[You continue to head towards Kaina City, searching for your target Pokémon along the way]
Unlike last time when you got lost and were relentlessly pursued by wild Pokémon.
This time, the Ninja Boy, with his flawless Breath Concealment Techniques, became invisible to the wild Pokémon, darting through the forest alongside Kecleon.
The scene sped up.
Once the target's traces appeared, it returned to its original speed.
[You discovered traces left by Swalot, and the severe poison in the toxic slime left behind by it satisfies you greatly]
"Swalot, huh..."
Baimu nodded silently.
Among the Poison-type Pokémon in Hoenn, Swalot's poison should be considered one of the more potent types, and it also possesses corrosive gastric juices, marking it as a different kind of toxin.
The Ninja Boy tracked it all the way and quickly found Swalot devouring an entire fruit tree.
[You found your target]
However, he didn't rush up to Swalot right away but cautiously set up a trap using Poké Blocks.
Attracted by the aroma, Swalot quickly took the bait, falling into a pit made by the Ninja Boy, and was subsequently hit by a Double Strike of Koffing's [Poison Gas] combined with Kecleon's [Jet Flame].
This Double Strike was extraordinary, triggering a special combo mechanism and stunning Swalot with a ground-shaking Big Explosion.
Baimu was completely stunned by the scene.
Fire Escape: Great Fire Extinguishing?
That's something else!
To think he knew how to utilize the traits of his techniques for combos!
No wonder he was able to self-learn ninjutsu from a Ninja's Book at the age of eight, far surpassing the reckless battlers he encountered before.
Baimu reminisced about some idiots who only focused on aggressive attacks. Looking at the flexible and adaptable Ninja Boy, he realized once more that age is sometimes not a necessary condition for achieving success.
It's intelligence.
No way, there are too many fools among trainers, making the Ninja Boy stand out even more.
[You captured Swalot, growing your ninja companions]
With Swalot joining the team, the Ninja Boy quickly used the poison secreted by its body to craft a toxin.
[You attempt to integrate the toxin into Koffing's body as mentioned in the Ninja's Book, and you succeed]
Wow.
Baimu wasn't sure if he should commend him for the immunity of Poison-type Pokémon to poison and severe poison states. The young man was bold, using his own Pokémon as test subjects without restraint.
...Or perhaps the Ninja Boy knows this too?
Very likely.
The scene sped up again.
Having acquired three Pokémon, the Ninja Boy smoothly arrived in Kaina City.
[You have arrived in Kaina City, you decide to gather intelligence on the Kaina Gym first]
The Ninja Boy once again made full use of his ninja intelligence gathering skills, collecting information from the Pokémon Center, a place frequented by trainers.
During this time, he indeed attracted suspicion about his age because of his short stature, but he managed to talk his way out.
Once the information was fully gathered.
The Ninja Boy officially challenged the Kaina Gym.
A somewhat familiar pixel figure appeared.
"Hmm?"
Baimu suddenly remembered that Sister Xiangfen had once challenged this gym in a simulation. Upon checking online, he discovered that this gym had closed down over twenty years ago.
The era of the Ninja Boy was really that long ago.
No wonder they were still using paper records.
On the screen.
The Pokémon used by the Kaina Gym Leader are of the Fighting Attribute. As an attribute inclined towards close combat, the Ninja Boy easily outmaneuvered them with the Breath Concealment Techniques taught to Kecleon.
It was evident that the Gym Leader indeed had methods to counter them; it was just that the Pokémon deployed couldn't manage it.
Subsequently, the new version of Poison Gas from Koffing was also very successful.
The enhanced poison significantly increased the toxic damage the opponents suffered every moment, and by the way, Swalot's flexible body also effectively restrained the fists and legs of Fighting-type Pokémon.
Soon enough.
The second gym was conquered successfully.
[You defeated the Kaina Gym Leader and received the Kaina Badge]
The "enlightened" Ninja Boy gradually started to embody the Double Blue Talent Simulator, validating his theories through the Gym Battle, he took a small tour around Kaina City.
Embarking once more on the journey to challenge the next gym.
[You boarded the ship heading to Kanaz City]
On the ship.
