The hug was--different. Jayden was cold, far colder than a human should be. It was an unnatural feeling, like hugging the inside of a refrigerator. Oscar did not recoil though, he did not even flinch. He just tightened his hold, providing his friend with the same affection Oscar needed when he struggled with his own sickness.

"I'm so glad you're alright."

When Oscar finally let go, he would plop his bag of doughnut holes onto Jayden's desk. "I brought doughnut holes! They're still warm so get a few in now." Oscar helped himself to one of the seats facing Jayden's desk, resting one of his legs over the other's knee while he lay back into the seat cushion. "Damn I've missed these chairs."

After giving Jayden a moment to settle himself somewhere, Oscar would at last inquire about Jayden's condition. "It's been a while Jayden, what have you been up to these past few months?"

jayden cross

One of those new Paldea bug types was reportedly causing a ruckus over near Rustboro. Oscar had not been keeping his bug collection up to date, so now was as good a time as ever to try and get back on top of things. Oscar did not know what to expect when he arrived, but it certainly was not an army of robotic kick boxers.

No, not robotic. Were they wearing suits? Also no, that had to be their skin--which was pretty awesome in Oscar's book. Unfortunately his mere presence was enough to draw in some hostile attention. One of the Lokix stormed up to him, no doubt ready to kick Oscar's balls through his mouth. Oscar was luckily ready for a quick draw, and released Genesect Prime before the Lokix could close in.

The Lokix stopped, staring at the cybernetic bug as it squared up for a fight. The Lokix suddenly began to pose, likely trying to intimidate its opponent. Genesect Prime tilted its head, trying to understand what the Lokix was doing. Perhaps it was trying to communicate?

Prime decided to pose back at it, copying the Lokix's movements with an extra flare of drama. The two pokemon posed at each other furiously, while Oscar wondered if this excursion had been a mistake. While the Lokix was distracted, Oscar decided to throw a pokeball its way and get this nonsense over with.

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Oscar gestured in the general direction of the power spot, whose normally vibrant red glow was being smothered by invasive Tera crystals. "So as you're already aware, this has been an increasingly arduous dilemma." Oscar walked over to the border of the cluster of crystals, kicking them lightly as he continued to report to his companion. "They're like fuckin' barnacles or somethin'. Except you can't just scrape them off, you need a shit-ton of fire power get rid of them. It's as if the Dyna energy is making them stronger."

The power spots that had sprouted around Sootopolis had provided Oscar the ideal opportunity to finally study Dyna energy. He was making alright progress, but this problem with the crystals has ground his research to a halt. It was fitting, he supposed, that something would form out of the ether to delay the scientific breakthrough he craved.

He looked to his companion, folding his arms as he let out a deep sigh. "What do you think Zev? You handled these before right?"

Zev Harcourt

Oscar tilted his head, freezing as Howard noted the true nature of the pyramid. After a moment of watching the wavering structure, Oscar slowly shook his head. "What? No no it can't be, we witnessed the same mirage? I was so sure though..." Yet as the pointed structure continued to waver Oscar could not deny that something was off. Had the desert truly fooled them so easily?

Fake or not, Howard continued onward. Oscar flinched when he realized that Howard was getting further and further away, and he would carefully try to 'Sand Jog' to catch up. "Whoa hang on Howard! You're sliding towrad--nothing?" Oscar again froze as the 'pyramid' became clearer. It seemed more like a flat pointed object stuck in the sand, like the wing of a giant plane.

And below it...

Oscar's eyes widened. "Oh please don't let that be a mirage!" Oscar slid forward, once again trying to catch up to Howard while also containing his own excitement.

howard slayte

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Oscar watched Howard stride away like a cowboy with a burning crotch, and honestly he was pretty impressed by this impromptu technique. "This is why you're an admin Howard. You're a big idea man and I love it!" Even if he was skeptical, it was not like they had any other options. It was either 'sand walk' or die. Oscar delicately began mimicking Howard's motions, the two sliding their way across the sands.

Their journey was a harsh one. The pyramid was a lot further than it appeared, and the Ultra Desert sun was unrelenting. Oscar huffed as he continued to slide, wiping his brow of sweat every couple of minutes. "See, the megalopolans won't stop bitching about not having a sun. Then what the fuck is this huh?" Oscar reached into his backpack, pulling out a water bottle and gulping down a sip of water. He hated having to conserve, this damn heat was driving him up a wall. Alola's humidity had nothing on the pure, exhausting intensity of this sun.

Luckily it was not an impossible distance, and the two would slowly but surely inch closer and closer toward the massive pyramid.

Prompt
04 involve the thirst or the sweltering heat as an obstacle.

howard slayte

The duo ran up the obelisk, the Orthworm getting closer every second. Howard yelled out for Oscar to hide, and he did not have to be told twice to do so. Part way up the obelisk, Oscar found a circular opening big enough to fit himself and Howard if he so chose. He slid into it, huddling himself up as the Orthworm burst from the sand once more. Oscar watched as the massive titan sailed over the obelisk, its body briefly shading the entire structure from the sun. Eventually its full body landed back into the sand, causing the obelisk to quake.

