• player/ooc name: Hollow
• character tags: oscar clayton , August Colgan , Ambrose Hendrix
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable): N/A
• ic posts for characters: Oscar Ambrose August is exempt
• are characters in directories?: Y
• any notes/comments: So this is wild, but I just realized that I am coming up on my 4th year anniversary. 4 years writing on Hoenn! That's wild to me, especially since in the past I'd usually lose interest in a site after a few months. I guess I am just in love with the community and setting. Thanks for a great 4 years pals o/

The morning brought Oscar to his breaking point. After a frantic breakfast of Mochi, Michael Navidson was called upon by their warden. Oscar tried to help him over, but the warden had other plans. The great bird flung pheromones into Oscar's face, forcing a feeling of reverence to constrict his brain. He dropped Navy instantly, with the knowledge that it would please their glorious master leaving a warm feeling in Oscar's stomach.

That warm feeling faded as Navy was forced to play a fool in front of the entire ward. Oscar felt remorse for contributing to the man's suffering, even if it was against his will. Yet he could not express it, the collars would not allow such negativity during the 'laughing hour'. Oscar was forced to laugh, like a virus would force him to cough. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he struggled against the words and chortles that wretched from his lips. He had no control here, and he doubt he would have any control again. Except for in...

Oscar's days were numb, following the routine forced upon him so that he may sleep peacefully. He had initially written off the dream, yet its consistency became the one thing that kept Oscar from shutting down completely. At least here he had control over his thoughts and desires. There was nothing he could really do here, but just being able to think for himself was worth the day's struggles.

Oscar mostly hung out with priam conrad , who seemed concerned about that mark on his arm. Oscar had always thought it was a tattoo or something, he did not know that it had actual significance. They would visit the Ultra Tower often, looking up to try and catch a glimpse of Azelf. When he had first seen it during their first night, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. Yet multiple prisoners had claimed the same vision from within the dream, including Priam.

"There has to be a way inside." Oscar said to Priam during one night's excursion. "Maybe we can have tea with it or something." Oscar still was not convinced that this dream was real, but having something to work toward would give dreaming further purpose. He would need purpose if he was to survive.

D0OnD3K3

tl;dr
--All this despair causes Oscar to go into auto pilot.
--In the dream, Oscar hangs out with Priam.
--Oscar searches for a way to get inside of the Ultra Tower.

Oscar heard Howard out, refusing to break eye contact the entire time. Not due to any sense of common courtesy, but rather due to a fixation with Howard's eye. It was just--so fiery. A bright spark like a blazing star, a clear measure of Howard's passion. Oscar admired it, and yet at the same time found it exhausting.

It was the passion of a man that was set in his ideals, cemented in his world view so tightly that the world would need to quake to change his mind. It was the very same passion that gripped Oscar's heart when it came to progress, a classic immovable object meeting an unstoppable force. As Howard winded down, Oscar could not help but reflect on their similarities and laugh.

He leaned back, high spirits replacing his momentary bitterness. "I'm not mocking you or anything, it's just funny how similar we are. Yet, we're complete fucking opposites. We're a couple of locked magnemites, you and I." The thought of it made Oscar laugh again, because it was just too amusing! Such was the splendor of life, that he would find such an attachment to someone so infuriatingly different than himself.

Oscar managed to regain his composure and relayed a proper response. "I respect you Howard. Fuck, I'd even dare to say I like ya. In that spirit, I won't push you too hard on your convictions. Today." He gave Howard a sneer, as he expected to have his own world view pushed as well. After all, was that not the thrill of keeping around someone so fiercely different?

"Though if you don't at least try to train Regice, you're not gonna get as much utility out of it. At the very least, to understand its limitations. If it's a tool then it's a tool, but what good is a tool if it doesn't perform how you expect it to. So what I suggest..." Oscar rolled his tongue into his cheek, expecting an amusing reaction from his compatriot. "Is a play date. Let's have Genesect and Regice meet up and--exchange notes, if you will. I have a sneaking suspicion that they can find a way to communicate."

howard slayte

Oscar did not look at Navy. Maybe it was scorn, maybe it was shame, but he could not bear looking at the man. He sat himself down at the desk and sighed, "It's--no problem. Not like you asked to be--as you are. Besides, none of us deserve this." Oscar laid his head down onto the desk, chuckling at the thought that crossed his mind. "Actually, maybe some of us do." He chuckled hoarsely, thinking of all the terrible things he had done over the years.

