Overview-
The Electrode line is one of the 2 Cyborg species of the Kanto region. Posessing a shell primarily composed of steel and brass compounds surrounding an organic inner core Electrode are predators of the deep cave systems spanning northern Kanto. The building of Power Plants in the last century has brought this cave dwelling species to the surface to feed on the electricity produced.
The main sense of an Electrode is of electricity. They are able to sense the electric potential of the world around them through their metallic shell. This sense scales with how well trained it is and the condition of their surroundings, ranging as far as 200 meters in favorable conditions and as low as 20 meters in unfavorable conditions. Their sense of sight is their second best sense, but is only usable when the Electrode is still. An Electrode has less sensitive hearing than a human, specialized for low frequency sound. Touch is their weakest sense, only able to detect pressure through their shell. Electrodes do not have a sense of smell or taste.
The Electrode is the perfect predator for the Zubat line. A metal shell makes them immune to the venom used by the bats. Their inability to hear high frequency sound makes them immune to the ultrasound waves they use to overwhelm predators. The reliance on their electric sense cuts past the Zubats ability to hide in the pitch darkness of caves, their bio-electricity making them stand out. As Flying types Zubat are particularly helpless when paralyzed, unable to coordinate their muscles and fly away. And should an entire flock attack the Electrode they can unleash all of their power at once in an Explosion to injure the entire flock, at the cost of injuring themselves.
Lifecycle-
Electrode start their life as a ping-pong ball sized Proto-Voltorb, slowly growing in size as they scavenge any organic matter and ore deposit they can. At this stage they cannot produce their own electricity, solely relying on the charge their parent has provided. Their shell is very thin, able to be dented easily. Thankfully for the proto-voltob, the shell will right its shape if not ruptured. It surrounds a fully organic core, composed primarily of digestive organs at this stage, with the rest of its organs not fully developed. The magnet organs are proportionally smaller in size, only able to move the proto-voltorb at a crawling pace. Proto-Voltorb are a favorite snack of Geodude as their shell and organs contain delicious alloys rarely found in ore deposits. Since they will die without evolution and cannot attack, they are classified as a proto-pokemon instead of a Baby Pokemon.
A proto-voltorb that has managed to survive a year and grow to the size of a baseball will become a proper Voltorb. With their body fully developed all of their electricity no longer goes towards sustaining their body, leaving them finally able to use Electric attacks. A much thicker shell lets them withstand attacks and denser agnet organs lets them flee from a losing fight. Their magnet sytem is less developed than Electrode's, only running in 2 lines dividing the Voltorb horizontally and vertically. The nervous, respitory, and electrical system has finished developing at this stage, with several organs having metal integrated through them. Roughly 33% of all organic matter in a Voltorb has metallic structures. Voltorbs prey on Zubat primarily with the occasional Paras thrown in, sending out Thundershocks into a roosting flock and devouring any that fall to the cave floor while they are paralyzed. When overwhelmed by opponents Voltorb uses Self Destruct and unleashes all their stored power at once to try and take out the enemy before it can kill them,fleeing as soon as they recover. Their diet consists of 70% organic matter, 30% metal ore. They will stay as a Voltorb for roughly 10 years before evolution into Electrode, preying on Zubat and fleeing from any battle they could lose.
Once a Voltorb has eaten enough metal and flesh to grow to the size of a soccer ball it will evolve into an Electrode. Electrode continually grow in size until death, with the largest recorded speciman being 3 meters across at 100 years old on the Gym Leader Lt. Surge's team. Their body has fully integrated its metallic and flesh systems into a seamless mesh. Their magnet and electric organs have significantly expanded to the point that it becomes a complete layer just beneath the shell. This expansion allows the Electrode to attack and move in any direction with ease. The Electrode can now put up a fight to the other predators in their environment, able to Explode and crack the armour of Golem and Onix. They prey on Golbat at this stage, with the occasional Geodude or Parasect on the menu. Their diet consists of 50% organic matter and 50% metal. If they come across a Voltorb or proto-Voltorb while hunting they will top them off with electricity to better their odds of survival. Electrode mate primarily between the months of September-January, producing 2 Proto-Voltorb each coupling. Electrode are all hermaphrodites, and do not have a concept of gender.
Reproduction-
When an Electrode is ready to mate it will run a current over its shell, making it stand out to other Electrode's electric sense. It will keep this current running until it finds another willing Electrode or for 6 hours before trying again. After 2 willing Electrode meet they will align their faces and spit out a metallic seed into the other's mouth. The seed will be kept inside Electrodes mouth for 7 days, being continually charged and imparted with that Electrodes genetic information. The Electrode will not hunt during this period, staying as still as possible to reroute all available electricity into the seed. The seed must be charged enough to last through the proto-voltorb stage or it will die before its electric organs can keep up with the cost of survival. After charging the seed to capacity the Electrode will find a safe place to spit it out, with the most common place being in the guano layer under a Zubat roost. The Electrode will not check on the seed once deposited, with the only parental instinct being to top off younger members of its species. An Electrode will mate up to two times a year.
Miscellaneous-
The Electrode line has thorough digestive systems, breaking down everything they consume into usable form. Any waste product is respirated or spat out. All of their orifices have shutters over them that close when the pokemon is in motion, forcing them to rely only on their electric sense while moving. The shell is composed of a mix of tin, iron, copper, and nickel. Some individuals have been discovered that have shells composed primaraly of cobalt, giving them a striking blue colouration. Electrode have a lifespan of 120 years, but it is very rare for a wild Electrode to live past 50 due to the abundance of Ground types in their habitat. The recent discovery of fossils in Sinnoh has uncovered an ancestor of Electrode that is vastly different from the modern day variety. It seems that these ancestors of Electrode were Electric/Grass types, living in grasslands instead of cave systems.
During the later years of the Unova-Kanto war Kanto was close to losing, only possesing a superior air force. They knew that any prolonged battle with Unova would end with a total defeat and looked for any way to decisively turn the tides. The Unovan ships and camps could withstand attacks from Pidgeot and Dragonite were too few in number to be the answer. They found their answer in the Power Supply units, after a general observed an Electrode explode in a battle. Volunteer Electrode units were trained as ammunition, knowing that their life would be spent to turn the tides of the war. By feeding them much more electricity then they could handle and then dropping them from Pidgeot's flying above enemy lines these units devastated the Unovan targets. These supercharged Explosions cost the Electrode its life in every case, shattering their shells as fragment bombs. In the War Musuem of Vermillion City there is a memorial listing the names for each of these Electrode to honour their sacrifice.