A/N
Thanks for reviewing, Muders. First one in a while!
Mission Log #3
Task: 0709201922
Team(s): Relic, Waffle
Participants: Waffle Brekky, Lemon Gumms, Pearbutter HoS, Creme Cheez Sleezer, Basil Postuh, Mallow Nicholy
Logger: Pearbutter HoS
Penner: Pearbutter HoS
I think I'm supposed to put context or something, first. Well, here goes.
So, apparently the guild wants to send in some spies to figure out what's been going on with the kidnappings.
A recent spike in disappearances has sprung up, so we're heading over to the scene to maybe try to convince these kidnappers to let us "join" them. They're supposed to maybe be an organization, or something.
I think I also heard something about this being somewhere it hasn't happened until now. Another veteran team is coming with us for protection. They're not the infiltrators because they're too recognizable or something. That's all I really remember. I don't really care, so long as I get paid.
We didn't travel directly with Team Relic so that we could avoid suspicion. So, as we boarded the boat, it was just me, Lemon, and Waffle. My two best friends, one could say.
Am I supposed to write personal stuff here? I don't know, but I feel like it's important context, given what ended up happening. It'll make sense later.
The three of us have always kind of been acquaintances? Well, to start, it was more so that I was friends with Lemon, Lemon was friends with Shersy, and Sher' was Waffle's sister so they had a good reason to be close. It didn't take long for me to warm up to Shersy and Waffle.
I might even go as far as to say, I kind of... Well, you know... I had a thing for Shersy. She was always very protective of Waffle, as well, since the shrimp couldn't exactly fend for himself.
Well, one day, the class was on a field trip. The teacher was showing us around a local mystery dungeon, accompanied by a real exploration team. I think we actually passed through that one on our initial journey to the guild a month or so ago.
So, as per usual, some numbnuts were picking on Waffle. Shersy came to put an end to it, of course, but things didn't go the way they usually did. She was pissed. She didn't let them just walk away laughing. God damn it, why couldn't she have just let it go?
She pursued them. They weren't scared, and it got dirty. Lemon and I arrived too late to catch it happening; we only found Waffle crying alone. According to him, they'd veered off deeper into the dungeon. None of our other classmates around had followed them, or could agree on which path they'd taken.
The teacher and the exploration team searched high and low for them, with the class soon joining, but they were just gone. Four classmates had gotten lost somewhere in the dungeon, and we weren't able to find them. We'd only covered half of the total area by nightfall. We had to evacuate the dungeon before it shifted so that we didn't get lost in the woods.
Shersy, as well as the others, never reappeared. The exploration team scoured the area for over a week after. We don't know if they were in there when it shifted, or if they were attacked by something, or whatever else. All we knew was that they probably weren't coming back.
You see, the forest is huge. They could've been spat out anywhere. All we knew at the time was, if they didn't die in the dungeon, they had probably died lost and alone outside of it.
Plaques were all hung up in a memorial of sorts, later. All their photos; The eevee, the nidoran, the sandile, and the nickit that lost their lives too soon.
That's why I've hated Waffle, for all these years. I blamed him for what happened. The one I loved most, torn away from me because a pathetic excuse of a pokémon couldn't defend himself.
Maybe it was unfair of me. He was just a kid who needed help. She was just a kid that wanted to help. And, I was just a kid that was unable to forgive. Unable to forget.
It wasn't until Waffle's recent evolution that I've began to reconsider things. All these years later, I'm still at base form, I can barely hold my own in a fight, and I'm still clinging to the pest. Yet, the wimp who couldn't protect himself is growing in psychic ability day by day, he's great with machines, and he's moved on to embrace the future.
I always thought that Waffle was weak. It's starting to really sink in, however. If he's weak, and I'm not as strong as him, then what do I truly contribute to the world? I'm nothing but a burden. I've spent so much time taking and nothing else.
I shared some of these feelings with Waffle. He doesn't feel the same way. He feels that, if I wasn't so hard on him, he might not have felt the pressure to grow.
Ever the optimist, he is. I can respect that. I can respect him. I haven't forgiven him for what happened, and I still despise him to my core, but... I think I've taken the first step to repairing our friendship.
