The Fuchsia City Police Station felt less like a sanctuary of justice and more like a pressure cooker. The air was thick with the scent of floor wax and the low, menacing rumble of five Pokéballs sitting on a high-security containment tray.
We weren't alone for long.
The heavy double doors of the station didn't just open; they were practically blown off their hinges by the sheer weight of the collective social status entering the room. It was a parade of Kanto's elite. **Professor Oak**, looking disheveled but wired on scientific caffeine; **Linda**, her eyes flashing with a corporate fury that could wither a Steelix; **Delia Ketchum**, looking like she was oscillating between a hug and a heart attack; **Lola**, Misty's mother, radiating the calm, terrifying elegance of a deep-sea predator; and **Flint**, Brock's father, looking like a man who had just walked through a mountain to get here.
"PROFESSOR OAK!" Ash and Gary screamed in unison, though their voices cracked with a healthy dose of "we're-in-trouble" terror.
"Linda..." I whispered, instinctively tucking the Togepi egg behind my back.
The room erupted. Officer Jenny, who had been looking smug ten minutes ago, was now being circled by two different legal teams—one from G-Pro and one from the Pallet Research Initiative.
"Linda, please," I begged, my voice cracking slightly—partly from exhaustion, partly for dramatic effect. "My team's average level is in the 40s now anyway. I need this. If the League takes him, they'll just put him in a cage or a lab. He's a king, Linda. He deserves to fly."
Linda didn't speak. She just stared at me, her foot tapping a rhythmic, deadly beat against the linoleum.
Ash and Gary caught the cue, sprinting over to Professor Oak. "Professor! You can't let them take Omastar! He's my partner! We're gonna win the League together!" Ash wailed.
Gary crossed his arms, leaning on his pedigree. "Gramps, as a researcher, you know the value of field-testing these specimens. A lab environment would skew the data! Kabutops needs a high-tier trainer to reach its peak potential."
Oak was looking at the Pokéballs with a hunger that was almost frightening. "Living specimens... biological snapshots of the pre-Ice Age... The data alone could rewrite the 'Origin of Species' volume three!"
Delia was clutching her chest, looking at Ash. "Ashy, honey, I want you to be happy, but a Pokémon that *eats* people? Oh dear, maybe a nice Oddish instead?"
"Mom, it doesn't eat *people*! It just... crushes things!" Ash argued, which didn't help his case at all.
Misty and Brock were already pleading with their respective parents. Misty's mom looked at the Omanyte ball with a critical eye, while Flint crossed his massive arms, staring at the ceiling as Brock explained the breeding potential of ancient Rock-types.
---
### The Paperwork War
The next three hours were a masterclass in bureaucratic warfare. I watched, fascinated, as Linda and Professor Oak tag-teamed Officer Jenny.
"Under the Kanto Fossil Restoration and Preservation Act of 1994," Professor Oak lectured, waving a fountain pen like a sword, "any naturally occurring resurrection of extinct species falls under the jurisdiction of the Regional Research Authorities, *not* local law enforcement."
"And as the legal sponsors of these trainers," Linda added, her voice like a cold razor, "we are filing a Pre-emptive Liability Waiver. We assume all risks. If that Aerodactyl eats a building, G-Pro pays for the building. Now, unless you want to explain to the League Council why you are obstructing a Top-Tier Research expedition led by a G-Pro Elite..."
Officer Jenny looked like she wanted to cry. The lawyers began laying out stacks of paper that were thicker than a Snorlax's midsection.
Finally, the ink was dry. We were allowed to keep them.
"Listen to me carefully," Professor Oak warned, his face stern. "These Pokémon are not toys. They lived in an era where the world was a constant battlefield. If you cannot establish dominance and provide for their specialized needs, you will return them to the Lab. Understood?"
"Yes, Professor!" we shouted in unison.
"What kind of trainers would we be," Brock said, adjusting his vest with newfound gravity, "if we were unable to care for our own captures? We accept the responsibility."
Everyone nodded. The weight of the moment felt real. We weren't just kids with pets anymore; we were wardens of the ancient world.
---
### The Law and the Ear-Tug
As we walked out of the station, the tension bled away, replaced by Ash's insatiable curiosity.
"Hey, Regina," Ash asked, tilting his head. "How do you know all those legal terms? 'Theft under Color of Authority'? 'Article 4 Section 12'? I thought you were a researcher, not a judge!"
I stiffened. I couldn't exactly tell him that I'd spent my nights in the Habitat searching the G-Pro database for legal loopholes because I knew the "Grandpa Canyon Event" was coming and I refused to let my Aerodactyl get confiscated. I couldn't say I had the "knowledge of canon" from a past life.
"I... well, I study law a bit," I lied, looking away. "Since I'm part of the G-Pro program, I have to be aware of the legalities of high-tier captures. It's part of the 'Professional' in G-Pro."
Linda, who had been walking ahead of us, suddenly spun around. She didn't say a word. She just reached out, grabbed my ear, and *pulled*.
"OW! Linda! Stop! Ears are for hearing, not for stretching!"
