Jessie didn't speak, simply sitting there quietly as she waited for Caleb's answer...
Seeing this, Meowth and James also turned their gazes toward him.
The only person in the entire world whom Team Rocket would refer to as 'the twerp' was that one kid...
Facing the trio's expectant yet slightly uneasy expressions, Caleb nodded and asked, "Did Ash tell you about me?"
'But I've never even met Ash before...'
At these words, Jessie visibly relaxed. She exchanged a glance with Meowth and James before nodding, "Yeah."
"So... what exactly happened back then?" Caleb asked.
"A lot of things happened, nyaa..." Meowth said sorrowfully.
"I'll explain," Jessie sighed softly and began, "In the year 2015 of the League calendar, Team Rocket joined forces with Sinnoh's Team Galactic, Hoenn's Team Magma and Team Aqua, Unova's Team Plasma, and Kalos's Team Flare."
"...They launched a surprise attack on the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Unova, and Kalos Leagues, seizing control of major cities before anyone could react. They took control of every Legendary Pokémon they could; Mewtwo, Kyogre, Groudon, Dialga, Palkia... and used powerful satellite cannons to blast Rayquaza out of the atmosphere. The Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Champions of each region quickly formed the Resistance Army, but against so many powerful Legendary Pokémon and satellite-level weaponry, they stood no chance."
"...In 2016, the Resistance Army's First Division, led by Lance, was cornered by Team Rocket and forced into a final battle at Mt. Silver. That battle ended in devastating defeat. Lance fell in combat, while Lorelei, Bruno, and Agatha's fates remain unknown... The following year, the twerp, Ash, along with Misty and Brock, led the remaining Resistance forces to retreat to the Orange Islands." Jessie paused for a moment, then added, "But Team Rocket didn't let them go..."
Meowth lowered his head and spoke in a heavy tone, "The twerp fought to the very end with his Charizard, Pikachu, and that Greninja that could Bond Evolution nyaa."
James's eyes flashed with regret, "They were heroes."
Caleb could hardly believe it, "What about the Sinnoh region?"
Meowth: "It also fell nyaa. The Resistance Army's Fourth Division Commander, Cynthia, died in battle against Cyrus and Giovanni."
The air grew heavy with silence...
"Want some candy?"
"Terrence, what flavor of ice cream do you want today?"
"Terrence-chan, do you want me to help you bathe?"
"Little liar..."
The familiar voice echoed uncontrollably in Caleb's mind. He bit his tongue, forcing his emotions under control, and asked, "Then... what about you all now?"
"Us?" Jessie smiled bitterly, "After the war, Giovanni changed completely. He enacted harsh laws. All Pokémon resources belong to Team Rocket, and civilians are forbidden from capturing wild Pokémon. At the same time, Poké Balls were classified as contraband, and their production was banned. At first, people protested, but then Giovanni said one thing..."
James continued, "He said that anyone who reported someone catching Pokémon would receive 50 000 Pokédollars and a job at the Rocket Corporation. Later, they developed 'Immortality' technology... and used dissenting members like us as test subjects..."
Meowth: "Everyone who underwent the Immortality procedure, humans and Pokémon alike, was imprisoned here, nyaa... We haven't left this place in over sixty years, nyaa."
"So... where is this place?" Caleb asked.
James hesitated before answering, "Sixty years ago, it was called Pallet Town."
Pallet Town... Ash's hometown. The place where everything began.
"We're sorry... We never thought things would turn out like this," Jessie said quietly.
"Sorry, can I have some time alone?" Caleb asked. He needed space to process everything.
The trio exchanged glances before nodding and leaving the room.
"Wuu..."
Dragonite had heard everything. It looked at its trainer with concern.
Caleb rubbed its head and took out its Poké Ball from his inventory. It was the most ordinary-looking red-and-white Poké Ball. And also the first gift Cynthia had ever given him.
Even though he knew this world's Cynthia wasn't the same as the one from before, he couldn't accept the news of her tragic death.
After three years of living together, he had come to see her as both a dear friend and an older sister.
Though Jessie hadn't gone into detail, Caleb could imagine Cynthia's final moments...
Facing both Giovanni, who controlled Mewtwo, and Cyrus, who commanded Dialga and Palkia.
That girl who was cold on the surface but warm and kind at heart, who loved ice cream and struggled with indecisiveness... how desperate must she have felt in her last moments?
...
Caleb stayed in the room all afternoon...
When he finally stepped out, Jessie and James were preparing dinner for their Weezing and Arbok.
Meowth: "Are you okay, nyaa?"
Caleb shook his head and asked, "Can you tell me more about what Ash said about me?"
Since entering the Infinite World, he had never once met Ash. So if it wasn't the past, then it could only be the future.
Perhaps through the Temporal Pokémon, Dialga; or the Mythical Pokémon, Celebi, Caleb had traveled to the past, or Ash had come to the future.
Jessie thought for a moment, then replied, "It was after Lance died. Cyrus came to Kanto to meet Giovanni and ran into the twerp... Then the twerp disappeared. When he came back, he was really excited and told us a lot of things."
By that point, Jessie, James, and Meowth could no longer accept Giovanni's methods. They had battled wits with Ash for years, chasing him from Kanto all the way to Kalos.
In a way, they had watched him grow up...
So, they often secretly passed information to Ash's Resistance Army, urging them to flee and stop fighting Team Rocket.
"The twerp told us he met you... and that in the end, you succeeded," Jessie said.
'Alright. So Ash had somehow traveled to the future. But... I succeeded in saving the world?' Caleb frowned.
Truthfully, he had no idea where to even begin now.
According to Jessie and the others, it wasn't just the Kanto region that had fallen... the other regions were likely in similarly dire straits.
Caleb took a deep breath, before saying, "Alright, I understand. But there's something else I need your help with."
James: "We're partly responsible for how things turned out. Just name it. We'll help!"
"Same here, nyaa!" Meowth clenched his paws, "If I could do it over, I'd never join Team Rocket, nyaa!"
Caleb smiled faintly, "It's nothing major. I just want to know the current status of the Legendary Pokémon..."
Such as Arceus, Ho-Oh, Mew, and others. He needed to know which ones could become allies...