Status effects caused by Pokémon moves are a type of rule-based power in this world.
Take Confusion, for example. In the game, when a Pokémon is confused, there's a one-third chance each turn that it will fail to use its move and instead hit itself with a 40-power typeless physical attack.
Each time a confused Pokémon tries to attack or hits itself, one turn of confusion is reduced. The duration typically lasts 1 to 4 turns.
In other words—unless you're incredibly lucky—it's almost guaranteed to trigger at least once during that time frame.
But in this real-world version of Pokémon battles, Confusion completely scrambles a Pokémon's thoughts.
Not just its attacks—the very targeting system is thrown into chaos.
And yet, the trigger probability remains the same.
After Grotle had been successfully provoked by Swagger, it first attacked with Bite under Confusion. Then, thanks to the strong bond between Wang Tao and Grotle, it managed to land a Razor Leaf as commanded.
But on its third action, Confusion finally took effect…
The Razor Leaf that was supposed to strike Prinplup…
All of it…
Sliced into Grotle's own body instead!
"Sh-sh-sh-shing!!"
The barrage of spinning leaves tore across Grotle's own shell.
Already hanging by a thread, the enormous turtle couldn't hold out any longer.
Its massive body collapsed like a toppled mountain—boom!
The battlefield fell silent.
Hundreds of eyes stared wide in disbelief.
Right before them, they had just witnessed a battle where a Pokémon with a type disadvantage had emerged victorious against an equally trained opponent.
In the world of Awakened Trainers, this was almost impossible.
Among those stunned were the students who already owned Pokémon—like Pei Jingguo, Liu Yunlan, and others from the first cohort of Trainers.
Su Bai… actually pulled it off.
Especially Murong Nan—who, for the first time, felt her blood stir.
For someone as composed as her, this reaction was extremely rare.
"You see that, Prinplup?" she said, patting the ecstatic penguin on the head.
"We've still got a lot to learn!"
"Prin-prin~!"
Prinplup chirped excitedly, eyes sparkling.
It finally understood—if it used its moves properly, it could defeat even a giant like Grotle!
At that moment—
Diancie's sweet voice rang out again:
"I declare Lord Su Bai the victor!"
With a cheerful giggle, Diancie floated over to Su Bai and gave Meloetta a high five.
Yay! Master won!
And then—
A thunderous round of applause erupted across the entire field!
What a stunning performance!
Su Bai's brilliant strategy, deep understanding of move mechanics, and precise grasp of type matchups had opened a new door in every student's mind.
Professor Su Bai is so cool!
Surrounded by cheers, Su Bai chuckled as he accepted Grotle's Poké Ball—reluctantly handed over by a sulking Wang Tao—and placed it into his Pokédex for healing.
As he turned to the students, he began to speak:
"I believe everyone has seen it clearly."
"Pokémon battles aren't just about raw power. The Trainer's role is absolutely critical."
"Choosing the right move, understanding both your Pokémon and your opponent's, and exploiting traits or abilities—all of that increases your chances of victory."
"In fact, if Wang Tao hadn't fallen behind early, Prinplup would've stood little chance of winning."
"Battles aren't just fights between Pokémon."
"They're duels between Trainers."
"A Trainer and their Pokémon are always one unit."
"So if you're fortunate enough to bond with a Pokémon, don't judge it by its price tag or how flashy its moves are."
"With sincere effort, it will always surprise you in ways you never expected."
His words ignited another wave of thunderous applause.
That was one of the reasons Su Bai had fought this battle—to teach this real-world lesson.
Because this wasn't a video game anymore.
If people only respected Pokémon based on power rankings, what hope was there for the ones at the bottom of the tier list?
That's not the kind of world Su Bai wanted to create.
Every Pokémon has its strengths.
It's the Trainer that makes the difference!
In the stands, Ding Yue gently stroked her Fletchling's feathery head and nodded firmly.
"That's right. Even if you're just a common bird Pokémon… you're still strong!"
Meanwhile, outside the principal's office, two figures watched quietly from the hallway.
The elderly Principal Lu Liangpeng and City Lord Zhu Jianyuan stood side by side, clapping softly.
"Well said…" Lu Liangpeng beamed as he watched Su Bai lead the students back to class.
"Su Bai really is the perfect guest professor."
Zhu Jianyuan exhaled deeply.
"He didn't let you down, old man."
Then, after a pause, he added:
"Oh right… we found that Li Jian guy."
"He was in the basement. Looked like he'd been electrocuted. Practically cooked."
"If he didn't have an S-rank contract with a Spirit Beast, his constitution probably wouldn't have survived it."
Lu Liangpeng waved the issue off.
"Forget him. Let's not ruin a good mood with talk of that wretch."
"Focus on the Pokémon Center project. You're the city lord—handle things with the Ding Group and get the construction moving."
"I have a hunch… that the future of humanity will begin from this Pokémon Center."
With a gentle smile, he patted the Mr. Mime beside him.
Mr. Mime nodded and wheeled his master's chair back into the office.
Zhu Jianyuan stood silently in the corridor for a long while—gazing at Su Bai's fading silhouette.
Time passed quietly.
Su Bai taught classes during the day and prepared lessons at night.
The students' eagerness and progress inspired him—someone who had never imagined being a teacher before.
He quickly discovered that knowledge from the games couldn't fully apply here.
To help his students truly understand Pokémon, Su Bai pushed himself to the limit.
Two weeks flew by in this new, fulfilling routine.
That afternoon, Su Bai led the class out to the field to watch a training battle between Li Xiaoyu and Ding Yue.
Ding Yue had a good grasp of tactics, and took advantage of Fletchling's aerial mobility to rain down attacks on Li Xiaoyu's Eevee.
On the battlefield, Eevee could only look up in frustration as Fletchling zipped through the air.
Though neither Pokémon was highly trained, they were still evenly matched in level.
Unfortunately, Eevee hadn't yet learned Swift—the only early-game move that could reliably hit airborne opponents.
And Ding Yue knew that well.
So she kept her Fletchling circling overhead, using Ember to bombard the ground below.
Eevee was powerless to counter—just running and dodging, over and over again.
A few rounds later, it was covered in burns and scratches.
Desperately, it kept using Sand Attack—trying to bring Fletchling down.
The field was nearly dug into a pit.
Finally, Li Xiaoyu, teary-eyed and heartbroken, forfeited the match and ran to cradle her wounded Eevee.
"That Eevee is worth a full 1 million Federation coins—more than double Fletchling's 400,000."
"And yet, Fletchling still won easily."
Su Bai turned to the class and said with conviction:
"Always remember—price isn't the most important measure of a Pokémon's strength."
"There are no useless Pokémon—only Trainers who don't know how to use them."
Su Bai never missed a chance to drill this belief into every new Trainer.
"So—"
Just as he was about to continue the lesson—
A cocky voice interrupted from behind him.
"Pei Jingguo! Your boy is back!"
"Come out and face me!"