There was once a saying—you never know whether tomorrow or an accident will arrive first.
Chen Shi finally understood what that meant.
And right now… he really felt like crying.
After returning from the back mountain, Mew had told him its speculation.
He was completely stunned—on the verge of tears.
At first, he had been thrilled that Dragapult could learn Phantom Force. Even after realizing it might attract Giratina, he had only planned to stop using it in the future.
Sure, he was nervous—but since he had a good relationship with Mew, he hadn't been too afraid.
But now?
If what Mew said was true—that Giratina had been watching him all along—
Then wasn't he completely doomed?
Was it still possible to run now?
Chen Shi stroked his chin, already seriously considering跑路.
"Mew~"
(I told you from the start—there's no way a single scale could let Dragapult learn Phantom Force. You're in trouble now~)
Mew covered its mouth, snickering shamelessly.
Chen Shi's face darkened. "You're this happy that Giratina's got its eye on me?"
"What if it kills me? Who's going to help you save the World Tree then?"
Mew didn't fall for it at all. It flopped back onto the bed lazily.
"Mew~"
(Then I'll just ask Giratina to kill you a little later. For the World Tree, it'll give me some face.)
Chen Shi nearly broke on the spot.
"Kill me later"?
So I'm definitely dying either way?!
Immediately, he went full shameless. "I don't care. If you don't help me figure this out, I'm not helping you save the World Tree!"
"Mew~"
(No, you already accepted my benefits. You'll definitely help.)
Mew replied casually.
By now, it had a clear understanding of Chen Shi. He might be a little sly and shameless—but he valued promises and was fundamentally kind.
Since he had accepted its help, he would absolutely go all out.
And when it came to the World Tree, there was no way he could sit still.
Right now, Chen Shi really wanted to punch that smug little face—but thinking about Mew's strength, he held back.
"Sigh…"
Glancing at the sleeping Jirachi, Chen Shi lay back down again.
Thinking carefully, that scale from Mount Pyre had been strange from the start.
The boost it gave was simply too great.
It had raised Dragapult's potential from Legendary-tier all the way to a Sub-Legendary level.
And the higher you went, the harder it was to improve potential.
The resources required were astronomical.
Even Professor Oak's Dragonite was stuck at Legendary-tier potential.
There was no way someone like Professor Oak hadn't tried similar resources before.
Yet it hadn't worked.
But for Dragapult—it had.
Which meant only one thing.
That scale had never been ordinary.
"But if what you said is true… why would Giratina target me?"
"I'm just a normal human. I've never offended it before."
Seeing his troubled expression, Mew finally stopped messing with him.
"Mew!"
(Don't worry. If Giratina really wanted to harm you, you wouldn't still be here talking to me—you'd already be gone.)
"Mew!"
(And if it allowed Dragapult to learn Phantom Force, it probably doesn't mean you any harm. Otherwise, why bother doing something so pointless?)
Chen Shi froze for a moment—then suddenly realized.
"Right! Damn it, you had me completely thrown off earlier!"
"If Giratina really wanted to deal with me, it wouldn't have let Dragapult learn Phantom Force in the first place."
"So… it probably doesn't have any ill intent toward me."
With that thought, Chen Shi finally relaxed, his usual easygoing demeanor returning.
"But then why would Giratina do this?"
"What's its goal?"
"Mew~"
(No idea. Maybe Dragapult is its illegitimate child.)
Chen Shi's mouth twitched as he shot Mew a glare.
This black-hearted cat had just scared him half to death—and now it was spouting nonsense again.
If he could beat it, he would've smacked it already.
Dragapult… Giratina's child?
Was that even remotely possible?
Not to mention Dragapult was his starter Pokémon from the system—completely unrelated—
Giratina couldn't even reproduce like that!
Total nonsense.
"Sigh…"
"Forget it. You're all big shots. I can't afford to mess with any of you."
"Whatever happens, happens."
Mew glanced at him, said nothing, and closed its eyes, ready to sleep.
But at that moment—
On the window, a pair of crimson eyes appeared once again.
That same suffocating presence returned instantly.
Mew shot upright, staring directly at those eyes.
Jirachi woke with a start and immediately burrowed into Chen Shi's arms.
"Chen Shi… I'm scared!"
Chen Shi wanted to cry.
I'm scared too!
"Mew~"
(What do you want?)
Mew's expression turned serious, fully on guard.
The crimson eyes narrowed slightly, silently staring at Chen Shi.
"Mew!"
(This is the guardian of the World Tree I've chosen. If you have something to say, say it directly.)
Chen Shi felt a surge of emotion.
He hadn't expected Mew to actually stand in front of him at a critical moment.
…Wait, what was this "World Tree guardian" thing?
After a brief silence, Giratina finally spoke, its voice cold and heavy.
"You… should fulfill your promise."
Mew scratched its head, confused.
"Mew?"
(When did I ever make a promise to you?)
"I'm not talking about you," Giratina said, casting it a disdainful glance. "I'm talking about him."
Chen Shi stood there, completely lost.
A promise?
He had never even met Giratina before!
And… Giratina didn't seem as violent as the legends described…
Carefully, he asked, "C-Can I ask… what promise you're referring to?"
Giratina paused.
At first, it seemed ready to get angry—but then it held back and spoke again.
"You promised before… that you would give me more of those… block-like things."
"…Block-like things?"
Chen Shi blinked, utterly confused.
"Something edible. In blocks."
"…Right. The same kind that little Dreepy eats."
Chen Shi: "..."
Mew: "..."
Jirachi: "..."
So after all that—
After scaring him half to death—
It just came for energy cubes?!
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