[Johan, wake up! Johan, wake up!]
Early in the morning, Johan was awakened from his sleep by an energetic voice.
He instinctively reached for the Cheri Berry by his bedside, then realized he probably didn't need it.
Opening his eyes, he saw a cute little face close to his, looking full of energy.
Seeing Jirachi like this, Johan couldn't help but laugh.
How rare.
The morning "wake-up service" wasn't from Gengar for once.
Last night they'd awakened Jirachi, and the little one became full of energy upon waking, not only being affectionate with Johan but also meeting many new friends.
Like gentle Cynthia, tough-talking Garchomp, simple Tyranitar, Serperior with its queenly dignity, Victini with its fangs, shy Marshadow...
This made Jirachi incredibly happy.
Plus, having slept for so long, it seemed to have limitless energy, which meant Gengar and the others' "adventure plan" hadn't succeeded last night.
However, this also proved from the side that the cosmic power carried by the meteorite Eternatus had summoned could indeed serve as Jirachi's power, allowing it to recover and awaken.
The only question was how long the cosmic power in that meteorite could keep the little one awake...
Thinking this, Johan couldn't help rubbing the little one's head and pinching its soft, bread-like cheeks.
[Jo-han, time to get up, Jo-han (face pinching)]
Johan laughed heartily. "Alright, getting up!"
Regardless, for however long Jirachi stayed conscious, he'd play with it properly and show it things it had never seen before.
If worst came to worst... since Eternatus's meteorite worked for Jirachi, he could just find it again!
Beat it up a couple more times, and maybe it could summon another such meteorite.
As a last resort, they had so many Pokémon friends who could enter space—like Rayquaza, Deoxys, Solgaleo, Lunala, etc.
Someday they'd find another meteorite rich in cosmic energy.
When that time came... Jirachi might no longer be "once every thousand years" but every few years, months, or even shorter!
[Johan, everyone, let's play together!]
Jirachi floated out of the tent, happily calling to everyone.
Except for the rather shy Marshadow who kept hiding in shadows, the other little ones got along quite well with Jirachi.
After all, it was such a pure and lively little one that wouldn't persistently bother just one Pokémon but would play with this one, then go play with that one.
The one who got along best with Jirachi was naturally the equally mischievous and lively Gengar.
It could be said that many of Jirachi's "little quirks" were learned from Gengar.
Additionally, Jirachi and Victini also got along very well, perhaps because both had once tasted loneliness, or perhaps because... both were full of energy.
"Jirachi, Victini, Marshadow, plus Tinkaton's little follower Meltan—that's already four mythical Pokémon," Johan counted on his fingers.
Unknowingly, through capturing or establishing friendly relationships, he'd already raised four mythical Pokémon?
Fortunately, these little things didn't have big appetites—much easier to feed than those legendary Pokémon.
Rayquaza, Giratina, the Black and White Dragons—each one ate more than the last.
"So energetic," Cynthia said with a smile, watching Jirachi and Victini floating around.
"Well, they sleep for a thousand years just to wake up for seven days."
Johan said after finishing breakfast preparations.
"Mm..."
Thinking about such a lively, cute little one only being able to wake up for seven days every thousand years, Cynthia also felt sorry for it.
[Let's play together! Johan, Cynthia, come play with us!]
Jirachi happily waved at them both.
Johan smiled: "Breakfast first, Jirachi. After breakfast, we'll take you out to play."
Hearing this, Jirachi's eyes immediately sparkled like stars, its little head nodding like a pecking chicken.
[Yay! Going out to play! Going out to play!]
Last time, because Jirachi woke up suddenly, Johan had only taken it to play in the Battle Frontier for a few days.
This time, they'd go farther away, see more different scenery, and encounter more different, interesting Pokémon.
This didn't conflict with Johan and the others' special training plans either.
The first stop was Mossui Town.
Autumn Fireworks Festival!
Mossui Town.
[Wow—]
Jirachi looked around curiously.
Mossui Town was an ancient historical town where buildings with old historical atmosphere could be seen everywhere, though most had actually been renovated.
Moreover, though Mossui Town was surrounded by vast forests, the town's various facilities were complete.
After all, vast forests meant many wild Pokémon, and many wild Pokémon meant many trainers, which meant many Pokémon-related institutions and facilities.
It was said that Mossui Town had several sizable companies—some researching wild Pokémon, some studying forest plants, and others researching various forest products.
Mossui Town was most famous for its fireworks festival.
Because the fireworks festival was approaching, many trainers came to see it.
Plus the recent "Pokémon World Championships," battles between trainers could be seen almost everywhere on streets and training grounds.
Of course, with more people came more vendors and stalls.
[What's that?]
Jirachi, who had been curious about everything since boarding the plane, immediately floated over upon seeing a boy on the street cleaning up trash.
"Wh-what is it?"
The person obviously didn't recognize Jirachi and was startled by its sudden appearance.
Fortunately, Jirachi didn't look scary, so he quickly recovered and asked with a smile:
"Do you have trash to throw away? You can give it all to my Trubbish."
"Trub~"
A simple Trubbish beside him waved at Jirachi.
