Howard may have been unbothered by the chill, but Oscar was the exact opposite. His slim body and thin skin was more suited to warm environments, so the cold tended to render him powerless. Luckily, his last excursion with mint frost through Shoal Cave taught him a valuable lesson and this time he would come extra prepared.

Oscar was suited up in a black parka, with his hood up over a black beanie that rested on his head. A large black scarf encircled the lower half of his face, protecting his delicate mouth and nose. He wore snow goggles to protect his eyes from the chilling wind, and big boots to stomp through the snow. His only poor choice were his black mittens, which restricted the use of his fingers in exchange for comfort.

Nevertheless, Oscar's cozy hands maintained a grip on his energy reader: a repurposed mineral analyzer that he made to hunt energy readings on the moon. Worked just as well here, all you had to do was point it in a direction and pull the trigger. The device would read the general energy levels of where you were pointing and report back to you on a little screen. It worked better at a closer range, but Regieleki's energy levels were so high they could be sensed from basically anywhere within the Ultra Plant.

Oscar had been using this device as a guide, leading their little search party toward the possible lair of the electric golem. Oscar had accidentally provoked the mysterious titan the last time he was here, waking it up from its slumber by activating a power spot deep within the plant. It was not an experience he sought to repeat, but if finding it will help Howard then he would do his very best!

Oscar's Xurkitree, Navitas, floated right above its master with a luminous Tail Glow. It would help light the way as they trekked through the treacherous dark of the Ultra Plant. As they crossed over Howard's Stakataka, Oscar would respond to his companion in a swaddled voice.

"We're on the right track. The readings are spiking in this direction. Can't imagine anything else giving off this much electricity."

Also can we talk about Regice for a second? Low key adorable.

howard slayte

Wind tore through Oscar's hair as Dialga galloped down the side of the Sootopolis crater. In spite of the incline, the legendary beast's movements were graceful and effortless. It might as well have been galloping across an open field. It would have been an astonishing experience if Oscar were not terrified of falling off. He grabbed the back of his older self's coat to keep his balance, and the older Oscar would cackle at his younger self's apprehension.

The steep ride down the crater would luckily not last long, and Dialga would even out as it reached the flattened streets of the city. As the ride's angle became less stressful, Oscar eased up and regained his composure. It would not stop his Future self from teasing him though, "What's the matter kid?! This can't be worse than riding a Genesect!"

There he went calling him a kid again. Oscar's face twisted as he bit back a response, he refused to give his older self the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead he would change the subject, "So why did you guys appear on the crater?! Couldn't you have just gone right to the tower?" His older self did not respond right away, seemingly trying to find the best way to explain himself. "When you time travel, you appear in the exact location you left! Back in my time, you can't get to where the tower stood anymore! The crater's edge is the closest you can get!"

Oscar accepted this answer for a few seconds before bringing up another quandary. "What about the planet's rotation!?"

His older self reeled his neck back, visibly exhausted of answering so questions. "What are you talking about!?"

"The planet is constantly rotating, so the place you want to go in another time won't be there! Do you have to calculate where it would be or--" Oscar's future self interrupted him with a cranky groan. "Hey how about we not worry about the logistics and just have fun with it!? It'll be easier for all of us that way!" Oscar could not disagree--but his curiosity would eat him alive. He would just have to figure it out himself later on.

The trio rode without conflict for a solid few minutes, but it could not be perfect the whole way through. Rapid Megalopolans where chasing them all the while, desperately trying to take a bite out of Dialga. The mighty dragon was undaunted, crushing anything that dared try to stop its ceaseless charge. Even when the hoard grew into the thousands, Dialga would plow through with such ease that you would think that the Megalopolans were not there at all. Oscar looked upon what was once Sootopolis with a heavy anxiety. Something about seeing the ruins of buildings he recognized swarming with monstrous aliens made Oscar a little weak in the knees. He hoped that this was not a common future, and that Oscar would never have to see his own Sootopolis in this state.

