Chapter 190
Meanwhile, Mike followed Lucian toward the Eterna City Historical Museum.
The museum was a solemn public building constructed from pale gray stone, with broad steps leading up to a set of glass entrance doors.
On either side of the staircase stood two enormous ancient statues several meters tall, facing one another across the entrance.
Mike stopped when he saw them and immediately raised his camera.
The weathered bronze statues depicted the two legendary deities of time and space from Sinnoh mythology.
On the left stood Dialga, its long neck held proudly high, angular features resembling crystalline armor and giving the statue a solemn, imposing presence.
It represented time.
On the right stood Palkia, its body curved inward slightly as the armor plates along its back spread like wings.
Compared with Dialga’s hard, angular form, Palkia’s lines flowed more smoothly, representing space.
Both statues bore countless marks left by centuries of weathering, while their stone bases were engraved with passages from ancient Sinnoh mythology.
Mike approached Dialga’s statue and gently ran his fingers across the inscription carved into the pedestal.
He studied the ancient script before quietly reading it aloud.
"Dialga’s birth gave us time. Whether we laugh in happiness or weep in sorrow, time passes equally for all. For this, we give thanks to Dialga."
Mike then crossed to the other statue and examined the inscription beneath Palkia.
"Palkia’s birth created countless spaces. Whether in life or in death, all exist within the same space. For this, we give thanks to Palkia."
Dialga and Palkia, Sinnoh’s twin deities of time and space, governed time and space respectively.
Lucian looked at Mike in surprise.
"You can read those inscriptions?"
"I know a little ancient writing."
Mike turned around and smiled.
Lucian remembered that Mike’s entire plan involving Wyrdeer had apparently begun after he discovered information in some ruins.
Judging from that, "a little" was probably underselling it considerably.
"Come on. Let’s go inside."
Mike looked toward the museum entrance.
Lucian nodded.
The two joined the line and waited until they reached the security checkpoint.
The officer stationed there froze for a moment when he recognized Lucian of the Elite Four, then looked at Mike beside him and quickly waved them through.
Mike glanced at the unusually thorough inspection taking place around them.
"Is museum security always this strict?"
The officer answered politely.
"It is now, Researcher Mike. Not long ago, the Adamant Orb was stolen from the museum. It was eventually recovered, but the League ordered Eterna City to strengthen museum security afterward."
Mike blinked.
Then he pointed at himself.
"You know who I am?"
"Of course. Most of the staff at the police station recognize you by now."
Mike looked genuinely confused.
"Why?"
The officer hesitated briefly.
"Well... mostly because of The Wide World of Pokémon."
"Oh. That makes sense."
Mike nodded and continued inside with Lucian.
Once they had walked away, the officer immediately pulled out a radio.
"Reporting in. Researcher Mike has arrived in Eterna City. He’s currently at the museum with Elite Four Lucian."
Officer Jenny’s voice came through almost immediately.
"Copy that. We’re already heading to the museum."
...
Inside, Mike and Lucian wandered through the exhibits at their own pace.
The main hall was bright and spacious, with illustrated displays covering the history of Sinnoh lining the walls.
Fossil specimens of Shieldon and Cranidos rested inside glass cases, while nearby exhibition panels explained the myths surrounding Dialga and Palkia.
Mike stopped in front of one of those displays.
"I’d guess those two statues outside were passed down from the Hisui era."
Lucian looked over.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because people back then worshipped them as Almighty Sinnoh."
Mike continued examining the display.
"So preserving statues of them would make perfect sense."
Lucian nodded thoughtfully, then finally asked something that had apparently been bothering him for a while.
"Based on what you’ve told me, wouldn’t that mean there were multiple Almighty Sinnoh?"
Mike shook his head, then nodded slightly.
"You can understand it that way, but strictly speaking, there was only ever one true Almighty Sinnoh—the legendary creator deity."
"Most of the time, that being remained dormant and rarely appeared. Later, some people encountered Palkia, some encountered Dialga, and others may have seen Giratina. Because they misunderstood what they were seeing, they began identifying those Pokémon themselves as Almighty Sinnoh."
Lucian listened carefully before nodding.
"I see."
Mike glanced toward another exhibit.
"By the way, what exactly happened when the Adamant Orb was stolen?"
"Team Rocket took it."
Lucian gave a brief explanation.
"Gardenia told me that she, Officer Jenny, Ash, and the others eventually recovered it."
The moment Mike heard Team Rocket, three extremely familiar faces immediately appeared in his mind.
"Was the Team Rocket group that stole the Adamant Orb a trio?"
Lucian looked surprised.
"You know them?"
"Sort of. You mentioned Ash helped recover it, so have you met him?"
"Yes."
Lucian nodded.
"I happened to be passing through Eterna City at the time. While I was eating, the television in the restaurant was showing footage from one of my Champion League battles. I overheard Ash and the others talking about me, so I spoke with them for a while."
"I also battled Dawn afterward. Her Buizel wasn’t listening to her very well, so I gave her some advice. It improved considerably after that."
"Dawn’s Buizel really likes battling."
Mike began walking toward the area where the Adamant Orb was displayed.
"It probably isn’t especially suited to Pokémon Contests."
Lucian remained where he was for a moment, considering that.
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.
"If I run into them again, I can mention it."
He caught up with Mike.
"By the way, are you planning to challenge the Gym while you’re here?"
"Since I’m already in Eterna City, I might as well."
Mike shrugged.
"I have the time."
"When?"
"Probably tomorrow."
Mike thought for a moment before answering.
Lucian nodded.
