Still, the egg didn't appear. But an SS-grade item did drop...
For players, an SS-grade item could be more useful in some aspects than a Dark Lugia. After all, even a perversely useful item like Rewind was only S-grade.
Caleb paused for a moment, then opened his inventory to check the SS-grade item he had just obtained.
It was a pair of rings.
The rings were silver, exquisitely and delicately styled, carved with fine patterns. Although they couldn't compare to the luxury of rings inlaid with pigeon eggs, they exuded a sense of natural elegance and refinement.
'This is probably the best reward from this tier besides the Dark Lugia Pokémon Egg, right?'
Thinking this, Caleb reached out and selected the pair of silver rings.
In the next second, a panel emerged from them:
[Ring (Moonlight Illuminates the Heart): Bond item. Its abilities can only be unlocked after meeting one's destined person.
Ring (Dreams of the Fleeting World): Bond item. Its abilities can only be unlocked after meeting one's destined person...]
Caleb: 'What does this even mean? Singles aren't worthy of using this item, is that it?'
Mewtwo, who was nearby, saw Caleb spacing out and asked: >..What's wrong?..<
Caleb snapped back to his senses, casually tossed the rings into the ocean, and replied, "It's nothing. Let's continue."
Then, he activated Rewind...
...
The Instance reset for the fourth time.
All items that had dropped into the inventory disappeared, along with the pair of rings that had sunk to the bottom of the sea.
But, this time, the Dark Lugia Pokémon Egg still didn't drop.
Mewtwo looked at his expression and understood that Caleb still hadn't obtained what he wanted. He silently asked: >..Shall we continue?..<
Caleb was about to answer, when he received a message from Gardevoir...
He shook his head, saving the progress again, and said, "Let's go back for lunch first."
Mewtwo had no objections.
...
After lunch, Mimikyu, Celebi, and Lucario watched TV in the room. Dragonite took Hydreigon to the Pokémon Paradise for battle practice.
Caleb and Mewtwo continued entering the Extreme Realm Instance to use the SL method to grind for items.
Tomorrow was the day the big battle royale event started. Before entering the Extreme Realm, Caleb sent a message to Hatsumi, asking if she had found a fourth teammate.
Soon, he received a reply from Hatsumi:
{Hatsumi: No, but I received some news...}
{Caleb: What?}
{Hatsumi: It seems that the large-scale event hosted by Infinite World this time isn't the usual battle royale mode like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds... Because up until now, the Infinite World hasn't asked us to upload our team roster. In the past, we always had to submit it a day in advance...}
The specific gameplay didn't matter much to Caleb. He thought for a moment and replied:
{Caleb: Let's just see how it goes when the time comes.}
{Hatsumi: Okay.}
After finishing the conversation, Caleb closed the chat interface. Looking at the Dark Lugia before him, he casually saved a file before the challenge.
A few minutes later, as Dark Lugia plunged into the deep sea, the panel once again popped up with a bunch of useless items.
Caleb glanced over them and then immediately loaded the save point...
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already 5 p.m.
Caleb looked at the Dark Lugia under the crimson sky and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Who knew how many times he had repeated this process over the past few hours, and yet the Dark Lugia Pokémon Egg still hadn't dropped.
Caleb's mood was starting to crumble. Was his luck really that bad?
Mewtwo quietly asked: >..Are we continuing?..<
Caleb took a deep breath, glanced at the time, and shook his head, "Forget it, let's rest for a bit..."
After working all day, Mewtwo was probably tired too.
So the two of them left the Extreme Realm Instance. Caleb first spent some time in the room watching a movie with Mimikyu and the others, then went to the Paradise to play with Dragonite and Hydreigon for a while.
Soon, it was time for dinner.
Having spent the whole day without obtaining the item he wanted, Caleb was feeling quite frustrated, which made him rather absent-minded throughout the meal.
Mimikyu and Dragonite keenly sensed his mood and exchanged a knowing glance.
Dragonite nudged his chin toward Mimikyu.
Mewtwo and Lucario sat silently on the other side, watching the scene unfold.
Mewtwo understood what Caleb was upset about, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Mewtwo had previously tried to communicate with Dark Lugia, hoping it would be sensible enough to willingly enter the human's Poké Ball. But that Dark Lugia had no consciousness of its own, making communication impossible.
Lucario didn't say anything, but also turned his gaze toward Caleb.
On the other hand, Celebi and Hydreigon were completely confused. The impatient Hydreigon couldn't hold back and let out a puzzled cry: "Roar?"
Caleb snapped out of it, looked at his Pokémon, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Hydreigon enthusiastically nuzzled over, opening its bloody big mouth to lick Caleb.
Caleb: "..."
He quickly reached out to block this bad dragon's mouth and said, "You're not allowed to lick me after eating garlic."
When he had hotpot before, he used minced garlic as a dipping sauce. Hydreigon was curious, so Caleb fed it a piece of beef roll dipped in the sauce. As a result, this dragon fell in love with the flavor.
Upon hearing this, the middle head of Hydreigon immediately showed a hurt expression.
Caleb relented, saying, "Only after brushing your teeth."
"Awooo!"
After this little distraction, Caleb forgot all about being unlucky...
...
After dinner with his Pokémon, he took a bath and prepared to return to his room for a good night's sleep, so he could be in perfect condition for tomorrow's big event.
However, even by 1 a.m., he still hadn't fallen asleep. His mind kept circling back to Dark Lugia.
'No! I have to get it today!'
Caleb was fired up. He flipped out of bed, quietly found Mewtwo, who hadn't gone to sleep and was lying on a tree in the Paradise, watching the stars.
Noticing his approach, Mewtwo praised: >..You are the most persistent human I have ever met..<
Caleb: "..."
Mewtwo thought for a moment and added: >..As long as you persevere, you will definitely succeed..<
"Where did you hear that?" Caleb asked.
Mewtwo answered: >..From human television..<
For example, from those motivational speaker videos.
Since arriving here, Mewtwo hadn't had much to do, so he started studying human behavior and thought patterns.
Hearing this, Caleb was stunned for a moment. Then he used his permissions to check his TV viewing history, and saw titles like:
- 101 Essential Tips for Successful Men...
- High EQ: Make Social Interactions Less Awkward!
And similar content...
Caleb opened his mouth, but for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
In the end, he could only say, "I'll recommend a few movies for you. You'd better stop watching that stuff…"
Mewtwo: >..Okay..<