Chapter 431

If the subject of this simulation came from the Goldenrod Gym.

Then it would indeed explain why the Psychic is a blank slate.

Because in the anime, those Psychic apprentices struggle terribly just to bend a spoon or guess the card in someone's hand—Psychic ability is practically nonexistent.

Even if there is any, it's minimal.

Of course.

The Psychic's simulation has only just begun; making any definition now would be arbitrary, so Baimu stopped overthinking and watched silently.

On screen.

The Psychic boarded a pixelated bus, and as it moved along the road, narration text appeared line by line.

【You've been sickly since childhood, so weak and ill that you had to be hospitalized every month. One day, your parents were advised by a master who revealed that Psychic ability could cure your body—and you, uniquely, possess the talent to learn it. Thus, you came to the Goldenrod Gym, hoping to learn Psychic ability from the powerful trainer Nastia.】

【You trained for three years but mastered only the barest basics, unable to even bend a spoon properly. Now that you've left the Gym, returning home is your only path.】

The narration ended, and the bus stopped in a rural area filled with farmland.

The Psychic got off with his luggage, walked a short distance, then stopped in place, his head displaying a sweat icon—he was utterly exhausted.

He really is frail…

Baimu watched the Psychic squatting on the ground, withdrawn, wondering how he had managed to care for himself during those three years at the Goldenrod Gym. He felt he was seeing a second Man Chong—perhaps, like Man Chong, he would gradually regain his health once he began his journey?

But honestly, what matters most is being with Pokémon.

It's been two or three minutes since the start, and this guy's Pokémon still hasn't appeared.

On the screen, the panting Psychic luckily hitched a ride on a passing Tauros cart, and after great effort finally returned home—

A single-story house just like Ash's.

When the Psychic rang the doorbell, two ordinary pixel people rushed out, their foreheads flashing exclamation marks in clear surprise.

【You returned home and told your parents about Nastia dismissing her apprentices. They scolded you for not informing them earlier; you gave vague replies, but felt an intense weariness.】

The simulation accelerated.

The same few scenes repeated: waking up, going downstairs to eat, returning to his room to practice Psychic ability, going to bed; the monotonous imagery showed the Psychic had spent a long time at home doing nothing.

It was only now that Baimu confirmed: he truly had no Pokémon! His parents did.

Why?

One day, as the Psychic's parents urged him to go for a walk, the narration provided the answer.

【You rested at home for a month. Your parents never let you do any labor, but a life of idleness brought no joy.】

The Psychic stood on a field ridge, staring at a group of children his age and their Pokémon, with ellipses floating endlessly above his head.

【You watched the boys and girls your age playing freely with their Pokémon, and felt a pang of envy.】

【When you were young, your parents forbade you from touching Pokémon, fearing you'd catch strange germs. Later, during your training at the Goldenrod Gym, even though you managed to care for yourself, you had no energy left to care for a Pokémon. So at twelve years old, you still have no Pokémon of your own.】

This kid might be heading toward depression.

Baimu saw the Psychic's head constantly displaying negative expressions and grew deeply concerned for his mental state.

At twelve, if his body is too weak for travel, he might as well go to school.

In the movie "Everyone's Story," there's a girl named Lisa who didn't catch her first Pokémon, Yin Bu, until high school, focusing entirely on academics and track before then.

Unfortunately, his thoughts couldn't reach the Psychic, so he could only watch as the boy sank into a state of collapse, living day after day of eating, sleeping, waking, eating.

Like a lazy Sunflora.

Yet the Psychic had his own stubbornness: every day, without fail, he trained his Psychic ability—even though he couldn't bend a single spoon.

From this persistence, it was clear he still refused to accept that his life was destined to end here.

And in this world where humans and Pokémon coexist in miracle, the Psychic, during another stroll, encountered his opportunity… or rather, his encounter.

【While walking, you faintly heard a muffled cry for help. You ran over and found a five-year-old child clutching a Pokémon who had fallen into the river; several other children of similar age stood on the bank, terrified.】

By the riverbank, the Psychic ordered the children to find adults for help, then stripped off his clothes and tried to swim in to rescue them.

Unfortunately, his body was too weak.

