"Caleb, look over there—total knockout."
In the middle of the bustling crowd, Flint's booming voice exploded like a thunderclap.
That sudden shout instantly drew the attention of many nearby men.
It was like a bugle call—everyone turned in unison, their gazes shooting toward the direction Flint had pointed.
"Whoa—"
"Whoa—"
"Whoa—"
A chorus of exclamations followed, echoing like frogs croaking in a summer pond—lively and loud.
The bronze-skinned girl, realizing she had suddenly become the center of attention, froze slightly before her cheeks flushed with a shy red.
Then, like a startled fawn, she quickly lowered her head, trying to avoid the burning stares.
Fortunately, the people here were generally well-mannered. After stealing a glance and offering some praise, they quickly averted their eyes.
Flint nudged Caleb with his elbow and chuckled, "Hey, aren't you gonna take a look?"
Do I look like the kind of guy who freezes up around a pretty face?
Caleb shot Flint a disdainful glance, but his eyes couldn't help drifting toward where Flint had just pointed.
"Whoa—"
"Right? Super hot, huh?" Flint nudged Caleb again, grinning smugly.
Don't get the wrong idea—I'm just shocked she's wearing so little in this freezing weather.
It's way below zero, and she's out here in a crop top and shorts.
That takes guts.
Dark skin, blue eyes, and that hair...
Isn't she the Gym Leader of the Galar Hulbury Arena—Nessa?
"Nessa!"
Caleb blurted out in surprise.
Huh? Who called me?
Hearing her name, Nessa scanned the area, locking eyes on a gentle-looking young man and a red-haired guy with an afro.
She jogged over. "Excuse me, were you just calling me?"
Flint elbowed Caleb again. "Not bad, you actually know her."
Caleb rolled his eyes, then looked into Nessa's clear, innocent eyes and said casually, "Aren't you that famous model from Galar?"
"'Famous' is a bit much... just slightly well-known. But also, um..."
Nessa's expression dimmed slightly as she trailed off.
"You're thinking of quitting modeling to focus on being a Gym Leader, right?" Caleb said offhandedly.
"How did you know?"
Nessa's eyes widened slightly, clearly shocked he'd read her so easily.
"Gym Leader? That means you and Caleb are in the same line of work—he's a Gym Leader too," Flint chimed in.
"Caleb..." Nessa repeated his name softly, like she was trying to recall something.
Then her eyes lit up. "You're Caleb from Solaceon Gym! I've heard your story!"
"You've heard of me?" Caleb asked, surprised.
Wait, I have a story?
"Yeah! You used to be the weakest Gym Leader in Sinnoh, and then you had a breakthrough, rose like a rocket, and kept soaring... Someone even wrote a novel about you!"
"I..." Nessa suddenly looked hesitant, unsure how to continue.
She wanted to ask Caleb for advice on how to run a Gym well, but was worried it might be a trade secret.
Caleb could sense her dilemma and offered, "How about we chat over coffee?"
They'd have to wait in line for a while anyway.
"Okay."
Nessa agreed.
But it felt like she'd forgotten something...
Deerling Café
Since most people were attending Elesa's fashion show, the place was pretty quiet.
Caleb sipped coffee delivered by a Deerling while listening to Nessa explain her concerns.
Turns out, she'd recently lost to her rival Milo in a Galar league match.
Milo—the Grass-type Gym Leader of Turffield Stadium.
She'd taken it pretty hard.
Then Chairman Rose approached her, saying she had to choose between being a model and a Gym Leader—she couldn't do both and still meet his expectations.
She was originally a model and had only recently been appointed Gym Leader. Right now, she didn't want to give up either role.
She'd heard Elesa managed to balance both modeling and being a Gym Leader successfully.
So part of the reason she came to Nimbasa City was for work, and part of it was to seek guidance from Elesa.
Even if you meet Elesa, I doubt you'll get any useful advice—it's all about raw skill.
Caleb kept his thoughts to himself.
The reason Elesa could pull off both roles flawlessly was because she was just that good.
But Nessa, while very talented, was still young and needed more experience.
He didn't say any of this aloud, not wanting to hurt her pride.
"Isn't it simple? Just beat Chairman Rose to prove your strength, right?" Flint chimed in with what he thought was the perfect solution.
Caleb's face darkened.
He wanted to pretend he didn't know this guy.
Nessa went silent too.
"Hey, why's everyone quiet? Isn't that a great plan?" Flint looked at them, genuinely confused.
Such a flawless strategy, and not a single round of applause?
Maybe Flint's whole life was just bulldozing through everything—except for that roadblock named Cynthia.
Nessa lowered her head, clutching her coffee. "Gym Leader Caleb, Elite Four Flint... sorry to bother you."
She stood up, as if she'd made up her mind.
Just then, Caleb called out to her.
"Miss Nessa, don't you have a Milotic?"
"Huh?"
Nessa paused mid-step, surprised. She turned back to look at him, puzzled.
Her eyes seemed to say, How do you know that too?
At Caleb's signal, she sat back down.
"Yes, I recently caught a Milotic," she said softly, eyes glowing with nostalgia. "Actually, back when it was just a Feebas, we made a very special promise."
A flash of memory passed through her eyes.
A battered Feebas had once approached her when she was a child—it looked like it had been bullied by others.
Back then, she had comforted it: "Don't give up. Evolve and show them how strong you are. When you grow up, promise me—you'll let me ride on your back and we'll swim across the sea together..."
And now, that wounded little Feebas had evolved into a Milotic.
And it had kept the promise they made by the lake.
Back to the present—
Nessa smiled. "Gym Leader Caleb, are you trying to tell me that no matter what obstacles I face, I should be like I was back then—never give up, never compromise?"
"No, I just wanted to give you some tactical advice on how to use Milotic," Caleb replied awkwardly.
Nessa: "..."
"Okay then. I'm all ears."
Caleb paused to recall, then smiled. "Scald, Recover, Mirror Coat, Haze, Dragon Tail, Ice Beam..."
"Don't just stare—take notes!"
"Oh! Right." Nessa called the waiter over and got a notepad and pen.
She started writing down the highlights of Caleb's advice—only to realize everything was a highlight.
She ended up filling five whole 5cm-by-5cm sticky notes, packed full.
After the lecture, Caleb, feeling a bit parched, sipped more coffee and added, "Alright, that's the standard Milotic setup."
"Make sure to give it a Flame Orb in battle. If your Milotic has the Marvel Scale ability, its defense goes up by 1.5 times when it has a status condition."
"Got it, noted!" Nessa shook her sore hand and thanked him. "Thank you for the tips, Gym Leader Caleb."
"Hey, don't mention it. Just don't throw me under the bus if something goes wrong later," Caleb laughed.
Then he pulled out a small wooden box from his bag. "Here. Consider it a gift—we met by fate, after all."
Nessa opened it to find a dark purple TM disc with two characters engraved on it—Toxic.
A perfect fit for a stall strategy. She immediately thought of the tactics written on the sticky notes.
"Thank you so much, Gym Leader Caleb."
...
Outside Elesa's fashion show.
The woman in the suit had just finished speaking to the staff when her world collapsed.
Where'd she go?
Didn't she just tell her not to wander off?!