After spending another night at the Sasaki household, Yuga departed with the items he had received from Windy's adoptive mother, setting off for Pallet Town.
Windy also left with him.
The head of the Sasaki family, seeing that Windy had no desire to inherit the family business and had also refused the engagement to Jessebelle, begrudgingly allowed him to leave, out of respect for Yuga.
Watching Yuga and Windy ride off on Dragonite and Flygon, Jessebelle resolved to become a formidable Trainer. The next time she encountered danger, she didn't want to be caught helpless.
A significant part of why Windy had been so severely injured before was because he had been protecting her, leaving Jessebelle feeling deeply guilty.
But truth be told, the idea of marrying Windy didn't sit well with her either; she actually preferred James, who had been her close companion since childhood.
Riding on Dragonite and Flygon they departed from Sasaki Town early in the morning. By the afternoon, the two of them had successfully reached Pallet Town, where Professor Birch was already waiting at the town's entrance, after having been notified in advance.
Seeing Yuga and Windy dismount from their Dragonite and Flygon, Professor Birch greeted them with a warm smile, saying to Yuga, "You finally made it! If you'd been any later, the exhibition would've already ended."
After returning Dragonite to its Poké Ball, Yuga turned around to Professor Birch and asked, "How has the exhibition been going? Has anyone voiced any objections about me?"
Professor Birch replied with a smile, "The exhibition has been going smoothly! You've made a valuable contribution this time; it's not as if you're shirking your duties, so no one has any complaints about you. Don't worry."
Hearing this, Yuga felt reassured. "Good to know."
At that moment, Professor Birch turned to Windy and greeting him warmly, "So you're Windy! Hello!"
Windy, being a shy person, simply replied with a brief, "Hello, Professor Birch," and didn't say much more.
As they headed toward Professor Oak's laboratory, Professor Birch enthusiastically shared with Yuga some recent events from the exhibition, particularly emphasizing the early-stage results of the two giant meteoroid fragments.
Once inside the laboratory, Yuga was led to the research room where the exhibition was being held, while Windy was escorted to a different part of the facility by one of the lab staff to settle in.
The giant meteoroid fragments were a League secret, and only influential figures within the League had been invited to attend the exhibition, so Windy naturally wasn't eligible to accompany Yuga.
Yuga's arrival quickly attracted the attention of everyone in the research room; some of them nodded their heads in acknowledgment from a distance, others waved their hands to greet him, while a few of them whispered quietly among themselves.
Yuga scanned the room, responding to the greetings from familiar faces, and also noticed a number of unfamiliar ones.
"Good lad, you finally made it!" Professor Oak, who had been talking to Professor Platane, approached and gave Yuga a firm pat on the back.
"I apologize for being late," Yuga said with a smile, excusing himself to Professor Oak.
Professor Oak waved it off, saying, "Oh, you're here now, and that's what matters. Being a bit late doesn't affect anything. Come on, let me tell you about our research findings."
As Professor Oak spoke, he led Yuga to the central console in the research room. On the console were two transparent casings containing the megalith fragments that Yuga and Steven had handed over.
After a few adjustments, a set of magnified dynamic images appeared on the screen of the machine in front of Yuga.
"This is…" Yuga asked, puzzled.
Professor Oak pointed to the dynamic images and explained, "This is a decomposition image of cellular tissue..."
Through Professor Oak's explanation, Yuga learned that the megalith fragments emit a unique radiation that causes rapid cell division in Pokémon. However, this cell division effect is only triggered in legendary Pokémon; regular Pokémon and humans exposed to the radiation do not undergo any such changes.
The dynamic images shown to Yuga were obtained from experiments conducted with a hair sample from Mew, a rare item in the League's collection. Aside from Mew's hair, Professor Oak and his team had also experimented with cells from Latias and Latios' scales, the talons of the Legendary Birds, Rayquaza's blood, and other cellular tissues from legendary Pokémon, ultimately arriving at their current findings.
Legendary Pokémon have unique life forms with exceptionally powerful life forces. The radiation from the megalith not only poses no harm to them but even stimulates their latent abilities.
