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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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 Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 9:23 pm
Air "You think so?" Air said cheerfully, pleased to hear Mana's encouragement. The Ditto-Gastly made a mental note to try out this form again in a place where it wasn't so windy; it hadn't even occurred to him that the air itself could have anything to do with the difficulty but it made sense--this form was primarily made up of gases after all. "I'll have to try it again then! It's so exciting to know that you can do something like I can too. I'd never have expected it!" He hadn't kept the company of any Gastly long enough to entertain the thought of the ghosts playing with their own form, so the idea was thrilling to him. A thought struck him at that moment, and Air instinctively acted on it, delighted when he found that a bit of focus allowed him to sense a vague aura from the ghost, just as Nyx had mentioned some time before. There was another trick the Vulpix had mentioned, one that Air was keen on testing, but just as he was about to focus his energy on performing the ghostly feat, Mana spoke up again, prompting him to give the ghost his full attention once more.
"Aw, you mean it?" Air said, his Gastly face growing slightly flushed with a mixture of appreciation and modest embarrassment when Mana remarked on his transformation. "I'm glad you think so. I really try to be as accurate as possible. Sometimes I even make minor adjustments after the initial shift, to make sure I've got everything right. What good is a copy if it doesn't do the original justice, right?" And that was precisely what Air strove for whenever he took a new form: doing his original justice. Anything else wouldn't be right, and it certainly wouldn't be of any help to him--the copy had to be near perfect, or else he might miss some crucial piece that led to understanding his original. Like with Mana; talking to the ghost was so much easier now that he understood the feelings his companion had to live with.
Realizing after a moment that Mana's comment had been followed up with a question, Air hastened to answer it. "Oh, is it useful for my Team?" he repeated, gases swirling slightly in response to the slight confusion that was prompted by the question. "Well I hope so," he said, after considering it for a moment, "Truth be told, I've never really considered it to be a tool. I'm not sure Neo or Nyx have either... Well, Nyx maybe." Ah right, he was just speaking names--they wouldn't mean anything to Mana. Fortunately, that problem was hardly difficult for a Pokemon such as Air. "Oh, right! So, um, Neo and Nyx are the leaders of my Team--Team Essence. Neo's the captain and Nyx is second in command I guess; I'm just a member, I met Neo when he was out on a mission for the Guild and then a friend brought me here and suggested I join them, so now I've been here for...a little while anyway. Oh! And there's also Eliot and Clara--they just hatched recently and they're quite the handful." With each new name mentioned, Air's form shifted to that of the Pokemon he was discussing--Meowstic, Vulpix, Growlithe, Drifloon, then back to Gastly when he had finished. This led to a few pauses in his explanation, but it continued fluidly enough, despite the necessary breaks in commentary. "...But yeah," Air finished, lifting himself back up to Mana's high from where he'd stood on the ground during his explanation, "As of yet I wouldn't say I've used it to do anything really unusual. Normally I just transform when it's more convenient to have a certain quality, but they haven't asked me to take any particularly forms or anything. Maybe they will in the future though, who knows?" Settling back into his Gastly form after the set of rapid transformations, Air allowed his body to settle, easing its anticipation of yet another shift; it was difficult, since the form wasn't terribly stable to begin with, but he managed to slow the swirling of his gases after a few seconds; it was exhilarating to pull stunts like that, but it made him feel awfully heady for a while--like the sensation a ground-walking Pokemon would have after spinning around rapidly for a long time and coming to a sudden stop.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 11:42 am
Mana watched the whole ordeal with a bit of amusement. It was entertaining, to say the least, to watch the ditto transform into various Pokémon as it explained what his team consisted of. It was almost as if it were receiving an indirect introduction. Mana couldn't have asked for a better response to its curiosity and made sure to pay rapt attention and memorize as much as it could. A gentle curve found its way onto Mana's features as Air shifted back into the Gastly form it had borrowed and continued to answer the question. There was something just so utterly sincere about this Ditto that put Mana at ease. As far as the ghost could tell, it didn't have to worry about disheartening the little guy or making him angry over something small. Air seemed to be content yet a little worn out after speaking, and Mana nodded slightly.
