Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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At the main gate.

Just when Li Xiang thought everything was over, an unexpected situation arose.

"Don't leave just yet, new junior brother," said a young boy with prominent ears, a wide grin on his face.

Behind him stood a small monkey-like Pokémon, orange and yellow with a mask-like pattern on its face and a tuft of flame on its tail.

— Monferno, a Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon.

"Yeah, yeah, there's still time! Stick around for a bit," chimed in another boy with a square face and small eyes.

Standing behind him was a pink humanoid Pokémon with a red nose, bulbous bumps on its head, veiny muscles, and a steel girder in hand.

— Gurdurr, a Fighting-type Pokémon.

Together with a third boy, who remained silent but had a dragon-like Hakamo-o by his side, the three of them blocked Li Xiang's path, preventing him from leaving.

The silent one had strikingly good looks, which Li Xiang couldn't help but compare to his own.

As for who these three were, Li Xiang already knew from the moment he heard the first two speak.

— The "Peeping Trio."

That's what he decided to call them for now.

"Hello, I'm Li Xiang. Starting tomorrow, we'll be classmates. Please take care of me," he greeted them with a polite smile.

The boy with the prominent ears raised his hand dismissively. "Oh, don't call us classmates. We're fellow disciples. By tradition, you should call me senior brother!

"By the way, junior brother, my name is Lu Chengfeng. Cheng as in multiplication, Feng as in gale. You can just call me Senior Brother Lu."

Lu Chengfeng!

The name instantly reminded Li Xiang of the fourth disciple of the "Eastern Heretic" Huang Yaoshi from The Legend of the Condor Heroes, who was skilled in the Empty Palm technique and mysterious formations.

What a powerful name!

"That's right, that's right! I'm Wang Dong—Dong as in 'move.' Just call me Senior Brother Wang," added the square-faced boy.

Li Xiang: "…"

Were these two messing with him?

One was from Jin Yong's The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the other from Gu Long's Happy Heroes.

Are you collecting the pantheon of martial arts novels or what?

The third guy must be from Liang Yusheng's works.

Or maybe Huang Yi's novels?

As Li Xiang's gaze shifted to the silent boy, the latter finally spoke. "My name is Duan Yu—er, I mean, Duan Yu. Yu as in 'island.' Nice to meet you, Junior Brother Li."

Thank goodness it's not Duan Yu from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

The surname Duan immediately made Li Xiang suspect some relation to Duan Tianxing. A grandson? Distant relative?

Li Xiang breathed a silent sigh of relief and said with a smile, "So, Senior Brothers, what can I do for you?"

Though it felt odd to call a few kids senior brother, Li Xiang wasn't one to fuss over such things.

Besides, he was curious to see what they were up to. Might as well play along and see what their plan was.

"Ah~ that's the spirit!"

Hearing him call them senior brothers, both Lu Chengfeng and Wang Dong broke into wide grins. They exchanged a glance, patted him on the shoulder, and gave him an approving look.

"Don't rush off, Junior Brother. It's your first day here at the dojo, so you probably haven't had the chance to look around properly. Let us show you the place and help you get familiar with the surroundings."

Lu Chengfeng affectionately slung an arm over Li Xiang's shoulder.

This guy was clearly well-trained; his grip was firm, and Li Xiang found himself unable to break free. He was effectively dragged along.

Even though Lu Chengfeng was probably only two or three years older than him.

Wang Dong joined in, wrapping an arm around Li Xiang's other shoulder. The two of them flanked him as they walked deeper into the dojo.

What's this, a hazing ritual for new disciples?

Li Xiang wasn't fazed. Instead, he raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

Is this really the kind of disciple Duan Tianxing raises?

Behind them, Duan Yu opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent, watching them leave.

Litten, however, noticed that something was off with Li Xiang's demeanor. It growled and sprinted towards Lu Chengfeng and Wang Dong.

But Monferno and Gurdurr weren't just for show. They quickly stepped in, blocking Litten's path with practiced movements.

"Meowr!"

Litten flared up, its fur standing on end as it prepared to attack.

The two Pokémon smirked and adopted fighting stances, clearly unafraid. The Intimidate ability had no effect on their resolute minds.

Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Duan Yu quickly sent his Hakamo-o to intervene.

If they disturb Duan Tianxing, it'll be a disaster!

Just as tensions were about to boil over, Li Xiang—still being "escorted"—suddenly spoke.

"Stop, Litten."

Hearing its trainer's command, the flames building in Litten's mouth extinguished.

It looked at Li Xiang with worry, but its training taught it to obey commands without hesitation.

Litten stepped down, and Duan Yu let out a sigh of relief.

But Li Xiang wasn't done.

"Senior Brothers, hold on a moment," he said softly to the two beside him.

Lu Chengfeng grinned. "Hold on for what, Junior Brother? You must be hungry by now. There's still some food in the kitchen—we'll heat it up for you."

"Yeah, yeah, the food here is great!" chimed in Wang Dong, fully embracing his role as the comic relief.

It was clear these two weren't planning to let Li Xiang leave.

Knowing this, Li Xiang didn't hesitate any longer. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brothers. I just have one small question I hope you can answer. Just one."

His expression was sincere.

"Oh?"

Lu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow, intrigued but still keeping his grip on Li Xiang's shoulder. "Go ahead, Junior Brother. Ask away. Your Senior Brother will tell you everything you need to know."

"Yeah, everything!"

They were even breaking out four-character idioms now.

With a bright smile, Li Xiang asked, "Here's the thing, Senior Brother. While I was waiting for the teacher in the main hall earlier, I don't know if my hearing was too sharp, but I could swear I heard Rattata squeaking noisily up on the roof."

