Chapter 250: Artifacts Unearthed
...
Yun Erdun looked deeply shocked, but he quickly connected the dots.
Kenji had said earlier that the golden spoon was the key to unlocking the pestle-shaped seal and releasing the Super Ancient Pokémon within.
The current situation—the resonance between the two artifacts—was clear evidence of a magical connection.
This strongly validated Kenji's "story."
Kenji himself was now even more certain. These ruins truly belonged to the civilization from the anime that possessed the Giant Ancient Gengar and Ancient Alakazam.
Yang Yue looked back and forth between Yun Erdun and Kenji. Both seemed lost in thought, leaving him, the actual captain of the archaeology team, completely in the dark.
"Hey, can one of you explain what's going on?" Yang Yue couldn't take it anymore.
Yun Erdun retold Kenji's story to Yang Yue. After hearing it, Yang Yue gasped in surprise. "What??!"
He frowned deeply, burying his head in thought.
Seeing this, Yun Erdun asked curiously, "What's wrong? Do you know something?"
Yang Yue nodded slowly. "Now that you mention it, I do have a faint impression of this civilization. But it's very scarce. I've only seen fragmented mentions of it in records from other civilizations.
Unlike other ancient civilizations, which usually leave behind ruins or artifacts to prove their existence, this one only existed in the writings of others. No physical evidence was ever found. Gradually, academia began to question its authenticity."
Yang Yue looked at the spoon on the table. "To this day, most scholars assume this civilization is fictional. It's rarely mentioned anymore, so it's normal that you haven't heard of it. Before this, even I didn't believe it was real until I heard your story."
"The name of this civilization is Pokémopolis!"
Pokémopolis!!! Yun Erdun looked blank. Although he was an enthusiast with solid knowledge, he couldn't compare to a true expert like Yang Yue. Even Yang Yue only knew the name; Yun Erdun had never heard of it.
"It's incredible. This super-ancient civilization actually existed." Yang Yue marveled.
What little was recorded about Pokémopolis mentioned its sudden destruction in a single night.
Although Pokémopolis didn't last long, it was large in scale. For an entire civilization to be wiped out overnight was inconceivable.
"I didn't expect you to be not only a prodigy in battling but also so knowledgeable about ancient ruins," Yang Yue praised Kenji, who had now taken off his sunglasses. Yun Erdun had revealed Kenji's identity before they arrived.
"No, no, I just happened to read an old book about it," Kenji replied modestly.
...
Worried about triggering something, they separated the golden spoon and the pestle artifact. Once the glowing stopped, the three relaxed and began discussing the ruins.
"So what do we do now? Stop the excavation or continue?" Yun Erdun asked, looking at Yang Yue and Kenji.
Yang Yue leaned on the table, tapping his fingers nervously. Clearly, facing the first-ever discovery of a lost civilization, he was extremely reluctant to give up.
Proving the existence of a new civilization would be a monumental achievement for him.
But given the current situation, the risks were enormous. If something went wrong, he couldn't bear the responsibility.
Yang Yue looked at Kenji. Currently, Kenji seemed to know the most about Pokémopolis.
Seeing both men looking at him, Kenji spoke slowly. "Although there are dangers, as long as we excavate carefully, it shouldn't be a big problem."
"Good! I'll report to my superiors immediately and continue the survey!" Yang Yue stood up eagerly.
Yun Erdun also stood up, clearly itching to join in as a fanatic enthusiast.
However, Kenji shook his head at him. "Leader Yun, your most important task right now is to sleep and recover."
...
Over the next few days, the excavation proceeded in full swing. Kenji joined the team as a supervisor.
As they dug deeper, more artifacts saw the light of day after countless ages.
Most were clay figurines of various Pokémon. Their shapes varied, but they all shared the distinctive black stripes of Pokémopolis artifacts.
Some depicted Pokémon that still existed today; others depicted species that had gone extinct.
Besides figurines, stone tablets were unearthed.
Compared to the figurines, the tablets excited the archaeologists even more. Accurate written records were definitive proof of a civilization.
During the era of Pokémopolis, writing had already appeared in human society. But different civilizations used different languages and scripts.
Experts confirmed that the text on these tablets differed significantly from any known ancient script.
