It had to be said that some Mythical Pokémon were ridiculously overpowered.
Victini was one such example.
When it had first been born, it helped Jirachi resist a comet.
Later, it replenished Rayquaza's energy, allowing it to defeat both Groudon and Kyogre in one decisive battle.
Now, with Victini's assistance, Xerneas's fading body rapidly stabilized and returned to normal.
A trace of surprise appeared in Xerneas's eyes.
It had already prepared itself to fall back into slumber.
It never expected the human brought here by Mew to have Victini help it.
Still, this outcome was welcome.
With Victini's support, it no longer needed to sleep and could remain active in the world.
Diantha sighed with admiration.
"Victini truly lives up to its status as a Mythical Pokémon."
Steven's face was filled with envy.
"Seriously."
"I still don't understand what kind of absurd luck Old Chen has."
"He actually found a Victini Egg during the World Championships."
Diantha chuckled softly.
"The egg was sitting right there."
"None of us recognized it."
"And it was the same with the meteorite Jirachi was sleeping in."
"We can only blame ourselves for not seeing it."
"That's true."
Steven nodded in agreement.
The meteorite containing Jirachi had sat in his father's collection room for years.
Yet none of them had recognized what it was.
In the end, Chen Shi had walked away with the greatest bargain imaginable.
Some things really came down to fate.
"......"
Chen Shi ignored their conversation.
His attention remained fixed on Victini and Xerneas.
The Winding Woods had largely returned to normal.
Xerneas had stopped releasing life energy.
Victini looked exhausted.
It wobbled through the air before settling onto Chen Shi's shoulder.
"Little V."
"Do you want to rest inside your Poké Ball?"
Since Victini's level was still relatively low, it could still be recalled into a Poké Ball.
Victini rubbed its eyes.
Then shook its head.
Compared to staying inside a Poké Ball, it preferred remaining beside Chen Shi at all times.
Seeing its refusal, Chen Shi didn't push the matter.
Instead, he smiled and gently rubbed Victini's head.
His eyes were filled with affection.
At that moment, Xerneas approached them.
"Human."
"Thank you."
Chen Shi shook his head.
"I didn't really do anything."
"The one you should thank is Little V."
"Besides, you already answered my question earlier."
"We're even."
Xerneas nodded gently.
It didn't continue the topic.
Instead, it called the Beedrill over before turning to Chen Shi.
"This child hatched beside me."
"In order to grow stronger, it broke its own wings dozens of times."
"Using the recovery abilities of Bug-type Pokémon and the traces of life energy I occasionally released, it became faster and stronger every time it recovered."
"At the same time, because it was influenced by my aura, it overcame the short lifespan normally associated with Bug-type Pokémon."
"Its potential is exceptionally high."
Everyone became more shocked the longer they listened.
Breaking its own wings repeatedly was practically the same as repeatedly shattering its own bones.
The process must have been unimaginably painful.
No one expected this Beedrill to possess such determination.
Chen Shi glanced at the silent Beedrill.
"I don't quite understand what you're getting at."
Xerneas looked at him.
Its voice remained as gentle as ever.
"When the day comes that you can defeat it with your own strength..."
"When you earn its recognition..."
"You may take it with you."
The moment those words were spoken—
The Beedrill panicked.
It immediately looked toward Xerneas pleadingly.
Back when it had still been an egg, it had been damaged accidentally by its own colony.
Everyone believed it would die before hatching.
So they abandoned it here.
It was Xerneas that saved it.
Xerneas that allowed it to hatch safely.
The Beedrill never knew the great tree was actually the legendary Xerneas.
It only knew that the tree had saved its life.
To the Beedrill—
That tree was its mother.
For years, it had pushed itself beyond every limit.
Everything it did was for the sake of protecting the tree that Xerneas had become.
It couldn't understand why Xerneas wanted to send it away.
"There is no meaning in staying with me forever."
"You should have a life of your own."
"You should see the world beyond this forest."
"This human would be a very good choice."
"His future is destined to be extraordinary."
Xerneas said softly.
The Beedrill froze.
Then turned toward Chen Shi.
It looked him up and down.
After a moment, it snorted.
"Beee?"
(Him?)
Chen Shi's face immediately darkened.
Had he just been looked down upon?
Then again...
The Beedrill was a Champion-level Pokémon.
Compared to it, he was indeed weak.
To be honest, the only reason he could swagger around right now was because Jirachi was with him.
But Jirachi wasn't actually his Pokémon.
Their relationship was closer to that of best friends.
His own strength was still lacking.
The Beedrill looking down on him wasn't particularly surprising.
Xerneas smiled.
"That's why I didn't say you should leave with him now."
"I said that one day, when he defeats you fairly and earns your recognition..."
"Then you may follow him."
The Beedrill still wanted to refuse.
It had no desire to leave.
It only wanted to remain beside Xerneas forever.
But seeing that Xerneas had already made up its mind, it gritted its teeth and pointed one of its stingers at Chen Shi.
"Beee!"
(Fine!)
(If he can defeat me head-on within three years, I'll go with him.)
Xerneas smiled approvingly.
"Good."
"Then it's settled."
Just as the agreement was reached—
Chen Shi suddenly spoke up.
"Wait a second."
"I never agreed to that."
Xerneas blinked in confusion.
Even the Beedrill glared at him fiercely.
What?
I'm giving you a chance to recruit me and you're not interested?
Just as the Beedrill was about to get angry—
Chen Shi spoke confidently.
"Three years?"
"Why would I need three years just to beat a little bee?"
"One year is more than enough."
The Beedrill immediately burst out laughing.
"Beee!"
(Then it's settled!)
(One year!)
(If you can't beat me within a year, stop thinking about recruiting me forever.)
When it attacked Chen Shi earlier, a Pokémon had emerged from his shadow.
The Beedrill could tell that Pokémon was Chen Shi's true partner.
But its strength was far too low.
Roughly equivalent to the Beedrill's own strength from eight years ago.
How could this human possibly defeat him within a single year?
Perfect.
This gave him exactly the excuse he wanted.
As long as he defeated Chen Shi one year later—
Xerneas would probably stop trying to send him away.
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