"Diane, what's happening?" Elaine questioned as everyone was awake.
"I'm taking Jirachi back to Forina."
"Without Butler?" Ash was confused.
"Butler doesn't want to return him there. He wants to use Jirachi's power for his own gain."
"But why would he do that?" Sakura clutched Jirachi's sleeping body close.
"He was part of whatever remnant of Team Rocket was left at the time as a scientist. Just him and a few others that I thought was just them until those three that tried to steal your Pokemon came around during the act. He knew of the Millennium Comet's incoming presence so he wanted to use the power of Jirachi and its capabilities to grant wishes to further his and Team Rocket's goals. But they laughed at him, and kicked him out when he wouldn't drop it. Butler wants revenge against Team Rocket."
"Well he can't have Jirachi! Not when I have anything to say about it!"
"That's right, we're behind you all the way!" Ash said with encouragement. Elaine and Trace nodded with smiling agreement.
"Thank you so much for taking us with you to take Jirachi back to where she belongs Diane." Sakura said gratefully to Diane.
"You're welcome." And on they went, from night to mid-day where it was incredibly bumpy. So bumpy in fact that Ash and Pikachu fell out of their seats, getting laughed at by everyone. Luckily for them the desert was so rocky it knocked off the tracking device on the back bumper. It was once again night as Elaine closed the third flap of her wishing star, before proceeding to get a drink of water. Ash was mindlessly eating while Pikachu slept, looking into the night sky and the comet inhabiting it. Clefable was on look out with her sensitive hearing for anything coming their way while Trace and Sakura slept shoulder to shoulder against the rock Clefable stood on, Sakura hugging Espeon and Jirachi close. Elaine went into the bus, getting herself a cup of water from the water tank.
"So what's everyone doing?" Diane asked, noting her coming in as she looked up from a flyer.
"Trace, Sakura and Jirachi are asleep. Ash is eating, and Clefable is still keeping watch." The girl answered as she got her water and drank it. She needed the cool refreshment.
"Butler and I knew each other when we were kids." Diane said, attracting Elaine's attention. "Back when we were just Henry Butler and Diane Travers. Even back then he liked magic, and came up with every new trick just to make me laugh. He always had a way of making me smile."
"It sounds like you two had lots of fun."
"It's been a very long time since I've seen Butler laugh like that." She stood up from her seat and walked to a window to look at everyone except Ash and Clefable sleeping. "I just hope that once the comet leaves, the real Butler I know and love comes back, and we can get on with our lives." Elaine didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say to that. She just sat down to think.
It was morning, and they were back on the off-road road again heading back to Forina, driving by a ravine while Team Rocket was in secret pursuit, slurping up ramen out of cups doing so. The bus got stuck along the way, but everyone was able to push it out of the mud, at the expense of them becoming muddy and filthy, but they just laughed it off and let Elaine's Azumarill wash them down so that they were just wet, not muddy. Trace on the way taught Sakura how to skip a rock across water, while Jirachi...accidentally threw itself in, to which everyone laughed, including said mythical Pokemon. But the laughs would start quieting down as the days passed as Sakura felt the looming presence of... when Jirachi would go back to sleep... for another thousand years. One night, as she was playing with Jirachi by a lake, she asked the steel/psychic type,
"What was it like last time you woke up? 1000 years ago?"
"Last time?" Jirachi asked as it thought back on it. "I made friends with a... writer. She was...Murasaki Shibu. We were friends... oh, and she wished for someone to give her inspiration of the book she was writing. It was called "The Tale of Genji." Things seem much more simpler back then. I've never heard of this thing called a carnival or bus before." Sakura sadly smiled.
"It's the first time you saw modern technology. I can't imagine how simple life was for Hoenn every thousand years back.
"This millennium is... nice." Jirachi gently smiled as she closed her eyes. Not going to sleep, but just appreciating the moment.
"Jirachi... we'll still be friends... even when you go back to sleep, right?" Sakura sounded worried, and the Wish Pokemon opened its eyes.
"Of course. I never forget my friends." Sakura partially felt relieved, but considering that it's only been awake a handful of times for a week, she wondered if that's just because each time didn't feel that long ago for it. The girl just simply let Jirachi rest in her lap as they looked up at the comet together.
