Chapter 664

Among the giant trees of Yinyu City.

A pixelated ninja boy darted through the thick treetops like an hyperactive monkey, moving at incredible speed.

His nimble movements made Baimu sigh—

"This guy is eight?"

But with a physique like that, an eight-year-old setting out on a journey to challenge the League isn't that unusual.

No.

More than his physical condition, what matters is whether the ninja boy can take care of himself.

Traveling at ten is already absurd.

Eight…

Baimu narrowed his eyes slightly, and in the simulation, the ninja boy dashed into the Pokémon Center, rushing up to the front desk and shouting at Nurse Joy that he wanted to do something big.

【Your shouting drew attention from those around you, but you didn't care—you urgently sought advice from Nurse Joy】

Nurse Joy, overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, frowned and called out, summoning two Happiny nurses from beside her.

They flanked him on either side, like royal guards, pinning the ninja boy down.

Puff!

A sudden puff of smoke erupted.

The Happiny nurses were left holding only a wooden log that clattered to the ground—the ninja boy's real body now appeared on the other side.

【You used the Body Replacement Technique to break free from the Happiny nurses' grip】

Body Replacement Technique!

Baimu's eyes lit up—the ninja book's promotion condition seemed dubious, but the techniques taught to the ninja boy were clearly genuine.

He was starting to look forward to the simulation's final reward.

The freed ninja boy immediately clung to Nurse Joy again, his relentless persistence making Baimu wonder why he didn't just ask his family.

Could it be…

Naruto in Pokémon form?

Remembering the "Hot-Blooded Boy" optional talent from earlier, he fell silent, then morally dubious thoughts crept in—about the ninja boy's family situation, and his motive for becoming a ninja.

And whether Pokémon World even had a technique like Edo Tensei—something like a wizard trying to resurrect a friend…

The sense of déjà vu from this brat was just too strong.

On screen, the ninja boy wandered out of the Pokémon Center, looking utterly dejected.

【You learned from Nurse Joy that challenging the League is indeed a big deal, but you haven't reached the minimum age to challenge Gyms】

Minimum age?

He curiously searched online and found that most regions restricted trainers under ten from challenging Gyms—a rule still in effect to this day.

An eight-year-old trying to enter the League? That really was absurd.

Do you think you're Piplup?

Inside the screen.

The dejected ninja boy wandered into a treehouse, rested for a while, then seemed to make up his mind.

He went out again, arriving at a hospital standing alone, not connected to any giant tree, slipped quietly into a ward, and took the old man's hand.

【You told Grandpa you've become a ninja apprentice, and that you're nearly a full ninja—you hope he'll wake up as promised】

Ah.

So that's it.

Baimu's gaze toward the ninja boy softened with pity.

When adults suffer from incurable illnesses, they often give children an impossible goal, telling them that if they just do this or that, the illness might improve.

In reality, this behavior often leaves deeper psychological scars on children.

The ninja boy had likely been told by someone that if he became a full ninja, his grandfather on the hospital bed would wake up.

——How could it be that simple!

Yet the ninja boy believed it.

Baimu shook his head slightly, then watched as the scene shifted—the ninja boy returned to pester Nurse Joy several more times, sought out others, and the background turned to pitch-black night.

He sneaked into a building with a blue roof and white walls.

【After investigation, you learned that altering your birth records' age allows you to challenge Gyms and the League】

Baimu: "!"

Who taught this little genius?

Electronic records can't be changed without proper authorization… Hmm!? This era still uses paper records!?

How long ago is this?

He stared in shock as the ninja boy entered a room filled with documents, quickly searched, and pulled out one file.

【You successfully found your birth record, took out your homemade pen and correction fluid, and carefully altered it】

This guy is eight?

Baimu nearly choked on his water—he seriously suspected the ninja boy was a reincarnator or transmigrator; otherwise, there was no way he could be this professional.

Most adults don't even have this skill.

What exactly did the ninja book teach?

Think of the trio from Team Rocket, and the ninja techniques the boy just displayed—skill after skill surpassing everything from his past life.

Compared to that, breaking into a police station and altering records was nothing.

But would this even work?

