Mew was at a loss, shouting towards the portal, "Mew, I give up! Return Hoopa's things, I know you know who it belongs to!"
Indeed, it was Mew. Carl chuckled, tossing Hoopa's bracelet back.
Hoopa, ecstatic to have its bracelet back, did a happy twirl. However, the most important ring was still on the other side.
Mew, sharp as ever, caught on to Carl's game, asking with a pout, "Mew~ what do you want?"
"I won the game of hide and seek, so that ring is my trophy," Carl teased, keeping Mew in suspense.
"Mew~ what do you want in exchange?" Mew asked reluctantly.
"That depends on your sincerity," Carl mused. Mew, being ancient, surely had some treasures. If the offer was too low, Carl planned to negotiate.
Mew, though playful, wasn't foolish. For the first time, it found itself in such a predicament.
Seeing Hoopa's pleading eyes, Mew couldn't just walk away. Hoopa got involved in this mess just to help Mew. But, being a free spirit, Mew never hoarded treasures, leaving it unprepared for such a barter.
"Should I use the World Tree in exchange? No, that's too much," Mew thought.
Just then, Meloetta tugged on Mew, producing a shining shard from its long hair.
Mew shook her head vigorously. That shard could alter the forms of the four legendary forces and wasn't something to give away lightly.
Meloetta, understanding the shard's value, shook her head gently to reassure Mew. These shards were nearly impossible to piece back into their original form, and it was better to use them now.
Mew rejected the idea again and vanished in an instant. The next moment, she appeared in a dim cave in the Hoenn region. The cave housed a faintly glowing crystal, and inside it seemed to be a small figure.
Mew swayed her pink tail nervously, pacing in front of the crystal. Suddenly, the crystal emitted a dazzling light, and a massive white crystal rose from the ground, levitating before her. Grateful, Mew let out a cheerful sound and left with the crystal.
After she departed, the figure within the crystal seemed to show signs of waking.
Mew returned to Hoopa with the white crystal. A group of mythical creatures gathered around, curiously examining it. Meloetta touched the crystal, her expression turning to amazement, which Mew confirmed.
"Jirachi is so nice," said Hoopa happily. "When it wakes, I want to play with it." Shaymin nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Victini rushed towards the crystal, the V on its forehead igniting with flames. Its most powerful fire move, V-Create, caused the white crystal to instantly split into ten malleable pieces.
Mew thanked Victini joyfully. It was clearly more practical to have ten pieces rather than one large crystal. Carl was unaware of their decision.
"Human, this is my goodwill," Mew announced, tossing the fragmented crystal in exchange for the ring. Hearing the commotion, Carl opened the portal and stepped through.
She wasn't worried about Mew reneging on the deal, knowing Mew had already conceded. If Mew tried to play dirty, Carl wasn't afraid to show her own strength.
"Huh?"
Seeing the ten shapeshifting white crystals, Carl looked puzzled. Even in her past life, she had never seen something like this.
But as soon as her finger touched one, she understood immediately.
(Jirachi Crystal: A protective crystal formed during Jirachi's slumber, nourished by comet energy. After each awakening, it sheds a piece (a one-meter diameter sphere) capable of preserving any creature or object in perfect condition for fifty years, potentially enhancing its quality.)
"So that's what it is," Carl murmured.
"Does this mean the crystals used to preserve Ralts' Pokémon egg in the future weren't from the World Tree, but a gift from Mew?"
These ten malleable crystals, each large enough to encase a Pokémon egg, explained why her future self trusted them with Professor Oak. After all, it was just a tenth of the quantity, and with the usage time nearly exhausted, they held little value. It was like a bonus for helping Professor Oak in exchange for the shiny Ralts.
"But the original size was a one-meter diameter sphere, and here they are, ten small pieces…"
"Did it get divided?" Carl quickly deduced Mew's little trick, laughing at the legendary Pokémon's cheekiness.
"Mew~ (Return the ring and I'll tell you what this treasure is and how to use it)," Mew's voice echoed from the portal.
Carl smiled, "Isn't it just a Jirachi Crystal? Did you think I wouldn't recognize it after it was split into ten pieces?"
Mew and the other mythical creatures were stunned. To their knowledge, although Jirachi had amassed numerous crystals over eons, it had never gifted them to humans or Pokémon. Even Mew felt embarrassed asking for one.
How did Carl know? And she seemed to know it so well, even realizing the crystal had been divided.
"Mew, this isn't quite sincere enough," Carl quipped. In truth, the sincerity was adequate. After all, the ring didn't hold much use for her. Even if it could teleport items from afar, its range was only a few miles, which was inconvenient.
With the World Tree, Carl could easily use her foresight to recruit potential Pokémon, but she couldn't be bothered to do it herself.
Although content, she wouldn't admit it. It was better to get more benefits from Mew. At the very least, returning the ring would solidify their goodwill and forge a connection with Hoopa.
"Mew~ (You're too greedy!)," Mew huffed, flicking her tail.
"That's not fair. Even though the Jirachi Crystal is precious, it can't beat Hoopa's ring, a treasure that can teleport items from afar."
"Hoopa, ring, the best!" Hoopa nodded vigorously, echoing Carl's sentiment. To Hoopa, swiping a Jirachi Crystal was a piece of cake.
Mew:
Meloetta and the others: "..."
Whose side was this little rascal on anyway?!
"Mew~ (So what do you want?)" Mew asked, letting Carl name her price.
Could they still negotiate? Carl was secretly pleased and pondered over what to ask for. Nothing too valuable, lest Mew got too upset. Besides, he already had plenty of treasures.
Perhaps a Pokémon would be more practical.
"How about this: find me a decent Pokémon, and I'll capture it myself. How does that sound?" Carl proposed.
Mew's first instinct was to refuse. With her ability, finding a Level 3 Legendary for Carl would be a breeze, but that was certainly out of the question. However, hearing that Carl would catch it himself, Mew felt it was worth considering. After all, opportunities lay in the unknown.
But finding the right Pokémon wasn't easy: not too weak, not too strong, not too old or young, and definitely not a mother with offspring. What seemed like a simple request had many hidden constraints.
"Mew~"
An idea struck Mew, and she thought of the perfect choice.
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