Author's Note: I just wanted to write out how Claire's parents met Celebi. This would take place after Celebi and Jirachi met, but before Claire and Andrew (and Jack, too, I guess) were born. The former means that we're running off "if nobody cares about Jirachi anymore, it's unlikely that they'll bother looking in Star Cave" logic again here. Anyway, Celebi's always fun to write, and, hey! Claire's dad has a name now! That's a thing.

A Chance Encounter

Celebi hummed as she flitted through Dusk Forest. She knew it was risky to spend so much time here, what with its (relative) proximity to Temporal Tower. Still, it was one of her favorite areas. Even if it weren't for the Passage of Time, she'd always liked forests. Maybe it was just because she was a Grass-Type, or maybe it was because the trees gave her plenty of places to hide if she needed to.

Whatever the reason, she found herself settling on a tree branch near the halfway point of the forest. Celebi had picked up an apple on the way, and she was hungry. She winced as she took a bite; while food occasionally appeared in dungeons, it was generally stale and unappetizing. Honestly, it was a miracle they had food here at all when she thought about it, so Celebi really shouldn't complain…but…

At any rate, she managed to eat the whole thing, and she nodded to herself as she swallowed the last bite. Then, Celebi tossed the core to the ground, and her wings twitched as she stretched. Just a bit farther now, and she could check on the passage. Celebi knew that Primal Dialga would sense it if she tried to go back too far, but…every so often, she liked to check and see if the passage still worked. Small trips usually escaped notice, and maybe someday she'd find somebody who could do something about all this.

…Well, 'someday' wasn't quite the right word, Celebi thought bitterly. She sighed as she fluttered towards the path leading further into the forest. Her parents had told her about 'days' and 'weeks' and 'years,' and they sounded interesting. She would've loved to experience them for herself, unlikely as that was to happen.

Wait. Celebi paused; she thought she heard something. She quickly ducked behind a tree, and then she carefully peered around it. Her eyes widened when the source of the footsteps became obvious.

Were those…humans? They were nearly as rare as her species was now, but there were two of them standing there in the clearing. How had two of them gotten here? Celebi had seen a couple other humans from a distance before, but she'd never gotten this close to one. (There was a Persian there, too; the humans had been far more interesting to her, though.)

She waited a bit longer, trying to listen to their conversation. They didn't look dangerous—they weren't really doing anything—but she wanted to be sure.

"Do you really think we'll be safe here, Jameson?"

"For a little while, maybe. I mean, Primal Dialga probably won't think to look for you right beneath his nose, right?"

The Persian frowned. "Well, you have a point, but…"

Oh, were they hiding from Primal Dialga, too? In that case, maybe they had something in common. And Jirachi had helped Celebi when she'd really needed it. The least she could do was extend the same favor to someone else.

Celebi nodded again. Yes, she could talk to these humans for a bit. She wouldn't force it, and she needed to get to know them, but she could at least try.

"Hi," she said as she flew back into the clearing. "You know this is a really bad spot for that, right? Primal Dialga sends his followers here, like…all the time. I only get away with it because I can teleport when I need to."

The trio suddenly halted their conversation, staring at her with wide eyes. They didn't look too afraid—her comment had probably indicated that Celebi wasn't an enemy, at least—but they were surprised. She doubted they'd ever seen a Pokémon like her before, if nothing else.

"But, if you're looking for someplace to hide, I can show you a few good spots," Celebi continued. "One of my friends has a cave back on the mainland, and Primal Dialga doesn't really care about him, so maybe somewhere around there would be good."

"You'd do that for a couple of strangers?" the woman said hesitantly. "I mean…I'd appreciate it if you were telling the truth, but…"

"Oh, absolutely!" Celebi replied cheerily. "Primal Dialga doesn't like me, either, see. I don't know what got him mad at you poor dears, but I know it's not a good feeling at all. So I can't just leave you out here if I can help it!"

They looked at each other for a little while, talking in hushed tones. The woman seemed to be explaining what Celebi had said to the man. She blinked; it was odd that one could understand her when the other couldn't, now that she thought about it… Soon enough, though, they nodded and turned back to her.

"Well, if you're sure, I think we'll take you up on that," the man said. "My name is Jameson. This is my girlfriend Michelle, and her Persian's name is Blitz. You are…?"

"Just Celebi is fine! Now, here. Hang on to me, and let's go!"

She positioned herself between them, and Celebi closed her eyes once they'd all grabbed onto her. The usual feeling of teleportation barely registered on her anymore, but she could hear Blitz, Jameson, and Michelle grunt in surprise as it hit them. Finally, they arrived at their destination—a plateau not too far from Star Cave—and Celebi grinned and opened her eyes.

"Sorry about that, my dears! I should've warned you," she commented sheepishly. "Anyway! Here, let me see if Jirachi's home." Celebi peeked into the nearby cave, then glanced at the trio and added, "I'll be right back! Just wait here."

They nodded, and she fluttered inside. Hardly any Pokémon came by here anymore, so it was unlikely that she or they would run into anyone. It wouldn't take Celebi too long to find Jirachi, and her three charges ought to be safe.

Besides…she wasn't sure why, but Celebi had a good feeling about them. She'd have to wait and see where this went, but Celebi was nonetheless excited about her new acquaintances, and she was sure Jirachi would be, too.