The clock rewinds slightly to a day prior.
After the incident in Michina, Cynthia took Sheena to the Sinnoh League Headquarters on Lily of the Valley Island.
As someone the Sinnoh League was currently focusing on developing, Cynthia didn't have to expend much effort before meeting the current president of the Sinnoh League. She relayed the events that had taken place in Michina to him.
"This kind of thing... happened?"
The elderly president looked at Sheena and the Jewel of Life in her arms in disbelief.
The legacy of the creator god Arceus—this was shocking news.
But after the initial shock, confusion followed closely behind.
"According to what you're saying, you were out for quite a while, and during that time, the masked girl was secretly monitoring you. Yet Joker didn't take the Jewel of Life?"
The old president expressed the same doubts Cynthia had earlier.
Both women had fallen for a decoy strategy, but the artifact hadn't been stolen.
This... this made no sense.
"Could it be that he couldn't find it?" Sheena offered her guess.
"That would make it even less likely for him to leave," the president shook her head.
According to Cynthia, if Joker and his group had gone three-on-one, they could have easily subdued her. Knocking Cynthia out and then threatening Sheena to hand over the Jewel of Life would've been a straightforward plan.
There was no reason for them to run away!
"President, what do you think about this whole matter..."
Cynthia felt a faint sense of unease in her heart.
"...I'll report this to the Chairman first. After all, they understand Joker far better than we do. In the meantime, Miss Sheena will temporarily stay on Lily of the Valley Island. We'll provide you with the necessary protection."
Not long after, Chairman Goodshow of the League Competition Committee, far away in the Indigo Plateau, received a call from Sinnoh.
Joker had appeared in Sinnoh?!
Upon hearing this news, Goodshow immediately arranged for Nanu, the primary official in charge of Joker-related cases, to head to Sinnoh.
"Why did he go to Sinnoh?"
Nanu, who had been discussing a case with Lance, was startled upon hearing the news. Without saying much, he got up to prepare for a private flight to Lily of the Valley Island.
"President, can I go with him?"
While Goodshow had delegated all matters related to Joker to Nanu, Lance couldn't help but feel an itch to act when he heard Joker was on the move again.
Thanks to the Lance family's connections, he had recently imported a significant amount of TMs from Alola.
Most of them were high-power moves like Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Rock Slide, and Stone Edge—specifically designed to counter ice types.
My dragon Pokemons have been further strengthened!
If the odds of Lance defeating Lorelei before were 70-30, now they are 90-10!
That young man who invented the TMs... what was his name again? Dr. Stephen, right?
If I ever get the chance to meet him, I will have to express my gratitude.
Seeing Lance's eager expression, Goodshow couldn't help but feel conflicted.
"Let him come along; it won't hurt. Besides, I haven't finished questioning him yet."
Hearing this, Nanu interjected.
"...Alright, but Lance, you must follow Nanu's orders."
In terms of strength, it was hard to say who was stronger between Nanu and Lance at the moment, but Lance was almost certain to surpass him in the future. However, for now, Lance wasn't unbeatable.
When it came to experience and handling cases, though, ten Lances wouldn't measure up to one Nanu.
"...Understood."
Lance agreed without hesitation, taking less than a second to respond. He knew full well that if he didn't agree to this condition, Goodshow would never allow him to go.
A few hours later, Nanu and Lance successfully arrived at Lily of the Valley Island.
After disembarking from the plane, they quickly made their way to the Sinnoh League building and learned about the events in Michina from the Sinnoh president and Cynthia.
"The artifact of the creator god? Whoa, that's incredible~"
Even Nanu, who usually exuded a laid-back demeanor, widened his eyes upon hearing this.
Compared to the Jewel of Life, however, Lance was more focused on Joker.
"It wasn't stolen by Joker?"
Lance also thought this was practically impossible. Not to mention, according to Cynthia, Sheena had left the house to pick her up the previous night, leaving the house unattended for nearly half an hour.
With so much time, Joker couldn't find the Jewel of Life that Sheena had hidden in the house.
Alright, let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Joker somehow failed to locate it.
He could've easily taken Cynthia out and then threatened Sheena.
As a League investigator, Nanu found this matter to be extremely suspicious.
"This... well, it's no big deal, is it? After all, the Jewel of Life is still here..."
Although she possessed extraordinary abilities, Sheena felt a bit intimidated when suddenly faced with so many important figures.
She thought that since the Jewel of Life hadn't been stolen, there was no need to make a fuss over it.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Lance turned to Sheena and said,
"Can I take a look at this jewel?"
"This..."
Seeing Sheena hesitate, Cynthia quickly jumped in, "Don't worry, Sister Sheena. Lance is someone you can trust."
...Though his tongue can be a bit sharp.
Cynthia mentally added this last part.
Lance's face briefly flashed a look of utter disbelief, but he quickly took the Jewel of Life from Sheena's hands.
Clutching it in his palm, Lance used the power of Viridian Forest to sense it.
Half a minute later, Lance narrowed his eyes, his face filled with disbelief.
"This is just a worthless rock!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere turned deathly silent.
Sheena's eyes widened in shock.
What was he saying? How dare he speak so disrespectfully about an artifact left behind by Arceus!
Frowning, Lance explained:
"I can't sense any special power from this thing."
Since it was an artifact created by the Creator Pokémon, it should naturally contain immense energy.
But when Lance used the power of Viridian Forest to sense it earlier, he felt absolutely nothing special about it.
If anything, it felt less impressive than elemental stones like Thunder Stones or Fire Stones.
It was just a worthless rock!
"Impossible!"
Sheena denied it outright, "The Jewel of Life contains five powers that Arceus split from its own body: Ground, Water, Grass, Lightning, and Dragon!"
At that moment, Nanu, an ace agent from the International Police, speculated:
"Could it be... a fake?"
Bullseye.
"That must be Joker's doing!"
Lance roared,
"He stole the real Jewel of Life and used a counterfeit to confuse us!"
Cynthia's eyes widened beneath her bangs.
So that's it!
Everything made sense now!
As expected of a League investigator, his reasoning was razor-sharp.
Of course, if Stephen were here, he'd probably say, "Razor-sharp my foot."
But even so, if you put yourself in Lance's position, nine times out of ten, you'd also come to the same conclusion.
...
One day later.
Sinnoh Celebration TV Station:
["Two days ago, Joker, a Class-S criminal from the Johto region, along with two accomplices, infiltrated the small town of Michina in Sinnoh and stole a precious local artifact.]
[In response, the Sinnoh region has launched a manhunt for the trio. To confuse the Sinnoh League, the cunning Joker even attempted to use a counterfeit to deceive the League.]
[Fortunately, with the assistance of Indigo Elite Lance, Joker's devious plan was uncovered."]
Meanwhile, in a villa in Unova's Nimbasa City...
The trio, eating breakfast and watching the morning news, fell into a mysterious silence.