"Or would you rather go back? Return to your own time period I mean," Caleb asked.
"No." Lily immediately rejected the idea.
She knew very clearly which era she would choose; the one with Caleb in it, not the one without him. Besides, she had traveled back precisely to see him again.
As for a place to stay... Lily thought for a moment before saying, "Nii-san, come with me!"
Caleb rested his chin on his hand and studied her for a while.
Lily had changed so much. In his memories, she had always been a well-behaved, sensible little girl who called him Onii-chan all day long.
But now, her demeanor, speech, and appearance had undergone a complete transformation. She no longer called him Onii-chan, opting instead for the simpler and more casual Nii-san. She had also grown to around 170 cm tall, exuding the gentle aura of a girl next door.
"Nii?" Lily turned back and called out to him.
Caleb snapped out of his thoughts, suppressing his emotions as he stood up, paid the bill, and left the restaurant with her.
The two of them arrived in front of a mid-sized shop.
At this moment, the rolling shutter at the entrance was halfway down, the interior empty and deserted. The cup of tea left on the counter had gone cold, and the entire shop looked slightly messy.
With one glance, Caleb recognized this as the entrance to Team Rocket's underground base.
Lily opened the hidden door and stepped into the elevator leading underground while saying, "Actually, you don't need to worry about me."
Caleb clearly caught a hint of mischief in her eyes.
Just as he was about to say something, she continued: "I worked for Team Rocket for a whole year without pay. Taking some compensation shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
Pryce had left in a hurry, unable to take most of the equipment and personnel in this base with him. He had only grabbed a half-finished GS Ball before fleeing. As a result, many Team Rocket members remained here, continuing their assigned tasks and research.
Caleb crossed his arms and followed behind Lily, watching as she navigated the base with practiced ease, gathering all the Team Rocket members in one place.
Caleb didn't offer any opinions during the process. Below them, the crowd bustled, and with a quick scan, he had a rough estimate. There were only about thirty or so Team Rocket members left here.
These people clearly recognized Lily. She had worked under the Masked Man for a year, and her strength surpassed even executives like Ariana and Archer.
"What do you want to do?" someone below asked warily.
Lily didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Caleb and asked, "Nii-san, how long will it be before you come back this time?"
"I don't know." Caleb replied.
He thought back to the timeline of the 'Transformation and Substitution' Instance and said, "It might be a few years, or it could just be a few months."
"That's... quite a while," Lily frowned slightly in thought.
Caleb didn't comment further. He swept his gaze over the crowd below and asked, "Are you planning to take over this base?"
"Yeah!" Lily nodded, "I was thinking of selling their research equipment and results to the League. As for these people, we can just bundle them up and hand them over to Officer Jenny as a gift..."
"That was my original plan, but..." At this point, she paused and looked up, "Nii-san, what do you think?"
Caleb glanced at his sister and said quietly, "You already have an idea in mind, don't you?"
"Do you think it's feasible?" Lily hesitated.
Caleb thought for a moment before nodding, "If you want to do it, then go for it. Don't worry, I've got your back."
The Team Rocket members below overheard their cryptic conversation. Some widened their eyes in disbelief at the sheer audacity of the two.
Daring to pluck feathers from Team Rocket, whose influence spanned the entire Johto region.
"Aren't you afraid of Team Rocket's retaliation?" Especially when they were being so bold as to outright occupy a large base!
Caleb looked at the speaker and chuckled, "Do I look afraid to you?"
The man stared at his face and fell silent. Someone who had openly stormed Mahogany Gym and battled the Masked Man wouldn't fear something like this...
While Caleb was speaking, Lily also noticed a few people in the corner trying to sneak away, likely to call for reinforcements and report the situation here.
She tossed a Poké Ball into the air. With a flash of white light, a Sceptile exuding a cold and imposing aura blocked their path.
"Are you sure?" Lily smiled kindly.
These were all skills she had picked up during her year working for Team Rocket.
*Gulp!*
The man stared at the overwhelmingly powerful Sceptile before him, swallowed hard, and obediently retreated into the crowd.
Most of the people present were researchers and programmers with little to no combat ability. Faced with a near-perfectly trained Sceptile, they stood no chance of resistance.
Lily gave them two choices: stay and work for her, or be sent to prison for life.
These researchers were smart. They quickly made their decision.
The reason she had chosen this place was that the base in Mahogany Town had a complete industrial chain. Most of the shops and supermarkets in town were Team Rocket's assets, and the income from these stores was enough to make the base self-sufficient.
Lily's original intention was to use these people and this base to start a business.
She still remembered how Caleb had taken her out in all kinds of weather to battle novice trainers just to earn money when she was little. Not only that, but earlier in the restaurant, she had seen him pull out a handful of loose change, looking quite strapped for cash.
As her brother's considerate little sister, if her brother had no money, she would earn money for him. But after taking over the base, Lily found herself at a loss for what to do next.
As someone from the future, she could indeed use her knowledge to choose an industry. In this era, mobile phones were still the old button-operated kind, and the entertainment and film industries were still underdeveloped.
However, illegal activities like Pokémon poaching were definitely out of the question.
But making movies? They didn't have the manpower.
Writing novels? She wasn't skilled at writing.
All they had was a group of researchers buried in data and experiments...
Caleb really didn't have much money left. After that meal, he only had a pitiful 37 Pokédollars to his name.
He noticed Lily's expression and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Lily explained her thoughts.
Caleb pondered for a moment, looking around. Apart from the researchers, the base was filled only with computers and research equipment.
What could computers and researchers be used for? An answer quickly formed in his mind.
He asked, "What do you think about games?"
"Games?" Lily was taken aback.
Fifteen years in the future, many excellent games would emerge, like Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Dark, and Pokémon Sun & Moon.
By then, the gaming industry would flourish, even giving rise to a console called the Nintendo Switch.
But her knowledge of these games was limited to having heard of them. She didn't know much beyond that.
Seeing her expression, Caleb drew from his own gaming experience and slowly explained, "The game I'm talking about isn't like the Snake games on the market now. In this game, players can take on the role of a novice trainer just starting their journey, traveling with their Pokémon companions, challenging Gyms, and becoming Champion."
Hearing this description, Lily froze on the spot.
Caleb thought she hadn't understood and continued, "I think this type of game has huge potential."
Not everyone in this era had the time to travel with their Pokémon. Adults had to work hard to support themselves, leaving no time to journey with their Pokémon.
Caleb felt that 'Pocket Monsters' would have an even bigger market in this world than in his own.
Lily asked, "You... what are you planning to name this game?"
Caleb thought for a moment before answering, "Let's call it Pocket Monsters!"
A tribute to the childhood joy it had given him...