Because of the supergiant meteorite's declaration of destruction, everyone connected to the matter across the Hoenn region grew tense.
Mossdeep Space Center.
President Stone, who was currently preparing the Sky Contest, had likewise received an emergency call from his son.
Originally, he had planned to use the [high-altitude contest] to search for Rayquaza. But after Rayquaza appeared of its own initiative and revealed its location, half of the contest's purpose was lost. After learning that Rayquaza had a way to regain its power and become the legendary Mega-Evolved form, the heart President Stone had been holding in suspense had already relaxed halfway.
But now, that half he had let down seemed to have simply died.
"The Millennium Comet really chose an inconvenient time to return."
"I had already prepared everything. When Rayquaza shattered the supergiant meteorite, we would use the high-altitude contest to honor Rayquaza's power, just like the prayer ceremony the Draconids carried out a thousand years ago, and hold a grand opening celebration. The person who flew into space together with Rayquaza would also be acknowledged by the Draconids as the inheritor of the new era."
"Everyone would have been happy... Yet plans never keep up with change."
"But fortunately, we had foresight. After asking the ancients of Sinjoh, we obtained a solution capable of resolving every predicament."
"Wishing... Isn't that the same thing as prayer?"
President Stone looked toward Professor Cozmo and the elder of Meteor Village beside him.
On the monitor screen in front of the three of them, an image of the supergiant meteorite was being displayed.
"Given this trajectory, it should have fallen long ago. The reason it has not descended is because that Deoxys is controlling it. It is as if it is showing off its power to us."
Professor Cozmo's expression was also extremely grave. "Stories about the Millennium Comet have indeed circulated across the land of Hoenn and even in many places around the world. After all, it is a giant celestial body that can be seen with the naked eye. Although we know it is connected to natural energy, with our current technological level, we cannot yet do things like asteroid sampling or comet-energy collection."
"Therefore, we know almost nothing about the legend of Jirachi."
The Meteor Elder also nodded faintly. "...If the Millennium Comet's return cycle is the same as that of the supergiant meteorite, and a giant meteorite falls in the Hoenn region every thousand years, I wonder whether these meteorites themselves may be connected to the Millennium Comet."
"When Groudon and Kyogre were fighting to seize natural energy, and the people suffering from floods and droughts prayed toward the universe, could it be precisely because they saw the Millennium Comet at that time?"
"Afterward, somewhere in Hoenn, Jirachi awakened. It heard the people's wishes, listened to the voices of the stars, and borrowed the power of the Millennium Comet to bring over a massive seven-colored meteorite."
"Along with the descent of the meteor, Rayquaza appeared from the sky and pacified the battle between the two super-ancient Pokémon."
"And in the second millennium, it was still the same. People followed the ancient process of prayer..."
President Stone said, "That's right... What you did back then was precisely to gather around the seven-colored giant stone and make a [wish]."
"Wishes... The ability to grant wishes corresponds exactly to people's custom of wishing upon stars, meteors, or comets. The story of the [Wishmaker Star] was passed down the same way."
"It seems that if one makes a wish on the seventh night, every wish can come true."
"I never expected that the first person to investigate Jirachi would be a former member of Team Magma."
Through the Pokégear communication:
Steven said, [May has already heard the voice of the stars, but she is not certain where that voice came from. Also, she met the boy you mentioned, the one with Pikachu!]
[As for the lullaby passed down in Littleroot Town, I asked May and discovered that it was a children's song Mr. Norman and his wife taught her when she was younger! In other words...]
Hikaru said, "In other words, this children's song comes from the Johto region."
Because Brendan occupied the ecological niche of Norman's son, May's father became Professor Birch. Of course, the songs and skills May displayed in the original anime were also possessed by game May.
After all, she had a very good relationship with Brendan. They were neighbors from the same town and had even gone to watch a meteor shower together. Even in the Special manga world, their ancient counterparts, Ruby and Sapphire, were the first official couple.
When May was not the protagonist, she would say that ever since she was little, she had run around the Hoenn region to help her father, Professor Birch, with his research. She also often conducted field investigations in the wild. This was also why, in another world, Sapphire always ran around wearing leaf clothes. In that respect, the two were the same.
"Have you already sent people to the [location] of the Millennium Comet festival?"
In the movie, the site of the comet festival was called [Forina's amusement park], but driving from the amusement park to Jirachi's cave took around six days.
