This Trainer Has No Sportsmanship

You Zhi searched for information related to Pokémon, but all he found were news tidbits and anecdotes. Genuine, substantial professional knowledge was exceedingly scarce.

Only famous starter Pokémon like Dark Magician, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon, or relatively common Pokémon such as Insect Person and Scyther, had detailed information available online, including their basic abilities, training and growth, moves, traits, and so on.

Even for starter Pokémon, however, there was not a shred of information online about their evolved forms. At most, there were battle photos or videos, and even the comments below began with speculative wording to avoid giving anyone grounds to seize on them.

"The aristocratic clans and financial conglomerates monopolize knowledge, legislation forbids its spread, and it violates the spirit of sharing on the internet... This world seriously lacks childish innocence."

You Zhi wore a disdainful smile.

In terms of pros and cons alone, this situation was undoubtedly extremely advantageous to him, given his Cheat Appraisal. It was equivalent to having one-sided access to his opponents' Pokémon information. Not only that, but information online about Pokémon moves was equally scarce.

Anyone who had played Pokémon games knew that Psybeam was an upgraded replacement for Confusion. Both had a certain chance of confusing the opponent, but the former was more powerful. Yet when You Zhi searched using those two as keywords, he could not find any information linking them whatsoever.

"It's impossible that no Trainer has discovered the connection between them, and it's equally impossible that every Trainer is selfish. The only conclusion is that the internet is being regulated, with all information attempting to break through the knowledge monopoly being blocked... What a bunch of cowards. Those aristocratic clans and financial conglomerates really belong in the dustbin of history."

Even if it benefited him personally, You Zhi found it utterly boring.

He recalled the prices marked on the books he had browsed in the study. Novels and essays were one thing, but any book involving professional knowledge cost more than twenty times what similar books had cost in his previous life.

"Ha, same old bullshit."

Some developed countries in his previous life had the same problem with outrageously expensive books, especially university textbooks. A single textbook could sell for two hundred dollars, all under the lofty slogans of "knowledge is priceless" and "respect intellectual property," tormenting countless people eager to learn.

"By that measure, Mr. Pegasus really was generous."

He had initially assumed that granting him access to the library was merely an incidental perk. Now, it seemed that this was actually the other party's main way of repaying him. The seemingly lavish tutoring fee was only a bonus.

Still, disdain was one thing. You Zhi had no intention of imitating Don Quixote. With his current frail body, he could not change anything. Breaking through the knowledge monopoly was equivalent to declaring war on the vested-interest class. Not even a Pokémon League Champion could succeed at that.

"I'll wait for the future."

After finishing the evening martial arts lesson, You Zhi was about to return to his room to rest when the butler, who had been waiting outside for quite some time, came over carrying a box. "Mr. You Zhi, these are the Summoning Stones you ordered. Ten D-rank and five C-rank."

"Alright. Thanks for the trouble."

"You're welcome."

Phile, who had already been panting and was so exhausted she was practically about to collapse onto the floor, immediately became interested upon hearing their conversation. "Buying so many Summoning Stones, sir... are you going to summon Spell Cards?"

"Mm."

"Can I watch from the side?"

Knowing that Spell Cards were particularly important to Trainers, and that some powerful Spell Cards could even serve as trump cards to turn the tide, Phile hurriedly added, "I can stand far away. I promise not to look at the card art."

You Zhi himself did not care much. "Suit yourself. Just make sure it doesn't interfere with tomorrow morning's training."

"Absolutely not!"

Phile eagerly moved to follow him, then suddenly realized something and said awkwardly, "I'll go take a bath first. I'll come over afterward."

With that, she disregarded all ladylike decorum and quickly jogged back to her room.

A short while later, Phile, now dressed in pajamas and looking slightly shy, knocked on the guest room door.

"The door isn't locked. Come in. Leave it open."

"Oh."

Phile did as she was told without thinking, only realizing his intention afterward.

