Another key sits in his hand. Three down. One to go. Below him he hears the sound of devastation. Anything sound will watch the stairs. The dog will be seen. Stealth, he thinks, will not avail him any longer.[break]
"Come on, Hitoshi." He says, slapping his own cheeks. "There's gonna be a day you n' Barcode are gonna have to charge Grouhog, or Kyonu Ogre, or Ray Quack. Yer gonna be expected to fight, so get down there and cover him!"[break]
It works, whatever he says. He breaks down the stairwell, finding that he can only go so far. That's alright. He doesn't need to go farther than this. Breaking into the room, he dashes about, searching the debris, trying to find anything broken that might reveal the truth.[break]
"Come on," he pleas with the gods, knowing a monster will soon breathe down his neck, "come on..."

A KEY HAS BEEN FOUND

The final key, to be exact. As Oscar caught this, he would quickly announce it over the PA system. "The final key has been found! Escape is imminent!"

Prime marched through the third floor threshold, just in time to spot Zev and Hitoshi heading toward the nearby elevator. It did not immediately pursue though, instead simply watching as the two entered the lift. Prime casually approached the elevator doors, shoving its claws into them to pry the pair open. As it ripped the doors aside, Prime could see the cables shifting as the lift approached the first floor. It waited there, until it heard the sound of a soft 'ding' far below. Then it stepped off.

As Zev and Hitoshi walked away from the elevator, the lift itself would suddenly be crushed by something heavy. Dust and smoke would pour out of the elevator shaft, obscuring the body of whatever fell. Then Prime's red eyes would pierce through the smoke, announcing its arrival as it stomped out of the ruined shaft. As Prime's full form was revealed, it would stop short and stretch its limbs. The pair had evaded it this entire time, but now they had nowhere left to go. If they wanted to escape, they would have to now contend with Prime directly.

The speakers in Prime's head crackled as a song began to play. Oscar leaned forward as he heard the familiar tune's intro, a grin crawling upon his face. "Now this--is what I call entertainment." As the song reached its first lyrics, Prime would sprint toward its prey.

Sun is shinin' in the sky

There ain't a cloud in sight...

HwmtB8AF

Hitoshi Inoue Zev Harcourt

THE FINAL BATTLE

While you are close to victory, Prime will not allow you to escape peacefully. Every post, as you attempt to use the four keys, you must make a 'dodge roll' to avoid Genesect's attacks. Failing to dodge the attack will cause you to 1) Lose a life and 2) Cause the key to not fully enter the lock. Thus, to properly secure the key you must not get hit by Genesect's attack. You may only attempt to insert a key once per post; if you insert the final key and pass the dodge roll of that post you will automatically win.

To pass the dodge roll, you must roll higher than whatever Genesect rolls. Good luck and don't die.

"Yeah, okay." He whispers two words, which seems a record of some kind. Dogs are not known for their brevity. His eyes shoot around, looking for the monster that hat pursued them throughout this macabre game. When it stood there, watching as they entered the elevator, his blood chilled. This was not over. When the elevator door closed, he didn't relax. His body tensed, ready to run at the drop of a hat.[break]
"I always hated elevators." He says, eyes bouncing between the door and the hatch on the roof of the elevator car. "Too easy to get trapped." But they don't. Not here, not now. It opens, and he follows the man shaped void out towards the door. The sound of metal being crushed snaps him to attention.[break]
It's back, and it's toying with them.[break]
"Oh fuck me..." He fumbles with a key, trying to calm his fast-beating heart as it jams into a lock. They're almost there. He just has to poise his body to dodge when it strikes. Searching was hard. This he can do.

It's stopped rainin', everybody's in their play

And don't you know, it's a beautiful new day. Hey-ey.

As the duo locked in their first two keys, they would deftly duck under Prime's first strikes. Its razor sharp claws would drag against the lock, leaving a clear mark as it swung around to face its targets. Prime would not wildly attack from here though, there was no need. It stood between them and the lock, so all it had to do was wait.

Any time the two would try to approach, Prime would release a quick jab or a high kick to fend them off. Perhaps it would get lucky and one of these strikes would actually hit.

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why

You had to hide away for so long (so long)

Where did we go wrong?

WXGq5DFf

You know the drill. Hitoshi Inoue Zev Harcourt

A wordless flick of the wrist sent the key flying for his partner's hands. Between them and freedom stood Genesect Prime. The dog glanced at his pack mate, then to the monster before them. He dove to the left, operating on the same principle that has driven him throughout this exercise: their foe cannot get both of them. Not at once.[break]
He puts all the footwork he has been taught to use, trying to weave around flash hits. In his right hand, wielded like a sword, is the final key he gathered in this endeavor. The dog jabs out with it, right at the keyhole, a desperate bid to end this and get through the door.

