REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

250 PD (From TSDT RIGHTWARD)

1x IRON BOULDER (From TSDT RIGHTWARD)

TOTAL

do come again!

0 PD

Character: oscar clayton[break][break]
Naganadel / Identifies as Male / Beast Boost / Fire Blast, Gunk Shot, Thunderbolt, Ally Switch, Dragon Pulse, Nasty Plot, Leech Life

TO SOW DRAGON'S TEETH VETERAN

Something changed when the three cosmic deities stood side by side, as if their reunion and common goal filled them with untapped power. They already emanated strength naturally, but now their divine energy seemed tangible. It could not just be felt, but seen within their blooming auras and heard within their battle cries. The trio launched themselves at Eternatus, who dismissively attempted to swat them out of the sky.

The trio fired their most powerful attacks at the hand's swinging palm, and for once the impact would cause Eternatus to stagger. The raw forces of time, space, and antimatter caused a discharge so intense that Eternatus would reel backward and roar with pain. Long after the explosion dissipated, their primal forces could be felt within the air. It was amazing to behold, Oscar had seen nothing like it.

The trio's combined efforts managed to actually push Eternatus upward, finally giving the platform some much needed space. With this brief reprieve, Lord Oscar would let out a strained breath--which caused the platform to shiver. He quickly straightened up and raised his hands, and the platform responded by gradually falling still. It was impossible to not take notice of this peculiarity, and Oscar Prime would announce his concern.

"Are you alright? You seem like you're under a bit of uh--strain." Lord Oscar tried to maintain an air of dignity as he faced his variants, but it was clear that he was rapidly running out of steam. "Well if I am being honest, holding together this platform is starting to weight on me. It probably would not be so bad--if I had not used most of my strength flattening that lesser Oscar."

The older Oscar began to rub his beard. "So um, hypothetically, for how much longer could you keep this platform in the air?" Lord Oscar chuckled lightly and waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Oh please, I could keep this thing up indefinitely!" The platform began to rumble again, and Lord Oscar would frantically attempt to rectify it by standing completely still. "Alright let's ballpark five minutes."

They might not have five minutes, as the fortune of the cosmic trio was starting to reverse. Eternatus, growing desperate to end this ridiculous battle, was making progressively aggressive maneuvers. It was throwing heavier punches, smashing the divinities around like excited June bugs on a brightened door step. Yet no matter how much punishment they took, the trio would jump right back into the fray to retaliate.

Nevertheless, their battle was getting closer to the platform once more. Oscar's legs began to shake as Eternatus came closer and closer, threatening to smash itself against the platform. He turned to his older self, "How much longer do we have to keep this up? When's this thing gonna fuckin' fire already?" His older self slid his hands into the pockets of his coat, much less concerned about dying than his younger companions. "It's hard to say, but you would know when it's about to fire. It will be super obvious."

An extraordinary light would shine from below the platform, followed by what could only be described as the world's loudest high note. The older Oscar chuckled, his glasses reflecting the intense glare that surrounded them. "Huh, yeah it's ready. Time to go!" He took off toward the edge of the platform, not hesitating for a moment to leap into the open air. The two other Oscars looked to each other, as if hoping the other would have a follow up plan. Since neither did, they would end up following the old man over the edge.

Genesect came up close behind, leaping away from the platform as it finally fell apart. As the view of the glowing barrel became clear, Eternatus began to panic. It would attempt to pull itself upward, only to be forced back down by the cosmic trio. The mighty claw would not get a second chance to flee, as the ultimate weapon would unleash its burden in a geyser of technicolor energy.

The beam ripped right through the center of Eternatus, the great hand screaming as it was overcharged with Infinity Energy. Currents of brilliant light surged through its body, ripping themselves out from the inside in a series of sparkling explosions. Multicolored lightning soared across the sky as Eternatus began to fall, the continuous beam splitting the leviathan in half. With every additional explosion Eternatus would lose more and more of its mass, and by the time it would crash into the ground little left of what was humanity's greatest threat.

Their gambit had worked, and the three Oscars would let out various cheers as they fell through the sky. Normally Oscar would be scared shitless of becoming a stain upon the earth, but he was far too busy basking in the glow of victory to worry about such far away concepts. However, those concepts were quickly becoming less far away, so it was time to shake a leg.

