Video

[schmott_guy]

[In the background is a research lab, though not Gil's. There's various other people in lab coats swarming around some kind of strange rusted hulk in the background. And he's filming it because RP. Don't ask questions.]

Work continues on the artifact we found in the Old City, but at the very least I think we have a good grip on what it was.

It is a large, motorized vehicle of some kind. The configuration suggests it was built for hauling cargo, probably within the confines of some government facility or one belonging to a powerful corporation.

I can't imagine vehicles like this were very common. The infrastructure you'd need to maintain them and use them would be so immense it boggles the mind. Thousands of miles of high quality roads. Massive refueling stations everywhere. Thousands of mechanics who's whole purpose was specifically taking care of them, for such a large machine would need a lot of care. You'd need to build your entire civilization around supporting these vehicles.

And people said MY ideas were outlandish.

Comments

[schmott_guy]

That's a start.

[outtahere]

That said, I'm closer to one of the groups that probably used these things than most. The average person wouldn't need one, except maybe for fun or... Or...

[He grabs another bar of metal from the workbench and smushes the thin rod he's still holding into it like combining two chunks of clay. The combined block starts changing shape as he continues speaking.]

Bicycles work for small deliveries, but what about larger things? A business wouldn't need something giant like this just for making deliveries, but something smaller could work. Assuming the engine could be miniaturized enough, you'd keep the same basic configuration - a control compartment in front and a cargo space in back - but shrink it so that it can fit down streets. Not sure about the dimensions off the top of my head, but you might be able to squeeze two people in, so the operator has someone to help with loading and unloading - probably why this thing seats two. Other than some really long or wide stuff - you could build specialized ones with larger cargo spaces if you had to - that gets you a decent cargo hauler for transporting most of the things a business produces. Hell, build a little display on the back and you have a tiny mobile shop that you don't need muscle or a strong Pokémon to move around.

[The block finally finishes shifting into a model of what he's describing.]

[schmott_guy]

[Gil took the little model and turned it over in his hands, examining it.]

Interesting. A different take from what I was working on.

[outtahere]

[The wheels on it turn freely too.]

What were you thinking of?

[schmott_guy]

Literally taking a bicycle and replacing the pedals with a motor.

[outtahere]

[He opens his mouth, then closes it, putting a fist to his chin in thought.]

...Huh.

Pretty much sacrifices all cargo capacity, but you'd probably gain an advantage in speed without the extra weight. It'd also get through pretty much the entire forest and handle just about any terrain, assuming the frame was built for uneven ground. Maybe use it for scouting and courier stuff?

...I wouldn't mind trying this out.

[schmott_guy]

Pretty much what I had in mind. I think we can save space on the engines until we learn to miniaturize them more by using rotoms for power, too.

[outtahere]

[He raises an eyebrow slightly.]

I've been kicking around the idea of using Rotoms as a power source myself, actually. I've looked at all the Rotom Cores that've been recovered and built copies, but building a Core that only transfers power rather than converts it isn't quite the same. If we can get a good enough idea of how this engine works though we might be able to combine the two into something functional. This could definitely work.

[A pause, and an annoyed click of his tongue.]

Course, every Rotom I've seen's been an annoying little shit to some degree. Even mine I still have to keep an eye on or it'll fool around and try and scare people. Some kinda safety system to keep it from leaving the moving vehicle it's powering'd be a good idea.

[schmott_guy]

You're not wrong. It would be a stopgap measure until we could come up with something more reliable.

[outtahere]

Stopgap or not, I'd be interested in trying to build one.

[schmott_guy]

Since we're both building something, how about a race?

[outtahere]

Or we could combine our experience and not waste time with one-upmanship.

[He's not a Spark, he knows he'd lose that race. Plus it's more to his benefit if he can make use of Gil's genius along the way.]

[schmott_guy]

[And doesn't it do wonders for Gil's ego to hear it.]

That could also work.