In no time Dialga would reach the other side of the crater and begin galloping up the cliff face just as effortlessly as it had gone down it before. The hoard of megalopolans were left in the dust, frantically trying to climb the crater wall to no avail. Within moments Dialga would be atop the crater once more, this time looking out onto the massive tower just on the other side. Placed upon an enormous platform on the exposed ocean floor, the titanic tower was a masterful fusion or architecture and technology. Its sleek, metallic surface reflected the blackened environment that surrounded the structure--giving it the appearance of an obsidian monolith reaching for the clouds. The swirling red storm above the tower only strengthened the effect, giving the spire an aura of evil.

Oscar could not help himself, he pulled out his cellphone and snapped a quick picture. When he builds his own tower, he shall use this beautiful achievement as a reference. Oscar squirreled his cellphone away as his future self and Dialga looked back to him. "You ready for this? It's not going to be an easy fight." Oscar nodded confidentially. "Fuck yeah, I mean how bad could it--Oh fuck look out!"

Dialga looked back just in time to receive a Magnet Bomb to the face. The explosion caused the titan to shake, smoke barreling past its neck and into the faces of the two Oscars. The duo coughed harshly, sliding off of Dialga's back to escape the smokescreen. The fell to the ground, rolling slightly before frantically pushing themselves to their feet. At first Oscar was half-certain that Dialga's head had just ben blown to bits, but as the smoke cleared the god of time would barely retain a scratch. Oscar switched his attention to their assailants, which were currently flying toward them in a tight formation. As they came closer, Oscar's familiarity with their forms would cause a spike in his stress.

"Is that a squad of Genesect!?"

Indeed it was, a squad of five Genesect to be exact. Each bore a different color: blue, green, red, purple--and black. There was no mistaking it, Oscar's Genesect Prime was leading the pack into battle. The five cyborg warriors landed in front of Dialga with a heavy slam, cracking the ground beneath them. Now that they were up close, Oscar noticed something--off. The armor of these Genesect models were damaged, with pulsing red vein-like cracks spreading throughout their bodies. It was the same shade of red one could see emerging from a power spot, leading Oscar to a startling conclusion: Somehow, these Genesect were being empowered by Dynaenergy.

Dyna-Prime let out a distorted scream, which caused the other Genesect to begin charging their cannons. Oscar yelped, knowing what kind of damage that five Technoblasts could inflict. Dialga was unimpressed, roaring as it set up a Protective barrier around itself and the Oscars. The Genesects' Technoblasts ripped against the barrier, creating a vibration so powerful that the ground shook from within. Oscar shielded his eyes from the dazzling lights, while his older self just looked on. The barrier broke as the blasts died down, and the squad would waste no time following up to keep the pressure on. They charged forward, their claws glowing with extended Fell Stingers.

Future Oscar and Dialga had no intention of just tanking hits. "Dialga, divide and conquer." Dialga reared up onto its hind legs before slamming his forelegs into the ground. The earth split beneath it, sending smoking crags across the surface toward the Genesect squad (Earth Power). Three of them jumped to the left to avoid the attack, while the other two jumped to the right. They were successfully separated. Future Oscar looked to his present self, "I don't suppose you mind handling the two--

"On it!" Oscar ran off before his older counterpart could finish his request. The older Oscar chuckled as he watched his young self charge into battle, turning away to direct his attention toward his three opponents. Oscar pulled out a red pokeball and opened it to reveal his own Prime. Prime briefly took stock of the situation before resting its eyes upon its two opponents. Two of its fellow Genesect stood before them: one purple and one with the same black paint job that adorned its own armor--minus the cool flame decals. Oscar clapped his hands together, "Show these assholes why the original is the best!" Prime nodded, lowering its cannon to fire off a flurry of Magnet Bombs.

