"Hello! Is this Professor Cozmo?"
The call connected imdiately, and Zinnia asked politely.
"Yes, speaking. Who is this?"
Since Zinnia hadn't used a mobile phone much before, she'd only saved Professor Cozmo's number, and he didn't recognize her number.
"It's —Zinnia, the Draconid!"
"Oh, it's you! So, you've made it to Mossdeep City already?"
"Yes! I want to visit the Space Center to observe Rayquaza. Can I co now?"
Zinnia's excitent flared. Seeing Rayquaza was her top priority—nothing else mattered.
"Why not co tomorrow morning? There are only a few hours left before the end of the workday. Even if you co now, you won't be able to observe Rayquaza, and many of the Space Center's facilities won't be available."
"...Tomorrow morning then. Okay," Zinnia sighed, disappointed.
Realizing there was no point in rushing, she relented.
Gary agreed—it was better to visit the next day. After traveling all the way to Mossdeep, they needed rest and ti to clean up before visiting.
They arranged to visit the Mossdeep Space Center the following morning.
Gary also planned to accompany Zinnia—mostly because he didn't trust her to stay out of trouble alone.
That night, they rested at the Mossdeep Pokémon Center.
The Next Morning
At 8 a.m., Gary and Zinnia set out for the Mossdeep Space Center.
Located in the eastern outskirts of the city, the Mossdeep Space Center wasn't just an observatory—it was also a launch site for satellites and space probes. Most of the Hoenn League's satellites were launched from here.
The two took a taxi to the facility's main gate. Security was tight, but Professor Cozmo had already inford the guards, so they were granted access without issue.
Climbing the steps to the front entrance, they found Professor Cozmo already waiting.
"Hey, Gary! Zinnia!" he greeted them with a friendly wave.
"Hello, Professor Cozmo," Gary responded politely.
"Professor, take to see Rayquaza right away!" Zinnia said eagerly.
"Rayquaza isn't visible just yet. You'll have to wait until noon," Cozmo replied.
"Huh? Why noon?" Zinnia asked, puzzled.
"Because Rayquaza flies to the ozone layer around midday to absorb teorite particles, and it can't be observed before then."
"Wait—Rayquaza eats?" Zinnia was shocked. She'd always believed the Sky Dragon didn't need food.
"Of course it eats. Rayquaza feeds on space debris, especially teorites. Most of the ti, though, it absorbs nanoparticle energy from the ozone layer."
Gary nodded. He already knew this. The Earth's ozone layer contains cosmic particles that condense into nanoparticles. Occasionally, these nanoparticles even form Pokémon like Minior.
Minior would fall to Earth and, once its shell cracked, its glowing core would eventually dissolve back into nanoparticles.
Unfortunately, Minior couldn't be bred—once the core was exposed, it deteriorated quickly. Even if stored inside a Poké Ball, it was only a temporary solution.
So Pokémon like Minior were short-lived. Once they appeared, they'd revert to stardust soon after.
"Co on, let show you around. There are lots of fun things to explore inside," Professor Cozmo said with a grin.
"Okay!" Zinnia bead.
"Sounds good," Gary added with a nod.
The two followed Cozmo into the Space Center.
Inside, it wasn't just observatories—there were various research labs, simulation chambers, and astronaut training rooms. Visitors could experience everything from zero gravity to space suit simulations.
There was even a vacuum chamber where you could don a spacesuit and feel what it's like in outer space. Instrunts were also available to test whether you had the physical and ntal capacity to beco an astronaut.
Despite having lived two lifetis, Gary had always been curious about space. Naturally, he wasn't going to miss this opportunity to try everything.
"Hahaha! This is so fun!"
Zinnia floated freely in the zero-gravity chamber, giggling and spinning like a fish in water.
Watching her having so much fun, Gary guessed she'd already forgotten all about observing Rayquaza.
"Zinnia, it's almost noon. Let's grab so lunch first, then go observe it," Professor Cozmo suggested.
"I'm coming!"
Zinnia quickly floated down from the zero-gravity chamber and ran off, with Gary following behind.
They returned to the dressing room to change clothes. Gary had just finished changing when suddenly—
Crash!
Zinnia burst into the room, flustered.
Startled, Gary instinctively took a step back.
Luckily, he had already changed, or Zinnia would've gotten a surprise.
"Gary! Sothing's wrong! My teorite is gone!" she shouted, panic in her voice.
"What?!"
Gary was stunned.
Zinnia had been carrying the teorite this whole ti—how could it just disappear?
Could soone have stolen it when she was in the zero-gravity room?
His mind went to Professor Cozmo. After all, Cozmo had originally been at Mt. Chimney searching for that teorite. Maybe he'd discovered that Zinnia had it and invited her here to get his hands on it?
But Gary quickly shook the suspicion. Cozmo didn't seem like the type to use shady tactics. If he really wanted it, he wouldn't have needed to steal it.
"Are you sure you checked carefully?" Gary asked.
"I did! I put the teorite in my bag like always. When I went to change just now, I left the bag in the locker. I just checked—and the teorite is gone!" Zinnia said, nearly in tears.
She was panicking. She'd lost all interest in seeing Rayquaza. If the teorite was gone, she'd fail the sacred trial entrusted to her by her grandmother.
"Don't panic—let's talk to Professor Cozmo."
Gary didn't want to suspect anyone, but at this point, Cozmo was the only person who might be able to help. As a leading researcher at the Space Center, he had access to all internal security systems.
Gary threw on his coat and hurried out of the dressing room with Zinnia.
Cozmo was waiting nearby. When he saw them rushing toward him with anxious expressions, his face twisted in confusion. Just a few minutes ago, they'd been laughing. What happened?
"Professor Cozmo—my teorite is gone! Please help find it!" Zinnia pleaded.
"...teorite?" Cozmo blinked. "What teorite?"
Seeing the professor's genuine confusion, Gary silently ruled him out as a suspect.
If he'd taken it, he wouldn't be acting this surprised.
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