It was a pitch-black void, one so vast, its end couldn't be seen.
Countless collapsed ruins, broken walls and massive rocks like isolated islands stood quietly in this void. A desolate and decaying aura filled the atmosphere, like a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
This was the Distortion World, the broken world corresponding to the real world.
The entrance behind him slowly disappeared.
Xerneas, who had followed Caleb inside, looked back, then raised its head to look at the Giratina in the sky, which had transformed into another form...
At the same time, Caleb received a notification:
*Ding!*
[It is detected that player has entered the Distortion World. The item, 'Warp Beacon', cannot be used here!]
'It can't be used?' Caleb was taken aback.
He opened his inventory and, sure enough, saw that the icon representing the Warp Beacon had turned dim.
"Roar!" Giratina turned its head and called out to Caleb, signaling him to follow, then flapped its wings and led the way ahead.
Caleb pulled his attention away from the notification. The gravity in this space was very peculiar, allowing him to become like Spider-Man, leaping dozens of meters and even walking on walls.
At first, he wasn't very accustomed. Sometimes, using too much or too little force would cause him to lose control of gravity and float around randomly in the sky.
But soon, with the help of Dragonite and Hydreigon, Caleb quickly got the hang of it. Those rocks floating above became his best stepping stones.
"Do you usually use this to observe the outside world?" he asked, looking at the liquid-mirror-like image before him.
Giratina nodded with a grunt. It looked around as if searching for something.
Caleb didn't pay attention. He looked at the image of the real world in that picture, and descriptions of Giratina surfaced in his mind.
Legend has it that Giratina was banished to the Distortion World because it was too violent, and there it quietly gazed upon the outside world.
It was a Pokémon known for its aggressiveness and territorial nature. There were also legends indicating Giratina would appear in ancient graveyards.
But this description didn't seem very accurate for this particular Giratina.
Besides the above theory, Caleb had heard a second theory during his travels in Sinnoh with Cynthia during the Transformation and Substitution Instance.
It stated that the Distortion World existed in balance with the material world, supporting it, while Giratina, representing antimatter, was responsible for maintaining this world's balance.
After wandering around the Distortion World for a bit, Caleb mentally kept track of the time.
It had been almost two hours since he entered here, and the sky outside had also darkened. He needed to go back to sleep, after all, he still had to continue searching for Mewtwo tomorrow.
Thinking this, he turned to Giratina and said, "Big guy, can you send us back?"
Giratina refused this request.
"Don't mess around! I have things to do…" said Caleb.
Giratina pretended not to hear.
Caleb pressed, "I'm serious. And without food and water here, I will die."
Hearing this, Giratina transformed into its Origin Forme, passed through the void, and left this place.
Not a few minutes later, its figure reappeared and dropped a fresh fruit tree in front of Caleb.
"I really can't stay here to keep you company," Caleb said, "I have very important things to do."
Giratina made no effort to hide its inner thoughts, so Caleb easily sensed its intentions through his Viridian Power.
Giratina wouldn't listen. It flew around somewhat irritably, then flew off into the distance at a rapid speed, disappearing from Caleb's sight in the blink of an eye.
Caleb: "..."
Giratina had run away. The Warp Beacon couldn't be used here, 'Did I just get kidnapped and imprisoned by the god of the Distortion?'
"Wuu?"
Dragonite nearby glanced at the fruit tree Giratina had dropped on the ground, walked over, picked a berry from it with its claw, and offered it to its trainer.
Caleb felt it wasn't right to eat the other's food without staying, so he took it, wiped it casually on his clothes, and handed it to Xerneas beside him.
"Do you have any way to leave this place?" he asked.
Xerneas, the Life Pokémon, naturally accepted this human's friendly feeding, while shaking its head at the question. It did not have the ability to travel through dimensions.
"Alright." Caleb turned to look at Celebi, which could travel through time, and asked, "Shall we try?"
"Bi..." Celebi frowned slightly and gently shook its little head.
It did not feel the existence of time here, which meant its power could not be used in this place.
"It's okay, I'll think of another way." Caleb pinched Celebi's cheek, then opened the inventory panel, trying to find an item that could help them leave.
First, the Book of Answers and the Warp Beacon were ruled out.
As for the Super Escape Rope... Mewtwo hadn't been found yet, so Caleb wouldn't leave this Instance just like that.
That left only some miscellaneous items, like the Galar-version Rotom Bike, the Travel Tent, the Super Rod, Forest Medallion, and the Clefairy Doll that was taken by Palkia but was automatically reclaimed by the inventory.
The other items couldn't be of use here, and Caleb couldn't fish out a Kyogre like Lana.
That left only one usable item; the Clefairy Doll...
Just then, a notification sound that hadn't appeared for a long time rang out:
[Hidden Quest: 'The Renegade Pokémon Who Wants a Beautiful Home' triggered!]
[Quest Objective: Renovate the Renegade Pokémon's home!]
[Quest Reward: Giratina's Aid Opportunity x1!]
«Giratina's Aid Opportunity: Used to summon Giratina for support. The summoning duration lasts until the end of an entire Instance...»
Caleb, who was about to use the Clefairy Doll to bargain for freedom with Giratina, looked at the hidden quest that suddenly popped up.
"What the heck?" He was stunned for a moment.
'Renovate the Distortion World? How?'
Then his gaze inadvertently swept over the fruit tree on the ground. He suddenly remembered something...
He immediately opened his inventory and rummaged through the furthest corner for an item he had bought before entering this Instance.
- Super Psyduck Watering Can: A watering can imbued with mystical power. A watering tool that can make buried berries bloom and bear fruit within thirty seconds...
Caleb held this Psyduck-shaped watering can in his hand, feeling somewhat hesitant inside.
"Can it really work? I mean, this is the Distortion World after all. The land here is different from the material world." He murmured.
With this doubt, Caleb crouched down, picked up the berry seed that Xerneas had just eaten, and buried it in the lifeless black soil beneath his feet.
Then, he raised the Super Psyduck Watering Can in his hand and poured water onto the soil.
A clear, clean stream of water evenly sprinkled onto the black soil from the watering can...