The purple Genesect charged forward, purposely taking on most of the bombs to protect its leader. The blast sent the purple Genesect flying, paving the way for Dyna-Prime to charge forward. It leapt into the air, raising a glowing leg as it fell toward Prime. Prime dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding its evil-clone's Dragon Hammer. Prime extended its claws into Fell Stingers, running forward to strike Dyna-Prime before it could recover. Dyna-Prime was quicker than anticipated though, and raised its own Fell Stingers to block the attack. The two exchanged attacks, their claws sparking with every ruthless strike. Dyna-Prime would end up winning the bout though, catching Prime off guard with an X Scissor.

Prime fell backward, somersaulting and jumping to its feet next to Oscar. It had an X shaped mark on its head, but it still seemed capable of fighting. Dyna-Prime had a higher physical strength than Prime, but Prime's Download would allow it to adjust its own power levels to match its opponent's. It charged forward, and the two would clash once more. This time, Prime's heavy strikes would catch Dyna-Prime off guard. It was so surprised, that it missed a block and received a slash to its head. Dyna-Prime staggered back, shaking with fury after being struck. Prime expected it to reengage, but instead its opponent would just stand there. Prime could not figure out why until it heard clanking footfalls coming up from behind.

The purple Genesect had reentered the fray, and was preparing to deliver a strike of its own to Prime's back. If only its approach had not been so noisy. Prime disappeared as the purple Genesect chopped downward, causing it to hit only air. Dyna-Prime ran forward, shocked at its counterpart's sudden departure. Oscar sneered, folding his arms as he watched Prime's trick unfold. Prime reappeared behind the purple Genesect, having slipped into its shadow with Shadow Sneak. By the time the two realized, Prime had fired off an Electro Web to net the both of them up.

The netted duo slid against the ground, struggling as their sticky prison delivered shock after shock. Meanwhile, Prime took advantage of their predicament by charging its cannon. By the time the trapped Genesect realized what was happening, it was already too late. Prime fired off its Technoblast, which tore right through the Genesect duo. As the blast died down, all that would be left of its opponents would be a smoldering heap of scrap.

Oscar ran up to Prime and happily slapped it on the shoulder, "Hey that's the second time you got to kill an evil version of you!" Genesect tilted its head, not really understanding the concept. Still, Oscar seemed happy so it raised its claws in celebration! The two ran back to rejoin Future Oscar and Dialga, who had just finished off their own opponents. Oscar looked over the slain trio, surprised to see a twisted pile of rusted bodies. That was the power of time dilation, he supposed.

Future Oscar turned to his younger self as he approached, "Ah! Hey Prime, long time no see." Prime did not know what this old man meant as it had never met him before, but nevertheless it would raise a claw in greeting. The older Oscar was about to say something else when a loud screech rang out from nearby. Everyone looked to find Dyna-Prime dragging its charred body over to the group. It had used its purple subordinate as a shield to avoid just enough damage to survive, and now sought to finish what it had started. Oscar scoffed as it lumbered forward. "Yo give it a rest, you're in no condition to fight! Just die like a good villain so we can return to the real plot."

The red veins that covered Dyna-Prime began to glow, with waves of heat slowly surging around its body. The other Genesect bodies began to rattle, and before the group could react they would rip themselves apart and fly over to Dyna-Prime. Various parts of its fallen comrades covered up Dyna-Prime's damaged areas, restoring it to a more healthy condition. Relatively speaking that is, as the parts it was recycling were either rusted or charred. Yet that shall not matter much, as Dyna-Prime would continue to surge with Dynaenergy. To the party's shock, it would begin tog row in size, and keep growing until it towered over even Dialga. Its body began to faintly glow red, and clouds would start forming around its cannon. Dyna-Prime had Dynamaxed.

