Sure enough, increasing the reward would always be the ultimate weapon against Togekiss.
And if it didn't work—
That only meant you hadn't increased it enough.
Chen Shi muttered to himself as he handed all three special Pokéblocks to Togekiss.
"Here. Eat up."
"Look at that silly face of yours."
Togekiss chuckled happily, snatched the Pokéblocks from his hand, and flew toward Jirachi.
Of course delicious food had to be shared with friends.
Jirachi might tease her a thousand times, but Togekiss would still treat Jirachi like her first love.
Naturally, Little Plane didn't forget her best friend either.
After giving one Pokéblock to Jirachi, she brought another to Leafeon, who was dozing beneath a tree.
Then Togekiss happily began licking the final special Pokéblock herself.
She was usually reluctant to finish this kind of Pokéblock all at once.
Something this good had to be savored slowly.
Watching Togekiss share the food, Chen Shi smiled warmly.
As expected.
Little Plane was still Little Plane.
She hadn't changed at all.
...
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.
During those three days, Chen Shi did practically nothing except take Jirachi around to play.
They went to the beach.
They visited a desert.
They saw the breathtaking beauty of the world beneath the sea.
They camped and barbecued in forests and soared freely through the sky.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the modern era.
Entertainment was extremely limited, and many things simply didn't exist yet.
"Shi, where are we going to play now?"
Jirachi sat on a swing woven from vines, its eyes overflowing with anticipation.
These had been the happiest three days it had experienced in all its long existence.
And all of it had been given to it by the human standing behind the swing.
A faint smile rested on Chen Shi's face as he gently pushed Jirachi forward.
"I don't know either."
"Whatever Jirachi wants to do, I can take you there."
"I'll listen to you~"
Jirachi smiled so brightly that its eyes curved into crescents.
For it, where they went didn't matter.
What mattered was being together with Chen Shi and the others.
"Alright, then let's go—"
Before Chen Shi could finish, Jirachi suddenly whipped its head toward the side.
"Gardevoir~"
A smiling Shiny Gardevoir suddenly appeared nearby and gave them a graceful bow.
[Mr. Qiu. Jirachi. Greetings.]
"Huh?"
Chen Shi looked at the suddenly appearing Gardevoir in surprise.
What shocked him wasn't the fact that she was Shiny.
It was her strength.
She was absurdly powerful.
Pokémon: Gardevoir (Shiny)
Level: 99
Potential: Legendary
Ability: Synchronize
Gender: Female
Moves: ...
Level 99.
The very peak of the Legendary rank.
For an ordinary Pokémon, this was practically the limit of what could be achieved.
Aside from Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, the only Pokémon Chen Shi had ever seen that could stand on the same level was Professor Oak's Dragonite.
"Who are you?"
Jirachi blinked curiously.
[I am merely a servant of my master.]
Gardevoir smiled gently.
Chen Shi narrowed his eyes.
"You know who I am."
"And you came here specifically to find me."
It wasn't a question.
[That is correct. I came specifically for you.]
[My master asked me to pass along a message. Would you like to hear it?]
"Your master?"
Chen Shi repeated the words in surprise.
A Gardevoir this powerful was merely someone's servant?
Then just how powerful was her master?
After thinking for two seconds, Chen Shi asked,
"Who is your master?"
[Cogita.]
Gardevoir continued smiling.
But the single name nearly made Chen Shi lose his composure.
He immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Don't tell me anything."
"I don't want to hear it!"
Without another word, Chen Shi picked Jirachi up from the swing and prepared to leave.
Then Gardevoir spoke again.
[You may choose not to listen.]
[But don't you want to return home?]
Chen Shi stopped dead.
"..."
Fine.
So that was how they were playing this?
When persuasion failed, they resorted to threats?
Unfortunately...
It worked perfectly.
Chen Shi turned around with an enormous smile.
"What are you talking about?"
"You came all this way just to deliver a message. How could I possibly refuse to listen?"
"Go ahead."
"Hurry up and tell me."
"If you don't, I'm going to get impatient!"
Gardevoir: "..."
The speed of his change in attitude left even her momentarily stunned.
"Come on."
"What exactly does your master want me to do?"
Chen Shi frowned and began urging her.
Gardevoir shook her head before communicating telepathically.
[My master said you must go find Rayquaza.]
[Also... she wants you to make a proper appearance in Hoenn.]
[Make sure every Legendary Pokémon here becomes aware of your existence.]
"Find Rayquaza... and make myself known?"
Chen Shi stared blankly.
Why did both of these tasks sound so ridiculous?
He had expected something like searching for a Plate or beating the hell out of Groudon and Kyogre.
But this?
That was it?
Admittedly, Chen Shi hadn't dared go looking for Rayquaza before.
At the time, he hadn't possessed enough trump cards, and approaching Rayquaza had been far too dangerous.
But now Jirachi had awakened.
If all he needed to do was meet Rayquaza, it shouldn't be a major problem.
So the first task wasn't especially difficult.
But the second one...
Make himself known throughout Hoenn?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Chen Shi couldn't understand it at all.
What?
Was the llama worried he wasn't showing off enough, so it had personally sent down a mission telling him to make a grand entrance?
And not just in front of people.
Every Legendary Pokémon in Hoenn had to notice him?
That was actually difficult.
He was just an ordinary human.
How exactly was he supposed to make every Legendary Pokémon pay attention to him?
Seeing that Chen Shi had fallen silent, Gardevoir spoke again.
[My master also said that you must find Rayquaza before the end of today.]
[You absolutely cannot be late.]
"Why?"
Chen Shi asked in confusion.
[I don't know.]
[But I imagine you'll understand once you find Rayquaza.]
Great.
Asking had been completely pointless.
You'll know once you get there.
What a load of nonsense.
Chen Shi cursed inwardly, then nodded weakly.
"Fine."
"I understand."
[We will meet again, Qiu.]
Gardevoir smiled, delicately lifted the hem of her dress, and bowed.
Then her figure rapidly vanished.
"I'd rather never meet you again!"
Chen Shi couldn't help complaining.
He had originally planned to spend the day playing with Jirachi.
And now?
The boss had sent her secretary over and forced him to work overtime at the last minute.
Worse—
He couldn't even refuse.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to go home!
Chen Shi sighed heavily.
"Seriously... why do I feel like I can never escape exploitation by the higher-ups?"
"Am I destined to be a corporate slave in this life too?"
"Shi, what's a capitalist?"
"And what's a corporate slave?"
Jirachi scratched its head, clearly unable to understand either term.
Chen Shi sighed and pinched its cheeks.
"That's a little difficult to explain."
"Just remember that neither of them is anything good."
"Ohhh~"
Jirachi nodded thoughtfully.
...
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