Jirachi sucked on one of its tiny fingers and tilted its head as it looked curiously at Diane. Its round blue eyes were filled with confusion, as though it were trying very hard to remember who this beautiful big sister was.
Beside them, Brock could no longer restrain himself. His body unconsciously leaned forward, looking as though he wanted to rush over immediately, grab Diane's hands, and passionately express his admiration.
May reacted quickly. She raised her fist and slammed it heavily onto Brock's head before grabbing his ear and yanking him backward.
At the same time, Max immediately threw himself forward and hugged Brock's leg tightly. The two worked together to stop him from embarrassing himself in front of Diane.
Diane, however, paid no attention at all to the little commotion happening beside her. Step by step, she slowly approached Theo and carefully reached out a hand, gently touching Jirachi's soft and fair cheek.
"Mmm… mmm…"
Jirachi swayed its little head from side to side, opening its tiny mouth and making soft, adorable humming sounds.
Seeing such an innocent and lovable expression, Diane's heart nearly melted on the spot. Unable to resist any longer, she gently held Jirachi under its arms and lifted it high above her head. Then she pulled the little creature close against her face, rubbing her cheek affectionately against its own.
"It tickles… it tickles… hahaha…"
Jirachi burst into cheerful laughter from being rubbed so much. Its little arms and legs kicked wildly in the air, and its soft childish giggles sounded especially clear within the night.
At that moment, Butler slowly walked over as well. His gaze locked firmly onto the Jirachi in Diane's arms, and complicated emotions surged within his eyes…
There was excitement.
Obsession.
And also a trace of barely concealed fanaticism.
This was the existence he had dreamed of for so long, the most crucial piece of his entire plan.
Theo noticed Butler's expression. Without changing his face, he quietly stretched his right hand behind his back and lightly waved it.
The shiny Metagross immediately stepped forward with heavy footsteps and stood beside Theo. Its crimson eyes stared sharply at Butler, vigilantly observing every movement he made.
Theo possessed memories from his previous life, so he knew very clearly what kind of scheme Butler held toward Jirachi. Naturally, he would not relax his guard even slightly.
But at this moment, Butler did not notice the shiny Metagross's vigilance or Theo's hidden caution at all.
He slowly moved forward step by step while repeatedly murmuring to himself:
"Jirachi… this is really Jirachi…"
As he spoke, he gradually approached Diane.
Sensing Butler's arrival, Diane immediately held Jirachi happily in her arms and turned around to show it off to him.
"Butler, look quickly!
This little one is just way too cute. It's practically like a baby. It's seriously so lovable. If only we could have one too…"
Halfway through speaking, Diane suddenly realized what she had just implied. Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red, and the rest of her words were quietly swallowed back down, leaving only her overwhelming embarrassment.
Butler stretched out his hand, intending to take Jirachi from Diane's arms.
Yet the instant his fingers were about to touch Jirachi, the little Pokémon suddenly broke free from Diane's embrace. Its tiny body spun agilely in the air before quickly floating back into Theo's arms, tightly hugging his neck and burying its face against him.
Through its telepathy, Jirachi felt something strange from the purple haired man before it. The feeling made it uneasy. It was afraid and did not want him to hold it.
Butler's hand froze awkwardly in midair, and only then did he come back to his senses.
He looked up and saw the wary gazes of Theo and Metagross, as well as the way Jirachi clung tightly to Theo. Immediately, Butler shook his head forcefully, dispelling the absentmindedness within his eyes. A gentle and harmless smile once again appeared on his face.
Pretending to be pleasantly surprised, Butler spoke in a tone carrying just the right amount of astonishment.
"I never expected Jirachi to truly awaken. That's wonderful… Earlier, when Diane and I saw that purple light shooting into the sky from the amusement park, we hurried over immediately."
Then he changed the topic and smiled toward Ash.
"Oh right, Ash. Did your wish of becoming the world's number one Pokémon Master come true?"
"N-No, it didn't!"
Ash quickly stepped forward and seriously repeated every bit of information Theo had previously told everyone about Jirachi without missing a single word. He patiently explained the truth that Jirachi could not actually grant wishes in the literal sense.
Max also nodded vigorously beside him and earnestly added:
"So we all already discussed it. We're not going to make wishes to Jirachi. We'll just happily spend these seven days playing with it!"
"So that's how it is…"
Diane suddenly understood, and the way she looked at Jirachi became even more sympathetic and tender.
As for Butler, when he heard that "Jirachi cannot truly grant wishes," there was not the slightest disappointment on his face, as though he did not care at all whether Jirachi could fulfill wishes or not.
To Butler, so called "wishes" had always been vague and meaningless things.
As a scientist, he only believed in results obtained through step by step calculations and experimentation. From the bottom of his heart, he disdained this kind of effortless "wish fulfillment."
What he truly cared about had never been Jirachi's "wish granting ability," but rather its value as a medium capable of guiding the energy of the Millennium Comet.
Of course, Butler concealed all of these thoughts extremely well. Not even the slightest trace appeared on his face. He continued maintaining that warm smile and enthusiastically invited Theo and Ash's group.
"Since this little one can only stay awake for seven days, then during these next few days, why not bring it around the amusement park and enjoy yourselves together?
Don't worry. Every attraction inside the park is completely free for all of you. You'll even receive VIP priority access, so you won't need to stand in line anywhere.
Also, you can bring Jirachi along to participate in my magic performances and let it experience the fun of interacting with the audience.
It only awakens once every thousand years, after all. It should at least hear the cheers from the crowd and experience a lively atmosphere unlike anything else. What do you think?"
The moment Butler finished speaking, Brock, Max, and Ash immediately nodded excitedly in agreement, repeatedly praising the suggestion as amazing.
Ash and Max were simply excited about getting the chance to appear on stage and participate in a magic show.
But Brock had entirely different thoughts in mind.
Being able to perform on stage together with Miss Diane was practically a dream come true for him.
May hesitated slightly before softly speaking up.
"Wouldn't that be too troublesome for you?"
"Not at all, not at all."
Butler quickly waved his hand and smiled toward Diane beside him.
"Look, Diane likes this little one very much too. Having it spend time playing together with us would be something truly wonderful, wouldn't it?"
Seeing that nobody objected, Butler's gaze naturally shifted toward Theo.
Theo understood perfectly well the greed Butler held toward Jirachi. However, with himself standing guard here, the tragic scene from the anime in his previous life…
Jirachi being forcibly abducted, trapped inside cold machinery, forced to guide the comet's energy while enduring endless pain…
He absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen again.
Besides, Jirachi's awakening this time would only last for a mere seven days. Immediately rushing off to Unova to search for Victini and extend its awakened state simply was not realistic right now.
Rather than that, it would be better to cherish these seven days and let Jirachi completely put down its worries, allowing it to enjoy itself freely and without concern.
After these seven days ended, once he finished the remaining challenges in the Hoenn region, he would immediately set out for Unova to search for Victini's whereabouts and fight for a chance to let Jirachi fully awaken permanently.
After thinking everything through, Theo finally nodded happily and accepted Butler's invitation.
(End of Chapter)