This idea came from a theory Theo had once read in a Pokémon fanfiction from his previous life.
(TN: Pokemon Legendary Trainer who Farms haha)
And the key to that theory lay with Volcarona's uncertain "little father":
Victini!
In the Pokédex descriptions from his previous world, every entry regarding Victini mentioned the same thing:
"Victini possesses infinite energy within its body, and it can share this power with any being it touches.
Anyone who receives energy bestowed by Victini, whether human or Pokémon, will become overflowing with inexhaustible strength."
If Victini were to pour its energy into Jirachi…
Would it be possible to break the cruel fate of its thousand-year slumber?
Would it no longer need to remain bound by that destiny, no longer limited to only seven brief days of wakefulness?
More than anything, Theo hoped Jirachi could live like a normal Pokémon.
Free from worry.
Free from loneliness.
Able to play happily and freely like any other child.
And besides, this time he was here together with Max and the others.
He absolutely would not allow Jirachi to repeat the tragedy from the anime or suffer even the slightest harm again.
Just as Theo was completely immersed in thoughts of Jirachi, a voice suddenly drifted into his ears without warning.
It was incredibly soft.
Calm, quiet, and pure.
Like starlight gently brushing against the side of his face.
"Why… do you like me so much?"
Theo's pupils suddenly contracted.
At that instant, it felt as though the blood throughout his entire body had frozen solid.
That voice…
Almost instinctively, he turned his head.
And immediately met Max's gaze beside him.
Max's eyes were opened wide in shock, his expression filled with disbelief.
Clearly, he had heard it too.
"Big Brother Theo…"
Max lowered his voice, his tone trembling slightly from astonishment.
"You heard it too, right?"
Theo nodded seriously.
His heart pounded violently inside his chest, more nervous than during any Pokémon battle he had ever fought.
"What are you two talking about?"
Ash's confused voice suddenly interrupted them.
He held a stick of cotton candy in one hand while staring at them blankly.
"The magic show is so awesome. Why aren't you watching?"
May also leaned over curiously.
"Yeah, what were you two whispering about just now?"
Max looked at Theo, then at his sister and Ash, hesitating before speaking.
"Big sis… Ash… didn't you hear a voice just now? A really soft voice. It sounded like it came from that purple crystal."
"A voice?"
Ash scratched his head and carefully looked toward the purple crystal onstage before concentrating for a moment.
"I only hear the magician talking and everyone cheering. There's nothing else. Max, are you imagining things?"
May also shook her head.
"I didn't hear anything either. Brock, did you?"
Brock shook his head as well, indicating that he had heard nothing.
Max stared intently at the purple crystal on the stage.
He was certain.
Absolutely certain.
The one speaking just now had been that purple crystal.
Just as Max was about to argue further, Theo lightly touched his arm and quietly shook his head.
"Let's wait until the performance ends first. Then we'll go take a closer look together."
Max nodded vigorously, forcibly suppressing the excitement and anticipation surging in his heart before obediently swallowing the rest of his words.
For the remainder of the performance, both Theo and Max watched absentmindedly.
Onstage, Butler had Diane climb into a transparent glass box before lowering the entire thing into an enormous tank filled completely with water.
The water even rose above the top of the box.
The audience collectively held their breath.
Even Ash nervously clenched his fists.
But the moment Butler covered the tank with a black cloth and dramatically yanked it away again, the glass box inside had become completely empty.
And Diane herself was now calmly walking out from behind the audience seats, smiling brightly as she waved toward everyone.
"WOOOOW! That's incredible!"
Ash clapped so hard his palms turned red as he excitedly jumped to his feet.
May also stared in complete astonishment.
Only Theo and Max exchanged glances with one another, both clearly seeing the same uncontrollable urgency in each other's eyes.
...
Time slowly passed.
Finally, with Butler's graceful bow, the performance came to an end.
"That concludes tonight's show. Thank you all for coming."
The venue lights gradually brightened again.
Audience members began standing and leaving in groups, discussing the various magic tricks excitedly while laughter and praise echoed endlessly around the theater.
Theo grabbed Max and quickly walked over to Ash and May.
"We're going to stay a little longer. Max and I have something we need to take care of."
"What is it?"
Ash still had half-finished popcorn stuffed in his mouth as he stared at him blankly.
"I'll explain later."
Theo did not elaborate further. Instead, he gestured for everyone to follow him.
The group circled around the departing crowd and headed toward the stage.
At that moment, Butler and Diane were directing the staff while they cleaned up the venue and packed away various magic props.
Only the purple crystal still remained quietly resting atop a velvet cushion beside the stage.
Its dim violet glow remained eye-catching even beneath the bright lights, almost like a living heart that was steadily breathing.
The moment Theo's group approached the edge of the stage, a staff member in a black uniform immediately stopped them.
"Kids, today's performance is already over. You can't casually enter the stage area. Hurry and head back now."
"We…"
Max had just opened his mouth to explain when Theo gently pressed down on his shoulder, signaling him not to speak yet.
Theo raised his head and politely looked toward Butler, who was currently organizing props onstage.
"Mr. Butler, may I ask what the origin of that purple crystal is? We seemed to hear it… speaking just now."
The staff member froze briefly before laughing.
"That's just one of Mr. Butler's magic props. How could it possibly talk for real? You kids must've gotten too immersed in the performance and started imagining things.
Alright, hurry back now. We still need to clean up."
"Wait."
A voice suddenly sounded from the stage.
Butler and Diane both stopped what they were doing and looked toward Theo's group. At the same time, Butler instructed the staff to push several large magic boxes away first.
"Leave the remaining props here for now. Come back later to clean them up."
The two of them walked down from the stage.
Butler's gaze slowly swept across Theo and Max before finally stopping on Theo himself.
There was a trace of scrutiny hidden within his eyes.
"You really heard it speaking?"
May hurriedly waved her hands.
"Sorry, not us. It was those two."
She pointed toward Theo and Max.
Theo nodded calmly.
"Yes. We really did hear its voice."
Max also nodded repeatedly, afraid Butler might not believe them.
Butler stared at Theo's face for several seconds.
The moment he clearly saw Theo's appearance, his pupils subtly shrank.
Without drawing attention to it, he exchanged a glance with Diane.
Then a gentle smile appeared on his face.
He bent down and picked up the purple crystal before explaining:
"Since you heard it, there's no point hiding it anymore. This is not an ordinary crystal.
It's called the 'Cocoon of Slumber.'"
Butler gently stroked the surface of the crystal as though handling an irreplaceable treasure.
"Inside it sleeps the Mythical Pokémon…
Jirachi.
According to legend, it awakens only once every thousand years.
And it is a miraculous Pokémon capable of granting any wish."
(End of Chapter)