In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
That morning, Delia came to visit Lu Chen again, carrying a basket filled with freshly baked apple pies.
This time, however, Professor Oak had shamelessly tagged along.
As soon as Delia reached the edge of the farm, she spotted the newly opened field.
Thirty tender green seedlings swayed gently in the breeze, arranged in neat rows like a little green formation.
"Mr. Lu Chen, your farm has already started growing crops?" Delia asked in surprise.
Lu Chen nodded, sipping the tea Professor Oak had brought with an indifferent expression.
In the field beside them, Gabite was hard at work.
Covered in dirt, he worked especially hard, turning the soil, building ridges, and clearing away loose stones, performing every task meticulously.
Ever since joining Lu Chen, he felt as though a door to a new world had opened.
So being a farmer... was pretty interesting too.
At that moment, however, Gabite's attention was not on farming at all.
He stared curiously at the human woman called Delia.
That was because he had discovered, to his surprise, that those old monsters who usually showed no interest in anything-
Aerodactyl, Lapras, Gouging Fire, and Gengar-were actually fighting over a piece of apple pie.
And they were fighting especially fiercely.
They were only a step away from an all-out battle.
Aerodactyl spread his wings to claim an advantageous position, Lapras discreetly swept competitors aside with his tail, and Gouging Fire simply stood beside the plate, his body heat alone keeping Gengar from approaching.
But Gengar was the sneakiest, diving into the shadows to circle around behind them, snatching the biggest piece off the plate, and stuffing it into his mouth.
For a while, the scene was utter chaos.
Gabite watched, dumbfounded.
Were these guys really the aloof masters he had come to know over the past few days?
Professor Oak marveled at the sight as well, quietly taking out his notebook, turning to a blank page, and quickly sketching the Pokémon.
Even if he could not study them hands-on, surely drawing a few sketches was fine?
As Professor Oak drew, he kept stealing glances at Lu Chen's Ancient Pokémon, nearly drooling onto the paper.
His desire to research these Ancient Pokémon reached its peak at that moment.
Delia looked around and noticed that only Gabite had stayed out of the scramble for food, instead dutifully working in the field.
She smiled, walked over to Gabite, bent down, and said gently:
"What a hardworking sweetheart. Thank you for all your effort. Sorry, I didn't bring you any snacks this time. Next time, I'll bring a separate portion just for you."
Gabite froze.
He turned his head aside shyly, the bases of his ears growing faintly hot.
He had never experienced this kind of warm, motherly care before.
Seeing this, Lu Chen merely smiled.
After finishing his sketches, Professor Oak turned toward Lu Chen's newly caught Gabite and said with some amazement:
"This Gabite is quite strong. He's probably already at Gym Leader level."
"But he isn't an Ancient Pokémon, is he?"
Lu Chen nodded. "That's right. I caught this little guy recently. You can also call him Farmer Number One. He mainly helps with farmwork."
"Farmer Number One..."
Professor Oak's mouth twitched.
Out in the wider world, this Gabite was a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon any Trainer would raise as their future ace.
Yet here with Lu Chen, he could only do farmwork.
But Professor Oak glanced at the four ancient monsters sunbathing nearby.
Suddenly, he was struck by a profound sense of just how vast the gap between people could be.
Looking at Lu Chen's face, which was only in its twenties, Professor Oak could not help sighing.
"If my grandson had even a tenth of your ability, I'd count my blessings."
Lu Chen grew interested. "Your grandson?"
Once Gary came up, Professor Oak opened the floodgates and began pouring out his grievances.
"That boy is unreliable in everything he does, and he's especially arrogant."
"He even has to travel in a sports car with a whole carload of cheerleaders. Several Gym Leaders have called me just to mock me about it."
The more Professor Oak spoke, the more helpless he became, until even the wrinkles on his face sagged.
After hearing him out, Lu Chen could not resist commenting, "Then just cut off his card. And don't buy him a sports car."
"..."
Professor Oak fell silent.
He really could not bring himself to do that.
Seeing Professor Oak suddenly fall silent, Lu Chen had no intention of delving further into the Oak family's parenting issues.
Every family had its own troubles.
At the mention of children, Delia also began to look worried.
"Yes, isn't that the truth?"
"That boy Ash, honestly. It's been almost a week since he last contacted me."
"The last time we spoke, he said something about going to the great canyon to dig for fossils, and finding more than Gary. He really makes me worry."
Professor Oak added, "Ash has hit a bottleneck lately too."
"He finally managed to raise his Charmander into a Charmeleon, only for Charmeleon to stop listening to him. Sigh, not one of them gives us any peace of mind."
"Digging for fossils in the great canyon?"
Lu Chen suddenly raised his head.
He seemed to remember something from the plot.
That canyon seemed to have something to do with Ancient Pokémon, but Lu Chen really could not recall the exact connection.
After all, more than a decade had passed.
After he chatted with Delia and Professor Oak for a while, it grew late.
Delia said goodbye to Lu Chen, and Professor Oak reluctantly left the farm as well.
Had it not been nearly dark, Professor Oak would truly have wanted to stay there all day.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Quite a few people had already gathered at the Fossil Canyon excavation site.
There were even television reporters carrying cameras, waiting to cover a big story.
Among the crowd, Ash's sharp eyes spotted a few familiar faces.
"Team Rocket! What are you doing here?!"
The Team Rocket Trio was sneaking toward the canyon wall, each carrying explosives in their arms.
"Hehehe, twerp, we found this fossil first!"
Jessie and Meowth cackled while James began setting up the explosives.
"Stop! You'll make the canyon collapse!"
Ash rushed forward to stop them, with Misty and Brock close behind.
But the explosives had already been lit.
