Oscar's speech did little to soothe Howard's fury, his attempts at comfort being outright rejected. Oscar stood as he was shaken off, staggering back as Howard doubled down within his despair. If he was being honest, Oscar had seen this coming--and yet it still hurt. Oscar stared at the hand he had placed on Howard, blood spread across his gloved palm. He clenched his hand into a fist, spreading the blood to his fingers. How did he keep making the same mistake over and over again?

Kindness had no place within this cruel world, and being reminded of this fact yet again pushed Oscar forward. All that mattered was locating what value this tomb held, something beyond the horrible truths that broke a man like Howard Slayte.

Oscar simply nodded, following Howard as he ventured deeper into the ruins. Despite the uncertainty of his mental state, Oscar would not leave Howard to wander alone.

howard slayte

Oscar grew increasingly concerned for Howard as he appeared to have a mental breakdown. His hand slowly slipped from Howard's back, useless as the man raved about a devastating revelation. There was a craftsman, some sort of higher power that granted the golems their life. Oscar understood Howard's rage; he had based his entire belief system on the idea that humanity had managed to create something as powerful as the golems on their own. Howard's passion on the subject had infected Oscar, who truly wanted to be able to combat humanity's threats without the assistance of gods. He should have known it was too good to be true.

Yet Howard took this development very poorly, and Oscar could only watch as his friend's pain grew louder and more unhinged. The scientist felt nothing but pity for Howard, betrayed by knowledge hiding just beneath the surface all these years. Oscar would draw the line at the end of Howard's rant though, furrowing his brows as he resolved to correct his colleague.

"Fuck that." His statement was assertive, perhaps even confident in its tone. "It wasn't for nothing. Using the tool of a god does not invalidate your efforts thus far. Don't let them take that away from you."

Oscar pressed a hand into Howard's shoulder, his grasp gentle yet firm. "Eternatus is still out there, the golems could not slay it alone. They needed humans to command them just as much as the humans needed them to fight back. You are the heir to that legacy, of humanity continuing to fight no matter the cost."

Oscar knelt to be level with the disheveled Howard, unsure if his words were making a difference but too far in to stop now. "And just because the ancients failed to do so, doesn't mean we need to be saved by divine intervention to win. I've watched Eternatus die in another timeline, and you know what killed it? A weapon forged by human hands. No gods, no legends, just the neverending drive of human ingenuity. We can still forge our victory, succeed where they failed."

Oscar's hand let go of Howard, turning into a fist that he gently pressed into the archeologist's shoulder blade. "But we'll never achieve that if we give up. That's how Eternatus wins."

howard slayte

Oscar looked on, pondering on nothing more than what the hand represented. Oscar did not spare a second on the miracle of his own survival, as far as he knew it was chance. He simply does everything he can to continue living, and if he is successful then his choices were sound. If Howard knew how little Oscar cared about the bodies left in his wake, would he still respect him? Would he become revolted, as he was with the rest of Rocket? Hopefully Oscar never has to find out.

Oscar thought out loud as Howard examined the braille inscriptions. "I have witnessed two legendary pokemon take on the form of a hand--Eternatus and Arceus. Perhaps the image represents them." The hand did not look right though. Eternatus and Arceus appeared more like claws, this hand seemed almost normal. What did it mean?

Suddenly Howard cried out, slamming his fists against the wall while shouting. Oscar hesitated, shocked by the outburst. Eventually the distress of his friend became too much to simply ignore, pressing a hand against Howard's burnt back in an attempt to provide some form of comfort. "What's wrong? What does it say?"


Babayaga had been trailing his master, and he would be the one to notice the arrival of another. Babayaga did not know if they were friend or foe, but as he set his eyes upon the Decidueye that had saved him earlier, Baba would send a resolute nod. It would be an immense honor to fight such a warrior, but he hoped it would not come to that.

howard slayte lam logan

Oscar saw a lot of himself within the people of the past. They turned toward powers beyond their control, desperate to stop a threat that could crush them like the mites they were. Genesect seemed like a reflection of their efforts, although the golems seemed--purer. Instead of forcing nature to bend to their will, they worked with nature to create something more from what they already had. It was admirable in a way.

