As the night deepens, Pearl, Raylord, Chimlord and Chatlord finally make it to the city of Eterna. Pearl notices that while the weather remains chilly, the clouds have cleared and they now have moonlight to guide their way.

Wandering across the streets, they soon spot Rad Rickshaw's Cycle Shop, but Pearl starts to wonder if it would be too intrusive to pay a visit at such a late hour. However, it would be too late to wait until dawn as they really have not much time left, and they have only two days to spare before the said date of the Galactic Bomb's detonation arrives.

Standing in front of the iron gate, Pearl lifts his arm and gets ready to knock, but in that instant, he senses two presence behind him, and turns around to see two silhouettes hovering high up in the skies. On a closer look, he recognizes them as the fairy Pokemon, Clefairy, and the two have raised their hands towards the sky, clearly getting ready to strike.

Left with no choice but to assume that they are sent by his enemies, Pearl orders Chatlord to use Chatter and Raylord to unleash a Discharge. The two attacks land accurately on the Clefairies, but to Pearl's surprise, they didn't score critical hits. He realizes that the two pink fairies must be using Lucky Chant when they raised their hands to the sky earlier, and tells himself to stay composed. He flips out his Pokedex to read that the wings of Clefairies can collect moonlight and allow them to stay air-borne, and tells Chimlord to stay alert as cute-looking foes are not always as weak as they appear.

Pearl decides that it will be a good time to put to use all the harsh training they have given themselves in the past four days since leaving Canalave, and orders a Flare Blitz from Chimlord. However, before the fire ape manages to launch the attack, a man rushes in on a Bicycle and cries for them to stop, requesting to know what kind of mischief his Clefairies have done.

Pearl instantly recognizes the man as Rad Rickshaw, the owner of the Cycle Shop, and Rad also bolts in recognition that Pearl is one of the three young trainers who rescued him before. Pearl puts on a big grin, and reveals that he has actually come to visit him, bringing along the parcel of goods Rad ordered from Mr. Fuego.

Rad thanks Pearl for the delivery, and the boy wants to know if the Clefairies are really owned by Rad, which the man nods in embarrassment. He tells the two fairies, nicknamed Clefairan and Clefairin, not to panic, as Pearl is definitely not an enemy, and retrieves them into their Pokeballs. Rad apologizes for the fuss, and explains that he has become more wary ever since the terrible event. Pearl wonders if he meant the captivation, and Rad admits that it gave him quite a scare. The truth is, his Clefairies were also the odd organization's target back then, and Pearl is curious to know why.

Rad remarks that he isn't entirely sure either, but it has something to do with their connection to the moon and the stars. Clefairy itself is said to be a Pokemon that arrived from the moon, and its pre-evolution, Cleffa, is categorized as the star shape Pokemon. Rad is under the impression that his capturers were collecting everything related to space, and Pearl bolts that it has boiled down to the keyword, 'universe', once again.

Rad recalls how he was forced to reveal various information pertaining to Eterna, but with his Clefairies safe and having evaded capture by staying hidden in the Cycle Shop's attic, he kept his dignity and his capturers didn't succeed in making him talk too much. Just then, a helicopter flies by, and Rad states that there have been quite a few of those since the day before.

Pearl notices that Clefairan and Clefairin have begun to tremble with fear upon hearing the helicopter's noise, and after a moment of hesitation, drags Rad to the side alley, saying that he has important things to tell him. Pearl formally introduces himself to the Cycle Shop owner, and explains that he is currently on a quest to Lake Acuity to stop the evil schemes of Team Galactic, the same organization that held Rad captive previously.

The boy begins to reveal all he knows about the evil team, and Rad puts on a frown when he hears that part about creating a universe. The man remarks that he honestly couldn't imagine what it means or how it could be done, but it sounds like Team Galactic is planning something appalling nevertheless. He wonders if the helicopters are from the Galactic Eterna Building, and Pearl responds with a nod, purporting that they are getting prepared for the Galactic Bomb's detonation.

According to Mr. Fuego, the bomb's components were to be sent to the Galactic Veilstone Building in Veilstone City, which means the bomb is being constructed there. He has reasons to believe that the Eterna Building, on the other hand, is responsible for fine-tuning the scheme, and the helicopters have been dispatched to assess the location of bombing beforehand, and arrange the transfer of staff and resources.

Rad thinks Pearl's assumption makes sense, and bangs his fist on his knee as he comes to a decision. He wants to know if Pearl wishes to arrive at Lake Acuity as soon as possible, and the boy nods in reply. Rad beckons Pearl to follow him, and after entering his shop, pulls out tandem bike from the garage which he calls the Ultimate Bicycle.

Rad states that with two people cycling, it can double up or even triple up a bike's usual speed. Pearl bolts in surprise at what the Cycle Shop owner is suggesting, and Rad admits that he is planning on coming with him. He points out that Pearl has only two days left, and in order to get to Lake Acuity, he must get past Mt. Coronet, Celestic, and Routes 210, 215 and 214. While he has no doubt that Pearl's strong-legged Luxray can also take him there in time, he believes that it will be beneficial to arrive earlier so that they can spare time to come up with battling strategies.

After a short moment of thought, Pearl agrees to Rad's plan, and the two begin paddling on the bike, heading towards Eterna's eastern gates. Just before they leave the city, Pearl spots the giant bronze statue they saw before, which depicts a winged creature with a long tail and a columnar crest on its head, and starts to query what it is again.

And so, listening to the advice of the quirky Cycle Shop Owner, Pearl has resumed his journey with the man on a tandem bike. Meanwhile, from the helicopter port on the rooftop of the Galactic Eterna Building, three air-shuttles go air-borne, and slowly head towards the Galactic Veilstone Building, where the completed Galactic Bomb awaits.

An hour later, dawn finally breaks, and Pearl finds himself cycling through a thick forest. Still thinking about the bronze statue, he decides to be verbal about it, and asks Rad what it really is. The Cycle Shop owner finds it hard to come up with an answer because it is just an ordinary statue without a name, but has been around for quite some time. In fact, it already existed when his great-great-grandfather was still alive, but even then, everyone simply called it the Eterna Pokemon Statue.

Pearl remarks that the statue gives off quite a menacing atmosphere, and Rad laughs that it certainly does. The man then says the statue used to have those kind of plates carved with explanatory words as well, but they have been removed now for some reason. Back when he was a little boy, there were two of them, which always made him wonder why since there was only one statue. Pearl finds it odd as well, and wonders what were written on the plates.

Rad says he could only remember it vaguely, but the first one was something like:

'The creation of Dia... the giver of time. In laughter, there is tears. And, likewise it is with time. The same time flows on. For it is the blessing on Dia..."

The second one, wrote:

"The birth of Pal... the creator of parallel dimensions. Alive, yet not alive. Everything drifts in space. To arrive in the same universe... It is the blessing of Pal..."

Rad grins that all his predecessors in Eterna know these words by heart, as they were quite famous in the city. Pearl begins to ponder on these two Pokemon that are said to give time and create space, and Rad adds that there is a chance that the evil organization's scheme is related to it as well, causing Pearl to put on a confused look.

Rad explains that the main reason why he was captured was because of his legacy. His family has spent many generations in Eterna, and no one else knows more about the city's history, including that of the statue, better than he does. Pearl gasps with shock upon hearing that, and Rad recalls that back inside the Galactic Eterna Building, he was interrogated by a menacing man via an intercom device installed with a speaker and a remote control camera. The man forced him to reveal everything he knows, in particular those pertaining to Dialga and Palkia...

(Original Japanese Jokes)

1. There are no jokes or Manzai in this chapter.