Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

Upon hearing this, Lillie's expression underwent a subtle change.

Moreover, it's not just a simple childhood friend relationship. Xiaoyao herself is also outstanding. She is undoubtedly a beauty and an excellent trainer. Currently, apart from Louie, she is the most promising young trainer in the Hoenn region.

After all, he is positioned as the protagonist's "nemesis," and at the very least, he will be at least a gym leader in terms of strength. With a little effort, challenging the Elite Four shouldn't be a problem.

Add to that the childhood sweetheart dynamic, how could they possibly lose, right?

Unfortunately, as things stand, Rowe seems oblivious. He seems to prefer drowning in Meowth's paws, since Pokémon can freely have physical contact with their trainers, and the bond of rolling around in the same bed every day is something even childhood friends can't compare to.

In short, while they were chatting happily, Xiaoyao and Aysa suddenly sensed something and stood up at the same time.

"Hey, wh, what's wrong?"

Lillie was a little taken aback, and after exchanging a glance, the two of them looked towards the distance.

"That direction... it's not heading this way, it's heading towards Luo Wei?"

"what?"

In other words, the two girls sensed the presence of a stranger, but the stranger didn't come this way; instead, he walked towards Luo Wei, meaning he was simply passing by.

As expected, hot spring storylines always include this kind of scene.

But why were the three young girls ignored and instead headed towards Luo Wei's side?

Luo Wei also wanted to ask the same question...

Under the cover of night, Luo Wei, wrapped in a bath towel, looked embarrassed as he watched the figure waving at him leisurely.

"Hey, we meet again, Lo Wei~"

"...Generally speaking, shouldn't our positions be reversed in this kind of situation? Why am I the one being spied on? Can you explain that, Miss Higana?!"

Chapter 172 The Star of Wishes

A recurring element in most hot spring storylines is, of course, "misunderstanding and peeping"...

Normally, this script is meant to give the main character a treat, but Luo Wei never expected that he would end up being the one giving the treat here!

He casually grabbed a bath towel and wrapped it around himself, then looked up at Higana, who appeared leisurely in front of him. The latter seemed completely oblivious to the awkward atmosphere and even waved to Luo Wei with ease.

"Hey, Luo Wei, we meet again~"

"...Couldn't you explain why you're here?"

If the other party had come looking for a fight, then Luo Wei would really admire her creativity for choosing a time when it wasn't so convenient for him to come.

Speaking of this, Luo Wei is curious: why can't the villains choose a time when the protagonist is inconvenient to visit? If you choose to visit someone when they are eating, drinking, or relieving themselves, the other side will have to hold up their pants while also fighting, which will definitely reduce their fighting power by a lot.

However, considering that doing this could easily go too far and trigger the rage buff on the spot, causing the opponent to lose their sense of shame, then it would be a losing proposition.

Okay, back to the scene. Lowe got up and jumped out of the hot spring, and a coat floated over and draped over Lowe. Needless to say, this was Gardevoir's doing.

Without Rowe saying a word, the maid thoughtfully prepared everything Rowe needed, showing how competent she was becoming.

After hastily throwing on a coat and tidying himself up to look presentable, Luo Wei asked, half-laughing and half-crying, "So, what brings Miss Xijia here? You can't have come here just to spy on us, can you?"

As she spoke, there wasn't much hostility in her tone, as if Luo Wei didn't consider her an enemy, even though she was currently a member of the Ocean Team.

"Hmm, of course not, but... Rowe's attitude is quite interesting~ He's not planning to fight me?"

"Let me hear what you're planning to do first, then we can decide how to proceed. I don't need to waste any more time."

After all, the meteorite has been recovered, and the initiative is currently in Rowe's hands. As for Higana, Rowe has read the script and knows that she is half an ally.

"Well then, I'll just get straight to the point. The meteorite is currently on Rowe, right?"

"So, you're planning to rob it? Then why are you wasting your breath talking to me? Wouldn't it be faster to just steal the meteorite and run?"

Perhaps that's why, when faced with Higana's direct appearance, Rowe remained very calm, while Higana simply smiled and shook her head.

"No, I'm not here to steal the meteorite, I just want to confirm one thing..."

"what's up?"

Higanbana took out her Poké Ball, raised her hand, and released Salamence. "Let's find a more open place. This isn't very convenient. Of course, I won't force you if you don't want to."

"Ha, trying to provoke me with those words? I'm not afraid~"

Rowe didn't care at all, so Higanbana gestured to her Salamence, "Two people are fine too, come on up~"

She reached out her hand to Rowe, who then took out his Navigator and dialed a number.

Over there, Xiaoyao's navigator, which she had placed by the hot spring, rang. When she saw it was Luo Wei's number, she naturally answered it immediately.

"Luo Wei?"

"I have a small matter to take care of here, don't worry, I'll take care of it right away~"

"Eh? Oh..."

Although she was clearly a little confused at first, after hearing what Luo Wei said, Xiao Yao seemed to understand something and immediately put on a smiling face.

"Well then, good luck!"

After briefly explaining his whereabouts in just a couple of sentences, Luo Wei hung up the phone. On the other end, Xijiana chuckled leisurely, "Oh, so you let your childhood sweetheart know you're safe first? What a responsible and good man~"

"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's go!"

