That day, Caleb received four prizes from the Ho-Oh Cup.
The first was a 100,000 Pokédollar shopping card.
Not that it meant much to Caleb, but hey—free money is free money. Might come in handy someday.
The second prize was a rare item: the Soothe Bell.
Renowned online as a miracle sleep aid, its gentle chime was like a lullaby from heaven—great for insomniacs. But more importantly, it increased the bond between Pokémon and Trainer.
Perfect timing too—Chansey needed high friendship to evolve into Blissey.
Even if Chansey didn't want to evolve, the Soothe Bell could help train it to master Heal Bell.
The third item was a trophy—a symbol of honor. Useless, but hey, it looked decent enough.
The fourth, though, was a bit of a headache: a Pokémon egg from the Alola region.
Before it hatches, it's just a tradable item. But once it hatches, you're responsible for it.
Let's see… what Pokémon are native to Alola again? Toxapex, Salazzle, Mimikyu… heh.
Then again, money wasn't really an issue. Raising another Pokémon wouldn't be a problem. Since it's here, might as well accept it.
Caleb turned to the ever-gentle Chansey beside him and smiled. "Chansey, I'm leaving this egg in your care."
When it came to taking care of Pokémon eggs, of course you left it to the professionals.
Chansey blinked in surprise at first, then its round, rosy face lit up with a wide grin.
"Lucky~!"
It quickly pulled out its original egg from its belly pouch and carefully placed the Alolan egg inside.
Even after finishing, it couldn't hide its excitement, gently stroking the eggshell like it could already feel the life stirring within.
Realizing it might've been a bit too eager, Chansey gave a shy little giggle.
Caleb chuckled and patted its head.
"Let's go home."
He'd been out for a week now. Time to head back.
...
By evening, back home, Pachirisu had launched itself straight onto the bed.
That past week had worn it out.
On the mattress, Pachirisu rolled around hugging a pillow for several full rotations.
Caleb, watching this, grabbed it by the tail.
"What're you tired for? Was the hotel bed too soft? The food outside not good enough?"
"Pachi~"
"Alright, cut the act. Go take a bath—you're filthy from the trip."
Hearing that, Pachirisu gave a weak, defeated nod.
Caleb just didn't get it—if you don't roll around doing nothing on your bed the moment you get home, what's even the point of coming back?
With Pachirisu out of the room, Caleb collapsed onto the bed himself.
That week wore me out too.
Thankfully, no one came to bother him. After lying there for a while and recharging a bit, Caleb finally reached for his phone.
His social apps were flooded with unread messages, the most eye-catching being the sea of red dots under one group chat: "Sunshine."
He'd been randomly added to this group a few days ago.
Most of the members were pretty low-key. Conversations were rare, and when people did talk, it was all about tactics and strategy.
That kind of vibe suited Caleb just fine, so even after several days, he hadn't left the group.
Now, congratulatory messages were flooding the screen.
[Ordinary' Whimsicott]: Congrats to Gym Leader Caleb for winning the Ho-Oh Cup!
[Shiny Fearow]: Congrats to Gym Leader Caleb for winning the Ho-Oh Cup!
[Not a Miltank]: Congrats to Gym Leader Caleb for winning the Ho-Oh Cup![Cabbage Ice Cream]: Congrats.
With that many messages, it felt wrong not to say anything.
So, after five full days of lurking, Caleb finally typed his first message in the group.
[SunshineBoy]: Thanks, everyone.
Who would've thought that such a simple message would hit the group like a grenade dropped into a calm pond—blowing dozens of lurkers straight to the surface.
[SlowpokeEatsTail]: Holy crap, he's alive!
[Ordinary Whimsicott]: Gym Leader Caleb, I'm your biggest fan![*]: I love your SubToxic setup!
[Shiny Fearow]: Teach me how to be as shameless as you!
…Wait, excuse me?
What do you mean by shameless?
Caleb wanted to set the record straight, but there were just too many messages—it vanished in the scroll instantly.
Thanks to that one match at the Ho-Oh Cup, the entire group had started treating Caleb like some kind of tactics god.
Now everyone was asking him for battle advice.
That's just the price of greatness, right?
Let's see what kind of questions they've got.
[Bug Maniac]: Gym Leader Caleb, is it really impossible for Caterpie to beat Dragonite?
Caleb: …
Pass. Come back when your Caterpie evolves into Rayquaza.
Next.
[Bug Catcher]: My Beedrill definitely landed a Poison Sting on Dragonite—why did it still get OHKO'd by Extreme Speed?
Caleb: …
My guy, what made you think a Beedrill could take on a Dragonite?
Who do you think you are—Giovanni?
Pass.
[Cabbage Ice Cream]: Are there any tactics for Spiritomb besides SubToxic?
Finally, a real question.
Spiritomb's a strange-looking Pokémon with a spooky vibe. Most people probably hadn't even heard of it.
But Caleb wasn't "most people." He used Spiritomb back when he played Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl remakes, so he knew a thing or two.
With its Ghost–Dark typing, it only had one weakness: Fairy. It also boasted three immunities and one resistance.
Coupled with solid defenses, it was the definition of a stall machine.
[SunshineBoy]: Mind telling me your Spiritomb's ability?
[Cabbage Ice Cream]: It's Pressure.
Ah, not Infiltrator. That complicates things.
Infiltrator ignores barriers like Light Screen, Reflect, Safeguard, Mist, Substitute, and Aurora Veil.
Pressure, by contrast, only drains the opponent's PP faster. Not bad, but not game-changing.
After thinking for a bit, Caleb sent five different build suggestions.
Most were support-focused—Will-O-Wisp and Toxic were must-haves. Pain Split for emergency heals. Sucker Punch, Hex, and Shadow Sneak for damage. Destiny Bond and Parting Shot to take something down with you…
And of course, Trick and Curse could throw off the opponent's game. In doubles, Ally Switch was also essential.
Fueled like he'd just downed an energy drink, Caleb typed out a long, detailed "mini essay."
[SunshineBoy]: Of course, this is just a starting framework. You'll need to adjust your build based on the actual battle conditions.
[Not a Miltank]: Just a starting framework!? This thing's good enough to win in the Master Ball tier!
The post was a full breakdown: when to use each move, how to respond to emergencies, everything. The level of detail and thoroughness made it feel like he'd dissected Spiritomb down to the cellular level.
And just like that, he casually dropped it into a public group chat like it was nothing.
That's what it means to be a true master, huh?
Scary.
A while later, [Cabbage Ice Cream] sent a short but heartfelt reply.
"Thanks."