Oscar began to shake as it looked up at the massive robot, struggling to get words out to his older compatriot. "So uh--Dialga can handle this right?" Both Oscar's looked to Dialga, who seemed a little nervous itself. Upon realizing that its human companions were staring at it though, the time god shaped up and roared with confidence. Giant or not, this Genesect would not defeat it in battle. One step forward from Dyna-Prime would prove how challenging this fight would be though, as it caused an earthquake that nearly shook the crater wall to its foundations. The party struggle desperately to keep their footing as the massive Genesect screeched with triumph.

It began to charge its massive cannon, a collection of energy that soon grew as bright as the sun. If it succeeded in releasing its attack, all of Sootopolis would be buried in rubble. Luckily it would be forced to pause and the sound of fabric tearing rang across the crater. Everyone looked upward, including Dyna-Prime, and watched as a new hole was formed in the sky. This one was much closer, and radiated a pinkish glow. After a few seconds, a massive Aura Sphere would fall out and slam into Dyna-Prime's head.

The impact caused it to buckle, and the energy gathered within its cannon would die down. A titanic form would fall from the hole, and as it got closer both Oscars would be lost for words. Palkia, the incarnation of the very cosmos, was about to pile-drive the Dynamaxed Genesect.

Dyna-Prime flashed as Palkia made contact, rapidly shrinking to its original size. It stumbled back and forth as recovered, being fully knocked down as Palkia slammed down behind it. It struggled as it tried to stand, but would not even make it half-way before Palkia would swipe through it with its claws. The dark swipe blew Dyna-Prime into pieces, sending every shattered limb and metal chunk into different portals to be forever lost within the dimensional void (Spacial Rend). Even as the dust settled, the two Oscars would be too astonished to speak. Their shock would evolve into confused bafflement as a figure with white hair slid off Palkia's left arm and to the ground.

He landed by slamming a metallic fist downward, like he was a fucking super hero or something. As he slowly rose his red eyes would lock onto the Oscars, scrutinizing them as if they were his next targets. At his full height he would adjust his black and red biker jacket before sliding his robotic arms into the pockets of his jeans.

"So uh, who the fuck are you two supposed to be?"

Oscar looked between the man and the open cigarette case, a feeling of panic building in his chest. His head was fogged by confusion, unable to compute what he was seeing. "I--what--how?" The man blinked, unfazed by Oscar's anxiety. "Would you make up your mind? My arm's getting tired." Oscar suddenly felt nauseous, and he would he would shove a shaking hand into his coat's inner pocket to pull out his own cigarette case. He raised it to compare with the stranger's and--they were indeed the same.

Oscar looked to the man with a mixed expression of fury and fear. "Who the fuck are you?" The man blinked again, gradually pulling the case away and plucking a lollipop from the assortment. The sucker he chose had a pink hue, which Oscar recognized to be strawberry--his favorite flavor. The man popped the lollipop in his mouth and swirled it around a bit before answering. "Well--considering our age difference--I'd say I'm you from the future. Or at least, a future."

Oscar's left eye twitched. The information he had just received nearly gave him an aneurysm. "That's--that's not possible." The old man laughed harshly, his lollipop nearly falling out of his mouth. He gestured to the hellish scene around them. "You can look at all of this and draw the line at meeting your future self?" The old man continued to fight chuckles as Oscar slowly realized how silly his discomfort seemed.

The proud man of science abruptly stood up, causing his supposedly older self to grow quiet. Oscar plucked the strawberry lollipop from his own case before shoving it back into his coat. As he rolled the sucker around in his mouth, Oscar would cross his arms and stare at the old man. The old man stared back, seemingly amused by Oscar's critical glare.

"Prove you're me." The old man took a moment to respond, "Beg your pardon?" Oscar gave a quick but confident nod, "Go on, lay down some Oscar facts. Prove that you're me." The old man shot Oscar a wiry smile, rubbing his chin as if deciding the best way to prove himself. Eventually he would click his tongue, "Romp with declan walsh lately?"

