"That Butler guy has completely lost himself. What's the point of obsessing over creating a fake Groudon? Only when the true Lord of the Land awakens can we restore the glory of the Volcanic Descendants!"
Courtney nodded respectfully.
"Understood, Leader. I'll have Tabitha and Blaise depart immediately. We'll make sure to bring that Larvesta back."
She paused briefly before adding:
"Oh right, that Larvesta has already evolved into a Volcarona."
"It doesn't matter."
The red-haired man waved dismissively.
"Go. Tell Tabitha and the others to leave as quickly as possible."
"Yes!"
After Courtney bowed respectfully, the projection of the red-haired man gradually faded away.
...
Upon the crimson throne, the red-haired man once again slowly rotated the red orb within his hand.
His fingertips gently brushed across the golden Ω symbol as he murmured softly to himself:
"Lord Groudon… you are the Lord of the Land, the sovereign of flames and earth.
Wherever your feet tread, mountains rise, oceans retreat, and all life bows beneath your majesty.
Lava flows as your blood, the earth itself forms your body. None can oppose you, nothing can stand in your way.
The land was born because of you. Volcanoes roar because of your will…"
His voice echoed throughout the empty chamber, filled with a nearly fanatical reverence.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the storm that was about to descend upon them, Theo was currently carrying the Cocoon of Slumber while walking back toward the campsite alongside Ash and the others.
If he had known that the performance he designed for Larvesta during the Contest would trigger such a massive chain of events, he probably could only laugh bitterly and call himself innocent.
After all, he had merely designed the coordinated move performance according to his memories of Primal Groudon from his previous life.
No one could have predicted things would develop into this.
A butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the ocean could create a tsunami far away.
The night breeze swept past, carrying with it the lingering sweetness of candy from the amusement park.
Yet hidden within it was also a faint trace of danger that was difficult to notice.
The night in Forina appeared peaceful on the surface.
But beneath that calm exterior, dark currents were already surging.
...
Theo and Ash's group arrived at the mountaintop campsite outside the amusement park.
Although there were hotels near the park, Ash and the others had long grown accustomed to the freedom of camping outdoors, and Theo was more than happy to go along with it.
After all, sitting around a campfire chatting with friends was far more interesting than staying alone inside a closed room.
The moment the tents were set up, Brock skillfully assembled a portable stove and began pulling out ingredients from his backpack.
Before long, a rich aroma spread from the pot.
The thick fragrance of food and seasonings mixed together and rushed straight into everyone's noses, instantly stirring their appetites.
Tyrantrum and Zweilous crowded beside the stove, their enormous heads practically reaching the edge of the pot as drool dripped continuously from the corners of their mouths.
Larvitar was even worse.
It directly grabbed onto Brock's pant leg, tugging his clothes with its tiny claws while raising its head and calling out "Lar! Lar!" repeatedly.
Its eyes remained locked onto the chunks of meat boiling inside the pot, looking so greedy that everyone burst into laughter.
"Don't rush, don't rush. It'll be ready soon."
Brock laughed while patting Larvitar on the head before sprinkling another handful of chopped onions and peppers into the pot.
"Added some extra flavoring for you guys. I guarantee it'll taste amazing."
Meanwhile, Theo, Ash, May, and Max sat together around a flat stone.
Placed at the center of the rock was the purple Cocoon of Slumber.
Under the cover of night, the violet glow on the crystal's surface appeared especially gentle, like a softly breathing star.
"I'm saying this first. Once Jirachi wakes up, the first wish has to be mine!"
Ash squatted on the ground with both hands on his hips, his expression completely unquestionable.
"I'm going to become the world's number one Pokémon Master! Hahahaha!"
"And why should it be yours?"
May immediately argued back.
"I should make the first wish! Becoming a top Coordinator is way more meaningful than all your fighting and battling!"
"Your wishes are way too huge. They don't sound easy to accomplish at all."
Max hugged Treecko while speaking seriously.
"Mine's way more realistic. I'll just wish for an entire freezer full of ice cream so I can eat as much as I want every single day!"
"Hey!"
Ash and May glared at him at the exact same time.
Watching the three of them argue until their faces turned red, Theo shook his head helplessly before speaking up:
"Stop arguing already. Jirachi actually can't grant those kinds of wishes."
"Huh?!"
The three of them immediately turned toward him simultaneously, their eyes wide as saucers as though they had just heard something utterly unbelievable.
Ash frowned suspiciously at Theo.
"You're not secretly trying to make the first wish yourself, are you? Mr. Butler clearly said Jirachi can grant any wish!"
"Why would I need to lie to you?"
Theo laughed helplessly before pulling out a compact handheld terminal from his backpack and opening a document.
"This is information from Devon Corporation's internal database regarding Jirachi. It states very clearly that Jirachi's so-called 'wish granting' is actually just a special application of psychic powers."
Seeing Ash still looking confused, Theo continued explaining:
"Ash, didn't you challenge Sabrina's Gym back in Kanto before? She could use psychic powers to turn people into dolls. That's also a form of psychic ability usage."
The moment Ash heard this, he immediately protested loudly:
"Hey! You got that wrong! I never got turned into a doll! Brock and Misty were the ones who got transformed. I'm way too awesome for something like that to happen to me, so stop making stuff up!"
Theo could only shake his head helplessly before going along with him.
"Alright, alright. My mistake. You weren't turned into a doll.
Anyway… where was I?"
Max instantly raised his hand high into the air, his eyes sparkling brightly like an attentive student in class.
"You were talking about Jirachi's psychic powers!"
"Oh right, almost forgot."
Theo smiled before continuing:
"Jirachi's psychic powers are actually pretty similar to Sabrina's abilities. The difference is simply in how they're used.
Its so-called 'wish granting' doesn't mean it can magically create whatever you want out of thin air. Instead, it uses powerful psychic abilities to transfer objects that already exist somewhere else directly to your location.
For example, if you wished for potato chips, it would use psychic power to move the nearest bag of chips directly here.
It looks like it's 'granting wishes,' but in reality, it's just teleporting existing objects around.
That's the true secret behind Jirachi's wish granting."
"Whaaaat?!"
Ash, May, and Max all opened their mouths wide simultaneously.
Their faces instantly filled with both shock and disappointment.
"So that's how it works… then doesn't that mean my dream of becoming the world's greatest Pokémon Master is impossible?"
Ash's shoulders drooped miserably as he looked completely dejected.
May also wilted with disappointment.
"Then my dream of becoming a top Coordinator is hopeless too…"
Max, however, quickly recovered.
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully while blinking expectantly, he quietly asked:
"Then… wishing for endless ice cream should still work, right?"
(End of Chapter)