~League Calendar 2021, October 25~
One year has passed since the Alola incident.
During this year, the League enacted a new bill. They designated October 25th as a Memorial Day to commemorate the trainer who sacrificed himself to protect this world.
The wealthy Kanto League even erected a massive statue in Celadon City. Passing Trainers and citizens would pause before the statue in silence and remembrance.
Caleb's grave was ultimately placed in Celestic Town, Sinnoh. It was where he had lived the longest and where his home was located...
A full year after his passing, everyone who knew Caleb's origins felt he would never return, that he would never suddenly appear before them like before. With this realization, hope turned into disappointment, and disappointment to despair.
But the traces of his existence did not fade with the passage of time; instead, they became increasingly vivid in people's hearts.
His grave was never without flowers and offerings.
When Lance and the others finished a year of intense training and came together to visit, they found Caleb's grave buried beneath a thick layer of flowers.
Steven lifted the top layer and found the ones beneath already withered.
Cynthia stood at the back of the group, her hair tied in a low ponytail, silently gazing at the name carved on the tombstone.
"You promised you'd stay in this world," Lorelei murmured, half-scolding, half-heartbroken, "It's been so long… if you don't come back soon, everyone's going to forget you."
At those words, the group fell into silence again.
No one spoke. They just stood there, mourning.
And that was the scene Caleb witnessed as he stepped into the clearing after he had completed Arceus's request... a whole group of friends gathered to mourn him.
He stood behind them, amused by the scene, and called out, "Hey! I'm not dead yet! What are you guys doing?"
At the familiar voice, everyone whirled around, instantly switching from grief to stunned joy.
Lance was the first to sprint over. He punched Caleb's shoulder, then pulled him into a crushing hug, "You brat!"
"Bro, man-to-man contact is not cool!" Caleb joked.
Lance abandoned his usual stoic dignity and squeezed even tighter, earning hearty laughter from the whole group.
After rounds of tearful embraces, Lorelei asked softly, "You won't leave again this time, right?"
Caleb smiled, "No. I'm staying." With that, he walked up to Cynthia and said, "You're the one who saved me, you know."
Cynthia was momentarily stunned, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Caleb noticed that she still wore that ring.
He took her hand, his heart feeling completely clear. He raised his own hand, showing the ring on his finger, and said with a smile, "Make a wish, anything at all, and it will come true."
Cynthia chuckled, a lone tear sliding down her flawless cheek. Looking at Caleb's serious expression, she made her wish earnestly, "I wish for you to always be happy and healthy."
As soon as the words were spoken, a bright light erupted from the ring on Caleb's finger.
The single chance to make a wish was used like this. Caleb winced, "No! Why did you use your wish on me again?!"
But Cynthia just kept smiling, to the point that she even looked a little silly.
Caleb exhaled in resignation and pulled her into a hug, 'This girl...'
...
"Lucario, everyone, I'm home!" Caleb led the group back to his house.
The moment he opened the door, he saw Lucario taking care of the two hatchling Pokémon.
No, 'hatchlings' wasn't the right word to describe Larvitar and Dark Lugia anymore. In a year, they had grown to full size.
Seeing him, Lucario froze in disbelief for a moment, then bolted forward and hugged Caleb tightly.
Caleb patted Lucario's fluffy head and held him in his arms, saying, "I'm sorry. I know the past year must've been hard on you."
'Not at all,' Lucario thought.
Larvitar and Lugia came over too, curiously inspecting Caleb.
Caleb turned his gaze to them. He had only taken care of these two little ones for a few days back then. He wondered if they still remembered him.
The answer came quickly, they clearly remembered him.
Larvitar instinctively used Splash, leaping high and tackling Caleb to the ground.
Lugia waddled over and gently licked Caleb's cheek with its damp tongue.
After reuniting with the three, Caleb scanned the house, only to realize that Dragonite and the others were missing.
Cynthia explained softly, "They left after you died..."
Caleb's heart sank: 'Damn it, Arceus! Why send me a year into the future instead of right back to when I left?!'
Fortunately, Lance spoke up, "Your Dragonite took Hydreigon back to the Dragon Holy Land. After you left, they've been in a very bad mental state. When I last saw them, they had lost a lot of weight."
Caleb felt a sharp pang of guilt.
Without the Warp Beacon, he couldn't teleport there directly.
Seeing him like this, the others lost their mood for a proper reunion. They all said their goodbyes, suggesting they get together properly once he had gathered everyone back...
...
That afternoon, Caleb flew with Lance and Lorelei to Johto.
In the Dragon Holy Land, he found the two dragons in poor spirits, undergoing checkups by Nurse Joy.
Caleb immediately broke away from Lance and ran to them, burying his face in Dragonite's neck.
Dragonite: choking @_@
After a long moment, Caleb let go.