If humans or regular Pokémon were exposed to such rapid cell division, symptoms of life force depletion would likely appear quickly.
Professor Oak and his team had shared these findings with others before Yuga arrived but were now recounting them for Yuga's benefit.
However, the megalith fragments don't leave ordinary Pokémon completely unaffected. During the experiments, for instance, a Hypno experienced a sudden spike in psychic power after prolonged radiation exposure, nearly causing its brain to collapse; it only returned to normal after being kept away from the fragment for an extended time. Similarly, a Primeape experienced localized muscle necrosis and signs of organ failure after prolonged exposure, and a Venusaur went through spontaneous Mega Evolution due to the radiation, which caused it intense pain until it reverted after being moved away from the fragment…
In short, the effects of the megalith fragments on ordinary Pokémon are varied and unpredictable, with negative impacts being the most common outcome in the experiments conducted so far.
The only consolation is that, at least for now, there's no evidence that the radiation from the megalith fragments affects humans who come into contact with them.
After listening to Professor Oak's explanation, Yuga realized just how dangerous the megalith fragments were. Fortunately, his own fragment was safely stored in his system's inventory; otherwise, things could have gone terribly wrong.
As for whether the megalith fragments were truly as harmless to humans and legendary Pokémon as Professor Oak suggested, Yuga had his doubts.
The reason headquarters decided to hold the exhibition at Professor Oak's lab wasn't only to present the findings on the megalith but also to gather representatives from each League division to discuss how to handle the fragments.
Before Yuga's arrival, the League representatives had already been debating this issue for some time without reaching a conclusion. Some proposed distributing the fragments to the League's allied lawful legendary Pokémon, as they could make the best use of them. Others suggested using the fragments to develop new weapons due to their immense energy potential. Still, others proposed using the fragments to enhance Pokémon…
Since Yuga arrived late, by the time Professor Oak finished explaining the research findings on the megalith fragments, the day's discussion had ended.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Professor Oak announced to everyone. "Since there hasn't been much progress, we'll continue tomorrow. Everyone, please go rest."
Soon, most people in the lab had left. Flint, Elite Four Siebold, and a few others had wanted to catch up with Yuga, but seeing that Yuga seemed to have something to discuss privately with Professor Oak, they refrained from interrupting and followed the others out of the lab.
After everyone left, Yuga turned to Professor Oak and Professor Birch and said, "There's something I'd like to show you both. Do you have a moment?"
Professor Oak's curiosity was piqued. "What could be so important?"
Professor Birch quickly caught on. "Does it have something to do with Team Rocket's capture this time?"
Yuga nodded slightly.
Professor Oak raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so it does. I definitely want to see it!" He was already aware of Yuga's successful capture of several Team Rocket members and assumed that anything capable of mobilizing so many Team Rocket operatives had to be significant.
Before coming to the lab, Yuga had handed the item to Windy for safekeeping. So, after leaving the lab, the three of them found the room where Windy was staying. Windy, understanding they had important matters to discuss, handed the item back to Yuga and excused herself from the room.
After Windy left, Yuga opened the box and took out the stone and the stone tablet within.
"Is this... the power of Aura?"
Both Professor Oak and Professor Birch, being experienced researchers, immediately recognized the energy fluctuations emanating from the blue stone.
"And this… there's an image of the Mythical Pokémon Mew on it…" Professor Oak observed as he examined the stone tablet.
"Do you know the origin of this stone and tablet?" Yuga asked.
"No, I can't discern their origin," Professor Oak replied, inspecting the stone closely with a magnifying glass.
"Wait, look closely. Is there something inside this stone?" Professor Birch suddenly called out.
"Where? Let me see!" Professor Oak quickly grabbed the magnifying glass and looked closely.
"There really is!" After a while, Professor Oak confirmed.
Yuga also leaned in to look carefully and indeed saw a small, transparent flower bud inside the semi-transparent stone—a detail he hadn't noticed before.
The icy blue stone was only semi-transparent, and the bud inside was fully transparent, so it was no wonder Yuga hadn't noticed it earlier.