"You seem fond of your team." The spirit mentioned, assuming such a thing on account of the grand introduction it had received, "Even though you don't seem to view it as a tool, I'm sure it will come in handy if your friends are ever in need of specific assistance." The statement made Mana's brow line furrow a bit. Sometimes the ghost forgot just what sort of place they were in. There were so many good things and persons around the guild that it almost seemed as if the dangers the members put themselves in was nonexistent. But that was false reasoning, Mana knew. It could only hope that Air and his team would never be in such a dangerous situation that their safety relied upon the friendly Ditto's ability to shift forms. Though the ghost knew better than to underestimate anyone's ability to work under extreme pressure, it couldn't help but to feel an anxiety at the thought of Air going out into battle or something dramatic like that.
Mana had to take a breath. The ghostly Pokémon couldn't count how many times it let its anxieties get the better of it like this, always fretting and imagining the worst possible scenarios and outcomes of events that have yet to occur. It was a whirlwind of emotion that kept the ghost as quiet as it usually was. So before it could get to that point currently, Mana stopped itself and thought about the more reasonable, of not idealistic, side of things. Air would be able to handle himself. Mana didn't know enough about him to assume he'd put himself in harm's way. Besides, it had just mentioned how useful the Ditto's shape shifting ability could be. Even if he were to get into a pickle, he would be able to find a way out with some crafty maneuvering.
Of course, Mana was just making most of this up in its head n a vain attempt to comfort itself, and eventually had to break its confusing train of thought with a few words, "I know if I had a more convincing transformation like that, I'd be of more use to my team." It admitted, shoving its cluttered thoughts into the back of its mind, but not far enough to escape all the worry that had built up. Unfortunately, that negativity seemed to have allowed a bit of pessimism through.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 1:51 pm
Air Air smiled slightly, mind still catching up to his body as Mana remarked on his fondness for his Teammates. As such, it took him a moment longer than it should have for him to respond, but it didn't lack any of his usual vigor when it came. "They're pretty nice I guess," he said with a nod, "I'm still getting to know them, but they gave me a home when I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I'm very grateful to them for that. I...probably couldn't ask for a nicer captain than Neo, and Nyx is really dedicated to the Team. And the kids well, you've got to love them: they're really sweet." Brow furrowing slightly rather like Mana's, a thoughtful expression came over the Ditto-Gastly's face as he considered the other specter's remark. "I hope I can be helpful to them when they need me for anything," he said honestly, looking at Mana modestly, "That's what we're supposed to do after all. And it's pretty nice to be able to help people. At least, it's a lot better than making them upset with you." Air didn't like that one bit, yet it sometimes seemed like he had a knack for it.
Drawn back to attention by Mana's sudden self-deprecating remark, the Ditto-Gastly looked at his counter-part with concern, recalling the tension the conversation had begun with. That's right, Mana seemed to be having some sort of trouble that had to do with his Team--nothing else could explain everything else that he'd discerned from before. Air considered his options quietly, thinking on the spot to try and decide what the best thing to say was. In the end, he decided to go with the most direct approach. "Transforming doesn't really have anything to do with it," he said, "I don't know how many Ditto there are in the world, but I've been a lot of places and I haven't met all that many. Most Pokemon can only have one form, and they seem to be able to do a lot just like that. I mean, look at all of the leaders of the Guild; none of them can do anything close to what you can do just the way you are. You can fly and you can turn invisible and move through places that it would be impossible for most people to get through. That seems pretty useful to me--and that's not even including all the Ghost stuff." He only knew the most basic things that ghosts could do, but it was way more than most Pokemon were capable of, there was no question. "I think that'd be a great asset to your Team." It was odd for him to talk like this, since the Ditto rarely thought about personal abilities from a business perspective, but it seemed like that meant a lot to Mana, so he was trying to talk from a similar starting point.
