Jirachi's tiny body drifted gently down from the air. Theo had already been prepared for this moment. He opened his arms and steadily caught the little Pokémon against his chest.
As it descended, the yellow "baby blanket" wrapped around Jirachi slowly unfolded.
Those blanket-like layers were actually the two ribbon-shaped wings naturally growing from Jirachi's back. Normally, the ribbons remained folded at its sides, making them look like soft flowing streamers. When Jirachi flew or floated, they would spread out and flutter gracefully, helping it glide and change direction through the air.
And when Jirachi slept, those same ribbons wrapped tightly around its body like a cocoon.
Now, as the ribbon wings slowly unfurled, Jirachi's tiny and delicate body was finally revealed completely.
"Jira…"
Jirachi let out a soft sleepy hum. Its long eyelashes trembled slightly before a pair of sapphire-blue eyes slowly opened, still hazy with the confusion of waking from an endless sleep. It stared curiously at the young man holding it.
"Hello there, Jirachi."
Theo's voice became incredibly gentle as he carefully reached out and lightly touched its cheek with his fingertip.
"My name is Theo."
Jirachi tilted its head slightly, as though trying to process the unfamiliar name. It stared at him for several seconds before suddenly revealing a sweet smile. The little teardrop markings beneath its eyes became especially lively and adorable.
It slowly stretched out its tiny arms and softly poked Theo's finger.
Its soft, childish voice rang out once more.
"Thee… eooo… The… eo…"
"It's greeting you!"
Max's cheeks flushed red with excitement as he bounced on his toes and leaned closer.
"Jirachi, my name is Max! Max as in Maximus!"
"Maa… Max?"
Jirachi copied his tone in a babyish voice. The pronunciation was still a little clumsy, but Max nearly jumped up in happiness the moment he heard it.
"Yes! That's right! Max!"
He nodded enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling brightly.
Jirachi tilted its head and stared seriously at Theo and Max, softly repeating their names one word at a time.
"Theo… Theo… Max… Max…"
At first the words sounded unclear and awkward, but after repeating them several times, the pronunciation gradually became smoother and more natural.
"Theo, Max~ Theo, Max~"
The innocent little voice drifted through the night air, making everyone's hearts soften instantly.
"And me! Don't forget me!"
Ash hurriedly squeezed forward, pushing himself between Theo and Max. He shoved his face close to Jirachi's, grinning so widely that all his teeth showed.
"Jirachi, there's me too! My name is Ash! Come on, say it with me, Aaaash~"
Jirachi blinked several times and tilted its head while staring at Ash for quite a while before cautiously speaking.
"A… sh…"
"Pfft!"
May could not hold back her laughter.
"That's not quite right!"
Ash waved his hands frantically and exaggerated the pronunciation.
"It's Ash! Ash!"
"Ash… Ah… Ash~"
Jirachi tried several more times before finally pronouncing it correctly.
"Yes! That's it! Exactly right!"
Ash clapped excitedly.
"You're really smart!"
May and Brock quickly joined in as well, patiently teaching Jirachi how to say their names.
Jirachi learned astonishingly fast. In only a few minutes, it could already say all five names perfectly.
It seemed to truly enjoy this little "game." Every time it successfully pronounced a name, it would happily wave its tiny arms and let out cheerful little cries, making everyone burst into laughter.
"I'm going to make something for Jirachi to eat!"
Brock suddenly slapped his thigh and rushed toward the campfire.
"It just woke up, so it must be hungry!"
The moment Brock began laying out cooking utensils and ingredients, Jirachi fluttered out of Theo's arms and floated through the air like a tiny balloon, curiously watching Brock cook.
"Jira~?"
Its small head tilted slightly as its little nose twitched. The delicious aroma of the ingredients reached it, and its blue eyes instantly lit up.
"Want to try some?"
Brock smiled warmly and sliced a berry in half before gently placing it into Jirachi's tiny hands.
"Try this first."
Jirachi held the berry carefully and took small bites from it. The sweet flavor spread through its mouth, and its eyes curved into happy little crescents.
Larvitar had been following closely beside Theo the whole time. The instant it saw Jirachi happily eating, it immediately dashed over to Brock's feet, rubbing its head against his pant leg repeatedly.
Brock laughed helplessly and handed Larvitar one as well.
Jirachi curiously lowered its head to look at the Larvitar on the ground. Just as it was about to float closer, something lightly tugged at the ribbon behind it.
It was Pikachu.
Pikachu had already climbed nimbly onto Ash's shoulder by crawling up his pant leg. At this moment, it was curiously observing this new golden-colored friend that resembled itself. Its eyes were filled with excitement and curiosity.
"Pika?"
Pikachu stretched out a tiny paw in a friendly gesture, wanting to shake hands with Jirachi.
Jirachi slowly extended one of its small fingers as well, cautiously moving closer until its fingertip gently touched Pikachu's paw.
Crackle—
A tiny spark of static electricity instantly jumped between their fingertips.
Jirachi was startled by the sudden jolt. With a small cry, it hurriedly floated backward half a meter, hugging its little arms tightly against its chest while staring cautiously at Pikachu with wide round eyes.
But after waiting nervously for several seconds, it realized that nothing bad had happened. It blinked blankly for a moment before suddenly bursting into cheerful laughter.
"Jiraa~"
Its blue eyes curved sweetly again.
The next second, Jirachi floated back over on its own initiative and carefully stretched out its tiny hand once more to touch Pikachu's paw.
Small currents of static electricity danced repeatedly between their fingertips. That faintly numb and tingly sensation felt incredibly new and entertaining to Jirachi.
Just like that, the two little Pokémon happily began playing a game of fingertip touching, poking each other again and again while giggling nonstop.
Meanwhile, after finishing its berry, Larvitar copied Pikachu's actions. It grabbed onto Ash's pant leg and climbed upward step by step with its short little legs until it securely settled onto Ash's other shoulder.
It watched Pikachu and Jirachi happily playing together, but its gaze remained completely fixed on the two yellow ribbons swaying gently behind Jirachi.
Its eyes sparkled with eager excitement.
Suddenly, Larvitar leaped forward with all its strength, spreading its tiny claws as it lunged toward the ribbons.
"Jira?"
Jirachi reacted incredibly quickly. It lightly floated upward and effortlessly dodged the attack.
Larvitar missed completely.
Smack!
It crashed headfirst into the grass below, slamming hard enough to create a tiny crater in the ground.
"Lar!"
Dizzy and disoriented, Larvitar slowly climbed out of the hole while clutching its head with its little claws, still looking completely dazed.
Oddly enough, this scene immediately caught Jirachi's interest.
It stared at the small crater on the ground for several seconds before suddenly copying Larvitar's actions. Jirachi dispersed the psychic power supporting its floating body, gathered all its strength, and threw itself downward toward the grass.
Poof—
Unfortunately, Jirachi's body was simply far too light. When it hit the ground, it only managed to flatten a few blades of grass. There was absolutely no way it could create a crater like Larvitar had.
"Jira?"
Jirachi froze in confusion.
It tilted its tiny head and stared blankly at the grass beneath it, utterly unable to understand why it could not do the same thing.
(End of Chapter)