Baimu watched skeptically as the Ninja Boy altered his birth records, slipping quietly out of the archive room; to be honest, he thought it would be a major event if the Ninja Boy changed every file here.

But the brat was convinced by Joey's words and solely aimed to challenge the League Conference.

By the way.

Where is the Ninja Boy's first Pokémon?

He remembered clearly selecting Weezing before the simulation began; now nearly five minutes into the simulation, why hadn't it appeared?

Not caught yet?

Under Baimu's curious gaze, the Ninja Boy returned home.

【You swiftly packed your belongings, left a farewell letter for your parents, and officially set out on your journey to challenge Gyms and the League Conference.】

With a small backpack and a crimson long scarf around his neck, the Ninja Boy paid one last visit to his grandfather at the hospital and left Ecruteak City that very night.

【You realized Ecruteak City, filled with familiar faces, was unsuitable for registration and Gym challenges, so you set your first goal on New Zi Jin City.】

Too hasty.

Baimu saw the Ninja Boy travel under cover of darkness, sprinting all the way to Route 119; he wondered where the child got such boldness—even he dared not wander at night.

A stealth technique?

Seeing the wild Pokémon that appeared only at night seem unaware of the Ninja Boy, he suddenly understood.

The real danger of night wilderness lies in extremely low visibility and the difficulty of discerning surrounding terrain and conditions by sight alone.

It confirmed Baimu's thoughts.

Problems soon arose.

【You realized you were lost, and due to past habits, you felt drowsy, impairing your judgment.】

The Ninja Boy stopped in the middle of a forest, motionless for a long time.

"I thought…"

Baimu had almost been fooled by the Ninja Boy's confident demeanor, thinking he had wilderness experience—turns out he was just a reckless fool.

Realizing he was exhausted and couldn't find his way, the Ninja Boy leapt onto a large tree, sat on a sturdy branch, and closed his eyes.

A string of Z letters, growing larger, flew out.

No tent or sleeping bag?

He wondered whether the Ninja Boy simply hadn't considered it, or if ninja training truly required this—using the sky as blanket and earth as bed; his willpower was astonishing.

As he pondered, a red flash appeared at the very top of the screen.

【You detected an enemy.】

The Ninja Boy, who had been sleeping with eyes closed, snapped them open and whipped his scarf toward the spot where the red light had flashed; his first chosen Pokémon—Weezing—flew out immediately.

How had it been hidden inside that thin, long scarf?

Baimu felt slight surprise, then another shocking event occurred: the flying Weezing exploded on the spot without hesitation.

Like a hand grenade thrown by the Ninja Boy.

Boom!

A mushroom cloud filled more than half the screen; countless pixelated wild Pokémon scattered in panic, clearly terrified by the explosion.

The Ninja Boy had already moved far from the blast center and only approached once the smoke cleared.

Under the moonlight.

In a shattered, shallow crater lay two Pokémon.

One was a Weezing with a strange smile, white smoke drifting from its mouth; the other was a Victreebel, its body a mix of pale green and bright yellow.

A ring of red, saw-toothed patterns adorned its waist—clearly the source of the earlier red light.

As is well known.

Victreebel's waist pattern cannot vanish, making it a major weakness.

But the Ninja Boy clearly lacked sufficient Pokémon knowledge; without a Pokédex to assist him, he circled Victreebel endlessly.

【You found the Pokémon's invisibility ability fascinating and decided to catch it.】

The Ninja Boy pulled out a Poké Ball.

【You caught Victreebel. The Ninja Companion increased.】

Ninja Companion… calling it Spirit Beast would be better.

Baimu grumbled inwardly but knew the Ninja Boy was likely a "proper" ninja, not the fantasy ninja of fictional manga like Naruto.

He might even be an heir to a particular school.

For instance, Koga and his daughter Alain from the Kanto region—he recalled they were heirs of the Iga ninja clan.

After catching Victreebel, the Ninja Boy began skillfully treating Weezing again.

Clearly, he wasn't doing this for the first time; the ever-present smile on Weezing's head made it obvious the Pokémon didn't dislike the self-destruct tactic.

The scene shifted.

A bright, sunny day.

The Ninja Boy set out on his journey once more.

Thanks to the endurance and swift steps honed by moving among giant trees, less than half a day passed before New Zi Jin City appeared before him.