Possibly sensing that the time had come to stop free falling, Plakia and Dialga suddenly appeared alongside their charges. Palkia caught Lord Oscar within its massive arms before pushing itself backwards into a spacial rift. Dialga caught the future Oscar on his back, and opened its own rift through time to dive into. Both of Oscar's variants managed to slip him one last look of jubilation before the rifts would close abruptly, leaving the one true Oscar to fall alone.

Not completely alone though, as Genesect would soon float in next to its master. Oscar called out of the sound of rushing air, "Alright Prime, get us out of here!" Prime flexed for a moment, but seemed to be unable to transform into its hoverboard form. Its joints began to spark, making it abundantly clear that Prime was too damaged to fly. Oscar's joy disappeared, frantically pulling out Genesect's pokeball and withdrawing it.

"Fuuuck!" He cried out as he put Genesect safely within his inner coat pocket. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" The ground was coming in fast, and Oscar had reached a speed that could generously be called 'overkill velocity'. There was no time for his life to flash, no time for self reflection, just enough seconds to brace his hands over his face and scream.

Oscar would not end up kissing the ground today though. A vast black pit would open over where he was meant to crash, catching Oscar inches away from a messy death. Yet Oscar would continue to fall, this time within pitch black darkness. Oscar's mind went through a gauntlet of emotions: fear followed by confusion followed by curiosity and then looping back into more fear. He knew nothing about what was happening, only that the shadows that surrounding him were smothering him with their omnipresent oppression.

Then from below him, all was made clear. Two massive red circles appeared, followed by a thin red smile. Oscar was falling toward the regrettably familiar face of Giratina. Yet he did now draw closer, just an endless plummet toward the Renegade's visage. It would seem that Oscar had Giratina to thank for his rescue, though he was not sure if he was thankful or dismayed by its intervention.

Oscar tried to call out toward the bleak god, "I uh--don't know why you saved me but--thank you?" Giratina's face remained motionless, its eyes glaring into Oscar's soul. A cacophony of noise began to rise around Oscar, abstract at first but gradually they began to take on a recognizable form. It was the sound of countless voices: screaming and laughing, crying and arguing, moaning and muttering. The noise became so loud that Oscar thought his ears would pop. Yet through it all he could hear one word so clearly it was as if it were uttered within a silent room.

P R I C E

Oscar would then feel the worst pain he had ever suffered, starting from the top of his head and slowly resonating down the rest of his body. Half way down his face, Oscar would come to the horrible realization that he was being bisected down the middle. Split clean in half by unseen claws. Oscar could not tell if he was screaming, as he could hear nothing but the choir of agony that surrounded him. His torment seemed to last forever, crescendoing into a single instance of unimaginable terror.

Oscar woke up with a start, his eyes twitching across familiar surroundings. He was back in his office, just as he had left it before the arrival of Father Winter II. He threw his hand sup to his face, feeling around his head to make sure that he was still whole. Upon confirming that he was physically intact, Oscar would let out a deep sigh and recline in his desk chair. Thankfully it had just been a nightmare.

Had it--all been a nightmare?

Oscar straightened up as he felt his phone push against him in his pocket. That's right, he had proof of everything! He hurriedly pulled it out and opened his gallery, his eyes resting upon the blurred image of the Ultimate Weapon. Oscar slid his spare hand through his hair, everything he experienced happened. Well possibly everything, that bit at the end seemed--too surreal to be real. Oscar felt that he should have been thrilled about making it back in one piece--and yet...

He turned off his phone and placed it upon his desk. With a soft kick he would spin around to face his office window, just in time to catch the sunrise. Before this--experience--Oscar's goal had seemed so clear. To utilize Infinity Energy as a tool to fight back against Hoenn's threats, to create an unstoppable weapon. But now? In just a few hours his entire world view was sent into a spiral. His dream had turned out to be a danger to not only his world, but countless worlds across the multiverse. Did that mean he should give up on it? On everything he had been working toward?

Oscar's hands clenched into fists. He could not possibly give in now, not when he knew it was possible. He would learn from the mistakes of his variants, Oscar's weapon would be different--it had to be. He refused to be the cause of the apocalypse he sought to prevent. As Oscar's resolve solidified, he would feel a splitting pain flow through his head. It only faded when he relaxed himself, breathing steadily as he stared out the window.

