"Genie, that's terrible," Aladdin immediately replied, surprised and horrified by the revelation.
Genie slowly emerged from the lamp. "Oh… to be free. Not to have to go 'Poof! What do you need?' To be my own master... such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in all the world! But what am I talking about here? Let's get real, real here. It's not gonna happen."
He said to himself, "Genie, wake up and smell the hummus."
"Why not? Why can't it happen?" Aladdin asked.
He didn't need to try to sound sincere because he was truly experiencing the moment and knew that this was one of the most defining moments of Aladdin's and the Genie's relationship.
"The only way I can get outta this is if my master wishes me out… So you can guess how often that's happened," Genie responded.
"If that's the only way, then I'll do it. I'll set you free," Aladdin replied with a wide, cheerful smile.
Genie's head swiftly transformed into Pinocchio with a long nose.
Wooop!!
Aladdin continued, smiling calmly. "After I make my first two wishes. I'll use my third wish to set you free." He stretched out his hand to the Genie.
"Well, here's hoppin'," Genie said as he shook his hand.
"Okay. Let's make some magic. So, how about it? What is it that you want the most?"
"Well, there's this girl…" Aladdin said, becoming shy.
Genie's chest transformed into a chest with a heart through it as he responded, "Eeehh!! Wrong! I can't make anybody fall in love, remember?"
"Oh, but Genie. She's smart and fun…" Aladdin replied.
"Pretty," Genie added.
"Beautiful," Aladdin responded with a dreamy expression. "She's got these eyes that just… and this hair, wow, and her smile…"
"Ami, c'est l'amour." Genie appeared to be sitting in a Persian café with Abu and Carpet as he replied in a soft tone.
[French for 'My friends, it's love.']
"But she's the Princess. To even have a chance, I'd have to be a… hey. I've got an idea. I know what to wish for my first wish," Aladdin exclaimed, as though a light bulb had lit up in his mind.
Genie appeared out of a blue 'poof' of smoke that suddenly formed out of thin air before him.
"Well, what is it?" he asked, his tone filled with anticipation and his gaze full of interest as he stared at Aladdin.
This was the moment Aladdin had been waiting for ever since he arrived in this world.
Aladdin steadied his breath and said, "I wish to be the sole legitimate heir of a powerful, stable, and prosperous empire that exists fully upon my wish, with all political authority, wealth, and resources necessary to rule effectively, and to inherit it without challenge, so I may protect those I care about and act freely in this world."
To get Princess Jasmine to fall for him, the former Aladdin had wished to be a prince, which the Genie had fulfilled by transforming him into a regal figure and materialising immense wealth, servants, elephants, soldiers, and much more.
However, there was a catch that Aladdin quickly uncovered. His wish only portrayed himself as a prince so that Princess Jasmine could fall in love with him.
Why didn't Genie materialise an entire kingdom for Aladdin just as he had done for others? Because it didn't matter at that time.
Genie had not only used Aladdin's words but also his heartfelt desires to fulfil the wish in a way that would satisfy him.
Aladdin had not only watched the animated movie but had also seen several parts of the TV series, the majority of which he had forgotten. Just as he had survived Jafar's plot, he already knew the storyline and had taken advantage of it.
He needed some protection because there were more powerful wizards and mystical beasts out there, more powerful than Jafar, in the Seven Deserts and possibly the wider world, whose true size he had no idea about.
The screen wouldn't cut away the moment he and Jasmine reached their happily ever after. And he didn't plan on settling in Agrabah for the rest of his life with such a vast and immense world out there waiting to be explored.
That was why Aladdin had made this wish. He would immediately become the rightful successor to a powerful, stable and prosperous empire. It won't just be a title, but a fully functioning superpower that becomes reality the moment the wish is granted.
Genie cannot fake it or delay its creation. And it cannot be an illusion, temporary or symbolic like the former Aladdin's wish.
He could inherit the throne while still having his adventures. It was also meant to close any loopholes the Genie could potentially take advantage of.
Although he knew the Genie before him would never do anything like that, this was now his life, and he would rather not leave anything up to chance.
To win Jasmine and survive in this magical world, he needed a powerful empire, one far more powerful and resourceful than the Kingdom of Agrabah, to support him. Then even potential enemies would have to think twice before attempting to harm him.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
Genie froze. His mouth widened and stretched outward before his tongue rolled out and halted at the edge. His expression was dumbfounded.
Aladdin quickly moved out of the way.
"That was the smartest... ass wish I've ever heard in my life! Nice move, brah!! You've got the makings of an amazing Prince!" Genie quickly reverted to his normal form and shook Aladdin with a serious expression.
"What do you say I put you up here on the leaderboard for Genie's smartest masters?" Genie gestured at a ranking leaderboard rolling into the skies and fading into the distance beside them.
Aladdin could only see his name in third place. The others were too blurry to read.
Still, he was stunned at the immense list.
"You had this many masters?" Aladdin asked, surprised.
