Oscar landed behind the newly yassified Howard, rubbing his neck as he rose to a full stand. Robbie Rotten the Naganadel came down to join the standoff, but Oscar would quickly withdraw it back into its Beast Ball. He pulled another ball out with his free hand, opening it to reveal a TYPE:Null.

After Howard had successfully penetrated the Regirock, Oscar had flown back a ways to avoid the cluster of chaos that would inevitably come their way. In his small cone of safety, a Genesect drone would arrive at his side. At first he thought it was Prime, but after closer inspection he would notice that no only was it the wrong color but it also lacked a cannon. Instead it had a little slot that would open up to reveal Oscar's package: a pokeball. Only then did he remember the call he had made when the battle started.

With his freshly minted TYPE:Null out and ready, Oscar made his way next to Howard. The admin and Priam had already provided ample warning, but Oscar could not help but throw in his own threat. "I've gone too easy on you lot." His skull mask vibrated with every syllable. "Weaklings--all of you--yet my sentimentality forces me to provide one last chance."

Oscar walked up to the TYPE:Null, pulling a black disc drive from out of his armor. He stared into the reflection of his mask, trembling as he thought of the mistake he had made with Prime. Now he shall unleash this hell onto an innocent babe--all to ensure Rocket's victory. He slotted the drive into a space under the TYPE:Null's helmet, and the poor creature absorbed its power. The TYPE:Null began to writhe, twisting and contorting as shadow miasma began to emanate off of its body.

Oscar stood and backed away, "By all means stay, give me the chance to finally settle the score."

ZRsQEB7M

tl;dr
--Oscar is with Regicrew.
--Oscar sends out his freshly delivered TYPE:Null and slots in his Shadow Drive, threatening Eris Halla, Isaac Merlo, and anyone else nearby with a good time if they don't run.

Oscar looked to Zev inquisitively as the general claimed that he was wrong. He would almost be offended, if not for Zev's bone chilling claim. Oscar furrowed his brows, his mouth silently stuttering as he tried to find a way to refute the devourer but alas he could not find the words. Oscar closed his mouth, tightening his jaw as Zev's revelation sank in. The general had said it with such assurance--so 'matter-of-fact' that you would think it would be common knowledge.

It made sense he supposed; it has been long claimed that humans are a very distant evolutionary relative to pokemon--but Oscar had always treated that idea with disdain. It seemed so impossible, though with all that he knows perhaps it is not as far fetched to claim that humans had more in common with pokemon than previously thought. So--if a human was put into his Infinity Energy extractor--would they...

Oscar shook his head, returning to his work while Zev spoke. He caught most of what was said, but to be honest his shock had deafened him for several seconds. He agreed that the megalopolans would need a constant stream of energy, which led Oscar back to the box-like machines. He pried one out again, and with great effort he would try to pull it open. It proved to be too durable for his human muscles, so he handed it off to Navitas. The xurkitree managed to easily rip off the top, handing it back to Oscar with dainty care. Oscar looked inside, and let out an audible gasp.

Oscar sprang up and ran over to Zev, "Look!" It was hard to tell if he was excited or panicked. Oscar pushed the box toward the general so that he could look within. There he would find a small prism, the very same that could be found across Necrozma's body. It was perfectly cut into the shape of a pyramid, with countless circuits feeding into it.

Zev Harcourt

Oscar slowly recoiled at Howard's question, feeling immense anxiety from even the idea of losing Prime. Oscar deflated as he put his feelings into words. "I would not just cry, I would be broken. Prime encapsulates so much of my life's work, losing it would be the worst thing that could ever happen besides outright dying."

Oscar shrugged slightly as he internally admitted that it would not just be because of Prime's technological investments. "We've created quite a bond--it and I. I have more fond memories with it than I do with my own family. I think--I think I really do love it--my partner." Oscar slowly ran his hands together, fidgeting with his fingers as he came to what he believed was the point hidden within Howard's question.

"I'm guessing--I need a bond like that with a pokemon to synchronize. That will be a challenge, I can't think of a pokemon other than Prime I could possibly feel that way about."