It was improper for a girl to go to an adult man's room late at night, so he had left the door open to show there was nothing to hide and prevent misunderstandings.

He usually acted so carefree, yet he paid attention to the details at critical moments. How thoughtful. As expected of the hero, You Zhi!

Phile's admiration for him deepened. Slightly nervous, she entered the room and instinctively looked around, only to come to her senses a moment later. This was her family's guest room, not Brother You Zhi's private room. What was there to inspect?

"Since you're here, I'll test you while we're at it. Do you know the essence of a Spell Card?" You Zhi asked casually.

Phile instinctively raised her hand and answered in a formal tone, "The essence of a Spell Card is the recreation of a certain phenomenon or event in the Spirit Realm. Therefore, they have a compulsory effect on Pokémon, while their effects on humans are greatly reduced."

When Harin had been struck by lightning before, he had remained perfectly fine. You Zhi had assumed it was because the man possessed extraordinary physical constitution, but after reading the books, he learned that the main reason was that Spell Cards were less than one-tenth as effective on humans. Otherwise, Pokémon Trainers would not hold their unquestioned dominant position in this world. "Mages" specializing in Spell Cards would definitely have emerged to compete for power.

Card Art Wasn't Just for Decoration

You Zhi used spirit stone powder to draw a hexagram, then placed items representing the six attributes of LIGHT, DARK, Wind, EARTH, Water, and Fire at its six points. Finally, he placed a Summoning Stone in the center of the hexagram.

These rituals were not strictly necessary. Even Summoning Stones themselves were not essential. However, without the ritual and the stones, the success rate would be painfully low.

Summoning Stones were not rare resources containing spiritual power. In essence, they were containers with fixed capacities. For example, filling a D-rank Summoning Stone with spiritual power meant that amount of spiritual power offered the highest success rate for summoning a D-rank Spell Card.

If a Trainer had meticulous control over their spiritual power and could precisely grasp the amount required for each rank—not a bit more, not a bit less—they could completely save the expense of buying Summoning Stones.

You Zhi did not have that confidence. He honestly poured his spiritual power into the Summoning Stone, then took out the Pokémon Card of Goblin Attack Force from thin air and placed it before himself as a medium.

As he did so, he casually asked, "Another question. What are the two major rules for summoning Spell Cards?"

Phile answered, "Single-use infusion and association. Single-use infusion means that whenever you summon a Spell Card, you must inject all the required spiritual power in one go without pausing midway, or the summoning will fail. Therefore, you cannot fill an S-rank Summoning Stone by accumulating spiritual power over time. Association means that using a Pokémon as an anchor allows you to summon Spell Cards related to it. Without a Pokémon, the Spell Card you summon cannot be determined and will be random."

Based on the required amount of spiritual power, D-rank corresponded to two-star spiritual power, C-rank to four-star spiritual power, B-rank to six-star spiritual power, A-rank to eight-star spiritual power, and S-rank to Ten-Star spiritual power.

Of course, those were only rough estimates and average values. The total amount of spiritual power inside a Trainer was not completely equivalent to their star rating.

Star rating represented height, while total capacity represented breadth. The two were positively correlated, but different Trainers with the same star rating did not necessarily possess the same total amount of spiritual power.

For instance, some exceptionally gifted Trainers might only be four-star, yet possess no less total spiritual power than a Five-Star Trainer, even though they still could not command five-star Pokémon.

"Good answer, but not precise enough. Using a Pokémon as an anchor only greatly increases the chance of summoning an Associated Card. You can still summon an unrelated Spell Card. In the end, it's all a matter of probability. Even if you inject the amount of spiritual power required for C-rank, you might still only summon a D-rank Spell Card. In theory, if someone is unlucky enough, they might only ever own one Spell Card in their entire life, with all the rest being duplicate summons."

You Zhi had already seen through the truth. This was a card-drawing game, and one without any pity system. The unluckiest players would be furious!

