*Cough cough*
Caleb cleared his throat, patted Mimikyu's head, then stuffed it into Dragonite's arms, signaling with his eyes for them to get along...
Dragonite reluctantly held Mimikyu with its claws, looking at Caleb with pitiful eyes.
After a moment's thought, Caleb took out the Big Pearl he had obtained from the last instance and placed it in Dragonite's paw, letting it and Mimikyu go play to the side.
Then, he turned to Mewtwo and asked, "What are your plans now?"
Mewtwo didn't know. Its mind was in chaos. It wasn't just angry at being deceived, but was also confused and hurt.
'What have I been doing all these years?' Mewtwo thought.
Unlike ordinary Pokémon, Mewtwo was a special being created from Mew's DNA and human genetics. It didn't just possess a Pokémon's abilities, it also had human emotions. It could feel guilt, sorrow, and even happiness.
Seeing its state, Caleb didn't press further. He gave Mewtwo some quiet time to think...
Meanwhile, he opened the smart wristband Jessie had given him and checked the map of the area.
The Kanto region had many cities. After the League's fall, aside from renaming Celadon City to Rocket City, Team Rocket hadn't changed the names of other places.
For example, Pewter City was still Pewter City, Vermilion City was still Vermilion City... And so on.
Currently, Caleb's group was located between Pewter City and Cerulean City... on Mt. Moon.
In the Anime, Mt. Moon was famous for its wild Clefairy and frequent meteor showers.
According to rumors, the meteors that fell here would eventually turn into Moon Stones, which could evolve certain Pokémon. Because of this, many trainers came here searching for them.
Caleb swiped through the map and quickly found Vermilion City. If they left now, they should arrive before nightfall.
With that in mind, he stood up, walked over to Dragonite, and looked at Mewtwo, he then offered, "Want to work with us to kill Giovanni and save this broken world."
Mewtwo took a deep breath, then nodded solemnly. It bore some responsibility for the world's current state.
Killing Giovanni and destroying Team Rocket... that was the only thing it could do to atone for the lives lost.
"Let's go." Caleb said softly.
.....
Ever since Team Rocket built numerous factories and ports here, Vermilion City's sky had been shrouded in smog...
The people living here hadn't seen a clear sky in years.
The city was named 'Vermilion' because at dusk, the sky would turn a golden-orange hue, resembling autumn leaves. Now, the streets were filled with masked pedestrians, moving hurriedly under the oppressive and polluted air.
The entire city felt heavy with despair...
Caleb stood at a wide intersection, waiting quietly. Soon, a girl wrapped in thick clothing approached him and whispered, "Player?"
Caleb looked up, meeting her eyes through the gaps in her disguise, then nodded.
The girl sighed in relief and said, "Follow me."
They walked for about fifteen minutes before entering a cyberpunk-style shop. Inside, neon lights flickered, making the place look like some kind of… adult entertainment venue.
Noticing Caleb's gaze, the girl quickly explained, "This is a legit business. Just a regular arcade, nothing shady."
"Oh." Caleb had already guessed. After all, most of the customers were wearing VR headsets. The sight was like something out of a sci-fi novel.
The girl led him to a lounge-like room, pressed a button, and the floor behind the sofa split open, revealing a hidden passage.
"Come on down. Everyone's waiting for you." she beckoned.
Caleb nodded and descended the silver-white staircase. Soon, they arrived at what looked like a control room.
The girl took off her mask and hat, revealing a youthful, Anime-esque face, and sighed in relief.
She called out to the woman sitting in the central swivel chair, "Reika-neesan, I brought him!"
The woman, Reika, turned around and said, "Good. Nozomi-chan was looking for you earlier. She's probably in the Eco Zone now."
"Got it! I'll go check!" The girl dashed off excitedly.
Reika turned her attention to Caleb, offering a gentle smile as she stood and extended her hand, "Hello, Trainer from another world. Let me introduce myself properly... I'm Reika, current leader of the Resistance Army's First Division."
Caleb kept it simple, "Caleb."
Reika smiled, "Welcome to the Resistance base, Caleb."
Just then, two melodic cries echoed from outside. The control room's mechanical door slid open automatically.
Two figures, one blue, one red, flew in playfully, chasing each other near the ceiling.
Reika sighed at the sight of the Latios and Latias. Shaking her head, she said helplessly, "Behave you two. We have a guest today."
The Eon duo finally noticed Caleb and immediately stopped their antics, landing obediently on either side of Reika.
Latias, the younger sister, stared at Caleb with bright, curious eyes.
Caleb met the Pokémon's gaze openly, then asked Reika, "Are you their Trainer?"
"No." Reika shook her head, "These two are just staying here temporarily. You know how Team Rocket has been hunting Legendary Pokémon."
Caleb nodded in understanding. He heard about that from Team Rocket's trio.
If Latios and Latias were here... What about the other Legendaries?
As he pondered, Latias suddenly floated right up to his face, her cheeks almost touching his. Caleb flinched, instinctively stepping back.
Latias tilted her head in confusion, then circled him, sniffing the air curiously.
'Strange...' She could smell something familiar on him... the scent of the Soul Dew.
Unable to figure it out, she returned to her brother's side and quietly relayed her discovery.
Reika chuckled at the scene and said, "It seems these two rascals really like you."
Caleb: "..."
He glanced at his inventory panel, already guessing the reason, but he didn't mention it. Instead, he changed the subject, "Aside from Latios and Latias, do you have other Legendary Pokémon here?"
"Of course." Reika smiled, "It's only thanks to them that we've evaded Team Rocket for so long. Would you like to meet them?"