Oscar looked over at the Genesect's, almost as if their groundbreaking communication was an afterthought. He shrugged casually, "Ah, yeah. Prime talked with Tempest Quinn's genesect too. It seems to like conversing with others of its kind. I don't see the harm in it." If anything, Prime getting the chance to socialize was a good thing. After all, the more connections it made the closer it would be to breaking free from its rigid programming.

Prime becoming an individual was more valuable to the world of science than a mindless killer cyborg ever was.

Prime felt a tingling in its innards when the other Genesect responded to its greeting. It was the same feeling it felt whenever it would dance, a shocking surge of warmth. Was this joy? Perhaps something similar. At any rate, the Genesect's eager response was a pleasing outcome. The bridge had been built, though now Prime was a bit at a loss on how to cross it.

It decided to use the past conversations its master has had with others as a reference. After rapidly sifting through its stored recordings, Prime decided upon the best possible inquiry to start with. It spoke to its fellow Genesect in the same beeping language as before.

"WHAT IS YOUR CALL SIGN?"

Lulu Flint

Oscar's hand tensed around his torch as Howard spoke. Howard seemed rather casual about the whole affair, did he not realize the consequences of Regice's disobedience? Did he not see how much danger he put himself in? Oscar tried to resist, but he could not help but comment on it.

"Drills can be replaced yeah. It's you that can't be..." Oscar's work slowed to a standstill. He probably should not have said anything, Oscar was never shy about caring for his colleagues but it always felt foolish when he brought it up. He put his tool down and faced Howard fully; if this conversation was to continue he might as well look the man in the eye.

Oscar pulled off his welding goggles, revealing the dark circles that had formed under his eyes. He has not been sleeping, there was no point to rest until Genesect's repairs were finished. Oscar rubbed his eyelids a bit before answering Howard's question.

"I have no idea why. It said something in that language I can't understand and just--stood there. I don't think it's defective, unless." Oscar gave Howard a serious look, as the answer to his next question could legitimize the intrusive thoughts he had been combating since that day. "Has Regice taken orders from others in the past, or did you just assume it would do as it's told?"

howard slayte

As Violet emerged from the office with the statuette, the secretary would blindly fall victim for the wily spy's gambit. After all, it was better to be safe and check for tampering than to be sorry by blocking an official investigation. She nodded feverishly, "Yes that's absolutely fine. I think that was a gift too so it would make a lot of sense. Please let me know what you find." She gave Violet a deep bow, trying to appear as respectful as possible to what she believed was a Rocket Official.

Once again Oscar found himself giggling childishly at the secretary's expense. She would not be fired, but she will for sure need some more training after this blunder. As Violet and Genesect made their way back to the training facility, Oscar would put his cellphone back into his pocket. He adjusted his posture, as if trying to appear as though he had been standing straight this entire time.

As the duo arrived, Oscar would raise his arms in welcome. "That, my dear, was fantastic work. Flawlessly executed, like a true master." When the statuette was presented to him, Oscar would gently grab it and display it reverently to the light of the gymnasium. He would then tilt his hand, causing it to fall and smash into pieces across the floor. Oscar chuckled, "It was my statue. I planted it. Completely hideous, wasn't it?"

Oscar dusted off his hands before placing them onto his hips, "So of course you passed, I mean you could probably teach your own class on espionage if you wanted. How about a celebratory coffee on me?"

Genesect raised its claws in celebration, for it loved watching humans drink coffee. Why was that? I'm not sure. Kinda freaks Oscar out now that he thought about it...

Violet Fairbanks

Oscar did not hear Navy's earlier thanks. He was far too busy polishing as many crystals as he could, continuously sliding more and more into Navy's pile to make it seem like the ill man was doing more than he actually was. Oscar did not know what was possessing him, this effort was likely futile. After all, the wardens may be fully aware of his trick--and once again what did he care if Navy died? Oscar shook his head to dismiss his negative thoughts, he was beyond that point now. All he knew was that Navy got the short end of a really shitty stick, it was unfair and unjust. If this man was to die, he should at least be able to regain his full strength so that he could actually put up a fight. Though, was that even possible here?

Their warden ceased their work with a staggering shriek, and Oscar would finally allow himself to rest. His hands already felt stiff, and he would attempt to massage them as the results of their labors were announced. Apparently Ugly did the best, as they all stayed in line like model prisoners. Oscar grimaced behind his mask, almost ashamed of his own complacency. It was alright, the time to rebel would appear soon enough.

