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Mid-July.
After half a month of unpaid labor, Li Xiang was finally free.
For Corvisquire, he had spent far too much time. Meanwhile, Lin Feng had already competed in a small tournament, earned a decent sum in prize money, and was now busy eating and playing around with his sister—living the good life.
As for poor Li Xiang? Stuck at the Pokémon sanctuary every day, shoveling poop and scrubbing down countless Pokémon with a brush.
Of course, he hadn't come away empty-handed. Manual labor was only part of the job. More importantly, he had learned about the unique traits of different Pokémon.
It was genuinely enlightening.
Compared to such valuable knowledge, a few candies and a meager bonus were nothing.
Besides, Li Xiang hadn't been idle during these two weeks. He had spent a great deal of time bonding with Corvisquire.
At first, Corvisquire's execution of his commands was sluggish.
And this was precisely the downside of raising a high-level Pokémon directly. The higher a Pokémon's level, the more mature its thought process, the smarter it became—and the more opinions it developed.
When faced with various commands, it would trust itself before anyone else.
Deep down, Corvisquire didn't see much value in Li Xiang's orders. Sometimes, it believed its own approach was better, only for Li Xiang to insist on a choice it couldn't understand.
In the end, hesitation led to defeat or taking an unnecessary hit.
Corvisquire wasn't the type to blame him outright, but frustration was inevitable.
If I could've won on my own, but lost because I listened to you—who could stomach that?
Certainly not Corvisquire. And so, its responsiveness dropped even further, creating a vicious cycle where it simply stopped listening to Li Xiang altogether.
A real headache.
Fortunately, after relentless effort, Corvisquire finally learned to accept his commands, setting aside its pride and choosing to work with Li Xiang.
But as the saying goes, easier said than done. Half a month was far from enough to fully bridge the gap.
Li Xiang could only take it step by step. No rush.
Corvisquire was already trying its best—no need to demand too much. Level 30 was already on the lower end. If it were Level 40 or even 50, the adjustment period could stretch into years.
In short, you win some, you lose some.
Trainers wanted to save time on leveling up, but they had to pay the price in the form of a bonding period.
And the best way to overcome that?
Battles.
To build trust between trainer and Pokémon, nothing worked better than the tension, excitement, and sheer desire to win that came with real combat. It forged a resonance between them.
—At least, that's what the idealists claimed. There was no scientific basis for it.
But many trainers swore by it because it just felt true.
Li Xiang decided to give it a shot.
So, he signed up for a small tournament—one with a cash prize for the winner.
Truth be told, prize money was the norm. The previous tournament's rewards—free Pokémon and Evolution Stones—were the exception. Cold, hard cash was the simplest and most straightforward motivator.
But now that he had some free time, the most important thing was to report his progress over the past half-year to his third senior sister, Jiang Shangrong.
---
Senior Sister's House.
The spacious backyard training ground.
"That's enough for now."
Jiang Shangrong spoke softly, patting Li Xiang's shoulder.
"How was it, Senior Sister?"
Li Xiang eagerly removed the blindfold, earplugs, and nose clip. Today, his performance had been far better than during practice.
Three-Blind Perception Method—that's what Jiang Shangrong called it. The core principle was mental stillness and physical calm, relying on heightened senses to detect the surroundings and external objects.
It might sound far-fetched, but it worked.
And Li Xiang had achieved the basics.
—Detecting balloons.
Pokémon would toss balloons from various directions, and Li Xiang had to sense their positions before popping them with a tool in his hand.
Simple rules.
Just now, Jiang Shangrong had thrown thirteen balloons in batches—and without fail, Li Xiang had pierced every single one with a thumbtack, without a single wasted movement.
"Mm… Not bad. Good job."
Jiang Shangrong's voice was steady, her tone flat and unreadable, but Li Xiang could tell she was pleased. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been lightly tapping her little finger against her arm.
Jiang Shangrong was a disciplined, self-controlled person—standing straight as a pine, sitting firm as a bell. She never slouched, never fidgeted.
That little finger tap? That only happened when she was exceptionally happy.
Li Xiang grinned at her. He had never slacked off in practicing sensory deprivation, all for the sake of surprising his senior sister upon his return.
And it looked like the effort had paid off!
"Your progress is faster than I expected. It's time to adjust the plan."
Jiang Shangrong pulled out her phone, squinting slightly as she reviewed the training schedule she had set for Li Xiang.
Originally, she had planned for the minimum standard. But now? Li Xiang was exceeding expectations.
Which meant the plan needed revisions.
"Got it."
Li Xiang nodded.
Then, a playful laugh rang out from above.
"Not bad, Junior Brother~ Been practicing hard just to impress Senior Sister, huh? Well, if she won't reward you, I will! Come on up~"
Summer had arrived, and with it, lighter clothing.
Especially at home, where fabric coverage tended to drop even further.
