Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Even though Corviknight had gained significant boosts in both durability and attack power after evolving, its newly acquired Steel typing naturally put it at a disadvantage against Torracat.
Not to mention, its speed had actually dropped slightly.
At best, it could rely on Iron Defense to bolster its physical defense and try to trade blows with Torracat's Flare Blitz.
"Alright, stop."
Li Xiang waved his hand, and the two panting Pokémon immediately halted.
Torracat extinguished the flames around its body and slumped to the ground, mildly frustrated.
Corviknight's control over its body hadn't diminished at all after evolving—if anything, it had gotten even more ridiculous.
It could instantly adjust its flight height the moment Torracat attacked, making it absurdly hard to hit.
Luckily, Torracat could still jump high enough, or else it would've wasted its moves for nothing.
And it didn't have many uses of Flare Blitz to begin with.
"Flight speed dropped a little, but agility stayed the same… Is it compensating with reflexes?"
Li Xiang walked over and patted Corviknight's armor, feeling a slight warmth. Its dynamic vision and body control complemented each other—one couldn't exist without the other.
"Caww..."
Corviknight let out a low croak, its voice just as rough as its father's.
It was quite satisfied with its new body. Its durability was now solid—where it used to be fragile as glass, it could now hold its own against Torracat even with a Fire weakness.
The speed drop didn't bother it either. Corviknight was confident it would regain its speed eventually.
It didn't know anything about base stats.
"Now, let me ask you—what kind of path do you want to take? Any thoughts of your own?"
Li Xiang ran his fingers through Corviknight's chest feathers. The texture wasn't as nice as before—now it was hard as metal.
Corviknight tilted its head, confused.
Li Xiang pointed at Torracat. "For example, Torracat focuses on HP and Attack—it can tank hits while dishing out damage."
"Then there's Riolu, which invests in Speed and Attack. You know how fast it is—its reflexes are almost on par with yours."
"And Frogadier, which goes for Speed and Special Attack, specializing in long-range moves. You've lost to its Ice Beam plenty of times before."
Corviknight's gaze swept over the three before finally settling on Li Xiang.
"Caww.?"
"You're asking what I want you to do? Obviously, HP and Defense. Maybe some Special Defense if possible. Basically, you'd be the team's tank, soaking up damage for your teammates."
Corviknight's role was naturally that of a wall. With such a good typing and decent defenses, it'd be a waste not to make it a tank.
And with the help of candies, its offensive capabilities wouldn't be lacking either.
Come to think of it, three of his Pokémon were physical attackers, while only one was special. That was a bit unbalanced.
Physical attack candies were already in short supply. If possible, his next Pokémon should be a special attacker.
Corviknight thought for two seconds before agreeing to Li Xiang's proposal—fully committing to the role of an unbreakable wall.
Li Xiang let out a sigh of relief.
He had assumed Corviknight, with its competitive nature, wouldn't agree to play a supportive role for the team.
But surprisingly, it was quite cooperative.
What he didn't know was— Corviknight had long wanted to improve its durability.
It believed the reason it kept losing to Torracat and the others was because it couldn't take hits. If it could withstand their attacks, wouldn't it be able to strike back?
Li Xiang's suggestion to focus on defense aligned perfectly with its own desires.
That night.
Unsurprisingly, both Li Xiang and Corviknight got an earful from his mother. Li Zhehan sat nearby, looking troubled.
Should they move to a bigger house, or just widen the doors again?
If Li Xiang was going to be a trainer, his team would only keep growing. Sooner or later, this two-story villa wouldn't be enough.
Fortunately, he still had some savings. Buying a larger house and maybe finding an Indeedee to help out might be a good idea.
Li Zhehan made up his mind to scout the neighborhood tomorrow.
There had to be a few suitable properties nearby.
The next day.
Li Xiang arrived at school and released Corviknight at the entrance.
Its massive size drew quite a few stares, but once people recognized it as a Corviknight, they quickly lost interest.
In Western Europe, Corviknight were as common as Rattata—practically everywhere.
If not for its useful typing, nobody would even glance at it twice.
Even so, many trainers still preferred Skarmory, which shared the same typing.
For one, Skarmory didn't need a three-stage evolution—it was strong right from the start.
Second, its movepool was deeper—it could set up and remove hazards, function as both a wall and an attacker, and had Sturdy to prevent OHKOs.
Most importantly, Skarmory was native to Zhu Xia.
So in this region, Skarmory was far more popular than Corviknight. Even among professional bird trainers, Skarmory was the preferred choice.
Of course, both Pokémon had their strengths and weaknesses. Corviknight excelled in some areas where Skarmory fell short.
Personally, Li Xiang had no interest in Skarmory's weird shovel-face.
"Yo! Your Corvisquire evolved?"
Song Jie's voice came from behind.
Li Xiang turned to see him stepping out of a sleek, understated luxury car, followed by a floating, ancient-looking bronze disk with a face.
Or rather, it resembled an ancient bronze mirror—its body was a verdigris color, its edges adorned with six bronze beads, and it had two yellow eyes with a protruding nose-like bead in the center.