Oscar half expected the tilted structure to fall over, but it stood firm against the sand's vibrations. Oscar peeked out, just in time to see the tail end of the Orthworm submerge itself within the dunes. Moments later the Orthworm would burst out again, much further away. Believing it would continue in that direction, Oscar turned away and let out a sigh of relief. "Fuuuuuck...fuck."

Oscar pinched the bridge of his nose, allowing himself only a few seconds of frustration. There was no further time for lamentations though, so he quickly stood up and climbed out of the circular hole to form a plan. He raised a gloved hand to his chin, rubbing it as he considered what path to take.

"Alright, as far as I can tell, we have two main options. We can wait for your Stakataka to reform and find us, or we can sit tight until the Orthworm is far enough away and start walking. What do you think?"

Prompt
07 involve the discovery of ancient obelisks that possess holes for missing seals.

howard slayte

Oscar let out a chuckle, amused by Mint's apparent discomfort. "I promise to turn off the on-ride photo in the elevator." Once his suit was properly zipped and his covered hood was secure, Oscar would toddle his way toward the door to his office. He checked the unassuming red light directly next to it, which was luckily still brightly shining. Good, that meant Zapdos was still in.

When Mint was ready, Oscar would lead him through the door and down the hall to the elevator. "You know, I wanted to have the elevator come directly to my office but apparently that's a security issue. I don't see why, you need a key card anyway." Upon entering the elevator, Oscar would push the following floor buttons in a specific order: 7, 1, 8, 4, 7 again, and 3. He then swiped his card, which caused all of the floor buttons to light up.

"The password is new." Oscar said as he put his keycard into the chest pocket of the suit. "I don't want anyone surprising Zapdos while he's chillin'." Or was Oscar just becoming possessive of the bird? It was hard to tell, he did not really know. What he did know was that Zapdos needed to be protected while it was staying on his property, lest the wrong people find their way to its perch.

The elevator rose for a long time, which made since; The Perch was the highest point within Mauville's power plant. When they finally arrived, the doors would open to a cascade of electricity. They probably would have been thoroughly zapped if not for their suits. Oscar stepped through the wave of voltage, out into the bowl shaped home of Zapdos. The legendary bird was indeed standing upon its perch, absorbing an unending stream of electric power that came from the countless pylons dotted across the sides of the 'bowl'. The ceiling was open, revealing the blackened sky that followed Zapdos wherever it travels--bursts of lightning rolling through the churning clouds.

The mighty Zapdos looked to the elevator, at first raising itself to look especially threatening. It did not enjoy unannounced company, and while their suits would protect his visitors from stray electric shocks they would do little to save them from the great bird's wrath. After a moment of examination however, Zapdos would recognize the face of Oscar Clayton and relax slightly. He was not an unwelcome sight, even if he had brought a plus one. Oscar gave Zapdos a small bow, low enough to show respect but short enough to not show reverence. Believe it or not, it was what the mighty bird preferred.

"Hey there, long time no see." Zapdos nodded slowly, a sign of welcome. They were officially its guest within this Perch. Oscar pointed to Mint, "This is my friend Mint, and he had some questions for you. Is that alright?" Zapdos was still for a moment, as if considering if it had the patience to be interviewed. Eventually it would nod. Oscar gave the bird a thumbs up and looked to Mint. "Alright you start."

mint frost

While Howard looked at the Orthworm, Oscar thought aloud about his 'mobile base' idea. "That would be metal as fuck! I wonder, how many would that take? Also if I recall correctly, each block is its own organism. If they mixed up and shit, do they like--know? Can the other blocks tell if others don't belong? If they do are they treated just like the blocks they replaced or like--do the original blocks shun them? This is why this has to happen Howard, we need an--"

Oscar should have payed more attention, perhaps he could have prevented the Stakataka's collision with the dune. Oscar let out a shock gasp as he was flung toward the sand, rolling like a rag doll before landing in a heap face down. After allowing himself a moment of pained laying, he would gracefully lift himself to his feet and begin dusting himself off. Sand was now everywhere, and while Oscar did his best to hide it he now felt maximum discomfort. "Fuckin' sand man..."

Oscar looked up as Howard yelled out his name, his stomach nearly launching out of his asshole as he saw the Orthworm change course--toward them. Damn thing must have felt them when the Stakataka hit the sand! Oscar frantically looked around, and when he realized that the Stakataka was not going to fully pull itself together in time he would clap his hands together and look to Howard. "Run."

Oscar launched into a sprint down the dune, the ground rumbling as the Orthworm came closer. As he ran he spotted a partially submerged obelisk nearby, slanted just enough for someone to run up toward its tip. Oscar pointed toward the structure, "Run toward the convenient obelisk ramp!"

howard slayte

Prompt
02 involve gigantic orthworms who attempt to hunt you using tremorsense.

