This is the second of four chapters today.
"Is it okay for us to see him?" Diane asked.
Max thought it over for several seconds.
"Ash?" he asked. "Is Lucario available?"
"Yes," Ash replied. "I can get someone else as well if you think it'd help."
"No, they're having fun," Max replied. He glanced at Brock for a moment, who smiled encouragingly, and then nodded. "Okay, I think it should be okay."
Butler swallowed, and tried to smile. "Thank you, Max."
"But if Jirachi says no, that means no," Max added.
"Right," Butler said, and took a deep breath.
"Okay, Jirachi," Max called. "It should be okay."
Jirachi poked his head up from behind Max's shoulder, then floated a bit higher.
"Hello, Jirachi," Butler said. "I... what have you heard?"
I know you wanted my help to make a Groudon appear, Jirachi said, slowly. But I can't do that... Groudon's more powerful than I am, and I can't really make living things. It's really hard to make things at all.
"You can't?" Butler blinked. "But I thought..."
Teleporting things is easier, Jirachi explained. And I'm not great at knowing how my wishes will get fulfilled...
"But all I need is more power," Butler said, grasping at straws. "I just need to wish for power – enough power to revive Groudon from the fossil I have."
Jirachi floated back a bit, hiding behind Max, and the young trainer shot him a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
I'm... yeah, I'll be fine, Jirachi said. But I'm kind of scared...
"Butler!" Diane admonished. "Remember, Jirachi's just a child – treat him like one."
Butler was about to reply hotly, but reined himself in. "Diane, you know this is something I've been working towards for years," he reminded her instead.
"I know," Diane sighed. "But you used to be so much happier, before all this started. Before you got in with Team Magma."
"Not this argument again," Butler said. "Team Magma was-"
"Why does Team Magma want to have a Groudon under their control?" Ash asked.
"Well, I don't want Groudon under control, exactly," Butler demurred. "I just want to see him – and I'm sure that he'd be a force for good, by correcting the climate."
"Correcting... the climate?" Brock asked, confused.
"There's ice caps on both poles of our planet," Butler said. "That's not normal, geologically speaking. If the world was warmer, then there'd be-"
"-most of the coast flooded out?" Brock interrupted. "All that ice would have to go somewhere..."
"Not with Groudon's power," Butler replied.
"Then wouldn't it-"
"Guys!" Ash called. "I don't speak geology... but, uh, wouldn't it be better to just not provoke a powerful Legendary?"
Butler noticed that Jirachi was almost completely hidden behind Max now, only peeking out with one eye. "I... sorry, this has been something I've worked on for a long time, and..."
"Butler, please," Diane said. "Just... you discovered the Jirachi of Forina. Isn't it enough?"
The magician and scientist wavered, then let out a long sigh. "I... well, I suppose," he said. "I just wish I knew if I was right about that fossil."
Jirachi's tags began to glow.
"Jirachi?" Max asked, turning – staying between Butler and the Psychic-type. "Are you okay?"
Uh... Jirachi's mental tone was distracted. I kind of don't know...
The air wavered, then the whole group was engulfed by an image.
Everyone there except Butler, Diane and Brock's Pokémon recognized it instantly – it was what had happened last time around, with the fossil and the machine that had used Jirachi's power.
Butler and Diane gaped as the machine activated, light engulfing it – then the construct mockery of Groudon appeared.
The next minute or so was humbling for the scientist-turned-magician. He saw some – but not all – of the battle, flickering impressions divided up by the viewpoint moving around crazily as Jirachi dodged attacks.
There was enough, though, for an answer to the question he had wished for. Whether that was a fossil of Groudon or not – and it seemed to be – it was not possible for Jirachi to revive.
The image collapsed, and Diane gasped. "What was that?"
"Future Sight, I think," Brock said – not sure himself but happy to describe it that way. "I guess that's what would have happened if you'd made Jirachi help."
"I see." Butler sat down hard. "Well..."
He put his head in his hands. "What a waste."
"Butler..." Diane began, softly.
"No, I..." He sighed. "Never mind."
Diane put her hand on his shoulder – then blinked. "Wait, where'd they come from?"
Most of Brock's team waved awkwardly.
"Stantler had them under an illusion," Brock explained. "It was basically in case there were problems – we'd heard about the Team Magma thing, and some Team Aqua grunts attacked us in a Pokémon Centre a week or two ago... so..."
