Progress was a fickle bitch. One minute you're smashing through obstacles and life is delivering win after win, and next thing you know you're getting nothing but goose eggs. Oscar was facing an unexpected roadblock, being that his ambitions were suddenly seeming impractical. More specifically, his new generator wasn't working. How many prototypes has he made? How many mega stones had he blown up? How many pokemon had he shredded to harness their life force? The answer to all was more than he should have by now.

As he faced yet another failed energy experiment, Oscar felt the need to get a new perspective. He had left the warehouse he was using behind, letting his laborers clean up the mess, and decided to take a walk up town. Yet has he strode down Slateport's busy streets his stress only grew. He couldn't think straight with all these people, all this noise. He needed to find solitude. Where can he go to just be alone? Oscar stopped in his tracks and looked up--and suddenly it came to him.

Oscar chose a building and entered. It wasn't hard to reach the roof, no one was paying him any mind and the doors were already unlocked. He scaled the stairway to the very top of the building, stepping out into what he thought would be the fresh air of isolation. Yet as he walked upon the gravel covered rooftop, he found that he wasn't alone. Oscar flinched, cursing under his breath as he prepared to turn back and try somewhere else. However, after a double take he realized that the person he had intruded upon seemed familiar. Was that--Emma?

Oscar's expression softened, what were the fucking odds? The last time he saw Emma was at the Rocket meeting, where she left in what seemed like a dire mood. Oscar remembered wanting to approach her about it, yet at the time it seemed inappropriate. Now? Well he wasn't sure. It seemed like a prime opportunity, but Oscar had his own problems right now. How could he support someone when he felt like he can barely support himself? She hadn't noticed him, perhaps he could just sneak away.

Oscar's gloved hands tightened into a fist. He shuddered as he shook his head, he couldn't go. Emma was his friend, and something was clearly troubling her. Oscar had come too far to return to poor social habits. He took a long, shaky breath. When he felt ready, he dared to approach.

"Um, Emma? Wow what are the odds of running into you up here?"

Hopefully she doesn't bite his head off.

Emma Wolfe

((THANK YOU LOPUNNY!))

As Emma turned, Oscar noted her body language. Her clenched fists and stern expression caused him to tense, a sensation that remained even after her expression softened. As Emma spoke, Oscar's heartrate quickened. Was he scared? Perhaps more than a bit, he didn't want to be bitten for coming out of his shell. Despite this, he would attempt to communicate. "I um, actually came up here to uh uh uh think. Thought elevation would um clear my head heh, and wouldn't you know it you're up here too and I uh--"

Oscar shuddered, how was this woman so intimidating. Yet he wasn't about to run away now, so he gulped and took a deep breath. His body relaxed, and when he was ready he spoke. "Emma I saw how you reacted at the meeting when Darkrai chose Lulu. You may not consider us close but I consider you my friend and I'm worried about you."

Oscar sighed, his head pulsing as he wrangled his inner anxiety. 

emma stone

Oscar was taken aback by Emma's question, mostly because he had never really thought about it before. Or at the very least, he had yet to come to a firm conclusion. He folded his arms, contemplating for a moment. He wanted to give a thorough and honest answer.

A few seconds rolled by, the breeze lightly passing over the rooftop to fill in the silence. Eventually Oscar spoke, his eyes fixated on the horizon. "To be honest with you, I can't decide. Part of me is jealous, I see their power and I so badly want it for myself. Part of me feels proud, happy that my peers can ascend to some sort of superior existence. What I feel most though? Fear. I've seen what these pokemon are capable of and it's fucking scary."

Oscar sighed, the memories of nearly being disintegrated by the legendary bird Zapdos sending chills down his spine. He shook the trauma from his head, content to ignore it forever if necessary. He finished his statement, "I trust the people that have been chosen to wield this power to the best of their ability--but I don't trust the power itself." 

Oscar blinked, ignoring the voice in his head calling him a hypocrite. Sure the power was scary, but he couldn't deny that if it were offered to him he would snatch it in a heartbeat. He's only human after all.

He looked to Emma, "And you?"

Emma Wolfe

Something is coming...

Oscar looked out over Slateport, folding his arms deeper as he became lost in thought. He felt a sudden sense of importance standing up there, unearned but encroaching nevertheless. He looked upon the people below, going about their lives as best they could. What would they think about these 'avatars', wielding god-like power without oversight?

Would they fear for their families? Would they feel safe? Would they even care? Oscar grimaced, longing for the ignorance he no longer had. "Whatever's coming--" Oscar shivered, slowly turning back toward Emma. "At the very least we'll be ready for it."

There was a sadness in Oscar's eyes, as if he had made a decision that pained him. He gave no hints of his secret choice, instead posing another question for Emma.

"If a god offered you the chance to be their Avatar, would you accept? What would you do with that power?"

Emma Wolfe

Oscar nodded slowly, too focused on his inner turmoil to notice Emma's change. The beast looked back over the city, his slim body shivering as he held himself. Whether it was from the cold or fear, he did not know. Fuck, he had only come here to reflect on his job--this was so much worse. 

Yet he did not feel afraid of Emma, she had been nothing but kind to him--even with the intrusion. They haven't always gotten along, yet Oscar placed absolute trust in his fellow beast. She had to have been one of the few Rockets he could say that about. As his gaze lingered outward, the city became more and more abstract. His thoughts bubbled over, and he felt comfortable enough to reveal them to Emma.

"I would say yes. Without hesitation. I'm a lot like Gavin, in a way. I always crave more power, even when I think I've reached the limit. If a god asked me? There would be no question. I would sacrifice my humanity in a heartbeat to become more powerful. I am not proud of this fact."

Oscar looked back to Emma, his gaze far sterner than before. "Let's make a pact, here and now. We must keep each other grounded. If no one else, we have to keep in check for the sake of Rocket and Hoenn." Oscar turned fully toward his superior, "I need to be kept in check. I trust you alone with that task."

Emma Wolfe

Oscar saw Emma's hand and didn't know how to react. For some reason his first instinct was to think that it was some kind of trap, that she'll grab him and throw him off the roof. That was a ridiculous thought though, bred from a the dying assumption that Emma didn't like him. Oscar took her hand, and what happened next was somehow more surprising.

The embrace warmed Oscar immediately, though his shock caused him not to return it initially. He hadn't been hugged by someone in a very long time, and the last person he expected to be given one by was Emma Wolfe. Oscar's nerves faded, and he slowly returned the hug with one of his own.

And there they stood, two kindred spirits facing an uncertain future. 

Emma Wolfe