The air was thick with the smell of roasted meat and strong liquor, while the sharp, piercing sound of heavy metal music blasted from the row of bars lining the street...
Numerous food stalls were set up on both sides of the road, their signs boldly displaying a row of horrifying words:
<..Charcoal-Grilled Farfetch'd..>
<..Braised Magikarp..>
<..Spicy Pidgey..>
<..Oil-Simmered Metapod..>
<..Live Pokémon Slaughtered On-Site! Guaranteed Fresh Ingredients, Affordable Prices!.>
And it wasn't just this one stall... looking around, the entire street was selling food made from Pokémon meat.
Caleb frowned as he moved through the crowd, watching the people feasting on grilled meat of unknown origin. A deep discomfort settled in his chest.
That discomfort reached its peak when he saw a burly, bearded man raise a cleaver and swiftly decapitate a wildly struggling Farfetch'd.
Laughter and chatter rose from the stalls as customers licked their greasy lips, sharing crude jokes they'd picked up from who-knows-where.
Caleb couldn't take it anymore. He turned and left the street, finding a small inn nearby to stay for the night.
The innkeeper was a short elderly woman with white hair and a face full of wrinkles. She appeared to have lost all her teeth.
When she noticed a customer had arrived, she lifted her eyelids and stared at Caleb with dull cloudy eyes, speaking in a monotone voice: "One hundred fifty Pokédollars per night."
'Pokédollars...' Caleb was slightly surprised.
Even after all these years since the Kanto League's collapse, the world's currency system hadn't changed.
Was Team Rocket just that lazy?
Fortunately, he had received several New Year's red envelopes from defeating bosses in the last Instance.
He checked his inventory... He had four envelopes, each containing 888 Pokédollars, totaling 3552. Enough to last him a while here.
After paying, Caleb took the electronic keycard and followed the old woman to his room.
The hallway was dim and eerily silent, like something out of a horror movie... especially with the hunched-over old woman leading the way.
He half-expected her to suddenly turn around, transform into a vengeful spirit, and devour him.
'This world is seriously messed up...' he mused.
Once she had shown him to his room, the old woman turned and left without another word.
Caleb glanced at the door number, 404, then swiped the keycard and stepped inside.
The inn wasn't exactly high-end. The room reeked of cheap perfume, the scent so strong, it was almost suffocating.
As soon as he entered, Caleb stripped off his clothes and tossed them onto the shelf in the bathroom. He had spent who knows how long lying in a garbage bin, then been drenched by rain the entire way here.
At this point, he smelled worse than the trash...
He took a shower, scrubbing away the stench with soap before wrapping himself in a towel and tossing his dirty clothes into the inn's built-in washing machine.
Once that was done, he released his three Pokémon from their Poké Balls. As he prepared their food, he mulled over his current situation...
Honestly, he wasn't panicking about being thrown into this punishment Instance. Back when he had subtly hinted at his outsider identity to Cynthia, he had already anticipated this outcome.
Rather than being detected by the Infinite World, it was more accurate to say he had done it on purpose.
Sitting at the table, Caleb organized the clues he had gathered so far:
- The League had fallen.
- Team Rocket had seized control of Mewtwo and now ruled Kanto.
- Mewtwo had killed Lance.
Which raised the question... what exactly happened in Kanto seventy years ago? And why was Mewtwo obeying Giovanni's orders?
If Kanto had already deteriorated to this state, what about the other regions?
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Caleb turned sharply, only to see a small card being slipped through the gap beneath the door. He fell silent for a moment before walking over and picking it up.
Written on it were the words:
<...Feeling lonely? Need some special service? Whether you prefer innocent lolis, mature married women, or even a muscular Incineroar, a sexy Gardevoir... if you can imagine it, we can provide it!..>
<...Tempted? Our club offers door-to-door service! Full package special, just 998! What are you waiting for? Call now!..>
Caleb: "..."
After witnessing the live slaughter of Pokémon and hearing about the League's destruction, he had already steeled himself enough to calmly face this level of moral decay.
Having finished their dinner, Mimikyu and the others waddled over curiously. Instinctively, Caleb tossed the card (featuring a buff Incineroar) into the trash.
"Wuu?"
Dragonite, Mimikyu, and Lucario stood in a neat row, staring at their trainer with innocent expressions.
His face remained impassive, "If you're done eating, return to your Poké Balls and rest. It's late."
Lucario, ever obedient, returned without protest. Mimikyu hopped into Caleb's arms, nuzzling his cheek affectionately before following suit.
That left Dragonite, who cast an eager glance toward the window...
"Wuu~"
Caleb shook his head, "No. It's too dangerous outside. You can't go out alone right now."
"Wuu…"
Dragonite pouted, looking utterly wronged. But faced with Caleb's stern expression, it ultimately relented and returned to its Poké Ball like the others.
With the Pokémon gone, the room felt empty once more...
Caleb opened his inventory, his gaze settling on the Gardevoir icon at the very bottom. Two seconds later, Gardevoir's figure materialized in the air, her body solidifying from streams of data.
Her expression was impassive, her eyes cold as she stared at Caleb, as if asking, 'What do you want?'
Caleb: "..."
Silence...
Man and robotic Pokémon simply looked at each other, the quiet stretching between them.
'Alright... So this is the cold and domineering version of Gardevoir.'
After a long pause, Caleb finally spoke, "Do you know what's going on? Why did you get pulled into this too?"
"Rules."
Unlike the gentle domestic persona skilled in eighteen culinary arts, this Gardevoir's voice was just as frosty as her expression... like she couldn't even be bothered to talk to him.
Caleb rubbed his temples, "Can you elaborate?"
Gardevoir fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "Because in the previous 'Transformation and Substitution' Instance, you violated the rules by using external means to hint at the existence of the Infinite World and player identities to the Instance character, Cynthia. During Instance settlement, the Infinite World scans the memories of all Instance characters who have interacted with the player."
Caleb understood now, "And then?"
Gardevoir gave him a look before continuing, "We, the Domestic Service Robots, are classified as the player's personal property. In a sense, I am also one of your Pokémon. Punishment Instances are different from regular ones... they have no limit on the number of Pokémon you can bring. Once a player enters a punishment Instance, all previously captured Pokémon will follow."
"...To borrow a phrase from the world you originally came from, 'Prosperity and decline are shared'..."
Gardevoir's calm voice echoed through the room, delivering the cruelest truth in the most indifferent tone...
~~~
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