It was a bright and sunny afternoon, with colorful flags gently swaying in the breeze and cheerful music coming from all directions. Ash pulled down the brim of his hat and excitedly looked around: "Wow! This carnival is even livelier than I imagined!"
"Pika—chu!" Pikachu stood on Ash's shoulder, its small paws pointing towards a giant Ferris wheel in the distance, its electric sacs faintly crackling with excitement.
"I heard the Pokémon performances here are especially famous," Xiao You said, looking at the carnival map on her rotom phone, "There's a big show at the central stage at 3 PM."
Brock squinted, his gaze drawn to a group of performers who were dancing: "Before that, why don't we go have some fun? Look over there, it looks like there's an impromptu dance activity!"
Before anyone else could respond, Xiao You had already pulled Ash's wrist and rushed over. In the center of the dance floor, a group of dancers in vibrant costumes swayed to the lively rhythm, surrounded by a crowd of spectators.
"I can't dance!" Ash struggled, but was quickly caught up in the joyful atmosphere, clumsily swaying to the rhythm. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and stood on a nearby bench, tapping its tail to the beat.
Xiao You, however, danced quite well. She closed her eyes, completely immersed in the music. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Brock, who was next to her, caught sight of a lonely figure sitting on a nearby bench. The person was wearing a wrinkled magician's outfit and holding a worn-out top hat.
"You two keep dancing, I'll be right back," Brock said to Xiao You and Ash, who were dancing, and then walked towards the dejected magician.
"Hello," Brock greeted him kindly, "I'm Brock, from Pewter City. Are you also a performer at the carnival?"
The magician looked up, revealing a haggard face. He looked to be around thirty, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. "Ma Jian," he replied briefly, "I used to be a magician here."
"Used to?" Brock sat down next to him.
Ma Jian gave a bitter smile: "Just an hour ago, my assistant—no, my ex-assistant Lily—left me. Without an assistant, my magic show can't be completed, and the boss said if tonight's show gets messed up again, he'll fire me." He squeezed the hat tightly, "But all my magic requires an assistant..."
Brock's eyes suddenly lit up: "I can be your temporary assistant!"
Ma Jian looked at him in surprise: "You?"
"My younger siblings and I used to go to magic shows all the time, so I'm familiar with the basic procedures," Brock said confidently, "And I'm quick-witted, I won't cause you any trouble."
Ma Jian hesitated for a moment, but seeing Brock's sincere gaze, he finally nodded: "Alright, there's nothing left to lose anyway. The show is in half an hour, we need to quickly rehearse a few key segments."
When Ash and Xiao You found them, Brock and Ma Jian were practicing on a makeshift small stage. "—Then you disappear from here and reappear from that box!" Ma Jian directed.
"Brock, what are you doing?" Xiao You asked curiously.
"I'm going to be a magician's assistant!" Brock announced excitedly, "This is Mr. Ma Jian, a professional magician."
Ash's eyes lit up: "That's so cool! Can we watch you rehearse?"
Ma Jian seemed a bit nervous, but still agreed. For the next twenty minutes, they rehearsed a few basic magic tricks: card tricks, disappearing coins, and the classic 'disappearing person' act. Brock learned quickly, but Ma Jian's technique was noticeably rusty, dropping cards several times.
"Have you... not performed in a long time?" Ash asked cautiously.
Ma Jian's expression darkened: "Ever since I lost in a major magic competition, I... lost confidence. My performances have been going wrong for the past few months, and the audience is getting smaller and smaller..." He shook his head, "Never mind, let's not talk about it, it's time for the actual show."
The central stage was much larger than the small one they had rehearsed on, and quite a few spectators had already gathered. Ma Jian took a deep breath and walked onto the stage, with Brock following closely behind.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Ma Jian's voice trembled slightly, "Welcome to the magical world of Magician Ma Jian!"
The opening went fairly smoothly, with a few simple card tricks earning polite applause. But when it came to the 'disappearing person' segment, something unexpected happened.
According to the design, Brock was supposed to disappear from a box and then reappear from a cabinet on the other side of the stage. But when Ma Jian opened the cabinet door, Brock stumbled out, his hat askew, looking disheveled.
A few snickers came from the audience.
"Uh, this is... this was intentional!" Ma Jian stammered, "Next, please enjoy my specialty—'The Floating Pikachu'!"
Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, was suddenly called out and let out a surprised "Pika?" Ma Jian gestured for Brock to carry Pikachu to a special platform, then began to chant a spell.
