Chapter Seventy-Three: The Truth Unveiled

Newly revived fossil Pokémon are often extremely agitated and maladapted to their environment. That’s why they must be nursed in simulated habitats for a time, until they are ready to be released or trained. Among fossil Pokémon, Omanyte and its evolution, Omastar, are considered relatively gentle. For others, like Aerodactyl, special security measures must be taken during revival to prevent any incidents.

The origin of fossil Pokémon has always been shrouded in debate, as it touches upon the great mystery of where Pokémon themselves came from. Most Pokémon are believed to have originated about two million years ago—a period known as the Pokémon species explosion. For a long time, the mainstream theories were “Pokémon appeared two million years ago” and “Extraterrestrial origin hypothesis.”

However, with the discovery of ancient Pokémon fossils and the gradual perfection of fossil revival technology, these theories have become increasingly tenuous. The Pokémon revived from fossils are undoubtedly Pokémon as well—they can be assigned to egg groups and can breed with modern Pokémon of the same group. Unlike ancient Pokémon, fossil Pokémon are not just variant forms of modern species but are distinct species altogether, capable of stable reproduction in the present day.

This only deepens the enigma of Pokémon’s origins.

“Grandpa Curator, when reviving a fossil Pokémon, do you only need a piece of the fossil? Doesn’t that mean you could use a single fossil to revive countless living fossil Pokémon?” Conan asked, his wide eyes fixed on the elderly Childe.

It is rumored that a revived fossil Pokémon retains certain memories from prehistoric times—hence the term “revival” rather than cloning through genetic extraction. In this world, because genes express differently, cloning is even more difficult than fossil revival and remains largely theoretical.

Which makes Conan’s question all the more pertinent.

“No, in fact, reviving a fossil—or rather, aiding in a fossil’s revival—requires not just any fossil fragment, but one that meets certain criteria. The fossils on display, for instance, cannot be revived, or their revivable essence has already been extracted. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many fossils used as exhibits.

“Look at this Omastar fossil—this is a complete shell fossil,” Childe said, pointing to a fully petrified Omastar shell beside him.

After Amu and the others had examined it, Childe gestured toward the inside of the shell. “In this chamber, a core of life essence was once extracted; it was with that essence that we revived the first Omanyte here. As for the remaining fossil, it’s just stone—no longer capable of being revived.”

Revival is akin to a new birth—a fresh beginning for a new life, separate from traditional birth, but still the start of existence. Thus, even if the fossil is of an evolved form, the Pokémon revived from it emerges as its earliest stage, though it may retain hazy memories of prehistory.

As Childe spoke, he gently patted Conan’s head, clearly fond of the inquisitive child.

“I see…” Conan’s face lit up with sudden understanding, but in his next breath, his tone shifted slyly. “But, Mr. Curator, I swapped the display cards for these two exhibits earlier. Surely you wouldn’t mistake them, would you?”

With that, Conan produced the “Omanyte Fossil” display card from his pocket.

“Conan…” Ran flushed with embarrassment, fearing Conan was making the curator look foolish.

“Surely not? Surely the curator hasn’t just memorized the exhibit details but has no real impression of such a significant Omastar fossil?” Amu had caught on as well.

“Amu?” Misty and Ran stared at Amu in surprise.

It was one thing for Conan to act out, but Amu too?

They soon noticed Amu had released Ditto and Electrode, and realized he must have a reason for his actions.

“Tch…” Old Childe clicked his tongue in annoyance, and his once stooped posture straightened abruptly.

“Thunderbolt! Shadow Ball!” Amu commanded Boom and Coffin to attack Childe at once.

But—

Both hesitated, especially Coffin, who hadn’t quite readied its move.

In that instant of uncertainty, “Curator Childe” performed a backflip in place, nimbly evading the electric attack and leaping onto a nearby exhibit platform.

Such agility was uncanny—even Amu couldn’t hope to match it now.

“So, it seems I’ve been found out.” The voice that came from Childe was suddenly young.

Before their eyes, he grabbed at his own shoulder and let his formal suit fall away, revealing a pristine white tuxedo and top hat, with a monocle obscuring his features.

Amu was certain this was not a simple quick-change, but some special ability—likely a Pokémon’s power. The discarded clothes vanished before even touching the floor.

“Ah! Is… is that Kaito Kid?” Misty gasped.

“Kaito Kid?” Ran tensed, shifting into a defensive stance.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there’s no need to be alarmed. I’m only here today to take in the exhibit and deliver a new notice… See you the night after tomorrow.”

With that, Kid drew a pistol-like device from his breast pocket, aiming it at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Conan crouched and twisted the dial on his shoe.

Bang—

Biu—

Duang—

Conan pressed the button on his belt, gathering aura into a sphere, then kicked the energy ball at Kid. By then, Kid had already soared skyward on a portable cable line, flashing through the glass of the ceiling skylight as if it weren’t there.

Conan’s energy blast, however, was blocked by the glass wall. After all, the glass here was bulletproof…

And aura spheres are still just “projectiles,” aren’t they?

Clang, clang, clang—

Alarms blared as security personnel and Officer Jenny rushed toward them.

…

Amu quickly explained the situation to the authorities, downplaying Conan’s involvement. He wasn’t particularly surprised by Conan and Kid’s equipment—in this world, technology had already reached a “near-future” level compared to the world Amu once knew, though its development had taken a different path.

Weapons—especially firearms—had never truly advanced. After all, a single Rain Dance, or a Pokémon with the Damp ability, could neutralize entire arsenals of guns, so their development was stunted from the outset.

Yet powerful devices were commonplace, especially those harnessing aura, which had even led to a technological branch specializing in aura weaponry. Conan’s aura belt was a prime example…