Chapter 746: The Invisible Maze

"Psychic-type Pokémon… it'd be pretty hard to gather them all, right?"

Baimu could understand the Actor's thinking.

But Psychic-type Pokémon really aren't that common in the wild, and finding six within a year without catching duplicates of the same species carries a fair amount of difficulty.

Unless someone could deliver Pokémon right to the Actor's door.

That's what Baimu was thinking.

Inside the screen.

The Actor disembarks at Flycloud City.

【You have arrived at Flycloud City. Flycloud is the cloud that soars, the cloud of auspicious fortune.】

Although the Actor's era was earlier, the familiar pixel graphics and the shoulder-to-shoulder skyscrapers still stirred up Baimu's memories.

The first time he controlled his character across the Skyarrow Bridge to Flycloud City, he had been utterly overwhelmed.

The unique sense of 3D depth was something the previous few titles hadn't managed to deliver.

【With a friend's welcome, you found a place to stay. To your extra request, the other party unexpectedly agreed without hesitation.】

The Actor seemed to have some connections in Flycloud City—a pixel figure in a suit led him to a suite in a luxury hotel.

Turns out he's got money?

Baimu had seen that plain décor earlier and assumed the Actor was broke; turned out his material desires were simply low, or rather, his mind was entirely on acting and becoming a superstar.

And that pixel figure from before reappeared shortly after.

【You obtained information on wild Psychic-type Pokémon near Flycloud City, and at the same time your friend brought you a Pokémon.】

A Gothita appeared on screen, even smaller than Abra, looking just like a doll.

Abra seemed to like this new teammate, taking the initiative to approach it. Gothita, on the other hand, seemed a little shy—or rather, scared—hiding behind its friend and refusing to come out.

【You learned from your friend that the recent financial crisis caused many companies to go bankrupt, and quite a few Pokémon were abandoned as a result; Gothita was one of them.】

Someone really did deliver a Pokémon to his door!

Baimu was left speechless; he hadn't expected the Actor's past connections to help out the Trainer profession in a place like this.

But then again.

The entertainment industry runs on connections—no problem there.

And as for the financial crisis…

The first thing Baimu thought of when he saw that was the object of Team Rocket Meowth's old crush—Madonna Meowth.

Also abandoned because of a financial crisis, except Madonna ended up as a stray cat, while Gothita was brought right to the Actor.

【You caught Gothita. A dance-practice partner has been added.】

A dance-practice partner?

That suffix tag is quite the surprise.

Having watched so many simulations, Baimu had gradually come to realize that the suffix tag symbolized the Pokémon's "status" in the simulation target's heart.

Take a chef, for example—from Pokémon that supply raw ingredients to Pokémon that serve as stovetops, everything's covered, and for a chef, that's really all that matters.

On screen.

Having gained a new Pokémon, the Actor didn't immediately challenge a new Gym; instead, he headed into Flycloud City's library.

【You begin learning about Pokémon through books.】

In the Actor's era, getting Pokémon knowledge was probably nowhere near as convenient as in later times; besides finding a master to teach you, reading books was likely the only method.

At the same time, he didn't leave Gothita and Abra idle.

【You often had Abra and Gothita, while you read, each lift you with Psychic for a stretch of time, thinking this should train their mental strength.】

A rather plain training method, and the results were unexpectedly good.

Before long, Gothita evolved.

【Your Gothita evolved into Gothorita.】

Now sporting twin tails, it shed its timidity; its personality turned forceful, and it often suppressed Abra in mental strength.

How could Abra stand for that.

So.

One morning, it gloriously followed suit and evolved.

【Your Abra evolved into Kadabra.】

Compared to Gothorita, Abra's evolution was clearly valued more by the Actor; the narration noted that Abra was a birthday gift from the Actor's parents, who divorced not long after giving it to him.

And during those years the Actor spent as a child star in Hollywood, it was Abra that had been supporting him all along.

One person and one Pokémon started by imitating the movie stars on screen, then moved on to imitating the popular actors on set, and through acting ability far beyond his peers became a child star.

Unfortunately.

An Actor with nothing but imitation skills inevitably hit a ceiling, leading to later films that were neither critically acclaimed nor box-office hits.

【You think it's time to set off again.】

Kadabra prompted the Actor to challenge the Flycloud Gym.

