When in doubt—run first.
Even though Ethan now had multiple god-tier Pokémon, he firmly believed one thing:
Nature was not something you challenged head-on.
Who knew how big that "meteor" actually was?
If it turned out to be massive, it could flatten the entire Duanbai Mountain Range into a crater.
"Grab everything—we're leaving!" Ethan shouted.
"And you guys—stop dancing and run!"
Hearing him, Aurore didn't hesitate for even a second.
She had already seen it—the "meteor" was heading straight toward them.
There was no time to pack the tent.
They grabbed their bags and bolted.
The only problem—
The Cleffa… weren't listening.
They kept dancing as if nothing was wrong.
"…You guys are really something else."
Ethan clicked his tongue.
"Metagross—take them away. We'll regroup later."
If they wouldn't listen, then force it.
If that meteor really hit the mountain range, some unlucky Pokémon were definitely going to get wiped out.
All Ethan could do was escape—and make sure these little guys didn't get caught in it.
From decision to full retreat—
It took them less than twenty seconds.
BOOM—
Several kilometers away, Ethan suddenly heard a deep, thunderous impact behind him.
A violent gust of wind followed, sweeping through the mountains with a roaring sound.
"…You've got to be kidding."
Ethan turned around.
"That thing actually hit near our camp."
Relief washed over him.
Good thing they ran fast.
If they'd been any slower—
Getting crushed by a meteor would've been the dumbest way to die imaginable.
Even the system would probably rage quit.
Aurore exhaled slowly, still shaken.
"…We should probably thank those Cleffa."
"If they hadn't woken us up, we'd still be asleep right now."
Ethan nodded.
She was right.
They really did owe those little guys one.
Next time they met, he'd cook something nice for them.
After that adrenaline rush, neither of them felt sleepy anymore.
"So…" Ethan said, glancing back.
"Want to go check it out?"
He had never seen a meteor up close before.
And who knew—
Maybe something valuable had fallen from the sky.
There were no more meteors overhead either.
No risk of a follow-up strike.
"Let's go," Aurore agreed.
When they returned to their campsite, the tent was still there—just slightly crooked from the wind.
Following the direction it had been pushed, they searched slowly.
About ten minutes later—
They found it.
A massive crater.
Roughly five meters wide and one to two meters deep.
At the center was a smaller hole, about the size of a papaya.
"Stay here," Ethan said.
"I'll check it out."
He jumped down into the crater.
Carefully approaching the hole, he confirmed there was no immediate danger before peering inside.
At the bottom—
A strangely shaped stone glowed with a soft, misty white light.
Ethan reached in and tested the temperature.
No heat.
Only then did he pick it up.
Climbing out of the crater, he set the stone down and examined it closely.
It was blue-purple in color, covered in pentagonal protrusions.
At the base of each protrusion, a ring of dark red-black marked the surface.
"…I feel like I've seen this before," Aurore muttered, frowning.
She stared at it for a long time.
She was sure she had encountered something like this—
Either in real life or in a book.
But she just couldn't remember.
"Take your time," Ethan said casually.
"We've got all night. Worst case, we just carry it around for a couple months."
Aurore frowned deeper and reached out—
Touching the stone lightly.
And then—
Something changed.
The soft white glow around the stone suddenly surged—
Wrapping around her fingers like it was trying to climb up her arm.
Aurore yelped and pulled back instantly.
"What the—?!"
Ethan blinked.
"…Does this thing discriminate or something?"
He had literally picked it up himself earlier—
Nothing happened.
Now Aurore touched it once—
And it reacted immediately.
Not convinced, Ethan tried again.
He poked it.
Grabbed it.
Held it.
Still nothing.
Zero reaction.
Aurore, meanwhile, stood to the side, deep in thought.
Then—
Her gaze shifted to the crater.
And suddenly—
It clicked.
"I remember now!"
She looked at Ethan, eyes bright.
"This… might be a Wishing Star."
"A Wishing Star?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Before becoming a trainer, Aurore had once dreamed of having her own Pokémon.
Back then, she had read about a strange kind of stone—
A stone that would fall from the sky like a meteor…
And only land beside those who carried strong dreams.
A legendary object.
A Wishing Star.
"They say it can grant wishes," Aurore explained.
"But… it's just a legend."
"No one has ever actually confirmed it."
"If it were real, the whole world would be hunting them down already."
Ethan's eyes lit up.
Grant wishes?
Now that sounded interesting.
He immediately crouched beside the stone, clasped his hands together, and spoke seriously:
"Alright then—Wishing Star."
"I wish the Sky Eagle Alliance would disappear from this world right now."
"Can you make that happen?"
…
The Wishing Star remained completely silent.
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