【You swam for a while and realized you lacked the strength to bring back both the drowning child and the Pokémon. Helplessly, you gave up.】

The Psychic returned to shore and, seeing no adults arriving, placed his hope on his own Psychic ability.

【You tried using Psychic ability to pull the drowning child up—but your pathetic, spoon-bending-level ability couldn't move them at all. You could only watch helplessly as they sank…】

As the narration froze.

The pixelated drowning child and pixelated Pokémon were suddenly wrapped in a flash of blue light, lifted from the river, and returned to shore.

The Psychic was stunned.

【You stared at your hands in disbelief. The children around you cheered and gasped in awe—but you snapped back to reality: this was not something you could have done.】

He turned around with clear self-awareness and glimpsed, in the trees beside the river, a dark shadow retreating.

【You saw an adult approaching from afar, and tried to chase after the shadow.】

"This is…"

Baimu paused—the dark shadow moved quickly, but it was unmistakably round and plump.

The Psychic was clearly unable to run; he'd already exhausted himself in the river, and this chase sent him crashing to the ground with a thud.

Unexpectedly, his fall caused the shadow to stop and approach him.

It was a fat, pudgy Hypno.

As a Pokémon that feeds on dreams—especially children's—it made perfect sense for it to save the drowning child.

The fallen Psychic and the Hypno locked eyes.

【You looked at the Hypno and, on impulse, pulled a spoon from your pocket and used your Psychic ability—the spoon bent. The Hypno laughed. You laughed too.】

【You became friends.】

Is the journey finally beginning?

Baimu blinked, expecting to see a training journey similar to Manchong's.

Unfortunately, the frailty and chronic illness of psychics were deeply ingrained in their bones.

On the night he rescued a drowning child, he fell violently ill from entering the water and failing to dry off afterward, lying bedridden for a full week—yet during that time, his connection with Hypno never broke.

Hypno even came directly to his home.

On the day the psychic recovered, he successfully made Hypno his partner.

【You captured Hypno; your psychic-type partner count increased】

After becoming a trainer, the psychic naturally became interested in the Shi Ying Conference, but his physical condition clearly could not support traveling far, let alone commanding battles or training Pokémon, both of which drained immense stamina.

Thus, the psychic decided to begin physical training.

"Did getting a Pokémon give you some drive?"

Baimu watched the screen with anticipation, wondering how much progress he could make in such a short time…

The scene shifted.

It finally settled on a certain day.

It wasn't that the psychic's physical training had yielded results—it was that if he wanted to enter this year's Shi Ying Conference, he had to leave now, or there wouldn't be enough time.

Only three months remained.

For a trainer with zero breeding experience and extremely weak constitution, challenging eight Gyms in three months was nearly impossible, let alone having only one Pokémon.

【You began considering whether to enter the Shi Ying League next year】

Damn.

Are they giving me a guaranteed minimum already?

Baimu gritted his teeth—this simulation made every single rank improvement a gain, and guaranteed minimums were the least friendly thing imaginable.

Fortunately, upon learning of his intention, the psychic's parents jokingly pointed him toward a clear path—

【Pokémon Certification Exam】

It assessed trainers based on a combined score from written and battle exams; those who passed received a badge granting them the qualification to challenge the Pokémon League, without needing to collect all eight badges.

This exam was designed specifically for those too busy with work, or too old or physically unfit to travel extensively—in the anime, even Young Lady Jo from Vermilion City took it.

If the psychic wished to enter the Shi Ying Conference today, passing the Pokémon Certification Exam might be a good option.

Baimu personally disapproved of this method.

After all, travel and Gym battles foster trainer growth—but the psychic seemed genuinely interested, and even began preparing.

【You decided to take the Pokémon Certification Exam and started studying】

Cheating path…

Baimu thought: you only have one Hypno. Even if you pass the Certification Exam, how will you enter the Shi Ying Conference? At least you should gather…

As if hearing his thought, in the simulation, during breaks from studying, the psychic tried taking Hypno out to capture new Pokémon.

And he actually succeeded in capturing one—

【You captured Staryu; your team's partner count increased】

The psychic found Staryu on a riverbank, where it was basking in the sun—unaware, it was hit full-face by Hypno's Hypnosis beam, then struck in its core gem by a Poké Ball.

