"Is it so difficult to enter this place?"
"Your guards couldn't survive a single swift strike from my Vespiquen. They've all dissipated into black smoke," Hime said, her red lips parting slightly as she spoke with an air of nonchalance. Clearly, the preceding skirmish had been utterly tedious to her.
Hime idly inspected her nails, which shimmered with a purplish-black luster under the eerie glow of the hellfire.
"You..."
High Priest Shaka's jaw twitched with suppressed rage. The Pure Heaven Sect had already suffered catastrophic losses, and Hime had just thinned their ranks even further. Her next words, however, nearly made him spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Don't thank me too much; I was merely honoring your sect's creed," Hime teased, a smirk playing on her lips. "I heard that your Sky God's doctrine dictates that all followers eventually return to his embrace. I was only doing you a favor."
"Then you have my... deepest thanks!" Shaka forced the words out through gritted teeth, his expression a stiff, frozen mask of a smile.
"Enough. Tell me why you summoned me. If you're just going to waste my time, I'm leaving. This place is gloomy, and the air smells like rot. Team Pure Heaven really is a bunch of bottom-feeders; no wonder people say you're like rats in a gutter."
Hime waved a hand in front of her nose with a look of pure disgust. Shaka's brow furrowed, a fresh surge of fury rising within him. He gripped his staff tight, but after a few seconds of forced calculation, he suppressed the anger. He needed this transaction to go through.
"I have a major contract for the Stinger Organization," Shaka began slowly. "I need you to assassinate someone."
"Well, the sun must be rising in the west," Hime remarked, her interest piqued. "An enemy the Pure Heaven Sect can't handle alone?"
"The target is Feng Che, the Gym Leader of Viridian City. His strength is formidable—certainly no less than an official Elite Four member. After our loss at the Bell Tower, we lack the necessary personnel. I want the Stinger Organization to eliminate him. You will be compensated handsomely."
"A word of advice, High Priest," Hime laughed coldly, her eyes full of mockery. "Do not try to play games with us. Otherwise, I will kill every member of your sect I see, one by one, until none of you are left."
With that, she leaped onto the back of her Vespiquen. The Pokémon transformed into a streak of white light and vanished. Once she was gone, Shaka finally let his fury explode, his aura flaring until the hall was filled with violent, dark flames.
The Starry Sky Shrine
Deep underground, the Colossal Steelix continued its relentless tunneling. Its massive fangs crunched through layers of solid bedrock as easily as if it were eating potato chips. It didn't take long for the beast to breach the ceiling of a hidden chamber a hundred meters down: the Starry Sky Shrine.
Feng Che looked around. The walls were etched with thousands of eye-like patterns. Jirachi possessed a "True Eye" on its stomach, which it used to channel the power of the Millennium Comet; the ancients had clearly deified this organ, making it the central motif of the temple. The shrine was filled with a soft, azure starlight drawn from the heavens by ancient enchantments.
He walked deeper into the sanctum, passing murals that depicted the ancient civilization's worship of the Wishing Star. Floating in the center of the main hall was Jirachi, suspended in a deep, timeless slumber.
Jirachi had a star-shaped head with turquoise "wish tags" hanging from its points. Beneath its eyes were turquoise triangular markings, and its third eye—the True Eye—remained shut on its abdomen. Because the Millennium Comet was approaching, Jirachi was beginning to stir, though its body remained paralyzed by the weight of its thousand-year sleep.
"Mewtwo, if I place the Jewel of Life on it, do you think it will wake up early?" Feng Che asked.
"Ancient texts say Jirachi sleeps to conserve energy, absorbing the planet's leyline power and the comet's influence over a millennium," Mewtwo replied, drawing the Jewel from its psychic dimension. "Arceus's Jewel is pure vitality. It's worth a try."
As Feng Che placed the gem on Jirachi's stomach, the Mythical Pokémon's True Eye slowly began to flutter. Suddenly, a streak of black light erupted from Jirachi, sinking into the back of Feng Che's hand. A new rune appeared.
"That is the Original Unown O," Mewtwo said, pleased. "If you collect all thirty, your psychic capacity will rival that of a God-tier Pokémon."
"Thirty?" Feng Che asked.
"The twenty-six letters, plus the four special characters: '!', '?', '.', and ','."
Jirachi finally fully awakened, floating up and handing the Jewel back to Feng Che. "Hello, human. Thank you for the early wake-up call."
Name: Jirachi
Gender: Genderless
Aptitude: Legendary (Deep Blue)
Level: 75
Type: Steel / Psychic
Evaluation: This is a rare "Reverse Jirachi." Its unique trait is Reverse Wishing—be careful what you ask for, as the opposite will likely occur.
"A Reverse Wishing Jirachi?" Feng Che mused, a devious smirk playing on his lips. This wasn't just a Pokémon; it was a strategic weapon. Used correctly, he could ruin his enemies simply by "wishing" for their success.