From: TheRunt <therunt411@aol.com> Subject: [PW!][Repost] Time to get dirty... (Part 5 of 5) Date: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 3:07 PM (This is Part 5 of a compilation repost of the "[Canyon] Time to get dirty..." thread. For your convenience, a summary of this episode appears at the bottom.) The group enters the Visitor's Center and locates one of the technicians in the makeshift facility. He looks them over before speaking, "Looks like you've already done some digging today. I assume that means you're here to have some fossils revived?" "What if we aren't here to have fossils revived?" Christy asked. The man looks at her closely. After a moment, he blinks a few times to regain his composure and replies, "Then you're in the wrong spot. The showers are in the Pokémon Center and the pamphlets are just outside the door. Is there something that I missed?" "Actually," says Damian as he rummages through his backpack, "I don't know about anybody else, but I want to revive the fossil that I found - Here it is." He pulls the blasted fossil of a Kabutops head from the pack. "That's an unusual find. I probably should've expected that from a kid coated in dirt and dust with a Magnemite circling his head." Damian is only able to give a sheepish grin in response to the observation. "This hole looks recent - it's not smooth, which would indicate the damage happened a long time ago and has worn down. It also doesn't have any pit marks that would indicate the damage was done by tools during excavation. Do you have any idea how this might have happened?" "A... Hyper Beam, " replies Damian. The man gives Damian a quizzical look upon hearing this. "I guess I really don't need to know about that. I'll go see if there are any cell imprints viable for cloning. And, if there are, you'll have your Kabutops in a couple of hours." Damian nods his understanding, his face inexplicably changes into a confused expression. "Kabutops? Why not a Kabuto?" The technician sighs and explains, "The science of cloning isn't advanced enough yet, we haven't been able to figure out how to alter the cellular structure of a clone. All we can give you is the same cellular characteristics as the scanned cell. This includes membrane conductivity, damaged RNA and DNA, general cellular age and any other characteristics. Heck, even the equipment we have here isn't all that advanced - All it can do is scan the cell and reconstruct it, it can't even give analysis results of what it scans. If you want to find out any of that, you'll have to go to the lab on Cinnabar Island. Are you still sure you want to have it revived now?" Damian, somewhat overwhelmed and sure he was probably missing something, uneasily replies, "Uh, yeah, sure. Go ahead." The technician turned to the rest of the group. "Somebody else interested in getting a fossil revived?" As Damian walks over to chair and slumps down into it, Runt steps forward "Yah, I do -- Hey Rolly, a little help?" He squats to give his Pokémon better access to his backpack, then continues. "I believe it's a Kabuto - I found it after a little run in with some Rockets..." Rolly hands the technician the fossil and Runt stands back up. "Oh, yes.." says the technician as begins examining the fossil, "We've been trying our best to keep Team Rocket out of the canyon, but they keep getting in - Hope they weren't too much trouble..." Runt glances back to his companions then answers, "Nothing we couldn't handle." "It's quite an exquisite specimen - it's tough to find one so intact. Are you sure you want to revive this now?" Runt nods. "Very well - anyone else?" Meanwhile, Damian is lost in thought - A lot has happened to him in a short time. The trip to Grandpa Canyon from Celadon wasn't exactly short. Getting caught in a small explosion of rock and debris when a Dragonite blasts a canyon wall can cause a little wear, too. Finally, getting shot at can take a little something out of a person the first time it happens. Thinking about getting shot at reminds him of something. He tries to regard the Magnemite circling his head. This doesn't work too well, so he opts to just speak out loud to it and hope it'll figure out that it was being spoken to. "I thought when you first started circling my head that you were just an annoyance and I had to figure out how to make you stop being a pain. Not only did you help me dig in the canyon there, but you also saved my life when Team Rocket showed up. I owe you a lot. I don't know exactly what I can do for you, but the least I can do is give you a name." