Jirachi was an incredibly absent-minded little Pokémon.
It had no clear understanding of the power it was born with.
In the past, every human or Pokémon that had come to make a wish had asked for something within its capabilities.
As a result...
Jirachi had come to believe that it could grant any wish.
To better understand the limits of Jirachi's power, Chen Mo first conducted a few simple tests with the help of the two Legendary Pokémon present—Marshadow and Manaphy.
The results showed...
Any wish involving Legendary Pokémon was not only difficult or outright impossible to fulfill...
But could also alert the Legendary in question.
"So Giratina has already noticed us."
Marshadow's tone remained calm.
Even the usually oblivious Jirachi sensed that something was wrong.
It asked timidly,
"Is Giratina... a really scary Pokémon?"
"Not really."
Chen Mo smiled.
He chose not to tell Jirachi the truth.
As far as Chen Mo was concerned...
Whether they were exposed or not no longer mattered.
Back on Cangqing Mountain, he had already ruined one of Giratina's plans.
Combined with Giratina's grudge against Zekrom...
The conclusion was obvious.
If Giratina ever managed to leave the Reverse World and enter reality...
The very first person it would come after...
Would most likely be him.
And naturally...
Pikachu and the others wouldn't be spared either.
However...
Turning toward Manaphy, Chen Mo wore an apologetic expression.
"I interfered with one of Giratina's plans before, so we're enemies now."
"Based on my current theory, that Underworld Dragon is probably trapped inside the Reverse World for some reason and can't come after me immediately."
"But..."
"You were standing together with us just now."
"If—"
Before he could finish...
Manaphy interrupted him gently.
"It's alright."
"Although my standing is far beneath that great one's..."
"I do happen to have a few friends."
"So, Lord Chen Mo..."
"You don't need to worry about me."
Confidence.
When Manaphy said those words...
Chen Mo could clearly sense the confidence behind them.
As expected of the Prince of the Sea...
Even Chen Mo couldn't help feeling a little envious.
If only he had one or two top-tier Legendary Pokémon as friends...
Or better yet...
If Zekrom were still by his side...
Things would be much easier.
What Chen Mo didn't notice...
Was the faint trace of worry that flashed deep within Manaphy's lowered eyes.
"Alright, Jirachi."
"That's enough for today."
Although Jirachi was powerless against wishes involving Legendary Pokémon...
The repeated attempts had still exhausted it considerably.
Chen Mo immediately exchanged another large pile of comet fragments from the system.
"...Chen Mo..."
Holding the comet fragment Chen Mo personally handed it...
Jirachi looked even more depressed and guilty.
Chen Mo gently rubbed its head.
"You've already done an amazing job."
"I've met many, many Pokémon."
"But besides you..."
"I've never met anyone capable of doing what you can."
"And..."
"It's not only matters involving Legendary Pokémon."
"Everyone here..."
"They're all going to rely on your wish-granting powers someday."
Following Chen Mo's gaze...
Jirachi saw Pikachu and the others smiling brightly at it.
Every pair of eyes was filled with approval for their new companion.
"From today onward..."
"I won't let you fall asleep ever again."
Taking an empty Poké Ball from Gengar...
Chen Mo looked at Jirachi seriously.
"Jirachi."
"I want to become your Trainer."
"Would you be willing to become our companion..."
"...or rather..."
"...our family?"
"...Companion..."
"...Family..."
For thousands of years...
Jirachi had heard countless wishes.
Yet...
Never once had anyone wished to become its companion.
Or its family.
An indescribable emotion welled up inside its heart.
Crystal-clear tears streamed down its face.
"Chen Mo..."
"I think Jirachi..."
"If you're willing..."
Chen Mo gently guided it.
"Then press this button lightly."
Although Jirachi had existed within the Cocoon of Slumber for over a thousand years...
Its understanding of Poké Balls was practically nonexistent.
Patiently...
Chen Mo taught it.
Finally...
As white light burst from the Poké Ball and enveloped Jirachi...
The bond between Chen Mo and Jirachi was officially established.
Watching the orange-and-white Poké Ball in Chen Mo's hand...
Marshadow commented flatly,
"What a crybaby."
Chen Mo said nothing.
But Manaphy noticed the emotions Marshadow was trying so hard to hide.
