OUR WAR GAME![break]SIGN-UPS

PLAYER LOCK-IN

CHARACTER: oscar clayton[break]
ROLE: PLAYER
SQUAD: list group members; COMMANDER only
PKMN:
DESIRED STAR LEVEL: 3[break]

REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X TEAL'S ANCIENT SLABS (To Teach Genesect Ancient Power)

TOTAL

do come again!

## PD

Prepare for the worst? Well it was not much, but it was something. Oscar breathed deeply, trying to center himself as the elevator continued its upward climb. He realized that he was attributing the tension he felt to Theo, when it truly belonged to Zapdos. Oscar feared asking Zapdos of anything, especially its avatar-ship. Oscar worked so hard to gain its favor, the idea that it would reject him after all this time made him feel ill. Yet he could not give in to such negativity. Zapdos would surely sense it as weakness, further ruining Oscar's chance of success. He had to believe in his efforts, their current bond, and most of all--himself. Oscar settled into a state of pure determination, just as the elevator arrived at its destination.

Zapdos was immediately visible as the doors opened, majestically poised upon its electric perch. The bowl shaped wall of its refuge crackled with static electricity, with every pylon and node directing its course into Zapdos. The great bird looked up as Oscar and Theo arrived, staring expectantly. Oscar stepped forward, greeting Zapdos with a bow. "Hello Zapdos, I hope you are doing well." Zapdos nodded back, acknowledging Oscar's good manners.

Oscar sighed heavily, his hands twitching as he tried to grasp for words. Zapdos acted just as any bird would, using its beak to dig through its wings for loose feathers and the like. It was just a normal bird--with unbelievable power. Oscar's clenched his hands into fists, taking in one last deep breath before he began his appeal.

"Zapdos, I humbly beseech you in our time of need! Our region is hurrying toward war, and we believe that your amazing power would help turn the tide! I have hosted you for quite a time, and you have clearly enjoyed the resources I have to offer you. You once trusted me enough to travel at my side, and I ask that you join with me once again. Together we shall lay waste to those that would claim to be our masters, and make them kneel before your magnificence!"

Zapdos looked up from its wing, staring at Oscar blankly. Oscar stepped forward, his fist pressed against his chest. "Please Zapdos! We can perform wonders together! I would continue to be your loyal ally, all I ask is for you to empower me with your boons!" Zapdos continued to stare, and for a moment Oscar actually thought it would agree.

Then it returned to its grooming, shuffling fluff out of its plumage. Oscar did not understand, had he failed? Was he still not worthy? Oscar took another step forward, "Zapdos what else must I do? I will stop at nothing to prove myself! Just tell me what you need of me!" Zapdos continued to prod at itself, and Oscar's heart began to sink. If this was all that occurred, Oscar would have turned away here and now to slink back into the elevator--defeated.

Yet Zapdos just had to look up once more, glaring at Oscar with one side of its head. Oscar locked up, his entire body shuddering at the sight. The expression was more than familiar, and Oscar was once again reminded of his father. It was a look he would receive often, a baneful leer that expressed a clear and crushing phrase:

Are you still here?

Both of Oscar's eyes twitched violently. He would have accepted a rejection, but this? To be outright dismissed by a being he had up until now admired? It changed something within him. Oscar's acts of kindness had come back to bite him very frequently as of late, but this went beyond that. Zapdos was making its position very clear, as far as it was concerned there was no debt to repay. It was taking what it believed it deserved, and Oscar was just its patsy. The very thought made Oscar convulse with rage.

And then he snapped.

Oscar turned away, walking with purpose toward the elevator. Zapdos once again returned to its grooming, paying the humans no further mind. Yet Oscar veered left, striding toward a control panel mounted on the wall next to the left. He made several button presses before grasping an electrical switch. Without hesitation, he would flip it down.

The sound of whirring machinery began to intensify, and the electric current that flowed through Zapdos would suddenly reverse. It did not realize anything had changed at first, but once the sound grew even louder the great bird would realize that something was wrong. And then it screamed.

More and more electricity was extracted from the legendary pokemon, which writhed in agony as its life force was forcibly sapped from its body. It suddenly became clear that this mighty Perch was not only capable of giving electricity. Oscar had designed this chamber to act as a giant Infinity Energy Extractor should the need arise. He had planned to use it for extreme emergencies, such as Zapdos going berserk or the League appearing to spirit it away. Oscar never dreamed of using it out of spite.

Only minutes ago, Oscar would have wept to see Zapdos in such suffering. But within this moment, he could not help but smile.

