Facing the gazes of everyone, Professor Oak thought for a while, then slowly spoke: "Cyrus is a well-known merchant in the Sinnoh region, no one knows exactly how he started out, but by the time he became famous, he was already a very wealthy businessman."
"Although he is a businessman, there are virtually no scandals about him. He often makes charitable donations and has a keen interest in ancient artifacts. He has also released information that anything related to ancient items can be brought to him for high-priced acquisition."
"That's about all I know. After all, I'm not from Sinnoh, but I believe Cynthia may know more, considering she's the Sinnoh Champion and surely has had many encounters with Cyrus."
The information provided by Professor Oak wasn't much, but it was already crucial.
The person is a merchant in the Sinnoh region, with no scandals, and has a fondness for ancient things. On the surface, he seems like a completely different person from the one controlling the Netherworld Dragon, Cyrus, but it's the subdued individuals like him who are most likely to be the main villain!
Much like Giovanni, who would have thought the leader of Team Rocket was the Gym Leader of Viridian Gym?
And the reputation of this Gym Leader in Viridian City isn't just good; even now, there are still people who firmly believe that Giovanni's leadership over Team Rocket must have some hidden truth, which shows Giovanni's prestige.
Cyrus is the same; the more low-key he is, the more it indicates a problem.
There are so many people named Cyrus in the world, but the Cyrus described by Professor Oak resembles Giovanni too closely.
So it's quite likely that this Cyrus is the leader of Team Galactic who controls Giratina, Cyrus!
"No wonder Team Galactic's funds are so abundant, turns out the leader of Team Galactic is amassing wealth in the open." Brock rubbed his chin, a look of realization on his face.
Team Galactic isn't as large as Team Rocket, and they're much more subdued in comparison, rarely engaging in burning, killing, and looting.
Team Rocket relies on selling Pokemon and doing all sorts of wicked deeds for funding.
Though Team Galactic is also an evil organization, they scarcely commit 'minor' crimes and instead get involved in major events!
Because of this, it's challenging for Sinnoh to catch any slip-ups, partly because Team Galactic is indeed not very active, and partly because Cyrus serves as a cover on the surface.
"If that's the case, we should quickly inform Miss Cynthia!" Ash got up from Misty, already holding his phone.
He has Cynthia's contact.
"Yes, better to contact Cynthia early... But I think, given Cyrus's shrewdness, he might already be planning his withdrawal from the moment Giratina went out of control."
Professor Oak's speculation is plausible; like the leaders of any villainous organization, each has multiple escape plans. With such a major flaw, he would naturally choose to withdraw immediately.
However, Ash wasn't going to let this hard-won clue go, so he directly called Cynthia.
"Hello." Cynthia's cool voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Miss Cynthia, it's Ash!"
"Ash? What a rare guest, for you to call me, is there something going on?" Cynthia was visibly surprised over there, she didn't expect Ash to call.
She was wondering why the call didn't have a remark.
The phone number she has is known only to a few, usually noted for acquaintances, but this call came from an unremarked number.
It was Ash.
She had given Ash her number back then but didn't save Ash's number, and with the Quartz Conference having passed long ago, she almost forgot about this matter.
This was the first time she gave someone her number only to wait nearly half a year for a call.
"Miss Cynthia, do you know Cyrus?"
"Cyrus? I know him, he's quite renowned in the Sinnoh region. As a League representative, I've visited exhibition halls with him a few times, and he seems like a fairly amiable person. Is there a problem?"
"He's the leader of Team Galactic."
Cynthia:...
Without any preamble or preparation, Ash just laid out the truth directly, momentarily leaving Cynthia stunned.
What do you mean Cyrus is the leader of Team Galactic???
If this wasn't Ash speaking, she would have thought it was some kind of modern prank.
Though Cyrus is low-key in the Sinnoh region, his influence and status are significant. If he's the leader of Team Galactic, then the impact on Sinnoh would be far greater than imagined.
