Translator-Sama - Chapter 189: Eterna Historical Museum

Cynthia's expression immediately turned serious. While neither she nor the Celestica family had any intention of seizing a Legendary Pokémon's inheritance, Alex's attitude spoke volumes.

It was highly likely that Alex had genuinely earned the friendship of a Legendary Pokémon. If that were true, the entire family's approach toward him would have to change. At the very least, they could skip the pointless testing phases.

The trio boarded Cynthia's private helicopter and swiftly arrived at their destination: Eterna City. As a major metropolis, Eterna City was also the historical and cultural heart of the Sinnoh region.

The helicopter slowly descended. The doors opened, and Cynthia stepped out gracefully. A brown-haired girl had been waiting at the helipad for quite some time.

"Cynthy!" Spotting Cynthia, Gardenia practically swooned. She threw her arms open and excitedly rushed forward to hug her, even trying to cop a feel, completely ignoring the blatant look of disgust on Cynthia's face.

"I didn't bring Roserade today; I left her at home." Knowing Gardenia's quirks all too well, Cynthia decisively pushed her away, making it clear she didn't have a Grass-type Pokémon on her.

Sure enough, Gardenia's expression changed instantly. Her enthusiastic, radiant smile vanished without a trace, replaced by a look of cold, calculating rationality.

Without the allure of Roserade, Gardenia's IQ immediately reclaimed the high ground. She dropped her arms, looking as if she had lost all interest in a split second.

"If you didn't bring Roserade, then why are you even here?"

Although this wasn't the first time Cynthia had witnessed Gardenia's abrupt mood swings, it still left her speechless.

"You know, I genuinely worry that one day you're going to get easily kidnapped by someone who just happens to own a rare Grass-type," Cynthia sighed in frustration.

Gardenia didn't seem to care about Cynthia's concern, replying nonchalantly, "That scenario you're imagining will never happen."

'Does she really think I'm the kind of foolish girl who loses her mind over a little excitement?'

Cynthia sighed softly, seemingly resigned, and turned to introduce Alex and Roxanne.

"This is Gardenia. You can call her... a friend of mine. Her family runs the Grass-type Gym here in Eterna City." Cynthia paused briefly before adding, "As you can see, she's an absolute fanatic when it comes to Grass-type Pokémon."

"What do you need me for? And who are your friends?" Gardenia eyed the two standing behind Cynthia.

Her keen intuition told her that Alex and Roxanne were not 'her kind of people.' In other words, they weren't Grass-type Specialists. Consequently, Gardenia was relatively indifferent toward them.

Even though she recognized Alex from his recent rise to fame, it didn't change a thing. If she wasn't interested, she wasn't interested.

"I need to take them to my family's ancestral site. There are some things I want to show them," Cynthia explained.

Hearing this, Gardenia gave Alex and Roxanne a serious once-over before giving a slight nod. After all, it wasn't her family's ancestral site. She was just here today because Cynthia had asked her for a ride.

Gardenia stepped aside. Taking the cue, Alex and Roxanne quickly followed Cynthia into the car Gardenia had brought.

The car smoothly pulled away, navigating the bustling streets toward the heart of Eterna City.

When the car finally rolled to a stop in front of a magnificent building, Alex was surprised to find that Cynthia had brought them to the Eterna Historical Museum.

"The Celestica family's ancestral grounds are here?" As Alex approached the museum, he vaguely sensed several faint gazes locking onto them. Probing subtly with his psychic senses, he discovered the owners of these gazes were all Elite-tier Psychic or Ghost-type Pokémon.

The caliber of the guards directly reflected the value of the treasure being protected. This principle held true anywhere in the world.

To his surprise, Cynthia shook her head, denying his assumption.

"What are you thinking? This is just a place to store some of our family's antiques. We even open it up to tourists on weekdays to earn some ticket revenue. Truly priceless artifacts would never be kept in a public place like this."

Alex immediately understood. The items stored here held historical significance, but lacked practical utility.

Places like the Gible breeding grounds, which dictated the family's rise and fall, were entirely different. Not even Cynthia, the family's heir apparent, had the authority to casually invite outsiders into such restricted areas.

Guided by the young miss of the Celestica family, Alex and Roxanne even saved on the museum entrance fee.

Of course, no one was actually selling tickets right now. As Alex stepped through the museum entrance, he noticed that the scars of battle hadn't been fully erased.

Gouges in the floor, scorch marks in the corners, and even the shattered remnants of glass display cases hadn't been completely cleaned up. It was obvious a fierce battle had taken place here not too long ago.

Judging by the number of concealed Elite-tier Pokémon currently standing guard, the clash must have been exceptionally intense.

"Looks like the Hunter syndicate put up quite a fight," Alex remarked, pointing at the shattered display cases.

Cynthia nodded. "Not long ago, someone hired the Hunter syndicate. The notorious Hunter J personally led a raid on this museum. Although our people managed to repel the invaders in time, a few ancient artifacts were stolen."

Cynthia shot Alex a meaningful look, her smile seemingly laden with unspoken implications.

She then raised her hand, pointing at two empty display pedestals. "The stolen items were originally kept right there."

Alex followed her gaze. The two display cases weren't massive, but their size and shape were indeed perfectly suited to house two objects roughly the size of soccer balls.

'So, the Adamant Orb and Lustrous Orb were originally your family's property?'

Of course, Alex wasn't completely unreasonable. If these truly belonged to them, Alex... still wasn't going to give them back.

After all, those items had already passed through the hands of the Hunter syndicate. Since the Celestica family had officially reported them stolen, whoever managed to pry those two Orbs from Hunter J's cold, dead hands naturally got to keep them.

He had risked his life to snatch food from the tiger's mouth. If they demanded he hand over his spoils without a fight, Alex would rather battle to the bitter end.

Seeing the guarded look in Alex's eyes, Cynthia's suspicions were confirmed: he definitely had those two items.