Caleb ultimately chose not to harm Ariana, mainly because there was no need and he wasn't some deranged serial killer...
After extracting information about the Masked Man and Ho-Oh from her, he returned to Goldenrod City with a group of kids and Ariana, handing them all over to Officer Jenny.
He warned, "This woman is a Team Rocket executive. She's devious and extremely cunning. I recommend giving her a life sentence."
Ariana: "…"
Officer Jenny was stunned, watching as every single child recorded as missing walked into the police station one after another. It took her several seconds to process what was happening.
By the time she snapped out of it, the handsome young man who had brought the children was already some distance away.
Officer Jenny felt he looked familiar but couldn't quite place him. She quickly called out, "Wait! Who are you?"
Without turning back, Caleb simply adjusted his cap brim and replied coolly, "Just consider me an ordinary concerned citizen!"
With that, he activated the Warp Beacon and vanished from the spot.
Officer Jenny watched as he disappeared into thin air. Her steps faltered as she tried to chase after him, her sharp and beautiful brows furrowing in confusion.
Two other Officer Jennys, who had been tasked with escorting Ariana, stepped outside and glanced around but found no trace of anyone.
"Where's that Trainer?" they asked their colleague nearby.
The first Officer Jenny shook her head. "He's gone…"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned and hurried back into the station, pulling out a well-preserved newspaper from the shelves.
The newspaper was from a year ago...
To confirm her suspicion, Officer Jenny's eyes darted to the front-page headline:
«..Thrilling News! Evil Organization Crumbled; Kanto Region Ushers in a New Era! Thanks to the Investigators Who Risked Their Lives Infiltrating Team Rocket!..»
But that wasn't what she was looking for. Frantically, she unfolded the paper and spotted a photograph beneath the article. The photo was taken a year ago, and depicted a handsome young man with black hair. His lips were pressed tightly together, his face partially shadowed, making his expression unreadable.
Even though the image was somewhat blurry, Officer Jenny recognized him instantly.
It was Caleb Chase! The most outstanding investigator from the neighboring Kanto League!
....
The reason Caleb had left Goldenrod Police Station in such a hurry was because of a notification he had received earlier:
[Ding! Attention all players: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Masked Man's evil plan has officially begun!]
[Countdown: Seven days. If players fail to rescue Ho-Oh from the Masked Man within this time, all missions will be deemed failed, and the Instance will automatically close!]
From what Ariana had revealed, the Masked Man's goal in capturing Ho-Oh was to use its power to resurrect Celebi, which had 'died' under mysterious circumstances.
He was also in the process of creating a special Poké Ball that was capable of capturing time itself; the GS Ball...
The sudden change in quest timing likely meant the GS Ball was nearing completion.
Time had suddenly become a pressing issue. Caleb had no choice but to temporarily abandon his original plans and head straight for Mahogany Town to confront the final boss of this Instance; Pryce...
Goldenrod City was quite far from Mahogany Town. Even by train, it would take at least half a day to get there.
After spending 89 Pokédollars on a train ticket, Caleb officially embarked on his journey to Mahogany Town...
...
Meanwhile, in a mountainous forest outside Violet City…
Baek Gyeol stared at the wary Raikou before her and declared, "Choose me. I can help you defeat the Masked Man and save Ho-Oh."
She possessed a special item that could pinpoint the location of a Legendary Pokémon in the Instance, though it could only be used once per run.
So, after leaving Ecruteak City, she had immediately used it to track Raikou's whereabouts and sought it out.
"Roar!"
Upon hearing her words, Raikou let out a thunderous roar, its body crackling with intense electricity as it regarded the human before it with a dignified gaze.
Its meaning was simple: defeat it to prove her strength!
Baek Gyeol understood. She pulled out a Poké Ball from her inventory.
A fierce battle was about to begin!
...
Elsewhere, Ye Fan had also managed to locate the traveling scholar, Eusine.
Using certain methods, he successfully obtained information on Suicune's whereabouts from him...
....
~Goldenrod City~
Cynthia, who had just arrived in this highly developed metropolis after disembarking from the train, sat resting in a café...
She had spent the past two days exploring the Ruins of Alph and had only returned to the city today.
'It's been a while since I last called Grandma,' Cynthia thought.
She decided to finish her coffee and then call to let her grandmother know she was safe.
But just then, she overheard a conversation from the next table:
"Did you hear? All those missing kids from the other day were returned this morning!"
"Of course I heard! One of them is my neighbor's kid. Ever since he got back, he keeps talking about how a really, really cool Trainer Onii-san saved him!"
"Was it Lance?"
"Probably not. The kid said the Trainer who saved him had a green Dragonite, a Lucario, a Mimikyu, and an Entei. I don't think Lance has any of those."
Hearing this, Cynthia paused mid-sip, her gaze growing distant as she stared at the table.
'Was it him?'
....
Meanwhile, Lance and Lorelei, having returned empty-handed from Ecruteak City, arrived back at Blackthorn City...
Dizzy from the long ride, Lance leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed to rest.
Lorelei stepped out briefly before quickly returning, exclaiming, "Lance, those kids were rescued!"
Lance sat up abruptly, frowning, "Was it him?"
Lorelei nodded, "An Officer Jenny from Goldenrod saw him. According to her, it was definitely him. But…"
Lance: "But what?"
Lorelei hesitated before answering, "But after delivering the kids, he vanished into thin air… It's like he left this world again."
....
While Lorelei and Lance were talking, Caleb had already arrived in Mahogany Town...
Located in the northern part of Johto, Mahogany Town was a peaceful little place, also known as the Ninja Village.
It was home to Johto's Ice-type Gym, so Trainers traveling the world often came here to challenge the Gym and earn badges.
"Lucario, scan the town's surroundings."
Standing on the main street with Lucario, Caleb appeared to be just an ordinary Trainer and his Pokémon.
Lucario closed its eyes and began emitting Aura outward, probing the environment.
Just then, a notification popped up on the interface:
[Ding! Global Announcement: The Raikou Arc Main Quest has officially begun! Remaining unopened Main Quests: 1!]
[Players who unlock the Legendary Beast Main Quests will gain entry to the Mythical Pokémon Competition. All others will be eliminated!]