Chapter 156

It was Thursday, August 27, and the sky was slowly darkening, with a sprinkle of stars beginning to twinkle in the night. The town still buzzed with lights, and the massive Meowth signature ice cream stand stood out prominently, with the staff working diligently.

"Here's your Razz Berry ice cream, please enjoy!"

"That'll be 40 yuan, please visit us again!"

As the crowd began to disperse, Jessie and James slumped together, groaning, "We're so tired!"

Meowth licked his lips and admired the stack of banknotes, saying, "We made over 60,000 today. Meow~~ Tomorrow, business will be even better, and we can build our fortune!"

James quivered and wondered aloud, "Is this what Teacher Luke meant?"

"Exploring business opportunities, creating more powerful machines, and capturing rarer Pokémon!" Jessie's eyes sparkled with excitement.

With two Meowths and a Wobbuffet, they tossed the banknotes into the air, chanting, "Long live Teacher Luke!"

"Woo~~buffet!" Wobbuffet gleefully joined in.

"Excuse me, can we still buy ice cream?"

"Sorry, we're closed for the day."

James smirked and suddenly covered his mouth, stuttering, "E-Executive!"

Jessie and Meowth quickly pounced on James and pressed him to the ground, frantically offering, "What would you like to eat? Just name it!"

"Because you're our 17,835th customer today, your meal is on the house, meow!"

"What did he just say?" Cynthia turned to Luke beside her.

Meowth swiftly improvised, "He said, 'Well done.'"

James nodded vigorously with tears in his eyes, still covering his mouth.

The trio let out a sigh of relief. They had narrowly avoided exposing their identities as Executives.

"Is that a Talking Meowth?" Cynthia looked at Meowth in astonishment.

Meowth was caught off guard.

Meowth stammered, "Aba, aba, aba. (◑▽◐)"

Luke rubbed his forehead and explained, "It's a rare species; after all, Pokémon are truly magical creatures."

Cynthia nodded thoughtfully, accepting the explanation.

Luke couldn't help but sigh. He had a feeling that if he recruited these three as subordinates, Officer Jenny would be investigating him the very next day.

A flashback to half an hour earlier:

Cynthia had returned from challenging the Gym alone, and after the crowd had dispersed, she decided to go shopping with Teacher Luke.

This development had taken the trio by surprise. They were impressed that Teacher Luke had relationship with the Sinnoh Champion, which justified Master Giovanni's interest in him.

"Um... let me think about it," Cynthia said, gazing at the variety of ice cream stalls.

Five minutes passed.

Ten minutes passed.

Luke watched Cynthia's profile for ten minutes and nodded with satisfaction. His plan seemed to be working.

"Have you made your choice, ma'am?" Jessie said with a hint of embarrassment.

"Well, you can say it twice," James chimed in with a smile.

Cynthia's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "In that case, I'll take three scoops, please."

"Vui~!" Eevee stood on Luke's shoulder, showing its excitement.

Meowth was taken aback and said tearfully, "Don't blame Meowth for anything! Meowth didn't do anything wrong!"

"It just asked you to get an ice cream," Luke said, his face reddening with embarrassment.

Meowth responded, "Well, you could've just said that!"

"Vui~! o(´^｀)o" Eevee turned its head away, a bit sulky.

"Here's your ice cream, take it and enjoy!" Jessie handed the ice cream to Luke, who then offered it to Eevee. The little Pokémon eagerly leaned down, getting a bit of cream on its face.

Luke chuckled with delight. "Vui~ !(#｀д´)"

Cynthia glanced at Luke and smiled slightly. "Shall we go? They're waiting for us."

Luke nodded in agreement.

Steven and the others were ready to send Jirachi back to the stars. Though they had spent only a few days together, it had been enough to create cherished memories.

"We're leaving," Luke said.

He cleared his throat and added, "Work diligently, and don't slack off!"

The trio nodded in unison. "Welcome back anytime!"

As they watched Steven and the others walking away, the trio huddled together and whispered to each other.

"This Executive... he's really kind," Jessie whispered.

"Much better than that girl in glasses!"

"Follow him, and you'll surely be promoted, and wealth is guaranteed, nya!"

Gazing at the vast starry sky, the trio cheered together:

"What an amazing feeling!"

"Woo~~buffet!"

Luke carried Eevee on his shoulder, and he and Cynthia walked side by side toward Yanfeng. Suddenly, he shook a pendant in his hand.

This delicate pendant, swaying like a wind chime, consisted of seven petals, symbolizing the seven days of Jirachi's slumber.

"It is said that with this pendant, you can make a wish come true by folding one petal each day for seven days."

Luke handed the pendant to Cynthia and said, "Here, it's for you."

Cynthia accepted the pendant, blinking in surprise. "But I've never heard of such a legend."

"Well," Luke coughed lightly, "the gentleman I battled against earlier mentioned it."

