After a long silence, the suffocating quiet in the research institute was finally broken.
Professor Charles's face had already turned bright red. He suddenly jumped to his feet, pointing at that strange machine still displaying first place, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Impossible! Reviving fossils with *this* machine? What kind of sick joke is this!"
The pride that usually filled his expression had been replaced by something far more complex: shock, disbelief, and a hint of barely concealed panic.
He paced back and forth, as if searching desperately for proof that this machine was a fake.
Professor Oak ignored his outburst entirely. His attention was completely absorbed by the machine.
The flowing light across its metal surface, the core crystal panel flickering on and off like something alive—all of it radiated an undeniable sense of reality and advanced technology.
He'd heard for a while now that game players could receive actual rewards from the game, but this was the first time he'd experienced it himself. The feeling was surreal.
"Joke or not, there's one way to find out."
Professor Oak smiled and approached the machine, examining it carefully.
There was a distinct groove along its side, shaped exactly like a standard fossil.
Next to it was a larger opening resembling a loading port, with several lines of text in a script he'd never seen before flickering beside it.
Yet somehow, he understood the meaning perfectly.
[Target fossil detected (empty). Please insert corresponding activation ore materials.]
"Find out? Find out with what? Fossils are precious research materials, not exactly easy to come by. Are you really willing to waste one like this? What if nothing happens?"
Professor Charles sounded genuinely anxious now.
"Well, as it happens, I've got a spare."
Professor Oak turned and called out toward where his assistant had been hiding ever since Charles stormed in.
"Ken! From that batch of fossil samples I organized yesterday, bring me the Kabuto fossil with the most stable condition and weakest energy signature!"
The assistant hesitated but quickly emerged from the nearby storage room with a temperature-controlled case, carefully presenting a palm-sized, gray-brown fossil with clearly defined patterns.
"Professor, this one... even though its life energy is weak, it's still..."
He seemed reluctant to let it go.
"It's fine. This one will work."
Professor Oak took it. The fossil felt cold and solid in his hand—the real deal.
He glanced at Charles, who was now holding his breath, eyes locked on the fossil.
Professor Oak took a deep breath and carefully placed the Kabuto fossil into the groove on the machine's side.
*Hummmm...*
The machine emitted a clearer, deeper hum. The core crystal panel's light began to flow, concentrating on the fossil.
Then, above the loading port, several lines of glowing text appeared:
[Fossil Type: Kabuto (Rock/Water)]
[Required Activation Ores: Hard Stone x3, Water Stone x1, Mysterious Amber Powder 5 grams...]
[Current Material Reserve Detected: 0%]
The material requirements were extensive—seventeen types in total, many of which Professor Oak had never heard of.
Professor Charles leaned in for a closer look, and his expression immediately relaxed.
"Ha! I knew it! What a load of nonsense. These ore names are obviously made up to sound legitimate. Hard Stone, Water Stone, fine, but Mysterious Amber Powder? Where on earth would you even find something like that?"
Professor Oak said nothing, his brow furrowing slightly.
This material list was definitely problematic. He recognized some of the ores, but things like "Mysterious Amber Powder" he'd only ever seen in the game.
Could this machine really require materials that were nearly impossible to obtain in the real world?
Just then, he noticed another line of smaller text beside the loading port.
[User detected to possess related ore items in-game. Would you like to perform energy conversion substitution?]
In-game ores?
In-game ores could actually be *used*?
A thought sparked in Professor Oak's mind.
He immediately returned to the computer. The Emerald game screen was still paused deep in a rock cave.
He quickly navigated his character to open the bag, which was crammed full of various ore items he'd been obsessively collecting: Hard Stones, Soft Sand, Heat Rock, Icy Rock... there were even several mysterious fragments emitting a strange luster.
He tried selecting a "Hard Stone," and in the next moment, it vanished from the screen.
A faint beam of light shot from the monitor, connecting directly to the machine's loading port in the real world.
The text above the port immediately updated: [Homologous ore energy detected (Hard Stone). Quality: Excellent. Quantity +1]!
"What the...?!"
If his body had allowed it, Professor Charles's jaw would have been on the floor.
He was watching with his own eyes as virtual ores from a video game became actual energy to power this machine in reality.
Science had officially left the building.
Seeing this, Professor Oak didn't hesitate. He immediately began searching through his game inventory.
He had dozens of Hard Stones—he transferred the three required.
Water Stone... he remembered picking one up behind a waterfall.
Transferred.
Clearly, Professor Oak's time grinding in the game hadn't been wasted. His inventory actually met the machine's requirements.
As the final material, "Mysterious Amber Powder," was transferred (through the game interface), the text at the machine's loading port instantly changed to [Materials Sufficient! Activation Program Starting!].
*HUMMMMM!!!*
The entire Revival Furnace suddenly shook, the deep hum rising sharply in pitch.
Countless beams of brilliant white light, even more intense than when the reward first appeared, burst from the machine's complex piping system, flooding the entire room.
Across the machine's surface, countless intricate symbols flowed rapidly.
Professor Charles was forced to stumble backward, shielding his eyes with his arm against the sudden burst of intense light and energy.
Professor Oak also stepped back half a pace, his heart pounding, but his eyes remained fixed on the center of the light—the fossil.
The blinding white light lasted about ten seconds before receding like a tide, quickly fading away.
The deafening hum decreased just as rapidly, finally settling into a steady, rhythmic pulse.
*Click.*
With a soft mechanical sound, the groove on the machine's side slowly slid open.
No longer a cold stone, in its place was a small, curled-up figure covered in a hard shell.
Its shell was dark brown with ancient, weathered markings. Its body rose and fell slightly, as if still adjusting to its surroundings.
A living fossil Pokémon.
