The battle was over. Cyril had successfully protected his family's ranch.
His little sister, however, ran back to her room in tears.
"Looks like I'll be spending a long time coaxing her again," Cyril said helplessly.
Then, as if remembering something, he ran back into the house and returned holding two Cottonee in his arms.
"These two are the newest babies on the ranch. They're not shy at all, so I'll leave them in your care."
"And, here's a little something as a token of appreciation." As he spoke, Cyril handed over an elegant black wooden box.
Inside were two Sun Stones.
Essential evolution stones for Cottonee to evolve into Whimsicott.
Sun Stones, shaped like Sun Stones—well, that's because they are derived from Sun Stones.
Back in Generations 3, 4, and 5, Sun Stones had a 5% chance of carrying a Sun Stone.
These two looked great—good quality, easily on par with what Mario had stashed in his warehouse.
"Aww man, I can't possibly accept this—haha," Caleb said, chuckling as he reached out to take the ornate box.
Seeing the two Cottonee in Cyril's arms, a wave of sympathy suddenly washed over Caleb.
"What's wrong?" Cyril asked, noticing the change in Caleb's expression.
"It's nothing, really. I just got a little emotional thinking about how these little ones have to leave their parents so young," Caleb said, covering his eyes.
Flint leaned in and said, "I don't see any tears."
Caleb shoved him aside.
"S-So, what you're saying is… you want to leave them here on the ranch?"
Hearing Caleb say that, Cyril started to second-guess himself. After all, Cottonee were still so young—it might be tough for them to adjust to a new environment.
Caleb waved his hand. "No, no need to go through all that. Just send their parents along too."
"The most important thing for a family is to stay together."
Cyril: "..."
Taking the two Poké Balls containing the Whimsicott, Cynthia stepped out of the house.
She gave Cyril a few words of advice. "Your little sister was really upset—make sure you comfort her properly."
Cyril nodded firmly, swearing up and down that he could handle anything that didn't involve the ranch.
Seeing how serious he looked, Cynthia was reassured. She turned to the others, smiling warmly. "Everyone, I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip. Until we meet again."
"Miss Cynthia, aren't you coming with us? It'll be more fun with more people," Gardenia tried to persuade her.
Cynthia hesitated for a moment, then gently shook her head and declined, "No, Caitlin is still…"
Before she could finish, Caleb suddenly turned to Gardenia and asked, "Hey, Gardenia, check the itinerary real quick. Isn't our next stop Castelia City? Gotta get some of that Castelia Ice Cream, right?"
Castelia Ice Cream.
At the mention of it, a barely noticeable ripple passed across Cynthia's otherwise calm face. She gulped slightly, and her eyes lit up—just a little.
Caleb noticed and asked curiously, "Oh right, Cynthia, what were you just saying?"
Cynthia paused, then suddenly changed her mind and smiled. "It's nothing. You're all heading to Castelia City, right? I'll come along."
...
Unova, Battle Castle.
Unlike the one in Kalos with the same name, this castle was Caitlin's private estate.
Inside a luxurious princess-style bedroom, adorned with tassels and lace—
A slim young girl lay on a velvet bed, her long wavy golden hair spilling across the sheets.
And not just her hair—the bed was also piled high with clothing.
Caitlin had already spent two hours picking out an outfit.
Even the maids helping to organize her things were a bit stunned. It was the first time they'd seen the young lady this cheerful. Usually, she acted more like a spoiled princess—moody and unpredictable.
Today, though, she was giddy like a little girl.
Almost alarmingly normal.
"Got it! This outfit works—pink lace dress, paired with this custom white hat!"
Just imagining Cynthia patting her head and saying, "Caitlin, you're being so well-behaved again," made her almost burst with excitement.
"Geez, why is waiting so hard! If only my psychic powers could speed up time!"
After changing, she had just stepped out of her room when an ominous feeling washed over her.
As one of the world's top psychics, her hunches weren't just accurate—they were almost prophetic.
She had a strong feeling: she wasn't going to see Cynthia today.
Suddenly, her wavy golden hair began to float in the air under a bath of blue light.
A powerful wave of psychic energy spread out across the entire Battle Castle...
"Waaah! Our familiar lady is back again!" One of the levitating maids wasn't sure whether to be worried or relieved.
...
Castelia City.
The largest metropolis in Unova, and its central hub—towering skyscrapers everywhere, a truly grand sight.
Local specialty: Castelia Ice Cream.
Looks like a Vanillite—but there are rumors that it is a Vanillite… one that's been frozen to death.
An Ice-type… frozen to death. No idea who actually believes that nonsense.
"You know, Castelia Ice Cream is actually the corpse of a frozen Vanillite."
On the road, Flint was happily sharing this with the group.
Caleb: "..."
Forget it—not worth arguing with an idiot.
To be honest, Caleb never really understood why they held these contests in the dead of winter.
[Grand Opening Celebration: Be the first to finish fifty extra-large ice creams and win a mystery grand prize!]
Outside the newly opened store, a massive crowd had gathered—people either joining the ice cream eating contest or chasing that so-called "mystery prize."
But in Caleb's opinion, it was just a marketing gimmick meant to stir up hype.
The "mystery grand prize" was probably something dumb like an all-you-can-eat ice cream voucher.
He wasn't interested in this kind of contest. But since Pachirisu wanted to join, Caleb still signed it up.
All they needed was a Pokémon to participate anyway—and since Cynthia and the girls were going to the shop to pick out ice cream, they could just take Pachirisu along with them.
Caleb could use that time to explore the city.
So the six of them split up. Cynthia, Gardenia, and Candice went to pick out ice cream—considering Cynthia's indecisiveness, that was bound to take a while.
Meanwhile, Flint, Caleb, and Maylene wandered around a nearby park.
Caleb turned to Maylene and asked, "Aren't you going with them?"
"No. Ever since I started martial arts training, I've given up sweets," Maylene replied, hesitating a bit. She'd been meaning to ask Caleb for tactical advice—that was her main reason for coming to Unova in the first place.
Just as she was about to speak, Flint grabbed Caleb by the arm and dragged him deeper into the park. "Hey, Caleb—look! Someone's battling over there! Let's check it out!"
Battle Park.
As the name suggests, a park made specifically for Pokémon battles.
But as soon as Caleb and the others stepped inside, they noticed something strange—dark clouds loomed over the park, a stark contrast to the sunny weather outside.
It had started to rain.