"An understandable caution, I suppose," Diane said.
"Diane-" Butler began.
"We do have a Salamence," Diane pointed out. "And they're right to be wary... I'd have thought you'd appreciate it, you're a magician."
Butler surprised them – and himself – by chuckling.
"Alright," he said, after a moment. "I suppose... well, I suppose I'll have to be happy with that."
He frowned. "Wait. The valley in that... vision... looked like Forina. Is that right?"
I think it was Forina, Jirachi confirmed. It looked kind of familiar.
"Would you like to go there?"
Jirachi frowned. Well, I guess I kind of have to... I'd like to stay around here first, though. The fair's fun.
"I'm sure we can help make it fun for you," Diane agreed.
She smiled, as an idea came to her. "Actually... we do need a couple of people to help us in the stage show. How would you kids like to join the circus for a day or two?"
That actually sounds fun, Jirachi said. Can the other Pokémon join in too?
"I'm surprised you use that word," Butler said. "It's less than a thousand years old."
I learn quick! Jirachi replied.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Butler announced, flourishing his wand and shaking a stray Swablu off it. "Allow me to introduce – the great escapologist, Brock of the Locks!"
Ash and Max, both dressed as clowns, threw glitter into the air as Brock walked onstage.
"In order to demonstrate his skills," Butler went on, voice projecting through the entire big top, "Brock of the Locks will escape from these handcuffs!"
Ash brought out the handcuffs, and Diane locked them on with a click.
"While tied up in this rope!"
Max brought this out, trying not to grin, and Diane efficiently lashed Brock's arms to his sides.
"When in these handcuffs!"
Another set, these larger and more ornate.
"And footcuffs!"
"What are footcuffs?" Ash asked out loud.
"Handcuffs for feet!" Max replied. "Pay attention!"
Butler went on, listing item after item. After the footcuffs went on, there was a chain. Then a cage. Then a larger cage, with a padlock on the door and another padlock on the padlock.
Finally, the whole thing was wrapped in a heavy, locked tarpaulin and lifted into the air on a crane.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Butler called, with another flourish of his slim wand. The same Swablu from before landed on it, and he shooed it away with a swish and a flick. "The great Brock of the Locks will now escape from his trap! Ten! Nine... eight... seven..."
The audience counted along, and began to cheer as they reached zero.
Nothing happened.
"Oh..." Butler said, surprised. "That's not happened before... lower the cage!"
Ash and Max nodded, and went over to lower the crane.
A few people in the audience started asking one another questions. "What's going on?"
"Did something go wrong?"
As soon as the contraption reached the floor, Ash and Max began to laboriously undo the locks on the tarpaulin – working around from the front to the back, one each at a time.
Then the tarpaulin fell.
"What the-!?" Ash asked, from inside the cages. "What just happened?"
"Why are we in the cage?" Max asked.
Brock finished lowering the tarpaulin, and raised his arms from behind the cage. "Ta-dah!"
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Butler called. "Brock! Of! The Locks!"
That was a lot of fun! Jirachi giggled, once the crowd had left. I helped with a magic trick!
Max grinned. He'd been the one to actually make the wish – a simple one, wishing for Brock to swap places with him and Ash – and Jirachi had quickly granted it in just the way they meant.
"It's fascinating to watch," Diane added. "I know Jirachi can grant wishes by teleporting things, but I do wonder what else he can do."
Um... Jirachi frowned. I can do... well, giving energy, if there's not too much. You know about teleporting things... and I can use Psychic. I've got an attack, too... but that's scarily powerful.
He shrunk in on himself slightly. I don't really like using it. I don't like hurting people.
"That's a good thing," May assured him.
Yeah, I know, Jirachi agreed.
He shook his head. What should we do now, Max?
Max smiled at the much happier tone in Jirachi's voice, and thought about it.
"Well, maybe we could do some training? I mean, just... well, exercise. My Pokémon enjoy training, so you could give it a go too – and then we can go on more rides in the afternoon."
Do you think the roller coaster's fixed yet?
"Last I heard, they were still working on it," Butler said. "But they seemed nearly done."
Let's do that, then! Jirachi said.
"Just stay clear of any Pichu you spot..." Pikachu said ruefully.
"Like this," Butler's Kirlia said, opening her hands to reveal the glowing spark of light. "This is Wish, it's a move that heals people or Pokémon. Did you see how I did it?"
