Ueno was both lucky and unlucky. Lucky to have entered fossil Pokémon that many others had only heard about, yet unlucky to have been surrounded and attacked by them. It was clear that without help, he would soo a grim fate.

  Carrying twht lights with him, Paul arrived just in time to illumihe space, redug the pressure on Ueno and his Pokémon. With the added visibility, the battle against the Kabuto and Omanyte became noticeably easier.

  The sudden arrival of Paul drew the attention of many fossil Pokémon, who shifted their focus toaul and began charging at him.

  "Watch out! These guys aren’t easy to handle!" Ueno called out in warning, his voice eg through the cavern.

  Paul remained calm, his expression unfazed by the horde approag him. He issued simple ands:

  "Elekid, use Charge to boost your power.""Turtwig, grow and unch Razor Leaf.""Vulpix, use Extrasensory."

  Turtwig’s body greidly, enhang its strength. Dozens of sharp leaves shot out and rained down on the charging fossil Pokémon.

  Kabuto and Omanyte were powerful, but their bined Rock- and Water-typing made them gringly weak to Grass-type moves. The Razor Leaves hit their mark, felling the fossil Pokémon in an instant.

  The remaining few Pokémon tried to terattack with moves like Water Gun, but Vulpix deftly blocked every attack with Extrasensory.

  As Turtwig freed itself from the skirmish, another volley of Razor Leaf swept through the cavern. Within moments, the fossil Pokémon that had attacked Paul were either unscious or retreating in fear.

  Only a handful of Pokémon still surrounded Ueno, while a few younger ones hid uer.

  "Finish it with Thunder!" Paul anded.

  “Bzzt!”

  Elekid, who had been charging power from the back, surged forward a into the air. From its vantage point, it unleashed a blinding bolt of golden lightning, turning the entire cavern into a shimmerirified ndscape.

  The devastating attaveloped the area, sparing only the small zone around Ueno. Fossil Pokémon, whether on nd or uer, were caught i and immediately rendered unscious.

  "Return, Gyarados and Golbat!"

  Despite avoiding direct tact with the lightning, the sheer iy of the attack left Ueno’s Pokémon visibly shaken. Hastily, he climbed onto his Onix’s head and recalled his Pokémon to their Poké Balls.

  When the lightning subsided this group of fossil Pokémon, some crawling and some floating, all lost sciousness.

  "Poké Ball, go!"

  Paul threw three Poké Balls, effortlessly capturing three unscious Pokémon.

  " up the area and gather the rest." He ordered his team.

  Vulpix’s eyes glowed as it used Extrasensory to telekiically lift the Pokémon floating ier, piling them together. Meanwhile, Turtwig and Elekid carried others over.

  One by one, Paul sed the Pokémon with his Pokédex. Those deemed unworthy of training were released, while the few with potential were captured and sorted.

  Ueno, now rec from the danger, watched in amazement. He had seen trainers seleon based on talent before, but never with such precision and thhness.

  Paul divided the Pokémon into three categories: those with no training value, newborns with det potential, and the high-potential Kabuto and Omanyte.

  "Out of all these Pokémon, only one is barely worth training." Paul muttered, shaking his head in disappoi.

  After finishing his evaluation, he captured the most promising Kabuto and pced it separately. To fill the remaining slots in his team, he casually captured two less remarkable Pokémon before turning his attention back to the pile.

  From the most talented Pokémon, Paul selected four pairs—one male and one female of each species—and captured them in new Poké Balls.

  As the Poké Balls clicked shut, they emitted a faint spatial distortion. Moments ter, the captured Pokémon vanished, reappearing in the Day Care ter ioy.

  "I don’t hese anymore." Paul said, releasing the two filler Pokémon bato the wild. He kept only the best Kabuto.

  These unrevived fossil Pokémon preserved through time, held great value for Paul’s brother, Reggie, a top-tier breeder. The eight sent back were specially chosen for him.

  "Thank you so much, Paul! Without your help, I don’t think I’d be standing here right now." Ueno said, walking over with gratitude.

  "It was nothing. At least, I found one worth training." Paul replied nontly, gng at the timid fossil Pokémon still hiding ier.

  "Even so, you saved my life. I owe you. Here, take this—it’s a rare item I’ve found during my years of exploration."

  Ueno rummaged through his bag and handed Paul a thin golden sb radiating mysterious energy.

  Paul’s initial refusal was interrupted when he saw the item. It Pte, brimming with electrical energy. The moment it appeared, Elekid’s attention locked onto it, its entire body drawn to the artifact.

  "A Zap Pte? How did you get this?" Paul asked, taking the sb.

  "I dug it up while treasure hunting. It’s said to boost Electric-type moves, but this one has a crack, so its power isn’t as strong as it should be. Even a Mag outperforms it. Still, it might be useful to your Elekid."

  "In that case, I’ll take it. Thank you." Paul said, accepting the gift.

  "Gd to hear it. I hope it helps you on your journey as a trainer. I’ll be heading off now—my adventure is far from over. Until we meet again!"

  "Goodbye." Paul replied, watg Ueno and his Onix disappear into the depths of the cave.

  Left alone, Paul studied the Zap Pte in his hands, p its power.

  If you want to access advance chapters, please visit: patreon. / PMadz_23