Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

The Fossil Restoration Center stood near the coast as a massive rectangular complex of white stone and reinforced glass that stretched wider than it was tall. At five stories high, the building dominated the surrounding area with an almost corporate appearance, though the countless statues and murals of revived Pokémon lining the exterior walls made its true purpose as a museum, zoo, and child-friendly research center obvious. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

What drew the most attention, however, was the enormous walled habitat section behind the main structure. The area had been visible even during their arrival on Mantine yesterday, standing out immediately from the air due to the sheer scale of it. Thick reinforced walls surrounded multiple artificial environments built specifically for revived fossil Pokémon. From above, patches of jungle, rocky cliffs, deep lakes, and arctic terrain could be seen divided into separate habitats.

“Would you believe this place used to be nothing more than a trailer a few decades ago?” Marlo said. “Now it’s practically bordering on a full-blown theme park that attracts tourists and even locals. They’re especially popular because they hand out revived Pokémon to kids at heavily discounted prices.”

“I managed to reserve a VIP tour of the entire facility, and we can even take home any Pokémon that takes a liking to us. Although, we’ll have to pay a million Poké Dollars each, while kids get them for free if it’s going to be their starter,” he added.

“How do they maintain costs?” Celise asked. “I would imagine their expenditure would be significant.”

“Yeah,” Maris added. “They’ve got artificial environments, staff salaries, and Pokémon to feed. They won’t be able to sustain operations just from admission tickets, Pokémon sales, and the gift shop, especially if they’re giving Pokémon away to kids.”

“They operate as a League-subsidized non-profit,” Leilani answered. “They’re the only fossil restoration facility in the entire region, so it was in the League’s best interest to support them. They also take an extra cut from the League-subsidized starter Pokémon program for each child they manage to pair with a Pokémon.”

As Alex, Marlo, and their families entered the building, Alex took note of a sign at the entrance that truly lived up to the mission and vision of the establishment. It read, “Let’s make a Fossil-filled Wonderland!”

“Hello and welcome to the Fossil Restoration Center,” a woman said as she stepped forward with a practiced smile. “I’m Nani, and I’ll be your guide for today.”

“She’s a nanny, get it?” Lila said, elbowing Koa, who was sticking close to her side.

“Yeah… haha…” he replied dryly.

Lyra smacked Lila on the head before scolding her. “Don’t make fun of people or their names. You’re still young, so I can legally rename you ‘Princess’ if I want.”

“At least make it something cool like Megatron!” Lila complained.

“You wish!”

The group was led through a wide corridor of polished stone and reinforced glass as they moved deeper into the facility. Ahead, the entrance to the fossil museum opened into a high-ceilinged hall lit by controlled lighting that gave the exhibits a faint, archaeological glow. Rows of display cases and reconstructed habitats lined the hall, each one carefully arranged to reflect a different era of prehistoric Pokémon life.

“Fossil revival is based on extracted genetic material preserved in rock, amber, or ancient sediments,” Nani explained as she guided the group through the museum.

She stopped beside a glass case containing a reconstructed Aerodactyl model. “Aerodactyl is believed to date back to prehistoric times when it dominated ancient skies. Its DNA is so degraded that modern restoration requires significant reconstruction, which is why slight biological approximations are used.”

Moving along, she gestured to a display of fossilized rock slabs. “These are from the Dome Fossil and Helix Fossil lineages. They revive into Kabuto and Omanyte respectively. Both are ancient marine Pokémon that lived during a prehistoric oceanic era, long before modern continental formations stabilized.”

She paused at another exhibit showing a restored Kabutops. “Kabutops is the evolved form of Kabuto. Fossil evidence suggests it adapted from a seabed-dwelling scavenger into a more aggressive predator as ocean ecosystems became more competitive.”

Nani then motioned toward a different section. “Here we have fossils from the Armor and Skull categories. The Armor Fossil revives into Shieldon, and the Skull Fossil into Cranidos. These originate from ancient terrestrial strata, roughly corresponding to prehistoric inland environments with dense forests and volcanic activity.”

She tapped a timeline display beside them. “These two lineages are from the Sinnoh region’s underground fossil record, which is significantly younger than the Amber fossils but still predates modern ecosystems by millions of years.”

At the end of the hall, she stopped near a restoration tank. Inside floated a revived Aerodactyl specimen, currently knocked out and kept unconscious for safety.

“All revived Pokémon here are carefully raised in controlled environments,” Nani explained. “Because they come from extinct lineages, they go through a full acclimation and behavioral assessment process before they’re eligible to be partnered with trainers or released into the starter program.”

Nani looked back at the group. “In essence, fossil Pokémon are biological records of extinct ecosystems, giving us direct insight into how Pokémon life evolved alongside the planet itself.”

