Two Hundred and Ten

Family Fossils

Third Person's POV

"Brother?" Ash raises an eyebrow.

"You could say that we're from opposite sides of the moon," He chuckles. "Call me Eilmer by the way."

"If you're opposites that means he isn't here right?" Dawn frowns.

"I find comfort in lab papers and experiments," Eilmer leads them around display cases of various minerals, subconsciously making hand gestures around them. "Roark prefers a more down to Earth style of coping. Literally."

"Mining," Dawn mumbles and Eilmer turns his head to nod.

"That's where you'll find him," The slender and cleaned up man states. "But I suggest you let me explain a bit further."

The group continues through the museum until coming to a higher level. They enter a futuristic looking science lab with fancy machines and lots of white lab coats. "I've lived here with my family ever since I was born," Eilmer starts.

"My mom was a scientist before—"

Ash and Dawn share a somber look as they notice him freeze up.

"Now I run this lab," Eilmer smiles and leads them to a machine. "And with the help of countless years of research, we achieved the ultimate dream of connecting my family's two worlds."

"My dad was the gym leader of Oreburgh before my brother took over," Eilmer starts up the machine. "There was a definite split in our family. The two tough living miners and battlers, and my mother and I who to most people in this town were merely researchers."

"But then we took their work and used our research to create something monumental out of it," Eilmer declares with a prouder voice than before. "A fossil restoration machine."

"That's amazing!" Ash awes the machine. "I'm sure everyone was really proud of your work."

"They were," He sighs and opens the latch on the machine. "There was that sense that I was actually doing meaningful things for the town. But slowly things have been falling apart."

"When Roark took over the Oreburgh Mine, fossil production dropped for no apparent reason."

"They also haven't uncovered any new species. Oreburgh City isn't making the news everyday like it was and that hurts everybody because we get a lot more visitors when we do."

"We are situated in a weird and easily avoidable place so all of our town's businesses relied on us bringing people in."

The machine suddenly flares up in a bright light and a depressurization sound is heard. A brief smile appears on Eilmer's face before continuing with the story and working the machine.

"Spirits are at an all time low right now and my dad didn't exactly help the situation..."

"I think I get it," Dawn gives him a sympathetic look. "All Oreburgh needs is a little pick me up. What do you say Ash?"

"I can't have a gym battle without a gym leader," Ash smiles. "And I'm sure this will be fun anyways."

"You guys don't have to do this," Eilmer states. "I can just give you a gym badge."

Dawn and Ash look at each other quickly before nodding in agreement. "No," Ash says. "I want to earn my gym badges the right way and helping out your town is going to be an added bonus."