The strength of Yanmo Gym Leader Xiaochun is also extraordinarily strong, and the Pokémon of the camper boys had no chance against them.
The main issue was the moves, Hakuryu's Dragon Breath always triggered the paralysis effect, and Kingdra's Tide Spin could forever trap the camper boys' Pokémon.
If Elder Liu relied on overwhelming strength, then Xiaochun was blessed with exceptional luck.
Four consecutive defeats, with at least a week between each, and intense special training...
With such luck, why not become a Celestial King!
Baimu was indignantly standing up for the camper boys, seeing the latter work hard in their training again, he couldn't help but cheer them on.
Until an unexpected incident occurred.
[You saw two figures emerging from the back door of the Yanmo Gym, and you chased after them.]
In the scene, the camper boys chased the two sneaky men in black, running all the way outside Yanmo City before using a Golem and a Fearow to intercept them.
Both sides engaged in dialogue.
[You discovered the Phantom Thief Brothers duo, they offered part of their loot as a trade-off, hoping you would let them go.]
Baimu was stunned for a moment, and another line jumped out.
[Among the loot, you saw the Rising Dragon Badge, and you chose to agree.]
Huh? What? Agreed!?
Baimu's eyes widened, he never expected the camper boys to stray from the path, was it because they became unbalanced after losing too many times?
What surprised him even more was that this wasn't the end.
[You looked at the Rising Dragon Badge, after much thought, you suggested to the Phantom Thief Brothers—to steal from the Kaji Gym.]
The three figures in the scene continued their dialogue, and perhaps it was Baimu's illusion, but the entire simulator's tone seemed to darken.
[You earned the recognition from the Phantom Thief Brothers; in the hope of raising their ranking in the thief world, they adopted your suggestion.]
Thief rankings... was that the one Musashi and James talked about?
Baimu vaguely remembered something like that, in the Water City Siblings' theater version, the two female antagonists were ranked No.1 as thieves.
After the Savior of villains, now comes an idol for thieves?
Baimu looked powerlessly at the screen, seeing the Phantom Thief Brothers steal the Frozen Badge, he couldn't feel excited at all.
The camper boys received the badge.
[You acquired the Frozen Badge, but for some reason, you weren't happy.]
"Sigh..."
He couldn't help but let out a sigh.
A half-hour of pixel animation couldn't fully convey all the emotional journey of the camper boys; much of what Baimu saw from his god's eye view was quite one-sided.
However, he could empathize with the camper boys' feelings at that moment.
Previously, defeating Gym after Gym in joy, even the Ghost Gym only took two attempts.
Yet suddenly encountering two "monsters" at a standstill, unable to advance.
In those swiftly passing days, exactly how bitter and painful was the camper boys' constant special training in the hope of becoming stronger?
Perhaps one could glimpse a little from Psyduck's delayed evolution; Pokémon and Trainers are different entities with the same heart, feeling each other's emotions.
The accumulated negative emotions led him astray, repeating mistakes again and again.
Perhaps this was [cruel and ruthless].
Wholeheartedly fulfilling a goal by any means, even stealing if necessary...
By this point, Baimu no longer cared about the results; he merely hoped to see the outcome, to see the future of the camper boys.
The scene shifted.
[You returned to your hometown, with three months to go before the Silver Conference, you decided to prepare for the competition. Yet due to the last two badges being improperly obtained, your heart felt restless and uneasy.]
The camper boys returned to Jihua City, and unlike before, they reduced the intensity of Pokémon training significantly, spending most of their free time sitting by the window, waiting for something.
Both Psyduck and Slugma did not evolve, and the empty spot for a sixth Pokémon was outright forgotten.
Day and night alternated repeatedly, time fleeting by like a white Colt.
Finally, the Silver Conference began.
[You arrived at the long-dreamed Silver Conference. You were somewhat anxious to register, but you made it through smoothly.]
Arriving at a bustling competition field, the camper boys saw pixel figures crowded densely together, surrounded by various different Pokémon.
They walked into a colossal building, and when the screen dimmed and then brightened again, the surrounding sights had transformed into vast arenas of many trainers battling.
[You participated in the Selection Contest, despite the arduous process, you passed the first round.]
In the scene, the camper boys used Golem's Big Explosion and Pinsir's Hold On to narrowly defeat the opponent, but there were three rounds in the Selection Contest, and progression was determined based on the competition results and performance in Gym battles.
Gym battle performance? The badges from the last two gyms were stolen, how could there be any record of performance?
So with each round, the camper boys became increasingly apprehensive.
On the day the third round concluded, regardless of the competition results, or whether their performance was impressive or not, they awaited that day they had long anticipated.
A group of police officers appeared and took them away.
[Your collusion with the Phantom Thief Brothers to steal badges was uncovered, leading to impending imprisonment, and the conference results were nullified as a result. Yet, as you were taken away, you inexplicably smiled.]
[Simulation Ended]
Finally, it was over.
Baimu exhaled a deep breath, recognizing the hidden malice in the simulator. Having run the simulation three times, these characters were either abnormal from the start or gradually became abnormal.
Truly baffling.
But perhaps, as a result, there were so few participants in each conference.
Securing eight badges alone was no easy feat. In the animation, only Gary Oak among Ash Ketchum's contemporaneous starter Trainers successfully obtained eight, while the other two faltered at the hurdle.
[Choose reward one: Raise any Pokémon level by one (below lv. 50)]
[Choose reward two: Gain a clue to obtainable Pokémon]
[Choose reward three: Move—Rock Burst (can select Pokémon to learn)]
[Choose reward four: Retain [Elite System] trait for next round simulation]
The reward was still two out of four choices, yet Baimu was quite surprised by the move reward, which turned out not to be [Big Explosion].
Thinking the move reward was based on the ace's most used move, now it seems the ace skill pool is completely random.
Rock Burst is a must-pick.
Baimu hesitated not, decisively choosing one and three; two and four were somewhat tempting too, but overall one and three seemed more potent.
However, when he placed his hand on Aron's head, he was stunned.
[Rock Burst] can't be learned?
How could that be! That's absolutely impossible!
Or rather... could it be that it can't be learned before evolution? Baimu pondered over and over, concluding that this possibility was the only one, as a Pokémon's skill pool expands with evolution.
Aggron could even learn Surf and Water Cannon later, but Aron clearly couldn't.
He had to use the level reward first, clenching his fist expectantly, hoping to see the miraculous light of evolution.
A minute later.
Still absolute silence.
Baimu was deeply disappointed, it seemed Aron's miracle had yet to arrive.
"Or perhaps I'm missing something?"
"Guu?"
"It's okay."