Chapter 595

Smoke Gym.

The gym leader is a Dragon Tamer skilled in using Dragon-type Pokémon.

Notably, Dragon Tamers excel with Dragon-type Pokémon, but what they truly love are all Pokémon that resemble dragons.

Although Blissey, by relying on her type advantage, easily defeated Kingdra and Gyarados.

But the combination of Charizard and Flygon gave her trouble.

Fortunately, besides it, the Magician had Mismagius—a Pokémon that fully proved her Blue Talent 【Nurturing Excellence】, so the Smoke Gym battle passed without much difficulty.

【You defeated the Smoke Gym Leader and earned the Smoke Badge】

Got it.

Qualification for the Silver Conference.

Baimu exhaled a sigh he hadn't realized he was holding.

How strong the simulation opponent is can already be glimpsed from the Gym Challenge phase.

Those who usually can't pass the preliminaries will almost certainly get stuck at the seventh or eighth Gym, needing two or three tries to get through.

Meanwhile, simulation opponents who reach the top eight or higher, like Shinji, generally clear every Gym on the first try—there's no concept of getting stuck.

The Magician, who bulldozes through everything, belongs to the type with potential to win the championship.

So far, both Blue Talent simulations have guaranteed a championship result, but whether an even better or worse outcome might appear…

Unknown.

Regardless, Baimu was extremely envious of the rewards for winning the Conference or higher.

【You ended the Gym Challenge and returned to the Magic School】

The Magician did not linger long in Smoke City; after bidding farewell to the Gym Leader, she left.

The narrator stated she would return to school to work harder on crafting potions to pass the official exam, and also find ways to enhance her Pokémon's strength.

【You know well that even Phoenix's Sacred Flame offers few opportunities for contact or collection, and the Headmaster reminded you that if you win the Conference, the League might allow you to access the Sacred Flame】

During this long journey, the Magician first seriously tried her Pokémon's combat power.

"Can't I be a torchbearer?"

Baimu knew well that the Sacred Flame of the Silver Conference was copied straight from the Olympic Flame; logically, as a contestant, the Magician should have had a chance to touch it…

Was it because she wasn't famous enough?

He regretted he couldn't go in and warn the Magician, yet he also felt that if he warned her, she might stop striving so hard for the Conference victory.

At this moment.

The screen suddenly began to flicker.

Baimu stared closely and discovered that the Magician, who should have been diligently crafting magic potions in her room, had somehow lain down on her bed.

【You feel somewhat weary, and involuntarily begin recalling the past】

The scene shifted.

Outside the ruins of a house almost entirely burned to ashes.

Many people rushed back and forth; from their attire, it was easy to tell they were firefighters.

The young Magician stood outside the cordon, staring blankly at the rubble.

【When you were six, your best friend's home caught fire; she happened to be left alone at home and couldn't escape, dying tragically】

【You couldn't accept this reality, believing it was merely a dream you'd had, so you came to the ruins every day, praying to see the house intact】

The young Magician in the scene was filled with unrelenting sorrow.

Silent pain needs no music—even in pixel form, it still pierced through the screen and reached you.

"…"

Baimu silently reached out and hugged Happiny and Shiny Haunter, ignoring their confused expressions, unable to suppress a quiet sigh.

He roughly understood who the Rebirth Elixir was made for.

But if the Rebirth Elixir was made, how should it be used? Pour it onto a corpse? Then wouldn't the Magician have to dig up the body?

As Baimu pondered.

The young Magician had fallen asleep beside the ruins.

It was hard to imagine such a child could sleep in such a place, but when a Murkrow appeared, he understood why the young Magician had suddenly fallen asleep.

A massive bubble symbolizing a dream filled half the simulation screen.

In this dream-memory, the young Magician successfully reunited with her friend inside the intact house; they played happily until she awoke, tears streaming down her face.

【Your first encounter with Murkrow was right here, in this place that brought you to the deepest sorrow】

At that time, the young Magician didn't know Murkrow had the ability to create illusions; the beautiful dream made her believe Murkrow was the reincarnation of her friend's soul.

【You tried to bring Murkrow home; as a descendant of a magic family, you believed ancient texts in your family's collection contained methods to turn Pokémon back into humans】

Can a human, after death, become a Pokémon?

Baimu recalled—there didn't seem to be any such case in the anime.

But if becoming a Pokémon doesn't require death as a condition, then there are numerous cases in Pokédex entries and urban legends of humans turning into Pokémon.

In Pokémon spin-offs, Pikachu in Detective Pikachu is formed by a human soul entering Pikachu's body, and the protagonists of the Mystery Dungeon series are mostly humans who have been transported into Pokémon bodies.

He believed Murkrow wasn't the Magician's friend transformed—it was merely a coincidence.

Helplessly, the fragile young Magician took Murkrow as her emotional anchor and took the idea of reviving her friend very seriously; the thing she eventually found was the Rebirth Elixir recorded in the ancient texts.

