The wheels of my G-Pro skateboard hummed against the dusty asphalt as I carved a path toward the jagged horizon. Saffron City was the goal, but the detour was destiny. The terrain began to split, the earth yawning open into the majestic, rust-colored scars of **Grampa Canyon**.
In the original timeline, this was a turning point. The site of the Great Fossil Rush. A place where a bumbling trio found a mysterious egg and an ancient predator woke up with a very large appetite.
*Aerodactyl.*
My "Researcher" brain was already running the numbers. A prehistoric apex predator, preserved in a state of stasis for millennia. Its base speed and attack stats were legendary even in the modern meta, but a "Wild Prime" specimen from the actual era of monsters? It wouldn't just be Elite rank. It had to be at least Champion or King rank to have survived the brutal ecological wars of the pre-Ice Age.
I felt a slight twinge of guilt. Between the Psyduck I caught and now the potential Togepi, I was basically speed-running the "Steal Misty's Team" world record. But let's be real: Misty had treated it like a sentient plushie, a baby to be carried. What a waste of potential. In the hands of a competitive trainer like me, that "cute baby" would become a tactical nuke.And its final form, Togekiss. A Fairy/Flying-type tank with Serene Grace and Air Slash. It wasn't just a "cute baby"; it was a war crime in bird form.
"Sorry, Misty," I muttered, a small, predatory smirk playing on my lips. "But some Pokémon are meant for the battlefield, not the nursery."
---
### The Rivalry of Idiots
As I approached the rim of the canyon, the silence of the desert was replaced by the clinking of picks and the boisterous shouts of a mob. It looked like a gold rush, but with more denim and less hygiene.
And right there, standing in the center of a circle of cheering cheerleaders, was the quintessential headache of Kanto.
"Gary Mother-f***ing Oak," I whispered, pulling to a halt.
"And Ash Ketchum," Nelly's voice buzzed in my ear. "Bio-signs indicate his brain activity is currently at a resting state despite being fully awake."
"Hey! Everyone! Look at me!" Gary was shouting, waving a fossilized chunk of rock. "The Great Gary Oak is about to find the find of the century! You losers can just pack up and go home!"
"No way, Gary!" Ash yelled, swinging a pickaxe with more enthusiasm than aim. "I'm gonna find a fossil that'll make yours look like a pebble! I'll be the best Fossil Hunter in the world!"
I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw my own brain. I kicked my board up into my hand and sauntered over. "Well, well. If it isn't the two biggest egos in the Indigo League. Having fun playing in the dirt, boys?"
Ash and Gary both froze, turning toward me in sync.
"Regina?!" Ash shouted, his jaw dropping. "What are you doing here? Did you come to help me find a fossil?"
Gary scoffed, crossing his arms. "Please, Ash. She's probably here to write a thesis on how bad your form is. What's the matter, Regina? Saffron too far for those little wheels?"
I chuckled, leaning against a nearby boulder. "Actually, I'm here for the **Old Amber**. There's a specialized Fossil Resuscitation Lab on Cinnabar Island. I'm planning on adding an **Aerodactyl** to my roster. You know, the apex predator that used to hunt every other ancient Pokémon for sport? It seems like the kind of 'Quality' I need to ensure I don't just win the League, but dominate it."
The silence that followed was deafening. I could practically see the gears turning in their heads—Gary's spinning with calculation, and Ash's grinding with a distinct lack of oil.
"Fossil... Resuscitation?" Gary whispered, his eyes widening. "You mean... they can bring them back to life?"
"Wait!" Ash screamed, pointing a finger at me. "You're gonna get a giant dragon-bird-thing?! That's not fair! I want a giant dragon-bird-thing!"
"It's not a Dragon-type, Ash, it's Rock/Flying," I corrected gently, though I knew it was wasted breath. "And Gary, I'm surprised. For a Professor's grandson, you're a bit behind on the Cinnabar research papers."
Gary's face turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. He couldn't stand being behind me in data. "I knew that! I was just... testing you! And for your information, I'm not just looking for any fossil now. I'm going to find the *biggest* Amber and the *best* Kabutops fossil Kanto has ever seen!"
"Oh yeah?!" Ash chimed in, his competitive fire literally manifesting as a spark in his eyes. "Well, I'm gonna find an Omastar! And it's gonna be way cooler than your crab-thing, Gary! And I'm gonna get an Aerodactyl too! I'll have two!"
I blinked, watching them glare at each other with such intensity that the air between them started to shimmer.
"Guys," I said, furrowing my eyebrows. "You didn't even care about the fossils five minutes ago. Why the sudden interest in prehistoric biology?"
"Because if you're getting one, I'm getting one!" they both screamed at me simultaneously.
