The Path of a Genius to Becoming a Pokémon Champion

In his debut on the professional stage, Zhuge Feng didn't look out of place. His back was straight, he was tall, and he had the air of a spirited young man. His eyes were just a bit narrow, and when he smiled, they would easily crinkle into two thin lines.

And as it happened, he loved to smile. He had worn a squinty-eyed grin ever since he had taken the stage.

Facing Luna, he appeared very composed, showing none of the nervousness or fear of a first-timer.

It was only after the battle began that the differences in his command details and habits revealed him as a novice to the competitive scene. Otherwise, based purely on his demeanor, you would never guess it was his first time in the arena.

"His use of moves is a bit casual. He doesn't have a clear concept of conserving move slots. Also, when his Pokémon are moving and dodging, he doesn't pay much attention to the arena boundaries. He's almost gone out of bounds several times. It's a typical flaw of a practical, hands-on trainer."

Just a few minutes into the battle, the captain, Leo, offered a professional critique from the sidelines.

Hearing this, Bella got excited.

"So you're saying Luna can win?"

Even though they weren't on the same team anymore, Bella was undoubtedly rooting for her old partner.

Leo paused in thought, still hesitant to make a judgment.

"It's hard to say. All I can say is that she has a good chance."

This kind of noncommittal answer was basically the same as saying nothing at all.

Bella pouted, but that didn't stop her from continuing to cheer for Luna on the stage.

But after watching for a little while longer, it was Arthur who unexpectedly made a rather surprising prediction.

"Luna… probably can't win against this person."

Bella was not happy to hear that.

"Hey! You with the thick eyebrows and big eyes! How could you be the first to betray our revolutionary friendship!"

Arthur gave a bitter smile.

He could understand Bella's feelings, but his judgment was based on calm observation.

"That Zhuge Feng might not be used to the arena rules, but his command experience should be very rich. He might not have much competitive experience, but that doesn't mean he's not good at Pokémon battles."

To be honest, Arthur saw a lot of his former self in this Zhuge Feng.

Back when he had first transmigrated, his style was very similar, as if they were cut from the same cloth!

It was just that he had later gone through the tempering of an amateur league and a few months in the youth camp, completing his own transformation before stepping onto the professional stage.

This Zhuge Feng was clearly missing that one step.

But at the same time, Arthur knew: this wasn't a big deal, at least not for trainers at their level.

"He's very seasoned. Commanding, battling—he's very familiar with these things! And more importantly, the Serperior and Escavalier he's used so far are probably not his main Pokémon."

The battle between Zhuge Feng and Luna was fast-paced. Not long after it started, they had both already used their one and only mid-battle switch.

Initially, their starting Pokémon were Kabutops and Serperior.

Luna's Kabutops was at a clear type disadvantage. Both of Kabutops's Water and Rock types are weak to Grass, putting it in a very passive position.

So, Luna made a few probing attacks, forced Serperior to use a few move slots, then immediately exercised her right to switch, bringing in her Beedrill, which was super-effective against Grass.

Zhuge Feng then followed suit. Not getting greedy or overconfident, he also switched his Pokémon mid-battle, bringing out an Escavalier.

"Why do you say that? I think his Serperior and Escavalier are both fighting pretty well," one of the other teammates asked.

To this, Arthur could only give a rather metaphysical explanation.

"Because of their aura and confidence. Those two Pokémon probably aren't even in his first-tier lineup."

To be honest, this conclusion was hard for anyone to accept.

The team analysts in the same lounge glanced at Arthur but said nothing.

But the pens in their hands, used for taking notes, did not stop.

Gathering data on every player in the circuit was their job. Although Arthur had proposed a view that could seemingly lighten their workload—non-main Pokémon naturally don't require as much attention—their first instinct was to be cautious and not fully believe him.

"What do you mean, 'aura and confidence'?" Bella glared at him, clearly annoyed, as if to say, if you don't explain yourself today, I'll pounce on you and bite you.

But to this, Arthur could only throw up his hands.

"It's… a feeling. It's hard for me to describe it in detail."

He wasn't being deliberately mysterious.

It really was just a feeling.

For example, in his own Pokémon lineup, his old Old Flame and his current Greninja, when they take the stage, their aura is just different from the other Pokémon on the team!

This stems from the long-term influence of their status on the team. As the team's ace, or the master's starter Pokémon, this confidence and aura cannot be hidden.

It came from the fact that Old Flame was always the one giving orders on the team back in the day. It came from the fact that Greninja had long considered itself the guardian and big brother to Little Eevee and Little Lapras, even though he was technically younger than Little Lapras (Lapras have long lifespans).

The Serperior and Escavalier that Zhuge Feng had used so far did not have this aura.

Many modern trainers don't communicate with their Pokémon as much, nor do they have such large teams, so it wasn't strange that they couldn't see it.

But Arthur was sure he wasn't mistaken.

This Zhuge Feng, up to this point, was still just "experiencing" the match.

A short while later, Luna's Beedrill once again went berserk. With sheer willpower, it persisted in battle, staging a comeback from an impossible situation to defeat the fellow Bug-type, Escavalier.

Bella lifted her chin and gave Arthur a proud "hmph," looking even more smug than if she had won herself.

She seemed to be saying: See? Your theory was nonsense. I never believed it!

But in the next match, when Zhuge Feng led with his Infernape, and Luna sent out her Kabutops again, what should have been a type-advantage matchup was unexpectedly won by Zhuge Feng. Bella's expression finally stiffened.

This round was crucial.

Because Luna's next Pokémon was almost certainly going to be her Empoleon. Everyone knew that Luna's Empoleon was the strongest of all her Pokémon.

And Empoleon versus Infernape is a mutual weakness matchup. Steel is weak to Fighting, and Fire is weak to Water.

This meant it would be almost impossible for Empoleon to take out the already-damaged Infernape without taking some damage itself. It was bound to be worn down.

Bella glared fiercely at Arthur.

"So this Infernape is that Zhuge Feng's main ace, then?!"

But all Arthur could offer in response was a bitter smile.

"No… This Infernape has about the same aura as the Serperior from the beginning. This guy probably never intended to use his main Pokémon in this match from the start."

Although this sounded harsh, Arthur trusted his judgment.

This squinty-eyed Zhuge Feng was just experiencing the match. He didn't have the feeling of someone going all-out at all.

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