Chapter 21: Fossils and Memories

Section 21: Fossils and Memories

The Pewter Museum was a peculiar place. A place where the past was frozen behind glass, shielded from time and careless hands.

As soon as we stepped inside, a heavy atmosphere surrounded us.

The air was colder, quieter, as if every object on display whispered fragments of a bygone era.

We walked towards a counter where an employee was waiting for visitors.

— The entrance fee is 50 Pokédollars, she stated in a neutral tone.

Instinctively, I slid my hand into my pocket, ready to pay, but something caught my attention.

Brock didn't move.

He didn't reach for his wallet. He didn't ask any questions. He simply stared at the employee, who, without a word, gave him a small nod and let him pass for free.

I paid my entrance fee without saying a word. But this scene had just opened a new question.

Brock came here every day—that was a fact. But why did he never pay? Was it simply because he was the Pewter City Gym Leader? Possible. But something told me that wasn't the only reason.

This museum must have meant something deeper to him.

Something personal.

He walked ahead of me in silence, his gaze already fixed on the upper floors. He seemed to follow a familiar path, as if every step was rooted in a habit several years old.

I decided not to break the silence.

Not yet.

We climbed the wooden stairs, their creaks echoing in the museum's silence.

Once upstairs, Brock stopped dead in his tracks.

In front of him stood two fossils, placed on a metal stand and protected by a layer of tempered glass.

He didn't move.

His gaze was locked onto these pieces of rock, as if they held a truth only he could understand.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

A minute.

Still no reaction.

The silence weighed on me. I decided to break it.

— What are those?

That simple question immediately pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked, as if returning to reality, then turned to me with a faint smile.

— They're fossils. But not just any fossils.

He placed a hand on the glass, almost nostalgically.

— The Dome Fossil… and the Helix Fossil.

I looked at him, intrigued.

— And what do they do?

— They bring ancient Pokémon back to life.

I raised an eyebrow.

— You mean they can actually be revived?

He nodded slowly.

— Yes. The Dome Fossil becomes Kabuto. The Helix Fossil, Omanyte.

I examined them more closely. At first glance, these stones seemed ordinary. Yet, they contained something invaluable.

The essence of Pokémon that vanished millions of years ago.

Brock kept staring at them.

He was somewhere else.

As if a memory was clinging to him, refusing to fade away.

I decided to ask another question.

— Where were they found?

He hesitated for a moment.

Then he answered in a calm, yet distant voice.

— My parents gave them to me… before they left.

A barely perceptible tremor ran through his voice.

I understood immediately.

These fossils were their farewell gift.

I didn't respond right away.

Then, after a short pause, I asked:

— Do you resent them?

He gave a strange smile.

— Why would I? It wouldn't change anything.

A heavy silence followed his response.

He didn't resent his parents. Not because he had forgiven them.

But because he had accepted it.

Accept. Endure. Move forward.

That was his daily life.

The burden of a Gym Leader.

After standing still for about ten minutes, he finally moved.

He walked toward another display case, a little further away

This time, its color was different.

Golden, almost translucent.

Brock approached.

A museum guard stood in front of the case, but upon seeing Brock, he immediately stepped aside without a word.

No surprise.

Here, everyone knew him.

Brock observed the fossil with the same intensity as before.

I felt the need to ask the same question.

— And this one, what is it?

He smiled slightly.

— An Old Amber.

I frowned.

— And which Pokémon does it revive?

— Only one. Aerodactyl.

This time, I was surprised.

— A Rock and Flying-type Pokémon?

He nodded.

— One of the most ancient predators.

He let his fingers brush against the glass, as if lost in a distant memory.

— I found it when I was a child.

I listened without interrupting.

— My father used to take me to the mines often. He told me you could discover forgotten treasures there. And one day… I found this.

A silence settled.

Then he added:

— This fossil… it's not a gift of abandonment.

He paused.

— It's a memory.

I understood what he meant.

This Old Amber… was the only thing he had left of his father.

A relic from a time when they were still together.

A time when he didn't have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

I started to think.

This museum…

Who owned it?

The city? Brock's parents?

Why did he have free access?

Why did he have this special privilege?

All of this…

This wasn't just a museum to him.

It was a piece of his history.

And a part of him remained here, trapped behind the glass that protected his memories.

Brock finally turned around.

— I'm heading to the Gym.

He said nothing more.

I watched him leave.

And for the first time since I met him…

I wanted to understand him even more.