As everyone knew, Mewtwo had two different Mega Evolution forms...
One was the X form, which focused on physical attacks, the one it was currently in. The other was the Y form, which specialized in special attacks.
Caleb walked through the bustling streets, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.
The area was packed with people; some taking photos, some whistling, all of them excited, as if caught up in some wild party.
High in the sky... Mega Mewtwo X instantly Teleported behind one of the Deoxys.
A surge of psychic energy materialized into a tangible force, crashing toward the Deoxys.
It happened so fast, the cameras couldn't even capture it. Before anyone could react, the Deoxys (which had just transformed) was sent plummeting to the ground like a broken kite, smashing a massive crater into the concrete.
Instant… KO? The crowd erupted into chaos.
The Deoxys struggled to climb out of the crater, it was battered and bruised.
But Mewtwo had already locked onto the second Deoxys. The same scene repeated itself!
However, this time, having witnessed its companion's defeat, the Deoxys was prepared.
The moment Mewtwo appeared behind it, it Teleported away, putting distance between them before retaliating with a Psycho Boost.
Mewtwo snorted coldly, vanishing from its position and chasing after Deoxys.
The two Psychic-type Pokémon became streaks of white light, darting across the sky in a high-speed pursuit.
Their movements were too fast for the human eye to follow.
Caleb stood among the crowd, silently watching the battle above. His right hand was tucked in his pocket, gripping an Escape Rope and Dragonite's Poké Ball. He was ready to rush in and rescue Mewtwo at any moment.
Then, a large hand landed on his shoulder.
Caleb instinctively threw an elbow strike, immediately putting distance between himself and the stranger.
When he turned, he saw a young man who was clutching his stomach in pain, his face twisted in agony as he gasped for breath.
Caleb: "??"
The young man forced a pained grin and mouthed one silent word: "Player?"
Caleb paused. The guy stepped closer and whispered, "Relax. I'm a good guy."
Caleb lowered his clenched fist and kept his voice low, "You're a player too?"
The young man shook his head, "Nah, by your standards, I'd be a native NPC of this Instance."
A few bystanders were starting to glance their way. Before Caleb could respond, the guy gestured, "Let's talk somewhere else?"
Caleb gave him a look, then followed...
The battle in the sky raged on.
Deoxys' Speed Forme was even faster than Mewtwo. And with the second Deoxys rejoining the fight and giving the other room to also use Speed Forme, the battle grew even more intense...
...
Caleb and the stranger slipped into a quiet alley...
He glanced up at the three streaks of light in the sky, confirming the fight wouldn't end immediately, then focused on the young man before him.
The guy noticed Caleb's wary expression and explained, "Don't worry... in this penalty Instance, players and NPCs can reveal their identities without punishment."
Caleb pondered, 'Why does this guy know more than I do?'
He then narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you?"
The young man scratched his head and grinned, "Ah, right! Let me introduce myself. I'm Kai, a member of the Resistance Army's First Division. We're on the same side."
'How did the Resistance know about players?' Caleb mused.
Maybe his confusion was too obvious, because Kai continued, "You're not the first player to come to this world. Before you, there were six others…"
Caleb: "Are they still alive?"
Kai shook his head, "No. Some died in gang fights, some tried to assassinate Giovanni with Psychic-types… and got killed at Rocket HQ."
Kai added, "The stuff about players? That was from the last one before you, Tsukino Rei. She died two years ago during a city-wide manhunt."
'Tsukino Rei… That was the player who triggered the punishment Instance in the Bug Catcher Scenario...' Caleb thought.
Kai went on, "After that, two years passed… until three days ago, when we found you."
"Three days ago?" Caleb blinked.
That was right after he arrived...
Kai nodded, "All you players spawn in the same alley, inside a dumpster. Our surveillance camera caught you, but by the time we got there, you were already gone."
Then came yesterday's headline that shocked all of Kanto:
<..SHOCKING! MYSTERIOUS MAN WITH DRAGONITE ATTEMPTS TO BOMB ROCKET HQ WITH DRACO METEOR!..>
Kai pulled up the news on his smart wristband and showed it to Caleb.
When Caleb looked up, Kai was staring at him with burning intensity.
Caleb stared at him in confusion.
Kai explained, "Mewtwo didn't attack you."
He had never seen Mewtwo spare a human before...
Anyone who challenged Team Rocket was instantly crushed by psychic force... not peacefully Teleported away like yesterday.
Kai's gaze grew even more fervent.
Caleb felt a little exasperated. He knew exactly what the guy was thinking...
With Mewtwo and Deoxys under their control, Team Rocket was too overpowered. If the Resistance could somehow recruit Mewtwo, the balance of power in Kanto would shift dramatically.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Caleb considered it, then said, "Fine. I'll cooperate."
Kai's jaw dropped, "Bro, I didn't even ask yet–"
Caleb cut him off and asked directly, "Isn't that why you approached me?"
"Well, yes!" Kai brightened.
He'd been worried Caleb might refuse. After all, some of the players they encountered in the past were too arrogant to work with NPCs.
Caleb glanced upward again. The battle was nearing its end...
One Deoxys had already been knocked out, and the other was clearly running out of stamina.
Mewtwo gripped Deoxys by the throat, its eyes blazing with blue light. Psychic energy surged...
Then, Caleb's worst fear came true.
Dozens of black robots shot out from Rocket HQ, moving so fast, they blurred. In seconds, they surrounded Mewtwo in a net-like formation.
"Those are… Team Rocket's mechanical Pokémon," Kai muttered.
Mewtwo released Deoxys. Then, its psychic attacks lashed out at the surrounding robots, but the energy vanished upon contact, as if swallowed by a void.