Dragonite's eyes widened in shock after registering what was going on: 'Am I dreaming? But it's not even bedtime!'
Before the chonky dragon could process further, Caleb tackled Hydreigon next.
'I'm not dreaming, then?'
"Wuuuurr!" Dragonite let out a choked sob. Tears streamed from his emerald eyes.
Reunited after a long separation, The three of them embraced tightly. Squeezed in the middle, Caleb struggled to breathe.
Lance watched this scene from the side, a quiet smile on his face.
Dragonite and Hydreigon rejoined the team.
Looking at how Dragonite had taken Hydreigon back to where he first met him, Caleb wondered if his remaining Pokémon had also done the same.
After some thought, he boarded a flight to Kanto.
...
~Celadon City~
The old Team Rocket base had been transformed into a bustling gourmet district.
Tourists came and went in droves. Locals all knew that behind the lively scene lived a Pokémon that looked a lot like Pikachu.
It had arrived a year ago and stayed in the same spot ever since, rain or shine, as if waiting for someone.
At first, some trainers tried to catch it because of its unique appearance and unfathomable strength, but no one ever succeeded.
A whole year had passed. People wondered if the one it waited for would ever return. Or maybe he had abandoned it.
After all, incidents of trainers abandoning their Pokémon due to their appearance or strength were not uncommon...
"Hey, little guy, the person you're waiting for doesn't want you anymore. Come with me, I promise I won't do what he did!" said a young trainer who was about Ash's age, crouching down.
Mimikyu didn't respond. She didn't even lift her head.
The boy remembered his pre-journey lessons: To catch a wild Pokémon, one must first battle it and prove their strength.
'So maybe I need to prove myself to this one too?' the boy thought.
He stepped back, pulled out a Poké Ball, and yelled, "Then let's battle! Go, Squirtle!"
Just then, a voice cut in from behind, "Hey, kid! What do you think you're doing? You can't just catch someone else's Pokémon!"
The boy turned his head and saw a familiar face, 'That's...'
Mimikyu's head snapped up at the voice. Recognition lit her eyes.
"I've come to take you home," Caleb said softly.
"Kyuuu!" Mimikyu leapt into the air.
Caleb caught her mid-jump and hugged her tight.
The rookie trainer beside them was stunned, muttering, "That Pokémon belongs to you?"
"As you can see, kid," Caleb replied, suddenly remembering how he used to crush rookies in his early days.
It all began in this city, with his starter, Mimikyu. So…
"I challenge you!" Caleb said to the boy, "Go, Mimikyu!"
"W-why?!" the boy stammered.
...
Now reunited with Mimikyu, Dragonite, Lucario, and Hydreigon... only the two Mewtwos and Celebi remained.
From the Kalos League, Caleb learned that the Mewtwos were still aiding Zygarde in purging Negative Energy Cores and getting rid of the corrupted plants.
When he finally found them, they were resting in a forest thick with corruption.
Mewtwo saw him and said telepathically: >..You're back..<
Caleb nodded, "Yeah. I'm back."
No more words were needed between the two.
Mew2 was less composed, however. It Teleported instantly to Caleb's side and wrapped him in a fierce, trembling embrace.
Caleb sensed its guilt and soothed it gently, "It's okay. I'm here. I'm fine. Don't blame yourself. I don't blame you. Don't worry, what happened before will never happen again."
Mew2 said nothing. It just held on tighter.
Nearby, Zygarde watched in silence, 'The bond between humans and Pokémon is truly fascinating.'
...
As for Celebi, Caleb got word from Lily.
After Caleb's departure, Celebi had traveled through a Time Rift, its whereabouts unknown.
To find his tiny companion, Caleb traveled to Mt. Coronet, used the Spear Key to open the Spear Pillar, and sought the help of the Temporal Pokémon, Dialga.
With Dialga's help, Caleb finally found Celebi within a rift in time and brought it back home...
...
At this moment, Caleb felt like he finally understood how Goku felt after collecting all seven Dragon Balls.
He brought everyone to the Pokémon Paradise and took out his camera, "Say Cheese!"
"Kyuu!"
"Wuuu!"
"Roooar!"
"Bii!"
"Awooo!"
"Lar lar!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
*Click!*
The moment was captured.
Every journey has an end, and now, this train has finally reached its destination.
Caleb's story in the Infinite World has ended, but his story as a trainer is just beginning...
~~~
{T/N: With that, this fic is officially over. I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to everyone for the support via Power Stones & Reviews. You guys rock!
To show my appreciation, you all get to decide what my next project should be. For the remainder of this week, you may comment the name and link to a translation that you'd like me to take up.
Using your suggestions, I will make a Poll, after which, the suggestion with the most votes will be the next fic I translate... Quality guaranteed...
PS: Please consider liking (hearting) my profile...}