In the blink of an eye, another week had passed in this Instance.
Perhaps that surprise raid from a week ago had lit the fuse, because over these seven days, tensions across the entire world had escalated rapidly.
Maybe it was the siege reward that triggered it, but players in this instance had gone wild, fighting everywhere.
One by one, players were eliminated. The remaining ones seized their cities, consolidated map resources, and expanded their territorial influence.
When Caleb checked the number of surviving players, the figure had shockingly plummeted from three digits to two. Even he couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath at that terrifying pace.
{Caleb: Everyone has gone insane...}
He casually remarked in their three-person chat group.
Terrence looked at the massively expanded territory on the map weirdly:
{Terrence: You're not much better, are you?}
{Caleb: Really? I think I've been pretty restrained.}
He hadn't even let Mewtwo, Arceus, or the others fight yet.
Terrence immediately said he needed some quiet.
After chuckling at their back and forth, Hatsumi responded:
{Hatsumi: Other players are probably terrified. Most haven't even maxed out their territory levels, and you've already taken over half the world.}
{Caleb: I just want to wrap up this dungeon early and go back to enjoy life. This place is awful. You can't eat well here, can't sleep well, and there's not even a place to take a shower.}
He wasn't exaggerating. Though his base had solid infrastructure, there was no kitchen. And as for sleep? Some lunatic players loved launching midnight raids, making rest impossible.
Hatsumi agreed wholeheartedly...
{Terrence: Ye Fan has been making moves too. Look at the map... he's already formed an alliance with over twenty players. Don't tell me... Are they trying to pull a 'Coalition Against Dong Zhuoʼ?}
Terrence sounded surprised. Since allied territories shared the same color on the map, he could easily spot them.
Hatsumi had also noticed this and agreed. She addressed Caleb:
{Hatsumi: It's a real possibility. Your rapid expansion was bound to draw attention.}
Terrence put himself in Ye Fan's shoes and immediately sensed a strong threat.
{Caleb: Let them come. I'm not Dong Zhuo...}
{Terrence: Do you need us to send troops for backup?}
{Caleb: No need. Just be ready. If they really come, I'll message you guys, then you two can go raid their territories.}
Terrence and Hatsumi didn't know about Arceus or Giratina... So hearing this, Terrence was still uneasy but didn't argue:
{Terrence: Alright. Be careful.}
Hatsumi didn't say much since she suspected Caleb still had some hidden trump card. So she felt reassured...
{Hatsumi: Don't worry! We've got this side covered!}
Over the past week, they had used the 500 000 Salamence army to sweep through two entire regions, gaining enough resources to develop further.
After closing the chat panel, Caleb casually reallocated troop resources, sending Dragonite and Hydreigon (each leading a Salamence squad) to conquer nearby minor territories.
...
That night, Caleb rested lightly on the city wall.
What he told Hatsumi earlier wasn't a lie. These past few days, countless players had kept harassing him with midnight raids, robbing him of proper sleep...
Mewtwo and Lucario stood silently in the shadows, watching their drowsy trainer with indescribable feelings.
The two Pokémon exchanged glances. Lucario quietly stepped forward and sat beside Caleb, offering his body as a pillow to support his Trainer.
Mewtwo watched for a while, then floated into the air to keep watch.
Caleb slept soundly.
He briefly woke up halfway through, saw Lucario beside him, and immediately drifted back to sleep.
Lucario wanted to pat his back like Caleb used to do for young Deino, but hesitated and didn't follow through.
Mewtwo glanced back, then looked up at the sky...
...
The first half of the night passed without incident. Dawn was approaching. Just as Mewtwo thought the night would end quietly, a loud explosion echoed from outside the city walls and within the city itself.
Lucario's eyes snapped open, his ears alertly perking up in the direction of the sound.
Caleb leapt to his feet the instant the alarm blared. Seeing the attack notification on his panel, he felt an odd sense of relief.
"Finally." He exhaled.
Terrence's prediction had come true... Ye Fan had arrived with his coalition.
This wasn't harassment anymore. It was a full-scale assault!
The same Onix, Diglett, and other Ground-types from a week ago burst from the earth, once again wrecking buildings within the territory.
Outside the city walls, an endless sea of Pokémon armies stood assembled.
A terrifying aura spread across the land. At the front, Ye Fan stared across the battlefield at Caleb.
Seeing Caleb so calm, his expression utterly impassive, as if this entire scenario had been part of his plan all along... Ye Fan's blood boiled with frustration.
As the saying went: After three days apart, one must look at another with new eyes...
Ye Fan couldn't believe it. The last time they met, this guy had been some nobody hiding in a corner. Now, however, he'd climbed above Ye Fan himself and snatched away the throne that belonged to the strongest.
But despite his anger and resentment, he had to acknowledge that it had truly happened.
Caleb said nothing. He didn't need to. His six Pokémon instantly floated to his side.
On his left stood Mimikyu, Celebi, and Lucario. On his right hovered Mewtwo, Hydreigon, and Dragonite.
Like their Trainer, they gazed calmly down at the ocean of enemies below...
At that moment, Ye Fan suddenly calmed down. As a seasoned trainer, he could feel the powerful bond radiating from Caleb.
Caleb loved every one of his Pokémon, and each Pokémon returned that love in full. That was the very foundation a Trainer needed to reach the pinnacle.
Though he hated to admit it, Ye Fan said, "I acknowledge you as a worthy opponent. So from here on, I'll fight you seriously."
'Only one of us will remain. The victor becomes king.' Ye Fan thought.
Caleb understood what Ye Fan meant, but his expression turned oddly awkward.
The entire alliance army fell silent. In that eerie quiet, Caleb slowly spoke, "Sorry… but you're no longer my opponent."
Caleb's words were clear, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
The other players erupted in shock.
Ye Fan's face flushed with rage, "You–"
Caleb casually snapped his fingers. Five million Salamence poured out of the barracks like a tidal wave... twice the size of the coalition's army.
Seeing the sky darken with dragons, the coalition players turned pale.
But that wasn't all.
In the heavy, oppressive atmosphere, the sky suddenly tore open. A massive creature with a body woven from black, red, gray, and gold, plummeted through the rift.
With a fearsome face, four powerful limbs, and a body built for destruction, it hovered silently in midair like a wrathful deity, coldly scanning the mortals below.
The alliance's faces shifted from green to ashen blue.
Even Ye Fan stood speechless, staring up in stunned silence.
Yet Caleb's grand display wasn't finished...
Amid a cascade of sacred white light, a llama-like being, wreathed in radiant, multicolored halos, gently descended from the still-open rift. Eighteen uniquely colored plates rotated slowly and solemnly around its form.
At that moment, the alliance forgot even how to change expressions. Every head tilted upward in utter disbelief, gazing at a sight few had ever witnessed.
From their awestruck faces, it was clear: this was their first time seeing a living Arceus...