The black Honda sedan drove down Rainbow Avenue before stopping at the gates of a European-style manor...
Holding Mimikyu, Caleb got out of the car and followed Dr. Fuji along a cobblestone path toward the main residence.
Green lawns lined both sides of the path, with a fountain standing near the wall. Not far away, there was even a man-made sandy beach with a half-built sandcastle, as if a child had just been playing there with a bucket and shovel.
The manor was eerily quiet. There were no signs of human activity (or even any Pokémon) along the way.
As they approached the main house, Caleb caught a faint, peculiar odor. He felt like he had smelled it before, but couldn't quite place it.
Dr. Fuji pushed open the front door, tossed his briefcase onto the sofa, and called upstairs in a gentle voice, "Amber-chan, Daddy's home! Did you miss me today?"
Caleb stood to the side with Mimikyu in his arms, thinking how pitiable this man was.
But the next moment, what happened before his eyes made his pupils tremble in shock...
'What the hell?!'
'Didn't Ariana say Dr. Fuji's daughter was dead? Then who is this little girl walking down the stairs?!'
Dr. Fuji turned back at that moment, boasting proudly, "Well? This is my daughter. Isn't she adorable?"
"Yes," Caleb forced himself to nod calmly.
Setting aside everything else, the girl was indeed adorable... She had pale skin, large dark eyes like grapes, and long light-blue hair that made her look like a princess straight out of a manga.
"Amber-chan, come here! This big brother is here to play with you," He pointed at Caleb and continued, "Daddy's work is going to be very busy, but don't worry, he'll come see you every day!" Dr. Fuji spoke in an extremely tender tone.
However, Amber didn't react with the joy Caleb had expected. Instead, her gaze toward Dr. Fuji held a trace of... fear.
In that instant, Caleb's mind raced with wild theories.
'What the–! Did this grieving father kidnap a lookalike girl to replace his dead daughter?!'
'Damn, what kind of horror story is this?!'
Caleb was too stunned to speak. He decided Ariana needed to add 'kidnapper' to her list of adjectives for Dr. Fuji.
The doctor didn't seem to notice Amber's discomfort. He patted her head and said, "Go play with big brother. Daddy will make lunch!"
With that, he headed straight for the kitchen, leaving Caleb and Amber staring awkwardly at each other in the living room...
Caleb was nervous. He instinctively tightened his grip on Mimikyu for comfort.
Mimikyu wheezed as its ragdoll neck lolled limply to the side. It wriggled helplessly before nuzzling its trainer's arm in reassurance.
Swallowing hard, Caleb broke the silence, "Hi, you're Amber, right? I'm Caleb, you can call me Caleb Onii-san. Don't be scared, I'm not a bad guy. I'm just here to play with you."
Amber studied him silently, her lips pressed together. Then her gaze drifted downward, finally settling on Mimikyu.
Seizing the opportunity, Caleb loosened his hold on Mimikyu and said, "Do you like Pokémon too? This is Mimikyu, a Pokémon from Alola... have you heard of it? The beaches there are really beautiful."
This time, Amber spoke, "Pokémon... Amber likes Pokémon."
The moment she did, a notification popped up on Caleb's interface:
[Hidden Mission Triggered!]
[Accept? Details will be provided upon confirmation...]
[Warning: Hidden missions carry significantly higher risk than main missions. Proceed with caution...]
[Note: Completion rewards include rare and unique items! No penalty for failure...]
'Huh? Since when did I get this lucky?'
After only a second's hesitation, Caleb accepted without question.
It wasn't about the rare items, he just wanted to spend time with the kid.
Besides, no penalty for failure? Easy choice.
The mission updated instantly:
[Unique Hidden Mission: "Amber" - Accepted!]
[Objective: ???]
[Completion: 0%]
[Due to accepting hidden mission, main mission deadline extended from 28 days to 90 days.]
Just then, a...
*Clang~*
...sounded from the kitchen.
Dr. Fuji emerged carrying three plates of sushi rice balls. Caleb noticed Amber's portion had a heart-shaped fried egg on top...
The meal passed in silence.
Once finished, Dr. Fuji rested briefly before preparing to leave for work, "The manor is quite large," he reminded Caleb, "Best not to wander... especially the basement. Amber-chan is afraid of the dark."
Caleb nodded, "Got it."
...
With Dr. Fuji gone, the sprawling estate now held only Amber and Caleb...
The girl sat quietly on the sofa, clutching a Squirtle plushie, saying nothing.
After a while, Caleb grew restless. Standing by the second-floor window, he gazed at the vast, silent grounds, as he struggled to imagine how Ai endured this isolation daily.
'Itʼs too lonely here. A child this young shouldn't be without playmates...'
Recalling Dr. Fuji's instructions, Caleb realized there had been no rule against taking Amber outside.
But when he suggested it, fear flashed in the little girl's eyes, "Daddy says I can't go out."
Caleb sighed, then looked at the warm sunshine outside and said, "Then how about we stay on the lawn? We'll just bask in the sun, we won't leave the property."
After some hesitation, Amber agreed.
They headed to the sandy area, where Caleb taught the child to build castles. He even sculpted a lopsided Mimikyu sand figure.
When the real Mimikyu posed beside its sandy twin, Amber finally giggled.
But suddenly, red rashes erupted across her exposed skin, and her face turned sickly pale.
Caleb reacted instantly and steadied her.
"Let's go back inside," Amber weakly murmured, "Amber... can't stay in sun too long..."
...
Back indoors, Mimikyu perched anxiously on the couch and watched as the girl's symptoms faded, leaving only exhaustion behind.
Caleb crouched beside her, frowning, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Amber hung her head, "Onii-san is nice... Amber didn't want to make you sad..."
Inexplicably branded as a 'nice guy', Caleb nearly lost it, "You can't ignore your health! And how do you know I'm nice?! What if I'm a creep? You'd be in danger!"
"Sorry," Amber whispered.
'Damn it, why am I yelling at a kid?!'
Caleb downed two glasses of water to calm himself.
Mimikyu sighed at its trainer's outburst...
Children bond quickly. After just one afternoon playing in the sand, Amber already seemed more at ease around Caleb.
She glanced between him and Mimikyu before suddenly offering, "Onii-san likes Pokémon? Amber has lots too! Want to see?"
With nothing else to do (and no ten-year-olds around to battle) Caleb agreed.
By now, he was certain Amber was real, and not some kidnapped replacement...
But why had Ariana insisted Dr. Fuji's daughter was dead?
Amber led him through the house to a massive room.
One wall held shelves lined with Poké Balls. The center featured a full-scale battle arena.
Amber scampered over in her little boots and grabbed two balls.
Twin flashes of light revealed a Squirtle and a Bulbasaur.
"Everyone, come out!" Amber cheered, releasing more Pokémon until the room overflowed with starters.
Squirtle. Bulbasaur. Charmander...
Caleb stared at the dozen Kanto region starters before him and fell silent...
...
Amber, Bulbasaur & Charmander Images...