SSS-Rank Ingredient – Sacred Feather of Zapdos: A feather formed from Zapdos's energy, imbued with electric power.
Lin Feng's mouth fell open as he held the feather in his hand.
This was a feather from Zapdos, and judging by its quality, it belonged to one of the strongest Zapdos in existence.
The difference in quality between Legendary Bird feathers made this obvious.
For example, the Ho-Oh feather granted as a system reward was SSS rank, while the feather Mew had plucked from Champion Feng Yang's Ho-Oh was only S+ rank.
"Yomiao~" Meowth giggled, then somehow produced two more feathers.
One glimmered like ice crystal, radiating an intense chill.
The other glowed deep red, faintly flickering like fire.
SSS-Rank Ingredient – Sacred Feather of Articuno: Formed from Articuno's energy, this icy feather contains powerful Ice-type energy. It can be worn or ground into powder for cooking.
SSS-Rank Ingredient – Sacred Feather of Ho-Oh: Formed from Ho-Oh's energy, this flaming feather contains Fire-type energy. It can be worn or ground into powder for culinary use.
And it wasn't just two. Mew produced two more feathers from Zapdos.
"Jirachi~" the little star poked in. "That's right, the Legendary Birds started fighting, and then they were captured."
"Fallen during battle?" Lin Feng was stunned, then realized that Mew and Jirachi hadn't returned home for the past two days. They must have gone somewhere.
"Yomiao~" Mew confirmed.
It rummaged through its body and produced a silver feather.
"Mew…" it said. "This is the feather I asked from Lugia. Don't you want to use these feathers for cooking?"
The feather was slightly broken.
He had promised it that next time they met, he would bring something delicious, and it had agreed.
SSS+ Rank Ingredient – Incomplete Silver Wing: A unique feather from the Legendary Ocean Guardian Lugia, containing abundant Flying- and Psychic-type energy. Can be worn or ground into powder for cooking.
Seeing the broken silver feather, Lin Feng realized the truth. Mew must have taken Jirachi to the distant sea over the past few days, then to the home of the Legendary Birds.
By chance, they had encountered the events surrounding Lugia's birth.
They had participated in it, conveniently obtaining the feathers, and even requested the silver wing from Lugia.
The details might differ slightly, but this was the general picture.
Seeing Lin Feng silent for so long, Meowth worried he thought it had stolen the feathers.
"Yomiao~!" it protested. "I didn't take them secretly! I asked for them myself!"
Lin Feng shook his head with a smile. "No, I'm not saying you took them secretly."
"But are you sure you want to give me these?"
After all, these belonged to Legendary Pokémon. Even if he didn't know whether they were useful to Mew, their market value was incalculable.
Such items were either for collection or for Pokémon to absorb their energy.
They practically never circulated in markets.
"Meow~" Meowth tilted its head, puzzled. "Aren't you going to use these for cooking? They're all for you~"
Lin Feng nodded. "Alright then."
It seemed letting Mew go out to play often was a good choice.
At least, when it explored the world, it remembered that someone far away cooked meals for it every day.
Even Mew's eyelashes had once been made into a dish, which had inspired Lin Feng.
If Mew's eyelashes could be used for cooking, then the feathers of other Legendary Pokémon could surely be transformed into dishes as well.
And except for Zapdos's feathers, his Pokémon already matched the elemental traits of the other Legendary Bird feathers.
So, what should he make with these feathers?
Lin Feng fell into thought.
After delivering the feathers, Meowth flew to its mint-flavored little cake. It sniffed, then wore a blissful expression.
"(*︾▽︾) Yomiao~" it purred. "Mint… my mint, hehe…"
Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh.
Little cat, little cat, you'll always be addicted to mint in this life.
He stored the Legendary Bird feathers and finally sat down beside Jirachi.
Watching Jirachi happily eat, he sent a gentle pulse of his aura towards it and asked again, "Jirachi, is it delicious?"
"Delicious, absolutely delicious. This little cake is so sweet…"
Jirachi stuffed the cakes into its mouth, swallowing them almost without chewing.
First, it had spent the whole day playing outside, so it was genuinely hungry.
Second, this was the fifth night.
In two nights, it would fall asleep and never taste these cakes again.
Thinking of this, Jirachi felt a pang of melancholy.
Time passed too quickly.
It had seen too few places. Lin Feng had mentioned countless Legendary Pokémon, but it had only met a handful.
Rayquaza didn't even remember events from a thousand years ago.
If Mew could live like me, would it still exist a thousand years later?
If it did… would it remember me?
Lugia… would it remember me?
Jirachi feared being forgotten.
Friends it had met disappeared one by one. Every return to the human world meant seven new days, which might be filled with cruel humans and uncooperative Pokémon.
Just like in the first millennium, when Pokémon were fierce and survival was their only concern.
They wouldn't think about friendship; they would just want to eat you.
After each thousand-year slumber, it had always hoped to wake to good people and happy things.
But… not all hopes came true.
Too fast… too fast, I haven't even spent time properly with Qin Shu…
With only two days left, it couldn't explore the world with Mew anymore.
Yet it still longed to experience everything.
Seeing Lin Feng approach, its face lit up. The charm on its head glimmered.