【You arrived in New Zi Jin City, a dazzling city of joy that filled you with wonder.】

No matter how bizarre the Ninja Boy's actions, he was still just an eight-year-old child; seeing the bustling New Zi Jin City for the first time, he couldn't help but be drawn to it.

Of course, he didn't forget to register at the Pokémon Center.

【Using your naturally short stature as an excuse, you successfully registered for the League Championship with a homemade ID.】

Too… too easy.

There was no verification process at all.

Although Baimu knew the Alliance had indeed neglected contestant vetting in its early days, he still found Joey's attitude of registering without scrutiny utterly absurd.

But.

Considering the Alliance's consistently lax management—even in the era when Ash first set out on his journey, Gym Leaders would simply leave for travels or turn challengers into dolls, with incidents of Gym brawls, passive responses to challengers, and free badges occurring regularly—

this Ninja Boy business wasn't even worth mentioning.

In short, he successfully reached the first Gym.

【You begin challenging New Zi Jin Gym】

New Zi Jin Gym Leader Iron, who was still young when Fragrance Sister challenged him, was now a middle-aged man with a full beard when the Ninja Boy came to challenge him.

His hair was still thick, with no signs of graying.

The battle began.

Baimu watched the battle between the Chameleos and the Magnemite in the narrow arena and realized that while the Ninja Boy might have talent in ninjutsu, he was utterly clueless about battling and raising Pokémon.

After all, he was only eight.

Most of his life's energy had been spent on ninjutsu; he simply had no time to understand Pokémon.

The Ninja Boy's first Gym challenge ended in defeat.

To be honest.

With so many simulations, this was the first time he'd seen a simulated opponent with blue-tier talent fail to even win the first Gym.

But if nothing unexpected happened, the Ninja Boy would ultimately become the Grand Tournament champion.

In one year, an eight-year-old boy would rise from zero to Grand Tournament champion…

A-Jie?

A-Jie, is that you, A-Jie?

Baimu propped his chin on his hand; the Ninja Boy, having lost his first battle in the simulation, was indeed undergoing intense training—and not in isolation. He frequently ambushed other trainers at Pokémon Centers, drawing experience from them.

His antics annoyed so many people that he was repeatedly pursued and cornered by Officer Jenny and Kadabra, but thanks to his ninjutsu, he always escaped capture.

Through these sped-up scenes,

Baimu learned the Ninja Boy's most skilled ninjutsu was the Concealment Technique—he could walk openly right under several people's noses without being noticed, as if invisible, almost magical.

"Concealment Technique…"

He rubbed his chin.

This skill seemed of little use to him now, since he rarely actively captured wild Pokémon and had no enemy he absolutely needed to ambush.

But having it was better than not having it—maybe it would come in handy someday?

Hopefully he'd draw it.

Baimu turned his attention back to the simulation; the trained Ninja Boy began his second Gym challenge.

Iron's Pokémon lineup was identical to last time: Magnemite first, then Raichu, and the Ninja Boy had only two Pokémon to choose from.

But the battle unfolded entirely differently.

Previously,

the Chameleos's invisibility had too many flaws and achieved nothing; this time, it first kicked up dust from the ground, then used its newly learned Shadow Clone to successfully confuse the Magnemite's vision.

Simultaneously, it launched repeated shadow ambushes from behind, causing the Magnemite to repeatedly misjudge the Chameleos's true position and eventually be knocked out.

The Raichu also fell to the Chameleos, without even forcing out a Weezing.

Undoubtedly,

the Ninja Boy didn't understand Pokémon breeding or battling—but he understood ninjutsu and ninjutsu-based combat.

When he integrated his own skills into battle, winning the first badge was no problem at all.

【You defeated New Zi Jin Gym Leader Iron and received the New Zi Jin Badge】

Holding the badge, the Ninja Boy was ecstatic; in his short life, he had again earned a significant reward through hard work.

【You felt the joy beyond ninjutsu training and understood why the Ninja Book always mentioned that Pokémon power could greatly enhance a ninja】

The spontaneous sense of accomplishment drove the Ninja Boy to set off immediately for the next city.

【You decide to head to Kana City】