A month had passed since Lorze arrived at the Space Center.
But he still hadn't seen any hope of being able to awaken Jirachi.
His initial enthusiasm was unmatched, but when one's passion is constantly dashed by cold reality, and when one finds their efforts yielding zero progress, a firm mind will inevitably waver.
Even if Lorze could handle it, his Pokémon were starting to have a hard time.
Firstly, out of heartache for their lover torturing his own body; secondly... they had waaaay too little sex this month!
Even when Meowstic lay flat in front of Lorze in a seductive pose, he remained unmoved. If it were before, he would have picked up the little catgirl to pet her long ago, and of course, taken the opportunity to feel her small breasts, using his fingers to finger or his mouth to suck her little slutty pussy.
Even when Braixen called out "Zako❤ Zako❤" non-stop in an alluring voice, he remained unmoved. If it were before, he would have cranked the vibrator to level ten or even nine to admire the fox squirting, and if he were in the mood, he would have intimately cuddled and had sex with his beloved fox.
Even when Gardevoir pressed her giant breasts against Lorze's back, he remained unmoved. If it were before, he would have lecherously groped those two large watermelon tits, and then uncontrollably fucked Gardevoir due to his itchy cock.
As for why Latias and Mewtwo weren't mentioned...
Because the only two instances of sex this month were stolen by the clever dragon sister and Big Sister Mewtwo.
The incident of having sex with Latias in the bathroom had a follow-up. Later, the staff repeatedly checked the scene and security footage without finding any issues, at one point believing Ghost-type Pokémon were causing trouble.
However, some nosy people concocted a slightly dirty urban legend: It was said that if you go to the bathroom during work hours, a female ghost will come and suck your dick dry...
The person in charge felt puzzled: I keep feeling like these guys have started going to the bathroom frequently during work hours recently, especially the male researchers. What's going on!?
In short, Lorze's current condition was very poor. His clothes and hair were neglected, making him look sloppy and unkempt.
He just stared silently at line after line of data. This state even looked a bit scary to his Pokémon.
They weren't trying to persuade Lorze to give up, they just hoped he could rest for a while.
Realizing he had been neglecting his wives, Lorze felt a bit embarrassed. Dragging a tired smile, he expressed his apology: "Alright, then I'll look for one last day tomorrow. If there are still no results, I'll take a rest, okay?"
Everyone showed relieved smiles, which also made Lorze reflect deeply: Indeed, I shouldn't put the cart before the horse.
But fate is just that dramatic: On that very last day, almost like a miracle, he really found a clue.
Light at the end of the tunnel?
The clue wasn't even found by Lorze; it was delivered right to his doorstep.
—Professor Professor Lund, full name Professor Lund Takao, an expert in the field of meteorites who had appeared in both the games and the anime.
Because during his research, he accidentally discovered that the energy parameters of a material in his hands were exceptionally similar to the energy parameters of the Millennium Comet.
He wasn't a headless fly like Lorze, but a serious researcher who was very sensitive to data.
And the fact that the Chief Trainer of the Devon Alliance was looking for a way to awaken Jirachi had already spread throughout the Space Center.
No one laughed at Lorze's madness; more felt admiration for his courage and persistence—because they, too, were obsessed with the universe for various reasons, which was why they came here to bury themselves in cold numbers day and night.
Jokingly speaking: All researchers are just terminally ill patients, and only fellow patients can understand each other, understanding why one could be so infatuated with a seemingly impossible topic.
Professor Lund took the initiative to seek out Lorze: He knew Lorze wasn't a professional researcher, but his understanding of Pokémon wasn't necessarily any less than his own. Collisions between different fields often spark different kinds of inspiration.
Lorze compared the two sets of data. Fortunately, he was no longer the completely ignorant fool he was at the beginning. He could be considered half an insider and could see some patterns.
These two samples, the wavelength frequency of the energy, and even parameters like its nature... seemed very close?
