In the end, what decided things for you was optics. While Sunkern were certainly unlikely to be found natively in Orre, they didn't exactly have the same kind of punch that the others did. Rookidee could easily be dismissed as a bird somehow getting lost in the tunnels during a sandstorm after getting blown off course during a migration. And an Oddish could have conceivably wandered away from one of the few Oases in Orre, there were a couple of places where they were cultivated for the medicinal properties of their shed leaves.
You had considered Doduo for a long moment, before deciding that if you wanted to clinch the funding for the expedition you needed something as impressive as possible. And Scyther clearly won out there. On top of that there's no real way to wave them off as having come from an oasis; as there was no population of them in Orre whatsoever.
Finally, you just were incredibly curious about why the heck a Bug type was carrying around a shard of volcanic rock. So far as you were able to recall, they didn't have any Rock type moves, and the shard wasn't exhibiting the usual properties of Rock-Aura infused shards, referred to colloquially as "Hard Stones". Making up your mind, you pointed out your target to Ping and Sol. Ping's mapping ability was much less useful here, but if they kept it concentrated to a certain area they could get a lot more detail. And thus allow you to keep track of the Scyther as it moved through the grass.
Getting closer proved to be a little tricky, the Scyther was on alert and if you made too much noise it would surely flee. It took Sol helping spot any dried out clumps of grass or stray twigs to keep you from announcing your presence too early and spooking it. Ping kept their focus on the Scyther and every so often would correct your course slightly. At the very least it wasn't running all over the place...
Finally you reach a break in the grass, and see the Scyther looking in your direction. Guess you hadn't been as stealthy as you'd thought... This close it was easier to see the extended abdomen that marked this particular Scyther as being female. Which made her being from outside of this cave more likely, female Scyther preferred to stake out their territory to better defend their eggs, while males tended to be more migratory. In some places they would form swarms if the benefits outweighed the cost; but usually only when presented with a threat that a singular Scyther couldn't handle alone, or when food scarcity meant a swarm was better able to bring down prey as opposed to solo hunting.
The shine of her shell definitely indicated a new molt, and the lack of scars meant that she'd never been wounded badly enough to allow for scar tissue to form under the exoskeleton, leading to marks that were forever represented no matter how many molts they went through. The only part of a Scyther that didn't molt were their blades, building up layer upon layer of chitin to strengthen its cutting edge. Supposedly Scyther blades had been the inspiration for the folded steel technique that smiths in Kanto had perfected using the blade feathers of Skarmory as the base.
You keep your hands down, but away from your belt. Raised arms tended to be interpreted as a threat display by Scyther. You give her a close-lipped smile, again refraining from a potential threat display in showing your teeth. The Scyther watched you warily, though her focus quickly switched to Ping. Apparently either the Scyther considered you no threat, or that you ranked under the unknown strangely colored pokemon. "Hey there. We're not here to fight you or hurt you. I saw you moving through the grass earlier, and I really wanted to meet you. See, my partners and I," you gesture to Sol who chirps a greeting, and Ping who merely bobs their head slightly in a nod, "are looking for someone that would be willing to join our team."
The Scyther tilted her head, her stance losing its defensive hunch. Okay so far so good. "See, my Grandpa used to come down here all the time to dig. And I want to sort of follow in his footsteps, mapping out all the caves and the pokemon in them. I also have a teacher that wants to see if it might be possible to heal the surface."
That certainly seems to catch her interest!
"I know that there's probably limited room down here, but with his expertise, and some help from others, he really thinks that it might be possible. It's just that to do that we need support, and supplies. And to get those, we need to prove that there are pokemon down here that would be willing to come back to the surface. You'd stay with me and you'd be able to run around as much as you like up on the surface, and even fly a bit. But I'd also want your help moving through the different caves and exploring them. I'd do my best to take care of your needs for food and healing in return for you listening to me if we have to fight." You cock your head to the side. "So, what do you say?"
Sol chirped a few things to the Scyther, who looked a bit dubious still, though after a few affirming beeps and honks from Ping, she seems to come to a decision. Lowering her scythes, she bows her head. A gesture of submission to another for Scyther. You move forward a bit gingerly, pulling a pokeball from your pack.
"This is called a pokeball. It lets me bring you and other pokemon around in places where you might not fit or would otherwise be hazardous to you. It's going to feel like you're being squeezed for a moment or two, but if you don't struggle against it, it should stop immediately and then you should be able to come out on your own whenever you want. I would ask that you just not do that unless it's an emergency. Okay?" You hold out the ball. "Just tap the little button there in the center."
Scyther brings up one of her deadly scythes, still having some doubts, but eventually prods the button with the "flat" of her scythe. There's a sudden "whoosh" as Scyther's body is converted to energy and sucked into the ball, which wriggles in your hand, strongly at first, but then after a moment and two more weaker wiggles, Scyther seems to have finally remembered what you told her. The ball lets out a soft chime as it registers the capture, and you have to keep yourself from releasing a jubilant shout.
You bring up your pokegear as the ball syncs with it, giving you the general information on the captured Scyther. With your free hand you open the ball, allowing Scyther back out.
