Golden Orb

Without their Pokémon to protect them, Billy and Satoshi were easily bound by Yuga.

When they had come to Snowpeak Mountain, the Temple Elders had thoughtfully provided them with climbing ropes, which were now being used to tie them up.

As for Midori, Yuga believed that he probably couldn't withstand the beating he had received in the cave and had likely become minced meat by now, making it difficult to even locate his body.

After throwing the two bound individuals onto the ground, Yuga reached for the spatial backpack that Billy had behind him and emptied its contents with a loud clatter.

He and Cynthia hadn't forgotten their conversation with them from yesterday; this backpack should contain the items that Billy and his group had stolen from Articuno.

The contents of this spatial backpack were quite diverse, including clothing, shoes, blankets, Pokémon food... But the most eye-catching item was a stone roughly the size of an adult's head.

This stone was golden in color, resembling an ordinary but beautiful gemstone. Its shape wasn't perfectly regular, but that didn't diminish its beauty.

Especially in the early morning light, with the snow as a backdrop, this stone sparkled brilliantly.

Although there was no detectable energy emanating from this stone, both Yuga and Cynthia could sense its uniqueness.

"What is this? What was your purpose in stealing this from Articuno?" Yuga shifted his gaze away from the stone and turned to Billy and Satoshi, asking.

Billy just glared at Yuga and Cynthia with red eyes, refusing to utter a word, while Satoshi acted based on Billy's mood.

"You won't talk? Do you think I won't resort to other means if you stay silent?" Yuga threatened.

At this moment, Cynthia, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "I feel like this item is very similar to something I remember."

Yuga was momentarily surprised and asked, "Something? What do you mean?"

Cynthia replied, "In the myths, after Arceus created the world, it also created three deities: Dialga, the God of Time; Palkia, the God of Space; Dialga, and Giratina, the God that governs the Distortion World. Along with these three deities, the three Orbs were also created: the Adamant Orb, the Lustrous Orb, and the Griseous Orb."

"You mean..." Yuga's voice trembled.

Cynthia nodded with a serious expression. "This one bears a striking resemblance to the Griseous Orb described in the legends, which is associated with Giratina, the God that governs the Distortion World. It is said that with this orb, one can summon Giratina."

Yuga was stunned. He hadn't expected these individuals to dare to touch something like this. Taking this item meant they had already caught the attention of Giratina. No matter where they went, Giratina would be able to find them.

While Yuga knew about the three Orbs of the Creation Trio, he had never seen them, even in his previous life. That's why he didn't recognize the Griseous Orb. However, Cynthia and Professor Carolina had studied the myths of the Creation Trio for so many years, and they couldn't be mistaken.

The deities in this world were far more formidable than Yuga's previous understanding. They were truly beings worthy of being called gods, and taking their belongings would inevitably draw their attention. This was not something to be taken lightly.

Especially Giratina, a Level 1 Legendary Pokémon, stood above the Level 2 Legendary Pokémon likes Zapdos, Articuno, and even the Legendary Pokémon like Celebi. It was a terrifying entity at the pinnacle of the Pokémon world.

"But how could the Griseous Orb end up with Articuno? and it seems to value this item greatly," Yuga wondered.

Cynthia shook her head and replied, "I don't know either. None of the myths in Sinnoh mention where the three Orbs of the Creation Trio ended up."

Yuga furrowed his brow. "We might have stumbled upon some extraordinary secret."

"Tell us, how did you know that the Griseous Orb was in Mount Coronet?" Yuga kicked Billy harshly, blaming him for the whole mess. If it weren't for this guy, they wouldn't be dealing with such troubles, and the Orb would remain beautiful and undisturbed in Articuno's possession.

When Cynthia had revealed the identity of the Griseous Orb earlier, Billy had been just as surprised as Yuga. He had no idea what he had taken.

Billy didn't have much knowledge of the Sinnoh myths, but Cynthia's words were enough to make him understand the significance of the Griseous Orb.

