Oscar twitched as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out, tapping the screen to get a preview of what he had received. The message he saw was so strange that he had to go to his messaging app to get a better look. Was it some sort of trick, or a glitch? No no, it was real. A simple message from an unknown number.

WE ARE WATCHING

Hmmm, right. "Blocked." Simple as that, block the number and move on. Someone had to do something about all these spam messages going around lately. Oscar threw his phone aside and settled into his couch, pulling a messenger bag that had been sitting on the floor onto his lap. He rustled through it briefly before pulling out a book from within its depths. It looked hefty, bound in black leather with red fore-edges on the paper. A striking design that Oscar was eager to crack open.

The book was a in depth look into the history of occult magic, a subject that Oscar had been curious about as of late. This particular printing as especially valuable, as it was a perfectly intact copy from the original release in 1895. It cost a lot of money, so Oscar was going to be damn sure to read it.

With the lights in his office dimmed to set the mood, Oscar would pull an obsidian orb out of his pocket to fidget with before finally opening the book. The Forward read as follows:

There is a saying among the old mediums and hex masters of old that has been passed down and blended into modern popular culture: "Between gods and men, none are more dangerous than a witch." The classical definition of a witch is a being that wields the dark powers beyond the reach of humanity. Pokemon show semblances of these peculiar magics, but they lack the intrinsic element that makes witches unique. The power of a witch is distinctly unnatural. They were not born with their power, but rather went through many sacrifices to obtain it. It is easy to look upon the witches of folklore and cast them as villains, as their dark abilities perfectly align with that archetype. However, more often than not, a witch would make the deal that granted them their powers out of desperation. Like a wild pokemon pushed into a corner, many humans are willing to pay any price to obtain the ability to rise above their hardships and enter a new world of occult splendor. I ask you, the reader, what sacrifices would you be willing to make to wield the dark magics of the witches. Or even to gain a sliver of their eldritch knowledge?

Oscar paused. His eyes had read the next words passively, yet once they actually sunk in he had to go back to read them again. He stared upon them with intense scrutiny, his heart rate slowly starting to rise.

What would you give to escape your own hardships, Oscar Clayton? Your company? Your assets? Your life? What will you sacrifice for power? For knowledge?

Oscar pressed his hand against the text, a chill running down his spine as he felt nothing but the flat surface of the page. These words had been printed on, just as the others. "What the fuck..." he uttered, unsure what to think as he stared upon his own name. In a book--from 1895. It must have been altered in some way, stolen and reprinted with this ridiculous prank. Yes, the shipping company fucked up! Oscar slapped the book closed and picked up his phone, dialing the customer service number of Farfetch'd Deliveries. After a moment a male operator would pick up.

"Hello how can I assist you today?"

"Uh hey, is there a way I can get a log for the delivery of item uhhh..." Fuck he threw away the package, he did not have the tracking number.

"Item SE9945678 tracking number 2875549029341. Yes, there was no mistake Mister Clayton."

Oscar froze, driven speechless by the absolute nonsense he had just heard. He wanted to ask how or why or anything, but his mouth felt as though it was sewn shut. After the silence hung between them for several seconds, the operator would speak up.

"Unblock the number, Mister Clayton."

Dialtone, the call ended. Oscar slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at his screen as he shivered slightly. He had no idea what was going on, and he was not sure he wanted to know. Yet his curiosity was stronger than his sense of preservation. He carefully navigated to his chat settings and unblocked the number that he had blocked earlier. The conversation reappeared, still with the one initial phrase:

WE ARE WATCHING

Oscar sat there for a moment before typing a reply with shaky thumbs.

Watching who?

A reply came almost instantaneously.

YOU

Oscar sighed. He knew that was going to be the answer but he was really hoping it wouldn't be. He carried on the conversation. He was about to text again, but a pounding noise would catch his attention. Oscar looked to where the noise had come from, the book that now rested beside him. To his shock the book would open itself into the middle, revealing that it had been hollowed out all along. Within the makeshift container sat a rotom that burst forth faster than Oscar could process and latch itself onto his phone. Oscar yelped and threw his phone across the room, only for it to stop in mid-air and float back to him. Oscar flinched, expecting it to attack. When it only stared back at him, he would relax enough to start talking with it.

