The strength of Blackthorn Gym Leader Clair was equally absurd; the Camper's Pokémon were completely outmatched.
The main issue was her moveset. Dragonair's Dragon Breath triggered paralysis every single time, and Kingdra's Whirlpool kept the Camper's Pokémon trapped indefinitely. If Pryce relied on sheer power, then Clair relied on supernatural luck.
Four consecutive losses, each at least a week apart, with specialized training sessions in between...
With luck like that, why isn't she an Elite Four member! Kashiwagi fumed on the Camper's behalf. Seeing the boy continue to train diligently, he couldn't help but cheer him on.
Until a sudden event occurred.
[You spotted two figures slipping out of the back door of the Blackthorn Gym. You gave chase.]
On the screen, the Camper pursued two suspicious figures in black. He chased them all the way to the outskirts of Blackthorn City before using Golem and Fearow to corner them. A conversation ensued.
[You have discovered the Phantom Thief Brothers. In exchange for a portion of their loot, they hope you will let them go.]
Kashiwagi blinked. Another line of text jumped out.
[Among the loot, you spotted the Rising Badge. You chose to agree.]
Eh? Wait... what?
He agreed!?
Kashiwagi's eyes widened. He never expected the Camper to go astray. Had losing too many times broken his spirit? What surprised him even more was that it didn't end there.
[Staring at the Rising Badge, you thought it over and made a suggestion to the Phantom Thief Brothers: Rob the Mahogany Gym.]
As the three tiny figures talked on screen, Kashiwagi felt like the entire simulator's color palette was dimming.
[You earned the respect of the Phantom Thief Brothers. To raise their ranking in the thief world, they adopted your suggestion.]
Thief ranking... is that the thing Jessie and James mentioned? Kashiwagi vaguely recalled something like that—the two female villains in the Latios & Latias movie were the No. 1 ranked thieves.
First, a "Savier of Villains," and now an "Idol of Thieves"? Kashiwagi watched the screen listlessly as the Phantom Thief Brothers stole the Glacier Badge. He couldn't muster any excitement.
The Camper accepted the badge.
[You obtained the Glacier Badge, but for some reason, you are not happy.]
"Sigh..." He couldn't help but let out a long breath.
A thirty-minute pixel animation couldn't fully convey the Camper's internal journey. From his "God View," much of what Kashiwagi saw was one-dimensional. However, he could empathize with the boy's current state of mind.
Before this, he and Golem had won all the way, joyfully challenging Gyms. Even the Ghost Gym only took two tries. Then he hit two "Monsters" and was completely stuck. No matter what he did, he couldn't win.
During those rapidly passing days, just how much heartache and pain did the Camper feel while desperately training to get stronger? Perhaps it could be glimpsed through Psyduck's failure to evolve—Pokémon and Trainer are of one heart and mind.
The accumulated negative emotions led him down the wrong path, one mistake leading to another. Perhaps this was the true meaning of [Ruthless]: becoming so single-mindedly focused on a goal that you become unscrupulous. Even if you have to steal it, you will have it...
At this point, Kashiwagi didn't care about the results anymore. He just wanted to see the end, to see the Camper's future.
The scene shifted.
[You returned to your hometown. With three months left until the Silver Conference, you decided to prepare. However, because the last two badges were obtained illegitimately, your heart is filled with dread.]
The Camper returned to Cherrygrove City. Compared to before, his training intensity dropped significantly. In his free time, he mostly sat by the window, as if waiting for something. Psyduck and Slugma never evolved, and the empty sixth slot in his party was forgotten entirely.
Day and night blurred together; time passed like a white horse galloping past a crevice. Finally, the Silver Conference began.
[You arrived at the Silver Conference of your dreams. You are nervous as you register, but you pass successfully.]
The Camper arrived at a bustling stadium. Dense crowds of pixel people were packed together, each accompanied by various Pokémon. He walked into a massive building. When the screen dimmed and brightened again, the scene had changed to a vast arena where many Trainers were battling.
[You participated in the screening rounds. Though the process was difficult, you passed the first round.]
On screen, the Camper relied on Golem's Explosion and Pinsir's Endure to narrowly defeat his opponent. But there were three screening rounds. Moreover, advancement was determined by a combination of the match results and the candidate's performance in the Gym circuit.
Gym performance? The last two badges were stolen; there was no record of his performance. Thus, the further the Camper went in each round, the more terrified he became.
On the day the third round ended—regardless of his score or his actual performance—the day he had been waiting for finally arrived. A group of men dressed as police officers took him away.
[Your collaboration with the Phantom Thief Brothers in the theft of badges has been exposed. You are facing imprisonment, and your tournament results have been voided. Yet, as you were led away, for some reason, you began to smile.]
[Simulation Ended]
Finally over.
Kashiwagi exhaled a long, heavy breath of turbid air. He realized the hidden malice within the simulator. Three simulations so far, and these three people were either abnormal from the start or became abnormal halfway through. It was truly baffling.
But perhaps that's why there are so few participants in each Conference. Just getting eight badges is no small feat. He remembered in the anime, of all the rookies who started at the same time as Ash, only Gary successfully obtained eight badges; the other two failed miserably.
[Selection Reward 1: Raise one Pokémon by one level (Below Lv. 50)]
[Selection Reward 2: A clue to an obtainable Pokémon]
[Selection Reward 3: Move—Rock Blast (Can be taught to a Pokémon of your choice)]
[Selection Reward 4: Carry over the [Elite System] talent to the next simulation]
The rewards were still "pick two out of four." He was surprised that the move reward wasn't Explosion. He had assumed the rewards were based on the ace's most used move, but it seemed the ace's move pool was randomized.
Rock Blast was a must-pick. Kashiwagi didn't hesitate, decisively choosing 1 and 3. While 2 and 4 were tempting, they weren't as potent as 1 and 3.
However, when he placed his hand on Aron's head, he froze.
Aron can't learn Rock Blast?
How is that possible!? He racked his brain and concluded there was only one possibility: Aron couldn't learn it until it evolved. A Pokémon's move pool expands through evolution. Aggron can even learn Surf and Hydro Pump, but Aron clearly cannot.
He had no choice but to use the level-up reward first. He gripped his fist expectantly, hoping to see the miraculous light of evolution.
One minute later. Still silence.
Kashiwagi was disappointed to the core. It seemed the miracle for Aron had not yet arrived.
"Or maybe... I'm missing something too?"
"Ku?"
"It's nothing."