Oscar gasped loudly, his lollipop accidentally falling to the ground. Only two people knew about that, and this old fuck looked nothing like Walsh. Oscar clapped his hands over his mouth, his eyes squinting as he processed how the old man's claim was true. The old man chuckled again; he looked as if a prank he had set up went off perfectly.

Oscar lowered his hands, finally coming to terms with the fact that he was looking at what could be his older self. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

The future Oscar smirked, "I could ask you the same thing kid."

Oscar's face soured, "Bitch I'm thirty. And surely if you are me, which I will admit is more than likely, wouldn't you remember this?"

The older Oscar pointed toward Sootopolis while keeping his eyes on his younger self, "I do, but I was in there." Oscar followed his older self's pointing hand, and realized that he meant the tower. Oscar placed his hands on his hips, a little confused by these circumstances--or more confused I should say.

"Okay so--we're in there--but you don't remember Father Winter sending us out here?" The old man put his arm down and twisted his mouth. "Father what now?"

Oscar stared into space for a moment, the gears in his mind slowly putting everything together. Eventually he snapped his fingers and looked back to his older self. "You aren't future me, you're a me from a completely different timeline!" Oscar's confidence faded as he tried to organize his thoughts. "Or, I'm a you from a different timeline, because your past self is in the tower. So that makes this your timeline, in which you never met Father Winter at all. Fascinating..."

The older Oscar shook his head, "Alright now I'm getting confused. Let's just agree we're both not supposed to be here and move on."

Oscar nodded excitedly, "Yes, but we are here! So the question is, what are we doing here? Father Winter didn't give me a reason when he flung me through his magic worm hole so maybe I can just piggyback off of yours?"

His older self laughed and turned his head slightly to address Dialga. "Ya hear that? He's a tourist! Of all the nonsense--"

It was only now that Oscar remembered that his older self had brought fucking dialga with him, and the primal god of time was currently watching the duo patiently. Oscar pointed at the legendary behemoth and his older self fully looked back at it casually. "I'm uh--we're here to stop all of this from going haywire." His older self made a general gesture toward all of the horrors happening around them. "I know it's hard to believe, but this gets even more out of control and leaks into the other regions causing a multi-decade war against the zombified armies of--" The old man stopped himself, looking to Oscar mischievously. "Actually--I'll leave whose behind it to be a surprise."

Oscar scoffed, "What? No fair!" The old man's laughter only exasperated Oscar's annoyance. He hated it when he was teased with revelations only for that information to be kept from him. It played into his curiosity, and left him with a gnawing lack of fulfillment. Come to think of it, that was probably why his older self did just that--he knew it was the best way to mess with his younger self.

Oscar huffed loudly, "Well at least tell me what the fuck is up with Dialga! Are you its avatar or what?" The old man looked back at the dragon, once again acting annoyingly nonchalant about its presence. "Eh, we're buds and he owes me a favor. Plus he's just as invested as I am in getting this mess sorted out."

Oscar was silent for a moment, looking between Dialga, his older self, and the tower before shrugging. "Alright fine, so now what? How do we'sort this out'?"

Future Oscar stroked his beard as he thoughtfully looked toward the red hole in the sky. "Here's what's supposed to happen. The me in the tower is going to start charging the cannon within it to attack--the enemy. However, the enemy is ready and manages to destroy the tower before the cannon can fire. So--the best tactic would be to keep the enemy busy until the cannon is charged so we can kill it."

Oscar blinked, getting caught up on the fact that there was a cannon in the tower. His older self noticed that he was zoning out, and would snap his fingers to get Oscar's attention. "You still with me there?"

Oscar shook his head as he snapped out of his trance, "I um--yeah it's just--I can't believe we managed to build it. That--that really is the ultimate weapon..." His older self did not respond, instead just scratching the back of his head while trying not to look nervous. Or, maybe guilty? Oscar stared at Future Oscar, his eyes scrutinizing the old man's demeanor. "What? What's wrong?"

