Chapter 31: Concepts for Equipment
Despite the very ominous feeling in his heart, Rio could only proceed with the previous plan step by step at this moment.
"This, this is your equipment workshop??"
Following Takuma up to the second floor of the research institute, Rio stared dumbfounded at the scene before him, which was piled high with various instruments and materials.
Takuma clapped his hands, and the lights on the second floor turned on with the sound.
A large workbench stretched across the center of the second floor, with several delicately constructed mechanical arms hanging beside it. The workbench itself was covered with design drafts and various semi-finished products, with screws and nails of different sizes scattered about, along with a dazzling array of manufacturing tools.
"Welcome to my development room!"
Takuma said with considerable pride.
Sure enough, 10-year-old kids in the Pokémon world are monsters! Rio once again firmly established this thought in his mind.
"Did you make all these things yourself?" Rio asked casually, casually picking up a glove-like object from the table. However, he didn't notice that a large pile of components "clattered" out from inside the glove.
"…"
"Ahaha, this, this place is really nice."
Quickly putting the thing down, Rio pretended nothing had happened.
"Yes, these things on the table, as well as the gas mask collar and jet sneakers I showed you before, were all made by me."
As he spoke, Takuma climbed up and down, activating various machines.
"Buzz—"
"Clank, clank," the mechanical arms beside the workbench suddenly moved, startling Rio, who was looking around aimlessly.
"This damn thing! Ouch."
Rio angrily slapped the mechanical arm with his paw, only to have his paw sting from the impact with the arm's hard casing.
This thing is really hard. I wonder if I can break it if I hit it with [Metal Claw]... Hmm?
Suddenly, he had a bold idea.
"Takuma, besides making gas masks, can you also help me make some equipment?"
"Equipment?"
Question marks filled Takuma's small head.
"Yes, you know we Pokémon can use moves, right?" Rio said excitedly. He then extended his right paw, gathering Steel-type energy. Silvery-grey energy flowed around his right paw, forming several long, sharp claws that popped out.
"Look, if I just use moves like this, when fighting an opponent, I can only rely on the power of the energy to strike them. But if I could wear a weapon that is inherently very hard, like fist-claws, I could imbue the energy into the weapon, increasing the move's destructive power."
Rio gestured, and Takuma's eyes lit up beside him.
"Oh, oh, oh, that's a really good idea!"
"Also," getting excited, Rio's imagination also started running wild. "Look, I'm a Fighting-type Pokémon. When I have to face those Flying-type Pokémon later, if they fly into the sky, my moves will be completely useless. If I could get a jet propulsion device, I could go up into the sky and beat them down."
"Or, I could have some kind of weapon in the palm of my hand that can fire energy cannons. That way, I'd even have ranged attacks."
A Pokémon world version of Iron Man! It would be truly perfect if I could get a J.A.R.V.I.S.-like AI!
Ignoring Rio, who was grinning foolishly to himself, Takuma was captivated by these bold ideas. In the past, he had mostly tinkered with making interesting little gadgets and had never tried designing equipment specifically for a Pokémon. Now, Rio's concepts caused his inspiration to gush out, one idea after another, and various ingenious thoughts emerged.
Takuma quickly jotted down the ideas he thought of in his notes and pulled Rio over to discuss them together.
"Come, come, see if this kind will work..."
"…"
After a round of intense discussion, the design document for Rio's custom-made equipment was officially completed.
"Although I feel there are still many areas that can be improved, we don't have much time. Let's start quickly."
Excitement was one thing, but Takuma still remembered that his parents might still be held hostage in the forest's research institute. He couldn't be bothered to optimize the design document any further. He put on his work clothes, donned his face mask, and eagerly prepared to start production.
"Let me think, I remember making some similar parts before... Ah, not this one... (rummage, rummage) not this one either..."
He rummaged through a pile of various oddly shaped items on the side, occasionally tossing out objects that didn't meet his satisfaction, like a glowing helmet, finger-sized swords, a water-spraying swimming ring, and so on.
Finally, Takuma unearthed a set of small, dusty, and slightly old-looking armor.
He brushed off the dust from the armor with a hint of nostalgia. "Ah, found it. This is a piece I made when I was little for playing hero games. It's said that a long, long time ago, a hero wore a set of armor just like this to quell wars... It really brings back memories."
Rio looked at the set of armor with some curiosity. The entire suit was silver-white and wasn't the traditional type of conjoined armor, but rather a combination of individual parts. The breastplate, tassets, backplate, gauntlets, and other components could be worn separately.
Takuma sighed wistfully for a moment but ultimately decided to place this set of armor into a machine and begin the fabrication process.
…
In a certain building in the forest.
"You... this is... blasphemy against... life..."
An aged voice, filled with anger, sounded intermittently, as if suppressed by something.
"Hahahaha, blasphemy against life? What kind of damn nonsense is that!"
The hooded person laughed maniacically, appearing extremely agitated, his hands raised high towards the sky, a look of ecstasy on his face.
"This is it, this unparalleled power."
Then, his eyes, blazing with fanaticism, fixed on the solitary and proud white-purple figure before him.
"Come, this power, be mine to wield!"
The hooded person took out a spherical object enveloped in black smoke and threw it towards the white-purple figure.
The white-purple figure (Translator's note: likely Mewtwo) seemed unconcerned and flashed, apparently intending to dodge the black sphere. Unexpectedly, the black sphere seemed to lock onto "It." No matter where "It" dodged, the sphere kept pursuing.
Then, annoyed by the dodging, "It" emanated a suffocating energy wave, intending to destroy the bothersome object, but was suddenly hit by the black sphere, which found an opening.
"Clang, clang," the black sphere shook violently, and as it shook, more black smoke, chilling to the bone, overflowed from it.
Finally, the black sphere settled down.
Amidst the despairing gazes of the middle-aged couple supporting an elderly man nearby, the hooded person picked up the black sphere.
At the same time, an endless wave of energy seemed to surge from the black sphere and then cover the hooded person.
Originally—
"Hahahahahahahaha..."
The crazed laughter seemed to penetrate the building, unrestrained arrogance echoing in the air.