Chapter 119: The Professor's Methods
Scyther, having endured countless training drills and now this strange coating process, seemed resigned to Professor Oak's eccentric methods. It stood patiently, holding its right scythe steady as instructed, allowing Oak to run a small, handheld device back and forth along the blade that had been treated with the chromium compound.
Professor Oak squinted at the readings displayed on the device's small screen, murmuring technical data under his breath. He repeated the process on the left scythe, the one treated with nickel.
And after scanning both blades thoroughly, he put away the device, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hmm, integration appears stable," he announced, seemingly satisfied. "Surface hardness significantly increased on the right blade, as expected. Nickel integration on the left… less pronounced, but detectable."
He paused, then looked at Xiu, a new kind of intensity entering his eyes. "But," he added, his voice dropping slightly, "surface readings only tell part of the story. We need… more robust data."
"Professor?" Xiu asked warily, sensing another potentially dangerous experiment brewing.
"Destructive testing," Oak confirmed bluntly. "Need to assess fracture resistance, impact tolerance, material fatigue under stress." He gestured towards a collection of heavy metal ingots and testing blocks stacked near one of the large machines. "Go move those out to the clearing near the Institute building."
Xiu hesitated for a fraction of a second, glancing towards Scyther, then complied silently. He understood the necessity, scientifically speaking, but deliberately pushing Scyther to damage its newly altered scythes left a bad taste in his mouth.
Still, he trusted Professor Oak's expertise, for the most part. He moved the heavy metal blocks out into the designated open space in the backyard, arranging them as instructed.
"Alright, Scyther," Professor Oak commanded, holding up a data recording device and clipboard. "Simple strikes first. No Focus Energy, no complex techniques. Just basic chops. Target this first ingot." He indicated a solid block of what looked like standard steel. "Two strikes with the right scythe, then two with the left."
Scyther nodded, stepped forward, raised its right scythe – the one gleaming with the subtle chromium sheen – and brought it down hard onto the metal ingot.
CLANG!
The sharp sound of chitin striking metal echoed clearly. Xiu rushed forward instinctively to check the blade. To his relief, the scythe edge looked completely unharmed, not even nicked. The metal ingot, however, now bore a distinct, shallow gouge mark.
"Don't worry so much," Professor Oak chided casually, seeing Xiu's nervousness. "Think of its scythes like high-quality cutting tools, like properly tempered blades. They can handle significant stress." He waved dismissively. "Continue the test!"
Scyther proceeded, striking the ingot again with the right scythe, then switching to the left. The left scythe, treated with nickel, also left a mark on the steel, though perhaps slightly less deep than the chromium-enhanced blade. Oak meticulously recorded the results, occasionally instructing Scyther to strike different types of metal blocks – harder alloys, softer composites.
The chopping continued. Scyther methodically worked its way through the test blocks. Eventually, after numerous impacts against a particularly dense tungsten carbide block, Xiu heard it – a faint but distinct crack. Scyther immediately stopped, retracting its right scythe, looking down at the hairline fracture that had appeared near the blade's edge.
Professor Oak, however, seemed entirely unsurprised, almost expectant. He calmly made another note on his clipboard. "Alright, that's sufficient data for impact stress," he declared. "Gather the fragments carefully, Xiu. Label them. Scyther, you're dismissed for now. Go rest." He then turned and headed back towards the Institute lab without waiting.
"Yes, Professor." Xiu carefully collected the tiny chitin fragment that had broken off Scyther's blade, placing it in a labeled sample bag. He then instructed Scyther to return to its Poké Ball to recover. 'He knew it was going to break,' Xiu realized. This wasn't just testing; it was planned. He quickly gathered the remaining test materials and hurried after the Professor.
Back in the second-floor lab, Xiu found Professor Oak already setting up another complex apparatus – this one involving crucibles, high-intensity heat sources, and various analytical sensors. "Professor?" Xiu asked, placing the fragment sample bag on the workbench. "What now?"
"Thermal stress analysis," Oak replied without looking up, adjusting nozzles on what looked like a high-temperature torch. "To determine the melting point of these fragments and I also need to understand how the metallic integration affects thermal resistance." He indicated the fragments. "Prepare those samples."
