The next day...
Represented by Caitlin, the Unova League held a regional press conference in Castelia Town. At the event, she publicly exposed the crimes of several noble families.
These included: cross-regional Pokémon smuggling, drug trafficking, restaurants that served Pokémon as food, and other even darker, more horrifying acts.
The revelation instantly ignited outrage across Unova. Enraged citizens took to the streets with their Pokémon, demanding the League punish the culprits without mercy.
The League naturally complied.
Officer Jennys from across the region mobilized, arresting all involved individuals, seizing their private assets, and placing them under League management.
All profits from those operations were redirected to local Pokémon Centers for the benefit of the public.
Of course, not everyone went quietly. Some tried to fight back in desperation, but Caleb took care of them all in just a few minutes.
By the time everything was settled, it was already 9 p.m...
Caleb and Caitlin had just returned to their temporary residence when they spotted a familiar golden-haired figure waiting outside.
Caleb was genuinely surprised, "You're here? How come?"
Cynthia stood beneath a tree, holding two takeout bags, watching them from a distance. She smiled softly, "Not happy to see me?"
Caleb was momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, he said, "It's just… I didn't expect you this late."
Truth was, she had arrived hours ago, but seeing how busy they were, she decided to wait quietly.
Cynthia didn't mention that though. Instead, she changed the subject, "Have you had dinner yet?"
At the mention of food, Caleb's stomach growled loudly. He rubbed his nose sheepishly and said, "Not yet."
"Perfect," Cynthia said, holding out the bags, "I grabbed two meals from the convenience store."
Standing nearby, Caitlin narrowed her eyes at their interaction. She definitely smelled something… different.
The three entered the room. Caleb flopped onto the sofa, opened his meal box, and found it filled with all his favorite dishes.
Just as he was about to dig in, Caitlin spoke up, "You'll get sick if you eat without washing your hands."
Caleb: "…"
Sighing, he got up and went to wash his hands.
Once he was gone, Caitlin turned to her old friend with a sly look, "How long have you two known each other?"
Cynthia glanced at her, "What are you getting at?"
Caitlin hummed playfully, "So… are you two dating?"
At those words, Cynthia froze. She instinctively protested, "Don't be ridiculous!"
"I didn't hear a no~"
"No." Cynthia had never even considered it.
She had spent the first half of her life pursuing her ideals; traveling extensively for theology and history... until Caleb came along.
Caitlin clearly didn't buy it, "Then let me ask this: Is he really your little brother?"
Cynthia paused, looking at her in confusion.
Caitlin smiled, "I mean, do you really see him as just a brother?"
Caitlin has never seen a sister blush when seeing her brother, or drop everything at work to secretly visit him.
Now Cynthia understood. Her expression remained unchanged, but her heart was in turmoil.
After living together for so long, they'd grown utterly accustomed to each other's presence.
In the days right after Caleb first left, she felt his absence deeply. She was left with a strange emptiness and longing.
She wanted to see him, to talk to him, to just be near him, even in silence.
But… was that love?
And why didn't she know?
Caleb was undeniably handsome, smart at times, silly at others, loved Pokémon, and was sincere with people.
"…"
"…"
Cynthia said nothing. Caitlin didn't press further.
Some things only needed to be said once. She trusted her friend already knew the truth.
Just then, Caleb walked back in. Seeing their quiet atmosphere, he grinned and sat beside Cynthia, "What were you two talking about? It looked like you were having fun."
Caitlin replied, "Shouldn't we be celebrating? We just solved a huge crisis."
"True," Caleb agreed, and went back to eating.
He had already fed Dragonite and the others at 6 p.m. They were likely exhausted from a full day of battles, so he let them rest.
Caitlin rested her chin in her hand, watching Caleb intently.
Caleb wasn't blind, he felt the stare. He glanced over and asked, "What do you want?"
"Just one question."
"Go ahead."
Caitlin glanced at Cynthia, then asked, "Do you have a girl you like?"
Caleb answered without hesitation, "No. Why'd you ask that all of a sudden?"
"Just curious," Caitlin teased, "So when are you getting married?"
Caleb groaned: 'Even this world has marriage pressure?'
He brushed her off, "Not happening. I'm spending my life with Pokémon."
And if Cynthia never married either, he could add her to that list too. After their Grandma passes, the two of them would be all each other had in this world.
Caitlin: "…"
She wanted to say more, but her phone suddenly rang. She answered in front of both of them.
The voice on the other end was quiet. Caleb couldn't hear the words, but Caitlin's changing expression implied it wasn't good news.
At that exact moment, Caleb's panel flashed with a long-overdue notification:
Ding!
[Phase 3 main quest objective not completed. Team Plasma has awakened Kyurem. Your main quest has failed!]
'That fast?'
Caleb blinked in shock, then a second notification popped up:
Ding!
[Instance difficulty has changed!]
[Current difficulty: SSS+!]
[World tier has changed!
-Current tier: SSS+!]
[It's been detected that an Exclusive Player is still active in this world. Special Quest issued!]
«Please Choose!»
1. Main Quest failed. Player will be returned to Infinite World.
2. Main Quest updated: Defeat Kyurem!
Caleb was stunned.
'Damn it!' He seethed.
He had gotten so caught up in dealing with those damn nobles, he'd completely forgotten the main quest objective!
'But what's going on now? I understand the first part, but why did the world tier change? Did Kyurem's awakening really raise the entire world's threat level? That shouldn't be possible. Kyurem is strong, sure... but its not that impactful!'
Caleb's gut told him something was off.
He still had his save-and-load trick as a backup.
After a moment's thought, he decided not to use it yet. Better to see how things unfolded first.
And it wasn't just Caleb's side that was in trouble, Caitlin's news looked grim too.
Sure enough, after hanging up, she said gravely, "Something's happened. Team Plasma awakened Kyurem, but for unknown reasons, it went berserk. It attacked Alder and Team Plasma, then flew off."
Caleb froze mid-bite, "Alder and the others got hurt?"
Caitlin shook her head, "No. After it left, Kyurem went to Lacunosa Town and froze the entire town solid."