336. Digging and Foster’s Request

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When Foster made his suggestion, it just so happened that Kai had been thinking the same thing. He nodded and followed him to a storage shed, where they were given a full set of excavation tools shovels, brushes, and more before heading out from the research center.

That was the upside of knowing the right people. At the Ruins of Alph Park, there was an activity that allowed visiting tourists to try their hand at fossil digging. Normally, though the tools looked a bit basic, guests still had to leave a deposit to rent them. But with one simple wave of Foster's hand, that fee was completely waived!

Sure, the deposit wasn't a big deal, barely even worth mentioning, but getting special treatment like that still made it feel kind of nice.

Outside, Foster excused himself to take care of something and left on his own.

Kai and Sabrina made their way back to the canyon they'd visited earlier. This time, as they looked more closely, they noticed fresh piles of dirt and stone scattered along both sides of the trail, evidence of recent excavation work, as well as rows of temporary scaffolding.

Archaeologists were everywhere, hard at work, each of them completely focused on what they were digging up.

Kai glanced over and caught sight of an almost perfectly preserved Aerodactyl fossil wedged in the rock wall, its skeletal structure remarkably intact as it was slowly being brushed clean. The sight lit a spark of excitement in him. Maybe he'd dig up something incredible, too.

He and Sabrina moved to a quieter, less crowded corner of the site.

"Let's start here," Kai said.

Sabrina raised a brow in surprise. "You actually want to do some archaeology?"

"Of course!" Kai laughed. "Traveling isn't all about battles, you know. Sometimes it's good to relax and try something new. C'mon don't tell me you want to join in?"

Sabrina clearly had no interest in getting her hands dirty. She simply took a seat on a nearby rock, crossed her legs, rested her chin on her hand, and watched him silently.

Kai picked what he thought was the perfect spot and went to work.

Heave-ho! Heave-ho!

Dirt flew into the air as the pile beside him steadily grew.

At first, he was all in enthusiastic, even. But after a few minutes of digging, his energy began to wane.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Kai looked at the not-so-impressive pit he'd carved out.

A great idea in theory. In reality? Brutal.

Clearly, archaeology was a grind it demanded physical strength, patience, and a steady mindset. Kai, fired up on a whim, just wasn't built for this kind of repetitive, tedious work.

Worse still, he hadn't found a single thing not even a hint of a fossil.

His eyes darted around, and then he cleared his throat and summoned his Gengar.

"What do you want?" Gengar grumbled as it emerged from his shadow, eyeing him suspiciously.

Kai jerked his chin toward the ground. "I need you to phase underground and check for any fossils nearby. No point wasting my energy if there's nothing down there, right?"

"Why me?" Gengar yawned. "This sounds like a job for your Steelix."

Kai shook his head. "Too conspicuous—and way too big. It'd collapse the site just trying to move. You're perfect for this kind of work, so quit whining and get to it!"

Reluctantly, Gengar sank into the ground. It wasn't until seven or eight minutes later that it resurfaced.

"No luck," Gengar said with a hint of schadenfreude. "You picked a terrible spot. There's nothing but dirt and rocks down there. The closest thing that even resembles a fossil is at least ten meters deeper."

Ten meters?!

Kai raised an eyebrow. That was the last straw. With a sigh, he tossed the shovel aside.

"Forget it. Let's go check out the ruins instead. Archaeology really isn't my thing."

Sabrina's lips curved in a small, amused smile, but she didn't say a word. She stood up and followed him toward the other side of the canyon.

Calling it a "ruin" was a bit of a stretch it was really just a cluster of stone chambers, shaped like primitive houses, gathered together in one place.

Each chamber was built from heavy slabs of stone, weathered by time and the elements. It was impossible to say exactly how old they were, but they had clearly endured for generations.

There was a weight of history in the air.

As protected cultural relics, tourists weren't allowed inside. Kai stopped just in front of the security tape, about to turn back when he caught sight of Foster again. After a quick hello, Foster waved him through.

"How was the excavation? Find anything good?" Foster asked with a grin.

"Not even close," Kai sighed, returning the tools. "All I found was dirt and rocks. Didn't even see the shadow of a fossil." He looked up, his curiosity piqued by the ruins. "So this is the Ruins of Alph?"

"That's right," Foster nodded. "The real deal. It's the only surviving ancient architectural complex in the Johto region."

As Foster explained, Kai looked around. There were other researchers nearby, scattered throughout the ruins, seemingly searching for something. But the stone chambers had no doors or windows, and their interiors were completely bare. On the surface, at least, there didn't seem to be anything special.

"What exactly are you guys looking for?"

"To be honest… we're not really sure," Foster admitted. "We just have this feeling like there's more to these ruins than meets the eye. So we're giving everything a thorough search, just in case."

Then, as if a thought had suddenly struck him, Foster turned to Kai.

"Actually… Kai, I was wondering if you could help us with something."

"Help?" Kai raised an eyebrow. "You guys run into some kind of problem?"

"Not exactly." Foster looked a bit sheepish. "It's just… Lately, we've spotted mysterious Pokémon around the ruins. But every time we try to track them down, they vanish without a trace. I think maybe it's because we researchers aren't familiar enough with Pokémon behavior to notice the signs. So I was hoping a Trainer like you might have better luck spotting something we've missed."

'Mysterious Pokémon?'

Kai thought for a moment. In a place like this, the only creatures that would fit that description would be the Unown enigmatic Pokémon rumored to be hiding within the ruins.

"Sure, I don't mind helping," he said without hesitation. "But just a heads-up—I'm no miracle worker. Don't get your hopes up too high…"

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