The poll is still up, whether I should add Pokémon movies in the series of Ashley's Journey. I will close the poll by the 30th chapter and announce the results in the 31st chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 28: Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon

In order to get to Cinnabar Island, we had to take a detour through a mountain area to get to the south of Kanto and catch a ferry. That meant we had to travel through Grandpa Canyon, which was a vast land popular among archeologists.

"They've found many fossils here of prehistoric Pokémon, like the Helix Fossil, Dome Fossil, and even ambers that are petrified sap", Brock explained while we walked through the canyon. "Researchers say that ambers often contain DNA of ancient Pokémon and with today's technology, you can revive the prehistoric Pokémon and train them."

"Like Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanyte, Omastar, and Aerodactyl", I pointed out. "I've read about them and other fossil Pokémon in one of Professor Oak's books."

"You and your memory, Ashley", Ash said teasingly.

I giggled softly, tucking some stands of my hair behind my ear. "I can't help it when I love Pokémon so much I want to read and learn everything about them."

My hair had grown out a little since the beginning of the journey. It wasn't that much of a difference, but I was looking forward to try look more like a girl in the near future.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu smiled.

"Hey, guys! Look at that crowd!" Misty called, pointing at something.

We looked up and saw more than a dozen people heading towards a location of Grandpa Canyon. Many of them had helmets on their heads while carrying pickaxes and shovels.

"What's going on here?" Ash wondered.

"Why am I not surprised about your cluelessness?!" a familiar voice laughed behind us.

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine when I recognized that voice. I turned around and saw, in my horror, Gary Oak; my and Ash's biggest rival and bully. I had to blink my eyes a couple of times to see whether I was hallucinating or not.

"Gary?!" Ash exclaimed in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"And what's with your clothes?" I couldn't help but ask, seeing Gary was wearing an Indiana Jones costume and holding a pickaxe.

"I'd prefer not bothering with you guys, but since I'm in a good mood today, I'll tell you", Gary said arrogantly. "The excavation site has discovered a massive load of ancient fossils, so the archeologists are asking the public to come and help out. They call it the Great Fossil Rush!"

"The Great Fossil Rush?" my brother, our friends, and I repeated confusedly.

"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head to the side.

"Yep!" Gary nodded. "In exchange for the Trainers' efforts, the archeologists will let them keep the Pokémon fossils they find and revive them so they can train the prehistoric Pokémon, as long as the fossils are nice and intact, that is."

"That explains this giant crowd", Brock said.

All of the sudden, Gary's fangirls appeared behind him dressed in their cheerleading squad dresses and pompoms in their hands. "Gary will find them all, and make everyone feel they're small!"

Ugh… I sincerely didn't like loud and flashy girls like those.

"Thank you, my loyal fans!" Gary smiled proudly.

"Yuck…!" Ash gagged secretly next to me. "How can he even train with those noisy girls around…? They're even worse than Misty…"

"Make sure she never hears you say that out loud…", I whispered in return.

"Well, I've got no more time to chitchat!" Gary exclaimed determinedly. "I've gotta go and find all the fossils before everyone else!" He turned to me and my brother with a smug smirk. "And don't worry, you two, I'll leave the leftovers for you…the non-revivable fossils! Smell ya later, losers!" He was about to leave, but he stopped right next to me and gave me his disgusting teasing glance. "Oh, and your hair, Ashie… You don't look good at all."

With that said and done, Gary ran off to join the crowd with his flashy fangirls.

I couldn't help but feel very upset after hearing him tell me I didn't look good with my hair. I knew I wasn't a looker, but he didn't have to bully me because of my appearance.

"How dare he call us losers?!" Ash growled angrily. "Doesn't he know we were the heroes who saved Saffron City from Team Rocket?! That news was broadcasted across the whole Kanto region!"

"Ash, calm down!" Misty told my brother while grabbing his shoulder.

Ash panted deeply to try calming down, which helped a lot. "I've decided! I'm gonna join the excavation and find the Pokémon fossils before Gary does!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded determinedly.

"I don't know about that, Ash", Brock shook his head. "Fossils are very fragile after resting in the earth for millions of years. There's a certain technique you'll have to use to excavate them."