Jirachi frowned. Uh... you kind of made a light?
Kirlia sighed. "This could take longer than I'd thought... shouldn't you know Wish already?"
I know how to grant wishes! Jirachi replied, indignantly. I just don't know the move...
"Okay, I'll show you again." Kirlia blew the light out, and focused again. She clasped her hands, and a faint light appeared inside.
So it's... wait, is it just energy?
"Shaped energy, but yes," Kirlia told him. "Do you know how to focus the right kind of energy?"
Uh... I'll give it a try...
As Jirachi focused his energy and tried to make it into a concentrated spark of healing light, there was an outbreak of barking a little way across the packed earth.
Houndoom rolled onto his back, got both forepaws underneath Cinder, and pushed her off with a huff of effort. He came back to his feet, but then Butler's lupine Mightyena slammed into him from the side.
"Good!" Max called. "Don't let him recover!"
"Not fair!" Houndoom whined, knocking the Mightyena away and swiping his tail at Cinder.
Then there was a crash, and a grey-white shape burst into the clearing.
"Don't worry, I can-"
Heads turned, and the newcomer's pace slowed.
"...help?" she said, a little more uncertainly. "Uh..."
"An Absol?" Diane asked, surprised. "What's an Absol doing here? Is there going to be a disaster?"
The Dark-type scanned the clearing with glowing red eyes, seemingly at a loss. "I... well, I thought one was going on right now... the whole place is saturated..."
She noticed Jirachi. "Wish Maker! Are you alright?"
A light began to crackle up her horn. "Have you been kidnapped?"
"No!" Jirachi replied, speaking both telepathically and out loud at once. "I'm having great fun!"
"...then what's going on?"
"I think I know," Lucario said, lowering his leg from the snap-kick he'd frozen in mid-spar.
Absol turned to him, tilting her head. "I'd love to hear an explanation..."
Lucario pointed. "That's my trainer."
Absol looked, did a double take, and took a pace back. "...wow."
"The last Absol I met tried to jump through a window," Ash said.
"Can someone explain what's going on?" Butler asked. "I thought Absol were warnings of disasters."
"Ash is a disaster," Brock chuckled.
"I'm still kind of surprised by the number of legendaries here," Absol said, a couple of minutes later. "It's not what I expected at all, when I came here."
May leaned over to show Ethan's screen to both Diane and Butler, to keep them following the whole conversation.
"Why did you come here?" Max asked, glancing at Jirachi. "I mean, I guess it's because of Jirachi, but..."
"I sensed great danger," Absol reiterated. "The potential for extreme disaster, to the Wish Maker and to others, and strong enough I noticed from miles away."
"That doesn't sound like it's just the normal Ash situation," Brock frowned. "From what I heard, Karen's Absol didn't notice until he was in the room."
"I see," Absol nodded her bladed head slowly. "Then... maybe it is not just this trainer's influence."
She blinked, slowly. "I will see what I can tell."
"You can get information about that kind of thing?" Suicune asked. "I've heard Absol can tell calamities approach, but nothing about the specifics."
"I have something of a gift for chance-sifting," the Absol said. "Lots of practice."
"It sounds like to get practice you'd have to experience lots of disasters, close up," Pikachu frowned. "Otherwise you'd never be able to tell..."
"That's correct," Absol agreed. "Let me see..."
The blade of her horn seemed to shimmer faintly as she closed her eyes. It reflected the light of the sky overhead, and she took a deep breath.
Then her eyes snapped open.
"Run!"
"What?" Ash asked, jumping to his feet. "What do you mean?"
"We need to get to safety-"
"Now, Gorebyss!" shouted a voice that none of them recognized.
Then a huge wave of water blasted across their backstage training ground, knocking humans and Pokémon about and carrying most of them along with the almighty Water attack.
Latios decloaked, shimmering into visibility, and looked around a little frantically.
There!
He darted forwards and down, and his arms closed around Max before hauling him out of the subsiding current.
"Are you okay?" he squeaked.
Max coughed out water, and Jirachi hovered anxiously over.
"What happened?" May asked, as Blaziken lowered her to the ground – feathered legs steaming as he pushed away the worst effects of the water. "Max – did you swallow any water?"
"That was an attack," Brock said, stating the obvious. "Wait, where's-"
He looked around, locating humans and Pokémon one by one, and a silvery-blue blur shot across the ground in the direction they'd come.
