Pokémon: Wait, who put him in charge of a Gym!?
Viridian Power LV2: Allows perfect communication with Pokémon and enables the user to act as a bridge for seamless dialogue between Pokémon.
At this moment, Caleb was using the Viridian Power to bridge the gap between Kabutops and Scyther.
Thanks to this, the misunderstanding between them was resolved.
Scyther: So you weren't trying to steal my prey.
Kabutops: Then how do I get to the ocean?
Scyther: I don't have any kids.
Kabutops: …You NPC.
Sure, they could communicate now, but Scyther still replied like a confused grandpa reading texts—completely off-topic.
Guess age really does mess with your hearing.
Still, the situation in the backyard was settled.
Watching how easily Caleb resolved everything, Gary's impression of him changed.
He'd been working under his grandfather for years and knew just how unruly the Pokémon in the backyard could be.
He was losing hair daily from the stress.
If it weren't for Ash's Bulbasaur and Yellow occasionally dropping by to help, he probably would've gone bald before even becoming a proper researcher.
Luckily, strong genetics ran in the family.
"Caleb, you really helped me out there," Professor Oak said with a cheerful chuckle.
Then, Professor Elm suddenly stepped forward and gave Caleb a firm pat on the shoulder. In a very serious tone, he said, "Caleb, come to Johto."
"Huh?"
That one sentence left Caleb looking like a wide-eyed emoji.
Professor Elm continued, "Come to Johto as a researcher. Name your conditions."
Tactically skilled, a skilled breeder, a solid researcher—and now, blessed with the Viridian Power. A rare all-rounder like this was a hot commodity anywhere.
Besides Ethan, Elm didn't have any real assistants left. He handled almost everything on his own these days.
Not that Ethan was useless—he had his moments. But most of the time, well… let's just say it's complicated.
His body always moved faster than his brain. Like that time Elm asked him to retrieve something, and due to some wild misunderstanding, he got someone thrown in jail…
From where I stand, Caleb and Johto were practically destined for each other.
"Um…"
Just as Caleb was about to politely decline, Gary cut in.
"You should come to Kanto instead. Whatever Elm's offering, I'll double it."
No way he was going to let talent like this slip through his fingers.
With Caleb around, he might actually keep some of his hair.
???
"Gary, that's just plain greedy. Kanto already has so many talented people—you're really gonna compete with me for one more?" Professor Elm frowned.
Oak's lab was already stacked: two world-renowned Champions, one "Catcher," one "Healer"—an all-star cast.
Meanwhile, back in Johto, Elm only had Ethan. Sure, Oak had once dubbed him "the Breeder," but the Pokémon he raised were… less than impressive.
Drinking, gambling, womanizing—Ethan mastered it all. To this day, Elm still couldn't figure out how that innocent Togepi turned into a full-blown gambling addict.
"Come on now, Professor Elm, there's no need to call it 'competition.' Let's just respect Caleb's own decision," Gary said with a smirk. He turned to Caleb and asked with a smile:
"So, Caleb—would you rather go to Johto, where resources are scarce, opportunities are limited, and you risk wasting your whole life in mediocrity? Or come to Kanto—land of rich resources, great scenery, Champions in residence, and a future full of promise?"
Caleb: …
"Uh… actually, I'm not that into research. I still have a Gym to manage?" Caleb said meekly.
"Hahaha, don't pressure the guy," Professor Oak laughed, steering the conversation back on track. He pulled a large, orange-yellow scale out of his pocket.
Elm's expression immediately changed. This wasn't something they were supposed to show outsiders!
And Oak just whipped it out like it was nothing.
"Grandpa, isn't that the scale Blue and Red took off the giant Dragonite the other day?"
Gary pointed in surprise at the massive scale adorned with ancient patterns.
"Giant… Dragonite?" Caleb murmured, as if remembering something.
"Yeah. Four years ago, a never-before-seen giant Dragonite appeared near Bill's Lighthouse," Gary explained, awe in his voice. "It vanished soon after, but just a few days ago, it reappeared."
"And this time, it was furious. It attacked anything in sight. Even the Gym Leaders and Elites that Professor Briney gathered were totally outmatched. If Blue and Red hadn't shown up, the Kanto League could've taken serious damage," Oak added.
"When they managed to drive it off, it left this scale behind on the ocean's surface. Blue picked it up and gave it to me for analysis."
Bill's Lighthouse… Giant Dragonite!
The very same one that roamed the world alone in search of a friend.
One of the original anime's early overpowered Pokémon.
Gary, still eyeing the scale in Oak's hand, speculated, "I was in Alola recently. The Totem Pokémon there are also huge—could it be similar?"
Totem Pokémon were chosen by guardian deities to oversee trials. Compared to regular Pokémon, they were massive and shrouded in a special aura.
But even they weren't that big—nowhere near the scale of the giant Dragonite.
Caleb silently noted this.
"I heard that Galar's Dynamax phenomenon can also make Pokémon enormous. There might be a connection," Professor Elm mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Professor Oak nodded in agreement. "If that's the case, then Magnolia in Galar might be the person to consult. She's the expert on Dynamax energy."
"Dynamax does enlarge Pokémon, but Eternatus' energy is limited. It probably doesn't reach outside of Galar…" Caleb analyzed silently.
Suddenly, he noticed the odd atmosphere.
He looked up, confused—everyone was staring at him in shock.
"…Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Uh, Eternatus… what's that?" Gary finally asked. It was clearly beyond his knowledge base.
Professor Elm was even more stunned as he stared at Caleb in disbelief. "Caleb… I didn't expect you to know about Galar history and Dynamax phenomena."
That stuff was reserved for top-tier researchers or the League's inner circle.
Totally out of reach for the average person.
Man, why'd I have to run my mouth…
Meanwhile, Professor Oak burst into hearty laughter. He looked at Caleb with gleaming eyes full of curiosity and anticipation, then asked cheerfully:
"Well then, if we rule out Dynamax… what other explanation do you think there could be for such an enormous Pokémon?"
Caleb fell into deep thought at the question.
Indeed, besides Totem Aura and Dynamax, other causes of giant Pokémon were rare—but not nonexistent.
Even Kanto had cases—like the giant Tentacruel created by Team Rocket. Or…
"Super-Ancient Pokémon."