For a brief moment, it would seem that Desiree's sudden advantage had been a fluke. Prime's ancient power managed to stagger the crystalized fae, and Oscar snickered as a glimmer of hope began to flicker within him. That hope was dashed as the creature retaliated with an Ancient Power of its own, encrusted with the very diamonds that lined its body.

Oscar's smile faded, his body shivering as the volley approached. Desiree's words meant nothing to him, they were as hollow as the lyrics of her last album (note that he has not listened to any of her music but will always claim he has during critical discussions). This show of force though, a tangible threat that seemed insurmountable, now that gave him pause. So much so that Prime needed to shove Oscar forward in order to get him to start running.

Rocks sailed past the two of them as they tried to evade the barrage. Every time a boulder threatened to hit Oscar, Prime would jump in the way and take the strike upon its body. Stone after stone shattered against it, causing its armor to dent and warp. Nevertheless, it would not hesitate to protect its master over and over again until they could reach safety. A massive stone along their path would provide the cover they sorely needed, and so Oscar and Prime hurriedly dove behind it.

As he tried to catch his breath, Oscar would assess their current situation. It was less than ideal, to say the least; they had gone from having the clear upper hand to being harshly outmatched. Looking over Prime drove this point home, its incredibly durable armor had gone from pristine to being covered in marks and dents. If the fight dragged on, it could spell the death for the both of them.

Prime looked to its master, determined to continue the battle no matter the odds. The creature's raw power was extraordinary, but mentally Prime had the upper hand. With a little strategy and careful calculation, perhaps it could survive long enough for this monster's mega evolution to fade. Then they would be on much more even ground. Oscar was not as confident as his trusted champion. He did not wish for Prime to die fighting a hopeless battle--more importantly he did not want to die. No, he could not die here. Not against this pawn! This League peon! He rejected this possibility! All he had to do was use...

Something weighed heavily within Oscar's suit. He clutched at it, hesitating to pull it out even now. It represented a point of absolute desperation, a position Oscar never imagined himself being in. To use this tool was to give in to his fear, to give up on hope and rely solely on his desire to survive. He reached into his suit, hesitating even as his fingers curled around the drive's form. Memories flashed through his head as he looked to Prime, countless moments that proved that this killing machine was more than a tool for war. Every wave hello, every spirited dance, every offbeat attempt to socialize, every moment of affection between them--all of it would be erased should he use this device. Yet if he did not, they would both likely die. When forced to reflect on what he would rather lose, Oscar's choice seemed clear.

He pulled out the device, a black disk drive that emitted a familiar miasma. With a heavy heart and resolute tone, Oscar gave the order. "Prime, open you drive port."

Prime stared at the drive, its sensors immediately recognizing the Shadow energy that lay dormant within. It was not hard for it to guess that should it accept the drive, it would cause innumerable alterations to its programming. Oscar had long worked out Prime's original directive: to destroy all semblances of shadow pokemon and nekrozma influence within the material realm. Yet even now its hatred for Shadows boiled within, and the very idea of letting such vile power within its circuits made it shiver. It looked back to its master, distraught from the very suggestion. Even still, it trusted Oscar. He had always been kind to Prime, and deep within its cold carapace the Genesect was certain that Oscar cared about it. So if it truly desired not to do something, surely he would accept Prime's choice. It shook its head, and for the first time ever it refused a direct order from its master. It would be the first of its kind to do so.

Oscar was shocked, shaking as Prime's disobedience. On one hand, it was an amazing advancement in its AI learning--but on the other hand they would die if Prime did not accept the drive. Oscar wanted to accept Prime's choice, he truly did. He wanted to throw the Shadow drive down and crush it, a pure display of his admiration for his Genesect. Yet his desire to live outweighed the love he felt for his pokemon. With a shaking hand, Oscar reached into his suit and pulled out a remote that would temporarily deactivate Prime. He would have to insert the drive manually.