"Is that Ash?" Butler asked, pointing.
Brock followed his finger and saw Ash, palms glowing and with Pikachu on his shoulder, running towards the trainer who'd attacked them – a bald man in a bandana with a Gorebyss wrapped around his torso.
Then everyone was gaping, as the Aqua agent gestured – and the water rippled around him.
A bubble of water came quickly up to his torso height, and then slammed out at Ash – who was forced to block to avoid several kilos of water knocking him flat on his back.
Jirachi floated a little lower, and his face scrunched in concentration. A spark of light appeared in his palm.
"I wish Max was better," he said fiercely, and the light flashed for a moment before flickering out and hitting Max – making him sputter again, but then take a deep breath.
More Aqua trainers came out of hiding, Pokémon appearing from their Pokéballs, and Suicune was diverted from her charge to support Ash by the appearance of a Stunfisk.
A moment later, her brothers joined her, and the three Beasts of Ecruteak roared a united challenge.
"No!" Absol spluttered, then coughed out the rest of the water. "No!" she repeated, more easily. "We can't do this here!"
"I don't think Ash is going to run away," Brock said, wincing as Entei slammed down a Heat Wave which evaporated much of an incoming Hydro Pump.
Another of those blasts of water came pulsing out from the Aqua admin – who had to be a Psychic of some kind – and Ash batted it away with his staff, then Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt which was hastily deflected by a Protect from the Gorebyss.
"No – there's going to be people hurt!" Absol insisted, nodding towards some startled fairgoers visible through the support struts of one of the rides. "If this fight happens here, people will get badly hurt!"
"Then we need to go somewhere else!" Keldeo decided, and swung his blade to deflect an attack aimed at the group. He followed it up with a scything Sacred Sword, but a Shedinja swooped in and absorbed the attack. "We can't let bystanders get hurt!"
"Right!" Max said, wiping his mouth. "Jirachi!"
"Yes?" Jirachi replied.
"I wish we could get out of here!"
Jirachi's tags flashed, and then there was a flare of bright light-
-and everyone landed on a hillside.
"What happened?" Ash demanded, as he recovered from a stumble. "Guys?"
"I got Jirachi to teleport us!" Max explained.
"Absol said that too many people would be hurt if the battle kept going," Brock explained.
"We'd have won if you'd given us another minute..." Entei muttered.
"Where..." Butler began, then looked around. "This is Forina, isn't it."
"Yeah," Jirachi said. "This was the best place I could think of."
"That's the valley we saw!" Diane added, pointing. "Look, down there!"
"Wait!" Ash said, worried. "Where's Houndoom? And the Absol, and Cinder and the other Mightyena?"
"...Jirachi?" Lucario asked, after a moment. "Do you have Miracle Eye?"
Jirachi looked uncertain. "I've got this thing on my chest..."
"Oh, no!" Max said. "The teleport must not have picked up the Dark-types!"
"Cinder?" Houndoom asked, looking around at the mostly-bare battleground. "The others just vanished – this isn't good..."
"Get that Absol!" the Aqua admin said, pointing. "And the others! We can at least use them as hostages!"
The grunts nodded, sending out the rest of their Pokémon.
Absol backed away, growling, and the other three canines moved up to cover her flanks.
"What are you good at?" Cinder asked, softly. "In battle, I mean."
"I'm a good chance-dancer," Absol said. "And I'm good with my blade... you?"
"Trips," Cinder said shortly. "Working on some other stuff."
"About the same," Butler's Mightyena confirmed.
"Right, looks like I'm the muscle," Houndoom said.
Absol glanced back at him, remaining alert to the skeins of chance. "How so?"
Houndoom smirked, and his tail snapped.
Suddenly there were twice as many Mightyena as before, and a near-perfect duplicate of herself.
Absol blinked, and then the three shadow copies charged.
Pulses of water hammered into them from the Aqua admin and destroyed them, but at that moment Absol saw her opening.
She lunged across the muddy ground.
Both Mightyena fell in beside her, protecting her flanks, and she jumped away from a crackling Thunderbolt attack from the Stunfisk before swiping at one of the newly-released Pokémon – a Meditite – with a Night Slash crackling on her horn.
The half-Psychic type fell back before coming around to attack again, and Cinder grabbed him by the arm before tossing him around in a Play Rough that left him much the worse for wear.
