~Pastoria City~
Caleb and Cynthia followed the chaotic tide of Pokémon through the steel-and-concrete city, arriving at a vast expanse of wetland, the Great Marsh...
Officer Jenny's police squad trailed behind, radioing updates to colleagues maintaining order in the city while reporting to Cynthia: "Past this nature reserve, we enter Veilstone City's territory. They've reported the same phenomenon there."
Cynthia's delicate brow furrowed. After a moment of calm thought, she asked, "Can we predict their destination?"
These wild Pokémon were abandoning their habitats en masse. Meaning something catastrophic must have happened in nature, something beyond human understanding.
Officer Jenny shook her head gravely, "We can't determine that at the moment."
Caleb frowned, "A disaster like this can't be regional. Have you checked with other regions?"
Officer Jenny blinked, then snapped into action, "I'll contact them right away!"
"Let me handle it," Caleb said.
With that, he pulled out his phone and called Lance in Kanto.
After understanding the reason for the call, Lance replied with a frown: <..Similar situations are occurring in the Kanto region too. Large-scale Pokémon riots..>
'Just as I suspected.' Caleb thought.
After hanging up, he turned to Cynthia and Officer Jenny, saying, "It's happening worldwide."
Cynthia asked coolly, "Is this part of Giovanni's plan?"
Caleb had just filled her in on what happened in Alola, so she had some context.
He shook his head, "I don't know. Logically, only the three Legendaries in Kalos could cause this scale of natural disruption."
Cynthia caught on instantly, "You mean… something's happened to those three Legendary Pokémon?"
"Most likely," Caleb nodded, "Zygarde is the guardian of the ecosystem. If I'm right, it is the living embodiment of the world's self-regulating balance."
That's why, in Kalos legends, Zygarde awakens only when the ecosystem collapses.
"If Xerneas and Yveltal represent life and death, that is, the producers and consumers, then Zygarde is the decomposer," Caleb said carefully, laying out what he knew.
Cynthia pieced it together, "So, the reason for the current situation is that something went wrong in the Kalos region?"
Caleb gave an affirmative hum, "But I don't know anyone there."
He looked to Cynthia to handle the outreach.
She understood immediately, "Leave it to me. You should rest."
Caleb smiled wryly, "Is it that obvious?"
He has been working nonstop since returning from Infinite World. He's had no time to rest.
Cynthia reached out and gently touched the corner of his eye, saying, "The dark circles under your eyes are pretty prominent."
"I'm not tired," Caleb said, shaking his head. He shifted the topic back to the crisis, "Kalos's evil organization is Team Flare. Their leader is Lysandre. Their goal is to wipe out all life and create a peaceful world for humans alone."
Cynthia listened quietly, her eyes fixed on his. When he finished and looked back at her, she asked softly, "How do you know all this?"
Caleb froze, then he remembered that he has left Infinite World.
'Maybe it's safe to tell her now...' he thought.
"Come with me," he said.
The task of contacting the Kalos League was handed over to Officer Jenny.
Taking advantage of that time, Caleb took Cynthia back to Celestic Town...
...
Looking at the previously uninhabited residence that had now completely changed its appearance, Cynthia stood stunned for a some time...
"This is my home," Caleb said.
He pushed open the gate, walked across a lush green lawn, and Cynthia followed. Just before opening the front door, he hesitated.
He wanted to tell her the truth. But… could she accept that she and this entire world were originally just characters in a manga and anime in another world?
Cynthia sensed his hesitation and asked, "What's wrong?"
Caleb snapped out of it and smiled, "Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that I'm not leaving anymore."
"Really?" Cynthia's eyes lit up instantly.
Caleb nodded, "Yeah. I've moved all my stuff here."
As he spoke, he opened the door, revealing the bright, clean, and spacious living room.
Cynthia stepped inside, marveling at how much larger it was than it appeared from outside, but she didn't ask how.
Gardevoir, his maid robot, floated in gracefully, placing two cups of tea on the coffee table.
"That's my smart domestic robot," Caleb explained.
Cynthia watched Gardevoir curiously. The robot bowed slightly, "Welcome, Miss Cynthia."
Cynthia nodded politely, then her gaze drifted to the Pokémon game cartridges and manga Caleb had bought to catch up on the lore...
Caleb grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and pulled up the Sinnoh arc of Ash's journey. As the opening theme played, he said, "What I'm about to tell you might be hard to believe–"
Cynthia cut him off, "You mean that I, and this world, are actually characters from an anime?"
Caleb was stunned, "How did you know?"
"Dummy," Cynthia said softly, watching the Pokémon opening on screen, "I guessed when I saw all this."
Caleb tested the waters, "And… you're okay with it?"
Cynthia thought carefully, then countered, "Why wouldn't I be?"
Caleb couldn't answer. If someone told him he was just a fictional character, he'd probably have an existential crisis.
Cynthia saw his uncertainty, then said, "All I know is that this world is real to me. Every Pokémon I've met, every person I've known; they all have thoughts, feelings, stories of their own."
Caleb had no rebuttal, because According to Infinite World's guidelines, this world was just as real as the one he originally came from.
"And the world is balanced," Cynthia added gently, "Because of this, I– we met you."
Caleb breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't quite grasp the grand philosophy, but it was enough that Cynthia could accept it.
"So, now it's just the two of us who know we're characters from a comic?" Cynthia asked.
Caleb nodded, "Come with me."
He took her to the storage room and showed her the items he'd collected from other worlds...
"I used to be in a place called Infinite World. It's kind of like a transit. People who love Pokémon deeply get summoned there after death, and if they work hard, they can fulfill their wishes... This Leaf Stone was a gift from a Pokémon in Johto. This is the Spear Key I stole from Cyrus. And this…" He pointed to the Red Orb on the shelf, "This lets me control Groudon, Hoenn's Legendary."
Omitting the unpleasant experiences, Caleb told Cynthia everything he could..
Cynthia listened quietly, frowning occasionally.
Just as Caleb was about to take her to the Pokémon Paradise to see the wild Pokémon, Cynthia suddenly asked, "Did it hurt?"
Caleb blinked, "What?"
Cynthia pursed her lips and said, "You said only people who've died get summoned there."
Caleb instantly understood. He smiled and shook his head, "Not really. One moment was darkness, the next, I was here."
…
Meanwhile, Xerneas was still running, racing toward the source of divine blessings...