"Darwin! Quit getting distracted!" Starla belts out as the boy jerks wandering attention back from a large black and white winged insect fluttering nearby.
A camera focuses in on the group, the man holding it turning the dial around the lens as it shortens in length. Dirt-encrusted bodies turn toward the photographer, as Sunflora do the sun, perking under the attention. Smiles of self-satisfaction plaster their faces as they beam and pose in the paparazzi's direction. Three, two, one; the shutter clicks multiple times and the digital display is looked at in review.
"Bobby, my boy, you will have to come to the front. I can't see you very well where you're at!" Gesturing with a 'scooch in' motion, the wavy-red haired photographer repositions as the youngster slinks forward. A few more shots for posterity and the first round is done.
"Okay, for this one I'm gonna want just the girls. Then we will do one with just the boys. Then for the final one we will have the adults, the three kids who found something, and their finds."
The mass of bodies shuffle, leaving behind the females. The man produces a small stool from a stack of equipment next to him and walks forward, leaving the camera sitting on its tripod.
"Here you go, little miss. We'll have you be the star of the show." Amelia accepts the stool, face showing a glowing hint of cherry. The child sets it down and stiffly sits upon it. Fidgeting a bit, her back straightens and ankles cross as the "star" inelegantly tries to find a casual pose. A small giggle is heard next to Amelia as a quacky jumpsuit comes into view of the lass' newly-lowered eye level.
The obvious discomfort of a peer causes silly delight to someone as confident as Emma. But still, a light squeeze is given to the shy female's shoulder. The pigtailed blonde smiles and nods encouragingly at the tall companion forced into a short chair, no real venom to the mirth.
Cassie begrudgingly moves away from the vacating crowd. Drawing nearer the pair, she settles on the other side of the chaired, human barrier. The ginger's face scrunches up in grumpiness at the proximity to her rival, despite the protection Amelia offers.
Watching from outside the childish drama, Starla's look is exasperated. Her head tilts skyward as if praying to Arceus for patience. Then the woman's head and body lower, arranging into a sprinter's starting position. The photographer sees the display and quickly grabs at the tripod perched camera, dial sliding to 'sport mode' in an instant. Rocketing off, the aquaflare swoops in behind the kids with arms spread wide. Snagging them in a huge hug, they squish together, Starla making a goofy face all the while. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. The shutter speed bursts off in a frenzy. The digital preview shows joy, shock and dismay wrangled by derp. Smiling, the man motions for the next group.
"B-But! NO! That can't be the girls' picture! I wasn't even ready!" Cassie calls out, the epitome of panic. The woman behind winks at the shutterbug and motions with fingers ninety degrees to her hand in a cutting motion at neck level.
"Sorry, but I only have fifteen minutes left, and you were taking a long time to get close enough for the picture." The grin is unapologetic, as the ambushed child's mouth opens and closes.
The guys are ushered over for a more sedate picture. A few snaps and they are released by the famemaster.
The final group steps up to pose. Eugene, Granite and Starla take the back while Skyler, Evan and Sam line the front respectively. The Oreburgh man hands forward a sheared rock, the intellect accepting it patiently. The Pewter representative passes a smaller treasure. The Cinnabar assistant follows up with by far the tiniest nodule, roughly half a grapefruit in size.
The three boys hold up their possessions to the camera with various levels of passion, one backed only by a wavery smile. A spiral shell pokes from the rock of the first. A few indistinct triangles from the second. The third houses a small bivalve.
The final round of pictures is taken and the Sinnoh newspaper employee begins to pack up.
"Thank you, Mr. Snap, for coming all this way. This is a momentous occasion and should be recorded as such, don't you think?" Walking over, the professor claps hard on the cameraman's back, a bit too exuberant from the day's success. The man coughs out a little, sucks in a short, deep breath and responds.
"Todd. Please. I'm not ready to hold the title of 'Mr. Snap' quite yet." He winces a bit at the name, and straightens a newly-mussed, red striped shirt. Unsure if touching camera equipment is a good idea with such well-meaning aggression nearby, Todd halts cleaning.
"Looks like this little social experiment was a success. Everyone seems pretty happy. So what were those fossils that everyone found? I don't actually follow the fossil scene as much as I do wildlife."
"Too bad, it really is fascinating! In fact, we should have at least one revival from today, assuming the boy's parents are okay with it. I can't imagine they wouldn't be, seeing as it should be a fairly docile Pokémon." Granite folds his arms and nods, all signature, squinty smiles.
Realizing the question hasn't been answered yet, the geologist startles on, "The fossil that is perfectly preserved, and is clearly that of a Pokémon, is what is known as a Helix. Some people actually worship them, if you can imagine such a silly thing. Skyler found it in a chunk of aggregate that another of the children had discarded without thoroughly checking."
"What does a Helix fossil become, though? And what about the other two?" Sensing the scientist's distraction, Todd quickly cleans and bundles his remaining gear.
"Why, an Omanyte, of course. They are a combination rock and water type; and are omnivores. But really it is a fine line when you only feed on plankton." Right as the last of the expensive equipment is safely pushed away, another hand slams down on Todd's back good-naturedly.
"The other two fossils don't appear to be Pokémon. One, without any doubt, is a small saltwater clam; and no, before you ask, it is not a baby Shellder. Sam seems rather happy with it, despite its animal nature, though, so we are pleased he was the one to find it. The second we aren't even sure of its fossil status; it could just be a bit of debris that got preserved. The lab will set us straight though! If there are even a few strands of Deoxyribonucleic Acid left, we'll find them!"
Chapter Notes:
-The insect is a Butterfree.
-Sunflora share the attribute with Sunflowers to instinctively follow the sun.
-I have done some minor Photography, so the description is fairly accurate.
-Amelia is shy because she is tall for her age.
-Arceus is God reference again.
-Skyler got a Helix, Evan's is just some debri, and Sam is happy with his common clam.
-Yes, the photographer is Todd Snap from the game Pokémon Snap. hahaha. I have been waiting since the first chapter to put that in.
-The Helix fossil worship is a joke that started in the real world.
-Deoxyribonucleic Acid is DNA