Chapter 96: The Little Cat's Jealousy

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The pilgrimage ceremony concluded with the rain stopping.

Someone stepped forward and removed the colorful robes he was wearing, then signaled that he could leave.

Li Xiang didn't linger. He recalled the two sleeping Pokémon and turned to look for Song Jie, but when he turned around, Song Jie was nowhere to be seen.

Abigail, who had been standing a few spots away, was also gone.

Had they left?

When did that happen?

Li Xiang was a bit confused. He took out his phone, intending to message Song Jie on WeChat, but he was quickly whisked away by Mrs. Yin and Li Zhehan.

His parents had been waiting impatiently. They had accompanied Li Xiang early in the morning to stand in the rain, and now they wanted to visit the temple fair in the city.

Li Xiang had no choice but to follow them down the mountain.

Riolu and Torracat would likely need a bath—they were covered in dirt.

Back at the hotel.

Li Xiang, who had a room to himself, put down his phone and tossed Riolu and Torracat onto the sofa before heading to take a shower.

From a brief chat with Song Jie on the way back, he learned that the young man had already boarded a ship back to the mainland.

It seemed that Song Jie and Abigail had only come to experience the Water/Rain of Life once. They weren't particularly interested in the Wind God Festival itself.

...How pragmatic.

Furthermore, Song Jie mentioned that he hadn't seen the multicolored rain.

He only felt that the Water of Life was incredibly soothing—so soothing that he had wanted to close his eyes and sleep, craving more of it.

The increasingly loud whale-like call was the same.

As for the Water of Life merging with the body, Song Jie had known about that beforehand. However, it was selective.

For certain individuals—winners of the pilgrimage trials and those pre-selected—the rain would merge with their bodies. For others, it wouldn't.

To this day, no one had been able to figure out why the Rain of Life was so selective.

Li Xiang guessed it had something to do with the old man's feathered staff. While chanting the blessings, the old man had pointed the end with the Silver Feather at everyone in turn.

But as for the color of the raindrops and the whale-like call, Li Xiang couldn't find any answers.

After discussing the series of events, Song Jie finally revealed the true effects of the Water of Life.

He also complained about his stingy older sister, saying she didn't trust him enough to share information with Li Xiang.

He even joked that such a distrustful girl would never find a husband.

However, he quickly deleted that message.

If Li Xiang hadn't been quick, he might not have seen it.

Well, the young man's survival instincts were strong.

Getting back to the main topic - The most basic effects of the Water of Life were similar to what was advertised online: boosting immunity, curing illnesses, and warding off disasters.

But the real highlight was this:

It helped Pokémon learn new moves or enhanced the power of Water-type moves, while also improving their overall physical condition.

According to Song Jie, the Water of Life could only be experienced once in a lifetime.

Experiencing it multiple times had no additional effect, but the benefits were significant.

Pokémon with Water-type moves in their move pool might instantly learn a new one. For those who already knew Water-type moves, the power of those moves would miraculously increase.

At the same time, their durability would greatly improve. Reliable statistics showed that Pokémon who experienced the Water of Life had significantly increased move endurance.

Of course, individual differences meant that the results varied depending on how well each Pokémon adapted to the Rain of Life.

In short, there were many benefits, and experiencing it was definitely worth it— but Li Xiang felt like he had missed out.

Torracat and Riolu couldn't learn any Water-type moves!

Only getting a boost to their physical condition felt like a huge loss!

Ugh!

He was so frustrated he could feel his blood pressure rising!

If only he had caught a new Water-type Pokémon yesterday!

Li Xiang lay in the bathtub, blowing bubbles in frustration.

Of course, he didn't blame Song Jie for telling him so late.

If it weren't for Song Jie insisting that he participate in the pilgrimage trials, Riolu and Torracat wouldn't even have had the chance to improve their physical condition.

Suddenly-

"Riolu!!!"

A scream from Riolu and an angry hiss from Torracat came from outside the bathroom.

The latter's voice was filled with barely suppressed rage.

Li Xiang froze for a moment, then stood up from the bathtub and shouted nervously, "What's wrong? What happened?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the bathroom door slammed open, and Riolu rushed in, whimpering and looking both panicked and wronged.

Behind it, Torracat stormed in, its anger palpable. However, upon seeing the bathroom, it instinctively slowed its pace.

But Li Xiang didn't pay attention to that. His gaze was fixed on Riolu's head.

Or rather... the small dark cloud forming on the ceiling.

—Rain Dance???

Li Xiang's mouth fell open. He had almost forgotten that Riolu could summon weather!

Had it really learned Rain Dance?

That was great!

Li Xiang felt that as long as it wasn't just a physical boost, he had gained something valuable.

"Riolu~~~"

For the first time, Riolu seemed genuinely upset and wanted comfort from Li Xiang.

When it woke up on the sofa earlier, it had simply wanted to relive the soothing feeling of the rain.

But then, a rain cloud had suddenly formed on the ceiling.

It hadn't meant to wake Torracat by drenching it! It wasn't on purpose!

