Chapter 667: Medical Ninja

{You can't believe you actually lost in a Gym Battle}

Aside from his first challenge against Zi Jin's Gym, where he lost to Iron Xuan due to zero battle experience and no intelligence gathering, the Ninja Boy had never lost before.

But this temporary setback did not sink his spirits; instead, it cooled him down after his relentless rush to this point.

{You begin searching for a way to break through the Liuli Gym}

The narrator notes that the Ninja Boy has steadily learned through guidance in the Ninja Book, and he is never short of patience when facing failure.

Skilled at learning, he also never isolated himself, actively seeking out other Trainers to learn various secrets of Pokémon training.

The Ninja Boy even turned his attention to Adam.

Unfortunately, the latter, being so powerful, was extremely popular; countless Trainers came daily to challenge him, leaving the Ninja Boy no chance to get close to Adam.

{You were forced to abandon this plan}

Seeing this narration, Baimu's expression grew slightly complex.

What strange experience would it be to nearly become fellow students with the simulation target? If Adam's youthful personality had been like this now, he would never have refused the Ninja Boy's request.

But if it had truly happened, later contact with real-life Ninja Boy would likely have become much simpler.

On the screen.

The Ninja Boy exhausted every method to strengthen his six Pokémon, and through his efforts, the last to join his team, Golbat, evolved.

{Your Golbat evolved into Crobat}

One of Crobat's key traits—its wings flapping with extremely quiet sound during flight, allowing it to swiftly approach opponents silently—perfectly matched stealth ninja techniques.

Coupled with its own paralyzing poison, it was another Pokémon exceptionally suited to the Ninja Boy's strengths.

This delighted him, and he intensified its training.

The scene sped by.

Thanks to the sheer number of Trainers challenging Adam, the Ninja Boy never lacked opponents to sharpen his battle awareness, yet no matter how many battles he fought, his tactical choice always remained the same—

Stealth attack plus poisoning.

This peculiar battle style made even Trainers who could beat him unwilling to fight him again, all complaining it was too boring and only added to their frustration.

Yet the Ninja Boy had zero awareness of annoying others, persistently chasing them to fight again.

Not long after.

The flashbacks and speed-up ended.

With all his Pokémon trained and utterly transformed, the Ninja Boy once again stepped before the Liuli Gym's door.

{You challenge the Liuli Gym for the second time}

Adam's chosen Pokémon remained unchanged, and the crude simulation visuals could not fully display his extraordinary Contest skills.

But it didn't matter.

Baimu, familiar with Teacher Adam, could mentally fill in the gaps.

He even imagined the pixelated figure's elegant pose and expression—Adam's impression on him was simply too profound.

Baimu shook his head, refocusing on the Ninja Boy.

This guy used the same team as last time, yet his strength had visibly changed.

Shedinja and Sneasel's stealth techniques grew even more uncanny, and combined with Shadow Clone and Substitute, they even fooled Adam.

When Adam's Pokémon with the Moist ability were defeated,

Exploud made a dramatic entrance; its terrifying explosion filled the entire simulation screen with radiant light, the intense flash causing Baimu to instinctively turn his head and squint, drawing a curious glance from the Shiny Gengar beside him.

"Gn?"

Is the Trainer reading something that hurts the eyes? Why that expression?

It shoved its large head between Baimu and the open book on the table, squinting and grimacing for a while…

Hmm.

Can't understand.

The Gengar turned around and tried to press its face against the Trainer's.

"Go play somewhere else! I'll play with you after I'm done reading!"

Baimu grabbed its pointed ear and pulled it aside; upon hearing this, Gengar immediately slid obediently to the side, pulled out two game consoles from its belly, and watched his back with anticipation.

It preferred playing with the Trainer rather than alone—it was far more fun that way.

Inside the simulator.

During Gengar's antics, the Ninja Boy lost only two Pokémon, yet defeated Adam's four Water-type Pokémon.

{You defeated the Liuli Gym Leader Adam and received the Liuli Badge}

The tournament qualification was now secured.

The Ninja Boy stared at the eight Badges in his collection box, and alongside his Pokémon, all their heads bore smiling faces—this was the second thing he had seriously pursued, after ninjutsu, and achieved tangible success.

The upcoming tournament would determine whether he could accomplish a feat worthy of a Ninja, and thus awaken his grandfather.

{You miss your grandfather, but you know you cannot return to Yin Yu City yet, because if anyone discovers the existence of Sneasel and the others, everything you've done recently will be exposed}

The Ninja Boy remembered his age had been altered; returning would almost certainly lead to his capture.

But there was still time before the tournament.

He decided to seek out the Gym Leader from Shuijing City—their kindness and friendliness remained vivid in his memory, and their formidable strength would let him continue growing during the remaining time.

The scene shifted.

The Ninja Boy boarded the ship bound for Shuijing City.

