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At first, Li Xiang thought he would never get another chance at owning a Shiny Metagross.
But just when all hope seemed lost, a new opportunity emerged.
Who would've thought that the Youth Training Camp would offer such a rare Pokémon as a reward? He never saw it coming.
Even the well-informed Song Jie admitted that these Shinies seemed to have appeared out of thin air, clearly indicating that this batch was anything but ordinary.
This got Li Xiang's mind racing.
Could they be the spoils of those foreign intruders? He vaguely remembered that chubby guy—before he died—mentioning that his excavator (or whatever it was) contained many Pokémon.
Or perhaps…
Did they come from the same place as Greninja?
Li Xiang turned his head, searching for his shiny Greninja's figure. After calling out, he finally spotted it perched on a tree branch outside the window, legs crossed in meditation, its form now visible.
In Greninja's original world, Shinies were the norm, while the "normal" colors were considered rare.
The seaside cave where it had appeared was still under lockdown, with no one allowed near. Earlier this year, Li Xiang and Lin Feng had tried to check it out, only to be stopped halfway by patrolling officers who questioned them and sent them away.
Who knew if the Ultra Wormhole had closed yet? Had anyone foolishly ventured inside and returned unscathed?
Li Xiang couldn't provide any information about 'Fall' either—that would be inviting trouble.
But regardless of where the Shiny Beldum came from, Li Xiang wasn't about to let such a golden opportunity slip away. A Pokémon practically handed to him on a silver platter—how could he not go all out to claim it?
Pokémon passing through Ultra Wormholes didn't carry the "Fall" aura that attracted Ultra Beasts. Instead, they emitted something akin to a Totem aura.
They were absolutely safe.
And so, with Li Xiang's restless thoughts, May slipped away like flowing water.
The life-and-death month of June arrived.
The atmosphere on campus grew extremely tense—whether it was the third-years preparing for exams or the second-years awaiting selection lists.
It almost felt like the college entrance exam season from his past life.
Only the clueless first-years remained oblivious, either unaware of what was happening or thinking it had nothing to do with them. They continued to run wild across the school grounds.
The battles for this year's Trainer License exam slots had also begun—still only ten passes up for grabs.
Both first and second-years were now competing.
Li Xiang watched a few matches, trying to scout potential threats, but found barely any noteworthy opponents—even among the new batch of kids.
In the end, the only ones who could give him a decent fight were the few he was already familiar with.
As for the four who had gotten a head start, he'd already written them off—unless they somehow pulled strings to bypass Song Jie's influence and got forced in by their families.
But even then, Li Xiang didn't consider them a real threat.
With his team gradually taking shape, he had every right to feel confident.
The other students? Barely worth mentioning.
With classes constantly reshuffling, Li Xiang only remembered the seventeen who stayed in Class 1, most of whom he only exchanged nods with—including the other class representatives.
Their skills were mediocre at best, hardly even sparring partners.
He'd probably only face real competition once he got to the Youth Training Camp.
Speaking of which…
'How is Yang Tianwang's intel-gathering going?'
Li Xiang recalled that Yang had been collecting data on Trainers from other schools—even those from neighboring cities—for a while now.
When he went to ask, he learned that the project had hit a snag.
"The workload's too huge. Probably won't be done before summer break. I'll send you a digital copy in July," Yang Tianwang said, dark circles under his eyes—likely from pulling all-nighters.
"...Dude, take care of yourself first. Your voice is already raspy as is—now you sound even more like a Psyduck," Li Xiang said sympathetically, patting Yang's shoulder.
No matter the world, intelligence work was always a massive time sink.
Yang glared at Li Xiang. "How many times do I have to say it—stop calling me Psyduck! And I wasn't up late because of the intel. I outsourced that ages ago. It's my sixth Pokémon."
Not long ago, Yang Tianwang had finally obtained his sixth Pokémon—a Dragon-type Dragonair.
But since he hadn't raised it from a Dratini, this prideful Dragonair wasn't too fond of its new Trainer, especially his raspy voice and average looks.
It was far more affectionate toward Song Jie and Li Xiang—proof that it was a natural-born snob.
And now, Yang Tianwang had been reduced to simping for his own Pokémon.
"Should've picked that level 24 Dratini instead of the level 30 Dragonair. Serves you right. That Dratini had a great personality," Qu Sheng remarked, rolling his eyes. He'd already secured his sixth Pokémon—a practical blue-and-green Gastrodon.
Though he'd mentioned that his next target would be a Goomy.
"Can't help it. Dragonair's just too beautiful," Yang Tianwang groaned, ruffling his hair in frustration—whether out of regret or something else, it wasn't clear. "Love at first sight, y'know?"
Too bad the feeling wasn't mutual. Simps never prosper.