Oscar looked back to Howard, "Tell me more about your bond with Shirley."

howard slayte

As the machine's panel was pried away, Oscar would hurriedly stick his head in to get a close look at the inner workings of this alien machine. It was, as expected, gobbledygook. A mess of unimaginable wire formations flowing through prismatic machines that did not make sense. Oscar sighed as he began fiddling with the machines, seeing if he could figure out how they worked by taking them apart.

The space around Oscar became a graveyard of machine parts, yet the greater device itself did not seem to lose power. It made Oscar a little frustrated, did this mean that everything he was taking out was nonessential? Oscar calmed his wavering nerves as he continued his work, there was a lot more machine to get through after all. Zev thought out loud about Oscar's hypothesis, which he more or less guessed correctly. Oscar provided his own insight as he attempted to reattach several wires.

"Nailed it on the head, without a sun they needed something else to help sustain life on this planet. Life needs heat and light in order to thrive, so they used their ingenuity and resources to create their own sun. At least, that's what I think."

Zev's next question caused Oscar to pause. He pulled himself out of the machine and looked back at the general. "Um--probably none. If they are like humans they should not have any Infinity Energy at all. Although--they aren't like humans." Oscar tapped the side of his helmet, looked at the machinery in his hand, and tossed it aside. "I'm thinking what we should be looking for is this 'makeshift sun', or whatever is left of it."

Zev Harcourt

As Oscar and Calvary pushed onward, the agony of the dynaenergy only intensified. Even the cold waters of Elisabeth Fiorelli's surf could not relieve their suffering, and as far as Oscar was concerned that was how it should be. He deserved this torment, it was but a small penance for his idiocy. If only Prime could see him writhe beneath the barrier's glow. Surely it would be moved--perhaps even enough to forgive...

Oscar let out a pained cry as he forced his eyes upward. He refused to be some sort of flagellating whelp begging for forgiveness. He pushed forward for himself alone, reaching for proof of his own self-worth. Their climb seemed to stretch on for hours, until at last the barrier was broken and the dynaenergy would subside. Oscar let out a pained gasp as his suffering came to an abrupt end, his body still ringing from the energy's embrace.

Yet there would be no time to rest, as regirock began to gradually show signs of reverting to its normal size. The titan shook violently, and Oscar would watch with bated breath as Howard would lose his footing and fall. His body tightened, refusing to resort to panic. This was exactly why he was up here. Oscar leaned back, holding onto Calvary's mane with one hand and reaching for Howard with the other. As the archeologist fell past, Oscar would clasp his wrist and squeeze it tightly.

Despite the excellent timing of Oscar's clutch, gravity would refuse to show mercy. Howard continued to fall, and while Oscar could hold him for a moment Howard's weight would prove too much for Calvary's mane. The beast yelped as its red hairs were yanked off, forcing Oscar to lose his grip. Oscar felt his thighs slide against his gouging fire's body, but despite his best efforts he could not maintain their vice-grip. Oscar joined Howard in his fall.

The scientist yelped as he tumbled backward, still clasping Howard as tightly as he could. Despite his sudden free fall--and the distorted chaos that surrounded them--Oscar still had no room to panic. He immediately reached for his belt, fumbling for a beast ball before gripping it decisively. He aimed the ball downward, opening it below himself as he used all of his strength to pull Howard closer. The energy of the ball solidified into Robbie Rotten, the cruelest of all Naganadel, whose body would catch the falling Rockets with only a moment's struggle.

While Robbie let out screeches of protest, enraged that it would be used as some sort of living life net, Oscar would focus on getting himself and Howard into a riding position. Oscar's body was exhausted, yet still he could not rest. The regirock was faltering, and they had precious little time to act. As close as they were, despite the raging sandstorm and its blackening toxins, Oscar would spot the crevice across regirock's chest. He had no doubt that Howard would be able to spot it as well.

Oscar pointed a ball toward his poor Gouging Fire to withdraw it before tapping the raving Naganadel on the head. He pointed toward the crack with demanding fervor. "Go!" Robbie grumbled but did as it was told, flying as close as it could to the crevice without sacrificing its safety. They were close enough for Howard to jump in, which Oscar invited as he turned his head. There was no time for orders or one liners, the time to act was now!

