[Simulation Start]
The massive light screen slowly unfurled, and the familiar, old-school pixel art style emerged.
This didn't dampen Kashiwagi's excitement in the least. He specifically grabbed some snacks, settled into a comfortable position, and prepared to welcome a brand-new story.
On the screen:
The scene opened in a spacious, brightly lit exhibition hall.
Blurred paintings hung on the walls, filled with strange, stylized characters. Numerous pixel NPCs stood scattered about, speech bubbles popping over their heads to indicate they were admiring these masterpieces.
At the center of the frame, a female pixel character stood behind an elderly man. Beside her was a Smeargle, holding its tail like a paintbrush.
What kind of trainer class is this?
Painter? Artist?
Just as Kashiwagi was wondering, text flashed rapidly over the old man's head. Suddenly, the female protagonist, the subject of this simulation, lunged forward. She moved so fast that as she brushed past the old man, he was sent tumbling onto his backside.
She didn't stop to help. Instead, she stubbornly tore a piece of calligraphy from the wall and shredded it.
Exclamation marks (!) popped up over the heads of the onlookers as several rushed to help the old man up.
Then, the screen faded to gray.
Kashiwagi's heart skipped a beat. This opening was weird, even weirder than the Chef's.
Fortunately, a moment later, the screen lit up again. The scene wasn't the exhibition hall, but a classroom. The pixel protagonist was silently packing her belongings.
Her Smeargle was doodling on a piece of paper.
[At age fourteen, you were infuriated when the appraiser criticized your calligraphy as "boring." In your rage, you tore the work and accidentally injured the appraiser. Your father has ordered you to leave home and "clear your head" out in the world. He believes that before being a calligrapher, you lack the fundamental qualities of being a human being.]
"Pfft!"
Kashiwagi nearly choked on his snack. Getting kicked out of the house already?
But a calligrapher... I really didn't see that coming.
He recalled that calligraphy in his previous life was a respected art form. It seemed the Pokémon world had it too, did she write in the unique script of the Pokémon world?
Thinking about it, the Pokémon world had monks and traditional shrines, so the existence of calligraphy wasn't that strange.
Poor Smeargle, though. A Pokémon with a talent for painting was stuck accompanying its trainer to learn writing. Kashiwagi wondered if that was a waste of its artistic potential.
As Kashiwagi mused, several more lines skipped across the screen.
[As you pack your things, the appraiser's evaluation echoes in your mind. Since your debut as a "prodigy calligrapher," you have spent years writing strictly according to templates. You have never been able to shed labels like "refined," "robotic," or "copy-paste monster." However, you don't see anything wrong with following the rules perfectly.]
[After some thought, you decide to use this opportunity to go on a journey. Like most peers your age, you will challenge Gyms to distract yourself from your inner gloom and loneliness.]
The scene shifted.
The Calligrapher walked out of a house that could only be described as a castle. She and Smeargle followed the main road and soon arrived in a bustling city.
[You have arrived in Hearthome City. Sitting on a roadside bench, you feel utterly lost. You realize you have no idea how to take the first step.]
The Calligrapher sat with her head down, looking quite dejected.
Clearly, the atmosphere of this city didn't spark her creative drive. If the Chef had come to Hearthome City, he probably would have bolted straight for the nearest five-star restaurant.
However, compared to the trainer, Smeargle was much more restless. Looking left and right, it quickly found something interesting~
In the bottom right corner of the screen, two children were doodling on the ground with chalk.
Smeargle watched silently for a while before finding an opening to step forward. It painted a cute little figure on the pavement, successfully reaching a silent agreement with the children to draw together.
Unfortunately, the children were soon called away by their parents, leaving Smeargle to continue drawing alone.
Eventually, the Calligrapher came looking for her partner.
Then, she saw the drawing on the ground.
It was a slightly abstract work, but several themes were immediately recognizable~
A girl, laughing happily, surrounded by many Pokémon.
[You look at the innocent drawing on the ground, then at Smeargle's smiling face. You realize it is trying to encourage you.]
[A wave of emotion washes over you. You decide to pull yourself together.]
The Calligrapher and Smeargle headed to the Pokémon Center, the hub for trainers. By reading the guidebook provided inside, she learned the process for challenging Gyms.
[You find that Hearthome City is not suitable for novice trainers. You decide to head toward Oreburgh Gym as recommended by the guidebook, catching new Pokémon along the way.]
As the narration faded, the Calligrapher walked toward the city exit.
But as she passed through a plaza, she suddenly stopped. In the plaza was a man who looked like a street performer or vendor. Standing in front of him was a row of pink-haired, black-bodied, red-nosed little figures -- Mime Jr.
"The Pokémon that can perfectly mimic your every move and expression! Mime Jr.! Come take a look if you're interested!"
A line of text appeared in a bubble.
Kashiwagi understood that the word "mimic" had triggered the Calligrapher. After all, her own work was criticized as nothing more than a mimicry of templates. Hearing the vendor's pitch, she couldn't resist walking over.
[You hear that there are Pokémon who spend their entire lives mimicking others. This makes you think of yourself.]
[You decide to take in a Mime Jr. as your second partner.]
The Calligrapher obtained Mime Jr. from the vendor.
[You received a Mime Jr.! Your traveling party has grown.]
Huh?
Kashiwagi was a bit disappointed the system didn't throw in a witty joke this time like in the previous simulation. He was curious about what would happen next.
Soon, the Calligrapher reached Route 208. As a total rookie, she learned from her Trainer's Manual that she could increase her Pokémon's strength by battling wild Pokémon and other trainers.
And so...
She cautiously stepped into the tall grass to find an opponent.
She didn't find a wild Pokémon, but she did run into a "wild" trainer.
Following the universal rule of "if eyes meet, we battle," the Calligrapher and the NPC trainer began a match.
She sent out Smeargle.
Seeing the Calligrapher's slightly clumsy commands, Kashiwagi knew she was likely a pure novice, not like the Chef, who had an unusually strong foundation.
He expected her to fail as soon as she left the starting area.
I hope she doesn't lose heart because of this, Kashiwagi thought.
Then, he watched Smeargle lift its paintbrush-like tail and quickly draw a pattern on the ground.
The next moment, as if by magic, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky toward the opposing trainer's Golbat.
CRACK!
A massive pillar of thunder fell, and the screen shook with the impact.
The Golbat fell to the ground, charred black.
Kashiwagi: "..."
The NPC Trainer: "..."
The Calligrapher: "?"
[You realize that Pokémon battling seems much easier than you expected. The opponent's Golbat couldn't even withstand one Thunder from Smeargle.]
"Hiss!"
Kashiwagi sucked in a breath.
It turned out this wasn't just a rookie calligrapher, this was a rookie calligrapher paired with a God-tier Smeargle!