From atop Rocket HQ, Giovanni smirked.
These machines were specifically designed to counter Mewtwo. They were infused with Dark-type energy.
Their purpose wasn't just nullifying Psychic attacks.
"Begin." Giovanni commanded, his tone cold.
The next moment, the mechanical Pokémon that were packed with Dark energy let out a mechanical hum before self-destructing, one after another, crashing into Mewtwo like suicide bombers.
Dark explosions erupted across the sky.
Mewtwo was engulfed before it could even Teleport away...
....
The explosions lasted about five minutes...
When the last machine detonated, Mewtwo was forcibly knocked out of its Mega Evolution, plummeting toward the ground.
Caleb pulled out Dragonite's Poké Ball and turned to Kai, "Tell me where the Resistance base is!" he asked urgently.
Kai froze, unconsciously asking, "What are you planning?"
Caleb released Dragonite, already mounting it, then said, "We'll regroup there!"
Kai snapped to attention and quickly replied, "Vermilion City!"
"Got it. Wait for me in Vermilion!"
With that, Caleb and Dragonite shot into the sky, diving straight toward Mewtwo's falling form.
The sudden movement drew immediate attention...
Team Rocket had guards stationed to keep civilians out, including the fully armed men Caleb had encountered at the hotel.
"Stop him!" One of the menn barked the order, and armed hovercrafts emerged from all sides.
*BRRRRRRT!*
Gunfire erupted, bullets streaking toward Dragonite.
Caleb frowned and urged, "Full speed ahead. Draco Meteor!"
This time, with Mewtwo down and both Deoxys incapacitated, nothing could stop the attack.
The sky darkened as fiery meteors of draconic energy rained down.
The Rocket officer's face paled as he barked, "EVADE!"
Panic spread through the crowd.
Giovanni who was watching from above snarled: "NO RETREAT! STOP HIM!"
The grunts froze, fear flashing across their faces. But they obeyed, raising their weapons again.
*WHOOSH!*
Rockets shot toward Dragonite.
Caleb didn't hesitate. He pulled out Gardevoir from the inventory without hesitation, "Teleport!"
"Understood, Master." Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue.
In an instant, Caleb and Dragonite appeared right beneath Mewtwo's falling body.
"Got you!" Caleb snatched a standard Poké Ball from his inventory, and captured Mewtwo mid-air.
Before the ball could even shake, he activated the Escape Rope.
Kai, who was still in the crowd, exhaled in relief as Caleb vanished.
A small smile tugged at his lips before he casually slipped away from the scene...
....
"DAMN IT!" Giovanni's face twisted with rage as he roared.
He slammed his fist through the floor-to-ceiling window, shattering it.
"Sir…" His secretary, Matori, stepped in cautiously, saying, "Maxie from Hoenn is calling."
"Put him through!" Giovanni took a deep breath. He stared at his bloodied and glass-embedded right hand before accepting the call with his left.
A holographic projection flickered to life, revealing Maxie.
The red-haired man smirk:
"Need my help?" he asked, eyeing Giovanni's injury.
Giovanni glared and coldly said, "Not necessary."
Maxie raised a brow, "You sure?"
After a pause, Giovanni growled, "I'll handle this matter myself."
"Suit yourself." Maxie shrugged, changing the subject, "How's the research on the dimensional (time) machine coming along?"
Ever since the villainous teams took over this world, Giovanni had been researching quantum mechanics. He was trying to open portals to parallel worlds for conquest.
They were already unstoppable in this world.
And thanks to Immortality technology, their existence became endless… and boring.
Thus, their sights turned to other dimensions...
"Almost done." Giovanni answered vaguely, his mind still on Caleb's identity.
All rare Pokémon in Kanto were under Team Rocket's control. No one should've been able to catch a wild Dragonite.
Maxie didn't press. He simply said, "Let me know if you need anything."
Then the call ended...
....
The Escape Rope dumped Caleb into the wilderness again...
The moment he landed, Mewtwo burst out of its Poké Ball, scanning the surroundings warily.
"It's safe here. For now." Caleb said.
He eyed Mewtwo's injuries and activated the Viridian Power to heal it.
Seeing Caleb, Mewtwo's face showed obvious relief.
>..You saved me..<
Mewtwo said quietly.
Caleb nodded, then said, "You were reckless. You should've just Teleported into Giovanni's office and crushed him with psychic power."
Mewtwo: "…"
Caleb stared at Mewtwo in disbelief as he realized something, "Don't tell me you tried attacking from outside... like I did?"
Mewtwo: "…"
'Yep. That explains it.'
After hours of tension, Caleb finally sat on the grass now that they were currently out of harm's way. He then released Mimikyu and Lucario to feed them.
Mewtwo watched silently.
Mimikyu saw Mewtwo, then assumed this was a new teammate, so it happily trotted over and offered Mewtwo a Pokéblock from its snack box.
Caleb was drinking water on the side, and choked mid-sip when he saw this scene...
Every Pokémon present (except Mewtwo) knew what Mimikyu's gesture meant.
Dragonite eyed Mewtwo nervously. It could sense that this Pokémon was way stronger than itself. So if Mewtwo joined the team… would Dragonite still be the top dog?
Worse... what if Caleb preferred Teleportation over flying? Would he stop riding Dragonite?
The thought made Dragonite's expression crumple in distress...
Lucario, on the other hand, stayed indifferent. It glanced at Mewtwo once before focusing back on Caleb. New teammates didn't matter, only protecting its trainer did.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Mimikyu noticed it, and it looked at its companions with some confusion, then noticed Dragonite glaring daggers at it.
Startled, Mimikyu scrambled into Caleb's arms...
Caleb: "…"