Hitoshi went for the third lock, but Genesect blocked the key's entry with its claw. It then kicked Hitoshi roughly in the stomach, pushing the weird dog-man away from the door.

Hitoshi lost one life.

Its kick over extended its reach however, and Zev would manage to get his key into one of the locks. Only one lock remained.

Genesect jabbed toward Zev to get him away from the door, before taking his position back in front of the lock. It only had one last chance to prevent their escape, and it fully intended to make the most of it.

vCKLaIrq

Zev Harcourt 3/3 Lives
Hitoshi Inoue 2/3 Lives

3/4 keys inserted

"Fuck!" He shouts, more out of surprise than real pain. The blow catches him off guard. They're close to the finish line, close enough for him to smell victory waiting on the other side. Just one more jab, one more turn of the lock, and they've got it. He moves in, he twists, he prays to the gods of his homeland for guidance.[break]
And on the other side of the monitor, a thirsting blade coils in excitement. It slips free of the offered vein, politely wiping up the stain and helping the spot to clot. It clinks against the ground, eye getting closer to the screen, wanting to see what happens next.

Oscar stood up as his sword IV unlatched itself from his arm, his eyes locked onto the center screen. The action had reached a thrilling climax, and he could not help but grin as his fellow Rockets fought valiantly for their rightful victory. Hitoshi had attempted to once more thrust the key into the lock, only for Prime to elbow him in the face. As the key bounced away, Prime would follow it until it landed within the hands of Zev. Having stepped too far away, Prime could only helplessly watch as the devourer inserted the key into the final keyhole.

Prime froze as the key was turned, the striking sound of the door unlocking echoing through the first floor. Prime stopped its song, reverting into a neutral pose as the doors swung open. The duo of Zev Harcourt and Hitoshi Inoue had overcome Oscar's challenge, earning their freedom.

ASSESSMENT SUCCESSFUL!

Oscar cheered, stumbling as his head rushed slightly. He only realized then that he may have given a bit too much blood to Hitoshi's adorable sword. Oh well, at least he hopefully endeared himself to the little guy. Hopefully that opened the door to a more cordial relationship with its master. Oscar rolled down his sleeve before rushing out the door to greet the victors.

"You did it!" He exclaimed, clearly overjoyed by their success. The assessment had not gone entirely to plan, but Oscar was confident that Hitoshi had more than proven his worth. Oscar skipped happily to the glorious hound and thrust a hand forward. "Welcome to SPECTRA! I mean, he passed right? No way he didn't."

Whether Hitoshi accepted the handshake or not, Oscar would remain in a chipper mood. He would clap his hands together once Zev had the time to speak. "I say we go get some pancakes! I could really use some sugar--on me of course." Oscar would escort his companions out of the office, pausing only when he realized that Prime was not following. He would turn to address his cybernetic ace, "Yo Prime, you coming? You usually love watching people eat pancakes."

Prime stood in the lobby, staring forward into the darkness of the first floor. Its master was correct; while normally Prime was intrigued by the eating habits of humans, tonight it would simply not be in the mood. It turned its head so that it could see Oscar, shaking it slightly to indicate its rejection. Oscar furrowed his brow, something was for sure up with Prime. It had acted erratically both before and during the exam, and while this poor reaction to its loss was par for the course it usually managed to bounce back more quickly. Perhaps a mental examination was in order...

But later, for now Oscar would give Prime the space to cool down. "Alright, I'll be back to pick you up in an hour or two. Don't go anywhere." Prime turned away, resuming its stalwart stare as the humans departed. It ruminated on its memories once more, watching with near perfect clarity as a prehistoric creature effortlessly sought out and eliminated foes twice its size. It was true that Prime shared a great similarity to this being, but it was not one and the same. These memories were echoes, etchings upon the cave wall from a bygone age. If Prime thought hard enough, it could see such echoes across many time periods. Prime was none of these beings, and so that begged the question:

What was it?

"Thanks." He quietly whispers to his partner as the door finally unlocks. The sound of the door unlocking lifted the tension, though some part of him, deep within, knew there was still room for improvement. There was always room for improvement, and the mission was a success in the end.[break]
"Pancakes? Hell yeah!" Though his preference might be for something with an eastern flair, no animal turns down a free meal. That, and that alone, earns the mad scientist the right to a hand shake. The hunting hound shakes it graciously, turning his attention to his sword.[break]
"Ya look fat." He says to the ancient, storied blade. It vibrates, floating to him and coiling its cloth around his arm. His Kartana fly out of their beast balls, offering their own congratulations in a chittering, unknowable language.[break]
"So, uh, how did I do?" He asks his true evaluator sheepishly.