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The woman's name was Bian Zhen, a native of Haizhou. Like Li Xiang and his family, she was passing through Dianzhou to reach the border region of Saizhou.
Her exact purpose was unknown, and Li Xiang wasn't the type to pry.
But… wasn't her route a little odd?
From Haizhou to Saizhou—why take this path?
Not to mention, Salamence had a quadruple weakness to Ice. Winter was like getting slapped in the face over and over for it.
Li Xiang glanced at Salamence's weary expression. Fatigued flying is dangerous.
They didn't chat much longer.
Once the battle on the lake ended, Li Xiang urged Corviknight to fly away.
Halfway through, he turned back and saw Salamence landing beside the trainer who had used Walrein. Bian Zhen and the man were bickering, clearly familiar—if not outright close.
Oh. They knew each other.
Li Xiang nearly lost his grip on Corviknight's saddle handles. So that's why her commentary had been so biased.
Not that what she said was wrong.
Speaking of which—
He remembered a class discussion on "The Effects of Winter on Pokémon," where Sun Chengbin had specifically singled out several Dragon-types as examples.
Among them were Salamence, Dragonite, and Garchomp.
These powerful Pokémon, when faced with nature's harshness, became sluggish and lethargic.
Even if their levels were high and their physiques strong, winter still sapped their energy.
Their natural biology simply wasn't suited to cold environments.
Their native habitats weren't necessarily tropical, but they certainly didn't get cold enough for water to freeze or trees to frost over. Most lived in caves or warm riverbeds.
Which led to the inevitable question from curious students:
—"Rayquaza is also Dragon/Flying. Why can it move freely in the freezing upper atmosphere?"
That involved more complex knowledge.
In short, the upper atmosphere didn't mean absolute cold. Without the ozone layer's protection, surface temperatures would soar to thousands of degrees under ultraviolet radiation.
As the ruler of the ozone layer, Rayquaza could generate and manipulate it—current research suggested it coated itself in ozone to absorb UV rays and regulate its body temperature.
When descending to the ground, it also brought ozone with it, which supposedly aided its rest.
Of course, when it came to Legendary Pokémon, humanity still had much to learn.
....
On the Lake.
"Why did you pick a fight with someone?" Bian Zhen glared at her companion. "If someone hadn't told me, I wouldn't have even known."
The man, hovering above the water thanks to his Swellow's grip, recalled his Walrein with a calm expression. "If someone provokes me, I'm not going to ignore it."
He glanced at his opponent's retreating figure—a far cry from the arrogant attitude they'd had earlier.
"I don't care about that. Our mission is to deliver these Pokémon safely. If anything goes wrong, I'll report it directly to the Dharma King."
Bian Zhen shot him a warning look before turning Salamence away.
"Yeah, yeah. Ugh, women are such a hassle."
The man sighed and let Swellow carry him back toward their campsite.
.....
The Next Day.
The family set off once more.
Before leaving, Li Xiang glanced at Bian Zhen's group and noticed they were also driving an RV. The Walrein trainer was in the driver's seat while Bian Zhen slowly climbed in.
So they really do know each other.
Couple? Siblings?
"Riolu!"
Riolu stood by the car door, calling out to Li Xiang, who was carrying two buckets of water.
"Coming, coming."
Li Xiang dismissed the thought. It wasn't his business. Saizhou was vast—there was no way their destinations were the same.
What kind of Salamence trainer would willingly go to Snowpeak City? That's just asking for trouble.
Once everyone was inside, Li Zhehan honked twice before driving onto the highway.
If luck was on their side, they'd reach the border of Saizhou by tomorrow morning.
The couple planned to take shifts driving, resting only after entering Saizhou.
With limited vacation time, they wanted to spend as many days there as possible.
Inside the RV.
Li Xiang laid down a plastic sheet in the back bedroom area before releasing Corviknight.
The massive bird landed on the bed, its height—combined with the bed's elevation—immediately causing it to bump against the ceiling.
Corviknight blinked in confusion before crouching slightly to fit.
"Time for your oil treatment."
Li Xiang washed his hands, then pulled out a small jar of yellowish oil and a brush from a nearby cabinet.
For Steel-type Pokémon, oil treatments were essential for physical and mental well-being, as well as protecting their metallic exteriors.
In terms of Pokémon care, this world's breeders had perfected their craft—even developing oils with different compositions and effects.
The one Li Xiang held was specifically for enhancing Corviknight's luster and smoothness, ideal for its biology.
Especially since its ability was Mirror Armor.
Mirror Armor—Corviknight's signature ability.