"You little brat!" Linda scolded, her voice rising an octave. "I saw the footage from the canyon cameras! Jumping into a collapsing sinkhole? Fighting a Level 55 Aerodactyl while *sitting on its back*? It could have eaten you, Regina! It could have swallowed you whole before you even reached for a Pokéball!"
"I had Kadabra!" I squeaked, trying to wiggle away. "Calculated risk! High reward!"
"Calculated my foot!" she yelled, giving my ear one last tug before letting go. "You're lucky you're brilliant, because your survival instincts are non-existent!"
The other guardians—Flint, Lola, Prrof. Oak and Delia—turned toward the rest of the group. Their eyes were narrowed. "And what about you four? You didn't do anything... *dangerous*, did you?"
Ash, Gary, Misty, and Brock all flinched as one.
Ash flinched, his eyes darting to the ceiling. "Me? No! I was... uh... fighting on the ground! Very flat ground! Very safe!" (He conveniently left out the part where he nearly fell into the vortex).
Gary cleared his throat, looking at his fingernails. "I was in a perfectly designated safety zone, watching from a distance. My capture was a model of professional restraint." (He had actually been swinging a pickaxe like a madman three feet from a ledge).
"Totally safe," Misty squeaked, hiding her scratched-up knees behind her red suspenders. "We were practicing... uh... safety drills!"(She had been in a wild goose chase where instead of her chasing the pokemon, the pokemon was chasing her)
"Yes," Brock added, his voice deep and unconvincing. "We were practically in a playground!"(Kabuto had literally jumped on his face while batteling, and would have eaten his face if not for his aipom)
The parents stared at them for a long beat. They didn't believe a word of it, but before they could push, Linda's eyes landed on my hands.
---
### The Mystery of the Egg
"What is that?" Linda asked, her anger replaced by pure, academic curiosity.
I pulled the egg from behind my back, holding it out with a small smile. It was white with red and blue triangular markings, glowing with a faint, warm inner light.
"I found it in the Aerodactyl's nest," I explained. "Based on the shell pattern and the bio-resonance I'm picking up... I'm guessing it's a **Togepi** egg."
"Togepi?" Ash, Misty, and Brock asked in unison.
Ash whipped out his Pokedex. *"Scanning... No data found in the Kanto Regional Database. Please consult a Professor."*
"It's not in there, Ash," I said, a little smugly. "It's an extremely rare species. Most people think they're myths."
Professor Oak's eyes practically turned into lightbulbs. He reached into his lab coat and pulled out a sleek, silver device—a prototype I recognized instantly.
"It's a species from the Johto region," Oak said, clicking the prototype open to show a picture of a small, egg-shaped creature with stubby hands and a happy face. "I've been developing this Johto-specific Pokedex for my colleague, Professor Elm. I've seen records of these... they are said to be symbols of good luck."
"Oh! It's so cute!" Misty squealed, leaning in to poke the shell. "Look at those colors! It looks like a little toy!"
Everyone crowded around. In this world, the **Fairy-type** hadn't been discovered yet. To them, the little creature inside was just a rare **Normal-type**. And the idea that this tiny baby could eventually evolve into a **Togekiss**—a flying fortress of Serene Grace—was completely unheard of.
"It's rare, Regina," Gary said, regaining some of his composure as he leaned back with his arms crossed. "But be real. It's an egg Pokémon. It probably only knows 'Splash' or 'Growl.' It's not exactly 'strong' like my Kabutops."
I chuckled, looking down at the egg. I could feel the life inside, the raw potential of a Pokémon that could bend the very air to its will.
"Even a Rattata can be strong if the trainer knows what they're doing, Gary," I said, throwing his own Pallet Town logic back at him. "But this little one? This isn't just a Pokémon. It's a miracle of the ancient world. And I think it's going to surprise all of us."
---
### The Departure
The sun began to set over Fuchsia City, casting long, purple shadows over the train tracks. Professor Oak was already chatting a mile a minute with Linda about the "Ancient Living Pokémon" study they were going to co-author.
"To think!" Oak beamed. " specimens that have lived thousands of years! The telomere length alone will provide enough data for a dozen dissertations!"
Linda nodded, her eyes sparkling with the thrill of the hunt. "And the G-Pro integration... if we can map their primal instincts into the battle-simulators..."
They were lost in their world, and for the first time, I felt like the "Prehistoric Five" were part of something much bigger than a Gym circuit. We were the bridge between the past and the future.
"Alright, kids," Flint said, clapping Brock on the shoulder. "The train for Saffron leaves in twenty minutes. You've got your Pokémon, you've got your legal papers, and you've got a long road ahead."
We stood on the platform, five trainers with five ancient monsters hidden in our belts.
"Saffron City," Ash said, his voice brimming with excitement. "Sabrina's waiting! And now we've got the most powerful Pokémon in history on our side!"
I looked at my Heavy Ball, then at the Togepi egg. "Don't get cocky, Ash. Ancient power is a double-edged sword. But..." I looked at the group, a genuine smile on my face. "I wouldn't want to be taking on Saffron with anyone else."
As the train pulled into the station, the hum of the magnet-rails felt like a countdown. The "Prehistoric Five" were moving out, and the Indigo League would never be the same.
[Chapter 62: END]