"If I remember correctly, the ending of this movie is Mewtwo being moved by Ash's actions, followed by everyone's memories being erased, right?" Caleb pondered aloud.
Hatsumi nodded slightly. Glancing at the row of players sitting to their right, she whispered: "That's correct. But from what I know, the players participating in this Instance aren't just here for the main quest. Their real goal is capturing Mewtwo."
Caleb looked back casually and asked, "They came prepared?"
Hatsumi gave an affirmative hum, "See that muscular guy in the hoodie? He and the blue-haired woman next to him are ranked in the top 400 of the Player Rankings. They're extremely strong."
"Player Rankings?"
"Mhm. A comprehensive leaderboard the Infinite World created based on player strength. You haven't unlocked it yet, right?" Hatsumi explained, "You'll get notified after obtaining your first max-level Pokémon."
"Oh." Caleb checked the timer on his panel... 32 hours remained until the third day ended.
He then opened his Pokémon interface, where Dragonite's adorable portrait had a red
Going back to fetch Lucario now would probably be too late.
Noticing Caleb's damp hair, Hatsumi pulled a dry towel from her backpack and handed it over while asking, "So how did you end up here? If you were starving, why not return to the Infinite world first?"
Accepting the towel, Caleb gave a concise explanation: "I ran into special circumstances. I met a Lucario on the island but didn't have any Poké Balls. It's waiting there for me to go back."
Hatsumi frowned, taking in Caleb's disheveled appearance: "Wait! How long did you fly over the ocean to get here?"
Caleb: "About a day and a half."
Realization dawned on Hatsumi, "So you crossed seas on an empty stomach just to confirm this world's timeline and location?"
Caleb nodded: "Seems my luck held out."
Hatsumi opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words before finally muttering: "That's completely insane..."
Nonchalantly drying his rain-soaked hair, Caleb shot her a look: "Could you not look at me with those pitying eyes? You're not my mom..."
Hatsumi rolled her eyes: "As if! Who'd want a son as troublesome as you?"
As they bantered, this Scenario's plot reached a critical juncture.
Disagreeing with Ash's group, Mewtwo psychically summoned a batch of specially crafted Poké Balls that flew toward every trainer's Pokémon present.
Chaos instantly erupted. The NPCs' Pokémon were forcibly captured by the Mewtwo Balls without resistance. Even Ash and Pikachu couldn't escape this fate.
After a frantic chase sequence, Ash vanished alongside Pikachu into the conveyor belt transporting the captured Poké Balls.
The players, however, had anticipated this plot point. They immediately sent out their strongest Pokémon when the Mewtwo Balls appeared.
In response, Mewtwo simply snorted. Its eyes flashed blue as psychic energy blasted the players backward, allowing the pursuing Mewtwo Balls to capture their Pokémon unimpeded.
Yet around Caleb and Hatsumi, not a single Mewtwo Ball approached, which created a bizarre safe zone that even extended to Hatsumi by association.
Within moments, the vast hall contained only humans. Every last Pokémon had vanished except for Mewtwo itself.
Caleb and Hatsumi sat together, quietly observing the other players' futile struggles.
"This is Mirror's scripted defeat. No matter what, players can't protect their Pokémon," Hatsumi whispered.
"You've been here before?"
"No, but I heard from other players who completed this Instance in the Infinite World. Next, they'll face cloned versions of their own Pokémon... All perfect 6IV, max-level duplicates."
Pausing, Hatsumi studied Caleb: "Speaking of which...what's your deal? Why didn't Mewtwo attack you?"
Caleb directly showed her the pulsating red heart in his inventory: "Reward from a hidden quest in another Scenario. I'm not entirely sure about the specifics either."
Hatsumi's expression turned complicated as she swallowed hard, "What kind of hidden quest gives something this... disturbing as a reward?"
Caleb thought for a moment, then replied, "It involved a little girl named Amber. Does she have any connection to Mewtwo?"
"Amber... That's Dr. Fuji's daughter from Team Rocket," Hatsumi murmured, then she answered, "And Dr. Fuji was one of the researchers who created Mewtwo."
Caleb: "..."
The pieces suddenly clicked into place.
Their casual conversation continued unabated despite the surrounding players... Until Mewtwo finally had enough.
A vein visibly twitched on its forehead as blue energy flashed in its eyes. With a psychic version of Teleport, it forcibly relocated both Caleb and Hatsumi away from the scene...
...
~Vermilion City Harbor~
Standing on the rain-slicked docks, Caleb and Hatsumi stared blankly at each other...
Checking her mission panel, Hatsumi looked stunned: "...My main quest is complete."
Just then, Officer Jenny emerged from the stormy night: "Hey! You two! Come over here!"
Hatsumi glanced back: "It's Officer Jenny."
Approaching them, the officer said: "All ferries to New Island are suspended due to the storm! Please wait in the terminal until the weather clears!"
The pair followed her to the harbor's waiting area.
Hatsumi bought a can of warm Moomoo Milk and handed it to Caleb: "You're running out of time, aren't you?"
Accepting it, Caleb replied: "Tomorrow is the last day."
After some thought, Hatsumi offered, "Do you know the island's exact coordinates? I've got seven days left here. I could retrieve Lucario for you." She quickly added, "If you're willing to trust me, that is."
Caleb hesitated, "I only know it's in the direction of the setting sun. But I can't guarantee the accuracy... This might waste a lot of your time and energy."
Hatsumi shrugged, "No problem. I'll treat it as a vacation."
"Then...thank you." Caleb expressed his gratitude sincerely.
Seeing his solemn expression, Hatsumi reassured him, "Don't worry. Everything will work out."
....
By dawn, the players challenging the 'Mirror' Instance (along with Ash) had been teleported back by Mewtwo.
Strangely, none retained any memories of what transpired.
Watching this unfold, Hatsumi sighed, "As expected... No one could capture Mewtwo after all..."