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"Jigglypuff..."
Jigglypuff, who had appeared so tough just moments before, couldn't help but leap into Ash's arms when it saw the frightening scene unfolding before them.
Ash recognized these Pokemon immediately - they were Kabutops and Kabuto, ancient Pokemon that had lived millions of years ago. Under normal circumstances, these creatures should have been fossilized long ago, their bodies preserved only in stone.
However, these particular Pokemon had somehow avoided extinction. The underground environment of Grampa Canyon must have provided them with the perfect conditions to survive, allowing them to maintain their living state throughout the ages instead of becoming mere fossils.
"What... what are those things?!" Jessie and James clung to each other in terror as they witnessed the scene, their voices shaking with fear.
"Those are Kabuto and Kabutops, meow! They've been extinct for millions of years," Meowth explained, his own voice trembling slightly.
"Then why are they still alive and moving around?" Jessie asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The sight of so many supposedly extinct Pokemon emerging from the darkness was more than unsettling - it was downright terrifying.
"The real problem is... they don't look very happy to see us right now!" James pointed out, noticing the aggressive postures of the ancient Pokemon surrounding them.
"Well, since you were looking for fossils, here's your chance to play with the real thing! I won't be sticking around for this!" Ash said with a slight smirk, then turned around and began walking away. The appearance of these Kabuto and Kabutops meant that other fossil Pokemon might be lurking in the underground caverns as well.
It was likely that Gary and the others had encountered similar situations, so there was no time to waste dealing with Team Rocket's predicament.
"Wait just a minute, you little brat! That's completely unfair!" Jessie called out angrily when she saw Ash preparing to leave. She spun around to stop him, but Ash had already disappeared into the cave passage.
"Get over here now!!!" James suddenly shouted urgently, causing Jessie to quickly turn her attention back to the immediate threat.
As soon as she turned around, she saw both Kabuto and Kabutops rushing toward them with obvious hostile intent.
"Ahhhhhh!!!" Their terrified screams echoed through the cavern.
After leaving that particular area, Ash could hear harsh, shrill cries echoing from behind him, but he chose to ignore them. Team Rocket had gotten themselves into this mess, and they would have to find their own way out. Perhaps Gary and the other main characters from the anime would face similar dangers, but they were all capable trainers who could handle themselves.
Now that Kabuto and Kabutops had awakened, it was clear that other Pokemon might have been disturbed as well. The underground cave system was becoming increasingly active and dangerous.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the cavern - not the heavy footfalls of Pokemon, but clearly human footsteps approaching from somewhere ahead.
"Huh?" Ash listened carefully to determine the direction of the sound, quickly locating its source and heading toward another fork in the tunnel system.
The two figures met suddenly around a bend, and both were startled, nearly reaching for their Poke Balls in surprise.
"Ash??" Green breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized who it was.
"Green? Are you alright?" Ash asked, equally relieved to see a familiar face.
"I'm fine, but where are the others?" Green responded, then noticed that Ash was alone - even Pikachu was nowhere to be seen. "What happened to everyone?"
"I don't know. When I woke up, I was by myself. I have no idea where the others ended up," Ash explained.
"We don't have time to discuss this now - we need to leave immediately!" Green said with urgency, her expression serious as she gestured for them to move.
"You've encountered them too, haven't you?" Ash asked, glancing behind Green. He could hear rustling sounds coming from the dark cave passage she had emerged from.
"Yes! Let's go first! There are too many of them to handle!" Green confirmed Ash's suspicions without wasting any more time on explanations.
Green motioned for them to move, and both trainers quickened their pace as they headed toward other passages. Fortunately, the underground cave appeared to have been excavated by these fossil Pokemon over countless years, creating a maze-like network of interconnected tunnels and chambers.
Without this complex layout, there would be nowhere to hide or escape. The two chose an alternate route, temporarily evading the fossil Pokemon that had been pursuing Green.
The sound of rushing water grew louder as they moved deeper into the cave system. While avoiding their pursuers and searching for traces of their missing companions, they hadn't found any other people, but they had discovered something else entirely - an underground river.
Before them stretched a vast underground lake filled with spring water. Additional passages branched off to the left and right, while behind them lay the direction they had come from. The problem now was determining which path to take next.
"What should we do now that we've reached another fork in the road? Maybe we should split up to cover more ground?" Green suggested as she surveyed the multiple passages around them.
"No! If we get separated again and lost, it will be much harder to find each other," Ash replied, shaking his head. In a place like this, splitting up would be dangerous, especially if either of them encountered more fossil Pokemon alone.
"But right now we need to..." Green began to argue.
"Shhh!!" Ash suddenly sensed something was wrong and quickly interrupted her, signaling for silence as he listened carefully to their surroundings.
The sound of water lapping against the shore grew more pronounced, and Ash's attention was drawn to the underground lake before them. The surface of the water, which had been dark due to the dim lighting in the cave, suddenly began to glow with pairs of red lights.
Every pair of red lights seemed to be watching them intently, and Green quickly noticed the ominous development as well.
"What is that?!" Green exclaimed in surprise as the sound of water movement became stronger and more aggressive. Soon, dark shadows began emerging from the water, appearing to stand on the surface itself.
In front of them were groups of Pokemon with spiral shells on their backs, featuring large eyes beneath their shells. Their bodies were blue mollusks with blue tentacles extending from their forms.
There were also some larger specimens with many spikes protruding from their shells, and their coloring appeared much darker and more menacing.
"Those are Omanyte and Omastar!" Ash's eyes narrowed as he immediately recognized the two Pokemon species before them.
Omanyte and Omastar were also ancient Pokemon from the same prehistoric era as Kabuto and Kabutops. Like their land-dwelling counterparts, they were also considered extinct species that should only exist as fossils.
"This is never-ending!" Green couldn't help but express her frustration. At this point, she wasn't feeling any excitement about encountering ancient Pokemon - it was obvious that these creatures posed a serious threat to their safety.
"They can't move as easily on land as they can in water, so we need to leave quickly before they reach the shore!" Ash observed.
Omastar and Omanyte, like Kabutops and Kabuto, were dual Water and Rock-type Pokemon capable of moving both on land and in water. However, their movement abilities on land were significantly more limited compared to Kabuto and Kabutops, giving the two trainers a potential advantage.
Ash decided they should retreat immediately before the aquatic Pokemon could fully emerge from their underwater domain and give chase on the rocky cave floor.