It was a suspenseful event, visiting Lulu's new facility. Lulu was one of the few people that Oscar had absolute trust in, so when she asked for an astronomical amount of money to build a new research facility in Sootopolis his reaction was: 'Yeah sure.' It did not matter what she was doing, he knew it was going to be worth it fifty times over.

Yet he was still funneling money toward a project he could not actively see, so when he went to visit the finished facility it was like the 'reveal' in a home makeover show. He had no idea it would be so--grand. The architect Lulu hired did a brilliant job, the facility had a distinct modern presence he did not expect. He could not wait to see find Lulu and get a tour!

Oscar arrived in good spirits, suited up in his finest and looking rather healthy. Thanks to the power of Xerneas his recovery was expedited, though it could not be eradicated entirely. Still, as he approached Lulu would see that he was a far cry away from the husk she had interacted with not too long ago. He still required a cane to walk straight, but he relied on it less and less every day. According to his physical therapist, he should not need it at all within a few weeks.

Oscar found Lulu quickly, standing at the facility's entrance as her new and hopeful staff walked past. He lifted his arms in the air as a gesture of greeting, a rare grin hanging from his face. "It's the woman of the hour!" He announced as he approached the scientist, chuckling as he put a hand in his pocket. "Brilliant work Lulu, this is gonna be a monument to progress! You must be very proud."

Lulu Flint

Oscar grinned widely as Lulu noted his physical recovery. He knew his healthier demeanor would come as a bit of a shock, and he relished in it. He laughed heartily, a radiant clear cackle that portrayed just how far he has come. "I have Xerneas to thank for that. The lord of life blessed me by--lessening my illness. I'm afraid I'll still need your handy chemical cocktails for a while yet."

It was true that Xerneas's miracle greatly improved Oscar's survivability, however it could not eradicate what infected Oscar entirely. The mysterious tar created from the thankfully dead 'Endless' still lay within his body. It was far weaker now then it was before, but its parasitic nature would likely cause Oscar problems for the foreseeable future. Possibly even still kill him. It was actually exceedingly likely it would eventually kill him. He had no idea what to do about it otherwise, since not even the god of life knew what the fuck it was or how to dispose of it. 

Those problems could wait though, Oscar was here and he was itching to get a good look at what he was funding. "Yes!" He exclaimed, walking forward with a few strides of his cane. "I am eager to see what your brilliant mind has in store."

Lulu Flint

Oscar kept up with Lulu fairly well, marveling at the facility as they walked through. Everything was so pristine and new, a blank canvas waiting to be filled with the instruments of progress. It was a little funny really, every far fetched idea Oscar and Lulu had discussed in passing suddenly seemed so--plausible. It filled him with drive, he was eager to drink it all in.

When they reached the Porygon, Oscar chuckled at its function. He stared into the little program's eyes, which stared back at him as it scanned his face. "Rad as hell." Oscar said with a grin. The porygon shook its head--no expressions. Oscar stifled his amusement and the scan took no more of their time. As they continued at a brisk pace, Oscar would start to lag more and more behind. Not because of his condition, but rather his curiosity about the various rooms they passed. I mean c'mon, the breakroom had a fuckin' foosball table! How could he not gawk?

Yet Lulu kept going, so Oscar would hobble-run to catch up with her. A few more scans later and she would direct his attention to a door, indicating that it was 'his'. Oscar's eyes bugged a tad as she kept walking, "My--my what? Lulu my what?" His tone was a mixture of excitement and concern, he did not expect to have a space of his own within the facility. Whether it was a development room or office fueled Oscar's imagination, and he eagerly caught up to get the 'big room' out of the way.

However the big room was nothing to glance over. It was both majestic and overwhelming in scope, the massive machine it housed being an almost unreal curiosity. He stumbled forward, his jaw slack as he took it all in. "Lulu this is--incredible. This--is this what I think it is?" Oscar had seen the schematics a while back, but to see it up close with so much progress made? Oscar was on top of the world.

"We're so much closer than I thought..."

Lulu Flint

Oscar watched as the final piece was put into place. Just like that it was finished, an entire wave of possibility was opened within seconds. He was awestruck, enraptured by his fantasies of what the future held. It made his knees weak, and his heart flutter with anticipation.

He was pulled out of his day dreaming when Lulu requested a speech. "Speech?" he said blinking. He chuckled, he had not expected to be put on the spot but he was not adverse to it. Oscar straightened up, raising his free hand as he held an invisible glass. He cleared his throat in an exaggerated manner before winging some inspirational dictation.

"Today we step out of the shadow of ignorance, and into a new age of discovery. What begins here today will be the catalyst for an era of progress unlike any other. Humanity will look back upon this moment with reverence, as they transcend their meager planet and embark upon an endless journey among the stars." He pantomimed raising his glass, "A toast to our new era!" 

He pretended to drink his fake beverage before chuckling. "Not my worst improvised speech. Though we could use some real Champaign."

