The second round of matches began as usual.
Since the last winning competitors' numbers were close, the pairings still followed the previous rule: the winners with numbers one and three would face each other.
This realization made the other trainers around number sixty-six panic. They started calculating strategically, thinking about whether number sixty-three would end up facing sixty-six.
After some mental arithmetic, a smile spread across their faces. Number sixty-three wouldn't be their opponent. Instead, it would be number sixty-seven. Relief washed over them.
But when number sixty-seven did the same calculation, his face fell. Disaster. How could he possibly compete now?
Meanwhile, Lin Feng remained unaware that two competitors were meticulously planning their next match. He was busy teasing Jirachi, fully immersed in the small, playful moments. After all, the tournament would only last another two and a half days. Jirachi still had four and a half days left to enjoy, no matter the outcome.
"Jirachi,"
Lin Feng quietly extended his hand toward the little Wish Pokémon. Seeing the gesture, Jirachi slipped out from Qin Shu's arms. Qin Shu, engrossed in watching the match, didn't even notice it disappear.
"Jira?" (What is it?)
Glancing around, Lin Feng guided Jirachi closer until he could whisper directly near its ear. Using his psychic ability, he cast a subtle shield to dampen their voices, ensuring their conversation remained private.
"Jirachi, do you have a wish you want to make?"
Jirachi froze, unaccustomed to thinking about itself in such a way. As a wish-granting star, it had only ever focused on fulfilling the wishes of others. It had never considered what it might wish for itself.
Its tiny hands touched its face, deep in thought. "Jira? I want to eat delicious food, play fun games, have time pass quickly, and… I wish… I wish that every time we have to part, it wouldn't be so sad."
Once it finished thinking, its expression brightened with a cheerful smile.
"Is that all? Nothing like wanting to stay awake longer?" Lin Feng asked gently.
"That's hard…" Jirachi sighed, perching on Lin Feng's shoulder. "Since I became conscious, I can feel time passing every day, like water flowing. It just slips away so quickly. Even if I try to extend the time I am awake, eventually, we always have to part.
"When I was with Afeng, his Butterfree tribe fought against a Beedrill group. Their leader Butterfree was getting old, barely able to keep up. Afeng asked me to help extend the Butterfree's life. I did, and their battle was won… but I slept for a long time, waking only on the morning of the sixth day. I never saw the result of the battle, but I noticed that the caterpillars in the tribe had plenty of leaves to eat."
Jirachi counted the details carefully, as if events from over a thousand years ago had happened yesterday.
"That day, Afeng was very anxious. He asked why I had slept so long. I explained my wish-granting abilities to him. Afeng was silent for a long time. He told me, like you and Qin Shu have, that I shouldn't make wishes for him anymore.
"But… on the night of the sixth day, the Beedrill group brought another Pokémon. It looked small and had a cannon on its back, but it was incredibly powerful. One shot from it could make a huge hole. Its speed was incredible, and my psychic abilities couldn't stop it. When it fired on the caterpillars, many of them died…"
Jirachi's expression darkened as it recounted the story.
"And then? Did you make a wish?" Lin Feng asked.
The situation was dire. This new Pokémon was clearly very strong. If even Jirachi's psychic powers couldn't control it, then this Pokémon was likely the same type fast and formidable.
Latias or Latios could fit this description, but both were kind by nature and unlikely to act this way. It was small and carried a cannon. That left only one possibility: Genesect.
The bug-type Pokémon considered a Legendary among its species, the only one capable of matching Jirachi's powers.
It was strange that a small Beedrill tribe had attracted such a Pokémon, but these events had occurred over a thousand years ago. There was no point pondering further now.
Jirachi nodded, a hint of sadness in its eyes. "Even though Afeng told me not to make wishes… if I didn't, everyone would die."
"Was that wish truly your choice?" Lin Feng asked carefully.
Jirachi shook its head. "My power only works at its fullest when granting wishes for others.
"I went in front of Afeng and asked him if he wanted to resolve this crisis. He said yes, whoever could drive away the Pokémon, let them do it…
"I made the wish and watched with anticipation."
"That night, the sky seemed torn apart, lit only by flashes of lightning. A massive, long Pokémon descended from the heavens. It was so powerful that merely a glance scared the cannon-equipped Pokémon away.
"It moved in and out of the clouds, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden…"
"Then… I fell asleep."
Jirachi's voice trembled slightly as it recalled that day, the first time it had seen such a massive, majestic Pokémon. Its eyes had shone like the light of hope. Yet it had only seen it briefly before succumbing to sleep.
"When I awoke, it was the final moments of the seventh day. I asked Afeng how things had gone. He said everything was fine. The Genesect had been driven away, and the Beedrill group never dared to bring anyone there again.
"Afeng said that I, like a star, give hope to all who see me. That made me so happy… but I was also so tired. I fell asleep again before I could even say goodbye to Afeng…"
Jirachi's eyes shimmered with a mix of joy and lingering exhaustion, its tiny hands clutching Lin Feng's shoulder as it finished recounting the story.