Pokemon Learning League
An Excavation of Discovery (Fossilization)
Written By
Timothy Whitfield
(Episodes begins with a wide overview shot of Hoenn Route 112 on a clear sunny afternoon without a single cloud in the sky, and a few where we see Brock, Clemont, Tracey, Zinnia, Aster, Iris and Axew walking along the path, then they stop to observe a harras of wild Ponyta & two Rapidash grazing on some grass and the two feed some to the younger foals. Tracey whips out his sketchbook and starts sketching.)
Tracey: Now, this is a very tender moment.
Clemont: You said it, Tracey.
Iris: How old do you think some of them are?
Brock: Probably over a year old, judging from their size.
Iris: Yeah, I see it now.
(Tracey finishes up his sketch on the heard.)
Tracey: All right, that should do it.
Zinnia: Wow, that was fast, Tracey. Mind if we looked at it?
Tracey: Not at all. Here.
(He shows them the completed sketch.)
Iris: Wow! It looks amazing.
Axew (agreeing): Axew.
Zinnia (complementing): Yeah. You're really talented.
Aster: Whis-mur.
Tracey (flattered): Aww, thank you, guys.
Clemont: All right, let's get moving.
(They resume along the path. Two minutes later, as they continue along, they spot a heard of Numel and two Camerupt resting in a shady spot, letting off steam from their humps.)
Brock: Wow! Now, there's a sight you don't see often.
Zinnia (agreeing): Yeah.
Aster (agreeing): Whis-mur.
(Just then, they hear a nearby rustling in the tall grass.)
Iris: Who's in there?
Tracey: I have no idea, Iris. Let's just wait and see.
(They watch the grass carefully, and then… Siara emerges from out of the grass.)
Siara: Hey, there everyone.
Zinnia: Hi, Siara. What are you doing here?
Siara: Well, right now, obviously the same thing you're doing.
Brock: Yeah, we could tell.
Siara: (chuckles.) But in all seriousness, I'm actually here on a fossil excavation.
Clemont (interested): Really?
Siara: That's right. Up in the mountains outside of the desert, there are fossilized extinct Pokemon just waiting to be unearthed.
Zinnia: Oh, sounds cool. Could we come with you?
Siara: I was hoping you'd ask that. Now, let's get going.
All (excited): YEAH!
Axew (excited): Axew!
Aster (excited): Whis!
(They go along the path to the mountains. Cross-fade to eleven minutes later, and they arrive to the foot entrance to the desert. Just then, a guy named Warren, who has red hair, amber eyes, and is wearing protective goggles, a fedora, a light brown short-sleeved shirt & short, black shoes and covered in sand, walking up towards them.)
Warren: Hello, there. I take it you're about to go through the desert, correct?
Clemont: Yep. We're going for a fossil excavation up in the mountains.
Warren: Ahh, cool. Well, you'd better be careful getting there. There's a raging sandstorm in the desert just outside.
Siara: Okay, thanks for the warning.
Warren: No problem.
(He walks away down to Mauville City.)
Siara: You know, I thought something like this would occur.
(She takes off her backpack, goes through it and pulls out a special pair of weather-resistant goggles.)
Zinnia: Those are cool, Siara
Siara: Thanks, but unfortunately, I only have one pair with me. Sorry, guys.
Iris: That's okay. Clemont has some we can use. (She turns over to Clemont.) Hey, Clemont. Do you have them?
Clemont: I sure do.
(He goes into his backpack and gets five weather-resistant goggles and hands them out.)
Tracey: Thanks, Clemont.
Clemont: You're welcome.
(All of them put their goggles on.)
Brock: Okay, let's do this.
(They head up north into the desert. Moments later, as they trek through and the sandstorm rages on, they stop in their tracks.)
Brock: Man, this storm's getting heavier by the second.
Zinnia: You said it, Brock. (To Siara.) How much further away are the mountains?
Siara: Let me check.
(Siara opens up her map and carefully looks through it. She finds a path leading to the northern exit.)
Siara: Ah-ha. We're not much further now.
Zinnia: Great. Then lead the way.
Siara: You got it.
(They resume trekking through the sand. Cross-dissolve to nine and a half minutes later, where they've reached the end of the desert and exit the sandstorm. They remove their goggles and brush the sand off their clothing.)
