Jirachi blinked in confusion as it looked at Melody.
It didn't understand. Every time it granted a wish, the other person was always happy so why did she suddenly look so serious?
"Well…" Melody tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Lin Feng told me that granting wishes comes with a price. The bigger the wish, the heavier the cost. If granting my wish would make you unhappy or hurt you, I'd feel guilty about it."
She wasn't naive.
Even though Lin Feng hadn't told her exactly what kind of price Jirachi had to pay, his tone back then carried enough weight to make her realize that there was one.
She didn't know what that cost was, but she did know this: some regrets were better prevented than endured later.
And honestly, she didn't have any wish so great it was worth burdening Jirachi for.
Becoming a strong Pokémon Trainer that was her dream. But it was something she wanted to achieve through her own effort, not by depending on a miracle.
She'd already received a lot of help. At some point, a person had to start walking on their own.
Melody's expression softened as she looked at the little wish-granting Pokémon. "Okay?"
"Okay!" Jirachi nodded at once, smiling as its eyes curved into little crescents.
It remembered what its old friend, A'Feng, once said long ago: if the person you meet is kind and brings you happiness, you can help them make a wish. But if they aren't good… you can simply refuse and fly away.
"Alright, enough talking. Let's eat first."
Lin Feng's voice came from the campfire as he carried over another plate of freshly grilled meat with a bit of psychic help.
This was the second and final batch. To be honest, he'd only cooked more because of Salamence, Goodra, and Blaziken their appetites were enormous. Otherwise, one batch would have been plenty.
Still, Lin Feng didn't mind.
Watching them all eat so happily made him grin unconsciously.
For a breeder, there was no greater joy than watching the Pokémon he raised grow up seeing them mature, get stronger, and find their place in the world.
And for a cook, seeing others enjoy your food… that feeling was just as satisfying.
"You really remind me of A'Feng," Jirachi said suddenly, floating over to Lin Feng's side.
"Hmm? Me?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Jirachi explained softly, "A'Feng used to love watching the Caterpie in his tribe eat leaves. You like watching your Pokémon eat too."
"Oh, I see." Lin Feng chuckled, realizing what it meant. "I just find it fascinating. Every Pokémon eats in their own way. Like that big dragon over there " he pointed toward Salamence " it eats with such boldness! One bowl of meat, straight into its mouth. Two chews, and it's gone."
Salamence paused mid-bite as Lin Feng glanced at it, then awkwardly turned its head away.
What could it do? Its mouth was huge. It wasn't trying to be messy it was just physics.
"And look at those little ones over there," Lin Feng continued, pointing toward the Alolan Vulpix and the Eevee group. "They're tiny, so I pre-cut their food into small pieces. That way they can nibble bit by bit.
If I didn't cut it, they'd have to use their claws to tear it apart, and that'd make a mess of their fur. The Alolan Vulpix especially when she was younger, she used to jump into muddy puddles right after I watered the plants, just to splash around. She'd come back completely filthy…"
The memory made Lin Feng laugh out loud.
But before he could finish reminiscing, a flash of white fur appeared before him.
The Alolan Vulpix dropped the meat she'd been eating and pounced toward him, her face bright red with embarrassment. "Vui! Vui!"
Don't talk about that!
That was the old her!
She was a dignified Vulpix now a cool, graceful Ice Vulpix Knight!
How could he just blurt out something like that in front of everyone?
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry! My bad!" Lin Feng quickly apologized, raising his hands in surrender. "I won't say it again, okay? My lips are sealed."
But the smile on his face refused to fade.
He cleared his throat and turned back to Jirachi. "Anyway, what I meant to say was maybe A'Feng didn't just like watching those Caterpie eat. Maybe he… really cared about them. They were part of his tribe, right? His partners."
Jirachi blinked and thought for a moment before nodding earnestly. "Mhm! A'Feng really cherished them."
Lin Feng smiled again but didn't push further.
The bond between humans and Pokémon in ancient times… if he could, he'd love to see it for himself someday.
After lunch on Cherry Blossom Hill, Lin Feng and his team returned to the training arena.
This time, the Eevee group, Blaziken, and Goodra all wanted to join in. Hearing about Vulpix's "glorious" past during lunch had clearly sparked their competitive spirits.
Lin Feng was happy to let them participate in the Junior Cup matches.
And so, the arena soon became a rather chaotic scene.
A young man was seen leading a rotating team of Eevee, battling one opponent after another sometimes winning, sometimes losing before switching to Blaziken, who dominated every match with terrifying speed.
That Blaziken's movements were so fast, so fluid, that even the judges suspected something supernatural. Within seconds, its opponents were down before they even realized what hit them.
The officials were stunned.
At first, they thought nothing could top this fiery powerhouse.
Then Lin Feng sent out his next Pokémon Goodra.
Goodra stepped onto the field with a gentle wobble, blinking curiously at the crowd.
The referee, who was still recovering from the shock of Blaziken's performance, froze. His throat worked soundlessly for a moment before he managed to croak, "I-is that… a pseudo-legendary Dragon-type?"
He couldn't believe it.
A one-year-old Pokémon?
No way.
Just to be sure, he asked the Rotom monitors to scan Goodra again and send the data to the tournament committee.
Meanwhile, Goodra stood nervously on the field, glancing around at the crowd. Its antennae drooped slightly.
It wasn't used to so many people staring.
But when it saw Vulpix giving it an encouraging nod, and Mewtwo watching silently from the stands, it took a deep breath and steadied itself.
Across the field, its opponent's trainer could only stare, utterly dumbfounded.
He'd signed up for a friendly match… not to fight a monster.