[Audio / Action]

[outtahere]

[Audio]

[We open to the sound of a small explosion and loud, colorful swearing.]

How did that thing get back in here!?

Olu?

And what are you doing here? Fine, make yourself useful and get that thing out of he- It's reset already? Shi-!

[There's the sound of another explosion and the feed cuts off.]

[Action]

[Banzu's not looking to be in such a good mood as he walks through the Business district later in the day, visiting the Salvage Shop and any places that sell chemicals. It could be the Voltorb doll following him around. It could be the Riolu he doesn't want to deal with following him around, grabbing the Voltorb doll whenever it's about to explode and tossing it into the air so it doesn't damage anything. It could also be the bits of metal growing out of his body: striking surfaces on his knuckles, larger pieces around the backs of his ears, little plates on his cheekbones, lines on his jaw, and several more unseen under his clothes. What? Where did those come from? It's not like he's secretly been an Enlightened all this time or anything...

Yeah, the jig is up. There's no way he can hide that he's a Steel-type any more. He's not looking forward to the inevitable responses to this revelation. The Voltorb doll and the Riolu are just icing on the cake.

Note: While the patches of metal on him are silvery today, in all future encounters they will be a dull black. Alloys!]

Comments

Action

[victimlessdetails]

Is sticking metal plates in your skin another weird Union holiday thing, then?

[It's Banzu's luck. He couldn't not run into Isabela today. She may or may not be trying to pawn decorative teacups at the salvage shop.]

[outtahere]

[He sighs but doesn't look over, continuing to root through the Salvage Shop's wares.]

I've tried pulling them out. It hurts and they just grow back in a bit anyways.

[victimlessdetails]

Oh, then I guess that means you're Steel-type. Congratulations.

You'd think you could have gone a little longer in that case, but maybe you just now gained the typing.

[outtahere]

I've been Steel-type for a few years now. This just confirms that I'm not getting a second type.

[victimlessdetails]

Aw, you look disappointed. Were you hoping to learn to fly and cheese out your defenses entirely, or is it something else?

Action

[rainsrespite]

[Yuuna grew up in a family from the Industrial District, and she knows exactly what those metal bits mean. Her own father had been Steel Typed, after all. Though, she hadn't known Banzu was. But no reason to raise a fuss over it.]

Heya, Banzu. How's it going?

[outtahere]

Hm. Same as usual.

[Behind him, Riolu tosses the Voltorb doll into the air, where it explodes.]

...Mostly.

[rainsrespite]

You got one too, huh?

[Yuuna frowns and looks back the way she'd come.]

I got this weird Spritzee doll. And I'm already kinda over it. It smells awful, but at least it doesn't blow up.

[A pause and she debates going on...]

Congratulations, by the way.

[outtahere]

On what?

[He's pretty sure he knows.]

[rainsrespite]

Evolving?

[He does.]

[makeitquick]

[ Wow, look at newfound mr. metal man. Melaka spots the boat owner from a distance, and it actually takes her a minute to recognize him for who he is, and once she does, she's amused by the glare he has in the sun. And also when she does, she gives the Metagross (with a tophat...?) floating next to her a knock on his head ]

Looks like you got kindred now.

[ And she was going to leave it at that... until there's an explosion which makes her turn back in that man's direction and- ]

That you, boat-man?!

[ She even makes her way over to make sure no one was injured by... whatever that was. It didn't sound big, but.

[outtahere]

[That glare is exactly why he's going to mix in some impurities and dull it down.

Banzu looks over at Melaka and jerks his thumb over his shoulder at the smoking Voltorb doll falling to the ground.]

Just an annoying hanger-on that's overstayed its welcome.

[makeitquick]

Y'bonded with something that blows up?

[ Or is that.. that's not a real Pokémon, is it? Once she's over, she looks over at it, but then turns her attention back to Banzu. Yeah, totally different. Must've evolved... huh, she didn't know he was enlightened. Oh well, not like they're close.

Meanwhile, Moline the Metagross is going to float over towards the doll. It must inspect this doll ]

[outtahere]

Far as I can tell it's some kinda doll, but no matter what I do or where I stuff it keeps coming back.

[The Riolu following Banzu (the other "annoying hanger-on") warns Moline to clear out if the doll starts glowing, because that means it's about to explode again.]

[makeitquick]

You telling me a doll's following you? Sure it's not ghosting?

[ She glances at it herself, but by now, the Metagross is taking heed of that warning... but not thinking much of it, it needs to examine it, after all. You don't mind right? ]

ACTION

[creamsouda]

[Also minding the Salvage shop today is Kazuichi, accompanied (as always) by the three-legged Belaire. It's Belaire who notices Banzu first, her keen nose catching his scent. With a bark for Kazuichi's attention, she hurries to Banzu, butt wiggling with her nubby tailwags and her metal leg clinking against the ground.]

Yo, what's got ya-- 'ey, Banzu!

[The greeting's out of his mouth before he notices the plating, and once he does, he puts on a much more shocked face.]

What's happenin', man?

[outtahere]

Hm? Oh, hey. Nothin' too exciting. Just lookin' for stuff with cobalt in it.

[Not saying anything about evolution.]

[creamsouda]

[Pausing, Kazuichi and Belaire both give each other a look before slowly turning their heads back to face Banzu.]

E-eheh. Co-cobalt, huh? Youuu, uh, have a special project you're workin' on?

[Maybe they shouldn't mention it. Maybe, maybe that's the point. He can be quiet, right?

Belaire, however, fidgets uncomfortably at Kazuichi's side.]

[outtahere]

[Subtle you two aren't, Kazuichi. Banzu isn't going to point that out though.]

Trying to make a black alloy, and cobalt sulfide seems like my best bet. Course, who has pre-made cobalt sulfide kicking around, so I'm gonna hafta make it myself.

[I'm not sure if this is actually workable in reality but the picture on Wikipedia showed cobalt sulfide as being black so I'm just running with this.]

[creamsouda]

Ah! So you're gonna mix it with gold, or are ya gonna plate silver?

[Well, at least nerding out seems to distract Kazuichi from it enough.]

Yeah, you're probably gonna need a good 25% to whatever other metal you're usin', too. Whatcha usin' it for?

[Action]

[indy_wannabe]

Oh no, not another of those damn things. Mine is already causing enough damage. I think I'm just gonna have to close the shop for a few weeks.

[outtahere]

You too? I'm getting decent results having that Riolu toss it away whenever it's about to blow, but it's not a complete fix. That reminds me: pick up some good earplugs. Hopefully it'll run out of whatever's powering it soon.

[indy_wannabe]

Yeah, I'm interested in putting some kind of containment cell together, see if that might work.

[outtahere]

A sealed iron box didn't hold this one. No idea how it didn't, but it didn't. Haven't figured out how to one-up that yet.

[indy_wannabe]

Now I'm wondering if I'd just be better off finding a way to destroy the damn thing permanently.