Choosing a Fossil

Upon hearing that Steven was willing to keep an eye out for and collect similar rare stones, Lin Mo instantly felt both relieved and delighted.

The reason he had made the suggestion so indirectly was to get Steven to gather more Mega Stones—if he was lucky enough, he might even come across a Mega Stone for Metagross.

Perhaps Steven might even be the one to research Mega Evolution in the future. In that way, Lin Mo would be repaying Steven, indirectly, for giving him fossil Pokémon.

It was not as though Lin Mo had never considered researching Mega Evolution himself, but the moment the thought surfaced, he immediately suppressed it without the slightest hesitation.

Setting aside the fact that he currently did not even have a Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution, he could not be sure of the conditions required to use Mega Stones—

In the games from his previous life, a Mega Evolution Keystone had to be used alongside one to trigger it. Whether this world followed the same rules was still unknown, so blindly experimenting would be pointless.

What made Lin Mo even more wary was the risk of the information leaking. The words "Mega Evolution" alone would be enough to draw countless factions swarming in.

With Lin Mo's current strength, he simply could not withstand the scrutiny and competition of every major force. One careless move, and not only would he fail to keep the secret, but he and the Pokémon around him might also invite enormous trouble.

After thinking it over, Lin Mo would rather wait for an opportunity to subtly remind Steven about Mega Evolution.

Steven was not only Hoenn's former Champion, but also immensely powerful in his own right, with the formidable Devon Corporation behind him. Even if he truly uncovered the secrets of Mega Evolution, he would have enough power to withstand the pressure from every side and would not need to worry about being controlled by other factions.

More importantly, when Mega Evolution officially emerged, Lin Mo would be the one who had first guided Steven toward collecting Mega Stones.

As the one who had led Steven to this "opportunity," he would not need to shoulder the risks of research, yet could naturally learn the core information about Mega Evolution from Steven;

He might even have a chance to obtain Mega Stones and related items suited to his future Pokémon ahead of others. It was far safer than taking the lead himself.

Inside the collection room, Steven walked along while smilingly introducing the mineral collection he had accumulated over many years. Every word reflected his love for ores.

After the two turned a corner side by side, the scene before them changed at once—

A row of custom glass display cases came into view. Unlike the various ores displayed outside, these cases neatly exhibited six Pokémon fossils of different shapes.

Lin Mo swept his gaze across the glass cases and was instantly drawn to the six "treasures" on display—

Standing beside the glass cases, Steven pointed at the fossils and patiently introduced them one by one to Lin Mo:

"The two yellowish ones on the left: the one with the spiral shell imprint can be revived into Omanyte, while the half-oval shell corresponds to Kabuto;

"As for the two pale fossils beside them, the one with the tentacle imprint is Lileep, and the one with the scorpion outline is Anorith. These were the first four fossil Pokémon to be discovered.

"Oh, and I originally had a piece of Old Amber in my collection. The Pokémon it could revive was Aerodactyl. Last year, when I was mining at Cinnabar Volcano in Kanto, I ran into Champion Lance.

"He kept pestering me about Aerodactyl and constantly nagged in my ear, saying that Aerodactyl was especially suited to him, the Dragon-type Champion 'Lance.' He disturbed me so much that I could not focus on mining, so I had no choice but to give him the Old Amber."

When Steven mentioned Champion Lance, a trace of helplessness still appeared on his face. He had clearly been pestered terribly back then.

Lin Mo understood at once. Aerodactyl was a Flying-type Pokémon with the word "dragon" in its name—once Lance found out about it, how could he possibly let it go? After all, the nickname "Dragon-type Champion Dodrio" had not come from nowhere.

After finishing the story about Champion Lance, Steven turned his attention back to the Pokémon fossils in the glass case and pointed to the two pale fossils at the very end—

One bore the clear imprint of a small feather, while the other had a broad curved pattern resembling the outline of a large mouth, giving off an imposing air.

"These two fossils were discovered by chance while I was excavating ruins in other regions. There have been no examples of them being revived yet, so I do not know what Pokémon they will become."

After explaining the origins of these two unusual fossils, Steven smiled at Lin Mo and spoke casually:

"Now it depends on your choice. Would you prefer one of the fossils I introduced, where we know exactly what Pokémon it will become after revival, or would you like to try one of these special fossils of unknown origin, whose revived species is still uncertain?"

Almost at the same time Steven finished his explanation, the panel before Lin Mo lit up, clearly displaying the information for the two fossils:

Plume Fossil—(Archen)

Jaw Fossil—(Tyrantrum)

If Old Amber, which could revive Aerodactyl, had been among the options, Lin Mo would inevitably have had to consider things more carefully. But now that he could only choose from these six fossil Pokémon, his answer became instantly clear. His sole target was the Jaw Fossil that could revive Tyrantrum.

After all, Tyrantrum was a fossil Pokémon with the Dragon type, and as far as he knew, it was also the only Pokémon with both Dragon and Rock types.

Such a special Pokémon, such a rare existence—choosing anything else would be a wasted opportunity.

As he thought of this, Lin Mo grew curious. If Champion Lance learned Tyrantrum's typing and had to choose between Aerodactyl and Tyrantrum, which Pokémon would he choose?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Lin Mo pointed at the Jaw Fossil and said to Steven:

"I'll take the fossil with the large-mouth imprint. Compared with the familiar ones, I'd rather have an unknown surprise!"

Lin Mo's finger landed steadily on the fossil bearing the broad curve and the imposing outline of a massive mouth. There was unmistakable certainty in his voice.

Steven followed the direction he pointed, surprise flashing through his eyes before turning into an understanding smile:

"Oh? You chose this fossil? That was more decisive than I expected."

He paused, then added:

"Are you sure? Think carefully. This fossil has never been revived before. No one can be certain what form it will take after revival. It might even... fail to meet your expectations."

"I'm sure," Lin Mo answered firmly. His eyes remained fixed on the Jaw Fossil, anticipation glimmering in their depths.

"Besides, the unknown is what makes it exciting. I trust my intuition."

Steven smiled at that, opened the glass case, and handed the fossil to Lin Mo.

"Take it. It's officially yours now. Next, we'll head to the revival laboratory and have the professional research team begin preparing for the revival."