"I'm glad to hear that.
They finally made it. They made it to Forina, a beautiful forest with inexplicable rock pillars sticking up out of the ground, capped off with their own trees. Swablu and Altaria flew overhead, and they saw a Tropius eating an apple like fruit. Vibrava flew close while a group of Nuzleaf watched from the tree branches above.
"Do you like it?" Jirachi asked Sakura.
"I love it." She answered. Ash hummed in agreement.
"What's not to like?"
"Pika!" And so they've walked for the whole day, only stopping to sleep for the night. Early in the morning when they started to continue, the group spotted Absol ahead of their path, whom started to walk along the path.
"Absol's going to lead the way." Diane smiled. Everyone was glad to hear that when they ventured onwards towards their goal. More Pokemon were seen like Breloom and Poochyena. In fact, all the Pokemon were surrounding the group, watching as Jirachi was being returned where it belonged. Even a Flygon touched down near them.
"So many Pokemon." Sakura remarked.
"They're all here to welcome Jirachi back." Elaine said. They then continued walking being watched until they entered a cave, being careful to not trip over rocks and the such. It helped they had flashlights in their bags so they didn't have to fumble in the complete dark.
"The spot where Jirachi slept for a thousand years is just up ahead." Diane told the teenagers as Absol looked up, before dashing off, for up above was an opening of the night sky... and the comet during its final night.
"The star... it calls me." Jirachi floated off Sakura's head, but she gripped its hand.
"Jirachi, I know you have to do this, and I won't stop you, but I have to say this." She started to cry. "You brought me so much fun just for wanting me as a friend. I'm going to miss you so much. If I were to have my final wish, it would be just to have you stay with me and we be friends together forever."
"Sakura, I feel the same... but the star... I must." The mythical Pokemon said as it floated out of her grasp, and tilted its body so that its body pointed towards the comet.
"Jirachi's getting ready."
"Ready for what?" Trace questioned Diane.
"Jirachi will open his true eye, and use it to absorb energy from the millennium comet." Elaine was interested by that.
"What does it do with the energy?"
"Where does it go?" Ash followed up.
"They say that during the thousand years that Jirachi sleeps, all the energy he absorbed from the comet is slowly released to the Earth."
"Wow, talk about the world's most efficient battery." Trace whistled.
"Everything that grows in Forina feeds off that energy."
"So Jirachi made all this?" Sakura looked around at any visible vegetation.
"Does that mean that this place is inhospitable without Jirachi?" Ash wondered. Elaine nodded.
"I'd imagine so." Jirachi's true eye, which was located on its belly which was closed all this time until now, opened. However, pieces of machinery pierced threw the rock above and generated purple electricity, forming a force field around the steel/psychic type.
"Jirachi!" Sakura cried out. Part of the rock face slid off as a trick cloth as a giant piece of machinery suspended high in the air, as the electricity moved the mythical Pokemon towards it, where Butler stood underneath it, just over the edge of the cavern our protagonists were in.
"Show time! And like every great magician, I saved my best trick for last!"
"Butler." Diane uttered in fear and concern.
"For most magicians, they would probably end their show with something obvious like make a Pokemon disappear! But since I'm not like most magicians, for tonight's show, I'm going to make one appear instead by becoming the equivalent of a legendary!"
"You're mad!" His partner called him out.
"Not mad, just a little angry and a wee bit impatient to get on with the show." The machines that use purple electricity then formed another cackling force field around them, so that they wouldn't get in the way. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! It's the moment you've all been waiting for!" Pressing a button on his cane, Jirachi in its bubble was guided to a small holding chamber just for it, letting the mythical Pokemon power the machine. "So Jirachi, let's give everyone the best show ever." Butler sneered as he pressed the button on his cane again, signaling for switches on the platform to flip, and the bottom portion to stick out. Jirachi's eye shot out a laser which as fast as light headed to the comet. A ring of light came outward from the comet before a similar beam, but purple and electrical, came back and was absorbed into Jirachi. He then twisted the head of his cane 90 degrees each time, causing switches to come up and make spike poke out from under the platform. Energy gathered underneath, until they shot downward at Butler, whom took the full force of the energy. "YEEEEESSSS! The power is mine! Now Team Rocker shall rue the day they ever doubted me!" If he wasn't crazy before, he most certainly was now. His jacket and shirt ripped apart from such power coming into his body, represented in his muscles growing bigger.