"I understand, I'll go control Cyrus immediately and start an investigation." Cynthia unhesitatingly trusted Ash's words.
While her interactions with Ash were few, that one battle was enough for her to understand Ash's character and trust what he says.
Thus, she decisively decided to arrest Cyrus first, knowing that once they make a mistake, especially when the individual holds significant influence in the Sinnoh region, the repercussions on Cynthia's future cannot be understated.
But due to her trust in Ash, she still made this decision!
Since Ash has learned that Cyrus is the leader of Team Galactic, it indicates that the opponent must have made a slip somewhere. If we don't hurry now, he might escape.
"Ugh... No... isn't this a bit over the top?" Ash was taken aback by Cynthia's decisiveness. He merely wanted Cynthia to be prepared, but who would have thought Cynthia's plan was to directly capture Cyrus!
"If the opponent really is the leader of Team Galactic, then it's naturally the sooner the better. Let's not talk now; wait for my news. Contact you later." Cynthia hung up the phone as soon as she finished speaking.
Ash put down his phone and exchanged glances with Professor Oak and the others: "Cynthia... has already set off to arrest Cyrus."
Everyone: ???
What speed! Just one moment ago, Cyrus was said to be the leader of Team Galactic, and the next moment she sets out to take action? Isn't that a bit too decisive!
"Cynthia is still so swift and decisive! But I think... she's probably thinking about settling new and old scores together, after all, she was indeed afflicted by those people from Team Galactic back then." Professor Oak commented.
Speaking of the connection between Team Galactic and Cynthia, it naturally was that incident in the Orange Archipelago. If it weren't for Ash's intervention, Cynthia might have been in grave danger.
Although Cynthia wasn't harmed at the time, the champion of the Sinnoh Region was actually imprisoned by the opponent, which was a blatant provocation to Cynthia's dignity.
Though Cynthia never voiced it, she undoubtedly remembers it clearly in her heart, just waiting for the day to take revenge.
Now that she's aware of the whereabouts of Team Galactic's leader, she'd definitely lead the charge—although the opponent might not be confirmed as the leader of Team Galactic yet.
"But speaking of which, what if she catches the wrong person? Would that cause any negative impact on Miss Cynthia?" Brock said with some concern.
"There will definitely be an impact, but Cynthia is the Sinnoh Champion; she can handle such a mistake. But that's not the main issue. The main issue is that if the person isn't the Cyrus mentioned by Giratina, where do we find that Cyrus?" Professor Oak is more concerned about not finding the real mastermind than catching the wrong person.
The opponent has the means to control a Divine Realm Level Peak Pokemon, and if we can't control him, even with Giratina by Ash's side, it's not very secure.
It's easier to catch a thief for a thousand days than to defend against one for a thousand days.
So, catching the wrong person isn't the key point; the key point is not being able to find the person!
'Cyrus has blue hair, blue eyes, a face so thin it's sunken, wearing Team Galactic's uniform—does this information help?' Giratina's voice resonated in the minds of Professor Oak and the others.
Professor Oak's eyes brightened as he turned to the computer.
His slightly aged hands typed rapidly on the keyboard.
People in the research institute gathered around. Ash leaned against the sofa, Misty sat beside him, Brock and Serena stood behind Professor Oak, even Delia put down her teacup and took a few steps forward.
The sound of typing on the keyboard clattered for a while before it finally stopped.
Professor Oak dug out a photo from a news archive in the Sinnoh Region and enlarged it to fill the entire screen.
The photo's background was a museum, surrounded by a red ribbon around a newly unveiled exhibit panel. Several suit-wearing people stood side by side in front of the panel, and in the center was an individual with a tall, slim build, meticulously combed blue hair, shallow blue eyes in deep-set sockets, a sharp chin, prominent cheekbones, and a polite and appropriate smile on his face.
