"Of course we've planted the bombs!" Jessie said unhappily.
"Exactly. As long as we blow up the rock layers around here, we'll definitely be able to find the hidden Pokémon fossils," James added.
"Why did you bury me like a fossil?!" Meowth shoved away the rocks on his body and shouted angrily.
"They're trying to blow up the Great Canyon!" Misty said anxiously.
"If that's really the case, the people digging below will be in danger," Brock agreed.
"I'll go stop them. Brock, Misty, you two go warn everyone and tell them to get out of here quickly," Ash said, then rushed toward Team Rocket's location together with Pikachu.
"Ash, I'll go with you," Red said, leaving together with him.
"Mwahaha! Now all the Pokémon fossils will be ours!" Meowth said excitedly, holding the fuse in his left hand and a lit lighter in his right, ready to detonate the bombs.
"Hey, stop right there!"
Ash, who had just arrived, immediately shouted, trying to stop Team Rocket's plan.
"Twerp, it's you again!" James said helplessly. This time, Team Rocket hadn't planned to capture Pikachu, yet they still ran into Ash and Pikachu.
"James, look behind that brat…" Jessie whispered fearfully into James's ear, gesturing toward Red behind Ash.
"Why are both the little brat and the big brat here…" James muttered so quietly that even Jessie beside him could barely hear.
"What a pity—you're too late," Meowth sneered, as the fuse in his hand had already been lit.
"In your dreams! Squirtle, I choose you!"
Ash threw his Poké Ball and sent out Squirtle.
"Hurry, Squirtle! Put out the fuse with Water Gun!"
Unfortunately, Squirtle's accuracy was painfully bad, failing again and again to extinguish the fuse. In their urgency, Ash, Pikachu, and Squirtle all rushed forward together, running all the way down.
To stop Ash from putting out the fuse, Team Rocket immediately chased after them from behind.
"...?"
Red looked speechlessly at Ash and Team Rocket's chaotic actions, then casually tossed out a Poké Ball. A golden Pidgeot emerged from the Poké Ball.
"Pidgeot, use Air Slash to cut the end of the fuse!" Red ordered.
Pidgeot quickly soared into the sky. With its sharp eyes, it instantly located the explosives and, with a single elegant Air Slash, cleanly cut off the end of the fuse, preventing the bombs from detonating.
"Ash, you really need to fix that habit of panicking and not thinking things through."
Riding on Pidgeot, Red arrived in front of Ash and Team Rocket. If Pidgeot hadn't cut the fuse, Squirtle might never have extinguished it, and in their panic, Pikachu might even have released electricity, unintentionally increasing the power of the explosives.
"Ash, I'll leave Team Rocket to you. I'm heading underground to look for ancient Pokémon!" Red said, then turned and used Teleport, disappearing from the spot.
"Pidgeot—"
Pidgeot did not leave with Red but stayed by Ash's side to help him deal with Team Rocket.
Seeing Pidgeot, Team Rocket wisely chose not to attack and instead stood still. As the saying goes, if the enemy doesn't move, neither do we. For a moment, Ash and Team Rocket fell into an awkward, prolonged staring contest.
Taking a flashlight from his backpack, Red walked leisurely alone underground. The surroundings were dark, silent, and eerie, but it did nothing to dampen his excitement at the thought of capturing fossil Pokémon.
"It seems there are more fossil Pokémon than I expected," Red murmured.
Before Red were four types of fossil Pokémon: Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanyte, and Omastar. These Pokémon formed two large groups. Because the explosives hadn't detonated, they were still peacefully sleeping.
Red's purpose this time was to capture fossil Pokémon. Seeing that they were still asleep, he revealed a faintly relieved smile. Although he could defeat them all, he still wanted to conserve as much stamina as possible.
After all, people dislike unnecessary trouble.
"I choose you two!"
Red set his sights on what appeared to be the leaders of the two groups—Kabutops and Omastar.
A normal Kabutops stood about 1.3 meters tall, but the one Red chose reached 1.6 meters, and its scythe-like arms were exceptionally sharp, greatly to Red's satisfaction.
The Omastar was also 0.3 meters taller than its peers. Its spiral shell was covered in spikes, and its tentacles were curled up due to its deep sleep.
Using psychic power, Red levitated Kabutops and Omastar into the air, then used Teleport to leave the area. In an instant, he arrived at an open space suitable for battle, with no other sleeping fossil Pokémon nearby.
"It's your time to shine, Hitmonchan!"
Red threw a Poké Ball. As the white light faded, the sturdy Hitmonchan appeared before him.
"Where's your championship belt?" Red asked in confusion. The belt was something Hitmonchan treasured deeply, always wearing it around its waist and even showing it off to Abra from time to time.
At this, Hitmonchan's face immediately fell. It looked at Red with grievance and explained what had happened at Professor Oak's Laboratory, while Red listened patiently.
"Told you not to show off so much. Now look what happened," Red said with a helpless smile, tapping Hitmonchan on the forehead.
From Hitmonchan's explanation, Red finally learned the clue about the championship belt—it had been hidden by that mischievous Abra. After all, Hitmonchan had been constantly flaunting it at Professor Oak's Laboratory, seriously disturbing Abra's sleep.
Seeing Hitmonchan's aggrieved expression, Red comforted it, "Alright, alright. I'll talk to that guy later. Just don't show off so much next time. Get ready for battle!"
Red released his psychic hold on Kabutops and Omastar. The two Pokémon fell from midair and immediately woke up.
Having been rudely awakened, their eyes were bloodshot as they stared at Red and Hitmonchan with intense killing intent.
"As expected of carnivorous Pokémon from tens of thousands of years ago—the killing intent in their eyes is impressive," Red praised calmly, showing no tension at all. Such a faint killing intent was nowhere near enough to affect him or Hitmonchan.
"Power of Viridian!"
Although Kabutops and Omastar were awake, their bodies were stiff from prolonged slumber, and their stamina wasn't enough for a long battle.
After being healed by the Power of Viridian, both Pokémon let out a comfortable breath. The bloodshot look in their eyes quickly faded, and their favor toward Red increased greatly.
"Kabutops, Omastar, have a battle with my Hitmonchan. If you lose, you'll become my Pokémon!" Red declared.
Kabutops and Omastar nodded at the same time. They had grown tired of their endless sleep.
"Here's some meat cans. Fill your stomachs first—you'll need to get used to modern Pokémon food soon."
With that, Red took out two cans of meat from his backpack and gently placed them in front of Kabutops and Omastar, allowing them to recover their strength for the upcoming battle.
During this time, Hitmonchan kept a wary eye on the two fossil Pokémon, afraid they might suddenly attack Red—but clearly, it was worrying too much.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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