I messed around with the chapters, putting the prologue into the first chapter, so this really is chapter 4. Which means you may not have read the last chapter where they head into the cave.
"Here we are! This looks like a perfect spot." Eugene spreads cotton-clad arms and gestures grandly at the walls. The dig members file into the cavern, reforming the glob of people they were before traversing the tighter cavities.
"This…looks exactly the same as the last three rooms?" Evan finally voices, after expecting the expedition specialist to go on. Turning to the side a whisper is directed to his quiet comrade, "I'm not missing something? It really is the same….right?" Bradley shrugs, not committing to an answer.
Eugene's eyes narrow, searching for sarcasm in the question. Finding none, he begrudgingly elaborates.
"Take a look at the wall here. See how the striations, uhm, layers, are different? That means multiple kinds of rock are interbedded together. Then if you look over here, see how this shelf cuts across the other ones, creating a huge diagonal overhang? That means a large amount of pressure occurred in the area to lift this portion, jutting it out." Eugene walks over to the wall.
Lifting a hand, the geologist points to the ceiling, finger dropping until it reaches a dark line, then back up again. "What we are really interested in though, is that the marble above is much harder than the sedimentary rock below, which so far has protected it from other forces."
Tapping at the skinny seam of sharp rock beneath, he continues, "This thin, dark layer is called shale. Shale is a pressurized version of sandstone." He gestures back above it. "And marble is a pressurized version of limestone. My guess is that some of the sedimentary rock wasn't fully protected by the marble after it moved in, or perhaps was compressed by the marble itself, to make this tiny layer of sedimentary rock metamorphosize into shale."
"What does meta-metamorphazine mean?" Skyler asks, hoping to expand his knowledge.
"Hmm? Oh, metamorphosize means to change. It's just a fancy way of saying morph from one rock to another," Eugene answers with no fuss, having been asked by a genuinely intelligent child.
"OH! Morph is the root word. Okay!" Skyler nods, mentally filing the new tidbit.
The lecturer's hand moves down again, double tapping on the next off-white section below. "This, however, is the true prize. This limestone and the sandstone it rests on. Years of settling and condensing, settling and condensing create an environment in which all manner of fossils can get preserved."
At this he reaches into his backpack with a flourish. Expecting a great reveal, the group leans in. From the bag emerges a bottle of plain white vinegar, grocery aisle fresh. Evan sighs, disappointment leeching in. The blonde's expression duplicates like a virus across the children. Skyler stands next to him, retaining significantly more interest—a picture of erudite anticipation.
The scientist merely uncaps the bottle in exasperation at the widespread audience loss. Withdrawing a rag, he holds it to the bottle's opening. The bottle flips upside down then rightside up in one quick motion, wetting the cloth. The lid is screwed back on and the man strides purposefully to the wall.
"If you are ever having trouble identifying limestone, remember these three things: you'll often find it near sedimentary rock; it's hard enough you can scratch it with a small knife but not your fingernail; and it's alkaline. Which means," Eugene rubs the cloth on the wall, only for the spot to fizzle and hiss, "that it reacts to acid, neutralizing it." Arms stretch out, vinegar and rag held loosely in offering.
Bobby is the first to move, lurching forward under the force of a six-year-old's curiosity. Grabbing the fabric, the boy repeats the instructor's motions, rubbing a line of acid along the wall. Again it sizzles. Glee crosses the young face.
Moving close, Amelia timidly holds out a hand in askance. Bobby passes the terry cloth and plastic container. The tall girl approaches the wall as if confronting a whiteboard, arm making precise, sharp movements. When she is done, "Amelia" bubbles in relief against the sandy-brown rock face.
Eugene's eyes widen in despairing realization of what has been released. Rushing forward, he plucks the materials from the girl's grasp before anyone else can.
"Aww, I didn't get a turn…" The adult side eyes Cole, heart beating faster at the save.
"I think that is quite enough, or we might start ruining our dig spot!" The proclamation startles Starla into a snicker at the weak excuse.
