Happy moments always pass too quickly.
Before he knew it, seven days had already gone by since Jirachi awakened.
Which meant—
Tonight, Jirachi would fall asleep again.
And this time… for a thousand years.
In life, people go through countless partings. Some reunions come in days, others take years.
As long as the bond remains and nothing unexpected happens, there's always a chance to meet again.
But Chen Shi and Jirachi were different.
This time…
It might truly be a farewell forever.
So today, Chen Shi had stopped all training.
Dragapult, Swampert, everyone—
No training.
Only one thing mattered.
Spending the entire day with Jirachi.
Dragapult even took the initiative to play Angry Dragapult again—but this time, no Psychic powers allowed. Only throwing by hand.
Swampert took Jirachi to the lake in the back mountain, splashing around in a carefree water fight.
For once, Jirachi patiently followed Florges in tending the garden, enjoying a rare moment of quiet.
After beating Charizard in an arm-wrestling match, Jirachi stood proudly with hands on its hips, declaring it was Charizard's second loss.
And through it all—
Chen Shi stayed by its side.
Watching Jirachi's bright, carefree smile, his chest tightened more and more.
How he wished…
Jirachi could stay like this forever.
Even if it didn't have that long lifespan—
Even if it could only live happily for a few decades—
That would be enough.
…
That night, Chen Shi brought Jirachi to the back mountain—the very place where it had first awakened.
Cynthia, Phoebe, and many of the Pokémon came along as well.
A cool breeze drifted through the air.
Under the starlit sky, no one spoke.
The silence was heavy.
After a while, Jirachi broke it first.
"Chen Shi… I'm going to sleep soon."
Chen Shi forced a smile. "Mm… Jirachi, be good, okay?"
Curled in his arms, Jirachi spoke softly.
"Do you think we'll meet again?"
"I really don't want to leave you…"
Chen Shi fell silent.
He didn't know how to answer.
If he said yes—
Jirachi wasn't foolish. It would know it was a lie.
If he said no—
It would only make things more painful.
After a long pause, he gently poked its small body with his finger.
"I don't know either."
"But our friendship will always be there."
"As long as you don't forget me… I'll always exist in your heart."
Jirachi was quiet for two seconds, then smiled.
"Chen Shi, take out little V."
"I can still use the comet's power right now… I can give it Victory Energy and help it hatch."
"…Okay."
His voice felt heavy as he took out the Pokémon Egg from his spatial backpack and placed it gently on the ground.
Jirachi floated out of his arms and stood atop a nearby rock.
It spread its arms, closed its eyes, and slowly rose into the air.
The eye on its abdomen—the Eye of Truth—opened.
High above, a comet suddenly shone brightly.
A beam of pure, gentle light descended, enveloping Victini's egg.
Jirachi couldn't accelerate the hatching process itself.
But—
It could use the comet's wish-granting power to provide Victini with enough Victory Energy.
In a sense, it was as if someone had made a wish—
A wish for Victini to hatch immediately.
And Jirachi had granted that wish.
This time, however—
No one had made the wish.
It was something Jirachi chose to do on its own.
Cynthia, Phoebe, and all the Pokémon watched silently.
No one dared to interrupt.
Under the light of the comet, the egg suddenly began to tremble violently.
Cracks spread across its surface.
Chen Shi knew—
Victini was about to hatch.
With Victini's help, his future path would become much smoother.
This should have been a joyful moment.
But there was no smile on his face.
His gaze remained fixed on Jirachi, floating in the air—
And his heart only grew heavier.
The cracks widened.
A small yellow head pushed through the shell—
Then its arms, its body—
Until it fully broke free.
It was a small, mouse-like Pokémon.
Its large, pointed ears formed the shape of a "V."
Big blue eyes dominated its face, and its head was slightly oversized compared to its body.
Its body was a soft cream color, with orange accents on its ears, crest, and limbs.
Two small, wing-like appendages extended from its back.
The Mythical Pokémon—
Victini.
"Vee…"
Seeing so many unfamiliar faces, Victini panicked.
Its body instantly faded—
and disappeared.
Jirachi slowly descended, landing weakly on the rock.
Phoebe and Cynthia looked around, confused.
"Chen Shi, what Pokémon did you bring back…? It can turn invisible?"
"Is it a Ghost-type too?"
Chen Shi's mouth twitched.
Looking at the broken eggshells scattered on the ground, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He had heard that Victini was timid—
But this was on another level.
It hadn't even said a word before vanishing.
What was this?
Just as he was about to call out—
Chen Shi suddenly felt a slight weight settle on his other shoulder.
The next second—
Victini appeared there.
Its big blue eyes looked at him with affection.
"Vee~"
At first, it had wanted to run.
It had just hatched—weak and vulnerable.
But when it sensed Chen Shi's aura…
It couldn't help but feel drawn to him.
Even while still inside the egg, it had a vague awareness of the outside world.
It knew—
This was the person who had brought it back.
Who had worked to help it hatch.
Naturally, it felt close to him.
"Little V… long time no see…"
Jirachi forced itself to stay awake, smiling as it greeted Victini.
"Vee?"
Victini tilted its head in confusion.
It didn't understand—
But this Pokémon seemed to know it.
Chen Shi smiled.
"Victini, welcome to the world."
"This is Jirachi. Thanks to it, you were able to hatch so quickly."
"You should thank it."
"Vee?"
"Vee!"
Though it didn't fully understand, Victini still waved its tiny hand and expressed its thanks.
"Victini…" Cynthia murmured softly.
For some reason—
The name felt familiar.
As if she had heard it somewhere before…
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