Latias anxiously tried to tell them something, but as humans, Natsui and the others couldn't understand the Pokémon language. They could only tell from its expression that something serious had happened.
However, Natsui already had a guess. The secret garden must have been attacked, and the attackers were undoubtedly the two female thieves.
Seeing Ash and the others looking at him, Natsui understood what they were thinking. He said to the shadow at his feet, "Gengar, stop sleeping. It's time to get to work."
At a time like this, Gengar, who had always served as their translator, was needed.
At Natsui's urging, Gengar's body slowly emerged from the shadow. But to their surprise, the Pokémon was yawning, wearing a sleeping cap, and even hugging a large pillow.
"Hey, hey," Gengar said, glancing at Natsui. "Do you have any idea what time it is? It's the middle of the night! I need my beauty sleep to take care of my skin!"
"Cut the nonsense," Natsui sighed, his tone becoming serious. "Something's happened. Hurry up and translate what Latias is saying!"
Latias now realized this Gengar was special and could speak human language, so she repeated what she had said before.
After listening, Gengar dropped its playful attitude and turned to Natsui and the others. "There's trouble at the secret garden. The two female thieves who attacked her during the day suddenly broke in, captured her brother, and stole the Soul Dew!"
Hearing this, the expressions on Ash and Brock's faces changed.
"How could that happen!?" Ash said in shock. "Isn't there a barrier protecting that place? How did they find it?"
"They must have secretly followed us!" Brock said, stroking his chin as he analyzed the situation. He then sighed. "I just can't believe they succeeded, even with two legendary Pokémon there!"
"It's not that strange," Natsui shook his head. "Legendary Pokémon aren't necessarily invincible. Even two of the same Pokémon can have vastly different strengths. Their condition, experience, and even the environment are all important factors that affect their performance."
With something like this happening, the group certainly couldn't go back to sleep. Since the boys' and girls' rooms were separate, Natsui first called Erika to tell her what had happened. Then, he, Ash, and Brock quickly got dressed.
By the time they reached the Pokémon Center lobby, Erika and Misty had also run over, not fully dressed.
It's often said that women are the slowest to get ready, but in a situation like this, they had clearly kept things simple.
Seeing Latias, although they had already heard what happened over the phone, the two were still surprised. Fortunately, at this hour, there was no one else in the lobby, so Latias didn't have to worry about being seen.
In fact, even if there were other people, Latias could have simply transformed into Bianca's likeness.
As a thoughtful woman, Erika was already thinking ahead. She asked, "What about Mr. Lorenzo and Miss Bianca?"
As the guardians of the secret garden, it was impossible for them to stand by and do nothing if it was attacked.
Latias shook her head. Just then, her eyes began to glow, just like in the secret garden. She had activated Dream Projection.
In the next second, the scenery around them changed abruptly. Through Latios's eyes, they saw Bianca and Lorenzo tied up together with silk threads. Nearby, the two female thieves, Annie and Oakley, were gathered around Latios, whispering about something. They were clearly puzzled by the sudden change in Latios's eyes.
"This place looks so familiar. It looks like some kind of hall..." Misty said, frowning as she looked at the surroundings.
"Don't bother thinking," Natsui said, pointing to something nearby. "This is the cathedral. Look at that device over there. Isn't it the one we saw during the day?"
Hearing him say that, the others looked around and confirmed that it was indeed the cathedral they had visited earlier.
"Then let's hurry over there!"
Just as they were about to leave to rescue them, the scene in the Dream Projection changed. The silver-haired thief, Oakley, skillfully slipped into the sphere within the device. Then, somehow, using Latios and the Soul Dew, she began to operate the device, and it started to transform.
Not only that, but as the device moved, they could clearly see the fossils on the floor come to life and stand up.
The Soul Dew... what an incredible power.
"We have to hurry," Natsui said, looking at the others. "Whatever these two are planning, it looks like they're about to succeed."
The group nodded in agreement. After Latias's Dream Projection ended, they ran toward the Pokémon Center's main entrance.
But just as they reached the door, countless iron hooks suddenly shot out from the stone slabs outside, completely blocking the exit.
It wasn't just here. The city's intersections, bridges, and even narrow alleyways were all blocked by these sharp iron hooks.
Fortunately, it was the middle of the night, so this change didn't attract much attention.
Misty had been running so fast that she almost got cut by the hooks. Luckily, Natsui pulled her back. She looked at the things that had suddenly appeared, her heart still pounding with fear. "What are these?" she asked.
Latias called out a few times, and Gengar immediately translated, "She says it's an ancient defense mechanism, built by her ancestors when they saved the island!"
"A defense mechanism?" Natsui shook his head. "It seems our enemies have now turned it into a weapon against us."
The hooks were incredibly sharp and densely packed, making it impossible to touch them. Fortunately, they had their Pokémon to help. With a single Shadow Ball from Gengar, a large hole was blasted through the seemingly sturdy iron hooks.
Once they were outside the Pokémon Center, looking at the silent streets, Natsui took out a Poké Ball and turned back to the others. "It's too slow to go by road. Let's split up. Erika and I will go ahead on Dragonite. You guys find a boat and go by the waterways!"
Misty and Brock knew that because of their Pokémon's types, they couldn't fly like Natsui. They nodded and ran toward the river.
Just as Ash was about to leave, Latias tugged at his clothes, signaling for him to get on her back.
Understanding the urgency of the situation, Ash hesitated for only a moment before jumping onto Latias's back. Latias flapped her wings and, along with the Dragonite Natsui had just released, flew into the air, speeding toward the cathedral.
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