Lin Feng briefly introduced Victini to her.
"Can it give Pokémon the energy to win, to make them stronger?"
After listening to Lin Feng's description, Qin Shu looked at Victini and smiled.
"Vi…"
Victini hesitated, unsure if it should speak, but Alolan Vulpix stepped forward first.
It tapped Victini gently with its paw, then proudly shouted to Qin Shu, "Yes, yes! This is the newest member of our Vulpix team! It will help us become very strong!"
Qin Shu couldn't help but giggle at the proud little Vulpix, showing an "auntie" smile. She scooped it up and rubbed it against her cheek.
"Alolan Vulpix… you're so cute," she cooed, stroking it.
Without powers like Aura or the Unchanging Stone, she naturally couldn't understand what the Vulpix was saying.
The Vulpix paused for a moment under her embrace, then quickly wriggled free.
Back at the table, it sighed at Qin Shu. Its meaning was roughly: "What a silly human. She has no idea what I'm saying."
Lin Feng chuckled quietly at the side but didn't say anything.
Qin Shu didn't mind; after all, she knew Alolan Vulpix never got close to anyone besides Lin Feng. She just let out a soft laugh.
Finally, Victini floated over, excitedly saying,
"Victini! Yes, Lin Feng wished for me to be my partner. I can give you lots and lots of energy!"
"Do you have any wishes you want to make?"
With Victini's help, Jirachi was full of energy and confidence. It placed its hands on its hips, looking brightly at Qin Shu.
"Lin Feng's wish?"
Curious, Qin Shu gently pulled Jirachi closer and whispered, "Why did Lin Feng wish for you? I thought he didn't encourage making wishes?"
Jirachi answered without hesitation, "Because he wanted to find me a partner who would stay with me forever!"
Forever?
Qin Shu froze, not quite understanding. She glanced again at Victini.
More and more unusual Pokémon were appearing.
Jirachi, the wish-granting Pokémon.
Victini, capable of providing energy to victory teams.
Something felt off to her, though she couldn't quite grasp its full significance. Why would Lin Feng, who didn't usually encourage wishes, wish for a Pokémon with such a special meaning?
Frustrating… my brain feels like it's about to explode…
Unable to reason it out, she quickly stopped overthinking and turned excitedly to Jirachi.
"So you can grant wishes, right?"
"Jirachi!" Jirachi nodded, its eyes sparkling as it looked at Qin Shu. It decided to show off its wish-granting powers.
But what the girl said next brought everything to a halt.
"Then I wish that Wartortle, Sprigatito, and Jirachi will always be happy… no, also Alolan Vulpix, Serperior, Gardevoir, and Sandshrew…"
She counted off all the Pokémon with her fingers, naming them one by one.
Jirachi's eyes shone brighter.
It was a beautiful wish. If everyone could be happy, there would be no more troubles or sadness.
It let its energy circulate, granting the wish, then looked at everyone with curiosity.
The two little Pokémon were still drinking their milk, clearly delighted.
Jirachi thought its wish had been fulfilled and became even happier.
But then it turned and saw Dragonite. Its face remained as "grumpy" as ever, like someone owed it money, with no trace of joy at all.
Had the wish failed?
Before Jirachi could react, Lin Feng walked over, pointing to the portal in the sky.
"The previous wishes still exist, but your wish is too difficult, too extreme."
A golden ring surrounded the portal. Yesterday, he hadn't realized it and thought it was just borrowing Hoopa's "grab" ability.
Now, it seemed it wasn't just the "grab" ability that was borrowed. Even Hoopa's golden ring had been wished for, which explained why Jirachi's wish drained so much energy.
But which Hoopa's golden ring was borrowed?
The one in the prison bottle, or the purified Hoopa?
Right now, that Hoopa must be very strange. Where did its golden ring go?
Things were becoming increasingly complicated. Lin Feng couldn't help but ponder whether he needed more Pokémon to help.
Hoopa's golden ring, Victini's Guardian Pillar…
These were all things Ash would encounter in the story, but now they were connecting to him ahead of time.
Ash had just left Asia Island, unaware of where he was. Would the butterfly effect he caused impact the normal course of the story?
Lin Feng shook his head. Overthinking wouldn't help. Things had already developed this far.
"Jirachi?"
Realizing it couldn't immediately fulfill the wish, Jirachi quickly approached Qin Shu to apologize.
Of course, the little girl didn't mind. To her, while happiness is important, the process of feeling happy matters even more.
After breakfast, she didn't linger in the garden. Excitedly, she took Wartortle and Sprigatito and headed to the Sky Challenge arena.
It turned out that Lin Feng had set up such a challenge near the daycare center.
With the recent Youth Cup held nearby, many trainers passing through the region would stop to test themselves if their schedule allowed.
Some trainers permanently based in Wutong City were stuck at various stages of the Sky Challenge, constantly thinking about how to clear it successfully. They often watched other challengers to learn.
So, any day could be a challenge day. Usually, between ten and thirty trainers watched at a time. Yesterday, there had been even more.
With more people, the old rules became somewhat impractical. Lin Feng's original intention had been for challengers and their Pokémon to improve through the challenge.
But now, with everyone wanting to participate, one person would occupy too much time. The challenge lost its meaning and became a chore.
So the challenge was adjusted to occur every three to ten minutes, with everyone queuing up. The entry fee was also reduced.
If someone couldn't solve the puzzle quickly, it wasn't boring—they often exchanged glances and engaged in intense Pokémon battles.
In battle, injuries were inevitable, though most were minor. Trainers would bring their Pokémon to the nursery, find Mareep, and ask for help with bandaging.
This method was cheap, as gratitude mattered.
However, when the nursery had visitors, Eldegoss could get very busy…
Lin Feng couldn't help but consider whether he needed more Pokémon to assist.