Air paused, wondering if he'd said enough or if he should keep going. He could talk for a long time about how remarkable originals were, but that wasn't really what seemed right here. He'd talked a lot about himself but he still didn't know much about Mana, let alone what was troubling the Ghost. Taking a breath, the Ditto decided to try a question of his own, hoping that it wouldn't put too much pressure on Mana--Arceus knew he didn't want to say something wrong after all this. "So what's your Team like?" he ventured, "I saw your Captain I guess, but do you have any other members? It sounds like you work pretty hard at what you do." The Gastly was really fixated on the idea of usefulness, so Air didn't doubt there was a lot of dedication behind that; no one worried about something if they didn't care about it.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 5:32 pm
Mana understood where Air was coming from as he went on in a more serious tone than he had spoken in before. Really, it did. But the ghost just felt like it could do... More. It was a constant nagging. A tick, an obsessive compulsive need. There had to be more it could do, something to make itself more useful. The ghost knew not of where this desire stemmed from, but it had a vague feeling it was being drawn from a need to be recognized as useful, as something, to its peers. A selfish desire. But Mana knew it didn't need to throw all of that on Air, "Sorry, you're right." It apologized while trying to keep the forlorn tone out of its voice. It had been so inconsiderate not to think about how strongly the Ditto felt about the subject. Even if Air hadn't taken the previous remark the wrong way, Mana still felt bad for letting out its negativity.
Then the Ditto turned Gastly popped a question in return for the ghost. Mana wasn't surprised by this. After all, it was only fair to answer a few questions in return for the answers Air had supplied. Even then, the questions he had asked weren't exactly ones that could be answered right away. The latter question was easier to answer, so Mana went ahead and spoke about it. "Yes, Cimm has a co-captain named Nuna. She's a rather perky Aron, and we just acquired a new Shelgon member who calls himself Kennick. They're all pretty nice on their own..." Mana trailed off, trying to fish for a way to describe the inner workings of its team without making it sound too terribly bad. It wasn't an easy thing to do, considering the horrible dynamics of the group. "We aren't close exactly. I've only been here for a few weeks myself, but I haven't gotten to know anyone. Cimm has his issues, but he's actually a very good leader, and is surprisingly thoughtful during tight situations, even if he messes up some times." Mana had been waiting to say those words for ages. The ghost really did admire the Luxio for the way he handled most things, "Though he can be a bit testy. Nuna is nice, if not a little self-oriented. And Kennick.... Well, I don't know much about him, but he's more the strong, silent type. They don't get along with each other much." Mana paused, realizing it may not be making the best of impressions with its words. But really, what else was there to say? Between Nuna's reckless behavior, Cimm's twisted, slightly dark personality, and Kennick's occasional snarkiness, things were bound to end up a mess sometimes. "N-not that they're horrible to be around, really. Its just when they all are together that things go a bit haywire. I-I'm sure they'll get along, eventually." Mana suddenly was filled with doubt, remembering Cimmerian's adamant rejection of the ghost's own personal thoughts at one point in time. The memory triggered thoughts of Mana's recent conversation with the Team leader.
"I do what I can for them. But sometimes..." Mana began to admit, wondering if it really should say what it was thinking. By the hesitation it had heard in Air, the ghost had to wonder if its lookalike was having a similar inward debate. He was making an honest effort to get to know the ghost, and here Mana was, being difficult and wish-washy. The apparition let out a sigh and averted its eyes slightly, "I wish they would just tell me what they want from me. That way I could actually help out instead of be in the way. Cimm's usually good about that. But sometimes he can be so vague that I don't know what to do and end up causing trouble for him."
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 9:24 am
Air Air frowned at Mana's apology for just a moment, feeling like the ghost might not really understand what he was trying to say. A Gastly was an incredibly useful being--if you were thinking about it literally it might even be more useful than plenty of other forms he could try, but the Ditto didn't like to think that way. The capabilities of a Pokemon's species might be greater or lesser depending on which species it was, but that didn't make it any less useful or important; sometimes it was even more amazing to see a Pokemon with a terribly inconvenient form could accomplish the most basic of tasks than it was to see a Pokemon with a useful form do something really incredible. Everyone had things about them that were unparalleled by any other, and physical appearance had very little to do with it. Still, he couldn't express such a thing to Mana, since his companion was already moving on to his next question, so he did his best to go along with it, suppressing the twinge of sadness that accompanied his thoughts. At the very least he'd managed to tell Mana that he thought the ghost was useful--it was better than nothing.
