It listened, interesting. Prime tilted its head as it tried to think of what exactly to do with this information. This Genesect seemed to be completely subservient to its programming, so could Prime exploit that to reveal its deeper personality? If it could, did Prime have the right to do so? There were many perks to engaging with broader thinking, but it came with many drawbacks as well. Prime itself had been grappling with a great deal mentally as of late, perhaps ignorance was bliss.

Even so, prodding at the edges to test the limits of this discovery could not hurt. Prime looked down as it thought of a new command before locking eyes with its counterpart.

"PRIMARY COMMAND: STATE DESIGNATED COMMANDERS."

Cillian Quinn

Right to the artery today. Oscar's eyes glanced toward the light that indicated whether or not Zapdos was sitting upon its perch. It was currently on. Oscar took a deep breath through his nose, readjusting his posture as he attained some semblance of confidence. Theo could not get to the Perch without Oscar, so Oscar held all the cards regarding what Theo desired. Speaking of...

"It's on its perch currently, no doubt enjoying a hefty meal of electricity. Might I ask what you seek from it?"

THEO BECKETT

Of course there was a bigger fish. There was always a fucking bigger fish. Oscar thought the titans from before were a pain, but this new one was actually insane. It looked like the twisted Steel relative of regice, born from the nightmares of every pokemon Oscar had melted down for scrap. Oscar grimaced, feeling more than a little reluctant to take on such a horrific giant after what he had already been through.

Yet all he had to do was look to Babayaga for reassurance. The decidueye was undeterred by this new threat, looking on as the titan began its attack. The owl looked to Oscar, nodding to confirm its lack of fear. It shall do what it always does: fight to its fullest. Oscar gulped back his own anxiety, nodding confidently back toward his winged warrior.

Babayaga flapped its majestic wings and took to the sky, a gust of wind carrying it toward its newest foe. Unlike the times before, Baba would jump right into the fight with as much fire power as it could muster (Solar Beam).

vFBOenoY
+10 Shift

Answer is: STEEL

Solar Beam BLAST

Using Blast effect.

BLAST: Moves that require charging, recharging, or act as one-hit knockout moves will receive a +20 modifier if the roll is an even number after modifiers.

REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X TM/TR (to teach Decidueye Solar Beam)

TOTAL

do come again!

## PD

A KEY HAS BEEN FOUND

The final key, to be exact. As Oscar caught this, he would quickly announce it over the PA system. "The final key has been found! Escape is imminent!"

Prime marched through the third floor threshold, just in time to spot Zev and Hitoshi heading toward the nearby elevator. It did not immediately pursue though, instead simply watching as the two entered the lift. Prime casually approached the elevator doors, shoving its claws into them to pry the pair open. As it ripped the doors aside, Prime could see the cables shifting as the lift approached the first floor. It waited there, until it heard the sound of a soft 'ding' far below. Then it stepped off.

As Zev and Hitoshi walked away from the elevator, the lift itself would suddenly be crushed by something heavy. Dust and smoke would pour out of the elevator shaft, obscuring the body of whatever fell. Then Prime's red eyes would pierce through the smoke, announcing its arrival as it stomped out of the ruined shaft. As Prime's full form was revealed, it would stop short and stretch its limbs. The pair had evaded it this entire time, but now they had nowhere left to go. If they wanted to escape, they would have to now contend with Prime directly.

The speakers in Prime's head crackled as a song began to play. Oscar leaned forward as he heard the familiar tune's intro, a grin crawling upon his face. "Now this--is what I call entertainment." As the song reached its first lyrics, Prime would sprint toward its prey.

Sun is shinin' in the sky

There ain't a cloud in sight...

HwmtB8AF

Hitoshi Inoue Zev Harcourt

THE FINAL BATTLE

While you are close to victory, Prime will not allow you to escape peacefully. Every post, as you attempt to use the four keys, you must make a 'dodge roll' to avoid Genesect's attacks. Failing to dodge the attack will cause you to 1) Lose a life and 2) Cause the key to not fully enter the lock. Thus, to properly secure the key you must not get hit by Genesect's attack. You may only attempt to insert a key once per post; if you insert the final key and pass the dodge roll of that post you will automatically win.

To pass the dodge roll, you must roll higher than whatever Genesect rolls. Good luck and don't die.

Oscar has replayed this moment in his head many times, mostly before bed during times of great difficulty. Would he have been better off if he did not bother to capture Velmos? Impossible to tell, though Oscar often fantasized what it would have been like if he had not gotten a promotion within Rocket. His debt would have never been paid off, and his fortune would not have been reclaimed. His life would have been so much simpler.