The old man stays quiet for a few seconds longer before clapping his hands together. "We've wasted enough time talking up here already. It would be really embarrassing if we had to go back in time because we missed our shot while yapping." Older Oscar approached Dialga, who lowered itself so that he could climb onto its back. Once securely mounted, Older Oscar would look to younger Oscar expectantly. "Well are you coming or what?"

Oscar paused, briefly taken aback. "So, I'm invited?"

Older Oscar rolled his eyes, "More like enlisted. You said you wanted to piggy back so get on up here before I change my mind!" Oscar gave his older self the same wiry smile he displayed earlier before running forward. Oscar climbed aboard Dialga, sitting himself behind his future counterpart. Dialga let out a deafening war cry as it stood to its full height and began galloping down the crater's side and toward the tower.

Oscar was being dragged down by the existential crisis of the creator of their universe possibly being dead--or worse. If that were the case, would anything be able to save them should the dark triad decide to go full force? Or Eternatus? Or Kyurem? Shit, how did allow so many enemies to rise against them?

Oscar was pulled out of the gloom when Lulu mentioned the Dream Machine. His eyes lit up, remembering the promise of Lulu's most ambitious project yet. "Yes of course I do! Did your Porygon manage to make its way home?" Lulu had let Oscar borrow her porygon z to gather some dream data, but he never had a chance to personally return it before their respective departures from Hoenn. Eventually he managed to mail its pokeball but he was unsure if Lulu herself ever got it back.

Oscar leaned in, the possibility of an update on the dream machine filling him with anticipation. "How goes the project? I am dying for detail, don't keep me waiting any longer!"

Lulu Flint

Oscar nodded back at Soyeon as she announced her readiness. With a flick of his wrist, Oscar would toss the wires with orbs into the Power Spot itself. He flicked a couple of switches on the machine, and it began gradually growling with activity. The machine began to loudly absorb Dynaenergy, sucking it through the orbs and into its machinery. The energy was so powerful that it could be physically witnessed passing through the wires.

Oscar scratched his chin, "Fascinating..." He continued to observe, even as the machine began to groan and whine. Soyeon's laptop would begin flashing a warning of a power overload, though even upon hearing of it Oscar would not be deterred. "It must run its course. Unplug the usb cord on my word." The machine continued to absorb energy, rattling and quaking as it was ripped apart from the inside. Eventually it could not contain the energy any longer, and the machinery itself began to inflate.

"Now!" Oscar said as he finally decided to jump away. Genesect backed off as well, standing between the machine and its master just in case the worst should occur. The machine eventually popped, not in an explosion but rather like a bottle of champagne. Energy surged out of its top before dissipating into the air. The machine abruptly went quiet, its charred carcass slowly falling over into a heap of scrap. Oscar looked over Genesect's shoulder to Soyeon, "Hey are you alright?"

soyeon kwan

Oscar blinked rapidly as Tempest brought up an incident near Fortree. "I--what? Spaceship?" Tempest meanwhile sent out his own Genesect to help with the effort of removing the crystals, but Oscar was not willing to allow his previous statement to slide so easily. "Wait wait, elaborate on the spaceship, please."

While the two humans discussed what had transpired, Prime stared at the other Genesect curiously. It had never encountered another of its kind before, and the casual appearance of this other Genesect was--shocking to say the least. As far as it knew, it had been alone all this time. Prime very slowly raised one of its claws, and began slowly waving it back and forth. Had this Genesect been taught the intricacies of social interaction?

Tempest Quinn

The running of the Heatran was not something Oscar had planned to participate in, yet if it was one thing he learned tonight it was that life did not give a shit about his plans. Oscar's lungs were starting to feel as if they would cave in at any moment, yet the sizzling heat behind him kept his legs moving. Genesect meanwhile had no problem outrunning the Heatran, and in fact could probably outpace the entire party if it wanted. It only remained next to Oscar out of a sense of loyalty, unwilling to abandon its master in a time of crisis.