When hit by stat-lowering moves or abilities, it reflected them back at the attacker.
An incredibly useful ability, perfect for countering Intimidate or crippling support Pokémon reliant on moves like Fake Tears or Metal Sound.
Additionally, as the name "Mirror Armor" suggested, it gave Corviknight's body a mirror-like sheen, capable of refracting sunlight and redirecting light beams.
Which raised a question:
Many Pokémon moves were light-based—Solar Beam, Hyper Beam, Ice Beam, Psybeam, etc.
Could Corviknight's reflective surface bounce these attacks back?
The answer: It depends.
Mirrors don't reflect 100% of light. Factors like refraction angle, reflectivity, wavelength, type, and intensity all played a role.
Of course, that was real-world science—this world's rules weren't identical, though some principles applied.
After researching online and consulting others, Li Xiang reached a conclusion:
—It was possible.
Assuming the "mirror" could withstand the attack, Corviknight could reflect at least part of the light back.
Reflection angles aside, the core mechanic was feasible, but this meant Corviknight had one major requirement:
It had to endure the attack before reflecting it.
Sound familiar?
Exactly—the Psychic-type move Mirror Coat.
In games, it always dealt double the damage taken. In reality, the rebound varied based on circumstances and where the Pokémon was hit.
Unfortunately, Corviknight couldn't learn Mirror Coat. Its reflection ability was purely physical, limited to light-based attacks—whereas Mirror Coat could counter any special move.
Thus, Corviknight's reflection ability was slightly inferior.
But it had its advantages. For one, it didn't consume energy. Secondly, it didn't require taking the full force of the attack—just enough to reflect a portion back.
Compared to Mirror Coat, it was a trade-off.
Corviknight's defensive training was undoubtedly the right call. Physical defense made its mirror armor smoother and tougher, special defense improved its light resistance, and HP ensured longevity.
—The Bane of Light-Based Attacks.
Li Xiang felt the title suited Corviknight perfectly.
"Caw caw caw…"
Corviknight's eyes half-lidded in contentment. While most would find being covered in oil uncomfortable, it only felt pure bliss.
Especially when Li Xiang's brush glided over its joints—oh, the smoothness was divine.
"If you've got nothing else to do on the road, practice Bulk Up. You've been training for so long and only learned Body Press—how embarrassing."
Li Xiang nagged as he worked. Corviknight had evolved over a month ago, yet its progress was sluggish. If not for the limited space, he'd have forced it to practice Iron Head by ramming into something.
That's how you learn it.
"Caw caw caw…"
Corviknight opened one eye, pretending not to hear. Only a fool responds to lectures.
Ten Minutes Later.
After finishing the oil treatment and tapping every part of Corviknight with a small hammer, Li Xiang patted its metal mask.
"Let it sit for half an hour. Don't move around."
The oil worked best when left to absorb before washing off.
"Caw!"
Corviknight responded with a guttural sound.
Li Xiang put the brush away, washed his hands, and headed to the living area.
Torracat was playing with a tiny flame on its claw—smaller than a lighter's, but its color gradually shifted from dark red to blue.
Once the flame turned fully blue, it sucked it back into its bell like a vacuum.
This was its method of practicing temperature control and flame absorption—surprisingly effective.
Nearby, Riolu sat cross-legged, paws forming a strange mudra on its knees, eyes closed, ears drooping—looking utterly detached from the mortal realm.
Clearly, Meowstic had tricked it again, but the reason Li Xiang hadn't intervened was that Meowstic's methods seemed to work.
Not long ago, Riolu had learned Calm Mind—a move it normally wouldn't get until evolution.
Li Xiang couldn't definitively say whether it was due to the Three-Blind Perception Method or Meowstic's bizarre poses.
Instinct told him it was the former, but he couldn't prove the latter wasn't helping.
Riolu was now a devoted follower of Meowstic—no amount of persuasion from its trainer could change that.
Are all Psychic-types this sneaky?
Annoyed, Li Xiang reached over and pinched Meowstic's ears.
"If Riolu gets messed up from this, you're dead!"
Meowstic smirked, radiating an "I don't argue with fools" aura.
Then, under Li Xiang's skilled fingers, its breathing grew heavy.
Its ears were a weak point. With the right technique, the smug mystic turned into a puddle of purring fluff.
Just like now.
"Meow~"
Meowstic let out an embarrassingly soft sound before clamping its mouth shut, half-collapsing against Li Xiang while panting.
Its vow of silence wasn't due to enlightenment—it just hated how kitten-like its voice sounded.
Pathetic for a grown male cat.
Which was exactly why Li Xiang called it "The Charlatan Cat."