Iris: Whew, that was a rough one.
Axew (concurring): Ax-ew.
Zinnia: Yeah, but at least we made it.
Aster: Whis.
(They brush off their goggles and Siara puts hers away, while the others hand theirs back to Clemont, and he puts them back in his bag. Now, they march along the path and arrive at the base of the mountains.)
Siara: Here we are, guys.
(The gang look up at the site of the mountains.)
Brock: Boy, there must be some special ones buried up there.
Siara: Yep. You'd be surprised where you'll uncover some of the most unique ones, and I think we'll find some.
Tracey: So, where are we going to dig?
Siara: There's a great site up that way not too far from here.
(She points in the northeastern direction.)
Brock: All right. Then, let's get moving.
(They start up a path weaving through the mountains. Fade in to seven minutes later, where the six arrive at the digging site. Many people are digging in the ground or on the side of the mountains, some of the uncovered fossilized bones are embedded in the rocks or are covered in tarps and cloths.)
Zinnia: Wow, everyone here's really getting into this.
Brock: Well, that's no surprise there.
Siara: Okay, guys. There's a good section we can dig at right over there.
(She points to one at the far-right end of the site.)
Tracey: Well, let's get this thing started.
(The group walks over to the designated section. Fade in to twelves and a half minutes later, where we see everyone split off, digging at different sections. Just then, as Tracey breaks away more rock, he uncovers what appears to be a piece of bone.)
Tracey (curiously): What's this?
(He breaks at it some more, and them clears away the remaining rock & dirt and uncovers a piece of a Pokemon's mouth.)
Tracey (calling over): Hey, guys! Come over here and look at this!
(Iris, Zinnia, Brock, Clemont and Siara rush over to him.)
Tracey: What sort of Pokemon do you think it was?
Siara: Let me have a look.
(She carefully examines it through her magnifying glass.)
Siara: Yep, I'd have to say it's the mouth of a primitive Wailord.
Zinnia: Oh? How can you tell?
Siara: Look here. You can tell this here is the snout & part of its palate and look at the incisors & the back teeth here. Judging from them, this tell us that these Wailord were far from the modern ones we know today. They were huge predators that used their front teeth to latch on to prey, and then use their back teeth to chew them up.
Tracey: Wow! That's incredible.
Siara: Mmm-hmm, and while we're still on them, if you'd like, would you like to know how fossils are formed?
Clemont: Okay. It sounds intriguing.
Siara: Well, okay then.
(Siara gets the Pokepilot from her pocket, switches it on, scan through and pulls up a detailed piece on fossilization.)
Siara: Now, as you all know, fossils form when certain plants or Pokemon die and are preserved in the right conditions, but what you may not know is that there are multiple processes this can occur. One of which, though very rare, is through freezing, drying and encasement, in which whole-body fossils are formed that preserve the Pokemon's bodily tissues, like in ice or tar, just to name a couple.
(The pictures animate in sync with Siara's words.)
Iris (intrigued): Oh, that sounds interesting.
Siara: Yep. Now, another process that can occur is called distillation, or carbonization. Essentially, what happens is that all the heat & pressure from being buried in sediment can cause the tissue of an organism to release hydrogen & oxygen, thus leaving behind a residue of carbon, and this can give a detailed carbon impression of what it was in the sedimentary rocks.
Tracey: Ah-ha. So, what's the most familiar process?
Siara: Ahh, that would be permineralization, a.k.a. petrification, and this is the most common process that occurs. Once the soft tissues of the organism decays in the sediment, the hard parts, usually the bones, are left behind. Then, water seeps into them, causing the minerals to dissolve in said water, which then seeps into the spaces within, thus the minerals become crystallized and cause the remains to harden along with the rock.
Brock: Ahh, that's how some get trapped in the rocks.
Siara: That's right, but there's one more process to mention, that being replacement, and what happens is the minerals found in groundwater substitute the ones making up the bodily remains after it completely break downs the original hard parts of the organism.
Zinnia: Okay, that one sounds much simpler.
Siara: Mmm-hmm, but it still takes just as long as the others. Oh, and lest I forget, fossils can be formed from molds & casts, as well. If an organism is completely breaks down in the sedimentary, it'll leave an impression of its exterior in the rock, also called an external mold, and if said mold gets filled with other minerals, it turns into a cast. Also, when sediments or minerals fill the internal cavity, like for a shell or a skull, as the remains dissolve, it forms an internal mold.
