After washing the dishes with Gengar, Hayato received a phone call from the neighboring laboratory.
On the other end, Professor Birch asked him to come over—there was some new information about Jirachi that he wanted to share.
Hayato quickly agreed, hung up the phone, dried his hands, told his Pokémon to play on their own for a while, and then got ready to head out.
At that moment, Jirachi, who had been playing with Kirlia, noticed Hayato leaving. The little star Pokémon furrowed its tiny brows and called out:
"Hayato~"
Hayato turned back.
"What are you going to do?" Jirachi asked.
"Professor Birch next door needs me," Hayato replied. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Do you want to come along?"
"Yeah~!"
Jirachi cheered happily.
The surrounding Pokémon—Kirlia, Charmeleon, and the others—also turned their wide, expectant eyes on him.
"…Alright then."
So Hayato ended up bringing the whole family to Professor Birch's lab.
When Birch opened the door, the sight before him startled him. Then, seeing Charmeleon and the others trailing behind Hayato, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Your place sure is lively!"
Hayato smiled. "They're all very well-behaved."
Professor Birch nodded in agreement. Casting a glance at Gengar and Fraxure before looking back at Hayato, he sighed softly. "It's rare to see a Trainer like you."
"What do you mean?" Hayato blinked.
Birch stroked his chin, smiling as he explained: "You treat your Pokémon the way one treats family."
The professor had met countless Trainers in his career, but never before had he seen someone who so naturally took on the role of "parent."
To Hayato, every Pokémon seemed like a child that needed his care…
That kind of team radiated the warmth of a home.
Thinking this, Birch crouched down, poked Charmeleon gently on the forehead, and said, "You're all very important to one another, aren't you?"
Hearing that, Hayato looked down and saw his Pokémon clustered at his sides, encircling him like a protective ring.
He didn't answer, but a faint smile crossed his face as he reached out to stroke Fraxure's head.
Birch stood again, regarding him with a curious expression. "You really don't seem like a ten-year-old child."
"Twelve," Hayato corrected softly—after all, two years had already passed since he came to this world.
"Doesn't sound like much of a difference," Birch muttered, exasperated. Then he waved his hand. "Never mind, let's not get into that. Come with me!"
Hayato followed him deeper inside. Glancing around, he didn't see Brendan anywhere, so he asked, "Where's Brendan?"
"In the back, feeding the lab's Pokémon," Birch replied.
They passed through the living room and entered the professor's research room. Birch sat at his computer, rifled through some files, and finally pulled out a letter.
"The current rumors about Jirachi," Birch began, "originated from the northern part of the Hoenn region, in a place called the Forina Region—an untouched, primeval forest."
"The stories say Jirachi only awakens once every thousand years, to grant people's wishes."
"And that it only appears for seven days during the arrival of the Millennium Comet. In that brief span, it chooses a pure-hearted child capable of protecting it to be its companion."
"Though I don't know why Jirachi appeared here, from the current situation… it seems you are the one it has chosen." Birch's eyes rested on Hayato as he spoke.
Hearing this, Hayato turned to look at Jirachi—only to find it staring back at him with a puzzled, vacant expression.
"…"
Hayato nearly choked. Even Jirachi itself didn't seem to know about this "legend"!
Birch saw its confused look as well and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well… that's why they're called rumors."
Hayato could only sigh. Together, they turned their eyes back to the computer screen filled with documents.
"Professor, does Jirachi really only stay awake for seven days?" he asked.
Birch nodded, recalling the lore. "According to records passed down in Fornace, Jirachi's powers seem to be tied to the stars."
"Not only that—it's said Jirachi is itself the Millennium Comet fallen from space."
"That's why its thousand-year slumber coincides with the comet's cycle. But whether this is truly the case… we'll need to observe further to know for sure."
Hayato's brows furrowed in thought.
From what he remembered in the movie, Jirachi could indeed hear the comet's call… so maybe the rumor wasn't so far-fetched.
He turned his head—only to find that Jirachi had wandered off to play with Gengar, who seemed particularly fond of the little creature.
Perhaps Gengar felt that Jirachi, forced to sleep for a thousand years, had it even worse than itself.
Birch watched Jirachi giggle as it wrestled playfully with Gengar and said softly, "A thousand years feels endless for humans, but to the stars, it's only an instant. Maybe to Jirachi too, a thousand years is nothing more than a blink."
Hayato considered that, then gave a wry smile. "That sounds even sadder. One second it's saying goodnight to its friends… and the next, when it opens its eyes, everything is gone."
Birch scratched his head awkwardly—his original intent had been to offer comfort, but Hayato's words made him realize how tragic it actually was.
Still… Hayato also remembered how, at the end of the film, Jirachi could still communicate with the outside world even in slumber.
When the talk ended, Hayato left Birch's lab with his Pokémon and returned to the Ecological Park.
Not long after he sat down, Brendan came running over, having heard about Jirachi.
His eyes shone with curiosity as he asked, "Can it really grant wishes?"
Hayato looked toward Jirachi.
If he remembered correctly, Jirachi didn't truly grant wishes out of thin air.
What it did was teleport objects from elsewhere with its psychic powers, giving them to the wisher.
"Wishes?" Jirachi tilted its head blankly.
"Yes, wishes!" Brendan nodded eagerly. "I want my own cool Pokémon!"