"What do you want?"

YOU

Text appeared within the original conversation.

WE ARE ALLIES, MISTER CLAYTON

YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND WORTHY OF JOINING OUR RANKS

DO YOU ACCEPT?

Oscar sat there for a moment, having no idea how to respond. Eventually he felt as if he should at least cover his bases.

"What am I joining exactly?"

A CIRCLE OF TRUST

A SOCIETY OF LIKE MINDED COMMENTATORS

THE FACILITATORS OF THE FUTURE

DO YOU ACCEPT?

This felt incredibly sketchy to Oscar, and his first instinct told him to say no. Whoever these people were, they went through immense lengths to contact him and that left Oscar terrified. Though--also a little thrilled. He had no idea what this was, and if he declined now his curiosity would eat him alive. There was only one way to get the answers he craved.

"Yeah sure, fuck it."

Several seconds went by before a final response appeared, followed by a link to open a location on the phone's GPS.

CONGRATULATIONS MISTER CLAYTON, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS THE WORLD. WELCOME TO SEELE. PLEASE ARRIVE AT THE DESIGNATED LOCATION WITH AN ITEM TO BE USED AS YOUR OBJECT OF POWER.

"Object of what?"

The rotom-phone did not respond, instead floating down to rest in Oscar's lap. Oscar gingerly picked it up, staring at the GPS link. He pressed his thumb to it, watching as it opened a location with no name or coordinates. Great start. He should leave right away, but first he had to find some sort of object of power? Could it be anything? Oscar had no idea what to choose, until his eyes caught the obsidian orb he had unknowingly dropped earlier.

He smiled deviously, "Badass."

SETTING: Oscar's Mauville office.
REASON: To satisfy his unquenchable curiosity.
OBJECT OF POWER: An obsidian orb that can fit in a palm.
Remiel Calcifet

The legendary pokemon of the world must have had a meeting and decided that these next few months were the best time to call upon the public to share their opinions. Oscar was drawn in by the power emanating from Meteor Falls, and relentlessly traversed its treacherous paths to locate the power's source. He was confused when he came upon Zekrom, who was never seen without its Avatar Remiel Calcifet. Then the great dragon spoke into his mind, and all was made clear--though to be honest Oscar nearly just left.

Between Zekrom and the Bunny Oscar was getting sick of talking at physical gods hoping to get---what, their approval? A clap on the back and a lollipop? That would be nice actually. No! There shall be no lollipops, just woes that would consume his intrusive thoughts all night! He must turn his back on this nonsense and protest by not partaking...

...Then again he did come all this way. Plus he had nothing else planned for this Saturday, he cleared everything to be here. Alright fine just once more! He clapped his gloved hands together, twisting them outward to crack his knuckles. After a roll of his shoulders, he would begin his oration.

"Hey there, glad to have an audience with my favorite frienemy. I feel like my ideal world is not one you're gonna like, because you're not in it. Well, maybe you are but you wouldn't wield as much power as you do now. I tell ya, I have been sick of how easily Hoenn has been assaulted by apocalyptic threats. I mean, Kyurem just showed up once day and massacred who knows how many people! We couldn't even kill it, we were sitting ducks! I mean no offense to you when I say this, but humanity should not have to surrender themselves to all powerful forces of nature to justify their right to exist. Would I do so personally? In a heart beat, no question--but I shouldn't have to."

"Our survival, clings to the factor of how many gods can we get on our side before the next big calamity occurs. That's not the future I want, nor is it the future humanity deserves. In order to thrive in this world, humanity must take control over nature. Using technology, we must take control of our own destiny and shed our reliance on gods. The means to do so are already within our grasp. I have a plan in motion that shall allow humanity to reclaim its dominance! I'll make it happen, even if I have to rip apart the crust of the Earth and beyond to do so! Just you watch, you overgrown beedril!"

