Chapter 66

Oldstone Canyon was breathtakingly beautiful but just as dangerous. On top of the mountains, resided Aerodactyl, and inside some of the valleys, Kabutops had their nests. The place they were going to explore for fossils was divided into three Sectors, and the Trainers were going to spend an entire day exploring each Sector.

The aid of Pokemon in Fossil Hunting was forbidden, and so all the Trainers received their own set of digging tools that included a shovel, mattock, and a digging knife.

Before the start of the day, Jared and Dora informed the Trainers about Fossils that they were most likely to come across in the Canyon. Trainers were informed what they looked like and were also informed on how to make sure that no harm comes to the Fossil.

The girls lost a lot of interest when they heard that Dome and Helix Fossils were going to be their most likely find. Leaf and Misty glared at Aizen when Jared informed them that finding Sail Fossils here was next to impossible.

Aizen just smirked at them and gave Leaf an assignment to work on at night. It was about Amaura and Aurorus. He suggested to Misty to join Leaf in the study tonight, and the orange-haired girl simply nodded to his suggestion.

The Hunt started and stayed relatively uneventful until lunch. Only nine out of a hundred and five Trainers participating in the hunt managed to find a Fossil in the day's first five-hour session. However, the second session of the day was memorable.

A Trainer lost his patience and broke the rules of the hunt by trying to catch a wild Pokémon during the session. The battle between his Blastoise and a wild Aerodactyl attracted a lot of attention, and it messed up the terrain as well. He managed to catch the Aerodactyl but was disqualified from the Fossil Hunt, prompting Jared to send him back to the Pokemon Center.

One lucky girl managed to find a Root Fossil from the debris as was the result of the battle that just took place. Her find surprised even Jared and Dora, who informed them that it was only the third Root Fossil to ever be found in this Canyon.

Leaf knew that Root Fossil could be used to revive a Lileep, which was a Grass-Type Pokemon, and her enthusiasm about the Hunt returned. However, the girl from Pallet Town failed to find any Fossils.

The second session ended with a total of thirty-three participants finding themselves Fossils. Aizen too found a Helix Fossil, which he gifted to Misty, much to her glee. The orange-haired girl hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek to thank him. This attracted Dora and Jared's attention and their smile told him that they were going to tease him about it.

The first day of the Hunt was wrapped up by Dora and Jared showing the Trainers how the Pokemon were revived from the Fossils. The process took more than an hour, and finally, an Omanyte came out of the Revival Pod. The Trainer the Fossil belonged to was brimming with happiness and successfully caught the Pokemon. After that, all the Trainers submitted their Fossils in the Laboratory for revival before checking in the Pokemon Center.

At Dinner, Misty thanked Aizen again and informed her friends that she planned on finding pairs of Fossils for both Kabutops and Omastar so that she can contribute to her family's Aquarium by having both Pokemon there. Leaf and she made a deal that Helix and Dome Fossils will go to Misty, and any Root Fossil they find will belong to her.

Misty led the charge on the second day. She was the most excited of the lot, but by lunchtime, all her excitement had vaporised.

The second Sector was much deeper in the Canyon, and fifty-seven Trainers found a Fossil in the first session of the day, but she was not amongst them.

"Cheer up. We will find something." Aizen chuckled at the deflated look of Misty.

"Here, take my Dome Fossil." A certain raven-haired girl spoke, much to the surprise of everyone, and then she put the Dome Fossil she had earlier found in front of Misty.

Misty narrowed her eyes at Sabrina.

"Why?"

"I don't need an Omastar or Kabutops. I only came on the hunt for Aerodactyl." She simply said and continued eating.

Misty was conflicted as she looked at the Fossil and then at Sabrina. For some reason, she did not want to take the raven-haired girl's help. It made her heart uncomfortable.

Anira seemed to have sensed her unease and offered a suggestion.

"Since Sabrina does not need the Dome and Helix Fossils, we can buy any that she finds at the exchange rate listed in the Hunt. This way, the deal will be fair and both parties can benefit."

Misty thought over her suggestion and nodded in agreement. Most of the Trainers here were participating in the Hunt to find Fossils and exchange them at the Sayda Laboratory for money. The price being offered was very lucrative, but Misty had a lot of money on her.

