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Description
Journal Entry #36

I was a bit surprised when Wren, Nuri’s second-in-command, handed Russy and I the reward for doing two jobs. I asked him what this was all for and he said “Well you helped in locating the ‘mons who kidnapped Konjac, didn’t you?” and “You also joined us, though unwarranted, in the Iclyn Tunnels, kept Konjac safe and fended off any aggressive Pokémon, right?”, so I guess what we did counted in helping their guild.

It’s just… I’ve never had meobans before. Never needed them. Where Russy and I are from, Gregarious Grove, we never had a use for money. There was always an abundance of everything, food, materials. Mostly we traded food or baubles like shells and stones to get what we needed. The soil there is rich, thought to be the deathbed of a wailord. How a wailord ended up stranded miles away from sea is beyond me. Maybe part, or all, of Huana was under water at one point? Or some terribly powerful storm washed it up?

Anyway, we’re starting the long trek to Rift City. The guilds want to return to have Konjac look at a “gate” they found. Should be interesting.

Journal Entry #37

Rift City is a mess! I’ve heard about its old overgrown buildings and Ancient structures, but this place was ruined beyond normal with growing, gaping sinkholes all over the city like blotches of ink on paper. While the Roaring Icebergs have been tasked with helping anyone trapped because of the sinkholes, the Ardent Cinders were tasked with locating and capturing the escaped convicts from the local Correctional Facility.

That was our job. Our first job.

Man, I don’t think I knew what I was getting into.

Journal Entry #38

Thankfully we were paired with a more experienced team. It was actually a team we’ve seen before, one of the ones we entered the Iclyn Tunnels with, that excitable girafarig and sparkly blue minior. I didn’t make note of it before, but the girafarig’s colors were off from what you normally see in their kind. Blue instead of pink highlights! What are the odds, two shiny ‘mon being paired up? Though her distinction is more noticeable, hah.

I learned the girafairg’s name is Sputnik, her tail and other brain is named Snap, and her minior partner is Bopp. Together they called themselves Team Star.

I wonder what it’s like to have two heads with one body? “Two heads are better than one” is the saying, but is that true in this case? It would seem a bit bothersome to me, especially if my other head didn’t want to do what I wanted to do. Who gets control of the body if both want different things? In Sputnik and Snap’s case, it looks like Sputnik is more in control, but still… does that bother Snap at all?

Ooor maybe I’m reading too much into it. After all, all Snap seems interested in is Russy’s flaps and occasionally my tail. She seems very… primitive in thinking compared to Sputnik. I think her stomach rules over her brain.

Looks like we’re ready to head out. Hopefully this won’t be too bad.

Journal Entry #39

Our target was a newer patient, a meditite, with a delusional disorder. Apparently they thought they were someone else quite often and this caused trouble for who they were claiming to be. Currently they seemed to be claiming to be some guy named “Chives”. Doesn't seem too dangerous. Hopefully we don’t run into the actual Chives. Guess we’d just have to bring them both in???

Journal Entry #40

Man this terrain is rough. I’m taking a break, but we’ve been up and down these pockmarked and debris-filled roads for a while, ducking into buildings trying to find any sign of the meditite we were after.

Russy’s been running around like crazy, scouting. I keep telling her to be careful, with all this debris she could easily trip, which she has about twice now, but she continues her fast-paced scan of the area.

Sputnik, Snap, and Bopp have been helpful despite me not being able to understand the latter two - they seem to have their own language. They understand my need to rest and let us stop to survey this area while I sit here and take a moment. I think I’m good now after writing this, maybe-

Hang on. I see… yes. I think I see Chives! There’s a meditite on the second floor of a pretty decrepit building, half-sunk into a sinkhole, staring at me. Do they know they've been spotted? Wait… Their appearance just shifted. Or, more like warbled? Is that a mind trick? Are they trying to hide themself? Maybe… maybe they're scared, trapped, and don’t know whether to call for help or stay hidden. Their so close… Maybe if I talk to them, I can get them to come out of hiding, reason with them, and maybe I can get the others’ attention.

Journal ENtry # 4 1

We sti l l loOK for CHIVES. What i saw was a fAls e ala rm.

I am reSted no w. my friendss arE heRE.

I am P O E S Y.

Journal Entry # 4 2

I ponder, I wonDER at All that s urround s me. Russy haS been giving me odD looks, but I assurE her I’m okay. This new job just has me exerting myseLF more. I’ve stopped to documenT what looks liKE meditite footprints. They end just on the precipiCE of a sinkholE.