Misty pushed her way through the boys, her eyes sparkling. "Actually, Regina, an **Omanyte** or a **Kabuto** sounds amazing! High-tier Water-types from the ancient seas? I'd be crazy to pass that up!"
Brock nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "An ancient Pokémon would be a perfect addition for a Breeder. Their diet and evolution patterns are a mystery. Capturing one could win me the Second Breeder Conquest easily!"
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Great. I've started a prehistoric arms race. Nelly, remind me to charge them a consulting fee later."
---
### The Rocket Blast
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
I didn't even have to look. The groan that escaped my throat was visceral. Team Rocket appeared on a ridge above us, looking particularly smug. They were holding a bunch of remote detonators and looking down at the canyon with greedy eyes.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"Can we skip the poem?" I yelled up at them. "I have a schedule to keep and a predator to find."
Jessie turned red. "How rude! We were going to reveal our brilliant plan to blow up this entire canyon and steal all the fossils for the Boss, but now we're just going to do it!"
"Wait, blow it up?!" Misty screamed. "You'll destroy the fossils!"
"Not if we catch them all in our super-durable Rocket Nets as the rubble falls!" James laughed, pressing a giant red button.
"Wait, no! Kadabra, protect—" I started, but it was too late.
*BOOM!*
The explosion was massive. The ground beneath our feet didn't just shake; it vanished. The canyon wall collapsed inward, creating a massive, sucking vortex of dust and stone.
"Everyone, get back!" I screamed.
As the ground gave way, I saw the dark maw of a hidden cavern opening up beneath the surface—the true graveyard of the ancients. Ash and the others were sliding toward the edge, their faces pale with terror.
I didn't hesitate. This was my moment.
I leaped. Not away from the hole, but directly into it.
"REGINA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Ash's voice echoed from above, fading as I descended into the darkness.
"Kadabra! Out now!" I hissed.
In a flash of light, my Kadabra appeared in mid-air beside me. We were falling into a deep, vertical shaft. I could see the rest of the gang—and Team Rocket—scrambling at the lip of the hole.
"Kadabra! Use **Psychic** to stabilize me! Then, use **Telekinesis** on those boulders!"
The psychic energy wrapped around me like a warm blanket, slowing my descent until I was hovering a few feet above the cavern floor. I looked up. The hole was still open, and rocks were still tumbling down. If I didn't close it, the others would fall in and get crushed, or worse, they'd find the chamber before I could secure the Amber.
"Seal the exit! Use the rubble! **Rock Tomb**!"
Kadabra's eyes glowed a fierce, neon blue. He raised his spoons, and with a violent grunt of mental effort, he seized the massive falling stones. He didn't just stop them; he slammed them together like a puzzle, wedging them into the neck of the shaft.
*CRUNCH.*
The light from above vanished. We were sealed in. Total darkness.
I landed softly on the dusty floor, the silence of the underground pressing against my ears.
"Regina?!" I heard Ash's muffled voice from far, far above, beyond the layer of rock. "Regina! Are you okay?! We're gonna get help! Don't move!"
"I'm fine!" I shouted back, though I knew they could barely hear me. "Just stay up there! It's too dangerous!"
I turned away from the sealed ceiling. Kadabra ignited a small, steady glow from the tip of his spoon, acting as a torch.
We weren't in a simple cave. We were in a cathedral of time. Massive, rib-like stone formations arched over us, and the walls were encrusted with glowing moss and strange, metallic ores. But it was the sounds that caught my attention.
A low, rhythmic rasping. The sound of something very large breathing in a very deep sleep.
"Nelly," I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Scan for life signs. High-intensity signatures."
*"Scanning..."* Nelly's voice was a whisper in the dark. *"Host, you are currently standing in the center of a Level 5 Bio-Hazard zone. I am detecting twelve... fifteen... twenty dormant signatures. Rank: Elite and above. And one... right in front of you."*
I looked ahead. In the center of the chamber, was the odd egg, the Togepie egg.
And resting its head right next to it was a creature of nightmares. Grey, leathery skin. Shovel-like jaws filled with serrated teeth. Massive, clawed wings folded like a shroud.
[Data Scan: Aerodactyl]
Rank: CHAMPION (PRIME)
Level: 55
Status: Awakening.
The Aerodactyl's eye—yellow and slitted—snapped open.
I didn't scream. I didn't run. I just felt a cold, sharp thrill run down my spine.
"Sorry, boys," I whispered to the empty, dark air. "But the Apex Predator belongs to the researcher."
I reached for my Pokéballs, the light of Kadabra's spoon reflecting off the amber. The hunt was finally on.
**[Chapter 60: END]**