Saturn wasn't the least bit afraid. He spoke coldly.
"You should be worrying about your own situation. The guards outside have all fallen asleep thanks to Bronzor's Hypnosis, and the guards inside should have been taken care of by Toxicroak by now."
"Hurry up and hand over the Lustrous Orb. This is all for Team Galactic's grand plan."
Ash rushed forward a few steps and shot back, "Stop joking around! We're not giving you the Lustrous Orb!"
"That's right!"
Dawn stepped forward as well.
"Pika!"
"Piplup!"
Pikachu and Piplup ran to their Trainers' sides, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"What brave children," Professor Carolina said admiringly.
Gary was speechless. Was this really the time? The old woman was still in the mood to praise people. He couldn't tell whether she simply wasn't nervous, or whether having Cynthia here made her feel completely at ease.
"Useless. Bronzor, Hypnosis." Saturn made the first move.
"Garchomp, Shadow Claw!" Gary immediately threw out a Poké Ball.
Flash!
A Garchomp appeared and rushed at Bronzor just as it was about to release Hypnosis, its claw wrapped in ghostly energy as it struck.
Clang!!
Bronzor was knocked back several meters. It hung motionless in the air, knocked out in a single hit.
"Whoa! Garchomp!"
"Gary, you have a Garchomp?"
Ash and the others were all surprised. None of them had expected Gary to have caught a Garchomp.
"Annoying brats. Last time in Veilstone City, it was you two as well," Saturn said impatiently.
"Soar through the sky, Garchomp." Cynthia threw out a Poké Ball as well.
Flash!
[LV76 Garchomp | Potential: Quasi-Legend]
Gary looked at Cynthia's Garchomp. It was twenty-five levels higher than his own, and one level higher than Lance's Dragonite.
Of course, Lance's Dragonite had been level 75 three years ago. Three years had passed since then, so its level had surely risen. It certainly wouldn't be lower than Cynthia's Garchomp now.
Cynthia turned to Officer Jenny. "Miss Jenny, we'll hold them here. I'll leave the Lustrous Orb to you."
"Understood. Be careful," Jenny said with a nod.
Cynthia continued, "Grandmother, you and Mr. Cyrus should get out of here."
"I know."
Professor Carolina nodded, but Cyrus said apologetically, "I'm terribly sorry, Professor. I've dragged you into this."
"It's fine. We can leave it to my granddaughter—and to these brave children as well," Professor Carolina said lightly. She had complete faith in Cynthia's strength, not to mention that Ash, Gary, and the others were here. Gary in particular was no pushover.
"Come with me."
Officer Jenny didn't bother going back the way they came and headed for another exit. But the moment she turned around, she saw five people in Team Galactic uniforms blocking the rear passage, pinning them from both sides.
At the head of the five was a red-haired executive—Mars. After blowing up the Celestic ruins, she had hurried over to rejoin the main force. Facing Cynthia, Team Galactic didn't dare underestimate the situation, and nearly all of their personnel had been deployed.
Crack! Bang!!
Suddenly, the glass above the hall shattered, and a short blue figure fell through the broken window, landing between Ash and Brock.
It was Toxicroak.
The next moment, Croagunk leapt down through the same window, its claw glowing bright red as it drove a punch into Toxicroak's abdomen.
Bang!!
"Croa...!"
Toxicroak's eyes rolled back, and it fainted on the spot.
Gary was baffled. Croagunk was ferocious—it had gone after a level 55 Toxicroak alone.
Apparently Toxicroak had been the one to taunt it first, and Croagunk had taken that to heart, resolving to beat it no matter what.
Everyone was stunned. Team Galactic's Pokémon weren't high-leveled, but there were a lot of them, and numbers made for strength. More than twenty Pokémon wouldn't be easy to deal with.
"Fighting here is meaningless for both of us. Stop resisting and hand over the Lustrous Orb," Saturn said again.
"I don't care what your plans are, but Sinnoh's national treasure will never be handed over to you."
"Ride the waves, Gastrodon."
Cynthia's temper had risen, and she sent out another Pokémon.
Flash!
[LV73 Gastrodon | Potential: Champion]
Gastrodon was one of the strongest Pokémon of the fourth generation, with Water and Ground typing, an enormous move pool, and the formidable Storm Drain Ability. It was known as a natural killer of Water-types.
"Garchomp, Stone Edge." Gary turned toward Mars and her group and ordered Garchomp to attack.
"Chomp!"
Garchomp unleashed Stone Edge, and the Golbat belonging to Mars and her subordinates were struck instantly.
"Impressive, though still a fair bit weaker than my granddaughter's Garchomp," Professor Carolina remarked.
Gary: "..."
Was this really the time? The old woman still had the mood to belittle him.
"I didn't want to do this, but if you won't hand it over, we'll simply take it by force."
"Toxicroak, Dark Pulse."
Saturn dropped the pleasantries and moved directly. His subordinates ordered their Golbat to attack as well, and the two sides erupted into a melee in an instant.
But neither side dared to go all out. If they did, the laboratory would collapse—and more importantly, the Lustrous Orb was still here. If it were accidentally destroyed, neither side would benefit.
Just as the melee filled the hall with smoke, Team Rocket finally made their move. They intended to quietly steal the Lustrous Orb amid the chaos.
"Finally." Gary had been watching in secret the whole time, waiting for the trio to act.
Team Rocket ran toward the window with the Lustrous Orb in hand.
"What are you doing with the Lustrous Orb?!" The ever-vigilant Officer Jenny spotted them immediately.
At the words "Lustrous Orb," everyone stopped and turned to see the Team Rocket trio holding it.
The trio froze. James, who was carrying the orb, panicked. The Lustrous Orb slipped off the top of his head and began to fall toward the floor. Meowth reacted quickly, diving forward and catching it.
Seeing this, everyone let out a breath of relief.
The same went for Team Galactic. If the Lustrous Orb were ruined, their plan would fall apart.
"Nice catch, Meowth."
"Ah, that was way too close."
"That was dangerous, meowth."
The Team Rocket trio breathed a sigh of relief as well.
"What—that Meowth just spoke!" Professor Carolina exclaimed in shock.
A talking Meowth was certainly worth noting, but right now the Lustrous Orb mattered more.
"Meowth... wait, that means..."
"You're Team Rocket!"
From Meowth's voice, Ash and Dawn recognized them at once.