A white light flashed before their eyes.
When Wayne, Steven, and the three miners opened their eyes again, their surroundings remained unchanged.
"Did we come back?"
"We came back, right?"
Looking at the familiar interior of the Oreburgh Coal Mine, the three miners were still somewhat incredulous for a moment.
"I'm leaving."
Rayquaza's figure had quietly disappeared, leaving only a telepathic message for Wayne.
It was as if everything had been a dream.
But the meteorite Wayne held in his palm, and the three Dragon Scales belonging to Shiny Rayquaza, told him otherwise.
None of this was a dream.
The outer layer of the meteorite had peeled off, revealing the meteorite radiating colorful light from within.
[Meteorite]: A meteorite infused with a trace of Rayquaza's special organ energy.
Rayquaza had already told Wayne how to use it.
When Wayne held the meteorite and loudly called out its name, Rayquaza would arrive no matter where it was.
This was a life-saving artifact!
Thank you, Rayquaza!
...
After sending the three miners back to rest, Wayne and Steven briefly explained the situation to Roark.
"Ah? There really is another world?"
Steven nodded. "It should be a parallel world. It's a bit different from ours."
Recalling his unfortunate alternate self, working overtime for thirty-three days in that parallel world, Steven couldn't help but pray...
I don't want to work overtime ever again!
Roark suggested, "How about Metagross uses Flash Cannon to destroy and completely seal this place?"
Hearing Roark's suggestion to seal it, Steven shook his head. "No, it can't be completely sealed."
"Our people will go there, and people from other worlds might also come here, so let's just set up warnings."
Roark scratched his head, looking ashamed.
"Oh, you're right. I didn't think it through."
The Reflection Cave inside the Oreburgh Coal Mine could not be completely sealed. If someone were trapped and died inside, wouldn't that be terrible?
Steven suggested, "You should write a report to the League and let the League make a decision."
"Besides that, I will also provide a simple explanation of today's events to draw the League's attention."
Steven took on the responsibility of a Champion and arranged all the matters here properly.
As expected of Steven!
Wayne could just relax on the side.
Roark nodded. "I understand."
By the time they finished,
It was already evening, and Steven suggested, "Why don't we have dinner together?"
Roark put his hands on his hips and laughed. "As the host, it's definitely my treat."
Steven smiled slightly, revealing the confidence of the Hoenn region's wealthiest man. "No, I'll pay."
After having dinner with Steven and Roark, Wayne rushed back to Jubilife City overnight.
Tomorrow, Steven would be competing in Oreburgh City, while Wayne would be participating in the Youth Breeder Competition in Hearthome City.
Steven nodded to Wayne. "After the competition tomorrow, I will visit again."
...
The matter of the Reflection Cave world came to an end, and Wayne arrived home safely at 8:30 PM.
This journey to the alternate world through the Reflection Cave had been a wonderful experience for Wayne and Lucario.
"Awoo!"
From afar, Wayne saw a reclining figure stand up. After confirming it was Wayne, Arcanine wagged its tail.
Wayne smiled and gently stroked Arcanine's mane.
"Thank you for guarding the house."
"Woof!"
At night, Luxray wouldn't stay at the entrance. He would return to his family and only come back to work in the morning.
Since Arcanine and Luxray were stationed at the Breeding Center, the safety factor had greatly improved.
The Breeding Center, as night fell, was somewhat quiet.
"Josie, aren't you resting at this hour?"
Josie, who managed the warehouse, rubbed her stomach.
"I ate too much tonight. Just taking a walk."
Most of the staff, busy all day, had returned to their rooms to rest, with only the Pokémon active at night still moving about.
By the rockery fish pond, Wayne saw Shaymin looking down at the water.
(One, two, three...)
"Shaymin, what are you doing?"
(Hide and seek!)
Well, that was a pointless question.
Shaymin was keen on playing hide-and-seek with Turtwig and Eevee, able to play from morning till night.
Shaymin's hide-and-seek team had a tendency to gradually expand, and Wayne occasionally saw Shinx and Minccino joining in.
The Minccino family had only recently moved in, but they quickly integrated into the circle.
In the wild area centered around Wayne's home, the overlord of these wild Pokémon was Metagross.
Most of the wild Pokémon here had been challenged by Metagross, and one by one, they were defeated.
Metagross had declared that if you could live here, you could live here.
"Awoo!"
(I want to play too!)
"..."
Wayne really wanted to complain.
Arcanine's massive size was simply not suitable for hide-and-seek. It was always the first one to be found.
"Durururu~"
Drakloak was also eager to join.
(Me too!)
"Shaymin~"
(Okay, but no moves!)
Drakloak had once played unfairly, using Phantom Force to disappear into the shadows, which led to it being kicked out of the hide-and-seek team.
"Gurururu!"
(No problem at all!)
"Shaymin~"
(Let's play together~)
Wayne leaned his hands on his knees and explained:
"Although I really want to play too, I have to participate in a competition tomorrow, so I need to rest early."
"Shaymin~"
(I know~)
"Don't play too late, okay? Come back to sleep early."
"Shaymin~"
After instructing Shaymin, Wayne and Lucario took a detour to the river by the Breeding Center.
"Milotic, I'm here."
Under the night sky, ripples spread across the calm water.
A serpentine figure gradually became clear, with half of Milotic's body submerged as she swam toward the shore.
"Miiii~"
Milotic rubbed her side against Wayne's side.
Milotic's skin wasn't rough. Instead, it was very smooth, with a slightly moist feel, but it wasn't unpleasant.
Wayne gently stroked Milotic's head with his hand.
"How was your day?"
"Miiii~"
"You're very happy, right? That's good."
The Feebas who had originally lacked confidence and been afraid of people had now transformed into Milotic, gracefully swaying in the water.
Wayne did not have high expectations for Milotic.
He did not aspire to train her to become like Cynthia's or Wallace's Milotic.
Of course, if Milotic herself wanted to become stronger and wanted to train, Wayne would not stop her.
Wayne only hoped that Milotic would live happily.
Wayne never really trained Milotic intensively. He just let Milotic grow freely.
However, because Milotic ate Wayne's specially made Energy Cubes, there was still progress.
"For the next round of the Breeder Competition, I want to bring you on stage. Is that okay?"
In the round of 32, Breeders would bring their Pokémon onto the stage to test their breeding results.
This could be in terms of moves, or in terms of beauty or coolness, like in a Contest.
Wayne's Milotic was undoubtedly beautiful.
Wayne wanted to bring Milotic onto the stage.
Milotic nodded: "Miiii~"