No wonder Mismagius is so special.

All other Pokémon have suffixes indicating raw materials or tools, but this one doesn't.

Baimu never imagined the Magician believed Mismagius was her childhood friend transformed—its status was truly extraordinary.

By the way, why doesn't Murkrow explain itself?

The narrator did not explain this point, but did clarify that the young magician could read ancient script—

As heirs to a magical family, the Third Dynasty script was as vital to them as modern language.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but think of Shijiro, who, from his family's deep ties, could also read some Third Dynasty script—could this ancient dynasty really be that extraordinary?

He rarely paid attention to the history of the Pokémon anime world, because each region's history was too vast and fragmented, with many lost histories that bore no connection to one another.

"... The hope is slim."

From the start, Baimu had vaguely suspected that the Nirvana Elixir with its altered main ingredient was unreliable.

Now, with the magician placing her hope of reviving her friend on Mismagius, Baimu's doubts about whether she could realize her dream grew heavier.

The timeline returned to the present.

The magician got up from bed and kept pushing forward.

【You still firmly believe today that Mismagius is your former companion; her complete lack of memory of anything before meeting you only deepens your conviction.】

Hm?

Really?

Baimu stared at the narrator's words, his heart pounding like a drum.

The Original Series was the arc with the most bizarre elements, including ultra-ancient Pokémon possessing objects, Ghost-type spirits that had lived a thousand years and could transform into humans, and Ninetales that had lived for centuries as well.

Even Ash and Pikachu had once "died," their souls separated from their bodies by Haunter.

Humans turning into Pokémon after death seemed strange, yet in the Kanto and Johto regions where the Original Series took place, it felt almost plausible.

He gazed at the magician, who seemed as if she'd been injected with adrenaline, thinking perhaps the ending might offer an answer.

So.

The scene accelerated.

The Silver Conference officially opened.

In the opening scene, the magician stood at the entrance of the venue, watching helplessly as a torchbearer passed by her carrying the sacred flame.

If she had even a fraction of Team Rocket's audacity, she might have rushed forward to steal the flame by now.

【You suppressed your desire, fearing it would bring trouble to your magic school.】

Was it fear of bringing trouble to the school—or fear of bringing trouble to yourself?

Baimu didn't know where to spit out his disbelief.

And just like during the time of Scent Sister, the ancient League Conference had far fewer participants; only a hundred or so trainers had successfully earned eight badges.

Clearly, it wasn't just Gym Leaders who were weaker than their successors—the challengers themselves were weaker too.

They were even weaker than the Gym Leaders.

This meant that after successfully passing the preliminary round, the magician's first round in the preliminary tournament began at the top 32.

【You defeated your opponent and advanced to the preliminary tournament.】

Drug-fueled tactics were terrifying in the early stages of the tournament; trainers who had barely obtained badges—or those who hadn't earned them from major Gyms—were no match for the magician.

Her Pokémon, even excluding Mismagius, possessed formidable combat strength.

Thus, the matches from 32 to 16, and 16 to 8, held no suspense—she advanced effortlessly.

Baimu couldn't help but marvel at how fierce the Dual Blue simulation's subject was; in ordinary simulations, reaching the top 32 already made one worry about collapsing.

【You defeated your opponent and advanced to the final championship.】

Starting from the top 8, opponents' strength rose noticeably.

But the magician was no pushover—her Pokémon, especially Mismagius, were already powerful, and after taking drugs, they became even stronger; the opposing trainer stood no chance.

Her overwhelming strength drew a sea of admiring expressions from the audience.

With victory drawing nearer, the magician grew even more serious.

Unlike formal exams, the conference offered only one chance; she dared not slacken for a moment.

The semifinals.

The simulation scene no longer accelerated, subtly proving that her opponent possessed strength comparable to hers—a fact confirmed when the magician lost four Pokémon before defeating her.

【You defeated your opponent and advanced to the finals.】

Baimu's heart hammered violently.

He felt the magician's overall strength surpassed both of the previous Dual Blue simulation subjects; perhaps she could even defeat one or two of the Four Guardians.

Thinking of the rewards the Psychic-type simulation had granted him, Baimu looked forward to the magician with great anticipation.

The finals.

The magician pushed her drug-fueled tactics to their extreme.

Before the match, she had nearly filled every Pokémon's belly with potency-enhancing potions; the simulation even gave these Pokémon special effects resembling Saiyan aura bursts.

This made Baimu silently mourn for her opponent.

The finals画面 lacked the热血 intensity of previous simulations, yet brimmed with a strange determination and the urgency of truth about to be revealed.

It was clear the magician was nervous, and it affected some of her Pokémon.

Fortunately, Mismagius remained as reliable as ever.

When the opponent had only one Pokémon left and attempted a desperate counterattack, Mismagius gave no opening, using its drug-enhanced absolute strength to extinguish all hope.