This made Hikaru sink into thought.
The Hoenn region was not considered very large among all the regions. Land and sea each occupied half of it. The incident happened especially southwest of Mt. Chimney and directly north of Lavaridge Town.
Honestly, wasn't that place basically right outside Groudon's old front door?
When did old Groudon secretly expand the land without Kyogre noticing?
"In short, everything matches up now."
"A children's song from Johto was passed down in Littleroot Town, and it was probably a song that spread from the Hoenn region to Johto long ago. Jirachi was awakened by the same song a thousand years ago, and at the same time, this also corresponds to the approximate era when the Embedded Tower was built."
"The Tanoby Ruins, the Ruins of Alph, the Embedded Tower, the Sevii Islands, Littleroot Town..."
"The most urgent task now is to explain the person known as [the great magician Butler]."
"The people of Forina are probably still completely unaware as they hold the Millennium Comet amusement festival."
"That man was once a [magician] as well, calling himself [the Great Butler]. However, one day in the past, to prove his scientific ability, he joined Team Magma. At that time, as a scientist, he helped Team Magma develop a device intended to restore Groudon using the ancient remains of the Primal Pokémon."
"But when he activated the device and was about to begin restoration, it exploded because there was not enough energy. After the experiment failed, he was mocked by Team Magma's executives at the time, then expelled from Team Magma."
"Before leaving, Butler swore a vicious oath of revenge. Based on the information from this incident... he should be planning to use the old device again while forcibly absorbing the power of the comet and Jirachi, using the method of [wishing] to summon Groudon once more."
"But the Groudon summoned that way would not be real. Speaking of which, Groudon should currently be in the alternate space of Terra Cave, occasionally refreshing near Mt. Chimney as well. This is honestly a little redundant."
In the original movie, the [Fiend of the Earth] summoned by Jirachi was destroyed by [Doom Desire] after it absorbed the power of the Millennium Comet.
The Fiend of the Earth, also known as Monster Groudon, corresponded to the Fiend of the Sea in the Special manga.
It could absorb the vitality of the earth and constantly devour energy. It was a mindless thing that only knew how to run wild. At the same time, when it was defeated by Doom Desire, it contributed the famous scene of [Groudon taking flight].
Although the real old Groudon did not fly.
But if its substitute flew, that still counted as flying.
Moreover, Butler was not entirely an anime-only character.
"After Jirachi: Wish Maker ended, Butler and his girlfriend Diane would stay in Forina for a while to atone and live there. After restoring the natural ecosystem... they would leave Hoenn and appear in the Sinnoh region's Battle Frontier!"
"On Route 229! Trainer class: [Ace Trainer]! The Pokémon the two of them carry are level 55 and 56!"
Just like Spiky-eared Pichu and Ms. Hiromi from Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, in past generations, some movie characters actually appeared in the games and had event-distribution connections with them.
This was also why many secret plots were inevitably connected to the movies.
However, after Black and White, the movies and game content became far too separated. Combined with the idea of a soft reboot, the timeline in which the movies and game world were strongly connected ended with Arceus and the Jewel of Life.
Starting from Mewtwo Strikes Back and ending with the alpaca's world-ending crisis, Ash had his stats wiped and became a complete newbie along with it.
Hikaru paused briefly, then explained to Steven again.
"That man is a brilliant scientist. However, as Team Magma's former scientific worker, he had not the slightest ideal of expanding the land. The reason he joined was also to prove his own scientific level within Team Magma."
"So at times, he is also extremely flashy but impractical."
"However, the device that was once looked down upon could become a treasure that saves or erases this world. Therefore, the important thing now is to locate his coordinates... People must be dispatched to seize that machine with full force!"
"We have to protect Jirachi before Butler uses its energy to do something stupid."
"And now, Team Magma has transformed into a civil engineering company. To be honest, I was still surprised when I heard that from you. I never expected that they would actually be helping disaster victims rebuild their homes."
"But Butler's anger and the humiliation he once suffered will not let him give up so easily. He wants revenge against the current Team Magma!"
Steven said, [The old Team Magma no longer exists... That extremist organization disappeared, and in its place is the newly born Magma Construction Company. When I entrusted someone to investigate this part, I was also shocked.]
