After an uneventful trip, we entered the swamp and found our client. It was there I had noticed the scar on my face had stopped glowing, becoming a mere purple slash. I was slightly uneasy about this place, considering how it was a swamp and that almost anything in here could kill you. i.e, a Ditto disguised as a tree. It WAS plausible considering tree Pokemon exist in this world. The place smelled like mud and some weird non-Pokemon creatures kept buzzing around us. "So, we're here. What do you want us to do? Find a doomsday device disguised as a yellow blob of horse bones?"

Sure enough, he wasn't kidding. He zoomed off even faster than Spruce usually did, apparently THAT determined to get that gummi. "Why'd he even bother hiring us?" Originally a thought, it kinda leaped out of my mouth. Thank Arceus he stopped on Spruce's command and came to his senses. I followed Spruce and Celes, jumping (or rather springing upwards) at the sight of a flame. It was just a will-'o-the-wisp, a natural phenomenon. I used to watch a few of those pop out of nowhere in a swamp near our community. I miss those days. More alarmingly as I returned to reality, I realised I had grown quite paranoid of my surroundings. God knows if I'll end up harming my teammates over some ridiculous tree looming in the wind.

John had apparently stopped to explain how empowered this supposed gummi was. If anything, that sounded like... 'magic.' I never really believed in magic - every attack that sprouted out a laser beam or caused an explosion was surely the result of some ridiculous, admittedly arbitrary science. Nevertheless, still science. Thousands of years of nuclear bombs couldn't change the laws of the universe, let alone Arceus' mighty powers. I swatted a few of those flying black dots, wondering how these pests still survived to this day.

I didn't really pay attention to anything else while narrating. I did glance over to John when he called someone ugly, supposedly me. Though, he was pointing at the figure behind me - Celes. Somehow, John wasn't affected by Celes' witchcraft. "What are you, gay?" I blurted out, my face a mix between a smile and contempt. 

I was to laugh, but suddenly Celes - who was the one who warned me about being overly excessive in force (excluding Kamina) - had threatened our client, whipping his back as if it was appropriate. "Oi! Stop harming our client! Keep yourself in check!" With that, I span back to face a Ditto... or rather, Spruce. Well, one of them was a doppelganger. I was somewhat confused, though I didn't have time to pick between the two. I let Kamina and his odd war-cry take care of Spruce/Ditto, while rushed to protect our client. Sure enough, a Sludge Bomb (which no one else picked up on) was pelted towards John. I essentially killed two birds; first off, I shielded John from the attack, preventing an instant contract failure as my back faced the force of the bomb. Second, because I was steel, the attack was a joke. Bit like last time. And the time before that. In fact, pretty much every fight we've been has included at least one type I was resistant/immune to. Quickly I confronted the Grimer, holding out both of my magnets as I zapped two lightning bolts to it. Unusually, the attack was much brighter. And bigger. And damaged me!

"Oh, Arceusdammit- METHANE!" I forgot we were in a swamp. I created an explosion which instantly forced the Grimer back into a swamp. John had cowered behind a large rock, and was unaware of such explosion. I coughed a few times, trying to focus on the fight.