{You asked the Shuijing Gym Leader to let you stay for a few days; without hesitation, they agreed, and happily discussed with you how to use Pokémon venom and plants to create potent poison}

{Your toxicology received new inspiration}

—

Inside the light screen.

Images of many ninja boys striving hard flashed by.

The present-day Sootopolis City had long since become a flourishing coastal metropolis, and with the help of this "platform," the ninja boys who battled trainers from all over the world saw their strength improve every day.

The toxins of Poison-type Pokémon were also being gradually enhanced with the help of the Sootopolis Gym Leader.

To claim victory, the ninja boy had already given it everything he had.

And so.

A new edition of the Lily of the Valley Conference slowly drew its curtain.

To avoid being spotted by acquaintances watching the match, the ninja boy deliberately got an afro hairstyle, wrapped a scarf over half his face, and even had the Sootopolis Gym Leader specially commission a pair of stilts for him.

From the outside, he really did look different.

But All Baimu only felt the ninja boy's actions were a bit redundant — before the match, the referee and commentators would announce where the contestants came from!

It was only a matter of time before he was discovered.

But if the ninja boy were found out to have an age problem and disqualified, how would the final rewards be settled?

They should be based on the original results.

Baimu recalled that camping boy who had stolen a badge to enter the competition and ended up getting flattened in the prelims — that person's results were canceled too, but the simulated rewards weren't withheld.

He set his mind at ease, then grew curious whether the Joy and Jenny from Fortree City would come and expose the ninja boy's lie.

The format of the Lily of the Valley Conference in the simulation was the same as now.

First came a singles battle to decide who would advance into the preliminary tournament.

The ninja boy won very easily — without needing to send out the self-destruct maniac, just Munchlax's impact-resistant body plus fierce poison was enough to take down the opponent.

【You have successfully advanced to the preliminary tournament】

The preliminary tournament was three rounds of doubles battles.

Having long since understood the format, the ninja boy was naturally prepared — Weezing and Kecleon worked smokescreens and Shadow Clones to dazzling effect, easily defeating the opponent.

Coincidentally, he even knew the opponent; the narration stated they had once battled in Ecruteak City, where the ninja boy had lost.

Who would have thought several months had passed.

The ninja boy's strength had already risen above his opponent's.

【You have broken through the preliminary tournament】

Breaking fully through the prelims meant the Top 32; after two more rounds of best-of-six singles battles, it would be the final full-party battle.

So far, the ninja boy had played with relative ease.

Even against opponents of the same Top 32 caliber, he never fell behind.

All Baimu suddenly thought of his other blue talent — 【Limit Break】.

After traveling for so long, the ninja boy had actually never triggered this talent even once; it looked like it would have to be saved for the semifinals or finals.

Wasn't the previous simulator who got Limit Break a musician?

While he was pondering, the ninja boy once again defeated an opponent, successfully advancing to the Top 8.

Victory was now only three rounds away.

【You have reached the championship tournament】

The first Top 8 opponent.

Another acquaintance of the ninja boy's — back then, to raise his strength, he had sought out trainers to battle everywhere, and this person was among them.

But that time, the ninja boy had won.

This also caused the opponent to be extremely cautious when battling him.

Unfortunately.

The ninja boy was famously underhanded and toxic — Crobat slapped a badly poisoned status on the opponent's Gyarados and then started kiting, dragging it out until it lost the ability to fight.

Similar battle scenes played out afterward; after a full-party battle, the opponent was left so furious his face turned iron-blue, looking fit for hospitalization.

【You have defeated your opponent and broken through the Top 8】

"Why does this play like a stalling team?"

Seeing this, All Baimu couldn't help but think of the stalling teams from the games of his past life — built on dragging out time and being disgustingly annoying; if both sides ran stalling teams, it would turn into a bladder match measured in hours.

Stalling teams were hard to run in the Pokémon anime world, but in terms of disgusting people, the ninja boy seemed to have inherited one or two parts of the stalling team's true essence.

More importantly.

Up to now, Weezing hadn't even used Explosion once.

The ninja boy was clearly planning to hold it back, waiting to use it against a stronger opponent—

Fate answered his wish.

The semifinals.

An opponent so powerful that right at the start he used Sceptile to consecutively take down Munchlax and Shedinja, forcing the ninja boy to swap in Weezing to take it out.

Three of his Pokémon took down one of the opponent's.

The situation in the semifinals was terrible to the extreme.

Even though All Baimu knew the ninja boy's final result was already predetermined, watching the scenes in the simulation still made him unconsciously break a sweat for him.

And under such extreme circumstances.

The long-awaited 【Limit Break】 triggered.

The last to join the team, Crobat, was the first to pop off — taking down one of the opponent's Pokémon, then going down together with another; meanwhile Shedinja also took down one of the opponent's through a sneak attack, and before fainting used Shadow Ball with all its might to drain the stamina of the opponent's fifth Pokémon.

