Compared to training Pokémon to become the strongest Trainer in the Pokémon world, what Caleb truly wanted was to live together with these adorable creatures.
Just like the brief few days he had spent in Celestic Town...
Having breakfast with his Pokémon, taking walks together, running across the grass, lying on the roof with them at night to watch the stars, listening to their breathing as he drifted peacefully to sleep.
He didn't want to force the Pokémon he captured to fight for him. Therefore, Caleb decided to first ask Deino for its opinion. If it was willing to battle, he would provide it with battle training. If it wasn't willing to battle, he would take care of it for the rest of its life.
So thought the laid-back Trainer Caleb.
Deino was still asleep. Mimikyu and Lucario were watching TV in the living room. Dragonite had woken up and gone to the Paradise to enjoy the breeze.
Caleb lay on his side on the bed for a while, watching the peacefully sleeping Deino.
A quiet, serene atmosphere flowed through the room. The sound of the TV outside was like white noise. Listening to it, Caleb began to feel drowsy.
"Good night, little one." He said softly.
Drowsily hugging the quilt, he closed his eyes and soon fell asleep...
...
By the time he woke up again, the sky in the Pokémon Paradise had reached evening...
Caleb had been woken up by Deino butting him.
The little dragon had somehow snuggled into his embrace and was now rubbing its fluffy head against him.
Just then, Dragonite returned, sweating profusely. It glanced at the Deino in Caleb's arms and then came over as well.
Caleb: "…"
His gaze swept over Dragonite.
Having been out playing for so long, it was somewhat dirty, and it was climbing onto the bed the moment it returned.
For a moment, Caleb had the illusion that the Dragonite before him was a Husky that had just returned from the countryside.
He pushed the sudden illusion aside, reached out to stop Dragonite, and said, "Go take a bath first!"
"Wuu~"
Dragonite looked over with moist eyes. At this moment, it seemed exceptionally well-behaved, like a big Golden Retriever.
"Let's go, we'll bathe together. Go call Mimikyu and Lucario. After the bath, we'll have dinner, and then I'll watch TV with you all." Caleb said, getting out of bed with Deino in his arms and also calling to Celebi nearby.
"Wuuu~" Dragonite agreed happily and went to the living room to fetch the others.
Caleb carried Deino toward the bedroom. He had previously used 100 points to expand the bathroom once, enlarging it from about twenty square meters to one hundred square meters.
The space inside was very large, it was completely able to accommodate Dragonite and the others.
Besides that, he had also spent points to install a large hot spring inside.
Soon, Mimikyu took the lead, flying in first. Lucario and Dragonite followed closely behind. Without Caleb having to say anything, they plunged into the spring water like dumplings dropping into a pot.
Amidst the rising steam, Caleb asked Deino, "Do you want to battle?"
"Growl?" Deino lifted its head, seeming puzzled.
Caleb explained, "It means fighting other Pokémon like Dragonite and the others, then becoming stronger."
He still had a Special Attack Enhancer in his inventory, a reward from the Collapsed World Instance. If Deino was willing, it would be perfect to use on it.
Hearing this, Dragonite and the other Pokémon playing over there also stopped and turned to look.
Irate Pokémon like Deino naturally possessed a fierce temperament, which became even more pronounced after evolving into Hydreigon. Battle was something etched into their bones.
Although this little Deino didn't fully understand the specific meaning of battle, it instinctively nodded and then cried, "Growl?"
Through his enhanced Viridian Power, Caleb easily understood Deino's meaning.
It was asking: >..If I become stronger, will I be able to see you?..<
Caleb was taken aback, then asked, "You want to see me?"
Deino nodded, its childish voice ringing in Caleb's mind:
>..I want to see what papa looks like. Right now, I can only hear papa's voice..<
"You'll be able to see."
Deino would regain normal sight after evolving into Hydreigon.
>..Then I want to battle! I want to become stronger!..<
Deino immediately said cheerfully.
Caleb had a general idea now and finally confirmed, "Battling might get you hurt. Getting hurt is very painful. Aren't you afraid?"
Deino: >..As long as I can see papa, I'm not afraid!..<
"Alright then, eat all of these!" Caleb pulled out a large pile of Experience Candies from his inventory.
Dragonite, Lucario, and Mimikyu had long since reached their maximum levels. The only Pokémon that could use these now were Deino and Celebi.
After experiencing so many Instances, Caleb felt the settings in these Instances leaned more toward the Anime.
Players shuttling between various Instances didn't have the time to raise Pokémon from scratch.
The level system was just to reduce the pressure on players training their Pokémon. But in reality, a level 100 achieved through Exp. Candies was far inferior in actual strength to one achieved through solid training and battles.
The Pachirisu belonging to Luna in the Deserted Island Survival Instance was a perfect example...
However, if a Pokémon later gained experience through actual battles, its true strength would change.
Just like Dragonite now compared to Dragonite when it first reached level 100.
Although its level was still 100, its actual strength had grown significantly through countless battles.
If the Dragonite from back then fought the Dragonite of now, the result would undoubtedly be a complete victory for the current Dragonite.
This wasn't just true for Dragonite... it applied to Mimikyu and Lucario as well...
Deino began eating the Exp. Candies.
Caleb received notifications of its level rapidly increasing:
Lv.19… Lv.38… Lv.50…
The white light of evolution emerged from Deino.
Its body slowly grew larger, and a second head sprouted from its body.
The changes didn't stop.
Lv.50… Lv.58… Lv.64…
The evolution light appeared once more.
The Zweilous that had evolved from Deino grew three pairs of black wings on its back. Besides the original two dragon heads, a third head sprouted from its neck.
Its body expanded to nearly two meters. With a splashing sound, the now-evolved Hydreigon flapped its wings and hovered above the hot spring, its magenta pupils fixed intently on Caleb sitting on the bank.
An intense sense of oppression and ferocity washed over him. Caleb suddenly felt as if he was about to be devoured by the Hydreigon before him.
Seeing this, Dragonite on the other side frowned and immediately flew up from the hot spring, positioning itself in front of Caleb.
"Wuuu!"
It let out a warning cry, signaling the freshly evolved dragon to restrain its aura.
With its line of sight was blocked, Hydreigon's gaze slowly shifted upward, irritable and ferocious emotions swirling within: "Roar!" (Move aside!)
"Wuu!" Dragonite didn't budge an inch, its lake-green eyes also turning dangerous.
The atmosphere on the scene instantly became a tense standoff.
Caleb: "…"