"Then we just have to watch and learn before digging!" Ash retorted. "I'm willing to do that, just so I can find more fossils than Gary!"

"Well, sounds like you're learning from your sister", Misty giggled. "I'd actually like to see a Kabuto and Omanyte someday, since they are dual water-type Pokémon."

"Then shall we go to a place where there is less of a crowd?" I asked, feeling nervous by watching the hoard of people.

"Yeah, we can do that", Ash nodded. "But let's first find an expert who can give us a quick lesson on how to excavate fossils."

"Pika pi!"

XXXXXXXXXX

We found a very kind archeologist who gave us a quick demonstration of how to excavate a fossil. I took mental notes while watching how the man found a fossil. After that, he lent us pickaxes and shovels so we could join the fun.

Before leaving the main area, we overheard how Gary bragged about finding a Pokémon fossil, but it turned out to be fossilized Pokémon dung. Ash and I got a big laugh out of it and we were still laughing while we found a quiet corner in the canyon.

"Ah man! Gary bragged about finding Pokémon fossils and he f-found stoned p-p-poo!" Ash laughed while wiping a tear from his eye.

"Chahahaha!" Pikachu laughed.

I held back my laughter by covering my mouth. "I wonder what Professor Oak will say when he hears that…!"

"He'll be so embarrassed about his grandson!" Ash laughed even harder.

"Guys, settle down now", Misty sighed.

"S-Sorry…", I slowly calmed down while wiping off a tear from my cheek. "It's just nice to laugh at Gary and make him taste his own medicine after what he had done to me and Ash."

"Finally he's getting the bad luck", Ash grinned evilly.

"We get it you two want revenge after what Gary has done to you, but I think the best way is by defeating him in the League", Brock pointed out.

"That's the plan, alright!" Ash nodded determinedly. "But first… We've gotta beat him in this race!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded.

"Let's start digging", I called.

I was about to swing my pickaxe when I noticed movement by the corner of my eye. I turned to the left and spotted a familiar tail before it vanished behind a corner.

"Is that…?" I mumbled softly before quietly dropping the tool in my hands.

"What's wrong, Ashley?" Ash asked.

"Sshh!" I shushed him. "I think I saw Meowth…"

"Meowth…? From Team Rocket…?!" Misty whispered.

I nodded before hurrying to the corner. The others followed me and carefully peeked from the corner. It really was Meowth from Team Rocket and he was with Jessie and James! We haven't seen them since the Saffron City invasion.

"What are they doing here…?" Ash wondered.

"If we stay quiet and listen, we might find out…", Brock said.

"Are you two done with the plan?" Meowth asked his human colleagues.

"Of course we are, Meowth! We wouldn't be here if we weren't!" James retorted irritably.

"It was quite a disappointment when Giovanni didn't give us a bonus after the fiasco in Saffron City…", Jessie sighed before she collected herself. "That's why this plan must work, no matter what!"

"Right!" Meowth nodded. "Let's rehearse the plan before we move on. Thanks to the news of this Great Fossil Rush, we're going to blow up a large part of Grandpa Canyon with the dynamite you two planted to easily dig out the fossils. I know there's a chance that many fossils will get destroyed in the blast, so that's why we must find the intact ones before we draw too much attention. If other Trainers dare to interfere, Arbok, Weezing, and I'll take care of them."

"Oh no…!" Ash exclaimed in a whisper. "Team Rocket's gonna blow up the canyon…?!"

"Chu…!"

"So many people will get hurt…!" Misty added.

"We've gotta warn everyone and evacuate the canyon…!" Brock nodded.

"Ash and I'll try to stop Team Rocket while you two hurry back and get everyone else out of here…!" I told the group.

"Okay…!" Brock nodded.

"Be careful, you two…!" Misty said worriedly.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine…!" Ash winked.

"Pikapi!"

Misty and Brock ran back to the main area while Ash, Pikachu, and I ran towards Team Rocket. "Stop!" Ash yelled.

Team Rocket exclaimed in surprise when they saw. "The twin twerps again?!" James said.

"Why are we seeing you every time we have a great plan?!" Jessie growled irritably.

