution in Zhu Xia. As long as spots were available and they passed the interview, they'd have a chance.
Even if the spots were full or they failed the interview, they'd still have other options—three chances in total.
The benefits were undeniably generous.
Moreover, the Youth Training Camp itself had a reward system—the stronger the student, the better the rewards.
A place everyone would clamor for.
But the final number of spots was half of what Song Jie had mentioned, and the "semi-closed professional training"...
Li Xiang frowned slightly. Since this world no longer had a military, this training could essentially be considered a militarized program.
"Told you—spots shrank," Song Jie poked his back. Li Xiang leaned back to listen.
"The fewer the spots, the better the treatment. Those who come out of this Youth Training Camp will probably be set apart from regular admissions." His voice was low.
"Zhu Xia is placing more and more emphasis on talent reserves and international competitions. Take the International Youth Tournament—it used to be ignored, but now? It's everywhere in the news—"
"Song Jie!"
Sun Chengbin's voice suddenly rose sharply from the podium. "Are you the teacher here, or am I? Should I just hand my position over to you? And Li Xiang—sit up straight. Do you want to fall out of your chair?"
"Ahem."
"Ahem."
The two of them coughed awkwardly under the laughter of their classmates and obediently straightened up.
Though Song Jie hadn't finished, Li Xiang already understood his point.
Those who made it through this would likely be directly recruited into their academy's team as reserves, bypassing the usual competition.
They might even have a shot at the main roster as underclassmen, competing against young trainers from other regions in international tournaments.
'Well then. Guess I'll have to work even harder now.'
Li Xiang rubbed the faint scars on his palm. Though most of his inner turmoil had dissipated with his senior sister's help, he hadn't forgotten what he needed to do.
Keep moving forward—no retreat.
At the podium, Sun Chengbin continued explaining, emphasizing that everyone should mark "agree" on the consent forms they were about to receive. Trying wouldn't hurt—making it in was best, but there was no loss if they didn't.
Once the forms were distributed, Li Xiang skimmed through them. They mostly covered Youth Camp guidelines, like weekend schedules (leave Friday afternoon, return Sunday evening), as well as a personal accident insurance form.
Same as always.
Li Xiang signed without hesitation. The school made them sign one every semester, but this one was clearly for the camp.
'Heh. Getting excited now.'
....
Noon.
As usual, Song Jie headed home for lunch, while Li Xiang planned to spar with Qu Sheng and the others. But Sun Chengbin called all of them to his office.
Including one other student Li Xiang barely remembered, there were five of them in total.
"I've already submitted your names. Once approved, your spots in the camp are basically guaranteed."
Sun Chengbin said, "But for the remaining half-year, you'll need to maintain your performance. Don't..."
A long lecture followed.
In short, these five were directly pre-selected—guaranteed entry into the Youth Training Camp.
This was within Li Xiang's expectations. After all, evaluations had started long ago.
After thanking the teacher, the five of them left the office.
"Be prepared. Keep a low profile this semester—no more fights," Song Jie nudged Li Xiang's shoulder.
Li Xiang feigned shock. "What do you mean, 'no more fights'? You make it sound like I'm some violent thug. Hey, I take offense to that..."
He launched into a rambling tirade.
"Alright, alright, my bad. I was wrong."
The white-haired boy couldn't handle the nagging and quickly fled.
Li Xiang smirked as he watched him leave, then joined Qu Sheng and the others for lunch, preparing for their midday sparring session.
Maybe he could speed up Torracat's leveling in the process and let them experience the terror of an Overheated Wash Rotom—burn their Pokémon's brains to a crisp.