He added, "It's also a prize for the battle celebration!"

Cynthia scrutinized Luke for a while until she turned away and retrieved an identical pendant from her pocket.

"Fifty yuan from a stall," Cynthia said with a smile, "I got one for you too."

"Damn! (In both Chinese and Japanese)"

...

Teacher Luke really didn't dare to ride on Garchomp, so he specifically asked Tropius for a lift.

Tropius joyfully carried Luke to the top of a rock.

As their sight expanded, the night sky filled with brilliant stars, and a long comet slowly descended.

Steven and the others stood beneath the starry sky, with Jirachi hovering in midair, emitting a gentle halo.

Jirachi seemed to merge with the entire starry sky, with the ribbons on its body fluttering. When it saw Luke, it smiled innocently.

[Everyone, let's play together!]

Steven glanced at his quartz watch, smiled up at the sky, and said, "Alright, let's play together."

Jirachi cheered and flew toward Steven, circling around everyone and scattering specks of starlight.

It landed on Teacher Luke's shoulder, extending its tiny hand, asking Luke for a hug, and sweetly saying:

"[Luke, kiss!]"

Luke lifted Jirachi, planted a gentle kiss on its cheek, and said with a smile, "I hope you make it to your next awakening... By the way, you're even sleepier than Snorlax!"

Jirachi lowered its eyelids, stuck out its tongue, and made a playful face before flying back into Cynthia's arms.

Eevee stood on Luke's shoulder, turned its head awkwardly, and was suddenly embraced by Luke.

"Life is short... Humans and Pokémon are alike."

Luke stood under the starry sky, feeling a sense of melancholy, and said softly, "I just hope you grow up happily."

"I'll make sure of it if you're worried," Luke added with a smile.

"I'm used to being deceived anyway!"

"Vui~..."

Eevee leaned into Luke's embrace and let out a contented growl.

Jirachi flew back into Steven's arms, looking affectionate.

Under the starry river, the distance between humans and Pokémon felt incredibly close, as if one could hear a heartbeat by simply holding their breath.

Luke mumbled as if complaining, "Seriously... Learn from Jirachi... Occasionally, show some charm towards me!"

"Vui~!"

Eevee reached out and tugged at Luke's sleeve, its eyes sparkling and a soft growl escaping its mouth.

"Ei... Vui~.⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄"

A faint white light emanated from Eevee's body.

But as Luke looked up, his attention was captured by the vast starry sky.

The entire night sky suddenly lit up.

Jirachi radiated a brilliant light, gradually ascending into the sky, closing its wise eyes, while a white light seemed to burn in its abdomen.

Luke raised his head and noticed that the entire starry sky was shining.

Thousands of starlights flowed into the night sky, with a beam of light connecting from the comet to Jirachi's abdomen.

Eyes of Truth opened, and the starlight flooded the night sky.

Luke held Eevee in his arms, took out an instrument from his pocket, and began to play "Where the Stars Are" slowly.

With the soothing melody, meteors descended, and the long-awaited meteor shower finally arrived.

Jirachi slowly ascended into the sky, moving toward the comet.

Luke could see its eyes, which were filled not only with starlight but also with tears.

Could legendary Pokémon also experience emotions?

In just seven days, what kind of impression would this one-thousand-year life leave?

Luke didn't know for sure.

But Jirachi's innocent voice echoed in everyone's hearts.

"[Everyone, let's play together!]"

Meteors illuminated the entire sky, and Jirachi grew smaller and smaller. Steven said with a gentle smile, "Let's make a wish."

"A wish can only come true if you close your eyes."

So, everyone closed their eyes.

In the midst of the commotion, Luke felt a refreshing sensation as something quietly nestled onto his arm.

"I wish for my Pokémon to grow up safely and happily," Luke silently made his wish.

A faint red light shimmered, and Squirtle and Haunter, captivated by the brilliant Star River, closed their eyes involuntarily.

...

Down at the mountain's base, Jessie nudged James, who was yawning, and remarked in puzzlement, "Look, a meteor shower."

"Close your eyes and make a wish, meow!" James encouraged.

"I wish I could catch Pikachu soon!"

"You fool, it won't work just by saying it!"

"I hope Jessie can be kind... Oh, never mind, I'll make a different wish."

"What did you say?! You stand right there!"

...

Eevee's body emitted a radiant brilliance, although nobody noticed as they were all immersed in a bittersweet moment of beauty and contemplation.

"[Everyone, let's play together...]" Jirachi's telepathic voice grew weaker until it eventually faded away.

The meteor shower gradually came to an end, leaving only the twinkling Star River in the night sky.

Eevee gazed at the passing meteors, enveloped in a dazzling white light.

Eevee made a wish.

"I hope my master can become the world's greatest Trainer!"

The wind ceased to blow.

"Vui~."

Luke heard a soft utterance.

Then, Luke opened his eyes.