Eh, he still did not think he deserved to be here.

Oscar heaved as he tried to find a comfortable position in this damn chair. "You have the cot of course. Get some sleep." Oscar stared forward, and would continue to stare until his toxic thought loops forced him to sleep.

Michael Navidson

Oscar's eyes opened slowly, blinking rapidly as neon lights attempted to blind him. He sat up, arms slack as he took in his new surroundings. The last thing he remembered was--sleeping? Or at least falling asleep. Was this a dream? It must have been, because Oscar was once again well dressed and free of his recently inflicted wounds. And---

Oscar clasped his throat, realizing that the toxic chain was gone. He was excited for a moment, until he remembered that this was a dream and it did not matter. Oscar deflated, slowly standing up as he tried to make sense of what was happening around him. Sense could not be found; he seemed to be within a Megalopolan city. Only instead of the ruined hellscape he had explored with fern delaney, it was the beautiful utopia from its prime.

So yeah, must have been a dream. None of this should look as nice as it does. Oscar suddenly felt detached, unable to consciously attach himself to this delusion. He got up and began to wander, barely registering the friendly faces he passed by. Especially the megalopolans, they might as well had been shades. Oscar probably would have wandered aimlessly until he woke up, doing nothing of value with his time within the dreamscape. Until...

Oscar heard someone calling his name, and out of curiosity he would follow the voice. Eventually he would come upon priam conrad, or at least a shade resembling Priam. Oscar decided to approach, smiling as he slunk up from behind. "Mister Oscar? What am I your fuckin' teacher?" Oscar decided to follow Priam around, stopping where he stopped and listening to his conversations. It almost made this dream enjoyable, just wandering an illusion with his best friend. It was a feeling he missed.

Eventually they were joined by the shade of jayden cross, and the trio would go from place to place seeing what they could see. Oscar pointed out a particularly large tower in the distance once it had came into view, "That big dick looking one is supposed to be a fake sun. But, I think it's off."

tl;dr
--Oscar plays tourist with priam conrad and jayden cross.
--Megalopolan Towers look a little like dicks.

Oscar's soft expression quickly hardened, his eyes seamlessly morphing from a neutral gaze into a heated leer. "Mistake..." He repeated quietly, his shoulders tensing as he tried to control his impulses. He let out a shaky breath, trying not to lose his temper on Howard for his--ignorance. Oscar grinned his teeth as his mouth forced itself into a smile. "Mistake..." He repeated, struggling not to say anything further that he my regret.

He let out another breath, harsher than the last but more effective at keeping him calm. Finally he felt like he could keep control over his words, though his tone still sounded rife with restrained frustration. "I'm not so naive as to believe that Genesect is capable of love, or any feelings for that matter. Its ability to remember what its like though, despite any memory that it was alive at all being wiped from its mind, is invaluable to the field of artificial intelligence."

Oscar jerked his head to the side, his eyes twitching as he struggled to maintain his composure. "You have within your possession, what very well could be the first artificial intelligence--created by what might as well be neanderthals--and you don't want to teach it? To study it and watch it learn? To explore the extent of its ability to grow beyond its nature as a glorified husk? That's--that's--"

Idiotic? Insane? Maddening? Oscar held his tongue and let out a smooth sigh. His heart rate began to normalize as his calm demeanor gradually returned. His face softened as he finished his thought. "Disappointing." He let the word hang before continuing the conversation, "I understand that you do not find such pursuits to be valuable. That's alright, I don't blame you. But at the very least Regice needs to be trained to behave how you want it to behave. Once again, I offer my expertise to that effort should you need it."