He could give all of that a rest for now--at least until after the sunrise.

The evil Oscar pushed himself off the ground, debris falling away from his chiseled form. He turned around, coming face to face with an approaching Lord Oscar. The villainous minion twitched as he glared at his assailant, his mouth struggling to maintain its twisted smile. "I have not been hit in a while. Kudos to your--"

The evil Oscar was slammed back into the ground, a pink aura holding him down like a massive boot. He struggled against the weight of the force, snarling like a feral animal trapped in a cage. Lord Oscar walked right up to the writhing creature, kneeling so that he could look into its bright red eyes. "I don't tend to use my gravity manipulation on others. It tends to feel unsportsmanlike. I'm afraid I must make an exception for you. We simply do not have time to entertain any more of your nonsense."

The ground beneath the evil Oscar began to crack as the pink force pushed him further downward. His muscles began to warp, as if they were being forcibly deflated by sheer pressure. The scoundrel began to scream, black blood spurting out of his squirming mouth. With what little strength he had left, the dark Avatar spat out venomous insults. "You wretched little cad! You will rue this day! When my master slaughters you all and revives me, we shall travel to your world and rip it apart!" The ground gave way as the gravity pushing the evil Oscar down intensified. Soon he would be pressed into a crevice created by his rapidly compressing body, barely able to finish his curse. "This is a hollow victory! Do you hear me worm!? This means nothing! Nothing!"

Lord Oscar cocked an eyebrow, "Hm, perhaps--but fuck is it satisfying." Suddenly the gravitational push would reach its maximum force, propelling the screeching Oscar clear through the platform. The pink energy would continue to push him downward, even as he began to free fall, gaining more and more momentum until the monster would end up colliding with the earth. It was a good thing that no one could witness the impact, as the results were absurdly messy.

Lord Oscar stood up, wiping his hands to symbolically dismiss what was a very obtrusive problem. "That takes care of that. Now if only I could do the same thing to the hand." He said to himself with a deep sigh. The paladin looked upward, watching with growing anxiety as Dialga and Palkia continued to clash with Eternatus. "I must have faith in my lord. If anyone can defeat this beast, it is him."

If only faith could actually provide additional power. In truth, Palkia was struggling against its massive opponent. Every attempt to use Spacial Rend to wound the titan was met with failure, as the immense creature would simply smash through it. Dialga was having no better luck, as every attempt to freeze the foe with its Roar of Time was expertly resisted. With their greatest powers proving ineffective, the divine duo decided to first wear down their foe with more precise attacks.

They danced through the sky, weaving between Eternatus's massive 'fingers' as it tried to rend them with Dragon Claw. When the opportunities presented themselves, the duo would strike at the beast's joints with smaller moves. Palkia would often swing its tail to slice against Eternatus's knuckles (Aqua Tail) and Dialga would slam its hefty body into anywhere it could guess to be a weak point in Eternatus's armor (Dragon Rush). They were making very slow progress that could be undone instantly should Eternatus strike them even once, yet the two gods continued to fight despite the mounting odds.

Yet as Eternatus's servant was dispatched, the eldritch dragon would fly into a ceaseless fury. It swiped at the two much quicker than before, causing an impact that sent the gods flying into the platform. Their heavy bodies nearly smashed through the floating rock, causing the Oscars and Genesect to lose their balance and fall. Old man Oscar managed to get to his feet first, and he would help up Oscar and Genesect Prime as Lord Oscar unsteadily ran to join them.

Palkia used its power over gravity to lift itself out of its impact crater, and it would be forced to do the same to Dialga as the time lord struggled to return to its feet. Eternatus lowered itself, each of its 'fingers' screaming as the palm charged up energy. Play time was over, it had to dispose of these pests quickly before this misadventure got out of hand.

Dialga and Palkia put themselves between the Oscars and Eternatus, bringing up Protective barriers in hopes that they could once again deflect the Dynamax Cannon. However this rendition of Eternatus's ultimate move seemed far stronger than the last, and with the gods now standing on the platform it would be unlikely that their human counterparts would survive the assault. Well, Lord Oscar would probably be fine but the other two were fucked.

