"Where!?" Jessie looked around vigilantly, but saw nothing...
"You must be seeing things." she said.
Meowth wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead and sighed: "Maybe so, nya~.."
Caleb remained silent.
James shone his flashlight on the ascending escalator ahead and turned back, saying, "Alright, time to head up. This time we're definitely catching that brat's Pikachu."
Realizing his slip, James immediately shut his mouth.
Caleb lowered his head, pretending not to have heard. He thought to himself how persistently Team Rocket pursued Ash's Pikachu.
James chuckled awkwardly, handed the flashlight to Jessie, and climbed up the escalator first.
Jessie followed, leaving Caleb and Meowth at the rear.
Once above ground, James immediately said to Caleb, "We're here. Go find your own food. No more following us."
Caleb nodded absentmindedly and parted ways with Team Rocket at the fork in the road. Having not eaten all day, he was genuinely starving.
Though he felt a tinge of regret at not hearing Team Rocket's classic catchphrase, filling his stomach took priority.
With Dragonite resting in its Poké Ball, Caleb wandered the castle alone...
While he already knew the current timeline and location, he wanted more details... like the island's coordinates and the nearest city.
'Mirror'... This Instance was labeled as a high-risk, So Caleb kept the panel open in front of him. At the first sign of danger, a single tap would instantly eject him from this world.
Though the castle appeared massive from the outside, its interior was surprisingly straightforward... far less convoluted than the manor where Amber lived.
Caleb walked down a straight hallway, turned a corner at the end, and found himself at the castle's grand hall.
A Pokémon battle seemed to be underway below.
Peering over the staircase railing, he took in the entire scene. Among the crowd, he spotted several familiar figures: Ash with Pikachu, Misty with Togepi, Brock supporting Nurse Joy, and Mewtwo floating mid-air.
Caleb instantly realized where he was... New Island, the setting of the movie 'Mewtwo Strikes Back!'
Aside from Ash and friends, he also noticed a group of players on the other side. He recognized them as Infinite Players because of a striking blonde woman with a flat chest in the crowd...
From this distance, Caleb couldn't make out the details, but he saw an NPC order their Rhydon to attack Mewtwo. Mewtwo effortlessly flung the Rhydon aside with one hand.
Unable to resist, Caleb crouched and used Scout on Mewtwo. But before the status panel could appear, Mewtwo abruptly looked up directly at him.
A blue glow flashed in its eyes...
Before Caleb could react, he was levitated off the ground, floating down the stairs straight toward Mewtwo.
Every eye in the hall locked onto Caleb.
Whispers broke out among the players:
"Who's that?"
"Doesn't look like an NPC... Is he a player?!"
"Impossible! I've never seen him before!"
From the crowd, Hatsumi also noticed Caleb. her brows furrowed in confusion.
Mewtwo stared intently at Caleb. One minute passed... then two... then three. It remained motionless.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Even Ash looked baffled.
Caleb found the silence unbearably awkward. Forcing a grin, he tentatively greeted: "Uh... hi?"
Mewtwo snapped out of its trance, its eyes flickering. Its telepathic voice coldly echoed in Caleb's mind:
>...You. Leave. Now...<
With that, the psychic grip released.
Caleb landed softly. Glancing at the pulsating red heart icon in his inventory, he turned toward Hatsumi among the players.
Hatsumi frowned, her eyes conveying both concern and questioning.
Caleb walked over, grabbed a sandwich and an Oran Berry from the banquet table, and began devouring them.
Mewtwo's gaze shifted away from Caleb as it addressed the crowd coldly:
>...I once wished to coexist with humans. But I've been disappointed. Humans are inferior creatures compared to Pokémon. If left to the mercy of such weak and cruel beings, this world is doomed...<
Brock couldn't stay silent: "So you're saying... Pokémon like you should rule instead?"
Mewtwo shook its head: >...Pokémon are equally unfit. Why? Because this world has always been dominated by humans. Pokémon raised to serve humans are incapable of stewardship!..<
Ash's Pikachu leapt forward: "Pikapi pikachu pika!"
Mewtwo's pupils contracted: >...What? You claim you're not subservient? That you stay with that trainer... by choice?..<
Pikachu nodded firmly: "Pika~!"
Mewtwo's eyes flashed blue: >...Your very bond is a mistake!..<
Pikachu was violently hurled backward by a psychic force.
While the climactic confrontation of 'Mewtwo Strikes Back' unfolded, Caleb stood in the corner ravenously scarfing down sandwiches and berries.
Hatsumi watched his desperate eating with pity. She asked, "How did you get so thin?"
Caleb gulped water to wash down the food: "Don't even ask. I got stranded on a survival island Scenario for seven days. I lived on nothing but berries."
Hatsumi: "You completed the Main quest?"
Caleb nodded, but didn't elaborate any further.
Eavesdropping players perked up at their conversation.
After two sandwiches, Caleb patted his full stomach and asked: "What's your main quest? Do you need any help?"
Hatsumi hesitated for a bit, then she openly shared her status panel:
[Main Quest: Trainers' Pokémon have been mysteriously vanishing. Reliable intel indicates all affected trainers visited a place called Pokémon City beforehand... yet none remember their time there...]
[Objective 1: Gather clues! (Completed)]
[Objective 2: Travel to New Island! (Completed)]
[Objective 3: Escape New Island! Warning: If Mewtwo erases your memory, the quest fails!]
[Optional: Defeat/Capture Mewtwo]