The capture process was seamless.

Having tasted success, the psychic immediately decided to capture a third Pokémon—also a psychic-type.

After all, Hypno was psychic-type, Staryu evolved into a psychic-type, so the third Pokémon must also be psychic-type.

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【You want to capture Kadabra, so on your free days, you carry books, ride the bus to every Pokémon Center, and collect sighting reports】

Once the psychic made up his mind, he worked with extraordinary diligence, and his perseverance was terrifying. But there's a word: fate plays tricks. Kadabra never appeared—but he unexpectedly encountered a Slowpoke.

Following the principle that all were psychic-type Pokémon, after a fierce battle, the psychic captured it.

【You captured Slowpoke; your psychic-type partner count increased】

Meanwhile.

【Your Hypno evolved into Espeon】

It seemed years of accumulated effort finally triggered Hypno's evolution—and at this point, less than a month remained until the Shi Ying Conference opened.

The psychic had no choice but to depart for the Pokémon League Certification Center to register.

The scene shifted.

The psychic arrived before a massive building.

【You arrived at the Pokémon League Certification Center, where you saw many young people like you with poor health, as well as countless elderly people and office workers. The staff who greeted you was a towering, muscular giant—you felt immense envy】

Baimu remembered that the Certification Exam content was always absurd.

I wonder if the simulation will show the scenes—

It turned out.

It did.

【You entered the exam hall, joining three hundred candidates. Soon, you faced the first major written question—picture identification】

The psychic sat before a computer; the simulator kindly switched the viewpoint to behind him—still in pixelated view, of course.

【Question 1: Eevee's egg always has one cracked. True or false?】

【Question 2: Tyranitar can survive in magma at 2000 degrees. True or false?】

【Question 3: Kadabra only knows Teleport. True or false?】

【Question 4: Weezing consists of three gas balls. True or false?】

…

"All related to Generation I Pokémon—none from the Johto region at all. Since it's the Kanto Shi Ying Conference, they're only testing Kanto material?"

Baimu took one look and realized he couldn't answer many of these true-or-false questions — they were way too nitpicky, the kind of hair-splitting that demanded a trainer know every inch of a Pokémon's body.

The second stage of the written exam — 【Image Identification】 — was the same: they'd snap a Pokémon from some bizarre angle, then tell you it was actually a different one.

For example, the outer silhouette looked like Oddish, it looked like an Oddish, but it was actually a Geodude squatting in the grass.

Especially maddening.

Surprisingly, the Psychic talent's written-exam scores seemed pretty solid — looks like those months of reading hadn't been for nothing.

But once the written exam ended, his weak spot came up.

【Pokémon Battle】.

The Psychic talent hadn't fought in many Pokémon battles, and his meager stamina wasn't enough to support training his Pokémon day and night to build real combat experience — so in the third round he got crushed by the examiner.

Even though he himself was also using the examiner's Pokémon, not Hypno and the others.

The exam ended just like that.

【You stare at the words "Exam Failed," feeling a bit dejected. Hypno and the others comfort you, saying there's no harm in spending this year building up properly, and starting fresh next year by challenging the Gym.】

【You agreed.】

Simulation ended.

Four big characters were clearly visible on the screen.

"Huh? HUH???" Baimu froze, rooted to Reason: he was stunned stupid on the spot.

The simulation ended?

Oh right, he's not entering this year's League Conference, so it ended…

That's not fair! I feel like I didn't see anything!

It just ended out of nowhere!

His brows knit together, feeling more than a little annoyed, and he clicked on the rewards in a huff.

【Reward Choice One: Any Pokémon gains one level (below Lv. 30)】

【Reward Choice Two: A clue to an obtainable Pokémon】

【Reward Choice Three: Move — Psybeam (selectable Pokémon can learn it)】

【Reward Choice Four: Carry over the 【Psychic】 talent to the next simulation】

Oh!

Oh oh oh!

Reward Choice Four! You finally came through! The Psychic talent carries over!

Baimu, who had been feeling sour just moments ago, was suddenly thrilled.

Because the next simulation is a blue-talent simulation! This Psychic talent might just let him awaken Psychic powers!