Oscar sat himself back down, grabbing his goggles and carefully strapping them back to his head. "Or you could do nothing and let this happen all over again. Whatever makes you feel the most comfortable."

howard slayte

From the showers to his cell, Oscar had blankly stared. His mind was awash with thoughts, yet looking at his broken expression might convince you otherwise. His inner musings were a storm of clashing negativity. 'You're not enough. You're nothing without the chain. Nobody trusts you. Nobody should trust you. You should kill Navy, redeem yourself. You're a worm in the dirt. Kill Navy. Nothing you do will ever matter. KILL NAVY.'

He only broke out of his daze when he realized that mochi had been delivered to their cell. Oscar suddenly brightened up, grabbing two of the peachy globs and feverishly consuming them. The mochi was the key to everything, it had to be. Why else would his chain react to it as the cold morsels passed through his throat. The more mochi he ate, the closer he would get to the future he desired.

Yet he had to share his serving with his cellmate, and as Oscar realized this he would stare at the feeble Navy with placid eyes. It was like watching a helpless creature try to survive on its own, a fawn without a mother. It would be so easy to wrong his--Oscar shook his head, he had no reason to think of such things.

Yet he could not help but resent Navy, defending him made Oscar look weak. Not just to the warden, but to his fellow Rockets as well. He had to redeem himself somehow--make his blunder worthwhile. But how?

Eventually, Oscar forced out a question. "How are you feeling?"

Michael Navidson

Poor Oscar was too embarrassed to look Mint in the eyes as he approached to help him. Like a prideful child he would just pout and look away, hoping that it would all resolve itself on its own. "I'm fine I just fell on my--"

Oscar tensed up as Mint touched the back of his head, asking him if he could still see straight. He had not hit his head at all, but the gentle pressure of Mint's hand was too comforting to reject. Oscar made the mistake of locking eyes with Mint, briefly getting lost in his emerald gaze. Oscar's agitation slowly melted away, replaced with the annoyance of being charmed by a pretty face.

He tried to play it off. "Yeah I'm fine. I see fine. I feel fine. I'm fine." Oscar carefully pushed himself to his feet, wobbling slightly as his boots struggled to readjust to the ice. "I've got bruised in worse places, I'll just sit on ice when I get home."

Oscar teetered forward before finally settling into a confident stride. The ice smoothed out the further in they went, almost as if it were turning into stone. Their surroundings began to crystalize, the cave surfaces being smothered by frost. It would be pretty if Oscar were not focused on looking for the bird. Oscar shuttered as the chill became more biting. "H-how much further sh-should we go i-i-in, do you think?"

Oscar was trying to not appear cold, but his body's trembling betrayed such a notion.

mint frost

Oscar put a hand up to his cheek, lightly tapping his sunken skin as he took in what Howard said. His assumptions were more or less correct, but Oscar understood where Howard was coming from. It was an Honest mistake from a man that does not know any better, how could Oscar fault him for that. Oscar thought back on all of the angry thoughts he had been repressing, and after hearing Howard speak they almost seemed childish. It caused Oscar to chuckle and shake his head, even now he had growing up to do.

"Oh Howard, it's so much more than that." Oscar stood up and tapped on Genesect's lifeless body. "Genesect was designed to be a killing machine. It was only supposed to think about the best way to take out its targets and nothing more. Yet despite our best efforts, it retained the memory of its past emotions. Through that slightest of tethers, I was able to train it to think beyond its programming. It's learned so much, just from spending time with its trainer."

Oscar raised his hand palm-up and pointed at Howard, "Genesect had to be taught though. Regice may be a machine, but it's still a pokemon. It needs to actually learn new behaviors, like trusting trainers other than its own. That I can help you with."

Oscar leaned against the opperating table, crossing his arms before sighing deeply. "As for the power source, we might be up shit creek. For all I know that thing might as well run on magic."

howard slayte

Oscar nodded at Lulu's musing, "I'm picking up parts of it, but it would be nice to understand full sentences. I'll put it on my to-do list, maybe I can make some sort of translator." Oscar brightened up as he remembered an important detail about his traveling companion. "Wait, software is more your department right? Coding and what not? That's how we met, I hired you to hack! Having someone that understands the back end may help with creating a translation."