If we arE to investigate more into the ANCIENTS, we’ve got to play ouR part in this guild.

We will finD CHIVES.

Journal Entry # 4 3

We decided to take shelter as a heavy downpour gushes outside. We searched the sinkhole and believe the meditite footprints lead to a smaller collapsed area blocked by debris. We heard muffled sounds from below, so someone has got to be down there. Maybe I can devise something to clear the debris safely and rescue whoever’s inside? By my Great Aunt Dula’s terrible tooth, we’ll reach them!

Journal Entry #44 (or 41 really???)

WHAT THE DEVIL WAS THAT!?!???

I can’t even BEGIN to recount what just- What just happened was- THAT

THAT was no meditite!! Turns out Chives was actually a ditto! I went to investigate what I saw and there they were, “Chives” the meditite, standing in the middle of the decaying room on the second floor of that building just like I saw, all creepy like with the white light of the day casting them in shadow. I tried saying hello and they said it back. I thought that was a good start (WRONG), so I continued, “You look lost, are you okay? I can show you the way out. This building isn’t exactly safe right now.” and they said,

“You look lost, are you okay? I can show you the way out. This building isn’t exactly safe right now.”

But their voice CHANGED. It shifted halfway through. They started to sound like… me.

Now this truly freaked me out, but before I could say anything more, the meditite’s body warbled like it did before, except this wasn’t some psychic mind trick. Their body jiggled, their face seeming to melt, until they became a pink blob on the floor. A pink blob that was starting to look like ME.

Yeah, I was getting the heck out of there.

But as I turned to run, the thing slurped right by me, under my feet and reformed right in front of me! What faced me was my own face, a weird smile plastered on. It thanked me, saying “I’ll be you now. Yes, I’ll be you. What fun,” before shoving me in a smaller room, the slamming door causing some pots to fall from higher shelves and onto my head. This is where I blacked out.

When I awoke, I was trapped in that room. The door wouldn’t give. It was dark, save for the small sliver of light from under the door. I reached for my journal, my comfort, but it wasn’t there. I frantically searched the room, but it wasn’t anywhere. I was in the middle of cursing that dubious ditto, when a creaking sound split the air, followed by a thunderous CRACK. The building shook and I lurched to the side as the room physically tilted. And that’s when I remembered.

This building was on the edge of a sinkhole.

I remained very, very still while my mind shot in a million different directions until it went blank. I was shot, frazzled, done. I didn’t know what to do. Maybe if I would have had an extra head like Sputnik, I would’ve been of more help (then again, maybe both of us would’ve been paralyzed), but I started to forget everything I knew. It all slipped through my fingers. I couldn’t tell, not then, not now, but it makes me wonder… Was it the situation that caused me to freeze up? Or my not having my journal? Am I really that dependent on it…?

Anyway, I started to cry for help. Eventually, after another sickening crack and shift of the building, a brown wooper (the same one I was with in the Iclyn Tunnels) kicked open the door. I would like to say that I recovered my senses and we ran out of there together as quick as we could, but the reality was… I was a sobbing mess.

I still had no clue where I was, what I was doing and the creaking of the building was making it worse. Thankfully, the wooper (whom I later found out was called Mister Whip), started nudging me forcefully in the direction of the exit. I soon caught on and started stumbling in that direction. Mr. Whip took the lead, getting me out of that building in just the nick of time, using the whip tied around her waist to rescue me when I slipped as the building came crashing down.

After laying on the concrete, taking some deep breaths and a moment to rest, my senses began to return to me. I thanked Mister Whip, who stayed by my side as I recovered, and then proceeded to freak out more once I remembered the situation with the ditto. I swear that wooper probably thinks I’m the worst Ardent Cinder ever, haha.

She must of understood my blabbering, because she knew who I was talking about when I mentioned Russy and the team I was with. She took me straight to them, she must have seen them in her patrols.

It was raining thankfully, because snot was still running down my nose and at least hid the wreck I was a few moments ago, but I barged right up to the overhang Team Star and Russy was under. Sopping wet, I pointed a finger at fake-me (I’ll refer to them as "Poser") and said “You!”, to the others “That’s Chives! Their not a meditite, their a ditto!” I’ll admit, it was a rather dramatic sight.

