A hunched-back homeless man walked from the end of an alley to a garbage bin, holding a rusted iron rod in his hand, searching for tonight's dinner...
Caleb's consciousness returned to his body, and the scene before him gradually became clearer. Frowning, he used his left hand to shield himself from the rain while pushing himself up from the pile of trash with his right.
In the silent pitch-black alley, a figure suddenly emerged from the garbage bin, startling the homeless man who had come looking for food.
"Damn, what bad luck!" The homeless man cursed loudly, "Get lost! Don't block my way!"
Caleb glanced at him and climbed out of the garbage bin.
The homeless man stepped forward, then poked the iron rod into the bin and rummaged around. Soon, he pulled out a half-eaten loaf of bread. The bread was dripping with grayish-black muddy water, emitting a nauseating stench of rotten garbage.
Dropping the iron rod, the man held the bread as if it were a treasure, then took big and voracious bites.
Caleb asked, "You're eating that?"
The sudden voice from behind startled the homeless man again. Clutching his chest, he turned around angrily, "Good grief, can you stop scaring people like a damn ghost?!"
Caleb took out a ham sandwich from his inventory, immediately catching the homeless man's attention.
Caleb: "Tell me where this place is, and this is yours."
The homeless man froze, his expression turning strange, "This is Rocket City! You're not a local?"
'Rocket City… There's no such place in the Pokémon world...'
Caleb frowned slightly and rephrased his question, "What region is this? And what year is it now?"
"You're a weird one..." the homeless man muttered, his eyes fixated on the fresh sandwich in Caleb's hand. He swallowed hard and answered, "This is the Kanto region. The year is 2077."
'So… this is the future of the Pokémon world?'
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Caleb tossed the sandwich to the homeless man and turned to walk out of the alley.
As he walked, he opened the main quest panel. Unlike the other Instances, this one was only 3 bleak, lifeless words:
[Main Quest: Save the World]
No hints, no task duration, no completion rewards...
Just then, a burst of rock-band-style music echoed from ahead.
Caleb looked up and saw a silver high-speed train gliding past on the suspended track above.
As the train passed, the towering skyscrapers behind it, which flashed with neon lights and exuded a futuristic vibe, came into view.
On the most prominent building, a symbol Caleb knew all too well was emblazoned... a capital letter 'R'.
"Rocket City… A collapsed world… No way…?" His pupils contracted slightly before he swiftly turned back into the alley.
Taking out another sandwich from his 'backpack' (inventory), he held it in front of the homeless man, who was still rummaging through the garbage, and asked, "Who rules this city now?"
The homeless man licked his lips, savoring the memory of the fresh ham and soft bread, "Of course it's Team Rocket."
"What about the Kanto League?"
"The League? It fell decades ago! Wait–" The homeless man's expression suddenly turned wary, "Why are you asking so much? You're not with the Resistance, are you? I can't tell you anything!"
"Resistance…? What's that…?" Caleb frowned, then swiftly pulled out three more pieces of bread and placed them in front of the homeless man, "Tell me, and all of this is yours."
*Tsss!*
The homeless man sucked in a sharp breath, as if making a monumental decision.
His eyes locked onto the food in Caleb's hands as he spoke, "The Resistance is just the Resistance! They're probably the only group left in this world that dares to oppose Team Rocket. I don't know anything else. I only heard about them from others. I wasn't even born when all this went down."
A bad feeling crept into Caleb's heart. He pressed his lips together and asked, "What about Lance?"
"Lance?" The name didn't immediately register with the homeless man. After thinking for a while, he finally answered, "Oh! You mean the Dragon-type Champion from back then? He's been dead for decades!"
"How did he die?"
"I heard he was blown to bits by Mewtwo. Not even a corpse was left. Brutal..." the homeless man said.
'Mewtwo…'
Caleb could hardly believe it, "Mewtwo?"
"Yeah." The man nodded, "Team Rocket's ultimate weapon. The strongest Pokémon in Kanto. If you go out now and turn right, stand on the street across from Rocket Tower and look up, you might even see it."
"Good. You can go now." Caleb handed him the bread, then turned to leave the alley.
The homeless man stared at his retreating figure, greed flashing in his eyes. Grabbing his iron rod, he followed Caleb through the pouring rain.
Walking ahead, Caleb narrowed his eyes slightly. His right hand subtly reached into the air and pulled out a Poké Ball.
A flash of white light later, a Lucario appeared in the alley. With a single punch, it sent the homeless man flying.
"You're trying to rob me?" Caleb stepped forward, standing beside Lucario as he asked softly.
His black hair was drenched by the rain, his face pale, his pupils dark... He was like a vengeful spirit that crawled out of hell.
The homeless man's face twisted in horror as he stared at Caleb and Lucario, his voice trembling, "A… a Poké Ball? Lucario… W-what are you?!"
"Knock him out and throw him in the garbage bin," Caleb ordered.
"No! You can't do this!" the homeless man shrieked in terror.
Caleb turned and walked out of the alley.
The homeless man's screams were abruptly cut off as silence quickly returned behind him.
Lucario rejoined Caleb's side, and together, they left the alley...
It was nighttime in this world. Neon lights flickered across the city, but perhaps because this area was too remote, the streets were nearly empty.
"Hungry?" Caleb asked.
Lucario shook its head.
"Alright, let's find a place to stay first, then eat." he patted Lucario's fluffy head.
Man and Pokémon walked along the road, taking in the cyberpunk-esque cityscape... The shops on either side of the street were tightly shut, their doors closed. Waterlogged newspapers clung to the ground.
A billboard on the sidewalk emitted a ghastly white glow in the darkness. Written in colorful slogans was:
<..Delicious Pavilion's Newest Dish: 'Deep-Fried Slowpoke Tail'! Only 98! Buy now and get the second one at half price!.>
And so on...
Caleb glanced at it, only to feel an overwhelming sense of wrongness crash over him.
In such a massive city, he hadn't seen a single living Pokémon! Combined with that billboard, a chill ran down his spine.
Pressing his lips together, he recalled Lucario into its Poké Ball for safety's sake. Now alone, he wandered aimlessly through the rain-soaked streets.
Passing through the quiet and nearly deserted district, he arrived at a commercial area adorned with colorful lights.
After a brief hesitation, he stepped inside...