Insubordinate prisoners were punished, and Oscar would recognize a handful of them. The traitors Johanna Joy and Isaac Merlo discernible from their hair alone, and poor Shred Zeppelin could never hide his mangled body. He gained no satisfaction from watching the 'thieves' suffer. As far as he could tell, it was all showboating to keep the prisoners in line.

The chains of those within the Ugly Ward began to meld together, with Oscar's fusing with Navy's rather snugly. It was time for them to claim their 'reward', so Oscar would provide support for his ailing companion so that they may join the others. While supporting Navy with one of his shoulders, Oscar would grab a hold of the first outreaching hand he came across. Unbeknownst to him, this was the hand of his closest friend: priam conrad. So close, yet unaware--such a tragedy.

As the prisoners gathered, the Ugly Ward would be presented with a choice: Which of the other wards deserved to be punished? Before Oscar could even think about it, Navy would announce that the Ugly Ward should be punished. Oscar suddenly felt a lot of cold eyes on him, and sweat began to fall from the top of his forehead. Sure they were looking at Navy, but Oscar was the one propping the guy up.

A voice that Oscar recognized as belonging to Elisabeth Fiorelli reprimanded, and Oscar found himself wishing to defend his chosen charge. After all, if Navy's head was on the chopping block--well it did not spell good things for Oscar. "He's really sick, been hallucinating this whole time. Poor guy hardly knows what's happening." Oscar chuckled nervously as he pulled Navy closer to his head to deliver a whisper.

"Hey I know you didn't ask for my help, but try not to make my efforts pointless by putting a target on your back. We gotta survive to make it to the other side, y'know?" Having heard the vote for the stranger whose hand he grabbed, Oscar nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Dummy sounds good."

tl;dr
--Oscar feels like a chump for being well behaved.
--Oscar helps Michael Navidson get around and unknowingly grabs the hand of best boy Priam.
--Oscar is put off by Navy's noble words and tries to course correct to save both of their asses.
--Oscar votes for the Dummy Ward.

Oscar was surprised by Howard's request, but it was a welcome alternative to a discussion over the recent strange energy between them. Oscar took another glance at the damaged suit, he had not looked into Sygna energy too much but he was confident that he could figure it out. He tended to be a quick learner. Plus he could always call upon Amor if he gets stuck.

Oscar smiled and turned back to Genesect. "I'll take a look, I probably won't need anything but if anything comes up I'll let you know. Should be done by the end of the week." Oscar thought that was that and he would be returned to his solitude shortly thereafter. Once more--Howard subverted expectations. Oscar really needed to adjust those...

Oscar's welding stopped when Howard brought up the drill. He held a breath before sighing deeply. He figured that the failure of their mission had been the source of the ire Oscar was perceiving, and he was hoping to ignore that it happened until things mellowed out. In his head Oscar believed that Howard blamed Oscar for the mission's failure--while Oscar in the weakest reaches of his mind blamed Howard, if only indirectly. He had intended to purge such intrusive thoughts before talking about the incident over drinks or something, but alas nothing really goes according to plan these days.

As he decided on how to respond, Oscar's welding would resume. "Well Howard, a mega-charizard flame blitzed its way into the drill. I probably could have stopped it but Genesect's cannon was damaged and Regice--wasn't interested in helping."

howard slayte

Oscar had been repairing Genesect Prime for what felt like days. It would never cease to amaze him how the cyborg's steel armor could withstand a year's worth of combat but crumple after one Earthquake. That's typing disadvantages for you, Oscar would have to look into a way to remove Genesect's typing entirely. Stupid pokemon and their stupid rules...

He had just finished reattaching Prime's organic sensory nodes and had moved onto welding its replacement limbs into place. Oscar had the disabled robot laying on an operation table, sparks flashing over his welding goggles as he worked on Genesect's arm. Metal music blasted from a nearby wireless speaker, yet the sound of Howard's boots echoing across the floor still reached Oscar's ears.

Oscar reluctantly picked up a nearby remote, pressing a button to disable the speaker. He did not look up from Genesect, figuring that Howard was just dropping something off really quick. They had been on icy foot after their joint mission in Area Zero, so he did not expect a full conversation. Yet Howard would once again subvert his expectations.

We need to talk he said. Oscar let out a quick puff, looking over to clock the admin's damaged Sygna suit before returning to welding. He did not know what to expect from this 'talk' but Oscar knew for sure that he was not in the mood for some sort of confrontation. Though it did not often matter what he was in 'the mood' for these days.

