Several minutes passed, but the soil where the berry seed was buried remained completely still.
"As expected, it's not possible." Caleb muttered.
The Distortion World supported the existence of the material world. There was no life here, nor should there be any.
He regretfully put the Psyduck watering can back into his inventory, ready to give up on this hidden quest and continue to communicate with Giratina, exchanging the Clefairy Doll for freedom.
But just then, Xerneas, who stood nearby, suddenly began to radiate a dazzling light.
Caleb turned around and saw the blue, branch-like horns on its head transform into a seven-colored hue.
Under the illumination of this seven-colored light, the berry seed on the ground began to grow at an extremely rapid pace.
In just thirty seconds, it went from a slender sprout that had just broken through the soil to a vibrant and lush adult tree laden with plump berries.
The changes did not stop there.
That touch of green spread uncontrollably, quickly expanding outward from the berry tree as its center.
A magical force enveloped the floating island, and the originally lifeless, nutrient-deficient soil visibly shed its black color, reverting to the brown of normal soil.
"And God said, 'Let there be light. And there was light.'.."
"Bi!" Witnessing this scene, Celebi spontaneously emitted a faint green light from its body.
Star-like green specks drifted away from it, and tender green shoots emerged from the brown soil bathed in these specks.
In the blink of an eye, this desolate, lifeless island had transformed into a vibrant, full of life island of vitality.
Xerneas, having bestowed life upon this floating island, turned to Caleb and asked softly: >..Is this how it's done?..<
Caleb nodded in a daze.
Xerneas was the Legendary Pokémon that presided over Life.
It was said that when the horns on Xerneas's head emitted a seven-colored glow, it could grant eternal life. It possessed the mystical ability to create forests and bestow life.
Having received confirmation, the light radiating from Xerneas grew even more intense, forming a semicircular sphere brimming with vitality that spread outward in all directions.
Caleb immediately recognized what it was doing...
This was the move known as Geomancy. In the Anime, Xerneas had used this move to revive those petrified by Yveltal.
Moreover, while using Geomancy, it transformed into the form of a large tree.
When asked by Ash and the others if this meant it was going to die, Xerneas responded that it was only the beginning of a new life.
Caleb knew this. He did not want to use the favor gained from his title to exploit Pokémon for such purposes, nor did he want to see Xerneas exhaust its energy and transform into a tree to sleep for a thousand years...
Therefore, he frowned and spoke up to stop Xerneas's actions, "Stop! Otherwise, you'll turn into a tree!"
Xerneas, standing within the light, glanced at Caleb upon hearing this, shook its head gently, and telepathically said: >..Do not worry. This is only a small portion of my power. I will not fall into slumber..<
Only then did Caleb remember that in this world where only Pokémon existed, the power of Legendary Pokémon was far greater than that in other worlds.
Unlike Suicune in the Anime, which was caught in a fishing net, they were true 'deities' in every sense, controlling aspects of this world...
The green sphere of light expanded, enveloping the entire Distortion World within it.
Life was bestowed upon the floating islands, and flowers, grass, and fruit trees began to grow on them.
The Distortion World had no sunlight, no time, no space. This meant that these plants would possess perpetual life. They would not die, nor wither, forever maintaining their best state...
...
Somewhere in the void, behind a large rock, Giratina irritably shattered a passing stone with its tail.
'How annoying! That creature actually doesn't like my world!'
Giratina was furious, but its anger quickly subsided.
'Fine,' it admitted, 'This place is rather terrible.'
Unlike the real world, there were no beautiful flowers, clear rivers, or green grasslands. Everything was lifeless and dull.
At this thought, a destructive impulse suddenly surged within Giratina. It wanted to make the outside world exactly like this place!
But just as Giratina was about to succumb to darkness, it sensed a peculiar energy wave flowing through the Distortion World.
'Hmm? What's going on?'
Giratina peeked out from behind the rock.
Then, it witnessed an unbelievable scene.
Green grasslands like those in the outside world; lush trees, fragrant blooming flowers...
'But how is this possible?!'
Giratina's first reaction was disbelief.
In a daze, it flew out from behind the rock and headed toward the source of that energy.
Looking at the vibrant floating islands along the way, it could hardly believe this was the same place it had lived in before!
Giratina flew unobstructed all the way to the largest floating island.
It slowly descended onto the grassland, its crimson eyes filled with astonishment.
Caleb also noticed Giratina's return. After settling the great contributor, Xerneas, he took the Clefairy Doll out of his inventory and negotiated with Giratina, "I'll give this to you. Will you let us leave this place?"
Giratina did not respond. As if it had sensed something, it looked upward.
Caleb found this scene somewhat familiar. Sure enough, when he looked up, he saw the radiant great creator of the Pokémon Universe making another appearance.
Well, Arceus's light was truly dazzling.
Arceus's green eyes swept over the transformed Distortion World before finally settling on Caleb.
Caleb felt somewhat uneasy inwardly. He couldn't sense any emotion from the other.
There were rumors online that Giratina had been punished and banished to the Distortion World by Arceus for being too violent.
Was that the case in this world?
Then, by turning Giratina's prison into a warm home, wasn't he slapping the divine llama in the face?
Caleb's mind conjured up the beautiful image of himself being bombarded by Arceus's Judgment.
However, none of those anticipated scenes occurred...
Arceus merely looked at him calmly, its divine, neutral voice resonating: >..You are human..<
Caleb replied calmly, "Yes, I am human."
Arceus continued: >..There are no humans in this world..<
It looked into Caleb's eyes as if seeing into the depths of his heart.
Caleb answered composedly, "I come from another world."
Arceus fell silent for a moment before asking: >..Why have you come here?..<