The Ditto-Gastly tilted his head curiously as he listened to Mana's explanation, getting a mental image of each Pokemon described when he or she was mentioned. Stifling an amused grin, Air nodded when the Gastly apologized for the assessment of his Teammates. "They sound like good people," he said with an encouraging smile, "Nobody's perfect after all; we're all just trying to figure out the best way to deal with our own faults." It was possibly the most profound thing the Ditto had said in his life, and his eyes widened when it registered to him how serious it sounded. "Not to get all philosophical or anything," he said quickly, "I just know what it's like to have rough situations between Teammates--Nyx doesn't get along with the kids at all, so it can be rough sometimes, but..." Stopping himself before he started to ramble again, Air laughed at himself lightly. "What I really mean to say is that people don't always get along, but they can still be good people, and all of your Teammates sound like that. I'm glad you get along with them though, even if they don't get along with each other; it must be pretty hard for you, but I'm sure they all really appreciate it." Everyone needed someone they were comfortable with on their Team, and it sounded like Mana was the one who filled that role for his Team, which--it occurred to Air--was probably the most useful thing of all.
Before he could expand on the thought, Mana spoke up again, and the Ditto-Gastly immediately perked up at the ghost's words. This was important, he could tell by the pause before the comment was made--Mana was opening up to him. Air's expression was one of quiet thoughtfulness when he considered the ghost's difficulty, thinking through it on a basic level. So Mana had difficulty making decisions, and found it easier when told what to do? It made a lot of sense the more he thought about it, and it definitely explained the ghost's reaction when he'd asked his first question. Gastly eyes bright with interest, Air spoke up after a moment, realizing that Mana must have mentioned this for some sort of reason. "Did he ask you something that's troubling you?" the Ditto inquired, "You seemed a bit on edge when I came here looking like him, and I wasn't going to ask but..." Air hesitated again. "Well, I mean, if I can help you any I don't mind but if you don't really want to talk about it that's fine too. I don't want to pry or anything, you just seem really bothered by something." The Ditto was beginning to view Mana as a friend, and at the very least the spirit was a good-hearted Pokemon who didn't deserve to agonize over something; life was too pleasant to waste moments like this on worry.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 6:22 pm
Mana was relieved it hadn't painted a horrible picture of what its team was like. If anything, it seemed like Air actually understood the ghost's role in the group for the most part, as well as what it was like to have teammates that didn't exactly see eye-to-eye. Heck, Mana didn't agree with everything its companions chose to do. Not that the rather nervous spirit would ever admit to that out loud. Not when it would mean creating even more turbulence in their little group than there already was. That Air seemed to even grasp a corner of what Mana was getting at lifted a great weight from its nonextistent shoulders. His smile may have helped a bit too. And even though he said his words didn't have much depth behind them, or philosophical as he had said, they really did mean a lot to the ghost. Then of course, that weight came crashing back down when the flow of the conversation went in the direction of what Mana had been avoiding thinking about.
The decision it had to make. The mere thought of the serious conversation it had had with Cimm made the ghost panic on the inside. It wasn't ready to give an answer just yet! And would probably never be! Not if Mana twiddled over it in its mind for eternity by itself. It was at this realization that the swarming thoughts subsided and let a rational thought through. Air wasn't asking for Mana to explain itself. It was asking what had bothered it, about the problem, about the converstion. This was someone Mana didn't have to answer to or fiddle about and try to please out of worry it would answer wrong. Just by looking at the twinkle in his eyes, Mana could see the pure curiosity in the Ditto-Gastly's face. Anything Mana revealed about itself would probably satiate the interested Pokémon. He simply wanted to know. Somehow that thought sat peacefully with the ghost, and Mana even managed a smile that wasn't apologetic for once, though its words came out different.
"I do? Sorry, I didn't realize I had let things get to me that badly." Mana admitted honestly. Though it knew it always seemed on edge to others, for something specific to be obviously bothering the ghost was not something it was aware of revealing through its demeanor. "I don't mind saying, really. In Cimm's words it's 'Not that big a deal'. Though, he and I may differ on that opinion." And there was the part where Mana didn't agree with everything its partners said. Even so, the ghost chose carefully what to reveal about the next part, since it didn't want to offend Air, "He wants me to learn a new ability through a TM he received as a mission reward. Well, he said he did, then he said he didn't want to make me use it so I have to decide on my own. But..." The next part would be tricky to explain without describing things further. Plus, it included how Mana truly felt on the matter and the ghost wasn't exactly sure what those feelings were at the moment, "It would be an important asset to the Team, but it could also put us at a lot of risk if I don't use it wisely, which is why he wants me to have it instead of the others. But he said he won't push it onto me if I don't want it, though I kind of wish he would. I'm not- I'm not so good with things like this..."
