Chapter 239:
Supplementing energy naturally fell under Victini's domain.
Hayashi Kaede took out a plate of macarons and waved for Victini to come over.
"Victini..."
Though it didn't understand why the portal had suddenly stopped pulling it, Victini couldn't resist flying over when it saw the macarons.
While Victini was nibbling, Hayashi Kaede gently pulled Jirachi closer. "Can I ask for your help, Victini?"
"Victini?"
Victini set down its macaron, tilting its head curiously.
Hayashi Kaede placed Jirachi in front of Victini.
"It's like this — I used Jirachi's wish to open that passage and bring you here."
"But the portal is running out of energy. If it isn't replenished, Jirachi will fall into a deep sleep, and you'll be pulled back as well."
"Victini?"
Victini's eyes widened in alarm. After the initial wave of fear passed, it seemed to grow comfortable among the group.
Perhaps Alolan Vulpix's cheerful nature was contagious — any Pokémon near it tended to brighten up.
"Victini?" (Is that really true?)
Now it was Jirachi's turn to feel embarrassed.
"Jirachi..." (Not exactly. It was Big Brother Kaede's wish...)
"Victini..." (That's amazing!)
Victini looked at Jirachi with sparkling admiration. It couldn't believe a Pokémon had brought it so far away in an instant.
That was incredible!
Just then, the passage behind them began to hum softly again. The faint pull startled Victini, reminding it of Hayashi Kaede's words.
Without hesitation, it grabbed Jirachi's hand and began channeling energy.
"Jirachi!"
The moment the energy flowed, Jirachi's eyes widened. A few moments ago, it had been struggling to stay awake as the candy's power faded. But now, with Victini's hand in its own, it felt clear-headed again — a steady current of warmth pouring into it.
Seeing that both Jirachi and their new friend were fine, Alolan Vulpix tugged at Hayashi Kaede's pant leg, eager to ask who the new "squad member" was.
Even Gardevoir looked over curiously.
Everyone had witnessed the earlier snowstorm — and that certainly hadn't come from Alolan Vulpix's current level of power.
Hayashi Kaede decided not to keep them guessing. "Its name is Victini" he explained. "It comes from a place far, far away — Eindoak Town."
"It's known as the Victory Pokémon and it possesses infinite energy. It is a mythical Pokémon and Legend says that any Trainer who bonds with it will never lose a battle."
"The victory energy it carries can greatly enhance another Pokémon's power in a short burst. That's why Vulpix could summon such strong snowfall just now."
"Vulpix!?" (A Mythical Pokémon!?)
Alolan Vulpix's mouth dropped open in disbelief — the new member of its squad was actually a Mythical Pokémon!
"Victini..."
By now, Victini had finished transferring energy and floated weakly in the air.
Something felt strange.
It had given Jirachi plenty of power, yet the little Pokémon seemed like a bottomless pit, drawing more and more without stopping.
But remembering the delicious macarons and the kind friends it had met, Victini didn't stop.
"Jirachi!"
Now brimming with energy, Jirachi spun in midair, eyes shining.
"Jirachi..." (Big Brother Kaede! I feel completely awake now!!)
Then it turned to Victini with concern. "Jirachi?" (Are you okay, Victini?)
"Victini... Victini~" (I'm fine! Victini recovers quickly!)
Victini smiled brightly, flashing its signature "V for Victory" pose.
Sure enough, within minutes its energy returned. It then looked at Hayashi Kaede, licking its lips expectantly.
It was clearly craving more.
"Alright, alright…"
Amused, Hayashi Kaede laughed helplessly and handed over all the remaining macarons.
ヾ(≧▽≦*)o: "Victini~~"
Seeing so many at once, Victini felt like it had fallen into a sea of bliss.
For some reason, even before tasting them, it had known these macarons would be delicious — and they were beyond what it imagined.
After one bite, it simply couldn't stop.
Alolan Vulpix watched, tilting its head. It glanced at its own plate.
The cookies were tasty, sure — but after eating too many, they became a bit cloying. Usually, it only had one or two before stopping.
In the entire plantation, only Blaziken had no restraint. After meals, it would sneak off to pick berries, grab a bowl of MooMoo Milk, or even "borrow" honey from the Combee hive.
Once, the Combee had caught it red-handed.
Since they only recognized Hayashi Kaede and the Indeedee siblings, they had treated Blaziken as a honey thief and promptly reported it to their queen.
When Hayashi Kaede heard about it, he didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
Since then, a jug of fresh MooMoo Milk and a jar of Sweet Honey would appear in the refrigerator every day.
Maybe Victini was eating so many macarons now because it had never tasted such heavenly food before.
Seeing this, Alolan Vulpix pushed its own plate toward Victini.
It held fried fish, steak, Energy Cubes, and crisp cabbage leaves — a well-balanced meal of meat and vegetables.
"Vulpix?" (Want to try this?)
"Victini?"
Victini looked from the macarons to the plate of savory food, eyes sparkling. "Victini~" (Can I really have it?)
At that point, Alolan Vulpix no longer cared that Victini was a Mythical Pokémon. Acting like the squad leader it fancied itself to be, it patted Victini proudly.