There was this horrible moment of confusion, everyone looking from me to the imposter and back again. Poser looked puzzled, alarmed. Such a faker. There was this back and forth of denial and not knowing who was who, but amazingly, wonderfully, Snap cleared it all up.

That brilliant, simple-minded, toothy tail! Everyone was arguing when Snap chomped down on my tail. Then she tore it off (no need to be alarmed! This happens more often than you would think; it’ll grow back). While everyone was looking on in horror, Snap neared Poser’s tail. Before Sputnik could yank her away, Snap merely growled, barking out something like “QRW IRRG!” That seemed to trigger something in Sputnik. Her eyes lit up fiercely and she rounded on Poser. “You are a fake!” she exclaimed, “Snap can smell the difference! He doesn’t like your tail because it doesn’t smell sweet like a slowpoke’s tail, because you’re not a slowpoke. You’re not Poesy!”

Poser seemed to wither at that. They drooped, literally. Their - my - face sagged until their whole facade fell apart and a despondent pile of goo lay on the ground, ditto once more. They didn’t seem to have any fight in them, but just to be cautious, we scooped them up in a pot. Before we plugged it up, I heard a whimper from inside, “Genesis doesn’t want to harm. Genesis just wants to belong…”

I felt bad for them. Sort of. We rescued who was trapped under the debris at the bottom of the sinkhole (which was Chives, the REAL Chives) and then handed the ditto, Genesis, off to Pine’s underlings.

The day is now done and I am EXHAUSTED.

…

This whole ordeal has me wondering though… Am I fooling myself?

I… I felt as scared and lost trapped in that room as that ditto did right before we enclosed it in that pot. I forgot myself… I forgot. How am I supposed to be a luminary, a wealth of knowledge, if I forget everything I learn when I need it most? Is it a curse to want this… but to be born a slowpoke…?

I know we caught the Correctional Facility escapee like we wanted… but I still feel like today was a big flop.

===================================

END OF MISSION 3.
Mission 3 Prompt

REWARDS:
- 5 meobans
- 1 Furniture Voucher

CAMEOS:
Wren
's Team Star
's Team Apex

Team Slow Go

NEXT: All Is Well In Atwell
PREVIOUS: Pensive Ponderings

Description
Journal Entry #36

I was a bit surprised when Wren, Nuri’s second-in-command, handed Russy and I the reward for doing two jobs. I asked him what this was all for and he said “Well you helped in locating the ‘mons who kidnapped Konjac, didn’t you?” and “You also joined us, though unwarranted, in the Iclyn Tunnels, kept Konjac safe and fended off any aggressive Pokémon, right?”, so I guess what we did counted in helping their guild.

It’s just… I’ve never had meobans before. Never needed them. Where Russy and I are from, Gregarious Grove, we never had a use for money. There was always an abundance of everything, food, materials. Mostly we traded food or baubles like shells and stones to get what we needed. The soil there is rich, thought to be the deathbed of a wailord. How a wailord ended up stranded miles away from sea is beyond me. Maybe part, or all, of Huana was under water at one point? Or some terribly powerful storm washed it up?

Anyway, we’re starting the long trek to Rift City. The guilds want to return to have Konjac look at a “gate” they found. Should be interesting.

Journal Entry #37

Rift City is a mess! I’ve heard about its old overgrown buildings and Ancient structures, but this place was ruined beyond normal with growing, gaping sinkholes all over the city like blotches of ink on paper. While the Roaring Icebergs have been tasked with helping anyone trapped because of the sinkholes, the Ardent Cinders were tasked with locating and capturing the escaped convicts from the local Correctional Facility.

That was our job. Our first job.

Man, I don’t think I knew what I was getting into.

Journal Entry #38

Thankfully we were paired with a more experienced team. It was actually a team we’ve seen before, one of the ones we entered the Iclyn Tunnels with, that excitable girafarig and sparkly blue minior. I didn’t make note of it before, but the girafarig’s colors were off from what you normally see in their kind. Blue instead of pink highlights! What are the odds, two shiny ‘mon being paired up? Though her distinction is more noticeable, hah.

I learned the girafairg’s name is Sputnik, her tail and other brain is named Snap, and her minior partner is Bopp. Together they called themselves Team Star.

I wonder what it’s like to have two heads with one body? “Two heads are better than one” is the saying, but is that true in this case? It would seem a bit bothersome to me, especially if my other head didn’t want to do what I wanted to do. Who gets control of the body if both want different things? In Sputnik and Snap’s case, it looks like Sputnik is more in control, but still… does that bother Snap at all?

