Route 110.
Ninja Boy walked slowly through the lush forest, the thick canopy of leaves slightly dimming the color tones of the simulator screen.
[You find yourself lost]
The narrator unveiled Ninja Boy's current predicament as he held the map, unable to distinguish north from south or east from west.
In the era he was in, convenient overpass roads for travel between two places seemed yet to be built.
Even the road conditions of the highway were not very good.
This became the main reason why Ninja Boy got lost in the forest shortly after leaving Mauville City.
Moreover,
Perhaps affected by the feeling of being lost, his Breath Concealment Techniques began to destabilize, leading to frequent ambushes by wild Pokémon from the surrounding bushes.
Ninja Boy had to quickly escape or send out Kecleon and Koffing to counterattack.
Occasionally, when encountering persistent pursuers, he would choose to have Koffing use Smoke Screen or Self-destruct to further increase the chances of running away.
[You successfully escaped]
The familiar prompt made Baimu's expression a bit subtle.
Among so many simulated objects with Blue Talent, only Ninja Boy struggled even against wild Pokémon, while others, even calligraphers and musicians, could walk the wilderness without worry.
Figures like Sister Xiangfen and the Mage even saw wild Pokémon as experience points to farm.
In such a scenario,
How did Ninja Boy manage to achieve anything?
Baimu was very curious.
However, as he kept running, the abilities of Koffing and Kecleon improved significantly.
Could he break through the second Gym?
Perhaps.
Fortunately, Ninja Boy had quite proficient tree-climbing skills, and after spotting traces of human activity from afar several times, he reached a bustling town after a long trek.
He immediately went to the Pokémon Center to rest well for a night.
The scene shifted.
As Ninja Boy prepared to set out again, he was drawn by the content of people's discussions.
[You learn from the passersby that the annual Trick House competition is about to start, and the winner can receive a year's supply of Poké Blocks, which greatly interests you]
The Trick competition...
Baimu vaguely remembered Ash Ketchum and company had participated before, but due to Rocket Team's influence, they failed to pass the subsequent stages. Didn't expect Ninja Boy to encounter it back then?
Was it held by Magic King in his younger years or by his ancestors?
He blinked, having an inkling of what might happen next.
Indeed.
Ninja Boy participating in the Trick House challenge was like a special forces soldier joining a run-for-fun competition, purely to break records or avoid household repair costs.
The various mechanisms set by the Magic King were simply child's play.
Apart from the initial maze which took a bit of time, for the balance-beam portion, Ninja Boy simply dashed across the decrepit wooden bridge spanning several dozen meters in an instant.
The wooden bridge didn't react, only breaking after several seconds.
In the swinging rope segment, as the trick rope deliberately extended, nearly causing him to fall into the water, he directly leveraged Koffing, stylishly flipping over.
When encountering a cut rope on a climbing section, he sent out Kecleon to reconnect the two, highlighting an unconventional approach.
Magic King, the commentator, was stunned, his forehead bursting with exclamation marks.
Eventually, the year's supply of Poké Blocks unsurprisingly went to Ninja Boy, who had a bright smile on his face as he went on stage to receive the prize.
[You are sincerely happy about your decision to embark on a challenge]
Ninja Boy indeed had a clear goal, but after all, he was young and inexperienced, so he was very interested in various novel things in the outside world.
The Trick House competition allowed him to fully utilize all the capabilities of a ninja, and the amazed expressions of other participants also satisfied his vanity.
[You once again realize that becoming a ninja not only helps your grandfather's condition improve but also brings you other rewards]
In the scene.
The image of Ninja Boy laying on the bed daydreaming piqued Baimu's curiosity. Was this an epiphany?
Not quite.
The narrator indicated that the Trick House competition spurred Ninja Boy's enthusiasm for traveling and using ninjutsu. Until now, he had seen his ninja identity primarily as a tool for curing his grandfather.
It was only after these days of traveling that he truly realized what becoming a ninja could bring him.
In other words, it marked a gradual acceptance of his ninja identity.
Understanding this, Ninja Boy began to try incorporating ninjutsu into every possible area—
Such as Pokémon battles.
The previous special training during the second challenge of Mauville Gym had set a good start for him.
[You taught Kecleon many techniques of Breath Concealment Techniques and began crafting poisons according to the recipes in the Ninja's Book to enhance the toxicity of Koffing's poison smoke]
Widely known.
The skills in a genuine ninja's arsenal mainly involve lurking, ambushing, and poisoning, with a few miscellaneous skills on the side, where differences between different schools create slight variations.
Ninja Boy's school was unknown.
But it was apparent he was rather adept at lurking and ambushing, while his skill in crafting poisons was somewhat underdeveloped.
From the ellipsis appearing above his head after crafting the poison, it was clear Ninja Boy was unsatisfied with his product.
Thus.
[You decide to find a Pokémon that can produce severe poison to assist you in crafting poisons]
Ninja Boy showed strong initiative; after making up his mind, he began collecting intel from the Pokémon Center. As one of the essential skills for a ninja, he quickly acquired the information he wanted.