I'll be honest, now. I had selfish intentions joining the guild, and I still stand by those. But, I feel like, maybe there's more to it. The money alone wasn't why I wanted to join. I want to save and protect, like I failed to do all those years ago. I want to redeem myself for my failure. I want to make sure no one else has to endure what I have all these years. And, of course, I wanna be rich.
Yeah, sorry if I got a bit too sappy, there. I just felt like it's important context.
Well, so, yeah. To get where we needed to be going, we'd be taking a ship out of town. This particular vessel was manned by one of our exploration teams; Team Wave
The chespin crossed his arms. Team Waffle strode slowly down a set of rickety wooden stairs. The overcast sky eclipsed the sun, only letting a torrent of water down from its clouds.
Waffle's forehead gem lit up in a brilliant display, lighting up the dark and damp stretches of lower layer-port.
"The ships is being just up ahead!" Lemon shouted, jutting out a paw. "Just being of a turn to the right, then straight down, yes."
Waffle gave a nod, smiling to the eevee.
"Thanks, Lem'."
"Is is not problematic, Waffsy!"
They continued on for a while in silence, before arriving at the ship in question. A gargantuan beast of a transport, docked in the sloshing waters. A wide ramp extended down from the deck, which the three ascended swiftly.
The first thing I noticed upon boarding were the four members of Team Wave. More specifically; the species of three of them. A flareon, a sylveon, and an espeon. I looked to them, then to my team. It was a bit amusing to be surrounded by so many of the same evolutionary family.
Well, we met up with them quickly, introducing ourselves.
The flareon puffed out his chest proudly.
"Good to meet you three! They call me Baily."
The sylveon spoke next, hopping to his side.
"Call me Candy!"
The other espeon gave a polite nod, bowing their head.
"I am Warlock the Mighty." The espeon ignored the deadpan look of her team-mates. opting to nod her head toward a bibarel. The old beaver appeared distracted, nose-deep in a map. "And, that old fart is Captain Charles."
Bailey raised a paw to flick at Warlock's cheek.
"Geek."
Candy bounced forward as well, jutting his tongue out.
Warlock gave a small nod. She then turned to Charles, presumably resuming a previous conversation.
Pear gave an impatient tap of his foot.
"Well, where are we sleeping?"
"And what of the situation of food, yes?"
Candy sprang forth, navigating toward a staircase.
"Cabins are below deck!" called the sylveon. "Come!"
Bailey made to calmly follow the fairy-type, gesturing for Team Waffle to follow. The three soon advanced forward with them, making their way down and into the bowels of the ship.
The journey by ship wasn't really that exciting. We we given a cabin, which we'd soon found out would be shared with Team Sunrise, got dinner, and mostly just relaxed. I think Cindy might've been sea-sick, though.
The vulpix gave a heaving breath, with her tails drooping. She laid with her head near a wooden pale, hugging it close to her chest. Lemon noted with dismay that said pale smelled suspiciously similar to bile. An audino rubbed the fox's back slowly.
"So..." Pear started, "What are you two out to do?" The chespin laid his head back against the wall as he sat in bed. Waffle sat on the opposite end, with Lemon laying across both of their laps.
"Well, we've got a task over in Membrane Bay. Some creep has been photographing people in their homes."
"Ah, that is of great goodness! We are going to be pursuing the same location, actually. How coincidence of you, yes!" Lemon gave them a wide beam. He felt his paw twitch irritatedly as his chespin friend poked idly at his pads.
"Y-yeah. We're g-gonna be, uh, s-s-spies."
"Specifically, we'll be infiltrating those kidnappers or whatever."
The audino gave a bright smile.
"Oh, that's so noble! It sounds dangerous, but it's good to get more information on those guys! Right, Cindy?"
The vulpix gave a long, miserably whine into the bucket, followed by a convulsion. A quiet splattering sound was heard, followed by a choked sob.
Lemon cleared his throat, rolling to the floor.
"Perhaps we should be leaving the poor girl in peace and quiet, yes? We shall be continuing discussion on the deck until bed-time."
