[video/action if you're in mahogany town]

[epitaffio]

[Once again, it would seem like Doppio is staying at some kind of traditional-looking inn. There is some faint yipping and barking in the background before he starts talking.]

So... I've been curious about something. This is Scarabella...

[He holds up to the camera a pink-purpleish Heracross. It looks smaller than average, and veterans may notice there is something else that's unusual about its appearance.]

... She hatched just last week. I've seen some Heracross here and there, and when I did some looking into it, I kind of noticed there's something-- Ah, I don't mean the color! I know about Shiny Pokémon. But...

[If Doppio intended to use the PokéGear for something else, too bad, because Scarabella is now sucking on the bottom of the screen. Oh well. Also, is the barking getting louder?]

Uh, I guess you'll have to check your Pokédex if you don't know what I'm talking about, but it looks like male Heracross usually have a sort of branched horn, like a rhinoceros beetle, and female Heracross usually have what looks like a heart on the tip of their horn... But Scarabella's heart is upside-down. [Almost like...] Does that kind of thing happen a lot? I mean... differences that don't really show up on the Pokédex?

[Really, he just wants to know the odds that he'll be forced to hand in an ultra-rare specimen to Team Rocket. Scarabella is cute... It'd be a shame. Hey, that's some REALLY loud yipping--

A horde of Yamper rushes in through the window.

He is on the second floor.]

Oh yeah if you want one of these little guys you should come to Mahogany Town, there's a ton and they're everywhere, try catching a few, okay bye!

[... He'll be replying through text.]

Comments

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[epitaffio]

If you only noticed because you've seen a lot of them, that must mean it's really rare, right?

[But maybe not especially valuable? Hopefully???]

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[schachmeister]

Oh, I don't know if it is super rare, more like... if you've only ever seen one Lapras, you won't notice if the spines on its shield are shorter than average or if it has an unusually long horn. But for me, I've got a lot of other Lapras to compare to.

[epitaffio]

Oh, that makes sense... I think.

[So, should he send Team Rocket a bunch of Heracross, actually...?]

Oh I know!
Maybe it's a bit like...
When you meet a set of identical twins and you can't tell them apart at first, but after you've spent a lot of time with them, it gets easier?
I've never been too good at that, though.

[schachmeister]

That sounds like a pretty good comparison, yes.
Or how farmers can tell their entire herd apart, even if they all look like identical cows to me.
Or, well, I guess it would be identical Miltanks in this world.

[epitaffio]

Can they really do that?
I mean, I guess cows have all sorts of different patterns... so maybe Miltank do too.

[schachmeister]

Well, that is what the farmers used to tell us when me and my friends were young.
Though, I guess, most of them didn't have very huge herds, so it would be easier.

[epitaffio]

You know, I believe it. Ordinary-looking people can have all kinds of surprising talents.