After finishing the last dumpling in his bowl, Caleb somehow found himself standing outside the Day Care, still holding the Riolu egg.
"Huh? How did I end up out here?"
Caleb looked completely confused.
Beside him were Green, Gold, Crystal, and the Day Care Grandpa—they had all been kicked out together.
The five of them stood at the entrance, staring at each other.
The old man scratched his head. "Why'd I get kicked out too?"
Gold, ever the impatient one, couldn't help but ask, "Hey Caleb, what's your old man's deal? I've never seen Granny this pissed before."
Everyone turned to look at Caleb.
Under their collective gaze, he felt his skin crawl. Thinking back to all the weird stuff his dad had pulled, it wasn't exactly impossible that he'd replaced Granny's hearing aid with noise-canceling headphones or something.
Caleb turned to the Day Care Grandpa, hoping maybe he'd know something.
But the old man just waved him off grumpily. "Don't look at me. Go ask your damned dad yourself."
Once again, Caleb was embarrassed to be Old Man Mario's son.
Green, meanwhile, said gleefully, "Well, we got the egg. Time to get moving, right?"
"Nope, one more thing," Caleb said. "I actually came to Johto hoping to catch a few local specialty Pokémon too."
Catch?
As soon as Crystal heard that word, she perked right up. As the "Catcher," this was her specialty.
"Mr. Caleb, is there a particular Pokémon you're looking for? Want my help?"
Caleb smiled slightly. "Skarmory."
"Skarmory, huh…" Crystal blinked, thought for a moment, and said, "Yeah, I know of a flock nearby."
Then she asked curiously, "I think I heard you mention you're a Gym Leader? Are you planning to catch them to boost your Gym's strength?"
Caleb nodded, and Crystal looked at him with admiration.
"Wow, Mr. Caleb, you're such a responsible Gym Leader! Even when you're out handling other business, you're still thinking about the Gym!"
She continued, "What type is your Gym, by the way? Steel? Flying?"
"I know, I know!" Gold jumped in before Caleb could answer. "It's a Poison-type Gym!"
Poison... Gym?
When those words hit Crystal's ears, she froze.
A Poison Gym catching Steel-types?
...Okay, not impossible, but something about it felt off.
Green stood silently nearby, recalling all kinds of info about Skarmory.
Steel and Flying type—a Pokémon with solid resistances, beloved by both rock fans and bird breeders alike.
It could hit, it could tank, and was particularly known for its stellar defense.
!!!
Wait a sec—stellar defense?
It's a tank Pokémon!
Green stared at Caleb in horror, as if she'd just realized something awful.
Back in the day, having a tanky mon on your team wasn't a big deal—you'd eventually find a way to break through. But ever since meeting Caleb, things had changed. His "tanks" weren't just tanks—they were dirty.
Refer to: Chansey and Garganacl for details.
When Caleb noticed her looking, he gave what he thought was a bright, sunny smile.
To Green, though, that smile hit like a thunderclap.
Please stop!
We already have enough toxic stallers!
Skarmory, with its Steel/Flying typing, would show the world what "resistance" really meant. That 140 base defense? The definition of unbreakable.
As the "Bird" in the notorious defensive core "Bird-Egg-Tar-Stall," Skarmory, like Chansey, was famed for its sheer tankiness.
That's exactly the kind of teammate my Gym needs.
Led by Crystal, the group made their way to a canyon just outside Mahogany Town.
"There are currently 108 Skarmory nesting here. They're basically the overlords of the area, so you don't see many people or Pokémon coming by," Crystal explained from behind a bush.
"Most fierce Pokémon are territorial. If you want to catch one, you'll need serious strength. And since they're flock animals, it's best to go for one that's strayed from the group."
As she spoke, she pointed toward a Skarmory off on its own, hunting nearby.
"Look, that one's alone. Caleb, do you want to—"
She turned her head, only to realize Caleb had vanished.
???
"Huh? Where'd Caleb go?"
Green pointed ahead. "There. Out in front."
Crystal followed her gaze and was stunned to see Caleb striding boldly into the Skarmory's territory all by himself.
His confident swagger immediately caught the attention of the entire flock.
In an instant, every Skarmory stopped what they were doing and turned their heads toward this sudden intruder.
Then, with a loud whoosh, a massive swarm of Skarmory took to the sky, circling overhead like they were issuing a warning.
And there was Caleb, waltzing right into the middle of their turf like he owned the place.
Suddenly, the largest Skarmory among them swooped down and landed in front of Caleb.
Its sharp eyes glinted coldly as it stared down at him with an intimidating aura.
"Get back, Caleb! Skarmory's a meat-eater!" Crystal shouted in panic from behind.
But she was too far away—Caleb didn't hear her.
The next moment, the Skarmory opened its beak and gave Caleb's face a long, wet lick.
Mmm, smells good~ Heehee, smells real good~
He's done for! He's gonna get eaten! Crystal panicked.
"Stop, that tickles," Caleb said, pushing away the bird's stinky beak. Wild Pokémon, man—they never brush.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéblock. "This is what you want, right?"
"Squawk!"
Skarmory nodded eagerly and opened its mouth wide, waiting to be fed.
It reminded Caleb of when he first met Pachirisu.
"Alright, alright. You win. Here, take it all." He tossed the Pokéblocks into its mouth.
Thanks to his natural charm ability and the Pokéblocks, as long as Caleb didn't push his luck, wild Pokémon were usually happy to play nice.
"Good, huh? Want more?"
Caleb's lips curled into a soft smile.
The Skarmory nodded furiously, savoring the lingering sweet taste of the blocks.
"Sigh… This is gonna be tough. I've got a whole crew waiting to be fed back home, and Pokéblocks don't grow on trees…"
He sighed dramatically, looking conflicted.
In reality, he already had a machine back home cranking these out in bulk.
But Skarmory didn't know that. Seeing Caleb's expression, it flapped its wings hesitantly.
If it hadn't tasted that Pokéblock, fine. But now that it had… that flavor was unforgettable. It had completely changed its definition of "food."
Compared to this? Everything else it had eaten might as well have been garbage.
Once you've tasted heaven, who wants to go back to scraps?
Then maybe… you could just catch me?
Skarmory had a brilliant idea.
"No way, no way!" Caleb jumped back, waving his hands. "You're obviously the boss around here. If you leave, what'll happen to the others?"
Then what do I do?
Skarmory drooped its head, confused and disappointed.
"Well, I do have one idea, but…"
What idea? Tell me, quick!
Skarmory flapped its wings eagerly.
"How about… all of you move?"
Caw?