Hidden currents stirred in the unseen corners of the world.
Meanwhile, aboard the White Sea Lion, docked at the harbor of Lilycove City, the atmosphere was lively and festive.
"Thank you all for your hard work this time."
Hayato addressed the gathered sailors before him.
With Gengar's help, he retrieved several large pearls and valuable jewels from his bag and presented them as thanks.
At first, the captain and his crew wanted to refuse, but Hayato was never one to take advantage of others. Without their help, locating the Pokémon hunters' hideout would have been far more difficult.
Seeing this, the old sailor at his side chuckled warmly. "Just take it."
The sailors, grinning, went off to celebrate together.
Hayato and Gengar remained where they stood, quietly watching.
After a while, Hayato shifted his gaze toward the old sailor.
Today's events had made him realize something—this man, who once witnessed the darkness of Lugia, might not be just an ordinary elder.
Noticing Hayato's stare, the captain stepped closer, sighed softly, and said, as though answering his unspoken doubts:
"That fellow was once part of a prominent family. But he grew weary of the hypocrisy of the upper classes and left it all behind to join us at sea."
Hayato wasn't particularly surprised.
Back at the auction house, the man's speech, mannerisms, and attire had already reminded him of a true aristocrat.
That kind of noble bearing wasn't something a sailor could simply imitate.
Hayato nodded thoughtfully.
With this, the matter of the Pokémon hunters had come to a close.
The Pokémon that had been put up for auction were taken away by Hayato. After confirming whether they had Trainers, he planned to entrust them to Officer Jenny so she could reunite them with their rightful owners.
As for the hunters' own Pokémon, Hayato chose not to interfere.
The hunters had suffered a severe enough blow. For the time being, he doubted they would dare stage large-scale raids like before.
Of course, that was only his guess—there could always be a few bold ones left.
For now, observation was needed.
But before all that, Hayato wanted to go home.
That afternoon, he boarded the White Sea Lion again, leaving Lilycove City and sailing across the azure sea toward Littleroot Town.
The return trip would take one to two days, depending on the ship's speed.
It had been a long time since he last traveled by sea. Now, as he sat in his cabin, dizziness washed over him. Instead of basking in the sun on deck, he remained inside, examining the stone formed from Jirachi.
The ocean-themed room was cozy, with several Pokémon playing and resting nearby.
Ralts lay beside Roserade on a soft quilt, studying a picture book Hayato had prepared for them.
Charmeleon, however, sat off to the side looking pale. Its head spun with the ship's motion, as though its brain swayed with each roll of the waves.
It felt nauseous, its usual fire and spirit utterly gone.
Hayato sighed.
"Here, have an orange. It might help." He peeled one as he spoke.
"Char…" Charmeleon weakly groaned.
"Ah—open up." Hayato held a slice to its mouth.
Charmeleon obediently opened wide, waiting for its Trainer's offering.
The fruit entered its mouth. It chewed slowly—the flavor was sweet, yet tangy.
"Well?"
"Char…" Charmeleon nodded faintly. It did feel a little better.
Hayato smiled, then placed the peel on its nose. "Smelling this should ease the sickness too."
Charmeleon's eyes darted down, crossing awkwardly to look at the peel, holding it with its claws in a clumsy, funny way.
The sight made Hayato laugh. He patted its head gently. "Alright, I'll get back to work."
"Char~"
With its permission, Hayato returned to the desk, continuing his study of the Jirachi stone.
Fraxure soon waddled over, sniffing at Charmeleon curiously. "Faxu?" (Is it really that bad? Why don't the rest of us feel anything?)
Indeed—Roserade, Gengar, Cramorant, even Ralts—all seemed unaffected.
Charmeleon gave a look of utter misery. "Char…" (Don't ask me…)
Hayato glanced at the two dragon Pokémon muttering together. Seeing Charmeleon looking slightly better, he refocused on the stone.
Jirachi—the Mythical Pokémon.
It first appeared in the movie Jirachi: Wish Maker.
Legend had it Jirachi awoke once every thousand years, stirred from slumber only by the sound of a pure song.
Because its awakening coincided with the thousand-year comet shower, it was also known as the Millennium Comet fallen from the heavens.
And Jirachi had the power to grant any wish.
It was said that if one could open the "True Eye" on its stomach, and gaze upon its third eye while making a wish, the wish would surely come true.
But whether this power was real—no one knew for certain.
After all, those who had last seen Jirachi were long gone from the world.
Thinking deeper, Jirachi's fate was a sorrowful one.
It would slumber for a millennium, only to awaken to a world utterly changed, its friends and bonds erased by time.
And just as it grew used to the new world, it would be forced into sleep again—an endless, lonely cycle.
Thus it was called Wish Maker of the Seven Nights.
Hayato recalled what he had overheard at the auction house.
This particular Jirachi had been excavated from the Forina Region.
Which meant—it was very likely the same one from the movie.
If so, by calculation, its awakening was only four years away.
The thought left Hayato astonished.
