Chapter Text
Every year, during his Christmas break, Max takes a long, multi-day trip to Forina (most of the trip is just getting there, especially since he lives on an entirely different continent).
He usually arrives in Forina on Christmas Day (he plans to, anyway), and looks around.
He reflects on his life, surrounded by calming scenery and a sleeping forest.
This Christmas is no different.
Obviously, he's grown a lot since he was a teen (he's 22 now).
An awkward, lanky frame slowly morphed into a lean, muscular one (with a little peer pressure and a lot of gym trips), his straight black hair cut to ear-length, as he traded glasses for contacts (although he wears glasses on occasion). He never lost his book smarts, either.
He moved to Paldea for college (nice one, too) and got a job working at a sushi place (with a Tatsugiri as its mascot).
Ever since, he'd pretty much been focusing on his studies.
There was a time he'd dreamed of being a Pokémon Trainer, but it seemed out of reach now.
He'd come to accept that.
He still had his Pokémon (Mightyena, and Ralts, who he'd gone back for, now a Kirlia), but he just never really used them in battle.
They're in their Pokéballs, sleeping. He usually takes them out to admire and explore the area, returning them when they're tired.
He's still sad and single.
He's gone on a lot of dates, but none of them really clicked.
Of course, reminiscing on himself isn't all he does.
He reminisces about Jirachi.
Jirachi had been a close friend to him, who he remembered and missed dearly.
Of course, he'd only had Jirachi for a little while, but in that short window, his life had been changed irreversibly.
Maybe, in his next life, he'll see Jirachi, a thousand years later.
Max sighs.
Then, the entire valley shakes.
Max loses his footing, holding onto a tree for stability.
It stops, a few minutes later, right as Max starts to somewhat worry for his life.
Then, an orb of white light manifests itself in front of him.
He takes deep breaths, and almost decides to leave, before curiosity overtakes him.
What's the worst that could happen? Him getting eaten?
Probably.
As he gets closer to the orb, it drifts further, leading him through the forest and down a secret path.
The weather is pretty nice for walking, too; cool and brisk, with a refreshing breeze.
Weirdly, he doesn't encounter any Pokémon.
He notices, as he continues walking, that he's going deeper into the earth, and eventually, he finds himself in a pitch-black tunnel, his only source of light being the tiny star in front of him.
For a few seconds, he wonders if he's been led right into a trap; if he's about to become Pokémon food.
But, if he doesn't take this chance, he'll spend the rest of his life wondering.
After a few minutes of walking, the star fizzles out, leaving him in front of a cavern with glowing, rainbow crystals.
His mouth hangs open, and he momentarily hopes wonders if it's Jirachi doing this.
Then, before he can even form another thought, in a burst of multicolored, white, yellow, and blue starlight, a small figure takes form.
Max covers his eyes, but once the light subsides, he gets a closer look.
They're short and small, with pale, soft skin and large blue eyes decorated with teal eyeliner.
Messy, light blonde hair, chin-length and fluffy, holds golden star pins, while their ears are adorned with studded earrings that hold teal paper tags.
They're dressed in a pastel yellow tank top, a similarly colored, pleated short skirt with pristine white edges, and white arm warmers and thigh socks.
Notably, there are yellow ribbons on the back of their skirt, which are tied around their hands, which are in turn behind their back.
Cute, he thinks, before immediately cringing.
His first thought upon seeing someone appear in front of him, in a torrent of light, shouldn't be that they're cute.
Max assumes they're a boy(?), what with the flat chest and (in general) short hair.
He recognizes them.
They're like Jirachi, but... human?
Between their resemblance to the Pokémon and them appearing in a huge burst of light (while guiding him there, presumably), in these caverns in Forina-- they have to be at least somewhat related to Jirachi.
"H-hello?" he calls out, slowly moving towards them.
The smaller man(?) grins at him, before greeting him with a cheerful "Hi, Max!"
Their voice is high and bright, but still boyish.
More importantly, they know him.
It's Jirachi--
ithastobeithastobeithastobe--
"Wh-who, uh, are... you?" he inquires.
"You don't remember me...?" they whine, with an almost hurt tone.
"...Jirachi?" Max asks hopefully.
"How long has it been?" Jirachi asks him, the shine returning to their eyes.
"15 years, give or take. And, uh, why're you tied up?"
"Well, you see, when I went back to sleep, I missed you. A lot. Year by year, I dreamt of you. While I sleep, my psychic powers allow my spirit to roam freely, separate from my body. Eventually, I had enough power stored up to awaken. Right now, I'm running on a tiny fraction of my normal power, but I was able to take human form, to blend in, somewhat."
Max just nods, happy to see his friend again.
"Anyway, well, the tied-up part... you see, when I was sleeping, I researched human culture. A lot. And, I learned that, during Christmas, humans give gifts to each other, wrapped in ribbons and bows. This Christmas, I wanted, to, uh, y'know."
"...?"
"I'm the gift."
"...Oh."
"Anyway, merry Christmas, Max! What should we do first!?" Jirachi asks eagerly, his ribbons freeing themselves from around his small wrists with a rainbow glow, his eyes taking on that same illumination, until the ribbons stop moving, and Jirachi jumps up to hug Max.
It's a tight hug, and Max reciprocates.
He's missed Jirachi so much.
"...Would you wanna come and see my place?"
"Already have, while I was sleeping, but I'm more than happy to come in person!"
If Jirachi was watching for a good portion of 15 years, would that mean--
Ew.
Not gonna think about that.
"Come on, let's go!"
As Max takes Jirachi's hand, being led out of the cave, he can't help but smile.
This Christmas, he'll get the present he's wanted for years.
His best friend.
Back.