"Pikachuuuu!" Despite his power with the enhancement of the Light Ball, Pikachu could not penetrate the electrical cage they were in, neither could Clefable with her Moonblast. Even Trace's Eevee couldn't dig her way out, the electricity coursing into the ground.
"It's no good." Said trainer growled.
"Absol!" The disaster Pokemon came back, using its Razor Wind to attack the machines making the machines. "It's Absol!" Trace laughed as the Pokemon soon freed them. Flygon even helped as it used its tail to swat at one, and Hyper Beamed another.
"Flygon, help us get up there to free Jirachi!" Ash requested of the Mystic Pokemon, to which it screeched in approval. Ash and Sakura got on as they took to the skies.
"Be careful." Elaine whispered in fear. Sakura's Espeon was especially fearful for his beloved master. Butler saw them fly up, prompting him to throw out one of his Pokeballs, releasing a Salamence which roared.
"Salamence, get rid of them!" The Pokemon flew away while Butler began to change. His hair became blonde, his skin went from Caucasian to pure white, wish tags grew from his ears and forehead and six yellow streamers came from his back like wings. An eyelid formed in the middle of his chest which opened to reveal a fully functioning eye. It was a clash of Flamethrowers and Hyper Beams, one dodging the other to avoid damage.
"Watch out!" Ash told Flygon as they flew around Forina, weaving in between the stone pillars of the landscape.
"Sakura, Pikachu, you try to free Jirachi, Flygon and I will distract Salamence!"
"Right!"
"Pika!" They each agreed as they kept ahead of fleeing Salamence until Flygon got close enough to let Sakura and Pikachu off at the platform. Once on, Ash and Flygon took off while Pikachu used Thunderbolt on the machine keeping Jirachi in place, disrupting the energy flow restraining the mythical Pokemon until it slipped and flew out of there right into Sakura's arms. Butler stopped gaining power, but his mind was too warped to recognize the fact. He was too busy laughing.
"Jirachi, can you say something?" She asked the steel/psychic type. Its eye stopped glowing as it began to close, and once it did, it opened its normal eyes and recognized its friends.
"Sakura!" It smiled, to which Sakura sighed. "You're okay." She hugged it close. Flygon descended as the teenagers soon landed right where their friends were, having gotten out of the cave with Absol's help.
"Guys!" Trace and Elaine ran to Sakura and Ash and hugged them, making it a four person group hug.
"We're okay guys, really." Sakura tried to reassure them, but it was her Espeon that started to cry as he rubbed himself against her leg. "Aw, I'm sorry for worrying you." Diane smiled before losing it by looking up. Butler's wish tags glowed as he granted his wish to become bigger. Much bigger. Even without Jirachi, he was still sucking up energy due to his new, unstable form, draining the life energy from the nearby grass and trees.
"Butler has Jirachi's absorbed power!" Diane gasped as he granted another wish: to fly. He rose in the air to rise high. High above the platform and natural pillars. As he moved around, testing his power, more trees around him withered and decayed.
"The trees are all dying!" Trace gasped.
"The Earth! He's sucking energy from the Earth because of what he's done!" Diane said as nearby flowers died. Absol ran past them and leapt onto a rock to send a Razor Wind flying at Butler, but it did nothing making contact, getting his attention.
"Absol, I absol-ve you of your duty!" He cackled as he wished his fingers to become liquid tendrils, and shot them to capture and absorb the Pokemon, gaining its power. Growing a horn out the side of his head, Butler didn't notice it as he simply let more tendrils grow out of his back, sixteen in total, before sending them out to absorb more Pokemon. He soon gained as he absorbed Pokemon; Poochyena fangs, Linoone stripes, Swablue and Altaria fluff around his neck, the fur of an Electrike, bananas under his chin from a Tropius, he just kept cackling for more and more. Team Rocket was watching all of this in horror.
"Now would... not be a good time."