The Ninja Boy encountered many trainers wanting to battle him. Naturally, he accepted each one, resulting in both wins and losses, but his battle experience improved significantly.
From a rookie knowing nothing, he gradually began to take the shape of an excellent trainer.
His talent in battles was clearly evident.
Someone like him ought to be famed, and besides, even Tie Xuan hasn't passed away, the Ninja Boy should still be alive, right?
Baimu felt tempted to look him up.
Suddenly.
On the screen, Koffing evolved.
[Your Koffing evolved into Weezing]
Its internal toxic gas's toxicity increased further, and it learned the more potent [Big Explosion]. Upon discovering this, the Ninja Boy couldn't help but smile brightly.
Baimu thought that his smile looked a bit dangerous.
And as the scene shifted to the ship sailing across the sea, almost like a cutscene, after about ten seconds, the ship reached a bustling city.
[You have arrived in Kanaz City]
During Sister Xiangfen's time, Kanaz City was already flourishing like a metropolis.
By the time the Ninja Boy arrived, it further developed into a city of numerous modern skyscrapers, with the pedestrians in the scenes all wearing suits and looking stylish.
For the first time, the fearless Ninja Boy appeared somewhat at a loss.
Fortunately, he still remembered his purpose in coming to Kanaz City and hurried to the Pokémon Center to gather information, but unexpectedly, the law and order in Kanaz City was so good that Officer Jenny stopped him for questioning due to his unfamiliar face.
[You calmly explained that you are over ten years old, though feeling anxious inside]
Fortunately, the two badges provided some level of persuasion, and considering that verifying one's exact age in the Ninja Boy's era was not easy, he narrowly escaped trouble.
The anxious Ninja Boy immediately dashed to the gym.
[You officially challenged the Kanaz Gym]
The previous gym leader, Du Juan, was also a woman, and likewise specialized in Rock Attribute Pokémon as the gym's theme, possessing resistance against Poison and General Attributes, which made it a bit tough for the Ninja Boy -
Initially, at least.
As an Apprentice Ninja, the Ninja Boy was particularly adept at lurking, and hiding techniques undoubtedly counted as a form of "lurking".
When the gym leader thought he was about to lose, Kecleon unleashed Frozen Beam, taking out two opponents in succession, then Weezing flattened the gym leader's last Pokémon with a Big Explosion.
With Kecleon and Swalot still standing, the Ninja Boy achieved victory.
[You defeated the Kanaz Gym Leader and received the Kanaz Badge]
Acquiring the third badge swept away the Ninja Boy's annoyance from being questioned by Officer Jenny, and upon learning that the upcoming gym leaders would deploy more Pokémon, he started seeking new companions.
[You arrived at Route 116]
Route 116.
Adjacent to the Kalu Tunnel, leading further to Verdanturf Town, the Ninja Boy decided to search for his next companion here.
In this search, he indeed found a suitable Pokémon.
[You discovered Ninjask, a Pokémon recorded in the Ninja's Book as having an evolution type very suitable to become a ninja's partner]
"Really, both Ninjask and Shedinja have ninja elements."
Baimu nodded.
As usual, employing traps coupled with bombs, the Ninja Boy seemed to have made Poké Blocks his bait of choice for capturing wild Pokémon.
But with a year's worth of Poké Blocks, a few didn't seem to matter much.
[You captured Ninjask, increasing your ninja companions]
The Ninja Boy once again successfully gained a new partner, or rather the juvenile form of a new partner.
In order to expedite its evolution, he started enhancing the combat ability of all the team's Pokémon, after acquiring three badges.
The Ninja Boy also realized that special training is not just for gym challenges but also involves enhancing the basic abilities of Pokémon to handle unknown situations.
Hence, he devised different directions for several Pokémon.
[You prioritized Kecleon for stealth attacks, Weezing for visual obstruction and explosion, Swalot for endurance, and Ninjask for evolution priority]
"Genius!"
Upon seeing this, Baimu couldn't help but raise a toast to the Ninja Boy.
At eight years old, he absolutely did not possess such clear objectives and logical clarity as the Ninja Boy did, no wonder he was a holder of the Double Blue Talent.
Actually, it wouldn't be surprising if he had the Orange Talent too.
A proper ninja should have the Orange Talent, perhaps?