Eternatus flexed its fingers, unleashing a blast of energy so powerful that it sucked in what little light remained in the sky. Or, that was what Oscar thought was happening. He stared at the blast as it was unleashed, fully expecting to be obliterated. What he did not notice was that a massive shadow was building in front of Palkia and Dialga, rising to meet the encroaching blast. As the attack made contact, the massive shadow seemed to consume the blast entirely. When Eternatus's energy died down, it would begin trembling with rage at this mysterious interference.

The shadow shrank to match the size of Dialga and Palkia, forming bright red eyes as it took on a solid form. The Oscars watched with astonishment as the shadow grew six massive legs and a pair of ragged bat wings, with golden spikes adorning its grey flesh. This legendary dragon may have had a different appearance than the last time Oscar had seen it, but there was no doubt in his mind about the identity of this newcomer. Giratina had joined the fray.

Oscar was speechless, his mind unable to grasp on any thought beyond the horror that floated before him. The longer he stared at the macabre puppet, the more sickly Oscar felt. He had always feared death, but he would rather die a thousand times than end up--like this. What drove this Oscar to accept such a terrible fate? Whatever he got from serving Eternatus--it could not possibly be worth this.

Lord Oscar was equally aghast, covering his mouth as he came to the same realization as Oscar Prime. Future Oscar, however, seemed more annoyed than shocked. He would step forward to address the puppet, unphased by its grotesque appearance. "We've come to kill you and your master. Simple as that."

The puppet tilted his head, pursing his cracked lips before letting out a discordant chuckle. "Is that so? How quaint, and here I thought you all were offering us tribute. Egg on my face I suppose. Permit me a moment to convince you of your folly." High above them, Eternatus would begin flicking its massive 'fingers'. The Oscar puppet would fall to the ground, his legs twisting in unnatural ways as he took wide clumsy steps toward the party.

Future Oscar backed away slightly, "Don't come any further you vermin." The puppet had his arms raised to his hips, "Vermin!? How rude. And ironic, considering that it is you filthy scoundrels that are the vermin. Imbeciles, morons, and fools. The lot of you!" The puppet made several jerking motions with his arms, as Eternatus struggled to have him fold them over his chest. Eventually it managed the manuver, though like everything the puppet did the gesture was far from natural.

"It intrigues us though that you are all variants of Oscar Clayton. I wonder what has drawn you all to this moment. Perhaps the universe wishes for us to dispose of you." Lord Oscar finally piped up, stepping alongside his older counterpart. "You speak as if you are not one of us! Don't you dare talk down to your own variants, you are far from superior."

The puppet twisted his face into something resembling a pout, performing mocking noises of discontent. "Oh poor thing, so unaware of how low he is. I had the name Oscar Clayton, that much is true. However, I've grown beyond that identity! As a pokemon evolves, I too have reached a higher form that is too sublime to be burdened by something as base as a name."

Oscar finally had enough of this joker. His horror had shifted into annoyance, as the more this creature talked the more it managed to piss Oscar off. Oscar stepped forward to stand with his variants, "Bitch, you're a downgrade if anything. One, you're ugly. Two, you have no control over your body. Three, you're playing man-servant to a bitch like Eternatus! There's no way you possibly come out on top here."

The puppet frowned, the first expression of his that seemed natural. "How dare you trivialize my commitment to my master. My master has granted me nothing but boons, asking only for my unending admiration." The puppet began to shake violently, his words turning into frenzied screams. "My master has granted me eternal life, so that I may witness their glorious conquest of all realities! My master has granted me unlimited power, so that I may fight alongside them in their countless struggles! I am proud to bear the weight of the duties entrusted to me by the one true god!"

Oscar sneered, satisfied that he could get a reaction out of this glorified mook. Yet the puppet's fury was only temporary, as he would soon churn his mouth into another grin. "Look at me, trying to enlighten neanderthals about things they could not possibly comprehend." Eternatus's fingers went slack, and so did the puppet's body as it once again fell to the ground. A loud buzzing was ringing through the air; the Oscars could not see it from their position but the weapon had charged a tremendous amount of power. The puppet laughed, "My master's meal is becoming ripe! It is time to end this caper so that they may dine properly!"