Ki56eFLi

tl;dr
--Whoopsie, the regirock began to shrink! Oscar caught the falling Howard as the archeologist lost his footing, but ended up falling off of his Gouging Fire. Oscar acted quickly, letting out his Naganadel to break their fall in mid-air. With no time to lose, Oscar would direct the Naganadel toward Regirock's crevice with the expectation that Howard would jump in straight away shortly thereafter.

Climbing the regirock was ironically much harder for the mounted Oscar than it was for the free climbing Howard. As the 'terrain' became uneven and unstable, Calvary would dig its razor sharp claws into Regirock's skin--like a mountain climber slamming their hooks into a cliff-side. Oscar leaned back, his grip tightening around Calvary's mane as their strenuous climb gradually turned vertical. They were making steady progress, but Howard was far ahead thanks to his lack of burdens. Perhaps that was for the best, Oscar would be more helpful staying behind him during this climb--to catch him if he falls.

Plus it would keep Howard from directing his crazy toward Oscar...

Yet even with the intention to protect his friend, Oscar could not help but feel as though he were in grave danger. Attacks were coming from all sides, and the rocky titan would sway with every new blow. Oscar had faith in the strength of his counterfeit-entei's claws, but not so much in the integrity of regirock's body.

Oscar could feel the danger around him, which only intensified as sharp scales began to rain from the sky. Calvary roared, summoning a shield of fire to protect itself and its rider from the endless volley (Burning Bulwark). Even still, Oscar shivered as the climb continued. The harsh cloak of Death seemed to be looming over him, and this time he did not have the reliability of Prime for protection. This would have been so much easier with Prime...

Oscar shook his head, accidentally tossing aside his hood and revealing the full form of his skull-like helmet. Prime was not here, and Oscar did not need it! He would not fear death today, not when he had so much to prove! "Keep going." He hissed between gritted teeth, urging his steed forward. "Don't stop climbing, keep going." Calvary quickened its pace, its morale briefly boosted by its master's encouragement.

But then everything turned red. Oscar looked down, gawking at the bubbling dynaenergy that began to envelope regirock. The barrier--how did he always forget about the barrier? As it grew nearer, Oscar could do nothing but brace for its embrace.

"Aww this is gonna suck!"

Oscar screamed as his body felt the intense voltage of the energy. He had never felt it directly before, but now he knew exactly what Howard went through when he was caught in Registeel's Dynamax Cannon. The pain was excruciating, and yet neither he nor his mount could afford to stop. "Keep going!" Oscar screeched, red lightning ripping through him like phantom blades. He wanted to die, he wanted to let go and fall out of his hell and splatter against the ground. But he could not, he would not. He refused to give up on Howard--on himself.

Blind to anything but the act of climbing, Calvary pushed upward through the pain as its master continued to cry out his agonized orders.

"Keep--going!"

Meanwhile, a genesect was quickly approaching the city. It was only capable of being within its drone form, as its only purpose was to provide speedy deliveries to the field of battle. Oscar's package was on its way...

TsqQ9Lil

tl;dr
--Oscar is staying behind howard slayte in order to catch him if he falls.
--Gouging Fire uses Burning Bulwark to protect itself and Oscar from John Sullivan's scale storm, climbing ever upward toward Regirock's head.
--As the duo is consumed by the dynamax barrier, Gouging Fire fights through the pain to continue its climb--spurred on by the desperate cries of its master.

• player/ooc name: Hollow
• character tags: oscar clayton
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable): Ambrose Hendrix, August Colgan
• ic posts for characters: I choose this one
• are characters in directories?: Y
• any notes/comments: Why can't I ever keep a second character active :/

When Priam appeared near Oscar, he could not help but grin. These massive battles were simply incomplete without Priam being at his side. Then Yuan joined them, and suddenly the head of this titan became very crowded. It was no matter though, with a party as reliable as this there was no way they could lose.

