Why Is This So Expensive?
Planet Barlow, Bogan Galaxy
As Ratchet hopped out of his ship, his eyes scanned his surroundings. Landing on a desert planet was certainly an experience he was looking forward to, because soon after leaving, he'd always find sand caked in his fur. This sand then always found a way to fall off and settle in every nook and cranny of the ship. His visit to Pokitaru was murder because of this.
This new environment defied his Solanian upbringing. This area was an abandoned Gadgetron facility. Ratchet had no idea what to make of this. On his last adventure, he relied exclusively on the explosive weaponry Gadgetron sold from their numerous vendors across the Solana galaxy: the Blaster, the Mine Glove, the Devastator. They were such wonderful weapons, and they had served the Lombax well. So when Megacorp, his new employers, denied Ratchet's request to use his old weaponry, he was not happy. The standard-issue Lancer and Gravity Bomb they gave to him took the sting out of the situation, however.
Ratchet looked across from where his ship landed, to see a structure with broken lettering that once said 'Gadgetron', but now said 'GAD-E-TRON'. The 'E' was slowly peeling away from the building, as if it knew that Gadgetron no longer belonged in this galaxy.
Gadgetron made Ratchet's first adventure easier because of their reasonable prices. The most he had to pay for a weapon was 40,000 bolts, and it was so worth it! The Tesla Claw mowed down every enemy in sight, frying them with a sharp arc of electricty. When Ratchet first used it on Oltanis, he almost wept with joy. The gradual increase in prices as he progressed weren't too bad. He could always afford the weapons almost instantly. If not, then he could easily come back to the vendor later. Gadgetron always created effective and affordable products.
In addition to the weaponry Megacorp provided him before he left, Ratchet only had purchased a Chopper, which had cost 5,000 bolts. While Ratchet wasn't happy with this pricing so early on his mission, he accepted it. Now he had landed on Barlow, he was excited to see what new weapons were available at the vendor. He eagerly ran over to the pyramid-shaped Megacorp vendor, and activated it.
He quickly scanned through the list, topping up the ammo for the weapons he already had. He eyed the Seeker Gun, while looked pretty neat for a sum of 5,000 bolts. Without hesitation, he quickly bought it. Once the full amount had been transferred, a small slot spat out Ratchet's new toy, much to his delight. He scooped up the weapon, and examined its craftsmanship. Megacorp weapons so far had been pretty sweet to fire, they were incredibly powerful, and Ratchet knew that this one would be no exception. Before he began on his travels, Ratchet decided to have another quick look at the catalogue. He still had another 7,000 bolts left, he figured there was something else he could pick up.
He scanned through the list, where the Blitz Gun had caught his eye again. He noticed it on Oozla, but was overwhelmed by his new Chopper that he didn't look into the specifications of the weapon. Looking at the Blitz Gun's description, this thing sounded beautiful! So much power, plus Ratchet never used a shotgun-like weapon before, much to his disappointment. He decided that this baby would be his next purchase, no question about it.
Ratchet prepared to pay for the weapon, when the pricing caught his eye. His jaw dropped. On the screen was a figure that disgusted the Lombax:
15,000 bolts.
What?! Fifteen thousand? This had to be a joke! Ratchet had been on his mission for no more than a couple of hours, already weapon prices were in the five-figure range!
"Why is this so expensive?!" He yelled, his cry reverberating across the quiet canyon. Of course, since this was a Megacorp vendor, there was no one to address his complaint to. Ratchet cursed Megacorp many times under his breath, before setting off to locate the Desert Riders. Hopefully, somewhere within these old ruins, he could find Gadgetron weapons like the ones he owned. They would be so useful!
Just a quick oneshot idea I had while playing through Ratchet & Clank 2. The weapon prices in this game are ridiculous, and the old Gadgetron weapons you get from a Ratchet & Clank 1 save suck so bad. You're better off flicking paperclips at the enemies, they deal such little damage.
~TWRSB