Mana was sure its worries must seem at least a little bit ridiculous to Air. After all, what Pokémon would hesitate to take the opportunity to learn any TM, especially on that would give you the power to read minds and move objects with a mere thought? Being psychic meant a lot more than doing that, though, to Mana's captain. He had let the ghost know it would be using the ability to gain knowledge about both friend and foe. He didn't want to push the ability onto Mana because it was a matter of morals and ethics, but had made it clear that he preferred Mana to take it. The ghost was just so confused that it couldn't possibly make any sense of the problem, and it doubted Air would either, "I don't know if this is something you could exactly 'help' with, since I know I'm supposed to do what I want and think of how I feel about it. But. Sometimes there's a void that I just can't gather how I feel from, or figure out what I want. Its like I don't even know how I feel, let alone how I should feel. It-Its strange, and confusing. Sorry."
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 3:25 pm
Air Air returned Mana's smile, feeling a bit more confident when the ghost had a positive reaction to his inquiry: fortunately it seemed like his question hadn't gone too far. He laughed lightly at the spirit's protestations, waving it off with a gentle gesture of his gases. "It's not your fault," he assured the ghost, not elaborating further so that Mana could continue. There was something about assuming a Pokemon's form that made it infinitely easier to understand them--body language especially became quite revealing once the Ditto had adapted to the normal behaviors of the body. Of course Air had been guessing when he'd ventured his query, but it was based off of what he'd observed thus far: it seemed now that his observations might have payed off.
He listened silently through Mana's explanation, watching the ghost as he worked through the particular difficulty that weighed on his mind. Air frowned thoughtfully, never interrupting as he mulled the issue over. It did strike the Ditto as odd that his Gastly companion would be troubled by something so simple as learning a TM, particularly when Mana had made it clear that it would provide a very useful skill, but he wasn't one to make judgments when he didn't know the whole scenario. For Mana to be so torn about this decision must mean that the TM was powerful indeed, and perhaps the ghost didn't trust himself with the power that it would give him. Air smiled slightly as it occurred to him again just how thoughtful the Ghost was, to think about the consequences of his actions instead of recklessly assuming some kind of great power without any thought for how difficult it might be to control something like that: Mana really was a remarkable individual.
"You don't have to apologize," Air said, shaking his head the moment the word left Mana's mouth. "It sounds like it must be a pretty big decision you have in front of you, and anyone would struggle to figure out something that means so much to them and their Team." The Ditto-Gastly's expression was thoughtful, and his gases swirled about rapidly, reflecting the way his thoughts churned as he tried to pick at Mana's puzzle. "If the decision is supposed to be yours I probably can't help, no. But I can say that if you're thinking so much about it that probably has something to do with how you feel about it." He wouldn't say it directly, but it was clear that Mana had his doubts about this TM for whatever reason--the Ghost had made it quite clear that being useful to his Team was the most important thing to him, so the fact that he didn't immediately agree to learning the ability would suggest that he might not want to do so. It probably wouldn't help matters if he mentioned it though, so Air kept his thoughts to himself for the moment: it would probably be better if Mana figured that part out on his own.
Air clicked his tongue softly, still musing over what this TM might be. "Sometimes it can be hard to figure things out on your own," he said after a moment, reflecting back on Mana's last remark. "It's a lot easier if someone just tells you what to do for sure. But it's important that you don't let other people make you do something you don't want to do, you know?" It could be really difficult to tell when something was bothering another person--Air knew that from years of experience--and if they didn't let you know bad things could happen, even from the most innocent of intentions. It was one thing to do good for one's Team, but if it made Mana this uncomfortable then it probably wasn't the best choice for the ghost to agree to. For the first time he felt a bit of concern Mana, wondering if perhaps his captain was asking too much of him--a Pokemon who aimed to please as much as Mana did could easily be persuaded to do something he didn't want to, and it wouldn't even necessarily by anyone's fault. Keeping his focus on his ghostly companion while his mind continued to process it all, Air waited to see what else Mana would tell him, and if his concern was justified or merely a result of his own over-thinking.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 6:08 pm
Air had been relatively quick to answer the ghost, and it listened thoughtfully to the Ditto-Gastly's words. Mana was glad that its new companion didn't immediately correct it, but at the same time was slightly disappointed that the Ditto had basically told Mana it was up to itself to make the decision and to consider the fact that its hesitation could be a sign of how it felt. The Gastly had expected something along these lines. But it still wasn't as if it liked hearing the reality of the situation. The purple spirit sighed, causing a slight disruption in its own condensed gases as it did so. Air's words reminded the apparition of some things that it had nearly forgotten about with the recent peace it had been in with its new surroundings.
