Chapter 195: Fossil Exchange
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"That ruthless, huh?"
"Whoa, that name... truly a mark of the new generation."
Ash and Brock clicked their tongues in wonder.
Hikawa Toyohisa, however, scratched his head, completely clueless about what they were talking about.
There was nothing wrong with their clan's names, was there? All the folks back home thought the names sounded great. For instance, his father was named Hikawa Setsuza.
His cousin's father was named Hikawa Marumizu.
They were all renowned figures in the local area.
"Hehe, anyway, I came looking for you to discuss something important. If I'm not mistaken, you should be carrying a real Pokémon Fossil on you right now, correct?"
Hikawa pulled Ash and his group into a small, unnoticed corner and quietly sidled up to them.
"My nose is quite keen, you know."
"That's right," Ash nodded. He had indeed received a Fossil from Hikawa's cousin back at Mt. Moon.
"Would you mind if I was so bold as to ask which one it is?"
"The Dome Fossil."
Ash answered truthfully. The Dome Fossil was indeed a Kabuto fossil; he knew that much. Besides, this Hikawa was from the same clan as the one who had given him the previous fossil, so there was no need to worry about any ulterior motives.
"Excellent!"
Hikawa's eyes instantly lit up. He clapped repeatedly and pulled a large, leather-and-wood box from his specialized backpack, placing it very carefully on the ground.
Opening it revealed a lining of noble red satin cloth. Upon it were rows of neatly arranged, earthy-brown Amber Rocks of various shapes. A profound, ancient aura immediately wafted out, tinged with a hint of mystery.
"Whoa, are all of these real fossils?"
"Should we just snatch them?"
Ash and his group gaped like country bumpkins, their eyes gleaming as they practically drooled.
A quick count revealed there were more than a dozen of them!
"Hehe, I told you I'm a professional fossil collector. These are the Pokémon Fossils I've gathered from every major Region across the World. Every single one has a well-preserved gene sequence, you know. They're simply priceless!"
Hikawa had a somewhat smug look on his face. He was truly different from his amateur cousin; he was a professional, after all.
"It's just a shame that while I've collected fossils from all over the World, I'm still missing the last two of the three from the Kanto Region. One is the Mysterious Amber Fossil, and the other is the Dome Fossil in your hands."
"So, what do you say? Want to trade with me? These fossils are extremely rare in the Kanto Region, you know," Hikawa sidled up again, his face full of expectation.
Ash leaned back defensively. Only now did he realize why the other man had been so eager to please—this was his true objective.
But then his eyes lit up as well.
The rarity of Pokémon Fossils wasn't just in their collection value; they could also be restored and reconstructed into a real, living prehistoric Pokémon using black technology. He had known about this for a long time.
The Dome Fossil could be restored into a Kabuto. He was familiar with that Pokémon; his bro Brock even had one with him. Sometimes he would toss a bone for the Kabuto to fetch and play with.
"Getting a new one is a good option, too..."
As someone who liked flashy and unconventional things, Ash was more inclined to be unique.
"I agree to the trade."
Without even looking, Ash reached into his backpack and tossed the Dome Fossil to Hikawa.
"It really is a Dome Fossil!"
Hikawa identified its type with a quick glance, then took out a magnifying glass to examine it carefully.
"Hmm... the quality of this one is average, but the basic genes are all preserved. Not a big problem."
Though he said that, he still put it away with extreme care. For a collector, the final piece of the puzzle was often much harder to acquire than all the previous ones.
"Then it's my turn."
This time, it was Ash's turn to look at the red-leather box. The jumble of fossils inside was a bit dazzling, making him wish he could just knock Hikawa out, grab the case, and run for it on the spot.
"Ash, pick this one! This one's pretty."
Misty pointed at a Plume Fossil and a Sail Fossil, which were arguably the best-looking ones there.
"Choose these two. I can feel a dense Rock-Solid Will emanating from them."
Brock, however, pointed to a Dragon-shaped fossil and a Fish-shaped fossil. He had a feeling these two fossils should be pieced together, estimating they could be incubated and restored into an incredible, World-shocking Vicious Beast.
But Ash had already made his choice long ago, reaching for it without hesitation.
That's right, he had only one selection criterion.
It had to be big!
Whichever was the biggest, he'd pick that one!
Among the dozens of fossils, one in the middle that looked like a carapace, or perhaps half a gourd ladle, caught his eye. It was surrounded by a ring of small spikes and looked extraordinary in its aura.
In terms of size, it was more than twice as large as the other fossils.
He guessed it must be a piece of sturdy armor from some Pokémon. If it were restored one day, it would surely be another one with great future potential!
Seeing this, Hikawa couldn't help but remind him:
"That's a Skull Fossil..."
Ash: "?"
He weighed the Skull Fossil in his hand, his gaze faltering. Did this mean he was holding a... head-flicker?
"Hehe, this Skull Fossil is also one of my treasured pieces. Its genetic data is excellently preserved, and it can be incubated and restored into a Pokémon called Cranidos. It's a Pokémon unique to the Sinnoh Region, you know."
Hikawa introduced with a smile:
"And according to my research, this particular Cranidos's skull was more than twice the size of others of its kind. It was a special big-headed Pokémon."
It was strange, really. Unscrupulous corporations like the one with the three Stantler shouldn't have existed in the prehistoric world, so it was impossible for an ordinary Pokémon to eat until its head grew that large.
You could say this fossil was the most special one he had. He never expected it to be taken just like that.
"A big head? That's good!"
Ash's eyes instantly lit up. Just from hearing that, he knew it was no ordinary Pokémon—perfect to become a partner for him, a future Pokémon Master!
So, he hastily and carefully placed the Skull Fossil into his backpack, thinking to himself that even if it couldn't be incubated and restored, it would be extremely handy for bashing Team Rocket in the future.
"Here, take this as well."
Hikawa suddenly thought of something and handed over a small medicine bottle. Shaking it slightly, he could feel some pills inside.
"This is a secret black technology from my Hikawa family. You can think of it as a catalyst. When you're performing the incubation and restoration on the fossil Pokémon, remember to pour the entire contents of this bottle in. It will activate the fossil Pokémon's prehistoric bloodline to the greatest extent."
Actually, incubating and restoring fossil Pokémon wasn't an especially rare thing anymore. The technology had matured, and there were institutions in every Region capable of achieving it.
In the Kanto Region, there were two such places. One was the Fossil Museum in Pewter City.
The other, coincidentally, was located right where the group was heading—Cinnabar Town, at a place called the Mysterious Pokémon Laboratory.
(end of chapter)