Though immediate action would be delayed by the clash between the two Regis. Every Max Knuckle caused Regice to shake, threatening to send its passengers flying off. If Calvary was not such a sturdy steed, Oscar probably would have fallen to his death by now. With that in mind, Oscar decided that they needed to proceed as quickly as possible. "Speaking of plans, what's ours?"

Howard seemed to have come up with one on his own, tossing a pokeball to Oscar. At first Oscar thought he was going to be instructed on how best to command some mystery pokemon, but as Howard spoke it would not be hard for him to connect the dots. Howard was planning to be rash as usual, entrusting Regice to Oscar should whatever ridiculous feat he planned to accomplish fail.

Oscar deflated as Howard brought up Genesect, looking forlornly at the empty pokeball in his hand. He quivered, his grip tightening as he once more flashed back to his incredible failure. Oscar looked up to tell Howard to get stuffed with his 'I'm gonna die' bullshit, but the admin was already gone.

Oscar watched Howard perform feat after feat, attempting to climb Regirock like the mountain it was. Oscar's chest tightened as he pictured Howard missing a jump or losing his footing or even being attacked by the League, plummeting to the ground below where only death awaited him. Oscar feared for his friend, and thus he could not stand idly by while he risked his life. Fear, it turned out, was as much a motivator as it was a deterrent.

Oscar discarded his thoughts of failure, and turned his body toward Priam. "Priam!" he shouted before tossing Regice's pokeball to the beast. "I'm gonna be stupid! Assuming something happens to me, find Regice a good trainer! Keep it if you want, I don't care! Just use it against Eternatus when the time comes!" Oscar paused as he tried to remember an applicable pokemon to further parrot Howard. "Have it play with Braviary!" Nailed it.

Oscar pulled on Calvary's hair, causing it to rear up slightly. "Yuan, Priam, I order you to stay alive! Let's ride!" Calvary let out a roar of deafening nobility, signaling to the towering Titan exactly what was coming for it (Noble Roar). It then charged forward, deftly hopping across Regice's icy angles to reach the bridge created by the titans' clashing arms. It speedily ran across, the brilliant shine of the sun filling the ancient beast with unwavering vigor (Protosynthesis). Oscar and his mount would catch up to Howard, but the scientist would not stifle Howard's independence by offering a ride. Instead he would simply show his support with a friendly taunt, "If you fall I'm gonna laugh!"

DarY69o|

tl;dr
--Oscar rejects howard slayte's departing gift, unwilling to let him take on this challenge alone. He passes Regice's pokeball to priam conrad with cheeky flavor before prompting Gouging Fire to let out a Noble Roar at Regirock. Invigorated by the harsh sunlight, Oscar and the Gouging Fire ride up beside Howard to lend him their aid as he tries to scale the titan.

From Howard's description, donning a Sygna Suit sounded amazing. To tap into the incredible power of a pokemon would be an unparalleled sensation, though it came with a caveat. It required a strong bond with another pokemon, which was a resource Oscar was unsure of. He cared a great deal for many of his pokemon, but were any of his relationships strong enough to create a synchronization?

As Howard brought up Genesect, that was where Oscar's first considerations lingered. "I love Prime--I think. I would say more accurately I care for it deeply. To tell you the truth, I am not sure I really love anything. It's such a alien emotion to me, though I care a great deal."

Oscar leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and pressing his thumbs into his chin. Perhaps he thought this position would increase the blood-flow to his brain. "If I recall correctly from Amor's notes though, pokemon with Infinity signatures on Prime's level are incapable of bonding with a Sygna suit. It would have to be a weaker pokemon--but I am struggling to think of a compatible match."

howard slayte

Oscar stroked the chin of his Ultra Space suit helmet as Zev proposed his idea. He found it intriguing, and would speak his thoughts out loud as he immersed himself within heavy contemplation. "Yes--yes I predict that I can. It would take time though, and I may need to take breaks depending on how heavily the Ultra Space radiation affects me."

Oscar began rubbing his hand faster, a clear indication that he was delving deeper into his well of ideas. "I created my own Infinity Energy extractor based on the impression of a similar Megalopian device. It is possible that they used this very machine as a model when they developed their own extractors. An intriguing thought."

