They sprinted toward the expo, arriving just as Brock reached the gates. "Ash, Chloe! What are you doing here?"
"I saw the explosion from the center!" Ash shouted, staring at the locked doors.
"How do we get in?" "I have the access card," Brock said, his face grim. "The alarm triggered my terminal. Officer Jenny should be here soon, but we can't wait."
The trio rushed inside. The resurrection hall was a disaster zone of scorched metal and dense smoke. Ash quickly released Dragonite. "Dragonite, use Hurricane to clear the air!"
The powerful wings swept the smoke away, revealing the wreckage. The machine was a blackened husk. On the floor lay a few jagged orange shards. Ash knelt down, his heart sinking as he picked one up. "How could it be... my fossil..."
Chloe felt a pang of grief. If the amber was destroyed, surely her Sail Fossil was gone too. She reached out, gently patting Ash's back to comfort him.
But Brock was looking at the machine differently. He pointed to two large, jagged holes in the side of the hall's wall.
"Don't be sad yet, Ash. Look at those holes. Your Pokémon might have been resurrected after all."
[Cynthia: It seems… we were wrong. The power hidden in that amber wasn't destroyed; it was unleashed.]
[Caitlin: Team Rocket's incompetence actually forced a 'premature' birth. It's a miracle the Pokémon survived.]
[Riley: What Ash and Lucario entered during the battle with Cameron was 'Waveguide Resonance.' Here, we see Ash using that same power to track them. Look at the blue light in his eyes!]
[Professor Cerise: Did you see that? Ash protected Chloe the moment they entered! He's a natural guardian!]
[Caitlin: Stop it, Professor! Don't make me ask Cynthia to seal your chat permissions again!]
The three friends split up. Brock went to intercept the source of the noise, while Ash and Chloe headed toward the back of the museum.
Deep in the shadows, Ash's ears caught a faint, crystalline sound. A small, light-blue dinosaur-like figure was shivering near a display case. It had large, wing-like membranes above its eyes and skin that shimmered like fresh snow.
"Amaura!" Ash whispered. "Chloe, that's your fossil! The Sail Fossil was resurrected!"
Chloe looked at the small, beautiful creature. "But I don't have a Pokémon ready to fight... and it looks scared."
Amaura let out a mournful cry, her eyes darting around the dark, unfamiliar room. Suddenly, Ash's waveguide senses flared. He didn't have time to explain—he lunged forward, pulling Chloe into a tight embrace as he rolled away from their position.
A pitch-black shadow roared past where they had just been standing. The wind from its passing was cold and sharp. The figure banked in the air, its eyes glowing a predatory purple. Ash stood up, his body shrouded in a faint blue light as he activated his Waveguide.
In the darkness, the creature was revealed: a prehistoric dragon with a rocky, gray body, jagged teeth, and claws designed for rending flesh.
Aerodactyl. The Ancient Sky Overlord.
Unlike the gentle Amaura, this Aerodactyl was a creature of pure, ancient malice. It had just been ripped from its era into a world of metal and glass, and its first instinct was to hunt.
[Lance: So the amber was an Aerodactyl? That's a creature that dominated the ancient skies with sheer brutality!]
[Steven Stone: My one took me weeks to tame. Even among Fossil Pokémon, Aerodactyl are notoriously stubborn and cruel. Can Ash handle a wild one that just woke up in a state of rage?]
[Diantha: Look at Ash's reaction. He isn't scared. He's... excited?]
In the Footage—
"Chloe, command Pikachu to keep Amaura safe! Lucario, I need your help!" Ash released his newly evolved partner.
Lucario faced the Aerodactyl, his fur bristling. He could feel the murderous intent rolling off the ancient bird. This wasn't a sparring match; it was a survival struggle.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" The blue orb illuminated the dark hall, but Aerodactyl was fast. It summoned Rock Slide, huge boulders crashing into the energy sphere and creating a smokescreen. Aerodactyl dived through the haze, aiming for a sneak attack.
But it had underestimated the bond. Ash and Lucario, sharing their vision through the waveguide, saw the dragon's heat signature clearly.
"Now! Behind you!" Lucario spun, a second Aura Sphere slamming directly into Aerodactyl's chest. As the dragon fell, Lucario closed the distance. "Bullet Punch!"
A storm of metallic fists rained down on the Aerodactyl, pinning it to the floor. The ancient predator wailed in frustration and pain.
On the other side of the room, Pikachu had used a precise Thunderbolt to gently subdue the frightened Amaura, who was now shivering less.
Ash walked toward the fallen Aerodactyl. Even pinned, the dragon snapped its jaws at him. Ash didn't flinch. He reached out and placed his hand firmly on the dragon's head.
Aerodactyl tried to bite, but a surge of Ash's own physical strength—the power of a boy who could carry a Larvitar and resist a Charizard's Flamethrower—forced the dragon's head down.
"Listen to me," Ash said, his voice soft but firm. "I know you're scared. You woke up, and everything you knew was gone. Your home, your sky, your rivals... they're all dust. This is the modern world."
Aerodactyl froze. For the first time, it felt a presence that didn't just want to fight it, but to understand it.
"I want to be a Pokémon Master," Ash continued, loosening his grip. "I want to be friends with everyone. If you want to see what this new world has to offer, come with me. If you hate it, you can leave. But let's try being partners first."
The dragon looked into Ash's eyes. In the law of the ancient jungle, strength was everything. This human had defeated him, yet showed no malice. Aerodactyl slowly closed its eyes and lowered its head in submission.
Meanwhile, Chloe had approached Amaura with a gentle tone, stroking its sail. Between Chloe's kindness and Pikachu's "electrifying" personality, the little ice dragon felt safe.
[Lance: He did it... he tamed an Aerodactyl in minutes. It took me ten days of 'communicating' to get mine to even stop biting!]
[Sabrina: Did you communicate with your mouth or your fists, Lance? Ash used both. He used 'Reason' as a verb.]
[Caitlin: Exactly. For an ancient predator, words are cheap. Ash showed absolute force first, then absolute affection. That's the only language they speak.]
[Professor Cerise: They both gained a new partner! This is a perfect end to the trip!]
In the Footage—
The morning after the chaos, the museum was a mess, but the curator was just happy the Pokémon were safe. Brock had successfully sent Team Rocket "blasting off" again—the usual routine for old friends.
With two new members added to their team, Ash and Chloe headed back to the institute.
The bond between them had deepened, and for the world watching, the image of Ash's Lucario standing next to his new Aerodactyl was a terrifying glimpse at the power the Alola Champion was amassing for the final tournament.
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