"We heard your plans, so we're gonna stop you before you hurt everyone else in the canyon!" Ash shouted.

"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu growled while his cheeks sparkled.

"Hahaha! Too bad, twerp! I've already lit up the fuse!" Meowth laughed before pointing at the lit fuse.

"No!" I yelled in shock.

"Wartortle, I choose you!" Ash called, quickly calling out his Pokémon.

"Wartor!"

"Wartortle, put out that fuse before it reach the dynamite!" Ash commanded.

"Wartoooor!" Wartortle sprayed water towards the fuse, but he missed it as the fuse grew shorter.

"After it!" Ash shouted before we ran after the fuse.

"Oh no, you don't!" Jessie yelled. "Arbok, stop the twerps!"

"You too, Weezing!" James shouted.

"Shaarrbok!"

"Weeziing!"

I looked over my shoulder and saw the Pokémon, so I quickly grabbed a Poké Ball from my belt. "Chanchan, go!"

"Hitmonchan!"

"Use Ice Punch on both Arbok and Weezing!" I shouted. "Don't let Team Rocket stop us!"

"Hitmon!" Chanchan nodded before running towards Team Rocket.

I ran after Ash, knowing Chanchan could deal with Team Rocket. After all, he had been trained by Master Koichi himself. The main priority was to put out the fuse.

After several misses, Wartortle actually managed to hit the fuse and put it out. Ash, Pikachu, and I stopped running and panted deeply after that rush.

"W-We did it…!" Ash gasped loudly.

"T-Thank Arceus…", I gasped in relief.

"Wartortle…", Wartortle sighed in relief.

"Chu…"

"Not so fast!" Meowth suddenly yelled.

We turned around and saw how Chanchan got knocked back by Weezing and crashed on the ground. "Chaaan!" he yelled in pain.

"Chanchan!" I called worriedly.

"You didn't think that we might have a backup plan!" Meowth laughed before holding up a remote control with a single red button. "One push and the dynamite will blow up! Beep!"

The second Meowth pressed the button, explosions erupted nearby the area. The ground started shaking and even formed a large crack, which only meant one thing.

"We have to run!" I yelled, but my voice drowned in the loud noise around us.

Ash quickly grabbed Pikachu and Wartortle before he threw them away just as the crack beneath our feet opened up, making us fall into darkness. The last thing I remembered was I felt my body ache in pain after hitting the ground and losing consciousness.

XXXXXXXXXX – Normal POV

Misty and Brock made it back to the excavation site and informed everyone about the danger just as the explosions erupted in the canyon. The archeologists and Trainers were forced down on their knees by the violent rumbles as a few boulders rolled down the cliffs, injuring a few people in the progress.

"Oh no! Ash and Ashley didn't make it!" Misty gasped in panic.

"We've got to hurry back! They might be in danger!" Brock shouted.

The duo hurried back to the area where they last saw the twins and Team Rocket. They couldn't find any signs of them until they heard crying Pokémon.

"PIKACHU!"

"TORTLE!"

"HITMONCHAAAN!"

"That must be the twins' Pokémon!" Misty exclaimed.

The two Gym Leaders followed the Pokémon cries until they found the trio by a crack that was covered by boulders that were once part of the canyon.

"Pikachu! Wartortle! Chanchan!" Misty shouted.

The three Pokémon stood next to the covered crack, but they turned around when they heard their names called and got relieved expressions.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu waved his arms.

"What happened?! And where are Ash and Ashley?!" Brock asked worriedly.

"War wartortle!" Wartortle pointed at the covered crack.

"They're under that rubble?!" Misty gasped in horror. "Don't tell me they got crushed by those boulders?!"

"We must dig them out before they die!" Brock declared.

"What's going on here?!" a feminine voice called.

Misty and Brock turned around and saw Officer Jenny ran up to them. Usually, Brock would go all bananas whenever he saw Officer Jenny, but this time the twins were more important than a simple crush.

"Our friends are trapped under this rubble! We've gotta dig them out!" Brock told the officer.

"The bulldozers can't make it down here! The paths have been blocked by the boulders!" Officer Jenny informed the duo. "I'll ask for help from the other Trainers! Hang on tight!"