Ooor maybe I’m reading too much into it. After all, all Snap seems interested in is Russy’s flaps and occasionally my tail. She seems very… primitive in thinking compared to Sputnik. I think her stomach rules over her brain.

Looks like we’re ready to head out. Hopefully this won’t be too bad.

Journal Entry #39

Our target was a newer patient, a meditite, with a delusional disorder. Apparently they thought they were someone else quite often and this caused trouble for who they were claiming to be. Currently they seemed to be claiming to be some guy named “Chives”. Doesn't seem too dangerous. Hopefully we don’t run into the actual Chives. Guess we’d just have to bring them both in???

Journal Entry #40

Man this terrain is rough. I’m taking a break, but we’ve been up and down these pockmarked and debris-filled roads for a while, ducking into buildings trying to find any sign of the meditite we were after.

Russy’s been running around like crazy, scouting. I keep telling her to be careful, with all this debris she could easily trip, which she has about twice now, but she continues her fast-paced scan of the area.

Sputnik, Snap, and Bopp have been helpful despite me not being able to understand the latter two - they seem to have their own language. They understand my need to rest and let us stop to survey this area while I sit here and take a moment. I think I’m good now after writing this, maybe-

Hang on. I see… yes. I think I see Chives! There’s a meditite on the second floor of a pretty decrepit building, half-sunk into a sinkhole, staring at me. Do they know they've been spotted? Wait… Their appearance just shifted. Or, more like warbled? Is that a mind trick? Are they trying to hide themself? Maybe… maybe they're scared, trapped, and don’t know whether to call for help or stay hidden. Their so close… Maybe if I talk to them, I can get them to come out of hiding, reason with them, and maybe I can get the others’ attention.

Journal ENtry # 4 1

We sti l l loOK for CHIVES. What i saw was a fAls e ala rm.

I am reSted no w. my friendss arE heRE.

I am P O E S Y.

Journal Entry # 4 2

I ponder, I wonDER at All that s urround s me. Russy haS been giving me odD looks, but I assurE her I’m okay. This new job just has me exerting myseLF more. I’ve stopped to documenT what looks liKE meditite footprints. They end just on the precipiCE of a sinkholE.

If we arE to investigate more into the ANCIENTS, we’ve got to play ouR part in this guild.

We will finD CHIVES.

Journal Entry # 4 3

We decided to take shelter as a heavy downpour gushes outside. We searched the sinkhole and believe the meditite footprints lead to a smaller collapsed area blocked by debris. We heard muffled sounds from below, so someone has got to be down there. Maybe I can devise something to clear the debris safely and rescue whoever’s inside? By my Great Aunt Dula’s terrible tooth, we’ll reach them!

Journal Entry #44 (or 41 really???)

WHAT THE DEVIL WAS THAT!?!???

I can’t even BEGIN to recount what just- What just happened was- THAT

THAT was no meditite!! Turns out Chives was actually a ditto! I went to investigate what I saw and there they were, “Chives” the meditite, standing in the middle of the decaying room on the second floor of that building just like I saw, all creepy like with the white light of the day casting them in shadow. I tried saying hello and they said it back. I thought that was a good start (WRONG), so I continued, “You look lost, are you okay? I can show you the way out. This building isn’t exactly safe right now.” and they said,

“You look lost, are you okay? I can show you the way out. This building isn’t exactly safe right now.”

But their voice CHANGED. It shifted halfway through. They started to sound like… me.

Now this truly freaked me out, but before I could say anything more, the meditite’s body warbled like it did before, except this wasn’t some psychic mind trick. Their body jiggled, their face seeming to melt, until they became a pink blob on the floor. A pink blob that was starting to look like ME.

Yeah, I was getting the heck out of there.

But as I turned to run, the thing slurped right by me, under my feet and reformed right in front of me! What faced me was my own face, a weird smile plastered on. It thanked me, saying “I’ll be you now. Yes, I’ll be you. What fun,” before shoving me in a smaller room, the slamming door causing some pots to fall from higher shelves and onto my head. This is where I blacked out.

