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Mid-January.
The winter winds blew, but nothing particularly noteworthy happened.
To accommodate Corviknight's massive size, Li Xiang had to clear out a significant portion of his room and rearrange the remaining furniture.
The space suddenly felt much more open.
Now, even with all four of his Pokémon sitting on the floor with him, it didn't feel cramped—whereas before, at least one of them would have had to sit on the bed.
"After all this trouble, if you don't learn to speak human, I'm twisting your head off."
Li Xiang turned around and patted Corviknight's rigid face while browsing forums on his computer.
Though Corviknight couldn't learn the move Chatter, it was well-known for its linguistic talent.
Li Xiang had seen several videos of Corviknights speaking fluently—albeit with a strange, metallic tone—but otherwise perfectly understandable.
Thus, he was determined to teach his Corviknight to speak.
Clearing out the room was just the first step in making space for proper training.
"Gah?"
Corviknight, who had been using its large wings to play cards with Riolu and the others, froze mid-motion.
The other three Pokémon gave it sympathetic looks.
~"Talented people have more responsibilities, huh?"
~"Of all the talents to have, why did it have to be speech?"
~"Good luck, little buddy."
Riolu stuck a paper strip on Torracat's face, laughing at the sight of the feline now covered in white slips.
Torracat had the worst luck when it came to card games.
"Meow!"
Another round!
Torracat angrily threw down its cards and began reshuffling the deck.
Playing card games like Dou Dizhu (a Chinese poker variant) was actually beneficial for their logical thinking—as long as it was done in moderation.
As for addiction?
When losing meant real consequences, who would get addicted?
Each white slip represented a lost treat. Winners could remove their slips, while losers had to add more to their faces.
That was the rule.
Corviknight shifted uncomfortably.
After evolving, holding cards had become much harder—it kept dropping them, and its talons weren't as dexterous anymore.
But Li Xiang insisted that the practice would improve its fine motor skills and refused to let it sit out.
...I feel targeted.
Corviknight reflected on its current situation—learning to type in pinyin, playing cards with Riolu and the others (which required strategy), and learning human speech.
This is too much!
It felt oppressed—
"Rii!"
Riolu tapped the floor impatiently, signaling that it was Corviknight's turn to play a card.
"Caw caw."
Corviknight reluctantly placed a 10 on the floor.
"Rii!"
Riolu cheered and immediately slammed down a Jack, winning the round.
Corviknight looked up in shock.
Wait, it's out of cards already!?
When did that happen!?
Before it could process the loss, Torracat pounced on it, delivering a flurry of Fury Swipes to its face while screeching accusations.
Are you stupid!? It only had one card left, and you played a single card!? Are you a traitor!?
Corviknight shrank back, glancing at Frogadier for support—only to find the frog glaring at it with narrowed eyes, its face also covered in white slips.
Corviknight wisely chose not to argue.
At that moment, Li Xiang called it over for typing practice.
Corviknight practically fled to his side in relief.
On the computer screen was a typing tutorial program.
"Today's goal is 2,000 characters. No slacking off, got it?"
Li Xiang adjusted the screen and keyboard height—even when crouching, Corviknight was still too tall.
"Caw caw."
Corviknight stared at the dense sea of characters and pinyin on the screen, feeling utterly lost.
Learning from scratch was a nightmare, but it had no choice.
Li Xiang watched with amusement, thinking to himself:
"One day, I'll truly achieve the saying—'Even a chicken could type better than you if I scattered rice on the keyboard.'"
Behind them, the other three Pokémon continued their card game.
When they weren't training, this was their entertainment.
Winners had fun.
Losers… well...
.....
Late February.
At the tail end of the final exams, Qu Sheng's Wartortle evolved into Blastoise after reaching Level 33.
A radiant blue light enveloped it as its body expanded dramatically—its feathery ears and tail transforming into solid flesh, while two massive cannons sprouted from its shoulders.
With this, Qu Sheng became the first in their group to have a fully evolved starter.
Reaching final evolution in just three semesters was a testament to his skill—and, of course, the resources his family provided.
Li Xiang took the opportunity to examine Blastoise's cannons.
Just like in the anime, they could retract and extend at will—even the openings could seal shut completely.
"That's so cool."
Li Xiang patted Blastoise's thick shell, impressed by its sheer weight.
Qu Sheng grinned proudly. "Damn right!"
