Chapter Text
It happened one summer.
May and Steven had come to a certain cave to look for stones. The cave had no official name and was commonly called A Mirage Cave. Not only did it harbor Pokémon not seen on the Hoenn mainland, but it also contained many rare stones.
The two walked through the dark, narrow cave. May followed closely behind Steven, almost sticking to his back. Gazing at her boyfriend’s back, May was lost in thought.
Apparently, Steven was soon going on a business trip to the Kanto region. Since the stay would be less than a day, it might not technically be called a business trip... but anyway, before he left, he had invited May on a date. Others might question whether searching for stones counted as a date, but May was very happy that he made time to see her.
However—perhaps aided by the dark, uncertain atmosphere of the cave—she began to feel uneasy. What if Steven went somewhere far away, beyond her reach? She knew it was a vague and silly worry. Still, after facing ancient Pokémon and saving the world twice from cataclysms, she had the luxury to think about such things.
"May?"
"Ah—"
She must have been silent for quite a while because Steven had quietly turned to look at her face.
"S-sorry. I was spacing out."
"Yeah, quite a bit. Are you tired from walking?"
"No, not at all! I can still walk plenty."
"Haha, well, there's no need for that," Steven laughed softly at her words.
They had apparently reached the innermost part of the cave. Steven was already prepared, ready to start digging at any moment.
As Steven turned his back again, May shook her head to steady herself.
"—?"
At that moment, she heard something like a voice.
"Steven, did you say something?"
"Hm? No, I didn’t say anything."
He said suspiciously and came closer, taking off the gloves he had just put on and placing his large hand on May’s forehead.
"You don’t have a fever... Sorry, maybe I pushed you too hard. Sit down there. You should take a break."
"Uh, o-okay."
Flustered by the warmth on her forehead, she obeyed even though she wasn’t tired. May quickly moved away from Steven and sat on a nearby rock. Then,
"—!"
She heard it again. This time, clearer and resonating directly in her mind.
Seeing May suddenly stand up as if startled, Steven looked genuinely worried. "May...?" he called out, his handsome face slightly creased.
Convinced it wasn’t a hallucination, May shook her head and said,
"Steven, can’t you hear the voice?"
"I don’t hear anything..."
"Please dig."
"Huh?"
Ignoring Steven’s confused look, May pointed to a specific spot on the ground.
"I can hear the voice... I think it’s a Pokémon, and it seems to be buried there."
The two silently dug a hole. They carefully but quickly dug, not wanting to hurt whatever was inside. At times like this, Steven never doubted May’s words and tried to believe her. May admired that about him.
Steven loosened the soil, and May, wearing gloves, removed it—a tedious task that continued for a while—until something hard touched her fingertips.
"Found it!"
"What?"
Steven, who had been half in doubt, exclaimed in surprise. May gently removed the surrounding soil and pulled it out.
A large crystal shining with seven colors.
That was her first impression. May held it as if cradling it. It was heavy, and she felt a steady rhythm like a heartbeat through her touch. It wasn’t just a crystal—it was alive.
"This is... a cocoon, maybe."
"A cocoon?"
Steven nodded.
"Some Pokémon live inside shells or cocoons to protect themselves from enemies. Like Silcoon or Cascoon... Still, it’s beautiful. Like a jewel."
The moment he gently reached out his hand, a dazzling light enveloped the cocoon. It seemed to reject Steven, and May noticed him frown.
The cocoon floated softly from May’s arm, and a warm wind and light, similar to when a Pokémon evolves, swirled around. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the light vanished, revealing its form.
"...You are," looking at the floating figure, May gasped.
"You called me."
If there were a star spirit, this Pokémon must be it. Its body shone brilliantly in white and gold, with silky decorative feathers fluttering as if in a breeze, though there was no wind. It somehow reminded her of a tanzaku—the paper strips hung during Tanabata.
The Pokémon nodded and sent a message directly into her mind.
"Steven, this one seems to be able to use telepathy... That’s how it was talking to me."
"Telepathy? So, May, you can communicate with this Pokémon?"
May nodded in response to his question. So, it seemed Steven couldn’t hear the voice after all.
He exhaled deeply and shook his head.
"I’m surprised... I’ve never seen a Pokémon like this."
May felt the same. Even when she checked the Pokédex, it showed “No data.” It must be a rare Pokémon.
"It might be buried and rarely seen by people... Why did you call me?"
Curious, she asked, and the Pokémon flew in a circle above her head in response.
That was the beginning of her new journey.
*****
The Pokémon’s name was apparently Jirachi.
May had returned to Littleroot Town, holding Jirachi in her arms.
Finding out the identity of a Pokémon with no data in the Pokédex wasn’t actually that difficult. According to Steven, it “smelled like a Steel type,” so they confirmed it was Steel type. Also, since it could use telepathy, they hypothesized it was Psychic type or a mythical Pokémon. They contacted Professor Birch, who identified it as Jirachi.
"Oh... It’s my first time seeing a real one too. Let me take a good look!"
"Dad, stop it... Jirachi’s scared."
Called to the lab, May reunited with Professor Birch and Brendan after a long time. They wanted to collect data and had asked May to bring Jirachi here. Meanwhile, Steven had returned home to investigate something else.
Both the professor and Brendan’s eyes sparkled when they saw Jirachi, but a problem arose.
Jirachi seemed to be afraid of adults.
It approached and allowed May and Brendan to pet it, showing affection. But it avoided the professor and his assistant, jumping into May’s arms.
"Hmm... looks like that."
For the professor, who was usually chased by Pokémon, this was a new experience, and he looked puzzled. Then he remembered something and shared it.
"That’s right, I recall now. Jirachi appears only to pure-hearted humans, meaning children. It’s said to grant the wishes of the child it chooses as its partner."
"Wishes..."
When Brendan murmured that, Jirachi trembled. May, holding it, immediately sensed it.
"What’s wrong?"
She asked the Jirachi in her arms, but no thoughts came through. It seemed unwilling to say.
Resigned, May turned back to the professor.
"When it said partner in the cave, Jirachi meant that I could be its trainer, right?"
"Well, yes, but this Pokémon is a bit... no, quite a special existence."
Suddenly, the professor’s smile vanished. Scratching his cheek with a troubled look, he said,
"Jirachi awakens once every thousand years and is active for seven days. After that, it falls into a long sleep again."
"Eh..."
"So, May, you should cherish these seven days."