"Rattata?"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Look at that, they're even pulling out four-character idioms now.

Li Xiang maintained his bright smile.

"Here's the thing, Senior Brothers. Earlier, when I was waiting for Master in the main hall, honestly, I'm not sure if my ears are just too sensitive, but I could've sworn I heard some Rattata chittering away up on the roof."

"Rattata?"

Lu Chengfeng and Wang Dong were momentarily stunned, unable to grasp his meaning.

Soon enough, though, the realization dawned on them.

"Oh yeah, I remember now! Those Rattata could even talk!"

Li Xiang's smile stretched wide, his expression becoming exaggerated as his tone grew sharper and louder.

Meanwhile, Lu Chengfeng and Wang Dong's faces drained of color. Within seconds, beads of sweat began to roll down their foreheads.

Behind them, Duan Yu wore a look of astonishment.

"Vaguely, I think I overheard something like… finding someone, two hours, crying about it, game consoles or something? Oh, and something about, 'If Master finds out, we're all responsible.' Weird, right? Why is my memory becoming so vivid all of a sudden?"

Li Xiang whispered into Lu Chengfeng's ear, then leaned over to Wang Dong, speaking with the same unnerving grin, his voice high-pitched and grating.

"Senior Brothers, it's strange, but maybe being sandwiched between you two is sharpening my memory! Truly, thank you both so much! Give me a little more time, and I might recall everything in vivid detail!"

Ba-dump, ba-dump!

The sound of hearts racing.

Lu Chengfeng and Wang Dong turned pale as paper, drenched in sweat. Their mouths opened, but no words came out.

Finally, they wordlessly released Li Xiang and stepped back several paces.

Seeing this, Litten rushed back to Li Xiang's side, standing guard and glaring at them warily.

"Oh my, Senior Brothers, what's wrong? You look so pale—heatstroke? A cold? But then why are you sweating so much?"

Feigning concern, Li Xiang moved closer, his face full of worry. "I've got some medicine for colds and heatstroke here—want some? They work really well!"

Although he mentioned having medicine, he made no move to take any out. Instead, he simply watched them with a sly, insincere smile.

Lu Chengfeng wiped the sweat off his forehead and forced a laugh.

"Haha, no need, no need. The heat's just a bit much; we're fine. By the way, Junior Brother, didn't you say you had things to do? We won't hold you up any longer!"

"Exactly, exactly!" Wang Dong nodded furiously.

Hearing this, Li Xiang's smile didn't waver. "Really? But I think health is a big deal. How about this—we go tell Master so he can send you to a hospital. You shouldn't neglect something as serious as this!"

He "earnestly" pressed on, sounding entirely sincere.

"No need! Really, no need!" Lu Chengfeng replied hastily. "There's no need to trouble Master. He's so busy. But thank you for your concern, Junior Brother, truly. We're fine, promise!"

"Yes, yes, totally fine!" Wang Dong chimed in like an echo.

Li Xiang stepped back two paces, cupped his hands, and bowed slightly toward them.

"Well, if you both insist, who am I to argue? I truly appreciate your enthusiasm today. Rest assured, your kindness will not go unrewarded!"

Since they loved martial arts so much, he decided to add a touch of flair.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh…"

"Haha-haha-haha…"

The two boys' forced laughter looked more pained than cheerful, and they dared not utter another word.

Satisfied, Li Xiang decided to let it go and turned to all three, particularly Duan Yu, with a polite smile.

"Goodbye, Senior Brother Lu, Senior Brother Wang, Senior Brother Duan. Take care and be sure to look after me tomorrow—I've got a terrible memory!"

With that, he led Litten away decisively, leaving the three boys standing awkwardly in place, each wearing a different expression.

Duan Yu, in particular, stood calmly, watching Li Xiang's departing figure.

No one knew how much time passed before Wang Dong broke the silence.

"This is all your fault, yelling so loudly! Now he overheard us! And not just overheard—he even brought up the bitter melon incident!"

Lu Chengfeng shot back angrily, "You yelled too! He heard you just as much! And what's wrong with bitter melon? It's healthy and nutritious! It wasn't spoiled or anything! If he doesn't eat it now, he'll have to eat it sooner or later!"

"Oh, so now you're blaming me? You're the one who got the idea to involve him! If Master finds out, we're both going to get beaten!"

"And you think you're innocent? You helped, so you're guilty too! Don't try to deny it!"

"I didn't help! I was trying to rescue him!" Wang Dong turned his head defiantly.

Lu Chengfeng sneered. "Oh, really? And who's going to believe that? Li Xiang's word will outweigh yours. If he says you're guilty, you're guilty!"

"You—!"

Wang Dong's square-shaped face turned bright red with fury.

Just as the two seemed ready to come to blows, Duan Yu finally spoke up.

"Stop arguing!"

Both boys turned to look at him.

Duan Yu maintained his calm demeanor as he spoke. "We're all in this together now. Either we confess our mistakes to Master—"

They shook their heads violently.

"—or we make nice with Junior Brother Li. Honestly, I don't think he's the kind to snitch. If he wanted to expose us, he'd have done it already. Just treat him well, and he won't spill a word."

Lu Chengfeng and Wang Dong exchanged glances. "You really think so?"

"Believe it or not, it's up to you."

Duan Yu shrugged and walked off, leaving the other two standing there, defeated.

Their plan to mess with the new Junior Brother had completely backfired, leaving their "Senior Brother dignity" utterly in shambles.

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