Hayato was stunned.
For a long moment, he couldn't even react. He just sat there in a daze, staring at Jirachi.
The little Mythical Pokémon floated lightly in the air, its tiny white hands resting against the stair rail. Its small body was hidden behind the staircase, with only its star-shaped head poking out, peeking curiously down below.
Their eyes met in the air—one human, one Pokémon.
Jirachi's little face was filled with bewilderment. It looked just as lost as Hayato felt, as though it had no idea why it had awakened in such a strange place.
Its tiny mouth opened slightly, as if it wanted to speak. But before it could, a cry suddenly echoed from upstairs—an ear-splitting "Piii~piii!"
The next instant, a Clefairy came running out, clutching a dull, lifeless stone in its arms. It dashed past Jirachi, stomped down the stairs to the first floor, then turned toward Hayato with pitiful eyes.
The Clefairy pointed at the stone and squealed angrily, clearly lodging a complaint: "Piii~piii!"
"..."
Hayato dropped his gaze to the rock in its arms, and information flashed through his mind.
[Comet Shard (Depleted): Its energy has been drained. Now, it is nothing more than an ordinary stone.]
These were stones the Clefairy had brought from outer space—some Moon Stones, and some Comet Shards brimming with special energy.
The meteor shower observed earlier at the LaRousse laboratory had been caused by those very stones.
Before returning from the frozen tundra, Hayato had carefully scoured the entire area, ensuring that not a single piece the Clefairy had collected was left behind. He'd piled them all together in this room.
As Slowking had once said, Clefairy could be found scattered all throughout the Ecological Park.
Not only outside—even indoors, they showed up frequently.
One particular Clefairy, which Hayato had noticed before, patrolled the stone pile every day like a meticulous warehouse keeper.
Everyone knew—Clefairy + Moon Stone = Clefable. It was obvious just how important those stones were to them.
The Clefairy of Mt. Moon even held ritual dances under the bright full moon to evolve around the Moon Stone.
But these outer-space Clefairy were not quite the same as the ones Hayato had imagined.
The Mt. Moon Clefairy worshipped the moon as their god.
Yet these extraterrestrial Clefairy didn't share that kind of superstition.
When it came to Moon Stones and evolution, their attitude seemed almost casual—they weren't in any rush to evolve.
Thinking about it more, Hayato realized the reason for the difference.
The Clefairy at Mt. Moon were descendants of those that had landed on this planet countless generations ago. They knew nothing of the cosmos, or of the "Clefairy Star." To them, the Moon Stones and the moon itself—both linked to their evolution—became deities.
But this group of Clefairy had just recently arrived on this planet. They knew everything—the universe, their homeland, and the true nature of Moon Stones.
Back where they came from, those stones were plentiful. They could choose freely whether to evolve or not.
And now…
Seeing the Clefairy's angry reaction, Hayato immediately guessed how Jirachi had awakened.
It was clear: Jirachi had absorbed the comet energy carried in those stones.
Once again, things had gone beyond his expectations. His emotions were complicated.
First, he crouched down and soothed the upset Clefairy, who was heartbroken over the sudden loss of energy in its treasure.
Only after the little Pokémon calmed somewhat did Hayato raise his head toward the Mythical Pokémon known as the "Wish Maker of the Seven Nights."
Jirachi hadn't moved from its position, still clutching the stair rail, its black eyes wide and bright.
But compared to earlier, there was now a flicker of curiosity in its gaze.
"Uh…"
This was Hayato's first time seeing Jirachi in person.
It seemed unusually gentle toward humans.
Though he knew quite a lot about Jirachi already, to the little Pokémon, they were still strangers.
So, Hayato thought for a moment, deciding to try speaking with it—
But before he could, a voice called from outside. Professor Birch.
All eyes—including Jirachi's—instantly shifted toward the door.
With calm telekinesis, Slowking opened it.
Professor Birch walked in cheerfully, wrapped in a khaki coat, and greeted them with a big smile. "Good morning, Hayato!"
But the moment he finished speaking, Birch noticed something strange in the atmosphere.
Confused, he looked around at everyone, then pointed to his own face and scratched his head. "Why's everyone staring at me? Do I have something on my face?"
As he spoke, he even rubbed his cheeks.
"..."
Hayato sighed and gestured for him to look upstairs.
"What is i—" Birch tilted his head upward, but before he could finish the word, his tone abruptly changed. "That Pokémon is—!"
Startled by the shout, Jirachi flinched and immediately ducked fully behind the stairs.
Realizing he had frightened the mysterious Pokémon, Birch instantly clamped a hand over his mouth, not daring to make another sound. Instead, he shot a questioning look at Hayato.
Hayato spread his hands calmly. "Not a Pokémon I caught. I brought back a stone from outside a few days ago. This morning, that stone turned into this Pokémon."
When he had first seen Jirachi, he had honestly thought he'd fainted last night after Slowking's brain-busting conversation—only to wake up four years later.
Hearing this, Birch lowered his voice so as not to scare the Pokémon again. "You mean… it came out of a stone?"
Hayato pictured Jirachi's crystalline cocoon. "To be precise, it was crystallized energy."
Then he paused, frowning slightly. "Wait—you mean you don't recognize this Pokémon, Professor?"
Birch sighed. "Hayato, there are still countless Pokémon in this world that humanity has yet to discover."
That was true.
The networks of this world weren't nearly as developed as in his past life. Forums, websites—such things weren't widespread. Rumors of mysterious Pokémon usually circulated only within certain regions.
Realizing this, Hayato said softly: "Jirachi."
