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Chapter 145: A Path to Fossil Pokémon
🕑 Added 2025-08-18 14:29:24 +0000 UTCChapter 145: A Path to Fossil Pokémon
The Life Energy Meter was a machine that resembled an X-ray scanner. All you had to do was place a Poké Ball inside, and it would measure the Life Energy index of the Pokémon within.
"A39?"
When they saw the result, both Professor Nina and Lucas were shocked.
"Professor, is there a problem with that number?" Basalt asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"Well... your Drilbur's Life Energy is... abnormally high," Professor Nina explained, pointing to the number on the display. "It's only at the intermediate tier, but its Life Energy index is higher than most advanced-tier Pokémon. The 'A' here is the unit of measurement we've established. Generally, a beginner-level Pokémon is between 1 and 10, a rookie-level is between 11 and 20, intermediate is 21 to 30, and so on."
"While the index is still a bit rough and needs refinement, most Pokémon fall within the expected range. The margin of error is usually plus or minus three, but your Drilbur is all the way at 39..."
Professor Nina stroked her chin, deep in thought. "Unless Drilbur has consumed some kind of incredible treasure, it shouldn't be this high," she murmured. "Or... is it just exceptionally talented?"
Hearing this, Basalt tensed up and gave a sheepish laugh. "I guess my little guy is just naturally gifted."
"Should we try running the test again?" Lucas suggested quietly. He knew the machine was new and still had some bugs.
But Basalt wasn't about to let that happen. He quickly snatched the Poké Ball back and changed the subject. "Professor, Dr. Martin mentioned that knowing a Pokémon's Life Energy index can be beneficial for its training. Could you tell me more about that?" As a trainer, he was always more interested in getting stronger.
Professor Nina pushed her thin-framed glasses up her nose. "Generally speaking, a higher Life Energy index means better cell activity, which in turn means better physical conditioning and recovery ability. The Pokémon can withstand a more intense training regimen. It's the same principle behind trainers basing their training intensity on a Pokémon's current rank."
Basalt was stunned. So after all that, the conclusion is that my Drilbur just needs to train harder? But his industrious little Pokémon already had a habit of putting in extra training on its own. So... was all this for nothing?
Disappointed, Basalt's mood sank. But Professor Nina's interest in Drilbur was only growing. "Basalt, your Drilbur's incredibly high Life Energy might be related to its ability to sense Grass-type energy. It's of immense research value," she said with a smile, extending an olive branch. "After the tournament, you should come by the institute more often."
The Drilbur that had consumed a Smooth Rock Crystal had clearly undergone some unknown transformation. It had become a hot commodity in the research world. Both Dr. Martin and Professor Nina wanted to study it.
"Well... that's not impossible," Basalt said, his eyes twinkling. "As it happens, both of my Pokémon are currently developing their Grass-type energy control, and you have so many labs here..."
He didn't have to finish. Professor Nina understood. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, so she had no reason to refuse.
Soon, Basalt was led to a lab filled with lush green grass and dense Grass-type energy, and his Pokémon began their training.
"This place is amazing!" Bronzor's telepathic voice was filled with joy. My trainer really is the best. He said we'd get another chance to train in a place like this, and he made it happen. And so quickly, too! He must really care about me.
Just like at the Metro City institute, the lab had a transparent glass ceiling, offering a clear view of the sun. But Basalt noticed something different here. The glass was shaped like a funnel, seemingly designed to collect even more sunlight.
"If I could stay here for a while," Bronzor thought, its metallic surface reflecting the sunlight, "I could probably learn not only Solar Beam, but maybe even Sunny Day."
"What?" Basalt felt like he'd misheard. "You've eaten two of my Smooth Rocks and you still haven't learned Sandstorm, and now you're telling me you can learn Sunny Day here? What, you're looking down on my sandstorm?" This was a classic case of getting sidetracked. He was building a sandstorm team, and his Pokémon was off chasing the sun.
Bronzor shot him a telepathic glare. "It's not a matter of looking down on anything. My species has a natural talent for manipulating the weather. It's a racial gift."