Lorze felt a bit excited. He felt his breathing become rapid, and his palms kept sweating.
There was indeed hope to awaken Jirachi! His eyes lit up, staring at the data with great intensity.
"That's right, exactly like this."
"Professor Lund, if possible, I hope you can tell me more specific details!"
"Please don't be anxious, Mr. Lorze. This matter has to start from four years ago."
Professor Lund pushed up the glasses on his nose bridge and excitedly recounted the discovery of the material at hand—
The origin of the matter was a tundra scientific expedition four years ago, led by Professor Lund, to study the ecology of the Arctic tundra and the Pokémon there.
As a result, during the expedition, a meteorite from outer space crashed onto the ice field.
But it wasn't just a meteorite. Emerging from the pervasive smoke... was a Pokémon no one had ever seen before! It had two legs and arms similar to a human, but seemed able to freely reorganize its cells and change its body structure.
Later, the Pokémon Rayquaza, pursuing from the sky, engaged in a massive battle with the mysterious Pokémon, even dragging the expedition team into it at one point. A large amount of equipment was destroyed, and research activities were temporarily suspended.
According to Professor Lund's speculation: Perhaps Rayquaza thought its territory was being invaded.
During the fierce battle, the mysterious Pokémon always held the upper hand, but later Rayquaza seemed to feign being sunk to the bottom of the water by it, and finally burst out of the water suddenly, using a sneak attack to completely kill it.
Then... Professor Lund's research team discovered a meteorite embedded with something resembling jade at the scene and brought it back to LaRousse City for research.
Through composition analysis, energy spectrum parsing, and a large amount of other experiments and research, the research team discovered that simply by shining a laser on the green crystal, an existence similar to the previous mysterious Pokémon could be born...
"And this Pokémon was named by Professor Lund as—Deoxys." "Deoxys!"
Shouted almost simultaneously with Professor Lund, Lorze's expression became somewhat hyperactive.
"Wait, Mr. Lorze... This research is highly classified. Why do you know the name Deoxys?"
This question made Lorze very awkward: Because the more he heard, the more excited he got. Wasn't this exactly the backstory of the movie Destiny Deoxys!
"Ahem, because I read relevant literature while executing missions for the Devon Trainer Alliance, so I have an impression of this name."
"I see. Anyway... the energy of the meteorite Deoxys is attached to is somewhat similar to the energy of the Millennium Comet. Perhaps it can provide energy for Jirachi's activities."
Lorze nodded thoughtfully: Deoxys is a Pokémon formed by a space virus attached to a meteorite being irradiated by a laser, while Jirachi seems more related to comets.
Although meteorites and comets are entirely different substances, their internal compositions aren't completely unrelated: some meteorites are even just rock particles mixed within the solid gas of a comet.
Right, why didn't I think of that? As fellow visitors from the universe, Jirachi and Deoxys should inherently have inextricably linked connections!
If I could have linked the two together from the very beginning, maybe I wouldn't have had to endure this hellish month...
No, I shouldn't say that. This month wasn't completely meaningless.
But regardless... the outcome was good.
"This is the intelligence I can provide to Mr. Lorze. In exchange, I also hope Sir Lorze can tell me some things about Jirachi."
"Of course, no problem!"
Stepping out of the Mossdeep Space Center, Lorze took a deep breath. The clear, cloudless sky canopy perfectly reflected the young man's state of mind at this moment.
A month... how much weight have I lost?
Although it was just a clue, and awakening Jirachi was still a long way off, the journey from 0 to 1 is the most difficult part.
Next, I'll just rest well for a few days, and then go visit LaRousse City.
The young man stretched his back, planning to go home and rest. But the next second, the PokéNav in his pocket vibrated violently.
Lorze answered the call without even looking, because he was in a great mood right now, and even his tone was much more relaxed.
"Hello? This is Lorze."
"Lorze... it's me, Joseph. Are you free right now?"