Luckily for both of them, Shred had his own plan for losing the charging monstrosity. Shred let out his Greninja, and began convincing it to help. Being too busy running for his life, Oscar had thought that Shred was actually talking to him. "What?--Speak up, I can't hear you--over the sound of my organs failing!" Shred's Greninja eventually threw down a Smokescreen, allowing all of them an opening to escape. They all dove into a nearby alleyway, leaving the Heatran to charge forward none the wiser.

Oscar had landed on the ground during his dive, and he would remain there as he tried to catch his breath. Genesect stomped over to help its master to his feet, sliding its claws under Oscar's arms and lifting him up. Oscar patted Genesect on the head once he was standing, "Thanks bud--you're a real one." Oscar hobbled forward, veering sideways and propping himself against the alley wall. Oscar was quiet for a bit as the party recovered, but it did not take too long for him to break the silence. "Hey guys--things got a little heated back there--sorry about the complications." Oscar raised the generator core, which still remained in his hand. "But I think we're finally in the clear. I can really feel it, from here it's only up--"

Genesect elbowed its master in the stomach, stopping Oscar from cursing them once more with his optimism. Oscar let out a pained puff of air, clutching his abdomen as he fell to his knees. "Pfffff--why?--ach..."

They really would be in the clear this time though, as their journey back to Mauville's borders would be uneventful. Law enforcement was too busy herding the Heatran back underground, so the party would make it out of the city unnoticed. Once they were in Route 110, it was time to part ways. Oscar pulled a business card out of his pocket and pushed it towards Shred. "Hey man, I appreciate what you did tonight. Sorry it got a little--fucked up. But hey, take my card and call me if you ever need a favor. It's the least I can do."

Shred

Amor would not keep Oscar waiting for too long, descending on the back of his dragonite with a--deoxys in tow. Oscar eyed the deoxys warily, it had been a long time since he had seen the cosmic parasite up close. Genesect did not share its master's caution, and would wave its claws as a gesture of greeting. It at the very least recognized both Amor and deoxys as allies.

As Amor addressed him, Oscar's expression brightened up. He was indeed happy to see his old friend once more, and would slap the man on the shoulder as they examined the power spot. "It's good to see you Amor. Staying healthy as well I hope." Oscar side eyed the alien virus, hoping that it did not plan on one day infecting Oscar's friend. That worry can wait for another day though. There was work to do.

Oscar clapped his hands together and gestured toward his machine, "I've been using these energy readers to grab data from the power spots. The process always ends with them exploding, but eventually I should be able to figure out a way to hold the dynaenergy in one place for a bit. How about you, what have you been up to?"

The waves nearby began to crash a little harsher than before, but Oscar was too busy socializing to notice.

Amor Rose

You know what? Fuck Kyogre. Oscar had no problem with the damn thing when it ran with skyler dross, but ever since she left Hoenn Kyogre has been nothing but a damn nuisance. Especially to Oscar, twice now the oversized whale directly attacked poor mister Clayton while he was trying to examine one of the Power Spots around Sootopolis. On one hand, Oscar could probably let bygones be bygones and let such aggression go...

But fuck it! That blubbery bitch needed to be taught a lesson! These damn primordial pokemon think they can do whatever they please, well NO MORE! Oscar was on the war path! There was blood in the water, and it smelled of whale. Oscar had set off in an offshore fishing boat, equipped with harpoons instead of rods.

Of course a catch this big could not be done alone, so Oscar reached out to his allies to see who would join him in the hunt! Everyone was either busy or thought it was a silly idea--which you know, was a bummer, but it did not deter Oscar! He finally got a good word from Lulu Flint who said she knew exactly what to do to help! Oscar had assumed that Lulu was going to offer her own personal assistance to Oscar's cause, and thus he became very excited!