"Oh, right," Basalt remembered from the Pokédex. Bronzong were known as bringers of harvests, capable of opening portals to other dimensions to summon rain clouds.
Unfortunately, Bronzor couldn't learn any other Fire-type moves, so Sunny Day would only be useful for shortening Solar Beam's charge time. Otherwise, Basalt might have considered building a Sun-Sand hybrid team.
The afternoon flew by. At around four o'clock, Basalt recalled Drilbur and left the lab. He had already arranged with Professor Nina to leave Bronzor at the institute to train. Since he would be using Drilbur for the tournament anyway, it was the perfect opportunity for Bronzor to get stronger.
"Senior, the Pokémon fossils are League property," he heard a voice say as he was leaving the lab. "Without the League's approval, how could I possibly give you one?" It was Professor Nina.
"Pokémon fossils?" Basalt's ears perked up, his inner gossip fiend awakening.
"I'm telling you, you need to give up on this," her voice continued, softer now. "Your theory of using a Musharna's ability to turn dreams into reality to revive fossils is pure fantasy. It's impossible."
"As long as you abandon this unrealistic idea, with your talent, you could easily return to the forefront of the research community."
"Nina, I don't agree," a deep, rough voice interrupted her. "My dream-to-reality conversion theory is based on scientific principles. I've conducted numerous experiments over the years that prove its viability."
"And your own method of injecting fossils with Life Energy to activate their vital signs has hit a wall, hasn't it? The amount of energy required is immense. Even a Champion-level Pokémon might not have enough. But my theory is different. I've already designed a Dream Energy amplification device. If my calculations are correct, even a Gym-leader level Musharna would have enough power to revive a fossil."
The voice then became pleading. "I have everything ready. All I need is one chance. One chance to prove myself. Nina, please, help me. Just give me one fossil to experiment on."
Silence. After a few moments, Basalt heard the sound of high heels clicking away. Professor Nina had refused him.
THUD!
A fist slammed against a wall. Basalt hesitated for a moment, then cautiously walked down the hallway. He saw a disheveled, greasy-haired man with a thick beard slumped against the wall, the very picture of dejection.
"Uh... hello," Basalt said, taking a deep breath. "I was wondering, if I could get my hands on a Pokémon fossil... could you revive it for me?"
"You can get a fossil?" The man's listless eyes instantly lit up. But as he got a good look at Basalt, the light faded. A seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid? How could he possibly get a Pokémon fossil? They weren't exactly pebbles you could pick up by a stream.
"I can find a way," Basalt said, his eyes serious. "I'm just asking, if I have a fossil, can you revive it? And if you do, the Pokémon is mine."
"You can really get one?" To the man, Basalt was a final, desperate lifeline. Looking at his serious expression, he decided to take a chance. "If you can really get a fossil, you can contact me anytime. I don't want the Pokémon. All I want is a chance to prove my theory."
He pulled a crumpled business card from his pocket and handed it to Basalt. On it was a single name and a phone number.
"Got it." Basalt took the card. The man stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to burn his face into his memory, then left.
"Dr. Zale." Basalt typed the name on the card into a search engine. The results showed that Dr. Zale was a PhD in Life Energy research and had once been a rising star in the scientific community, leading several major national projects. His resume, however, stopped five years ago. That must have been when he fell from grace.
Basalt wasn't interested in his backstory. All he cared about was whether a fossil could be revived. And from what he had overheard, Dr. Zale's method seemed more plausible. It was the same method Professor Fennel had used in the anime to successfully revive an Archen. Professor Nina's approach, on the other hand, was something he'd never heard of, and it sounded like she had hit a dead end.
So, I have a method. Now all I need is a fossil.
The fossils in the institute belonged to the League. But if he did well in the tournament, he would earn the right to enter the Jiangnan Hidden Land and catch a high-potential Pokémon.
What if... what if I gave up my chance to enter the Hidden Land and asked for a Pokémon fossil instead? Would the Jiangnan League agree? he wondered.
It was a long shot, but it was a path. And if it failed, he wouldn't really lose anything. But if it succeeded... he would have the world's first revived Fossil Pokémon. A living fossil. That would be enough to write his name in the history books.
Now that's what I call prestige.