"Well hey let's talk!" He exclaimed cheerfully over the sounds of his sparks. "How are things Howard? What do you have in mind for your vacation?"

howard slayte

Oscar was pleasantly surprised as Sailor displayed their tech prowess, taking control of the elevator and meddling with the museum's cameras. It would save them a lot of time not having to worry about disabling their feeds. "Fuckin' nice work." Oscar commented as the elevator doors opened. He and Emma would casually enter, and once Sailor was on board Oscar would press the button for the first floor.

As the elevator went down, Oscar would nod along to the jazzy tune that accompanied their descent. After a moment Oscar would groan, "Fuck I know this song but I can't remember the name. It's on the tip of my tongue too. Ugh, this is gonna drive me crazy." They eventually reached their destination, and the doors would open to reveal the empty lobby of the museum.

Oscar motioned toward Emma. "You know what to do. The cameras are off so don't worry about camouflage." Emma set off right away, coldly prowling the halls in search of the two guards Sailor had mentioned. She luckily found the first one facing away from her, patrolling a room full of sunken treasures. Purple webbing sprang from her abdomen, covering the guard's body in a tight net. Before he could react, Emma's Shadow Toxins would seep into his skin and render him unconscious. He fell with a thud, with Emma already pursuing the other guard.

The second guard had heard the thud, and was rounding the corner when he came face to face with Emma. Emma had better reaction time though, firing webbing over the guard's mouth. He reached for his radio, but would be unable to actually use it before Emma's Toxnin would knock him out. From there Emma would return to the elevator. Oscar nodded, "Emma's made quick work of the patrolling guards. Shall we locate our filters?"

Sailor de Laurierwylle

Oscar watched intently to see how the secretary would react. Prime would simply stand still in a neutral position, which luckily for Violet was still incredibly intimidating. The secretary nervously nodded, getting up to unlock the door for Violet. As she sat back down, she even began frantically checking under her desk in search of hidden listening devices that did not exist.

Oscar grinned and chuckled to himself. Watching Violet putting her knowledge into practice provided a unexpected level of satisfaction. She would be able to easily find the statuette sitting upon Fern's desk, but would she notice the two active cameras in the room? If so, how would she handle them? Oscar used his free hand to lean back against the desk, semi-lounging as he continued observing.

Violet Fairbanks

Continued from this post.

Oscar sat himself down and started polishing those stupid Tera Crystals. He expected Navy to be able to manage the work himself, he seemed cognitive enough to do so. Yet Oscar would glance over as the Elite mumbled something nonsensical, and only then would he realize how absolutely fucked Navy was. He seemed mentally sound earlier, but now he looked as vacant as a one star motel. Oscar could not help but stare, an unexplainable wave of worry falling over him.

Oscar forced himself to look away, what did he care if this stranger--this enemy could complete his work or not. Maybe the warden would do him a favor and take him out right--

The sound of a swinging blade broke Oscar's concentration. He looked over to find the warden standing over them, having used its razor sharp wing to knock Navy's stone aside. Oscar found himself protesting immediately, standing up and exclaiming "Hey!" As he met the warden's gaze. This thing was--different up close. It looked so strikingly beautiful that Oscar found himself instantly losing his nerve. Its glare followed Oscar as he slowly sat back down, returning to his polishing without another word.

The warden departed, and as Navy was thrown back into position Oscar would feel that horrible urge take over him once more. The urge to help.

Oscar began polishing more quickly, passing every other finished crystal to Navy. If Navy added them to his pile, it would look like he was doing more. Oscar did not acknowledge the sick man as he did this, he expected Navy to accept his offering without further comment. His life depended on it.
Michael Navidson

Oscar looked up, rubbing his chin as he pondered how to answer Lulu. It was true that Tera Crystals had proved to be a tenacious nuisance, but he also saw value within its possible applications. "I do believe that Tera Crystals are dangerous and should be treated with caution. However, if given the choice between sending them back into space or learning to utilize them--I would choose the latter in a heart beat. It has not been properly displayed yet, but Tera Crystals have opened a door that we would not have been able to traverse within our lifetime. They have accelerated us into the far future, and I look forward to finding a way to harness their power."

Oscar sounded confident, as he truly believed that mankind could find a way to enhance their current technology with Tera energy. They just needed to stop handling it with kid gloves.

During one of its glances toward its kin, Prime caught the other Genesect's gaze. While the other Genesect quickly looked away, Prime kept its eyes locked upon its relative. What had it to feel nervous about? Was it not also curious about Prime? Prime recalled its encounter with Tempest Quinn's Genesect, and how it was able to understand Prime's makeshift binary language. It decided to try that again, letting out a series of melodic beeps that would form a phrase that only its fellow Genesect would understand.

