"Jira?"
Jirachi blinked away its tears and turned to the pink Pokémon floating nearby. Its voice trembled softly.
"Jira... (I just remembered my old friend. He used to make grilled meat for me too though it never smelled this good.)"
Mew tilted its head. "Mew? (A friend?)"
It hovered closer, eyes gleaming with curiosity. Then, in a swirl of blue light, its form shifted. In seconds, the pink cat was gone, replaced by another Jirachi a perfect copy, from the star-shaped head to the glimmering eyes.
"Mew~ (Like this? Was your friend like this?)"
"Jira?!"
Jirachi's eyes widened in shock. "Jira! (You you can turn into me?!)"
"Mew (Sure can. I can be your friend too, if you want)"
The transformed Mew giggled, covering its mouth just like Jirachi often did.
"Jira? (You can really turn into me?)"
"Mew~ (Yup!)"
For a moment, Jirachi could only stare, stunned by the sight. Then, slowly, it smiled. "Jira. (Then we're friends now.)"
Mew spun once in the air, light rippling over its body as it returned to its true pink form.
The transformation had been so brief that none of the other Pokémon noticed everyone else was too busy devouring the freshly grilled meat nearby.
Mew studied Jirachi thoughtfully. It had never met another Pokémon like this one before.
Curiosity buzzed in its mind like static. Could it really copy a wish-granting Pokémon's form?
Apparently, it could.
"Mew? (So… where's your old friend now?)" it asked gently.
Jirachi's gaze drifted toward the fading sky. "Jira... (I don't know...)"
Its voice grew soft, distant, as if reaching back through millennia.
This was its fourth awakening.
The first time it awoke, it knew nothing didn't even understand its purpose. It spent those early centuries wandering from place to place, chasing clouds, watching seasons change, unaware of the power within it.
By the end of that first thousand years, it had learned the truth: it could only stay awake for seven days at a time.
The second thousand years...
"Jira... (I don't know where he is now.)" Jirachi's expression dimmed. "Jira... (It's been so long. Back then, the trees were taller, the grass deeper... the world was wild and strange, and the Pokémon weren't as kind as they are now.)"
"Mew... (Really?)" Mew listened quietly, its tail swaying as the memories unfolded.
"Jira... (Everyone back then was scary. My friend his name was Afen he was the son of a tribe's leader. His skin was darker than...)"
Jirachi hesitated, glancing toward Lin Feng in the distance. "Jira... (Darker than his. Back then, humans were strange. Some didn't wear many clothes at all they hunted every day. Others wore heavy coverings and used black chains to control Pokémon. They made them fight endlessly...)"
Mew nodded softly. It didn't doubt a word of what Jirachi said. It had seen that world too ancient, untamed, cruel.
Though it had lived apart from humankind, guarding the Tree of Life, it remembered those days vividly. Only a few humans had ever earned its respect.
Lin Feng, standing nearby as he cooked another batch of food, could hear fragments of their conversation. His hands never stopped moving, but his mind listened carefully.
"Jira... (But Afen wasn't like them. All he ever thought about was food. We used to sneak into Beedrill nests to steal water, or sneak berries from Ursaring territories. We even planted crops together...)"
"Jira... (His people raised little green Caterpie. They could spin silk to trade for things the city people wanted. When they evolved into Butterfree, they helped protect the tribe from wild Pokémon.)"
As Jirachi spoke, a gentle smile appeared on its face. It was the kind of smile that belonged to someone remembering sunshine long gone a warmth that no time could erase.
Mew's eyes softened. It understood now.
Jirachi's friend… must have lived thousands of years ago. Long enough that no trace of him could possibly remain.
That realization made Mew's heart ache. It knew that pain too well.
It once had a human friend someone pure of heart, who lived alongside a Lucario with an aura so radiant it could touch the Tree of Life itself.
But he, too, was gone now, lost to time.
After that, Mew rarely left the Tree.
It had hidden itself away for centuries, too afraid to reach out, until recently, when the world began to feel alive again.
Jirachi's voice brought Mew back to the present.
"Jira... (But Caterpie were so weak... The world was dangerous then. Near their homes lived Weedle tribes, and they often fought each other.)"
"Jira... (On the fifth day of my awakening, the two tribes went to war...)"
Jirachi's voice faltered. The air grew still.
At that moment, the soft hum of conversation caught the attention of the others.
The first to approach was the ever-curious Alolan Vulpix, its white fur gleaming in the sunlight.
"Vii? (What are you two talking about?)" it chirped, wagging its tails.
Then came the Eevee group, Goodra, and finally Blaziken who, predictably, was staring straight at the food rather than the storytellers.
"Blaze? (You done eating that? If not, I can help.)" It tried to sound polite, but the drool pooling at the corner of its beak betrayed it.
"Eevee! (Let A-9 listen too!)" one of the Eevee cried.
Jirachi blinked in surprise, glancing at the crowd suddenly gathering below.
"Mew! (Nope!)" Mew darted down immediately, hovering protectively over their plates. Seeing the gleam in Blaziken's eyes, it quickly used psychic power to lift both plates into the air.
No way it was letting that bottomless pit eat their share again.
"Blaze..." Blaziken looked heartbroken, eyes flicking toward Lin Feng hopefully.
But Lin Feng was still busy grilling the next batch, completely unfazed. All it could do was sit there, wings drooping, as its stomach growled.
"Mewh..."
Meanwhile, Melody approached, cradling her Sprigatito in her arms. She smiled and held out a fork with a small piece of perfectly cooked meat, handing it gently to Jirachi.
"Here, Jirachi. Thank you for helping Wartortle recover during the battle earlier."
"Jira~"
Jirachi's eyes curved into happy crescents. It accepted the food and took a bite, savoring the flavor as it melted in its mouth. "Mmm~ so good..."
Melody exhaled with relief at seeing it happy again. Then, after a brief pause, her tone grew hesitant.
"Jirachi... I wanted to ask you something."
Jirachi tilted its head, still chewing. "Jira?"
Melody looked thoughtful. "If granting wishes hurts you, or takes a toll on your body, then... please don't do it anymore. Not for me."
Jirachi froze mid-bite, its expression softening with confusion. "Jira...? (Why not?)"