I was up at the first hint of dawn and quickly repacked my things before heading southward one last time. Excitement coursed through me, and I could feel a hundred butterflies tumbling in my stomach as I walked. After cresting a particularly rough hill, I saw a rock formation in the distance that was familiar. It heartened me, and I continued straight ahead, not stopping for breakfast.

The craggy wasteland passed by in a blur, as I was too anxious to properly pay attention. Before long, I could see the familiar grove of trees enclosing the Taragio spring. I hastened my steps and continued forward, ignoring how sore I felt. After passing through the treeline, I quickened my pace again, easily stepping through the familiar territory and dodging past trees.

After finally breaking through the other side of the grove, I stopped to catch my breath. Camp was just like it was when I'd left. Master Serence was meditating next to the spring, peacefully basking in the late afternoon sunlight. But my favorite vixen wasn't with him.

"Master Serence," I called out to him. "I'm back."

The sagacious slowbro turned and beckoned me closer.

I broke into a jog, shortly closing the distance between us.

"Welcome home," he said, smiling at me. "We knew you could do it, Taern." There was the faintest trace of an odd expression on his face. Though he was nearly always unfazeable, he looked just the slightest bit surprised to see me. If anything, it was most likely because I had arrived back so early.

Shrugging off my pack, I paused to catch my breath before I could respond. "Wh-where's Fiori at?" I asked him.

Master Serence frowned at me. "We're sad to say that she isn't well. She's sleeping in your bed," he explained.

My ears pricked forward in alarm and I felt panic roiling in my stomach. I spun around and dashed to my hut, where Fiori was dozing quietly. Dropping my pack to the side, I knelt before the fox and gently placed my paw on her cheek. Her skin was feverish, and the sound of her breath was shallow.

"Fiori, I'm home," I told her.

"Taern?" she asked softly. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled as she saw me. "Taern," she said once more, nuzzling against my paw.

"Fiori, is everything okay? Can I do anything for you?" I placed my paw on hers and squeezed it comfortingly.

The fox looked at me with her big brown eyes, but didn't respond. It was quiet in the hut except for the sound of her labored breathing.

Master Serence approached from behind, stopping outside of the hut's entrance. "Taern, may we speak with you for a moment?" His voice was calm and measured, but I didn't find it reassuring.

I hesitated for a moment before I finally decided to oblige him. As I stood up, the fox cried out in dismay. "Taern," she whined at me.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back," I promised her. "Okay?"

Her eyes watering, Fiori blinked back her tears. She nodded to me and laid her head back down, closing her eyes.

I followed the slowbro back to the edge of the spring. The two of us sat down and he glanced apologetically at me.

"It started three days ago," Master Serence said softly.

My heart sunk in response to his words. "Wh-what? Why?" I barely managed to ask him.

The slowbro sighed, shaking his head morosely. "Her memories have started to return."

I stared at him dumbly, still not understanding.

"She said she needs to go home," he explained.

"But Master Serence, this is her home," I insisted.

He spread his paws helplessly. "We believe she is a zenko, Taern," he said quietly.

"A what?" I stared slack-jawed at the slowbro.

"A celestial fox spirit," Master Serence explained. "A forest kitsune. Spirits like her aren't intended to manifest outside of their forests, especially for extended periods of time. Although that might not explain her strange appearance here, it could explain why she'd lost her memories. Perhaps the shock of being so far from her forest is what did it to her."

"But it's already been weeks." I felt a lump forming in my throat.

The slowbro nodded to me. "It's a miracle she's lasted as long as she did."

"C-can we—isn't there a way you can heal her?"

"We already tried," Master Serence told me. "Our healing pulse had no effect on her."

"Then we can take her back to her forest," I insisted. "She'll get better if we do that, right?"

He shrugged helplessly. "She was determined to wait for you before she went home."

I felt my mouth grow dry in what felt like an instant. The lump in my throat grew more painful, and I had to force myself to breathe.

"You should go be with her," Master Serence said softly.

I nodded to him, my thoughts whirling. "Thank you, master," I said, bowing respectfully as I could.

Rising to my feet, I returned to my hut where the sick vulpix was resting. Her face lit up as she saw me and I heard the thumping of her fluffy tails wagging weakly against the ground.

"Taern," she cooed. Despite the heaviness of my heart, I couldn't help but smile at her.

Sitting down beside her, I gently placed her head on my lap. "I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner, Fiori," I said, fondly petting her.

The vulpix looked at me, and once again I heard the cheerful thumping of her weakly wagging tails.

