Early the next morning, the Level 2 Barracks were finally completed, increasing the soldier capacity from 5000 to 20 000...
But Caleb didn't immediately go check what new units had been unlocked. Instead, he opened the skill interface and selected the skill 'Friend Out of Thin Air'.
Aside from Dragonite and Hydreigon who were out stretching their wings, his remaining four Pokémon sat beside Caleb in a circle, lifting their gazes to watch the dimensional rift slowly emerge in the center.
The next second, a blurry figure surfaced from the depths of the rift. The figure paused briefly, then slowly walked forward.
The newcomer had silver hair, a strikingly handsome appearance, and thick brows slightly furrowed as he scanned the surroundings with a probing gaze. Then he saw Caleb sitting in a chair, along with the four Pokémon beside him.
It was Steven...
The moment Steven saw Caleb, his expression suddenly changed to a look of horror, as if he had seen a ghost. His brows furrowed, "Weren't you dead?"
Caleb: "…"
He hadn't expected the summoned person to be Steven, someone he'd only met once. Faced with that question, he didn't know what to say.
Steven forced himself to calm down, his face growing solemn and serious.
The two of them stared at each other in silence for a moment.
After successfully delivering its passenger, the dimensional rift vanished cleanly...
Steven pondered for a moment, then asked with a frown, "Is this the spirit world?"
From what he knew, there was indeed such a place in the world, a realm where deceased humans and Ghost-type Pokémon resided. It was said that Dusknoir was the gatekeeper of the spirit world and could escort humans there.
"No." Caleb shook his head.
He wasn't sure how to explain it to Steven.
In truth, the two of them weren't close. They had only met once at the Pokémon school in Slateport City and hadn't interacted since. It was nothing like his relationships with Lorelei, Lance, or Cynthia.
Caleb scratched his head, a bit troubled, then said, "You can think of this as a special parallel dimension. I can't explain it clearly, but in twenty-four hours, you'll return to your original world."
Steven fell silent upon hearing this. As a Champion, he had encountered many things that defied common sense, so this wasn't entirely unacceptable.
After thinking further, Steven looked at Caleb with calm, deep eyes and hesitated before asking, "And you're certain that you aren't dead?"
Caleb nodded, "I'm not dead."
Steven let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief. As long as the person in front of him wasn't a ghost...
Just then, he noticed the humanoid Pokémon standing nearby, "!!"
His focus instantly shifted from the surroundings to said Pokémon.
"Is that Mewtwo?" He asked.
Caleb tilted his head, "You know Mewtwo?"
Steven nodded and said, "Recently, Professor Kukui from the Alola region discovered a Pokémon in Hau'oli City that had never been seen before. That Pokémon was Mewtwo."
Caleb had already heard this from Lorelei. He thought that Mewtwo may have sensed traces of Amber's presence and gone to Hau'oli City.
He didn't respond, but Mewtwo glanced at him.
This wasn't the first time Mewtwo had heard about the other world's Mewtwo, and every time the name came up, he could sense a faint ripple of emotions from Caleb.
Mewtwo thought for a moment, then asked telepathically: >..Do you know that Mewtwo?..<
There was nothing to hide. Caleb nodded and said, "Do you remember the familiar feeling you sensed from me the first time we met?"
Mewtwo nodded, slightly puzzled: >..I remember..<
'Is it related to this matter?' Mewtwo wondered.
"That feeling came from an item I obtained from that Mewtwo. It helps increase your kind's favorability towards me." Caleb briefly explained the events involving Amber from the first Instance to Mewtwo.
Mewtwo listened silently, then said: >..That Mewtwo must have formed a psychic resonance with the girl named Amber, and as a result, was influenced by her emotions. Amber's gratitude and fondness towards you influenced that Mewtwo, which hadn't yet been fully developed..<
Mewtwo paused for a moment, then said: >..This is all my speculation. You know, in my world, there was no Amber..<
This Mewtwo was created by Blaine using Mew's genes and human DNA.
Caleb also recalled the events from the Collapse World and asked, "If I hadn't had that item, would you have still sent me away back then?"
Mewtwo: >..I don't think so...<
If he hadn't sensed that familiar emotional resonance, Mewtwo might have eliminated Caleb on the spot.
Thinking about this, Mewtwo felt a mix of fear and relief...
Fear that if he had killed Caleb, that world would have been completely plunged into darkness, and Mewtwo himself would have been consumed by the darkness.
The relief came from the fact that he hadn't killed Caleb, but instead sent him to a safe place.
Mewtwo said: >..If I ever get the chance, I'd like to meet that Mewtwo..<
He wanted to thank it in person for the emotional resonance that allowed him to understand Caleb more deeply.
Caleb sensed Mewtwo's thoughts and, unable to hold back, stopped speaking telepathically and chuckled, saying, "I think you're becoming more and more human."
Steven turned to Caleb with a puzzled look and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Caleb scratched his head awkwardly at that. He'd gotten so caught up in the conversation, that he forgot Steven was still standing there!
Steven quickly understood what had happened. He had read that Mewtwo could communicate with humans via telepathy. But he didn't press further about what they were discussing.
Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "Is it your Pokémon?"
Before Caleb could answer, Mewtwo responded telepathically: >..Yes..<
Caleb gestured to all his Pokémon, then said, "They're all my companions."
Steven looked around... He saw a Mimikyu, Lucario, and even Celebi, a Pokémon he'd only heard of in legends but never seen before. And then this Mewtwo…
Steven was stunned, 'So who exactly is this young man standing before me?'
In his understanding, Caleb had always been a Bug Catcher from Oldale Town. But everything he saw today was violently shaking that belief.
Has anyone ever seen a Bug Catcher with a Celebi and Mewtwo? No one has.
Steven looked solemnly at the young man before him, wondering, 'Is he really just a Bug Catcher from Oldale Town? And is everything that I'm seeing even real?'
He even wondered if this was all just a dream brought on by his exhaustion from searching for meteorites.
But that also raised the question of how he could dream of someone who had been dead for so long and whom he'd only met once...