[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

[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? ]

[outtahere]

Got no idea how or why it's doing this, just that it is. And it explodes every so often.

[Riolu won't stop her, but asks her to make sure it doesn't damage anything.]

[makeitquick]

And the doll's following you?

[ Because he does strike her as someone who would ditch it.

Oh, it knows! But... okay. Poke. No, now to pick it up, and pull it close to face ]

[outtahere]

Yup.

[He's tried to. Repeatedly. In many and varied ways.

What it's just an innocent little doll of course nothing bad will happen. And nothing does. It does all the things that a normal doll does, ie nothing. This lull certainly isn't a prelude to anything.]

[makeitquick]

... How? Like it moves on it's own?

[ Hmm, there doesn't appear to be anything suspect about the doll. Maybe it can sense something with psychc mojo. Let's try. That. Even if it's psychics aren't always the strongest ]

[outtahere]

Yeah, and I'm guessing teleport too, because there's no other way it could've gotten out of that box I locked it in.

[It's a doll. There's nothing to sense. Not even the fact that it has excellent timing for when to explode.]

[makeitquick]

So it's a moving, teleporting... doll.

[ . . . ]

It is a ghost?

[outtahere]

Your guess is as good as mine.

[makeitquick]

Huh? Weren't you Mr. Science? Can't work it out?

[outtahere]

Not when it starts to explode when I try and open it up.

[He'd like to keep his fingers thank you very much.]

[makeitquick]

Knows you're doing it?

[outtahere]

That or it's booby-trapped. Either way it doesn't look like I'm gonna get inside it anytime soon.

[makeitquick]

Huh, guess I'll need to watch for dolls.

[ She says this with a glance over at her Metagross, who is now sort of weighing the doll in one of it's claws. It doesn't see like it blows up.

( but it probably will shortly ) ]

[outtahere]

[Like the very moment she looks over! Rather spectacularly! With no warning whatsoever!]

[makeitquick]

[ And it.

Blows Moline's top hat off. And also blows up its face. But it's metal, so it's mostly okay but

blowing up in a face is not fun ]