Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

After all, for the people of Nibi City who have dealt with rocks and the ground for generations, tomb raiding is...

Oh no, he meant archaeology, and they're professionals in that field!

"I see!"

Upon hearing Xiao Gang's explanation, Xiao Zhi was startled.

"No wonder this sounded so familiar! Isn't this the civilization that suddenly disappeared without a trace!"

"Correct."

Yu Longdu, who had been silent all along, also spoke up, confirming what the two had said.

He put his hands in his pockets, his gaze calmly fixed on the floor plan.

As a member of the Dragon Clan, you can say he has low emotional intelligence, but you can't say he lacks knowledge.

Ancient traditions and advanced knowledge are compulsory courses for them from a young age.

And it's a real exam, a closed-book one, and Dragonite isn't even allowed to pass notes to anyone during the exam!

"So, how did they disappear?"

Xiaoxia tilted her head to look at the strange symbols in the picture.

"War? Plague? Or... something else?"

"That's a good question!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Hui's expression immediately turned serious.

He placed his hands on either side of the table and leaned slightly forward.

"According to the mainstream academic view, it was a natural disaster, such as a major earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption, that wiped out the entire civilization overnight."

His gaze swept over the crowd, and he slowed his tone.

"but--"

He paused, then pointed his finger heavily at the red circled area in the center of the image.

"According to my latest findings, they were not destroyed by a natural disaster!"

"But they were destroyed by the gigantic Pokémon they created themselves."

Zheng Hui said, emphasizing each word.

"The gigantic Pokémon went out of control, and the resulting disaster destroyed everything in a very short time."

After all, humans at that time did not yet have mature Poké Ball technology.

Already at a disadvantage in battles against Pokémon, the appearance of giant Pokémon only exacerbated the situation, leaving them completely overwhelmed and unable to fight back.

"In this way, it becomes understandable that a huge Pokémon image often appears on the stone carvings they left behind."

"At first, I also thought it was just a worship of Pokémon's power, or a myth."

"After comparing the patterns on the stinging jellyfish with those of unearthed artifacts, I'm now at least 50% certain that my guess is correct!"

As for what constitutes 50%, it's because it's either right or wrong.

Divide it in half, that's fifty percent!

"Then...would it be safer for just one Heavenly King of Light to come?"

Hearing this, Xiaoxia felt a little scared.

"I didn't mean anything by it!"

"After all, it's something that destroyed an entire civilization! What if we're digging and one suddenly jumps out..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

"Don't worry about that."

Zheng Hui waved his hand, his tone becoming more relaxed.

"They are not as powerful as you think."

"Although it destroyed an entire civilization, ancient civilizations would be nothing more than a few villages in modern times, with a population that might not even be as large as a small town today."

"Furthermore, after all these years, even if that gigantic Pokémon is still alive, even if it is still sleeping under the ruins, its strength should be greatly reduced."

"With declining energy, physical aging, and being buried for thousands of years, it's impossible for him to still be in his prime."

"Moreover, our technological level has also improved a lot since then."

Poké Balls, special Pokémon food, and the development of various skills...

All these factors combined mean that the Pokémon trained by modern trainers have a combined combat strength that far surpasses their ancient counterparts who relied on nature for survival.

"Brother Du is really strong! What's there to be afraid of with Brother Du around!"

Xiao Zhi patted his chest, his tone full of trust.

"Roar?"

Dragonite asked a question and tugged at Ash's clothes.

"...Dragonite and Lance are really strong! With them around, what are you afraid of!"

Ash quickly added the finishing touch and gave Dragonite a thumbs up.

Hearing its name appear before Lance's, Dragonite snorted contentedly and gently swept its tail across the ground.

Du nodded.

He looked down at the Poké Ball at his waist, then looked up at the dusty construction site in the distance.

That's a good point.

Leaving aside the venomous jellyfish... wasn't the giant Dragonite also avoiding its attacks?

As a top-tier dragon-type king, he certainly has that much confidence.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic."

Zheng Hui drew their attention back to the floor plan and put his hand back on it.

"The area we are excavating is on the edge of the center, which is relatively safe."

"The most dangerous core area is—"

He pointed to a spot marked with a red circle in the center of the picture.

"here."

"This is also the last area we will excavate. Before that, I hope everyone will take a walk around the construction site and find anything that is not right in time."

"For example, abnormal ground vibrations, unexplained noises, or Pokémon suddenly becoming agitated are all warning signs."

Zhenghui patiently explained.

"Once an anomaly is detected, evacuate immediately and notify others."

"Understood!"

Xiao Zhi nodded seriously.

"Pikachu! Pikachu!"

Pikachu also clenched its little fists.

"Okay, let's leave it at that for now."

"If anything seems amiss, come to me anytime. I'm usually in the temporary office next to the tool shed."

.......

Each person had their own duties.

He then began to inspect the site.

Needless to say, Xiao Zhi is naturally a restless person.

He said he was just inspecting the area, but before he knew it, he rolled up his sleeves and started digging with the workers.

Their physical condition speaks for itself.

Aside from not eating dirt, Ash's digging speed is even faster than that of most Ground/Rock-type Pokémon.

The workers watching were stunned and exclaimed that they should share some of their wages with Xiaozhi.

Brock wasn't idle either; he immediately summoned his Pokémon and started eating.

Xiaoxia even summoned Pokémon to cool everyone down.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

With everyone's concerted efforts, the outline of the ruins gradually emerged from the thick layer of soil.

Looking around, there were broken bricks and tiles everywhere, piled up in layers, as if a world-destroying battle had taken place.

The shattered stone pillars lay scattered about, and where there should have been walls, only sections of broken ruins remained.

Almost none of the stone slabs on the ground were intact; cracks and dents were visible everywhere.

It's a little disappointing that the giant Pokémon we imagined didn't appear.

It neither suddenly sprang from underground nor lay dormant in the deepest part of the ruins awaiting awakening.

Instead, they unearthed quite a few wild rock snakes and golems that were several times larger than usual.

These big guys had clearly taken the ruins for their own territory and were sleeping soundly when suddenly someone ripped the roof off them. As they crawled out of the rubble, they were all grumpy from being woken up.

But all he can do is be grumpy when he wakes up, since Ash and Lance are both here.

Those who know the current affairs are handsome.

Wild Pokémon whose homes have been dug up dare not say anything.

After Ash promised to find them a place with beautiful soil and water, they joined the digging army since they had nothing else to do.

.......

On the third day, around 3 p.m.

A shout, slightly Nibi-style, suddenly came from the ruins.