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Roy squatted down, his gaze sweeping over the Kabuto and Omanyte on the ground.
These knocked-out ancient Pokémon lay scattered about, their shells still covered in dirt and rock debris.
He unleashed his Aura.
The Aura spread out from him as the center.
Instantly covering the entire area.
The Aura reaction from every single Pokémon was clearly reflected in his mind.
Most were Common Grade reactions.
Occasionally, there were a few Superior grade ones.
But none were particularly outstanding.
Until, Roy's eyes suddenly narrowed.
In the corner, the Aura reactions of two Pokémon were significantly stronger than the others.
One Kabuto.
One Omanyte.
Both were curled up next to a pile of rubble, having stayed retracted in their shells throughout the previous battle without moving much.
They belonged to the type that knew how to play it safe.
Roy walked over and, one in each hand, pulled the two of them out from the rubble.
The Kabuto's shell felt ice-cold to the touch, with a layer of rock-like texture on the surface, feeling as hard as stone.
The Omanyte's spiral shell had concentric spiral patterns, with slight damage to the edge, but it was generally well-preserved.
"Hiding well, it'll be you two."
Roy took out two Poké Balls.
He tapped them against the shells of the two Pokémon respectively.
Red light flashed.
The Poké Balls shook a few times.
Two crisp Lock-On sounds rang out.
Capture successful.
Roy stood up, and with a thought, a blue, translucent virtual panel appeared before his eyes.
[Pokémon: Kabuto]
[Type: Rock, Water]
[Level: Lv23 (Common Grade)]
[Potential: Elite Four Level]
[Ability: Weak Armor — When taking damage from physical moves, defense is lowered, and speed is greatly increased.]
[Moves: Aqua Jet, Glare, Scratch, Mud Shot]
[Held Item: None]
[Special Enhancement: None]
Roy raised an eyebrow.
Elite Four Level.
His gaze shifted, switching to the other one's data.
[Pokémon: Omanyte]
[Type: Rock, Water]
[Level: Lv20 (Common Grade)]
[Potential: Elite Four Level]
[Ability: Weak Armor — When taking damage from physical moves, defense is lowered, and speed is greatly increased.]
[Moves: Water Gun, Glare, Rollout, Mud Shot]
[Held Item: None]
[Special Enhancement: None]
Both actually had Elite Four Level potential.
Their ability was also the rare Weak Armor.
Pokémon with this ability are very popular in actual combat; although their defense drops after taking physical attacks, their speed increases significantly.
This means the more they get hit, the faster they run, and the stronger their mobility for counterattacks becomes.
Roy looked at the data on the panel, his lips curling up involuntarily.
"Damn. These things buried deep underground are really not bad; they actually let me catch two Elite Potential Pokemon."
Although he wasn't very familiar with training regimens for Fossil Pokémon, with this potential right here, it was a huge profit no matter how you looked at it.
When the time came, he would send these two back to Professor Oak for research and ask the Professor to help come up with a training regimen.
As for the spots by his side...
Roy already had a plan in mind.
He would rather keep that most domineering Aerodactyl by his side.
That was what he truly wanted.
The overlord of the ancient skies.
Just thinking about it was exciting.
In the blink of an eye, Roy put away the panel and clipped the two Poké Balls to his waist.
Then he turned around.
Delia and Misty were standing not far behind him.
Delia carefully avoided the Kabuto and Omanyte still unconscious on the ground, her expression somewhat complex.
Misty tilted her head, looking at those hard-shelled Pokémon, her brows furrowed.
Roy gestured with his chin toward the Fossil Pokémon all over the ground.
"There are still plenty here, aren't you two going to catch one?"
Delia and Misty exchanged a glance.
Then, they shook their heads in unison.
Roy was taken aback.
"Neither of you?"
Delia said softly.
"This cave is pitch black, and these Pokémon all look like ghosts."
Her voice was gentle, carrying a hint of embarrassment.