Tracey: Wow, fossils sure have various ways of forming.
Siara: Indeed, they do, which is precisely why we're doing a bit of trivia before we resume digging.
Iris: Sure thing, Siara.
Axew: Axew.
(Cross-fade to a lower panel, presenting the numerous ways a fossil can be formed.)
Siara: So, you all set, guys?
Clemont: Mmm-hmm, sure are.
Siara: Okay. First off, how are whole-body fossils formed?
Zinnia: Through freezing, drying and encasement.
Siara: You got it, Zinnia. Next up, what causes carbonization to occur?
Brock: The heat & pressure built from sediments cause the Pokemon's tissue to release hydrogen & oxygen and leave behind a residue of carbon.
Siara: Very good, Brock. Now, for petrification, what causes the minerals inside the bones to crystalize?
Iris: Water seeps into them, dissolving the minerals and then it seeps into the spaces inside them.
Siara: Right on, Iris. Next one, what happens to the minerals inside the body during the replacement process?
Tracey: They're substituted with the minerals from the ground water after the hard parts of a Pokemon have broken down.
Siara: You got it, Tracey, and finally, how are the molds of fossils formed?
Clemont: When the Pokemon's body is completely broken down in the sedimentary and leaves an impression of its outsides in the rock.
Siara: You got it, Clemont. Man, you guys did amazing there.
Clemont: Why, thank you Siara.
Siara: You're welcome, Clemont.
(She switches the Pokepilot off and places it back in her pocket.)
Siara: Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get back to digging.
All (determined): YEAH!
Aster (determined): WHIS!
Axew (determined): Ax-ew!
(They raise their fists into the air. Now, we cross-fade to forty-five minutes later, where we see the gang hard at work, digging & picking through the rocks and clearing away the dirt. We pan over to Iris, who has uncovered the bottom half of a giant Shellder's shell. She puts it, along with the top half, together.)
Iris (calling out): Hey, guys! Check this fossil out!
(The others rush over and Iris presents them with the complete fossil of a giant Shellder.)
Brock: Wow! That is one huge Shellder.
Tracey: Yeah, and just imagine how huge a Cloyster must have been.
(He does some sketching in his sketchpad. Fade in to a full hour later, where we find Brock & Clemont digging up more fossils simultaneously via split screen and breaking them out of the rocks. They both cover them up with cloth and brings them over to the others.)
Brock & Clemont: Guys, we found some more.
Siara: All right, calm down you two. Let's do this one at a time.
Clemont: Very well. (He turns over to Brock.) Brock, how about you go first?
Brock: Okay, sure. (He takes a calming deep breath and steps forward.) Here, have a look at these bones.
(He lays out the cloth and gently places them on the ground.)
Brock: I think they're the bones of a Relicanth.
(Siara gets on her legs and carefully studies them.)
Siara: Hmm. Yep, you're absolutely right, Brock. They are indeed from a Relicanth.
Brock (satisfied & happy): Yeah, I knew it. (He turns over to Clemont.) Your turn, Clemont.
Clemont: All right.
(He pulls out two fossils wrapped up in cloth and unravels them to reveal… two gigantic razor-sharp teeth bigger than his own hands.)
All (stunned): Whoa!
Zinnia: Those are some huge teeth!
Iris: You said it. What kind of Pokemon had teeth like this?
Siara: There's only one Pokemon I know of with teeth like that: a Sharpedo.
Brock: Really? Then, they must have been super ferocious.
Siara: You better believe it, and being five times bigger than regular ones, you wouldn't want to meet one, let alone mess around with it.
Tracey: (shudders.) Ooh, I definitely wouldn't.
Zinnia: You know, we've been finding a lot of aquatic Pokemon fossils around here.
Iris (inquisitively): Yeah. It's kind of odd they managed to get up here in the first place.
Clemont: Good point there, Iris. (He turns over to Siara.) Say, Siara. How do you suppose these fossils got up here, anyway?
Siara: It's complicated, but I can explain it. See, around 30 to 15 million years ago, due to the shifting tectonic plates, global sea levels dropped dramatically, and as a result, an entire ocean dried out and many Pokemon became extinct. Then, as some of the plates collided into each other, entire landmasses were pushed up, thus forming the mountains. Hence, all the fossils we've found so far.
