The next day.
Ritchie set foot in Solaceon Town once again.
Today, he was back for revenge.
Though his last defeat at Caleb's hands had left a huge psychological shadow, Ritchie, modeled after Ash himself, had bounced back in just a day.
Right after leaving Solaceon, his Larvitar had started to glow—and through shame and fury, it evolved.
For late bloomers like this species, the early and mid-game stages are usually full of hardship. But once they push through that, their power skyrockets explosively.
Now, his Tyranitar was no longer the same.
Not only did it gain a new ability—Sand Stream—but it had also learned a ton of powerful moves.
And with Ritchie's intensive training over the past few days, Tyranitar had completely mastered its evolved form.
Solaceon Gym… I'm coming for you!
Stepping into Solaceon Gym's territory, he noticed something odd—there was a crowd gathered outside the usually quiet building.
Ritchie squeezed through the crowd and saw a notice posted on the announcement board at the entrance.
"In the coming days, the handsome Gym Leader Caleb will be away for training. Trainers wishing to challenge this Gym should come back in a few days.
Friendly reminder: Do not attempt to break into the Gym. The Pokémon in the backyard are vicious and aggressive. We are not responsible for any accidents."
"What? The Gym Leader isn't here?" Ritchie muttered in disappointment.
Just as he was about to leave, someone called out to him.
"Hey, kid—hold up."
Ritchie turned and saw a flashy young man with thick blue hair, wearing a white vest and black slacks.
His color scheme matched perfectly with the Empoleon standing behind him.
"Hi there… Do I know you?" Ritchie asked politely.
He didn't recognize this guy at all.
The blue-haired man pulled out his phone, turned the screen toward Ritchie, and said, "You're Ritchie, right? The trainer in this video? We're all here today to seek justice for you."
The green- and red-haired guys standing beside him quickly chimed in in agreement.
Ritchie looked at them in confusion. But when his eyes landed on the phone screen, he froze.
The video playing was of his battle with Caleb from a few days ago.
And in just five days, it had racked up over 4 million views.
The thought of his humiliating defeat being seen by that many people made Ritchie's face flush red. He couldn't even look anyone in the eye.
The blue-haired guy noticed Ritchie's embarrassment but didn't seem to care. He clapped a hand on Ritchie's shoulder, his expression full of confidence.
"Don't sweat it, little bro. With us around, we'll definitely get your revenge for you."
Ritchie looked up in curiosity. "Wait, does that mean… you guys already beat Caleb?"
The moment he asked, the lively chatter around them suddenly went dead quiet.
Everyone looked as if they were recalling the trauma of being utterly dominated by Caleb.
The once-confident trio—red, green, and blue—suddenly deflated like popped balloons, their heads drooping as they said nothing.
Finally, after a long pause, the blue-haired guy forced out a response.
"Uh… not yet. But one day! One day we'll definitely defeat him!"
Then, as if remembering something important, he quickly added, "Oh right—have you joined the group yet?"
"Group?"
Ritchie looked confused.
The green-haired guy jumped in. "It's a group where we all share strategies for beating Solaceon Gym. As long as you shout the slogan, you're one of us!"
"Huh..."
Ritchie thought about it. Honestly, he wasn't 100% confident he could beat Caleb yet. But if he could learn from the experience of these older trainers, his chances might improve.
Still, he asked, "To join… I have to say a slogan?"
...
Sunyshore City.
The largest port in the Sinnoh region.
Under the glaring sun above, Caleb grumbled, "I left at six in the morning, sat on a train for five hours, just to ride on that stupid boat?"
"There's literally an airport in Veilstone City! A half-hour drive and we'd be there!"
Right now, Caleb was seriously regretting letting Green handle the travel plans.
"It's a trip! Taking a boat is way more fun than flying," Green argued. "Besides, this isn't just any boat!"
"What, does it do backflips or something?"
As Green and Caleb started bickering again, Fiona stepped in as the peacemaker.
"Alright, taking the boat's not that bad. At least we can enjoy the view and the sea breeze on the way."
"In the dead of winter? Sea breeze?"
Caleb muttered one last complaint, but for Fiona's sake, he decided to drop it.
Unlike her usual look, Fiona had her pink hair tied up in a bun today, giving her a fresh, lively vibe.
She wore a flowing white dress that really showed off her… well…
"Ch–Chansey…" Caleb blurted out, remembering the conversation from last night's group chat.
"Chansey? Where?" Fiona looked around, scanning the area but found no sign of the pink Pokémon.
"Ah—no, my bad. Must've seen wrong," Caleb mumbled awkwardly.
Man, when am I gonna fix this bad habit of talking faster than I think?
At the Sunyshore port, sunlight sparkled across the rippling waves, casting a rainbow of colors.
Boats of all shapes and sizes sat quietly at the docks—sleek little yachts and massive ferries alike.
They were lined up in neat rows.
But the most eye-catching of them all was the massive white cruise ship in the center. It looked like a palace floating on the sea, easily three or four times the size of the other vessels.
Its pristine hull gleamed under the sun, and the intricate carvings at the bow and stern exuded pure luxury and grandeur.
Even Caleb had to admit—it was impressive.
"Don't tell me… you booked that one?"
It sounded like a question, but Caleb's tone was far too certain.
He knew exactly the kind of person Green was.
No doubt she'd used this "official trip" as an excuse to splurge.
"How much did it cost?" he asked flatly.
Busted, Green tried to act cute and dodge the question, but one look into Caleb's accusing eyes…
She gave up.
In a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz, she muttered, "It wasn't that bad… just 270,000…"
"270,000?! 'Not that bad'?!"
"What, you think my money grows on trees?!"
Well… it kind of does, but still—Caleb had always been frugal, and this was outrageous.
"No need to yell. This is the S.S. Anne—the biggest luxury cruise ship in the world. 270,000 is actually a bargain."
"And it only docks at Vermilion once a year! This is a rare chance for it to be in Sunyshore City…"
Her voice trailed off as Caleb's expression changed.
"Wait… what did you just say the ship is called?"
"The S.S. Anne, why?"
"S-S.S. Anne? Isn't that the one that sank?"
Caleb clearly remembered—in the original anime, under Team Rocket's control, the S.S. Anne was sunk.
Officer Jenny even pronounced Ash and his friends dead afterward.
In his mind, the S.S. Anne was basically the Pokémon world's Titanic—a sinking ship by destiny.
"They rebuilt it. The new version was finished just a few months ago. Today's its maiden voyage," Green said. "Don't worry. The security systems are fully upgraded. Nothing like before will happen again."