Oscar paused, realizing that he was getting a little carried away. "Um--sorry that got a little personal. Truth be told I haven't really let go of the last time we uh--you remember. I'm not over it, I'm sorry!" Oscar scratched the back of his head, slowly coming to the conclusion that he had nothing else to say. "Alright peace."

|FFvWKiH

BOUQUETS:

Send a special someone a bouquet delivered by Leavanny, signed or anonymous!

[break][break]

ORDER DETAILS: A bouquet of edelweiss and white clover flowers. [break][break] TO: Cillian Quinn [break][break] CARD: "I miss you man. You know where to find me, let's catch up."

BOUQUETS:

Send a special someone a bouquet delivered by Leavanny, signed or anonymous!

[break][break]

ORDER DETAILS: A bouquet of hydrangea flowers surrounded by thyme.[break][break] TO: jayden cross [break][break] CARD: "You're far stronger than you know, don't let anyone tell you differently.

Oscar entered the king's throne room for the last time, appearing more tired than usual. What the king could not possibly know was that today happened to be very special to Oscar, and he had been up since midnight reflecting upon the past. This surely influenced his choice in story, as he began speaking to the king in a far more somber tone.

"Hey, I thought over what you want and I'm giving you something a little different than my last few stories. Let me tell you a little bit about my dad. He died today ya know--I mean not today but like eight years ago. It feels longer than it is, probably because my dad and I were never really close. Ya see, back in my childhood I wanted to be a dancer. I used to take ballet in elementary, that's right I was ballet boy. So what?"

"Anyway my dad never approved. He thought men shouldn't do ballet because--I dunno maybe he was scared I'd be gay, which is funny because he didn't care when I actually came out. He never really cared about anything except work. I can't count how many times I begged him to come see a recital. Just once, then I could prove to him why it was so precious to me. He wouldn't have it, once or twice he would act like he relented and would come but he never showed. Not once. His work was too important, he was in charge of a very controversial construction firm in Alola. My dad was probably fighting a different battle every day, just trying to prove that the company deserved to exist. That its destruction of natural ecosystems was for the good of humanity or some shit. He was busy, is what I mean."

"Well, it wouldn't be until years later where I'd find out that there was one time where he actually tried to come to a show. It was my last one for the year, and I was feeling pretty defeated because I couldn't muster the passion to continue dancing if my dad hated it so much. I should have been tougher, who gives a fuck if the old man doesn't approve? Whatever, I made my choice already. Anyway, I can't tell my dad's side because I only know what happened at the end. I like to imagine though, in the quiet hours of the night when my mind won't stay still. I picture him at his desk, setting up for a big presentation he would have to give later that evening. Around that time he had a picture of my brother and I on his desk, and I like to think he stopped to look at it. I imagine him focusing in on my young face, and for a miracle of a moment he feels a twinge of fatherly love. He realizes how quickly time moves, and how he's been sitting at his desk as years roll by. Then he makes a faithful choice. He gets up, grabs his coat, and leaves the office."

"My dad chose to go to my last recital, and if I had looked out on the crowd and saw him that night--I probably would have made a lot of different decisions. He didn't make it though. By the time he got to the community center where I had performed, the show had been over for an hour. I bet he thought it was funny, I doubt he was disappointed. I only found out he tried at all after he died, he shared the story with my brother. Not with me though. Had to hear it second hand."

"So answer me this, sire. Who made the sacrifice here? Did my dad sacrifice precious time solidifying his family's future to catch a glimpse of my childhood? Did I sacrifice my interest in dancing to chase after my father's approval? Maybe a bit of both? Maybe neither. I know you won't actually answer, that's alright. Thanks for hearing me out, I hope you got what you wanted." With that Oscar turned and left without further acknowledgement. He had a rough night ahead of him.

As Howard trailed off, Oscar looked at him before following his gaze out toward the horizon. Figures had appeared in the distance, an inevitability given how loud the drill's presence were. "Maybe they're friendly." Oscar said sarcastically, watching as Howard's sigilyph made the first move. Oscar pressed a button on the side of his helmet, opening a comm line between him and Genesect Prime.