Hindsight's 20/20 though. Oscar made the decisions he made, and likely he would have made the same choices a thousand times over if given the chance. He had to keep reminding himself that what he was witnessing was a mirage, an echo of the past shared between him and priam conrad. Right, this was when the two of them solidified their friendship. Would they have still become friends if Oscar had opted to not involve himself with capturing Velmos?

Oscar watched his dragapult chomp down on the alien general and spirit him away, scratching his head as he stood beside Priam. "I'm surprised we ended up at his capture first. All of the good bits happened beforehand, do you remember?"

The winning strategy seemed to be a lot like their previous efforts. So be it, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Babayaga dived under the Golurk's sweeping arm, rising with his summoned wind over the construct's head. Oscar once again aimed his Tera Orb at Babayaga, causing his feathers to take on a crystalized hue once again.

Baba's wings flapped closed, before erupting open to unleash a flurry of Razor Leaves. The volley arched through the air, curving the air as they flew toward the golem's neck. Hopefully they strike vital points that will destabilize the mighty warrior.

0|UhaAzT
+10 Shift
+20 Gimmick
+20 Boost

Ominous Wind
Razor Leaf -- Snipe//Strike

Using the SNIPE effect.

SNIPE: moves with a high critical-hit ratio or perfect critical-hit chance can double their total roll if they roll a 90 or above after modifiers.

Raziel Beckett FERNANDO SILPH priam conrad

A KEY HAS BEEN FOUND

Hitoshi was on the right track when he checked the bathroom. He might have almost missed it, but upon opening the toilet tank he would find the key resting within the stagnant water. Oscar nodded and reached for the PA mic. "Alright it looks like three out of four keys have been found! It's coming down to the wire now!"

Meanwhile Zev's efforts also bore fruit. One might think the clutter created from Genesect's rampage would make it harder to find what they needed. However, since most of the containers were blown up, searching on the third floor was now much easier (+20 to rolls). Conversely, hiding would be more difficult (-20 to rolls) due to the lack of hiding places.

As Zev shifted through the wreckage, he would come upon an item displaced from its hiding spot.

Elevator Key Card

Allows access to the elevator. When using the Change Floor action, you can now move to any floor you want. You no longer need to use the stairwells.

The acquisition of this item would be well timed, as Prime's machinations would soon unfold. It had in fact, moved down--though not completely. Prime remained hidden within the stairwell, waiting for its moment to strike. After it witnessed Zev moving to the third floor, it decided to make its move. Prime's cannon charged, gathering energy before erupting into a massive blast (Techno Blast). The ray smashed through the upper stairwells, causing them to loudly rip from their bearings and fall the the ground in a metallic heap. While the fourth and third floor still remain connected by barely intact stairs, it is now impossible to move below the third floor using the stairwell.

With its prey trapped, Prime shifted into its hover form to float up to the third floor's entrance (Magnet Rise). It calmly entered the third floor, searching for its trapped prey.

l8WAwasi


(*)Fourth Floor: Hitoshi Inoue
()Third Floor: Genesect (Searching), Zev Harcourt
(*)Second Floor:
(*)First Floor:

"He's fuckin' what!?"

Oscar's hand tightened around his phone, anxiety gradually causing his body to tense. Thus far it had been a pretty standard day at work, but that quickly changed when his secretary called with some rather surprising news. THEO BECKETT had just entered the power plant, unannounced, and was now on the elevator heading toward Oscar's office.

Truth be told Theo was not the scariest underboss to have visit without prior notice, that honor would probably go to Elisabeth Fiorelli. Still, if Theo was bothering to come to his place of business instead of calling for Oscar to come to the sub--then it was a certainty that shit was about to go down. As his secretary provided an explanation for why she let Theo through, Oscar could only think about all of the horrific ways this surprise meeting could go.

His hand tightened further around the phone, the plastic shell cracking as he eventually pulled it from his ear and slammed it onto the receiver. He had no time to listen to excuses, Theo fucking Becket was about to be in his office within the next ten seconds! Oscar got out of his chair, rounded his desk, and straightened up as he faced the elevator door that opened directly into his office. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head as the elevator dinged, announcing the arrival of his superior. Despite his anxiety, Oscar would greet Theo with a smile as the doors opened.

"Mister Becket! To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

One might make the mistake to think that Oscar had lost control over his cybernetic warrior. True he provided his favorite soldier with a great deal of freedom, but Prime was still on a leash. Oscar pulled a device out of his inner coat pocket, no bigger than a garage door opener. As Prime's tantrum reached increasingly deranged heights, Oscar would simply press the sole button on the device.

