"In theory, it could do that. But if it did, it really wouldn't be any different from stealing."
Theo shook his head and patiently explained things to Max in a gentle tone.
"All those ice creams are made by someone else and sold by someone else.
The moment you make the wish, Jirachi would use its psychic powers to directly move ice cream from somebody's shop or even from someone's hands right over to you.
No payment. No asking permission. It would just suddenly appear in front of you. So tell me, what kind of behavior would that count as?"
"Then what if I wished for things that don't belong to anyone? Like fossils buried underground, or gold hidden inside caves, or Evolution Stones and stuff like that?"
Ash suddenly clapped his hands together, the more he thought about it, the more brilliant his idea seemed.
"Those things are buried underground anyway, and nobody has dug them up yet, so technically they don't belong to anyone, right?
That shouldn't count as stealing anymore.
And if we really got a gold mine or something, we could even sell it and buy ice cream for you, Max. What do you think?"
Max's eyes lit up instantly.
"That's actually a great idea!"
"It is a pretty good idea, but…"
Theo paused before his tone gradually became more serious.
"Jirachi only awakens for seven days every thousand years. Every single time it uses its psychic powers, it consumes an enormous amount of energy and becomes exhausted, eventually falling asleep again.
So if you make wishes to it, you're actually shortening the precious little time it finally waited a thousand years to obtain.
If that's the case… could you really bear doing that, Ash?"
"It only wakes up for seven days?"
Ash abruptly lifted his head, shock filling his eyes before it slowly transformed into sympathy.
"That's way too sad, isn't it? Sleeping for a thousand years just to wake up for seven days… that's seriously heartbreaking…"
May also nodded repeatedly, her gaze softening.
"Yeah… only a few days after sleeping for an entire thousand years. That's way too short."
Even Max looked upset as he quietly muttered:
"Then it barely even gets any time to play properly… sleeping for that long and only waking up for seven days… that's so sad… I don't want to wish for ice cream anymore."
Ash scratched his head before suddenly brightening up.
"Then couldn't we just wish for it to stay awake longer? Like a month or even a year?"
"That won't work."
Theo gently stroked the Cocoon of Slumber, quietly feeling the faint pulse within.
"Jirachi's awakening depends entirely on the energy of the Millennium Comet. Once the comet disappears, whether it wants to or not, it'll automatically fall asleep again.
That's its fate.
And also its curse."
A brief silence fell around the rock.
Everyone wore expressions filled with pity.
Sleeping for one thousand years in exchange for only seven days of wakefulness was enough to make anyone feel heartbroken.
After a moment of silence, Ash was the first to speak again, his tone firm and determined.
"Then during these seven days, we'll stay with it and make sure it has as much fun as possible!"
At that moment, Brock walked over carrying the freshly prepared food.
After overhearing the conversation, he smiled warmly.
"If Jirachi really wakes up, then for the next few days I'll cook all kinds of different dishes for it every single day.
Stews, grilled meat skewers, curry rice, rice balls… I'll make sure it gets to taste every delicious thing there is!"
"TYRAAANT!"
"Zweei!"
"Lar! Lar!"
The moment Brock said that, Tyrantrum, Zweilous, and Larvitar all became wildly excited as they crowded around him.
They obviously wanted to eat too.
"Alright, alright! No problem! Everyone gets a share, nobody's left out!"
...…
The night grew deeper.
Jirachi's Cocoon of Slumber was carefully placed upon a stone beside the campfire, where the purple glow intertwined with the firelight, creating a warm and gentle halo.
"When do you think it'll wake up? Why did it stop talking? There's no movement at all anymore."
Max lay inside his sleeping bag while staring at the crystal and quietly asking the question.
Theo was currently lowering his head while massaging the fur of Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix.
The two little foxes narrowed their eyes comfortably, making soft little whimpering sounds of satisfaction.
Hearing Max's words, Theo had just opened his mouth to respond when the corner of his eye suddenly caught a flicker from the Cocoon of Slumber beside the fire.
The purple light had flashed.
It was faint, like the trembling flame of a candle touched by wind, yet it immediately captured his attention.
"Hm?"
Theo stopped moving and stood up before walking toward the crystal.
Right afterward, the purple glow on the Cocoon of Slumber began flashing rhythmically.
Each pulse became brighter than the last, as though a heart that had remained silent for a thousand years had finally begun beating once more.
"It moved! It moved!"
Max suddenly burst out of his sleeping bag.
Without even bothering to put on shoes, he ran straight to Theo's side and pointed excitedly at the glowing crystal.
"May! Ash! Brock! Hurry and come look!"
Ash, May, and Brock all hurriedly crawled out of their sleeping bags as well.
The group quickly surrounded the Cocoon of Slumber, holding their breath as they stared at the phenomenon unfolding before them.
The purple light became increasingly dazzling.
By now, they could vaguely see something moving inside the crystal itself.
The Cocoon of Slumber slowly floated upward and began rotating in the air.
Ripples spread through the surrounding atmosphere alongside its movements, stirring waves of wind that caused sparks from the campfire to dance wildly.
"This is…"
May unconsciously grabbed Theo's arm, her voice filled with nervousness and anticipation.
Suddenly, the Cocoon of Slumber emitted an intense flash.
An invisible shockwave spread outward instantly, blowing away all the clouds covering the sky.
The night heavens, once hidden beneath thick clouds, suddenly became completely clear.
Brilliant moonlight poured downward while countless stars filled the sky in crystal clarity.
"Woooow…"
Max raised his head and stared blankly upward in complete amazement.
At that moment, Theo suddenly pointed toward the distant sky.
"Look over there!"
Everyone immediately followed the direction of his finger.
Far away along the horizon, a faint light slowly began to appear.
At first, it resembled an ordinary overlooked star.
But as time passed, it became brighter and brighter, larger and larger, until it gradually revealed the unmistakable tail of a comet slicing through the night sky.
The Millennium Comet had finally arrived.
The comet drew closer and closer across the heavens, its radiance eventually surpassing even the brilliant moon overhead.
Dragging an enormous glowing tail behind it, it carved a magnificent arc through the sky.
At the same time, the Cocoon of Slumber on the ground pulsed even more violently, as though it were resonating with the comet above.
"The stars… are calling me…"
A soft, childish voice echoed gently beside everyone's ears, tender as dew falling upon the heart.
"I heard it!"
May covered her mouth in delight while staring fixedly at the pulsing purple crystal.
"So this is the voice you two heard earlier? It's so cute!"
"So it really can talk! I heard it too!"
Ash nodded vigorously, his eyes completely fixed upon the crystal floating in midair.
The moment his words fell, a beam of light suddenly shot down from the comet across the heavens.
The pillar of light descended with perfect precision directly into the Cocoon of Slumber.
The purple crystal shell began peeling away layer by layer before slowly cracking apart, like a hardened outer shell finally being shed.
And gradually, the figure hidden inside revealed itself.
First came a tiny rounded head shaped like a five-pointed star.
At the center was a small pink-and-white face.
Its eyes remained closed while long eyelashes drooped softly downward, and its tiny nose twitched faintly.
Below its head was a round yellow body, making it look just like a baby wrapped snugly inside a blanket.
Soft.
Tiny.
And unbelievably adorable.
(End of Chapter)