"If it's fame you want, that's easy to fix."
Ever since the stream got taken down thanks to some spiteful troll's report, Caleb's plan to revive the Gym hadn't even gotten off the ground before being snuffed out.
But as luck would have it, the heavens never truly close all doors. The ever-respected, always helpful former Elite Four, like a divine savior descending from above, offered Caleb another suggestion.
"The Little Ho-Oh Cup?"
Caleb blinked.
The Ho-Oh Cup was a major tournament hosted by the League, a competition of such high prestige that it could rival the World Championships. But it wasn't open to just anyone—strictly invitation-only, and more akin to a Master's Tournament reserved for top-tier Trainers.
As for the Little Ho-Oh Cup, he'd never even heard of it. What kind of back-alley knockoff was that?
"You've never heard of the Little Ho-Oh Cup?" The old man looked slightly surprised but quickly caught himself.
"Well, I guess that makes sense. After all, you did manage to beat me, so it's not strange you wouldn't know about some baby cup."
The Little Ho-Oh Cup was also known as the Rookie Trainer Battle Tournament.
Unlike the main Ho-Oh Cup, this one was geared toward newbie Trainers—folks who had just received their starter Pokémon. The whole point was to uncover promising new talent and give them a stage to shine.
At first, the tournament was only held in the Kanto region, but as its popularity soared, its influence spread across the map.
Now, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and other regions were all running their own versions.
Not only did it attract a ton of attention, but the prizes were nothing to scoff at either.
"Oh yeah? How generous are we talking?" Caleb asked, interest piqued.
"Let me check." The old man pulled out his phone and began scrolling.
The prizes for the Little Ho-Oh Cup changed every year. Last year it was a full year's worth of food. The year before that, a rare Pokémon item. The year before that...
Whatever it was, it always helped rookies speed through the beginner phase of training.
"Found it!" the old man said. "Didn't expect this year's prize pool to be this stacked."
There were three prizes for the champion.
First up, a Soothe Bell—a silver bell with a gentle, melodic chime. A held item that calms the Pokémon, helping them stay relaxed and focused.
On top of that, it increases the bond between Trainer and Pokémon, helping those that evolve through high friendship levels evolve faster.
Second, a shopping card with a whopping 100,000 credit limit. Anything bought at a Pokémon Department Store with it gets a 20% discount.
Third, a Pokémon Egg—rumored to be from the distant Alola region.
After reading the prize list, even the old man looked a little jealous. "Kids these days have it good, huh? Rookie tourneys didn't hand out stuff like this back in my day. Sigh..."
Caleb went quiet for a moment, then turned to the old man with a skeptical look, as if to say: "That's it? Seriously?"
He'd just gotten his hopes up, but this was what he got?
Given Caleb's current finances, that shopping card was basically useless.
As for the Egg, sure, it sounded enticing—but the lack of any detail about the species meant personality, stats, even looks were totally random. All down to luck.
And luck? Yeah... Caleb didn't have any.
He had the battle record to prove it: three consecutive misses with Hydro Pump.
When he thought it through, the only really useful item was the Soothe Bell. At least it was rare, and with it, he could evolve Chansey into Blissey.
"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" The old man started to protest instinctively—but then he remembered the Gym's ridiculous backyard setup and swallowed his words.
This kid really didn't need that stuff.
"Anyway, if you're planning to enter, you'd better get moving. The tournament starts tomorrow."
"Got it," Caleb nodded. "I'm in."
It wasn't like he had a better plan, and there was no harm in trying. Might as well see what this "baby cup" was all about.
Then, as if realizing something crucial, Caleb suddenly yelped, "Wait—tomorrow?! I haven't even signed up yet!"
"Tsk, young people these days, so impatient. What's the rush? I was an Elite Four, you know. I've got connections."
"One of the tournament organizers is a friend of mine. I'll give him a call, and we'll slide your name in behind the scenes—no problem at all."
The old man spoke with obvious pride.
"Perfect." Caleb let out a sigh of relief. Who said the old man was useless? This was pretty damn helpful.
Then the old man seemed to remember something important and added, "Oh, right—don't let anyone know you're a Gym Leader during the tournament."
"Huh? Why not?" Caleb asked, confused.
The old man just waved a hand and said meaningfully, "Don't ask too many questions. Just trust me—it's for your own good."
If people found out a Gym Leader was entering a rookie tournament, it would cause chaos.
Of course, he didn't say that part out loud. He trusted Caleb would have the sense to figure it out.
...
The first light of dawn filtered through the window and into Caleb's room. The air carried a soft floral scent, wafting in from the garden just outside.
Caleb slowly stretched out under the covers, yawning lazily. The sunlight, diffused by gauzy curtains, cast mottled shadows on the white bedsheets and comforter.
But last night had been anything but restful.
He'd tossed and turned, plagued by dreams. The only thing he remembered clearly was standing alone atop Mt. Silver while a crowd of blurry figures below chanted for his defeat—then charged straight at him...
"Ugh, why would I dream something like that?" Caleb muttered, rubbing his temples.
In the Pokémon world, there was something called a "foretelling dream" ability. Hopefully this wasn't one of those.
After a few moments of pondering, Caleb shook off the thought.
"Hahaha, no way. I haven't pissed anyone off."
Even if he had annoyed someone, surely not that many people. And besides, dreams are usually the opposite of reality—maybe those angry-looking folks were actually coming to thank him or something.
Still groggy, Caleb sat there spacing out. It took a solid five minutes before his brain fully kicked in.
"Lucky~"
Chansey pushed open the door, still wearing a little apron around her round belly. She was holding a vacuum cleaner—clearly here to clean the room.
"Chansey, again? I've told you before, I can clean my own room."
Caleb quickly took the vacuum from her hands.
Ever since she joined the team, Chansey had been waking him up like clockwork every day. Not just that—she'd tidy his room, do his laundry, and even bring him a hot breakfast right to his bed.
At this point, Caleb was seriously wondering if he'd accidentally caught someone's mom in a Chansey costume.
Still, it was thanks to Chansey that the Gym hadn't fallen apart. There was no way he could handle everything on his own.
Thinking of that filled Caleb with gratitude. He crouched down and gently patted Chansey on the head, a warm smile spreading across his face.
"Thanks, Chansey."
"L-lucky" (? ???w??? ?)
"Haha, don't get all shy now," Caleb teased.
"Zzz~"
Just then, an ill-timed snore echoed through the room.
Pachirisu lay sprawled out across the bed, drooling all over the sheets.
"...Completely forgot about this lazy pig."
Ever since he caught Pachirisu, it had really started living like royalty—blissfully accepting Chansey's care, stuffing its face and napping all day, zero sense of responsibility as a Pokémon.
Caleb's temple twitched. A giant pound sign might as well have popped out over his head.
"You—get up!"