The tour continued with other fossils on display, along with additional facts about the eras they came from. Nani also took time to answer any questions the group had.

“Why are all fossil Pokémon Rock type?” Kai asked. “Is it because being Rock type helped preserve their genetic material?”

“That’s a very astute hypothesis, young man,” Nani said, smiling brightly. “That idea has been studied for a long time. The current understanding is that the Rock typing isn’t necessarily their original biology, but a byproduct of fossilization and the restoration process. In other words, the long period of mineralization affects how their traits are expressed when they’re revived.”

She gestured lightly toward the exhibits as she continued. “There have been successful exceptions, especially with the Galarian fossil Pokémon, where different restoration methods produce different results. However, some researchers argue those cases aren’t fully accurate restorations, since they require combining multiple fossil fragments to reconstruct a complete specimen.”

Kai nodded in understanding, while the other kids mostly looked on with blank expressions. He had always been a bit sharper than most of Alex’s kids, which Alex still found surprising. He figured Kaia had been the main contributor to that side of the genetic lottery, since he never considered himself particularly intelligent.

“Is the chimerization of the Galar fossil Pokémon the reason they cannot breed?” Kai asked.

“Another excellent observation, young man,” Nani praised. “Yes, we believe the combining process is the reason they cannot breed. Their genetic material was merged in a way that disrupted their reproductive capabilities.”

“Ew,” Lila commented from the side.

The tour continued until they reached the end of the exhibit, where they were led to a door at the back of the facility.

“That concludes our tour of the museum,” Nani said. “Now I’m sure you’re all excited to see the fossil Pokémon in their natural habitats, so we’ll be taking this cart to tour the rest of the facility. Be careful not to stick your hands out of the vehicle. Some of these Pokémon have a natural tendency to bite at anything that gets too close to their jaws.”

They boarded a hovering electric cart train designed to comfortably accommodate their group of over twenty before taking off on a tour of the artificial habitat zone. The cart lifted smoothly, gliding above wide enclosures divided into distinct ecological zones as Nani stood at the front, pointing out each habitat as it came into view.

“On your left is the deep lake sector,” she explained. “This environment is designed for aquatic fossil Pokémon that originally lived in ancient seas.”

Beneath the surface, shapes moved through the water. “Omanyte and Omastar are found here, along with Kabuto and Kabutops. You’ll also see Lileep and Cradily anchored to submerged rock structures, and Anorith with Armaldo in the shallower zones where the current is stronger. In the deeper sections, we house Tirtouga and Carracosta, and further out, Dracovish is kept in a reinforced enclosure due to its aggressive feeding behavior.”

The cart shifted forward, passing into a denser, greener enclosure.

“This is the jungle sector,” Nani continued. “It’s used for aerial and forest-adapted fossil species.”

Between the canopy and artificial cliffs, winged silhouettes moved. “Archen and Archeops inhabit the upper canopy layers, where they can still exhibit natural flight and hunting behavior. Dracozolt is also housed here in a controlled terrain section that allows for both land sprinting and short bursts of electrical activity. On occasion, we also use Dracozolt to help power parts of the facility’s electrical grid. Don’t worry, though, they enjoy letting loose and are rewarded when they participate.”

The environment changed again as the cart approached rugged stone formations.

“Now we’re entering the rocky terrain zone,” she said. “This area replicates cliffs, volcanic ridges, and exposed mountain ranges.”

High above, Aerodactyl circled, while lower down, heavier forms lumbered between rocks. “Here we have Cranidos and Rampardos, Shieldon and Bastiodon in the fortified ledges, and Tyrunt and Tyrantrum in the wider canyon areas. Aerodactyl is kept in the upper airspace due to its flight range and predatory instincts.”

The cart transitioned into a colder, quieter section.

“This is the Arctic habitat,” Nani said. “It recreates Ice Age conditions where certain fossil Pokémon adapted to extreme cold.”

In the snow-dusted enclosures, majestic figures moved slowly. “Amaura and Aurorus inhabit the central valley where temperature control is most stable. Arctozolt and Arctovish are housed in adjacent hybrid zones, where both ice and energy regulation systems are required to maintain balance.”

The cart slowly circled around until it reached a more private enclosure where families were already gathered, some waiting in line with visible anticipation.

“Finally, the place you’ve all been waiting for,” Nani said, gesturing toward the open area ahead. “This is our acclimation zone. Newly revived Pokémon are brought here to adjust to modern environments and interact with people in a safe, supervised setting.”

She looked over the group as the gates opened. “It’s also where most bonds are formed. Visitors, especially children, are allowed to move freely and spend time with the Pokémon here. If a mutual bond develops, that Pokémon may later be assigned as a partner.”