With Ewan's departure, the once bustling volcano quickly fell silent.
Caleb stood on a protruding rock, glancing somewhat regretfully at the rankings on the scoreboard.
Due to Ewan's full-scale attack using the Judgment card move, the points he gained had instantly propelled him over to claim first place.
This pushed Caleb down to second place... But only the top rank would receivethe Heatran (General-Class) as a reward.
At this thought, Caleb turned to look at the Heatran quietly bobbing in the magma.
"Well, it's not like I'm desperate for another General-Class Pokémon anyway," he muttered. Then, turning to Steven, he said, "Let's head back."
Steven, who had been silent nearby, glanced at the Heatran and asked, "Is it over?"
Caleb nodded, "Yeah."
Though the official end-of-event notification hadn't appeared yet, no more enemies were spawning here. Staying any longer would be pointless. It was better to return and focus on developing their territory.
Steven said nothing more...
During his time in this world, he'd come to understand his role... He was an outsider brought in as backup. But the young man who had summoned him didn't actually need his help. Caleb's strength alone was more than sufficient.
For Steven, the champion of Hoenn and a symbol of its pride, this was a novel experience. He found it intriguing.
As he climbed onto his Metagross to leave, he recalled Caleb's earlier conversation with the other player and asked, "Will he really come?"
Before Caleb could answer, a massive pillar of magma erupted nearby. A gargantuan red gaseous figure, far larger than previous enemies, emerged from the molten flow.
Above its head floated a line of steaming, gilded text:
Already mounted on his Dragonite, Caleb gave Mewtwo a nod.
Instantly, a blue light glowed in Mewtwo's eyes. An invisible psychic wave carrying scorching winds surged toward the boss. The blast struck its head with pinpoint accuracy.
With just a single hit, the boss dissolved into a puff of white smoke...
Caleb glanced at the notification: [+200 Event Points]
He looked up at Steven and asked, "What were you saying earlier?"
Steven: "..."
He glanced at Mewtwo, the Pokémon's was expression calm.
The interruption had momentarily made Steven forget his question. But his sharp mind quickly retrieved it, "That person earlier… Will he come to attack your… city?"
"Oh." Caleb thought for a moment, then he answered, "Probably."
Whether Ewan came or not didn't matter. If he didn't, Caleb could simply use the Book of Answers to track him down. This Instance had no hidden mysteries... So it was a perfect place to expend the book's three uses.
As the boss fell, the Volcanic Defense Battle officially concluded. The points from the kill pushed Caleb back to first place, surpassing Ewan:
*Ding!*
[Special Event 'Volcanic Defense Battle' has ended!]
[Surviving Players: 1]
[Player Caleb Chase has successfully prevented the volcanic eruption.
- Reward: +500 Reputation points!]
[Event Scoreboard Finalized...
- Rank 1: Caleb Chase
- Reward: Heatran (General-Class)!]
[Heatran (General-Class): The Lava Dome Pokémon. Inhabits magma-filled volcanic caves. Can create Magma Terrain at the player's designated location.]
«Magma Terrain: Blocks enemy advancement. Any Pokémon stepping onto it (excluding those immune to magma or capable of flight) will immediately fall into a near-death state for every passing second...»
....
By the time Caleb and Steven returned to their territory, it was noon...
Thanks to their morning efforts, all facilities had been upgraded to Level 2...
As Caleb arrived, Meowth, the Butler, hurried over with a crowd of wild Pokémon residents, saying, "My lord! Your deeds at the Glazed Volcano have spread our territory's fame! Many Pokémon have come here to settle after hearing of your achievements. Will you accept them?"
Caleb scanned the group. More NPC workers? Why not? He approved and assigned them to gather resources.
With everyone's efforts, the territory's resource stockpile grew steadily. Caleb checked the requirements for Level 3 Territory:
Food was sufficient. Wood & Stone resources were just enough.
Then, he initiated the upgrade...
Led by Machamp, the construction team immediately surrounded the Lord's Hall with materials.
A 'Construction In Progress' label appeared.
[Lord's Hall Level 3, Construction time remaining: 15 hours]
After assigning Heatran to lead a Level 2 unit to gather Wood, Caleb received another notification:
*Ding!*
[Your troops
Caleb paused. These were his earliest summoned units.
With the territory thriving and all NPCs busy, Caleb found himself with nothing left to do. He and Steven spent the afternoon chatting in the tavern over tea, sharing stories of the Pokémon world and rare creatures they'd encountered.
The two grew familiar quickly...
...
Time flew...
After a night's rest, the next day arrived, and Steven's summoning duration expired.
Before departing, he said, "This was a fascinating experience. Thank you, Caleb. If you ever visit Hoenn, look for me!"
He planned to introduce this remarkable trainer to his friend, Wallace. He also needed to investigate recent events in Kanto...
Caleb nodded, "I will. Let's hope you're not off camping in some cave when I do."
Steven laughed sheepishly, recalling his habit of vanishing into the wilderness to explore fossils, "I'll leave my private number with my father. Contact him anytime."
Caleb nodded as the dimensional rift activated. He waved, "See you."
"See you." Steven waved back. With that, he vanished.
The skill 'Friends Out of Thin Air' entered its 24-hour cooldown...