"Hey, is the excavation finished?" the Pokémon Ranger asked, his tone sharp as he addressed the foremen overseeing the dig.
One of them gave a stiff nod, but the Ranger had already turned toward the researchers in lab coats. "What about the analysis? Are the eggs… really dead?"
"We're still investigating, sir," one of the doctors responded hesitantly.
The Ranger clenched his jaw. Damn it.
They were deep in Route 210, near Celestic Town, conducting a project that was, technically speaking, illegal. An unauthorized excavation.
He had intercepted the intel from an archaeologist working under the Pokémon Association. Rather than reporting it, he saw an opportunity. What if they uncovered a rare Pokémon? A treasure? Some ancient relic worth a fortune?
And what did they find?
A Pokémon egg.
No—four Pokémon eggs.
At first, his excitement was overwhelming. He was already imagining the payday this discovery would bring. But before he could celebrate, one of the doctors approached him, looking uneasy.
"Sir… there's no life in these eggs."
His breath caught. "What?"
"They're fossilized. There's no way to revive them."
His chest tightened. "No. Find a way. Find a way to save them!"
The doctors scrambled to check again, running tests, discussing possibilities—but in the end, nothing could be done.
The eggs were dead.
The realization hit him hard. He had gambled everything on this find, and now it was worthless.
Or was it?
Even if there was no life inside, he knew people who would still pay good money for ancient Pokémon eggs.
Collectors, researchers, maybe even someone who thought they could extract something valuable from them. And he had just the right connections to make a deal.
"SIR, WE FOUND SOMETHING!!!"
The Pokémon Ranger was quickly snapped from his thoughts. He sprang to his feet, excitement clear on his face as he grabbed the breathless archaeologist by the arm. "What is it? Another egg?!"
The archaeologist, drenched in sweat, ran toward him, excitement radiating from his face. "Sir! There's a tomb here! It's massive!"
A tomb?
"Yes, sir! A tomb!"
The tomb, hidden behind the waterfall, was enormous. A large tombstone stood, engraved with records of the deceased's years of life and deeds. Around the tombstone, there were several stone tablets, each inscribed with strange symbols, likely thousands of years old.
The waterfall that had hidden the tomb was now partially blocked off. Large boulders had been piled up, creating a makeshift barrier that redirected the flow of water away.
Now, it revealed the stone carvings and the dark passage that led deeper inside. The heavy, cascading water splashed against the rocks, creating a loud, rhythmic sound that echoed through the area. Everyone looked toward it with serious expressions.
The archaeologist turned to the Ranger, his voice serious. "Sir, we need to excavate further, sir. To truly understand this, we'll need approval to dig deeper."
"Of course! Dig deeper, and if necessary, unearth the entire area here. What are you waiting for? Get to work!"
As an archaeologist himself, the Ranger could feel the gravity of the discovery. This was huge—a breakthrough of monumental proportions.
Receiving the approval, the other archaeologist enthusiastically saluted the Ranger before rushing off to organize the team and direct them to start digging around the tombstone and clearing the area.
The Ranger watched as they worked, a sense of excitement brewing within him. No wonder they had just discovered the tomb—it was hidden behind the waterfall!
"Rhyhorn, drill through that area," one worker instructed, and the Pokémon responded by lowering its head and charging up its drills.
With a roar, it burrowed through the stone, leaving a clean path of exposed rock, while the team carefully observed from afar.
A pair of Graveler worked alongside Rhyhorn, lifting and moving large stone debris from the excavation site. Their massive, rock-covered arms allowed them to pick up boulders effortlessly, and they methodically cleared the rubble as the archaeologists inspected each stone tablet.
Next, an Onix was brought in to deal with tougher areas. The Pokémon slithered through the earth like a living tunnel, using its long, coiled body to loosen difficult-to-reach stones. It worked in tandem with Rhydon, creating an intricate series of passages to access the deeper parts of the tomb.
The archaeologist then watched as one of the Graveler hoisted a large slab, its muscles rippling with the effort. "Easy there, buddy," he murmured, keeping a close eye on the Pokémon. As Graveler carefully lowered the stone to the ground, many archaeologists took note of the inscribed symbols on the surface.
The tablets were similar to historical tablets found in ancient cultures—stone or clay artifacts often inscribed with important laws, treaties, or historical records. Yet, the writing on these tablets was unlike anything they had encountered before. The team couldn't recognize the symbols, and more research would be needed to decipher them.
"These inscriptions... they're unlike anything we've encountered before. We need to decipher them slowly," one of the archaeologists said, his voice filled with awe as he examined a newly uncovered tablet.
"Is this all you got from the tomb?" the Pokémon Ranger asked as he examined the tablet.
"Sir, it's still under excavation," the archaeologist replied.
The Ranger didn't say anything, merely watching the chaotic group of archaeologists deep in discussion.
'Ah, forget it. Let them handle it. Eventually, everything will be sold off,' he thought to himself, shaking his head. He turned his attention back to the excavation site for a moment before spinning around.
"EVERYONE, GET OVER HERE! ONE BY ONE, SEE IF ANYONE CAN READ THIS—AND DON'T WASTE TIME!"
Soon, everyone gathered around, each with a pen and paper, copying the words from the stone tablets and beginning to work on deciphering the ancient text. One of the senior archaeologists was particularly excited—deciphering ancient texts was his expertise.
He started with one word, then two, three, four, five... "I GOT IT! I'VE DECIPHERED IT!!"
"WOAH!!!"