"But I'm back now, so we can be together, like you wanted," I told her.

Fiori smiled weakly at me, then nuzzled happily against my paw.

I continued petting her lovingly, comforting the petite vulpix. The reedy sound of her breath still filled the room, but I pushed my anxieties out of mind. When I had left six days ago, Fiori had been able to see me off with her brightest smile. Goodbye was always a sad thing, but I couldn't afford to be sad right now. If she really did have such a short amount of time left, then I would help her fill it with as much joy as I could.

"Do you mind if we go outside?" I asked her. "We'll be able to watch the sunset soon." Since it was almost the winter season, the afternoon had been short, and it would be evening before long.

She smiled happily and once more wagged her tails at me. Scrabbling weakly at the ground, the vulpix sought the right purchase to lift herself to her feet.

"Don't get up," I chided her. "I'll carry you, okay?" Carefully, I picked up the fox and carried her outside. She was perhaps half my own weight, and more than manageable to lift. I sat down just outside of the hut, placing the fox next to me. Fiori smiled again and licked my paw in appreciation.

"Do you remember how difficult I used to be, Fiori?" I said, reminiscing. "I was worried that you were going to take Master Serence away from me. So I decided to think of you as my rival."

I sighed, shaking my head. "I finally had another chance to make him proud." The lump in my throat burned and I could hear my voice wavering as I spoke. "But now I regret the entire thing. I wish I'd been here with you, Fiori. I'm sorry I left you."

"Taern," the vulpix whined, pouting at me. She licked my paw again, trying to cheer me up.

"I know, I know." After taking another breath, I glanced up at the sky. The sun had finally begun to set, painting the edge of the sky orange. "It's just that—well, what I mean is," I paused, taking a deep breath. Looking into her lovely brown eyes, I felt all of my reservations melt away. "You mean the world to me, Fiori. I'm so thankful that you saved me from myself, and I wish I'd been honest with my feelings sooner. I wish that we could have been like this since the beginning, Fiori, so that we could have watched the stars and sunset every night."

I saw a tear land on her face and realized it was mine. "Because one night isn't nearly enough, and I hate that this night has to end," I whispered, gazing into her eyes.

The young vulpix smiled at me, once again wagging her fluffy tails.

Despite the heaviness of my heart, I laughed. Drawing her close, I kissed her sweetly on the lips. Even after our kiss finally ended, I continued embracing her. "Fiori, I think I love you," I murmured, softly petting her.

She nuzzled into my neck in response. With her body so close, I could feel the beating of her heart and the warmth of her skin. While we'd been intimate before, there was something wholesome and comforting about this closeness, something I hadn't previously felt.

The two of us remained like that until the sun had finally set. The sky was darkening, and the faintest twinkling of stars could be seen in the sky.

"Taern," Fiori said softly.

I looked into her eyes, seeing a mixture of love and regret in her face. It was finally time.

"Fiori," I stammered weakly.

Another one of my tears fell onto her cheek. I reached up to gently brush it away, but couldn't. The same instant, there was a bright flash of light. It lasted for only a brief moment before receding, and when I opened my eyes, she was gone.

"Fiori?" I asked dumbly. "Fiori?"

More tears fell from my face, this time striking the ground. I suddenly felt woozy and doubled over, landing on my forepaws. With a massive effort, I managed to breathe air into my lungs. It burned, so I let the air out. But it was the sound of a strangled sob that escaped from my lips. Then I let out another sob, before I was all-out bawling.

"We are sorry," Master Serence spoke softly to us. He was standing a respectful distance away, giving me room.

It took a long time before I could bring myself to stop crying long enough to respond. Sniffling and blinking back my tears, I looked up at him. "Master Serence, why?" I croaked.

"We are sorry," he repeated.

My breaths were ragged and painful. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

The slowbro was silent for a long time, carefully considering my question.

"There is a cave," he said slowly, "not far south of here. We have heard a legend of a jirachi who lives inside of it." He paused, letting his words sink into my head. "And who better to ask than the wish maker himself?"

"The wish maker?"

Master Serence spread his paws helplessly, shaking his head. "The legend says jirachi will awaken once every thousand years to grant a wish for someone pure of heart. But we do not know when he began his slumber, or when he will next awaken," he explained, frowning.

I responded without hesitation. "Can I go?"

Seeing his pained face, I knew that he wanted to forbid me going, to tell me to move on. But his softheartedness inevitably won through. "Yes, Taern. You may go," he said mildly.

