Something wasn't right...
Even if Amber loved the three starter Pokémon dearly, it was impossible for Dr. Fuji to collect eight Squirtles, five Bulbasaurs, and seven Charmanders just to make her happy.
And...
Caleb stepped forward and noticed a black number on one of the Squirtle's shell: [05]
It wasn't just the Squirtle... the Charmanders and Bulbasaurs also had numbers, ranging from 01 to 09.
Amber noticed his silence and asked, confused, "Onii-san... what's wrong?"
Caleb snapped out of it and patted the Squirtle's head casually, "Nothing, it's just that in the Alola region, we don't have Squirtles, Bulbasaurs, or Charmanders. This is my first time seeing them, so I was a little curious."
Then he asked, "By the way, Amber, do you like the ocean? I remember Dr. Fuji said he once took you to Vermilion City to see the sea."
Amber's eyes filled with confusion. She instinctively shook her head, "I've never seen the ocean before. Is it beautiful?"
Caleb kept his expression neutral, "The ocean is very beautiful, especially at dusk when the sun sets. The orange light spills over the water, and if you stand on the beach, you can see the golden horizon stretching across the sky."
A hint of longing appeared in Amber's eyes, "I really want to see it someday..."
Caleb smiled, "I'll take you there when I get the chance."
"But Daddy won't let me go outside..." the little girl said dejectedly.
Caleb crouched down and took Amber's hand, "It's okay. One day, you'll get better, and then your dad won't stop you anymore. I can take you to Alola to see the ocean, to Sinnoh to see Mt. Coronet, and to Johto to see the Bell Tower..."
"...If you don't believe me, let's pinky swear!" Caleb hooked his little finger around Amber's, "Pinky promise, no take-backs, for a hundred years!"
Amber giggled, "Onii-san, this is something only kids do! You're already an adult!"
Caleb raised an eyebrow seriously, "Says who? I'm only three years old! I'm just tall because I eat too much!"
After just half a day, Caleb had grown fond of this well-behaved, sensible, yet pitiable little girl.
Perhaps out of sympathy and compassion, he didn't want to see her unhappy.
So even though he knew it was unlikely he could ever take her to see the ocean, he still told her this well-intentioned lie...
...
Amber had a wonderful day... the happiest she had been in a long time...
That evening, Dr. Fuji returned to the manor after work. Caleb said goodbye to Amber and left.
Dr. Fuji immediately noticed his daughter's mood and crouched down to ask, "Did Amber-chan have fun today?"
Amber nodded, "Onii-san is really nice! I like him a lot!"
Hearing this, Dr. Fuji revealed a twisted side of himself, speaking as if discussing an object, "Then does Amber-chan want to stay with big brother forever? Daddy can make sure he never leaves your side!"
Amber's eyes flickered as unpleasant memories surfaced. She shook her head, "No, Daddy. I'm happy like this."
"Oh." Dr. Fuji didn't push further. He prepared dinner for his daughter, and after she fell asleep, he went alone to the basement of the manor.
His expression turned manic, completely different from the gentle one he wore while telling his daughter stories.
The basement was decorated like an operating room. Dr. Fuji flipped a switch, and harsh white light flooded the space.
Rows of transparent glass containers filled with formaldehyde lined the room. The front row held dozens of Charmanders and Squirtles, each bearing the same black numbers.
But that wasn't Dr. Fuji's goal. He walked past the containers until he reached the back.
There, another set of glass containers stood, but these didn't hold Squirtles... Instead, floating inside were identical little girls, all around six or seven years old.
The girls wore no clothes, their skin a lifeless pale white, their light-blue hair drifting like seaweed in the solution.
"Amber-chan... today, I finally saw you smile again. Daddy hasn't seen you this happy in two years." Dr. Fuji's pupils dilated as he stared obsessively at the girl inside, "I'm so happy, Amber-chan. Truly happy. It makes everything I've done worth it..."
"...My good girl, I'll never let you leave me. Never..."
Muttering to himself, a crazed fervor flashed in his eyes. Then, without hesitation, he smashed the glass with his fist.
Formaldehyde spilled everywhere.
Shards of glass cut deep into his hand, but he didn't seem to feel the pain. He simply reached inside, pulled out the girl, and hugged her tightly, breaking into heart-wrenching sobs...
....
Upstairs, in the main house, Amber lay in bed. She closed her eyes peacefully, a faint smile on her lips...
She had a secret... when she slept, she could talk to a mysterious being.
She loved sharing everything with it, including today's events.
"Mewtwo-chan, today I met a really nice Onii-san. He played with me all afternoon. We built sandcastles, he peeled an apple for me, and we even pinky promised to go see the ocean in Alola together someday..."
"...Mewtwo-chan, have you ever seen the ocean? I heard it's so beautiful. I really want to see it!"
"...Mewtwo-chan, when I get better, let's all go to Alola to see the ocean together, okay?"
Amber spoke with longing. Mewtwo listened silently, making no comment, but it quietly memorized the fact that a human had made its friend happy for a day...
....
When Caleb returned to the base, he found the other three players waiting outside his room again...
He let them in with a blank expression, "Here to trade info again?"
Gwen nodded and took the initiative, "Today, I received a hidden mission called [Jessie]... Does anyone know anything about her?"
"...I watched the Pokémon anime when I was little, but I don't remember much about Jessie's backstory. I just know she's part of Team Rocket's trio."
Lucien's eyes widened, "Wait, are you sure it's a hidden mission?"
Gwen was puzzled, "Yeah, why?"
Lucien couldn't hold back his shock, "Holy shit, what kind of luck do you have?! I've been through so many scenarios and never gotten a hidden mission! How did a newbie like you get one on your first try?!"
"So... what's special about hidden missions?" Gwen asked.
Lucien sighed with a complicated expression, "Hidden missions themselves aren't special, but completing them has a high chance of dropping rare items; things like Evolution stones, Mega Bracelets, Revival Herbs, or even Soul Dew... These things don't drop in main missions; only hidden missions give them..."
"...Sometimes they even drop exclusive items from the Pokémon games, like PP Ups or rare stat boosters."
Caleb listened quietly. What a coincidence... he had also received a hidden mission.
Lucien and 'Fat Tiger' (Victor) had turned into bitter lemons from sheer envy.
Caleb glanced at Victor, then at Lucien, and suddenly realized Lucien looked a bit like Suneo from Doraemon.
Victor (Who looked like Takeshi/Gian) and Lucien (who looked like Suneo)... they were the perfect "Gian and Suneo" duo...
Caleb couldn't hold back a laugh. The other three immediately turned to stare at him.
He quickly changed the subject, "Sorry, I just thought of something funny. You were asking about Jessie, right? I know a bit."
Jessie's mother was an assistant to a former Team Rocket executive named Miyamoto.
When Jessie was five, Miyamoto was sent on a mission to find Mew. She never returned.
With her mother gone, Jessie was taken in by a poor family. Because of their poverty, she often went hungry.
At her worst, she had no choice but to eat snow to fill her stomach.
Later, Jessie left home to become a Pokémon nurse and enrolled in a Chansey Nursing School.
But there, she met a Chansey that was terrible at everything. Because it couldn't use Sing to soothe injured Pokémon, Jessie failed to graduate and was forced to leave.
Eventually, she joined the Team Rocket training academy, where she met James and Meowth... and thus, the Team Rocket trio was born...
...
{T/N: For those who watched the English dubbed, the red head is named Jessie... In the Japanese version however, she is named Musashi...}
...
Amber and Mewtwo...