Lucian had left.
Meeting Lucian in Eterna City had been an unexpected twist in Ash's journey.
But for Dawn, this encounter had completely changed the way she looked at Pikachu.
Who could have ever imagined that, beneath Pikachu's adorable and innocent appearance, lay the power to defeat one of the Sinnoh Elite Four?
And not just any Elite Four member—Lucian, the renowned Psychic-type Master acknowledged by the Sinnoh Pokémon League as one of the strongest!
"Wow! Ash, you and Pikachu are amazing! I never knew you were this strong. Seriously, this is unbelievable!"
As Ash and his friends left the Pokémon Center, they made their way toward the Eterna Gym.
Along the way, Dawn couldn't take her eyes off Pikachu. She observed it from every angle—left, right, up, and down.
And every so often, she reached out to pinch Pikachu's chubby cheeks.
"Pika…"
Pikachu looked helplessly at Ash, unsure how to react.
"Dawn, I know I'm pretty amazing, but this is a bit much, don't you think? Look, Pikachu's really uncomfortable."
Ash shook his head, exasperated.
"How is this too much? You just defeated an Elite Four member! Even my mom doesn't know you're this strong. If you're this amazing, then I can't afford to fall behind either. I have to push myself harder! I will push myself harder! I can do this!"
Dawn clenched her fists in determination, pumping herself up.
"Alright! It's settled! I'll make my way to Alamos City and win the Pokémon Contest there!"
She was bursting with energy, radiating pure enthusiasm.
"Ash, I think Dawn's officially made you one of her rivals now," Anabel commented with a chuckle.
Amidst laughter and friendly chatter, the group arrived at the Eterna Gym.
However, the gym doors were shut tight.
"Well, since the Eterna Gym is closed, how about we visit the Eterna Historical Museum instead? I heard they just brought in a newly excavated artifact called the Adamant Orb—it arrived just two days ago and has been drawing a huge crowd."
Anabel checked her Pokétch for details. Neither Ash nor Dawn had any objections.
In fact, as soon as Ash heard the name Adamant Orb, his eyes lit up with excitement.
This meant that the day he would finally see the Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh's Space-Time Myth—Dialga and Palkia—was drawing closer.
The Dragon of Time and the Dragon of Space…!
Eterna Historical Museum
The museum wasn't far from the gym.
After walking for about ten minutes, Ash and his friends arrived at the Eterna Historical Museum.
But just as they stepped inside, a sudden alarm blared throughout the building!
"Alert! The Adamant Orb has been stolen!"
"Seal all exits immediately! No one is allowed to leave!"
"Commence a full search at once!"
The museum was in complete chaos. Security officers rushed past, their footsteps echoing loudly in the halls.
At that moment, Ash and the others turned a corner—only to come face-to-face with three suspicious individuals.
All three were wearing masks.
But the most important detail? One of them was clutching a glowing Adamant Orb!
This had to be the stolen artifact!
"You thieves!"
Anabel reacted instantly, her eyes narrowing as Piplup leaped from Dawn's arms, ready for battle.
"Team Rocket, this disguise is so sloppy—it's painfully obvious who you are."
Ash sighed, already used to their antics.
"W-What?! Brat, we don't have time for this! Move out of our way!"
"Yeah, scram, twerp!"
Jessie and Meowth snarled in frustration.
Meowth, notably, was still wearing a Sunflora disguise for some inexplicable reason.
"Quick! There's noise coming from ahead!"
A sharp voice rang out as Officer Jenny and her team arrived.
Within moments, they saw Team Rocket and the stolen Adamant Orb in Jessie's hands.
Game over.
Team Rocket was completely surrounded.
Jessie and James tried to resist, but no matter how hard they struggled, it was futile.
Seviper and Dustox were quickly defeated.
"This is ridiculous! We follow the twerp, we get caught. We don't follow the twerp, we still get caught. What are we supposed to do?!"
Meowth groaned, his Sunflora costume now ripped to shreds.
"This feeling again… Ugh, how annoying!"
And just like that, Team Rocket was hauled away by the authorities.
However, the chaos wasn't over yet.
Officer Jenny returned moments later, dragging yet another suspect along with her—this time tied up with rope.
To everyone's shock, it was Nando, the traveling bard!
Apparently, he had been inside the museum at the time. Coincidentally, he had just captured a new Sunflora, which led to a major misunderstanding.
After all, the thief had been wearing a Sunflora disguise.
Once everything was sorted out, Officer Jenny apologized for the mistake.
Then, another voice spoke up as someone walked over from behind her.
"Officer Jenny, see? I told you Nando couldn't be the thief. He even won a badge at my gym! Plus, someone who trains such elegant Grass-type Pokémon could never be a criminal."
"Gardenia… Ah, no wonder the Eterna Gym was closed earlier."
Dawn recognized her instantly.
Gardenia, looking a bit embarrassed, scratched her cheek.
She had skipped out on her gym duties to come to the museum—definitely not the most responsible move for a Gym Leader.
"Hehe… Sorry about that. So, you guys came to challenge my gym, huh? Let's head back now."
"Actually, Gardenia, let's not rush. Since we're already at the Eterna Historical Museum, let's take a look around first."
Ash raised a hand, his expression thoughtful.
Nando nodded in agreement.
He took a step forward and began to speak.
"In the ancient legends of Sinnoh, it is said that in the very beginning, the world was nothing but pure chaos—an endless void of swirling energies."
His voice was filled with reverence.
"But deep within the heart of this chaos, something began to take shape. From this primordial void, the First Being emerged."
Everyone fell silent, drawn in by his words.
"This First Being then created two entities—two halves of itself. One would embody Time, while the other would govern Space."
Nando's voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of ancient history.
And the legend continued…
"With the birth of Time, the great gears of existence began to turn. With the birth of Space, the cosmos stretched and expanded."
"These two forces wove together in harmony. And from its own essence, the First Being then gave birth to three more creatures…"
The story of Sinnoh's Space-Time Myth was about to unfold.
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