"Good morning, Mimikyu. Good morning, Dragonite. Good morning, Lucario. Good morning, Deino. Good morning, Celebi!"
Caleb greeted each of his Pokémon while pulling on his clothes...
"Wuuu~" Dragonite lazily shifted its tail, using its arm as a pillow as it continued sleeping.
Mimikyu lay sprawled on its back at the foot of the bed, a glistening trail of drool at the corner of its mouth, seemingly still lost in sweet dreams.
Lucario cracked open an eye to glance at its trainer before closing it again.
"Rawr~" The blanket beside Caleb rustled as Deino's fluffy black head emerged, taking deep breaths of fresh air.
"Biii!" Celebi yawned, stretched its tiny arms, and fluttered into the air with its translucent wings.
Outside the window, sunlight streamed through the trees as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves. A few gray Starly perched on the branches, tilting their heads curiously to peer inside.
Caleb slipped on his slippers and walked over to open the window, startling the birds into flight.
*Knock knock!*
Someone was at the door.
Hearing the sound, Mimikyu rolled over in bed.
Caleb never locked his door when sleeping, so it opened the next moment.
A sleek, pale-blue Pokémon entered with measured steps. It surveyed the room before fixing its gaze on Caleb: "Glaaaceeon."
Caleb nodded at the Glaceon, "Got it, I'm coming."
Glaceon was here to summon him downstairs for breakfast.
When Caleb reached the dining area, Cynthia was seated at the table, flipping through a colorful newspaper.
Catching a glimpse of the masthead, he spotted the words 'Sinnoh Daily'.
Cynthia neatly folded the paper and set it aside, her furrowed brows gradually relaxing. She started, "Lily has returned to Mahogany Town."
Caleb looked away from the newspaper, asking, "She called you?"
Cynthia gave a gentle nod.
Today marked their third day back in Celestic Town.
Three days prior, the two had traveled to Mahogany Town to bring Lily here for lunch. But with her newly established game studio swamped with work, she had only stayed half a day before rushing back by plane.
Caleb was speechless. He felt she didn't need to push herself so hard. Given Lily's skills, she could live comfortably in this era even without starting a business.
Besides, the 'Pocket Monsters' project had only been meant as a pastime to keep her from boredom. Caleb had never expected her to build it into something grand.
Noticing his expression, Cynthia reassured him softly, "Don't worry. She knows what she's doing."
"Yeah." Caleb nodded, refocusing on the newspaper, "What's Team Galactic up to these days?"
The headline read: «..Team Galactic Strikes Again? Rare Pokémon Vanish from Pokémon Centers!..»
His experience in the 'Collapsed World' Instance had left him with a deep disdain for villainous organizations. This was another reason for his return to Sinnoh... to eliminate Team Galactic's threat once and for all.
Cynthia pondered for a moment before answering calmly, "I'm not sure."
Over the years, she'd traveled extensively across regions, returning to Sinnoh only a handful of times annually. She wasn't well-informed about Team Galactic's activities.
Caleb: "..."
'Well then... Time to use the Book of Answers for the last time...'
Pulling the thick tome from his inventory, he spread it open on the table and inwardly made his request:
'Current locations of Team Galactic's key members.'
Instantly, words materialized on the blank page:
{- Eterna City: Cyrus, currently on the 6th floor of the Galactic Eterna Building.
- Veilstone City: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn... Currently located in Galactic HQ, Basement Level 3.
- Oreburgh City: Charon, currently located in the Oreburgh Mine...}
Cynthia didn't bat an eye at Caleb conjuring objects from thin air. She was long accustomed to it.
Sliding the book toward her, Caleb said, "These are the exact whereabouts of Team Galactic's four commanders and Cyrus."
Cynthia's eyes gleamed as she glanced over it.
Caleb continued, "Shall we move? This is the perfect chance to wipe them out in one go."
After brief consideration, Cynthia agreed, "I'll contact the League and Interpol."
Then she paused, glancing at Caleb's untouched milk and sandwich, then said, "But finish breakfast first."
As someone raised on Eastern cuisine, Caleb had never acquired a taste for the cloying sweetness of fresh milk. He far preferred soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns.
Pursing his lips, he protested, "I'm grown now. I don't need milk anymore."
The memory of Cynthia forcing giant glasses of milk on him, claiming he'll never grow tall otherwise, still haunted him.
Just then, Grandma descended the stairs, arms laden with tiny dresses. Noticing their gazes, the silver-haired elder smiled warmly and explained, "These don't fit Caleb-chan anymore. The Matsuda family next door just had a baby. I thought these could be put to better use than gathering dust."
She turned to Caleb, "You don't mind, do you?"
Caleb's ears burned as he shook his head vehemently, "Not at all!"
Watching his reaction, Cynthia's own ears pinkened: 'Why had my seventeen-year-old self been so childish?!'
She wanted to throttle her past self.
'I must be more mature from now on,' Cynthia resolved silently.
Relieved that Caleb didn't dwell on the embarrassing topic, she quickly finished breakfast.
Under puzzled looks from Caleb and Grandma, she calmly excused herself and retreated to her room...
...
Opening a desk drawer, Cynthia retrieved a slightly yellowed photograph.
It showed a little boy in a frilly pink dress, his face stiff with discomfort as he clutched the skirt, glaring reluctantly at the camera.
"Surely he's forgotten about this by now..."
After a moment's hesitation, she tucked the photo into an obscure history book no one ever read.
...
Unaware of Cynthia's actions, Caleb had just drained his milk when the videophone rang.
Lorelei's damp red hair filled the screen as she greeted him leisurely: <..Hey, long time no see! How've you been?..>
Caleb: "We just met three days ago..."
Lorelei: <..Really? Feels like ages to me..>
Caleb: "..."
Reading her expression, he cut to the chase, "What do you need?"
Lorelei sighed: <..About the forest fire three days ago... It turned half of Ilex Forest into a wasteland, leaving countless wild Pokémon homeless. We planned to relocate them to another sanctuary, but with everyone tied up handling Team Rocket remnants, we're shorthanded. We were hoping you could assist..>
As she spoke, a notification popped up:
[Hidden Quest: 'Sanctuary' Triggered!]
[Objective: Rescue displaced Pokémon and relocate them safely.]
[Reward: Gacha Draw ×1!]
[Accept?]