Yet such wholesome methods had no place in their day and age. The technology they had available today allowed for even greater feats of creation, to not utilize them would be foolish. Oscar kept these musings to himself though, this was Howard's moment and he did not wish to sully it with his conflicting world view. At the prospect of catching Registeel, Oscar eagerly nodded. Another golem would be a welcome addition to Howard's arsenal, and thus Rocket's.

"It is trying to hide itself so it can recover, it does not care what it reveals during its efforts to flee. We cannot let it rest." Oscar stepped toward one of the corridors. "And thus we cannot rest in return. Let's keep moving. There has to be a way to get further down."

howard slayte

Oscar held back a wince as Howard took to his shoulder. Thanks to the molten Sygna Suit, he was a bit heavier then expected. Nevertheless Oscar shared the load faithfully, letting Howard dictate their direction while simply helping him along. They passed by the identified grunt and continued deeper into the ruins, stopping at a mural Howard seemed to resonate with.

As Howard stepped away, Oscar looked up at the mural with disguised detachment. He was never proud of it, but his interest in history mostly stemmed from its possible monetary value. Even so, Howard's passion was infectious. Oscar could not help but smile a bit as he recognized that this was indeed humanity's history, witnessed for the first time in a millennia.

Oscar looked down the dark corridors that surrounded them. He thought about the humans that possibly walked these halls, and the amazing feats they accomplished despite their lack of modern technology. It ignited Oscar's curiosity.

"Hey, tell me about how the golems were made. You've mentioned it before but I've yet to hear the whole story."

howard slayte

The Hurricane disoriented Zapdos long enough for the vines of the Frenzy Plant to fully wrap around its body, rending it completely immobile. Zapdos screeched as the vines dug into its flesh and the harsh winds ripped at its beautiful feathers. For the first time in perhaps centuries, the great bird was starting to fear for its life. It had never imagined that it could be dragged into such a position but lesser beings--yet here it was on the brink of defeat.

...No...No no this was not how it ends.

It would rather tear the sky asunder then let such base creatures bring about its demise! Zapdos began to glow, Infinity Energy crackling across its restrained body. The air around it would begin to heat up, ionized by Zapdos gathering all of its remaining power. Oscar was still approaching their position, but even he could feel Zapdos's strength from more than twenty feet away. This was not good.

Oscar tapped his Dragapult's head, and it would speed up in an attempt to reach the battle sooner. Yet as the air around them grew thinner, Oscar began to panic. "Fire at will, don't let it finish whatever it's doing!" Dragapult fired off more Dragon Darts toward Zapdos, but the poor things evaporated before they could even get half way. Oscar suddenly felt the pressure mounting: To kill Zapdos--to keep Theo safe--to serve Rocket. Zapdos's body became enveloped by energy, ripping away its restraints by simply flexing its wings. Fueled by rage and hatred, the great bird cried out as it launched itself at a staggering speed toward its enemies, a majestic silhouette of power enlarging and extending its wings into an unavoidable size (Sky Attack).

There, as Oscar came up upon Theo, he made a snap decision. "Grab him and bolt!" Dragapult followed orders, wrapping itself around Theo and attempting to Phantom Force away to safety.

THEO BECKETT

Oscar fell back as Howard began to scream. The scientist froze, rigidly staring as someone he had never seen struggle unleashed every bit of pain he felt in a timbre thought to be unattainable by human lungs. Oscar found himself--ill-equipped to handle such a agonized vocalization, and simply remained fearfully frozen until Howard's scream died down.

As Howard spoke and sat up, Oscar would finally breathe with relief. He chuckled as his stress left his body, "We don't have time to die. Still got shit to do." Oscar looked back as Howard pointed out Shred, who had managed to sneak up behind Oscar without him noticing. Shred looked--pretty normal. I mean he looked like shit but he usually looked like shit because of the--you know, full body burns. Point is, Oscar was relieved that he too was alright.