"Vulpix!" (Of course! I'm the leader, after all!)
"Victini..." (Sniff... Sob...)
Victini picked up an icy Energy Cube and popped it into its mouth. A refreshing chill spread through it — and its mood lifted even higher.
Today was, without a doubt, the happiest day of its thousand-year life.
It would remember it forever.
"Vulpix~?" (Tasty?)
Alolan Vulpix blinked up at it expectantly.
"Victini~"
Victini nodded enthusiastically.
Just then, Mew finished licking the last trace of catnip from its macaron. Feeling blissful and weightless, it floated over to Jirachi and Victini, determined not to be left out.
( ﾟдﾟ)つ: "Meeew~" (And me! Don't forget me!)
Jirachi immediately introduced them.
"Jirachi, Jirachi!" (This is Mew! It's amazing! It can transform into any Pokémon — even the dragon rayquaza also known as Sky High Pokémon!)
"Victini?" (It can transform into anything?)
Victini stared, wide-eyed, mid-bite.
"Meeew~" (Of course!)
Looking proud, Mew placed a paw on Victini — and in the next instant, there were two identical Victini!
The real Victini spun around, examining Mew from every angle, unable to find a single difference. "Victini~...!" (So amazing!)
"Meeew~" (Hehe~)
Mew changed back to its original form and took Victini's hand. "Meeew..." (Come on, I'll show you our treasure trove.)
Saying this, it flew skyward with Jirachi and Victini.
"Mew, don't let them wander too far" Hayashi Kaede called out. "And remember to keep Jirachi's energy steady!"
"Meeew..." (Okay!)
Soon, only their fading silhouettes remained — and Alolan Vulpix's small complaint: "Vulpix..."
It was sulking about its squad member being taken away.
Hayashi Kaede picked it up, smiling. "There, there… They haven't been out much. It's good for them to explore."
"Vulpix?"
Alolan Vulpix tilted its head, confused.
Hayashi Kaede just patted it and set it down again.
Though it didn't fully understand, it accepted his words and scampered off to play with Goodra.
Meanwhile, Hayashi Kaede looked up at the shimmering passage in the sky, thoughtful.
Gardevoir floated over with a glass of Grepa Berry wine.
"Hm?" He accepted it.
Gardevoir smiled gently. "Gardevoir~" (Aren't the three of them playing happily together?)
Hearing this, Hayashi Kaede downed the wine in one gulp.
An image surfaced in his mind — a crescent moon hanging low over the sea, with Jirachi and Mew leading Victini across mountains and oceans.
At the horizon's curve, the moon seemed to hover just above the waves, its pale light reflected across the rippling water.
Victini looked in awe at the endless ocean — something it had never seen in all its life.
Eventually, they reached the Tree of Life, where Mew revealed its treasure trove: trinkets gathered from all over the world — a rattle drum, a Rubik's cube, a doll, and glittering stones of unknown power.
The three Mythical Pokémon, each strong in their own right, played like carefree children among the treasures, laughing until they drifted into a peaceful sleep together.
Hayashi Kaede sighed softly. "Yes... they really do look happy."
Dinner was winding down.
Blaziken let out a satisfied burp. Butterfree, tipsy from a bit of Grepa Berry wine under Younger Sister Indeedee's watch, fluttered unsteadily toward the barn.
Its "nest" was a wooden box lined with Wooloo wool, snug and drawer-sized.
When the weather turned colder, it had shivered and complained to Indeedee.
So Hayashi Kaede moved the box into the living room as a temporary fix.
Of course, that wasn't permanent — he had already ordered a heated glass terrarium for the new villa, so Butterfree could have a cozy home all winter long.
At that moment, Serperior was about to leave the garden when its Aura senses tingled.
It paused, focusing — then smirked faintly.
From the distant water channel, it could feel a familiar figure sneaking closer.
Oddly enough, when it reached out with its Aura, the intruder responded faintly.
It was Wartortle...
But somehow, it seemed to have learned Aura Sense?
Had it been lingering outside the plantation for so long that it finally picked it up — perhaps driven by curiosity or hunger?
Maybe its thirst for knowledge of "Can I still catch dinner?" had helped it master Aura Sphere.
...
In truth, Mew, Jirachi, and Victini hadn't gone straight to the Tree of Life as Hayashi Kaede imagined.
Instead, they flew over Aogiri Town and into a nearby forest, following Jirachi's memories until they reached a pit beside a small stream.
There, Jirachi carefully searched the water and found a smooth, glowing stone.
It was small — about the size of a fist — but polished and luminous like jade.
"Victini?" (What's that?)
Victini asked curiously.
"Jirachi." (It's a Wishing Stone! Everyone's wishes are carried on it!)
From Jirachi's eyes, the Wishing Stone glowed with countless tiny lights, hundreds or even thousands of them.
Each represented a wish made upon a shooting star — countless emotions condensed into a single stone, transforming it into something truly special.
"Meeew?" (Is this your treasure?)
Mew asked softly.
"Jirachi..."
Jirachi nodded enthusiastically.