Theoretically, the platform would slowly rise, making Pikachu appear to float in the air. But whether it was a mechanism malfunction or Ma Jian's operational error, the platform remained motionless, and Pikachu tilted its head in confusion.
The audience's laughter grew louder.
"Pika! (Let me try)" Pikachu suddenly jumped from the platform and used the Swift skill, truly levitating in the air! The audience erupted in cheers and applause.
Ma Jian's face turned pale. The rest of the performance completely turned into a disaster: pigeons flew out of his hat and hit his face; silk handkerchiefs got knotted and couldn't be untied; and worst of all, when he tried to perform "Flame Rose," he accidentally set his sleeve on fire.
"Enough!" A stout man in a suit with a handlebar mustache rushed onto the stage, "Ma Jian, you're fired! Pack your things and leave the carnival immediately!"
Scattered boos came from the audience, and more people shook their heads and left. Ma Jian stood rooted to the spot, like a statue. Brock wanted to say something, but Xiao You held him back.
Backstage, Ma Jian mechanically packed his prop box, his fingers trembling slightly. The trio of Ash stood by, unsure how to speak.
"Um... Mr. Ma Jian," Ash finally broke the silence, "Maybe you need to rest for a while..."
"Rest?" Ma Jian suddenly looked up, tears in his eyes, "Magic is my life! From the first time I saw a magic show at six years old, I knew this was what I wanted to do my whole life. But now..." He grabbed a handful of cards and scattered them into the air, the cards fluttering down, "I can't even do the most basic tricks anymore."
Pikachu jumped onto the prop box and gently patted Ma Jian's hand. "Pika Pika... (It's okay, it'll get better)" it comforted him.
Brock crouched down and helped Ma Jian pick up the scattered cards: "Maybe... maybe you just haven't practiced seriously in too long?"
"Or you're too nervous," Xiao You added, "I saw your hands shaking the whole time."
Ma Jian sighed deeply: "Lily was right, I really... lost my passion for magic. Ever since that competition failure, I've been afraid to go on stage, afraid of failing, and the more I feared, the more mistakes I made." He gave a bitter smile, "Ironically, Lily's leaving might have been to wake me up, but I..."
Ash suddenly clapped his hands: "Then we'll help you regain your confidence! There are three days left until the carnival ends, that's enough time for us to do something!"
Ma Jian looked at the three suddenly energetic young people in surprise: "Why... why do you want to help me?"
"Because everyone deserves a second chance!" Ash said with a smile, "And, we love seeing people achieve their dreams."
And so, a temporary 'Restore Ma Jian's Magic Confidence' plan began. They found a quiet corner, away from the noisy main carnival area.
"First," Brock said, with his hands behind his back like a coach, "we need to start from the basics. Mr. Ma Jian, please perform your three best magic tricks, without an assistant, just yourself."
Ma Jian nodded, taking a deep breath. He chose card tricks, disappearing coins, and rope magic. This time, without audience pressure, his technique was noticeably smoother. Although there were still minor mistakes, the basic effects were achieved.
"See! You clearly know these tricks!" Ash cheered.
"But once I get on stage..." Ma Jian shook his head.
Xiao You pondered: "Perhaps the problem isn't technical, but psychological. Mr. Ma Jian, what is your happiest memory of performing magic?"
Ma Jian's eyes softened: "It was when I was ten years old, the first time I successfully made a pigeon appear at the school talent show. At that time, Lily—my assistant, she was still a little girl then—was clapping desperately in the audience..." His voice gradually trailed off.
"Lily is very important to you, isn't she?" Brock asked softly.
Ma Jian didn't answer, but his expression said it all.
Over the next two days, they developed a strict training schedule. Mornings were for basic technique practice, afternoons were for performing simple magic for passing tourists in a small area, and evenings were for reviewing the day's performance. Ma Jian's condition gradually improved, especially when a few children laughed heartily at his magic, the light in his eyes rekindled.
"You know," Ma Jian said on the second night, wiping his props, "I forgot that the most fundamental purpose of performing magic is to bring joy to people. For the past few months, I only thought about not making mistakes, not losing face..."
"Now you remember!" Ash grinned, "Tomorrow is the last day of the carnival, we should—"
His words were interrupted by a commotion. Screams and running sounds came from a distance, followed by a series of loud "Thump! Thump!" noises.
"What's going on?" Xiao You stood up and looked around.
A staff member ran past in a panic: "Run! A group of Exeggutor somehow went wild and are rampaging through the carnival!"
Indeed, six Exeggutor were rushing from different directions, their eyes red, clearly in an abnormal state. Amusement rides were knocked askew, and tourists scattered and fled.
