Chapter 142: Cast Out of the Family

【Simulation Start】

A massive light screen slowly unfurled, and the familiar pixel art style emerged.

But this could not dampen All Baimu's excitement at the moment; he had specially prepared some snacks, struck a pose, and welcomed the arrival of a new story.

Within the screen.

The first to appear was a spacious and bright exhibition hall.

Around the walls hung a series of blurry paintings, along with some strange, unidentifiable text.

Countless tiny figures stood scattered about, with bubbles constantly popping up above their heads to show they were admiring these great works.

And at the center of the scene, a female pixel sprite stood behind an elderly man, with a Smeargle holding its tail beside them.

This trainer class is…

Painter? Artist?

All Baimu had just begun to wonder when he saw text flash rapidly above the old man's head; then the suspected artist simulation subject suddenly dashed forward, moving so fast that she accidentally brushed past the old man, causing the latter to fall straight onto his backside on the ground.

But she paid no attention, instead stubbornly tearing down a text artwork from the wall.

! marks popped up above the heads of the surrounding onlookers, and someone hurried off to help the old man to his feet.

Immediately after.

The entire screen dimmed.

All Baimu's heart skipped a beat, feeling that this opening was a little strange—stranger even than the Chef's opening.

Fortunately, the next moment.

The screen lit up again, though the scene was no longer the original exhibition hall but a classroom, where the pixel sprite was silently packing up her belongings.

The Smeargle, meanwhile, was scribbling on a piece of paper.

Narration appeared.

【At fourteen, you flew into a rage when the curator called your calligraphy work "boring," and while tearing it up you accidentally injured the curator. Your father ordered you out of the house to cool off elsewhere, believing that before you can be a calligrapher, you lack what it takes to be a proper human being】

"Pfft!"

All Baimu spat out his drink—being kicked out of the house outright, that was something.

But a calligrapher, of all things… he truly hadn't expected that.

He recalled that calligraphers in Neon evolved from Celestial calligraphy; did the Pokémon world have calligraphers too… writing in the Pokémon world's script?

But on second thought, if the Pokémon world even had Monks, the appearance of a calligrapher wasn't all that strange.

Poor Smeargle, blessed with a gift for painting, couldn't paint and had to accompany its trainer to learn writing; he wondered if that was a waste of its talent.

While All Baimu was daydreaming, more narration lines popped up in succession.

【As you pack, you recall the curator's assessment of you. Having debuted as a prodigy calligrapher, you have spent these years writing strictly by the book, never able to shake labels like "precise," "robotic," or "copy machine"—but you don't see anything wrong with that approach】

"Point Guard Here"

【After thinking it over, you decide to use this chance to set out on a journey, challenging Gyms like most people your age to dispel your gloom】

The scene shifted.

The calligrapher stepped out of a house that resembled a castle, and with Smeargle in tow walked down the main road, soon arriving at a bustling city.

【You have arrived at Kagen City. Standing between the roads, you feel utterly lost—you realize you have no idea how to take the first step】

The calligrapher sat by the roadside, looking rather forlorn.

Clearly this city's atmosphere couldn't spark her creative urge; if it had been the Chef coming to Kagen City, she would have headed straight for a local restaurant.

But compared to the trainer, Smeargle was far more restless; looking left and right, it quickly found some fun—

In the lower-right corner of the screen, two children were scribbling on the ground with chalk.

Smeargle watched quietly for a while, then seized the chance to step forward and draw a cute little stick figure, successfully reaching an agreement with the two children to draw together.

Unfortunately, the two children were soon called away by their parents, leaving Smeargle to continue drawing all on its own.

Until the calligrapher came looking for Smeargle.

Then, she saw the drawing on the ground.

It was a slightly abstract work, yet one that let you pick out the main subjects at a glance—

A girl, surrounded by many Pokémon, laughing joyfully.

【You look at the childlike drawing on the ground, then at Smeargle smiling at you, and understand it is encouraging you】

【A wave of emotion wells up inside you, and you decide to pull yourself together】

The calligrapher took Smeargle to the Pokémon Center, the place with the most trainers, and through the guidebook handed out inside learned the procedure for challenging Gyms.

【You find Kagen City isn't very suitable for a new trainer, so you decide to head for the Black Gold Gym recommended in the guidebook, catching new Pokémon along the way】

The narration ended, and the calligrapher walked toward the city gates.

But when passing through a plaza, she suddenly stopped; inside the plaza was a man who looked like a street vendor, with a row of pink-furred, black-haired, red-nosed sprites standing before him—Mime Jr.

The Pokémon that can perfectly imitate your movements and expressions! Mime Jr.! Come take a look if you're interested!

A line of text appeared in a speech bubble.

All Baimu understood that the word "imitate" had struck a nerve with the calligrapher—after all, her own work had been called imitation of the template, so hearing the vendor's pitch naturally made her unable to resist walking over.

【You hear that there are Pokémon who spend their whole lives imitating others, and it reminds you of yourself】

【You decide to take in Mime Jr. as your second partner】

The calligrapher obtained Mime Jr. from the vendor.

【You obtained Mime Jr.; your journey's companions have increased】

Huh?

This time the narration didn't pull a gag like last time.

He was a little disappointed the narration had become well-behaved, yet curious to see how things would develop next.

And very soon, the calligrapher arrived at Route 208. The greenhorn she learned from the Trainer Handbook that one could raise the strength of one's Pokémon by battling wild Pokémon and other trainers.

So.

She carefully slipped into the grass and began looking for an opponent.

As it turned out, no wild Pokémon were found, but a wild trainer was encountered instead.

Following the principle that eye contact means battle begins, the calligrapher and that wild trainer started a Pokémon battle.

She sent out Smeargle.

Baimu saw the calligrapher's somewhat clumsy technique and knew at heart that this one was most likely a pure newbie trainer, not like the Chef who possessed an extraordinary foundation.

Probably just out of the starter village and she'd already hit Waterloo.

He hoped she wouldn't be discouraged by it.

Baimu was thinking this, when he immediately saw Smeargle raise its paintbrush-like tail, and like a magician, blast a Thunderbolt down onto the wild trainer's Crobat.

Crack!

A massive bolt of Lei Ting descended from the sky, and the scene trembled.

Then Crobat fell to the ground, charred black all over.

Baimu: "..."

Wild trainer: "..."

Calligrapher: "?"

【You discover that Pokémon battles seem simpler than expected; the opponent's Crobat couldn't withstand a single Thunderbolt from Smeargle.】

"Hiss!"

Baimu sucked in a cold breath.

Turned out after all that fuss, it was a newbie trainer paired with a not-so-newbie Smeargle!