Li Xiang sighed and patted Yang's shoulder. With his looks and wealthy background, Yang could've been a playboy—yet here he was, simping for a Pokémon.
What a waste.
Returning to his seat, Li Xiang glanced at Song Jie, who was reading a novel.
"How's the fossil simping going?"
"Simping? Your wording is atrocious," Song Jie said sternly, setting his book down. "It's called building bonds and maintaining trust. Weren't you paying attention in class? How'd you score so high?"
Li Xiang shrugged. "No shame in simping for Pokémon. I do it gladly."
Lately, he'd even buttered Rotom up so much that it started learning programming.
"...Whatever. Not worth arguing. It listens to me now. If you want to see for yourself, come over this weekend?" Song Jie smirked. "Haven't battled in a while. Let's see how much we've grown."
It had been ages since Li Xiang last visited Song Jie's place. Perfect chance to teach this overconfident brat what a real Trainer was capable of.
What could a mere "rocket Trainer" like him possibly do?
They agreed to battle that weekend.
…
And then, Li Xiang suffered a 'crushing defeat.'
The final score? Twenty to ten—his worst performance all semester, having lost ten matches.
Incineroar and the others lay sprawled on the battlefield, too exhausted to move, their expressions screaming "We've failed our ancestors."
Even Rotom refused to return to its phone.
"Wh—what the hell?!" Li Xiang panted, hands on his knees, sweat dripping onto his shoes. "Your Pokémon are insane. Are they on steroids or something? Damn you rich people!"
"I should be the one saying that!" Song Jie yelled from where he lay flat on the ground, too drained to get up. "What's up with your crazy Incineroar?! Tanking sandstorms, surviving double-team focus fire, then bulldozing my Aggron with Close Combat?! It's gotta be holding a Berry!"
Out of the entire battle, Incineroar versus Aggron was the most unbelievable.
By the time Incineroar entered the fray, it had already fought three rounds—its stamina should've been nearly depleted.
And yet…
The sheer absurdity of the fight had even made Song Jie swear.
"The power of bonds," Li Xiang said with a grin, flashing a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming in the sunlight.
"Piss off!"
Song Jie spat, letting the maids help him up as he recalled his own exhausted team. "Bring your monsters over. Spa time."
Li Xiang chuckled, handing Incineroar's PokéBall to a maid. "Ahhh, so sorry for always freeloading your family's top-tier therapists."
Song Jie's household employed several elite Pokémon therapists who could diagnose health issues, detect abnormalities, and provide recovery treatments.
Highly professional.
They even had experience handling Rotom.
Li Xiang had mooched off their services multiple times, singing their praises each visit.
Incineroar and the others loved it too.
Unfortunately, elite therapists were expensive. Even with his family's current financial status, they could only afford occasional visits—not a full-time, dedicated specialist.
"Quit yapping."
The heat, exhaustion, and crushing defeat had turned Song Jie into a grumpy mess—completely out of character.
But then again, he was only thirteen, not some scheming older guy. And this was his best friend.
People showed different sides to different individuals—carefree, reserved, generous, petty.
If Song Jie could still smile gracefully after a loss like that, Li Xiang would've seriously reconsidered their friendship.
After a relaxing soak in the private bath, Li Xiang stared at the slightly murky water, scooping up a handful. "So this is the 'heavenly mountain hot spring' you mentioned?"
"Yep. Stop staring—those are mineral particles. Plus an unidentified component that aids recovery for both humans and Pokémon." Song Jie had a towel over his face. "If you want some, I don't mind sharing the supplier. It's pricey though, and there's a vetting process… Your mom's position should qualify."
"Perfect. For a second, I thought your family hauled it down manually." Li Xiang nodded. With this, he wouldn't have to worry about Incineroar's post-training recovery.
Song Jie scoffed. "As if. Barely anyone can access the heavenly mountains. Semi-business, semi-government families like mine can't get in."
"...Wait, there are requirements to enter the mountains?" Li Xiang felt like Song Jie's words carried hidden implications.
"Too complicated to explain now. Just know there's a barrier to entry." Song Jie waved it off. "By the way… have you been secretly chatting with my sister?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of danger seeping through the towel.
Li Xiang froze, glancing away. "Uh, why do you ask?"
"..." Song Jie studied him before finally saying, "If you've got ideas, drop them now. It's not about status or anything—just know she'll never marry. Ever."
'Whoa, we're not even at that stage yet.'
Li Xiang mentally facepalmed. He wanted to ask why, but Song Jie had already submerged himself in the water, clearly done talking.
'More family secrets, huh?'
Silent, Li Xiang stared at his phone in the distance, his expression unreadable.
'So my online romance got axed before it even began?'