Brock: Ahh, that makes perfect sense.
(They get back to their spots and resume digging. Cross-wipe to moments later, where we see sitting the group on their knees, breathing with exhaustion. Iris wipes sweat off her forehead with a rag.)
Iris (exhausted): Phew! That was exhausting.
Axew (exhausted): Ax-ew.
Tracey: Yep. We've sure been working hard for a while now.
Siara: Okay, now is as good a time to take a break.
(They get up from their spots, Siara lays out a puffy blanket on the ground and they all take a seat.)
All (contented): Ahh.
Zinnia: So, Siara, what have you uncovered so far?
Siara: I can't say yet, since it's a surprise, but I will say that it's something big.
Zinnia: Ahh, got you.
Iris: You know, guys, just think of how these Pokemon must have lived millions of years ago.
Clemont: Yeah. I'll bet life was a lot rougher for them at that time.
Brock: (pondering) Hmm. Perhaps there's something in the fossils that can tell us what had happened in their lives.
Siara: Good observation, Brock. You might find some bone injuries, wounds or even teeth markings on them.
Tracey: Ahh, that's very cool.
Brock: Say, guys. How about we do a second round of trivia to kill a little more time?
Tracey: Sounds good, Brock, but let's see if the audience wants to do it.
Zinnia: Okay. (She turns over to the audience.) Hey, you guys up for doing this? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for one second.) Oh, all right.
(Side-wipe to an image displaying the four fossilization processes once again.)
Brock (V.O.): All right. First, what substances can encase Pokemon and create whole-body fossils? (He waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) Resin, tar and ice. You got it.
Clemont (V.O.): Next, during carbonization, what causes an organism to leave behind a carbon residue? (He waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) By releasing the hydrogen & oxygen. All right.
Iris (V.O.): Now, how do the bones get left behind when petrification occurs? (She waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) When the soft tissues decay in the sediments.
Tracey (V.O.): How is an internal mold formed? (He waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) When other sediments or minerals fill the internal cavity.
Zinnia (V.O.): Finally, what are the minerals in the bodily remains substituted with? (She waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) The minerals found in the groundwater. You got it.
(Side wipe back to the six and Clemont speaks.)
Clemont (casually):
(Just then, Tracey's stomach gurgles.)
Tracey: Oh. (chuckles awkwardly.) I guess it's time to get something to eat.
Zinnia: You said it, Tracey. How about we something nice and cold?
Siara: Good idea, Zinnia. Luckily for us, I brought some fruit smoothies & parfaits Ada & Quinn made for this trip.
Clemont: Okay, that's good, and Brock & I can whip us up a lunch that doesn't need cooking.
Brock: Yeah, that's a good plan. I have some new recipes we can try.
Clemont: So do I.
Iris: Okay, sounds like a plan.
Brock & Clemont: Then, let's get started.
(Clemont and Brock get out the ingredients they need, while Siara pulls out her portable fridge and gets out the parfaits and smoothies. Fade in to six minutes later, where we see the six enjoying a meal of cold quesadillas, spring rolls, onigiris and sushi, in addition to the smoothies and parfaits, as well as some Pokemon food.)
Tracey: Ahh, now this is refreshing.
Iris: Couldn't have said it better myself, Tracey.
Axew (agreeing): Axew.
(Cut to Siara drinking her smoothie.)
Siara: (sighs with content.) This is really hitting the spot.
Clemont: Brock, you did a great with these spring rolls.
Brock: Thanks, Clemont, and your quesadillas look amazing.
(They continue eating their meals. Fade-in to moments later, where they back to digging through the rocks. Now, we pan over to Zinnia and Aster picking through the rocks until they uncover what appears to be part of a spiky crown and a couple of dorsal fins.)
Zinnia: Ah-ha. I found one, Aster.
Aster (excited): Whis-Whis.
(She continues to dig & clear out the rocks & dirt. Then, she backs up to see she's unveiled… a fragmented skeleton of a Gyarados preserved on the side of the wall.)
Zinnia (impressed): Now, that's one well preserved Gyarados.
Aster (impressed): Whis!
(Brock, Iris, Tracey and Clemont rush over to her.)
Brock: Zinnia, what did you find?