Professor Oak side-stepped to allow Giratina to see the screen clearly, "Is this the person?"
Giratina extended a wisp of spiritual power from the Pokeball for observation, and in the next moment, his deep voice resonated in everyone's mind.
'That's him. He is Cyrus.'
The air in the research institute seemed to lighten a bit.
"Good thing we didn't find the wrong person." Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief; if they'd found the wrong person, they wouldn't know how to explain it to Cynthia, and Ash would still have to face an enemy who attacks from the shadows, which would be a catastrophe.
Next, we'll wait for news from Cynthia.
Delia tugged on Ash's sleeve and softly said, "Let's go home for dinner first."
Ash, looking exhausted from the day's events, displayed signs of weakness, and though Delia hadn't said anything, her eyes hadn't moved from Ash since earlier.
She had never seen her lively son become so weak; she had to go home and brew some nourishing soup.
After some consideration, they decided that Cynthia probably wouldn't have news so soon, so they decided to go home and eat first; they were already hungry.
Back home, Delia put on an apron and entered the kitchen, with Mr. Mime assisting her.
Ash sat on the living room sofa, Misty handed him a damp towel to wipe his face, Brock poked his head into the kitchen door, expressing his intent to help, and Delia gladly agreed.
Delia knew Brock's cooking skills well; they weren't inferior to some top chefs.
Of course, if you say the best cook, it has to be the one lying on the sofa outside, although Ash currently doesn't have the strength to cook.
Before long, a variety of dishes appeared on the dining table: braised beef, red date and goji berry soup, sweet and sour ribs, steamed bass...
Usually, Delia would only eat one dish when she's home alone, but only when Ash returns are there so many good dishes.
After a hearty meal, they helped tidy up the dishes and planned to return to Oak's Research Institute.
Giratina and Mewtwo remained at the Oak's Research Institute because the former was still a bit uncomfortable staying in the Gravity Ball, so Professor Oak planned to extract part of Giratina's energy for Mr. Kurt to make a Pokeball specifically for Giratina.
Although it's a bit challenging, it's not impossible for Kurt.
Therefore, for Giratina's subsequent comfort, Ash had Giratina temporarily undergo instrument testing and energy extraction at Oak's Research Institute, while Mewtwo kept watch to prevent another unexpected attack from Team Galactic.
Additionally, Mitsumi was still in a deep sleep, and at this moment, those Unowns had transformed into little puzzles scattered around Mitsumi, appearing as if they'd exhausted their power.
Ash had probed and found there was still life energy inside, so the Unowns shouldn't have died from energy depletion.
Later, they'll only be able to wait for the Unowns to gradually recover, then proceed to find Mitsumi's father's whereabouts.
Ash and the others headed to Oak's Research Institute while Delia stayed at home, as she hadn't finished cleaning after the Crystal Tower incident today.
Initially, Brock and Misty wanted to help Delia with the cleaning before leaving, but Delia smiled and shooed them off to attend to their own affairs.
...
By evening, Ash and the others had already returned to the research institute from Professor Oak's backyard, but Cynthia still hadn't returned the call.
Ash checked on everyone in the backyard and caught up with various Pokemon. Although he often rotated Pokemon during his travels, it's rare for all the Pokemon to be together.
The only regret was Charizard's absence, as he was still in the Charicific Valley.
As the sun set, Ash's phone finally rang, with the name "Cynthia" flashing on the screen.
He tapped the answer button, put on the speaker, and everyone gathered around.
"Miss Cynthia, how's the situation?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Cynthia's cool voice came through the receiver, somewhat lower than usual.
"Your information was correct. Cyrus is indeed the leader of Team Galactic." She paused after saying this, sighing as if expressing regret.
"Our actions were swift enough, but he seems to have been prepared."
"When I arrived with the team, he had already transferred almost all assets, leaving himself alone in the villa. The entire villa district was in disarray, and it seems he might have destroyed something before we got there."
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