"Then I’ll stay until after your battle before going back to Oreburgh."
Mike turned and stared at him.
"You really refuse to waste even the smallest opportunity to slack off!"
Lucian adjusted his glasses and gave a faint laugh.
If someone who worked for a living didn’t look for opportunities to slack off, what was even the point of having a job?
Even if somebody complained that he had left his post during working hours, Lucian already had a perfectly legitimate explanation.
He was hosting Mike.
Better yet, he could claim that they were discussing Hisuian Pokémon research!
That made it official League business.
Completely legitimate slacking!
...
They eventually reached the center of the exhibition hall.
Mike stopped before the reinforced glass display case.
Inside rested the Adamant Orb.
It was roughly the size of a fist and almost perfectly spherical, but unlike a transparent crystal, it looked dense and solid, with a distinctly metallic quality.
Its main body was a subdued dark gold, while cold silver-blue light seemed to churn beneath the surface, as though countless tiny traces of time itself had been sealed inside the core.
The Adamant Orb.
According to Sinnoh mythology, it had come into existence alongside Dialga itself.
It was regarded as a sacred object symbolizing the authority of time.
A system description appeared before Mike.
{Adamant Orb: A mysterious orb that radiates brilliant light. When held by Dialga, it strengthens Steel-type and Dragon-type moves.}
Mike immediately raised his camera.
He walked around the display case and photographed the Adamant Orb from several angles before finally lowering the camera in satisfaction.
"The museum staff have nerves of steel."
Mike laughed.
"This thing was stolen not long ago, and they’ve already put it straight back on display."
"They strengthened security."
Lucian stood beside him.
"And displaying objects like this is part of their purpose. People should be able to see them and understand their history and significance. If everything valuable were simply locked away where nobody could ever see it, that would be a greater insult to their value."
"You’re the Elite Four member here, so I’ll assume you know what you’re talking about."
Mike nodded solemnly.
Gengar and the others, meanwhile, seemed far more interested in the Adamant Orb itself.
Gengar pressed his face against the glass.
His tongue curled outward, revealing the Toxic Orb he had been chewing.
He compared it with the Adamant Orb inside the case.
His eyes widened.
Σ(°∀°ﾉ)ﾉ
"Gar—!"
[It’s huge!]
Then Gengar began drooling.
"Gar—"
[That would take forever to finish eating it...]
Mike stared at him.
"What exactly is going through your head? You can’t eat that."
He pointed toward the orb.
"You can’t even use Dragon-type or Steel-type moves. Besides, that thing isn’t supposed to be eaten in the first place."
Mike hesitated.
"...Probably."
Then he looked at Lucian uncertainly.
Lucian stared back.
"Why are you asking me?"
He pointed at himself.
"Yes, you."
Mike nodded as though this were perfectly reasonable.
Lucian nearly laughed.
"How would I know? Who sees the Adamant Orb and immediately wonders whether it’s edible?"
Mike turned toward Gengar and smacked him lightly.
"You heard him. You can’t eat it."
Gengar reluctantly peeled himself away from the glass and returned to Mike’s side.
Hatenna, meanwhile, took out the Clamperl pearl Mike had given her.
She held it up and carefully compared it with the Adamant Orb.
After studying both for a while, she shook her head.
"Haten."
[The pearl Mike gave me is prettier.]
Glameow sat neatly on the museum floor and stared at the Adamant Orb with a very different thought.
It looked as though it would be more fun to play with than her red ball of string.
Snivy gave a lazy yawn.
She had absolutely no interest in the Adamant Orb.
As far as she was concerned, steadily absorbing energy from the Leaf Stone around her neck and strengthening herself was far more useful.
Beedrill stared at the orb for a while too.
Just as everyone was preparing to leave, he suddenly spoke.
"Bee."
[Don’t you think that would make a perfect ball for throwing around?]
Gengar: "???"
Snivy: "???"
Glameow: "???"
Hatenna: "???"
Mike: "!!!"
Mike stared at Beedrill.
Then he slowly turned back toward the Adamant Orb.
The fist-sized legendary treasure somehow began looking increasingly like a very expensive throwing ball.
Mike fell silent.
Then he placed a hand on Beedrill.
"You’re a genius."
He sounded almost impressed.
"Of all the things anyone could compare the Adamant Orb to, you somehow arrived at a ball for our throwing game."
Lucian’s eyelid twitched.
He looked over Mike’s Pokémon one by one.
Gengar and Beedrill treated Toxic Orbs like snacks.
Hatenna carried a Clamperl pearl rich in psychic energy.
Glameow wore a Soothe Bell.
Snivy carried a Leaf Stone specifically so she could gradually absorb its energy.
Only Mike would raise Pokémon this extravagantly, casually handing them valuable items to consume, absorb, or use for training.
And now they were considering using the Adamant Orb as sporting equipment!
Even the nearby museum guard had no idea how to react.
Was everyone Lucian brought into museums this fearless?
"All right, we’re leaving. You people seriously think of the strangest things."
Mike clapped his hands.
"Gar—"
[I didn’t say it. Little Bro did.]
"Bee."
[It just looks like it would work well, and it probably wouldn’t break.]
Mike thought for a moment.
"Fine. I’ll find a blacksmith later and have one make you an iron ball to throw around. Happy?"
Gengar’s eyes widened in horror as he frantically shook his head.
Beedrill: Σ(°∀°ﾉ)ﾉ
’Who exactly are you trying to kill?!’
----
There, i post 20 Chapters of the vlogger and rancher, if you have time do read it and give me a feedback, if its bad i delete one so we can make some space for the gourmet one.