After obtaining his first Gym Badge, the Camper left Violet City.
He reached Route 36, but instead of heading toward Azalea Town in the southwest as Kashiwagi expected, he cut through the dense thicket and headed north. He encountered a few Trainers along the way but managed to win relatively smoothly.
After crossing the woods, a city both ancient and mysterious appeared before Kashiwagi. Within it stood a towering pagoda and the striking, ruined base of another.
[You have arrived in Ecruteak City. Its antique charm makes you realize the weight of history. You decide to challenge the Gym.]
Kashiwagi: "?"
What does the weight of history have to do with challenging a Gym?!
The scene shifted. The Camper entered a grand, traditional hall where he found a man with blonde hair and a purple scarf. A fierce battle commenced.
Unfortunately, the first attempt was a failure. Morty, the Ecruteak Gym Leader, was a master of Ghost-types. His Pokémon were elusive, unpredictable, and utilized a bewildering array of strange moves. The Camper's Graveler and Spearow were no match for Morty's Gastly and Misdreavus.
On the bright side, Spearow accumulated enough experience during the battle to evolve.
[Your Spearow evolved into Fearow.]
Fearow—often called "Little Ho-Oh" or the "Ho-Oh Larva"—was an ill-tempered bird that looked like it belonged to a villain.
Kashiwagi shifted to a side-lying position. He watched the Camper head to the Pokémon Center to heal his team. While there, the boy found a Trainer of a similar age and took the opportunity to trade-evolve his Graveler into a Golem.
Yes! Exactly! That's it, bro!
Why keep it as a Graveler? This wasn't a case like Shroomish, where you had to delay evolution until a high level to learn Spore.
His only regret was the [Elite System] talent. It made the Camper hesitant to catch a third Pokémon, focusing single-mindedly on training Golem and Fearow instead.
After some time—the screen flickering from day to night and back again—the Camper made his second attempt at the Ecruteak Gym. The opponents were still Gastly and Misdreavus, but Golem and Fearow were clearly more formidable. Even in pixel art, Kashiwagi could see the Camper was far more composed this time.
Finally:
[You defeated the Ecruteak Gym Leader, Morty. You obtained the Fog Badge.]
Smooth. Too smooth~
Kashiwagi watched with satisfaction as the Camper left Ecruteak and headed south toward Route 35. He knew the boy intended to reach Goldenrod City.
When passing through the National Park, the Camper hesitated, as if undergoing an internal trial. After a long while, he finally entered to participate in the weekly Bug-Catching Contest.
Oho! Third Pokémon!
Kashiwagi's eyes lit up as he stared at the screen. He saw the Camper encounter a fierce Pinsir in the thick grass. When its long horns struck something, a metallic clank sound effect played. The Camper didn't hesitate, throwing a Poké Ball and catching it with ease.
[You caught your third Pokémon in the National Park: Pinsir. Your traveling party has grown.]
[You placed third in the Bug-Catching Contest. You are troubled by the massive basket of Sitrus Berries awarded as a prize.]
The championship went to a little girl who caught a Beedrill. Because it was all pixel art and the announcer gave no explanation, Kashiwagi was both disappointed and confused.
The Camper set off again and soon arrived at a city that looked highly modernized.
[You have arrived in Goldenrod City. The prosperity of the metropolis surprises you. You decide to challenge the Gym.]
...So that's just a fixed catchphrase now? Got it.
The Goldenrod Gym. The Leader was a pink-haired girl with twin tails who specialized in Normal-types. Her Clefairy and Nidorina weren't particularly strong, but the real nightmare was her Miltank.
Attract, Rollout, and Milk Drink—she cycled through these three moves effortlessly, wiping out the Camper's Pinsir. Fearow was also forced to retreat, leaving only Golem standing strong—
BOOM!
"Whoa!"
Kashiwagi jumped, startling Aron. "Ku?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing." He gave the Pokémon a reassuring smile and looked back at the screen, where a miniature mushroom cloud was rising. He hadn't expected the Camper to be so decisive as to go for a mutual destruction play with Miltank.
However, thanks to Golem's Explosion, Whitney had no Pokémon left to fight. Since the Camper still had a surviving Fearow, the Gym challenge was successful.
[You defeated the Goldenrod Gym Leader, Whitney. You obtained the Plain Badge.]
This kid can actually fight!
Even though it was only the third badge, Kashiwagi was full of confidence in the Camper's future.
The boy did not disappoint. Azalea Gym vs. the Bug-type master Bugsy—Win! Olivine Gym vs. the Steel-type master Jasmine—Win! Cianwood Gym vs. the Fighting-type master Chuck—Win!
To win three Gyms in a row with only three Pokémon... what a glorious record!
Having obtained six badges, the Camper strode proudly across the Cianwood City docks. As if by fate, he encountered his fourth Pokémon: a somewhat dazed-looking Psyduck.
[You caught your fourth Pokémon at the Cianwood City docks: Psyduck. Your traveling party has grown.]
Kashiwagi watched with immense pleasure as the little figure boarded a ship to leave Cianwood. Forgetting his usual habit of not eating in bed, he opened a bag of chips and shared them with Aron.
Through Olivine City, through Ecruteak City.
The Camper's fifth Pokémon arrived earlier than expected. On the side of a tall mountain, having nearly fallen into a deep chasm, he encountered a Slugma. It was clear he didn't intend to catch it at first—the "Ruthless" Camper was single-mindedly focused on reaching Mahogany Town.
But the Slugma seemed to take a liking to him, following him all the way. It even "attacked" his tent in the middle of the night, nearly burning his sleeping bag. With no other choice, the Camper added Slugma to the team.
Then, something happened that Kashiwagi didn't anticipate.
The Camper hit a wall.
Pryce, the Mahogany Gym Leader, was terrifyingly strong. Fearow, Pinsir, Psyduck, and Slugma were all easily defeated by his Dewgong. The Camper's ace, Golem, could only take down one of Pryce's Pokémon by using Explosion.
Trouble!
Kashiwagi sat up straight. He remembered the Youngster had been stuck at the sixth Gym—was the Camper going to be stuck at the seventh?
No! Not like this! At least let me see the gates of the Silver Conference!
He stared at the screen. The Camper lost three times in a row. He worried the boy's mental state was about to collapse—
It didn't.
The [Ruthless] talent had an effect similar to "Hot-blooded Youth," but it made the Camper much smarter. After three defeats, he simply bypassed the Mahogany Gym entirely and crossed the mountains to arrive in Blackthorn City.
[You have arrived in Blackthorn City. You have no desire to sightsee. You decide to challenge the Gym immediately.]
A strategic bypass! If you can't beat the level, skip it! Kashiwagi silently praised the Camper's ingenuity.
But he didn't expect the boy to hit another wall.