I was on my feet in a second. Whirling around, I stepped briefly into my hut and grabbed my pack. Shouldering it, I stepped outside and began making a beeline for the edge of the campgrounds.

"Taern, what are you doing?" Master Serence asked, perplexed. "It is too dark for you to set out."

Glancing at him irately, I suppressed a growl. "I won't make her wait for me twice."

The slowbro sighed in dismay. "The rock you gave to Rude Sooth," he said to me. "He gave you something in return?"

I blinked at him, confused. "Uh, yeah. What about it?"

"Well, we expected you'd have used it already," the slowbro said. Perhaps that had been the reason for his earlier surprise.

"But wh-" I paused, shrugging off my pack and removing Rude's bundle from it. "He asked me to wait until I was home before I opened it," I said, looking at Master Serence.

"Is that so?" He nodded to us. "You may open it, then."

I carefully pulled the corners of the bundle, and its canvas wrapping fell away. Inside was a blue ribbon, barely visible in the darkness.

"Master Serence, what is it?"

"It is a joy ribbon, Taern," the slowbro told me patiently.

"But why did he-" I gave him a puzzled look.

"It will let you evolve," he concluded. "We meant it as a gift for our apprentice. Our timing, however, appears to be rather poor."

I continued staring stupidly at him.

"You have very little left to learn from us, Taern," he said, smiling. "This will be your home as long as you need, but we have seen your impatience. It will soon be time for you to move on." There was the faintest hint of sadness in both the old slowbro's face and the words he spoke.

"But I-" I stammered. "Are you sure?"

He nodded to me. "We couldn't be more certain, Taern. In truth, we expected you would use the ribbon as soon as Rude gave it to you." Master Serence took a deep breath before continuing. "It is already so soon after your journey is ended for you to strike out again. But using the joy ribbon will help alleviate your burden."

Taking the ribbon in my paws, I found that it was smooth to the touch. Gripping it tightly, I focused and felt a power within it begin resonating. A light burst from my skin, illuminating the campgrounds and blinding me. The brilliant energy coursed through my bones and muscles, revitalizing me and filling me with power. My body began growing taller and my limbs longer. The change in perspective threw my inner ear and I stumbled to my knees, landing on all fours. In moments, the light faded and I regained my balance.

Standing upright, I noted the fluidity and ease my new muscles moved with. It was a strange sensation, but one I didn't dislike. My body was stronger and quicker, but it was something else that most stood out to me. Aura coursed through my new limbs and followed my every thought, granting me a precision and skill I'd lacked with it before. Master Serence was quite right—I would be much more competent like this, hopefully alleviating some of my burden.

"We are so proud of you, Taern," he said, beaming at me.

The ribbon was gone, its power used up. Something strange caught my eye, however. In the canvas wrapping of the bundle, beneath where the ribbon had been, there was an odd red-colored stone.

"Master Serence?" I picked up the rock, turning it over in my paws. It was warm to the touch, and a dull light glinted from its red depths.

"Rude," the slowbro snorted indignantly. "That meddler."

I glanced from him to the stone, then back. "What—did he do something wrong?"

"We traded him for that joy ribbon, yet he sent a fire stone with you also," Master Serence grumbled.

"Um?" I looked blankly at him.

"A fire stone would have evolved a vulpix," the slowbro explained.

"But why would-" I trailed off, lost for words.

Master Serence shrugged at me. "Perhaps he thought the two of you were both ready to move on. Although how he could think so about Fiori without first meeting her, we have no idea," he said pensively. "It is a shame, however, that his gift was too late."

I shook my head, gripping the fire stone tight in my paw. "No, master. It wasn't too late. Not after I petition that jirachi to bring her back."

He nodded to me. "Of course, Taern." His voice was apologetic.

Carefully tucking away the stone, I shouldered my pack and glanced to the sagacious slowbro.

"Go on," he reassured me. "Be safe," he said, smiling proudly.

"Yes, sir." I gave him a brief hug before setting out southward.

Once I'd passed the grove enclosing the spring, the going got trickier. However, my evolved body had sharper senses than before, and its eyes could see well enough in the faint starlight. I deftly stepped past brambles and other hazards, making good time. My progress was so single-minded that I had no time for second-thoughts. The trek continued into the night, the inky ground passing underfoot. Craggy wastes gave way to scattered trees, and the trees eventually expanded into a fully fledged forest.