"I know. Its just hard to say no sometimes." Mana's voice held a tone close to reminiscence as it remembered some of its past dealings. The ghost was guilty of letting other take advantage of it for years now. It had never received advice quite like Air's, but deep down Mana knew it should have realized this on its own and stood up for itself in the past, even if the ghost hadn't really had an opinion on anything it was told to do other than the occasional twinge of guilt. But as much as it thought about wanting to do such things, it honestly wanted Cimm to tell it what to do, and Mana knew it would gladly do whatever the cat told it to. Because he was different. All of the other Pokémon Mana had tried to stick close to in the past had ended up being criminals, bad intentioned, or uncaring for others in general. And still the ghost had done their bidding! But it wasn't the case with this new Team it had found. As dysfunctional as they were, all of its team mates were good people. If Mana had no troubles following orders with gangs and misfits, why would it quarrel with someone that was actually good? But then again, Mana supposed it was in its current dilemma because it Captain was a good soul that didn't want to force it into anything.
"I don't know. I'd readily take it if he wanted me to without any complaints. It's just that he told me I have to decide for myself that is confusing me, I suppose." Mana admitted, still feeling bad, but a little clearer now that Air had brought up memories to compare its current Team with its old 'companions'. The ghost gave a grateful smile to its lookalike, "I really do want to help them. I... I'm probably just overthinking this whole thing. Thanks for listening anyways, though."
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 6:37 pm
Air Air shook his head again, feeling a little embarrassed at being apologized to again. "It's good to be sure you think it all through," the Ditto-Gastly responded, "A lot of the time it's not thinking that gets you into trouble. It can seem like a great thing to be able to come to split-second decisions, but I'm not sure it really is the best choice for everyone. Like me for example, I know that I probably shouldn't do it..." He trailed off thoughtfully, wondering about the words. There definitely were positives to throwing oneself into a situation whole-heartedly without thinking to hard about everything that could happen, but whenever he did that there were always consequences: most recently, being forced away from yet another of his temporary homes and landing him here at the Guild. Mana didn't seem like the type that would benefit from brash decision-making either, but then again he didn't doubt the Ghost would find such things reassuring when coming from others. It was more than a little confusing even for him, so no wonder Mana was having such a hard time.
Inhaling deeply, Air considered his options, gases swirling uncertainly as he circled back to Mana's previous comment, wondering if he should mention what he'd gleaned from the Ghost's most recent addition to his story. He was reluctant to, since he was more and more doubtful that Mana should take the mystery TM, but he couldn't in good conscience stay silence: Mana was trusting him so he had to do the same and trust that the Ghost would come to the right conclusion on his own. "In this case though, from the sounds of it he does want you to take it," Air said, his eyes trailing to the ground as he murmured the words, his reluctance fairly obvious. "He thinks you'd be best at using it obviously, and he brought you up here away from your Team to ask you about it; that's a pretty big deal." If either of his leaders ever called him off on his own without involving the other, he knew it would be something very important--the thought of that gave him shivers though, so he quickly pushed it aside and returned to the current problem.
"But then it also sounds like you'd have some complaints otherwise." Looking back up to meet the ghost's eyes, Air tilted his Gastly head slightly. "Would you? If you weren't told not to complain about it I mean."
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 1:13 pm
"W-well..." Mana started, thinking over the question and the words that its lookalike mentioned. There really wasn't much for the ghost to complain about. Cimm was merely trying to use it to the best of his ability. But if Mana took this ability then the ghost wasn't sure it'd be able to keep a clean conscious while working alongside the Luxio. So Mana supposed it came down to a matter of ethics and morals. But at the same time it knew it couldn't predict what the future could hold. If Mana didn't take it, the chances of the team being in danger may increase. It was then that the spirit realized it was making up excuses in its own mind, trying to find a reason to have Air or anyone else tell it what to do. The Ghastly suddenly felt very ashamed of itself and sighed while looking down at the ground. For being so selfish, Mana felt like it owed the Ditto a proper answer, without any excuses or beating around the bush.
