Pokémon: Join Team Rocket at the Beginning

Cobin fell to his knees. The series of failures dealt him a heavy blow, almost making this young prodigy from the Temple Clan lose his confidence as a trainer.

But for some reason, he did not feel any jealousy or hatred towards Yang Ming, who defeated him.

When Doronbaruto lost to Swamp King, Kebin was filled with disbelief. In his opinion, his Doronbaruto must not be strong enough, which allowed the opponent to win by luck.

When the Iron Bridge Dragon was defeated by Rada, Cobin's resentment was completely wiped out, replaced by a sense of confusion: How could a country bumpkin from Alola be so much stronger than a man of noble birth? Was he really that incompetent?

When he lost all three matches, Kebin no longer had any contempt for Yang Ming. Instead, he began to doubt his own values ​​and was confused about the future.

"In short, I won this bet," Yang Ming said expressionlessly as he collected his Pokémon. "I have something else to do. Just hand the 1 billion as a bet to Cattleya, and she'll pass it on to me."

"Of course, if you really can't come up with the money, then just follow our previous agreement and take me to participate in the assessment of your Temple Clan. I don't mind anyway, hahahaha~"

"Please wait a moment."

"Ah?" Yang Ming turned his head and looked at Kebin unkindly. He thought the other party was going to go back on his word.

"I will definitely fulfill the bet, but please tell me, what is the difference between you and me?"

Yang Ming was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect the other party to suddenly ask such a question.

"Please, I don't want to live in this muddle anymore. Please tell me the truth!"

Looking at Kebin's fiery eyes, Yang Ming also realized that this young man was serious.

"Although I could just ignore him, this young man is one of the outstanding descendants of the Temple Clan after all. It would be great if I could win him over."

After a little thought, Yang Ming decided to make up a story to fool Kebin.

"Do you really think that the people of the Temple Clan are superior to everything else?" Yang Ming asked.

"Of course," Cobin replied without hesitation. "We believe in Arceus, a god far nobler than those who believe in some random 'god'. Under Arceus's protection, we, the Temple Clan, are naturally the most noble beings. Our Pokémon, who believe in Arceus, will naturally be stronger."

"Because they have Arceus's blessing, they are the strongest? I don't think so," Yang Ming sneered. "If the Temple Clan were truly that powerful, they would have replaced the Alliance and conquered the world long ago. Why would they remain in seclusion? If believing in Arceus can grant unparalleled power, how could you possibly lose to me?"

Kebin was speechless for a moment.

"And if Arceus is truly as great as you imagine, then he loves and protects all his creations equally, not just his few followers."

These words stirred up a storm in Cobin's heart: Yes, if the "God of Creation" Arceus is really as great as the elders of the tribe said, then the people he protects will definitely not be just a small number of humans in the temple tribe, but all humans, Pokémon, and even all living things in this world!

On the other hand, if Arceus really only protects the temple clan, then can it still be called the "great creator god"?

Seeing that the other party seemed to be really persuaded by his twisted logic, Yang Ming was secretly delighted and decided to try harder.

"And your understanding of Pokémon battles is also somewhat skewed from reality," Yang Ming said earnestly. "You seem to believe that superior 'quasi-god' Pokémon are naturally capable of crushing inferior 'roadside' Pokémon, just as human royalty and aristocrats are inherently superior to impoverished undocumented individuals, right?"

"But that's wrong!" Yang Ming said emphatically. "Aside from the level of 'race value', Pokémon also have attributes, characteristics, skills, and a series of other factors that affect the outcome of battles. In addition, the level of the trainer also has a profound impact on the course of the battle."

"Just imagine, if Pokémon battles were simply a comparison of size, attack power, and defense, ignoring all tactical skills and psychological warfare, then what would be the point of us 'fragile' human trainers? Are we just there to hold Pokémon back?"

Kebin listened to Yang Ming's words with a look of shock in his eyes. He had never thought about Pokémon battles from this perspective. "So, my concept has always been wrong?" Kebin muttered to himself.

Yang Ming patted his shoulder. "Ewha Queen of the Johto region once said, 'Strong Pokémon, weak Pokémon—that's just people's personal opinion. A truly powerful trainer should work hard to win battles with their favorite Pokémon.' While that's just her opinion, it also applies to us humans. What determines a person's strength? Birth? Beliefs? Talent? No, these are just appearances."

"What truly determines how far a person can go is their attitude towards themselves and their Pokémon. If a trainer adopts the attitude of 'I don't want any Pokémon that isn't a powerful Quasi-God,' then the person they should eliminate the most is themselves, who are of less noble birth!"

Seeing that Kebin was stunned by his intimidation, Yang Ming decided to strike while the iron was hot and continue to indoctrinate him with his own twisted theories: "On our Ula'ula Island, there are many homeless refugees. They have been displaced by the war and can't even guarantee three meals a day, let alone stable jobs and their own Pokémon."

"But it was this group of people who, after being recruited by me, unleashed immense fighting spirit and potential. Under my leadership, they went from being powerless weaklings to capable warriors. They followed me on my campaigns and finally unified Ula Ula Island!"

"Compared to you, the heir of the temple, they are all paupers. But when it comes to fighting spirit and patience, you can't even compare to them!"

"This is the difference between a flower in a greenhouse and a poor guy. The poor guy is just fierce!"

Hearing this, Kebin suddenly understood: "I understand! The reason why I am so useless is because I am not poor, I have never suffered any setbacks, and I am used to looking down on everything!"

"I can't go on like this!" Cobin stood up suddenly, his eyes rekindled with fighting spirit. "I want to change my mindset. Like you said, I will treat Pokémon battles correctly and work hard to improve myself!"

Yang Ming nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, as long as you can figure it out. However, there is still a long way to go in Pokémon battles, and it requires continuous learning and practice."

"I will!" Kebin said firmly, "I will do as you say, starting from scratch. Mr. Yang Ming, no, Brother Yang Ming, you are my enlightenment teacher, and I will never forget your guidance!"