It suddenly occurred to me that I was navigating on instinct. There was an incredibly large mass of power in the distance, and it was drawing me closer. If my hunch was right, that had to be the cave Master Serence had mentioned. I increased my pace and closed in on the energy source.

From the outside, it appeared to be a regular cave. I stepped inside, watching my footing. It was even darker in here than outside, but it didn't matter. The cave itself was oddly empty, with no thugs or squatters to hinder my progress.

Running my paw along the side of the wall, I kept forging straight ahead. It was a very deep cave, and I could feel an uneasiness growing in my gut the farther I progressed.

Finally, the wall cut away and from the echo of my steps, I judged that I was in a cavern. The energy was strongest here, and it unnerved me. I felt the hair on my neck bristling and my stomach began roiling with apprehension.

"Hello?" I shouted. My voiced echoed back to me in the darkness.

The great mass of energy shifted slightly, but there was no response.

"Hello," I repeated. Gritting my teeth, I began channeling aura through my feet and into the cave floor. After touching the stone underfoot, the aura began resonating to my senses like a strange brassy echo. It continued bouncing off the cave walls and escalating in its metalic intensity, sending a shiver up my spine.

Once again, the mass shifted, this time less subtly than before. "LEAVE, TRAVELER," an angry voice thrummed in my mind.

"Jirachi, is that you?" I asked, standing my ground.

"WE ARE UNREADY, NOW LEAVE US TO OUR SLUMBER," the voice insisted.

"Shut up," I snarled. "I don't care if it is a century too early. Wake up already, Jirachi."

"YOUR PRESUMPTUOUSNESS DESERVES TO BE PUNISHED," it hissed at me.

"Fine," I growled in response. "If that's what it takes to get you off of your lazy ass."

The mass of power stirred, sending waves of energy crashing against the cave walls. One of these waves cut through the air, beating a path straight toward me. It was sluggish, and I easily dodged out of its way. Gathering a seething orb of light between my paws, I threw it at the ground in the center of the floor. The flash cannon exploded brilliantly, lighting up the pitch-black cavern.

Jirachi was hovering on the other side of the room, all three of his eyes still closed. A halo of psychic energy began roiling around the pokemon before he shouted, unleashing a powerful future sight at me. I channeled aura into the fringes of my mentality, creating a barrier to deflect the mental assault. Lunging at him, I slammed my powerful force palm into his gut, causing him to double over in pain. Without giving him a chance to counterattack, I jumped backward, putting distance between us and regathering myself.

The jirachi loosed an enraged scream and began concentrating energy around himself. "FACE YOUR DOOM, FOOL," his voice burned in my mind. Like before, the energy began coalescing into a halo, one that this time burned with an intensity that lit up every nerve in my body with a sense of impending dread.

In the flash of an instant, the answer struck me. His previous technique had required him to absorb energy before he could attack. This technique was similar, which meant that he had to leave himself open to use it.

Before, he had reacted violently to aura, so perhaps I could capitalize on that. Deep down, I knew I couldn't beat this creature in a duel, but that wasn't what I wanted. Like I'd seen Master Serence do with his focus blasts, I gathered energy between my paws and threw it. The sphere arced gracefully to the belligerent jirachi, hitting it square-on. Aura I'd channeled into the attack poured into the legendary, jolting his own massive energy reserves and stunning him.

Jirachi howled in pain, and a bright flash overtook the entire cavern.

"Please, wake up," I pleaded to him. "Please, Jirachi."

The flash receded and I felt the writhing masses of energy calm down.

Jirachi was still hovering in the same place as before, but he looked quite different. He stretched tiredly, yawning out loud. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at me.

"Did you wake me up?" Jirachi asked, eyes glazed over with exhaustion.

"Jirachi?" I felt my eyes beginning to bulge out of their sockets. Had it actually worked?

"You shouldn't wake me up early," he said, drifting over to me. "I get pretty cranky and usually end up sleep walking."

"No shit," I breathed.

"Well, you managed to shake me up enough that I'm awake. No use crying over spilled milk and all that," he said, yawning. "So, was there a particular reason you woke me up?"

"I-it's just that-" I stammered, hearing my voice crack.

"Hmm? Come on, don't be shy," he insisted.

"M-my lover Fiori," I told him, frowning. "She was taken away from me. Please, Jirachi, help me get her back, I'm begging you."

"Oh," he said, recognition dawning on his face. "I think I know who you're talking about. She is a zenko, isn't she?"

I nodded to him. "That is what Master Serence told me."

