Another special training montage.
Kashiwagi took the opportunity to head to the bathroom. While at it, he saw the Lass arriving at a grand estate in a black sedan.
As the ornate gates swung open, a literal tide of Pokémon surged from within, swarming the Lass with affection. Even in pixel art, it was an overwhelming sight. He looked closely; this girl was truly spoiled for choice. Farfetch'd, Kangaskhan, Abra—rare Pokémon were everywhere, many in their final evolved forms.
Moving through the mansion to the "back garden," the number of Pokémon only increased. He even caught a fleeting glimpse of a pseudo-legendary in its larval stage.
The girl was obscenely wealthy.
She had returned home for intensive special training, further sharpening her main team's edge. Simultaneously, she began organizing a second squad to serve as substitutes should her primary members be unable to battle.
[You begin preparing a second team...]
Such a diligent, upwardly mobile, and wealthy Trainer reminded Kashiwagi of a certain Steel-type Champion from the Hoenn region, who rose to prominence and eventually traded the Champion title back and forth with his best friend.
He wondered if these simulations were connected to reality. If a real "Lass" like this existed and had performed so well at the Indigo Plateau, she would surely have left a mark on Kanto's history.
"Being illiterate is so annoying!"
Kashiwagi desperately wanted to search for the historical list of Indigo League champions and runners-up, but his inability to read professional terminology made deep-dive research impossible. He wasn't even sure if the Pokémon world had a search engine like Google or Baidu.
Chansey, seeing her Trainer's conflicted face, tried to offer comfort, but Lairon nudged her aside.
"Lairon~" (He's always like this, don't worry.)
"Lucky..." (Are you sure...?)
Chansey watched worriedly as Kashiwagi let out a mysterious sigh and sat back on the bed to stare at his "book."
Back in the simulator, the "unnecessary" parts of the special training were fast-forwarded. Soon, the day of the Indigo Plateau Conference's official opening arrived.
The Lass's strength was light-years ahead of the Bug Catcher, the Youngster, or the Camper. The preliminaries were a non-issue.
[You defeated Trainer ***, gaining advancement points.]
[You defeated Trainer...]
Unlike the Camper, who faltered during the comprehensive evaluation stage, the Lass breezed through based on her academic record and Gym performance.
[You smashed through the preliminaries and headed for the summit.]
After the prelims, hundreds of Trainers were cut. Only sixty-four remained for the main tournament. In other words, the starting point for the actual bracket was the Top 64.
Kashiwagi's memory was fuzzy—what rank did Ash reach in his first Indigo League? He thought it was the Top 16.
The main tournament began. The difficulty spiked as "common mobs" were replaced by "elite mobs." Clefable's fist usage increased significantly; matches that once ended in three punches now required four as opponents found the strength to stand back up.
Crucially, the League referees were more lenient than the school ones. As long as a Pokémon showed any sign of movement, the whistle stayed silent. This favored "gutsy" Trainers whose Pokémon thrived on friendship-based "comebacks."
Perhaps due to her [Kind-hearted] nature, the Lass also enjoyed giving her opponents a chance, often encouraging them to stand back up. To be honest, it was the kind of behavior that could easily come off as patronizing, but Kashiwagi saw it as ultimate confidence.
No matter how many times you get up, I will strike you down.
[You defeated your opponent and successfully advanced to the Top 32.]
Then the Top 16. The opposition hit another level. Clefable finally met her match in a fistfight: a muscled Hitmonchan. As a Pokémon with the Iron Fist Ability, its punches were a dizzying blur.
But Clefable was no slouch. As a Fairy-type, she possessed a signature move: Play Rough.
The narrator's description of this move was: "Stop joking around and get serious!"
Even though Hitmonchan landed a Bullet Punch on Clefable's cheek first, it couldn't secure the win. Instead, Clefable's counter-hit sent Hitmonchan flying out of the arena like a shooting star.
[You defeated your opponent and advanced to the Top 8.]
[You have broken through the opening rounds and are heading for the finals.]
Kashiwagi was ecstatic. The Top 8! This was the best result yet. Previously, his subjects either died in the prelims or didn't even qualify. The gap between poverty and wealth—and talent—was staggering.
But as the saying goes: "Man proposes, God disposes."
Just as Kashiwagi was celebrating her quarter-final victory, a new figure stepped onto the opponent's platform for the semi-finals. A woman with auburn hair in a long ponytail, wearing glasses.
He rubbed his eyes. In the pixel world, most faces were generic, but special characters like Gym Leaders or Elite Four members had unique sprites.
The opponent standing between the Lass and the finals had a unique sprite.
Lorelei?
She wasn't wearing her professional suit or black stockings yet—at this point in time, she was likely still a young competitor. But Kashiwagi's heart sank as she released a Dewgong.
It really was the future Elite Four Lorelei! Why!? Why does she have to be in the same year as my simulation subject!? Please, give me a break!
He began rolling around on the bed in frustration. A runner-up finish was within reach, but now he'd hit a wall. If the Lass could beat Lorelei, then she'd be the one in the Elite Four in the future!
Wait... maybe Lorelei was a late bloomer? Maybe she wasn't that strong yet? Kashiwagi tried to convince himself, but the pixel animation showed a brutal stalemate—one where Lorelei clearly held the upper hand.
Lorelei, the "Ice Queen," was described in the anime as "Calm like flowing water, but hard as unyielding ice in battle." The fight proved it.
Clefable's proud fists were matched blow-for-blow by Slowbro's Mega Punch. Dewgong's Frost Breath sent the giant, inflated Wigglytuff flying. Cloyster's "perfect" shell defense made Nidoqueen's Poison Tail and Poison Jab useless.
Only Kingdra put up a truly spectacular fight against Lorelei's Lapras, refusing to go down until the very end. This showed the Lass wasn't broken; despite her smooth sailing up until now, she didn't lose heart when faced with a superior force.
Unfortunately, defeat was inevitable. Lorelei from the Seven Islands was simply too strong, even in her youth.
[You lost to Trainer Lorelei, finishing in the Top 4. However, you are not discouraged. You have learned that there is always a higher peak. You resolve to convince your parents to let you travel to the next region to continue your journey.]
[Your story does not end here.]
[Simulation Ended]
The screen vanished. Kashiwagi rubbed his stiff neck, a look of profound satisfaction on his face. Even if the simulator only showed one season, a Trainer's life doesn't end with one loss. You win back next time. That is the essence of being a Trainer.
"Hope I see you again, Lass."
Kashiwagi turned his attention to the rewards.
Fixed Rewards:
- TM x2 (User-specified type)
- The Lass's Combat Memories: Boxing (Rewatchable)
Select Two Rewards:
- Any Pokémon gains 2 Levels (Under Lv. 70)
- Clues to obtain a Pokémon (User-specified type)
- Move: Water Pulse (Teachable to one Pokémon)
- Carry the [Social Butterfly] Talent to the next simulation
Kashiwagi gasped and looked around wildly. He grabbed Chansey's face and rubbed it vigorously, then did the same to Lairon.
The reward gap between reaching the Top 4 and failing the prelims was massive! Previously, he was getting minor moves and the equivalent of a single Rare Candy. This time, the simulator was being incredibly generous.
After long deliberation, he chose Reward 1 and 2. He was reluctant to let Water Pulse go—Lairon could have learned it—but the first two were simply too valuable. As for "Social Butterfly"... the Lass's [Kind-hearted] and [Early Enlightenment] did all the heavy lifting; that talent felt secondary.
Which Pokémon would you like Kashiwagi to use the 2-level boost on—Lairon or Chansey? And for Reward 2, which Type should he specify for the Pokémon clue?