A tremendous explosion rang out.
A crack was blasted into the canyon wall.
Rocks flew, and the ground shook.
The ground beneath Ash and the Team Rocket Trio suddenly collapsed.
"Ash!"
Amid Misty and Brock's cries of alarm, Ash and Team Rocket fell into the depths of the crack and were completely buried beneath the collapsing rocks.
The television cameras at the scene broadcast the entire incident live.
At Delia's home in Pallet Town.
Delia was sitting in front of the television, holding a cup of tea.
Then she saw the news.
"Ash... Ash is trapped inside the great canyon?!"
Delia's grip loosened, and the teacup fell to the floor, shattering into several pieces.
Her whole body trembled, and her face was frighteningly pale.
At the same time, Professor Oak received a call from Gary.
"Grandpa! Ash... he fell into the canyon! I'm right here! The entire tunnel is blocked by rocks now. We can't dig our way in!"
Gary's voice was frantic.
Professor Oak's heart sank.
He knew that even if he set off immediately, it would take him at least over an hour to get there.
There was simply not enough time.
Just then, an idea flashed through Professor Oak's mind.
He thought of Lu Chen.
He recalled riding on Aerodactyl's back and flying from Viridian Forest to Pallet Town in just a few minutes.
"If it's Lu Chen's Aerodactyl, he should make it in time!"
Professor Oak immediately contacted Delia, and the two hurried to Lu Chen's farm together.
"Mr. Lu Chen, please, I'm begging you to help me." With tears in her eyes, Delia rapidly explained what had happened.
Professor Oak stood nearby, actually feeling uncertain himself.
He had only known Lu Chen for a few days, and they had no close ties. Helping would be a kindness; refusing would be entirely within his rights.
Yet, to Professor Oak's surprise, before Lu Chen could speak, Aerodactyl, Lapras, and even Gengar all stepped forward in unison, gazing imploringly at Lu Chen.
They had already become familiar with Delia.
Something had happened to the child of that human who made delicious apple pies, and they wanted to help.
Lu Chen, however, was thinking about something else.
If that great canyon really did contain Ancient Pokémon, could they have traveled here from ancient times just like him?
As he thought, something gently nudged his hand.
Lu Chen looked up and saw the concern in Aerodactyl and the others' eyes, along with Delia's anxious, frightened face, filled with pleading.
At the sight, Lu Chen could not help chuckling.
"Don't worry. I never said I wouldn't help. Neighbors should help each other."
Lu Chen swung himself onto Aerodactyl's back.
Professor Oak hurriedly sent him the canyon's coordinates.
Aerodactyl beat his wings fiercely and shot off the ground, turning into a streak of gray light that vanished into the sky.
Lu Chen lay half-flat on Aerodactyl's back to reduce wind resistance and glanced down at the coordinates on his phone.
"We should get there in about fifteen minutes."
"Ash is a super Pallet Town native, after all. He should be able to hold out."
Meanwhile, at Fossil Canyon.
Gary, Misty, Brock, and many other Trainers and kindhearted people had gathered at the cave-in, desperately moving the rocks blocking the tunnel.
But the rocks were unusually heavy and absurdly hard, difficult to shatter even when bombarded with Pokémon moves.
Digging through was almost impossible.
Everyone could only move them one at a time.
Misty was covered in dust, her hands full of tiny cuts, yet she still gritted her teeth and used all her strength to move a rock bigger than herself.
She shouted, tears mingling with dust as they slid down her cheeks:
"Ash! You still owe me a bike! You absolutely can't die in a place like this!"
Brock and Gary were also desperately hauling rubble with their Pokémon.
No one spoke. There was only heavy breathing and the dull clatter of colliding stones.
Just as everyone was working together, a sharp whistle cut through the air overhead.
Lu Chen arrived at the scene riding Aerodactyl.
Looking down at the dense crowd below, he took a deep breath and shouted:
"Everyone, move aside!"
Everyone looked up and saw the figure riding an unfamiliar Pokémon in midair, immediately realizing that a powerful Trainer had arrived!
Everyone immediately retreated to either side.
Lu Chen patted Aerodactyl's shoulder.
Aerodactyl opened his huge mouth, and a dazzling white light gathered within it.
Super Hyper Beam!
Boom!
A terrifying pillar of white light poured down, striking the pile of rocks blocking the tunnel with precision.
The hard rocks that everyone had spent so long trying to move were instantly annihilated into powder.
The dust cleared, revealing a deep fissure.
Lu Chen gave Aerodactyl a pat, and the two plunged headfirst into the dark, deep crack in the canyon.
The crowd at the scene froze.
"Wh-what Pokémon is that?"
"What a terrifying attack..."
"Who exactly is that Trainer?"
Everyone buzzed with speculation.
Just then, Gary's phone rang.
It was Professor Oak calling.
"Gary, don't worry. I've already asked a Trainer to head over and help."
"Grandpa! Did you send that Trainer riding the strange Pokémon? That's great!"
"What's his name? I've never seen that Pokémon of his before. Can he rescue Ash?"
On the other end of the line, Professor Oak hesitated.
How should I introduce Lu Chen?
He thought for a few seconds, then said:
"His name is Lu Chen. He's an adventurer who enjoys researching ancient history from the ultra-ancient era. He's very strong-even stronger than your grandpa."
"Rest assured. He'll definitely be able to rescue Ash."
"Stronger than Grandpa?!"
Gary's pupils constricted.
Stronger than Grandpa? Wouldn't that make him an Elite Four-level Trainer?!
Hearing Professor Oak's words, Misty and Brock finally breathed a sigh of relief as well.
With an Elite Four-level Trainer stepping in, Ash could be saved.