The Reflection Stone World.
When Wayne and Steven passed through the reflection stone, their vision suddenly cleared, and the dazzling light made them instinctively shield their eyes.
The scenery had quietly changed. Overhead was no longer a stone ceiling, but a clear sky.
Lush trees surrounded them, emanating a fresh woody scent, and in the distance, towering mountains could be seen, along with the sound of flowing streams.
The only thing that hadn't changed was that reflection stones were still embedded in the rocks all around them.
Seeing this, Steven couldn't help but exclaim,
"Is this the world inside the reflection stone?"
Wayne, who had quietly put on his Key Stone glove, and Lucario also curiously observed their surroundings.
"Come out, Metagross."
To prevent any mishaps, Steven also released his Metagross.
"Let's go find Roark and Byron first."
The story had begun not long ago.
Seeing ripples on the surface of the reflection stone in the cave, Steven had recalled a rumor...
"I heard this rumor from an old woman in Shalour City."
Facing Wayne and Roark's eager, knowledge-seeking gazes, Steven slowly recounted,
"There's a legend in Shalour City's Reflection Cave that some special reflection stones in the cave connect to a parallel world."
"Speaking of parallel worlds, there's another rumor related to Arceus in the same legend, but we'll save that for later."
When it came to Pokémon parallel worlds, Giratina's Distortion World could be considered one.
The Distortion World was completely opposite to reality, composed of floating islands, with the sky and ground inverted.
There were also parallel worlds opened when the spacetime legendary Pokémon fought, and the Ultra Space where Ultra Beasts existed.
Wayne remembered Ash visiting a parallel world when he was in the Alola region.
Wayne remembered this clearly because the Trainer who saved Ash owned a Zeraora.
That had been the initial reason Wayne liked Zeraora.
Steven gazed at the rippling reflection stone before him.
"When a mirror-like stone ripples, it means the two worlds are connected."
"The rumor says that there are several reflection stones, each connecting to different parallel worlds, but what exactly these parallel worlds are like, no one knows."
"Perhaps the three people who went missing here entered a parallel world."
"I have to go find them."
Roark said this and was about to walk in.
Steven grabbed Roark's wrist and looked into his eyes.
"No, you must stay here. Leave the rest to me. I might still need your help when I return."
Roark pressed his lips together in understanding.
Facing an unknown parallel world, Steven was certainly more capable than Roark.
Because he was the Hoenn Champion.
At the same time, a colorful light suddenly emanated from Wayne's backpack...
The meteorite was reacting!
Wayne made a quick decision. "I'll go too. Roark, you stay here and notify the others."
Steven did not refuse Wayne's request to accompany him.
When Wayne and Steven passed through the reflection stone, following the passage to trace Byron and Roark whom they had seen, they arrived here.
"Dragapult, Drakloak, Metagross, search from above."
"Lucario, use Aura to search for people and Pokémon nearby."
"Arcanine, search by scent!"
Hearing this, Steven turned his head, slightly surprised, then let out a soft chuckle.
"Excellent judgment. You really seem to have the potential to be a Pokémon Investigator."
Wayne's lips curved into a slight smile. "Compared to that, I still prefer being a Breeder."
"Then why did you follow me in?"
Steven truly didn't understand. If Wayne liked stability, he definitely wouldn't risk entering.
"Two people are always better than one, and also because of this."
Wayne held the meteorite, which was emitting colorful light, in his palm.
Steven nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps the answer to the meteorite is here."
Right then, Lucario's ears twitched, and a blue Aura Sphere condensed in its palm.
A Fearow attempting to attack them was accurately struck by the Aura Sphere.
Bang—
The Fearow flapped its wings, fleeing into the thick fog in a panic.
"Fearow."
This was good news for them.
"There are Pokémon here too."
Wayne and Steven said in unison.
"As long as there are Pokémon, it's fine."
Steven glanced at the Poké Balls on his waist, his face full of confidence.
"Grrrrr!"
Dragapult circled in midair, its head pointing in the direction of the Oreburgh Coal Mine.
"Found them."
"Dragapult, take us to them."
After calling back Metagross, Drakloak, and the others, Wayne and Steven re-entered the cave.
"Meta!"
After hearing Lucario's translation, Wayne turned his head to look, his eyes revealing surprise and curiosity.
"Metagross said that this place is exactly the same as the Oreburgh Coal Mine in our world."
In their original world, Wayne had already instructed Metagross to pay attention to the cave's layout.
And Metagross, with its four supercomputer-like brains, had already thoroughly understood the situation in Oreburgh Coal Mine.
Lucario also had this feeling, but couldn't match Metagross's precision.
After looking around, Steven nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed."
Following the previous path, Wayne and Steven saw an incredible scene.
Workers in work clothes, machinery, Pokémon...
For a moment, they felt as if they had returned to their original world.
However, the presence of another person told them that this was definitely not their original world.
The 'Roark' from the other world loudly asked, "Who's there?!"
Roark would absolutely recognize them.
Unlike the nervous Roark, the 'Byron' from the other world appeared very calm.
With a shovel held in front, Byron stopped everyone.
Byron also raised one hand, making a shushing gesture.
"Wait, don't attack!"
The originally tense workers and Pokémon relaxed.
As the Canalave City Gym Leader, Byron was deeply trusted by everyone.
He was also the person Roark admired most, which was why Roark had asked his father for help.
Wayne instructed Arcanine and Metagross, "You two don't make a move either."
"Woof!"
Byron held a lantern in one hand, his eyes narrowed sharply like an eagle's.
But when he recognized Steven and Wayne, his expression immediately changed.
"You are Champion Steven from Hoenn, aren't you? And Wayne?"
Steven and Wayne exchanged smiles. Being intelligent, they immediately grasped the situation.
"It seems you are still a Champion."
"It seems you are quite famous."
After confirming Steven and Wayne's identities, Byron asked in confusion, "How did you two get here? We haven't even reported to the League yet."
Even if they had reported to the League, shouldn't Champion Cynthia be handling it?
Why would Steven come?
This was completely unlike the Steven that Byron knew. That Steven wouldn't have this kind of free time.
Wayne and Steven exchanged glances, their eyes full of confusion.
Steven couldn't help but ask,
"Is our appearance here very strange?"