"Team Rocket?"
Cynthia frowned. Team Rocket's sphere of influence had never extended into the Sinnoh Region, so she knew very little about them—she hadn't even heard the name before.
"They're a villain organization from the Kanto Region," Gary explained. "They specialize in poaching Pokémon to do bad things, and they've stolen a lot of Trainers' Pokémon. You could say they're involved in just about every kind of evil there is. Those three are just members of Team Rocket."
"So that's the kind of people they are." Cynthia was slightly taken aback.
Hearing about Team Rocket's behavior, they sounded even worse than Team Galactic. So far, Team Galactic had only been trying to seize national treasures. They hadn't sunk to something as low as robbing Trainers of their Pokémon.
"Heh! That's right! We are the famous Team Rocket!"
"The Lustrous Orb belongs to Team Rocket now. If any of you dare to try something, I'll smash it, and then nobody gets it, meowth!"
For once, the Team Rocket trio skipped their usual opening motto and went straight to threatening everyone.
Both sides tensed up. Nobody dared to make a move against Team Rocket. If the Lustrous Orb were destroyed, it would be a disaster neither side wanted.
"You'd better not move. My hands could slip at any moment, and if that happens, the Lustrous Orb will break, meowth!"
Holding the Lustrous Orb like a hostage to clear their path, the Team Rocket trio backed toward the exit. Ash and the others, along with Team Galactic's members, all stood motionless, watching them retreat. Team Galactic even made room for them to pass.
"See you next time!"
The Team Rocket trio dashed out and immediately locked the door behind them, quickly making their escape and leaving two groups of people stuck in the hall.
Saturn didn't say a word. He snapped his fingers, and all the Golbat flew out through the windows. Then everyone from Team Galactic withdrew as well.
"They actually left!"
Officer Jenny stared at the departing Team Galactic, speechless.
"They're probably going after Team Rocket," Cynthia said.
After this brief encounter, Cynthia had gotten a sense of Team Galactic's nature. They acted with clear objectives and wouldn't waste time on unnecessary battles.
"Miss Cynthia, let's hurry and go after them too," Ash urged.
"What about Chimchar and Croagunk?"
At Cynthia's question, Ash froze. He was still holding the defeated Chimchar in his arms.
In the earlier melee, Chimchar had stepped in to protect Pikachu and taken a hit from Toxicroak's Poison Jab, which knocked it out on the spot.
Gary took a look at Chimchar as well.
[LV40 Chimchar / Champion]
Just as Gary had expected, this Chimchar's potential was no lower than Champion, and there was a good chance it had a dual Ability. It was genuinely enviable.
"You should head to the Pokémon Center. We don't need your help here for now," Professor Carolina urged.
So everyone made their way to the Pokémon Center to treat the injured and defeated Pokémon.
Gary had nothing to worry about. His Pokémon had taken some damage, but he actually felt quite relaxed and rested in the lobby.
However, just as Gary was resting, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie walked over to him.
"Mr. Cyrus, is there something you need?" Gary had naturally noticed him approaching.
The visitor was Cyrus. He hadn't left; he had stayed behind this whole time. For now, the Lustrous Orb was still in Team Rocket's hands.
"I just wanted to come over and have a chat with you."
"What would Mr. Cyrus like to talk about?"
"I heard your thoughts on the original world back in the vault. I want to ask you—if you came to a completely new world, a world without war, what would you do?" Cyrus asked.
Gary: ???
What did Cyrus mean? Was he about to paint him a big, grand picture?
Cyrus was known for feeding people that kind of promise, telling them he wanted to lead them to a brand-new world.
The reason was that the people of Team Galactic had all been persecuted by war since childhood, and Cyrus had saved them—including his three Executives. But Cyrus merely used them, and in his heart he despised his own subordinates.
Cyrus believed that the people of this world were unfaithful, unworthy of going to the new world, even those who were loyal to him.
"I wouldn't want to go to a world like that," Gary said.
"I'm asking what you would do if you went to the New World," Cyrus said.
"If I really went, the first thing I'd do is find a human tribe there, become the leader of that tribe, and then start waging war on the outside," Gary said.
"You... why?"
Cyrus was confused. He couldn't understand why Gary would want to start a war after already reaching the new world.
"It's simple. No matter where you go, humans can't live all on their own. They have to find other humans. And wherever there are people, there will naturally be disputes. Instead of waiting to be attacked by others, it's better to take the initiative to unify everyone into a single nation. That would cut down on a lot of unnecessary wars and make the future far safer," Gary said.
Cyrus was stunned. He had never really thought about what he would do in the new world, and he had certainly never imagined that war might break out there too.
"And what if it were a world with no humans at all?" Cyrus asked.
"With no humans, what's the point of living alone? You wouldn't even have anyone to talk to. Wouldn't that be suffocating? And besides..." Gary added, "Uncle Cyrus, don't you need a woman?"
Cyrus was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Gary to say something like that.
"I am a lover of peace. I have already discarded all emotion and desire," Cyrus said.
"Then Mr. Cyrus, you really are a cruel man," Gary said.
A person who could cast off all emotions and desires was undoubtedly ruthless—not only toward others, but toward himself.
"It seems we don't share the same ideals. I won't disturb you any further," Cyrus said. He didn't agree with Gary's view, so he stood up and left.
Gary watched Cyrus walk away and found the whole thing rather amusing.
Cyrus only thought that modern people were dirty inside, but he failed to realize that the hearts of ancient humans were just as filthy. When he returned to the past, he would inevitably come face to face with the darkest side of human nature.
In modern times, even a wicked person still had to keep up appearances and follow certain rules. But back in ancient times, there weren't nearly as many rules. If someone wanted to kill you, they'd simply do it on a dark and windy night, and they wouldn't waste any words on you.
Especially this time, Cyrus intended to abandon his subordinates. If he went back to the past alone, there would be only one outcome waiting for him: falling into endless struggle.
After all, Cyrus was dressed as a modern human, not as a native of that time. His clothing alone would draw hostility from tribal humans. Even if he wanted to blend in, it would be a serious problem.
However, if Cyrus brought Pokémon with him, he'd have nothing to fear—because according to the history of this world, humans hadn't yet invented the Poké Ball a thousand years ago.
Cyrus would be traveling to the past of another parallel timeline, and the human civilization in that world would likely end up developing ahead of schedule.