He knew that Genie had many masters, but he didn't realise there were this many. He could fill a library with these names and still have space for more.
"Hahh! Every single one of them is mine. But there's a privacy law, so I can't talk about them unless you make a wish about wanting to know. You smartass wouldn't make that kind of wish," Genie responded.
The ranking list instantly vanished into thin air with a 'poof'.
"So let's focus on you. Let's see here…" Genie pulled out a large book titled 'Royal Cookbook' and said with a thoughtful expression as he flicked through the pages.
"To grant your wish, I need to make the perfect empire. Not a small generic kingdom, or a large one. A sole heir.... And everything else. Including… powerful… powerful… powerful… Now, where is that recipe?"
"Chicken à-la King."
He pulled out a chicken with a crown on its head and stuffed it back into the book.
"Nope!"
"Alaskan King Crab." He took out a crab, strangely resembling Sebastian from 'The Little Mermaid'.
Aladdin wouldn't have been surprised if it truly was him. The crab clamped onto Genie with its claws and retreated into the book.
"Owww! I hate when they do that... Caesar's Salad?"
This time, a dagger surged out and tried to stab him before retreating into the book.
"Es tu, Brute? Ah! Here it is. To make a sole heir of a powerful, stable, and prosperous empire," Genie said, looking slyly at Aladdin. "Now, is that an official wish? Say the words!"
Aladdin stretched his arms out and screamed, "Genie, I wish to be the sole legitimate heir of a powerful, stable, and prosperous empire that exists fully upon my wish, with all political authority, wealth, and resources necessary to rule effectively, and to inherit it without challenge, so I may protect those I care about and act freely in this world."
"All right! Woof woof wooff!!" Genie said, transforming first into a man with square shoulders, then into a fashion designer with an inquisitive gaze. "First, that fez-and-vest combo is too third-century. These patches… what are we trying to say… beggar? No! Work with me here."
He took out a measuring tape and measured Aladdin carefully.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, princely, regal attire appeared on Aladdin.
It was a luxurious white silk ensemble with golden accents running along the edges of his sleeves.
A neatly crafted, intricate collar golden necklace embedded with brilliant gemstones covered his lower neck and poured over his upper chest, with a large gem at the centre.
Puffy trousers were tucked into pointed golden shoes. A royal golden sash wrapped around his waist, and a luxurious, flowing cape with gold-trimmed edges hung from his right shoulder.
On his head rested a turban adorned with a colourful, almost translucent feather that shimmered in the sunlight. On his hands were ten gold rings, each crafted with intricate details that would make even the most skilled jewellers in Agrabah blush with amazement.
To Aladdin's surprise, it was similar to the princely garment he had seen in the movie. He was surprised because he had thought his wish would make a bigger difference. However, it seemed that only a few subtle changes had been made.
Nonetheless, Aladdin loved the newly added details and was certain that the Genie could read his innermost desires whenever he made a wish, granting them to his satisfaction. He breathed a sigh of relief, realising that his planning hadn't been in vain.
Noticing Aladdin's mood, Genie halted and asked with a raised brow, "What's wrong, buddy? I can get you something even better."
Just as he was about to snap his fingers, Aladdin swiftly stretched out his wrist. "Don't! I love it. I was just lost in thought because I never imagined a day would come when I would be an heir to a throne."
Aladdin quickly stopped Genie from creating another princely attire because who knew how many ridiculous ideas the Genie had?
He had gone from a salary earner to a literal crown prince overnight, so it was only fair that he took a little time to absorb it all.
"How are you going to create my empire, and where are you going to place it?" Aladdin asked quickly.
"Hmm! Reading the reports from my workers… Since this is an empire we're talking about, we'll need to find the most fertile lands in all of the Seven Deserts. Best overall geography... And make sure that we don't overlook many more itsy bitsy details," Genie said, pulling a long scroll out of thin air.
"But if we can't find the requirements, we could always expand the Seven Deserts and fit in what we desire." He folded the scroll rapidly and threw it behind him. The scroll vanished with a poof into thin air.
"Just leave everything to me, pal! I promise your empire will be the greatest in all of the Seven Deserts! My workers will handle the rest… Sheesh! They might be lazy, but all I need to do is promise them a one-month vacation, and they'll work like horses. You know what I mean…" With a sly smile, he gestured at many workers resembling him but with legs, dressed in clean white attire, emerging from a portal.
They chopped down a tree and walked back through the portal.
Surprisingly, the tree grew back as though it had never been cut.
"Let's focus on getting you your Princess! Let's shake on it!"
"Alright, I trust you, Genie." Aladdin shook Genie's outstretched hand.
Aladdin quickly gestured for Abu. He remembered that Genie had turned Abu into an elephant soon after. Although it was harmless in the movie, he didn't want to deal with it.
Abu quickly arrived and hid under Aladdin's cloak.
Carpet also appeared, moving around Aladdin and nodding with its edges as though approving of his new look. Then it swept Aladdin from his feet and lifted him high into the skies above the oasis.