"For us to drop in unexpectedly." Jessie finished James's sentence. Altaria flew by them, causing them to be unfortunately be caught in the tendrils as they screamed from being caught.
"There must be a way to stop Butler!" Diane cried out.
"He's sucking up all the Pokemon!" Trace growled from seeing so many Pokemon getting captured as he gained more features, such as a Breloom's tail, a Nuzleaf leaf out of the top of his head, and Meowth whiskers. They gasped when a tendril was about to reach towards Diane, but a Salamence's flamethrower caused it to rescind back. Butler looked towards the attack and spotted the group.
"Why Salamence? Why would you protect Diane?!" The Pokemon corrupted man yelled, only to stop as he thought about it. "Protect... Diane? ...Diane..." He seemed... confused now.
"Salamence, take me to Butler! I need to speak with him!" Diane pleaded to the Dragon Pokemon. While reluctant, it allowed her to jump on and head towards him, where she came up to him, face to face. "Butler!" She screamed with intense emotion.
"Di...ane?" He asked, conflict on his face.
"Butler, listen to me! Look around you! The plants are dying! You're taking Pokemon into yourself! You're turning yourself into a monster! But I see what you're capable of! You have the power of Jirachi! Which means you can set everything back where it was! Please, become the Henry I've come to love! The little boy I've known since I was a little girl! Please!" He looked confused, sad, trying to find reason in what he was saying. She... loved him? But... love felt so foreign now. Not now. Not when he had so much... power. He groaned as he pointed his hand at her, his wish tags glowing as she and Salamence were teleported away. In their minds, he telepathically spoke to them,
"It's too late. You need to... get away! For if I catch you... I'll never let you go." Butler's eyes glowed white as his power overcame him, and he sent more tendrils towards them. Unable to get through to him, Diane grunted as she jumped off of Salamence, and told it,
"Protect them, please! Kids, on the platform is a way to reverse the polarity! So there's still a chance to return him back to normal!"
"What about you?!" Elaine questioned with worry.
"If my words can't get through to him, then maybe in there will work." She said just as she got hit and absorbed, terrifying her friends. Despite losing his mind, something snapped in Butler as he gripped his head, muttering,
"Diane... Diane..." He then screamed in anguish, "Diaaaaaaaaane!"
"She let herself be absorbed." Trace shook his head.
"And now he wants us!" Ash gasped as they all booked it. But the tendrils were just too fast, as Elaine, Trace, Clefable, Eevee Espeon got caught and were pulled back screaming.
"No!" Sakura cried out to those that were captured.
"Ash! Aaaaaaaash!" Elaine whailed in despair as they became part of Butler. Clefable ears poked out of Butler's head while Eevee fluff expanded down his chest and around his eye. Ash, Sakura and Pikachu had to keep running or else they'd wind up sharing the same fate as everyone else. And indeed, they were ensnared by another tentacle, but Jirachi used its power to teleport them out of danger. Feeling Jirachi's power, despite grieving over Diane, his eyes turned towards the mythical Pokemon, and flew towards the true source of his powers. Focusing all of his appendages towards them, it was a matter of cat and teleporting mouse as he tried getting them, but Jirachi made sure they never stayed in his grasp for long. Salamence breathed fire against them to try and buy time, and Flygon as well came to help as it Hyper Beamed those that got too close. It allowed the trainers to jump on when they saw the chance. The Mystic Pokemon flew over the trees until it spotted the caves from before, and went into it with Salamence. However, despite many ramming into stalactites and stalagmites, there was too many.
"They're too fast!" Ash cried out, but Jirachi used its power again to teleport them out of there.
"Drat! Where are you?!" Butler looked around, even his third eye searching this way and that.
"Diane said we need to go to the platform! Reverse the polarity I think! Perhaps Jirachi can absorb the energy out of Butler?!" Sakura tried to remember the plan. Ash looked down in contemplation.
"It's worth a try! We must do whatever it takes to save everyone!" Sakura and Jirachi nodded. Now having a plan, they set forth as they came within eye-sight of Butler.