"Prime, please bring us the intruders here so that we may strap them to the drill." Prime had been staring at the strangers as they became visible, waiting for orders to obliterate them. Capturing them worked too, whatever it took to let loose some energy. Genesect flew in over the interlopers, aiming its cannon toward the one that was not being attacked by sigilyph.

Its barrel sparked before firing out a net, which bloomed in mid-air as it flew toward its target. The mesh sparked and crackled, promising a terrible jolt should it envelope its target (Electro Web). Meanwhile, Oscar looked to the drill as it started making a bizarre grinding noise. "Um, that doesn't sound normal. Is the machinery getting jammed?"

tl;dr
--Genesect used Electro Web on Ollie!
--The drill may be biting off more than it can chew.

4LC7O2SE

howard slayte ollie morales Roy Aker

Oscar squinted at his phone as he tried to decipher the text that mint frost had sent him. Poor Mister Clayton was the substitute proctor for some Spectra training. Anything to increase his presence in Spectra, he thought. Plus Mint said he would have the whole thing planned out already, all Oscar had to do was instruct and observe. What Oscar forgot to account for was that any text from Mint was like trying to learn a second language.

This isn't evrytin but enuf to getcha started on simple recon. Practice blending n2 crowds: neutrals colors, walking under cover, norm g8, middle of crowds etc. hv a gd excuse 4 nefing (convincing n kwik ) introduce her to some of our lowkey observation equipment. cn she do her own make ^? Etc….I cnt thnk of much. I learned alot of my stff on the job n w/ trial n error. I'll hafta sit dwn one day n write it out but this is all ive off the cuff sorryyyy Oscarrrr <3

"I um...uh..." Oscar looked between his phone screen and today's trainee, Violet Fairbanks . He had never met Ms. Fairbanks, and after today she would surely wish that she had never met Oscar. Oscar cleared his throat, deciding to put his phone away for now. I mean, how hard could it really be to do a little intel training?

Oscar clapped his hands together, "So--welcome to your second Spectra assessment. Um, what do you know about reconnaissance? You know, just to get a baseline."

Note: ty kimmy

"Can I do what?...a new arm, like a prosthetic?...uhuh...oh a robot arm. I mean, probably. I can see what I can do. I'll be in my lab, you should come down...Alright see you in a bit."

Oscar hung up his cellphone, keeping his cool as he slid it into his pocket. He had just gotten off of a call with Shred, who wanted to employ Oscar's skill set to make him a new arm. Specifically an arm that was functional and not just an aesthetic replacement. It was unclear if this was part of Oscar's owed favor to Shred, but he was more than happy to help.

As he pushed himself away from one of his work tables, Oscar began to chuckle to himself. He walked across his lab, his chuckle becoming increasingly maniacal. On the far wall of his lab was a large, steel storage closet where Oscar kept his projects that were 'on hold'. He opened the closet, steam pouring across his face as his chuckle warped into a full cackle.

Sitting upon a stand, surrounded by other bizarre pieces of tech, was a mechanical arm plated with steel made from melted down steel type pokemon. Oscar intended to use it on himself when he was at risk of losing his arms to his illness, but with that under control he had no use for it. Until now.

Oscar lifted it off of its stand, turning so that he may dramatically hold the arm aloft like it was the son of Mufasa. "At last!" He exclaimed with barely contained mania. "My arm is complete again!" Now he would just need Shred to arrive...

The view of the chasm was unparalleled, and Oscar could feel a swelling sense of adventure as they flew over its grassy rises. Yet in the pit of his stomach something was forming, and the further out they got the more he would feel it. Was it anticipation? It felt a lot like how one might feel when looking over a steep drop, though such sights have never bothered Oscar in the past.

Aurelie's voice pulled Oscar out of his thoughts, just in time to notice the encroaching Roaring Moon. Oscar yelped, instructing Vlad to "Follow Aurelie!" The gliscor nodded, turning sharply to fly away from the speeding dragon. Oscar's heart was going crazy within his chest, it was like all of his feelings were being amplified. No, not all of them. Just one: Fear.

