The surroundings changed abruptly.
When Lin Feng regained consciousness, he felt light, as if his entire body had lost its weight.
He lowered his head and realized he was floating in midair.
Below him lay a city of water. White clouds drifted across a bright blue sky, their reflections shimmering along winding canals. Stone buildings lined the waterways, elegant and timeless.
This was clearly not the architectural style of the Huadong Alliance. Instead, it resembled the ancient Western European cities Lin Feng remembered from another world.
People were strolling along the paths below, unhurried and relaxed.
Just moments ago, he had been lying in bed. Now, he was here.
There was only one explanation.
This was a dream.
Sure enough, Mew was hovering beside him, covering its mouth as it laughed, while an ethereal Jirachi suddenly appeared out of thin air.
"Jirachi~"
"Meow~"
"You two… did you come during the day?"
Floating helplessly in the air, Lin Feng could only sigh.
"Jirachi~ This is the City of Water. Everyone lives on the water here!"
Jirachi flew happily toward Lin Feng and nestled against him, half merging with his body within the dream.
"The City of Water?"
Lin Feng froze for a moment, then looked around. Soon, he spotted two towering statues standing at the edge of the city.
At the very top of the statues were two familiar Pokémon, their streamlined bodies adorned with wing-like fins.
There was no doubt about it.
Latias and Latios, the guardians of the City of Water.
That meant this city could only be the one he remembered.
Altomare.
In the movie Pokémon Heroes: The Guardians of Altomare, Latias and Latios were siblings who protected this water city together.
Later, when the Phantom Thief appeared and attempted to steal the Soul Dew, Latios sacrificed himself to protect Altomare.
Every time Lin Feng watched that movie, he felt a lingering sense of regret.
Had Ash already been here?
The thought crossed his mind.
But looking at the scene below, it seemed unlikely.
According to the timeline, Ash arrived during the water race festival, which only took place in summer.
Right now, judging from Altomare's streets, pedestrians were wearing hoodies and padded jackets. It was clearly winter.
Of course, seasons in the Pokémon world were never entirely predictable.
Lin Feng asked, "How long have you two been here?"
"Jirachi?"
"Mew should have just arrived, right?"
Jirachi glanced at Mew.
It could not enter the real world. It could only appear within Mew's dreams at night, after Mew experienced things during the day.
"Meow~"
Mew nodded, then pulled out a storage ball. It shook it seriously and declared, "Meow… meow…"
"Nothing left. It's empty."
Lin Feng found it oddly amusing.
Mew was saying there was no food left inside.
No food, huh?
What, was it expecting him to scour the entire world and deliver snacks personally?
He complained inwardly.
Out loud, Lin Feng said, "If you're out of food, can't you just go back and get some yourself? I won't be home for the next few days anyway, so you'll have to ask Gardevoir for help."
"Jirachi? Where are you going, Lin Feng?" Jirachi asked curiously.
"I'm heading to the Alola region to help Bounsweet find her mother."
Jirachi tilted its head like a curious baby. "Find her mom? Alola? Is it far?"
Lin Feng explained patiently, "It's quite far from the Huadong Alliance and Kanto. Alola is surrounded by the sea, and it's summer all year round."
"Do you two want to come with me?"
At that, Jirachi's eyes lit up with excitement, only to dim again moments later.
After all, in a dream, it could not feel warmth or cold.
Besides, it had just arrived in Altomare and felt there were still many places left to explore.
"Jirachi…"
"When I wake up, I'll take you there to see it for yourself."
Lin Feng smiled and gently patted its head.
Jirachi nodded hard. "Jirachi!"
"Okay!"
Then Lin Feng suddenly remembered something. "By the way, why aren't you two playing with Victini? Isn't it in Eindoak? You've already been there once, haven't you?"
Given their personalities, those three should have been inseparable.
Jirachi explained excitedly, "Jirachi has to guard the Dragon Veins of Eindoak, so we planned to travel along this route, visit there, and then head back home."
As it spoke, Jirachi's expression grew a little gloomy.
"It can't leave Eindoak. It has to wait until I wake up before we can all go to your nursery together…"
"I see…"
Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully. He did not probe further and instead shifted the topic.
"But speaking of Altomare, this City of Water has a very special secret. Do you two know what it is?"
"Meow?"
"Jirachi?"
Both Pokémon were instantly hooked.
"Jirachi, Jirachi~"
"Tell us, tell us!"
Jirachi wriggled free from Lin Feng's arms and stared at him with wide, sparkling eyes.
Lin Feng launched into his explanation.
"Like this. There are two Pokémon guarding this city. One is Latios, the other is Latias. Latias especially likes to transform into a human and wander around the city."
"Not only that, she loves drawing. You can find her, play with her, become friends…"
"If you can persuade her to travel with you, she might even help you record the scenery of different places."
"Jirachi?"
"Really?"
"Yes." Lin Feng nodded.
There was no rush. He did not tell them that villains would one day try to steal the Soul Dew.
If Mew and Jirachi truly became close with Latias,
Then Mew would never stand by and allow that future tragedy to unfold.
Jirachi's eyes shone even brighter.
A Pokémon that could turn into a human and live among humans sounded incredibly fun.
Jirachi immediately turned to Mew. "Jirachi~ Jirachi!"
"Meow~"
Mew patted its chest proudly, as if declaring the task officially entrusted to it.
"Meow~"
In the sky or on the ground, there was nothing Mew could not do, and nothing Mew dared not do.
"Bye bye, Lin Feng. I'm going to find Sherry Qin now~"
Jirachi waved enthusiastically.
"…Alright. You two do your best."
Lin Feng tapped Jirachi lightly.
Under the gazes of the two little Pokémon, his figure slowly faded away.