{T/N: 30 chapters remaining. My Webnovel profile currently has 166 likes (hearts). Starting at 200, I'll drop a bonus chapter for every 20 likes, no limits...
Alternatively, you can get them all at the same time on my Patre0n for 3 bucks...}
...
Caleb glanced at the decorative calendar hanging on the wall.
Because his home had fused with the world, the date had changed from Infinite World's March 18th to September 26th.
Three full days had passed since he left the Instance last time...
He pulled out his phone from his inventory, dialed Lorelei's number, and headed downstairs.
Pushing open the door, he stepped into a small, lush courtyard.
Before the call even connected, Caleb opened the gate and walked onto the street. He saw a family of three standing outside the neighboring house.
When they saw him, the little girl tilted her head, studying him with curiosity. Her mother gently patted her head in encouragement, and her father set her down.
Holding a red balloon, the girl ran up to Caleb and said brightly, "Onii-san! Welcome to Celestic Town! We're neighbors now!"
To everyone else, he was just a new Trainer who had recently moved in.
Caleb smiled and accepted the balloon. The girl skipped happily back to her parents.
Just then, the call connected. Lorelei's voice came through.
"Where are you?" Caleb asked.
Lorelei sounded calmer than she had that day: <..Saffron City. You're back?..>
"Yeah," Caleb said, then hung up. He quickly sent texts to Cynthia and Lily, letting them know he has returned.
Then he activated his Warp Beacon, instantly transporting himself to Saffron City, Kanto...
...
Lorelei came downstairs and found Caleb waiting by the entrance.
When they met again, Caleb noticed how pale and exhausted she looked.
The relationships between the Elite Four in this world were very good, and now only Lorelei remained of Kanto's Elite Four.
Caleb said quietly, "I'm sorry…"
If he had just eliminated Giovanni himself instead of handing him over to the League, none of this would've happened.
Lorelei shook her head, her voice thick with grief, "It's not your fault. You did everything right. We're the ones who failed. We didn't notice Giovanni's condition in time."
Caleb fell silent...
They walked upstairs together. As Lorelei reached for her keys, Caleb said, "I'll bring them back."
Lorelei paused and turned to him, "You're going to travel through time?"
Caleb nodded.
But first, he had to avenge them.
"Can you locate Giovanni?" he asked.
Lorelei shook her head, "We don't know where he went."
With three Elites gone, the entire Kanto League was in disarray. Intelligence networks had fractured, and they were overwhelmed trying to calm the public.
There simply weren't enough hands to investigate Giovanni's whereabouts...
Hearing this, Caleb simply said, "Then I'll handle it."
Since Lorelei lived alone, Caleb didn't feel like intruding any longer. Without sitting, he turned to leave.
Just as he reached the door, Lorelei called out.
He looked back.
From across the room, she said softly, "Don't blame yourself too much. You've done more than enough. Lance and the others believed in you. If they could see you now… they wouldn't want you to carry this guilt."
Caleb knew she was trying to comfort him. He nodded and said, "Thank you."
...
Downstairs, he checked his phone and noticed that both Cynthia and Lily had replied, asking where he was.
He answered them both, then opened his inventory and pulled out the Book of Answers.
Now that he was bound to this world, the Book had been heavily affected, like Rewind.
But unlike Rewind, which was now completely unusable, the Book of Answers still had three final uses left.
After the final use, it would transform into a random Legendary or Mythical Pokémon egg as compensation
Caleb used his first question now...
Question: What is Giovanni's exact location?
The pages fluttered on their own, then settled on one:
{..Alola Region, Aether Paradise..}
Aether Paradise is an artificial island created by Lusamine, President of the Aether Foundation, with the aim of protecting injured Pokémon.
Caleb activated the Warp Beacon, with his selected destination being the Alola region's Hau'oli City.
Space warped around him. In the next moment, the scenery changed to a familiar beach.
He's never been to Aether Paradise, so he couldn't teleport there directly. Hau'oli City would serve as a transit point
There were no trains or ferries to Aether Paradise, but flying Pokémon could be rented here as transport.
Luckily, Caleb already had Dragonite. So he didn't need to rent a Sharpedo or Charizard...
After buying a map and compass from a bookstore, Caleb released Dragonite, climbed onto his back. After setting the course, Dragonite soared into the sky.
The city quickly vanished behind them. The ocean below blurred past as wind whipped past his ears.
Being more peaceful than any other region, Alola was a perfect vacation spot. But Caleb wasn't here to relax.
Soon, land appeared ahead. It seemed to be just open fields, and Caleb didn't think much of it.
But then, Mewtwo's voice echoed in his mind: >..There are Team Rocket members below..<
"Dragonite, land here!" Caleb instructed decisively.
"Wuuu!" Dragonite nodded and dove sharply downward.
As they neared the ground, Caleb saw a girl with light golden hair, wearing a white skirt and knee-high socks, running frantically.
Behind her, a group of adults in Team Skull and Team Rocket uniforms rode motorcycles, casually chasing her like she was prey.
Even though the girl knew she couldn't escape, she kept running. In her panic, she tripped over a rock and her knee scraped red from the impact.
The motorcycles circled her, cutting off all escape.
Ignoring the pain, the girl clutched her satchel tightly to her chest.
"Ohhh, it looks like the little missy's hurt herself," a Team Skull grunt sneered, "Just hand it over already!"
The girl bit her lip and stayed silent.
The grunt's smile vanished, "Fine. If that's how it is, then don't blame us for getting rough. Get her!"
They dismounted and closed in.
The girl hugged her bag tighter, despair in her eyes: 'Is this the end? Mom…'
But just then, powerful energy wave surged from above.
Every Team Rocket and Team Skull member froze in place, completely immobilized.
A cold, emotionless voice followed: >..You will not lay a finger on her..<
Sensing the powerful energy, the girl's Cosmog peeked out curiously from her bag.
The girl, Lillie, flusteredly stuffed Cosmog back in, even though she knew doing so wouldn't protect it.
"Wh–who the hell are you?!" the Team Skull grunt shouted in panic.
The Team Rocket members, however, stared in shock.
They recognized the humanoid Pokémon floating in the air.
That was… Mewtwo!