A faint smile curled onto its lips.
It looked thoughtfully at Chen Mo...
Then at Marshadow.
With Jirachi officially joining the team...
That matter was temporarily settled.
After releasing Jirachi again...
Chen Mo let it spend time getting to know the rest of the family.
He couldn't monopolize the little star forever.
Besides...
There were still other matters he needed to deal with.
The moment Chen Mo turned his attention toward Manaphy...
Manaphy knew the inevitable had arrived.
Fortunately...
Compared to its earlier uneasiness over Yu Heguang...
It was much calmer now.
Because it already knew...
Chen Mo would never do anything to Yu Heguang.
At most...
He would simply sigh in regret.
Sure enough...
When Chen Mo learned that Yu Heguang's spirit still remained in this world...
He sighed sadly.
"What a pity."
"I investigated many of the ideas he proposed while I was in Crescent Moon Town."
"For example..."
"The cooperative fishing method with Wingull."
"He was an incredibly talented person."
"If he were still alive..."
"I'm sure he could have made this world an even better place."
"That reminds me..."
"The one who asked Dusknoir to tamper with Qin Kaicheng and the others' memories..."
"That was Yu Heguang too, wasn't it?"
Manaphy nodded.
"Heguang believed..."
"The tragedy that happened in Crescent Moon Town was entirely his responsibility."
"He didn't want his companions to enter the Spirit World carrying such painful memories."
"So..."
"He entrusted that Dusknoir with altering everyone's memories."
"I also bear considerable responsibility."
"The reason Heguang had no choice but to do that..."
"Was because I selfishly kept him in the human world."
"If his companions had entered the Spirit World with their original memories..."
"And failed to find him..."
"Their lingering attachment might have transformed them into evil spirits."
Chen Mo frowned thoughtfully.
"So excessive attachment can really turn someone into an evil spirit?"
Knowing exactly what Chen Mo was concerned about...
Manaphy explained immediately.
"My knowledge of the Spirit World is limited."
"But according to the information I've gathered..."
"There have indeed been many people whose lingering obsessions were so strong..."
"That after Dusknoir escorted them into the Spirit World..."
"They eventually became evil spirits and returned to reality."
"However..."
"Lord Chen Mo, there's no need to worry too much."
"Cases like that are extremely rare."
"And evil spirits that return are generally quite weak."
"More importantly..."
"They're Dusknoir's highest-priority targets."
"So in most cases..."
"They're recaptured before they can cause any real trouble."
The explanation was extremely thorough.
Chen Mo quickly made some notes.
Then prepared to upload everything regarding evil spirits and the Dusknoir line to the Bureau so they could establish preventative measures.
"Alright."
After sending the report...
Chen Mo looked back toward Manaphy.
"Thanks to Qin Kaicheng..."
"I've already pieced together a rough idea of what happened."
"But I'd still like to hear your version."
"No special reason."
"I just want to understand."
"I understand."
The story Manaphy told...
Was almost identical to Qin Kaicheng's.
The only difference...
Was the perspective.
Instead of Qin Kaicheng...
It was told from the viewpoint of Yu Heguang...
The first Water Folk chosen by Manaphy in this world.
One thing worth mentioning...
Was that the great success Qin Kaicheng had always treasured—
The cooperation with Wingull that changed the townspeople's opinion of Pokémon—
Had never been a coincidence.
Or rather...
From the very moment Yu Heguang took out the Ocean Bell...
The ending had already been decided.
As the Prince of the Sea...
Manaphy possessed the power to bless ordinary humans and transform them into the Water Folk.
During the golden age of the Water Folk...
Those who worshipped Manaphy had constructed an extraordinary underwater temple.
A temple capable of freely traveling throughout the oceans.
Unfortunately...
After crossing into this new world...
The massive temple suffered severe damage.
To repair it...
Manaphy had devoted all of its attention.
Leaving it unable to help Yu Heguang directly.
Therefore...
To protect the first Water Folk it had chosen...
Manaphy entrusted Yu Heguang with an extremely important artifact.
The very object Qin Kaicheng had desperately tried to remember.
The Ocean Bell.
"The Ocean Bell possesses the power to temporarily command wild Pokémon living in the sea."
