Fate could not take her away.
After all—
Jirachi now belonged to Chen Ran.
She had broken free from the thousand-year cycle.
Seven days awake.
Defying destiny.
Breaking the rules of the world.
Remaining here.
A Mythical Pokémon.
A once-in-a-millennium existence.
In this world, there had never been a record of her.
And now—
Jirachi was Chen Ran's partner.
At that moment, Chen Ran opened a reward worthy of celebration.
"Two whites. One red."
There were plenty of surprises today.
And Chen Ran would never complain about more.
The more, the better.
He opened the two white-tier products first.
As expected—
One standard Poké Ball.
One box of ordinary Fire-type Energy Cubes.
Worth a few thousand at most.
Nothing special.
What really mattered—
Was the red-tier product.
"Please be something good…"
Red-tier.
Champion quality.
Every Champion-tier product Chen Ran had obtained so far had been priceless.
The Champion-talent Pokémon egg.
The Riolu that hatched from it.
So this time—
What kind of treasure would it be?
With anticipation, Chen Ran tapped the glowing red item.
"Holy—!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
…
[Flash Skin]
Purpose: After use, a Pokémon gains a Flash (Shiny) skin, and its talent is upgraded to Champion-level.
(Note: The Flash skin can be specified.)
Price: 72.7 yuan
…
Chen Ran had heard of Shiny Pokémon.
But this was the first time he'd seen something called a Flash Skin.
And the effect—
Was ridiculously overpowered.
It was basically equivalent to two Champion-tier items combined.
Not only could it grant a Pokémon a Shiny form—
It could also upgrade its talent to Champion-level.
That was insane.
"Purchase."
Chen Ran didn't hesitate.
He bought it immediately.
After the purchase, however—
He fell into deep thought.
"Who do I use this on?"
Charmeleon?
…No.
If Charmeleon became Shiny, Chen Ran would definitely be thrilled.
Black Charizard ranked in the top five coolest Pokémon designs of all time.
But—
Charmeleon already had God-tier talent.
If he used the Flash Skin, its talent would drop to Champion-level.
That would be pure self-sabotage.
Charmeleon was eliminated instantly.
Jirachi?
Already above Champion-level.
Riolu?
Also Champion-level.
None of his current Pokémon needed it.
"In that case… I'll save it."
He could always visit a Breeder House later and choose a Pokémon he liked.
Buy an ordinary one—
Turn it into a Champion-level Shiny.
That sounded tempting.
But then—
Chen Ran suddenly remembered something.
"Larvitar…"
It would arrive in a few days.
He didn't yet know its talent.
If Larvitar only had Elite-level potential—
Then this Flash Skin would be perfect.
Tyranitar.
A pseudo-legendary.
If it only had Elite-level talent, Chen Ran would feel embarrassed sending it into battle.
In a team filled with Champion-level monsters—
An Elite Tyranitar wouldn't stand a chance.
"Let's wait two more days."
He stored the Flash Skin in his system backpack.
Pseudo-legendaries weren't automatically Champion-tier.
Many had completely ordinary talent.
"Though… Shiny Tyranitar is pretty cool."
He remembered the color scheme from the games.
Dark green shifting to blackish tones.
Intimidating.
Like a walking Godzilla.
Still—
"A silver version would look even better."
"Or maybe a deep purple-gold…"
"That would look noble."
Chen Ran chuckled.
If Larvitar turned out to have strong talent—
He could always save the Flash Skin for another favorite.
Like Gardevoir.
Or Milotic.
Or…
Gengar.
A meteor streaked across the sky.
Under the stars, Jirachi was still dancing.
If anyone were awake right now, they would see this soft, adorable Mythical Pokémon spinning in joy beneath the heavens.
Unfortunately—
After three days of freshman training camp, the first-year students were exhausted.
The entire campus was asleep.
No one witnessed the dance of a Mythical Pokémon.
"Alright. Time to go back."
Chen Ran glanced at his phone.
It was already one in the morning.
Any later and he'd have dark circles tomorrow.
That wouldn't be handsome.
"Okay, Chen Ran!"
"Let's go Rest."
Jirachi was tired too.
She flew back into Chen Ran's arms, smiling brightly.
"I told you," Chen Ran said gently, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Trust me."
"You're not allowed to be unhappy anymore."
If Jirachi was sad—
He wouldn't be happy either.
The common weakness of a doting father.
"Okay, Chen Ran."
Jirachi nodded obediently.
"I can grant Chen Ran three wishes."
She hadn't forgotten her mission.
Her power.
To fulfill wishes.
"Wishes?" Chen Ran smiled as he hugged her.
"My wish already came true."
"It was staying with you."
Jirachi froze for a second.
Then her face flushed with happiness.
"Chen Ran is the best!"
"…I want candy."
"No."
"It's too late."
"I want it!"
"Impossible."
"Chen Raaaan~"
"…Go to sleep."
Under the quiet night sky, laughter drifted softly through the air.