"Then it's a promise. I'm going to call Maple and let her know where we're at in our journey together." True to her word, Lilly activated her PokeVice and used it to make a call to Professor Maple.
"Kids!" Maple smiled, throwing a curtain across something weird that was hiding behind her. She moved some hair out of her eye and began again, "how's your adventure going so far? That looks like Dinohlr Town."
"It is!" Lilly beamed. She extended her arm and moved it across the horizon to show Maple the beautiful view. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"It is," Maple smiled gently. "Have you guys been taking care of yourselves?"
"Yes, we have." Lilly sat down on the single chair that was set up in the Tyrantrum's jaw. "We're up here inside the big Tyrantrum fossil Do you know anything about it?"
"Yes," Maple nodded. "I do, in fact, know a little about Fossil Pokemon. I studied them a while ago in order to get an understanding of the Fossil Revitalization Technology that has been steadily advancing in the past handful of years."
"Wow!" Lilly jumped up from her seat and looked in the direction of the Prehistory Museum. "My mom told me that there's a laboratory inside the Prehistory Museum that is exclusively for Pokemon Fossil Revitalization. Is that true?"
"Yes, Lilly." Maple closed her eyes, her cheeks relaxing and her smile growing wide. "That is where I studied for half a year. I figured that Pokemon Fossil Revitalization would be helpful in Pokemon Conservation. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand some of the core mechanics, so I had to give up my studies and decided to leave it to the professionals."
"Aww, I wish you could have continued your studies here. This seems like a nice place."
"Don't worry about it, Lilly. Since it's such a nice place, why don't you find a way to enjoy it yourselves?"
"We are," nodded Lilly, panning her camera over to Riley, who also nodded. "We are, Maple. I'm so glad you sent us on this adventure!"
"Stay safe, guys! And keep taking every opportunity you get to help Pokemon!" With that Professor Maple hung up her end of the PokeVice call.
Lilly and Riley walked down from the Tyrantrum fossil, and met a face that was very familiar to Riley. Eric?
"Well, hello, Riley," Pokemon Conservationist Eric smiled, waving. "Who's this you're with?"
"I'm Lilly," RIley's best friend answered, before asking, "do you know Riley?"
"Yes, in fact, I do. My name is Eric, and I'm a Pokemon Conservationist." Eric extended his free hand for Lilly to shake it, and she did.
"Cool! So are we!"
"You are?" asked Eric.
"Yeah!" Lilly beamed. "We work with Professor Maple."
"You do, huh? It's a coincidence finding you here, Riley. And you too, Lilly." Eric pulled a small box out of his bag. "I need a young Pokemon Trainer to take these off my hands."
"What are those?" Lilly prodded.
"These are Pokemon Fossils," Eric explained. "I was visiting the Prehistory Museum here in order to expand my knowledge on the nature of fossilized Pokemon. I found it a great deal helpful to my Pokemon Conservation efforts. But these fossils, I'm sure, would be happier in the hands of a bright, strong Pokemon Trainer. I, myself, do not battle with Pokemon, but I think that these Fossil Pokemon would love to experience that thrill. Will you take them? My gift."
Riley and Lilly both jumped, each raising an arm in excitement. "Yes!" Lilly beamed.
"Alright," Eric smiled, happy to gift the young Pokemon Trainers. "Riley, why don't you choose first? Here, I'll explain the fossils."
He propped the box up on a large sand-coloured rock. He opened it. Inside were two fossils. "This here," Eric began, pointing to an ice-sheeted fossil that looked feline, "is the Tail Fossil. It can be given life and will become a Bluntooth, an Ice-type Pokemon that lived during an Ice Age long before humans came into existence in the Pokemon world.
"And this, here," he explained, pointing to a rock that looked like some big-headed dinosaur with a bunch of horns on its cranium, "is the Head Fossil. It can be given life to become a Ramrock, a Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon that lived during the same time as Tyrantrum and other now-fossilized Pokemon."
"Wow, that's so cool!" Lilly remarked.
"So, Riley," Eric began. "What will it be? Head Fossil or Tail Fossil?"
Without a doubt, Riley went for the Tail Fossil. He ran his finger over the strange and mysterious ice that was encasing the fossil.
"And... Lilly, did you say?" Eric second-guessed himself. "This is for you, the Head Fossil."
"Ee!" squealed Lilly. "I'm so intrigued by how these rocks can turn into living Pokemon!"
"It is really interesting, isn't it?" Eric smiled and waved, returning his attention to his tablet. "I do wish pleasant coincidences like this would keep occurring!"
"Riley," Lilly said, determined. "I'm going straight to the Prehistory Museum! You can come if you want, but I'm super excited to see how much my new Ramrock likes to battle!"
Riley stayed behind and watched Lilly frolic to the doors of the ginormous Prehistory Museum. Riley was short, even for his age, but everything in Chinocko's bigger cities seemed so gigantic to him. Maybe it was because he was so used to a mediocre smalltown life? Whatever it was, he wanted to see the rest of Chinocko's amazing sights!