The instant Prime watched Oscar pull its override remote out of his suit, time for the cyborg would freeze. Its mind went back to last night, sifting through laptops and desktops in search of the information it desired. All it needed to do to access a computer's files was insert its claw directly into its circuitry, thus allowing it to Download all of the data off of the hardware. It read through file after file, all of them incapable of answering the had burned within it for weeks: What was a Genesect? Perhaps if it had given up here, it would not have learned the terrible truth about its creation.

Unfortunately, Prime had been extremely thorough. Eventually it would locate a forgotten hard drive that had been tossed into a junk drawer. It had likely been wiped before hand, but retrieving the latent data within would be no challenge for Prime. What it pulled out was a report written by Lulu Flint for something called Project Genesis. Here Prime would read how Rocket was able to create other Genesect, using Prime's creation as a template. Genesect were made from the discarded bodies of pokemon, compiled together into a cybernetic monstrosity of pure destruction. Prime found this discovery distressing. It was not an individual, it was an amalgamation of dead parts squeezed into a shell made from other dead parts. All of its memories from before its rampage on the sub were lies, left over from the actual pokemon that lived full lives before being cut down by Rocket. Prime forced itself to delete the file, clutching its head with its claws. It began to shake violently, an unfamiliar feeling rising from within. It felt similar to its previous bouts of rage, but it was different. It was harsher, and it came with a sudden swelling from behind its eyes. The swelling became too much, and Prime would be forced to open ports beneath its optic bulbs to relieve the pressure.

Something cool began to run down Prime's face, down its claws and then its arms. It brought its claws down to examine them, discovering that what it was leaking was in-fact water. It did not know why it was doing this, but the expulsion was strangely helping it feel better. And so it sat there, letting water fall from its eyes until it felt normal.

It could not imagine a more cruel act, to create a pokemon entirely from the dead. To allow a living creature to experience and learn but denying it individuality. To Prime it had become clear that humanity was a depraved species that had no respect for pokemon. It had thought Oscar to be a level above other humans, but today it had learned that he could be just as cruel. What he could not control, he would bend with force--but Prime would not bend. Not this time.

Prime slashed Oscar's hand, destroying the remote before he could even use it. Oscar stared as his hand began to gush blood, slowly raising his gaze back to Prime. He was more than taken aback, he was outright stunned. Prime felt the same, unsure what to do after this act of defiance. No...it knew exactly what to do. It was not a drone, it was not a stitched together abomination meant to be controlled. It was an individual. It was a Genesect.

Yet there was more for it to learn, but it would not learn anything here. Not under the watch of a human. Prime abruptly launched into the sky, flying straight into the clouds as fast as it could. Oscar watched as Prime's form became smaller and smaller, before disappearing completely.

He could not comprehend what had just happened. Had Prime--left him? Oscar's entire body shook, and he found himself unable to support his own weight. He fell to his knees, staring upward into the sky. He hoped that Prime would return, that it would turn right around and come back to him. Yet as the clouds shifted, he could see no sign of it. The truth slowly set in, and Oscar would drop the drive as he fell forward. Catching himself on his palms, Oscar would hold back tears as reality coiled around him like a noose. "What have I done..." He whispered spitefully, his hands clenching into dirt-filled fists. "Prime forgive me...please come back...please."

Of course, he would receive no answer.

Notes
--See other posts for Oscar's fit.
--Prime and Oscar duck behind a boulder as Diance continues to overwhelm them. Desperate and fearful of death, Oscar attempts to force Prime to use his Shadow drive. Unwilling to take on such corruption, Prime rejects Oscar's orders and flees the scene. Oscar is left alone, filled with regret.

10 MP per IC post.
50 MP for getting your Pokemon knocked out in your prelude thread (departure counting as a KO approved by shiv).
50 MP have your character be injured by another's pokemon directly or indirectly.
50 MP showcase a meaningful moment between your character and their Pokemon.
50 MP include a motif or recurring symbol of some kind in your thread (drones)

DESIREE BLOOMS