"Thank you, Officer!" Misty shouted while Officer Jenny ran back to the excavation site.

"Geodude, I choose you!" Brock threw his Poké Ball.

"Geodude!"

"Geodude, help us remove these rocks!" Brock told his Pokémon. "The twins are trapped underneath them!"

"Geo!" Geodude nodded before he started picking up one boulder after another.

Brock, Misty, Wartortle, Pikachu, and Chanchan worked their hardest to remove the boulders, all of them fearing the worst.

While they were doing that, Team Rocket was spying on them with their binoculars from a cliff far away.

"Well, that didn't go well! Now this whole area will soon get crawled over by the other Trainers!" Jessie muttered irritably.

"This will actually give us an advantage!" Meowth realized.

"What do you mean?" James wondered.

"Think about it; if everyone walks away from the main site to help digging out the twin twerps, we'll have that whole place to ourselves and can dig out as many fossils as we can before we need to escape!" Meowth explained. "So, this plan is now more like a distraction."

Jessie and James blinked their eyes simultaneously before their lips formed into big smiles. "You're right, Meowth! The plan actually turned out to get better!" Jessie shrieked happily.

"We can still get tons of fossils and revive them into Pokémon!" James added.

"Let's hurry to the main site and wait for the last person to leave… Then we'll take over and only leave the breadcrumbs!" Meowth laughed.

XXXXXXXXXX – Ashley's POV

"-shley…? Ashley, can you hear me?"

Ugh… Who was that…? And why did I feel pain all over my body?

I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted by my brother's worried expression. "A-Ash…?" I mumbled weakly.

"You're alive!" Ash exclaimed in relief before hugging me tight. "I thought you were dead, sis!"

"A-Ash…! That hurt…", I hissed by my aching body.

"Oh, sorry!" Ash panicked before letting go of me, but he still held me so I was sitting up. "Are you okay, sis? No broken bones?"

"I… I think I'm fine…", I nodded.

I looked around and saw Ash and I were in an underground cave. It was dark and humid, but there was still fresh air. I looked up and saw a covered crack at the ceiling where we had fallen through.

"It's blocked…", I mumbled before pointing at the ceiling.

"Yeah, I'm afraid we'll have to find another way out of here", Ash nodded.

We straightened up and double-checked ourselves before taking another look around in the massive cave. "But… Where do we start?" I questioned.

Ash thought deeply about it for a moment. "I think I remember something from one of the survival books we read before leaving Pallet Town. The best way to find an exit is by figuring out where the breeze comes from. That should reveal an opening where fresh air comes in."

"I guess…we have to use the traditional 'wet your finger and feel the wind' method?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Rrrrrr…"

I jumped when I heard the sudden noise echoing in the cave. I clung onto Ash's arm and frantically looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. "W-What was that…?"

Ash snatched quickly one of his Poké Balls from his belt while looking around. "No idea… But there is something else down here besides us."

Two pairs of eyes glowed in the darkness as they got closer to us. Ash and I grew stiff and watched the dark silhouettes crawling to the little light that came through the ceiling. Their shapes were revealed to be living prehistoric Pokémon!

"Omanyte and Kabuto…?!" I exclaimed in disbelief in a low voice. "How can they be alive without being revived…?"

"No idea…", Ash whispered before he grabbed his Pokédex to check their data.

Omanyte, the spiral Pokémon. Rock and water-type. A prehistoric Pokémon that lived in the primordial sea, it swims by twisting its ten tentacles about. Although long extinct, in rare cases, it can be genetically regenerated from fossils.

Kabuto, the shellfish Pokémon. Rock and water-type. This Pokémon was regenerated from the fossil of an ancient creature found in what was once the ocean floor long ago. It protects itself with a hard shell.

"Kkkuuuu…"

"Ooomaaa…"

"They don't look friendly…", Ash pointed out.

"I think the explosions from before woke them up…", I mumbled softly before I gasped in realization. "What if there are more of them…?!"

"That wouldn't be good", Ash shook his head. "Let's quickly catch these two before they can alarm their friends. Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

"Bulbasaur!"

"Oliver, help out!" I called, throwing his Poké Ball.

"Gloom gloom!"

