[Note: This type of mission is only unlocked for trainers who truly understand their Pokémon! Please show more care for your Pokémon!]
Caleb opened Dragonite's info panel and noticed a small door-shaped icon behind its avatar, swirling with a blue vortex like a magical portal from a fantasy world...
He tapped it, only to be prompted:
[Currently inaccessible. Can only be entered during Free Days.]
Free Days referred to the seven-day break between missions...
"Onii-chan, is dinner ready yet?" Asked Little Lily as she peeked into the kitchen, munching on a Nanab Berry.
Caleb suddenly remembered he hadn't yet dished up for the little rascal, "Almost done!"
He turned back to cook the noodles.
Soon, two steaming bowls of instant ramen were ready, each topped with a golden-brown fried egg glistening under the light...
"Try it and see how it tastes!" Caleb brought the bowls to the living room.
Lily took a bite, and her face lit up like an anime character's, "Onii-chan's cooking is the best!"
As they ate, the doorbell rang... Too tired to move, Caleb sent Lily to answer it...
"Uncle Morris, you're back!" Lily cheered in surprise, bouncing to the door.
A gruff, cheerful male voice rang out, "Haha, of course I am! Had dinner yet, kiddo? Is your brother awake?"
"He woke up this morning! He even made my dinner!" Lily boasted.
Caleb looked up to see a burly middle-aged man who was about 1.8 meters tall, and dressed in green workwear stride in.
"Feeling better today?" Morris asked.
"I'm pretty much recovered," Caleb replied smoothly.
Morris sighed in relief, "That's good. By the way, Felix-kun next door said you had Dragonite and Mimikyu battle today?"
Caleb paused, but then realized that everything Infinite players did would be automatically rationalized in the eyes of NPCs...
He nodded and replied, "Yeah, I wanted to earn some pocket money to buy Lily-chan new clothes."
Morris' eyebrows shot up, then he curiously asked, "So you've decided? No more pretending, huh? Then I reckon it's time to reveal the truth."
Caleb stared at him, speechless, 'What kind of cheesy novel dialogue is this?'
'This wouldn't be out of place in cringe webnovel titles... Perhaps something like... «Grand Reveal: I Am the Ultimate Pokémon Trainer!» or maybe, «Urban Fantasy: Unraveling! I'm the Dragon-Type Champion!»...'
But missions wouldn't give players such protagonist-tier scripts. That was reserved for the system's golden children.
Thinking fast, Caleb feigned amnesia, "What... did I used to do?"
Morris pressed a hand to his forehead worriedly, "Did that Zigzagoon kick your brains out? You were Kanto's strongest Bug Catcher!"
Lily nodded vigorously, "Mhm! Onii-chan is the best!"
Caleb's curiosity piqued, "Oh? How 'strong' are we talking? Did I beat the Elite Four? Perhaps snatched the championship from Lance?"
Morris looked concerned, "You really don't remember? How you kept losing to random trainers and finally moved to Hoenn in despair?"
"I also heard head injuries can make people forget things they don't want to admit."Morris mumbled to himself..
Selectively ignoring that last part, Caleb deadpanned, "You said I was the 'strongest Bug Catcher'. What's that about?"
Morris nodded earnestly and replied, "Of course you were! Ten years ago in Viridian Forest, no Bug Catcher could last three rounds against you!"
'Oh...'
So he was the 'strongest among Bug Catchers'... For a second, Caleb had thought his character was some legendary figure who'd battled Giovanni and Lance...
'How anticlimactic.' he thought.
Gumo smiled nostalgically and clapped Caleb's shoulder, saying, "Since you've decided, give it your all! I can't wait to see you reclaim your title as the ultimate Bug Catcher!"
....
~8 AM the next morning~
Felix knocked on Caleb's door right on time...
"Boss, you ready to go?" His eyes sparkled like an eager Growlithe's.
Caleb nodded. As they left, he saw Uncle Morris next door directing a dopey Psyduck to water the flowers.
Spotting Caleb, Morris smiled in relief and gave a thumbs-up, only to get blasted off his feet by Psyduck's misfired Water Gun...
Caleb & Felix: "...."
"Bye, Onii-chan! Work hard!" Lily waved from the second-floor window.
"Stay home. Don't wander around, and don't open the door for strangers!" Caleb reminded.
Exhausted, he realized this mission felt like 'Parent Simulator'... First, he had to mediate between Mimikyu and Dragonite, now babysitting.
Morris scrambled up and thumped his chest in a gesture to reassure Caleb, "Don't worry! I'll take care of Lily-chan! You focus on chasing your dreams!"
Caleb left without looking back.
On the way, Felix said, "Uncle Morris is a really good guy."
Caleb nodded. Yesterday's chat had revealed Felix came from a single-parent household. His dad left when he was one, and his mom raised him on Hoenn's welfare subsidies.
The Youngster battled so fiercely just so he could ease her burden.
'Hoenn's social policies are impressive,' Caleb mused, 'The citizens have their basic needs covered... It's really like the ideal society...'
This was his first glimpse into Pokémon world governance.
Soon, they reached Route 101... but no rookie trainers were waiting.
Walking further toward Littleroot, they found a crowd arguing in the grass:
"That Poochyena is mine! I saw it first!"
"Bullsh*t! It came at me! Back off!"
Understanding dawned on Caleb. He then cleared his throat and politely reminded them, "You know, losing battles still gives your Pokémon EXP. Want me to be your sparring partner?"