This was an old wooden house that looked like it had seen better days...
The house was surrounded by a small fence, enclosing a tidy little yard. On either side, two plots of land had been cultivated; one growing ripe vegetables, the other bearing a few common fruit trees.
*Rustle rustle!*
A strange sound suddenly came from the yellowing leaves of the fruit trees.
Caleb turned his head sharply and caught sight of a fluffy tail disappearing into the foliage.
"Who's there?" A man wearing a patched, light-green uniform quickly stepped out of the house, his expression alert as he looked at Caleb.
"Kya! Kya!"
Before Caleb could speak, several figures rushed out of the house, positioning themselves protectively in front of the man.
A Mankey, a Rattata, a Butterfree, and a Hariyama…
The strange 'kya kya' noise had come from the Mankey leading the group.
The Pokémon stared warily at Caleb.
Caleb: "…"
This was the first time since arriving in this world that he had seen Pokémon protecting a human like this. Someone who could earn such loyalty from Pokémon probably wasn't a bad person.
After a moment's thought, he took out a Poké Ball from his inventory. In a flash of white light, Dragonite emerged.
The man's eyes flickered when he saw the standard red-and-white Poké Ball in Caleb's hand. His expression softened slightly, as if realizing something.
"You are…?" he questioned.
"A traveler," Caleb replied simply, his gaze sweeping over the Pokémon before adding, "I'm lost. I just wanted to ask for directions."
Hearing this, the man let out a quiet sigh of relief and subtly tucked away the gun at his waist.
"Come inside first." he said.
Caleb shook his head. He had already noticed the weapon, "I won't intrude. I just wanted to ask if you know how to get to Cameran Palace?"
"Cameran Palace?" The man's expression shifted strangely as he studied Caleb. He asked, "Why would you go there?"
"I'm looking for a friend," Caleb answered.
"A friend?" The man couldn't help but say, "But that place has been in ruins for decades..."
"That can't be right…" Caleb frowned.
"You're a strange one," the man muttered, but he answered honestly, "Seventy years ago, after Team Rocket destroyed the Pokémon League, they set their sights on the Tree of Beginning. The people of Cameran Palace fought to protect it, and in that battle… the entire city was reduced to rubble."
Caleb's brow furrowed, he asked, "What about the Tree of Beginning?"
The man shook his head, "I don't know. I'm just a forest ranger. This is all just something my grandfather told me."
In the Pokémon world, rangers spent their lives in the wilderness protecting wild Pokémon from poachers.
The upheaval seventy years ago had barely touched this remote forest. Even as the outside world changed drastically, the rangers here continued their work, safeguarding the Pokémon.
But after the revolution, poachers had become more frequent... One ranger had died on patrol, passing the duty to his son, who then passed it to his grandson.
And so it continued, down to the present.
Hearing this, Caleb lost interest in further conversation. If Cameran Palace was destroyed, what had happened to the Tree of Beginning? And what about Mew who was tied to it?
After getting directions from the man, he mounted Dragonite and left without another word...
Dragonite's flight was swift. In no time, they broke free of the forest and emerged over a vast, open plain. There, amidst the flatland, stood the ruins of a shattered city.
"Mewtwo," Caleb called.
Mewtwo materialized from its Poké Ball, giving him a questioning look.
"Teleport us there," Caleb said.
Without a word, Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue. In the next instant, Dragonite vanished, only to reappear directly above the ruined city.
The moment Caleb entered the city's boundaries, his quest panel flickered to life:
[Hidden Quest 'The Tragedy of Cameran Palace' Activated!]
[Quest Details: Once a thriving city, Cameran Palace was reduced to ruins in a sudden war. The desperate, the grieving, and those who sought to protect their home became lingering spirits, unwilling to move on all this time.]
[Objective: Wait until midnight (00:00) and speak with Queen Ilene.]
[Reward: ???]
«Note: Completing this quest will unlock the next stage: The Aura Guardian!»
'Queen Ilene…' Caleb recognized the name.
She was the queen from the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the one who had given Ash the Staff of the Hero, Sir Aaron.
But… according to the ranger, she should have died long ago...
Caleb scanned the horizon, searching for any sign of the Tree of Beginning. But the sky was overcast, and a thin mist clung to the distant mountains, obscuring everything.
For now, he had no choice but to stay and see what clues this hidden quest might provide.
With that in mind, he directed Dragonite to land on a relatively intact street.
Just then, voices echoed from nearby:
"Is this really that haunted abandoned city from the internet?" a girl's voice asked.
"Yep! People say you can hear a woman crying at night, and see ghosts wandering around!" a raspy voice answered, "Hey, Wang, is the livestream gear ready?"
"All set! Just waiting for nightfall!" another voice chimed in.
Caleb listened quietly...
His photo had long been plastered across wanted posters throughout Kanto. If he was spotted, Team Rocket would know his location in an instant.
After a brief glance at the group, he turned and led Mewtwo and Dragonite deeper into the ruins, finding a vantage point to set up camp as they waited for nightfall.
Mewtwo stood atop a broken spire, looking down at the young explorers weaving through the ruins below.
>..Shouldn't we drive them away?..<
Mewtwo asked.
Caleb shrugged and shook his head, "It wouldn't work."
>..Why not?..<
Mewtwo sounded puzzled.
Caleb stepped forward, joining Mewtwo in observing the group, then answered, "I once watched a movie called 'The Haunted Pond'..."
Mewtwo knew of movies, something humans entertained themselves with...
'But what does that have to do with this?' Mewtwo gave Caleb a questioning look.
After a moment's thought, he summarized the plot.
Mewtwo processed this with the part of its DNA that was human.
>..So… scaring them would only excite them more?..<
"Exactly," Caleb nodded.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, neither he, Mewtwo, nor Dragonite could be seen.
The last thing he wanted was to wake up surrounded by fighter jets.
Mewtwo seemed skeptical...
Caleb gestured as if to say, 'Go ahead and try...'
Mewtwo's lips thinned, and its eyes glowed blue. With a rumble, the walls near the group collapsed, trapping them.
Then Mewtwo watched as their faces lit up with excitement:
"Ghosts! See, I told you there were ghosts!"
"This livestream is gonna make us rich!"
Mewtwo: "…"
Caleb sighed, then suggested, "Maybe just teleport them out of here."
Mewtwo did.
But by evening, the same group had returned...