Link's threat using Brionne infuriated Linden; he couldn't comprehend why his cousin had changed so drastically.
However, Charizard wouldn't listen to him now, leaving Linden with no choice but to seek help from Kalia. Compared to Keela, Brionne was far more important to him as it was his Pokemon, and he needed to protect it at all costs.
Link cast a pleading gaze towards Kalia, who immediately understood his intent after observing the situation closely.
"Charizard, stop now," Kalia waved her hand, instructing Lian to halt his attack. However, it seemed unnecessary as the Gliscor appeared severely weakened, on its last breaths.
Lian's Flame Spiral was exceptionally powerful, even stronger than Fire Blast, with tremendous spiraling penetration force that Gliscor could not withstand.
Although Gliscor had strong physical defenses, its special defense was significantly weaker. If not for its decent Stamina base stat, it likely would have been instantly defeated.
Upon hearing Kalia's command, Lian redirected the Air Slash he was about to unleash, instead cutting down a nearby tree with a loud crack followed by a thunderous crash.
Lian returned to Kalia's side, as Gliscor was now too weakened to continue battling. Keela could easily finish it off.
However, at this critical moment, Lester recalled Gliscor, preventing further attacks from Keela.
"Link, give me back my Brionne!" Linden demanded immediately.
Link had fulfilled his part of the deal; Charizard stopped its assault, and Gliscor couldn't withstand even one move, clearly showing its inadequacy.
"Fine..." Link didn't want to strain their relationship too much, as they were both members of the Lin family. He recalled Brionne into its Poké Ball but then swiftly snatched the ball away.
"Lester, what are you doing?" Link, taken aback, turned to Lester with surprise, not expecting such sudden action.
"Nothing, I'll hold onto this Brionne for now. Without any constraints, they will surely try to interfere again. Don't forget our goal," Lester replied coldly.
Lester held no brotherly affection towards Linden; he knew that capturing Jirachi today was paramount, and it mustn't be disrupted by anyone else.
Kalia and Linden posed significant threats, so creating leverage against them was crucial to safely securing Jirachi.
Link felt conflicted but then reminded himself that once his wish was granted, he wouldn't need to worry about Linden's opinions anymore. He would become the Grand Festival Champion and the most popular coordinator in the League.
Under such immense temptation, Link disregarded any brotherly feelings. With determination, he declared, "I agree with you. Let's quickly capture Jirachi."
He turned towards Linden and Kalia, raising his voice, "The Pokémon can't be returned to you now. Don't interfere, or I can't guarantee what might happen to Brionne."
Link had completely shown his true colors, knowing that capturing Jirachi would solve everything; success would grant him all his desires.
Stunned for a moment, Linden erupted in anger, "Link, how could you!"
Kalia also frowned, realizing the situation had worsened. If they retrieved Brionne, Charizard could rejoin the fray and halt their advance.
However, she didn't expect them to be so shameless, continuing to threaten with Brionne's Poké Ball.
At this point, the two groups were not far apart, yet separated by the distance between mountain peaks. Without Flying-type Pokémon, ordinary Pokémon couldn't swiftly reach the other side, making it impossible to seize back the Poké Ball containing Brionne during this critical moment.
The fear now was that they might harm Brionne, as having control of its Poké Ball left them unpredictable.
The Poké Ball continuously struggled, but Lester firmly held it down, preventing Brionne from escaping, causing only vibrations.
Meanwhile, Jirachi was almost flying away, albeit not at high speed, since it wasn't a Flying-type and relied solely on Psychic power for flight.
Many powerful Psychic-type Pokémon can harness their immense mental strength to levitate themselves, but achieving the same velocity as Flying-type Pokémon is exceptionally challenging.
Lester and Link swiftly mounted their Flying-type Pokémon to give chase, simultaneously issuing warnings to Linden and Kalia.
"Charizard, let's follow them."
Although concerns for Brionne's safety temporarily restrained them from taking action, they couldn't simply stand idly by.
"I'm coming too," Linden chimed in, determined to retrieve his Brionne. As for wishing, he decided to forget about it.
"Alright."
With that, Lian continued holding onto Linden, accompanied by Kalia, as they pursued Link and her group. At his current speed, catching up would take mere seconds.
However, carrying two people limited his pace; even so, he managed to steadily keep up with them.
Link, though aware of this, remained undeterred. With Brionne under their control, they were confident. If Kalia dared to intervene, they would simply gang up on her.
Once Kalia was dealt with, no one could stop them, leaving Linden helpless from afar. The eastern mountain range had minimal human presence, so there was little concern about others intervening.
Gradually, Link and Lester caught up to Jirachi, closing the distance to less than ten meters.
Jirachi naturally sensed their pursuit and called out, "You're so bothersome! Stop chasing me."
However, Link wasn't going to give up that easily, continuing the chase. Meanwhile, Lester retrieved his Poké Ball; as the stronger Trainer among them, he took charge of the battle.
Growing increasingly agitated, Jirachi turned and unleashed a powerful move—a blinding beam of light, unmistakably the Steel-type Flash Cannon.
Pokemon continuously grow in level over time, and Jirachi was no exception. Lian suspected that this particular Jirachi might have already reached its peak level.
The issue lay in Jirachi's limited awake time, resulting in insufficient training and weak proficiency in its moves.
Despite having high potential, Jirachi struggled to fully utilize its abilities effectively.
As the Flash Cannon was released, it showcased considerable power for a rare Special Steel-type move. Unfortunately, its speed was notably slow.
Link, riding her Swanna, swiftly turned right and evaded the beam, leaving it to strike harmlessly elsewhere.
"Too weak! You're just a wishing Pokemon; surrender now," Lester coldly stated before releasing another Pokémon from his Poké Ball.
Emerging was a Psychic-type Xatu. To compel Jirachi to open its True Eye for granting wishes, several methods existed. One of the simplest involved incapacitating Jirachi and then using a Psychic-type Pokémon's mental powers to passively activate Jirachi's True Eye.
Actively triggering Jirachi's True Eye was notoriously difficult, leading most Trainers throughout history to opt for forced activation.