Early the next morning, Caleb and Dragonite left the deserted island together...
The weather at sea was unpredictable. By evening, heavy rain accompanied by howling winds had arrived.
Caleb frowned as he looked down at the pitch-black sea surface. Thunderstorms raged, making the air feel oppressive and viscous, permeated with a sense of despair.
It was as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Caleb's expression turned grave. After an entire day of searching, he had found nothing. In the blink of an eye, half of his three-day limit had passed.
In such harsh conditions, Dragonite's flight speed was also affected. The flapping of its wings grew increasingly sluggish under the pounding rain. If this continued, disaster seemed inevitable.
Caleb pursed his lips and summoned both his Poké Ball and panel before him. The moment Dragonite could no longer hold on, he would immediately press the exit button.
"Wuu!"
Dragonite's cry snapped Caleb out of his thoughts.
Turning his head, he saw an island illuminated by lights in the distance.
He immediately felt relieved and said, "Let's go check it out!"
"Wuu!"
Dragonite responded and banked toward the lights.
At that moment, the same emotionless voice Caleb had heard when entering the Infinite World sounded in his ears:
[Warning! Warning!]
[Player Caleb Chase has left the bounds of Instance "Deserted Island Survival"!]
[Now entering high-risk Instance, "Mirror"!]
[It is detected that the current Instance's difficulty far exceeds the player's capabilities!]
[Player Caleb Chase must leave this area immediately! Proceed at your own risk!]
Before the final word "area" even finished, Caleb and Dragonite had already arrived above the island.
Seeing that Caleb had no intention of leaving, the voice paused before adding:
[Player Caleb Chase has entered Instance, "Mirror"!]
[Non-participating players cannot obtain any rewards here!]
Having finally found signs of human habitation, Caleb naturally had no intention of leaving so easily.
Ignoring the warning, he looked down to survey the island.
A modern castle with European-style architecture stood on the island. Warm orange light spilled from its windows, creating an extremely cozy atmosphere that showed no signs of danger whatsoever.
Caleb could practically imagine the castle's inhabitants sitting on plush sofas by the fireplace, enjoying cookies while reading books... Especially on a stormy night like this.
"Wuu?"
Dragonite suddenly made a confused noise, turning its head to look behind them.
Caleb was momentarily startled, "What's wrong?"
Dragonite: "Wuu wuu!" (I think something's following us!)
Caleb immediately turned around vigilantly but saw nothing.
Dragonite: "Wuu..." (Maybe I was mistaken...)
Caleb pursed his lips and said, "Let's land first."
Dragonite nodded and descended toward the castle entrance. But before they could even touch down, the castle's front door, which had been wide open moments ago, slowly swung shut, blocking out the raging storm.
By the entrance railing stood three familiar figures facing the door, seemingly engaged in conversation.
As Caleb and Dragonite landed quietly behind them, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia washed over him at the sight.
James: "So if we want to infiltrate this castle..."
Jessie: "Our only option is to enter through the exit..."
Meowth: "What kinda exit is dat, nyaa?"
Jessie looked down in a certain direction and said, "There."
Meowth peeked where she indicated and immediately grimaced, "S-sew-sewage pipes?! I ain't no rat, nyaa!"
At this point, Caleb cleared his throat, "Ahem~"
Startled, Team Rocket whirled around. Meowth lost his footing and nearly toppled over the edge, but Caleb swiftly grabbed his arm and hauled the cat onto Dragonite's back.
Jessie and James immediately went on high alert and demanded, "Who are you?! Let go of Meowth!"
Meowth struggled violently, even unsheathing his claws. Caleb quickly released him and placated, "Don't panic! I mean no harm!"
Meowth scrambled back onto the railing between Jessie and James, eyeing Caleb suspiciously, "What do ya want, nyaa?"
Caleb landed and recalled Dragonite into its Poké Ball to rest before calmly fabricating a story: "I'm a trainer from Hoenn traveling to Kanto by ship. My vessel got caught in a storm halfway, and I've been adrift at sea with my Pokémon for ages before washing up here."
Hearing this, Jessie gave Caleb a once-over...
His clothes were wrinkled, hair disheveled, face gaunt and weathered. He was the very picture of someone who had been stranded for ages.
Her wariness diminished slightly.
Seizing the opportunity, Caleb scratched his head and asked, "Could you tell me where this is?"
Meowth: "Dis is da Kanto region, Nyaa."
"And the date? What year and month is it?" Caleb pressed.
Jessie frowned but answered, "What a weirdo. It's July 21, 2008. Anything else? If not, scram!"
Finally learning the region and timeline, Caleb inwardly sighed in relief. He sincerely thanked Team Rocket before asking, "May I know your names?"
Truthfully, he wanted to hear their iconic 'Prepare for trouble...' motto.
But alas...
After exchanging glances, Jessie and James skipped the famous introduction.
James: "Names aren't important. We're leaving!"
With that, the trio turned toward the sewer entrance.
Caleb followed.
Meowth looked back and warned, "No followin' us, nyaa!"
Caleb spread his hands, "I'm not following, we're just going the same way."
Glancing at the sealed castle doors, he added, "I haven't had a proper meal in three days. With the main entrance closed, the sewers are my only option."
Remembering how Caleb had saved it from falling earlier, Meowth hesitated before relenting, "Fine, tag along if ya must. But no talkin' unless we say so, nyaa!"
Caleb immediately agreed, "Got it! Thank you!"
"Hmph!" Meowth turned away, muttering, "Troublesome guy, nyaa!"
"Hey! Hurry up!" Jessie called back to Caleb and Meowth.
Grateful, Caleb smiled and followed Team Rocket into the dark sewers.
James led the way with a flashlight while Meowth and Caleb brought up the rear.
For some reason, this scenario felt oddly familiar to Caleb... Kinda like he'd seen it somewhere before.
"Nyaa?!"
Suddenly, Meowth froze before whirling around.
Noticing this, Caleb also turned, "What's wrong?"
James and Jessie stopped upon hearing this.
Trembling, Meowth whispered, "Somethin's followin' us, nyaa!"
...
{T/N: I like the Japanese version of Meowth better. So I chose to adapt said version's mannerisms in this translation...}