The rest of Team Waffle nodded their agreements, following the eevee to the deck.
Broccoli carefully stroked the top of Sherbert's head. The eevee gave low, soft purrs.
"Tell me, Sherb'," Broccoli started. "How the FUCK do you tolerate this cold so well?"
"Shiieeet, it's always just felt kinda right. Maybe it be the fur?"
The howling wind blew past the pair as they strode down the path, continuously facing the onslaught of rain.
"I'm not sure I can FUCKING take this much longer. Why are we even out here tonight? I thought they WEREN'T arriving until TOMORROW."
The eevee rolled her shoulders, tilting her head.
"Better safe than sorry, s'pose? They could get here soona', if weather is on they's side."
The krokorok looked down to the eevee. He leveled her with a blank stare, before gesturing to the sky.
Sherbert glanced up just in time to see a bolt of lightning briefly light up the heavens. It was a few seconds before the distant thundering roar reached their ears.
"Uh... Yeeeuh, guess I getcha' point."
As the two reached the sandy shore of the beach, Broccoli took a seat on the bench. Sherbert curled up in his lap.
"Well... It's almost that day, eh Sherb'?"
"Mmh?"
"Our first kills. I... Never thought I would ever be taking a pokémon's life, before."
Sherbert felt a knot growing in her throat.
"I... Yeeuh. It's... Uh... What's th'word? Surreal?"
"That's a good word for this."
"Yeeuh. I just..." The eevee began to breathe a bit quickly, inhales coming shallow.
"Calm down. Take your time."
The normal-type relaxed slowly, taking a deep breath.
"Well... Broc. Tellin' ya' the truth, after the boss asked us to off some bitches, I'm really considerin' leavin'. The kidnappin' was bad enough; Two wrongs ain't make a right. But, this...? Sheeit."
"You didn't leave when others were doing it. So what if it falls on us this time? How is that different?"
"It's... Not. I just, y'know... When yo asked to commit atrocity, y'kinda start to rethink some things. Ya' dig? I joined the Verge Uprising to help end oppression; not to contribute to it. Deep down, I've always felt this way, but... Sheeeit. Just kinda made it feel more real."
"Sherbsy... Where else will you even go? You're poor, your parents think you're dead, the uprising won't help you if you leave, and I doubt you're looking to join a guild."
"Just... Anywhere else. They's gottsa be betta' ways of achieving activism than violence. There's gotsta be a peaceful solution. I... thought you'd understand that, homes."
The two looked away from each other.
"I... I do. I really do, Sherbert. It's just... It's for the greater good, okay? Killing these attempted spies sending a message to the guild, showing them that they're weak... Once their confidence is down, people may start to see our way."
"The greater good. The greater good. It's always the greater good. Tell me, Broc', is there truly a greater good worth taking innocent lives?"
"I... am unsure."
"Is there even a right side to this? I thought the guild was bad; trouncing all over those in need, forcing them to resort to crime to scrape by, then tossing said criminals in jail, or worse. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and families get destroyed. I thought the Verge Uprising could change things, Broccoli. But, we've stooped to their lows. We're taking pokémon against their wills, and we're killing them, now."
"I know it's bad, Sherbert, but... Maybe it will get better sooner than later. If we can just find the..."
"No, Broccoli. We're just as bad as them. Digging up some dumbass blue orb and dousing the world with rain ain't gonna change that. Ending the guild won't right our wrongs. And, who's even to say we won't stop wronging in the first place? One oppressive rule goes down, another takes its place. That's how it always goes. Maybe I don't want to be throwin' hissy fits to accomplish petty bullshit. I'm done lettin' skulking in the shadows and hiding from the authorities. But, I'm powerless on my own, Broccoli. This is my only chance to help make things right. And I... I... I feel stuck. I miss my family. There's just no way out. I know I'm wrong about it all, but... It just feels so bad"
"I'm so sorry, Sherbert."
Sherbert wiped away her brimming tears as she pressed her face into the krokorok's chest. He stroke up and down her back slowly.