Instead of taking Sigana's hand, Rowe stepped forward, but Masked Cat behind him gently hugged Rowe and, with a burst of strength, carried Rowe onto Salamence.

Salamence's attitude towards Loewy doesn't seem as bad as it was at first. Perhaps it's because they've already fought, so much of the annoyance has dissipated.

"Hmm~"

Higana glanced at her palm, then quickly jumped onto the Salamence. With a whistle, the Salamence immediately took flight.

Before long, Higana flew up Chimney Mountain with Rowe again, but this time, she only went up a little from the foot of the mountain, found an open and deserted place, and put Rowe down.

"Alright, so what exactly do you want to say?"

"I'm not planning to retrieve the meteorite anymore, but I still want to confirm whether I should entrust it to Rowe."

"I see……"

As a descendant of the Meteorite People, there's still room for negotiation regarding the ownership of the meteorite. If she had approached the Alliance with this attitude from the beginning, given her status, those morally upright high-ranking members of the Alliance might have just gone along with her wishes.

However, she seems to have her own ideas. As for why she would assist Team Ocean in awakening the sleeping gods, that is debatable, since the Meteor Dwellers are descendants of the ancient people who sealed the two gods.

You actually intend to release the two gods that your ancestors painstakingly sealed away?

If it were just a story about filial piety leading to power, that would be one thing, but since Higana identifies herself as a descendant of the Meteor People, she clearly cares about the teachings of her ancestors, so there must be a reason for it.

In short, Rowe understood Higana's position, so he cooperated quite well. "So, how do we decide? Do we need to fight?"

"Haha, that's indeed a step, but it's not specifically for a fight. The main purpose is to see if Rowe can... master the power of a Mega Evolution!"

"Oh..."

Luo Wei never expected that someone would deliver a pillow just when he was dozing off. He was just thinking about how to obtain the power of Mega, and then Sigana came to his door to give him a live tutorial.

But that's fine too, since the other party is a legitimate inheritor of Mega Evolution, making him the perfect teacher.

"Then, let me start with the origin of that meteorite. Does Rowe know what that meteorite is?"

"do not know!"

At this moment, it was natural to play dumb. Higana immediately laughed, "Hehe, let's start with the legend. Our ancestors prayed to appease the anger of the two gods. This 'prayer' was heard by a certain 'phantom being,' which conveyed our ancestors' prayer to the heavens, thus summoning the sky god..."

"Uh, that's just like the legend, but something's not right!"

Luo Wei realized the problem...

"...Who is that phantom being?"

"This is the difference between the truth and the legend. It is not that the God of the Sky and the meteor descended together, but that the meteor acted as a medium to summon the God of the Sky. The meteor was the first to descend, and our ancestors prayed to the meteor, which is how they summoned the God of the Sky!"

A shooting star that can hear prayers, summon miracles, and grant wishes—that is, the so-called "phantom being"—is that not...?

Chapter 173 An Attempt, Mega Evolution

"...So that's how it is, with the shooting star that brought the prayer."

Luo Wei had roughly figured out the true nature of this meteor, the so-called "illusory existence"...

"Yes, that's one of the legends of the Hoenn region, the Mythical Pokémon, Jirachi, the 'Wish Star' that can bring miracles..."

"...So, the Meteor Dwellers of that time made a wish through Jirachi, thus transmitting their will to the sky and receiving a response from the Sky God, which is how they were able to summon the Sky God to descend?"

"Yes, that's right. Of course, this is just a slightly different part from the current legend, and it's not a big deal. The meteorite in Lowe's hand is not an incarnation of Jirachi; it was indeed something that descended along with the Sky God..."

In other words, there were actually two meteorites. One of them originally landed in the Hoenn region, but the meteorite's true form was the Mythical Pokémon Jirachi. During the battle between the two gods, the Meteor Dwellers summoned the Sky God by making a wish on Jirachi and using its power.

The meteor that descended along with the Sky God landed at Meteor Falls, which is the piece that Rowe is currently holding. It contains a portion of the Sky God's power, and also incorporates a portion of Jirachi's power.

This is why, under normal circumstances, this meteorite cannot be observed to have any special characteristics. This is a manifestation of Jirachi's power. Before Jirachi awakened, it existed in the form of an ordinary meteorite.

Mythical Pokémon are essentially "spirits" born of nature. Although they are not the direct embodiment of rules like the legendary Pokémon, they still possess incredible power.

For example, Celebi, the Mythical Pokémon of the Johto region, possesses the seemingly unsolvable, bug-like ability to travel through time.

"Alright, that concludes the explanation of the meteorite's origin. As for more details, that depends on whether Luo Wei can pass the 'test.' If he can, then I will tell Luo Wei everything I know."

"...Then why not tell the Alliance?"

Rowe looked slightly puzzled. If Higana was just looking for a partner, then the League was much more reliable than the Ocean Team.

"Haha, as for the Alliance... well, it's too big, and the Alliance has many of its own matters to attend to. To be honest, the so-called 'secrets' I possess are probably just a regional issue for the Alliance."

"...That's true."

Luo Wei agreed with this point. If the world setting itself wasn't gentle enough, the Pokémon world would actually be quite unstable. Any region could potentially experience a major disaster that leads to ecological extinction.