Fossil Pokémon were among the rarest species on Earth, creatures from an era long vanished, survivors of ancient extinction.
If not for the Alliance's revival technology, they would have remained nothing more than mythic remnants.
To this day, the only way to obtain them was through amber or fossil fragments, and then carefully reviving them with specialized machines.
Even Misty and Brock, who had seen nearly everything in their travels, had never once heard of living Fossil Pokémon.
"Are you sure, Ash?" Misty asked, half-skeptical. "You're saying these aren't fossils down there?"
Ash nodded without hesitation. "There's no mistake. They're alive. Fossils near death have faint Aura, barely a flicker, but these… they're too strong for that."
Aura, after all, was life itself.
Fossil Pokémon that had completely petrified retained only the weakest trace of it, Ash could barely sense those under ordinary circumstances.
But the energy radiating from beneath them now wasn't faint at all.
It was subtle but steady, vibrant, like breathing through stone.
This wasn't fossil residue. This was living Aura.
Ash's expression grew serious.
"I think this place used to be an ancient habitat for Fossil Pokémon. They must've used some special method to put themselves into a deep sleep, avoiding fossilization altogether."
Brock and Misty exchanged a startled glance.
If that was true, then this was no ordinary discovery, it was an entire living colony of prehistoric Pokémon.
"Let's go," Ash said suddenly, his eyes gleaming with resolve. "We're heading down to check it out."
Pikachu perked up on his shoulder, understanding immediately.
His tail began to shimmer with a metallic gleam as energy gathered at the tip.
Then, with a burst of power, he leapt high into the air, spun twice, and brought his tail down like a sledgehammer.
"Pika...CHUU!!"
Boom!
The ground exploded with a deafening crack, spiderweb fissures racing outward.
Chunks of rock split apart and crumbled, and in seconds, a massive hole yawned open before them, dust curling up from the edges.
Misty's eyes widened. "The ground… it's hollow?"
Brock knelt near the rim, peering into the darkness below. "That's strange. The soil here was solid rock when everyone else was digging. But down here, it's an open space!"
Misty blinked. "You're saying there's a cavern beneath us?"
Brock nodded gravely. "A big one. And if Ash's Aura's right, that's where they are."
He paused, then gave a small, knowing grin.
"Typical Ash luck. Of course you'd find something this crazy."
"Let's go down," Ash said, holding out his hand. "Misty, give me your hand."
Her face instantly turned pink, but she placed her hand in his anyway.
She knew it was for safety, he was just going to help her down, but still… her heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
The warmth of his palm, firm yet gentle, made her heartbeat quicken for reasons that had nothing to do with danger.
But before Ash could jump, a sharp voice echoed behind them.
"Ash! What the heck are you doing here?!"
The tone was unmistakable.
Ash froze for a moment before turning around, and sure enough, there he was.
Gary Oak.
Dressed in hiking gear, a wide-brimmed hat tilted casually on his head, and a small pickaxe in hand, Gary looked like he had just walked out of an adventure magazine.
Behind him stood six girls, all dressed for light travel, chatting and giggling.
Misty's mouth twitched. "He brought an entourage. Again."
Brock, meanwhile, looked like he'd just seen heaven descend to earth. His eyes sparkled with admiration, but even he had standards.
He might've been a flirt, but he'd never make a move on someone else's girlfriends.
"Why are you here, Gary?" Ash asked with a faint smile.
"Digging, obviously!" Gary shrugged, twirling his pickaxe. "Word is there are rare fossils in the canyon. Then I hear this explosion, come running, and what do I find? You, standing in front of a giant hole!"
He stepped closer, peering into the crater with curiosity."What even is this?!"
Ash was still wearing his mask and had no hat, but Gary recognized him instantly, the bond of childhood rivals ran deeper than appearances.
They hadn't seen each other in a while, and their reunion, of course, had to involve some kind of chaos.
