As one of the Elite Four of the Unova League and a close friend of Cynthia, Caitlin had actually known about Caleb for quite some time.
Although the Unova region was far from Kanto and Johto, modern communication was fast and efficient. The events that had occurred over there recently were no secret to the higher-ups in the Unova League.
Caleb's name had reached Caitlin and others during that time.
He had practically single-handedly wiped out Team Rocket, forcing Giovanni to flee in disgrace. Even Caitlin couldn't help but be shocked by such a feat.
Not only that, but he had also helped bring down Team Galactic in the Sinnoh region.
Caitlin had long wanted to meet Caleb, a figure with such legendary accomplishments. Back when she had asked Cynthia about him out of curiosity, Cynthia had proudly talked about Caleb with such enthusiasm, that Caitlin's inner curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.
So, the moment she received Cynthia's call, she dropped everything and rushed over, commandeering a League helicopter and flying straight to Caleb's location.
And so, here she was...
Right now, looking at the handsome young man blinking at her, Caitlin asked curiously, "Are you Caleb?"
Before Caleb could even respond, the players who had been eagerly watching from the sidelines gawked:
"Whoa! No way! It can't be that much of a coincidence, right?" someone squawked excitedly, but still asked cautiously, "Is he the Caleb we're thinking of?"
Caitlin and Caleb both turned to look at them.
"Black hair, black eyes, likes wearing a black hoodie, about 1.8 meters tall... It's him! It all matches up!" another female player with a ponytail said excitedly.
Caleb: "..."
Caitlin heard this and chuckled, "Are these people your fans?"
"No..." Caleb said, exasperated.
He didn't want to be the center of attention everywhere he went. It was one of the reasons he preferred to keep a low profile.
"No! We are!" But the group of players immediately confirmed Caitlin's observation.
A few of the shorter ones who looked like they could be elementary schoolers gazed at him with burning enthusiasm: "Caleb, can you please show us your Mewtwo?"
At the mention of Mewtwo, Caitlin's elegant eyebrows shot up, and she looked at Caleb with surprise and curiosity.
They were all Trainers, so the implication was clear.
Caught in the spotlight, Caleb tried to deflect, "It's actually just a Ditto, nothing worth seeing!"
He knew that if he let Mewtwo out now, tomorrow's headlines would probably scream: <..BREAKING NEWS! MYSTERIOUS POKÉMON MEWTWO SPOTTED IN CASTELIA CITY POKÉMON CENTER!..>
Then any hope of staying under the radar would be gone.
Just then, Mewtwo's telepathic voice grumbled from inside his Poké Ball: >..I am not a Ditto..<
Caleb: "..."
Caitlin came to his rescue, "Mewtwo is still in the Alola region, as far as I know, and I haven't heard of any trainer capturing it."
As she said this, images flashed through her mind... videos she had seen of Mewtwo battling and overwhelming multiple opponents alone.
Caitlin spoke with a hint of longing, "A Pokémon like that… it's simply impossible for a human to capture."
Hearing this, the group fell into a thoughtful silence. Even though these players had never faced Mewtwo themselves, they were well aware of its power.
'She's right. Could a Pokémon like that really be captured by a human?'
'Wait, no! There's someone who had done exactly that, and he is standing right in front of us!'
With that realization, they all turned their intensely enthusiastic gazes back onto Caleb.
Caleb stared back expressionlessly, his gaze clearly threatening to send them to the 'Shadow Realm' if they bring that up again.
The kid who started the topic shrank back a little. But then he quickly thought of something else: "Wait, that's not right! Why would Mewtwo be in Alola?"
Another, more experienced player explained, "Each 'adventure'(Instance) is its own separate world. Not everything lines up exactly with the Anime or games."
(Author's Note: Terms like 'Infinite World' and 'Instance' were automatically filtered and substituted with other content when spoken in front of NPCs. So no matter how loudly the players schemed in front of Caitlin, she had no idea what they were actually saying...) {T/N: That's news to me...}
Caitlin lost interest in continuing the topic. She said to Caleb, "Shall we go somewhere else to talk?"
"Sure." Caleb nodded.
His main quest required him to work with the Unova League, so he didn't refuse her invitation and followed her out of the Pokémon Center.
The group of players stared blankly as the two left. While they were still hesitating about whether to follow, the helicopter had already taken off with them aboard...
...
A helicopter obviously wasn't the best place for a chat. From the looks of it, Caitlin didn't plan on staying in Castelia City.
Caleb didn't ask where she was taking him. It wasn't like she was going to dump him in the ocean to feed the fishes.
The two of them weren't familiar with each other, they were practically strangers... so after a bit of small talk, they just settled back into their seats to rest.
It was then that Mewtwo, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up: >..It is possible for to be captured by a human..<
Caleb was taken aback for a moment, needing a few seconds to realize that Mewtwo was referring to the earlier conversation at the Pokémon Center.
He suddenly noticed Mewtwo seemed a bit off today. Hesitating he asked telepathically: "What's wrong?"
Mewtwo was silent for a moment. Just as Caleb thought he wasn't going to answer, Mewtwo spoke: >..I sense the presence of another Mewtwo from that Red Heart in your inventory. It seems lost. In pain. I think... if you went to find it now, it would not refuse you..<
Hearing this, Caleb paused for a second, then opened his inventory and looked at the vibrant Red Heart.
A complex feeling washed over him. All this time, he had never used that item to make the various world's Mewtwos do anything for him, nor had he actively used that inexplicable 100+ favorability rating to try and capture them.
Back when he took on the mission to save Amber, aside from sympathy, he had mostly done it for the unique hidden quest reward. The affection each Mewtwo felt for him rightfully belonged to Amber.
Deep down, he felt like he'd stolen something that wasn't his. He didn't even know where this world's Mewtwo's affection came from. He hadn't met it, hadn't spoken to it.
Caleb felt a pang of guilt. Amber was gone. No matter what, he couldn't bring himself to comfortably take the Mewtwo that should have been hers, or claim the feelings that Mewtwo should have had for Amber.
He was silent for a moment, then asked: "Is that why you stayed with me too? Because of this thing?"
Mewtwo sounded puzzled: >..Why would you think that?..<
Caleb explained the thoughts running through his mind.
After listening, Mewtwo seemed to think for a while, as if deciding out how to phrase his response.
Finally, he said seriously: >..In the beginning, I was indeed influenced by this thing. But its effect on me wasn't as strong as you might think. It didn't force my decisions. Still, I am grateful for it. Because it existed, I did not kill you when we first met. As for why I was willing to be captured by a human... it's simply because that human was you..<
...
Read the remaining 56 chapters ahead of schedule here:
[email protected]/MayaMatengele01