Case in point:
Qi Sunsun, standing on the second-floor balcony, wore a snug tank top that barely contained her ample chest and a pair of shorts that showcased her long, smooth legs.
The bright sunlight glinted off her skin, nearly blinding.
Li Xiang didn't dare look for too long, afraid his slowly-developing teenage hormones would betray him.
Willpower alone couldn't control biology. The last thing he needed was an embarrassing reaction.
Jiang Shangrong would probably be awkward. Qi Sunsun would definitely laugh at him.
But for Li Xiang himself? It would be social suicide.
He'd never dare show his face here again.
Thankfully, Jiang Shangrong wasn't about to let Qi Sunsun run wild. After telling Li Xiang to wait, she dashed upstairs to forcibly dress her unruly senior sister.
"Oho~ Junior Sister's throwing a fit! Quick, Junior Brother, come up here while you still can~"
Qi Sunsun continued teasing from the balcony.
Ever since she first laid eyes on her adorable junior brother, she had made a habit of messing with him—utterly shameless, as if certain he couldn't retaliate.
Just wait until I'm fifteen!
Li Xiang grumbled internally, scratching Corvisquire's fluffy chest in frustration. At twelve years old, he was still too weak to do anything about Qi Sunsun's antics.
She might act bold and carefree, but she was sharp.
Actually trying to take advantage of her? Impossible. Years of Beng Quan training meant she could effortlessly dislocate his arm—and then pop it back in.
—She had done exactly that to Lu Chengfeng once.
Leaving the three watching junior brothers pale-faced in horror.
According to Jiang Shangrong, this was a technique Qi Sunsun had developed herself, somewhat similar to the Soft-Style Beng Quan from fifty years ago…
In the 300-year history of Beng Quan, reforms had happened over ten times, and the so-called Soft-Style Beng Quan was the last of them.
Fifty years ago, after barely reuniting, Beng Quan split again due to ideological differences between master and disciple. One side claimed to be the orthodox lineage—Duan Tianxing's branch.
The other called themselves Soft-Style Beng Quan, relocating from Qingcheng, Yuzhou, to Port City, Yunzhou, hoping to flourish there.
That era was a golden age for martial arts, especially in Port City—a true melting pot of styles, but the brighter the flame, the faster it burned out.
No matter how fierce martial arts were, they couldn't compete with Pokémon trainers. In rapidly developing Port City, their only remaining purpose was to be immortalized in films.
Becoming nothing more than screen spectacle.
And so, Soft-Style Beng Quan quietly faded into obscurity.
The "orthodox" Beng Quan in Yuzhou wasn't faring much better. In Duan Tianxing's generation, there had only been three disciples—one of whom had already passed away, leaving only Duan Tianxing and one other senior brother.
That senior brother was obsessed with reviving Beng Quan's glory. But in Yuzhou, martial arts had no place left to grow.
Fortunately, the Zhu Xia region spanned five capitals, nine provinces, and thirteen islands. If Yuzhou wouldn't embrace Beng Quan, it could go elsewhere.
So, he set out to make his mark.
But according to rumors, that senior uncle hadn't contacted Duan Tianxing in over twenty years, leaving Duan Tianxing alone, guarding the legacy with a handful of disciples—none of whom seemed interested in carrying it forward.
It seemed the 300-year-old art of Beng Quan was on the verge of extinction.
---
The Next Day.
The small tournament Li Xiang had entered officially began.
This time, there were no age restrictions, meaning he could face anyone—and any Pokémon.
Naturally, he stayed cautious, but sometimes, life had a way of throwing curveballs.
"Wooloo of all things…"
Li Xiang inhaled sharply, staring at the round, fluffy Pokémon across the field—its gray braids dangling in front of its ears like little bells.
Wooloo—the adorable sheep Pokémon from the eighth generation, existing solely to produce wool, get sheared, and have its fleece processed into knitwear sold worldwide.
The black-and-white shiny variant's wool was especially sought after.
In short, it was a living, breathing tool sheep.
And looks-wise? Adorable. But also ridiculous.
What could Wooloo even do in battle? Was this a joke?
Cotton Guard + Body Press?
You think you're Hop or something!?
Li Xiang reached behind his back, initially planning to send out Riolu and teach this opponent what it meant to be a shepherd.
But after a moment's thought, he decided to give Corvisquire the spotlight instead.
So, Corvisquire took to the skies, wings spread as it let out a harsh, intimidating cry!
The Wooloo across the field visibly stiffened, startled. But what Li Xiang didn't expect was for its bell-like eyes to well up with tears.
…It got scared to the point of crying?
A Pokémon, crying from fear?
"Caaww…"
Corvisquire turned its head, an awkward expression on its face.
This is the opponent you picked for me?
Really?
"Cut it some slack. Early rounds are like this. It'll get better later," Li Xiang said with a strained smile.
He didn't often compete in these unofficial tournaments. He hadn't expected to run into such a… unique Pokémon here.