"I'm not really sure, to be honest. It's like I can just tell that I'll cause more problems for my team if I reject it, but..." It was hard for Mana to speak so openly about something that could end up so badly. It was as if admitting that it had a problem with taking the TM would ruin everything Mana had tried to do to build a good standing with its team. But the ghost honestly couldn't weasel its way out of answering this question with what had already been spoken. Plus, it had already resolved to answer honestly, hadn't it? "I-I can't see myself being happy with invading other people's privacy like that. I mean... If you had the power to read other people's minds or control how they act, would you?" Mana ended up revealing more information than it probably should have, but it really didn't know what else it could say to clearly make its point.
In the end Mana also ended up asking for Air's opinion on the matter. The apparition felt disappointment in itself for once again trying to weasel guidance from the Ditto instead of making its own decision. It was seriously bumming Mana out to be so dependent on others.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 7:18 am
Air Air was a bit caught off guard when Mana finally spoke to him straight, since he'd practically given up on learning the real nature of the TM by this point. An expression of surprise registered on the Ditto-Gastly's face when he heard the latter part of Mana's statement, but it was quickly replaced by a glimmer of understanding and a touch of relief as well. The issue was accepting some level of Psychic powers then--that was something that revealed a great deal to the Ditto about his ghostly companion, perhaps just as much as he'd learned throughout their entire conversation thus far in one tentative comment. Fortunately for Mana, the Ghost had happened upon one of the best Pokemon to discuss the matter with, and he was quite willing to talk it out with the Ghost.
"So he wants you to be a Psychic?" Air said, confirming the fact out loud before he continued. "I can see how that would be a tricky decision." A Pokemon who took a TM was stuck with the consequences unless they could find one of those rumored masters of forgetting that existed somewhere in the world. If Mana did take on Psychic abilities, he would have to live with that until the day he died more likely than not. Given everything he'd learned about the Ghost thus far, Air had a few opinions to share on the subject. "Actually, to answer your question, I can take on the ability to do those things. I know what it's like and I can tell you about it. ...And about how complicated it makes things.
Hovering lower to the ground, the Ditto's form began to glow and change until he no longer shared Mana's form, but wore his own Team captain's body. Meowstic paws resting firmly on the ground, Air smiled up at Mana and beckoned the Ghost down closer so he wouldn't have to shout up at him. "My Team captain's name is Neo, like I mentioned. On the day I first came to the Guild I learned a lot about the Pokemon that communicate with, affect, and alter spirits--whether those of the living on the dead. My captain has a lot of experience with the former and his partner with the latter." He'd been lectured about the peculiarities of Ghost Types immediately after he'd been accepted as a member of Team Essence, and later that day Neo had given him similar information about Psychic Types when he'd asked about it. It was fortunate that he had such helpful leaders, Air had to admit: he'd learned so much from them already that Pokemon like Mana didn't have any chance of knowing, given the Ghost's particular array of Teammates. Of course, Mana had also learned things that he had yet to learn--Air was certain of that.
"For you it would be different--if you took some sort of Psychic TM I mean. Psychic Types have a natural ease using their powers that comes from their bodies: they use more of their brains than non-Psychics, and they have specific organs in their bodies that make it easier to channel the energy, which non-Psychics lack." The Ditto-Meowstic tilted his head to the side and pointed to the area beneath the fold of his ear. "Meowstic, for example, have these special organs under their ears that contain the huge excess of Psychic powers they have. You'll never be able to get a good look at them though, because if a Meowstic lifts their ears and exposes the organs they release a Psychic force so powerful it could vaporize other Pokemon." It was crazy to think that Neo had that kind of power, given his gentle disposition, but he'd heard it straight from the Meowstic himself. "The good news is, you wouldn't have nearly that level of Psychic power--a created Psychic is probably never going to be as strong as even the weakest born Psychic--but the bad news is you'll have nowhere for the excess energy to go. Until you adjust to it it'll leave you exhausted almost constantly, and with some pretty terrible headaches. The first time I transformed into a Psychic I even had them, it didn't matter that I had the right body type."
