The Pyrite Colosseum Battle Open.
The name was simple and direct. There were no barriers to entry; as long as you paid the 1,000 Poke-dollar registration fee, anyone could participate.
Kashiwagi was, naturally, very interested. A "Battle Open" felt so quintessentially Pokémon that it made him feel, for the first time, like he was living in the world of the anime rather than just some strange dimension that happened to have monsters in it.
Moreover, the results would show him exactly where he stood in the hierarchy of Pyrite Town. Being a Squad Leader in Team Snagem didn't necessarily mean he'd hold the same rank in another organization; he could be higher or lower.
He checked the date. Although it was "next month," the event was only two weeks away. That was just enough time to deal with his newly assigned sectors and settle his subordinates.
He left the arena with Frobo, riding a hover-cycle. Kashiwagi had mastered the machine in just two days. With his current physical coordination, balance was a breeze, and the mechanics weren't that different from motorcycles in his previous life. Most importantly, he didn't need a license—at least not in Pyrite Town.
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Back in Team Snagem territory, Kashiwagi resumed his monotonous routine, with the added habit of visiting the Colosseum for daily battles.
Soon, the simulator countdown hit zero.
He had spent every night replaying and internalizing the Battle Girl's fighting experience. Once he fully integrated it, he planned to teach those techniques to Mawile. Given the Battle Girl's Top 4 finish, Kashiwagi expected this next simulation to have a very strong start.
He washed his hands and face, then pulled Chansey into his lap. After hearing her chirp "Lucky!" several times for good luck, he clicked the first option.
Truthfully, he was getting a bit tired of Kanto and Johto. This time, he chose Hoenn.
For gender, he hesitated but chose female again, secretly hoping he might run into the Battle Girl attending the Hoenn League.
Initial Pokémon—
Wait?
He blinked. Among the choices, he saw the Hoenn starters: Torchic, Mudkip, and Treecko were all available!
Overjoyed, his gaze darted between the three. He eventually settled on Mudkip. In terms of clearing Gyms, Mudkip's final evolution (Swampert) gained the Ground typing, giving it excellent coverage and resistances. It shouldn't be too difficult in either the early or late game.
Then came the Talents.
Knowing how vital these were, he clicked with high expectations. Surely a Top 4 finish earns a Blue Talent?
Unfortunately, he was overthinking it. His previous Blue Talent had been a stroke of pure luck. This time, he was greeted by some old "friends."
Fixed Talent:
[Greenhorn]: Pokémon growth/training progress is slow.
Selectable Talents:
[Clumsy]: Poor Pokémon health management.
[Elite System]: Will not catch many Pokémon.
[Hot-blooded Youth]: Always maintains a positive mindset.
[Never Give Up]: Will never abandon a Pokémon.
"Is my luck really this bad today?" Kashiwagi muttered, disappointment clear in his voice.
Chansey didn't understand, but she sat obediently in his lap. The die was cast. He rejected the "Clumsy" and "Hot-blooded" options and chose [Elite System] and [Never Give Up].
The simulation began.
However, even as the new avatar appeared in Littleroot Town, Kashiwagi didn't feel the same excitement he'd had for his previous "perfect" starts.
"...A Picnic Girl?"
He recognized the outfit. In the games, a Picnic Girl was the female counterpart to the Camper—cute, but unremarkable. After the brilliance of the Battle Girl, Kashiwagi found it hard to get excited for someone with such average talents.
Maybe my expectations were just too high, he thought as the story unfolded.
Ten minutes passed. Kashiwagi found himself getting bored. Even when the Picnic Girl defeated the Dewford Gym and caught a Makuhita, he felt no thrill.
Why? He realized her story was just too... normal.
It was like watching a generic "Let's Play" of Pokémon Emerald with all the interesting side plots removed, leaving only Gym battles, wild encounters, and catching Pokémon. Hoenn's Gyms were somewhat novel since this was his first simulation there, but that was it.
The pixelated screen skipped over the training and bonding, showing only "five-cent" battle effects and a few captures. It was peaceful, beautiful, and burden-free. Traveling toward a single goal was an enviable life, but it made for poor entertainment. Since Kashiwagi couldn't influence her choices, he felt like he was watching a low-budget movie.
Still, he realized this was likely the reality for 99% of Trainers in the Pokémon world. Characters like the Battle Girl were the rare exceptions.
Ultimately, the Picnic Girl from Littleroot Town managed to defeat the eighth Gym Leader, Juan, just before the Ever Grande Conference began. For someone who struggled just to get eight badges, a high ranking in the tournament was out of reach. Compared to the "Titans" competing for the championship, she was a small boat in a storm, wobbling and ready to capsize.
She squeezed through the preliminaries, but hit a wall in the first round of the main tournament. Luckily, her ace Swampert pulled off a miracle win using its Torrent ability.
That was where her luck ran out.
[Simulation Ended]
Kashiwagi stared at the words, feeling incredibly calm. It felt like he'd just watched a fluff video with no substance.
If I lived in a normal family in another region and didn't have this simulator, would I be just like her? Just another face in the crowd?
He couldn't help but wonder. In his past life, he wasn't particularly exceptional or a leader in any industry. It was entirely possible that even with the luck of reincarnation, he would eventually be swallowed by the masses.
A Champion is one in a million—one in ten million. Who knows how many enemies one must defeat to reach that peak? Could his knowledge from games, anime, and encyclopedias really carry him to the summit?
"Actually... I really don't want to be mediocre."
Kashiwagi slapped his cheeks, hardening his resolve to grow. This simulation hadn't just given him rewards; it reminded him of how many Trainers vanish into history without leaving a single ripple. To the "Protagonists," these people are just background scenery. Even someone as strong as the Battle Girl was helpless against a future Elite Four member like Lorelei.
He took a deep breath and looked at the rewards. A Top 32 finish should be better than his very first few tries.
"Wait—oh?" Kashiwagi's eyebrows shot up.
[Reward 1: Level up any Pokémon by 3 (Below Lv. 50)]
[Reward 2: Clue for an obtainable Pokémon (Excellent)]
[Reward 3: Random Ground-type Move (Selectable for a Pokémon to learn)]
[Reward 4: Carry over [Never Give Up] to the next simulation]
The Top 4 finish gave a 2-level boost for Pokémon up to Lv. 70. This Top 32 finish gave a 3-level boost for those below Lv. 50.
What did this prove? It proved that leveling up near Lv. 70 was exponentially harder than near Lv. 50! In pure experience points, the Top 4 reward was vastly superior.
Kashiwagi now had a much clearer understanding of Pokémon cultivation. While there was no Technical Machine (TM) this time, Reward 3 was a random Ground move.
And as he selected Rewards 1 and 3, a line of text appeared in the move slot: [Earth Power].
Earth Power?
Did he just pull an SSR?