Houndoom took a nasty hit from a Brine as he was producing more Beat Up doubles, and yelped as the Water-type attack staggered him before rallying and sending out a thick, dense Smokescreen.
Using the smoke with the ruthlessness of the Dark-type she was, Absol slashed at the Feraligatr who was her biggest single obstacle. There was a crash and a whimper behind her as one of the Mightyena was hit, and then the smoke was blasted away by the wings of a Pelipper.
Cinder pounced skywards through the thinning smoke, favouring one foreleg, and clamped down on the Pelipper's wing with a Thunder Fang.
Still trying to stay on the best path she could sense, Absol stepped back and evaded a counter-attack from the big alligator she was focused on. The other Mightyena tried to use her as a distraction to get in a telling blow, but the enemy leader spotted him and blasted him with a watery attack.
Absol's sense of calamity warned her to duck, and Houndoom shot an Inferno over her head which startled Feraligatr and forced the human leader to shield himself with his water. Coiled like a spring, she launched herself up as soon as the attack was dissipating and hit Feraligatr hard with another Night Slash.
Suddenly the probabilities screamed at her, and a moment later a Poliwrath pummelled her into the ground.
Shaking her head, clearing the stars which had been filling it, Absol stood – a bit shakier now.
"Poliwrath, hypnosis!" one of the grunts called.
Absol bared her teeth.
"...you're a moron," the human leader said. "Just knock them out."
Her instincts gave her warning, and Absol dodged to one side away from the blurring X-Scissor attack of a Ninjask.
As she did, and as Houndoom caught it in an Ember and sent it crashing to the ground, something else appeared.
It was an outside probability of severe property damage from a sonic boom – something so unusual that she wondered what it even meant.
"A little to the left!" Ash called, over the rushing sound. "And – okay, slow down now!"
His hands and feet pulsed with Aura as he gripped tightly, and Mega Latios shed speed – braking as hard as Ash could handle.
They'd left it so late that Mega Latios only went subsonic a mile or so away, and skidded to a stop in mid-air sending a blast of wind in all directions.
Lucario emerged from his Pokéball while the Aqua agents were still gaping, and picked up the startled Absol by the neck and the back.
"Sorry," he said, and threw her upwards.
"What-" Amber shook his head, and pointed. "Stop them!"
Lucario threw an Aura Sphere at him as Ash returned first Houndoom, then Cinder, then the other Mightyena – all three of whom looked exhausted – and Mega Latios caught Absol in both clawed hands.
Another red return beam flicked out, catching Lucario, and then Mega Latios shot off again.
"...well, great," Amber sighed, letting his latest water bubble drop back to the floor with a splat.
"Sir?" one of the grunts asked. "What now?"
"Follow them, of course!" Amber replied. "Get the Seakings back in the air, that way we can find out where Jirachi went!"
"Right!" another agreed, returning his Poliwrath. "You're the boss, skipper!"
"I know," Amber said, rolling his eyes. "Right, make sure to grab all the knocked-out Pokémon, too..."
"Aye aye, sir!" several enthusiastic grunts called, fired-up from seeing their opponents run, and got to work.
"Skip?" his second in command asked, with a frown. "Aren't you worried that that was a Legendary? That there were three other Legendaries there – at least?"
Amber shook his head. "No, Lady Kyogre will destroy them all."
"Of course, sorry."
A few minutes later, two big amphibious helicopters lifted off in a thunder of rotors and turned to follow the direction Mega Latios had come from.
Three pairs of eyes followed it.
"Well, guess it's time ta get back ta work," the shortest of the three said. "Da fair was pretty fun..."
"You know what they say," James said, putting his icecream down. "There's no rest for the wicked."
"Den we really did turn over a new Leafeon," Meowth noted. "At least two weeks'a rest!"
"We'd better follow them in the plane," Jessie decided. "Who's got the keys?"
Mega Latios popped up over a ridge, already slowing down. He banked, wings tilted to dig into the air, and shed speed a little more slowly – and safely – than back at the fair.
By the time he reached the others, he was just skimming along – and once they were near the ground, Absol jumped gratefully out of his arms.
"That was... an experience," she said, shakily. "How fast were we going?"
"More than the sound barrier," Mega Latios replied. "Not sure the exact numbers."
"Did you get the others?" Max asked, and Ash tossed him and Butler the borrowed Pokéballs before jumping down from Mega Latios' back.
