The answer was a resounding yes.
Ewan didn't even think about whether it was worth it or not. He didn't have a habit of hoarding consumables. For him, it was enough if the item did its job well.
So now, he just needed to wait for the right moment...
...
Steven watched the red spirits running around in panic and asked, "What are those things?"
They looked like some kind of Ghost-type Pokémon he'd never seen before.
Caleb wasn't sure how to explain either. He thought about it and answered honestly, "I don't know either."
Hearing this, Steven just shrugged and didn't ask more. Instead, he calmly scanned the surroundings, observing the strange people nearby.
'Weird. This is all so weird. This world, and all the creatures here...' If he couldn't feel pain, Steven might even think this was all a dream.
Complex thoughts swirled in his mind. At the same time, the volcano defense battle finally reached its peak...
After being pushed back repeatedly, the red spirits that appeared out of thin air suddenly started a strange evolution. First, their bodies grew from small to large. Then, their faint, spectral gaseous forms began to solidify into physical bodies. Even their numbers suddenly increased a lot.
Caleb immediately realized that they were going all out now.
He shouted to Dragonite and the other Pokémon, "This is the last wave! We can go home after this! Do your best!"
"Wuu!"
Dragonite responded midair, then opened his mouth and unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam.
A dazzling, concentrated beam shot out instantly. The terrifying energy it contained obliterated one of the red spirits in a flash.
Caleb received a notification: [+20 event points.]
'These evolved wild monsters are worth this much?' He was stunned for a second.
Right while he was surprised, the other players also finally realized what was happening. Excited looks burst onto their faces.
Ewan squinted his eyes as he watched this, thinking, 'Now is the perfect time to overtake them all!'
Then he activated Judgment! As the move card in his hand dissolved into strands of white light, a powerful shift surged through the atmosphere.
The crater was enveloped by a thick glow. A powerful energy, vast like mountains and seas, churned within.
Mewtwo seemed to sense something. He stopped mid-action, raised his head, and stared solemnly at the anomaly above. Then, in a flash, he activated Mass Teleport, instantly relocating Caleb, Steven, and the others outside the volcano.
The moment they left, countless Water-type energy blasts rained down from the sky, unleashing a frenzied barrage on the players who hadn't escaped in time.
Caleb looked at the exploding volcano crater and quickly understood what had happened. He looked at Mewtwo and asked, "Who was it?"
Mewtwo shared the memory scene directly into Caleb's mind.
Caleb didn't recognize the person. But he didn't say anything. He just started walking back towards the now calm volcano crater...
...
At the same time, Ewan looked around at the empty surroundings and burst into a string of arrogant laughter.
That last wave of attacks had shot his points straight into first place. Which meant the Heatran was his!
Thinking this, Ewan laughed triumphantly again.
'As expected, compared to Arceus, Mewtwo is still a notch below. As for Caleb? He's just a lucky trainer who happened to catch Mewtwo.' Ewan thought about this as he sat down on the spot, waiting for the event to end.
He wasn't afraid of retaliation from other players.
His luck in this Instance had been great. Right next to his territory were several high-tier Level 3 resource points, and even a Level 1 Gold Mine.
After these past few days of development, his territory had smoothly reached Level 2. It wouldn't be long before it reached Level 3.
Great luck plus fast development meant Ewan had already stockpiled a large group of Level 2 troops in his territory. Anyone who came to attack would lose. You could say he was already unbeatable at this stage.
Besides that, he still had several trump card items in his inventory that he hadn't used.
Just thinking about all this made Ewan feel excited.
He recalled the web novels he'd read in middle and high school. This grand player showdown was just like a secret realm from those stories.
The other high-level players were like the prodigies from powerful families. And he himself was the ultimate dark horse, destined to trample those prodigies, ascend to the peak, and shout something like: "Thirty years east, thirty years west, don't you dare bully me because I'm poor! Caleb and Ye Fan? Those two are nothing special!"
He might even make other players revere him from the depths of their hearts!
Excited laughter echoed through the empty volcano...
Caleb, who had just returned to the crater, saw this scene...
"..."
Steven asked in confusion, "What's he laughing about?"
"Maybe he's lost his mind." Caleb guessed.
While they were talking, Ewan sharply sensed something was off, "Who's there?"
He immediately stood up warily and looked up towards the top.
Six eyes met. Caleb and Steven said nothing, but their gazes were full of meaning.
Seeing this, being a normal person, Ewan instantly realized his earlier manic behavior had probably been seen. He instantly felt embarrassed, both ashamed and angry.
"What the heck are you looking at?!" He shouted at them.
Caleb: "..."
Steven: "..."
Caleb didn't bother replying. That kind of behavior was no different from freeloading during a boss fight in an online game, then killing others afterward to steal loot. He simply ordered Mewtwo to 'kindly' send him off.
Ewan immediately tensed up. He glared and shouted, "If you've got guts, don't use Mewtwo! Let's have a fair competition using the Instance's game mechanics!"
By 'game mechanics' he meant siege warfare.
Caleb understood, but raised an eyebrow and said, "Why shouldn't I use Mewtwo he's part of my team?" He paused, then smiled knowingly, "Oh, I get it. You don't have one, so you're jealous."
Ewan became so furious, he wanted to hit Caleb. He wanted to fight personally, to have an intense physical brawl just between the two of them.
Mewtwo now hovered above Ewan, looking down at him from above.
Ewan grew tense. grew nervous. Though he still had trump cards in his inventory, using them here would be a waste... Besides, in this Instance, players don't get eliminated if they die. So even if Mewtwo sent him packing, he would just respawn in his Lord's Hall.
But just then, he heard Caleb say, "Oh, by the way, my territory coordinates are (209.1507)."
Ewan was stunned for a moment, looking up in confusion.
Caleb gave a friendly smile, "I'll be waiting for your attack."
Ewan chocked, "Don't get too cocky!"
'Fine, I'll come! I've already stockpiled a massive wave of Level 2 troops... there's no way he can beat me!'
Caleb didn't bother responding. He simply waved his hand, and Mewtwo immediately took action, sending Ewan straight back to his spawn point...