THEO BECKETT

Oscar stood up as his sword IV unlatched itself from his arm, his eyes locked onto the center screen. The action had reached a thrilling climax, and he could not help but grin as his fellow Rockets fought valiantly for their rightful victory. Hitoshi had attempted to once more thrust the key into the lock, only for Prime to elbow him in the face. As the key bounced away, Prime would follow it until it landed within the hands of Zev. Having stepped too far away, Prime could only helplessly watch as the devourer inserted the key into the final keyhole.

Prime froze as the key was turned, the striking sound of the door unlocking echoing through the first floor. Prime stopped its song, reverting into a neutral pose as the doors swung open. The duo of Zev Harcourt and Hitoshi Inoue had overcome Oscar's challenge, earning their freedom.

ASSESSMENT SUCCESSFUL!

Oscar cheered, stumbling as his head rushed slightly. He only realized then that he may have given a bit too much blood to Hitoshi's adorable sword. Oh well, at least he hopefully endeared himself to the little guy. Hopefully that opened the door to a more cordial relationship with its master. Oscar rolled down his sleeve before rushing out the door to greet the victors.

"You did it!" He exclaimed, clearly overjoyed by their success. The assessment had not gone entirely to plan, but Oscar was confident that Hitoshi had more than proven his worth. Oscar skipped happily to the glorious hound and thrust a hand forward. "Welcome to SPECTRA! I mean, he passed right? No way he didn't."

Whether Hitoshi accepted the handshake or not, Oscar would remain in a chipper mood. He would clap his hands together once Zev had the time to speak. "I say we go get some pancakes! I could really use some sugar--on me of course." Oscar would escort his companions out of the office, pausing only when he realized that Prime was not following. He would turn to address his cybernetic ace, "Yo Prime, you coming? You usually love watching people eat pancakes."

Prime stood in the lobby, staring forward into the darkness of the first floor. Its master was correct; while normally Prime was intrigued by the eating habits of humans, tonight it would simply not be in the mood. It turned its head so that it could see Oscar, shaking it slightly to indicate its rejection. Oscar furrowed his brow, something was for sure up with Prime. It had acted erratically both before and during the exam, and while this poor reaction to its loss was par for the course it usually managed to bounce back more quickly. Perhaps a mental examination was in order...

But later, for now Oscar would give Prime the space to cool down. "Alright, I'll be back to pick you up in an hour or two. Don't go anywhere." Prime turned away, resuming its stalwart stare as the humans departed. It ruminated on its memories once more, watching with near perfect clarity as a prehistoric creature effortlessly sought out and eliminated foes twice its size. It was true that Prime shared a great similarity to this being, but it was not one and the same. These memories were echoes, etchings upon the cave wall from a bygone age. If Prime thought hard enough, it could see such echoes across many time periods. Prime was none of these beings, and so that begged the question:

What was it?

Oscar gasped as the titan reeled about. The attacks they Landed seemed to have actually had an effect, although they were not lucky enough to be finished with this damned affair. The golem retaliated with full force, unleashing a blast so powerful that Oscar could feel the heat even before it reached him.

He ran to the side, kicking up sand as the blast sailed past him. He could only hope that Babayaga could manage to do the same.

Baba was already preparing for another attack. He swooped upward, attempting to avoid the blast before diving back toward the creature's weak spot. A green streak followed behind him, quickening his pace as he delivered his next blow (Trailblaze).

xETBy566
+10 SHIFT
+10 RIDDLE

tl;dr
--Babayaga is aiming for Registeel's weak spot.
Riddle Guess: LAND

Trailblaze: STRIKE//BOOST

Using the BOOST effect.

BOOST: Moves that increase offensive stats add a +20 modifier to the user’s next move in the following round.

Oscar watched as Theo suffocated his cigarette against Oscar's desk, inches away from Oscar's courtesy ash tray. It sent a clear message, though even still Oscar wished he had at least tried to aim for the tray.

Oscar walked away from his desk and toward a nearby wardrobe. He opened it to reveal a series of orange insolation suits, neatly lined up on wire hangers. He picked out two of the suits and walked over to press one toward Theo.

"You'll need this. It's not optional." Mostly because if Theo got fried on Oscar's watch Rocket would probably tear him limb from limb. An undesirable outcome to say the least.

Once they were suited up, Oscar would wait for Theo in the elevator. He had his keycard at the ready, swiping it against the elevator buttons whenever the underboss got on. The elevator would shake before ascending up toward The Perch. Wishing to fight back the awkward silence, Oscar reached out for some form of comfort.