Howard had gotten up and was seemingly set on exploring the ruins within the pit. Normally Oscar would object since Howard looked about ready to die, but he knew that they would not get another chance to explore the ruins in such a 'fresh' state. His own greed further spurned on his desire to delve into the unknown, picking up as many of his discarded gems as he could before following Howard. He offered his help to both of his human companions, should they desire it. "My shoulders are available to lean on if you need the support. Just try not to lean onto my neck, the burn is still tender."

There was already someone within the ruins by the time they approached the apparent entry, someone Oscar did not recognize. He would let the more knowledgeable Howard and Shred pass judgement first before making any moves against them though. Babayaga followed behind the humans, none too pleased to be pressing forward despite everything that had just occurred. Could they not rest for even a moment?

howard slayte Shred lam logan onyx straub

Oscar did not need to answer Lulu's confirmation for readiness, he was born ready for this moment. To witness the physical manifestation of a dream was a privilege he would value forever. His body shook as the mist manifested images right before his very eyes. When the scene solidified, Oscar could not help but stare in complete awe.

He watched the machines grow more and more complex, eventually becoming incomprehensible to his regrettably contemporary mind. The cobalion, however, could not keep up with such staggering progress. It became older and older, withering away until it turned into nothing but ashes. The scene paused as the noble pokemon's remains settled onto the ground.

Suddenly, the ashes shifted as an iron hoof burst out from within. An Iron Crown pulled itself from the dust pile, as if digging its way out of a grave. As its full form was revealed, the Iron Crown let out a triumphant roar before turning and running back toward Oscar and Lulu. Oscar was almost too entranced to find the meaning in such a display, though luckily for him the symbolism was rather obvious.

"Perhaps..." He said quietly as he collected his thoughts. "...in the future, maybe we will have to find a way to adapt in a world without legendary pokemon. Would we let things be as nature dictates--or will we make our own?"

Lulu Flint

Oscar was enthralled by Wright, believing him to be just what he needed to solve this conundrum. He even believed him to be a bit of a genius--until he introduced Oscar to the 'Gerald Method'. Oscar's enthusiastic face slowly turned neutral as Dr. Wright had a mental breakdown right in front of him, yelling at what seemed to be an ordinary rubber duck.

Oh well, all great minds were a little loony. The man had some good ideas, so Oscar would not write him off just yet. Or should I say, Wright him off!? HAHAHAAA HA HA HA HA

HA HA HA

HA...heh.

Oscar feigned a smile as Wright returned to the realms of coherency, "For sure a ray in the future. Right now though Wright, I wanna focus on the portable extractor to power our existing war machines. I like your idea about a lighter metal, though the smelted steel pokemon I've been employing have proven to be about as light as metal can get."

Oscar tapped his cheek as he pondered his options. "Would you happen to know the lightest steel type off the top of your head?"

Yuan Wright

Oscar watches as the grimer begins to gorge itself on even more limbs. He felt bad for the little guy, it was clearly getting full but the job was only a little more than half way done. If only Oscar had some grimer of his own, then maybe this task would not be such a burden on this lone cleaner.

Oscar tilted his head as a different solution came to mind, "Have you thought about evolving it?" Oscar pressed into his hazmat helmet until he was more or less straddling his chin. "A muk would be able to consume greater quantities of waste with a greater surface area. Perhaps it may be--smellier but it would make your jobs go a lot more efficiently."

Oscar placed his hands onto his hips as he began looking around for--something. "I might have a chemical in here somewhere that would create a chemical reaction that would expedite the process. Or y'know, might just fuckin' get it wet." Oscar looked at Sylvie as he remembered what manners were, chuckling bashfully. "If you want that outcome, that is."

sylvie faust

BATTLE OF PETALBURG SIGN-UP

THE FIRST WAVE PRELUDE

OOC NAME: Hollow[break]
CHARACTER: oscar clayton [break]
FACTION: Rocket[break]
SCENARIO: B[break]
PREFERRED PARTNERS, INCLUDING OPPONENTS IF PVP?: DESIREE BLOOMS [break]
POKEMON PARTY (MAX 6) [break]
NOTES/COMMENTS: Genesect will finally get to fight along side its mass produced kin. However, after revelations found during the night before, what will it think about its fellow abominations? I want Genesect to unleash all of its fury, before being forced to reflect on what kind of pokemon it wants to be.