The scene flickered.

The next second.

The magician, holding the trophy, her back turned to the sacred flame, filled Baimu's vision.

【You defeated your opponent and won the Silver Conference championship.】

Won!

The champion's guarantee is secured!

Though Baimu was no longer as worked up as before, he still applauded the Mage and began looking forward to the Mage's performance in the Champion League.

However.

【You have given up on the idea of participating in this edition of the Champion League, only hoping to get up close to the Sacred Fire】

He was dumbfounded.

The Champion League does not force tournament winners to participate; the Mage could save her participation for the next edition, but… the simulation rewards are limited to this edition only!

"Ah—"

Baimu was so furious that he grabbed the shiny Gengar and Blissey and violently shook them back and forth twice.

The shiny Gengar was startled by his exasperated look, utterly curious who had provoked the Trainer — a book? How could something be this infuriating?

The latter somewhat calmed down and gave the shiny Gengar an apologetic smile.

He figured it out: a dual-blue talent's results are fixed at the tournament-winner level.

Only an orange talent or better would yield better rewards.

Continue watching the simulation.

There were still things Baimu was curious about that hadn't been answered.

Inside the light screen.

With the help of her Dusnoir, the Mage's theft of the Sacred Fire went very smoothly; once she returned to the Magic Academy, she couldn't wait to begin the formal examination.

And this time, she didn't disappoint herself again.

【You have passed the formal examination and become a full-fledged Mage; from now on, no magic potion will be beyond your reach】

【You begin working on crafting the Rebirth Potion; upon learning of this news, the Dean of Studies brought the Principal along to watch】

Hmm… looks like a full-fledged Mage is the top-tier profession of Pokémon magic.

No wonder it's so hard to pass — turns out there's no Grand Mage or higher ranks afterward.

Baimu gazed at the Mage, whose technique was practiced and skilled; the narration stated that most of the raw materials for the Rebirth Potion existed for the purpose of increasing stability.

What truly injected soul into the potion was precisely the Sacred Fire, the core ingredient.

Finally.

Under the Mage's efforts, a rainbow-colored magic potion was produced.

【You have successfully crafted the Rebirth Potion and couldn't wait to use it on Dusnoir——】

No reaction at all.

"Just as I thought."

Baimu let out a sigh.

Humans becoming Ghost-type Pokémon after death may be possible, but it has nothing to do with Dusnoir.

【You cannot accept this result; you believe the formula had a problem, and you begin remaking a new Rebirth Potion——all of them failed】

【You refused the Principal and Dean of Studies' consolation】

The Mage was deeply grieved — how could she accept such a result? All those years of preparation from age six until now had turned to bubbles.

No one could accept it.

The Mage's Pokémon gathered around her, offering the former spiritual comfort.

Although the narration kept appending "raw material" and "tool" labels to these Pokémon, it was clear the Mage treated them all as partners.

She never neglected a single Pokémon.

【Comforted by her Pokémon, you gradually pulled yourself together; you believe the substitute Sacred Fire was the problem — perhaps the Rebirth Potion can only use Sacred Ash rather than Sacred Fire — you decide to set out traveling once more, chasing Ho-Oh's silhouette】

The scene froze on the Mage, with Dusnoir, setting out once more beneath the rising sun.

【Simulation Ended】

Baimu tossed aside the book in his hand: "Heh…"

This seemed to be the only blue-talent simulation so far that had achieved a good result but failed to realize its dream.

The others — Chef, Calligrapher, Musician, and so on — more or less showed signs of achieving their goals.

The Mage had achieved the tournament-winner result, yet continued chasing the seemingly impossible dream of the Rebirth Potion.

Baimu couldn't help but pull out his phone and search up the historical champions of the Silver Conference.

He quickly found the Mage's existence.

However, the internet only had her match recordings; other information simply couldn't be found.

"She should still be alive, right?"

Baimu figured that since Lorelei was still alive, the Mage — more than ten years younger than him — definitely hadn't died; so had she achieved her lifelong wish?

Unknown.

He stroked the top of Gengar's head, shifted his mood, and looked at this simulation's rewards.

【Fixed Reward: Move Learning Machine x5 (assignable type)】

【Fixed Reward: Mage's Potion-Making Memories — Rebirth Potion Chapter (re-readable)】

【Fixed Reward: Dusnoir's Hypnosis Memories — Illusion Construction Chapter (re-readable)】

……

【Choice Reward One: Any Pokémon gains five levels (below Lv70)】

【Choice Reward Two: Lead on a Pokémon with specified base stats (excluding Legendary Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, and Ultra Beasts)】

【Choice Reward Three: Move — Pain Split (selectable Pokémon to learn)】

【Choice Reward Four: Carry over the 【Form Reflects the Heart】 talent to the next simulation】

Baimu: "……WTF?"