Oscar's eyebrows furrowed, and as the dots were rapidly connecting in his head he would slowly lose his composure. "Of course--fuck we're so stupid. Eternatus wants to consume the Infinity Energy from the weapon!" Lord Oscar gasped at this revelation, angrily turning his attention to the older Oscar. "You senile bastard, we're playing right into its hands!" Future Oscar shot Lord Oscar a drowsy look from his peripherals. "I think you mean hand."

Oscar Prime faced his future self as well, "This ain't the time for jokes. Please tell me there's more to this plan than feeding fuckin' Eternatus." Future Oscar sighed loudly, "You kids have no faith in me. Eternatus can only eat the energy if it destroys the weapon before it can fire. There's no way it will get that close in time. Not with us on the case." Lord Oscar scoffed, "I have no trust in that thing's ability to slay a monster this big. Whoever made this damn weapon is a fool. This thing is a fucking Eternatus lure, I wouldn't be surprised if this was not the first tower its eaten. It's probably been gorging itself on Infinity Energy for years!"

Oscar had not considered that, and Lord Oscar's theory made a disturbing amount of sense. Who knows how many Oscars have managed to create this weapon, leading this Eternatus to their world to absorb the Infinity Energy that the weapon generates. Would the same happen if Oscar built his own tower? Would he just be inviting in the very threat he wanted to defend his world against?

Despite Lord Oscar's pointed anger, Future Oscar remained calm and kept his eyes gazing forward. "I won't deny it. My past self made this tower, and we failed to fire it in time. Eternatus consumed the gathered Infinity Energy, and I doomed my own world to a fate worse than death. That's why--I'm the one has to make things right!"

A dark cackle would capture the attention of the younger Oscars, their heads turning toward the fallen puppet. Oscar immediately noticed that something had changed: while they were arguing the 'strings' of the puppet had been pumping Dyenergy into its mummified body. I should say formerly mummified, as the evil Oscar now seemed much more--alive. He slowly rose to his feet, his body pulsing as Dynenergy began flowing through his glowing veins. The treatment did not stop when he reached a physical state similar to the other Oscars, energy would continue to flow and his body would continue to morph.

Lord Oscar let out a low growl, "Weren't you watching him this whole time old man? Why didn't you prevent this?" Old Oscar shook his head, "Tried that in my time. Didn't work. Those energy currents are unbreakable. We just have to let it happen and do our best to fight back." The trio would watch helplessly as the evil Oscar's muscles grew staggering sizes. By the time the energy stopped flowing, the evil Oscar looked like a body builder. I'm not talking a casual lifter either, he was a god damn mass monster.

The now incredibly buff evil Oscar cackled heartily, grabbing his coat and shirt and ripping them away from his body. His exposed torso was covered in twisting red veins that pulsed with even the slightest movements. The evil Oscar lifted his arms, flexing them as hard as he could as the 'strings' disappeared. "Behold, the true perfection behind Eternatus's power!" His voice boomed across the platform, a far cry from his previous weaselly tone. As the evil Oscar flexed, Lord Oscar would look to his variants with a perplexed expression. "So is it just me, or did he suddenly become incredibly lame."

Upon the last syllable of his sentence, Lord Oscar would disappear. Oscar and his older self would grunt with shock as their eyes caught up to what happened. In the blink of an eye, the evil Oscar had charged at Palkia's Avatar and sucker punched him so hard that he flew off the platform. The former puppet's fist was still in the air, dripping with what was likely Lord Oscar's blood. The evil Oscar slowly turned his gaze toward the remaining Oscars--who were suddenly very aware how fucked they were.

Eternatus let out a roar from high above the platform, its 'fingers' charging. Palkia and Dialga looked to each other, the two gods nodding as they realized that it was time for them to step in. The gods launched off of the platform, forming enormous barriers as the titanic hand let loose a gleaming blast of Dynenergy (Dynamax Cannon). If not for the Protection of the gods of time and space, Eternatus's blast would have incinerated the entire platform. Oscar could feel the radiant attack's power even as the gods' barriers reflected it away, shaking the entire platform and causing him to fall to his knees. The older Oscar lost his balance as well, which gave their evil counterpart a great opportunity to strike him.

