Thankfully, I managed to resist spending too much money at Feebas Pro Shops. Mostly by the sheer factor that I already had a lot of what I needed, and a lot of what the guy was trying to sell me wasn’t all that important.

  I didn’t need a fire starter, I had Kōjin. I didn’t need a magnetic compass - any Steel-type Pokémon nearby would screw it up, and Jira had a better sense of direction anyways. Well, as long as the direction was “outside,” but if I was stuck in a cave system, I’d rather get out than know I was heading due north.

  In the end, he wasn’t able to sell me much besides some equipment that I could use for rock climbing, and a couple heavier sets of clothes that I would use for the peak of Mount Coronet. Even if it wasn’t high enough up that I needed an oxygen tank, it was still freezing. I also picked up a map of the different routes up Mount Coronet, including both the Pilgrims’ Path and the interior lava tunnels.

  Eventually, I was able to escape the consumer nightmare that was Feebas Pro Shops, and then spent a few hours just walking around the city, taking in the sights.

  The sun was beginning to set, and I barely managed to suppress a yawn as I walked down another side street. I was fairly sure I was lost, but I at least knew where the nearest large street was, and I could ask somebody there for directions on how to get back to my hotel.

  Turning the corner, I stopped in surprise at the building before me.

  The architecture of Hearthome City was increasingly familiar to me, in the kind of modern-Japanese style I’d seen in many of the big cities like Jubilife. Lots of wood, concrete in the larger apartment complexes, some drywall, modern materials.

  Which made the massive stone cathedral before me feel so out of place.

  My memories of Earth overlapped with this world for a second, and I could have sworn that it was an actual, legitimate Catholic Cathedral, the kind seen in Europe.

  But there were no crosses or images of the saints, and the illusion faded somewhat as I got closer.

  Without even realizing it, I started approaching the building, drawn in by some invisible lure. I knew about the Foreign Building, as it was called in the games, but seeing it in person was vastly different than seeing it on a screen, or on a map of the city.

  I slowly pushed open the heavy double doors, and the interior of the building was hushed, solemn, like the entire world had taken a breath and was holding it.

  The doors swung shut behind me silently, on oiled hinges, and I was glad. Too much noise here would have been sacrilegious, in a way.

  It looked like a church on the inside, with wooden pews arranged in rows leading up to the altar, although again there were no crosses or statues of Mary. Instead, there were stone sculptures of Palkia, Dialga, Arceus, the Lake Trio, and all the other Legendary Pokémon of the games.

  Taking up much of the back wall was a grand stained glass window, with a magnificent depiction of Mount Coronet. The golden light streamed through the glass, highlighting the motes of dust hanging in the air.

  A woman was sweeping the floor, and looked up as I entered.

  “Hello.” She said, a little bit louder than I was expecting. “Welcome, how may I help you?”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I didn’t know if you were open or not, I can come back another time.”

  The woman smiled and leaned the broom up against the wall.

  “We’re open 24/7, so don’t worry about it. Anybody who wants to come in and take a look is more than welcome, and if you need anything, please let me know.”

  “Well, I guess, what is this place?”

  “Hmm. That’s a good question.” There was a knowing twinkle in her eye. “Officially we’re listed as a place of worship for the city planners. The people of Sinnoh call it a shrine. The foreigners call it a church. What do you think it is?”

  I frowned, stepping a little further into the building and looking around.

  “The map called it the Pokémon Cathedral.”

  She nodded. “That’s what it says, yes. But that’s not what I asked you, now was it?”

  “No, I guess not. It feels like a church to me. But I suppose it could be a temple, as well. What’s the difference?”

  The woman shrugged. “Cultural, mostly. Differences in what people worship, and how they do so. So is it a church to you? Or a temple? Or something else entirely?”

  “I don’t know. What do you worship here?”

  “Worship? We worship everything, and nothing at the same time.”

  “You like being mysterious, don’t you?”

  Her smile widened. “It’s a perk of the job, if I’m being honest. But where are my manners? My name is Marie.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Alina, a pleasure to meet you.”

  “But we don’t require people to worship any particular deity or legend when they come here. Many don’t even come to worship anything at all. If they are having trouble sleeping, or need hope in the coming days, they can pray to Cresselia. If farmers need a better crop, they may pray to Tornanadus, Thundurus, Landorus, and Enamorus. Or if people just need a quiet place to rest, or a bowl of warm soup, they are welcome to that as well.”

  “So a multi-denominational church?”

  Marie huffed, rolling her eyes. “If you want to take the mystery and fun out of it, yes. So. What do you believe in?”

  I paused, taking a longer look at her. “I’m sorry?”

  She leaned against the altar. “What do you believe in? Do you believe in any of the legends?”

  Frowning, I took a seat in the frontmost pew.

  “I… don’t suppose I’ve given it much thought.”