Oscar finally looked to Zev, his eyes twinkling with the unmistakable glee of discovery. "Hypothesis, this might be how these towers manage to power entire cities. An incredible light source if created, with infinite reach, and the energy of that light is extracted through this machine to power--anything they could imagine. The only question then would be--what sort of light could rival the sun in intensity?"

Oscar paused as he privately sorted through his ideas before abruptly pushing them aside and shrugging. "I think I'm stalling. Let's get down to it. Navitas, help me rip open some panels." The Xurkitree performed a wobbly salute before hopping toward the machine. Its tendrils began carefully attempting to open the machine's outer paneling so that Oscar could get into its innards.

Once again Oscar turned to Zev, "Give me some time. I'll try to work fast so that we can get this done in one go." They had already spent a good deal of time within Ultra Space, which meant Oscar's body was starting the fatigue that came with the exploration of this alien realm. He was not bothered though; the prospect of obtaining new knowledge was a great motivator.

Zev Harcourt

Oscar blushed, not expecting to receive such compliments from Howard. It made him privately pleased to have someone appreciate his methods, he had grown so used to others reacting negatively to Infinity Energy extraction. Howard's hope for the future reflected his own; the reason he pushed for progress so fervidly was so that humanity could ascend past their drawbacks. Heartache, hate, free will, illness, death, mankind would be so much happier if it did not have to worry about such things.

The future Oscar sought would be free of such afflictions.

The expression Oscar shared with Howard was one of understanding. He saw his pain, and related to it well. "I too fear death, as you know." Oscar leaned back in his chair, fiddling with his phone as he tried to articulate his thoughts. "Not just mine, but the death of everyone I care about. That's why it is so important that I get this right."

He looked Howard in the eyes, nodding with silent affirmation at his following vow. "I will do everything within my power to not let this happen again."

Oscar shifted in his chair, taking a more casual pose as he changed the subject. "One thing that would help is knowing what it is like to bond with a pokemon. What do you feel when you wear the sygna suit?"

howard slayte

Oscar smiled as the Muk slowly emerged from the billowing smoke. His experiment had been a success, and as he received praise from Sylvie he could not help but feel a little smug. "Oh you know, all in a day's work and whatnot." He seemed so confident that you would hardly be able to tell that he had no idea if it could work or not.

With a Muk at their disposal, their work load drastically diminished. The Muk could work three times as fast as before, cleaning up the rest of the body parts in record time. Their entire effort would only take another hour or so, and before long you would hardly be able to tell that anything unusual had happened within this lab. Oscar sat on the spotless ground, having just finished scrubbing his own mad ravings off of the walls. It was hard work cleaning up after himself.

He looked over at Sylvie, smiling as he tossed aside a well worn sponge. "Hey uh, thanks for this. I was worried that no one would be able to help me, but you came and saved my ass. I know this is your job but, I owe you one." After a moment, Oscar would risk taking off his mask to see if the smell had improved. Unfortunately he had forgotten how badly Muks tend to smell, and he quickly recoiled back into his hazmat.

"I dunno if anything is strong enough to save the smell though. If only we could open a window--damn submarine."

sylvie faust

Oscar gave Lulu a knowing smile, his eyes gleaming with the allure of infinite possibilities. When Lulu had first spoken to Oscar about her goals, Oscar steadfastly vowed to remain by her side as they parsed the secrets of the dream world. In this moment, as their goals seemed closer than ever before, Oscar would reaffirm his dedication.

"I'm so tired of this world. I'm with you all the way Lulu, until the moment of absolute triumph or failure."

Oscar made his way to the Champaign bottle and refilled their glasses. As he did so, his mind was cleared of the immense road ahead. There was no doubt a thousand things to do in order to make Lulu's dream a reality--but it was not the time to linger on such things. "For now, we should celebrate what you've accomplished so far." Once their glasses were full and clasped, Oscar would raise his up to knock it lightly against Lulu's. "To the future, and our escape from this world."

Lulu Flint