Chapter 478: A Flexible Moral Compass
The outcome of the battle with the Sandslash was completely expected. Arthur couldn't even be bothered to show off. It was just basic procedure.
He could defeat captain-level Pokémon on the professional stage; a real-world battle was even easier. In a real fight, if a team of Pokémon was coordinated well, their combat power could increase exponentially. The key element linking them all was the trainer's own ability to control the flow of the battle, namely, the strategic use of Poké Ball recalls.
In the brief, five-second battle, the Sandslash and its twenty-plus Sandshrew hadn't managed to land a single effective attack. Arthur had controlled the tempo completely. The enemy's only attempts at a counter-attack had all been nullified by his use of recalls. This was the critical role a trainer played in a wild battle.
The three great tools of real combat were: using items, applying buffs, and strategic recalls. The first two raised a team's baseline power, while the last one determined its ceiling. A skilled trainer could use recalls to achieve effects similar to "Ally Switch" or "Teleport," controlling the entire field with just their hands and their Poké Balls. A novice trainer, on the other hand, was lucky if they didn't hold their Pokémon back. The skill gap was immense.
Arthur's proficiency in this area was masterful, not to mention he could not only coordinate his team but also serve as the main damage dealer. He was both a support and a carry. The Sandslash's defeat was no injustice.
Seeing the Sandslash that had been so formidable just moments before go down in less than five seconds, the trainers who had been part of the group trying to surround it were so ashamed they wanted to dig a hole and bury themselves. A few of them had seen Greninja in action on the training field earlier and were now muttering to each other, "I told you this wouldn't work, right? That guy is on a whole other level. We can't compete."
Their leader shot them a furious glare. "Shut your mouths!"
Arthur just stood by, watching them argue with amusement. He didn't intervene or say a word, just an innocent bystander enjoying the drama. This only made the group feel even more frustrated. His "I'm just quietly watching you make fools of yourselves" attitude was far more infuriating than any direct taunt or mockery.
In the end, the group of trainers, having accomplished nothing, helped up their injured Pokémon and left in shame without another word. Only Ferruccio was left standing there, not knowing whether to stay or go, in an incredibly awkward position.
Fortunately, his torment didn't last long. Dr. Zeratano finally arrived.
"What happened here?! My trees! Where are my trees?! That whole grove I planted!" the doctor exclaimed the moment he arrived. Amani then stepped forward and explained the situation. The doctor immediately expressed his gratitude to Arthur. Then, he turned to Ferruccio, his expression unreadable.
Although Amani hadn't directly badmouthed Ferruccio, Arthur had a feeling that Dr. Zeratano was about to deal with his student. From the moment they met, the doctor had not struck him as a rigid, slow-witted academic. He was as sharp as a tack. Arthur didn't believe for a second that Ferruccio's little scheme had escaped the doctor's notice. If Ferruccio hadn't graduated yet, Arthur figured his end-of-term evaluation was about to take a serious hit.
Sure enough, that afternoon, the doctor announced a change in the expedition team's roster. Ferruccio was out. Arthur was officially confirmed as the team leader.
Even though he knew nothing about ecological surveys, the doctor still gave him full authority to decide the route and direction of the expedition. "Once you're in the desert, they'll all listen to you. You decide where to go. Forrest's message said you had some personal business to attend to in the desert, right? That's fine. If it's convenient, they can follow you. If not, you can just arrange a meeting point and have them wait. You have full authority."
The doctor's words surprised Arthur. "You trust me that much?"
The doctor's mercenary smile returned. "Of course, of course. With such complete freedom, you see, the payment—"
"Haha..." Arthur didn't want to continue the conversation. He just laughed and quickly made his escape.
After Arthur left, Amani approached the doctor. "Professor, do you really trust him that much? Is it really okay to give an outsider control over the route?"
Zeratano gave his student a meaningful look. "Of course, it's okay! In the past, whenever we went deep into the desert and encountered a Pokémon leader that was particularly hostile to humans, even my old face wasn't enough to get us through. We'd have to go around, avoiding their territory, which meant we could never collect data from those areas. This time, with him, we might have a chance to fill in many of those gaps."
Amani was surprised. "You have that much faith in him, Professor? You didn't even see him fight today."
Zeratano smiled slyly. "Hah, I don't need to see it to know! Do you remember Instructor Forrest, who taught here a few years ago?"
Amani nodded. "Of course. Isn't this Team Leader Arthur the one he introduced?"
The doctor continued, "He did introduce him, yes. So, you all probably think Arthur is one of Forrest's former recruits, right?"
Amani tilted her head. "Isn't he?" Arthur's face was just too young. No matter how mature his demeanor, at first glance, he was still clearly a teenager. So, Amani had naturally assumed Arthur was one of Instructor Forrest's students. Most of the others on the team probably thought the same.
But Dr. Zeratano shook his head and revealed the truth. "Of course not. In the message Forrest sent me, he said that this young man was the only opponent who had defeated him on the competitive stage this year."
This was, of course, Forrest being humble. In the final match, he had technically won 6 to 5 against Arthur. But he felt that the temporary addition of the Dragon "senior" had been an unfair advantage, so in his letter, he had claimed that he had lost to Arthur.
This revelation made Amani gasp. "Oh my god! Is that true?! The incredible Instructor Forrest actually lost? But his Pokémon were strong enough to rival the Seven Chieftains of the desert!"
Dr. Zeratano smiled. He had deliberately kept this information to himself. "Originally, I had planned to use that fool Ferruccio to provoke this young man from the Kubfu Alliance, to push him into taking you all into the dangerous areas we could never enter before. But alas, that idiot couldn't keep his cool and started playing tricks before we even entered the desert. And the trainers he brought were completely useless! They couldn't even handle a single Sandslash. What a joke!"
If Arthur were still here, his impression of Dr. Zeratano would likely have crumbled once again. Aside from his selfless dedication to his work, which was commendable, the doctor's character in other areas was less than admirable. To put it diplomatically, the doctor had a very flexible moral compass.
Amani was also stunned. "Professor, you knew what Ferruccio was doing all along? Did... did you deliberately let him do it?"
Dr. Zeratano raised a finger to his lips. "Shh, not so loud. Someone might hear. Anyway, in a few days, when you're in the desert, remember to try and persuade that young man to head toward the areas we've marked as dangerous in the past. Don't worry about getting into trouble. That boy's strength is likely beyond anything you can imagine."
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