Phile twitched the corner of her mouth. "Being unlucky to that extent would be far too miserable."

If she were unlucky enough to suffer that fate, she would probably give up on becoming a Pokémon Trainer altogether.

After confirming that everything was ready, You Zhi injected spiritual power into the Summoning Stone while chanting, "The principles of all things between heaven and earth, the origins of survival and ruin, the retribution of virtue and evil, the tales of gods and ghosts, the laws that govern Pokémon, answer my summons!"

This was not him being edgy. The chant was a necessary component of the summoning ritual. Certain chants could summon specific Spell Cards and were passed down by great clans as secret arts through the generations.

The chant You Zhi was reciting was the most widespread and most efficient one.

As light flickered, the Summoning Stone shattered. Under the influence of the hexagram, the spiritual power inside connected to the Spirit Realm. At the same time, the Pokémon Card of Goblin Attack Force began to glow, as though resonating with something.

Moments later, a Spell Card appeared out of thin air. You Zhi automatically memorized the corresponding alchemical formula, as though it had been directly imprinted into his body, and received a message:

This was an Instant-Activation Spell Card with the effect of causing Pokémon touching the ground to lose their balance.

When he used his Cheat Appraisal, however, he received a different description:

[Normal Spell: Earthquake]

[Effect: All face-up monsters on the field are changed to Defense Position]

"Success!"

Phile cheered happily as though she herself had successfully summoned the Spell Card. She impatiently asked, "Brother You Zhi, what rank is it?"

"Neither good nor bad. D-rank."

According to the classification of Spell Cards, E-rank represented cards with incomprehensible significance. Their effects would make the summoner question whether such cards even needed to exist. Rumor had it that they also possessed a hidden effect that confused the opponent's mind, with a seventy percent chance of making them stare in shock and shout, "Why would you use a card like that?!"

D-rank represented cards that were barely usable but not actually very useful, usually with certain restrictions.

C-rank represented cards that were decent and reliable. It was fine to use them as filler when nothing else came to mind.

B-rank represented cards that could serve great purposes. Missing the right opportunity to use them was a waste.

A-rank represented cards with extremely powerful effects that could even reverse the course of battle if used properly.

S-rank cards were also known as forbidden cards, possessing enough power to decide victory or defeat on their own.

The Ballista Squad and Axe of Fools that You Zhi had used before were D-rank, while Final Assault Order was C-rank.

The effects of Ballista Squad and Axe of Fools were not weak, but both carried corresponding costs. The former required sacrificing one's own Pokémon alongside the opponent's, while the latter had two negative effects outright.

"Brother You Zhi, your Pokémon is on the card art. This is an Associated Card!" Phile was overjoyed. "I remember my teacher saying that if the associated Pokémon is present when a Spell Card is used, the Spell Card's effect will be strengthened."

"You just said that the essence of a Spell Card is the recreation of a phenomenon or event from the Spirit Realm. Therefore, if one of the parties involved is present, the recreation becomes more vivid. In reality, that manifests as increased Spell Card power."

This was different from Card Duels. Card Duels only considered the written text, and card art had no practical meaning beyond decoration. But in Spirit Duels, card art was equally important.

At this point, Phile frowned again. "However, my teacher also said that not all Spell Cards have hidden enhancement effects. You need to distinguish between exclusive cards and general-use cards. Even if the associated Pokémon is on the field, an exclusive card's effect will not be strengthened."

You Zhi had happened to read about this, so it remained fresh in his mind. "Exclusive cards recreate the experiences of specific Pokémon. Other Pokémon cannot trigger them. Their Spell Card effects are already strengthened by default, so they naturally cannot be enhanced further."

This was the conclusion countless Trainers had reached through actual combat.

"Unfortunately, you can't tell whether a card is exclusive just from the card art. Yours should be a general-use card, sir?" Phile was not entirely certain.

"Mm. Since exclusive cards have inherently enhanced effects, the overwhelming majority are at least C-rank. D-rank exclusive cards are extremely rare."