"Lin Feng, do you want to make a wish?"
Lin Feng took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes… but before wishing, I want to ask Jirachi a few questions."
"Jirachi?"
Jirachi paused mid-bite, looking puzzled. "Lin Feng, what is it?"
Lin Feng sat down and took a small cake for himself. "Same question as before, Jirachi. After seeing Rayquaza, is there anything else you want to achieve?"
"Jira?"
Jirachi tilted its head curiously, unsure why Lin Feng would ask.
Lin Feng said, "How do I put this? Life without goals loses meaning. You must have things you want too."
"The things I want?"
Jirachi pondered for a moment, then smiled.
"I want to eat the meals you make every day. I want to visit more and more places."
It looked at Lin Feng with bright, eager eyes.
Lin Feng was stunned. "Nothing else?"
"Yes, isn't that enough?"
Jirachi grabbed another cake. "Oh, and I want to meet more friends. If they still remember me a thousand years later, that would be wonderful."
"Then I wouldn't need to look for new friends every time. After all, not every encounter is the right one…"
Jirachi sighed, thinking of something.
"Yo, Meow?"
Meowth, now recovering from the catnip, tilted its head in confusion.
Why couldn't it understand Lin Feng?
It hadn't been present when Lin Feng told Jirachi's story.
Then, how about finding new friends? And what about memories?
It didn't fully understand, so it flew to Jirachi and reached out with its paw. "Yomiao~" it said. "We're partners. I will always remember you~"
Jirachi was touched. It clasped Mew's paw firmly and nodded.
In these past days, the two Pokémon had formed a deep bond.
Lin Feng was moved as well.
If Jirachi wanted companions who wouldn't forget it, a mythical Pokémon as cute as Mew was the perfect choice.
Most Mythical Pokémon lived long but weren't very intelligent.
So whether a thousand or two thousand years passed, they could eventually gather.
Unfortunately, Mew didn't realize this. After shaking Jirachi's paw, it returned to its mint cake.
Jirachi flew to Lin Feng's side.
Finally, Lin Feng asked, "Have you ever thought… of breaking free from the thousand-year slumber, living a normal Pokémon life, rising and sleeping with the sun?"
"Jira?"
Jirachi froze, stunned by the question.
Nearby Pokémon, who had overheard, gathered around.
The joyous days had made them forget that Jirachi only existed for seven short days.
The attentive Pokémon soon realized it was already the fifth night.
Some, less aware, didn't know the day of the week, but still sensed most of the time had passed.
Salamence rubbed its neck, frustrated. "Ah… so short, so short… why does time pass so quickly?"
As a Dragon-type, time felt especially elusive to it, like grains of sand slipping away.
"Sweet…"
Steenee, close to Lin Feng, looked at Jirachi with a hint of reluctance, thinking of the doll still left at its home.
The doll had an Everstone, representing its chance to evolve.
Without that doll, it wouldn't know how to align its evolution with Lin Feng.
Jirachi looked at Lin Feng, hesitated, and its eyes flickered with reluctant farewell. Then it shook its head. "Lin Feng… I can't…"
It gazed at the deep, dark night sky.
Lin Feng followed its gaze.
It was late autumn, nearly winter.
Few stars dotted the sky, but each shone brightly.
This suggested that tomorrow might be a rare clear day.
It whispered, "The stars are so bright… Feng once said I exist like a star, giving hope to everyone who sees me."
"Back then, the night was dark. Even glowing at night, everyone was happy to see me, thinking I was hope itself."
"But he couldn't have foreseen that a thousand years later, every home would have electric lights. No one would fear the dark."
"So the stars at night no longer mattered. People no longer look at them, no longer need their light."
Jirachi soared into the sky, smiling at Lin Feng. "But meteors are different."
"Bright meteors streak across the sky, and people unexpectedly make wishes upon them. When I woke, I saw the meteor that had awakened me, carrying so much hope."
"I collected it."
"So I thought, this time, I want to become a meteor, carrying everyone's wishes."
Jirachi paused, its eyes shining at Lin Feng.
What it didn't mention was that in two nights, its own comet would streak across the sky.
Then, its third eye would awaken, absorbing the comet's energy. After its slumber, this energy would nourish the Earth.
This happened once every thousand years.
It had experienced it many times.
Lin Feng looked at Jirachi, then asked, "Will that make you happy?"
Jirachi swooped down, grinning. "Yes… Lin Feng said, 'Purple Flying… Fish? What's fun about it?' Oh, I forgot."
"You're not a fish, so how could you know a fish's happiness," Lin Feng repeated.
Jirachi seemed troubled. "Too hard… forget it, forget it…"
"Lin Feng, tell me your wish. I'm getting impatient."
Seeing Jirachi's expression, Lin Feng picked it up, withdrawing his aura. "You want to meet more companions who will remember you, right?"
"Huh?"
Lin Feng held a small round cake. "Then make a wish: that you may meet a Pokémon who will still recognize you a thousand years from now. Its name is Victini…"
At the moment of wishing, a faintly glowing passage appeared in front of him and Jirachi.
At this very moment, in Ein Dock Town of the Unova region…