"GREETINGS GENESECT!"

Lulu Flint

Continued from here...

Oscar nodded lightly, letting out a impressed whistle. He was playing it cool, but if he were not wearing a mask it would have been fairly obvious that he was freaking out. He was sharing a cell with an Elite Four member? A deathly ill Elite Four member? Oscar could not decide if this meant he was lucky or unlucky; on one hand this provided him a superb opportunity to provide a devastating blow to the League but on the other...

It was not right, taking advantage of his current state. Oscar had what could be charitably called shit tier values, but even he had lines he did not cross. Yet he somehow remained undecided, open to the possibility of taking out such a valuable League asset to reinsert himself into Rocket's power structure. For now, he would continue to play the guardian angel.

"I was wonderin' who was gonna replace Callan." He said casually, not skipping a beat in the conversation. His training was serving him well. "You know, I've been meaning to challenge--" Oscar was cut off as a thunderous noise came from the center of the ward. Oscar twirled around, watching carefully to see what was transpiring. It took some time, but eventually the center platform descended to reveal their warden. Oscar relayed what he saw to Navy in a hushed tone.

"Their leader seems to be--a large bird pokemon--or at least the megalopolans are treating it like their leader. I don't recognize it. It bears a resemblance to our masks though." Oscar took note of the crates, balking as he read their labels. "Ugly ward--ugly? Ugly!?" Were they implying that Oscar was--no that was not possible. I mean Oscar was not conventionally attractive by any means but he certainly was not ugly. Perhaps they meant the actual physical appearance of the ward, which was indeed very ugly. Yes that must be it, they were simply being literal. Oscar almost felt silly for getting flustered.

Trays of bizarre pastries were brought to each cell. As they were delivered, one of the megalopolans would provide an introduction. Oscar would simply let Navy listen to the spiel himself, his ears still worked fine after all. As angry cries rang out in response, Oscar took a closer look at their food. They were not pastries it turned out, but rather large helpings of mochi ice cream. "How curious..." Oscar said while rubbing the chin of his mask. How come they looked both enticing and revolting?

Then the bird made an example out of one of the prisoners. Oscar looked up just in time to watch the gruesome scene, gasping as he watched the poor fucker turn himself into a human pretzel. Oscar was rightfully horrified, being able to do nothing else but mutter "Holy fuck..." as a reaction. If that was what awaited dissenters, Oscar would make no attempt to rebel--for now. As he saw others eat the mochi, Oscar would pick up their cell's tray and push it onto the desk in front of Navy. "Our warden just willed a man to break his own body, so we should do as they say. Eat up." Oscar grabbed a mochi and ate it without hesitation. It was sickeningly sweet, satisfying yet it left a heavy feeling within his stomach. As his chain morphed into the bars, Oscar began making movements to help Navy over to their work.

"Come one, I'm guessing you won't be getting any special treatment for being sick." As Oscar prepped Navy, he would briefly try to get a roster of recognizable allies going. The only person he could name was Zev Harcourt , whose voice was unmistakable. Perhaps other Rockets would be able to pick out Oscar and they could all form a plan to escape--eventually.

AQort1fK

tl;dr
--Oscar freaks out internally about Michael Navidson 's identity.
--Oscar watches the introduction and is Not down with the sickness.
--Oscar downs the mochi yum yum.
--Oscar helps Navy get over to their work so he does not get killed.
--Oscar hopes other Rockets within the ward will be able to recognize him.
--Ugly ward is ugly

His cellmate motioned toward the stool, and even as they attempted to reach for it himself Oscar would walk over to help them along. As he helped get his stranger acquaintance situated, Oscar would be asked about his role within the League. This could only lead to trouble, but Oscar would answer truthfully. His civilian persona had nothing to hide.

"Worse, neither. I run a corporation out of Mauville. Probably isn't hard to guess which one." Oscar stepped away as he finished propping up the man, folding his arms as he admired his handiwork. "Fuck it, that basically gave it away so I'll just introduce myself. My name's Oscar Clayton, ceo of GMH. Nice to meet you."

Oscar did not expect an introduction in return, he let his cellmate decide whether to maintain anonymity. Oscar returned to his position by the bars. "As to my attempted involvement with the League, I keep wanting to help but the commissioner never returns my calls. I don't think she trusts me for some reason."

Michael Navidson