It was a call from the old man Joseph Stone. The old man rarely communicated normally unless something urgent had happened.
And this time... Lorze also heard the anxiety in his tone, faintly having an ominous premonition.
"LaRousse City has now entered a state of emergency evacuation. According to Professor Lund, Rayquaza seems to be moving towards the direction of LaRousse City. Because you've dealt with Rayquaza before, we were wondering..."
If it were before, Lorze might have complained about being asked to risk his life again. But this time, the young man agreed swiftly, because he had a reason he must go.
"Mr. Joseph, leave this matter to me!"
Lorze's readiness even startled Joseph in his office. He would clearly be awkward and reluctant before, what's with him this time?
Before he even had time to instruct "stay safe", Lorze had already hung up the phone.
"Going on a mission?"
"Meowstic heard it meow! It seems we're going to fight the big green snake meow~"
Petting the little catgirl's head, Lorze restored his usual gentle smile: "If Rayquaza knew it was being called a big green snake by Meowstic, it would tear us to pieces."
Twitching her cat ears, Meowstic hugged Lorze's head with a frightened face: "Meow-wu!? I'm sorry meow~"
"But our target this time isn't Rayquaza, it's Deoxys."
"That guy related to Jirachi's awakening?" Lorze nodded.
The expressions on the girls' faces became serious. Latias even tucked her small arms into her body, directly activating flight mode!
"Big Brother Lorze, Latias is ready~"
Caressing the dragon sister's cheek, a wave of gratitude welled up—not just towards Latias, but towards all his wives.
At times like this, they always reliably supported him.
"Everyone... thank you."
"What is Master Zako saying, hehe~" "Since that's the case, then let's go!"
"Alright!"
Lorze took the opportunity to mount Latias's beautiful back, taking his wives and leaving Mossdeep City.
Destination: LaRousse City. Full speed ahead!
The rare calmness of Route 124 was shattered by a red and black figure like a cannonball—the red was Latias, and the black was the cloak flapping loudly on Lorze.
The young man's hair and hood were blown back by the airflow. Even though he was a bit tired right now and his body wasn't in peak condition, he still looked ahead with bright, piercing eyes.
Because the place he wanted to go wasn't LaRousse City, but Forina; the Pokémon he wanted to see wasn't Rayquaza, but Jirachi.
Everything before that was just an obstacle and a hurdle to reuniting with the little cutie and Absol.
Lorze originally planned to mock Rayquaza about its dark history of being beaten up by an alien when he saw it: Bro Ray, you've gotten so weak after not seeing you for a few days?
But thinking about how he had just warned the little catgirl, he decided not to court death...
Finally, a faint green dot appeared in his line of sight.
"Did Latias see it?"
"Mhm, I see it! Big Brother Lorze and everyone hold on tight, Latias is going to accelerate!"
Saying so, the dragon sister showed a serious expression, and the sound of breaking the sound barrier became even louder than before!
"Whoosh—"
Meanwhile, Professor Lund, Officer Jenny, and a group of personnel were watching the main control room. Suddenly someone shouted: "Detected that besides Rayquaza... th-there's another lifeform rushing towards LaRousse City at an even faster speed!"
Professor Lund turned pale with fright. He still vividly remembered the massive battle between Rayquaza and Deoxys back then; calling it the shadow of a lifetime wouldn't be an exaggeration.
He had already prepared for the entire LaRousse City to suffer heavy losses, and now there was actually another one!?
"Q-Quickly, analyze the footage!"
Following Officer Jenny's skillful operations, the figure of a male wearing a black and gold cloak and a mask, riding a Pokémon resembling a jet plane, appeared on the large screen.
This is!?
Before he could recover from his confusion, Professor Lund's PokéNav rang. Just hearing the voice, he knew it was Uncle Joseph.
"Hello, hello? Little Lun, don't worry about the situation in LaRousse City. I've already called a very formidable young man to go help!"
"Is the helper you mentioned... wearing a black cloak and riding a Pokémon like an airplane?"