Ash met his gaze calmly. "I made the hole. There are Fossil Pokémon living down there. Want to see?"
Gary blinked. "Living Fossil Pokémon? Are you kidding me? I've been digging all day and haven't even found a rock that looks alive! How would you even know that?"
Ash smirked. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you. You'll just have to see for yourself."
Before Gary could reply, Ash turned to Misty and Brock. "Hold on tight."
Then he released Gardevoir, her form shimmering elegantly beside him.
Gary barely had time to register that she was shiny before...
Thud!
Ash's boot connected squarely with Gary's backside.
"HEY! WHAT---AAAAAHHHHH!"
Gary's scream echoed as he tumbled into the pit, his hat flying off mid-fall.
Gardevoir vanished in a flash, reappearing below an instant later to catch him mid-air with a gentle Psychic cushion.
The moment Gary sighed in relief, a loud whoosh filled his ears.
Ash dropped straight past him, landing with an impact that cracked the stone beneath his feet.
Boom!
Two deep footprints were left in the rock floor.
Misty clung to him, one hand gripping his arm, the other still held in his palm.
Her face was flushed crimson, her heartbeat wild, but her eyes sparkled with exhilaration.
Being carried down by Ash like that was… thrilling.
Once they landed, Ash gently set her down, and she quickly let go, pretending to fix her hair to hide her blush.
Moments later, more figures descended, Brock and Gary's group.
Ash had told them before coming down to just jump, assuring them that someone would catch them. As for why Misty didn't jump… well, since their hands were already held, wasn't it more convenient to just carry her down?
The falling figures eventually landed smoothly under Gardevoir's Psychic control.
Beside Ash, a still-shaken Gary sat up from the ground, he had almost thought he was going to die!
Falling from such a height, one would at least be half-paralyzed, if not dead!
But he never expected that just as he was about to hit the ground, his body suddenly floated up, and he landed safely.
He didn't need to think twice to know this was Ash's doing. Ash had kicked him down, so he must have made preparations in advance, but pushing him into the pit without a word was just too much!
Gary glared angrily at Ash. "Couldn't you have said hello first?! Were you trying to scare me to death?!"
Ash shrugged, spread his palms, and said helplessly, "Isn't this just to save time? And how long has it been since we last met, Gary? How did you get so timid?"
Gary: ???
You call this timid? If I were any more timid, I would've fainted just now!
Do you even know how many meters we fell just now… Wait, Ash seemed to have jumped down directly earlier, without any cushioning, and wasn't even caught by Gardevoir's Psychic.
Gary couldn't help but look at the ground where Ash had landed, finding two deep footprints, marks from where Ash's feet had struck the ground.
"Are you a monster? Jumping from that height while carrying someone, and you're completely fine?!" Gary complained with an exaggerated expression.
He knew Ash had special abilities and was quite strong, but Ash's over-the-top performance still shocked him.
"My physical condition has been good since I was a kid; you know that," Ash replied casually, then turned his gaze toward the depths of the underground space.
As far as the eye could see, it was an abyss of darkness, just looking ahead felt like being swallowed whole.
There was no light inside, and a timid person probably wouldn't even dare to look in.
Ash possessed Aura Power and wasn't affected by the dim surroundings, but Gary and the others truly couldn't see a single path.
So Ash released Charizard, using the flame on its tail to illuminate the way, and then led the group forward.
After walking for about five minutes, Ash suddenly stopped. Gary, seeing this, walked past him and said, "Let me see how many of those fossils you mentioned there are… Hmm?! This… this is!!"
Under Charizard's illumination, the scene ahead clearly reflected in Gary's eyes.
Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanyte, Omastar!
These extremely famous, theoretically extinct Fossil Pokémon from Kanto were standing upright right before him!
They weren't fossils, but alive!
