Oscar flinched as Howard yelled, his voice echoing through the makeshift workshop set up for Genesect recycling. The scientist scowled as Howard clamped onto his shoulders, reiterating things he already thought about constantly. Eventually Oscar found the space to rebuttal, shrugging off Howard's hands and spinning away from him on his swivel chair.

"I didn't fuckin' lose it! It--left." Oscar brought himself closer to his workspace, piled high with the corpses of Genesect drones. He grabbed some tools and began examining a robo-cadaver for salvageable parts. Hard conversations went by easier when he had some work to focus on.

"I don't know where it is, that much is true, but it won't be difficult to track down. It has fuckin' racing stripes for fuck sake, just give me some time. After all there's a war to fight, remember?"

Oscar pried open a Genesect carapace, aggressively pulling out parts as if shelling a Krabby. Eventually he'd try to change the subject. "How are you feeling now that the battle's done? You--went through a lot."

Bit of an understatement.

howard slayte

Occasionally, Howard remembered that Genesect Prime had racing stripes. It was the closest he ever came to throttling the engineer and throwing him off a cliff. If Howard had been blasted apart by something with racing stripes, he would've been laughed into Elysium

What caused the admin's anger to build was his next sentence.

"It gained sentience." He spoke slowly and with deliberation. "And left?"

Could Regice or Regirock do that? He had them both laboring in the city in anticipation for Team Rocket's arrival. Sootopolis was compromised, and Petalburg was shaping up to be the centerpiece for the group's campaign in Hoenn's western theater.

Maybe Howard needed to go and check on them. With his anger cooling, he stared at the mauled Genesects, whispers of fear echoing in his mind and engraving his soul.

"Fine." He said slowly, before shaking his head. "In a body that isn't mine, in a city with no resources, waiting for my execution, but fine."

He didn't even believe it himself.

---

oscar clayton

Sentience? Was it sentience that determined its decision or simply its programming? Prime was created to destroy all forms of Shadow pokemon, Oscar trying to turn it into one was surely a defilement of its original purpose.

It was no use, Oscar could jump through mental hoops all day and it would not change the facts. Oscar betrayed Prime's trust, and that was why it left. Perhaps if he did not encourage its individuality, it would have simply followed orders and Oscar would not be in this position. Then again, cultivating Prime's sense of self is what originally endeared the creature to him. All things considered, he would not have had it any other way.

Oscar continued to aggressively salvage the fallen Genesect, pausing only when Howard mentioned his own troubles. Oscar turned his head, raising an eyebrow as if he had only now realized that Howard looked any different. "Oh yeah, um--" Oscar gave him a once over, trying his best to hide his--'fascination' with Howard's new body.

"How's that whole thing going?"

howard slayte

"Don't look at me weird. This is embarrassing." The admin crossed his arms, his cowboy hat obscuring his face. "I look in the mirror and it's not me, Oscar. It's fucked."

It reminded Howard of one of Oscar's Genesects. Did the fossils within look at their reflections and weep, knowing that they'd never live a life in their own skins ever again? They were encased in bodies of steel and told that it was their purpose to fight and wage war and die in chassis that became their coffins.

What a hellish experience, mechanization was. He wondered if a living being had once constituted Regirock and Regice. He immediately cut the thought from his mind and focused on the aftermath of the war.

"You need to look at Regirock, by the way. Regice, too." Howard pursed his lips. "See if you can figure out why Regirock went haywire and make sure that it doesn't happen again."

Maybe it'd distract him from the pain of losing Genesect Prime.

---

oscar clayton
BINGO: WAR

As soon as Howard expressed embarrassment, Oscar's cheeks grew red. "Sorry." He said flatly, sneaking in one more up-down glance before turning back toward the broken Genesect. His work slowed, weighed down by the memories of the battle. To Howard's requests, Oscar could not say no. It was a valuable opportunity to explore the intelligence of the golems, although Oscar's own feelings would prevent his enthusiasm from shining through.

"No problem. Anything to help..." Oscar paused, his tools going slack within his hands. He began to shudder, his eyes fixated on the defunct face of the Genesect before him. "I fucked up." He said flatly, his rage and regret causing his body to tremble. "I thought I knew what I was doing but I fucked up."

Oscar slumped forward, Howard's request having had the opposite effect. He could think of nothing else than his failure. "How can I come back from this? I've never failed this badly before..."

howard slayte

Everyone had failed in Petalburg. It was a victory, but it had burned much material for a husk. That had included Oscar's dignity and his beloved Genesect Prime. Instead of giving into the engineer's despair, Howard simply bottled his up for the sake of reliability.

"Oscar." He clapped the man on the shoulder. "Look at me. I am your immediate superior. Look at me."

He waited for Oscar to fulfill his request. Howard wasn't sure why his order had made Oscar upset, but he had never come to grips with the fact that giants could hold emotions. That was slowly changing, but much too slowly. Far too slowly to matter in this precise moment, at least.

"We succeeded. We won. When I was climbing Regirock, you were behind me. You, Priam, and Wright were the ones that made that victory possible. The city is fucked, but we will rebuild. We are creators, Oscar. We raise things." Even if they had leveled Petalburg with Regirock's help, they would rebuild it anew. "You did not fail."

Dead husks of Genesects surrounded them.

"And you will find Genesect Prime again. That is an order."

---

oscar clayton

Oscar slowly turned toward Howard; the admin's 'order' was likely in jest but Oscar did not have the energy to defy it. He heard Howard out, nodding along as he agreed with what he said. The ruin of Petalburg was theirs, but it would not remain a ruin for long. Rocket would surely turn it into a stronghold that shall make all of their sacrifices worthwhile--and their mistakes meaningless.

Oscar could either indulge his misery or work through it. The choice was not hard; Oscar would rather be a part of the effort rather than watch it go by passively.

Oscar sighed when Howard ended his pep talk. "Sorry--you're right on all fronts. When you asked me to look over the golems, I just felt so ashamed. My mistakes seemed so dire that I did not think I deserved your trust."

Oscar looked Howard in the eye, his confidence gradually returning. "I won't let you down. I'll make up for everything ten fold, just wait and see."

Oscar turned back to the Genesect pile, resuming his work with a steadier hand. "Just let me know when it's a good time to check on them."

howard slayte

Howard nodded, pleased with Oscar's return to form.

"Soon. I don't want another Petalburg or Dewford. If we cannot leverage their might, they are worthless to us in this war." He made a point to not admit that he didn't particularly care for their wartime capabilities. Instead, their purpose was a far grander and far more noble one. "In the war that matters."

Eternatus. He had vowed to kill it, yet it squirmed under Dewford even as mankind fought over scraps of land and ideals. Howard couldn't blame their species for doing that. Nobody had bothered to teach them better.

So he would.

"I have a meeting, soon. The upper echelons are gathering, likely to lop off my head. Work with Yuan Wright regarding the city's reconstruction."

He turned away and began meandering away from the workshop.

"I'll send Regirock and Regice over later."

---

oscar clayton