"I think I'll pass on catching one."
Delia looked down at an Omanyte on the ground, her eyes filled with a bit of apology.
"I'm afraid that if I catch one and don't treat it well, the Pokémon will be sad."
"I'd rather catch the ones I can accept, so at least I can treat them better."
"I also don't want to make Pokémon sad because of my emotional reactions."
After listening, Roy nodded.
He understood what Delia meant.
Delia's perspective on Pokémon was different from most Trainers.
She wasn't aiming to increase combat power.
She was more interested in researching the possibilities of Pokémon beyond just battling.
Such as their ecological habits.
Such as how they coexist with humans.
Such as their tastes in food.
Therefore, what mattered most was whether they suited her.
Whether their combat power was high or not didn't really matter that much to her.
Furthermore, Delia was naturally gentle, and she knew very well that she didn't like these hard-shelled, eerie-looking Pokémon.
Rather than being indifferent after catching them, it was better to let them be free and easy in their natural environment.
No harm, no coercion.
This was Delia's kindness.
Roy reached out and gently patted Delia's shoulder.
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
Then he turned his head to look at Misty.
"What about you?"
"What's your reason for not catching one?"
Misty gave a dazed, cute "Ah."
She blinked her eyes and said matter-of-factly.
"I, I am a future Water-type Pokémon Master, why would I want to catch those rock lumps?"
"I don't like rock-lump Pokémon!"
Roy's expression froze for a moment.
The air was quiet for two seconds.
He looked at Misty, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
"They are also Water-type."
Misty went "Ah," her mouth forming an O shape.
She looked down to re-examine those Pokémon on the ground.
The Kabuto was retracted in its shell, its carapace grayish and dull, with rock patterns on it.
The Omanyte had its tentacles curled up, its spiral shell hard as a rock, looking just like a piece of stone.
Misty's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"What?"
"You're saying these Pokémon that look like rock lumps are also Water-type?"
Her voice went up half a pitch.
Roy crossed his arms and said calmly.
"Isn't Corsola also Rock and Water-type?"
Misty blinked, thoughtful.
"I do know about Corsola..."
She squatted down and leaned in to look at an Omanyte's tentacles.
"But I've never heard of these Pokémon before."
The Omanyte's tentacles twitched slightly in its unconscious state.
Misty recoiled in fright.
Then she leaned back in.
This time, her gaze was different.
Since she knew they were Water-type, her attitude did a 180-degree turn.
"But since they are also Water-type..."
Misty stood up and clenched her fists.
"Then I can take a look!"
She began walking back and forth among the Omanyte.
Looking left.
Looking right.
Sometimes she would squat down to poke one's shell.
Other times she would stand up with a frown, feeling not quite satisfied.
After picking for a long time, she still couldn't make up her mind.
Roy unleashed his Aura and swept the area.
His sensory Aura spread out silently.
He filtered through the Aura reactions of all the Omanyte around.
There was one, curled up in the furthest corner.
Its Aura reaction was a notch stronger than the others.
Good potential.
Roy raised his hand and pointed at that Omanyte.
"Catch this one."
His tone was very certain.
"This one will be a great help to your Water-type combat power."
Misty turned her head to look in the direction Roy was pointing.
That Omanyte was quietly curled up in the corner, its tentacles retracted into its shell, with only a tiny bit of pale blue edge visible.
Misty's eyes lit up.
She still trusted Roy's judgment very much, except for Psyduck!
Actually, Psyduck wasn't bad either; it had performed well once, it just needed more training to become smarter!
Misty muttered to herself, took a Poké Ball from her waist, and walked over to squat down in front of that Omanyte.
She took a deep breath.
"Alright!"
"I choose you!"
The Poké Ball gently tapped against the Omanyte's spiral shell.
A flash of red light.
The Omanyte turned into a beam of light and was taken into the ball.
The Poké Ball shook a few times in Misty's hand.
Lock-On successful.