On the empty highlands beneath the autumn night sky, a group of four traveling companions was following a map to find the Forina Amusement Park.
The girl wearing a red bandana stopped in her tracks, impatiently putting her hands on her hips: "Hey, which one is the Millennium Comet?"
"Sis, the comet won't be visible until tomorrow or later. I really don't know what to do with you..."
Compared to the teenage girl acting as the older sister, the younger brother at the back of the group actually looked much more patient.
"Tsk, what the heck..."
The red-themed older sister and the green-themed younger brother were exactly the traveling companions journeying with Ash and Brock in the Hoenn region—May and Max.
But when the group arrived at the edge of the steep cliff, they discovered that the empty flatland below held nothing but the desolate silence of the night, entirely unrelated to the liveliness associated with the word "festival."
"Whoosh—"
A gust of autumn wind swept past, inevitably adding a chill to everyone's hearts.
"Brock! Is it really here?"
The squinty-eyed, burly young man looked at the map in his hands in distress. A trace of doubt flashed in his completely invisible eyes: Strange, with my pathfinding experience, I couldn't have gotten it wrong...
—Could it be that they were scammed!?
The highly enthusiastic group instantly lost most of their interest, allowing exhaustion and hunger to seize the opportunity and fill their minds.
"Grumble—"
"I'm so hungry..." "Me too..."
Before Brock could reply, another familiar voice rang in everyone's ears.
"Long time no see, Ash, Brock!"
Hearing the voice before seeing the person, this familiar voice... it was Lorze!
The young man, dressed in sportswear, walked leisurely toward the group with his hands in his pockets. Surrounded by and sitting on his shoulders were various female Psychic-type Pokémon.
"Are you... Lord Lorze?" "It really is Big Brother Lorze!"
May and Max on the side looked bewildered: Eh, is he an acquaintance of Brock and Ash?
"Why are you here too, Lord Lorze?"
"I heard someone saying they were hungry, so I appeared right here! Just kidding, I'm actually here to look for the Forina Festival too. You guys are as well, right?"
"Yeah, but..."
Looking down, it was just a quiet, empty expanse. Lorze scratched his head: Looks like we came too early, but actually, an entire amusement park can be built in less than a single night here. It truly is the definition of skyscrapers rising from the ground in an instant!
Just thinking about getting to see the invincible technology of the Pokémon world in a moment made him feel incredibly excited.
"Grumble grumble!"
Ash's stomach issued a strong protest against everyone's idle chatter. Since things had come to this... they might as well cook first.
This meal was co-chef'd by Brock and Lorze. The squinty-eyed burly man only just realized that Lorze was also an excellent cook, which inevitably made him think back to that night in Alto Mare and Lorze's valiant performance...
Feelings of envy and jealousy surged in his chest: Lord Lorze has such a great image, knows how to cook, and his skills in bed are absolutely top-tier. He probably doesn't have a hard time finding a girlfriend like I do!
Lorze: To some extent, that is indeed true.
"Delicious!" "It's truly tasty..." "Big Brother Lorze is really good at cooking too." "Pika pi~"
Feasting around the cozy campfire also provided an opportunity for Lorze to get acquainted with May and Max—after all, people who cook well naturally make others feel close to them, not to mention that Brock and Ash's attitudes toward Lorze were also very enthusiastic.
But right at this moment, some loud commotion seemed to come from the bottom of the cliff...
Following the sound, a massive convoy driving in from a distance kicked up billowing clouds of dust and smoke. After reaching the center of the clearing, the equipment transported on the trucks automatically began assembling the amusement park facilities!
Giant tents extending out from boxes, train tracks being laid down by roller vehicles...
"Wow, whoa..."
Everyone was mesmerized, as if even the food in their hands no longer smelled as good—the power of science is truly amazing!
It's just that... whether it was the amusement rides or the train tracks, none of them had any foundations. They were just laid straight onto the bare ground. Is... is this okay?
A voice coming from the void seemed to tell Lorze: Mind your own business when it comes to the Pokémon world!
Quickly finishing the rest of their food, Lorze and Ash's group couldn't wait to head down to observe the construction of the amusement park.
By the time the sun rose from the eastern horizon, the amusement park for the Forina Festival was completed without a single second to spare!
Only with hindsight did they realize that they had actually hung around here all night, yet they still felt no sleepiness at all: probably because they were too excited about the festival!
After the amusement park was built, tourists began arriving here by cars and trains. The endless, surging crowds mixed with boiling voices of people, making the atmosphere heated and lively.
"Greetings, everyone."
The one striking up a conversation with Lorze and Ash's group was an immaculately dressed man—the organizer of the Forina magic tour: Butler.
The blonde woman following behind him was named Diane; she was his assistant and also his childhood friend.
"I noticed that you folks were the earliest tourists to arrive at Forina, so I intend to invite you all to come and support my magic show. Of course... you absolutely don't need to worry about the cost of the tickets."
Every gesture he made revealed a gentlemanly demeanor, but perhaps because Lorze knew the script, in his eyes, the hypocrisy of Butler acting as a false gentleman was completely palpable.
—This guy was a mad scientist bordering on insanity in his pursuit of truth. In order to clone Groudon, he wouldn't hesitate to use Jirachi's suffering as the price.
Ash's group naturally agreed with high spirits, and Lorze didn't alert the snake by hitting the grass: As long as I can successfully receive Jirachi, what happens next will be completely out of your control!
Arriving inside Butler's tent, the noisy chatter mixed with the stuffy heat blew right into their faces.
Even though it was the first performance of the morning, the magic venue was still packed with no empty seats left: their popularity was evident.
Just like watching a movie, Ash bought a bucket of popcorn, while Pikachu...
Munch munch munch!
Pikachu said nothing, merely devouring the food non-stop.
The magic tricks themselves were quite ordinary: it was actually just using Kirlia's Teleport to create the effect of making a living person vanish and appear. Once you knew the principle, it became dull and tasteless.
The key lay in... that meteorite.
The one swapped out by Kirlia's Teleport was the female assistant Diane. She held the meteorite shell protecting Jirachi high up, and the object immediately emitted a dazzling, colorful light!
During its awakening period, Jirachi would choose a pure-hearted youth capable of protecting it as its partner.
And at this moment, Jirachi inside the meteorite felt it: there were two candidates in the audience seats who met the conditions.
—Max and Lorze.
There was no need to say much about Max; that child was inherently the person Jirachi approved of in the movie. As for Lorze—
Being pure-hearted meant he was so pure that he only wanted to passionately fuck his Pokémon all day long. His strength was also powerful enough, more than sufficient to protect the little cutie.
As for his age...
Are you a youth?
Lorze: I think I am.
An eighteen-year-old innocent male college student... how does that not count as a youth!
Compared to the child next to him, the young man over here completely crushed him in every aspect. His body even exuded a strong masculine aura that the yet-to-awaken Jirachi yearned for.
After making its choice, Jirachi uttered its first words, sounding like sleep talk.
"The stars... are calling me!"
Lorze, sitting in the audience, was stunned: That is Jirachi's voice.
Have I already... been chosen as the partner to protect the little cutie!?