Chapter 116

When the light reverted I stared in awe.

It was like a scene straight out of an epic. A towering orange scaled dragon of pure power standing triumphantly over a fallen foe, that of a pterodactyl with a body of the hardest and sturdiest of granite.

Charizard…was mine now.

Elation, excitement and more rushed through my veins, liquid joy sparked through my heart, the sparks of my brain danced a drunken happy jig. I was so happy, my very limbs shook.

…That was ten minutes ago. Yet, even as I traversed through the undergrounds of Grandpa Canyon after getting myself under control, every few seconds I found my head looking over my shoulder instinctually just to make sure it was real.

Charizard, terrifying and massive, well above the average height the pokedex claimed a Charizard was, gave me a goofy grin every time my eyes met his own.

I replied in kind, flashing my newly evolved dragon god a thumbs up as I did, before turning back around and focusing on my surroundings.

…I was still hundreds of feet below ground after all. Though, much of the trepidation had disappeared now.

After all, what did I have to fear? I have a Charizard now.

Plus, you know…I currently have the ancient fossil pokemon stuck in pokeballs attached to my belt.

Well, two of them at least. the male Kabutops and Aerodactyl, the rest I'd sent back to the Pokemon Centre already.

Honestly, I would have probably called it quits after catching them, if not for the fact that after evolving, Charizard seemed to have gained a second wind of stamina.

Or had the evolution just increased his overall abilities by that much that the sheer amount of work he'd put in today prior to evolving, wasn't close to using up all the fuel in his shiny newly evolved tank?

Either way, Charizard was still ready and raring to go and capable of providing me light to search the underground area. I'd returned Bellossom, Victreebel and Dragonite though. The first two, simple for more space….but Dragonite had taken a real beating fighting Aerodactyl and needed a good rest.

As we walked, we came to a cross in the tunnel and I paused, and blinked, "Huh." I noted, a bit surprised.

There was a small…pond I want to say? The crossroad led into a narrow tunnel with a plunging area of water and what appeared to be a nest of some kind of the bank right before it.

It wouldn't really have caught me interest, if not for one particular thing.

…Or rather, many.

Bones.

A lot of them. Piled up more or less in the corner, out of the way.

At first glance, they'd look like the bones of killed and devoured prey. But, with a closer look.

I could see the hollowed out shells of Omastar and Omanyte, the degraded blades of Kabutops, the upturned bodies of what used to be Kabuto.

'Are these all…fossils?' I blinked.

There had to be multiple dozens of them.

For a moment I just stared and debated internally, while Charizard waited silently.

…It made sense. No pokemon beyond the true blue legendaries could live for this long. The fossil pokemon I captured, weren't actually fossil pokemon. But in actuality, the descendants of a long line of pokemon that had managed to survive since those ancient days by birthing each new generation.

What I don't understand though….is how they're all part rock type still according to my pokedex. Many fossils only gained the rock typing because of them being revived from fossilized remains that had become one with the earth.

'I suppose the Kabuto and Omanyte lines could have always been rock types, that at least makes a bit of sense considering what they're based on.' I mused internally.

It did not explain Aerodactyl though.

…Unless, living underground for so long had made this Aerodactyl line in particular adapt to the area they lived in as the generations went on and gained the rock typing, almost like a regional variant?

Well, either way, it didn't matter, that was a question for the likes of Professor Oak or the like to ponder.

The question that remained to me though was-

"To take or not to take." I hummed, crossing my arms and eyeing the remains of the dead pokemon.

Morbid as it might be, fossils were probably worth quite a bit here going by how many criminals always wanted to steal them. And these particular fossils would most likely in the future, of I took them…be revived and brought back to life.

I mean, I'd cleared out a small islands population not long ago and then just earlier today did the same to a small forest.

But grave robbing now?

"Fuck it." I shrugged and cracked my neck. Not like I'm the only one that would do it. Roark and his dad had a full on family business of mining and digging up fossils.

If he can do it, so can I.

Decision made, I shrugged my backpack off and reached into it to retrieve some containers to keep them in.

Before getting to work, "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go," I cheerily hummed to myself, "With a bucket and spade and a hand grenade, hi-ho, hi-ho, hi-ho, hi-ho."