He began his walk into the Prehistory Museum, which was built with a modern contemporary architecture in mind, but was blended with natural rocks and huge Pokemon bones to make it seem like a dinosaur museum.
He stopped at the PC that was at the museum's main desk and deposited Darwing into his Pokemon PC Box. He was sad to watch the bird go, but he knew caring for so many Pokemon just couldn't be done. It would be better off in-
"Hello!"
Riley stumbled back. Sure, Riley wasn't familiar with how PCs worked, but it just said hello! What was he supposed to do!?
He took a step closer, intimidated. "I'm sorry to shock you," said a blue-skinned man wearing a suit and tie in the corner of the PC's screen. "My name is Sir Kit, and I'm your Virtual Assistant! I'll make sure your Pokemon are healthy and happy while they're in your Pokemon PC Box."
Riley smiled uncomfortably. "May I ask your name?" ... "Riley, huh? Nice name! Was there anything in particular you wanted to do right now?"
Riley pressed his finger to the screen. He navigated the menus until he found his Pokemon PC Box. Sir Kit instructed Riley on how to deposit his Pokemon. "To Deposit a Pokemon, simply put the PokeBall that it is inside in this chute here." When he said that, lights on the chute glowed, reinforcing that this was the object he was talking about. Riley inserted Darwing's PokeBall into the cylindrical chute and, when he did, it separated into a flurry of pixels that flew inside the computer.
Darwing looked around itself. "Aww! Look how cute and healthy Darwing is! I'll take good care of it," Sir Kit bowed with determination.
Darwing wandered around the virtual space, confused as to what was going on, but Riley trusted it was in good care. He waved by to Darwing, and the Muddyfoot Darwing waved back with its wing. Riley logged off of the PC and walked over to the Pokemon Fossil Rejuvenation Centre's counter.
There was a handsome-looking man in a lab coat waiting at the counter. "Hello," the man began, scratching his chin and fixing the position of his glasses. "Can I help you?"
Riley placed his Tail Fossil on the counter. "A Tail Fossil, huh?" the man questioned. "I'm on it! It may take a while, so feel free to browse the museum while I'm at work revitalizing your Tail Fossil."
And so, Riley did investigate the museum. He found several interesting artifacts. There were skeletons of huge Dragon-type Pokemon, some of which were long-gone, and some of which resembled Pokemon that could be found today. Riley checked out the fossils section next. It made him feel a little uneasy. He thought to himself, if they have the technology to revive fossilized Pokemon, why would they keep certain ones in a museum? The laboratory with the technology necessary was literally under the same roof.
Not wanting to doddle on that thought, Riley checked out the other exhibits, letting his three Pokemon, Burndillo, Barksky, and Concealpillar, out of their PokeBalls to see the intriguing artifacts with him. Interestingly, there were some preserved cave markings that depicted a fish-type beast and a bipedal beast of massive proportions in comparison to the people depicted in the artifact. It looked like something from a far-off region. Perhaps a tropical one? If so, what was it doing here in Chinocko?
Next, Riley examined a hallway that had photos and paintings on the walls. One of the photos looked like it was taken by a professional photographer, almost like it was meant for a magazine. In it was a girl about Riley's age, who wore a red skirt and hat. She was standing in front of a beautiful-looking stone structure that looked like a flower.
In a painting that was next to the polaroid-printed photo, a Saburr was drawn. It looked very realistic, despite Riley not having ever seen a Saburr before because they were fossilized, and now very, very rare.
A Mamoswine was depicted in another painting that looked to be by the same artist. Though this one was slightly older-looking and not as well preserved. Across the hall from that, on the other wall, was an in-depth anatomical study of Bellyp, which was believed to have been one of the oldest biological Pokemon in the world.
Toxock was also depicted in a study that was next to the framed Bellyp picture. This study showed Toxock's three forms, as well as a hypothesis on the appearance of Toxock without its shell on. Nobody in recorded history had ever seen Toxock without its rocky shell, so Riley had seen this particular picture often in his science textbooks.
That was the end of the exhibits that he particularly wanted to see, so he returned to the Pokemon Fossil Rejuvenation Centre in hopes that his Bluntooth had been born.
It had! It looked so curious and scared. "Here's Bluntooth. The service charge will be 1000, please."
Riley handed over the appropriate amount of money and went outside, sitting on some benches in the middle of town with his new Pokemon in his arms.
It was very small and furry. It had long, warm orange fur that had black stripes along it on its back, sides, and legs, and on its belly and chin was a layer of warm, fluffy white fur. Between its erect triangular ears, the Pokemon wore a stylish mohawk that was made completely out of sky-blue translucent ice. The same ice was also crystallizing on the back of the Pokemon's four knees, as well as the very tip of its sleek tail.
Riley pointed his PokeDex at Bluntooth for more information on his new friend. "Bluntooth. Ice-type. Born from the Tail Fossil. The Sabertooth Pokèmon. Bluntooth once lived in an ice age, and are very determined and rather skilled fighters. They cover their bodies in ice as a defense mechanism, which, thanks to their muscular structure, doesn't slow them down in the slightest."