[Trash?]
Jirachi bit its finger, looking at Trubbish's "eager" eyes, then at its other hand.
[Do you want trash?]
As it spoke, Jirachi's hand began moving gently, mysterious power spreading from its body.
Seeing this, Johan's eye twitched as he quickly ran over and hugged Jirachi.
Interrupt the casting!
If Jirachi made this wish come true and summoned a huge pile of trash, that would be troublesome.
"Sorry." Johan dug into Gengar's mouth and pulled out a bag of camping trash from before, feeding it to Trubbish.
"Trub~"
Trubbish stuffed it directly into its body, looking very happy.
Seeing this scene, Jirachi looked enlightened.
So that's what kind of trash it was.
"Don't casually use wish-granting abilities, Jirachi," Johan instructed.
[Oh...]
Jirachi remembered what Johan had told it when it last woke up.
Wishes should be achieved by oneself to have meaning.
Wishes granted out of thin air wouldn't be treasured.
"Of course, if someone really needs help, within our capabilities, we can provide some assistance," Johan taught the innocent little one.
[Really needing help...]
Jirachi became lively again, randomly picking a passerby to follow and asking:
[Do you need help?]
[Does anyone need help?]
Johan held his forehead.
"Um... excuse me, are you Teacher Johan?"
At this moment, the boy with Trubbish collecting trash seemed to finally recognize Johan, asking with surprise and uncertainty.
"Well, you've got the wrong person."
Johan covered his face and "fled."
"Wrong person?" The boy didn't pursue, just continued collecting trash.
To others, it might just be garbage, but to the boy and his Trubbish, it was Trubbish's food.
"Having a Trubbish is really nice," Johan couldn't help thinking.
Extremely low food requirements, plus it helps handle trash...
Except for Trubbish's smell and potentially toxic gas it could release, everything was so "perfect."
"Johan~"
When he returned to Cynthia's side, she suddenly called softly.
"Mm?"
"Want some."
Cynthia indicated a nearby stall.
The busy vendor and his Vanilluxe were busily making ice cream.
Seeing this, Johan smiled helplessly: "I'll go buy some for you."
Soon, Johan, Cynthia, and Pokémon like Gengar and Jirachi all had ice cream and continued touring Mossui Town.
Walking along, they reached Mossui Town's central plaza.
Many devices prepared for the fireworks festival were already set up here, with staff and Pokémon busily working among them.
The fireworks festival was still two days away, but preparations had already begun for perfect execution.
Many people gathered around, all anticipating the festival's start.
After Johan's group looked around and toured Mossui Town with Jirachi for a while, they went to the Pokémon Center and checked in.
Afterward, they prepared for outdoor special training.
The next day.
Outside Mossui Town, Okoya Forest.
If they were academic trainers, going into the wild would inevitably require caution—any disturbance could affect their nerves.
But for Johan and Cynthia, two Champions who had conquered the "Champion's Road," no matter how dangerous the wild environment, it wouldn't pose much obstacle.
Not long after leaving Mossui Town, they went directly to the depths of Okoya Forest.
"Let's begin special training."
After reaching a clearing in the forest depths and setting up their tent, Cynthia invited Johan to train.
Compared to training with wild Pokémon, Cynthia actually valued training with Johan more.
Johan's face showed bitterness.
Was this special training for Pokémon or for himself?
"Serperior," Johan called.
"Sni!"
Serperior flashed to Johan's side.
Seeing Johan's first choice was actually Serperior, Cynthia was slightly stunned.
She'd thought it would start with a battle between Gengar and Garchomp, not expecting Johan to lead with Serperior.
However... there was still plenty of training time ahead, so starting with Serperior wasn't wrong.
Taking a light breath, Cynthia set aside her girlfriend demeanor, becoming serious and showing her Champion qualities perfectly.
Her coat fluttered as she threw a Poké Ball.
What appeared was Togekiss!
Johan grimaced.
He was at a disadvantage.
They should have summoned Pokémon together—now he was at a type disadvantage.
The question was whether Serperior could resonate with this forest and withstand Togekiss's Air Slash.
If Serperior got a chance to use Leaf Storm twice for power-ups, even Togekiss would struggle.
The two looked at each other.
They spoke almost simultaneously.
"Togekiss, Thunder Wave!"
"Serperior, Grassy Terrain!"
Their special training began.
Meanwhile, Pokémon not participating in training wandered around the area, especially Gengar and Jirachi.
[Gengar, let's play! Let's play together!]
Jirachi called out.
This forest was full of Pokémon it had never seen.
"Ka-kaah!"
Gengar thumped its chest.
Let's go! I'll take you on an "adventure"!
[Adventure! Adventure!]
Gengar led Jirachi as they quietly disappeared into the forest.
Bang!!
Before long, sounds of Pokémon collision suddenly came from the forest.
"Ka-kaah~" Gengar gestured "shh" to Jirachi, using shadows to hide them both.
[Hehe!]
Jirachi covered its mouth, showing Gengar's trademark mischievous smile with thief-like joy.