Eternatus's servant was unburdened by the strength of his master's attack, and he would effortlessly step over to grab the older Oscar and lift him into the air by his collar. The older Oscar struggled within his evil self's grip, who seemed more than happy to cackle at the old man's expense. Future Oscar sneered, "Laugh now, but I already killed you once you piece of shi-" The older Oscar could not finish his boast, as his evil variant tossed him with incredible force clear off of the platform.

Oscar watched with quacking eyes as his future self disappeared, and his heart would suddenly quicken as he slowly turned to look his evil variant in the eyes. The evil Oscar was facing him, his face twisted into a mad grin. He took a single step toward Oscar, and the hardened trainer nearly pissed himself. However, the evil Oscar would not make it another step before being halted by Genesect Prime.

The loyal cyborg flew in from the left, its claws extended to strike at its master's enemy. Oscar smiled, feeling a brief glimmer of hope before his evil self grabbed Genesect by the head and chucked him off the platform as well. As Oscar watched his favorite companion be effortlessly dispatched, something within him snapped.

His eyes twitched, staring off toward where Genesect was thrown as his evil self slowly approached. Oscar slowly looked toward the hulking bastard that had just soloed his entire party. Perhaps he should have been scared, but in that moment all he felt was pure rage. Oscar clenched his fists, shaking as he addressed his approaching enemy. "Alright you fucking asshole. If you think you're gonna get away with that, you're fuckin' delusional! Come and get some!" Oscar let out an uncharacteristic roar, charging toward his more imposing adversary without any fear. When he came near enough, he would swing a punch fueled by all of the hatred within his heart. His hatred for Eternatus, his hatred for his evil variant, and his hatred toward himself for causing this shit show. Never before had he ever threw a punch with such concentrated ferocity. His Urshifu would have been proud.

The blow landed directly into his opponent's chest, and his pecs would ripple from the collision. Oscar heaved heavily as his fist dug into his evil variant, his entire arm screaming with pain as it absorbed the impact. And yet--his enemy would not move. In fact he seemed hardly bothered, simply chuckling as he looked down upon Oscar. "My my, what a display." Both of his hands came upon Oscar, grabbing his head in a grip so tight that Oscar thought it was about to burst like a watermelon. The evil Oscar lifted his helpless victim up into the air, staring upon him with a gaze of manic glee. "You know, I think I'm going to take my time with you. The others were tiresome but you--something about you boils my blood."

Oscar struggled through the pain that roared through his head, mustering enough energy to let out a hoarse snark. "It's because I'm--the prettiest--right?" The grip around his head tightened, causing him to yell out in anguish. His evil self chortled at his expense. "You're a silly little goober with a loud mouth. No, it's because you shouldn't be here! The other two had gods backing them up, but you came up here with nothing but a living tin can! You're so out of your depth, yet you paraded yourself around like you belonged. You're useless! Less than trash!"

Oscar once again mustered all of his remaining consciousness to speak. "You're--wrong--I'm good--for one thing." His evil self raised an eyebrow and loosened his grip. "Is that so? Well share with the class, I'm all ears!" Oscar heaved as he pushed out just a few more choice words. "I'm a pretty good distraction."

His evil self realized instantly what Oscar meant, but evil then it was already too late. He swung his head around to look for whatever was approaching him, only to be flung aside by a giant rock. Oscar was dropped entirely, and he would find himself gasping for air as his delicate body fell to the ground. With his evil self out of the way, Oscar could clearly see what he had originally only caught a glimpse of from between the monster's fingers. Lord Oscar, propped up in the air by pink cosmic energy. Beside him he had a very confused Future Oscar and a dented Genesect, having evidentially saved them while flying back up to the platform.

Lord Oscar floated to his Prime variant's position, gently dropping his charges nearby. Old man Oscar landed on his posterior, and would scramble to his feet upon regaining agency. He ran to Oscar's side, helping him to sit up. "You alright kid?"

Oscar was still reeling from nearly having his head crushed within a version of his own hands, but overall he had felt worse. He dreamily nodded as he tried to shake away his daze, "Yeah, I'm good. Just got a headache." Genesect ran forward, dotting over its master even though it was heavily damaged itself. Oscar could not help but laugh at his robot's concern. "I should be worrying about you! I thought I lost you forever." Oscar looked up to try and address Lord Oscar, but the Paladin had already walked away.

