Under the night sky, a Pokémon with a slender horn and snow-white fur sprinted wildly. Its graceful posture possessed a powerful aesthetic, just like a large feline predator on the hunt.
A Pokémon dubbed the "Disaster Pokémon" because it often appears accompanied by disasters: Absol.
The direction it was running was exactly the center where the white rings had gathered on the ground just now. Its goal was to reach Jirachi...
On the other side, carrying Jirachi and Meowstic on her back, the dragon sister, led by Mewtwo at the front of the line, arrived at a highland.
There were no trees blocking the surroundings, the wind rustled the grass, the view was excellent, and the entire night canopy could be taken in at a glance.
Having played and roughhoused with the friendly girls along the way, Jirachi's attention gradually shifted, temporarily putting Lorze aside.
The Pokémon sat in a circle, clustering the tiny Jirachi in the middle, watching the stars together with her.
It's just that, like the principle of the moon being bright and the stars being sparse, the existence of the Millennium Comet also eclipsed the other constellations, as if trying to turn the night sky into its one-man show stage.
But this actually played right into Jirachi's hands.
"The stars... are calling me!"
Under the gaze of the other Pokémon, Jirachi closed her eyes and floated into mid-air. The large eye on her stomach also slowly opened, seeming to be absorbing energy from the comet.
However, a low growl shattered the tranquility here. A fierce-looking Absol had found this place.
Finally, found you!
You bastards who abducted Jirachi... I'll definitely teach you a lesson!
Roaring and charging towards the Psychic-type Pokémon clustering Jirachi in the middle, I am a Dark-type that counters Psychic-types, the advantage is mine!
Half a minute...
Stepped on by Braixen's fox foot, Absol let out a whimpering sound: I'm behaved now, please let me go.
Like interrogating a prisoner, Mewtwo released a terrifyingly powerful oppressive aura, scaring the female Absol into urinary incontinence on the spot...
"Why did you attack us? Speak!"
"I-I wanted to protect Jirachi! You bad guys who took Jirachi away... I'll fight you to the death!"
However, Lorze's Pokémon fell into a bout of silence.
Realizing something wasn't quite right, Absol also fell silent: Could it be... I made a mistake?
Eh eh??
After some explanation, the misunderstanding was finally cleared up, and Absol also dropped her hostility.
"Our family has guarded the Jirachi of the Forina region for generations... but she was stolen by someone not long ago. These past few days, I sensed abnormal movements in the earth's veins, so I followed the flow of energy and found this place."
Mewtwo frowned. That's it? You clearly made a huge mistake and your attitude is so terrible, you really lack discipline!
"In other words... Jirachi being taken out of Forina was an accident, and this is your dereliction of duty as a guardian!"
As if a knife had pierced straight into her heart, Absol's body trembled, she gritted her teeth tightly, and retreated step by step.
"This..."
But Mewtwo relentlessly continued her pursuit: "As you can see now, Jirachi is protected by us. May I ask if you have any other problems?"
"N-No more..."
"Since there are none, go home, wash up, and sleep. We are all Psychic-type Pokémon, you are not welcome here!"
"Uh... Tch!"
The originally high-spirited Disaster Beast suffered multiple blows in a short time. She inevitably drooped her head and walked in the opposite direction of everyone, but still maintained a distance and lingered nearby, not wanting to leave.
Humans cannot be trusted.
She warned herself this over and over in her heart, so she hadn't fully approved of Mewtwo and the others.
But, they are much stronger than me, and they haven't hurt Jirachi, and about the dereliction of duty, that person wasn't wrong...
Disapproval, approval, guilt.
Complex emotions wrestled in her heart. Absol felt extremely conflicted.
So she made this compromise: follow them from a distance. As long as they put Jirachi in danger, she would definitely take action immediately!
She also knew this was just a little psychological comfort, but since things had come to this, let it be for now.
"Big Sister Mewtwo! That guy has been peeping at us all along, huh?"
Mewtwo shrugged. Of course, she could sense it.
"It can't be helped. She's not a bad person, just let her be."
While they were talking, Jirachi seemed to have absorbed enough comet energy. Plus, having played happily with Lorze and his girls all night, her stamina was already depleted.
My eyelids feel so heavy... Mmh, Lorze hasn't come yet. I guess we'll just have to... see each other tomorrow?
Harboring a small regret, Jirachi closed her eyes and fell asleep like a hibernating animal that had stored enough energy.
By the time she was carried onto Latias's back, the cute Wishing Star was already sleeping peacefully.
"Jirachi... she fell asleep!"
"Shh—let's not disturb little Jirachi. After all, that guy asked us to take good care of her."
The four Pokémon carefully looked after the sleeping Jirachi, as if she were their own biological younger sister.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Butler sneaked over to Lorze's tent with Dusclops and asked in a voice neither loud nor soft:
"Sir Lorze, are you asleep?"
If Lorze didn't respond, it meant he was asleep, and he could exploit the opportunity to snatch Jirachi; if he came out, he would have Dusclops hypnotize him, and he could also take the opportunity to snatch Jirachi.
Flawless.
After waiting patiently for two minutes, there was still no answer. Pressing his ear against the tent, he couldn't hear any sounds either.
Butler tiptoed and lifted the tent flap, discovering that it was actually completely empty inside!
And Jirachi was lying there quietly...
Butler was overjoyed: Great, I didn't even have to expend any effort to get it. As long as I get Jirachi, I will have the initiative no matter what.
So he slipped into the tent and picked up Jirachi. The texture is really soft, a bit different from what I imagined... Never mind, the most urgent thing is to get back to my magic show tent first!
But the moment he stepped out of the tent, the man wearing the black cloak was standing quietly outside, his backdrop the dazzling Millennium Comet.
He grinned and clapped his hands, his tone as if he had expected him to come all along.
"Mr. Butler, what brings you here so late at night?"
Because of the backlighting, he couldn't see his face clearly, but from the voice, he could tell it was Lorze!?
The cloaked young man in the night made Butler shudder. The murderous intent radiating from him made him seem like a completely different person compared to his aura in the morning.
Well aware of the truth that villains die from talking too much, Butler struck first without regard for martial ethics: "Dusclops! Use—Uh!? Dusclops!?"
Just as he was about to order Dusclops to attack, the black-skirted queen who appeared out of nowhere directly one-shot it with a Psychic!
Then, she leaped gracefully to the young man's side, possessing an extraordinary temperament.
Wh-What is this!? Oh no! He came prepared...
But you miscalculated one thing. The most important thing, Jirachi, is in my hands.
"Jirachi is in my hands right now. If you don't want anything bad to happen to it, don't try any little tricks!"
But Lorze nonchalantly spread his hands: "Suit yourself~"
What's with that indifferent look on his face... Wait, could it be!?
By the light of the comet, Butler looked at the object in his arms. It was actually just a Jirachi plushie!?