This confirmed that the ruins Kenji and the others had found truly belonged to an undiscovered civilization.
This spurred the team on, making them work even harder.
"Captain!! Major discovery!!!"
While Kenji, Yang Yue, and Yun Erdun were taking a lunch break, an excited voice crackled over the radio.
The three looked up, stood in unison, put on their protective gear, and rushed into the ruins.
After passing through a long tunnel, they arrived at a passage with obvious artificial construction.
Originally, there should have been a wall here, but the fossil hunters who found the site had blasted it open.
Although painful to see the damage, it couldn't be helped. The fossil hunters hadn't expected to find ruins.
Aside from the initial blast damage, the interior structure was remarkably well-preserved.
The slow progress of the archaeological team was largely due to their extreme care to avoid damaging the ruins and artifacts. If not for preservation, they could have stripped the place bare in a day.
Kenji and the others, fully suited up, navigated the site. Signs of archaeological work were everywhere.
Due to the erosion of time, the structure was fragile. The team had to reinforce sections and assess stability before proceeding.
Under Yang Yue's lead, they arrived at the reported location.
Unlike other rooms, Kenji noticed a distinct difference even before entering. The structure here was unique.
"Captain, you're here."
The reporting team member greeted Yang Yue. Yang Yue nodded and looked inside.
The room was empty, except for a stone pedestal in the center. Resting on the pedestal, inside a stone bowl-like structure, lay an artifact composed of three connected black spheres.
Kenji had described the artifact sealing the Ancient Gengar in detail, so the staff hadn't touched it rashly.
"Is this it?" Yun Erdun asked Kenji.
Kenji nodded. "Looks like it."
"What do we do now?" Yang Yue asked.
"Leave it here for now. Best not to touch it," Kenji said after a moment's hesitation.
In the anime, the artifact sealing the Ancient Gengar was carried out of the ruins by Team Rocket's Arbok. It only absorbed Gengar once it was outside.
Although there was no proof, Kenji suspected the ruins themselves might have mechanisms suppressing the seals, preventing the giants from breaking free inside.
It was just a guess, but leaving it untouched was the safer bet.
Until they found the bell sealing the Ancient Jigglypuff, Kenji didn't plan to move the Gengar artifact.
Yang Yue nodded. "Agreed."
"Seal off this room. No one touches this artifact," Yang Yue ordered.
"Yes, Captain."
...
Soon, the room was sealed, and excavation continued.
Two days later, the main entrance to the ruins was finally unearthed.
And along with it, a Giant Bell was discovered.
The bell was situated directly above the entrance.
The discovery of the ancient bell thrilled the entire team. After much effort, the massive bell was moved out of the ruins.
Unlike the smaller sealing artifacts, this bell was enormous—about two and a half times the height of a person.
In the daylight, the bell's details were clear. In an era where even clay figurines were somewhat abstract, the carvings on this bell were exquisitely detailed, looking almost out of place for the time period.
With the bell unearthed, the most crucial part of the excavation was complete.
Now, it was time to see the true faces of the Super Ancient Pokémon...
With the bell secured, the artifact sealing the Ancient Gengar was also removed. For safety, no one touched it directly.
Once all three sealing artifacts were recovered, they were transported deep into the grasslands, far away from any human settlements.
Fossil Mountain was a distance from Green City, but not far enough. Releasing the giants there risked collateral damage to the city.
Arriving at the designated spot, they didn't unseal the artifacts immediately. First, they cleared all wild Pokémon from a radius of several kilometers.
"Come out!! Fearow!!! Aerodactyl!!"
"Que!!! —"
"Huo!!!! —"
Yun Erdun waved his hand, throwing two Poké Balls into the air.
An orange-brown bird with a red crest and a long, spear-like beak appeared—Fearow, the natural predator of Pidgeot!
[Fearow]
Gender: Male
Level: 94
Type: Normal / Flying
Ability: Sniper
Potential: S-
Fearow was Yun Erdun's undisputed Ace and signature Pokémon. It was a pity Fearow didn't have a Mega Evolution.
[Aerodactyl]
Gender: Male
Level: 91
Type: Rock / Flying
Ability: Pressure
Potential: A
Aerodactyl roared. Its gray body, blue eyes, and pterosaur-like appearance gave it a more intimidating presence than Fearow.
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