This fight was not over, and he was the best equipped to put Eternatus's champion in his place.

Mint stopped to offer his hands to warm Oscar, and the shocked Oscar found himself blushing--unsure how to respond. Of course it was just a gaffe, with Mint revealing the handwarmers. This made Oscar's face light up even more, but despite his embarrassment he would accept the handwarmers in good humor. "Why thank you, this is just what I needed!"

Oscar shoved his hands and their warmers into his coat pockets as Mint's flareon began frolicking around him. Normally the affection of Mint's dogs made him nervous, but the flareon's warming aura was more than welcome today. As they pressed forward, Oscar would respond to Mint's statements.

"Knowing Zapdos it's more than happy to stay as far away as it can from its relatives. I don't think it likes them very much." Zapdos was likely not hostile, but it seemed to enjoy its solitude. Its more social cousins were probably an unwelcome presence within its vicinity--hence its reluctance to help seek them out.

The mention of Articuno made Oscar curious, and he would muse out loud as they began trekking through a rockier passage. "A bit ironic that the fuckin' ice bird would get done in by the ice dragon. Then again Kyurem's power level is off the fuckin' charts. Articuno is more of a natural freeze, Kyurem is like--an apocalyptic sci-fi freeze."

As they continued forward, Oscar realized something that would require the expertise of Mint to put to rest. "The other Articuno, the one from Galar, is it an ice type?"

mint frost

The clouds before them seemed to part like the curtains on a stage, exposing the majestic figure of thundurus. Its clawed arms were folded, no doubt attempting to appear as imposing as possible to its rival storm lord. When it looked upon 'Zapdos', it arced one of its eyebrows. It could have sworn it looked more--bird like in the silhouette it saw earlier.

'Zapdos' let out a metallic screech, a battle cry that sounded a lot like Genesect Prime's signature yawp. Oscar scratched the back of his neck, unsure what was going to happen during this confrontation. Hopefully their side came out on top, as 'Zapdos' was very expensive to repair.

Not one for pageantry, 'Zapdos' would take the initiative to unleash the first attack. Its cannon began absorbing the electricity in the air before unleashing it as a massive beam of electric energy (Techno Blast). The thundurus stood still, taking the blast head on. There was a bright flash on impact, prompting the roar of thunder to ring out across the sky. As the flash died down, thundurus would appear unaffected. In fact, it would seem to be even more powerful, having absorbed the electric attack in its entirety (Volt Absorb).

'Zapdos' looked back to Oscar and shrugged, and Oscar would look over to Temp. "I think this is our cue to run."

Tempest Quinn

"That would probably be the best course of action." Oscar said as he stopped tapping his knuckles. The mad scientist stood up, his eyes glittering with a manic curiosity. "Before we do that though, I would like to run a few tests. Get some samples and what not, just to see what your body is going through under the strain of Dynenergy."

Oscar walked over to a nearby cart and began pulling it near Zev's position. Upon placing the cart near Zev, Oscar would open a drawer to reveal a set of sterile syringes, empty test tubes, and microscope slides. Oscar leaned over the cart, his hands pressed together as he tried to hide his growing excitement.

"This is a rare opportunity to get some insight into your--unique biology. I understand if you are reluctant though, we can just as easily move on to releasing your energy if you'd like. There's no pressure." Oscar's eyes twitched, as his concern for his friend made him want to rid Zev of his ailment as quickly as possible--while the explorer in him wanted to see what exactly was going on inside the devourer.

Zev Harcourt

Steven would be unaware, but Oscar had a pretty tough morning. He sprained his back doing his morning workout, so now he walked with a slight hunch. His razor broke so he could not shave the white scruff growing on his chin. The wind was killer this morning, so he had to wear his extra heavy black long coat. He fucked up putting in his contacts so one eye was constantly squinting and the other was wide. To top it off, he burned his throat and tongue drinking extra hot coffee so his voice sounded grizzled and strange.