However he was mistaken. Her help came from sending an acquaintance of hers: Steven Campbell. Oscar had yet to meet Steven until now, so Oscar's excitement had been dampened a bit. But as I said before, fuck it! Having the help shall surely mean the difference between life and death. So there they were, two men on the open sea at the very crack of dawn. Searching tirelessly for the world's deadliest catch.

Things--escalated quickly. Which was impressive because the steaks were already very high, there was not much room for escalation. As Tera shards began to shine through the chasm created by Kyurem, everyone began to step up their attacks. Including, unfortunately, Hoopa. The dastardly djinn had began punching through its portals, sending a flurry of blows across the battlefield. Oscar could only hope that he would not be a target of such an assault--although if he were he had an idea he would want to try..

There was no time for hypotheticals though, real shit was going down right in front of him. Zev Harcourt began preparing a familiar attack, and as Oscar's memory clicked he would instinctively back up and duck down. Zev's laser was just as beautiful as the last time Oscar witnessed its brilliance, however only time would tell if the incredible attack would have an effect on their opponents.

What it certainly had an effect on though was Zev, who was reeling once the laser died down. Oscar observed him for a moment, noting that he seemed exhausted and agitated. If this was like last time--maybe he just needed a snack. Oscar recalled Genesect and took out a beast ball. The ball opened to reveal Oscar's Xurkitree, the florescent Navitas.

Oscar snapped his fingers and pointed forward toward the staggering Zev. "Light 'em up Navitas!" Navitas raised its wiry hands and began generating electricity, a sign that it was about to attack. Oscar clapped his hands together harshly, "No! Like, literally light them up! With your head, doofus!" Navitas's attack died down, and after a second of recalculation its bulbous head would beam with an astonishing Tail Glow.

Oscar and Navitas trotted up beside Zev, with Oscar yelling out to get the admin's attention. "Yo Zev! Here take this light. You're not you when you're hungry."

X2SSYlEr

tl;dr
--Oscar observes Zev's attack and notes his mood swings afterward.
--Using his past experience with Zev's hunger as a reference, Oscar switches out Genesect for Xurkitree and has Xurkitree create light for Zev to absorb.
--Adding my 10 to Andrea Vaneau's 78 to create 88

When Bryan agreed to their proposal, Oscar let out the breath he had been holding in. He was so scared that they had lost him at the manure bit, but luckily Bryan was more than understanding. Howard seemed thankful as well, though Oscar winced when he brought up worshiping Xerneas. Oscar chuckled nervously as he tried to take over, "I uh, think Xerneas would prefer not to be worshiped. We should just do the best we can with the gift he provides us."

Oscar nodded respectfully toward Bryan. "We appreciate your help Bryan. Without you this project would be one thousand times harder. I look forward to sharing the fruits of our labor." Oscar pointed at Bryan with both of his forefingers and winked. "Literally!" Oscar laughed at his own joke before picking up the cafe menu that he had been ignoring this whole time.

"Anyway, do you want anything while you're here? My treat of course."

howard slayte bryan delarosa

Oscar reviewed the notes he had just jotted down, tapping the notepad with his pen as he contemplated Zev's--condition. The last time they worked together, the admin had unexpectedly drained Dynaenergy from a Power Spot. At the time, Oscar was floored by this incredible display of power. The feat would prove to be detrimental though, as several days later Zev would come to Oscar complaining of a bizarre affliction.

At first Oscar was going to direct him to the med-bay, but after hearing Zev out it became clear that the Dynaenergy he had absorbed was to blame for his current state. Oscar had just finished recording Zev's symptoms, and from what he could conclude Zev was basically suffering from his version of food poisoning.

Oscar placed his pen and notepad down. "So like I said before, I ain't a doctor, but I think I know how to solve your problem." Oscar brought his hands together and started tapping his knuckles. "If absorbing the energy caused this, then surely using it up would cleanse your system. Thoughts?"

Zev Harcourt