"As for the origin of that power..."
"Lord Chen Mo..."
"I believe you already know."
"It came from an old friend of mine."
"The one known as the God of the Sea..."
"Lugia."
Whenever Yu Heguang was mentioned...
No matter how hard Manaphy tried to remain composed...
Regret and sorrow still seeped into its voice.
"Lugia once warned me..."
"The Ocean Bell had been crafted before the tragedy of the Burned Tower."
"It symbolized the bond between Lugia and the humans of that land."
"However..."
"After being betrayed by humanity..."
"Although Lugia took the Ocean Bell away when it departed..."
"The bond between Lugia and those humans had already been shattered."
"As a result..."
"The Ocean Bell's power had greatly diminished."
"Lugia could have restored it at any time."
"But..."
"It had become utterly disheartened."
"It no longer wished to."
"So when it saw that I liked the bell..."
"It simply gave it to me."
"Before leaving..."
"It told me one thing."
"'Don't rely on the bell's power too often.'"
"I remembered those words."
"But I didn't pay them much attention."
"To me..."
"The bell was simply a gift from a dear friend."
"So I treasured it."
"Until later..."
"When Heguang came to me seeking help finding Wingull."
"At that time..."
"I was completely occupied repairing the temple."
"I couldn't help him myself."
"So I entrusted the Ocean Bell to him."
"I asked him to use its power to find the Wingull."
"And at the same time..."
"If he ever encountered danger..."
"He could also use the bell to protect himself."
...
Manaphy had indeed passed Lugia's warning along to Yu Heguang.
But...
Just as it hadn't taken Lugia's warning too seriously back then...
It also hadn't paid much attention this time.
There were two reasons.
First...
Using the Ocean Bell once or twice posed no problem.
Second...
Manaphy trusted Yu Heguang completely.
Based on everything it knew about him...
Even if Manaphy casually mentioned something insignificant...
He would remember it carefully.
So...
Manaphy believed he would never abuse the Ocean Bell.
At least...
That was what Manaphy believed.
During that fishing expedition...
After witnessing the bell's miraculous power...
Qin Kaicheng and the others became eager to use it to accelerate their dream of changing the future.
At first...
Yu Heguang refused.
But...
Unable to withstand his friends' repeated requests...
He eventually agreed.
Thus...
The second use came.
However...
Desire was like a boulder rolling downhill.
Once it started...
It could never truly be stopped.
The Ocean Bell's power came from Lugia's bond with humanity.
But that bond...
Had already become as fragile as a cicada's wing.
As the group relied on the bell more and more frequently...
One day...
It finally shattered.
Neither Manaphy...
Nor perhaps even Lugia itself...
Had foreseen what would happen next.
When Lugia—
Who had once trusted humanity so deeply—
Was betrayed...
Its hatred toward humans had unknowingly seeped into the Ocean Bell itself.
Thus...
The instant the bell broke...
All the wild Pokémon that had once answered its call...
Were overwhelmed by Lugia's lingering hatred toward humanity.
They launched an assault on Crescent Moon Town.
By the time Manaphy sensed something was wrong and rushed over...
Yu Heguang was already on the verge of death.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
Manaphy was consumed by uncontrollable rage.
Using its divine authority...
Together with the power of the temple...
It summoned an overwhelming tsunami.
Had Yu Heguang not...
At the very last moment...
Used the final remnants of his power as one of the Water Folk to awaken the enraged Manaphy...
Then not only Crescent Moon Town...
But vast stretches of the surrounding coastline...
Would have been completely destroyed.
"..."
After finally learning the truth...
Chen Mo fell silent.
Every major figure involved in the tragedy...
Including Manaphy and the Legendary Lugia...
Had begun with good intentions.
Yet...
Because of one small oversight after another...
Because of tiny mistakes piling upon each other...
The disaster had ultimately become inevitable.
Under the bright lights...
Chen Mo looked at Manaphy's lonely figure.
Then let out a quiet sigh.
What he didn't notice...
Was that inside the large aquarium nearby...
Magikarp's expression had become strangely complicated.
Softly blowing a string of bubbles...
It quietly murmured a single name.
The same name Chen Mo and Manaphy had just spoken.
The God of the Sea—
Lugia.
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