"Okay so let's see here. Female Scyther, obviously. Age... eight months. Oh wow you decided to set out on your own
early. Ability is... Steadfast. I'll need to look that one up. Standardized power level is... ten. Yeah, given your age that's pretty solid. And moves known... Leer, Quick Attack, Fury Cutter. False Swipe and...
Night Slash?!" You stare at the readout before looking back at Scyther with an expression of awe. "That's
amazing!" The Big-type preens at your praise.
"Okay, now that we have undeniable proof, it's time to head back to Professor Saguaro. We'll probably head back to Unova tomorrow, so you can get your first taste of the surface Scyther, and do some free-running and maybe even some flying." Scyther seemed
very intrigued by that.
"Oh, and I seem to be making a habit of naming all of my pokemon. This is Sol, short for Solaris." You indicate the Hoppip. "And this is Ping. They're a sort of man-made pokemon called Porygon." Ping dips their head in a bow of sorts. "Now, what to call you..."
[ ][Scyther Name]Write-in
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Deciding Scyther's nickname was something that occupied you all the way back to the surface, the Shiinotic and Breloom either not thinking of you as a threat anymore, or electing not to harass you when you had a Scyther at your side. You hadn't come to a final decision before arriving back up to the surface, you'd gone to find the Professor; with your new pokemon looking around with a bit of suspicion at the carved-out living space. But then you'd led her outside and her mouth had dropped open in shock! It was late evening now, the sun setting in a deep red disk to the west. The Professor was watching the sunset with Titan, the man smoking his pipe while the mon gnawed on some iron scraps that the professor had brought with him. You see the Professor's eyes widen behind his glasses as he sees your newest companion.
"Well
done lad." Those three words carried an entire mountain of nuance. You beamed like the sun.
Scyther got in the run you'd promised and then some, kicking up plumes of sand as she raced around the Homestead, occasionally taking to the air for short hops before hitting the ground at a dead run once more. Finally as the sun fully set, she appeared to have tired herself out. You smiled as you guided her back inside, allowing the cool air of the AC system to help sooth her overexertion. You'd provided her with a bowl of pokechow, supplemented with some Magikarp filet which she had absolutely loved.
The next morning saw you shutting down the various amenities and checking the level of power left in the stones. It astounded you how much had changed in just four short days. The stones each had 26 days of charge left in them, so best to save them for when you came back. And you
would be coming back.
---
Your flight back to Unova was thankfully uninterrupted, and eventually after giving Scyther a chance to run around the Castelia university park to indulge in the sun and greenery, you'd found yourself in the Dean's office with Prof. Saguaro. The Dean, Alicia Hicks, was a no-nonsense woman with brown hair tied back in a bun wearing a dark blue skirt suit with a cream-colored blouse, her glasses currently being polished as she examined the Snout Fossil that you'd put on her desk, along with the printout of the data from Scyther's pokeball and the geotag data from her capture. With the pictures you'd taken of the Mushroom Jungle spread out over top of it all.
"I must admit, when Professor Saquero first brought this proposal to me, I was skeptical; to say the least. I was expecting some interesting samples of fossils and perhaps a vein of elemental stones of some kind. Needless to say, the two of you have rather thoroughly blown those expectations away. The Board is quite enthused with these initial findings, and as such have not only authorized an expedition, but have also freed up funds from some of their own pet projects. With that in mind, I've already put together a crew of personnel to accompany you on the full expedition." She pulls a number of files from her desk, spreading them out like a deck of cards.
"Joseph, your aides have all been cleared for this. Mr. Clarke, Miss Glimm and Miss Santiago have already agreed to join the expedition and add their own fields of study. And we've contracted a private security specialist and his team to help defend the site if needed. Mr. Osbourne is very much a professional. Do not try to shanghai him into assisting you with lab work. Finally, we received a volunteer to act as the on-site medical specialist. Miss Jasmine Roqette. She's also going to expect to be able to work on her own studies outside of medical emergencies. I suggest you stock up on Antidote for your personal caches, just to be on the safe side." You and the Professor exchange nervous glances. Well that was ominous...
"Now then, here is the listing of your funds. The University can facilitate delivery of items that you wish to purchase in the future, but setting things up on-site is going to be up to you and your team. This folder contains the items that you can spend your current funding on, the costs for your own food and supplies has already been removed from the total."
---
Funding for expedition:
Basic funding: 500,000K Poke
- Snout Fossil: +300,000 Poke
- Scyther with Black Augerite: +450,000 Poke
- Big Nugget: + 30,000 Poke
- Stardust geode: + 2,500 Poke
Total: 1,282,500 Poke
Biome kits: Materials and mechanisms that can be utilized for the construction of a biome for housing pokemon with specific needs. Requires a space be prepared for them to be deployed in. Some may be deployed underground, but most will require deployment on the surface. Biomes provide a +20 to study and analysis rolls regarding pokemon that live in them.
[ ]Holding Corral: 75,000: The most basic of basic, provides shelter and a feeding box.
[ ]Freshwater Biome: 300,000 - Simulated lakeshore, complete with both sandy and muddy beaches. Very water intensive.