"There you are." He grinned as Butler focused entirely on them. As they came close, Butler crossed his arms to let them glow, and then uncrossed them to use Swift so that they couldn't escape his attack since his tendrils couldn't keep hold. Salamence used Flamethrower on them to make them explode as the two dragons flew past him, despite his many appendages. "Stupid dragons." He growled as he chased after them. They tried to use one of the pillars to try to slow him down, since he was so widespread over the area, but Butler's head glowed blue as he used Zen Headbutt to simply smash threw it, sending the broken rocks crashing to the ground. When Flygon got close to the platform, they jumped onto it. Seeing what they were trying to do, the Monster Pokemon simply inhaled before unleashing Bullet Seed at them, spewing out seeds like machine gun fire as ricocheting off the metal as the teens took cover. Pikachu went out and shot forth a Thunderbolt to stop the attack, giving the teens cover to run to the switches. From what they knew, reversing things meant putting stuff into the opposite of where they should be, so they first thing they did was flipping all the switches.
"You think this is important?!" Sakura asked Ash about what looked like a battery fueling the thing.
"I don't know!" Ash answered. Skaura touched it, so that the machine could give it to her, but Butler managed to touch down on the platform. His body was too big, as it pulled and struggled to stay up supporting his weight.
"Come on children, give Butler the Jirachi." The corrupted magician requested faux politely as he gestured them to give the mythical Pokemon to him.
"Never!" Sakura denied before stumbling and accidentally dropping the battery before Pikachu ran and used her tail to fling it back before it went over the edge. "Thanks Pikachu!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.
"Pikaaachuuuu!" He sent a burst of electricity at Butler, but he held his hand out and took the attack, though he still winced, given one of his typings was part flying, negating whatever resistance that grass would give him.
"Keep it up! Jirachi, get in there!"
"Let's do it!" The steel/psychic type nodded as it let the machine do its thing.
"No!" Butler tried to make a dash for Jirachi, but a Hyper Beam blasted him off as Flygon and Salamence took a stand. Despite their power, he only grunted as he roared with fury. From behind, two tentacles aborbed them despite their best effort to struggle. Butler grew huge red wings behind him while gaining some red visors around his eyes and over the bridge of his nose. Ash took a dash to the last switch just as the monster focused on them.
"Jirachi, it's up to you now! You ready?! Here goes nothing!" Ash pulled the switch down, and the laser from the machine shot at Butler, whom was pushed back and screamed.
"NO! My power! MY POWER!" He yelled as he grew larger. Much larger. So much he went from being about 50 feet tall to as tall as the pillars surrounding him so he wouldn't fall. Even then he still tried absorbing Jirachi, but Pikachu's Thunderbolts kept them at bay. He slumped over onto the rock pillar nearest the platform and started to dissolve, his body unable to keep itself together. Ash, Pikachu, Sakura and Jirachi were slowly covered in melting flesh much to three of their frightened protest as Butler tried to keep a hold of himself, until a white glow emanated from his body, and thus expanded out. Ash, Sakura and Pikachu witnessed as Jirachi smiled as it prepared its ultimate technique: Doom Desire.
"Ahhh." It sighed as it brimmed with power, and started to lift Butler off the ground.
"What... is... this?!" He questioned in fear as he was powerless to do anything but be lifted by Jirachi's attack, overwhelmed by the mythical steel/psychic type. "Aaaahhhh!" It shouted with joy as it shot Butler screaming into the air, higher and higher towards the sky, faster and faster until it broke the speed of sound several times up to Mach 7, crossing paths with the comet from the perspective from the ground until the attack ultimately exploded, raining energy down towards the ground. Pokemon that were absorbed by Butler were teleported back to where they were caught, looking around. Butler soon appeared again, back to his complete normal self completely clothed, and Diane soon followed suite. Seeing her, he gasped for her well-being. "Diane!" He ran to her, and checked to see if she was okay. "Diane." He said once more. She woke up, and saw his face upon opening her eyes.
"Oh... Butler." She sighed lovingly as she hugged him, and he in return. Our protagonists and Pikachu were also teleported down on the ground, and noticed that they were all alright. Descending from the ground, Jirachi glowed like a star, as she floated nearer and nearer to the group, laughing and giggling as she drew closer. The glow soon evaporated away, leaving just Jirachi.
"Jirachi! You're okay!" Sakura cheered as she hugged the mythical Pokemon.
"We did it!"
