Scene: 52: A Shining Discovery

It's early in the morning and a fog is sitting around Kari and Eevee as they continue through Route 5. Kari shivers, "It's kinda creepy, you know…?" Eevee looks at his friend from her shoulder. She makes a face as she thinks out loud, "It's like a scene out of one of those horror movies..! As if, any moment now a ghost or monster is going to pop out and eat us alive..!" Eevee shakes his head fervently. He doesn't like this topic of conversation one bit..! He jumps off her shoulder. Vee! Eev-ee-vee-eeveeee!

Kari tries to smile at him with reassurance, still walking though turned backwards to look at him, "Don't worry! There's no such thing as ghosts or monsters, so we don't have anything to worry about." She accidentally bumps into something hard, "Ow..!" She rubs the bump on her head and turns to see what it is. Under the cover of fog, a dark shape looms over her. She stumbles back, words sputtering. It couldn't be a, "M-m-m-mon…~!" She trips, landing on the patch of dirt beside Eevee. They don't know what to do- they both scream.

There are tears in her eyes out of fear of the terrifying shadow creature. She's holding Eevee tight, but wait… Why wasn't the creature devouring them right this second? It's not like they were fighting back, or anything. Hesitantly, Kari looks back at the shadow. It's not even moving. She and Eevee look at one another. How strange.

She stands, Eevee still in her arms. Tip-toeing, they slowly approach the figure. As they get closer the fog around them slowly fades as the sun begins to rise higher in the sky. Kari's shoulders slump and they share a relieved sigh. A small light from the sun is making it easier to see now. Kari laughs, "It wasn't a monster at all. That's a relief." Her and Eevee look upon the large statue of a Pokémon. She knows this one is called Arcanine.

As the fog completely dissipates, Kari notices a second stone statue nearby. They stand flanking a gate and tall brick walls. And just beyond the open gate, a large courtyard and white building. Curious, she enters the grounds to take a look, "This place is even bigger than Misty's mansion." Veeee…

"Skipping class, aye?" Kari and Eevee jump at the stern voice. They turn to see an older lady standing just behind them. She's wearing a tight suit, thick glasses, and a high bun. She suddenly reaches out and grabs Kari by the arm, dragging her through the halls.

"W-w-wait! I'm not-!" The headmistress doesn't seem to be listening. Kari and Eevee are taken all the way to a lecture hall. The Headmistress looks Kari up and down, disapproving of her outfit. She gives a humph, squinting her eyes, "And refusing to wear the proper uniform as well, I see…"

In seconds, Kari is wearing a teal pleated skirt and vest with her and Eevee now wearing matching red bows. The Headmistress gives a nod of approval, "We of the Pokémon Technical Institute pride ourselves on our higher education and we mustn't get sloppy now!" She opens the door and shoves the two of them in the room. Before Kari can even try to explain herself again, she notices the Pokémon at the bottom of the room.

There's an older boy, possibly 16years old, with curly green hair and he's speaking in front of the entire classroom. The other kids in the chairs are dressed just like Kari and are listening with such intense focus at the boy's lecture. On the table in front of him are two tanks. Kari recognizes them, but there's something strange about them. She pulls out Dex to double-check. One is a Goldeen, as she already knows, and the other- is also a Goldeen..? She furrows her eyebrows in confusion, "But they look so different from each other…" Intrigued, Kari takes an open seat to listen.

"A very rare occurrence indeed, these Pokémon of Alternate Coloration. I've seen possibly one or two photographs of other Pokémon like these ones here. Sometimes the difference is extraordinary, and sometimes only minor. But as you can see, up close, it makes a great difference." There's a resounding, "OOooohh..!" as the students listen. Several of the kids are taking notes, but Kari can't take her eyes off the two Goldeen.

"There are instances like this where the Alternate may even have a bit of a sparkle to it. Although there has yet to be an explanation as to how these types of Pokémon arise, there has been much debate stating Nature over Nurture. Meaning, the Pokémon are just born this way and they can't be changed into it; therefore, it must be concluded that these Pokémon are born with a peculiar DNA mutation." He gestures to the two Goldeen, "Unfortunately, since these Pokémon are so rare, there hasn't been too many studies on the matter. So we're still uncertain about many factors on these kinds of Pokémon. But as a Researcher, it is my dream to learn all there is about the Pokémon of our world. And I mean the entire world..! No matter how many Pokémon there are left to discover. Thank you." He takes a bow. The students politely give their applause.

Somewhere a bell rings for the end of classes. Chatter immediately echoes throughout the lecture hall as the students start to gather their things. Slowly, they stand in groups or pairs and take their leave. Every now-and-then a boy or girl would stop to wave at the lecturer, or give their thanks. ["They must be going to their next classes, I suppose."] Her eyes find their way back to the two tanks sitting on the front desk. As the boy upfront speaks to a pair of eager boys, answer their questions, Kari stands. She blinks- there are sparkles in her eyes as she admires the Goldeen…. Maybe she could get closer for a better look..?

The lecture waved off the final group of students and turned back towards the tanks. He hadn't even noticed the small girl who had come up to look at the two Pokémon. Kari couldn't stop smiling. She was looking from one tank to the other- the difference was slight, but astounding. The boy grins, "I see you've taken a liking to this Goldeen."

