Fossil Pokémon are extremely rare; they are remnants of creatures that have been long extinct, otherwise, they wouldn't be called Fossil Pokémon.
Nowadays, if you want to obtain a Fossil Pokémon, the only options are through amber or fossils, using machines to revive them.
Even Misty and Brock have never heard of living Fossil Pokémon.
"Are you sure, Ash? Is it really not a fossil down there?" Misty asked, half-doubting.
Ash nodded: "There's no mistake. Below are all living Fossil Pokémon. The aura they possess is of a magnitude that no fossil close to death could have."
Even after becoming fossils, Fossil Pokémon retain aura, but it's certainly not strong, often very faint.
But now, the aura within those Fossil Pokémon below isn't strong, yet far from being faint.
This place might be a habitat for ancient Fossil Pokémon, and they used a special method to sleep, avoiding becoming fossils.
"Let's go, let's head down and take a look!"
As Ash spoke, he looked at Pikachu on his shoulder, and Pikachu understood the signal.
The tail on its back gleamed with a metallic sheen and then Pikachu leaped high off Ash's shoulder, spinning 720 degrees in the air, and smashed its tail down hard!
"Boom!!"
In an instant, the ground was covered with dense cracks!
Following that, the rocks shattered, and a huge pit appeared in front of Ash and the others.
Pikachu's sudden strike startled the two, but after Pikachu cracked open the ground, the look on Misty and Brock's faces was even more astonished.
"This place is actually hollow?" Brock exclaimed.
Just as they had seen those people digging, the soil they dug out was solid and real, the ground was so firm.
Yet the area they're in turned out to be hollow, with a high probability that still-living Fossil Pokémon were dwelling below.
What kind of luck is this!
Brock quietly gave Ash a glance. Yep, this is Ash's kind of luck, nothing wrong with that.
"Let's go, let's head down. Misty, give me your hand." Hearing this, Misty blushed slightly, but obediently placed her little hand into Ash's palm.
She knew that this was just Ash needing to hold her hand to take her down, but Ash's words gave her a strange feeling, just like a couple wanting to hold hands.
Just as Ash was about to take Misty down, a voice suddenly called from behind him.
"Ash, what are you doing here?!"
At the sound of the voice, Ash's mind quickly pictured a figure, and as he turned to the source, he saw the familiar figure—Gary!
Gary was wearing mountaineering gear, a cowboy hat, holding a pickaxe, looking like a professional. Behind him were six girlfriends dressed in cooler outfits.
Brock's eyes lit up instantly upon seeing those girls, although he was a bit of a lech, he had professional ethics.
He would never do something like harass someone else's girlfriend.
"What are you doing here too?"
"Digging for fossils! I heard a commotion here, so I came over. What's this hole?" Gary asked curiously, looking at the pit Pikachu had made.
Actually, Ash was still wearing a mask and not a hat, but Gary recognized Ash at a glance, such was the bond of childhood friends.
He hadn't seen Ash for a while, and when they met, he found Ash tinkering with something here.
Ash glanced at Gary, then the pit beside him. After thinking for a while, he said, "I made this, there are Fossil Pokémon below, want to come down and have a look?"
If it were anyone else, Ash certainly wouldn't have told them directly. After all, those are Fossil Pokémon, and they're alive!
But this was Gary. If it were someone else, Ash would have knocked them out by now.
When Gary heard there were Fossil Pokémon below, his eyes widened with disbelief on his face: "Really? I've been digging all day and haven't found a single fossil. How do you know there are Fossil Pokémon down below?"
"Oh, it's hard to explain, just trust me, let's go down." Ash held Misty's hand in one hand and opened a Pokeball with the other, releasing Gardevoir.
Before Gary could be amazed by the shiny Gardevoir, Ash kicked Gary in the butt.
"Hey! What are you doing, aaargh!!" Gary screamed as he was kicked down, and Gardevoir by Ash's side disappeared instantly, appearing below the pit and using its superpower to catch the falling Gary.
Just as Gary breathed a sigh of relief, Ash plunged down beside him.
"Boom!"
A loud sound echoed in the entire cave; Ash landed, creating two small dents in the ground, with Misty in his arms, her face flushed with excitement.
At this moment, she had one hand grasping Ash's hand and the other clutching Ash's arm. The sudden leap while being held by Ash was so thrilling that she couldn't help but grab onto whatever she could.
After landing, Ash gently placed Misty down, and several other figures followed, jumping down from the hole above. They were Brock and Gary's girlfriends.