Blastoise scratched its head sheepishly. "Toise~"
Despite its intimidating new form, its personality remained as gentle as ever—only revealing its true ferocity in battle.
Yang Tianwang glanced at his Grovyle, who stared back defiantly.
What're you looking at me for? If I'm not evolving, that's on you, not me.
Yang Tianwin sighed and looked away.
He really couldn't argue with Grovyle—it was the offspring of his grandfather's Pokémon.
If he mistreated it, he'd be in for a beating.
"Having a starter that's basically royalty is such a pain."
After chatting for a while, they had Torracat battle Blastoise to test its new power and see what moves it had learned post-evolution.
Though Torracat managed to win by exploiting Blastoise's unfamiliarity with its heavier body, it was clear that once Blastoise adjusted, it would be terrifying.
Solid as a mountain, swift as thunder.
And then there was its signature Hydro Cannon—firing from both barrels before entering a cooldown period.
If it only fired one cannon, the cooldown seemed shorter.
"That's kinda broken."
Li Xiang watched as Torracat evaporated the water on its fur with controlled flames—the red glow indicating the heat was carefully regulated.
Its temperature control had improved significantly.
"That's just how Blastoise is. Don't like it? Don't play."
Qu Sheng smirked, completely unbothered by the loss.
With its shell alone, Blastoise already had a massive advantage—retracting into it made it nearly untouchable.
Now, with two cannons added to the mix? Most opponents wouldn't even know where the next attack was coming from.
"Rain Dance up, and it's over."
....
Early March.
Winter break arrived.
As usual, Mrs. Yin took her annual leave, while Li Zhehan handed out year-end bonuses at his company before the couple began discussing travel plans.
Last year's trip to Qiong Island had been enjoyable.
Li Xiang's grandparents, as always, refused to travel far, so it was just the three of them.
Li Xiang was more than happy to go on a road trip—especially since Corviknight's riding harness had finally arrived.
He couldn't wait to take it for a proper flight outside the city.
"How about Saizhou? It's cold, but there's a place called Sandel Canyon that glows faintly blue at night—really beautiful."
Li Zhehan showed them photos as he made his suggestion.
Geographically, Saizhou resembled the Tibetan Plateau, connected to the Snowpeak Mountains (this world's version of the Himalayas).
Among its landmarks was the grand city of Snowpeak City—once known as the Snow Kingdom a thousand years ago, complete with an ancient palace complex.
Rumors said the royal bloodline still existed there.
Though the lamas were gone, replaced by devotees of Ho-Oh.
The influence of Ho-Oh's temples was vast—nearly every region in Zhu Xia had at least one.
"Sounds good to me."
Mrs. Yin had no objections.
"Same."
Li Xiang raised his hand.
Saizhou's flat plains were perfect for Corviknight's flight—though less ideal for Torracat's fire-based abilities.
With their destination decided, the family began packing.
First stop: Sandel Canyon.
Then, the Snow Kingdom's palace in the Snowpeak Mountains.
Li Xiang was particularly curious about the mountains—wondering if Legendary Pokémon like Articuno or Kyurem might reside there.
Realistically, though, it was probably just herds of Swinub, Sneasel, and Abomasnow.
Come to think of it…
'I don't have an Ice-type yet.'
Ice/Steel… Alolan Sandslash? Probably not native to Snowpeak Mountains, though.
He pondered whether he should add an Ice-type to his team.
'I'll decide when we get there.'
As the family packed their winter gear, Li Xiang double-checked his goggles, scarf, and backup oxygen mask—Saizhou's high altitude meant thin air, and even with his martial arts training, altitude sickness was a risk.
Of course, he also researched travel guides.
While browsing, he stumbled upon something interesting.
Earlier, he had learned about the Sun Cult—a group that worshipped Volcarona as a sun deity, once widespread before fading into obscurity.
But they weren't without rivals.
—The Snow Cult.
This group, originally from the Snow Kingdom, worshipped Frosmoth as their snow deity, believing it protected them from blizzards.
They had thrived in Saizhou before spreading elsewhere, clashing with the Sun Cult before similarly vanishing from prominence.
—Or so it seemed.
Online rumors claimed that even now, many in Snowpeak City still revered Frosmoth as a sacred being.
Huh.
A Pokémon with less than 500 base stats… is worshipped as a god?
Li Xiang found it bizarre.
First a sun cult, now a snow cult?
"What's with this world's obsession with bug deities? Why not just worship Articuno?"