By the time Lu Chen followed the archaeological team to the temporary work area, the table was already covered with freshly unearthed artifacts.
Pottery fragments, remnants of wooden furniture, a few polished stone pieces, and a relatively intact clay pot.
These objects had been carefully placed on soft padding, with a label beside each one indicating its excavation location and number.
Lu Chen glanced over them and, for no apparent reason, found them somewhat familiar.
Lu Chen leaned closer to examine the clay pot, then looked at the remnants of wooden furniture and remarked casually:
"Why do these things look like everyday furniture?"
No sooner had he spoken than a young woman wearing gloves, who was recording information about the pottery fragments, whipped her head around.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with blue hair tied in a ponytail and round glasses perched on her nose.
The eyes behind those lenses were round and bright, and now they were wide open, staring straight at Lu Chen.
"What did you say?"
Her reaction startled Lu Chen. "I said these things look like ordinary everyday items..."
"These are objects from the super-ancient era, tens of thousands of years ago!"
The young woman cut Lu Chen off. Her voice was clear and loud, carrying an uncompromising insistence.
"Take another good look at these patterns, these shapes! With this firing technique and these special structures, how could they possibly be ordinary everyday furniture?"
She carefully put the pottery fragment back, planted both hands on her hips, and looked at Lu Chen earnestly:
"The super-ancient civilization was incredible!"
Lu Chen opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He rubbed his nose helplessly, unsure what to say for a moment.
"Hokuto!"
Just then, Wang Yi hurried over with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry, sir," she hastily apologized to Lu Chen, afraid that the Trainer they had finally managed to find would get angry and walk away.
"I'm Wang Yi, the leader of the archaeological team."
"This is my daughter, Hokuto. She's loved the super-ancient civilization since she was little, and she also holds a doctorate in super-ancient civilization studies."
"So after hearing what you said, she got carried away and blurted that out. Please don't take it to heart."
Then she turned to Hokuto:
"Hokuto, apologize to him."
Hokuto pressed her lips together and lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I spoke too impulsively just now."
But immediately afterward, she raised her head again and looked at Lu Chen, the earnestness in her eyes undiminished:
"But the super-ancient civilization was definitely the most incredible!"
Looking at the young woman's stubborn expression, Lu Chen rubbed his nose and waved a hand at Wang Yi:
"It's fine. I don't mind."
At the same time, Lu Chen looked at Hokuto with some curiosity and asked:
"You're so young, and you already have a doctorate in super-ancient civilization studies?"
"Of course! I started learning the Pokémopolis language when I was six. My knowledge of the super-ancient era is among the best in the entire Kanto Region!"
Hearing Hokuto's words, Lu Chen was somewhat surprised, but at the same time, he thought:
The Pokémopolis language? What language and empire is that? How come even I, a native of the super-ancient era, have never heard of it?
Then Lu Chen suddenly guessed that this empire called Pokémopolis had most likely appeared after he... left the super-ancient era.
Meanwhile, only after seeing that Lu Chen wasn't angry did Wang Yi breathe a sigh of relief.
She gave Lu Chen another apologetic smile before leading Hokuto away.
As Hokuto left, she glanced back at Lu Chen, still looking a little unconvinced.
But Lu Chen didn't see it at all.
With Lu Chen's arrival, the archaeological team soon prepared to head straight to the ruins.
Wang Yi approached Lu Chen and spoke sincerely:
"Mr. Lu Chen, we'll be excavating out in the wilderness this time. There are quite a few wild Pokémon there, and we've already been attacked several times."
"We'll be relying on you this time."
"Don't worry. With me around, no wild Pokémon will be able to hurt you."
Lu Chen nodded in agreement.
However, Gabite, who best matched the strength Lu Chen publicly displayed, wasn't with him at the moment.
Lu Chen could only bring out Gengar, the least conspicuous one.
Gengar emerged from the Poké Ball, floated in midair, and waved a claw at everyone with a wide grin.
The strange patterns on his body were particularly striking in the sunlight. The dark purple markings resembled some ancient totem, spreading from his neck all the way to his limbs.
The archaeologists exchanged looks.
"This Gengar... has such unusual patterns," a young team member murmured.
"I feel like I've seen markings like those somewhere before..."
Hokuto stared at Gengar for quite a while, her brow furrowing more and more.
She really did find those patterns familiar, but she just couldn't remember where she had seen them.
Lu Chen explained with a smile, "It's just a strange hobby of Gengar's. He likes drawing patterns on himself."
"They're drawn on?" Hokuto sounded doubtful.
"Yes, drawn on." Lu Chen's expression didn't change.
Gengar obligingly nodded and even spun around to let everyone get a good look at those "drawn-on" patterns.
Hokuto still felt something was off, but she didn't ask any more questions.
The group headed toward the ruins.
They had barely left the town when a rustling came from the grass beside the road.
An Ekans poked his head out of the grass, flicking his tongue as he slithered toward the team member at the front.
Gengar floated over and looked down at Ekans.
"Hehehe~"
Just one look.
Ekans went rigid, his entire body frozen in place. He even forgot to pull his tongue back in.
Then he abruptly recoiled, darted into the grass, and vanished without a trace.
The archaeologists were stunned.
"That was fast..."
"That Ekans ran away without even using a move?"
"But Gengar didn't do anything..."
What they didn't know was that, to wild Pokémon, the aura Gengar carried from the super-ancient battlefields was no different from seeing a ghost.
Gengar didn't even need to release his pressure. Simply approaching was enough to make most wild Pokémon give him a wide berth.
Along the way, whenever a wild Pokémon showed itself, Gengar merely floated over leisurely and gave it a look.
Those wild Pokémon ran faster than rabbits, as though they had spotted their natural predator.
"Is... is he really that powerful?" a young team member swallowed.
"That's a Gengar," another team member said quietly.
"And this one looks especially strong..."
Hokuto walked in the middle of the group, secretly observing Gengar as she went.
The more she looked, the more familiar those patterns seemed.
Those purplish-black markings, those winding lines, those tiny, intricate symbols hidden deep within the patterns...
She kept feeling as though she had seen them somewhere, in some book.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember.
With Lu Chen's help, the archaeological team soon reached the ruins.
It was an enormous pit. The layers of soil along its walls had been carefully cleared away one by one, exposing the grayish-white rock beneath.
Between the rock layers, faint traces of man-made excavation could be seen.
Lu Chen stood at the edge of the pit and glanced down.
Then he froze.
The layout of these ruins, the course of this cave, the direction this entrance faced...
The more Lu Chen looked, the more familiar it all seemed.
Rubbing his chin, Lu Chen stared at Gengar beside him, and Gengar stared back.
Gengar was stunned too. The usually lively purple fatty floated in midair, his mouth slightly open and his two short little hands hanging at his sides.
The corner of Lu Chen's mouth twitched as he lowered his voice and said to Gengar:
"Gengar, this super-ancient ruin they found... could it be..."
Gengar nodded silently.
The human and the ghost fell silent at the same time.
This so-called super-ancient ruin was very likely one of Lu Chen's former temporary bases.
More precisely, it was a home he had lived in during the super-ancient era.
"Excavating my own home... this really is an experience I've never had before..."
Lu Chen couldn't help muttering.
Beside him, Gengar nodded furiously.