From the side, an odd glub huff glub noise reverberates. The tall Plant standing guard is tickled pink at the exchange, tentacle protrusions puffing in and out. Daffodil eyes close in the fit of laughter, moisture gathering at their edges.
"No wonder his Pokémon likes him! They are exact opposites," Emma giggles at the epiphany, pigtails bobbing up and down slightly.
"AH-HEM. As I was saying. We stopped in this particular room because there is both limestone and sandstone sheltered in this little niche. These two are often formed at the bottom of—ACK!" The man stops short, throwing arms up—a hasty barrier to the onslaught of a feral Zubat. "What in the actual hel-ck. PLANT! WHAT DO I EVEN BAKE YOU POKÉ PUFFS FOR?! DO YOUR JOB!"
The ancient sea creature's pitcher jolts in the direction of its Trainer at the clamor, eyes simultaneously startling open. It silently gapes in alarm before a torrent of water shoots out, blasting both Eugene and the wild Pokémon. The stream tapers off, trajectory sagging. In the process the spray travels down the scientist's coat, drenching the man and the floor as it stops. The small chiroptera is conveniently absent.
Eugene's face scrunches in disgust, turning crimson in anger while looking down at sopping wet clothes. The man holds his arms out from his body as if unsure what to do with them. Everyone else is frozen in place, too stunned to react.
"THAT'S IT! Someone else take over! I'm done." The professor, who was ogling the scene moments ago, swiftly collects himself. Rushing to take the peeved puddle's place, the Pewter scientist misses the silent glee Starla projects out to the children. Eugene, however, catches the look, face incrementing up to a fine purple fury.
Seeing the reinforcement approach, the wet plum of resentment vacates the wall.
"Let's see…" a few seconds pass, the replacement's eyebrows drawing slightly together. "Ah, yes. Limestone and sandstone often form at the bottom of the ocean because sand and silt settle there and undergo huge pressure at those depths. Limestone is special, because it can actually be one big fossil. The rock reacts to acid because it is made almost entirely of calcium. This calcium is made from the skeletons of millions and millions of tiny sea creatures all compacted together. We chose this spot because not only are we likely to find fossils, we are likely to find water Pokémon fossils. They tend to be more docile when revived."
"Sir. We're in the belly ov'a mountain. Why ya talkin' 'bout the bottom ah' the ocean?" Sam's question immediately brightens the lecturing Pewterite's features, his squinty eyes fully closing from the force of the grin.
"Oh, now you've done it," Darwin whispers in despair.
"Here it comes; I thought we were dooone with the history of rocks." Cassie plasters a hand to her face, dragging downward in exaggerated annoyance. The skin stretches under the pressure, the backs of her lower eyelids harsh red slits beneath the white sclera as cheeks draw gaunt.
"I think it's great," Skyler responds wryly. "I love hands-on learning from a teacher who gets excited about his subject. It's a nice change from Mrs. Goldblum. Her monotone is enough to put a Hoothoot to sleep." Darwin tilts his head to the side, comparing the two teachers mentally for a brief moment before nodding in animated concurrence.
The professor decides to wrap it up, the mixed reactions allowing just a little leeway for more facts. "Well, seeing as we only have so much time for excavation, I will answer just this one question before we start. Millions of years ago, Kyogre and Groundon were still engaged in a constant battle of supremacy. The land and sea were often switching places. As we said before, the presence of this limestone means that the rock bed used to be at the bottom of a large body of saltwater. Over time the tectonic plates underneath it moved enough, perhaps by a powerful Earthquake, to thrust Mt. Moon towards the sky."
As the newly appointed lecturer continues the explanation, the Cinnabar assistant at the back of the crowd rummages in a pouch on her utility belt. A hand towel emerges, the peace offering trading hands. Eugene's countenance loses some of its color and the male shrugs out of the sodden coat. Terry cloth passing over chest, neck and face mops up most of the water saturating the man's upper body. Slightly mollified, the now-coatless scientist steers his concentration back to the other geologist.