[I heard that Team Aqua, which vanished from the public eye, also seems to be doing work to protect the marine environment. Because of that, they left mainland Hoenn. Their members have been seen in Lilycove City. Also, this part was confirmed by Team Magma's leader, Maxie.]
[Once, Maxie and Archie were members of the same organization. But because of differences and conflicts in ideology, the two, who had once been close, parted ways.]
[That was also the root cause of the Hoenn tragedy two years ago.]
In Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the two knew each other, but their relationship was not good, nor did they have any noteworthy shared past. This was reflected in the Team Rainbow Rocket incident that occurred in the Alola region.
But in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the two had once been close friends, and there were some strange details in their bases.
Maxie pursued an ideal world for humanity, while Archie intended to build a home where Pokémon could live freely. Their ideals were further amplified in the remake world.
Hikaru said, "Exactly. As for the source that led them to develop those ideas... let me mention something interesting."
"Especially Archie. In Team Aqua's base, there is a blurry photograph of Archie when he was young. In the picture... he is together with a certain Pokémon. Some people speculate that Archie was once friends with Jirachi."
"The contents of the photograph are [a bald boy, a black-haired girl, and a Pokémon with three slips of paper attached to its head]."
"And the caption, though extremely blurry, reads: 002, January 7, commemorative photograph with Archie and Jirachi."
He did not know whether this part was added as reverse input from the Special manga.
Because in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, Archie had absolutely nothing to do with Jirachi. Only in the Emerald chapter of the Special manga did an Archie from another world capture Jirachi to fulfill his wish.
As a result, in the later game world, Archie and Jirachi were actually close friends, and this was also reflected in the story of Pokémon Masters EX. It even had Archie meet Lusamine and played with the Ultra Wormhole reference.
Because Tate and Liza of Mossdeep City encountered an Ultra Wormhole, Archie brought Jirachi with him and had Tate make a wish, rescuing Liza, who had been sucked into the Ultra Wormhole. She was completely unharmed and did not lose her memories at all.
The power of wishing could even erase the influence of an Ultra Aura.
Steven was also shocked. [In other words, Archie actually met Jirachi a very long time ago. Then does that mean the person who understands Jirachi best is actually Archie?]
[That is truly an astonishing secret! I understand now. I know why Maxie's expression became so complicated when I previously asked him about Jirachi! He used to be friends with Archie, so he also knows Archie's secret!]
[Then, could it be that Archie once met another Jirachi in the past and made a wish? That wish...]
Hikaru said, "Although this is only speculation, and he may not necessarily have truly made it. But I roughly know what that wish was."
"Of course, it was not a wish like [let Kyogre rule the world and sink the land into the sea]. Archie was still very young then. His wish was..."
"[For humans and Pokémon to keep smiling forever]. That was all he wished for."
"So although the Hoenn region faces crisis after crisis, it always manages to turn danger into safety. Even the failure of Archie's own plan happened because he had made such a wish long ago."
"The wish came true. Just like Jirachi's signature move, [Doom Desire], this wish manifested after a delay."
"Therefore, no matter what kind of crisis the land of Hoenn encounters, perhaps there is no need to worry."
"Now, please send a message to May and have her immediately think of a way to take Jirachi back from Butler. Butler will use the singing voices of boys and girls to try to make them befriend the Child of the Stars!"
"Within seven days, it will choose a pure-hearted boy who can protect it as its partner. In other words, the chosen one! Butler performs traveling magic shows precisely to wait for such a boy to appear."
"Although this reason is extremely strange and subtle... when looking for a [boy] at an [amusement park], it is indeed a good idea."
If Max had not gone to investigate with May, then would the so-called pure-hearted person not have been reduced to only Ash?
Because May herself still had the additional movie with the Prince of the Sea, this chance would be left to Lord Ash.
After all, May had once mocked her own younger brother Max, saying he was not a pure-hearted boy at all.
"On the first day, May did not find the star crystal."
"On the second day, the night of escape began."
"Now, by the time we received the information, it is already the night of the third day!"
On Hikaru's side, he had also arrived at Cliff Cave on Route 47. He was already not far from the Embedded Tower. Even in such a little-known area, a place without even a signal, the Pokégear could still communicate normally. One had to say that the Pokémon world's communication technology really did contain some black-tech elements.
In the movie, because Butler was too impatient to obtain Jirachi's power, he conducted a test, causing the device to explode again.