As expected, the Gym Leader wasn't the later Bug-type specialist and painting artist Arti, but a young woman who used Water-type Pokémon.

The lead Pokémon, Simipour—another Pokémon you could barely find any record of.

The Actor, having done his intelligence-gathering in advance, sent out Kadabra.

After evolving, it gained the power to construct more invisible walls, and the hardness of those walls repeatedly blocked Simipour's attacks.

What was even more surprising was that as the invisible walls multiplied, Simipour's movement was impeded as well.

The "open" battlefield turned into a maze; every time it thought Kadabra was right in front of it, an invisible wall blocked its way.

One battle let Simipour experience what torment truly meant.

Finally, it was defeated by the Magic Wall Puppet's illusion rays, and Baimu somehow saw satisfaction on its pixelated face.

"Unusual."

Baimu silently praised: using transparent walls to build a maze seemed simple, but was in fact extremely complex.

The opponent couldn't see the transparent walls—could the Magic Wall Puppet? In truth, it could at best confirm the location of its own walls through memory.

Thus, the tactic of building a maze to trap the opponent tested not only the Pokémon's elemental energy reserves, but also its and its trainer's memory and spatial perception.

But.

Transparent walls were never invincible.

The Cloud Pavilion Master's second Pokémon, Toxicroak, shattered all transparent walls by vibrating the bumps on its palms and striking with its fists.

It just hadn't expected that as it was about to make direct contact with the Magic Wall Puppet, the Puppet fired a 【Leaf Storm】 straight at it.

【You had the Magic Wall Puppet use the Leaf Storm it learned via Mimic.】

"This."

Baimu was speechless.

This tactic was forbidden by rules in later generations, but in the actor's era, it was not so strictly regulated.

At least he saw no protest from the Cloud Pavilion Master's side.

The third Pokémon: Swanna.

It was handed to Gothita; unlike the Magic Wall Puppet's step-by-step wall-building lure tactic, Gothita preferred the brute-force smash tactic.

It directly smashed Swanna from the air with telekinesis, then finished it off with Thunderbolt.

【You defeated the Cloud Pavilion Master and received the Cloud Badge.】

A battle with no suspense.

Not long ago, the actor was a pure performer, utterly clueless about Pokémon battles; yet now, in the trainer's field, he had advanced from novice to modest success.

Extraordinary talent lives up to its reputation.

【You began using your two badges to build your reputation; your former agent found you again, hoping to renew your contract.】

【You declined.】

Two badges meant little in later generations, but back then, they were especially impressive.

Anyone who encountered an actor with two badges couldn't help but look at him with new respect—yet the few agencies the actor favored showed no sign of offering him a deal.

【You knew your value still wasn't high enough.】

The actor set off on his journey to challenge the next Gym, but before heading to Lei Wen City, he arrived at the Wild Scenic Area.

【Your data indicates the Wild Scenic Area harbors a Flying and Psychic-type Pokémon called Symbol Bird.】

"Symbol Bird? Hard to find—this Pokémon is said to have dwindled drastically decades ago as ancient ruins slowly got buried by wind and sand…"

Baimu hadn't even finished thinking when he was proven wrong.

The actor easily found an underground ruin—and didn't even enter deep; just at the alley entrance, he encountered the target, Symbol Bird.

He watched silently as the actor, with utter disregard for fair play, sent out the Magic Wall Puppet and Gothita to overwhelm Symbol Bird two-on-one and easily capture it.

Was online information unreliable—or was the actor's era simply earlier?

【You captured Symbol Bird; your future travel bodyguard increased.】

Future travel bodyguard?

This profession was oddly specialized.

The actor, holding three Psychic-type Pokémon, strode confidently toward Lei Wen City.

In an instant.

A wondrous city of neon lights and entertainment facilities and theme parks appeared on screen.

【You arrived at Lei Wen City, a dazzling metropolis ablaze with electric light.】

The actor stood high above, gazing down, ellipses floating above his head.

【Suddenly, he remembered childhood memories of begging his parents to take him to Lei Wen City—those moments had become mere memories.】

The screen dimmed slightly, tinged with melancholy.

But the actor didn't dwell on sadness long—he who marched toward his dream wouldn't give up so easily.