Sabrina did not care about anything and simply accepted the trade. She was only focused on finding an Amber containing Aerodactyl's DNA. And even if she could not find one, she could catch any Aerodactyl on the Island after the three-day hunt.

Day Two wrapped up with the gang finding themselves Fossils of their own. Aizen and Sabrina found Dome Fossils, and Leaf and Misty found Helix Fossils. Surprisingly, Anira and little Crystal managed to find a Root Fossil.

The younger girls happily giggled at the impatience of Leaf. The hazel-eyed girl looked at them with puppy eyes when she asked about the possibility of exchanging her Helix Fossil for their Root Fossil since Misty already had her pair of them and did not need another.

Anira did not say anything and let Crystal make the decision. The little girl posed and pretended to think over it, which made Leaf a little anxious, but then to her relief, she happily nodded to her.

Aizen gifted his Dome Fossil to Misty since he was not interested in Kabutops. Anira bought Sabrina's Dome Fossil as she planned on sending a pair of Kabuto and Omanyte to Blanc Island, and Crystal happily gave her the Helix Fossil they received from Leaf.

The third day of the Hunt took place in the Sector that was right in the heart of the Canyon. Surprisingly, there were no other Pokemon in this region except for Aerodactyl that perched on top of the mountains.

"They are fast." Leaf still hadn't gotten used to how fast an Aerodactyl could fly. Every now and then, an Aerodactyl would pierce through the sky and make the Trainers look at it in awe.

"They are not only fast but also powerful. That is what makes them the Apex Predator in all Flying-Type Pokemon." Aizen smiled at her. "And they love showing off their speed."

Nobody understood what made one Trainer call out his Pidgeot and make it show off its speed to the Aerodactyl that just nestled itself on one of the mountains around the valley. The provocation proved to be a really bad idea as Aerodactyl attacked the Pidgeot without warning, and a battle ensued, which ended up with the Pigeon Pokemon getting badly hurt.

The Trainer managed to recall his Pokémon before Aerodactyl could snap off its neck with its jaws, however, he was now seething with rage.

Jared and Dora warned him not to pursue the matter but the Trainer called out a Steelix, and another battle ensued. This time, it was the bird that suffered, and as soon as it fell on the ground, the Trainer ordered its Pokemon to use Dig and then attack the fallen Pokemon that was viciously looking at him after getting hurt.

Time seemed to have started moving very fast after that. An Earthquake resulted as soon as Steelix went inside the ground. It never came back up.

Aerodactyl managed to fly back up in the air before fissures started forming on the ground, and soon spread inside the entire valley.

Panic and chaos erupted. The cries of the Trainers resounded in the valley as the ground under their feet sank without a warning.

Aizen and Sabrina maintained their composure and immediately acted as soon as the first fissure formed on the ground. The Orayen Prince called out Dexter and Teleported the girls a safe distance away from the place, while Sabrina used her Mega Alakazam to help her save the falling people with Psychic.

But even their intervention could not prevent some people from getting seriously hurt. The Rangers that were present for their security immediately got to work, and Dexter had to make several rounds to Teleport injured Trainers to the Sayda Island Pokemon Center.

Only after things calmed down a little did they take in the enormity of the crater and the massive hole that had formed inside the valley.

"The boy and his Steelix are still missing." Jared worriedly spoke as he approached Aizen and Sabrina. His words made everyone look inside the hole that was filled with darkness. They could not even determine how deep it was. And strangely, there was a cold air coming out of it that lowered the temperature of the surroundings by several degrees.

"There is a thirty-metre drop. And the boy is still alive." Sabrina indifferently spoke after using her Powers to determine the fall.

"We have to hurry. His state is critical." Aizen replied after briefly using his Aura Sight.

His heart had tightened at the number of Aura signatures he picked up from the hole. There seemed to be a dungeon inside that was filled with Pokemon.

"Take all the Trainers away from this place. There are a lot of wild Pokemon waking up inside the dungeon below us." Aizen grimly spoke, and soon a roaring cry of Aerodactyl echoed from the hole, making their hearts thump in a premonition of an imminent disaster.