Hearty laughter came from the other end of the phone. Joseph: The young man still likes his black cloak so much. But this also means Lorze is getting serious, which is very reassuring.
"Just watch, the strength of this young man is even superior to my son's. He can definitely resolve the crisis!"
After hanging up the phone, Professor Lund mulled over Joseph's words, only then realizing: Doesn't Old Man Joseph's son refer to Steven? Does the old man mean... this person is even stronger than Steven!?
It was exactly during this moment of their conversation that Lorze successfully caught up to Rayquaza. Just as he was about to say hello, he realized that wasn't the case.
This Rayquaza... its size was quite a bit smaller than the one at the Sky Pillar, and it completely lacked that kind of powerful oppressive aura.
So, it's actually not the same individual!?
Rayquaza in the TV anime are innumerable, very much like a schooling Pokémon living in the ozone layer. It seems there really is a population of them.
This way, it makes sense. Perhaps this Rayquaza is quite a bit weaker than the Guardian Deity of Hoenn...
Thinking this way, Lorze's courage grew a bit.
"Hey, Rayquaza!"
"Human? Scram, scram, don't interrupt my business!"
Sure enough, it's not the same one, even the voice is different: this Rayquaza's voice is much younger than the previous one.
"You're looking for the alien from the universe, right?"
As if recalling some shameful matter, the azure dragon unnaturally shook its body, roaring indignantly: "That is an invader of Earth! My duty is merely to eliminate them!"
"Listen to me first, leave this matter to me to handle. I definitely won't let them pose a threat to this planet. If you fight Deoxys again, the city below will suffer heavily!"
The more Rayquaza heard, the more annoyed it got: What does a human city have to do with me?
Damn it, if you keep buzzing like a mosquito again, believe it or not, I'll whip you to death with my tail!
But the young man's next words made its dragon body shudder, and it had to weigh Lorze's suggestion.
"Do you know the Rayquaza from the Sky Pillar? I defeated it, so you don't need to worry about my strength."
Wh-What? The Rayquaza from the Sky Pillar is much stronger than me!
Speaking of which, recently a few old-timers did say that an opponent capable of fighting them Rayquaza had appeared among humans.
The arrogant young Rayquaza originally just took that as a joke, but now...
The giant dragon's sharp pupils became much clearer in that instant. Although young people are always proud, if it hadn't fought the old-timer at the Sky Pillar, it might have really wanted to test this human. But this time... I'm going home to bring in the laundry first! Bye-bye~
"Fool looking for trouble... if you want to go, then go, tsk tsk!"
A vigorous dragon roar sounded, the winding body changed direction, and Rayquaza left resentfully.
Inside the main control room, Officer Jenny, who had been constantly monitoring Rayquaza's movements, noticed the green arrow make an acute angle turn, heading in the opposite direction of LaRousse City, its speed even a bit faster than when it came!
Officer Jenny couldn't believe her eyes.
"Professor Lund, Rayquaza left!" "What!? Then, what about that helper?"
"That Trainer... is still heading towards LaRousse City!"
Lund marvelled at the strength of this helper: How much power does it take to persuade a god-like existence?
However, a deep worry welled up in his heart again—it was still the vivid scene from four years ago. Deoxys had already become a PTSD symptom lingering in his heart, impossible to shake off.
After all, Deoxys was so powerful that it beat that Rayquaza to the point of being completely unable to fight back. If it weren't for the sneak attack at the end, the result would have really been hard to say.
Even if this Trainer can be stronger than Steven, with his abilities alone... can he save LaRousse City?
Lund looked at another large screen. On it were the people trapped in LaRousse City due to the paralysis of the power system: Ash, May, Brock, Max, the three siblings Ryu and Shota, and...
His assistant Yuko and his son Tory.
Lund was both the person in charge of LaRousse City and Tory's father. He prayed in his heart: Whatever it takes, please save this city and my son!