The two fossil Pokémon panicked when they saw our two Pokémon and turned around to run away. Perhaps their natural instincts told them that Bulbasaur and Oliver were of grass-type Pokémon and they could get severely hurt if they were to battle them.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted.

"Oliver, use Petal Dance!" I shouted.

Our Pokémon combined their attacks into one move of green leaves and pink petals. The spiral engulfed Omanyte and Kabuto before they cried out in pain by the move. Seconds later, Bulbasaur and Oliver cancelled their attacks. The leaves and petals had created a bed in which a fainted Omanyte and Kabuto was lying on.

"Let's catch them!" Ash suggested as he grabbed an empty Poké Ball. "I take Omanyte!"

"Okay!" I nodded, grabbing my own empty Poké Ball. "I take Kabuto."

"Poké Ball, go!" we shouted simultaneously before we threw the Poké Balls.

The devices bounced on the fossil Pokémon before they opened and absorbed the Pokémon. Once Omanyte and Kabuto were inside the Poké Balls, they were shut tight and wiggled back and forth on the ground. Ash, our Pokémon, and I waited quietly until the Poké Balls stopped moving. Their buttons glowed green for a second to notify us that the Pokémon were caught.

"Alright!" Ash cheered loudly as he ran to his Poké Ball. "I caught an Omanyte!"

"Shhhh!" I shushed him. "Quiet…! Who knows how many Pokémon there could be in here…!"

"Oh… Sorry", Ash laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

I grabbed my Poké Ball with Kabuto before both devices glowed in white and were sent to Professor Oak's lab.

Ash squatted down to our Pokémon. "Thank you for your help, Bulbasaur, Oliver", he said before patting their heads. "Now we're way ahead of Gary!"

"Bulbasaur!"

"Glooom!"

I giggled softly before I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. What was that?

"Aeeroooo…!" a cry echoed in the whole cave.

"What was that?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise before jumping up on his feet.

"Another Pokémon?!" I shook in fear, sensing the danger in that cry.

A large figure flew from the shadows and landed on a boulder meters from us. "Aeroooo!"

I shrieked in fear. "It's an Aerodactyl! One of the most dangerous prehistoric Pokémon!"

"Aerodactyl?" Ash repeated before grabbing the Pokédex again.

Aerodactyl, the fossil Pokémon. Rock and flying-type. It was regenerated from a dinosaur's genetic matter that was found in amber. A ferocious, prehistoric Pokémon that goes for the enemy's throat with its serrated, saw-like fangs. It flies with high-pitched cries.

"Uh-oh! Bulbasaur and Oliver can't battle against it!" Ash called. "Bulbasaur, return!"

"Return, Oliver!" I panicked as I called back my Pokémon.

"AEROOOO!" Aerodactyl roared so loud that stalactites and pebbles softly rained down from the ceiling.

"Ashley, can't you call out Wanda?! She can use Hydro Pump!" Ash panicked.

"She's too big to fit in this cave! There's a chance it will collapse and bury us alive!" I retorted.

"Aw nuts!" Ash cursed. "Wartortle and Pikachu are still on the surface and most of our Pokémon are weak against Aerodactyl!"

"AEROOO!" Aerodactyl roared before it slowly flew up and dived toward us.

Ash and I panicked and quickly dodged the Pokémon's feet before it could grab us. "That's it!" my brother shouted irritably before grabbing a Poké Ball. "Charmeleon, I choose you!"

"Charmel!"

"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower on Aerodactyl!" Ash commanded.

"Chaaaar!"

Charmeleon breathed fire at the prehistoric Pokémon, but Aerodactyl dodged the attack while flying around in the cave. It roared before it flew toward Charmeleon and knocked him back with his feet.

"Charmeleon!" Ash shouted worriedly.

"Ash! Ashley!" Brock's faded voice called.

My brother and I looked up at the ceiling where the voice came from. "Brock?!" I shouted in return.

"You're alive!" Misty's voice shouted in relief. "How are you?!"

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible! We're being attacked by a living Aerodactyl!" Ash yelled.

"Don't be ridiculous! Aerodactyls cannot be alive in the wild!" Gary's voice shouted next. "But we'll get you out of there soon!"