Prime paused mid thrash, as if it had suddenly been frozen in time. A second later it would calmly shift into a neutral pose, looking around as if it did not recognize its surroundings. Prime had been mentally reset, and soon its programming would fill in the blanks in its memory. It recalled its current mission, and began searching the fourth floor much more placidly.

Normally Prime had only enough understanding of emotions to emulate them--not experience them fully. This new development deeply concerned Oscar, but looking into it can wait until after the training exercise. With that little crisis taken care of, Oscar put the remote back into his coat and reclined. He looked to his blade companion and smiled, "This might just be the bloodloss talking, but you're pretty cute for a blood-sucking sword."

Unable to locate its targets, Prime decided to slink into the shadows to listen carefully for its targets. Or perhaps just to catch them unawares...

Genesect has switched floors, but which one is he on? Do you anticipate it and hide or risk being hunted for possible profit?

Genesect(Stealth)

()Fourth Floor: Zev Harcourt Hitoshi Inoue
()Third Floor:
(*)Second Floor:
(*)First Floor:

Oscar nodded at Razz's candid response. "Yeah but I get not remembering, it was fuckin' years ago. Nice to re-meet ya."

This fucking bastard! Oscar was internally screaming, enraged but Kingsman's absolute nerve. After the humiliation he put Oscar through, he dared to FORGET him? Oscar had to put his hands in his pockets, otherwise he may strangle the ranger here and now!

This bizarre reunion would have to be put on hold though, as the ground began to rumble once again. Oscar's heart sank as he confirmed the shifting sands, looking with utter disbelief as an enormous Golurk rose from the depths below. "Oh you're fuckin' kidding me!"

Oscar felt an immense dread as the golurk's shadow was cast upon them. After a few moments, Oscar would realize that the feeling was actually coming from Babayaga beside him. Babayaga was surprised as well, but that would not stop him from rising to the occasion. His hood flapped as yet more Ominous Wind envelopes him, fueling his wings as he took flight.

9G7Y5_uk

Ominous Wind: BOOST//STRIKE

Using the BOOST effect.

BOOST - moves that raise or have a chance to raise the user's attack, special attack, or speed add a +20 modifier to the user's next attack in the following round.
FERNANDO SILPH Raziel Beckett priam conrad

Prime pursued its target with unbridled ferocity. Every obstacle thrown its way became a burst of debris as Prime smashed through it. More and more clutter began to cling to the hunter's body, too lost in its blood lust to notice or care. Impulses pushed it forward, far off memories of leaping through the brush in pursuit of a desperate mark. There was no where for Zev to run, nor would it be possible for him to hide!

It pushed against the beast's chair-shield, driving it like a football player drives a blocking dummy. When there was no more corners to push Zev into, the chair itself was thrown like one might throw the kitchen sink at a persistent problem. Prime tore that as well, stuffing and plastic enveloping its vision. It was so sure that its chase would be successful, that it did not even care.

Yet as Prime pushed through the door after Zev, it would quickly realize that its target had eluded it. Prime swung around in every direction, completely dumbfounded how its prey managed to give it the slip. It even doubled back, thinking that perhaps it had accidentally cleaved right through Zev in its fervor. No, Prime recalled the devourer's strength. Such a feat was impossible--which could only mean.

The hunt had failed.

Prime lifted its claws to its head, its visor sparking as fury overrode its programming. It let out a soul shattering cry, so loud and distressed that it gave even Oscar pause. He looked up from his sword IV, arching his brows as he stared into the flickering center monitor. "The fuck is it doing..."

Prime began ripping up the third floor in a deranged frenzy, obsessed with relocating its target.

Genesect is too distracted to search properly, for this turn you may change floors without a hiding roll. However, your luck will be short lived...

()Fourth Floor:
()Third Floor: Genesect(Hunt), Zev Harcourt, Hitoshi Inoue
(*)Second Floor:
(*)First Floor:

The smoke on the second floor has faded.

As Sylvie and her Grimer began their work, Oscar began looking for ways to be useful. He decided upon grabbing the buckets that Sylvie had emptied and taking them to the lab's sink, washing them out with soap and water. The effort had the additional effect of cleaning out the blood-caked sink as well.

He was focused on the task at hand, but he attempted to the best of his ability to provide a simple answer to Sylvie's question. "Well, kinda. More-so I was trying to force a breakthrough. I'm not a biologist, but I had to figure out how to combine a cybernetic arm created for humans with tech taken from an Iron Valiant's arm. It was successful, at the cost of my time and sanity."

Oscar began placing the buckets aside, filled with water so that they might be used for further cleaning. "Do you have additional utensils nearby? Y'know, mops and the like. If not I can probably procure some."

sylvie faust