Bang! Bang! Bang!
Deep within the underground cavern, dim light barely outlined two figures.
With the constant sound of rocks shattering, a swift orange figure and a rapid gray shadow collided violently before separating again.
Facing Charizard's attacks, Aerodactyl flashed a look of disdain. It had decided to teach these intruders—who had disturbed its long slumber—a harsh lesson.
Charizard's eyes burned with fighting spirit, the flame on its tail blazing even brighter.
Charizard unleashed a torrent of fire. A scorching wave of heat surged forward.
Aerodactyl spread its wings and charged.
Even with its Rock typing resisting Fire, taking a Flamethrower head-on would be dangerous, so it hastily dodged.
"Dragon Claw!"
Charizard slashed forward with its claw.
Aerodactyl's speed was exceptional. It easily evaded the strike and launched a counterattack.
However, in its weakened state, its attacks did not deal significant damage to Charizard.
Meanwhile, Charizard's relentless assault forced Aerodactyl back until it crashed heavily onto the ground.
Seeing Aerodactyl struggling to stand, Charizard finished the battle with another Flamethrower.
Charizard landed steadily.
When it saw the battered state of Aerodactyl, it let out a triumphant roar before releasing another blast of fire.
The once majestic sky tyrant, Aerodactyl, now lay sprawled across the ground, writhing weakly with battle wounds covering its body.
"Great job, Charizard."
Ash took out a Super Potion and treated Charizard. That first battle had not been easy—Charizard had taken some serious hits.
"That twerp's Charizard is seriously strong…"
Team Rocket, who had been preparing to run away, hid in the shadows while observing Aerodactyl.
They wondered if they could steal a prize after all.
They had spent so much effort finding fossil Pokémon—if they didn't take at least a few back, it would all be a loss. Recently they felt like they were constantly doing work for that brat.
"We can't take that big one," Jessie muttered.
"But there are still a few others."
They quickly gave up the unrealistic idea of capturing Aerodactyl.
Ash threw a Poké Ball and captured Aerodactyl.
To make room, he sent Tauros back to Professor Oak's lab.
Since Aerodactyl had already lost the ability to battle, the capture was effortless.
[Ding! Mission completed: Defeat Aerodactyl with Charizard and capture it.]
Rewards:
Speed Booster
5 × Medium Rare Candy (bonus reward)
Ash gave one to Pikachu, and the rest to Charizard.
Charizard's level rose to Lv. 44.
Ash planned to send the fossil Pokémon to Professor Oak for research.
Oak's laboratory could build a suitable habitat for them and prevent them from being taken away by people with bad intentions.
Leaving them with Professor Oak was far safer.
"What are you trying to do?"
Ash spotted Team Rocket's sneaky figures and immediately knew they were up to something.
Charizard flicked its tail—
CRACK!
A nearby rock shattered instantly.
"Let's go! We're leaving now!"
Team Rocket ran for their lives.
The gap between them and that brat kept growing larger. If they stayed any longer, they would just get beaten again.
Better retreat and prepare properly next time.
After Team Rocket disappeared into the darkness, Ash and Pikachu rode on Charizard and flew around the cavern at low altitude.
The fire on Charizard's tail, along with faint sunlight shining through the cave entrance, barely illuminated their surroundings.
Following the aura of fossil Pokémon detected by his psychic sense, Ash eventually reached a dead end where the fossil Pokémon were hiding.
After thinking for a moment, Ash decided not to forcefully capture them.
Instead, he used Berries as bait.
Pikachu carried a large pile of Berries over and invited them to eat.
After a few minutes—
While the fossil Pokémon were completely absorbed in eating, Ash threw out Poké Balls one after another and captured them all.
Since his team was already full, he sent them all directly to Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Ash could almost imagine Oak's reaction—his mouth would be grinning from ear to ear.
Instant noodles cooked over an alcohol burner would be the least of his concerns now.
After exploring the cave thoroughly, Ash still couldn't find the Togepi Egg.
Maybe it was outside.
He had originally wanted to find it and give it to Misty.
[Ding! Hidden mission completed: Help fossil Pokémon relocate and avoid excessive human disturbance.]
Rewards:
Ability Patch
Attack Booster ×1
Ash hadn't expected to complete a hidden mission.
And the rewards were extremely generous.
He now had both an Attack Booster and a Speed Booster.
Previously, he had given a Speed Booster to Bulbasaur, and its speed had improved dramatically.
Pikachu was already fast.
Boosting its speed further would make it even more terrifying—its Quick Attack would practically become Extreme Speed.
Since Pikachu also used several physical attacks, the speed increase would help it gain the first strike more often.
As for whether to use the Ability Patch to change Pikachu's Ability from Static to Lightning Rod—
In the original story, Pikachu rarely triggered Static, so the ability wasn't very useful.
Ash decided to think about it later.
For now, he took out a Speed Booster and handed it to Pikachu.
Pikachu immediately recognized the drink.
It was the same one Bulbasaur had taken before.
Ever since Bulbasaur drank that potion, its speed had increased so much that Pikachu could barely keep up sometimes.
Now it was Pikachu's turn?
Pikachu gulped the drink down in one go.
Its expression showed clear satisfaction.
Pikachu's speed increased by 10%.
With that speed, it could practically earn a new nickname—
"The Yellow Flash."
The Attack Booster was given to Charizard.
Charizard's speed was already good, so developing a mixed attacking style would be effective.
In the future, if Charizard ever Mega Evolved, Mega Charizard X would lean toward physical attacks anyway.
Physical attacks would serve as its main offense, while special attacks could break defensive walls.
Charizard gulped down the booster.
It immediately felt a surge of strength coursing through its body.
Its muscles seemed even more powerful.
"Let's go."
Ash wasn't sure whether the noise from the battle had reached the surface.
He rode Charizard back up to the valley.
When he arrived above ground, he saw that the fossil excavation trainers had gathered together.
Ash recalled Charizard and calmly walked back to Misty.
"Are you okay?" Misty asked, her beautiful eyes carefully examining him.
The disturbance from the valley earlier had probably been caused by Ash.
Ash smiled and shook his head.
Then he looked toward the gathered trainers.
"What's going on over there?"
"They said they heard an unusual roar," Misty explained.
"That makes them even more certain fossil Pokémon are here."
"Some people want to keep excavating for the money, while others think they shouldn't destroy the fossil Pokémon's habitat."
Then Ash suddenly noticed something.
"When did you get an egg in your backpack?"
His gaze landed on the side of Misty's bag.
A round Pokémon Egg was sticking out.
"Oh, this?" Misty said happily.
"I found it while digging earlier."
Her voice was filled with excitement as she carefully held the egg in her arms, a sweet smile spreading across her face.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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