[ ]Plains Biome: 100,000 - One of the simplest of the biomes to set up, creates a large field with a wide variety of wildflowers and other grassy plants. Comes with a small pond for drinking water.
[ ]Forest Biome: 150,000 - Creates an area with plenty of trees, stimulated through powdered Leaf Stone to emulate Old Growth forests. Sprinkler system in the biodome ensures proper application of water.
[ ]Berry Greenhouse: 250,000/350,000/500,000 - A specialized biome used for the growing of berries that require specialized environments. Can be upgraded further to allow for larger berry harvests and more rations for deeper delves. Occasionally may have wild pokemon come up from below looking for food. Higher level means rarer mon. Required for specialized biomes
[ ]Jungle Biome: 250,000 - Much more humid than the Forest Biome with a larger diversity of flora and micro-fauna and higher concentrations of powdered Leaf Stone and Water Stone to help maintain vibrancy and humidity. Requires Berry Greenhouse Level 1.
[ ]Swamp Biome: 225,000 - brackish water biome for pokemon that prefer murky water with lots of cover and deep mud. Less water intensive but still needs a specialized humidity control system. Requires Berry Greenhouse Level 2.
[ ]Volcanic/Badlands Biome: 400,000 - For fire types that don't require grass to eat or that require the presence of extreme temperatures for their life cycle. Included a Magmarizer-powered magma pool. Requires Berry Greenhouse Level 3.
[ ]Polar Biome: 600,000 - A biome for ice-types, one half of it is occupied by a large icy saltwater pool, while the other half is snowfield with some rises for accumulating drifts that can be used as nesting areas. Requires Berry Greenhouse Level 3.
[ ]Desert Biome: - You're in
Orre, do you really think you need that?
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[ ]Expanded Berry Package: 150,000 - A select package of hardy and somewhat rare berries to diversify the diets of any captured pokemon and better tailor the diet to their individual tastes. Decreases stress for captured pokemon under observation.
[ ]Mega Mulcher - 200,000 - A specialized mulching machine that can take the scraps left from berry farming and create mulch blends to enhance the growth of the berry bushes. Doubles the output of the berry farm.
[ ]Compost Chief: 150,000/300,00/400,000 - Takes pokemon dung and plant materials to create fertilizers. Gives a chance of having a berry bush continue to produce after harvesting. Chance goes from 10%/15%/25%
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[ ]Incubation Chamber: 100,000 - A large machine with individual compartments to incubate pokemon eggs in. Each compartment's temperature, humidity and other factors for maximum growth potential. Cuts Egg hathing time in half.
[ ]Healing Machine: 350,000 - Usually proprietary property of Pokemon Centers and the Joy Clan, the Dean was able to hash a deal with Burgh acting as a mediator to take one of these potent healing devices with you. Allows for quick healing of major injuries for pokemon as well as spotting illnesses before they progress too far.
[ ]Medical Lab: 250,000 - An array of sensors and scanners that can be used to scan pokemon outside their pokeballs for analysis of their physical characteristics, any abnormalities or unique features are able to be more easily identified. Includes a genetic assay machine to decode a pokemon's ancestry. Adds +20 to rolls for studying pokemon.
[ ]Workshop Bungalow: 400,000 - A technical workshop with specialized tools for the creation of unique tools and gadgets. Adds a +40 to completion rolls for new gadgets.
[ ]Waystation: 175,000 - A reception area for any travelers seeking refuge from the sandstorms or the sun. Rolls for possible random visitors, and allows for roaming traders to stop by to offer possible unique items, components for gadgets, or pokemon care items like enrichment toys, food, and even evolution items that aren't mined from the ground like the Up-Grade, Electrizer and Magmarizer.
[ ]Satellite Uplink: 145,000 - Allows for satellite phone calls, receives TV and radio broadcasts, it can transmit local radio signals as well.
[ ]Full furnishings: 225,000 - Furniture, bedding, kitchen utensils and various appliances to make living at the Homestead much more comfortable for all members of the expedition. Lowers failure rate of rolls due to being comfortable and well-rested.
[ ]Courier Perch: 85,000 - A perch for a dedicated Courier Pidgeot; speeds up transit of deliveries. Will not assist in defending against bandits.
[ ]Perimeter Sensor Network: 150,000 Gives a better chance of detecting attempts to enter the Homestead or the Biomes without authorization. Easier chance to detect incoming bandits or gangs.
[ ]Micro-Revival Machine: 15,000,000: A fully assembled and university certified revivification machine assembly, the term "micro" is a bit of a misnomer as the entire machine is about the size of a van, including the maturation tank. On the bright side it also means that rather than having to hatch an egg, you start off with a fully-grown pokemon. The downside to that, of course, is that it has no context for the current age and may act aggressively.
Please vote by plan for spending your funds. Everything else is freeform votes. There will be a three hour moratorium for discussion.
AN: Sorry this took so long, had to collate a bunch of stuff and get the listing finalized for the stuff you can buy. None of these are "trap" options, they all will have some kind of positive effect. Also, you now see the full extent of the nat 100. An egg move
and a Hidden Ability.