It was difficult for others to identify exclusive cards. They could only verify them through battle, but for You Zhi, it was simple. He only needed to read the description. If an effect mentioned the name of a Pokémon or a specific designation, it was an exclusive card. Otherwise, it was a general-use card.

An Abnormal Amount of Spiritual Power

For the vast majority of Trainers, summoning a Spell Card did not mean they could immediately put it to use. Its exact effect still had to be confirmed through actual battle.

For example, Axe of Fools gave its Trainer the message, "After use, summon a powerful cursed axe." As for how powerful it was or what form the curse took, the Trainer had to explore that on their own.

Only through Cheat Appraisal could You Zhi immediately infer that its side effects were draining a Pokémon's life force and nullifying its Ability.

"Brother You Zhi, are you going to keep summoning?"

Phile looked eager to try.

"Of course."

You Zhi intended to use this opportunity to test the total amount of spiritual power he possessed, so naturally he would not stop there. He placed a second D-rank Summoning Stone in the center of the hexagram.

"The principles of all things between heaven and earth, the origins of survival and ruin, the retribution of virtue and evil, the tales of gods and ghosts, the laws that govern Pokémon, answer my summons!"

Amid flickering light, a second D-rank Spell Card appeared out of thin air. This card had the effect of reducing a Pokémon's Defense.

[Normal Spell: Miniature Ray]

[Effect: The Defense of 1 face-up monster on the field becomes zero until the end of the End Phase]

"Another Associated Card! Brother You Zhi is so lucky!"

Phile was as delighted as if she had won the lottery, but after seeing the description, You Zhi thought that it might form a combo with the previous Earthquake.

Next, You Zhi performed three more D-rank summons. He was not as lucky this time. Not only did he fail to summon Associated Cards, one of the attempts also failed. The only consolation was that the two successful summons were not duplicates.

The two D-rank Spell Cards were Level Limit - Area A and Order to Retreat.

[Continuous Trap: Level Limit - Area A]

[Effect: All face-up Level 3 or lower monsters on the field are changed to Attack Position]

[Normal Trap: Order to Retreat]

[Effect: All monsters on your field return to their owners' hands]

The former's effect was perfectly covered by Final Assault Order. Its only advantage was its lower rank, requiring less spiritual power and allowing for faster alchemy.

If Order to Retreat were used in a Card Duel, it would probably be classified as an incomprehensible E-rank card. In a Spirit Duel, however, it was unexpectedly useful.

Order to Retreat could not only be used to evade an opponent's killing move, but could also be used in Official Duels to swap out a Pokémon currently on the field. In a book You Zhi had read, titled <The Top Hundred Useful Low-Rank Spell Cards Recommended by Brock, Rock Gym Leader>, this card ranked twelfth.

"Brother You Zhi, do you want to rest? My school teacher said that a Trainer's condition is also important when summoning Spell Cards. The better your condition, the more likely you are to summon powerful Spell Cards, so you should try to avoid performing summoning rituals when your spiritual power is running low."

Phile clearly did not understand the value of Order to Retreat. Seeing that You Zhi had summoned non-associated cards twice, she hurriedly tried to comfort him.

"No need. Let's continue."

You Zhi felt that more than half of his spiritual power remained, so he simply chose a C-rank Summoning Stone and placed it in the center of the hexagram. He also changed the medium to Demon Lizard Yihao.

He injected an amount of spiritual power equivalent to the combined total of the previous four attempts into the Summoning Stone. Along with the chant, the hexagram glowed, and a C-rank Spell Card appeared out of thin air. Demon Lizard Yihao's figure could be clearly seen in the card art.

Clearly, this was another Associated Card!

Ignoring Phile's cheers, You Zhi estimated the spiritual power remaining in his body and felt he could go one more round. C-rank Summoning Stones were not worth much anyway, so he would not feel bad even if he failed.