Even with his understanding of how powerful the golem's beam was, Oscar had greatly underestimated how much destruction it would wreck across the battlefield. As the blast hit the brave pokemon that brought themselves up to shield their trainers, the heated impact would still send Oscar flying backward. He skid against the sand, bouncing and rolling until a dune would kindly catch him in its entombing embrace. Once again, Oscar would find himself consumed by sand.

Oscar felt himself clinging to consciousness, so engulfed by pain that he found it far too difficult to move. For a moment he considered just letting go, to allow his body to rest beneath the cool sand. He might suffocate, but at least he would not have to deal with this struggle any longer. However, the desert had other plans for him. The dunes shifted, exposing Oscar to the surface all on their own. As fresh air once more graced his lungs, the urge to live would spike Oscar's energy.

He scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping more than once on the shifting sand. As he regained his balance, he suddenly became aware of two very important things. Firstly, the golem had fled. A great pit was left in its wake, likely causing the sandy migration that had just saved Oscar's hide. Secondly, as the sandstorm died down and the Dynenergy storm dissipated, Oscar would notice how few of the fighters were still standing. In fact, from his vantage, he was one of only five.

It was a miracle he came out as well as he did, from the pain he felt while lying in the sand Oscar had assumed he broke a bone or something. Instead he discovered his battle fatigues to be torn and first degree burns clung to his exposed skin. Had he been closer, he may have faced far greater consequences. Speaking of, it was time to examine that pit. Oscar stomped his way through the sand toward the mysterious sinkhole, picking up minerals and Necrozma bits as he went.

The enemy's retreat had come at a very bad time for Babayaga. As he was coming in to land another fateful strike, he would instead find his target to have completely vanished. How very anticlimactic, what was he going to use all of this momentum on now? As he dived in closer and the dust settled, Baba's sharp eyes caught the silhouette of a falling figure. He had no reason to save this stranger, but if he did not get a pay off to his current blinding speed Baba was going to be grumpy for the rest of the day. He continued his dive into the ruined pit, flipping his body to deftly snatch up the figure in his talons. The sudden stop would not feel very comfortable, but it was better than splattering on whatever awaited them below. Flapping his wings to ascend, Baba would end up throwing the figure to rest at the edge of the pit before landing close by.

Only then would his fatigue set in, swaying as his body cried out for relief. He had been fighting all day, poor Baba needed a break. It was around here where Oscar entered the scene, grinning as he hobbled up to Baba. "You fuckin' legend, I can't believe we survived this." Baba held up his head proudly, attempting to look regal despite how tired he was. Oscar glanced at the body nearby, having to study it for several seconds before he realized that he had seen this sygna suit before. He dove toward the figure, his collection of minerals scattering around him.. "Fuck Howard, are you alive? You better be alive you bastard!" He shook the body, his panic causing him to forget basic first aid.

howard slayte Shred lam logan onyx straub

Mint and his flareon came closer to Oscar, and as the beast commented on his stammering Oscar could not help but blush. Oscar felt himself getting warmer as Mint fumbled for something within his pocket, though that was probably thanks to his flareon. Still, he could help but stare, fixated on Mint's every motion as he set up the sensors. He was like an oil painting in motion, absolutely captivating.

Then sensors were placed into Oscar's hand, and as Mint moved away the spell was broken. Oscar chastised himself internally, chalking his momentary infatuation to the cold compressing his brain or something. How infantile. Oscar began to place the sensors in blind spots, chuckling as Mint brought up post-mission hot cocoa. "Yeah, and pancakes."

As he placed the final sensor, Oscar tucked his hands under his armpits and faced Mint. "Alright s-s-so I hope you know the way back because I've been too b-b-busy being cold."

mint frost