Zinnia: Check this skeleton out.
(They look over to the Gyarados skeleton.)
All (impressed): Wow!
Iris (complementing): That's a good-looking skeleton you found, Zinnia.
Zinnia: Thank you, Iris.
Tracey: So, how do you suppose it got this way?
Brock: Let's take a closer look and see.
(They carefully examine some bite marks on some of the bones and its caudal fin.)
Clemont: Judging from the markings, it probably ran aground after being wounded by another Gyarados.
Iris: Yeah. I could definitely see that happening.
Tracey: Hang on. Where's Siara? She should see this.
Clemont: She's still digging. Like she said earlier, whatever she found is huge.
Tracey: Oh, yeah. How much longer will it take her?
Brock: Probably not much longer, but let's go see how's she doing.
(Zinnia covers up the skeleton, and they walk over to the spot where Siara is digging, and find her covering whatever skeleton she found in a large tarp.)
Siara: Oh, guys. I was just coming to get you. I finally uncovered all of the remains I've found.
Clemont: That's great.
Siara: Mmm-hmm. All right, guys, you ready to see it?
Zinnia: You bet we are.
Siara: Very well.
(She pulls away the tarp and presents them with… a complete skeleton of a primitive Wailord.)
All (except Siara, amazed): Wow!
Siara: Yep. After Tracey found the palate earlier, I had a feeling that there was more of it buried under here, and lo and behold, there was.
Tracey: Well, Congratulations, Siara.
Siara: Thanks, you guys.
(Brock looks out to the horizon and sees the Sun's setting.)
Iris: Wow, time's flown by fast. It's getting late already.
Brock: Yeah. How about we set up camp down at the base?
Siara: Sounds good, but we better cover up the site before we go.
Zinnia: All right, got you.
Aster (confirming): Whis.
(They cover up the fossils with tarps & cloths and places rocks on each corner. Now, the group hike back down the mountain and we cross-fade to several minutes later, where they've set up their campsite. Everyone sits around a campfire in a circle with sandwiches in their laps.)
Tracey: Oh, guys. You've got to see the rendering I've been doing.
Brock: All right. Let's see them.
(He flips through his sketch pad, showing them the various renderings, from a recreation of how the Gyarados ran aground, the giant Shellder & Sharpedo in scale to their modern forms, the Relicanth swimming along and the primitive Wailord, with its long snake-like body and using its tail & flukes to help it swim.)
Clemont (complementing): Those are good renderings, Tracey.
Tracey: Thanks, Clemont. I always do my best with these sketches. (He turns over to Zinnia.) Hey, Zinnia. I want to know: how long have you & Aster been together?
Zinnia: Oh, for a very long time. In fact, we met when I first explored where the Rusturf Tunnel is now.
Aster: Whis-mur.
Tracey: Ahh, that's cool.
Zinnia: All right, my turn. Tracey, where did you come from?
Tracey: Oh, I originally from the Orange Islands, but when I first met Ash & Misty and found out they knew Prof. Oak, I joined them so I could meet him, which I did, and now I'm working as his assistant.
Zinnia: That's great to hear.
Tracey: Yep.
(Zinnia turns over to Clemont.)
Zinnia: So, Clemont, I imagine you've made other gadgets besides those goggles, right?
Clemont: I sure have, though they tend to backfire a lot, I keep at it until they're working just right.
Zinnia: Man, that must a lot of hard work.
Clemont: Indeed, it does. (He turns over to Siara.) Hey, Siara. Where are you heading off to after this tomorrow?
Siara: I'm going over to Lavaridge Town to check out their local hot sand baths.
Brock (knowing): Oh, then you'll be in for a good time. They're incredibly soothing.
Siara: (chuckles.) I'll keep that in mind. How about you guys? Where are you going to?
Iris: We're heading down to Ever Grande City to see what it's like.
Siara: Ahh, sounds great.
Clemont: Who knows, but I'm sure it'll be interesting.
Brock: Mmm-hmm, but for right now, let's just kick back & relax.
Others (agreeing): Yeah.
Axew (agreeing): Axew.
Aster (agreeing): Whis.
(They begin chowing down on their sandwiches. Now, we pan up to see the Sun setting behind the mountains with the warm orange-yellow light radiating behind it, and then fade to black, ending the episode.)