Birch blinked. "What?"
"That's its name," Hayato explained.
As a researcher, Birch had heard many tales and rumors. Though he had never seen Jirachi himself, he recalled the legends when Hayato spoke the name.
His face filled with disbelief. "You mean… the Jirachi that slumbers for a thousand years and awakens only for seven days?"
"Yes."
Hayato's gaze returned to Jirachi upstairs. At that exact moment, having heard no more frightening noises, Jirachi peeked its head out once more.
Their eyes met again in midair.
Hayato gave it a gentle smile.
Jirachi blinked, staring at him in wide-eyed wonder.
Birch followed his gaze. Looking up at the little Pokémon, he murmured:"Seven days awake… and when it slumbers again, the world will have changed beyond recognition. All the people and Pokémon it once knew would be gone forever. How unbearably…"
Lonely.
Hayato thought the same.
Beside them, Gengar and the other Pokémon understood Birch's words as well.
They looked up at the clueless little creature with eyes full of pity.
"Gengar…"
For a moment, silence filled the room.
On the second floor, Jirachi could feel all their gazes fixed on it. Perplexed, it tilted its head.
Why were they all staring?
Were they looking… at it?
Using its telepathy, Jirachi carefully scanned the room, finally locking onto the human who had smiled at it moments ago. Friendly, it sent a greeting:
"Hello. My name is Jirachi. What's your name?"
Hayato froze for half a beat, then returned the greeting. "Hello, Jirachi. My name is Hayato."
The little Pokémon softly repeated the name to itself, then chirped happily, "Hayato… Hello~!"
Sensing no malice from the human, Jirachi relaxed completely. It floated down from the stairs, brimming with innocence, and stopped right before him.
"..."
Hayato couldn't help but think—this Jirachi was so pure.
Though not fluffy, it was irresistibly cute.
With such a tiny creature hovering before him, it was almost impossible not to want to reach out and touch it.
And so he did.
He stretched out his hand and lightly patted its star-shaped head.
Jirachi felt his kindness, beaming with delight as it allowed him to continue.
The scene reminded Hayato of a cat closing its eyes in bliss as its owner scratched its head.
Professor Birch watched the harmony before him, a soft smile tugging at his lips.
Pokémon truly were such wonderful creatures.
But recalling the old rumor of Jirachi, he realized his memory was hazy. He remembered a letter from a fellow researcher that recorded the tale—it should still be somewhere in his house.
"I need to confirm the details of Jirachi's legend," Birch said seriously.
Hayato nodded. "Alright."
Though he already knew much, Birch might hold knowledge he lacked.
With that, the professor departed in haste.
He had originally come to discuss the ecology of Slowbro with Wise. That could wait—but Jirachi could not.
In seven days, the lonely Mythical Pokémon would return to its slumber.
When it opened its eyes again, the world would be brand new—and they would long have turned to dust.
Birch had arrived casually, and left just as casually.
Soon, only Hayato, his Pokémon, and the newly awakened Jirachi remained in the living room.
They exchanged glances. With the professor gone, Hayato suddenly wasn't sure what to say to Jirachi.
After a moment, he looked at the food on the table and asked, "Want something to eat?"
At his words, Jirachi turned its head toward the dishes.
A minute later—
Jirachi was hugging a batch of Pokéblocks Slowking had made, squealing happily as it munched.
Hayato couldn't help but chuckle.
As expected—no Pokémon could resist the charm of Pokéblocks.
Leaving Jirachi to enjoy its treat, Hayato went to wash the dishes in the kitchen.
He never left dirty dishes for later; it was habit to clean them all right away.
As he worked, Gengar drifted in. It looked toward the window, where Jirachi was now playing with Kirlia, its expression complicated.
Hayato noticed and raised a brow. "What is it?"
Gengar frowned deeply. "It's so pitiful…"
The boy didn't look surprised. Drying the clean dishes, he stacked them neatly and washed his hands. "Yes. It really is."
This Gengar, once fond of pranks, had changed under Hayato's influence. It no longer tricked people and had gradually shed much of its sinister nature.
Now, it treated others with kindness.
Even if it hadn't spoken aloud, Hayato could have guessed its thoughts from its actions.
Sure enough, the next moment Gengar said earnestly: "Hayato, let's help it!"
Hayato looked at his partner, then patted its head with a soft laugh. "Alright. I'll try my best."
He dared not make promises.
Because helping Jirachi was no simple matter.
Even with the aid of his modifier, breaking the thousand-year slumber cycle would be nearly impossible.
From what he knew, the Jirachi of the Forina region had a special connection with its land.
The True Eye on its stomach allowed it to draw energy from comets, absorb it, and then return that power to nature.
This energy could even transform barren land into lush greenery.
During its thousand-year slumber, Jirachi slowly released the absorbed comet energy back into the earth.
That was why, in the movie's story, Forina's forests were so rich, teeming with diverse ecosystems and countless Pokémon.
Those forests had been nurtured by Jirachi itself.
It seemed this was Jirachi's mission.
Pokémon were born of nature, and in turn nourished nature.
But was waking Jirachi early truly a good thing? Hayato didn't know. Nor did he fully understand the depth of its bond with Forina.
This was only its first day awake.
Seven days later, it would return to its endless sleep.
So… what could be done?
Perhaps he could wish upon it, just like the legends said—to ask Jirachi never to sleep again?
But from the stories shown in the anime, such a method didn't work.
After thinking it over, the only help he could offer seemed to be taking Jirachi back to Forina.
If—that was what Jirachi wanted.
(End of Chapter)