After his talk with Mew2, Caleb went back into the past alone to dig up more intel on the main quest...
To avoid disrupting the timeline, he used his Substitute Glasses to fabricate a generic identity for himself.
He tailed the memory-wiped Dragon Hunter and tracked him to a rendezvous point with his superior.
Caleb stood calmly in the shadows, watching the two men conduct their transaction below. Once the unlucky Dragon Hunter received his payment and left, Caleb had Mewtwo instantly teleport behind the contact.
Mewtwo's eyes glowed faint blue. Before the man could even register the horror on his face, Mewtwo swiftly read his mind, then erased the memories of their short encounter.
Having obtained the information he needed, Caleb exchanged a glance with Mewtwo, then vanished from the spot in a flash.
A gust of wind blew through the alley. The contact blinked at the empty space before him and muttered, "Must've imagined it."
Then he wandered off into the city...
…
~Opelucid City~
Inside a luxurious manor, Xingwang stared in shock at the man dressed in a butler's uniform before him...
Three months had passed since he'd entered this Instance.
After struggling through the early stages, he'd finally followed the trail of clues and completed a series of prerequisite quests, which led him here.
He had assumed the final step of the quest would be just like the others: hand over the captured Dragon-type Pokémon and call it a day…
"Master's plan has reached its most critical phase." The butler noticed the group of hired Trainers (players) all wearing stunned and conflicted expressions after hearing his statement.
He paused, then asked coldly, "What? You can't accept it?"
"Extracting the Dragon aura from those Pokémon… they won't survive that! It's too cruel!" one player protested.
Indeed, the final phase of their main quest was to extract the Dragon-type energy from the Pokémon they had stolen.
Xingwang considered himself a veteran player. Having spent considerable time in the Infinite World, he had experienced numerous Instances, both dark and light.
But none of them compared to this one.
In past Instances, they had been mere observers. Here, they were actual perpetrators.
Seeing their hesitation, the butler sneered, "You became murderers the moment you accepted our commission for money. Don't tell me you can't go through with it now? Sorry, but it's too late!"
With that, he waved his hand. From the darkness, armed men surged forward, snatching the players' Poké Balls and pinning them down.
Pressed to the floor, Xingwang heard a young player shout in fury: "You've gone too far!"
"Too far?" The butler scoffed, "And what you've done isn't? I didn't force you to do anything at gunpoint, you did it willingly!"
'No,' Xingwang retorted inwardly, 'It was our main quest. We had no choice.'
He had noticed that they had entered a special scripted event. Here, all items and Poké Balls were disabled by default. Otherwise, no amount of armed guards could have subdued them.
The young player fell silent, unable to explain they were players with no real choice. He could only glare and struggle.
Satisfied, the butler smiled, saying, "Given your past performance, our master has graciously decided to give you one last chance. Keep working for us, or stick to your morals. Which will it be?"
The moment the NPC finished speaking, two options popped up before every player:
[1. Immediately extract the Dragon aura from the Pokémon to prove your loyalty...]
[2. Stay true to your heart and refuse to harm the Pokémon...]
«Please make your choice within 15 seconds!»
<15!>
<14!>
<13!>
"…"
"…"
Every player froze in hesitation, struggling to choose.
They didn't understand why Infinite World would give them such a choice, or what the 'right' answer even was.
Logically, Option 1 was safest. It meant continuing the main quest.
As for Option 2? They'd likely be executed on the spot.
'This is a test... A test from Infinite World.' The thought struck Xingwang.
He turned his head and saw the captured Dragon-types watching them silently, eyes wide.
He closed his eyes.
Unlike the others, he had a hunch about why Infinite World gave out such dark quests.
If they didn't do it, someone else would. Likely the world's native residents.
Not everyone loved Pokémon. Not everyone would choose compassion for Pokémon over a fat paycheck.
And their identities were meant to replace the native trainers of this world.
Having experienced so many Instances, Xingwang knew that every world was independent and alive. Even if they hadn't come, the story would still unfold.
So the Infinite World's purpose in bringing players here was obvious...
'Ah well. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.' He sighed inwardly, then selected Option 2.
Around him, other players made their choices too.
Some stood up. Some stayed down.
The scene continued.
The butler smiled with satisfaction. But just then, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
All heads snapped up.
Ripples shimmered in the air, and a pink humanoid Pokémon emerged. Its eyes flashed blue. The butler and his men were instantly blasted backward, collapsing unconscious.
*Ding!*
[Congratulations! You've made the correct choice! Your main quest has been updated. Please check your quest log for details!]
The notification sounded like heavenly music their ears, but Xingwang barely heard it.
His attention was completely focused on the humanoid Pokémon before him: 'Mewtwo!'
Given everything that has happened in Infinite World, seeing Mewtwo here could only mean one thing... that man was involved.
Just then, Mewtwo seemed to sense something. He turned his gaze toward the entrance.
Several players followed Legendary's gaze.
The door swung open. Leading the way was a girl with long, golden hair.
Her clear, furious voice rang out, "Arrest them all!"
Officer Jenny and a squad of officers stormed in, slapping silver handcuffs onto everyone's wrists.
As Jenny cuffed him, Xingwang felt an odd sense of relief.
Then, a male voice called from outside: "See? I told you I found the lead, but you didn't believe me. You nagged me eighteen times in two hours. Happy now?"
Caitlin immediately switched to a curious, relaxed tone, "You really found clues in a dream?"
Caleb smirked and lied with a straight face, "I wasn't sleeping. I was using my psychic foresight to foresee the future."
Seriously... he had stayed up all night tracking clues in the past. And he didn't even get a nap when he got back.
The Unova League was so harsh. It was nothing like Kanto or Sinnoh, where every visit felt like coming home. Whether it was Lorelei or Cynthia, they always treated him with good food and comfort.
But here in Unova? He was stuck eating cafeteria slop every day…