"Professor Oak, doesn't the thing inside look like a Time Flower?" Professor Birch suggested after some thought.
"Time Flower?" Professor Oak moved closer with the magnifying glass to examine it again. Then he said, "Wait a moment."
He ran out of the room, returning with a thick book.
After carefully comparing the contents of the book for a while, Professor Oak finally said, "It really is a Time Flower."
At this point, Yuga also saw the illustration in Professor Oak's book. It depicted a large, transparent flower that looked very similar to the one in the stone, except the Time Flower in the illustration was in full bloom, while the one inside the stone was still a bud.
"Professor, what exactly is a Time Flower?" Yuga asked, puzzled.
"A Time Flower is a unique life form that only grows near the Tree of Beginning," Professor Birch explained to Yuga. "Though it takes the shape of a flower, it's not a true plant. Its unique property is that it can record events that took place nearby."
"You may not know this, but the Tree of Beginning, despite its name and appearance as a tree, is not actually a true tree. It only looks like one because so many plants grow on its surface," Professor Oak explained. "In reality, it's a crystalline life form encased in layers of rock. The Time Flower is an affiliated life form of this Tree."
Professor Birch nodded in agreement. "Exactly. The Tree of Beginning still holds many mysteries, but one thing is certain—the Mythical Pokémon Mew resides there."
This information was a closely guarded secret of the League. If anyone else were present, the two professors wouldn't have discussed it so openly.
"So these items may be connected to the Tree of Beginning or Mew?" Yuga speculated.
"Very likely," Professor Oak agreed.
"Then how should we handle them?" Yuga asked, looking to the two professors.
After a moment's thought, Professor Oak replied, "Leave them with me for a couple of days so I can study them. We can decide on the next steps afterward."
Yuga had no objections, as this approach suited Professor Oak's inquisitive nature perfectly. Researchers tend to have a strong thirst for knowledge and curiosity.
As they were leaving, Professor Oak was carrying the box with the items. Just as he reached the door, he turned back to Yuga and said, "I heard from Director Joy that you have a Spoink that can perform divination. Would you mind lending it to me for a couple of days to study?"
Yuga: …
Joyna's loose lips strike again!
With a polite but slightly exasperated smile, Yuga replied, "I can't really make that decision on my own. I'll need to ask Spoink for its permission first."
Professor Oak nodded approvingly. "Absolutely, you should ask. Let me know after you do. If Spoink does come over, I'll make sure it's well-fed and comfortable."
With that, he and Professor Birch left without a backward glance, leaving Yuga to shake his head in mild frustration.
Over the next few days, discussions among the participants at the conference intensified over how to handle the megalith fragments.
During this time, Yuga encountered Gary at Professor Oak's lab after not seeing him for a long time. It turned out that Gary had been assisting his grandfather in research and was helping with the studies on the megalith.
Gary was thrilled to see Yuga again and eagerly gave him a tour of Professor Oak's backyard, where Yuga saw a wide array of Pokémon stored there, including some that Ash had left with Professor Oak.
Some of Ash's Pokémon recognized Yuga, and they greeted him with surprise and excitement.
Another notable event was that the Porygon, which typically assisted Windy, evolved into Porygon2 with Professor Oak's help.
Professor Oak happened to see Windy at work one day and enthusiastically helped Porygon complete its evolution. The Oak Lab also had its own Porygon2 used for assistance, all of which had evolved from Porygon using readily available upgrade data.
After evolving, Porygon's work efficiency significantly improved, saving Windy a lot of effort.
Windy was fascinated by the upgrade data used to evolve Porygon and spent quite some time consulting Professor Oak's assistants about it.
Afterward, he enthusiastically told Yuga that he was determined to research data that could further evolve Porygon2, and Yuga expressed his full support.
Windy was a genius, especially in the field of networking. It wouldn't be surprising if he succeeded in this research, as Porygon was known to have the potential for further evolution.
Time flew by, and after many rounds of intense debate, consultations with the League headquarters, and discussions with various branches, a final decision was finally reached on how to handle the megalith fragments!