Mr. Satake's field of research was the ancient history of Pokémon. Specifically, he proposed a theory regarding the origin of marine Pokémon: he believed that the source of all life lay in the vast ocean.
"Your big discovery... it couldn't be a new species of marine Pokémon, could it?" Upon hearing Satake introduce his research, Misty's eyes suddenly sparkled, and she practically lunged at him! As an absolute fanatic of Water-type Pokémon, how could she not be excited by such a theory? Misty loved Water-type Pokémon more than anything!
Chatting away, the group arrived at a heavy iron door marked with a large red "X."
"Now, let me lead you all into a world from two million years ago!"
Satake pressed his thumb against the fingerprint scanner. The iron door slid open, and a cool breeze wafted out from within.
They saw rare trees, strange grasses, and then—suddenly—an Aerodactyl swooped out. Ash had always liked Aerodactyl; they were incredibly cool, and he definitely wanted to catch one if he ever got the chance! However, the one before them wasn't real.
"This is an Aerodactyl created using the latest data on ancient Pokémon and state-of-the-art animatronics!" Satake explained. It sounded impressive, but since it wasn't alive, Ash's interest waned. Molly, however, was delighted. To her, this was like a private amusement park!
"This is the Ancient Pokémon Park, an entertainment and academic space designed to reconstruct the living environment of ancient Pokémon. Because the system calibration takes a lot of time, it hasn't been opened to the public yet."
Molly clung to Ash's leg. "This is amazing, Big Brother Ash! It's so much fun! Oh, look, there's even a volcano!"
As she spoke, a virtual volcano in front of them "erupted." Satake introduced it proudly: "I mentioned I wanted to recreate that environment. In ancient times, the continents were affected by frequent volcanic activity; the land would sometimes sink into the sea or rise out of it!"
"And such shifts had a massive impact on the evolution of life!" Ash added, finishing the thought. Professor Oak patted him on the shoulder, nodding in approval.
Molly ran up to Mr. Satake. "Uncle Satake, are there any other ancient Pokémon besides Aerodactyl?" One animatronic dragon wasn't enough for her!
Looking at her cute little face, Satake knelt down. "Then let me take Molly to see the most important discovery here!"
He led them to a small pond where, strangely enough, the surrounding rocks were glowing!
"This is luminous moss!" Professor Oak identified the mystery behind the glowing stones at a glance.
Satake continued, "There were many things like this on the prehistoric coastlines. We learned this through fossil analysis."
Molly tugged at Satake's pant leg. "Uncle Satake, is this your big discovery?" Glowing rocks were cool, but they couldn't satisfy Molly's boundless curiosity.
Satake smiled at her. "Molly, don't be impatient! If we just stand here, the discovery will show itself!"
"Really?" Molly turned around and ran back to Ash's side, staring intently at the water's surface.
"Hmm?" Ash's Aura power sensed something. Soon, a look of realization crossed his face. So it's them!
Shortly after, everyone noticed something approaching the surface.
"Everyone, this place is an exact replica of a coastline from two million years ago." As shadows began to emerge from the water, Satake acted as the narrator for the upcoming "performers." "Watch closely now!"
The moment he finished speaking, the figures beneath the water finally appeared. They were snail-like Pokémon with large, spiral-patterned shells and blue tentacles.
The Omanyte looked quite adorable with their large eyes. Their evolved form, Omastar, was a different story—their eyes were somewhat intimidating, and their mouths were shaped like a cross, giving them a much more ferocious appearance.
"It's Omanyte and Omastar!" Professor Oak called out their names.
"They look so real!" Misty was stunned, having recognized them immediately.
"Big Brother Ash, the Omanyte are so cute!" Molly cheered and ran toward them. The Omanyte had begun crawling onto the sandy shore. Suddenly, Professor Oak realized something was wrong!
"Ash! Stop Molly! These Omanyte are..." Professor Oak cried out in alarm. If the little girl approached them recklessly and got attacked, it would be a disaster!
But it was too late. Molly had already knelt in front of an Omanyte, reaching out with a tiny finger to touch one of its tentacles.
The moist, cool sensation hit her. Molly realized instantly—this was alive!
"Eek! Big Brother Ash, it's alive!" Like a startled rabbit, Molly bolted back to Ash's side and hid behind his leg, peeking out.
"Don't be scared, Molly. Aren't they cute?" Ash comforted her with a laugh.
Watching the Omanyte, Professor Oak slowly walked forward and reached out to touch their tentacles, his heart filled with nostalgia.
"I'm deeply moved... I never thought I'd encounter real ancient Pokémon. The reason I began researching Pokémon in the first place was seeing an Omanyte fossil. The shells I saw in the museum had such beautiful spiral patterns. Seeing them now is like meeting a dear old friend!"
"Satake, where did you find these Omanyte and Omastar?" Professor Oak asked, realizing the gravity of the situation. To certain greedy individuals, these living fossils would be seen as walking gold.
However, even Satake didn't know. They had appeared here before he even noticed them.
Ash's body shimmered with a faint light as he looked at Satake with a serious expression. "Mr. Satake, beneath this very ground, there exists a world that has been preserved for two million years. I suggest sealing this artificial pond immediately and taking measures to secure the source of this water!"
"Ash?" Misty had never heard Ash speak so solemnly, nor had she seen such a heavy expression on his face.
While Ash was speaking, several more Omanyte appeared around them unnoticed. Now, Satake believed him. Beneath this artificial lake and the water sources deep within the mountains, an entire colony of Omanyte had been thriving for two million years!
"Ash, you've truly grown!" Professor Oak's eyes were full of pride.
The rest would be handled by the researchers. Since they were committed to protecting these Omanyte, Misty, despite being a Water-type trainer, didn't even think about catching one. Keeping them a secret was the best way to handle these prehistoric treasures.