The Path of a Genius to Becoming a Pokémon Champion

Although Arthur's situation seemed completely outrageous, Ivy and Bianca ultimately had to accept it.

After all, the bond of capture between a trainer and their Pokémon cannot be faked.

Not to mention, both Old Flame and Specter had shown excellent obedience in battle, coordinating with Arthur's commands with perfect chemistry, without a hint of being forced.

In comparison, Old Flame's daughter was much more independent, always having her own ideas. It was clear she was a recently captured Pokémon.

Simply put, she still needed some training!

Arthur knew this himself, but he wasn't in a hurry. Old Flame's daughter had a wild and free-spirited nature, a very queenly personality. Arthur had no intention of forcing her to stay.

He had only brought her out this time to show his own strength to the "bosses."

As for her future, Arthur didn't want to make the choice for her. He'd let nature take its course.

However, thanks to Old Flame's daughter serving as a point of comparison, Ivy and Bianca were able to more keenly sense the chemistry between Specter, Old Flame, and Arthur.

She was the perfect foil.

This only made the two sisters find the situation even more ridiculous!

"It seems you really do have the strength to be a main singles player now."

Even though she was so envious she wanted to chew on her own hands, Ivy had to admit it: this "Best Rookie," younger than herself, was now a full tier above them in terms of strength after just a few months.

They were still in doubles, and he could already be a main singles player!

Seeing the sisters were wavering, Arthur struck while the iron was hot, throwing out more bait.

"I haven't shown any of this strength at the Sea Carp team. They don't know this information. No matter how high they set the transfer fee, it will still be within the range of a doubles player. Also, after re-signing, I can sign for five years at once, as long as you're willing to advance me a portion of my salary."

Only then did Ivy and Bianca notice something was amiss.

"Are you short on money right now?"

This seemed to be a good explanation for Arthur's current abnormality.

Even with his rapid progress, playing another year of doubles shouldn't have been unacceptable. Many of Arthur's Pokémon were still in need of training.

When his contract expired next year, Arthur could enter the transfer market as a free agent, and his terms would surely be much better than they were now.

Ivy could easily guess that there must be some other reason behind this.

"That can't be right. With your current popularity, your share from streaming and endorsements should be quite high, right?"

"I… do need a lot of money."

Arthur didn't hide it. He let out Old Flame's mate and explained to the two sisters his desire to help her restore her wing.

After listening, Ivy nodded. "No wonder this meritorious Charizard warmed up to you so quickly. So you're willing to go to such lengths for him."

Arthur said nothing.

Although her understanding was slightly off, upon reflection, he realized he didn't really need to correct her.

This explanation actually seemed more logically consistent to the outside world.

It was as if Ivy had helped him draft his own public relations statement.

What a nice person!

Just then, the innocent Bianca directly issued him another card.

"Yes, you really are a nice guy."

Payback is a…

Beside him, Specter gave Arthur a sideways glance, only to be immediately shot a subtle glare: Don't you dare expose me!

"That's understandable," Ivy continued. "But… the news about you bringing back this meritorious Charizard is already out. Do you think the Sea Carp team has guessed anything?"

From Ivy's subsequent reaction, Arthur could tell: she was interested!

So he pressed his advantage.

"It's fine. I told their management that I can't command this Charizard effectively yet and need more time to build chemistry. And I didn't give them a specific timeline."

Ever since the Sea Carp team had repeatedly rejected Arthur's requests for a raise and an advance, his determination to leave had grown stronger. Thus, he had made many preparations in advance.

Ivy looked at him with a knowing smile.

"It seems you've been planning this for a while."

Arthur didn't deny it.

The two sisters left soon after. The subsequent negotiations for his contract would be handled by professionals from their club.

And when it came to business acumen, Ivy and Bianca, having been exposed to it since childhood, were far more proficient than Arthur.

Approaching the Sea Carp team immediately would seem too deliberate and could easily arouse suspicion.

A few days later, the Starlight and Frost team released news of a personnel reorganization. Various media outlets followed up, speculating that this newly minted powerhouse (in terms of funding) team was planning a major move during this year's transfer period!

At the same time, Starlight and Frost launched a multi-pronged offensive, contacting many other clubs.

After laying sufficient groundwork, they finally, seemingly casually, made contact with the Sea Carp team.

There was no Champions Cup or World Cup this year. After the League Cup individual tournament ended in mid-August, the major teams had essentially already begun their transfer negotiations.

And this year's transfer period was destined to be much more lively than last year's!

The contracts of a large number of star players, including Luna and Bella, were expiring.

In addition, the Blaze Team had continued their strong performance in this year's playoffs, winning the championship and dethroning the old guard of the three traditional powerhouses. Many speculated that the Demon King, Jinchan, and Yankee teams were going to make a big push this year and spend heavily!

By mid-August, the various club youth camps hadn't even finished their graduation seasons yet, but the teams were already rubbing their hands together, eager to get started!

The Starlight and Frost team quietly joined the fray, perfectly blending in with the crowd, giving no indication that they were about to make a big splash.

This was the skill of Ivy and Bianca!

In this respect, Arthur had to admit he was outmatched.

Time passed smoothly until September.

The news about the Charicific Valley came to a relatively satisfactory conclusion—

Arthur had used the incident to raise public awareness about aging meritorious Pokémon. A foundation was even established to specifically help these lonely Pokémon whose masters and comrades were all gone.

The league also announced that it would introduce new ecological zone management measures to regulate the release of Pokémon in various free-range and ecological zones, and opened up a public comment period.

Mount Axewood even experienced a tourism boom!

Although not all tourists could visit the Charicific Valley near the back of the mountain, a steady stream of visitors chasing the hot topic poured in.

Under these multiple constraints, the Aerodactyl clan in the valley could only behave themselves, no longer daring to cause trouble.

Old Flame was also very gratified to learn that his kin's lives had improved.

Especially Old Flame's daughter. She was getting restless lately and was planning to go back to the mountain to challenge for the leadership again!

But Arthur had temporarily kept her by his side—her current strength was still a fair bit away from Julian's Charizard. If he let her go back without proper training, she wouldn't be able to become the leader.

Unless she went back to be the leader's mate… but Old Flame's daughter was too proud for that. She clearly preferred to be on top, in every sense of the word.

In the professional circuit, once September arrived, the various club youth camps successively completed their graduation tournaments.

New rookies were minted!

Now, the trading and battling at the negotiation tables between the clubs became even more intense!

And at this time, the Starlight and Frost team had quietly sealed a big deal!

♧♧♧

-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE

-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER

♧♧♧

-> 35 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!

-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais

(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)

If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you