With his teammates having fought so hard.

Kecleon naturally refused to be outdone — this one had clearly become the ninja boy's ace Pokémon, and the moment it appeared it swiftly took down the Pokémon that Shedinja had worn down to low health.

Then, when facing the opponent's last Pokémon, it fully carried out the ninja's creed.

Even with the best of opportunities, it would never face its opponent head-on; even if the other party stood still and let it strike, it would only attack from behind in a sneak ambush. Caution above all.

The opponent had undoubtedly gotten a taste of the same frustration that the Ninja Kid's previous opponent had felt.

Perhaps in the opponent's mind, a battle that had reached this point should have been one where the trainer's roar ignited the fire in their Pokémon's heart, and both sides would go all-out in a single clash to decide the winner.

The Ninja Kid refused to play along.

【You gaze at your opponent's frustrated expression, and your heart gains a new insight into the Way of the Ninja】

What kind of fighting style builds its joy upon the enemy's suffering.

All Baimu's mouth twitched slightly; what was even more absurd was that the Ninja Kid had actually achieved enlightenment. After Kecleon took down its opponent and won, it fell into a mystical, muttering state.

【You have advanced to the finals, but your mind is on the Ninja Scroll; looking at the text above once more, you gain an entirely new experience】

This narration...

Doing one great deed to become an official ninja—was that actually not just empty talk?

All Baimu suddenly realized that the Ninja Scroll's way of turning its learner into an official ninja did not rely on the result of a "great deed," but rather on the insight into the Way of the Ninja gained during the process of doing a great deed.

It seemed that even if the Ninja Kid's tournament journey ended here, he was a lock to become an official ninja.

【You have finally understood what it means to be a ninja】

On the screen.

A flash of Jin Guang burst around the Ninja Kid, as if a game character had leveled up, and the narration also explained why he had become like this.

This freaking kid is only eight years old...

All Baimu sighed deeply. Comparing people was infuriating; compared to this cheat, the Ninja Kid was the true, bona-fide heaven-defying prodigy.

The finals venue.

Although the Ninja Kid had gained some insight, his Pokémon had not been able to surge in strength because of it.

Fortunately, the finals opponent seemed to be weaker than the one from the semifinals. The Ninja Kid once again triggered 【Limit Break】, and defeated this guy with only four Pokémon.

Kecleon in particular—【Limit Break】 let it achieve an astonishing feat similar to Aggron's one-versus-three run.

【You have defeated your finals opponent and become the champion of the tournament】

The excited Ninja Kid and Kecleon hugged each other into a ball.

Not only for the championship at this moment, but also for what he believed was his grandfather about to wake up.

But at the award ceremony.

A pixel NPC that looked like a staff member stepped onto the stage and whispered into the ear of the host who was presenting the trophy. Then several Officer Jennys burst into the ceremony venue and, amid the gasps of countless pixel figures, surrounded the Ninja Kid.

【You have been informed that, due to the grave crime of tampering with records, you are about to be arrested】

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

The Ninja Kid, who was only one step away from his wish, refused to give up. He used a Substitution Jutsu on the spot to escape the scene.

【You must return to Fortree City to see with your own eyes whether your grandfather has awakened】

The Ninja Kid, now an official ninja, was terrifyingly proficient in the Way of the Ninja. So many Officer Jennys failed to catch him, and he took the chance to hop aboard a cargo ship.

The scene shifted.

In the familiar hospital.

The Ninja Kid tiptoed inside, but to his disbelief, even though he had become an official ninja, his grandfather still lay in bed, unconscious.

【You feel that you have been deceived】

Just as he was losing his spirit over this, countless Officer Jennys who had been lying in wait burst in from every direction, and together with the Ninja Kid's parents, surrounded him once more.

But this time.

【You silently chose to surrender; facing your tear-streaked parents, you apologized to them】

The dispirited Ninja Kid gave up resisting.

The scene froze here.

"... Huh?"

All Baimu felt a little awkward, but before he could mull over how dark this ending was, the narration popped up one after another, and the scene flickered several times along with it.

【Because you are too young, you were sent to the Shaonianguan Sect. During this time, you still persisted in cultivating the Way of the Ninja, believing that perhaps you had failed to meet the Ninja Scroll's conditions, and that winning the tournament did not yet count as a great deed】

【During your time living in the Shaonianguan Sect, the master who taught you to make incense and the Sootopolis Gym Leader both came to visit you】

【Three years later, you were released, and at the same time you received a piece of news—someone was developing a drug that could wake your grandfather up, and that person was none other than your master and the Sootopolis Gym Leader; the Gym Leader had shut down the Gym to help you】

【You decided to set aside toxicology and study pharmacology. You understood that as long as you could develop this potion, it would be enough to be called a great deed—countless people plagued by illness would be saved because of you】

【You resolved to become a medical ninja】

【Simulation ended】