If he had known it was something like this, he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to steal it. It might be a valuable item, but you needed to have a life to enjoy it! Wasn't Giratina known for its unpredictable and dangerous nature?

He dared to offend Articuno, but he wouldn't dare to offend Giratina. Articuno didn't leave Snowpeak Mountain, but Giratina had no such restrictions.

But now that he was a prisoner, and the Griseous Orb had fallen into someone else's hands, he ignored Yuga's questions.

Seeing that Billy remained uncooperative, Yuga decided to summoned Gengar and let it use Hyonosis for introgations.

While Hypnosis could potentially cause some damage to the human brain, Yuga had no other choice given the circumstances.

However, Yuga didn't use Hypnosis on Billy; instead, he directed it towards his underling, Satoshi. Watching his subordinate spill the beans, Billy's expression turned quite entertaining.

As it turned out, just like Yuga and his group used aliases, Billy's real name wasn't "Billy" but "Bilis."

Although Cynthia hadn't heard of "Bilis," the name still sounded somewhat familiar to her. This person had a certain level of notoriety in the criminal underworld of Sinnoh.

The most prominent bounty hunter organization in the Sinnoh underworld was the "Hegel Mercenary Corps," and its leader was none other than Bilis.

Bounty hunters were a despised profession in the Pokémon world. Most of those who entered this profession were outlaws, willing to do anything for money, including poaching Pokémon, robbery, and murder.

They employed ruthless methods, with little regard for ethics, which made them highly unpopular among the general population.

However, there were always individuals who had tasks they couldn't personally undertake, and that's where bounty hunters came in. These hunters became the tools of those with unsavory jobs to be done.

The Hegel Mercenary Corps was one such bounty hunter organization.

Not long ago, the Hegel Mercenary Corps had received a job to retrieve an item from Snowpeak Mountain, with a rough description of the item's appearance and approximate location provided.

The client didn't show up in person, but they had paid a substantial sum upfront, and Bilis couldn't refuse such a large amount of money.

Completing this one job would provide him with enough funds to last for three to five years without worrying about finances.

Two weeks ago, Bilis sent his first team to Snowpeak Mountain on this task, but they disappeared without a trace.

At that time, Bilis had no idea that the item he was looking for was in the possession of the Legendary Pokémon Articuno. Needless to say, the entire first team was wiped out, and the bodies seen by Yuga's group near Snowpeak Mountain were the remains of those Hegel Mercenary Corps members.

The fact that the first team he sent didn't return made Bilis realize that this task wasn't going to be a walk in the park. He understood that no one would pay such a substantial sum of money for an easy job.

However, Bilis wasn't one to give up easily, so he personally led a second team to Snowpeak Mountain. There, they discovered the remains of the first team and the wreckage of their aircraft.

What pleasantly surprised Bilis was that, despite the first team not returning alive, they had managed to locate the target item within the wreckage of the aircraft.

Two weeks ago, the conflict that erupted on Snowpeak Mountain was due to the first team pilfering something from Articuno, which enraged the Legendary Pokémon. Articuno shot down their aircraft, causing the Froslass to flee from the mountain in fear.

At the time, the item had been secured in a special box. After downing the aircraft, Articuno didn't manage to locate the item.

Once Bilis laid eyes on the item and opened the box, Articuno sensed its presence nearby and initiated a pursuit against Bilis and his group.

While Bilis brought quite a few people with him, the vast numbers of Pokémon on Snowpeak Mountain overwhelmed them. Soon, only Bilis, Satoshi, and Midori remained alive.

Satoshi and Midori were indeed their real names, as they weren't as famous as Bilis and had no need to conceal their identities.

When the three of them were at their wit's end, they stumbled upon this valley by pure chance. They remained hidden here for several days, undetected by Articuno and its underlings.

Yesterday, Articuno, who had been tirelessly searching for Bilis and his group, grew impatient. It fell into a frenzy, triggering a massive avalanche and attracting the attention of Yuga and Cynthia.