"I'm really embarrassed to be called a celebrity," Cyrus said with an awkward smile. He scratched the back of his head, looking shy and sincere. "I'm just a beginner who studies Sinnoh's history."
Among everyone present, only Gary knew this was all part of Cyrus's act.
Gary briefly considered whether he should arrest Cyrus right then and there. But after thinking it over, he decided against it.
Team Galactic had already obtained several stone tablets that could communicate with the origin of Arceus. If Cyrus were captured now, Team Galactic would likely collapse immediately. Executives such as Saturn were absolutely loyal to Cyrus, but Charon, who was mainly interested in research, might not remain obedient.
Charon was a true genius scientist. He was the first to discover that Rotom could integrate electrical energy and had even identified its various alternate forms. Unfortunately, most of Team Galactic's research focused on capturing space-time and contacting the Distortion World. The research on Rotom was only recorded in fragments, with plans to study it more thoroughly in the "new world."
However, Cyrus never intended to take his subordinates with him to that so-called new world.
In Cyrus's mind, no one in this world except himself was worthy of entering the new world with him. This alone showed how twisted his mindset truly was.
He promised his subordinates glory and purpose, but if he succeeded, he would abandon them without hesitation. He was comparable to King Goujian—someone who could share hardship with others but could never share wealth and honor.
If Cyrus were captured now, his executives would surely act recklessly outside, especially if they still possessed the stone tablets. It was safer to let events unfold according to their original course.
"I think you came because you were worried about the orbs," Professor Carolina said, seeing through Cyrus at a glance.
"That's right," Cyrus admitted openly. "I couldn't sit still after seeing the news about the Adamant Orb and the Lustrous Orb."
"Since that's the case, I'll take you to visit the Historical Research Center," Professor Carolina said.
"Then you can go ahead. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first," Gary said.
Gary intended to leave, but Professor Carolina clearly had no intention of letting him go so easily.
"What? You're trying to run away from fighting my granddaughter, aren't you?" she said suspiciously. "You're deliberately looking for an excuse to escape."
Gary was really annoyed by this old lady, Professor Carolina.
It wasn't that he was afraid of battling Cynthia—he simply didn't want to interfere with how events were supposed to develop.
"Of course not," Gary said helplessly. "I just need to teleport two of my main Pokémon to prepare for my battle with Miss Cynthia."
"It doesn't matter," Professor Carolina said casually. "There's a teleportation device inside the laboratory. You can use it later."
With just one sentence, she blocked Gary's escape route completely.
"…Alright," Gary sighed. "Then let's visit the Historical Research Center."
He couldn't help wondering why a place dedicated to history also had Pokémon teleportation equipment installed.
Professor Carolina led everyone into the laboratory.
The interior of the Historical Research Center was filled with historical relics, documents, and notes from Professor Carolina's many years of research. As they walked, she explained the history of Celestic Town in detail.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a large mural.
At the center of the mural was a triangular diamond-shaped symbol. At each corner stood the image of a Pokémon. The three Pokémon depicted around it were naturally the three mushroom heads.
"This…" Dawn stared at it, her eyes widening. "We've seen this before."
"What?!" Professor Carolina exclaimed.
Ash also stepped closer to the mural. When he saw the carving on the right side, he said in surprise, "We've seen this too."
"That's unbelievable," Professor Carolina murmured.
She had spent most of her life researching these Pokémon, yet two children had encountered them in real life.
"Where did you see them?" Cynthia asked quickly.
"At Lake Verity," Dawn said with certainty. "I didn't see its full shape clearly, but it looked exactly like the one on this mural."
"Piplup!"
Piplup nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Pikachu and I saw one at Lake Valor," Ash added. "We couldn't see it clearly either, but it was definitely this one."
"It's amazing that you actually encountered the Pokémon known as the Lake Guardians," Cynthia sighed.
"The Lake Guardians?" Ash repeated, confused.
Cynthia explained, "What Dawn saw should have been Mesprit, the Pokémon of Emotion. What Ash saw was Azelf, the Pokémon of Willpower. And there is another one, Uxie, the Pokémon of Knowledge, said to live near Lake Acuity, close to Snowpoint City."
"These three Pokémon are said to hide within Sinnoh's three great lakes," Professor Carolina added. "But their existence has always been considered a legend."
"There is also a belief that only their spirits leave the lakes to protect people," she continued. "What you saw may not have been their true bodies, but only their souls."
"Souls…?"
Ash and Dawn looked at each other in confusion. To them, it sounded uncomfortably close to the idea of ghosts.
"What about the symbol in the center?" Brock asked, pointing at the triangular emblem.
"According to our research, it should represent either the Adamant Orb or the Lustrous Orb," Cynthia said.
Just as she finished speaking, Cyrus suddenly interrupted, "Professor, perhaps we should bring out the orbs that have been near Mesprit and Azelf. Something unexpected might happen."
Everyone was startled by Cyrus's suggestion. It sounded reasonable, yet strangely unsettling.
"That sounds interesting," Professor Carolina said immediately. "Alright, let's go. Come with me."
"Okay!"
Ash and the others agreed without hesitation.
Only Gary remained silent.
He knew very well that Cyrus had made this proposal on purpose. Cyrus had come here for one reason only—to seize the two orbs.
Originally, Cyrus had arranged for his subordinates to steal them, but the police had interfered. That was why the orbs had been transferred to the Historical Research Center for protection.
Professor Carolina had placed the orbs in a highly secure room, guarded by police officers day and night. The security system was extremely strong. If someone tried to break in by force, the room itself might be damaged, along with the precious orbs.
Therefore, Cyrus had no choice but to act personally. Because he was a well-known public figure, he could not send his subordinates openly. He had to take the risk himself.
Everyone passed through a long, closed corridor and arrived at the door of the secure room.
Standing there were three figures—two humans and one Pokémon.
Gary immediately recognized them.
The two humans were none other than Jessie and James.
And the Pokémon was Meowth.
It was impossible to mistake them. The police usually stationed Growlithe or other canine Pokémon as guards. Seeing a Meowth here was already suspicious enough.
Jessie's red hair and James's blue hair were unmistakable. Having watched countless battles involving them, Gary recognized the Team Rocket trio instantly.
The only times Team Rocket ever truly succeeded were during James's bizarre moments of cross-dressing, which had left an unforgettable impression.