"Any last minute sage advice?"

THEO BECKETT

Hitoshi went for the third lock, but Genesect blocked the key's entry with its claw. It then kicked Hitoshi roughly in the stomach, pushing the weird dog-man away from the door.

Hitoshi lost one life.

Its kick over extended its reach however, and Zev would manage to get his key into one of the locks. Only one lock remained.

Genesect jabbed toward Zev to get him away from the door, before taking his position back in front of the lock. It only had one last chance to prevent their escape, and it fully intended to make the most of it.

vCKLaIrq

Zev Harcourt 3/3 Lives
Hitoshi Inoue 2/3 Lives

3/4 keys inserted

Oscar furrowed his brows as Kepler hesitated, looking over to his companion with restrained concern. His fellow scientist seemed nervous, though Oscar chalked it up to nerves concerning their espionage mission. Truth be told Oscar was not exactly the picture of confidence currently, but his experience in the field helped him at least be able to mask it.

Oscar would not reprimand Kepler though, instead lightly nudging him with his elbow while leaning over to whisper. "Hey, you're going to do great. Just act like you belong and follow my lead."

The two blended in well enough with their employee disguises, they just needed to sell it by acting casual. If they were too nervous, someone might start to suspect them. Oscar waited patiently, shooting Kepler a thumbs up as he looked back toward the door.

kepler brueshaber

With the buckets handled, Oscar was not quite sure what to do next. That was why he sought out help after all, these sorts of messes were not exactly his forte. sylvie faust seemed far more experienced--obviously, since this was her profession. If she wanted to wait until her grimer absorbed everything it could, then he was content to wait with her.

He needed to pick up one of these bad boys, it would make his life so much easier. It was like a living roomba, but for body parts.

Oscar folded his arms as he watched the little guy work, answering a-matter-of-factly to Sylvie's inquiry. "I actually already know it will. You can find the arm currently attached to Shred. No complaints from him yet, though I think I owe him a follow up examination soon. If you ever run into him you can take a look for yourself."

Oscar looked up at Sylvie, his expression bizarrely serious. "That arm is bad ass though. Like for real, I almost fuckin' chopped off my arm so I could have it. Fuck I'll never make something that metal again--no pun intended."

What little confidence Oscar had managed to maintain crumbled under the weight of Theo's glare. It was a look of intense conviction, disillusionment, and worst of all--disappointment. Oscar barely knew Theo, yet he felt the same in this moment as he did during the last conversation he had with his father. Like a failure.

He knew he should have worked from home today.

Oscar looked back toward the perch light, still lit with a now more ominous glow. Oscar did not know what he feared more, the wrath of Rocket or the confirmed indiffernce of Zapdos.

Confirmed indiffernce...there was nothing confirmed. Oscar had been avoiding Zapdos because he did not want to be rejected--yet he had no reason to fear such a possibility. Oscar had provided Zapdos with evey comfort he could afford, and unlimited supply of Infinity Energy to feast upon. Surely that meant something to it.

Oscar's face steeled as he dared to meet Theo's gaze once more. "I will, but on one condition. Let me be the one to appeal to it. If this is my failure then let me be the one to fix it." Oscar straightened up as his own conviction returned to him. "Please, let me make this right."

THEO BECKETT

Oscar's loose awareness of the dream faded as he looked upon his friend. Priam had always tried to hide his anxiety, but this time he could barely veil it behind a smile. Oscar melted at the man's tenacious attempt to remain confident, and he could not help but smile softly as well.

He grasped Priam by the shoulders, jostling lightly as he locked into eye contact. "Hey, it's like you always say: Everything's gonna fall into place. We did our part, it's out of our hands now. Let's enjoy the victory while it lasts."

He smoothly slid one of his arms across Priam's shoulders, dragging him along further away from the doctors and Velmos. "Let's get some breakfast or somethin', I'm fuckin' starving."

priam conrad

Oscar's left eye twitched as he struggled to process Theo's request--or was it an order? It seemed like one, but it was a nearly impossible task. Zapdos was a being beyond extortion, it would likely balk at such an ultimatum. It held the power, how could Oscar ask anything of it?

Oscar would not keep his skepticism to himself, "Demand? You should know as well as anyone that a legendary pokemon does not entertain demands. How can you place such a thing upon me? An-and why the sudden urgency? We've never been in a rush before!"

Oscar found himself struggling to hide his heavy breathing, his anxiety creeping through him like a gradual frost.

THEO BECKETT