He turned toward Steven as he arrived, grimacing at the boy's question. "Ah, thar ye be! Ye're jus' in time, I was about t' take off without ye." Oscar circled Steven, his heavy coat causing him to limp slightly. "The plan be simple, hunt down Kyogre 'n teach it a lesson 'twill ne'er forget. The harpoons will see t' that." Oscar gestured to the mounted harpoon guns and laughed maniacally. His laughter was cut short as he inhaled cold air into his burned throat, causing him to break into a coughing fit.

As he composed himself, he would begin lumbering toward the boat's cockpit. "It'll be yer job t' gangway fer the beast. Keep a sharp eye 'n shout as loud as ye can at the slightest sign o' the whale. Ye got that?"

Steven Campbell

Zapdos leered at Mint at the mention of Lugia before looking upward. Oscar awkwardly chuckled, "Uh, it's already reunited with Lugia. Its reaction was decisively indifferent." It was a little frustrating actually, Zapdos reacted very rarely to anything in general. The only thing that seem to make it happy is consuming energy, the fucker was a glutton if ever one existed.

Mint brought up a good point though, perhaps Zapdos was indeed waiting for something. It gave Oscar an idea, "Hmmm, if I can get you a more powerful kind of energy to feed on would you give us more information about your relatives?" Zapdos looked to Oscar, leaning in slowly as if deciding if it should eat him or not. While maintaining intense eye contact, the legendary bird would nod.

Oscar, trying not to get nervous from the bird's intensity, chuckled at the compromise. "Sounds um--easy enough. Uh, any more questions on your end Mint?"

mint frost

The team's distraction was a success. As Regieleki tanked their attacks, Navitas would sneak up behind and Ingrain its tendrils into the golem's electric body. Navitas began to slurp up as much energy as it could, hanging on for dear life as the Regieleki thrashed its body. Oscar's slamming Dracozolt seemed to be the final straw though, as the Regieleki would begin leaking a strange yet familiar energy.

Howard would shout out that the new energy had to be Dynenergy, and Oscar nodded in agreement. It looked just like the energy that radiated out of the Power Spots around Sootpolis, plus its loss began to shrink the dynamaxed golem. Oscar sneered as the Regieleki struggled, "I think we've cracked this--"

Suddenly the Regieleki would unleash a tremendous amount of electricity, sending all of Oscar's pokemon flying. Even Navitas could not withstand the wave, spinning away like a top into the ground. Before Oscar could even process what happened, the Regieleki would disappear deeper into the Ultra Plant.

Oscar sighed as the dust settled; he understood their failure, yet he was still disappointed. Howard insisted that they follow the Golem, but Oscar could see the writing on the walls. He took stock of their situation, and they were in no shape to continue fighting. His pokemon were greatly fatigued, with Navitas even being knocked out from hitting the ground too hard. Then there was Regice, would seemed to be literally shutting down after the beating it took.

To top it all off, the effect of staying too long in Ultra Space was starting to take its toll on Oscar. He felt downright nauseous, this was probably going to knock him on his ass for a few days. Oscar shook his head, "We're not in a position to keep going. It will be better to head back and prepare for round two. We know it can be weakened, so next time we should have an easier time fighting it."

Oscar withdrew all of his pokemon and gave Howard a reassuring thumbs up. "We can beat this thing."

howard slayte

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Oscar's gambit worked out, but not in the way he had hoped. Instead of attacking directly, Regieleki began forming an electric cage to trap them! As Oscar looked up at the electric prison, he could do nothing but respect the golem's ingenuity. "Clever little fuck."

Before they could be captured however, Regice would come to their rescue. It would use itself as a shield, interrupting the cage and getting paralyzed for its trouble. As minor as it was, its sacrifice would prove invaluable to their effort. With Howard's encouragement, Oscar would press the attack. "Come on team, nobody lives forever! Charge!"

The strike squad moved in, unleashing various attacks to keep Regieleki's attention. Killer fired out a barrage of Pin Missiles while two of the Dracozolts had rocks thrown with Ancient Power. The third Dracozolt had no long-range attacks so it charged forward to Slam itself into the golem to hopefully absorb some electricity directly. Havoc just kinda stayed put, bracing for the inevitable retaliation.

Navitas continued its mission, carefully approaching from behind. If its allies could keep the pressure on, he should be able to get the jump on Regieleki soon...

howard slayte