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Kai's eyes drifted to one of the nearby stone tablets, where an etched image caught his attention. He pointed at the carving and asked Lorenzo:
"That design… isn't it the same device we saw back in the cathedral?"
Lorenzo nodded. "Correct. Long ago, our ancestors built this mechanism to channel the power of the Soul Dew and protect this island. These carvings show the true way to use it."
He then guided them over to a small, secluded pool. Beneath its clear surface rested a transparent orb, set delicately on a pedestal. Within, streams of shimmering light pulsed like liquid starlight.
Ash leaned closer. "That's…?"
Lorenzo smiled gently.
"This is Alto Mare's greatest treasure, passed down for generations the Soul Dew."
"The Soul Dew!?"
Ash, Misty, and Brock gaped. They had never expected the legendary artifact of stories to be sitting so openly, almost unguarded. Then again, with the hidden barrier outside, the protection of Latios and Latias, and the secrecy of the garden, nowhere could be safer.
Still, the jewel looked different from what they imagined. They had pictured a grand, radiant gemstone, not this subtle, flowing orb. Even so, it carried a beauty all its own.
The three leaned closer for a better look, but a railing kept them at a respectful distance.
Bianca smiled.
"Since Latios allowed you this far, it means you've earned its trust. But I must ask one thing of you—please promise never to tell anyone about the Soul Dew."
Kai and the others nodded firmly. "Don't worry we'll keep it secret."
They spent a little longer playing with Latias and Latios until the sun dipped low, painting the sky with orange. At last, they bid the Eon Pokémon farewell. Latias looked reluctant to see Ash go, her eyes filled with quiet sadness, but she waved goodbye all the same.
Lorenzo and Bianca led the group out of the secret garden and downriver to a wooden workshop. Inside, gondola parts and tools filled the space.
"This is where I work," Lorenzo explained. "I may guide tourists now and then, but I've always been a gondola craftsman at heart."
He pointed to a small motorboat tied outside.
"Bianca, take them back to the Pokémon Center."
Ash and his friends started to refuse. It felt strange asking a girl their age to ferry them, but realizing they had wandered far from the city, they relented. On foot, they'd never make it back before dark.
The boat glided smoothly under Bianca's practiced hands. The steady hum of the engine mixed with the gentle breeze, and though their stomachs rumbled, the ride itself was peaceful.
By nightfall, they reached the Pokémon Center, checked into their rooms, and wasted no time rushing out for dinner. At Ash's insistence, Bianca joined them.
Ash immediately began devouring everything in sight, chop after chop, bite after bite, until Bianca could only stare in wide-eyed shock.
Misty sighed, Brock chuckled, and Kai reassured her softly, "That's just Ash. Food always comes first." Bianca shook her head with a smile, resigning herself to watching his eating frenzy like some kind of live performance.
After the meal, they exchanged contact information, then stepped out into the moonlit streets. Under the glow of lamps, Alto Mare shimmered with a quiet, romantic beauty.
They said goodbye to Bianca and returned to the Pokémon Center. From the water races that morning to the dinner that evening, the day had been exhausting.
After showers and quick goodnights, everyone retired to bed.
But Kai couldn't shake the memory of the two women who had tried to steal Latias. He lay on his bed scrolling through his phone, hoping for answers. The internet turned up nothing—no articles, no records. Whoever they were, they were ghosts.
So he sent a message to Looker.
Minutes later, two files appeared in his inbox. Kai opened them to find photos of the thieves.
The sisters, one blonde, one silver-haired, were infamous international burglars. Their names: Annie and Oakley. First-ranked among the world's professional thieves, unmatched in skill, with a flawless record of heists.
Their targets were always priceless treasures rare jewels, masterworks of art, artifacts of untold value.
Kai skimmed their criminal history, but fatigue soon overtook him. His eyes grew heavy, and before long, he drifted off to sleep.
Stars shimmered overhead. The moon hung high. The city lay silent under night's embrace.
Until—
A chill wind brushed his face. Kai stirred, uneasy. His eyes fluttered open just in time to see Latias, battered and scraped, hurtling desperately toward his window.
She crashed through with a thud, tumoring across the floor.
The noise jolted Ash and Brock awake as Kai snapped on the light.
"Latias!?" Ash exclaimed, rushing over. "What happened!? What's going on!?"
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