Chapter 78 – Fossil Flash!
May and I continued across Kanto, in the direction of Viridian City, riding on Tauros' and Fierymane's backs. Redfur and Fiona were no worse off for their experience with Redfur's previous owner. They were as playful and happy as ever. The fire foxes ran with us, as well as Inferno. After a while, we reached a place called Grandpa Canyon. It was a pretty vast, dry area, full of reddish-brown rock formations. There appeared to be a lot of activity going on. Lots of people were showing up with picks and shovels, and dressed as if they were part of an excavation team. We saw a boy, about our age, snapping pictures. He had long brown hair, a red and pink striped shirt, and blue shorts, and wore a camera bag over his shoulder. "Hey" I said. He turned around and said, "Hi." I asked, "What's going on here?" He answered, "There's a big fossil digging contest. People are looking for the rarest Pokemon fossils they can find." May said, "That sounds like fun. Can we join?" The boy answered, "Sure, anyone can. By the way, my name's Todd." I said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Joe and my friend here is May." Then he said, "Your Pokemon look great! Would it be okay for me to take some pictures of them?" I answered, "Sure" and May said, "That'd be fine." He said, "Thanks! Let's go over to a more wild area, though. I don't want these pictures to look posed." I asked, "What about the fossil dig?" He said, "That'll be going on all day. This won't take too long." I said, "Okay" and we walked a few miles, to a grassy area with trees, still riding on our Pokemon while Todd walked. We then dismounted, and I said, "Tauros, take a little break and graze for a while." May said to Fierymane, "You, too, girl." The both of them walked over to some taller grass and began to graze. Todd said, "That's perfect!" and snapped some photos of them. Meanwhile, May sat Redfur and Fiona down next to each other, and I said, "Let me get Flamefox and Amber to sit together." I sat them next to each other, then did the same with Firestorm and Inferno, and asked, "Okay you guys, ready?" They replied, "Vulpix!", "Ninetales!" and "Flareon!" and all sat perfectly posed. Todd said, "No, no, that's all wrong!" May asked, "Why?" He answered, "I don't want my Pokemon photos to look posed. I like to capture how carefree and happy they are in their own environment, in the wild. He took out some photos he had taken in the past and said, "See? Like this!" There were some beautiful shots of Eevees, a Kangaskhan and her baby, and a Snorlax asleep under a rainbow. I said, "Wow, these are great!" and May said, "I see what you mean, Todd." Then I said, "Well, our Pokemon were wild once. They can still act like they're in the wild." Then I said to the Pokemon, "Okay, guys, never mind the posing. Just have fun and play." So, Redfur and Fiona frolicked in the grass, while Firestorm and Inferno, and Flamefox and Amber affectionately groomed each other, then played in the grass, and Todd got some great shots of them. "That's more like it!" he exclaimed, as he snapped picture after picture. I also released Scyther, who Todd took a great picture of up in a tree, as well as Vaporeon and Jolteon, who he got shots of running around in the grass, and Vaporeon found a water hole nearby which she swam in, and Todd took some great shots of her leaping up in the air from the water, then diving back in. May also released Raichu, Clefairy, and Blastoise to be in some pictures. Our Pokemon did a great job acting natural, and even Todd commented, after he developed the pictures, that you'd never know from the pictures that these weren't wild Pokemon. After the photo session, we walked back to Grandpa Canyon, accompanied by our Pokemon, and May asked Todd, "So, do you want to take Pokempn photos for a living?" He answered, "More than that, I want to become a world famous Pokemon photographer! I already got some pictures in Pokemon Times, but nothing to make me really well known just yet." May said, "I'm sure you will someday." Of course, ironically, the following year, Todd would snap the only known photo of a living Aerodactyl, right there in Grandpa Canyon. Anyway, once we reached Grandpa Canyon, May and I rented pick axes and shovels, and began digging for fossils, among the crowd of people already there. Todd said, "I'm gonna go around and take pictures. I'll see you guys later." I said, "Okay" and May said, "See you around." We began picking at rocks with our axes, and the Pokemon joined in, as well. Flamefox, Amber, Redfur, Fiona, and Inferno dug in the looser dirt, since digging is second nature to canine and vulpine Pokemon. Scyther began to help me, using his scythes to pick away at the rocks, and Tauros used his horns. Clefairy helped May as much as she could, too, moving rocks out of the way for her. Todd came our way again, and when he saw Scyther and Tauros helping me pick at the shale, he said, "Now that would be a great picture!" and snapped some shots. He also got some of May and Clefairy, and then the fire foxes and fire dogs. After a while, May said, "I think I found something!" I asked, "What is it?" She answered, "I'm not sure. I'm