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******
At the Dark Guild's hideout:
"You useless fool! Can't even handle a little girl? What good are you?"
Slap!
The sound of a slap echoed.
Rory, a member of the Dark Guild, lowered his head and explained, "That girl was hiding within Rhine City, and at the time, a Gym Leader intervened. Otherwise, I would have already obtained the bracelet."
"Enough with your excuses! No matter what you say, you still failed the mission. Without the bracelet, everything else is meaningless. Once the President returns, we're doomed!"
"Go back one more time, and this time, make sure to retrieve the bracelet. Use your brain; it's just a little girl, how can you not handle her?"
"When will the President return?" Rory asked softly, knowing they must obtain the bracelet before he comes back.
"The headquarters just captured Zapdos, and the President is currently taming its youngling. Rumor has it, they also acquired a Dream System recently. The President plans to enter the Dream World, so it might be some time before he's back."
"I'll definitely recover the bracelet before the President returns!" Rory declared firmly. If Tamagawa Naoki hadn't interfered earlier, he would have already caught the girl.
With careful planning this time, capturing a mere little girl should be effortless once he finds the right opportunity.
***
At the research center,
Kalia prepared to enter the Dream World, feeling both anticipation and trepidation. After all, this was entirely new territory for her.
She had no idea what the Dream World would be like; she only knew it contained various Pokemon similar to the real world, with landscapes of mountains and rivers.
"Before entering the Dream World, let me give you some important information," said Professor Evergreen, who appeared slightly disheveled from his continuous study of the bracelet. However, his eyes sparkled brightly, indicating his deep immersion in work, often forgetting about sleep or meals once engrossed.
"Firstly, you can capture Pokemon within the Dream World, but you must use Dream Balls. I can provide you with one, but if you fail to catch a Pokemon, there's nothing more I can do."
"Understood." Kalia nodded.
"Once inside the Dream World, everything resets, including your Pokemon, which revert to their initial stages. However, this reset is also the greatest advantage of the Dream World: any growth achieved by your Pokemon will reflect back into reality," Professor Evergreen continued.
"Is it that magical?" Kalia was astonished; within the Dream World, Pokemon could revert to their initial forms.
"The Dream World holds many more secrets; you can gradually explore them yourself. Remember always to carry the Lunar Feather with you. Without it, not only will Pokemon attack you, but there's also a risk of getting lost inside. Once the power of the Lunar Feather depletes, you must return to your starting point and wake up," Professor Evergreen cautioned seriously.
"I understand." Kalia took note of his advice.
"Here's the Lunar Feather, please take it."
Professor Evergreen handed her a luminous green feather shaped like a crescent moon.
Kalia accepted the Lunar Feather, holding it in her hand. At first glance, aside from resembling a moon, it appeared quite ordinary.
"That bed over there is the device for accessing the Dream World. Simply lie down on it and place your Poké Balls, including the Dream Ball, in the slots nearby." Professor Evergreen pointed towards a soft-looking bed in the corner.
Kalia approached the bed, noticing nothing particularly unusual about it. She then placed the Poké Balls containing her Pokémon and the Dream Ball into the designated slots along its edge.
"Lie down and close your eyes," Professor Evergreen instructed Kalia. "I'll initiate access to the Dream World."
Kalia lay on the soft, comfortable bed, feeling relaxed and almost drowsy.
As she closed her eyes, Professor Evergreen approached the apparatus, performed some adjustments, and pressed the activation button.
In that moment, Kalia felt her consciousness growing hazy, gradually slipping into sleep. Simultaneously, the three Poké Balls and one Dream Ball emitted a dazzling glow.
A second later, everything returned to calm, as if nothing had occurred. Kalia remained lying there with her eyes shut, but the three Poké Balls and Dream Ball had vanished.
"I wonder what kind of Pokemon she'll be able to capture," Professor Evergreen murmured to himself. Capturing Pokemon from the Dream World using a single Dream Ball was uncertain; it might yield no captures at all.
The greatest advantage of the Dream World lies in its ability to accelerate a Pokemon's growth through battles experienced within it, reflecting back onto reality.
***
In the Dream World, inside a small cottage.
Kalia opened her eyes to find herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling and surroundings.
"So this is the Dream World?" Kalia scanned the area; the room was spacious but appeared empty.
She checked her attire, which seemed perfectly normal. Beside the bed lay four Poké Balls - three containing Pokemon, and one Dream Ball given by Professor Evergreen, specifically designed for capturing Pokemon within the Dream World.
"My mission here is to capture a single Pokemon while exploring the Dream World," Kalia confirmed her objectives and picked up a Poké Ball.
With a pop sound,
The Poké Ball opened, releasing Lian from his slumber as he emerged, immediately sensing something amiss.
Wait, what?!
"How did I turn back into Charmander?!" Lian stared at his tiny limbs, stunned. Gone was his tall Charmeleon physique; now, he barely reached Kalia's waist.
Kalia wasn't surprised, as Professor Evergreen had explained that all Pokemon would revert to their initial forms in the Dream World. It was entirely expected for Charmeleon to transform back into Charmander.
Moreover, as a Charmander again, he looked even cuter, regaining his adorable appearance, making Kalia irresistibly want to pinch him gently.
Ping!
Kalia continued opening Poké Balls, and as expected, Grovyle reverted to Treecko, and Ninetales transformed back into Vulpix.
Lian felt his strength significantly diminished. He tried to unleash Flamethrower but managed only a small flame that quickly fizzled out.
"What the heck? Even my moves are gone?" Lian was speechless; this Dream World seemed too unfair.
Woo-woo.
Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the room, emitting eerie sounds. In the corner, a purple, misty Gastly materialized and charged towards Kalia.
Caught off guard with no time to dodge, just then, the Lunar Feather in Kalia's hand emitted a glow, forming a protective shield that instantly blocked Gastly's attack.
As if burned, Gastly swiftly vanished into the wall, disappearing without a trace.
Lian attempted to counterattack, but it was too late. Now as Charmander, not Charmeleon, his abilities seemed to have reset entirely.
Holding the Lunar Feather, Kalia noticed its luminosity had slightly dimmed, indicating that defending against Gastly's attack consumed some of its power.
"Charmander, let's go outside and explore," Kalia suggested, holding the Lunar Feather as she prepared to leave the cabin and discover what the Dream World was like.
Creak.
The door, seemingly aged, emitted a piercing squeak as Kalia gently pushed it open. Contrary to her expectations, there was no dazzling light; instead, she saw a slightly gloomy sky.
Everything around them felt incredibly real, yet Kalia sensed no human presence at all, only solitude and quietness, punctuated by occasional sounds from Pokemon.
Apparently, the Dream World had very few humans, with only Pokemon inhabiting this realm, many of which seemed to be Ghost Types, similar to the Gastly they encountered earlier.
Lian looked around, feeling quite disoriented without his usual strength. His abilities were gone, along with his moves, and he wasn't sure about his Control Rating—it likely had also reset to its initial level.
"The Professor mentioned that any growth achieved by Pokemon in the Dream World will partially reflect back into the real world," Kalia murmured to herself. "Currently, Charmander and Treecko are in their most susceptible phase for development." She decided to first explore the Dream World and then seek opportunities for Pokemon battles to enhance their growth potential.
However, she was uncertain how to recover if a Pokemon got injured, so before proceeding, Kalia needed to conduct some experiments.