Among everyone present, Diantha already knew about Jirachi.
Not long ago, when her Gardevoir couldn't Mega Evolve, she had personally gone to Verdanturf Town to seek Chen Shi's help.
It was during that time that she had seen Jirachi.
But according to both Chen Shi's explanation and the historical records—
Jirachi should fall into a thousand-year slumber after seven days of awakening.
Yet now—
The comet had long since disappeared.
And Jirachi was still awake?
And that Pokémon with the large ears—
What exactly was it?
Diantha realized—
She understood Chen Shi less and less.
Facing everyone's questioning gazes, Chen Shi smiled calmly.
"The reason Jirachi didn't fall asleep is simple."
"I made a wish."
Aside from Cynthia and Phoebe—
The others froze for a moment.
Then their expressions changed.
They immediately understood what he meant.
His wish…
Was for Jirachi to never fall asleep again.
For a moment—
They couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
To give up such a precious wish—
Just so Jirachi could live like a normal Pokémon.
That kind of choice—
Wasn't something just anyone could make.
Chen Shi, however, was confused by their looks.
If he knew what they were thinking, he'd probably say—
You're overthinking it. I made a huge profit.
At the time, he hadn't thought too much about it.
He simply wanted Jirachi to live happily.
But afterward—
He suddenly realized something.
He now had a Pokémon beyond Legendary tier.
Very likely a Sub-Legendary level existence.
Was that wish a loss?
Not at all.
It was a massive gain.
Ever since realizing this, Chen Shi had been walking around with his back straight, holding Jirachi everywhere he went.
His sense of security—
Maxed out.
"Alright, enough about that," Chen Shi said, quickly changing the subject before they asked about Victini.
"How long have you been here? Why hasn't the food arrived yet?"
Jirachi was already exposed—
That couldn't be helped.
But Victini?
The fewer people who knew, the better.
It was one of his biggest trump cards.
Steven raised an eyebrow.
"We just got here not long ago either."
"Wallace said you'd be arriving soon, so we decided to wait."
"If you're hungry, we can have them serve the food now."
Before Chen Shi could respond—
Phoebe immediately perked up.
"Yes! Let's eat, I'm starving!"
"No problem." Wallace smiled and stepped out briefly to give instructions.
While waiting for the food, Chen Shi asked:
"So where exactly is this secret realm? And when does it open?"
He was genuinely curious.
Before, there hadn't been much information.
But now that the opening was near—
These well-connected people surely knew more.
Sure enough, Wallace answered:
"The secret realm is located in the sea near Sootopolis."
"It was first discovered by a fisherman."
He paused, then added:
"Well… not exactly near. It's still quite far. By boat, it takes about half a day."
"As for the opening time—it should be tomorrow or the day after."
"The League has already informed us."
"We'll gather at Sootopolis Harbor tomorrow, and ships will take us there."
"Apparently, the one leading this expedition is Elder Drake."
Chen Shi's expression turned slightly strange.
Drake…
If Team Magma and Team Aqua wanted to enter the secret realm and control Groudon and Kyogre—
They would have to get past him.
And Drake—
Was no ordinary Trainer.
Chen Shi still vividly remembered the sheer pressure from Drake's Salamence back at Mt. Pyre.
Could Maxie and Archie even get past him?
Honestly—
Hard to say.
If they can't even get in… that would be hilarious.
Chen Shi chuckled inwardly.
Though, realistically—
That probably wouldn't happen.
After all, those two had been planning for years.
There was no way they'd be stopped at the entrance.
Just then—
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Mr. Chen Shi… may I ask you something?"
Winona spoke hesitantly.
Chen Shi blinked, then nodded politely.
"Of course, Miss Winona. If I can answer, I won't hold back."
Her eyes lit up.
"It's about this…"
"Ever since I obtained a Key Stone and Mega Stone, I've been trying to achieve Mega Evolution."
"But I always fail at the final step."
"Is there something I'm missing?"
Diantha suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
Hadn't she experienced something similar before?
Meanwhile—
Chen Shi was stunned.
Winona's Pokémon had to be Altaria.
He knew that.
And he also knew—
Altaria gained the Fairy type after Mega Evolution.
At first glance, it seemed similar to Diantha's situation.
But in reality—
It was very different.
Gardevoir already had Fairy typing before Mega Evolution.
So if it hadn't awakened its Fairy attribute, failure made sense.
But Altaria—
Only gained Fairy typing after Mega Evolution.
So why would it fail?
Chen Shi was confused.
To be honest—
Much of his knowledge came from his previous life.
He wasn't a true researcher.
Faced with a question like this—
Even he was stumped.
So in the end, he gave a cautious answer:
"According to my research… Altaria gains the Fairy type after Mega Evolution."
"…Huh?"
Winona froze.
Her mind went blank.
A giant question mark appeared in her head.
Fairy type—
Of course she knew about it.
It was one of the hottest topics recently, along with Mega Evolution.
It even countered Dragon types.
And Altaria—
Was a Dragon-type Pokémon.
So after Mega Evolution—
It would gain a type that counters itself?
This…
This was basically—
I counter myself?!
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