"I've had it. It hurts so much. No matter what I do, it hurts. There's just no easy option. I have to become evil to make a difference. It hurts, but it is my destiny." As the final strings of sadness tugged at her mind. the eevee stood resolute. "I hate this. I hate it so much. If I have to do the painful to do good... To be evil to be a hero... It would be best to not feel."
And, thus, Sherbert ceased to feel. The cold, icy tendrils of hate, resolve, and justice crept out from her heart. She felt them spread numbness over her form. She took her worries, her hesitance, her empathy, and threw it out into the blizzard within her heart. Reservation soon buried beneath meters of snow, the glaceon soon felt nothing.
The krokorok found himself staring into his newly evolved friend's unreadable eyes. He felt a pang of hurt filling his heart as the last remnant of feeling left her cold gaze.
"Sherbert..."
"We have a job to do, homes. Let's get it done right."
As Sherbert laid down to sleep, the krokorok could not rest. Thoughts raced through his mind.
Sherbert's evolution had been the very last thing he'd expected to see that night. Somehow, he felt, it seemed like a bad thing. Somehow, deep down, he felt like it was his fault.
The krokorok found himself questioning everything, starting off into the abyssal expanse of the night time sea.
Sherbert, as she drifted off, only let a few key feelings remain. Her resolve to the cause, her determination for a new world, and her loyalty for her best friend.
Waffle shifted uncomfortably, staring off over the sea. A shudder ran over his body.
Lemon pressed his muzzle to the espeon's fluffy cheek.
"What is the matter, Waffle? You appear troubled."
"I-it's nothing. J-just felt like something changed, is all."
"Do elaborate, yes!"
"I... Am unsure how."
"Puzzling."
Waffle laid his head down into Lemon's lap. The eevee's ears perked up, with his tail beginning to wag. He let his paw carefully stroke the espeon's head.
"Well, I know what can be cheering you up! Pear and I have retrieved coin from the captain's quarters!"
"Why do you do it, Lemon?"
"Hmmm?"
"Why do you steal from pokémon?"
Lemon blinked.
"Well, uh... It is always a thing of which I have been doing, yes? It is good money!"
"But... Why? We get paid for missions, now. It's honest work. We don't need to do that, anymore..."
The espeon looked away, shifting his head onto its side.
Lemon raised an eyebrow, looking to the sky.
"Extra money is extra money! What's there to complain about?"
Waffle felt his paws tense up as he stood. A cauldron of rage threatened to bubble over in his chest.
"It hurts pokémon, Lemon. You are doing harm."
"What is one or two coin being of no longer their possession going to do?"
Lemon gave an alarmed shout as Waffle stamped forward, a small blast of psychic energy pushing the eevee back.
"One or two coins that they need to feed their family, dumbass!" The espeon stamped forward once more, a second blast pushing Lemon onto his rump. "And, one of these days, you're going to get caught! No one evades capture forever, Lemon, and your increasingly brazen escapades are expediting the process!"
Lemon felt a drop of sweat pool on his brow.
"I... Uh... Money!"
"Money, money, money. It's always fucking money with you, Lemon. What about families? What about you? What about me?!" Hot tears gathered on the ground as the espeon screwed his eyes shut. He turned back toward the open sea, his voice wavering and threatening to crack. "Don't you care, Lemon? Don't you care about the children that may go hungry at your hands? Don't you care that you could get thrown in jail at the drop of a hat? Don't you care that I couldn't bare to lose another pokémon I love?!"
Lemon felt his words catch in his throat.
"I..." The eevee shuffled his paws, averting his gaze.
"You what? Don't just stand there, fucking answer me you stupid fucking moron! You colossal imbecile! Say something! Anything! Fucking speak for yourself!" Waffle glared daggers toward the eevee. With guilt in his eyes, Lemon remained silent. Waffle felt his body sag, a defeated sigh escaping his chest. "I'm gonna go. S-s-s-see you in the morning." The espeon turned away, not looking back as he made his way below deck.
Lemon stared off after his friend. He briefly glanced down to his bag of stolen goods, then to the receding figure of Waffle, then to the door to the captain's quarters.
A moment of hesitation went by, but only a moment. With silent resolution, he lifted his bag, padding softly back to the scene of his previous crime.