On the screen, the pixelated high-school-girl (Lass) and a cute Clefairy stepped out of a rather luxurious-looking mansion.
[At age ten, you and your long-time partner, Clefairy, make a vow to reach the summit of the Pokémon League together.]
The girl got into a sleek black sedan, which slowly drove into a thick fog toward an unknown destination. As the mist cleared, a magnificent, palatial school gradually came into view.
[Under pressure from your parents, you are sent to the Pokémon Tech (Pokémon Research School) for advanced studies. This leaves you, who longed for a journey, feeling deeply regretful.]
"Pokémon Tech?" Kashiwagi watched the Lass enter the campus, surrounded by a swarm of students dressed similarly to her, all pouring into the main building.
...Is this an academic storyline? He felt this simulation was fundamentally different from the previous three.
Sure enough, inside a classroom, the Lass sat at a desk while a teacher-shaped pixel figure's mouth opened and closed. Subtitles appeared:
[You hear the teacher say: At Pokémon Tech, only those who complete the Beginning, Intermediate, and Senior levels of examinations are granted the qualification to enter the League Conference.]
[You find it incredibly boring, feeling completely out of place among your nervous classmates.]
"Ah! I remember now!" Kashiwagi thought. This was the place Ash visited in the original series—one of the few episodes where he actually blushed at a girl! After that, Ash became a perpetually "dense" protagonist, so Kashiwagi's memory of this episode was quite vivid.
There was another reason: the girl from that episode, Giselle, was a frequent heroine in Pokémon fan fiction. He hadn't expected to trigger a "School Life" scenario this time.
However, the students at Pokémon Tech had a major flaw: they fought entirely "by the book" and were obsessed with level advantages. They eventually got schooled by Ash's unorthodox tactics. He wondered if this Lass would turn out to be a mere theorist.
Kashiwagi continued watching. After the start of the term, her life became monotonous: classes, reading, and mock battle simulations—battles that looked exactly like the turn-based video games.
Her Clefairy followed her to the dorms and after class, but during school hours, it stayed in its Poké Ball. It never got a chance to actually fight, and it was unclear how it was supposed to level up or learn new moves.
This cycle repeated several times. The Lass grew increasingly impatient, fidgeting restlessly in theory classes. An "anger vein" symbol frequently popped up over the teacher's head.
[You feel school life is dry. It is all theory and no practice. These days are incredibly tedious.]
Then, the narrative shifted. The Lass suddenly stood up and sprinted out of the classroom. Exclamation marks flew off the heads of her classmates. The teacher tried to give chase, but the Lass was far faster and left them in the dust.
[You decide to cut class and head to the practice area to find an opponent.]
Is that even "cutting class"? You ran away right in front of the teacher! Well, I guess technically it is.
The screen changed to show several battle pitches. Various Pokémon were launching flashy attacks as pixelated figures shouted commands. Kashiwagi could tell the Lass was excited, but whenever she tried to join, she was rejected by people saying they didn't know her or didn't accept challenges from strangers.
Good grief, even battling in this school depends on your social circle? What happened to "Trainers' eyes meeting means a battle starts"? Then again, people at this elite school were either rich or high-status; it made sense they didn't follow the common rules of the road.
[You are unable to find a student willing to battle you. This makes you feel exceptionally disappointed.]
Under the narrator's guidance, she left the practice area and wandered aimlessly around campus, having no intention of returning to class. Kashiwagi wondered what her punishment would be—suspension? Expulsion? Or maybe nothing at all, depending on how powerful her parents were.
As she wandered, a sudden event occurred. At the end of the screen, a group of girls in school uniforms surrounded another girl, badgering her with Pokémon knowledge questions. The victim was on a treadmill, running while stumbling over her answers. Every time she got a question wrong, the treadmill sped up. Eventually, unable to maintain her cool under the high speed, she tumbled off.
The girls asking the questions shook with laughter.
[You accidentally stumble upon an act of bullying. Your kind-hearted nature prevents you from standing by. You charge forward.]
The Lass sprinted ahead at a terrifying speed and slammed directly into one of the girls, sending her flying.
Kashiwagi was stunned. Wait! Normally, you're supposed to stand in front of the victim and shout "What are you doing? I'll tell the teacher!" Why did she start with a physical assault?
Between this and her running out of class, Kashiwagi realized that while this Lass came from a wealthy family, she hadn't exactly internalized "polite etiquette"—or if she had, she didn't give a damn about it. She was a bit of a wild card.
He watched as the bullies helped their friend up, squawking and arguing.
[From their explanation, you learn that this is a "special training method" called the "Whip of Love."]
[You are furious. You believe this is merely bullying disguised as training; there is no difference in essence.]
[You accept their challenge. Your condition: if you win, they must apologize to the girl they were bullying.]
The Lass stood in front of the fallen girl, surrounded by the others. After a heated exchange of pixel-shaking, the Lass stepped onto the treadmill herself. The second "Whip of Love" began.
Kashiwagi expected her to struggle, as she'd only been in school for a month. But then he remembered her [Early Enlightenment] talent. As expected, she blazed through the "Beginning Level" questions without breaking a sweat. Her ease made Kashiwagi realize why she was so bored in class—it was like a Ph.D. student sitting in a primary school classroom.
To his surprise, after losing the quiz, the group didn't slink away or apologize. Instead, they challenged her to a Pokémon battle. Kashiwagi saw the Lass jump for joy.
[You accept their battle request. You are chomping at the bit.]
Finally. The first real fight. Kashiwagi's throat felt dry as he watched, wondering what kind of battle the Lass would bring.
"Lairon!"
Kashiwagi looked down. Lairon had somehow retrieved a cold drink from the fridge and was nudging it toward him.
"Whoa! So thoughtful! Thanks, buddy!" He was indeed thirsty. He popped it open and offered some to Chansey, who politely declined.
Kashiwagi returned his gaze to the screen just as the battle started.
"Pfft—!"
He suddenly choked on his drink, coughing violently as he stared at the screen in shock.
On the display was Clefairy—looking cute and cuddly—viciously pummeling an Oddish with a Fire Punch the size of a dinner plate. Clefairy followed up the left-hook Fire Punch with a right-hook Ice Punch, beating the Oddish until it was wailing and spraying out desperate, foul-smelling gas.