【You began challenging the Lei Wen Gym.】

The Lei Wen Gym's Master was also a woman with yellow hair, specializing in Electric-type Pokémon; Baimu suspected she might be Xiao Juer's mother—or even grandmother.

First out: Electabuzz.

A Pokémon whose mane turns to lightning when enraged, temperamental and aggressively combative.

The actor liked this kind of Pokémon.

Because he believed Electabuzz would surely be enraged by transparent walls, charging blindly into furious chaos—he sent out the Magic Wall Puppet.

At first, it was exactly as he imagined: Electabuzz charged repeatedly, each time blocked, roaring in fury—but soon, under the Lei Wen Gym Master's command, Electabuzz gradually calmed down.

【You realized what's written in books isn't always true.】

The actor had long noticed the gap between theory and reality, yet he didn't change tactics—he kept building maze walls to block Electabuzz's advance.

This was deadly for Electabuzz, which needed to charge to unleash its moves at full power.

As a result, it could not withstand the Magic Wall Puppet's repeated illusion rays, and helplessly collapsed.

The Lei Wen Master immediately sent out her second Pokémon—

The flying Pikachu-like Pokémon: Pichu.

This move did indeed counter the transparent walls—but as the actor swapped out the Magic Wall Puppet for Symbol Bird, which used Gravity to pin Pichu despite its electric attacks,

Pichu unfortunately fell into the transparent maze.

"Well-prepared. Good, good." Baimu nodded approvingly; the actor's exceptional self-taught ability might well be the reason for his extraordinary talent.

Unlike Xiao Zhi, who rarely prepared before challenging Gyms, playing it blind to increase the challenge for himself.

Of course.

For a hot-blooded young man, an unknown opponent might suit him better; preparing thoroughly before arriving robs many trainers focused solely on victory of the kind of fun they cannot understand.

Electrike also collapsed under the Illusion Ray of Mr. Mime.

The third Rongrong Sheep appeared; the actor switched to Gothita as usual, initiating a direct clash of Psychic and Electric moves—low in substance, but fiercely back-and-forth.

At this point, the Psychic type fully demonstrated its advantage: powerful control and dual-status confusion; electric shock merely caused paralysis, utterly unable to compare with Psychic.

The anime's buff to Psychic types was also reflected in the simulated scenario.

【You defeated the leader of the Lei Wen Gym and received the Lei Wen Badge】

The third badge obtained.

The actor did not rush to leave Lei Wen City; instead, he took his several Pokémon on a joyful spree, as if making up for childhood regrets.

【Though your side is no longer your once-beloved parents, they are your cherished companions now—you vow to lead them all toward stardom】

Great idea!

Baimu strongly agreed: Pokémon are also important family to Trainers; the world may abandon you, but Pokémon never will.

——

Route 5.

The actor wandered through the forest, searching.

【You've heard that Route 5 has a special Psychic-type Pokémon that appears】

A special Psychic-type Pokémon?

Baimu couldn't guess at first what the actor was looking for, only knowing this time he wouldn't have his previous luck.

From the accelerated simulation footage, it was clear the actor spent a long time in the forest, during which he never forgot to push Mr. Mime and the others to train hard.

Mr. Mime continued focusing on maze creation, Gothita on Rock Throw, and Simipour on a wide variety of move variations.

The three Pokémon each had their roles, each with strengths and weaknesses.

Finally.

The Pokémon the actor sought appeared—

Unown.

A spherical Pokémon wrapped entirely in green slime, with a somewhat cute appearance.

Finding it was arduous; capturing it was easy.

【You captured Unown; your future travel bodyguard has increased】

Another bodyguard?

Baimu didn't understand why the actor regarded Unown as a bodyguard, but at the moment of successful capture, Gothita evolved again.

【Your Gothita evolved into Gothitelle】

With Gothitelle's appearance, the actor began cultivating her dancing abilities beyond battle, as he envisioned Gothitelle's role—a training dance performer.

【You hope to obtain scripts for dance musicals through improved dance skills; these artistic films may help restore your reputation】

Dance musicals…

Baimu first thought of "The Sound of Music," but details escaped him, leaving him slightly disappointed.

If he remembered the content, perhaps he could become a literary forger?

Reproducing classic works from his past life in the Pokémon world might be an interesting thing.