Xiu carefully placed the largest scythe fragment into one crucible, and a similarly sized piece of standard, untreated metal into another, as instructed. He then activated the heating element under the metal sample first, following Oak's directions.
Professor Oak held a device resembling a high-tech camera, pointing it towards the crucible containing the metal sample, monitoring its temperature. "Approaching melting point…" he murmured, reading the display. "Two thousand seven hundred degrees…"
He then turned his attention to the other crucible. "Alright, heat the fragment sample now."
Xiu activated the second heat source, directing the flame onto the scythe fragment. As the temperature climbed, the fragment began to glow faintly, then shifted color, turning a dull greyish-white. Then, instead of melting, it started to… disintegrate as small fissures appeared, widened rapidly, and the fragment crumbled into a fine, ceramic-like powder.
"Hm..." Oak observed, recording the data. "Complete structural breakdown around three thousand degrees Celsius." He deactivated the heat source, then used a short metal rod to carefully poke at the residue in the crucible. The greyish-white fragments instantly dissolved into fine ash.
"Hmm~ Just as I suspected," Oak murmured thoughtfully.
"What is it, Professor?" Xiu asked, looking at the pile of ash where the seemingly durable scythe fragment had been moments before.
"The metallic elements Scyther absorbs," Oak explained, finally turning away from the experiment, "aren't simply accumulating within the chitin. They're undergoing a deeper biochemical transformation. Binding with the organic molecules, forming a unique bio-metallic composite. It retains some properties of the original metal – increased hardness, in this case – but its fundamental structure, its reaction to extreme heat, its melting point… it's completely different."
"Meaning?" Xiu pressed, trying to grasp the significance.
"Meaning," Oak stated, a hint of frustration entering his voice, "that simply analyzing the elemental composition isn't enough. The way the elements are bonded, the resulting composite material's properties… that's the real key." He stopped himself, sighing.
"Unfortunately, analyzing that requires techniques and equipment even I don't possess." He seemed genuinely annoyed by the limitation. He turned away from the crucibles. "Alright. Clean up these fragments. And the metal samples. Then, prepare for the next test: chemical corrosion resistance."
While Oak retrieved several stoppered glass bottles containing viscous, strangely colored liquids from a secure cabinet, Xiu meticulously cleaned the work area, carefully collecting the ash residue and the melted metal sample.
He then cut several small, identically sized squares from one of the remaining steel test blocks using a high-precision laser cutter.
"Ready?" Oak asked, returning with three ominous-looking brown glass bottles. He placed them on the workbench beside several clean petri dishes.
Xiu nodded silently, preparing his notebook to record the results.
Oak picked up the first bottle. "Note the time." He carefully placed one of the steel squares into a petri dish. Uncorking the bottle, he tilted it slowly as a thick, viscous, greenish liquid oozed out, smelling sharply of acid.
Xiu instinctively took a step back, but Oak, seemingly oblivious to the fumes, poured a single drop onto the metal square with machine-like steadiness.
The reaction was immediate, violent. The metal sizzled aggressively, dense bubbles erupting from the point of contact like water hitting a searing hot pan. White, acrid smoke wisped upwards as the bubbles popped.
Within three to five seconds, the two-finger-sized metal square had completely dissolved, leaving only a murky, brownish liquid filled with suspended flocculent particles and drifting foam.
Oak calmly noted the reaction time, then picked up one of the larger scythe fragments. He placed it in a clean petri dish and repeated the process, dripping the same green acid onto the chitinous surface.
This time, however, the reaction was vastly different. The acid clung to the fragment's surface, glistening, but caused no bubbling, no smoke, no visible corrosion. It simply sat there.
After ten seconds of observation, Oak used a glass rod to carefully lift the fragment out of the acid droplet. He gestured towards a beaker. "Get some clean water."
"Yes, Professor!" Xiu responded quickly, hurrying to the nearby sink, relieved to have an excuse to step away from the corrosive fumes.
'Seriously, he thought, filling the beaker, doesn't Professor Oak believe in fume hoods? Safety goggles? Basic lab protocols? He's been doing research for decades; surely he knew the dangers? Are safety standards just… different in this world? Or maybe he's just built different.'[1] He shuddered, imagining a single drop of that acid splashing onto skin or into an eye.
[1] you guys know what I did here