The moment Caleb stepped through the door, he saw a room full of guests bearing gifts.
Lance, Lorelei, Steven, Cynthia, Caitlin…
'Whoa, an all-star lineup!' Caleb thought, slightly stunned.
Aside from Alola and Galar, it seemed like every regional League had sent representatives.
Caleb's eyes immediately locked onto Steven, who stood out from the group with the egg cradled in his arms.
Caleb activated Appraisal. A moment later, the egg's details appeared in his mind:
[Larvitar Egg: Still some time before hatching]
'Is that for me?' Caleb was genuinely shocked.
Tyranitar was a pseudo-legendary from Hoenn! And Caleb felt he hadn't even done anything special for the region.
'Mhm… I did kick Maxie and Archie into the sea, but that was incidental. I even got the Red and Blue Orbs for free, and the Hoenn League hadn't asked me to return them.'
Looking at everyone, Caleb broke into a smile and said, "Seriously, you didn't have to bring gifts!"
Lorelei chuckled and teased, "Then stop staring at Steven's egg!"
Caleb laughed sheepishly.
At that moment, Drasna from the Kalos delegation stepped forward with a warm smile and extended her hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chase. I'm Drasna."
Caleb recognized her from the Anime. And in person, she didn't look very different from her animated counterpart.
He shook her hand with a grin, "Technically, this is our second meeting."
He hadn't greeted them last time since he was in a rush and just teleported straight to Hoenn.
"How about having a meal together?" Caleb asked, glancing around at the group.
Cynthia moved to his side, saying, "I'll go prepare something."
"No need," Caleb shook his head, "Let's just go to my place."
Since arriving in this world, the Warp Beacon had automatically removed all locations from other dimensions, and in turn, gained a new function: Group Teleportation.
"Huh?" Cynthia was momentarily stunned, then remembered Caleb's special ability and smiled, nodding.
At the mention of 'my place', Lorelei raised an eyebrow and asked, "So you're staying for good?"
Caleb nodded, "Yes. I'm never leaving again."
As he spoke, he activated the Warp Beacon. In the next second, the entire group, along with all their gifts, appeared on the grassy lawn of his backyard.
Everyone was momentarily stunned by the sudden shift.
Caleb explained casually, "It's my psychic ability. I can teleport people with me."
They were all adults, so no one pressed for details. After the initial shock, they followed Caleb into his house...
Gardevoir, his domestic robot, instantly sprang into action upon learning the situation and hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Caleb released all his Pokémon from their Poké Balls and had Dragonite lead them to the Pokémon Paradise to relax.
When Drasna spotted the two Mewtwos, her eyes widened, "You're the mysterious Trainer from Alola who caught Mewtwo?!"
"Yep. That's me."
"Oh my!" Drasna gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief.
Caitlin patted her shoulder, completely unfazed, "Stay calm."
Just then, a red orb and a blue orb rolled out from the inner room, with Mimikyu and Celebi gleefully chasing after them. The two small Pokémon hopped on top of the orbs and started rolling on them like they were on wheels.
Steven watched, his expression complicated. Even for someone of his privileged background, this was astonishing.
'What kind of household treats legendary orbs like toys for Pokémon to play with…?'
Caleb turned on the TV, but in this setting, no one really wanted to watch. After a moment's thought, he led everyone to the Pokémon Paradise.
Drasna and the others were even more shocked:
'This is a backyard?!'
'Whose backyard is this extravagant?!'
'This has to be a separate dimension!'
'It's not even visible from outside!'
Caleb pointed to a few wild Pokémon playing on the grass and said to Lance and Lorelei, "These are the wild Pokémon we rescued from the burned-down Ilex Forest. Remember?"
Lorelei certainly remembered. Seeing their joyful faces now, she sighed softly, "We really owe you for that."
As they strolled through the grass, they discussed the aftermath of various villainous teams. Caleb learned more about Team Flare, Team Aqua, and others..
Soon, Gardevoir announced dinner was ready.
The meal seemed lavish, making everyone's appetites surge at the sight.
But just before eating, Caitlin leaned in and whispered to Caleb, "If you ever become League Champion… would you use the trophy as a flowerpot?"
Caleb blinked, taken aback, "Why would you think that?"
Caitlin nodded toward the Red Orb, now rolled into a corner, "Just feels like something you'd do."
As a Psychic herself, she could naturally sense the terrifying energy sealed within.
"I'm not planning to participate in the League competitions yet," he said.
Even if he did, he'd wait until Ash reached Kalos. By then, Mega Evolution research would be public, and he wanted to experience a battle against Ash's Bonded Greninja.
"Alright," Caitlin said, then sat down like a noble lady and began enjoying the exotic otherworldly cuisine.
After the meal, Bruno looked around at the group and mused, "Never thought I'd share a meal with so many Elite Four members from other regions at once."
Everyone exchanged glances, each feeling something indescribable.
Caitlin smiled and suggested, "In that case, why don't we take a group photo to commemorate this?"
Drasna's eyes lit up, "Great idea!"
Lance crossed his arms, "I don't mind."
Steven gave a slight nod, "Does anyone have a camera?"
All eyes turned to the homeowner.
Caleb: "…"
He sighed and pulled the camera from his inventory. Removing the film reel of Groudon's walking documentary, he loaded a fresh roll.
Caitlin and Cynthia picked a wide-open spot in the Pokémon Paradise.
Caleb set the timer, then rejoined the group.
Background: Blue sky, white clouds, green grass, gentle breeze.
People: Siebold, Drasna, Caitlin, Steven, Caleb, Cynthia, Lance, Agatha, Bruno, Lorelei.
"Say 'cheese'!"
"""Cheese!"""
*Click!*
The moment was immortalized...
...
Meanwhile, in Alola…
After extensive investigation and using the information Caleb provided, Lillie and Gladion finally found their father, the amnesiac Mohn, on a remote island.
They brought this information and a current photo of Mohn to Lusamine.
However, the the moment Lusamine saw Lillie, she ordered her guards to seize Cosmog and handed it over to Faba, head of the Aether Foundation's branch.
"Mother, please believe us! Father isn't dead, it's all true!" Lillie pleaded as she was restrained.
Lusamine stared at her, expressionless. After a long silence, she finally bent down and picked up the photo from the ground.
Seeing the familiar face, her cold expression finally wavered.
But just then, a massive Ultra Wormhole tore open above the mansion. Nihilegos and other Ultra Beasts poured out, scattering across Alola.
A few Nihilegos noticed the group in the courtyard below and approached. As they drifted closer, Lillie's face turned pale as memories of past traumas flooded back.
"Silvally!" Gladion frowned, ordering his Pokémon to block the approaching Nihilegos.
But in that instant, one Nihilego silently crept up behind Lillie, reaching out with its tentacle.
At the critical moment, Lusamine noticed and rushed over, shoving Lillie aside and getting grabbed herself.
"Mother!" Lillie cried, collapsing in fear.
Gladion reacted swiftly, "Silvally, stop it!"
But it was too late. With other Nihilegos covering it, the creature carried Lusamine into the Ultra Wormhole. Then the rift snapped shut...
Gladion snapped out of his shock and charged into the mansion's lab. There, he found Cosmog, fast asleep, having evolved into Cosmoem.
"Faba! What did you do?!" Gladion roared.
Faba had seen everything through the monitors. Calmly, he explained, "Your mother ordered me to do it."
Gladion realized the truth... Lusamine still hadn't given up on opening Ultra Wormholes and capturing Ultra Beasts.
Faba looked toward where the wormhole had appeared and said, "Those creatures… your mother named them UB-01 Symbiont."