There was only one person in this world who called him Onii-chan. In an instant, the image of a little girl flashed through Caleb's mind...
An expression of disbelief crossed his face as he lowered his voice, "Lily?"
Lily nodded lightly.
At that moment, Pryce opened his eyes and glanced in their direction. He had keenly noticed that his subordinate's emotions seemed unusually stirred upon seeing this Trainer.
His gaze swept imperceptibly over their faces before he smiled, asking, "Do you know each other?"
Lily stiffened slightly, then quickly denied it, "No."
Pryce neither confirmed nor denied her response, "If you don't know each other, then come back."
His polite smile didn't reach his eyes.
Lily nodded. Taking a deep breath, she silently resolved herself: 'I'm sorry, Onii-chan. I can't drag you into this...'
But before she could turn away, she felt a large hand grip her wrist. Lily froze, staring blankly back at him.
Pryce's eyes sharpened instantly at the sight, his gaze darkening as it settled on Caleb.
Unfazed, Caleb met Pryce's eyes with a smile. He said, "You don't mind if I take my kid sister home, do you?"
"Onii-chan…" Tears immediately spilled from Lily's eyes.
She had crossed a river of time spanning fifteen years, traveling from the distant future back to the present, all in search of one truth... a truth about time itself.
It turned out she had never really had an older brother. The person who had been so kind to her, who had coaxed her to sleep, who had clumsily learned to braid her hair... He had always been someone unrelated to her.
He had suddenly appeared in her world one summer, only to vanish just as 'quietly' in late autumn, as though he had never existed at all.
Caleb gave Lily a reassuring smile, shielding her behind him as he faced the man in the wheelchair.
No... at this point, he should be called the Masked Man. Because Pryce had already risen from his wheelchair.
The final boss, now fully transformed into his Masked Man persona, regarded Caleb with cold detachment, "You can't take her."
She knew too many of Team Rocket's secrets. No matter what, the Masked Man couldn't let her leave.
"I wasn't planning to fight you this soon," Caleb said with a sigh.
The Masked Man's eyes narrowed at that, 'As expected, he is no ordinary Trainer. In that case, I can't allow him to leave.'
With that thought, the Masked Man, now fully shed of his frail disguise, swiftly drew a Poké Ball with lethal precision. A brilliant flash of light later, an utterly ordinary-looking Delibird appeared midair.
Caleb glanced up at the unremarkable Delibird...
Others might not know, but he did. This Delibird was the Masked Man's ace Pokémon. Capable of shaping ice into any form, it had even frozen the entire Lake of Rage solid once.
But Caleb didn't back down.
Pryce was a Trainer with over fifty years of experience. Rumor had it he meditated under waterfalls daily, honing an indomitable will through years of relentless training.
To counter Delibird, Caleb decided to send out his starter, Mimikyu. But before he could release it, Entei burst out of its Poké Ball on its own.
A prompt immediately appeared before Caleb:
[Request #2 from Entei completed! Affection with Entei increased!]
"Entei…" The Masked Man glanced at Entei, his gaze growing even colder, "You continue to surprise me. Very well. Delibird, freeze them solid!"
"Giao!" Delibird let out an odd cry, tilting its head back as a torrent of milky-white frost gathered in its beak.
Entei responded with Sacred Fire.
Crimson flames collided with the glacial current midair.
Normally, Fire-type moves held a natural advantage against Ice-type attacks due to type matchups. Moreover, Entei's Sacred Fire, which it inherited from Ho-Oh, was a force to be reckoned with.
Yet, Delibird's Ice Beam showed no signs of weakness against it!
Flames and frost clashed relentlessly, instantly generating a massive plume of steam that engulfed the entire Gym.
At that moment, Caleb felt something he never had before; the realization that this world wasn't a game. The Infinite World had numericalized Pokémon strength for players' convenience, creating the illusion that this was all just a game.
But every Pokémon possessed immense potential. Abstract concepts like base stats, levels, and IVs could never truly capture a Pokémon's real power.
A truly skilled Trainer could raise even the most ordinary Caterpie to rival a deity!
The bond between Trainer and Pokémon (their emotions) could push Pokémon beyond their limits, granting them unprecedented strength!
Like Giovanni's Beedrill in the Manga...
Like the Masked Man's Delibird...
Otherwise, a mere human like the Masked Man could never have captured a Legendary like Ho-Oh.
*BOOM!*
Finally, the two opposing forces reached a stalemate, triggering a massive explosion. The shockwave sent both the Masked Man and Caleb stumbling back several steps.
As the dust settled, the Masked Man glared at Entei with dark eyes. Then he drew a bizarre pitch-black Poké Ball.
A sinister black light flashed, and a massive bird wreathed in rainbow plumage materialized before Caleb.
It was Ho-Oh!
But this was no ordinary Ho-Oh. Its eyes burned an eerie crimson, tendrils of shadow coiling around its body as an oppressive aura radiated from it.
"It's being controlled by Team Rocket's Dark Ball!" Lily warned.
"Got it." Caleb's expression turned grave.
As he pulled out Dragonite's, Mimikyu's, and Lucario's Poké Balls from his inventory, then he asked without turning, "Is there anything here you need to take with you?"
Lily wouldn't have stayed under the Masked Man's control without reason. Something here must have been holding her back.
The question caught Lily off guard, but she quickly understood, gritting her teeth, replying, "They have Plusle and Minun!"
Caleb took a deep breath as Ho-Oh loomed closer. He asked, "Can you handle it alone?"
Though vague, Lily understood perfectly. She nodded firmly, "I'm not that little girl anymore!"
The year she had traveled back was the same year she had become the Champion of Hoenn...
"Go! I'll hold things down here! Let's move, Dragonite! Mimikyu! Lucario!"
The three Pokémon stepped forward resolutely, lifting their heads to face the Ho-Oh above...