"Yeah? What's the problem?" Caleb looked at her calmly.
Wasn't it totally normal to research your future opponents?
Green had never met a trainer who just asked her directly for intel.
But as a seasoned merchant, staying composed under pressure was her basic rule. Smiling sweetly, she pulled out her own info card from the bag. "Here you go, that'll be 5,000 PokéDollars."
"Huh, that's actually pretty cheap," Caleb nodded.
"I know it sounds expensive, but it took a lot of effort to get all this info together! And one of the profiles is mine, too…" she pouted, putting on a show of fake heartbreak.
Then suddenly, something clicked, and she froze.
Wait—did I just hear that right?
"You said… cheap?!" Green blurted out, stunned.
"Yeah, two competitors' info for just 5,000? Pretty good deal," Caleb said casually.
Saved him a ton of time, too.
After confirming he wasn't joking, Green's eyes instantly lit up like stars.
Jackpot.
No—a good guy! A genuinely nice guy!
She'd sold a lot of stuff before, but this was the first customer who didn't even try to haggle.
A sudden thought struck her.
She quickly pulled out all sorts of weird, rare-looking items from her bag, just about to launch into a sales pitch—only to realize Caleb was already gone.
He might be rich, but he wasn't stupid.
If Green latched onto him, there was no escape. So the second he got the intel he needed, he dipped without hesitation.
At 1:00 p.m., the heavy clouds completely blotted out the sun, casting a gloomy shadow over the sky.
Meanwhile, the battle arena was packed—every seat in the stands was filled.
Since Caleb had beaten Arthur, his name had blown up, especially after the TV station's coverage. Now, everyone knew him.
Online, the video of Chansey beating the crap out of Scizor had gone viral.
There were also clips of other trainers mentally breaking down after facing his SubToxic strat.
Even veteran Master Cup players had chimed in online, praising the Substitute + Toxic combo as a brilliant and viable tactic.
Of course, the louder conversation was still the backlash over a Gym Leader joining the Little Ho-Oh Cup.
"That's the Caleb? The one who beat my brother?"
"Caleb is morally bankrupt. He should be managing his gym, not bullying newbies in the Baby Cup."
"Into the dunk tank! Toss him in!"
"..."
"Cheap strats are GOAT."
"Long live SubToxic!"
The crowd's opinion was sharply split, but Caleb didn't care.
He'd already spotted a few familiar faces—trainers he had personally eliminated.
The loudest one shouting?
Yeah, that'd be you, Arthur. Don't think that mask hides your identity from me.
At the same time, Rain Guy—the one with the special ability—also stood quietly on the field. But he wasn't getting nearly as much attention.
Since stepping onstage, he hadn't said a word, just stood there, unreadable.
Before, Caleb's opponents would underestimate him for starting with an Egg.
But Rain Guy wasn't going to fall for that.
He'd watched Caleb's previous battles, especially the Chansey vs. Scizor one, over and over.
To him, it was still a cheesy, scummy strat—but he had to admit it was effective.
Hmph. Those media outlets calling Caleb the weakest Gym Leader clearly didn't know what they were talking about.
With Caleb's strength, he could probably make the top 8 in the League Tournament.
But a cheap strat is still a cheap strat. As long as I know your gimmick ahead of time, I can prepare—and then you're not scary at all!
Thinking that, Rain Guy's confidence soared. He hurled out his Poké Ball.
"Go, Gyarados! Show him that Water types are the best!'"
As his voice echoed across the stadium, the sky seemed to answer—first a light drizzle, then a sudden downpour engulfed the field.
"See that? It's raining now," Rain Guy said, pointing upward.
"No way… he actually pulled it off," Caleb muttered, sending out Chansey. But since she didn't have any Ability equipped, her entrance lacked any flair.
Gyarados hit the field, triggering Intimidate. A wave of oppressive air washed over the arena.
Chansey's physical attack dropped one stage.
That Gyarados was strong.
With his Level 3 breeding skills, Caleb could tell at a glance from its appearance.
That was no beginner's Pokémon...
Masaka! (#?Д?)
So everyone's yelling at me for joining the Baby Cup—but what about this guy?!
Rain Guy smirked, satisfied—lowered the opponent's Attack, boosted his own with weather.
This was his opening advantage.
"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" he commanded with full confidence.
Gyarados slammed its tail into the ground, summoning Water-type energy to coat its body as it leapt into the air.
"Raaah!!" (Eat my tail!)
With a deafening roar, Aqua Tail came crashing down from above, aimed straight at Chansey.
BOOM—a huge splash, water flying everywhere, dust cloud rising.
"Lucky~" ╮(￣▽￣)╭
Aqua Tail had landed square on Chansey's forehead. It should've been a critical hit.
But Chansey just stood there like nothing happened, unfazed.
She tried to scratch the itchy spot on her head, but her arms were too short, so she gave up.
"No way!" Rain Guy's eyes widened in disbelief.
That had to do some damage!
A STAB Water move in the rain—even if it didn't knock out, it shouldn't have done nothing.
A sudden chill ran through him.
He shouted urgently to Gyarados—
But it was too late.
Caleb smiled slightly, and Chansey immediately picked up on it.
At that moment, Gyarados felt like its tail was nailed to the ground—no matter how much it thrashed or twisted, it couldn't move.
"Lucky~"
With that sweet little voice, Chansey began to spin, swinging Gyarados by the tail like a wet towel.
Gyarados watched the scene around it blur. A wave of dizziness slammed into its senses—it felt like it was flying.
"Chansey, now—Thunder Punch!"
Rain Guy: !!!
Thunder Punch? Seriously?
Everybody knows: Scizor has a 4x Fire weakness. Gyarados? 4x weak to Electric.
Its Water/Flying typing gives it five resistances and one immunity—but also a glaring double weakness…
And so, the same scene played out once more.
As Gyarados came out of its dizzy daze, it opened its eyes and saw a giant pink egg.
Instinctively, it thought it had woken up in a Pokémon Center.
Until it noticed the yellow lightning crackling in that egg's stubby hands.
Gyarados: DANGER!!!