having a hard time getting at it with my pick." I said, "Tauros, help May." He walked over and helped pick through the shale with his horns. May said, "Thanks, Tauros! I think I can get it the rest of the way now" and she pulled it out! "I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. It was a spiral, Omanyte fossil! The local expert ran over to May and said, "Congratulations, young lady! This is the rarest Pokemon fossil anyone's found all day!" I said, "Way to go, May! Great job!" May said, "Thanks Joe" and then she patted Tauros and said, "Thank you, too, Tauros" then she patted Clefairy and said, "You, too, Clefairy." Redfur and Fiona found some smaller fossils, but I suspect they were just having a blast digging! Flamefox and Amber also found some smaller fossils, while Firestorm and Inferno played with a fossilized bone they found. Todd came by and said, "Let me get a shot of you holding that Omanyte fossil, May!" She said, "Okay", and held up the fossil while she stood with Clefairy and Tauros, ande Todd took some pictures. Meanwhile, Scyther and I continued picking at our area, but I finally had to stop, because I was so hot from the sun. Then I said, "Doesn't look too promising, Scyther. Maybe we should try another spot." He shook his head and said, "Scyther!" I asked, "You think we should keep trying here?" He nodded. I said, "All right then" and took a swig of bottled water before continuing with the pick. In a while, I hit something! I said, "Scyther, I think we found one!" He and I picked at the shale until we could begin to see what was hidden beneath. I shouted, "May, check this out!" She ran over and asked, "What is it?" I pulled out a Kabuto fossil, in perfect shape! She said, "Wow, you guys, good work! Congratulations!" I held the fossil and said, "Kabuto evolved into Kabutops, which looked like a prehistoric version of you, Scyther" but then I said to him, "But you still look cooler." He smirked and said, "Scyther!" The fossil expert ran over and checked out our find. He said, "This is extraordinary! You and your friend have found the best fossils today so far!" I said, "Good job, Scyther!" and we high-fived. The other people looked over at our fossils in awe, and continued digging, in hopes of finding their own. Todd said, "Let me get a few shots of you with your fossil, Joe." I said, "Cool!" and stood holding it, with Scyther standing next to me. Our finds prompted others to dig even deeper, and some found other Kabuto and Omanyte fossils, even parts of Omastar and Kabutops fossils. But at the end of the dig, May's and my fossils were considered ideal specimens by the expert, and we both won for finding the best fossils. The other people were very gracious about it, and congratulated us on our finds. Todd took pictures of us receiving our awards. Afterwards, he said, "If you guys are gonna hang around for a while, I should have these pictures developed by tomorrow, and I can get you a set." May said, "That would be great!" and I said, "We're going to spend the night at a Pokemon Center in town, because it's too late to continue journeying this evening." He said, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
The next day, after a good night's sleep at the Pokemon Center, Todd stopped by with our pictures. "I was up all night developing them, because I was so excited to see how they'd turn out!" he told us. We said, "Thanks!" and looked at them. They were some great photos. Then Todd said, "So, you guys are continuing to Viridian City?" I said, "Yeah! I still need to win one more badge before I can enter the Kanto League!" He said, "Well, good luck! It was nice to meet both of you!" I said, "Same here, Todd. Thanks for the pictures" and May said, "I hope someday you do become world famous!" He said, "Thanks, guys! If you ever come this way again, feel free to stop by and visit!" and headed home, most likely, to sleep! Our fossils were sent, with a bunch of the runner-up fossils, to a Pokemon museum nearby for display, but they were ours once the display was finished. To this day, they are on display at the Crimson Town Gym, as are the pictures Todd took of our Pokemon. Anyway, May and I mounted on our riding Pokemon, but before we left town, May said, "I have an errand to run. Wait for me." I said, "Okay" and she galloped off on Fierymane, with Amber. I waited with the other Pokemon, and she returned about a half hour later. She handed me a box and said, "Here." I asked, "What's this?" She said, "Open it!" I did, and it was a custom made badge holder, with enough room for all 15 badges I had so far, and one more. She said, "Happy 13th birthday!" I was stunned and asked, "Birthday?" She said, "Yeah! I guess you were so caught up in your Pokemon journey that you forgot!" I said, "Wow, thanks May! Thanks for remembering." She said, "Well, you remembered mine earlier this year. And what are friends for? Now, let's keep going. Before we reach Viridian, we should stop somewhere to properly celebrate your birthday." I replied, "No argument here!" That being said, Fierymane galloped May and Amber ahead, and I mounted back onto Tauros with Flamefox, and rode off with May and the other Pokemon.