Howard had no way of knowing this, but he was taunting Oscar by describing the perks of owning a stakataka. He had the opportunity to catch one of his own within the Ultra Plant, but an aggressive Xurkitree got in the way and was caught instead. It was doubly painful because Oscar had already owned a Xurkitree by that point, now he had two alien Christmas trees that did not get along. Oh well, life and lemons or whatever.

Oscar removed his sunglasses, grinning to hide the deep agonizing pain within his heart. "It's a fuckin' wonder. I bet with a few of these you could make some crazy shit." Oscar got over his regret quickly. It helped that he was excited to be here, on an archeological adventure with Rocket's newest Admin: howard slayte. Oscar had heard a lot about him since getting back to Hoenn, and the former treasure hunter was overjoyed to dig through alien ruins with what could be a new endearing friend.

Plus if the rumors were true this would be Oscar's chance to catch some particularly evasive bug pokemon.

For now though, they crossed the desert in style. Oscar pulled out some binoculars from out of his bag, raising them to get a better look at the passing ruins. Most of them were too submerged to make out any detail, but the alien architecture still fascinated Oscar.

They began passing by a sea of dunes, their surfaces shifting with the desert winds. Thanks to his binoculars, Oscar could see what seemed to be an Orthworm bursting in and out of the sands far into the distance. Oscar chuckled and pushed the binoculars toward Howard. "Hey look at this! It's like a giant Orthworm swimming through the sand or somethin'."

It was only amusing because it was so far away. Hopefully it stayed that way.

SIGN-UP (RSVP)

CHARACTER RSVPing: oscar clayton[break]
ROCKET POSITION: Executive[break]
POKEMON: Genesect Prime[break]
PLUS ONE?: mint frost to support his dj career[break]
WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT?: An empty gold plated pokeball. It's very heavy.[break]
EVENT CONTRIBUTION?: Oscar will freely provide clean and "Ethical" electricity for Casino Starlight during the party.
[break]

Oscar squatted to get a better look at the rubbing his chin as he tried to think of what to do. Temp had the pretty good idea of trying to dig them out, and after a moment's consideration Oscar would slowly nod. "Yeah fuck it. Prime?" Oscar stood up and faced his Genesect, who had been there the whole time just staring at nothing because even cyborgs space out from time to time. Hearing its name caused it to snap to attention though.

Oscar pointed his thumb toward the crystals. "See if you can do anything about these." Prime gave Oscar a salute before revving up its claws and smashing them into the crystals with a ferocious velocity (Fell Stinger). It would slam its claws into the crystals over and over again, growing faster and faster as its power grew. Eventually though its arms would begin to smoke, forcing it to stop to avoid damaging its inner machinery.

As the dust cleared, Oscar was dumbfounded to find the crystals unharmed. He calmly folded his arms, attempting to seem alright when he was clearly seething. He took a deep breath, unfolding his arms to clap his hands together. "Well fuck." Oscar turned toward Temp, "This actually boggles my mind. Where did these tera crystals come from? Did the Power Spot make them? Are they DYNA CRYSTALS!? I hope not, that would be stupid and I have had it up to my tits with stupid today."

Tempest Quinn

It took a lot of will power for Oscar to not slowly back out of the office and close the door. He was not freaked out or anything, but the comedic timing was very tempting. Luckily Oscar had mastered proper self control and stepped in fully once greeted. Seriously though, Jayden was in worse shape than he imagined. I mean he was not expecting him to look great but he was for sure surprised to see just how serious Jayden's condition was. The man looked like a frail ghost from the industrial revolution, complete with an unearthly chill.

Oscar did not let that get in the way of being happy to see his friend though, even opening his arms to offer Jayden a rare Oscar Clayton hug. "Oh I'm very alive, just a little paler. What about you my friend? You seem--alive?"

jayden cross

Productive uses--Oscar could not help but smile. Considering his own plans for these power spots, perhaps it would be best to shed no more light on his own ambitions. He would not want to upset Miss Kwan during their first encounter. He admired her drive though, and would make that clear as he approached the now stationary machine.

"We're cut from the same cloth, you and I. Seeking answers to insurmountable questions, it's the core of our craft. Nature clings tightly to its secrets, and I see nothing wrong with occasionally prying its mouth open."

Oscar flipped a few switches, causing the machine to whir to life. Oscar pointed toward the laptop that Soyeon now held. "I'm going to plug in the usb cord into the machine, that should open an app that will help us read the data that this machine creates." Oscar did just that and waited for Soyeon to confirm that the app was open.

While he waited, he would bundle the wires with orbs on their tips and begin plugging in their unadorned ends into the machine. "Just a fair warning, when the test starts--anything can happen. Are you ready?"

soyeon kwan