Excitement spread quickly as everyone crowded around the old man. He stood tall, a smug grin spreading across his face, straightening his back with pride.
Even the usually commanding Pokémon Ranger seemed to fall in line, which only made the old man feel even more flattered. He cleared his throat before speaking, "Let me read this aloud for you."
[Three beings were born to bind time and space]
[Three beings whose power can hold both time and space fixed]
[The other side of this world was given by the Original One to its raging third]
Everyone frowned as they listened, trying to make sense of the cryptic words.
While the Ranger, archaeologists, and diggers were busy with their work, an unknown figure watched from a higher vantage point.
The six-year-old Allen lay on his stomach, his chest pressed to the earth, observing everything happening below. He frowned at all the activity.
'They found something.' Allen thought.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to get closer. But before he could move, a white-furred figure suddenly appeared, startling him. Thankfully, it was an Absol.
"Shhh," Allen whispered, placing a finger to his mouth to make sure Absol stayed silent.
He wanted to crawl closer to get a better look, but before he could move, Absol suddenly blocked his path. Its red eyes locked onto him.
"...What?"
Allen was confused. He tried to shift his body, attempting to move past Absol, but the Pokémon blocked his path once again. That's when it hit him.
"Danger?"
Absol didn't respond. Instead, it turned its gaze toward the tomb, its face serious and filled with an unusual sense of foreboding.
Allen followed its gaze, but he couldn't understand why the tomb seemed to make Absol feel this way. He felt a chill run down his spine instantly, as if something was very wrong.
Back at the dig site, everyone was confused by the words. It didn't matter, though.
"Hey, continue the dig. Let's finish it today!"
"YES, SIR!"
Soon, everyone lost interest in deciphering the words and returned to their excavation. The ranger was satisfied with their focus. Until—
One of the diggers gasped, drawing everyone's attention. "Wait, what's that?"
Everyone turned to look where he was pointing.
"Hey, this one—this is the unexplored section! Someone go check it!"
The digger who had spotted the area took a step back, his eyes widening. "I-I'm not sure... What if it's dangerous?"
The ranger glared at him. "This is what we're here for. Don't just stand there—go!"
The digger hesitated, but the ranger's sharp gaze left him with no choice. With a deep breath, he slowly stepped forward, his hand trembling slightly as he reached out to clear away the rubble.
"Stupid!" the ranger shouted in anger, his voice filled with rage as he pointed at Rhyhorn, Graveler, and Onix. "What good are your Pokémon if you don't use them?!
The old man scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. 'Ah, right... Pokémon. What are we worried about here? Besides, there are plenty of people around.'
Soon, Rhyhorn, Onix, and Graveler shifted their focus to the new section. The ground shifted slightly, revealing a narrow passage hidden beneath the surface.
After they entered, at first nothing happened, but halfway through, the digger swallowed hard, his eyes widening as he realized that what they had uncovered was far more than just another section of the excavation site.
"Something's wrong," he blurted out of nowhere, causing all his colleagues around him to stop in their tracks.
"What?" one of them asked, taken aback by the old man's sudden remark.
The old man, being the experienced one, had worked on several large excavation projects. Just by looking at the walls and the surrounding structure, he could tell something was different.
As they moved past the stony cave walls, he noticed that the surface of the walls was unusually smooth—too smooth. Unlike the uneven, rugged rocks outside, this section felt almost unnatural.
One young man already felt a pang of jealousy as he watched the old man successfully decipher the words. He knew it was a significant achievement, and undoubtedly, when they returned, the old man would receive something valuable for his efforts.
'How could I, be outdone by this old man? Sure, he's wiser and more experienced, but as for courage... old man, you're still green!' he mocked silently, before stepping forward and deliberately bumping into the old man, almost making him fall.
"Heh, if you're afraid, then stay here. I'll go check!" he said confidently, believing the achievement was his alone.
With that, he stepped forward, the sound of his footsteps—tap, tap, tap—echoing under the watchful gazes of the others.
One minute… two minutes… three minutes.
"Is he dead?" one of them asked.
The others shook their heads, sighing in relief. Thankfully, they were cool-headed, not rash like him. But then—
"HEY, COME HERE, YOU ALL!!! I FOUND SOMETHING!"
From the deeper part of the tunnel, the young man called for all of them. Everyone exchanged glances.
He was still alive!
That meant the tunnel was safe.
Instantly, everyone sighed in regret, wishing they had been the ones to go first. They rushed to the deeper part of the tunnel, the air growing cooler and thicker as they moved.
As they rounded a corner, their eyes widened in disbelief. Before them lay a vast chamber, its walls adorned with carvings and strange symbols that seemed to shimmer in the dim light. The floor was covered in dust, but faint outlines of worn paths led deeper into the chamber.
"This... this is something else."
Everyone stood frozen in awe, no one daring to speak—until suddenly, they exploded in excitement. Their names would be recorded in history if this came to light. Who wouldn't want such an honor?
Different from all of them, however, the old man, the experienced one, remained solemn. His eyes scanned the stone walls as he carefully stroked the surface of the stone pedestal, his fingers tracing the intricate carvings.
He turned his gaze to the structures around him—tall, weathered stone columns and what looked like stone chests scattered about.
Each one had intricate designs, worn but still distinct. As his eyes moved from column to column and chest to chest, his expression changed, and his eyes widened.
The pieces began to fit together in his mind. A quiet realization dawned on him, and his voice barely broke the silence. "This... this is the cemetery."