"Just hurry!" I cried worriedly, not caring that Gary was trying to save us.

"Ashley, down!" Ash suddenly yelled.

Without having time to look over my shoulder, Ash pushed me down before he screamed in panic. "HEEELP!"

I quickly turned around and rested on my elbows before gasping in shock. Aerodactyl had caught Ash with one of his feet.

"ASH!" I yelled worriedly.

A rumble from above caught my attention. The sealed roof was slowly opening, which caused the boulders to rain down into the cave. I quickly got up on my feet and ran to a safe place without getting squashed.

Unfortunately, the opening on the ceiling gave Aerodactyl the opportunity to leave the cave while still carrying Ash. "Ashley!"

"Ash!" I panicked before grabbing Firered's Poké Ball. "Firered, come out!"

"Rawr!"

"Firered, fly after that Aerodactyl!" I told him while climbing onto his back with Charmeleon behind me.

"Char chaar!"

"Rawr!" Firered nodded before he flapped his wings.

Seconds later, we were out of the cave and flying in the clear blue sky. I quickly looked down and saw our friends, Pokémon, and the other Trainers had gathered around the now open crack where we just came out from. I sighed inwardly in relief when I saw Pikachu, Wartortle, and Chanchan were safe before I turned my attention on Aerodactyl.

The wild Aerodactyl had landed on top of a cliff with Ash still trapped in its clawed foot. It roared and exposed its teeth, getting ready to feast on my brother.

"NO!" I yelled worriedly. "Don't eat my brother!"

"CHAAAR!" Charmeleon suddenly roared behind me.

I flinched by the sudden loud cry behind me before I no longer felt Charmeleon's arms around my waist. I looked down and saw, in my horror, how he had fallen off Firered, but then his body started glowing.

I watched in shock while Charmeleon evolved into a Charizard in mid-air! He quickly got the altitude with his wings and flew towards Aerodactyl.

"RAWR!"

"Amazing! Charmeleon evolved into a Charizard because he was worried about Ash!" I smiled widely. "Let's go and battle together, Firered!"

"Rawr!"

Aerodactyl was about to dig its teeth into Ash, but it cried out in pain when it got hit on its back by Charizard's Flamethrower. It quickly recovered and flew up, but because of the surprise move, it dropped Ash on the cliff, leaving him behind.

Charizard landed next to my brother and carefully helped him get up on his feet. Firered landed next to his ally so I could get off and hug my brother.

"Ash!" I couldn't help but cry a few tears as I embraced him.

"Ashley!" Ash smiled and hugged me in return. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"You too…!" I nodded before wiping off my tears and getting serious. "We have to stop Aerodactyl before someone else gets hurt!"

"Right!" Ash nodded before turning to our two Charizards. "Charizard, Firered, will you help us stopping Aerodactyl?"

"Raaawr!" both of them nodded determinedly.

"Then let's go!" Ash shouted.

We climbed onto our Pokémon partners before they flew after Aerodactyl. It was targeting the crowd and tried to catch someone else to have for dinner. Firered took the initiative to grab Aerodactyl's attention by whipping its back with his tail.

"AEROOO!" Aerodactyl shrieked before turning to us.

"Come and get us, Aerodactyl! Leave everyone alone!" Ash yelled from Charizard's back.

"Rawr!" Firered roared.

"AEEERR!" Aerodactyl roared before flying after us.

It was tough holding onto Firered while being part of an aerial battle, but it was also exciting at the same time. Aerodactyl tried getting either me or Ash from our Pokémon's backs, but Firered and Charizard scared it away with their Flamethrowers.

It didn't take long before Aerodactyl started showing signs of fatigue. It lost strength in its wings so it began descending to the ground.

"We got it!" Ash shouted. "It's getting tired!"

"Yeah!" I nodded. "But one of us needs to catch it so it won't attack the others on the ground!"

"Ashley, you can catch it!"

"Are you sure?"

"After seeing its mouth and teeth so close… I don't want to end up on its dinner menu."

"Alright!" I nodded as I grabbed an empty Poké Ball. "Firered, get a little closer to Aerodactyl!"

"Rawr!"

