#plot-beats

[midwest-dex]

Abominaceon, the Market Research Pokemon The project began very simply, relatively speaking. Research the peculiarities of Eevee's evolutionary branches, and use it to genetically engineer the most universally beloved Pokemon possible. At first the goal was crystal clear, dragons are among the most popular Pokemon of all time, and Eevee's genome implied a natural draconic form should exist, but it was struggling to be expressed somehow. It took too long for the board, and they started pushing us elsewhere. If this project was to continue, and I did so want it to continue, we would need to branch out, provide data that this truly was the most lovable creature to ever walk this earth. And so, attached, you can see the hundreds upon hundreds of polls, meetings, and meta-analyses on preferences. It needed bat wings, a kaiju's prescence, but a friendly demeanor. It needed to be made of metal with the soft fluffiness of a Whimsicott, it needed the charm of a Joltik and the edge of an Absol. You would not believe how many kids want a Pokemon with cool shoes. One of these is just the word Pidgeot written thirty times, we never could figure out what to do with that one. We gave it extra arms to hug you with, a bell so it doesn't get lost. It can change to any color you like, breathe underwater, even photosynthesize so you can't forget to feed it. Somehow, we did it. I wish we didn't.

Types: Normal/Dragon Ability: Steelworker Hidden Ability: Polluted Eevee has no Hidden Ability Evolution: Polluted Eevee appears unable to evolve.

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You stare at the bizarre Pokemon, strangely both deeply unsettled and deeply attached to it. It struggles to stand up on its hind legs, planting reinforced legs in rubber shoes onto the glass between you, the look in its eyes begging you to set it free.

You don't get the chance "Hey!" Sounds like someone finally realized you broke in here. "What are you doing in here!" You pull out your Derelich's Pokeball. There's only one way out of this one.

The Glo-Co Security guard sneers as he comes through the door and sees both your Pokeball and the polluted Eevee. He throws out a Pokeball of his own...

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Thanks and apologies to the following for their unwitting part in crafting this poor creature: Crashington [Aggron's metal legs] Fleur [Lanturn the Heal Bell Enjoyer] NinjaPhoenix [Noivern's wing] Mako [Houndoom's horns] Matte [Pidgeot's makeup] Beees [Nidoking's horn] Crime? [Tangela's shoes] Splashcat [Swinub's nose] Emily [Whimiscott's floof] Mordi [Absol's hair] Juno [Absol's horn] Rachel [Galvantula's eyes] Wende [Dhelmise's ability] Toasty [Wooper's gill] Squidpizza [Omidge's rainbow patterning] PTM [Kecleon's stripe] Lih [Oddish's leaves] FifthDragon [Arcanine's leg warmers] Dravos [Volcarona's arms] Cajun [Stufful's tail] Viewers like you [Pikachu's cheeks]

[midwest-dex]

Pyreswine, the Wildfire Pokemon Studies into evolving the summer Swinub have been delving into ancestral DNA of the species that roamed the earth when it was much warmer. The natural re-activation of these genes have been clumsy, locking out the Swinub from being able to evolve into either Piloswine or the prehistoric variant we've dubbed Pyreswine. We're not really sure what Pyreswine would have looked like, but we strongly suspect the stable few we have are quite close, given the poor outcomes for the hybrids. A likely difference between the two is the great quantity of gasses produced by the Pyreswine, some of which is burns off to continue the burning of not just the obvious burn of its tusks and eyebrows, but also the subtler fire beneath the Pokemon's coat, which is most obvious in the thinnest area around its nose. Likely this production would not have been necessary in its original form, at least to this degree, as these gases were quite prevalent in the atmosphere at the time. Instead, we believe this is a gene we have dialed up that allowed the Pokemon to be stable in an atmosphere that would normally not support them. Gas capture is very important during study of Pyreswine, as enclosed spaces can quickly become dangerous to researchers from the excess gasses the Pyreswine releases without burning off.

Pyreswine: Ravaged-form Mamoswine. Pyreswine only exists as a Boss Encounter in the final dungeon. Types: Ground/Fire Ability: Rampage — Pyreswine is unbothered by infatuation, intimidation, taunts, torments, disables, confusion, and recoil. Boss Move: Primordial Power | Physical | Fire | 1PP | Pyreswine unleashes volcanic power. For each of its stats, there is a 50% chance it is raised one stage.