There was an orange shimmer as Mega Latios became just Latios, and caught the falling Latiosite with one hand.
"Thank you, Ash," Butler said, sending out Mightyena to check on his condition. "Kirlia, can you help-?"
Nodding, his Fairy-type bent over and began to build up a Wish.
"What do we do now, Ash?" Max asked. "Those Aqua guys were after Jirachi!"
"They must be trying to do the same thing that I planned," Butler said, frowning. "But with Kyogre instead of Groudon, obviously."
"What would happen if they tried?" Diane asked. "I thought you didn't leave any other versions of your machinery around..."
"No, it's encrypted," Butler confirmed. "Even if they got it here, it wouldn't function."
"But it's the middle of the comet's pass!" Jirachi said, worried. "I'm strongest today, I might actually be able to kind of make the fake Kyogre myself!"
"You could?" Suicune asked. "I hadn't realized you were stronger today..."
"It only shows up when my eye is open..." Jirachi indicated the eye on his chest. "I... don't really know a lot about how my wishes work, but I feel like it might actually make... the kind of fake version of the Legendary."
"I guess we need to get ready, then," Ash said. "At least this place isn't as densely populated..."
In fact, it looked like there were no people for miles – and not even very many Pokémon.
"How long do you think it'll take?" May asked, glancing at Latios.
"I don't know," Latios replied. "A while... it depends how they get here."
"Right," Brock said, and sent out his starter. "Steelix? Are you ready for this?"
Steelix nodded, Mega Stone glittering.
As Diane sent out the Salamence she and Butler shared and checked his saddle, May frowned.
She sniffed, and her frown deepened. "Huh... that's strange."
"What?" Ash asked, glancing over.
"I can smell..." May sniffed again. "I think it's sulphur."
"I can't smell anything," Cinder said, sniffing as well.
Absol's eyes flashed as something reached her disaster-sense. "Look out-"
A lithe man with hair over one eye seemed to appear out of thin air, and grabbed Jirachi's torso with his right hand.
"Jirachi!" Max yelled.
"What the-" Butler began. "Blaise!"
"Jirachi, I wish for Groudon!" Blaise said forcefully. "Right here, right now!"
Jirachi's face scrunched up, his tags glowing, and a moment later Latios blurred forwards and rammed into the Magma agent to knock him backwards.
Blaise staggered, then recovered and shimmered out of view again.
"It must be an illusion!" Brock said. "Stantler, can you help?"
"Jirachi, don't!" Max called, as the Legendary clutched at his star-headpiece. "You don't have to!"
Sorry, Max! Jirachi managed, then cried out as his eye opened. A glow built up to blinding intensity around the little Psychic-type-
Flygon snapped awake.
Something was very wrong. The ground shook, and then a roar came throbbing through the canyons of Forina – a roar like nothing he'd ever heard before.
It sounded... almost liquid.
His wings snapped open, and he flew skywards – aiming to get an angle to see what was making the noise.
The Dragon-type rose into the air... then saw what it was, and promptly dove again.
"What's the problem?" a Tropius asked, as Flygon came down to hovering altitude. "What did you see?"
"There's a giant evil Groudon in the next valley over!" Flygon said. "Everyone run for it!"
The Pokémon of Forina exchanged startled glances.
"A what!?"
"How?"
"Are you sure?" a Linoone asked.
"It's Groudon-shaped and it's got weird tendrils of green goop!" Flygon went on. "You need to get out of here!"
"What do you mean, you?" Tropius replied. "Why just us?"
"I'm the fastest," Flygon replied. "Except for Ninjask, and he's too small – he should help warn everyone. But I'm going to try and distract it to give you time to get away."
The green-and-red Dragon-type turned and flew back towards the chaos, and after a moment Ninjask followed him.
Glances were exchanged among the others, and then they began to run.
AN:
And here's where things go pear-shaped.
The Magma and Aqua agents, Blaise and Amber, are from Pokémon Special. The powers and moves they use here are about right for their Special incarnations.
Team Magma and Team Aqua may be composed of complete idiots, but some of them are very competent indeed. They're just... well, cultists.
Also – Absol! This one's got a greater capacity to endure being right next to Ash than the other one we've seen so far. Which helps.
Finally – as this is right in the middle of the comet's pass, Jirachi has more energy in his budget.