He felt uncharacteristically afraid, reeling as the Roaring Moon came closer. He began to pull slightly from Vlad's claws, and if they had not veered into safety he might have escalated into thrashing away from his carrier entirely. As Vlad landed, Oscar yanked himself away and began breathing heavily, had that really happened? Had he really nearly thrown himself into a lethal free fall to escape confronting a Roaring Moon? His head was buzzing, what on earth came over him?

Oscar looked up and gasped as he realized that Aurelie and her Mantine were trapped in a web. With an Ariados approaching, Oscar would give Vlad swift instructions. "Vlad, cut them out of theeeee-AHH! What the fuck!?" Oscar felt a disturbing crawl over his skin, and when he looked to his arm he would spot a Spinarak crawling out of the sleeve of his coat. Now mind you, Oscar was a bug trainer, and had never been afraid of bug type pokemon. Yet now he would flail with distress, slapping away the Spinarak and performing a strange dance as he slapped various parts of his body.

Vlad meanwhile flew up to the web and cut out his companions with his claws. This did not deter the Ariados, who crawled closer to re-secure its prey. Vlad pushed forward, attempting to look big to intimidate the spider. When that did not work, he would whip his tail forward and smash the poison type across the face (Aqua Tail). Water burst over the predator, causing it to double back. It stood for a moment, accessing the situation, before crawling back from whence it came.

Oscar had finally felt secure, heaving as he shivered with disgust. "This is not a good first impression from the chasm."

hlwGwu_c

Aurelie Lefevre

Oscar would reappear to share yet another story with the monarch. He approached with his usual casual demeanor, perhaps still not taking the rank of this cabbage hare seriously. Still, he would try to show a little respect by bowing toward its majesty before addressing it. "Hey highness, glad to get the chance to regale you again. Goin' for an actual written story this time, like a fairy tale from a book. I think it sheds a lota light on the nature of leadership and monarchs within our world and whatnot. Disclaimer though, this has nothing to do with you, okay? Any negativity toward nobility depicted in this tale doesn't apply to you. You're pretty cool. Don't want you getting anxious while you're listening. Anyway, let's fuckin' start already."

"...Fuck I forgot the book. Alright no problem, I got it memorized. Prose might be a little casual though. Okay, once upon a time there was an evil king. From the day he took the crown he was nothin' but a tyrant. Taxes were higher than ever before, the problems of his subjects would go unanswered, and his only care was entertaining himself with carnal pleasures. The peasants of the local villages were his playthings, and he would round them up to be tormented within his dark castle. While his subjects starved, he would throw lavish feasts for himself and the other nobles. He was cruel for the sake of being cruel, because it made him feel strong. Yada yada yada, it goes like this for a bit. Long story short, he was a huge douche."

"One night the king would have a dream. In this dream he saw himself as a statue within a town square. The townspeople paid him no reverence as they passed by though, they ignored him and went about their day. No offerings, no moments of reflection, just cold indifference. When he awoke, the king felt a twinge of fear. Was his destiny to be forgotten? Would the generations of the future revere him as he deserved? He then and there resolved to create a monument to his greatness, so that his legacy would be secured."

"So he gathered up all of the artisans of the kingdom and demanded that they think of a monument that would suit his grandeur. They offered statues and temples and shrines and towers, but none of it was good enough for the king. He wanted something that could never be forgotten. When all of the ideas were shared and he was still unsatisfied, one artist would suggest something completely insane. They should build all of them, he said. A tower, a temple, a shrine, all of it at once. Make a gigantic cluster of monuments to the king's majesty. The king liked this idea, and demanded that it be done. All of the ideas--and once."

"So they got to work, and the king enlisted every man he could within the kingdom to build his absurd monument. The coffers of his kingdom were bled dry, yet still he demanded progress. Men dies by the hundreds constructing the various wonders, yet still he demanded progress. Enemies from within and without began preying on his kingdom while it was vulnerable, yet still he demanded progress. He wanted to be remembered by all peoples of the world, forever. Through plagues, and harsh winters, and famines they would work. Through days and nights, building temples and shrines and statues and towers for the king."

