When Chen Shi boldly asked Mew for benefits, the mythical Pokémon froze mid-air.
Its expression very clearly said:
"How dare you."
Help the Tree of Beginning, help me, and you still want payment?
Ridiculous. Unthinkable.
Chen Shi read that offended look instantly.
Without hesitation, he shoved the white crystal back into Mew's tiny paw.
"Then perhaps Your Excellency should find someone else to help."
And he lay down under the tree with the most exaggerated calm imaginable, eyes closed, posture relaxed—
—but inside, he was screaming.
Why me? Why today? Why did I even FEED you?
You ate all my Pokéblocks—fine, whatever, I'm magnanimous.
But now you want free labor? Without benefits?
You're not "Mew." You're a Capitalist Cat.
Black-hearted boss. Bah!
From a distance, Professor Oak paused mid-lecture and glanced over.
Chen Shi looked calm, feeding a "Pidgey," so Oak continued explaining forest ecology to the children.
Back under the tree, Mew hovered silently, utterly confused.
The last human who possessed heart-power—one thousand years ago—had agreed instantly without hesitation.
This one?
This one wanted… payment?!
Something was wrong with the script.
Seeing Chen Shi genuinely prepared to ignore it, Mew clenched its tiny paws and floated closer.
[Fine. What do you want?
As long as Mew can give it, Mew will give it.]
Chen Shi opened one eye slowly, a sly smile forming.
"But what could I possibly want?
I'm sure the great Mew wouldn't hand me something useless… right?"
He returned the pressure cleanly.
He didn't know what treasures Mew had, but Mew had said:
"Anything I can give."
So Chen Shi pushed Mew right into the hot seat.
Mew hovered uncertainly.
It had thousands of years' worth of shiny, sparkly treasures tucked away.
But it didn't know which ones humans valued.
If it offered something too ordinary and Chen Shi rejected it, what if he refused to help entirely?
After several painful seconds of internal meltdowns, Mew squeezed its eyes shut and pulled out a tiny, shimmering, multicolored shard.
[This.
I picked it up with great difficulty long, long ago.]
Chen Shi scanned it instantly.
[Xerneas Horn Fragment — Contains pure life energy and high-density Fairy essence.]
He nearly drooled on the spot.
"Deal!!
Mew, you are truly generous!
Your humble servant is moved beyond words."
In the next heartbeat, he snatched the shard, boxed it, and tucked it away like a starving dragon hoarding gold.
When he looked up…
Florges was staring at him from across the clearing—
eyes glowing with such longing that Chen Shi felt it physically.
He sighed.
Then nodded at her.
Florges' eyes immediately blossomed into soft, radiant joy.
She understood.
Her Trainer would save this treasure for her.
And Chen Shi knew why.
Among his team:
Dragapult was an overpowered troublemaker.
Swampert only cared about food and flexing.
Togekiss and Leafeon were sweet, but hardly responsible.
Charizard and Metagross were battle maniacs.
But Florges…
Florges carried the household.
She handled chores, guided his younger Pokémon, soothed tempers, and supported Chen Shi silently from the background.
She was the big sister, the quiet pillar.
Her talent wasn't exceptional, and she'd fallen behind—
but Chen Shi had always wanted to help her bloom.
Now he finally could.
Mew floated closer again.
[Keep that crystal safe.
When it turns red, crush it, and you will arrive at the Tree of Beginning instantly.]
"Got it."
Mew nodded in satisfaction.
Then—
it hopped back onto his shoulder in the form of a small Eevee.
Chen Shi frowned.
"…You done talking?"
Mew blinked innocently.
[Talking? Yes.
Leaving? No.]
"…Why aren't you leaving?"
Mew puffed up proudly, completely shameless.
[Mew rarely gets to come outside.
Mew wants to play.]
[And what if you break your promise?
Someone must watch you.]
Chen Shi slowly stared at it.
A long silence fell.
Mew's gaze drifted away, suddenly guilty.
So that was the real reason.
This pink menace simply wanted to freeload, tag along, and mooch snacks.
Typical.
The number one runaway trickster in the world had the dignity of a damp tissue.
Chen Shi sighed.
Fine.
One more mouth to feed wasn't the end of the world.
Finally, he asked:
"So… where did you even find the Xerneas horn fragment?"
Mew straightened proudly.
[More than three thousand years ago,
Xerneas fought Yveltal fiercely.
The one who should have stopped them did not appear.
Both were gravely wounded and fell into deep slumber.
I watched… and picked up whatever fell.]
Chen Shi almost choked.
So not only a prankster…
Mew was a scavenger.
Those two were fighting for their lives, and Mew was—
Looting.
If Xerneas or Yveltal ever found out, they'd vaporize this cat on sight.
Chen Shi exhaled deeply.
Then a thought struck him.
Could this explain the disappearance of Fairy-type energy?
He frowned.
But the logic didn't fully fit.
If Xerneas being injured caused Fairy energy to fade…
Then shouldn't Dark energy also vanish when Yveltal was injured?
It didn't add up.
After thinking for a long while and reaching no solid conclusion, he leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.
On his shoulder, Mew purred happily while Chen Shi absentmindedly massaged its head.
The world's number one runaway cat had officially moved in.
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