When I awoke, I was trapped in that room. The door wouldn’t give. It was dark, save for the small sliver of light from under the door. I reached for my journal, my comfort, but it wasn’t there. I frantically searched the room, but it wasn’t anywhere. I was in the middle of cursing that dubious ditto, when a creaking sound split the air, followed by a thunderous CRACK. The building shook and I lurched to the side as the room physically tilted. And that’s when I remembered.

This building was on the edge of a sinkhole.

I remained very, very still while my mind shot in a million different directions until it went blank. I was shot, frazzled, done. I didn’t know what to do. Maybe if I would have had an extra head like Sputnik, I would’ve been of more help (then again, maybe both of us would’ve been paralyzed), but I started to forget everything I knew. It all slipped through my fingers. I couldn’t tell, not then, not now, but it makes me wonder… Was it the situation that caused me to freeze up? Or my not having my journal? Am I really that dependent on it…?

Anyway, I started to cry for help. Eventually, after another sickening crack and shift of the building, a brown wooper (the same one I was with in the Iclyn Tunnels) kicked open the door. I would like to say that I recovered my senses and we ran out of there together as quick as we could, but the reality was… I was a sobbing mess.

I still had no clue where I was, what I was doing and the creaking of the building was making it worse. Thankfully, the wooper (whom I later found out was called Mister Whip), started nudging me forcefully in the direction of the exit. I soon caught on and started stumbling in that direction. Mr. Whip took the lead, getting me out of that building in just the nick of time, using the whip tied around her waist to rescue me when I slipped as the building came crashing down.

After laying on the concrete, taking some deep breaths and a moment to rest, my senses began to return to me. I thanked Mister Whip, who stayed by my side as I recovered, and then proceeded to freak out more once I remembered the situation with the ditto. I swear that wooper probably thinks I’m the worst Ardent Cinder ever, haha.

She must of understood my blabbering, because she knew who I was talking about when I mentioned Russy and the team I was with. She took me straight to them, she must have seen them in her patrols.

It was raining thankfully, because snot was still running down my nose and at least hid the wreck I was a few moments ago, but I barged right up to the overhang Team Star and Russy was under. Sopping wet, I pointed a finger at fake-me (I’ll refer to them as "Poser") and said “You!”, to the others “That’s Chives! Their not a meditite, their a ditto!” I’ll admit, it was a rather dramatic sight.

There was this horrible moment of confusion, everyone looking from me to the imposter and back again. Poser looked puzzled, alarmed. Such a faker. There was this back and forth of denial and not knowing who was who, but amazingly, wonderfully, Snap cleared it all up.

That brilliant, simple-minded, toothy tail! Everyone was arguing when Snap chomped down on my tail. Then she tore it off (no need to be alarmed! This happens more often than you would think; it’ll grow back). While everyone was looking on in horror, Snap neared Poser’s tail. Before Sputnik could yank her away, Snap merely growled, barking out something like “QRW IRRG!” That seemed to trigger something in Sputnik. Her eyes lit up fiercely and she rounded on Poser. “You are a fake!” she exclaimed, “Snap can smell the difference! He doesn’t like your tail because it doesn’t smell sweet like a slowpoke’s tail, because you’re not a slowpoke. You’re not Poesy!”

Poser seemed to wither at that. They drooped, literally. Their - my - face sagged until their whole facade fell apart and a despondent pile of goo lay on the ground, ditto once more. They didn’t seem to have any fight in them, but just to be cautious, we scooped them up in a pot. Before we plugged it up, I heard a whimper from inside, “Genesis doesn’t want to harm. Genesis just wants to belong…”

I felt bad for them. Sort of. We rescued who was trapped under the debris at the bottom of the sinkhole (which was Chives, the REAL Chives) and then handed the ditto, Genesis, off to Pine’s underlings.

The day is now done and I am EXHAUSTED.

…

This whole ordeal has me wondering though… Am I fooling myself?

I… I felt as scared and lost trapped in that room as that ditto did right before we enclosed it in that pot. I forgot myself… I forgot. How am I supposed to be a luminary, a wealth of knowledge, if I forget everything I learn when I need it most? Is it a curse to want this… but to be born a slowpoke…?

I know we caught the Correctional Facility escapee like we wanted… but I still feel like today was a big flop.

===================================

END OF MISSION 3.
Mission 3 Prompt

REWARDS:
- 5 meobans
- 1 Furniture Voucher

CAMEOS:
Wren
's Team Star
's Team Apex

Team Slow Go

NEXT: All Is Well In Atwell
PREVIOUS: Pensive Ponderings