"We have to stop them!" Ash shouted, "Pikachu, prepare—"
"Wait!" Ma Jian suddenly grabbed him, "Look over there!"
A little girl stood by the carousel, too scared to move, and an Exeggutor was rushing straight towards her!
Ma Jian didn't hesitate. He grabbed his prop box and rushed over. "Hey! Over here!" he shouted, simultaneously pulling out a handful of shiny metal flakes from the box and throwing them into the air. The metal flakes sparkled in the sunlight, successfully attracting the Exeggutor's attention.
As the Exeggutor turned towards him, Ma Jian quickly conjured a large bunch of colorful balloons from his hat, while continuously moving his feet, guiding the Exeggutor away from the little girl. His movements were fluid and precise, every turn, every gesture just right, like a meticulously choreographed magic show.
"That's amazing..." Brock murmured.
Ash snapped back to reality: "Pikachu, use Thunder Shock on that Exeggutor! Watch the power!"
"Pika—chu!" A precise bolt of electricity hit the Exeggutor, temporarily paralyzing it. At the same time, Xiao You sent out her Sylveon, and Brock directed his Geodude to create obstacles.
But more Exeggutor were still rampaging. Just at the critical moment, Ma Jian stood on a high platform. He took off his coat and flung it, and it transformed into a huge red flag! "All Exeggutor, look here!" His voice was loud and confident, completely unlike the stage-frightened magician from before.
As the red flag waved, all the Exeggutor's attention was drawn to it. Ma Jian began to perform a series of dazzling fast magic tricks: conjuring flowers from thin air, Teleport, disappearing objects... These tricks not only confused the Exeggutor but also made the onlookers forget to run, watching the impromptu performance in stunned silence.
"Now!" Ma Jian shouted to Ash.
Ash immediately understood: "Pikachu, use Electro Web on the ground!"
Pikachu released a low-intensity Electro Web, spreading it around the Exeggutor, forming a harmless but effective barrier. The Exeggutor, trapped by the magic and the Electro Web, finally slowly calmed down, and the red in their eyes gradually faded.
The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. The carnival boss pushed his way to the front, his face full of disbelief: "Ma Jian! This... this is amazing!"
Ma Jian wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled slightly: "Just a few small tricks."
"No," a female voice came from the crowd, "That's real magic."
A young woman in an assistant's uniform stepped out, it was Lily. Her eyes were moist, but a smile played on her lips.
"Lily..." Ma Jian's voice choked.
"I left because I saw you turn into a coward afraid of failure," Lily walked towards him, "I knew only by losing everything would you remember what magic meant to you." She gently stroked the top hat in his hand, "It seems I was right."
Ma Jian suddenly knelt on one knee and conjured a red rose from his empty hand: "Lily, ever since you became my assistant, you have always been the most important person in my life. Not only the best assistant, but also... the person I deeply love."
His voice trembled but was firm, "I promise never to disappoint you again, never to let fear overcome my love for magic. Will you... come back to me?"
Lily's tears finally fell: "Fool, I never truly left." She took the rose, "I've been watching you from the audience the whole time."
As the two embraced, the applause around them grew even louder. The carnival boss patted Ma Jian's shoulder: "Tomorrow's main stage, I need you! With your assistant and these amazing magic tricks!"
Ash and his two friends stood by, their faces filled with relieved smiles. Only Brock's expression was a bit complex: "Another happy couple... Why am I always..."
Ash patted his shoulder: "Don't be discouraged, Brock, someday..."
Meanwhile, Xiao You looked at Ash with a resentful expression, wondering when Ash would finally realize and confess his feelings to her.
"No, there won't be," Brock said dejectedly, "I'd better go take care of the Pokémon..."
As the sun set, the carnival lights lit up one by one, illuminating the smiling faces of everyone. Ma Jian and Lily walked hand-in-hand towards Ash and his friends: "Thank you, without your Help, I wouldn't have been able to find myself again."
"You did it yourself," Ash said with a smile, "We just gave you a little push."
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, happily wiggling its ears.
Ma Jian pulled three golden tickets from his pocket: "These are tickets to our magic show in the big city next week, I hope you can come."
"Definitely!" Brock took the tickets, though his expression was still a bit downcast.
As colorful fireworks bloomed in the night sky, Ash looked at his friends, his heart filled with satisfaction. Another dream was rekindled, and that was the most precious part of their journey.
"Next stop, where?" Xiao You asked.
Ash pulled down the brim of his hat, a characteristic smile on his face: "Anywhere, as long as the adventure continues!"