—A Bronzor, a Steel/Psychic-type.
Likely with the Levitate ability.
"Yeah… You passed up Beldum for this?" Li Xiang's expression was complicated.
Song Jie gave him a sidelong glance. "I need support, not more firepower. Got it?"
His team already had plenty of heavy hitters—he didn't need another.
Bronzong was a solid supporter, with decent bulk. Sure, it was slow, but it was a Trick Room setter—it could play Alice Chess (a reference to its ability to manipulate dimensions).
As mentioned before, Pokémon believed to have been created by ancient humans were always rare.
They had little interest in reproduction, and their lifespans were a mystery. Some could hibernate in ancient ruins for thousands of years, only awakening when unearthed.
An ancient Pokémon and a young master from a mining empire—a perfect match.
Li Xiang couldn't suppress his curiosity about Bronzor. It hadn't appeared in any practical classes yet.
"Alright, alright, wipe your drool. You're embarrassing yourself."
Song Jie noticed Li Xiang repeatedly resisting the urge to reach for Bronzor and sighed, snapping his fingers.
The levitating mirror, its large copper eyes unblinking, floated toward Li Xiang.
"It's not that bad."
Li Xiang retorted before cautiously reaching out. "I'm just curious. You know how rare these things are."
Its surface was cold to the touch, like real bronze.
The Pokémon showed no reaction, its gaze as calm as a machine's.
It doesn't even have eyelids…
Li Xiang gently flipped Bronzor over, revealing a tree-like pattern on its back—two leaves on each side and one at the top.
The Tree of Creation myth?
Ancient texts claimed that early humans believed Pokémon originated from a colossal tree that reached the heavens and delved into the underworld—the source of all things.
Arceus was the planter, and Mew was the guardian.
It bore some resemblance to the Tree of Beginning from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
"Does it have human-like emotions?"
Li Xiang released Bronzor and leaned toward Song Jie, whispering.
The Pokémon hadn't reacted at all to being handled—like it lacked any emotional response.
"It does, but it's only been out of the ground for less than three months. It needs time to adjust."
Song Jie had done his research before choosing Bronzor. "It's Level 27, Levitate ability. Not bad for now."
Li Xiang was speechless. This guy's Pokémon really was dug out of the ground.
Just because you own mines doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!
The two walked to class together. The moment Li Xiang sat down, he noticed six perfectly round holes in the window railing outside.
"Uh…"
His eye twitched. There was no need to guess—this was definitely Corviknight's handiwork.
The girl sitting next to him (sort of his deskmate) said, "Class Rep, did your Corvisquire evolve? A Corviknight just tried to squeeze through the window, poked holes in the railing, and flew off. Scared me half to death."
"Yep, that's the one."
Li Xiang nodded. "I'll scold it later."
"No need, just tell it to be careful. It's way too big for the window." She still looked shaken.
Clearly, Corviknight's attempt to force its way into the classroom had left an impression.
Not that it was allowed inside in the first place.
Song Jie snickered behind him.
As they talked, the sound of flapping wings came from outside. A massive raven hovered by the window, cooing guiltily.
"Did you even look at your size? Do you really think you fit through here?"
Li Xiang's anger flared up the moment he saw it. First, it broke the door at home, and now it was vandalizing school property.
"Gah…."
Corviknight glanced at the railing, not daring to speak too loudly.
As the saying goes, when God closes a door, he opens a window.
Corviknight had terrible spatial awareness—it constantly misjudged its own size and the dimensions of objects around it.
Which led to… unpredictable consequences.
At first, Li Xiang had been frustrated, but after half a year, he'd gotten used to it.
That didn't mean he wouldn't reprimand it, though.
After giving Corviknight a thorough scolding, Li Xiang shooed it away and slumped into his seat, rubbing his face.
He used to think large Pokémon were cool. Now he realized just how inconvenient they were.
No subways, no planes, no ships—now it couldn't even enter a classroom.
Many malls in the city also banned large Pokémon.
They simply took up too much space.
"I totally get it. My Lairon's gonna evolve in a few months, and it'll be the same story."
Song Jie patted Li Xiang's shoulder sympathetically—while also stabbing him in the back.
His Pokémon was about to evolve too.
At the start of the school year, his team had already been in their mid-20s.
Now, his Lairon was Level 37—evolution wasn't far off.
And once it evolved, his mixed-attack Lairon would undergo the same transformation as Corviknight.
Aggron could learn many special attacks that Lairon couldn't.
Speaking of which— The Lunar New Year was approaching, and the Wind God Festival in Qiong Island would soon begin.
Honestly, Li Xiang was tempted to go stand in the rain again, but he wasn't sure if repeat participation was allowed.
"Of course you can. But I'd recommend waiting until your team's more developed. Last time was to help you through the early grind."
Song Jie shrugged. "The rain was part of why you crushed Zhu Huihui so easily last semester."
That was true.
He'd figure something out later.
As Li Xiang pondered, his thoughts drifted back to the strange phenomena he'd witnessed before—
The golden rain, the whale's song…
What was that all about?