When the two little ones got closer to look, they found a Grapploct and a Pangoro fighting, surrounded by many wild Pokémon who seemed to be trying to mediate?
Hidden in tree shade, Gengar and Jirachi watched with interest.
Clashes between wild Pokémon were common—over territory, food, mates, and other reasons.
However, while Gengar and Jirachi were guessing why they were fighting, a figure swinging on vines quickly approached from the distance, landing beside Pangoro and Grapploct.
"Ka-kaah?"
[A person?]
They'd expected another Pokémon, but both Gengar and Jirachi were surprised to see a human.
However, the person looked like a savage—bare-chested with unknown white paint, wearing tattered hemp clothing, wrists wrapped with withered but tough vines, appearing about ten years old.
The person quickly ran between Pangoro and Grapploct, grabbing both with one hand each, trying to forcibly separate them.
While shouting, "Zarude! Zarude!"
Eh?
Gengar and Jirachi looked at each other.
This felt even stranger.
Though clearly human, if speaking human language, they... couldn't understand.
But what he spoke was actually Pokémon language that both Gengar and Jirachi understood!
What surprised Gengar and Jirachi more was that the human's small frame actually seemed capable of separating Pangoro and Grapploct.
Such strength!
"Zarude!"
In the tree shade.
"Ka-kaah..." Gengar rubbed its chin.
This person's strength was almost comparable to Johan's.
[Johan has great strength?]
Jirachi asked in surprise.
Did Johan have such strength?
Gengar nodded seriously, indicating that Johan could lift something as big as itself with one hand.
Jirachi looked shocked, fully satisfied emotionally.
Bang! Bang!!
At this moment, the boy finally separated Pangoro and Grapploct, asking:
"Why are you fighting?" (Translated by Gengar and Jirachi)
Following Pangoro and Grapploct's indication, he noticed the mess on the ground—completely destroyed berries and food.
"Zarude..." Seeing this scene, the boy stood frozen.
Though the forest had abundant food, it also had more wild Pokémon, so food was always a scarce resource.
This area had many wild berry trees that were almost ripe for everyone to share and feast on, yet they'd been destroyed like this.
More importantly... the boy picked up a berry that had been bitten once then discarded and trampled, immediately understanding who had done this.
"Roar!!"
"Grappl!!"
Pangoro and Grapploct began arguing again.
"Zarude!" The boy stopped them again.
Remarkably, though clearly human and not appearing particularly strong besides his strength, he could make Pangoro and Grapploct stop arguing.
"Ka-kaah?"
Suddenly, Gengar in the shadows looked up toward the tall forest not far from the boy and others.
There were several Pokémon resembling apes with black fur, gray fur on chest and back forming special patterns almost identical to the boy's chest pattern, green vines wrapped around their wrists, and seeds on their backs and heels.
They watched from a distance, mockingly looking at the boy and wild Pokémon.
Their laughter was loud enough to attract the boy's attention.
"Zarude!"
It's you!
The boy glared angrily.
If Johan were here, he'd recognize these black ape-like Pokémon as the mythical Pokémon, Zarude!
The several Zarude showed contempt for the boy's angry stare, with the particularly strong leading Zarude stepping forward.
"Zarude!"
Coco, this is a lesson we "elders" are teaching you—this is the forest's survival law!
Coco was the boy's name.
"Zarude!" Coco was furious, moving forward in an ape-like posture, ready to fight.
This behavior actually suited the Zarude's intentions.
It grinned wickedly and stepped forward again.
"Zarude!"
Want me to teach you how to fight!
At this moment, a vine flew swiftly over, and another Zarude arrived, though this one wore a pink cape, looking quite strange.
It positioned itself between Coco and the leading Zarude.
The leading Zarude seemed somewhat wary of this pink-caped Zarude, showing fierce expressions but not rashly advancing.
"Zarude!" Seeing the pink-caped Zarude, Coco immediately approached and called out.
Dad!
Gengar and Jirachi looked at each other again.
Did they hear wrong?
A human was actually calling a Pokémon... Dad?
Bang!!
As they stared in surprise, the pink-caped Zarude had already collided with the strong Zarude.
"Ka-kaah..."
This show is getting quite interesting...
"Sni!"
Serperior panted heavily, using vine agility to barely avoid Togekiss's Air Slash.
Type disadvantage, strength advantage, plus aerial advantage made the battle between Togekiss and Serperior easier than expected.
But Serperior showed no signs of giving up.
Breathing out white air, it faintly inhaled some air mixed with greenish color.
Hum—
Serperior's body gradually radiated energy full of healing and forest auras.
Connected?
Johan raised an eyebrow.
But at this moment, Serperior looked surprised and confused, standing up and looking in one direction.
"Sni?"
Seeing this, Cynthia and Togekiss didn't take advantage of this opportunity.
After all, this was training, not about determining winners—the process was much more important than results.
It's just that Serperior's sudden distraction during focused battle surprised them.
Johan was the same. Following Serperior's gaze, he could only see vast forest and misty haze in the distance—too far to see clearly.
"What's wrong, Serperior?" Johan asked.
"Sni..." Serperior murmured.
The power of the forest...
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Powerstones?
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