Not long after encountering Deoxys, the Visitor from the Sky, he had now stumbled upon Jirachi, the Wish Maker.
Though, its "event" had yet to begin.
Had he not attended that auction, this stone would have been sold off, passed from hand to hand, until it ended up with the supporting characters of Wish Maker.
Hayato didn't know about other Jirachi, but that one—when it awakened, it drew power from the Millennium Comet and bestowed it upon the entire Fanon Region.
The Forina Region…
If he remembered correctly, it was modeled after Zhangjiajie in China. A place with breathtaking landscapes. If time allowed, he truly wished to visit.
And wasn't there also a wild Absol, known as the Disaster Pokémon, living there?
But that was a matter for the future.
His other auction prize—a weathered ancient sea chart that supposedly recorded the route to a remote island—was spread out before him.
The crude lines did indeed resemble the Hoenn continent.
But without a compass or orientation, which side was east, and which was west?
Frustrated, Hayato set the map aside for later.
Leaning back in his chair, he watched Cramorant quietly reading with him as always.
It was now League Year 210.
His next step was to head to the Kanto Region for the Rainbow Hero's Trial. Afterward, he'd continue traveling across Hoenn's remaining cities.
He still had his deal with Steven—trading stones for information about the ruins.
The White Sea Lion's crew were investigating the Legendary Titans as well.
If timing allowed, by year's end he'd challenge the Ever Grande Conference.
That was the rough plan for now.
A small goal—within the ten months left in League Year 210, he would collect Hoenn's remaining four badges.
February 15th.
After his Arctic expedition and brief stop in Lilycove, Hayato finally returned to Littleroot Town.
Standing on deck, he waved farewell to the sailors until the ship vanished beyond the horizon. Only then did he head into his Ecological Park.
It was now mid-February.
The harsh winter was fading, giving way to the liveliness of spring.
Slowking, who had received word in advance, stood in the yard to welcome him.
"Long time no see, Daizhi!" Hayato laughed, tossing it a gift. "Brought this back for you!"
Slowking caught it happily.
At home, Hayato never kept his Pokémon inside Poké Balls. He let them all out to play freely.
As usual, he busied himself with chores—airing out the blankets, tidying the house.
While spreading the quilts, he discovered with delight that the fruit trees he had planted last year with Gengar had begun sprouting tender buds with the coming of spring!
He beamed, eager to share the joy with his Pokémon.
Meanwhile, in the Ecological Park—
Gardevoir watched his daughter with gentle eyes, stroking Ralts's little head.
"Raluu~"
To travel beside her beloved Trainer, and still return home to her father's embrace…
At that moment, Ralts felt happiness unlike anything before.
Meeting this human was the greatest blessing.
Thinking this, Ralts raised her head, eyes sparkling, and called: "Ralu!"
Gardevoir lowered his gaze and spoke through telepathy: Go on, then.
Ralts nodded eagerly and sprinted across the park, straight into Hayato's arms.
Hayato crouched with a smile, catching her and lifting her up. "What's wrong? Running so fast?"
Ralts nestled gratefully against his shoulder. "Ralu~" (Hayato's the best~)
Though he didn't understand, the next instant—a brilliant white light burst from her body.
Hayato froze, eyes reflecting the glow.
Evolution!
Moments later, the light faded.
Standing before him was a slender Pokémon with green legs like ballet tights, her form resembling a dancer in a short skirt.
Ralts had evolved into Kirlia.
Her demeanor had changed slightly—less innocent than Ralts, yet not as regal as Gardevoir. Somewhere between the two.
If Hayato had to describe her, one word came to mind: maiden.
Both Ralts and Kirlia, in their own ways, were utterly adorable.
"Go on and play," he said gently, patting her head.
Kirlia cried out happily, then trotted off, leaving Hayato standing alone in thought.
…Wait, what had he come here to do again?
After a long pause, he couldn't recall. Shaking his head, he returned indoors.
He had meant to check on the Clefairy group and the other Pokémon in the park.
But suddenly he remembered—the Jirachi stone was still lying on the sofa.
He decided to move it into the collection room for safekeeping.
After all, it wouldn't awaken for years yet.
The collection room…
It now held not only Jirachi's stone, but also the strange stones the Clefairy had brought and several comet shards Marshadow had retrieved.
Placing Jirachi's stone carefully, Hayato looked around the crowded room and frowned.
It was… too small.
He peeked into the adjacent storage room filled with tools.
"If I move these downstairs and knock down the wall, the two rooms could be joined into a bigger space."
Decision made. He would call someone that afternoon to help expand it.
But for now, he headed downstairs to visit the Pokémon.
Slowking had mentioned that the Oddish group, during the previous theft incident, had evolved into Gloom to protect the Ecological Park.
Since Gloom emitted a foul odor, Hayato worried they might be shunned by others.
As he pondered this and descended the stairs, he failed to notice…
Behind him, Jirachi's stone glimmered faintly, surrounded by comet shards whose energy slowly faded away…
(End of Chapter)