Oscar paused before chuckling to himself. "I can't believe I nearly forgot that about you."

Prime tilted its head curiously, it found the answer of its kin to be puzzling. Perhaps it was named Genesect because it does not yet have a 'true name'. A lot of pokemon have 'true names', Prime heard them often. For instance: Oscar's Blaziken was not named 'Blaziken', its true name was Grievous.

Genesect raised its claw to its chin before responding to its associate. "ALL POKEMON HAVE TRUE NAMES. WE ARE POKEMON, WE HAVE TRUE NAMES TOO. MINE IS PRIME, AS YOU SAID. WE MUST FIND YOURS."

Oscar peeked behind him, having just heard Prime let out a very long set of melodic beeps. "Wow, never heard Prime say so much before."

Lulu Flint

Oscar held the pokeball containing the unique floette aloft, ready to regale Zev with its origins. "Well you see, Walsh brought it out to demonstrate his original Infinity Energy extractor and---" Oscar found himself drawing a blank, pulling the ball closer as he scrutinized it. "Actually, now that I think about it, I have no idea how it got this way. I'm not sure anyone does except Walsh." Oscar placed a finger on his chin as he wistfully looked beyond the ball. "Perhaps I should pay the boss a visit."

Oscar shook his head, "Uh sorry, I was captured by my curiosity. At any rate, I believe I have absorbed enough of your time. Please go enjoy your fresh energy, and should you require any more..." Oscar turned away, turning his head just to provide Zev with a warm smile. "You know where to find me."

Oscar walked over to the pokepod, examining the monitor on the control panel to go through a summary of this session's energy readings. The information it provided was not anything important, but Oscar wanted to appear busy while Zev found his way out. In reality, Oscar was reveling in not only the success of his hypothesis, but his success in aiding Zev. Having the favor of the devourer would be invaluable for Oscar's future ambitions--as well as his continued survival.

Zev Harcourt

After he had cast his vote for the Dummy Ward, Oscar made the mistake of looking back at the screens. He had hoped that their respective masks would do better to hide their identity, but to his dismay Oscar would pick out multiple prisoners that he recognized. Tempest Quinn, Amor Rose, howard slayte, Eris Halla, people he cared for and did not want to see hurt. Yet the damage was done, and as Oscar heard more voices announcing their decisions Oscar could not help but frantically shake his head.

"No--no I didn't know. I didn't know!" Oscar's distress distracted him, and by the time he noticed the two guards approaching him and Navy it was nearly too late to escape their wrath. But he still could if he could just drop Navy to the ground. That was all he had to do, let go of Navy and step to the side.

There was nowhere to go, being tethered to everyone else ensured that there was very little wiggle room.

Just let go

Oscar shivered, "Hey he's just delusional you don't need to..." Oscar let go of the person in front of him and tried to back away.

Drop him

Oscar realized what was coming and tightened his grip on the ailing man that hung over his back.

Coward

The first strikes were delivered to Navy, causing Oscar to fall to his knees. Yet he hung on for as long as he could, trying not to be pushed to the floor. The blows were too intense, and soon Oscar would topple over with Navy falling to his side. They were both beaten indiscriminately, with every strike feeling heavier than the last. It had been a very long time since Oscar had took such an unbridled beating, and all the while he would be giving himself lashings within his mind.

What were you trying to prove? That you're a good person? Was it worth it?

Oscar's body thrashed under each baneful strike.

You were never meant to do good. The sooner you accept that...

Oscar gurgled as he felt blood filling up within his mouth, his teeth clenching to hold the deluge back.

...the sooner it will stop hurting.

And then it was over. It had only been a minute but the ferocity of the onslaught had made it seem like an eternity. Oscar breathed slowly, wincing under every heave. He wanted to lay there forever, just bleed on the floor and die quietly. That was not an option though, never was. Oscar pushed himself to his feet, struggling against nausea and cramps. He buckled once or twice, but he managed to stand up after an immense effort. Without a word he would grab the hand of the person in front of him once more, followed by the hand of Navy. He no longer had the strength to carry him.

