Natsui then noticed a familiar object carved on a nearby stone tablet. He pointed to it and asked Lorenzo, "The device carved on there, that's the machine we saw in the cathedral, isn't it?"
"That's right," Lorenzo nodded. "To protect this island, my ancestors created this device that can amplify the power of the Soul Dew. The tablet shows the proper way to use it."
He then led the group to a small, separate pond and had them look at the bottom.
There, under the clear water, a round, transparent orb rested on a stand. Countless streams of light, like droplets of water, flowed continuously within the orb.
"Is that...?"
Lorenzo said, "This is the treasure that Alto Mare has guarded for generations—the Soul Dew."
"That's the Soul Dew!?"
Ash, Misty, and Brock were stunned. They never imagined that the mysterious Soul Dew from the stories would be placed here so simply, with almost no protection.
But thinking about it, a barrier blocked the view from the outside, and two legendary Pokémon were in the garden. What place could be safer than this?
Still, was this really the Soul Dew?
It was quite different from the beautiful gem they had imagined.
The group couldn't help but lean in for a closer look, but a railing kept them from getting too close, so they could only see it from a distance.
Bianca smiled. "Since you've come here, it means we were fated to meet, and you've earned Latios's trust. But please, promise me you won't mention to anyone that the Soul Dew is here."
"Don't worry," Natsui and the others nodded firmly. They understood the importance of this treasure and would certainly not spread the word. "Our lips are sealed!"
The group played with Latias and Latios for a while longer. Seeing that it was already dusk, they decided it was time to leave.
Hearing that they were going, Latias's eyes immediately filled with reluctance and disappointment.
But regardless, Natsui and his friends waved goodbye to the two legendary Pokémon and left the secret garden.
Led by Lorenzo and Bianca, they didn't go far after leaving the garden. Instead, they walked to the nearest riverbank and entered a wooden house.
This was Lorenzo's workshop. It turned out that besides being a guide, he was also a gondola repairman. In his spare time, he would come here to fix gondolas. In fact, being a repairman was his main job; being a guide was just a hobby to share the stories of Alto Mare and its legendary Pokémon with tourists.
Lorenzo pointed to a speedboat in the river. "Bianca, why don't you take them back to the Pokémon Center?"
Natsui and the others were about to refuse, feeling it was too much to ask a young girl to take them back. But when they looked around and realized they had unknowingly traveled far from the city, they had no choice but to accept.
If they walked, they probably wouldn't make it back to the Pokémon Center by nightfall.
The group boarded the speedboat. Under Bianca's skilled control, the boat moved smoothly down the river toward the city center.
However, they didn't know that just as they had left the secret garden, the two female thieves' spy spider had already slipped into the garden.
The engine hummed, but the group's attention was focused on the scenery on both banks, so the sound didn't bother them.
The speedboat continued down the river. A gentle breeze blew across their faces, a feeling of pure comfort.
Of course, it would have been even better if they weren't starving.
They finally reached the Pokémon Center before dark. After checking in, they rushed to a nearby restaurant and ordered a huge table of food.
Even Bianca, at Natsui and the others' warm invitation, stayed and had dinner with them.
When the food arrived, Bianca was initially taken aback by Ash's eating habits. But after spending a short time with him, she understood that he was a simple-minded kid who acted on his impulses. So, she ate her meal slowly and gracefully while watching him feast, treating it like a live eating show.
After the meal, they chatted and exchanged contact information. By the time they left the restaurant, the moon was high in the sky. Under the city lights, Alto Mare had a different kind of beauty.
They waved goodbye to Bianca and returned to the Pokémon Center.
From the water race in the morning to the end of dinner, it had been a long day, and they were truly exhausted. After a quick goodnight, they each went back to their rooms to rest.
Natsui took a hot shower, washing away the day's fatigue. When he returned to his room, Ash and Brock were already snoring. Shaking his head, he lay down on his bed and picked up his phone from the side.
He was still concerned about the two female thieves they had met. Even though he didn't remember the plot, he knew they would cause more trouble.
So, with nothing else to do, he went online to look up information about them.
Unfortunately, there was almost no information online about such high-profile thieves. With no other choice, Natsui sent a text message to Looker.
Just a few minutes later, Looker sent back two files. Natsui opened them and saw photos of the two female thieves.
They were a pair of sister thieves. The blonde one was named Annie, and the silver-haired one was Oakley. The two were ranked number one in the world in their line of work. They were not only agile but had never failed a single job since their debut.
Below that was a list of their past crimes. Natsui quickly scanned through it and found that their targets were mostly valuable items like precious jewels and famous paintings.
As he looked through the files, Natsui started to feel drowsy. He drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
The stars twinkled, and the moon hung high in the sky.
In the middle of the night, the entire city had fallen completely silent. After some time, in his sleep, Natsui suddenly felt a cool breeze. Startled awake by the wind, he opened his eyes and saw Latias flying toward him in a hurry from a distance!
Seeing its anxious expression and the few scratches on its body, he knew something must have happened.
Before he could turn on the light, Latias stumbled and crashed into the room. The loud noise woke up Ash and Brock immediately.
Natsui then turned on the room light. Seeing Latias there, Ash and Brock were both stunned.
"Latias, what are you doing here? What happened!?"
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