Chapter 55: The Centimeter‑Sized Giant Claw Crab

"Alright, alright, that'll do for now." On the video call, Professor Oak waved, a bowl of unfinished tofu soup still in front of him, "I've received the Giant Claw Crab you sent over, and I'll record the data and look after it properly. Honestly, I still don't get it—your six Pokemon aren't complete yet, so why are you in such a hurry to send the Giant Claw Crab? You can't be trying to tempt me, wanting me to taste the crab claws, can you?"

Huo La looked at the screen at Professor Oak, whose face showed a hint of "disdain" but couldn't hide curiosity, and couldn't help laughing: "Doctor, you're overthinking it. I just think recording the data at your place is more professional. I'm busy learning from Dr. Zheng Hui here, and I'm afraid I can't take care of it."

"Hmph, I'll give you credit for having a conscience." Professor Oak snorted, then softened his tone, "But you kid really hit the jackpot—Zheng Hui may be top‑notch in knowledge, but he's extremely reclusive; he usually wouldn't even bother to see a League researcher at his door. Yet now he's willing to let you stay at the Lighthouse and even bring you along to study some 'Ancient Pokemon'. That's an opportunity others could never obtain. Take the chance to ask him plenty of questions, don't waste it."

"Yes, yes, I got it, I'll definitely learn more from Dr. Zheng Hui." Huo La nodded quickly, but inwardly muttered that it wasn't luck at all—it was the topics of "fried noodles" and "Super Ancient Dragonite" that sparked Zheng Hui's interest.

"You, you, have always been full of ideas and meticulous since childhood." Professor Oak looked at him, a mix of helplessness and pleased amusement in his eyes, "If I didn't know you have no blood relation to Red at all, I'd think you were his actual younger brother—the same stubborn, inquisitive drive he has."

Huo La let out a scoffing laugh, quickly changing the subject: "Doctor, I still need to verify data with Dr. Zheng Hui, so shall we stop talking for now?"

He didn't want the conversation to drift back to "whether he's like Red"—after all, his goals and path are completely different from Red's.

"Fine, let's hang up." Professor Oak waved his hand, then suddenly remembered something and added, "By the way, if you actually see that massive Dragonite, remember to take plenty of photos for me! I want to see what the Pokemon that haunts Zheng Hui's thoughts actually looks like!"

"Don't worry, Doctor, I'll definitely take them!"

After ending the video call, Huo La just put away his phone when Zheng Hui emerged from the Observation Room, a stack of documents in his arms, his face alight with excitement: "Huo La! I just flipped through a ten‑year‑old Marine Archaeology Report that mentioned gigantic Pokemon scales discovered in deep‑sea rock layers!"

Huo La reached for the documents, his eyes landing on a yellowed photo—the scales in the image were embedded in dark‑gray rock, the edges shimmering with a dull metallic sheen, the exposed portion already the size of a basin, letting one imagine how astonishing the full scale must be.

His gaze instantly brightened, his finger lightly brushed the photo's edge, and a clear judgment formed in his mind: this is definitely not a Dragonite scale.

After all, Dragonite's body is covered with smooth orange‑yellow skin, with no scales at all—a fact even rookie Trainers know.

Yet the existence of this massive scale actually confirmed his earlier hypothesis—sleeping Super Ancient Pokemon in this world are certainly more than just Dragonite, Alakazam, or Gengar. Perhaps in the deep sea, in Volcano Depth, or even in untouched primeval forests, there are more gigantic "Ancient Fossils" hidden away.

He instinctively ruled out the possibility of Kyogre—this legendary Divine Beast that governs the ocean also lacks scales, its body covered in smooth blue skin, which doesn't match the clearly patterned scale in the photo.

So which Pokemon could it be? A Super Ancient Gyarados? Or an unrecorded ancient Water-type Pokemon?

"So? Does this scale match the Ancient Pokemon you mentioned?" Zheng Hui leaned in, his eyes full of anticipation, "I've compared the scale data of all large Pokemon in the League database, and none match it—what do you think, could this be a trace left by an undiscovered Super Ancient Pokemon?"

"Very possible." Huo La nodded, passing the documents back to Zheng Hui, "The size of this scale perfectly proves that Ancient Pokemon aren't isolated cases; later, for some reason, they either died or went dormant, leaving only scattered traces."

Zheng Hui thumped his thigh, "You're right. If we can find the owner of this scale, we might piece together a more complete Super Ancient ecosystem map!"

He cradled the documents, pacing excitedly, "Tomorrow I'll contact the Archaeology Team, ask them for the exact location where the scale was found back then! Maybe we can follow the clues and uncover more evidence!"

Huo La watched his excitement without dampening it—he knew that searching for such ancient traces often depends on luck and may not yield immediate results.

But finding indirect evidence that Ancient Pokemon aren't just one kind is already a pleasant surprise.

"Don't rush, Doctor." Huo La said with a smile, "Let's wait for that Dragonite to appear first. If we can observe it up close, even record its genetic fragments, and compare them with this scale's data, we might find the connection faster."

Zheng Hui stopped, thought it reasonable, and nodded, "Indeed! That Dragonite is the most direct 'living evidence'! When we see it, we must seize the chance!"

At that moment, Xiao Gang carried a steaming plate of baked fruit, the golden skins still glistening with crystal honey, the sweet aroma instantly filling the Observation Room: "Come try! I marinated it in honey for a while before baking—crispy outside, tender inside, sweet but not cloying!"

Huo La and Zheng Hui were immediately drawn by the scent, each reaching for a piece—one bite revealed the fruit's fresh sweetness mingling with honey's richness, the texture truly superb.

Zheng Hui chewed while vaguely praising, "Xiao Gang, your skill is outstanding! Even better than the restaurant I ate at in Vermilion City before!"

Xiao Gang smiled with his eyes squinting, and handed them two more: "If you like it, have more; there's plenty!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the beach, Ash and his two companions had just emerged from dense jungle onto soft sand. The trio existed because Lilian decided to travel with Ash and Xiao Xia.

"What's with the weather? It was fine a moment ago, why does it suddenly turn gloomy?" Xiao Xia looked up at the gray sky, her brows furrowing, "Look at those clouds; it seems a storm's coming. We need to find shelter quickly!"

Lilian scanned along the coastline and soon pointed to a white building perched on the rocks not far away: "There's a Lighthouse over there! We can stay there for the night, perfect to avoid the storm."

"Lighthouse? Good idea!" Ash nodded immediately, about to step forward, when a movement at his feet caught his attention—a Pokemon about a size smaller than a typical Giant Claw Crab was crawling sideways across the beach, its claws gently sifting the sand.

Ash immediately crouched, pulled out the Pokemon Pokedex and aimed at it; a mechanical electronic voice blared, "Giant Claw Crab, Crab Pokemon, inhabits coastal areas, average height 40 centimeters, feeds on small aquatic creatures, claws are powerful."

He closed the Pokédex, stared at the Giant Claw Crab for a while, rubbing his chin, muttering, "That's not right; the Pokédex says average 40 centimeters, but this one looks just over 20 centimeters. Could it be underdeveloped?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Giant Claw Crab he called "underdeveloped" abruptly halted, its tiny eyes fixed on Ash's back, claws clicking "clack clack" as they opened and closed, apparently enraged by the words "tiny one". It arched its body and snapped a small but forceful claw at Ash's ankle.

A fated encounter, inevitable.