The Sinnoh Museum.
As the largest museum in the region, it housed countless artifacts unearthed from ancient ruins. Tourists flocked here daily to marvel at the cultural heritage of Sinnoh. In a secluded corner of the museum, Saiki stood wearing dark sunglasses, staring intently at a pitch-black sphere.
Through her sunglasses, infrared scanners were meticulously analyzing the black orb, breaking down its composition. After a long moment, the results flashed across her lenses. According to the data, the sphere contained a metal never seen before—one that possessed the unique property of distorting the flow of time in its immediate vicinity.
A faint smile touched Saiki's lips. "Finally found it. Dialga's Adamant Orb."
"According to ancient texts, the Lustrous Orb was once seen atop a statue deep within the Spear Pillar, but Dialga's Adamant Orb had vanished without a trace. Now that I have it, we only need to wait for the Red Chain to be completed before we set out for the Spear Pillar."
Her eyes gleamed with pride. Securing the Adamant Orb would surely earn her Cyrus's favor, elevating her status far above Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter.
"Banette, use Shadow Sneak. Retrieve the Adamant Orb for me."
Her shadow suddenly stretched and elongated, slipping effortlessly through the gap beneath the bulletproof glass display case. But just as Banette gingerly lifted the orb, the museum's alarms blared to life.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The sound of frantic footsteps echoed through the halls. Museum guards, alerted by the sensors, rushed toward the source of the alarm.
"Tch. This place actually has pressure sensors? Looks like I'll have to fight my way out," Saiki muttered in annoyance.
Within moments, the guards had surrounded her, accompanied by several Luxio.
Luxio, with its blue and black fur and yellow four-pointed star tail, is a common sight among security personnel in Sinnoh. Strong electrical currents flowed through their sharp claws; even a slight scratch could render an opponent unconscious.
"Banette, Night Shade!"
A massive amount of dark energy erupted from Banette's small frame, coalescing into a ghostly visage several times its original size. The Luxio, intimidated by the towering specter, immediately fell into a state of Flinch, shivering and hiding behind the guards' legs.
"What a bunch of cowardly little cuties," Saiki smirked.
However, just then, a Luxray lunged forward, its claws crackling with golden electricity, and slammed into Banette.
Caught off guard, Banette was sent tumbling across the floor. The electrical discharge from the Luxray's claws erupted in a brilliant golden flash, causing Banette to let out a pained shriek.
The Luxray belonged to a black-haired trainer wearing a red and white hat named Black. Looking closely, one could see the Luxray's claws were partially chipped, and its black fur was wreathed in surging sparks.
"Great job, Luxray! Use Thunderbolt on Banette!" Black commanded.
"Haha! The more damage my Banette takes, the higher its attack power climbs," Saiki laughed. "Banette, let's return the favor. Use Shadow Ball!"
Banette cackled as the golden sparks clinging to its body vanished. It opened its palms, rapidly spinning two dark Shadow Balls. Facing the Luxray's serpentine Thunderbolt, Banette hurled the first orb.
The Shadow Ball collided with the electricity, creating a thick screen of smoke. Suddenly, the second Shadow Ball emerged from the haze, striking Black's Luxray with pinpoint accuracy. The shockwave from the explosion sent the Luxray flying into the bulletproof glass, causing it to buckle and crack like a spiderweb.
The Luxray slid down the glass and collapsed. By the time the smoke cleared, Saiki had vanished.
The Fallout
News of the theft reached Dr. Carolina shortly after. The report confirmed that a member of Team Galactic had stolen the mysterious black sphere from the museum.
"That sphere is undoubtedly Dialga's Adamant Orb," Carolina said, her brow furrowed and her expression grim. "Cynthia, head to Mt. Coronet and search for the Spear Pillar."
"I will mobilize every member of the Celestic Clan to find the Lustrous Orb," she added.
"Understood. I'll take Drasna and Elder Mishiko with me to locate the ruins," Cynthia replied, turning to leave immediately.
Far away at the Garden estate, Feng Che also received word of Saiki's success. "Saiki is impressive indeed, finding the Adamant Orb so quickly," he praised with a clap.
He turned to Yuan Na, who was busy organizing paperwork nearby. Heatran stood beside her, acting as her guardian.
"Yuan Na, how is the progress on our maritime trade with Johto and Hoenn?"
"The Garden family has already gathered the first batch of supplies," Yuan Na replied confidently, adjusting her glasses. "The merchant ships are being prepared. The first shipments should reach Johto and Hoenn very soon."
"Excellent. From here on, the day-to-day operations of the Garden family are in your hands. If there's an emergency, send me an encrypted message," Feng Che said. "Heatran will look after you. Here are the specialized training methods for Grass-type Pokémon."
"Also, secretly cultivate a batch of Whimsicott and Shiinotic. Ensure every member of the Garden family has these two Pokémon. As for why... allow me to keep that a secret for now."
With those final instructions, Feng Che used Teleport and vanished from the estate.