Their bird lord took flight with the daisy chain of ugly prisoners attached. Oscar could not concentrate on the absurdity of such a feat, he was far too dazed. His mind was blank as they arrived, falling to his knees as his legs refused to land gracefully. Everyone's masks popped off a bit, revealing Oscar's cut up face. He looked up, his eyes darting around the room before resting upon the person that stood in front of him. When he realized who they were, he let out a long wheeze. "Priam...?"

His dear friend had been there all along, how could Oscar not have recognized him? He stared at him for a few seconds, until his body remembered how severely beaten it was. The nausea became overwhelming, and Oscar would scramble to the side as far as he could so he could vomit properly. At least it did not get into his mask.

As Oscar recovered, a familiar voice would address the prisoners. Oscar looked upon the crying mask, its beauty would have been enticing if not for the man that stood before it. Wearing a Toxic Chain of his own was none other than General Velmos. Oscar looked to Priam and then back at the general, they had both seen him safely secured within a cell--how did he escape? Plus Oscar had thought that they were on good terms, what was he doing with this evil bird?

Oscar got his answer the longer he listened, Velmos did not sound like himself. Was he brainwashed? Perhaps by the giant chain that was pumping a mysterious fluid into his throat? Seemed a little obvious when he thought about it. But now was not the time to think, the Ugly Ward had a reward to claim. One by one they were dragged to the mask to look at--something. Those who struggled were violently forced to look into it, there was no point in resisting. When it became Oscar's turn, he willingly looked into the mask to get it over with.

What he saw was his greatest desire. Ever Grande was burning, the seat of the League had been demolished. Airships bearing Rocket's insignia flew overhead, dropping bombs onto what little life remained. The view was so clear, yet Oscar was far away. He was standing atop a black tower, watching with crazed glee as the war was finally won. He began to cackle joyfully, reveling in the glorious future that Rocket had promised. A Toxic Chain still hung by his neck, yet it felt weightless. It was a part of him, as easy to maneuver as his own arms. Its importance was ingrained into Oscar's mind, and he found himself unknowingly laughing within the real world as well.

Until he wasn't. Oscar was suddenly staring at a white tile wall as hot water poured over his exposed body. He could not remember how he got there, or how long he had been standing under this shower. He did not mind the temperature, nor that others could probably see his uncovered form. He just stared at the wall, his mind fixated on the future.

rpv_kUTs

tl;dr

--Oscar gets the shit beat out of him, too proud to drop Michael Navidson. He is not happy about it.
--Within the chamber of desires Oscar recognizes priam conrad and then throws up. Those two occurrences are not related.
--Oscar clocks Velmos, and willing looks into the mask. His greatest desire is for Rocket to destroy the League and finally take over Hoenn.
--Oscar liked his vision so much that it's all he can focus on as he showers.
--Ugly Ward.

Oscar looked over at the Genesect's, almost as if their groundbreaking communication was an afterthought. He shrugged casually, "Ah, yeah. Prime talked with Tempest Quinn's genesect too. It seems to like conversing with others of its kind. I don't see the harm in it." If anything, Prime getting the chance to socialize was a good thing. After all, the more connections it made the closer it would be to breaking free from its rigid programming.

Prime becoming an individual was more valuable to the world of science than a mindless killer cyborg ever was.

Prime felt a tingling in its innards when the other Genesect responded to its greeting. It was the same feeling it felt whenever it would dance, a shocking surge of warmth. Was this joy? Perhaps something similar. At any rate, the Genesect's eager response was a pleasing outcome. The bridge had been built, though now Prime was a bit at a loss on how to cross it.

It decided to use the past conversations its master has had with others as a reference. After rapidly sifting through its stored recordings, Prime decided upon the best possible inquiry to start with. It spoke to its fellow Genesect in the same beeping language as before.

"WHAT IS YOUR CALL SIGN?"

Lulu Flint