Another day has passed.
Natsuhiko brought the Pokémon to the entrance of the ruins they had accidentally encountered earlier.
It was considered a ruin because there were stone pillars at the entrance that humans had clearly carved—typical Pokémon surely wouldn't engage in such mundane activities.
As for whether this meant humans were still surviving in this Alternate Space, that was unknown.
Even if there were humans living here, it wouldn't have much to do with Natsuhiko.
The entrance to the ruins was very small, so Natsuhiko had to put Tyrantrum away.
He really had gotten used to traveling on Tyrantrum during this period.
Tyrantrum's fierce appearance and unrestrained "overbearing charm" could effectively avoid harassment from predators wandering without territory.
Moreover, Tyrantrum's gigantic body and immense strength made it an excellent means of transport.
It wasn't because of any "dragon-riding complex," nor because he wanted to "show off."
Hmm.
Taking the four Pokémon with him, along with Cherrim hanging onto his neck, they entered the dark space of the ruins.
Since the flashlight had long run out of battery, the place could only be illuminated with torches.
Natsuhiko also kept a few of them in his backpack for backup.
The resin obtained from some special plants was highly combustible and lasted quite a while; one torch could definitely hold up for a day, and bringing a few extra was just for precaution.
After Yujira left a telekinetic "anchor" point at the entrance, the exploration of the ruins officially commenced.
This space was already very close to the ancient times, and for something to be considered a ruin during ancient times, it must be from the prehistoric era.
Natsuhiko held onto some hope, wondering if he could encounter anything worthwhile.
Since he wasn't clear about the ruins' specific conditions nor what Pokémon might dwell inside, the initial exploration had to be extremely cautious.
He wasn't planning to explore the entire ruin in just one day, so he wasn't in a rush.
"嗟——"
Doublade's magenta ribbon gently tugged at Natsuhiko, indicating that it felt the Ghost Energy growing stronger upon entering the ruins.
Natsuhiko nodded, unsurprised.
It's quite normal for unexplored ruins like these to be filled with wandering Ghost-type Pokémon.
"Be careful, everyone," Natsuhiko warned.
Having been too smooth sailing lately, even with conscious effort to remain vigilant, there would be inevitable lapses that occur subconsciously.
Thud, thud, thud—
The slow footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor.
The walls surrounding them became visible under the dim glow of the torch; the fragmented murals were indistinct and piles of stones lay scattered at the corners.
The entirely stone-brick-paved ancient floor was covered with thick dust, each step Natsuhiko took leaving behind a footprint.
After walking in the passage for about two or three minutes, the horizon expanded.
An arc-shaped dome rose at least a dozen meters high, with a pitch-black deep pit at its center, where there were numerous stone doors on the walls spaced almost equally apart, and a spiral staircase winding downward into the dark unknown below.
This ruin didn't seem very large.
Assuming the pit had a bottom.
Natsuhiko didn't directly delve into the depths but instead started with the roughly twenty or so doors.
The stone door slowly pushed open.
The ear-piercing, teeth-grinding sound indicated it hadn't been opened for a very long time.
As it moved, a cloud of dust and tiny rock fragments fell.
After opening the door, a small space revealed itself before their eyes.
A broken stone bed and a stone that resembled a desk; there were old vases and other decorations placed on the table and in the corner, but unfortunately, they too were shattered.
Otherwise, just these vases alone—if Natsuhiko took them out to the Pokemon Realm—there would likely be numerous antique collectors fiercely competing for them, even the League would surely be interested.
All humans are like this, continuously developing new technology while constantly tracing history.
It seems they want to use these histories to prove the era's high level of development and success, while also trying to gain some information or lessons from history.
But the only lesson humanity learns from history is that they never truly learn from history.
The room wasn't big, easily seen in its entirety at a glance.
Backing out, they opened the second room.
Then came the third room.
In the fourth stone chamber, Natsuhiko finally found something.
A book made of some creature's skin-like paper—likely treated specially to be preserved till now.
The book wasn't thick; each page was filled with dense writing he couldn't comprehend, alongside some drawings.
He couldn't understand the text above, but from the drawings, he vaguely deciphered some information.
What the drawings appeared to depict was a Pokémon, though the Pokémon's features were unclear, making it difficult to discern the type.
However, what truly sent a chill down Natsuhiko's spine was that this Pokémon's body was dissected into several parts, each with incomprehensible descriptions and annotations.
He wasn't sure if the ancients had really dismantled this Pokémon, or if it was just theoretical speculation and illustration.
But the descriptions seemed very detailed; if not for disassemblement, given the ancients' technology and abilities, they logically wouldn't have gained such precise data and notes.
So that means...
"This very well may be an ancient, or prehistoric, research base for Pokémon."
Regardless of the era, including the present day, research on Pokémon has never ceased.
It's just that modern people, due to advanced technology, can omit many unnecessary steps.
But ancient people could only use the most primitive and cruelest methods.
Standing still in silence for a long time, Natsuhiko then stored this scroll of the book away, planning to see if he could decode the text back in the Pokemon Realm.
After passing through a couple more empty rooms.
Natsuhiko once again found something in a room.
A... basketball-sized round stone, covered in dust.
But when Natsuhiko cleared away all the dust from it, he was surprised.
"An Ancient Pokeball?"
Indeed, although this basketball-sized sphere was quite large, it wasn't particularly heavy; the expected mass from its size clearly didn't match reality, plus the patterns on it faintly resembled modern Pokeballs.
Undoubtedly, this was an Ancient Pokeball.
Ancient people had mastered the method of capturing Pokémon earlier than modern people, understanding the creation of Pokeballs, though their techniques seemed somewhat rudimentary compared to today's Pokeballs, and their methods differed as well.
Ancient people used a sealing approach.
Whereas the modern method employs space technology.
One thing is certain: today's popular Pokeballs' prototype was these Ancient Pokeballs.
It's just that today's Pokeballs, made with various metals and even Chesto Berry materials, are more lightweight and functional.
Natsuhiko remembered that he had once watched the original series, where there was an episode of Master Ash using a gigantic stone Pokeball to seal an enormous Claydol intending to destroy the world—proof of Ancient Pokeballs integrating sealing technology.
And now, the one in Natsuhiko's hand might very well be an Ancient Pokeball.
"Could it contain..." Natsuhiko's eyes flickered.
Could ancient, or even prehistoric Pokémon survive inside a Pokeball up to this time?