It raised its head in confusion, blinking as the surrounding light and environment seemed to disorient it. It let out a weak cry: "Ka..."
Professor Oak's eyes lit up instantly.
Witnessing a fossil Pokémon revive before his eyes—for a research scholar like him, the significance was beyond words.
If he hadn't been afraid of frightening this newly awakened creature, he probably would have already rushed forward to begin his examination.
It worked. It actually worked.
On the other side, Professor Charles was completely frozen in place, his expression nothing short of spectacular. From shock to bewilderment, his entire worldview crumbling before his eyes.
He stood there with his mouth hanging open, staring at the living, slightly moving Kabuto under the laboratory lights, then at the machine still radiating residual heat, then at the Emerald game screen on Professor Oak's computer. His brain had clearly crashed.
What?
You just *give out* machines that can revive fossils?
Just like that?
Time passed, second by second.
The Kabuto seemed to have adapted somewhat, beginning to carefully explore the inner wall of the temperature-controlled case with its claws, making faint scraping sounds.
"Ken!"
Professor Oak's voice was steady, but his excitement was obvious.
"Quick! Prepare the gentlest nutrient solution, adjust the temperature to a constant 27 degrees, and dim the lights! Move carefully! It just awakened from a fossilized state—it's extremely fragile and needs the most delicate care. Wait until it's fully adapted and mentally stable before we start recording data. Don't rush this."
"Yes, Professor!"
Ken was so excited his face was flushed. He'd clearly never witnessed anything like this before and realized he was probably witnessing history in the making.
He carefully took the case and tiptoed away.
It wasn't until Ken's figure disappeared through the door that Professor Charles seemed to snap out of his trance, suddenly shuddering.
He stiffly turned his head to look at Professor Oak.
His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, his lips trembling. After holding it in for a long moment, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.
"Well... this is different from what I expected."
Professor Oak looked at him and said nothing.
After a pause, Charles spoke again.
"Uh, Oak... that game you're playing... what did you say it was called again?"
He hesitated before managing to get out the second part: "Also... how do I sign up?"
Professor Oak almost burst out laughing at the sight of him.
He forcibly suppressed his amusement and gestured at the computer screen. "Didn't you say this wasn't real research? Not worried about it being beneath you anymore?"
"Cut the crap! Give me the website!"
Professor Charles reacted like someone had stepped on his tail. His face reddened as he hastily pulled out his phone.
Professor Oak smiled and shook his head, sending him the official website address.
Charles grabbed the address like it was some kind of legendary treasure map and bolted without another word, disappearing in an instant.
With the uninvited guest finally gone, the research institute returned to peace.
Professor Oak looked at the now-quiet Ancient Revival Furnace on the floor, then glanced toward the nursery. His mind was still reeling.
But he hadn't forgotten another important matter.
He picked up the institute's dedicated communicator and dialed a number.
After a few rings, a cool female voice answered.
"Hello? Professor Oak?"
It was Cynthia.
"Cynthia," Professor Oak's voice carried a smile. "I hope I'm not interrupting your game time. I've just about finished compiling the information I've been gathering on special rocks, ores, and ruins in the game. I'll send you the data package right away."
"By the way, I saw news online that you've already beaten Emerald? How was it? Any new discoveries? Did you find the clue you were looking for?"
The communicator was silent for several seconds before Cynthia's voice came through again, carrying a complex tone.
"Yes, I beat it. The clue... I got a location."
"A location?"
Professor Oak's heart sank.
"Yes."
Cynthia's voice was calm, but the weight of her words was immense.
"That person's current location... is in our world."
Professor Oak's grip on the communicator suddenly tightened, the smile on his face vanishing instantly.
Of course he knew which person Cynthia had been pursuing.
He took a deep breath, his voice becoming unusually serious. "Where are you right now?"
"In the airspace off the coast of Hoenn."
Cynthia's voice came through the communicator, accompanied by what sounded like howling wind in the background.
"Or more specifically, just outside that forbidden zone."
"The forbidden zone?!"
Professor Oak froze.
"Cynthia! That place is far too dangerous! You know full well what it cost the League to seal it off back then! The magnetic fields there are chaotic, the weather is extreme, and there's..."
"I know, Professor."
Cynthia cut him off, her voice resolute.
"I've read all the reports and casualty records from that place. More than once. But this is the answer I've been searching for my entire life. The information in that game points directly there. I'm going through. I have to find him. This is my choice."
Professor Oak fell silent.
He knew Cynthia's personality. Once she made a decision, nothing could change her mind.
He could only let out a heavy sigh. "You're so stubborn... just promise me you'll be careful. Stay in constant contact. Whatever support you need, tell me directly."
"I will. Thank you."
Cynthia's voice softened slightly.
"Though I'm going, it won't be right away."
After saying this, she seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, by the way. The game's creator—I contacted him."
"What?!"
Professor Oak nearly thought he'd misheard. His expression became incredibly dramatic, even more surprised than when Charles saw the Kabuto revive.
"You contacted him?! How did you manage that? What did he say?"
Since the game's release, the League had been continuously searching for its founder, yet he'd seemed to vanish into thin air.
Combined with all the supernatural phenomena appearing, the League had begun to suspect this person didn't even exist.
And now Cynthia was telling him there really was such a creator.
"Through a special friend system in the game."
Cynthia explained.
"When I cleared the Emerald main storyline and became the first person to beat it, the system notified me that I'd earned a 'special friend slot' and could add the creator 'Wind' as a friend once. I tried it, sent a request... and he actually accepted."
"Friend system? He accepted the request?"
Professor Oak's mind raced.
If he could contact that person...
He immediately realized what this could mean for his research.
"Can you share his contact information or that friend code with me?"
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones