Celebi, also known as the Forest Guardians, are Pokémon that inherently belong to nature. Human houses might feel like restraints and shackles to them...
Caleb gave this matter some serious thought.
The Infinite World wasn't a Pokémon game. After catching them, stuffing them into Poké Balls and then into a PC without ever letting them out would be far too cruel.
Whether it was Caterpie, Dragonite, or Celebi, they all had independent thoughts.
Caleb felt that so-called 'capturing' was a relationship of mutual domestication.
Trainers needed to domesticate Pokémon to accept everything about the human world, while also domesticating themselves to accept the Pokémon's personality and behavior patterns.
Since Celebi liked it here, of course it could stay in this space all the time.
Caleb didn't want to force it to live in a human room. Besides, the Pokémon Paradise was his backyard; he could see Celebi just by taking a few steps.
Thinking this, Caleb's heart relaxed. He called Gardevoir and asked her to bring the camping gear, preparing for an impromptu camping trip in the forest.
Soon, Gardevoir floated over using her psychic powers; carrying a camping tent, cooking tools, a large pot, and various ingredients.
Dragonite and Lucario set up the tent nearby. Mimikyu accompanied Celebi as it flitted through the forest. Caleb took Hydreigon into the forest to pick mushrooms...
...
When night fell, stars dotted the dome of the sky...
Caleb and his Pokémon had finished dinner and were lying on a patch of open ground, gazing at the stars.
Celebi, having played all day, was now so tired it began to yawn.
Seeing this, Caleb made room for it beside him.
"Bi~" Celebi gently landed, breathing in the rich scent of nature emanating from Caleb, and soon fell asleep.
Caleb, however, let his mind go blank, staring blankly at the stars in the sky...
Speaking of stars, he couldn't help but recall what Yuna had said to him before leaving the Werewolf Instance:
"You will go. I saw the connection between you and that Instance... There, a lost star is waiting for you..."
The 'star' she mentioned might not refer to an actual star, but could symbolize something else... perhaps a person, or a Pokémon.
Caleb recalled all the people and Pokémon he had encountered since entering the Infinite World. But none seemed to fit.
Little Amber from the Infernal Affairs Instance had passed away.
Lily from the Bug Catcher Instance had come to this era.
He had already brought Lucario out from the Deserted Island Survival Instance.
He had already met Cynthia from the Transformation and Substitution Instance.
As for the Collapsed World... That was even more impossible. Moreover, the major crisis in that world had been resolved.
As the saying goes, surviving a great disaster inevitably leads to blessings. After that incident, the League was bound to become better and better, stepping into a new era together with Pokémon.
'So who else could it be?'
Caleb tossed and turned in bed that night, his mind filled entirely with this matter.
He thought about it for half the night and finally, first thing the next morning, he contacted Yuna...
A gut feeling told him that in that Instance, there truly was someone or some Pokémon waiting for him. If he didn't go, he would lose them forever.
The second after he sent the friend request, Yuna accepted it.
Before he could even speak, he received an invitation:
[Player 'Kozuki Yuna' invites you to enter her room. Do you agree?]
'Yes.'
The moment he chose 'Yes', the scene before Caleb's eyes abruptly changed...
It was a very cozy living room. Besides Yuna, there were two other people sitting on the sofa.
"I knew you would come," Yuna said with a smile.
The man and woman sitting on the sofa turned their gazes to Yuna upon hearing this and asked, "Yuna, who is this?"
Yuna replied, "Our last teammate."
The man wearing glasses, who looked refined and courteous, showed a surprised expression and said, "This is the big shot you mentioned who survived the punishment Instance?"
"It's him." Yuna nodded and said to Caleb, "Don't worry, they are both my friends, on our side."
The man stood up, grinning widely, "That's right."
He walked up to Caleb , extended his hand, and said, "I've long heard of you! My name is Tachibana Fumitaka, ranked tenth on the Player Leaderboard. A pleasure to meet you!"
The woman also introduced herself, "Kamala Hridaya, ranked 12th on the Player Leaderboard."
After saying this, both of them turned their gazes toward Caleb.
Caleb glanced at his own ranking and said, "Hello, my name is Caleb Chase. I'm ranked... uh... 29 088th on the Player Leaderboard."
Fumitaka: "??"
Kamala: "??"
Yuna said, speechless, "Did you guys automatically skip over his name?"
Fumitaka and Kamala exchanged a glance, only then belatedly realizing it.
They then looked at Caleb in disbelief, exclaiming in shock, "You're Caleb Chase?!"
Caleb nodded calmly, "Yes."
Fumitaka: "The Caleb who overpowered Ye Fan and Baek Gyeol in the Mythical Pokémon Contest?"
"Yes."
Kamala chimed in, "The Caleb who emerges from every Instance accompanied by the achievement thunderclouds?"
Caleb paused and explained truthfully, "No, there was one time I didn't get an achievement."
Like the last Werewolf Instance...
*Gasp!*
The two of them simultaneously drew in a sharp breath, thinking, 'This guy is frightening!'
Caleb read this thought in their eyes. He silently turned his head and looked at Yuna.
Yuna smiled and said, "Calm down, take a seat first. Let me tell you about the situation and precautions for that Instance."
When it came to serious business, Kamala and Fumitaka also put away their exaggerated expressions and sat back down on the sofa.
Yuna looked up at Caleb and said, "I apologize for concealing my identity from you before. I know your previous concerns, but you guessed correctly. This Instance is indeed a punishment Instance with extremely high difficulty. Let me ask you one last time; are you willing to accompany me?"
Caleb was silent for a moment and asked, "What did you mean by what you said in the Werewolf Instance?"
Yuna didn't hide it and straightforwardly displayed her ability, "It's due to an advanced branch of Psychic abilities, Foresight. The ability triggers randomly. When triggered, I can see the future of a specific target or events that will happen soon."
"I only saw a star waiting for you in that Instance. As for more details, I couldn't gleam them." Yuna pointed to her eyes and said, "This ability isn't very stable."
"I understand," Caleb nodded and said, "I'll go."
Yuna added, "Before we officially set off, there are a few precautions I want to tell you. First, absolutely do not reveal your origin or identity to the NPCs in the Instance."
"Second, after entering the Instance, we may not be dropped into the same location. But absolutely, and I mean absolutely, remember: no matter where you are, do not release your Pokémon from their Poké Balls."
"Third, the Legendary Pokémon in that world are different from those we encounter in ordinary Instances. Their strength is truly capable of crushing everything."