~Pastoria City, Sinnoh Region~
Caitlin lay sprawled across the table, bored out of her mind.
Thanks to Caleb, the situation in Unova had been mostly resolved, and they have successfully captured Ghetsis, the leader of Team Plasma.
As for the remaining political mess among the noble families, Caitlin had dumped it all on the recently recovered Alder and her three Elite peers. She herself had packed a large bundle of gifts and traveled alone to the distant Sinnoh region...
Cynthia sat in a chair, quietly reading a book on theology. Sunlight streaming through the window fell on her face, giving her an ethereal and composed beauty.
Nearby, a pile of colorfully wrapped gifts lay stacked on the carpet.
"Is the Team Galactic situation resolved?" Caitlin asked casually.
"Mostly," Cynthia replied softly without looking up.
After a tense chase, Cyrus had finally been apprehended by the Officer Jenny family and thrown into prison. All that remained was returning the Pokémon stolen by Team Galactic's remnants to their rightful Trainers.
"So you finally get to relax a bit," Caitlin sighed, "How about coming to my place for a vacation in a few days? I've already had the villa cleaned."
"Let's wait and see," Cynthia said, still flipping pages. She wanted to make sure things were stable in Sinnoh before deciding.
"Alright then," Caitlin said, somewhat helplessly, "So… when exactly is Caleb coming back?"
She'd already been waiting in Sinnoh for three days!
At that question, Cynthia finally set down her book. Her beautiful eyes drifted to the window. After a moment, she said, "I don't know either."
"You don't know? Then do you at least know what he's doing right now?" Caitlin asked, incredulous.
Cynthia nodded, "He told me he's filming a documentary called The Temptation to Go Home."
Caitlin face-palmed, 'What kind of ridiculous title is that?!'
...
~Pastoria City Airport~
Two private jets landed simultaneously. From one stepped a man cradling a Pokémon Egg.
From another landing pad, two men and two women disembarked.
Steven, who was dressed modestly, glanced at the Kanto Elite Four who were also laden with gifts and fell silent.
Lance: "…"
Lorelei, ever the social butterfly, greeted cheerfully, "What a coincidence!"
Steven eyed their packages and asked calmly, "Here to deliver gifts too?"
Lance's eyes fell on the pale green-patterned egg in Steven's arms. His extensive knowledge allowed him to instantly recognize which Pokémon it was.
'As expected of the heir to Devon Corp... rich and extravagant!' Lance thought, feeling their own gifts paled in comparison.
But outwardly, he remained composed, "Shall we go together?"
Steven had no objections since they were going the same way anyway...
The five boarded a minivan and soon arrived at the Sinnoh League headquarters.
They weren't just here to thank Caleb, they also wanted the world to know everything he'd done behind the scenes.
Every time Lance thought about it, he felt a strange emotion stir.
Caleb was… unusual.
From the start, he never seemed to care about fame or reward. Despite his immense contributions to the various regions, he never asked any League for anything in return.
He didn't seek recognition, and he risked his life time and again. If he hadn't experienced it all firsthand, even the justice-driven Lance would find it hard to believe that such a person truly existed in the world.
From the driver's seat, Lorelei glanced at Lance through the rearview mirror and said, "Don't worry. We've already arranged everything with the press and media."
Steven, who had come alone, observed the two of them. After a pause, he asked, "You're planning to tell the public everything?"
Lance didn't deny it, "People deserve to know someone like him exists. These deeds shouldn't be forgotten with time."
This was the world's due response to him.
Steven considered it, then nodded, "You're right. That's how it should be."
As they spoke, the van pulled up to the Sinnoh League building. They stepped out, and after showing their credentials, they were escorted straight to the top floor.
Lorelei knocked on the door.
It opened quickly.
Cynthia blinked in surprise at the crowd, "What's all this?"
"Who is it?" Caitlin called out, then peeked over and instantly understood. She chuckled, "I thought I was the only one coming."
Cynthia politely ushered everyone in. Lance murmured thanks and sat properly on the guest sofa.
Lorelei, Bruno, and Agatha took one couch, sitting next to each other. Steven sat alone on a single-seat sofa, still holding the egg.
Cynthia watched the scene with quiet resignation: 'That guy is really popular...'
Just then, another knock sounded from outside.
Cynthia, now numb to surprises, opened the door and found Drasna leading the Kalos delegation.
Cynthia: "…"
Everyone inside exchanged glances with the Kalos group: "…"
...
The events happening in Sinnoh were unknown to Caleb. He was currently with Zapdos, using a camera he had purchased in Infinite World to document Groudon's entire journey home.
Three days had passed since Groudon and Kyogre's battle. And in those three days, Groudon had only made it to Fortree City!
Zapdos: >..This one's speed is too slow!..<
Caleb's arm was sore from holding the camera, so he had promoted Mew2 to cameraman. At Zapdos' remark, he muttered, "It's about what I expected."
Over the three days, Groudon hadn't been walking nonstop. Perhaps it was the world's way of self-correcting. With Kyogre no longer a threat, Groudon seemed much more relaxed. It would walk for a while, then stop to rest.
The Continent Pokémon had long noticed Caleb and his Pokémon trailing it, but simply chose to ignore them.
By noon, Groudon stopped to rest, and as usual, shot Caleb a pitying look, as if he was an idiot: 'Doesn't this human have to work? Why does it keep following me? Is there something wrong with its brain?'
Groudon didn't hide its thoughts, so Caleb instantly sensed them through the Viridian Power.
Caleb sighed in exasperation.
Just then, a text from Cynthia arrived. Caleb checked it and decided he'd followed Groudon long enough.
He stood up and asked, "Need a lift?"
Groudon looked up, puzzled.
Caleb explained, "I can take you home. It'll be faster than walking alone."
Groudon disliked humans. Though Caleb felt different from most, it still refused the offer.
Caleb didn't insist. He took the camera from Mew2, tucked it into his inventory, and turned to Zapdos, saying, "Thanks for the past few days, Bird Bro. I have to go now."
Zapdos glanced at Groudon: >..You're not following it anymore?..<
Caleb stroked the yellow feathers on Zapdos' cheek and pulled out Electric-type special Pokéblocks from his inventory.
As he fed the Electric bird, he said, "No, I'm heading home. You should head back too."
Zapdos blinked: >..Oh..<
Caleb felt a real connection with this bird, but a free-spirited Legendary like Zapdos would never agree to be caught. So he didn't ask.
"Let's meet again if we get the chance," he said.