Lulu Flint

In his office? Oh my!

Oscar became even more excited to explore his designated space, though he imagined that they would have to finish up in here first. Lulu made a speech of her own, and suddenly Oscar was made very aware of just how large her new staff was. It was insane to think about, that this team of scientists and researchers would usher in a new era of mankind. Almost seemed preposterous, Oscar would hardly be able to believe it if he had not been taking part. 

Luckily for him, he was here. As Lulu signed off with a toast to Rocket's glory, the energy in the room skyrocketed. Even Oscar felt pumped to get started, though that productivity immediately dissipated at the mention of Champaign. That sounded much more entertaining, at least in the moment. Oscar began turning himself around, "That sounds like a splendid idea. You lead the way, you have the key I imagine."

Lulu Flint

With his key in hand, Oscar giggled like a schoolboy on Christmas morning as he stepped forward to unlock his new office. He loved gifts, especially when he did not expect them! Did this count as a gift? It seemed like a gift, she was under no obligation to make an office for Oscar. Yet she did anyway, and Oscar was simply giddy to be thought of.

Oscar opened the door, the motion lights reacting immediately and turning on. The office was dim, but in a cozy way. As Oscar's eyes adjusted to the change in lighting, he would whistle loudly. "Ho-ly shit, I don't deserve this.

It was a beautiful working space, with a fun enigmatic feel and calm atmosphere. Oscar hobbled forward, his eyes fixating on the fountain. "How the fuck did you make this happen? This is awesome!" He hobbled to the other side of his desk, where an unopened bottle of Champaign and two glasses patiently waited to be used. He sat with a huff into his chair, sighing with relief as his legs got some rest. He kicked off his desk, spinning around and stopping himself in front of his office's--window?

Oscar tilted his head, "This isn't Sootopolis's skyline." Oscar rolled forward, knocking on the glass. The image bent to his touch, as if he were touching a plasma screen tv--because he was. Oscar grasped his head, "WWWWHAT!? That's fucking cool! Can I change the image?" Oscar turned toward his desk, fiddling with the pc that sat upon it.

As his pc booted, Oscar caught sight of the bottle and glasses once more. He motioned to one of the two chairs sitting in front of his desk, getting up to hobble his way toward the other one. "Yo take a seat and open the bottle. We have a lotta cool shit to talk about."

Lulu Flint

Oscar blinked; it had not occurred to him that this was all bought using the money he provided. He smiled contently, it almost felt like one of those 'treat yourself' deals. Could he fit a fountain in his main office? Considering it was in a power plant, that might be a major hazard. Eh, he'll workshop it.

Oscar was pulled away from his imagination as Lulu filled his glass. He gladly raised it along with her, tapping his glass onto hers before taking a generous gulp. He shall need the boost for the discussions to come. Oscar helped himself to topping off his beverage before pulling out his cell phone. He spent a bit of time fiddling, the pictures he wish to share were hidden in a password protected folder. As he pulled them up he would attempt to fill the silence, "If I had known there was gonna be some badass screens I would have transferred these to a usb drive. Oh well, have a look. Just swipe right to change pictures."

Oscar passed his phone over to Lulu, and allowed her some time to observe the pictures. Taken from Genesect's visor camera, they were wide shots of what seemed to be a barren island landscape covered in Megalopolan technology. The first picture displayed countless tanks attached to the ground of various sizes, each one containing a sleeping pokemon. Large black cords connected to the base of the tanks, carrying blue light outward toward an unseen destination. The second picture was a far off shot of a massive tower, which emitted a blinding light in every direction. The cords from before seem to lead toward the tower's base. The third and final picture was a zoomed in shot of the tower, showing the Megalopolans monitoring the tower from the outside. Eventually Oscar would begin to explain.

"Last winter I went on a little interdimensional vacation thanks to a certain festive gift giver. It was a parallel Hoenn where the Megalopolans had succeeded in their planned invasion. After returning with these photos I hit up our friends Velmos and Contillard to fill in the gaps on what this structure was. It's called a Megalo Tower, pretty much a giant infinity energy generator that they use to power their cities. Well, a bit more than that. Fucking thing is an artificial sun, warming and illuminating a world with no light. A power source more powerful than anything we have at our disposal. This fuckin' thing makes the Infinity Generators look like damn potato clocks!"

Oscar took a sip of his drink, he was getting excited now. Talking about marvels of engineering and possibilities for the future always got him riled up. "That's not all though, recognize these pods? They look like the device that Walsh has, y'know the one powered by that immortal Floette!? I'll admit that the Megalo Towers are a bit of a far off dream, but these pods--they're at our finger tips. Imagine harnessing infinity energy from the source, pure lifeforce that could power anything from buildings to cars--and all it would cost is a few fodder pokemon. No more mining for Mega-stones, just strap in a zigzagoon and get months worth of energy. This right here is the next step, if you ask me."

Oscar forced himself to pause, allowing space for Lulu to respond.

Lulu Flint