[midwest-dex]

Peacekeeper, the Unshackled Pokemon According to legend, Manakan Azelf was the guardian of Lake Mettle. Glo-Co found this for themselves when a tailing pond breached, and the little fairy tried to hold back the tide. The toxic chemicals and heavy metals were too great a threat for the guardian, and it nearly died in the attempt. The Pokemon became an excellent place to test bioengineering, first replacing the molten gem with a cybernetic eye to make up for the Pokemon's lost eyes. When the gem was discovered to have great restraining power, the two in its tails were also recovered, allowing for the creation of something similar to Sinnoh's Red Chain, which we used to keep Azelf under better control. With this better control over the Pokemon, its tails were completed with explosive armaments. It is unclear why this decision was made, as it has just made containment of codename "Peacekeeper" much more difficult, and they've never been officially used for any purpose, or even tested within the labs after their original addition.

Peacekeeper: Ravaged-form Manakan Azelf. Peacekeeper only exists as a Boss Encounter in the final dungeon. Types: Steel/Fire Ability: High Explosive — Peacekeeper is immune to Ground moves. Its self-destructive moves are more powerful and bypass immunities. Boss Move — Lake's Destruction | If the target's defense stats are higher than their offense stats, their defense stats are lowered by one stage, and vice versa. Then Peacekeeper explodes for a large amount of damage, fainting afterwards.

---

The final tube lands with a great rattling noise. The final fairy moves quickly and erratically unlike its brothers, the rattling of the chains draped around it constant. Where the previous two lake guardians still had their tails intact, this one has two chains drifting away from it, one capped with a flamethrower, the other a many-barrelled gun, its spinning adding to the noise. It's green gem lights up as it lays eyes on you, and its two weapons swivel to attention...

---

Peacekeeper is based on a design by DrChillbrain!

[midwest-dex]

Crashle, the Car Inn Pokemon Impelled evolution for impacted Dwebble has been the easiest and most customizable of the known species so far. The cans that the polluted Dwebble are attracted to can simply be removed and replaced with more and more impressive scrap. The key element to watch for in impacted Dwebble is its coloration: Dwebble which are still the original orange will still seek out rocks, and only use metal out of desperation. As the purple pigments begin to appear and spread across its skin, seeking metal becomes a compulsion, and eventually a need. Once cultivated to this point, the Dwebble simply needs its current shell taken away in the presence of a replacement piece of metal. Preferably, this metal will be larger, forcing the Dwebble to grow stronger to carry it. Eventually, the shell will become too great, and the Dwebble will be forced to evolve in order to carry its new shell. The key to this is slow progression: A Dwebble forced into evolution too soon will end up evolving with too small a shell, and be less impressive than a normal Crustle. Our most successful specimen reached the size of an automobile before finally evolving. While this Pokemon, codenamed "Crashle" is very impressive, I believe we can push this project even further.

Crashle: Ravaged-form Crustle. Crashle exists only as a Boss Encounter in the final dungeon. Types: Bug/Steel Ability: 500 Left Turns — Crashle does more damage the more it repeats moves, and takes less damage the more its opponents repeat moves. Boss Move: Peelout | Physical | Steel | 1PP | Crashle continually rolls into the target over five turns. This attack becomes more powerful and less accurate each time it hits.

[midwest-dex]

Polluted Swinub, the Hog Pokemon Researchers have been monitoring the increase of short-hair "Summer Coat" Swinub as the temperatures in Manaka continue to climb over the years, even in the normally colder northern climates. But now we are seeing something much more drastic, with some Swinub trading their ice affinity for a fire one. Despite initial, and continued, claims that this is a new and natural regional form of Swinub, breeding research has shown that these Swinub lay eggs of normal Swinub, unlike every other recognized regional form. Detractors claim this means nothing, as the breeding programs for the "adapting" Shellder, Dwebble, and Staryu have been unable to produce eggs at all.

Type: Ground/Fire Ability: Oblivious Hidden Ability: Polluted Swinub has no Hidden Ability. Evolution: Polluted Swinub appears unable to evolve.