"Then it all stopped. There were no more men to work on the monument, no more artisans to guide the vision of its construction. The kingdom had been ruined, and the king himself sat ill and old upon his deathbed. He felt satisfied in his endeavor, sincerely believing that he would be remembered for the massive web of structures built in his name. He died without fanfare, his body buried and unmarked. The kingdom fell apart and was absorbed by other empires. When the new rulers of the land came upon the monument, they had no idea what it was for. They just believed it to be an eyesore. So they demolished it and used the materials to build other structures they actually needed. To this day, the king has no name."

Oscar clapped his hands together, "What's the moral you may ask? I dunno somethin' about how legacies are created from good actions and not big monuments and shit. Something to think about I guess." Oscar gave a little bow before once more walking away.

Oscar had only considered climbing down the cliff side, and was fully ready to do so until Aurelie suggested that they fly first. That idea was a lot more appealing, and he had just the pokemon to simulate the gliding sensation that she described. Oscar pulled out a pokeball and let out Gliscor, Vlad. Vlad stretched out his limbs before looking out over the cliff, his jaw dropping as he took in their unfamiliar surroundings.

Oscar chuckled as he rubbed his hands together. "I know how you feel Vlad. We're flying over it, gliding style. So y'know, don't clamp too hard." Oscar got in front of the Gliscor, stretching his arms out like he was about to take flight himself. Vlad recognized the pose and nodded, clamping his claws firmly over Oscar's wrists. His tail wrapped around his master's waist, securing him tightly for their flight. When all was prepared, Oscar would look to his companion. "Try to keep up!"

Vlad fell forward, flexing out his wings as he dove toward the chasm's surface. The wind quickly pushed him upward, causing the gliding pokemon to begin sailing through the sky, just like the hang-gliders Aurelie had described earlier. From this vantage, they should easily be able to survey the chasm--as long as nothing interfered that is.

r4Y3P7xk

Aurelie Lefevre

Entering Area Zero was a little overwhelming. Oscar had heard that it was a unique biome, but when he and Lulu actually stepped foot into the cave system he was taken aback. It looked like an alien planet, the abundant tera crystals beaming with technicolor brilliance in every direction. He was briefly at a loss for worlds, not since his first venture to the Moon had he been so excited to explore.

"This is--crazy." He said, his voice trailing off as he stepped forward. He walked up to the nearest wall of crystals, sliding a gloved hand over its smooth surface. "I've never seen Tera Crystals be this size before. There were some big ones in Ultra Space but this is--unreal." One thousand questions swarmed Oscar's head, all of which could only be answered by pushing further into Area Zero.

Oscar turned to his companion, "Let's get moving, I can't wait to see what this place has in store for us."

iUMHl8bw

Lulu Flint

As he ushered Zev toward the back of his lab, Oscar would take a moment to turn on some elevated floodlights. What the lights would reveal was the accumulation of Oscar's research into Infinity Energy, a perfected model of his 'Poke Pod'. The device was a human-sized capsule with spiked tubes hanging from the ceiling. The circular platform that the capsule sat upon had numerous cables that slid across the ground toward an operating table. The table had large restraints on either side, their inner surfaces lined with small syringe-like spikes.

Oscar seemed giddy despite the unsettling scenery. He gestured toward the device as if it were the grand reveal of a magic trick. "Ta-da! I present to you the evolution of the Infinity Energy Extractor! Dynaenergy likely poisoned you because it is an unnatural force from an alien realm. Infinity Energy is inherent to all biological life, so it should in theory empower you!"

Oscar pulled out his phone and began furiously texting declan walsh, letting the boss know that he was picking up a certain pokemon from storage. "Go ahead and get yourself comfortable on the operating bed. I have to go get our donor, shouldn't take more than five minutes. Don't go anywhere, this will be worth it I promise!" Oscar ran off to grab his other test subject, leaving Zev to get acclimated to his new surroundings.

Zev Harcourt