*Click! Click! Click!*
Countless citizens gathered on the ground, frantically snapping photos of the scene in the sky with their phones.
They posted to their personal feeds, shared on social platforms, spreading the news to every corner the internet could reach.
In just over ten minutes, the headline «Unknown Man Attempts to Attack Rocket Tower» had spread to every part of the world.
In this era where gunfights, turf wars, and deaths were daily occurrences, people were long accustomed to such incidents. But compared to today's events, those were nothing...
After all, the target of the attack was Team Rocket!
....
~Top Floor of Rocket Tower~
Giovanni, dressed in a black suit, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing disdainfully at the figure riding the green Dragonite in the sky...
He dialed his secretary, Matori.
"Recall Archer." he ordered.
Matori had also seen the green Dragonite. She nodded calmly, "Understood."
A faint smirk curled Giovanni's lips as he switched his comms to Mewtwo's channel, his tone as indifferent as if he were crushing an ant, "Kill them."
With that, he turned, poured himself a glass of red wine, and returned to the window, ready to enjoy the show.
But...
Two minutes passed.
Mewtwo didn't move.
It hovered silently in midair, its gaze was filled with turbulent emotions as it locked onto the figure across from it through the steel visor of its armor.
"Mewtwo?" Giovanni's hand paused.
Only then did Mewtwo react, slowly raising its hand.
A tsunami of Psychic energy erupted from its body, instantly swallowing the figure opposite it.
Giovanni's expression darkened, "What are you doing?!"
Mewtwo's figure vanished from the sky. Its emotionless voice transmitted through the armor's comms:
<..I did nothing..>
Giovanni was furious, "Do you take me for a fool?! That was clearly Teleport! Where did you send him?!"
Mewtwo didn't answer. It simply cut off communications.
*Crash!*
Giovanni smashed his wineglass against the floor, the ruby-red liquid splattering across the polished tiles...
...
"Jessie! James! Come quick! There's an unconscious guy and a green Dragonite here nyaa!"
A familiar voice rang out from above.
Caleb opened his eyes to see a very familiar face looming over him.
"WAHHH!"
Meowth, who had been peering at him, leaped back in shock when Caleb suddenly awoke.
He scrambled behind a beautiful woman in a traditional kimono, her long magenta hair cascading down her back.
'Jessie... Meowth...'
Caleb's expression was complicated as he locked eyes with the two members of Team Rocket.
At that moment, Dragonite also stirred, blinking groggily as it took in its surroundings.
Then, a male voice called from the yard behind them, "Jessie! Meowth! Come look! Big news, some guy on a green Dragonite just attacked Rocket Tower!"
"Green Dragonite..."
Hearing this, Jessie and Meowth whirled their heads toward the Dragonite beside Caleb.
"..."
"What's going on? Why aren't you saying anything?" a baffled James stepped out from the yard.
He glanced at his silent companions, then followed their gaze to the green Dragonite and the young man on the grass.
James: "..."
His eyes bulged. Disbelieving, he looked down at the news on his virtual wristband.
"Y-y-y-you're...!"
Caleb: "..."
"What's going on, nyaa? James, do you know him?" Meowth asked, confused.
"Look!" James immediately projected the news onto a virtual screen in front of Meowth.
"I thought it was something big, nyaa– wait!" Meowth's expression morphed into shock as he looked back and forth between Caleb and the image.
"Uh... hi?" Caleb hesitantly raised a hand in greeting.
So far, these three were the only familiar faces he'd encountered in this world.
"Mewtwo didn't kill you?" James asked, stunned.
'Mewtwo...'
Caleb glanced at the Red Heart in his inventory.
He was certain that without it, he would have died instantly instead of being teleported here.
The Mewtwo of this world was far more terrifying than the one he had met in the Survival Instance.
"Why... why did you attack Rocket Tower, meow?" Meowth blurted out.
Caleb studied them for a moment before countering, "Who... are you people?"
"Us?" Meowth pointed at himself, "We're just ordinary folks, nyaa..."
"Let's talk inside first." Jessie, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
She turned and led the way...
Unsure of this world's version of the Team Rocket trio, Caleb exchanged a glance with Dragonite before following.
As they walked, he observed the surroundings. This seemed to be a peaceful, idyllic town, no different from the ones he'd seen in previous Instances.
Unlike the cyberpunk dystopia of Rocket City, here there were green fields, towering trees, and even a small river behind the house.
The trio lived in a modest two-story home with a small yard.
The moment Caleb stepped inside, he spotted several familiar Pokémon...
Wobbuffet, Arbok, Weezing... They all appeared in the Anime and were old companions of Team Rocket.
After a moment, Caleb turned back, only to find Jessie, James, and Meowth staring at him.
He blinked, "What?"
The trio's expressions darkened slightly.
James spoke softly, "Nothing... You just reminded us of an old friend."
"Old friend?" Caleb was a little puzzled.
As far as he remembered, Team Rocket didn't have many friends.
"Too bad he's gone now, nyaa..." Meowth hung his head, looking utterly dejected.
Caleb made a noncommittal sound and followed Meowth into the living room.
Jessie poured a glass of juice from the smart fridge and handed it to Caleb before sitting across from him with James and Meowth.
Caleb: "..."
'Why does this feel like an interrogation?'
"You still haven't answered our question nyaa..." Meowth pressed.
Caleb was silent for a while, then he asked, "Aren't you afraid Team Rocket will find out you're harboring me?"
"Probably... not?" James mused.
Jessie studied Caleb before suddenly asking, "Your name is Caleb, isn't it?"
Caleb immediately turned to her.
Beside her, James and Meowth gasped:
"WHAT?! You mean he's the guy the twerp kept talking about?!"