"Many mountain ranges are created when two pieces of the Earth's crust collide." The excitement of discussing his life's specialty proving too strong a magnetic pull, the rambler barrels on, despite knowing he should stop, "This also explains why the marble sits diagonally on the wall. It got pushed up and over the other rock from nearby. Normally, the youngest rock is on top and the oldest is on bottom—that's called the law of superposition. But here, because the marble comes from below the other layers, that same law lets us know the marble is older." Professor Granite quiets upon seeing several thousand-yard stares. The speaker looks around sheepishly, embarrassed to be caught prolonging the explanation for selfish reasons.
Shaking off mild discomfiture, the man bends over, grabbing into the adult's pack. A medium-size tool is pulled out, hefted to chest level, and placed back on the ground. "Now everyone, your kits should all contain pickaxes."
Evan excitedly reaches into his own bag to see, pulling out a miniature pick. Eyebrows draw together in consternation.
Granite sees the look and shakes his head, exasperated at the childish dissatisfaction.
"The adults are all equipped with larger ones to help you get where you need to go, but you will be in charge of the fine detail work." The instructor looks pointedly at the sandy-blonde despite the man's voice being directed to all present. "Pickaxes can be dangerous tools when not brandished correctly. The weight alone would be too unwieldy for anyone under 120 pounds, no matter how careful they were being. That's why we opted to have you kids only use the small ones." Eyes move away from Evan to fix Darwin with a stare. "That doesn't mean you can be reckless." The energetic boy peers back bashfully.
The spirited woman of the group meanders behind the professor, shuffling the grown-up's gear, searching. Curious eyes follow in the momentary silence. A pair of safety goggles and the discarded visual aid sitting next to her teammate's foot are both snatched up. Switching the eye protection for wayfarers, Starla swaggers over to the wall with a firm hold on the tool dangling near her thigh.
"Everyone back up! You don't want a rock chip in your eyes! Better yet, get your PPE out of your packs, put it on, and watch my technique." At this, the female hefts the pickaxe onto one tensed shoulder, waiting a moment for the minions to follow orders. Seeing the final kid put on the gear, the woman repositions her trim frame like a baseball batter. Arms launch with full-body force, traveling up and over her head. Moving in a single, fluid swing, the metal slams down on the caveside. An earsplitting ting is quickly drowned by a crunching rumble as a large portion of the wall breaks down into craggy chunks. Some odd nodules now jut from the new rock face.
"Uhm, Starla," fidgeting under the Luxray-level scrutiny, the professor persists, "they don't need to know how to do that. Their picks aren't even capable of what you just did." And neither am I, Granite finishes internally. The museum representative's brow gathers a small amount of sweat recalling the ferocity in which the dual-haired woman obliterated the rock.
"Hm? I know. I just want them to know what these tools are capable of if they try to mess around with them. There could be an accident."
"Did she just threaten us, or warn us of the dangers of our stuff?" Bradley asks offhandedly.
"Both. Both is good," Cole says, face pale.
Evan looks over at Eugene, curious as to the standoffish adult's expression after such a powerful display. Spying black locks in spiky disorder, the train of thought is derailed.
"Why is your hair doing that, sir?" The man stares Evan down menacingly at the question.
"Plant knows Brine, not Watergun," he spits out, the victim's seethe reigniting.
Chapter Notes:
-I may have taken a geology class in college.
-The thing about limestone bubbling when in contact with vinegar is true.
-Yes, Cole was totally going to write curses on the wall. haha
-Poké Puffs are a treat. I thought about using blocks or poffins but decided against it.
-Chiroptera is the bat family.
-I love over the top descriptions. I can't help it. Peeved Puddle. 3 Wet plum of resentment.
-Hoothoot are insomniatic owls.
-Kyogre and Groudon mythos to work in why the mountain formed. Groudon can learn the move Earthquake.
-Wayfarers are a type of glasses.
-Luxray is known for its strength and prowess. Since it is a type of cat (lion) with strong hunting instincts, the stare is very intense when used on prey.
-The professor has a cameo anime-sweatdrop.
-"Both. Both is good." is a reference to The Road to El Dorado.
-Brine is saltwater, not fresh. So if you dry after being coated in it, your hair sticks up and feels like straw.