[Simulation Start]
A gigantic light screen slowly unfolds, revealing an old-fashioned pixelated style.
But this cannot hinder Baimu's excitement at the moment; he specifically got some snacks and posed himself to welcome the arrival of a new story.
On the screen.
First to appear is a wide and bright exhibition room.
All around are hung blurry paintings and some strange texts.
Many small figures stand at various places, with bubbles constantly popping up above their heads to indicate that they are appreciating these masterpieces.
At the center of the screen, a female pixel figure is standing behind an elderly man, accompanied by a Smeargle holding its tail.
The trainer type is...
A painter? An artist?
Baimu just felt a bit confused but soon saw some words flash quickly inside the old man's head, and the supposed artist in the simulation rushed forward, moving fast enough that when she accidentally grazed against the old man, the latter ended up sitting on the ground with a thud.
But she didn't pay any attention; instead, she stubbornly tore down a piece of text art on the wall.
The onlookers around had '!' appear above their heads, and some quickly went to help the old man.
Immediately.
The whole screen went dark.
Baimu felt a twinge in his heart, sensing that this beginning was strange, even stranger than the chef's start.
Thankfully, the next moment.
The screen lights up again, but instead of the original exhibition room, it is now a classroom, with pixel figures silently packing their belongings.
Smeargle was writing and drawing on a sheet of paper.
Narration appeared.
[At fourteen, you were furious when your calligraphy was criticized by the curator as "boring," and in anger, tore it, accidentally injuring the curator. Your father ordered you out to cool off, believing you lack the qualities a person should have before being a calligrapher]
"Pfft!"
Baimu snorted, directly thrown out of the house no less.
But to be a calligrapher... definitely unexpected.
He remembered that Neon's calligraphy is derived from the Celestial Dynasty's calligraphy, does the Pokémon World have calligraphers too... are they writing Pokémon World's language?
But upon consideration, since the Pokémon World even has monks, the presence of calligraphers is not surprising.
Poor Smeargle with a talent for painting ended up learning to write with its trainer, not sure if it's being underutilized.
While Baimu was thinking, the narration jumped out several more lines.
[You packed your things while recalling the curator's comments. As a genius calligrapher, you've followed templates for years, unable to shake off titles like meticulous, robotic, mimicry monster, but you don't see anything wrong with following this path]
[Reflecting on it, you decided to take this chance to start a journey, just like most peers, to challenge Gyms and dispel the gloom and loneliness in your heart]
The scene shifts.
The calligrapher exits a house resembling a castle with Smeargle, walking along the road until arriving in a bustling city.
[You've arrived in Hearthome City, sitting on a roadside bench feeling incredibly lost, realizing you have no idea how to take the first step]
The calligrapher lowered her head, looking rather forlorn.
Clearly, the city's atmosphere wasn't enough to inspire her creative passion; if it were a chef in Hearthome City, they would have undoubtedly headed to local restaurants immediately.
But compared to the trainer, Smeargle was more restless, quickly finding amusement—
In the bottom right corner of the screen, two children were drawing with chalk on the ground.
Smeargle quietly watched for a while, waited for the opportunity to step up and drew an adorable little figure, successfully reaching an agreement to paint together with the two kids.
Unfortunately, soon after, the two children were called away by their parents, leaving Smeargle to continue drawing alone.
Until the calligrapher came looking for Smeargle.
Then she saw the ground painting.
It was slightly abstract but with themes easily identifiable at first glance—
A girl surrounded by several Pokémon, laughing happily.
[Looking at the childlike painting on the ground, then at Smeargle smiling encouragingly at you, you understand this is its way of cheering you up]
[A surge of emotion filled your heart, deciding to pull yourself together]
The calligrapher and Smeargle arrived at the Pokémon Center where trainers abound, and through a published guidebook, understood the Gym challenge process.
[You realized Hearthome City isn't ideal for novice trainers, deciding to head towards the recommended Oreburgh Gym to capture new Pokémon along the way]
Narration settled, the calligrapher walked out of the city.
But she abruptly stopped at a plaza, where a figure looking like a vendor was present, standing before a row of small figures with pink hair, black hair, and red noses—Mime Jr.
『Interested parties can learn about this Pokémon, Mime Jr., which can mimic your movements and expressions 100%!』
Words appeared in a bubble.
Baimu understood it was the term mimicry that roused the calligrapher, given her works were called template mimicry; upon hearing the vendor's description, she couldn't resist walking over.
[Hearing about a Pokémon dedicated to mimicking others, you are reminded of yourself]
[You decided to include Mime Jr., as your second partner]
The calligrapher obtained Mime Jr. from the vendor.
[Now with Mime Jr., your journey has gained another companion]
Eh?
Surprisingly, there's no playful jab this time, unlike last time.
Feeling a bit disappointed at the narration becoming formal, he's curious about what's next.
Very soon, the calligrapher arrived at Route 208, learning from the trainer handbook that facing wild Pokémon and battling other trainers is a way to boost the strength of one's Pokémon.
Thus.
She carefully entered grass, looking for opponents.
Instead of finding wild Pokémon, she stumbled upon a wild trainer.
Following the logic of locking eyes to initiate a battle, the calligrapher engaged the wild trainer in a Pokémon match.
She used Smeargle.
Baimu noticed the calligrapher's somewhat clumsy methods, understanding she's likely a pure novice trainer, unlike the chef with more formidable fundamentals.
Probably will suffer defeat just after leaving the novice village.
Hopefully, she won't get discouraged by it.
Thinking to himself, Baimu soon saw Smeargle holding its tail like a brush, quickly drawing on the ground.
The next moment, like Divine Brush Ma Liang, a thunderbolt struck down from the sky towards the wild trainer's Golbat.
Crash!
A massive thunder fell, causing the screen to shudder.
The Golbat, entirely scorched black, hit the ground.
Baimu: "..."
Wild Trainer: "..."
Calligrapher: "?"
[You found Pokémon battles seemingly simpler than expected, the opponent's Golbat unable to withstand one thunder from Smeargle]
"Hiss!"
Baimu took a sharp breath.
After all, it's a novice calligraphy trainer paired with a not-so-novice Divine Brush Ma Liang Smeargle!