At the same time, this also allowed Diane to save Jirachi and drive Ash's group to the star cave of Forina. She also believed that once the seventh day arrived, Butler's ambition would naturally come to an end, and he would certainly return to being the original Butler.
"However, Forina's star cave is precisely the final and greatest trap Butler set for Jirachi. Only there will Jirachi's energy resonate with the Millennium Comet's energy and then reach its maximum!"
Steven said, [If that is the case, then Rayquaza may not be able to take off in time... The item from the Divine Dragon Kingdom has not arrived yet.]
[And the high-altitude contest, the prayer ritual for Rayquaza, must also be held within these seven days.]
[The candidate to ascend with Rayquaza was already decided. It would be one of Brendan or May. We have two sets of space suits, developed separately by Team Magma and Team Aqua. Originally, after combining Devon Corporation's technology, they created them to deal with the harsh conditions of the Cave of Origin.]
[But if Brendan cannot arrive in time... to prevent Zinnia from sacrificing herself, and also to let her and the second Rayquaza serve as a backup method, I, as the reserve candidate, may have to go to space.]
[How should I put it? I repeatedly dreamed of scenes where I died. Although you said, Manager, that those were memories projected from a parallel world, after I learned about the dimensional transfer device my father researched and spoke with the Draconids, I also came to understand the existence of other worlds.]
[But no matter which world it is, I seem to face choices of life and death. Or rather, perhaps that is the normal state of things.]
[I had never controlled a Dragon-type Pokémon before, but during these two months, I also formed a friendship with Rayquaza.]
[As Champion, it is time for me to fulfill my duty!]
Hikaru said, "If you are going to say things like that, I feel like I should make you something like a [Champion Cloak]. But that item is a little unlucky."
"We will be able to meet soon. I will hand the Jade Orb to Rayquaza."
"Then... although the item from the Divine Dragon Kingdom has not been delivered yet, we can only set out ahead of time and head for the [Hoenn region]!"
"If it is a ritual to worship Rayquaza, then how could Rayquaza itself not be present? I will also use a Pokémon connected to space. This time, let me launch aboard a rocket!"
"Also, the results of the earlier investigation... What is the current situation with [Terra Cave] and [Marine Cave]?"
Steven said, [The latest information from the Weather Institute! On Hoenn's sea routes, a violent storm phenomenon has appeared! The one currently active is Marine Cave!]
Hikaru said, "So the one appearing in the real world is Marine Cave, while the one located in another dimension is Terra Cave... That is actually just right. If the incident unfolds according to the worst-case scenario, we may need to use the Scarlet Orb!"
"Kyogre's power would plunge Hoenn into endless thunderstorms. If we let it suppress the Fiend of the Earth, the result would be terrible. Therefore... the monster of the earth should be dealt with by the master of the earth."
"So we must have Groudon [awaken] as well! Right here in the Embedded Tower!"
Was this an Ultraman film set?
Belial causing havoc in the Land of Light... no, it had not reached that point yet. And although this world did not have a mysterious old man, it did have a mysterious alpaca.
Moreover, there was also a giant monster battle!
Steven said, [I see... Awakening Groudon again sounds extremely dangerous. But no matter how dangerous it is, it cannot compare to the crisis of Hoenn, or even the entire planet, being destroyed.]
[If Groudon can understand us, it will certainly help as well. If it truly reacts to the Embedded Tower as you said.]
[Manager, there is another lady in this tower who wishes to meet you... She also wants to see exactly what the Jade Orb is... And somewhat unexpectedly...]
[Uh, she feels like a spirit haunting me from behind...]
"You mean Aster, don't you?"
————
While Hikaru and Steven were communicating...
In the distant Hoenn region, a blue-purple beam of light suddenly shot out.
From the amusement park near Forina, that beam of light rushed straight into the sky and advanced toward space.
Then...
The first beam of light fired from the true eye on Jirachi's belly shot toward the Millennium Comet.
The comet flashed violently, then shot back a massive blue-purple radiance.
But this time, that radiance did not return to Jirachi. Instead, it was intercepted by the red sphere inside the supergiant meteorite.
[I finally waited long enough! The burning divine power of the stars belongs to me!]
[The energy is even greater than what I obtained the last time I touched it! I see. Only Jirachi, as the Child of the Stars, can obtain true energy from the Millennium Comet!]
