When faced with non-negotiable issues, Cynthia always acted decisively and swiftly...
She brought Caleb back to the orphanage and explained the situation to Isa and the others.
"Goodbye!" Caleb sat atop Dragonite and waved to the kind elderly woman.
Holding a reluctant Nino, Grandma Isa called out, "Goodbye! Make sure to write to us when you find your home!"
"Mm, I will." Caleb responded, then turned and left the orphanage with Cynthia.
Cynthia had already obtained the Snowpoint City Gym Badge. Before leaving, she still needed to file a report with Officer Jenny.
By the time all the preparations were completed and the two stepped out of the police station, it was already noon...
Cynthia checked the time and took Caleb to a restaurant.
Inside, Caleb encountered two familiar faces... the pregnant 'woman' and the Jynx.
When Caleb looked at them, they also noticed him... though their attention wasn't on him, but on Cynthia, who was sitting nearby ordering food.
The pregnant woman couldn't hold back her gasp: "C–Cynthia?"
Hearing her name, Cynthia looked up in confusion, "Do you know me?"
The pregnant woman nodded eagerly, "Yes! You're the Champion of the Sinnoh League! I'm a huge fan! Could I get your autograph?"
Cynthia hesitated, about to explain that she wasn't the Champion yet, when the pregnant woman suddenly clutched her stomach and groaned, "Aghhh! Something's coming out of me! It's so swollen, it hurts!"
A woman in her thirties rushed over to help. Seeing the pregnant woman's expression, she immediately understood and reassured her, "Relax, don't panic! Your water just broke!"
The pregnant woman's face turned ashen, her expression one of utter disbelief as she muttered dazedly, "I'm giving birth?"
The woman smiled and nodded, "You need to get to a hospital now!"
A crowd of helpful onlookers promptly carried the pregnant woman away, leaving behind a horrified Jynx...
...
After lunch, Cynthia took advantage of the break in the snowfall and officially left the ice-covered Snowpoint City with Caleb...
She had changed into a more practical black trench coat. Her golden hair fluttered in the wind, making her look both beautiful and formidable.
As dusk approached, another heavy snow began to fall.
Having often explored ruins in the wild, Cynthia was no stranger to such conditions. She expertly found a cave and ushered Caleb inside.
"We'll rest here for tonight," Cynthia said, pulling two sleeping bags from her hiking backpack before starting to prepare dinner for her Pokémon.
One by one, her team emerged from their Poké Balls; Spiritomb, Milotic, Togekiss, Lucario, Glaceon, and Garchomp. They all gathered quietly around the campfire as they waited for their trainer to prepare their meals.
Caleb used Scout on each of them:
[Spiritomb: Master Class]
[Milotic: Master Class]
[Togekiss: Master Class]
[Lucario: Master Class]
[Glaceon: Master Class]
[Garchomp: Champion Class]
A footnote appeared below:
«Note: After a Pokémon reaches Lv. 100, it enters a new tier. From lowest to highest: Elite Class, Master Class, Champion Class, Ace Class, Legendary Class, and Genesis Class...»
«Legendary Class is further divided into: Pseudo-Legendary, Tier-Three Deity, Tier-Two Deity, and Tier-One Deity...»
«A Pokémon's final achievable tier depends on its innate talent, the trainer's skill, and various other factors...»
Meanwhile, Cynthia studied a map of Sinnoh by the firelight as she cooked.
Snowpoint City was located at the northernmost tip of Sinnoh. Due to its harsh weather, transportation here was extremely inconvenient. Thus, She planned to traverse Mt. Coronet on foot, heading first to Floaroma Town in the west.
If there was one city in Sinnoh that left the deepest impression on her, it was undoubtedly Floaroma Town, nestled amidst fields of flowers.
Cynthia's Gym Badge collection journey was nearing its end. Of the eight badges, she only lacked the Beacon Badge from Sunyshore City.
With some time still remaining before the Sinnoh League, she could use this period to help the lost child find his home...
....
Late at night, Cynthia's steady breathing filled the quiet cave...
Seizing the opportunity while she slept, Caleb carefully slipped out of his sleeping bag.
Holding Dragonite's Poké Ball (a gift from Cynthia), he quietly made his way toward the cave entrance.
In the darkness, Garchomp, standing guard, slowly opened its eyes and turned its gaze toward Caleb's retreating figure. A moment later, it stood and gently roused Cynthia from her sleep...
...
The reason Caleb had ventured out in the middle of the night was that he had triggered a nearby random event...
[Random Event: Rescue the Tauros That Fell Off the Cliff]
[Completion Reward: Rotom Bike (Galar Edition) - A water-and-land bicycle utilizing electromagnetic acceleration. At full speed, it's said to rival a Tauros!]
Caleb mounted Dragonite and checked the map on his panel before giving the order, "Dragonite, head east, two thousand meters."
"Wuu!"
Dragonite nodded and dove through the snowstorm toward the designated location.
Soon, a cliff about ten meters deep came into view.
"Go down."
They were now very close to the injured Tauros. Just then, Dragonite suddenly tensed, lifting its head to stare at the opposite side of the cliff.
Caleb followed its gaze...
There, perched on the steep cliffside, was a white Pokémon with a scythe-like horn on the right side of its head, silently observing them.
It was Absol... The Disaster Pokémon said to inhabit rugged mountain ranges and possess the ability to foresee calamities!
Dragonite's descent didn't stop.
In the blink of an eye, Absol vanished from Caleb's sight.
Nearby, the weak cries of the Tauros reached his ears.
Caleb pushed Absol from his mind and hurried over, then used his Viridian Power to heal the Tauros.
This Tauros was lucky that Caleb had been in the area when it fell, because he received the notification and arrived just in time.
"I'm going to return you to a Poké Ball, then release you again once we're back up top. Don't struggle, okay?" Caleb glanced at the height above and communicated with Tauros through his Ability.
"Moo!"
Humans with the power of the Viridian Forest naturally inspired trust in Pokémon, so Tauros agreed cheerfully.
Caleb pulled a Poké Ball from his inventory and recalled Tauros, then rode Dragonite back to the cliff's edge.
As expected, Absol was nowhere to be seen.
Just as he was about to release Tauros, a blinding white light suddenly illuminated the sky. For an instant, the world turned as bright as day.
The next moment, the earth split apart. A deafening roar, like thunder, erupted from beneath the ground.
Caleb froze, staring in shock at the fissures spreading across the land.
"Oh no! Cynthia is still in the cave! Dragonite, let's head back, now!" his voice was uncharacteristically frantic.
Though his motives for approaching Cynthia hadn't been pure, if something happened to her because of him…
Caleb didn't even want to think about it.
Dragonite shot back at top speed, arriving at the cave in an instant. As expected, the cave had collapsed, buried under rubble and boulders.
Seeing this, Caleb felt his heart threaten to pound out of his chest. The earthquake hadn't stopped, but he couldn't afford to wait.
He immediately summoned Mimikyu, Lucario, and Smeargle from their Poké Balls.
Together, the four Pokémon and Caleb began desperately moving rocks despite the ongoing tremors.
But his current body was too small... he couldn't even lift boulders larger than himself. His hands were soon scraped raw from the strain, his clothes, body, and face smeared with dust, snow, and hot blood, leaving him in an unprecedented state of disarray.
Then, abruptly, Dragonite and the others stopped digging and turned to look behind them.
Cynthia and Garchomp stepped forward through the snow.
Her gaze swept over Smeargle, Mimikyu, and Lucario before settling on Caleb. She had seen him pull Poké Balls from thin air.
Pursing her lips, she called out softly, "Terrence?"