Firered folded his wings a little to fly down faster to Aerodactyl. The prehistoric Pokémon looked over its shoulder and spotted us getting closer to it. "Aeeer…!"

"Poké Ball, go!" I shouted before throwing the device.

The Poké Ball threw through the air and hit Aerodactyl on its back. The prehistoric Pokémon shrieked in surprise before it was absorbed by the device. The Poké Ball closed itself after Aerodactyl was absorbed and fell towards the ground. Firered flew underneath it so I could catch the Poké Ball.

I felt it vibrate in my hand as I watched the button glowing in red, praying deep inside for it to change into green. Three shakes later, the button turned green with a ding.

"I caught it!" I shouted happily and raised the Poké Ball in the air. "I caught Hunter the Aerodactyl!"

"RAAAAWR!" Firered breathed fire in the air to celebrate the successful catch.

"Alright, sis!" Ash cheered next to me with Charizard. "We've caught the Kanto fossil Pokémon!"

"Raawr!" Charizard breathed fire to join the celebration.

XXXXXXXXXX

After reporting the mysterious cave to the archeologists, they decided to cancel the excavation to put full attention at the cave and try finding more living prehistoric Pokémon. That, unfortunately, meant that Trainers were no longer allowed to help out with the excavation, so Gary had to leave empty-handed with no Pokémon fossils to revive.

Ash was happy that the two of us "won" against Gary for once. Even though he didn't catch Aerodactyl, he was still happy that Charmeleon evolved into a Charizard and got to experience real flying.

However, we weren't the only one who gained something today.

"Where did you find that, Brock?" Ash asked, pointing at the white egg that had red and blue geometrical pattern.

"Misty and I found it while we were digging that pile of rocks and boulders to free you", Brock explained. "I think it's a Pokémon Egg."

"A Pokémon Egg? That's so cool!" I exclaimed in awe, fascinated to see a Pokémon Egg for the first time.

"Do you know what Pokémon it might hatch into?" Ash wondered.

"Nope, but as a Pokémon Breeder, it's my job to take good care of it until it hatches", Brock replied, gently hugging the Egg.

"Well, I look forward to see what Pokémon it will hatch out of it", Misty smiled softly. "Can I hold it sometimes, Brock?"

"As long as you don't drop it, Misty", Brock warned before giving her the Egg.

Misty gently cradled the Egg in her arms before humming a lullaby. "Sleep tight, little one. One day, you'll grow up to be strong."

"That's a nice song", Ash smiled.

"I remember my mother singing it to me when I was very little", Misty explained. "I don't have many memories about her, but the lullaby has been stuck in my head."

"You look like a mom while holding the Egg, Misty", I smiled softly.

"Thank you, Ashley", Misty giggled softly.

"Then… Who will keep the Pokémon after it hatches?" Ash questioned.

"We'll see about that", Brock shrugged. "Baby Pokémon will mainly follow the person or item they see first when they hatch from the Egg. It's called imprinting."

"Printing?" I repeated confusedly.

"Imprinting!" Brock corrected me. "It's a biological instinct and no one can change it. So… We have to let the Pokémon decide who will become its Trainer after it hatches."

"Okay!" we nodded.

"Then that means Pikachu will be a big brother to the baby Pokémon", Ash chuckled heartedly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled widely.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charizard (male)

Oliver the Gloom (male)

Volt the Jolteon (male)

Kobra the Arbok (male)

Wanda the Gyarados (female)

Chanchan the Hitmonchan (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:

Rina the Nidorina (female)

Luna the Clefairy (female)

Kabo the Kabuto (male)

Hunter the Aerodactyl (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Bulbasaur (male)

Charizard (male)

Pidgeotto (male)

Pikachu (male)

Wartortle (male)

Hitmonlee (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Squirtle x4 (males)

Krabby (male)

Muk (male)

Beedrill (male)

Tauros (male)

Rhyhorn (male)

Exeggcute (male)

Nidorino (male)

Poliwag (male)

Dratini (female)

Gengar (male)

Omanyte (male)

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Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Starmie (genderless)

Horsea (female)

Psyduck (male)

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Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)

Vulpix (female)

Rhyhorn (male)