Come on, just because you've been hanging out with people from Pallet Town doesn't mean everyone's built like that!
That dazzling blaze flared up, so bright it was impossible to keep your eyes open.
"Lucky~"
Right at that moment, a pink figure rushed in without hesitation and shielded Caleb with its body.
The raging flames mercilessly scorched Chansey's delicate frame.
"Lucky~~~~~~~~"
BOOM!
The blinding firelight roared like a ferocious beast, baring its bloody jaws as it swallowed Chansey whole.
Green, seeing this, quickly dug into her bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. The light was too harsh—it stung her eyes.
Gold's baton-passed Exbo had reached a level of power that rivaled Flint's Infernape when it unleashed Blaze.
Ever since getting defeated by Caleb in the Ho-Oh Cup, Green had been curious—just how tanky was that Chansey, really?
Could it even withstand a max-powered Flamethrower?
As that thought crossed her mind, a figure slowly emerged from the blazing fire.
It was... a black egg?
Oh, never mind, it was Chansey—her body charred pitch black by the scorching flames, completely stripped of her once soft and adorable appearance.
"Cha... Chansey?" Caleb asked uncertainly.
"Lucky~~~"
Chansey called out with a flushed face, seemingly still savoring some kind of strange joy.
It had been a while since she felt this good.
Today's Flamethrower alone had satisfied her needs for the whole week.
Seeing that Chansey wasn't recovering an egg like usual, Caleb reached out and released a gentle wave of energy.
The Power of Viridian—capable of healing Pokémon.
As its continuous glow enveloped her, the charred black crust on Chansey's body began to peel off piece by piece.
Gradually, it revealed the tender pink skin beneath.
"No way!"
Mimicking Aibo's usual moves, Gold planted his pool cue into the ground and launched himself toward Caleb.
Street Fight 101: Target the Trainer!
If the Trainer's down, the street fight is a win.
With Caleb distracted healing Chansey and no one else on guard, it was the perfect time to strike.
The cue stick stabbed forward like a sword, aiming straight for Caleb's chest.
But just as it was about to graze his shirt, Caleb vanished on the spot.
In his place appeared a grinning face—Haunter.
Switcheroo! Haunter had swapped places with Caleb.
Gold instantly knew something was off. He turned to flee, but before he could react, Haunter vanished again.
This time, the one standing before him... was a half-charred, half-pink Chansey.
Chansey, with her bizarre half-burnt, half-rosy face, smiled sweetly at Gold.
Gold froze in horror...
He was lifted into the air...
He couldn't break free...
And he came crashing back to the ground.
Seismic Toss—Chansey used Seismic Toss on Gold, knocking him out cold.
And so, the winner of this street fight is—Caleb (scratch that) Chansey!
"Mr. Caleb!" Crystal ran over. "Are you alright?"
Cough Caleb cleared his throat and pointed at Gold, who was now embedded in the ground. "Shouldn't you be more worried about him?"
"Him? He'll live," Crystal said nonchalantly after glancing at Gold.
???
He's literally stuck in the ground and you're saying he's fine? Is there no Grim Reaper in this world? Y'all just do whatever you want, huh?
Sure enough, not long after, Gold slowly pulled himself out of the crater.
Doesn't even pretend anymore. Gotta be related to someone from Pallet Town.
Gold dusted himself off, walked up to Caleb, and gave him a sheepish grin.
"Ha ha, almost had you! Didn't expect you to be this good at street fighting."
Caleb was just about to respond when Gold cut in first:
"I know, I know—just a little rusty, huh..."
Caleb gave a dry cough and nodded. "Yeah, I'm not exactly great at street fights."
Gold chuckled and shot him a "I totally get you" look.
At this point, the one looking the most frustrated was probably Green.
She stared at Exbo with teary eyes—What was that, huh? Your Flamethrower didn't even manage to fry those two!
Exbo: ?
The special welcome ceremony came to an end.
Under Crystal's lead, the group headed to the Day Care in the outskirts.
Outside the Day Care, a delivery truck slowly drove by.
Gold, still carrying his pool cue, swaggered over and shoved the Day Care's door open.
"I'm starving, Granny! Is lunch ready yet?"
He acted like he owned the place.
Crystal was much more polite—after punching Gold in the arm, she pressed her palms together and gave the old lady a respectful bow. "Sorry for the trouble."
The granny gave a small nod and looked at Caleb.
"You must be the young man Professor mentioned—Caleb, right? Such a fine-looking lad, I bet the girls are lining up for you?"
"Oh, no, not at all." Caleb scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
This granny might look ordinary, but she was a hidden powerhouse.
She used to be friends with Mr. Stone, Granny Agatha, Professor Rowan, and even Professor Oak in their youth.
Crystal pointed at the delivery truck that hadn't gone far and asked, "Granny, was that from the League?"
"Yep. Me and the old man requested some Ditto from the League."
Ditto?
Caleb perked up.
The Day Care granny explained, "The ones in our backyard are getting a bit old and out of shape, so we applied for some with better stamina."
Stamina?
It was clear Gold, Green, and Crystal had no idea what stamina had to do with Ditto.
But Caleb got it instantly.
Come on, what kind of egg-hatcher doesn't know?
Caleb hesitated, then asked, "Granny, is it possible to request Ditto from the League directly?"
The granny was clearly caught off guard for a second.
Then, recalling something Professor Rowan had told her, she smiled at Caleb and said:
"You've got potential, kid."
"Breeding's a real science. Want this old lady to teach you?"
Caleb laughed awkwardly. "No, no, that's alright."
It's not like he wanted Ditto for that kind of thing.
In fact, aside from being emotionless egg-laying machines, Dittos were actually amazing in battle too.
You ever heard of the scarfed Imposter Ditto that soloed Zamazenta? That's some serious cred!
Or Focus Sash Imposter Ditto taking down a Garchomp? Peak gameplay.
As a prestigious pink Pokémon, Ditto had one of the highest usage rates in Sword and Shield.
And outside of battle, Ditto had all kinds of practical uses too.
Totally legit ones, of course. For example, Green's Ditto could copy people's faces and wear them like a mask.