Kari looks up with a smile on her face, "I've never seen a Pokémon with such a shiny coat on it. It's so beautiful!" He blinks at her remark, scratching his chin, "Hm? 'Shiny'? I like that…" Another bell rings throughout the school building.

"Oh, well I'm sorry, but you'd better get going before you're late for your next class." Kari giggles, "Actually, there's been a misunderstanding…"

After explaining the situation to Bill he laughs, "I see now. So you're on a journey to become a great Pokémon Trainer, while I'm on a journey of learning. But still, we're both on our own path of discovery. Aren't Pokémon just great? How they bring people together like this…" Kari thinks on it. She's never thought about it, but, "I guess you're right." She smiles up at him. Looking at the girl and noticing her belt of Pokéballs, Bill remembers something, "As a Trainer, I wonder, have you had a chance to use the PC System?" She cocks her head to the side, "Hm? PC..?"

Bill shows Kari to a computer system. He clicks a button and the monitor begins to blink, "You mentioned being friends with the great Prof. Oak, so I'm sure he explained to you about the Pokémon rules to only have 6 with you at a time?" Kari tries to think back, "He may have mentioned it… Oh!" She snaps her fingers, "That's why my Pokéballs disappear when I catch a new Pokémon, right!?" Bill nods. He starts typing on the computer, "You see, once you've reached the maximum allotted Pokémon to carry with you, the rest travel to the place you registered as a Trainer. And in your case…"

A familiar image popped up. Prof. Oak walked by the camera screen. Kari laughed realizing that it wasn't at all an image, but the Professor's Lab! She called out to him, "Hey! Professor!" The old man jumped. He hadn't noticed that his screen was on.

Prof. Oak is sitting in a chair now that the fright has passed. Kari stands off to the side as he and Bill talk briefly. She does her best to follow along, though she loses her way after a few minutes of discussing biographical differences between Regional Pokémon… Prof. Oak notices Kari's uniform, "Ah! I see you've reached the Pokémon Technical Institute. I remember when I studied there for a time." He nods. Together, the two researchers explain to Kari how she can Trade in and out Pokémon with Prof. Oak whenever she wants to switch out her Team. Bill leans back in his chair to look at her, "So anytime you're near a PC make sure to contact the Professor for any updates."

On their suggestion, Kari Trades in a couple of her Pokémon in order to give the other Pokémon she's caught a chance to Train and grow, "And we'll be able to play together!" They both chuckle. Oak nods, "Yes. And you'll be able to make friends with many more Pokémon this way, too."

Bill shows her how to place her Pokéballs on the stand. They can hear the Professor clicking away on the computer on his side. Kari watches as a light hits the ball, suddenly. The machine is making a loud sound as it begins to work. And then- the ball vanishes. Kari's jaw drops. But before she can even formulate a shocked response, the ball is back. But, no…

Prof. Oak shows her the ball on his end, "I've received your Beedrill on my end- safe and sound. She picks up the ball, "Oh, I see! So this must be the Ekans I caught! So this is Pokémon Trading~! How cool..!" They do the process over once more, exchanging for another Pokémon. Once they're finished Prof. Oak reassures her that her Pokémon are in good hands. He's about to hang up the call but Bill seems to have something on his mind.

"There's one more thing." Bill turns in his seat and looks at Kari, "If you would, could you take care of this Goldeen for me?" Kari finishes attaching the new Pokéballs to her belt and looks up at him, "Huh? Your Goldeen?" He nods, "I'm a Pokémon Researcher, not a Trainer. And a Pokémon like this- what did you call it? A ' Shiny Poke'mon'?" He smiles, as if enjoying a joke, "Yes. That's it. A rare Pokémon like this one deserves to be out in the light. Growing and Training with a great Trainer like you."

Kari is lit up with emotion. She jumps forward at him with excitement, "No way!? Really!?" She's overjoyed for the opportunity to raise such a rare Pokémon. Bill sends the Pokéball to Prof. Oak's lab for Kari to care for at a later date. The two give a final farewell to the Professor and he hangs up. The screen is black. Bill stands and stretches. He goes to open the door. Kari is about to follow him out when something on a nearby billboard catches her eye. She reads it aloud, "A 'Poke'mon Contest'..? Hmm…" She pulls it off for a better look. Bill calls to her. She folds up the paper and sticks it in her pocket. She'd have to give it a look sometime later.

Just outside, Kari thanks Bill for all his help. She adjusts her hat, "I'm just glad to be out of that outfit." Bill cocks an eyebrow, "At least you didn't get detention for missing all those classes." They laugh together.

"Well, I better be off. My research won't discover Pokémon on its own. And, of course, you've got another Badge to win, don't you." She nods, "You know it!" The two of them part ways, Bill towards Cerulean City and Kari continuing on Route 5 towards Saffron City.

((Beedrill/Cleffairy ~ PC ~ Ekans/ Sandshrew))

{{Current Team: Eevee, Raticate, Pidgeotto, Metapod, Ekans, Sandshrew}}

Total Poke'mon: Eevee, Raticate, Pidgeotto, Metapod, *Beedrill, Ceffairy, Spearow, Ekans, Sandshrew, Sh. Goldeen…