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't think it should be something like a person's name, they don't seem to carry much meaning these days. It probably shouldn't be something too grand and mythical either, that seems pretty empty, too. It should fit you, show just how impressive you are without wasting any words." A smile spreads across Damian's face and he pulls out his Pokédex. He begins to press buttons. "I know, it's perfect. I said you were bulletproof when you stopped that bullet. It's not exactly correct, but that's what you are. Your name is Bulletproof - What do you think?" For once, the Magnemite stops and looks Damian directly in the eye. Its body tilts forward like someone bowing their head and it says one thing, "Mag." It shows no other sign of emotion, but continues on as it has been, circling Damian's head. Damian then looks over to see what everyone else is doing. "Excuse me," says Sarah Jane as she hands the Nidoran's leashes to her Mr. Mime. She take the egg out of her pack and unwraps it. "Could you identify this egg?" asks Sarah Jane. "Hmm..." The technician takes the egg and begins examining it. "This looks like a prime example of a fossilized Aerodactyl egg. Too bad we haven't had much luck with reviving fossilized eggs." "Are you sure it's not alive?" asks Sarah Jane. "Absolutely, without the warmth of the mother, it's nearly impossible for an egg to survive," affirms the technician. Sarah Jane looks at him uncertainly. Her instincts - her abilities - keep telling her that there's something alive inside the egg. "Has anyone ever raised a baby Aerodactyl before?" she inquires. "If I remember correctly, a scientist managed to revive a male and a female Aerodactyl from fossils...and bred some that way," he replies. "Cool," says Christy. "Could people buy them?" "Only for millions of pokébucks," returns the technician. "It's hard to get Aerodactyls to breed in the first place ... and then, they only raise one brood every ten years. According to the research I've read, it takes around 3 years for the young to leave the nest." "That long?" responds Sarah Jane. The man nods. "In fact, one of the elite four has one of the first bred Aerodactyls." "Do you know where I can find the book about the Aerodactyls?" asks Sarah Jane as she rewraps her egg carefully. "They might have it in the souvenir tent," he replies. "Some people who find Aerodactyl fossils want it, hoping they can find a pair of fossils, or another trainer, and try to breed them." "Thanks," says Sarah Jane as she retrieves Cuddles and Spunky's leashes from Shields, exhausted from having to chase them around the room. "What about the fossils you found back in Mount Moon?" Jon asks her. "Those are in storage," says Sarah Jane. "I may as well wait until we get to Cinnabar Island." She turns to her friends. "Any of you want to join me at the souvenir tent?" "I will," said Christy. "Sure, why not..." adds Runt. "That guy didn't know what he was talking about," says Sarah Jane as they walk to the souvenir tent. "What do you mean?" asks Christy. "There IS something alive inside this egg. Maybe it was hidden in a place warm enough to keep it alive ... or just long enough to keep it dormant. I'd like to try to find that book. My grandfather is a Pokémon researcher. Maybe he knows the Author." Inside the tent, while Sarah Jane looks over the book rack, the rest of the group goes browsing. Sarah Jane finds a book about Aerodactyls and looks it over. She pays the clerk, then waits for everyone to finish their souvenir shopping. "Ready to go?" asked Damian. "Got what I came for," says Runt, lifting his Grandpa's Canyon Pokéball paint set. "Sure." returns Sarah Jane. "Where to now?" asked Christy. "How about Fuchsia?" Damian suggests. Jon nods, "Good for me." Runt quickly surveys the group, "No protests? Let's go." As the group starts walking down the dusty road, Jon digs around in his backpack. "Pokéball, Pokédex, Pokémon... wait, get out of there, Vulpix... Pokéfood, Pokémoss... huh?... Poké Poké, Poké-condensed-dry-milk, Poké-trainer food, a Game Boy, and...ah ha! PokéPins." He runs to the front of the group, walking backwards. After nearly tripping, he decides to sit on his Ninetales instead. "Guys... I bought these pins back on the SS Anne." He nods. "They're for my closest and dearest friends, after 6 months of living, eating, and livin' la Vida Poke together." Christy and Runt open their mouths to protest, but Jon raises a hand to silence them. "I know, you've only been with us for a little while - but, you've become as much a part of this group as any Sarah Jane, Damian, or myself. I count you both as friends. That last Rocket battle proved you true -- Take these." Jon tosses a pin to each of his friends. "Official Pokémon League Pins. Forged with the breath of a Charizard, Nice," comments Damian. They resume walking down the dusty road, all through the day. As dusk begins to fall, Fuschia City begins to shine past the next hill. <To Be Continued...> Summary: Damian and Runt get their fossils cloned/resurrected, Sarah Jane learns more about her egg, and Jon passes out Official Pokémon League Pins. _______________________________________________________________ "Slow and steady wins the race."