A level increase was only the most basic part. Its own stats also rose rapidly as if it had gone through many battles. In a world without limits, or rather, where the true limit was actually 65,536!
[This is the strongest power in this world!]
[It is not over yet. The divine power of the stars can continue to rise! I have foreseen the future!]
Powerful human psychics, such as Sabrina, could even glimpse the vague future three years later.
And within the consciousness of Deoxys Belial, which had obtained the power of the stars, it also saw Jirachi's future.
There would be one more energy irradiation. The first was merely a test and a trap. The second would be the true moment when the comet spark was released!
[Too powerful! It can actually foresee the future seven days ahead! As long as I cut off Jirachi's energy, not only can I increase my power, but that land filled with natural energy will also give birth to an unstoppable monster!]
Deoxys Belial shouted in joyful excitement. Then, it saw two lights emerge from the land on the far side of this planet.
Those lights transformed into auroras, displaying brilliant colors above the planet. Afterward, those incomprehensible kin appeared!
[Too weak. So this is the life born on this planet?]
[You stumbling blocks, get out of my way!]
[Cosmic Power!]
It drew mysterious power from the universe, raising its Defense and Special Defense.
Deoxys of Birth Island said, [Hyper Beam!]
Deoxys of Fiore said, [Psycho Boost!]
The three Deoxys began a fierce battle in distant outer space ahead of time.
No one knew of this disaster in space.
On the sea around the Hoenn region, aboard a certain large ship...
Archie, the leader of Team Aqua, listened to a man's voice coming through the Pokégear. When he heard that Jirachi was going to be used, his anger was plain to see.
"Butler, the magician expelled from Team Magma, is in Forina!"
"Maxie, you have already sent Tabitha and Courtney to recover the [restoration device] and capture Butler... I never expected that one day we would actually become righteous organizations."
"This matter concerns Jirachi... I will never allow my friend to become a tool to be used! Listen up, boys! Change course. Target: Mt. Pyre!"
"We are going to transport Groudon's Scarlet Orb to the Embedded Tower! Although I have never heard of that place at all, when it comes to shipping, I am an expert!"
Thus, they spent roughly one day.
On the night of the fourth day...
Archie's fleet arrived at Mt. Pyre from Hoenn's waters, retrieved the Scarlet Orb, and sailed at full speed toward Johto's Embedded Tower.
When it first reached the Embedded Tower, the Scarlet Orb emitted a dazzling light.
"Oooh, this light is..." Archie stared in disbelief at the light bursting from the orb. Unlike when they had once forcibly controlled it, this time the orb seemed to have sensed some kind of responsive energy. It was like the Cave of Origin in the Hoenn region... No, it should be said that this energy was gentler, yet stronger.
Standing at the bow of the ship, he looked toward the direction guided by the scarlet light.
Meanwhile, inside the Embedded Tower, Hikaru took the Jade Orb out of his backpack.
The tower was filled with ozone. Although they could remain near the tower's entrance and communicate with Rayquaza, there was no way to go deeper inside.
However, through telepathic communication via the Jade Orb, Rayquaza already knew what was about to happen.
[Awakening Groudon... If it is only one, then even injured, I can defeat it again.]
[However, if the land ceases to exist, then it will also vanish. So... this time, it will be our companion, probably. In any case, summon it. In the Embedded Tower, this place that feels nostalgic to us, even Groudon and Kyogre will not act recklessly!]
The jade-green radiance resonated with Rayquaza. This ancient dragon god wrapped the ozone around its body and flew toward the top of the tower, yielding the [earth] below.
Then, the crest representing Delta began to disappear.
Rayquaza's spatial domain gradually vanished, sinking into the darkness.
Taking its place was... the "Ω Omega" representing Groudon!
Steven said, "Rayquaza disappeared!"
"Before obtaining the Indigo Orb or the Scarlet Orb, one cannot enter the Embedded Tower. Only after encountering Groudon or Kyogre can Rayquaza be awakened. Although the order is reversed now, the result is the same... We can use the orbs to switch the space inside the tower!"
Hikaru said, "It seems the Scarlet Orb has arrived. Look. Intense sunlight has already appeared here!"
This time, old Groudon was appearing as a righteous giant monster.
Now it really was Godzilla... or Gomora?
"Ability: Drought!"
Amid the sun and the high-temperature drought, the massive figure gradually emerging from another dimension was...
The Legendary Continent Pokémon!
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]