"You're the best!
"No Sakura, you're the best. I made lots of wishes, and you made them all come true!" Everyone agreed with its statement. "Now Sakura, will you grant me one final wish?"
"Final wish?" She asked. Actually, Jirachi looked exhausted, despite absorbing so much of its and the comet's power back.
"I'm feeling so sleepy, I wish you guys would sing a song for me to sleep."
"Hey guys, how about the lullaby our parents sang?" Elaine suggested. "We can all grant your wish.
"Oh yeah." Ash remembered, along with Trace. "Be sure to follow along with us Sakura."
"I'll... try my best." Sakura wasn't sure since she never heard of this song.
"That would make me happy." Jirachi nodded before Elaine went first.
"Doo doo doo doo, doo dooooo, doo doo doooooo, doo doo..." The boys sang along with her, and Sakura as best as she could. Jirachi listened whole heartedly as Butler and Diane watched from the sidelines, happy for them since they saved everyone. Absol watched as well when Jirachi said,
"Thank you everyone! I couldn't have wished for anything better!" The Wish Pokemon began wrapping itself in the streamers from its back, becoming bundled up again and started to glow once more. Sakura stopped singing as she became too emotional, watching her friend revert back into a purple geode. Sakura's eyes teared up as she yelled after a few seconds,
"Bye!" Jirachi's stone cocoon descended down into the earth, before being absorbed into it as energy pulsated through the entirety of Forina, waves of blue slowly helping the land recover.
"Goodnight Jirachi." Ash said. Elaine nodded.
"I hope you have sweet dreams."
"Pikachu." "Cle." Esp." Each of their Pokemon said as Sakura closed her eyes and placed her hands to her heart.
"Jirachi. My heart... that's where you'll be." Even Team Rocket was in on the fun as they were stranded on top of one of the pillars, fearful about what this pulsating energy was.
"Is this an illusion or am I just seeing things?!" James cried out.
"This could be another trick by that magician!" Meowth accused.
"Maybe." Jessie calmed down as she said that. "But I feel like I got my wish."
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!"
"Meowth, maybe you should go first."
"Why don't we all say ours at the same time!"
"If I could only have one wish, it would be to always feel like this!" They shouted to no one aside from themselves, just feeling good for the sake of it.
By morning, the comet was gone, and everyone looked down at the restored Forina.
"Diane and I will be staying in Forina." Butler told them.
"We both finally realized what's most important." Diane stated as she looked into his eyes. "And that's to be together."
"I'm so happy for both of you, you finally got your wish Diane!"
"Yeah." She responded gladly.
"How about we both give you rides back to town?" Butler offered as they went to the bus.
"What was Diane's wish?" Ash asked Elaine, but she giggled.
"I'll never tell." Ash groaned before Trace remembered.
"Elaine, didn't you mean to finish your wish maker?" Elaine gasped as she brought out her trinket, moaning in sorrow.
"Well, if it helps, we have to make our own wishes come true. Wishing takes the fun out of it." Ash tried to cheer her up, which it sort of did.
"Yeah. Thanks, I guess." As they went to get in the bus, a voice stopped Sakura as she turned back.
"Sakura! I'll never forget you! We'll be best best friends, forever and ever." That last word echoed as she smiled.
"Espeon?" Her Pokemon asked her partner. She just chuckled.
"It was just Jirachi, sending her regards." She went to be with her friends, so that they could continue on their journey.
One night, when the group was star gazing, something occurred to Sakura.
"Guys?" She asked.
"Yes?" They replied.
"Did Jirachi ever wish the money back to where it belonged?" All four thought about it for a full minute.
"Uuuuuuhhhh..."
A/N: And that's Jirachi and the Wish Maker. Now, since Team Magma game wise was dissolved by the to-be champion at the time, let's just go with Brendan in this continuity, Butler couldn't be a scientist for them. I just figured a small Hoenn branch would work. And boy did I repurpose a villain. Went from being an almost literal ring master to basically a Kevin 11 based abomination with mish-mashed Pokemon parts. I tried to make it all blend in with sense to it. I bet fan-art of all that would be pretty awesome looking. And maybe silly with all the cute fluff and chin bananas. What do you think? Review please on this chapter.