  “You would be surprised how few people actually do. Most people these days take a look at everything Pokémon can do, and all of the advances we have made, and chalk it up to science.”

  “Isn’t it science?”

  “What’s the line between science and faith?” She rebutted. “Today, we say that Pokémon can harness Type Energy, using it to fuel a metaphysical reaction that achieves discernable, replicable events. A small Pokémon, no larger than my clenched fist, can breathe fire.

  “But have you seen Type Energy? Have you felt it, interacted with it? Not so very long ago we called it magic, or divine miracles. What’s to say that one is right, and the other is wrong? Have you ever seen anything that can’t be explained by science?”

  I stared at the stained glass window depicting Mount Coronet. As the sun was setting, its rays caught the glass and refracted, causing a golden aura to appear around the summit.

  “Yes.” I said softly. “I have. A year ago, I would have told you that there was no such thing as miracles, no higher power, nobody to hear my prayers. But then…”

  Then I woke up in this world, and all my dreams had come true.

  “I still feel like I’m dreaming sometimes.” I admitted. “Like the other shoe is going to drop, and it will be revealed that these past months have been a big, elaborate joke at my expense. That it was all a hallucination caused by a brain injury. After everything I’ve been through, it seems less and less likely every day but…”

  “You still worry.”

  I nodded, then paused. “Can it be both?”

  “Hm?”

  “You said we can’t be sure if it’s science, or magic. What Pokémon can do. Can’t it be both?”

  Her smile grew even wider. “Why yes. Yes it can.”

  We stayed like that in silence for a minute, the silence deafening in the otherwise empty cathedral.

  “Jirachi.” I said, and Marie started.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Jirachi. You asked me if I believed in any of the legends. I guess I believe in all of them, or at least the Pokémon behind them. But if I had to choose one that I believe in the most, it would be Jirachi.”

  Marie paused, her eyes going distant.

  “The Wish Maker… interesting. Not the usual choice.”

  “No? I would have thought that a being that grants wishes would be very popular.”

  She wobbled her hand back and forth in a “so-so” motion.

  “Yes and no. The concept of a wish granter is quite popular, I’ll say, but Jirachi itself is a surprisingly regional phenomenon in Hoenn. You don’t see many depictions of it outside of Hoenn, let alone the Four Islands, and add into the fact a core part of its mythology is that it only appears once every thousand years…”

  “People find it even harder to believe in it when it’s so much rarer than other things.”

  “Exactly. So, do you have a wish you would like granted?”

  I shook my head. “Just the opposite. My wish has already come true.”

  “Oh? How interesting. Well, if you would like, we do have a spot for Jirachi here.”

  Marie looked around for a moment, then gestured at a corner of the room. At her nod, I got up from the pew and made my way over to a small alcove cut into the stone wall. There was a small carved stone statue of Jirachi there, flanked by a couple of incense sticks.

  “How does this work?” I asked.

  “Just light the incense, extinguish the flame, and place the stick into the holder. Most people pray, but that’s up to you.”

  Hesitantly I grabbed one of the incense sticks., and cautiously took a sniff.

  “They’re unscented.” Marie called, and I blushed.

  At least I won’t get a headache from this.

  I picked up the box of matches, and with a quick flick lit one. The incense flared, and I went to blow it out.

  “Ah-” Marie started, and I looked over in surprise.

  She smiled bashfully, then made a waving motion with her hand.

  “Don’t blow it out.” She stage-whispered.

  “Oh, uh, sorry.”

  Turning back, I used my other hand to wave the flame out of existence, letting the tip of the incense stick smolder.

  Placing it onto the small stand, I bent my head and, for lack of any cultural background, placed my hands together to pray.

  Uh, hello? Jirachi? Sorry, I’m new to this, and I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be doing here. I guess I never really said thank you for all that you’ve done. I don’t know if it was a lot of effort on your part or not, but you changed my life that day.

  I’m so thankful to be able to live this life, to travel, to explore this new world and meet new people and new Pokémon. None of that would have been possible without you. I still sometimes feel like I should be doing more, to be doing something more valuable with my life, but at the same time I’m just happy to be here. And I owe it all to you.

  If there’s anything I can do for you… well, you’re probably asleep, and will be for the next, what, thousand years?

  I’ll be long gone by that point, but if there’s anything I can do before then, just let me know.

  You gave me a second chance, in a world of my dreams. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express my gratitude enough. Thank you.

  I opened my eyes and stepped back feeling a little bit… lighter, for lack of a better term.

  “Thank you.” I said, and Marie nodded.

  “Of course.”

  “Is there anything else I have to do? Any kind of offerings or anything?”

  She coughed. “Well, in terms of prayer, no. But if you’re offering…”

  Marie held out a small box and smiled sheepishly. “We are always willing to take donations.”