"See, that's the rub," he explained to me. "One of her ancestors made a pact with the Voice of the Forest. In exchange for vast power, he became inexorably bound to Lilac Woods."

"Like a curse?" I blinked at him.

"Yeah, a bit like that. But anyway, the curse passed down to his firstborn daughter, and her firstborn daughter and so on."

"So Fiori is... cursed?" I asked him.

"Bingo," he chimed happily. "Yeah, so she can't be unbound from Lilac Woods until you find a replacement guardian for her."

I paused, sorting through his words. "How can I find a replacement for her?"

"Oh, isn't it obvious?" he giggled at me. "Because of the pact, the only valid replacement will be her own firstborn daughter."

I stared at him, feeling my jaw drop.

"What's so weird about that?" he asked, quirking his brow at me. "I mean you have a mother and father, right?"

"Yes, but," I stammered, feeling lightheaded. "I c-can't-"

Jirachi blinked owlishly at me. "Erm, well... that's maybe your problem? Anyways," he shrugged at me, "she's still alive, if that's what you're worried about. But like I said, she's in Lilac Woods, bound from leaving."

My ears pricked forward in response to his words. "She's really not dead?" I asked, exhilarated by the good news.

"Of course not. It would be silly for the forest's only guardian to die, wouldn't it?" he tittered at me.

"Is there any way to break the curse altogether?"

Jirachi shrugged at me. "I mean, maybe? It's a bit of a shame, though. Lilac Woods wouldn't have a guardian, and an entire lineage of zenko would be mundanified. Regardless, I wouldn't be able to grant that wish unless the cursed one herself petitioned me. Besides," he said thoughtfully, "the Voice of the Forest might get upset with me if I undid her pact. You might be better off talking to her about it."

"This is starting to feel ridiculous," I groaned.

"Well," the legendary glanced pointedly at me. "Since you came all the way out here, I can still grant you a wish. You are pure enough of heart, after all. Is there anything you want?"

I blanched, feeling quite put on the spot. "Uh, well," I paused, wracking my brain for all it was worth.

For some reason, I heard a voice surface in the noise of my thoughts. 'Back then, Serence didn't have a lot of confianza. He's always been fairly humble, you know?' It was Rude Sooth, Master Serence's old friend. If the ludicolo were here, he would probably have an idea of something to ask for. But the question was, what would Rude do?

Jirachi coughed politely, interrupting my thoughts. "Careful there," he giggled at me. "Thought I was going to see smoke pouring out of your ears."

I ignored his quip. "What if," I began, "can you bring Master Serence and the milotic together again?"

He blinked at me in surprise. "Oh? If you mean the feebas he grew up with, then sure!"

I nodded to him. "Yeah, that one. She's a milotic now, though."

"Hear ya loud and clear, pal. Is that your wish, then?" he asked.

"Of course. If it can make Master Serence happy, then I wish that you bring him and his beloved together again."

A look of concentration affixed itself to Jirachi's face and he began channeling energy. His third eye opened up slowly, filling the cavern with a brilliant glow. The light intensified, forcing me to close my eyes, then finally faded. When my vision had finally returned, Jirachi's third eye was once more shut.

He yawned tiredly. "It's done. Not today, and probably not tomorrow, but soon. So, if that's all I can help you with, I should really probably get back to sleep," he mumbled to me.

"Thank you so much, Jirachi, you've been so much help," I told him.

"If you don't mind, call me Jiro," he said, yawning again.

"Sure thing. Thanks again, Jiro."

"By the way, what's your name?" Jiro asked me.

"It's Taern."

"Thanks for playing with me, Taern. Stop by again when I'm not so sleepy," he told me.

"Oh, one more thing," I interjected. "Can you tell me where the Lilac Woods are?"

"Yeah, they're just a little bit southwest of here. Maybe a day's walk," he concluded. "G'night, Taern." With a big yawn, Jiro floated to the back of the cavern, resuming his slumber from before.

I smiled at the sleeping jirachi and bowed respectfully before turning around and exiting the cavern. The legendary had helped ease my heart, and there was perhaps a bit of a spring in my step as I left.

Jiro's cave had been on the northern edge of a forest, but it was the wrong one. According to what he'd told me, my true destination was still at least a day's trek away. I stopped outside of the entrance to the cavern, making camp for the night. My body was already painfully sore, and I would probably only hurt myself if I continued tonight. It was just as painful not to continue my trek, but I nonetheless cozied up in my blanket and screwed my eyes shut. I was determined to get as much rest out of the night as I could.