Stupid cat!

"It's okay, you just learned a useful move," Li Xiang said with a smile, pinching Riolu's cheeks as it approached the bathtub.

He then waved at Torracat, who was standing cautiously at the door.

"Come in."

"Meow!"

Torracat shook its head firmly. It wasn't going to step into a place filled with steam and wet floors.

It could tolerate such conditions during battles, but not in everyday life.

Moreover, it was worried that Li Xiang would grab it and force it to take a bath.

—Li Xiang had done something like that before. He had been inspired by an episode of the anime featuring a Sandshrew.

As a result, his arm had been left with three bloody scratches.

When Mrs. Yin saw it, she scolded him—"You don't do a single thing that's remotely human."

Torracat's fear of water was ingrained in its genes.

If it were scalding hot water, it might tolerate it, but avoiding water altogether was its motto.

Of course, it usually bathed using a special kind of sand designed for water-fearing Pokémon.

Paired with a brush, it cleaned quite well.

"Tch! Stop making excuses! Get in here!"

Li Xiang glared at Torracat. After evolving, the Pokémon's personality hadn't changed on the surface, but it was no longer the gentle, affectionate little kitten it once was.

Despite its large size, it had become unusually cautious and cunning. Li Xiang found it increasingly difficult to trick it now.

"Meow!"

Torracat let out a dissatisfied cry, but seeing Li Xiang's serious expression, it stopped protesting and reluctantly approached the bathtub.

With both Pokémon present, Li Xiang explained everything he knew about the Rain of Life.

However, their understanding was limited, so he had to simplify his explanation.

After some effort, he finally managed to get his point across.

The dark cloud on the ceiling slowly dissipated, leaving behind a large wet patch.

Great, Dad might have to pay for the damages.

Li Xiang's lips twitched. He had unintentionally cost his father some money, but Riolu learning Rain Dance was a good thing.

As for the two Pokémon.

Riolu was clearly thrilled. Learning a new move meant it had become stronger, and the boost to its durability from the Rain of Life was exactly what it needed.

It felt like it had hit the jackpot.

Torracat, on the other hand, was a different story. Like its trainer, it had a greedy personality.

A mere boost to its durability wasn't enough to satisfy the greedy cat.

Riolu had learned a new move, and Torracat wanted one too!

Why didn't it get anything?

Thinking about this, Torracat angrily slapped the bathtub, making loud banging noises.

"Hey, hey, take it easy!"

Li Xiang grabbed Torracat's paw, not wanting to cost Li Zhehan any more money.

But then, something even more frustrating happened.

Riolu, still immersed in joy, suddenly closed its eyes and placed its paws together in front of its chest.

A green, glowing droplet fell from its paws.

When the droplet hit the ground, it transformed into a ripple that spread out in all directions.

As the ripple passed through Torracat's body, the cat momentarily turned green.

Torracat: "..."

The air seemed to freeze.

Crack!

The floor tile shattered.

"Meow!"

This is ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!

Torracat's face was filled with rage. Was the difference between cats and dogs really this big?

Riolu had learned two moves in one go, while Torracat hadn't learned a single one!

When would the oppression of little cats end? The world was so unfair!

Unfortunately-

Li Xiang wasn't paying attention to Torracat's protests. Instead, he was lost in thought.

If he wasn't mistaken, the move Riolu had just used was Life Dew, a Water-type move that could heal both itself and its allies.

But Li Xiang clearly remembered that this move, like Aura Sphere, was something Lucario could only learn after evolving.

Was this for real?

Was Riolu really that talented?

Or...

Was it related to the Water of Life?

Li Xiang stood up from the bathtub, ignoring the shattered floor tiles, and grabbed a towel to dry himself.

Riolu learning two Water-type moves in a row was an unexpected surprise.

Especially one that it wasn't supposed to learn until after evolving.

Such cases were rare, but not unheard of.

Pokémon moves were more like abilities ingrained in their DNA. Learning a move was simply a matter of recalling what was already there.

In any case, Riolu's gains had lifted Li Xiang's spirits.

As for a certain little cat, it was probably green with envy.

Li Xiang glanced at Torracat. It couldn't be helped—Fire-type Pokémon couldn't learn Water-type moves.

And the power had been bestowed by Lugia, not Ho-Oh.

Torracat was just unlucky.

"Meow! Meow!"

Torracat followed Li Xiang, howling in frustration. It wasn't going to let this go. Although its relationship with Riolu had improved, that didn't mean it was going to stop competing.

Li Xiang hadn't brought it up yet, but both Pokémon knew that sooner or later, the team would have to decide on an ace.

And the ace.

Would be the core of the team!

As Li Xiang's first Pokémon, Torracat couldn't afford to be indifferent about this. It wasn't going to let Riolu take the spotlight.

"Riolu~~~"

Compared to the indignant Torracat, Riolu seemed quite pleased with itself.

The young dog felt a great sense of satisfaction from outperforming its teammate.

This, perhaps, was what they called joy.