--- Adventure Start 3/3 ---

Professor Hickory sent you to Piers to collect data from another aide. It turned out the "data" was a rampaging, shaved, Swinub wreathed in flames. Thankfully, your partner Flotssum made short work of it, but this strange occurrence has you and the Professor wanting to dig deeper.

But to do that, you must first defeat your father, an old biker and a Gym Leader of Manaka. Like most Manakan leaders, he focuses on a strategy rather than a typing, with the old biker prioritizing speed control. He claims to go easy on you, bringing a Diglett, a Shift Gear Varoom, and as his ace, an evolved Chareek Flotssum Mischaff with its Hidden Ability.

You have the type advantage for his ace, but if you didn't explore much on your errand, you might find yourself unevolved and fighting uphill. Catching a Peacower has given you a great edge, dispatching the flimsy Diglett and hitting Varoom on its weaker side. If you caught the strange Swinub, it will also help break through the Varoom and resist a few hits from the ace.

As you finally claim your victory, he bursts into tears of pride, handing over your gym badge and a key to one of his old motorcycles. He recommends you continue the Gym Challenge, to build your strength to explore the furthest corners of Manaka for more of these anomalous Pokemon.

You get a call from Professor Hickory. There's rumors of a weird looking Staryu further up the river in the town of Camber. With a Pokedex and a new bike, you hit the road...

[midwest-dex]

Polluted Dwebble, the Trash Inn Pokemon As more junk has found its way into the great Manaka River, that junk has found its way onto the back of Dwebble. There has been much debate over if this is beneficial for the Dwebble. For Dwebble that find good pieces of metal it can offer better protection than its usual rock, but many Dwebble have been found injured by their finds, and the protection is nonexistent for Dwebble that find plastic instead. Furthermore, evolution becomes difficult to impossible for these Dwebble, and the so called adaptation does not extend to Crustle.

Type: Bug/Steel Ability: Sturdy Hidden Ability: Polluted Dwebble has no Hidden Ability. Evolution: Polluted Dwebble appears unable to evolve.

--- Adventure Start 2/3 ---

You and your partner Chareek arrive in Piers and learn the researcher's find is a Dwebble that has housed itself in a tin can instead of a rock shell. Attempting to remove the trash from the Dwebble causes it to attack!

The fight ends almost immediately. The other researcher goes pale as you both realize this is not a simple trash-covered Dwebble, but its typing has changed around it.

Back at the lab, Professor Hickory is also unsettled, and asks that you expand your role. Investigate the rest of Manaka, looking for these changing Pokemon, and determine what is a natural regional form, and what is simply human action, or inaction, harming these Pokemon.

You are eager to dig into this research, but you still lack reliable transportation, and walking to cities any further than Piers is out of the question. You ask your dad, the local Gym Leader, if you would be able to borrow a motorcycle to begin your new job. He agrees, on one condition: You must prove to him you're able to handle yourself out there, by beating him and earning his Gym Badge...

[midwest-dex]

Polluted Shellder, the Invasive Pokemon Rock hard growths have begun appearing on the species in Lake Luster. Research is ongoing on ways to reverse the process. Leading Pokemon professors do not recognize this as a budding regional form and insist something else is taking place.

Types: Water/Rock Abilities: Shell Armor Hidden Ability: Polluted Shellder has no Hidden Ability. Evolution: Polluted Shellder appears unable to evolve.

--- Adventure Start 1/3 ---

You are a new aide to Professor Hickory, a respected Pokemon Professor in Manaka studying the appearance and development of regional forms. Manaka is of particular interest to him for its very recent developments such as Threadbear, Manakan Ninjask, and the adaptation of Wooldyu.

On your first day, he ensures you have a Pokemon, your trusty Mischaff, provides you a charge card to use at the Pokemon Stations, and asks you to meet a colleague of his in the neighboring town of Pier.

What he doesn't provide is a car. Luckily, Pier isn't that far from where you are in Causeway, and you can make the hike there and back in a day for the Professor. You find the other researcher working alongside the river, where they have carefully extracted a single... it looks to be a Shellder, but sick, perhaps.

You are told it is from Lake Luster, one of the three large lakes further north. You've never been there yourself, but hear this infection has become common for the Shellder in the lake, and finding them this far downriver cannot be good news for anyone...