In recent years, with the advent of the fossil revival machine, Fossil Pokémon were no longer extinct. However, even so, their rarity was no less than that of pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
Because the conditions for reviving fossils are very strict, not all fossils can yield Pokémon. A fossil capable of revival costs at least three million or more, plus the enormous cost of using the machine.
All things considered, obtaining a Fossil Pokémon would cost at least five to six million.
So even with the fossil revival machine, not everyone can own Fossil Pokémon. But now, with so many Fossil Pokémon appearing before his eyes, even with Gary's family wealth, he couldn't help but swallow hard.
How much money would this save!
And it's not just about money; some things in this world can't be bought at all!
Reviving Fossil Pokémon requires constant worry, but catching existing ones doesn't require so much concern!
"Ash, how did you know there were so many Fossil Pokémon here?!"Gary's voice trembled slightly, no one could stay calm when faced with so many Fossil Pokémon!
"My Aura Power detected them. Uh, it's my special ability," Ash replied.
"Special ability? Forget it, you've been a freak since childhood, so it's not strange for you to have something weird." Gary's tone was a mix of disbelief and irritation.
"Who are you calling a freak?!" Ash rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.
Just then, he felt a strange pull in his mind, a mysterious guidance urging him to go deeper. Ash paused, then turned to Brock and the others beside him.
"I'm going to head further inside. You guys stay alert. These Fossil Pokémon all have Professional-Level strength, but they probably can't use their full power right now. If Gary can't handle them, Misty can back him up."
After saying that, Ash dashed deeper into the cave with Charizard.
As Ash moved forward, the Fossil Pokémon surrounding them stirred restlessly.
If Ash dared to come any closer, they were ready to tear him to pieces.
They had been sleeping peacefully for who knows how long, but recently their home had been disturbed over and over, and that thunderous explosion earlier had completely roused them.
Now, their "morning temper" was at its peak!
If this human dared to charge in, they would make sure he experienced the true wrath of ancient Pokémon!
However, as Ash advanced with Charizard, an overwhelming Aura spread out from him, pressing down on the Fossil Pokémon like an invisible weight. In that instant, they felt as though they were facing a god!
The claws and tentacles they had raised froze midair, not a single one dared to move.
Only after Ash had completely passed by did they finally exchange glances, sweat dripping down their bodies. In each other's eyes, they saw pure terror.
Who was that human just now? What was that oppressive presence surrounding him?
Could he be some kind of legendary Pokémon disguised in human form?
How could mere Aura suppress them so completely that they didn't even dare to twitch?!
After Ash left with Charizard, Gary also released his Magmar. The flames it emitted illuminated the underground cave in a warm red glow.
Ash had said these Fossil Pokémon were all at the Professional Level. For Gary, that made things challenging, after all, his strongest Pokémon, Blastoise, was only at the peak of the Superior Level.
Superior Peak and Professional Level might sound close, but the difference was massive!
Not everyone could challenge higher levels the way Ash did, Ash's Pokémon all had their own "cheats," and Ash himself was practically a walking one.
However, since Ash mentioned that the Fossil Pokémon couldn't unleash their full strength, Gary thought it through and quickly understood why.
Fossil Pokémon were creatures from ancient times. The reason most of them had become fossils was because their life force had nearly run dry, turning themselves into fossils was their last resort to preserve the final spark of life.
If not for the modern invention of fossil revival machines, those Pokémon would have long since perished.
And while these Fossil Pokémon hadn't fossilized, they had still been in deep sleep since ancient times. Their survival until now was thanks entirely to that slumber.
Their current state said it all, freshly awakened, their vitality and condition were both extremely poor.
Without nourishment or supplements, these Fossil Pokémon would already be overexerting themselves if they could use even one-tenth of their true power!
Thinking this, Gary's face brightened with confidence. He grabbed a Poké Ball and shouted proudly,
"Alright, who wants to go first? Watch as I, Champion Gary, take you all down!"
Meanwhile, Ash had already reached the deepest part of the cave.
...
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