"Pokémon…" Jirachi murmured. The next instant, its body shone with a burst of white light.
The glow vanished almost immediately.
And in Brendan's arms appeared a green Treecko, blinking in confusion at suddenly finding itself there.
"Pokémon!" Jirachi clapped its tiny hands in delight.
Brendan, however, froze—staring at the Treecko he had just fed five minutes ago.
Suppressing laughter, Hayato explained: "Jirachi doesn't actually grant wishes. It just teleports the things you want from somewhere else."
"…Oh." Brendan's face fell.
The lab Pokémon were property of the Hoenn League, set aside to be distributed to Rookie Trainers each year. Their numbers were limited, and many new Trainers set out every season…
Brendan had only wanted to bond with one early, so that when his time came, he could leave on his journey right away.
Disheartened, he left to return the Treecko to the lab.
After he was gone, Jirachi suddenly yawned, blinking drowsily. "I feel so sleepy…"
"Then rest for a while," Hayato said gently.
At his words, Jirachi's eyes closed, its breathing soon deep and even.
Hayato wasn't surprised.
Jirachi wasn't an especially strong Pokémon, and using its powers often tired it out.
Once certain it was only taking a nap—and not falling into a thousand-year slumber—Hayato picked Jirachi up and placed it carefully on his bed.
Then, with Gengar in tow, he tiptoed downstairs.
Most of his Pokémon were gathered in the living room.
Slowking sat reading, Kirlia whispered with Roserade, Fraxure brooded quietly on the floor.
Charmeleon, however, scanned the room nervously. Not seeing any Clefairy around, it breathed a sigh of relief.
The Clefairy adored Charmeleon.
Back in the Arctic, Charmeleon had risked itself to keep them warm. Ever since, they had clung to it constantly, chirping "Clefairy, Clefairy!"
Charmeleon found it utterly overwhelming.
Hayato, of course, had no idea what the Clefairy were actually saying—Pokémon speech was still mostly a mystery to him.
…
Jirachi's nap lasted until nearly eleven that night.
When it awoke, Hayato was, as usual, reading at his desk.
But the first thing Jirachi did wasn't speak—it stared blankly out the window at the night sky.
Following its gaze, Hayato saw the heavens glittering brilliantly.
The day had been warm and clear. Now, under nightfall, the sky was ablaze with stars, like a river of light winding across the heavens.
"Awake?" Hayato asked softly.
Jirachi nodded, still gazing upward. "The stars… they're calling to me…" it murmured.
Hayato fell silent, watching.
After today's talk with Birch, he understood Jirachi a little better.
Its slumber wasn't a choice.
Not just this Jirachi, but all Jirachi were bound to a thousand-year cycle of sleep.
And the notion that its True Eye absorbed energy from the Millennium Comet to nourish Forina—well, that might simply be a side effect.
As Birch had said, its cycle was tied to the stars.
This time, though, because the meteorite the Clefairy had brought resonated with its True Eye, Jirachi had awoken early.
A Pokémon like this… was never meant to be caught by humans.
Just then, Jirachi turned its head to look at him.
"Want something to eat?" Hayato asked.
Its eyes lit up as it nodded quickly at the food on the desk.
So Hayato returned to his book while Jirachi perched atop a stack of volumes, stuffing its mouth full with tiny hands, its cheeks bulging adorably.
Hayato's book was on Pokémon battle strategies.
His goal was to earn the remaining four Hoenn Gym Badges this year, and at year's end, register for the Ever Grande Conference to experience official competition.
Though he was a transmigrator, most of what he knew about battling came from playing the games in his past life.
But battles in the games were turn-based—far from the fluid reality of live combat.
To be a true Trainer, he would have to relearn everything, distill the essence, and combine it with his own understanding.
He wanted to see how far he could go in the League, without relying on Cramorant or "cheats."
Only… the little star beside him was far more distracting than his books. Before long, his gaze had drifted to Jirachi again.
Noticing, Jirachi tilted its head. "What is it?"
Resting his chin on his hand, Hayato asked, "Do you still remember what happened before you last fell asleep?"
That is, a thousand years ago, during its previous awakening.
"I do." Jirachi's eyes softened as it looked toward the stars. "I was lying in the grass, stargazing with everyone… then I fell asleep."
"Everyone?"
Jirachi nodded happily. "The ones who lived there with me!"
Hayato realized it must mean the Pokémon of Forina.
In the anime, when Jirachi returned, the entire forest's Pokémon rushed out to greet it.
And Absol had even left Forina just to bring it back "home."
After a moment's thought, Hayato asked, "Do you remember how you first came to that place?"
Jirachi frowned in concentration, then shook its head. "Not clearly… When I woke up, I was just there. I made lots of friends, and they stayed with me."
"…I see." Hayato nodded.
So perhaps Jirachi wasn't as lonely as people imagined.
Maybe that was why, during its seven days of wakefulness, it absorbed energy from the comet—to ensure that land could keep thriving for its friends.
"Hayato, we're good friends too!" Jirachi chirped suddenly, flying around the room. "I like it here! Jirachi likes Hayato, and Jirachi likes Gengar too!"
Hayato froze for a moment.
At that exact instant, the clock on the wall ticked forward—the hands pointing straight to midnight.
The first day had finally come to an end.
Only six days remained before Jirachi would fall asleep once more.
(End of Chapter)