"Of course, a part of that is from the pressure being put on your mind and a part of that is from the sheer amount of information that you're taking in. Unlike you might think--or maybe you do think it--it's very hard to read a person's mind and harder still to control them; it's taxing on both the one who uses the power initially and the one who is being mentally assaulted. Not to mention, doing either of those things is...to put it lightly frowned upon." There was the most important truth of what he was telling the Ghost. Mana needed to know that if that was his captain's goal in giving him the TM, he was being asked to do something that could potentially get him into a great deal of trouble, and the blame would be placed solely on him leaving his captain guilt-free. "See Psychics have rules, like Ghosts do, and I've been guilty of breaking those rules in the past even when I didn't know it. The trouble is Psychics are generally a pretty proud and strict Type--and rightfully so--but that means that they can be unsympathetic to whether it's your first day as a Psychic or you've been doing it your whole life: either way they expect you to do it right and follow the rules, because otherwise you could be putting your own or others' lives at risk."
"A Psychic Type can sense the spirits of Pokemon all around them. They can extend this further through focus to one specific individual, to a set group, to blocking out the sensations, but all of this takes time and practice. Right now I could tell you that the two Taillow above us are playing a game, and that there's a Servine beneath us who's upset about cleaning out the attic, and that you're a bit overwhelmed by all the information I'm giving you because you didn't expect it, and that's just the Pokemon that are closest to us right now." It was a lot to take in all at once, but Air had been practicing since he'd joined Team Essence to get better at the whole thing. He smiled reassuringly at the Gastly, hoping he wasn't spooking the spirit too much. "But knowing that I know all that, it's kind of unsettling, you know? And Psychics know that too, that's why they don't normally share that sort of information, and also why they have limitations on what they do. You see, Pokemon don't like to know that they can be read so easily, and most Psychics are reasonable enough that they can respect that. Since most can't suppress their powers entirely then, what do they do? They focus on detecting emotions rather than thoughts."
"Aside from when they use telepathy, there aren't a lot of Psychics who will ever pry into another Pokemon's thoughts. Most Pokemon have basic mental barriers that make it harder to access their thoughts, and even those that don't are probably going to be aware of another presence in their mind unless you're very good at it. If they do figure out that you're in their head or trying to get there it makes other Pokemon hostile and fearful of your motives: Psychics know that, so they typically stick to the basics of reading and affecting emotions because it's easier and less provocative. If I send calming energy towards you it might help make you more receptive to what I'm saying and your mind won't reject it because I'm not trying to force my way inside, do you understand?"
The Ditto-Meowstic blushed beneath his fur, realizing what that must imply, and quickly shifted from his Meowstic form back to a Gastly one. "I wasn't by the way. Sending any sort of Psychic energy toward you. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable about what I'm telling you, I'm just trying to help you feel like you can make an informed decision." His gases spun wildly with embarrassment and nervousness, having had bad experiences with copying Psychics in the recent past. "I-Is this too much? Am I overwhelming you? I can stop if you want. I just want to help and I don't want you to feel like I'm intruding or anything. Do you want me to keep going? I don't have to. I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have talked about it at all, huh..." Suddenly Air's copy of Mana seemed more similar to the original than ever as he wallowed in uncertainty beside the other Ghost. The Ditto just wanted to help, but he had terrible memories of his recent incident with the Unknown that made him hyper-aware of how touchy the issue of Psychics could be with other Pokemon. Things had been going so well and he didn't want to lose what was promising to be a new friend over his own excitable efforts to help. There was still more to say on the subject, but for now he sat silently and didn't breathe a word more; if he'd offended Mana in any way Air would feel just terrible.((First the Ghosts, now the Psychics: you're getting all the juicy info out of me! xD))
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:34 am
Mana was indeed having a hard time processing the information. There was a lot of it, and the ghost hadn't been at all expecting Air to go into the problem so deeply. The Ghastly also felt a bit embarrassed for asking it's question at all. The matter of fact was, Mana had almost completely forgotten about Air's ability to take on the forms of other Pokemon. Of course the Ditto would know what it was like to have psychic type abilities.Well, whether or not Mana had remembered Air's shapeshifting powers, it was obviously a good thing to have asked anyways. Still though. "No, no! You'e fine, I know you are only trying to help. I appreciate it! You can go on if you want to! It's actually very helpful. I just... Need a second to let it all sink in."
And Mana honestly did. Between the details about the effect of taking a psychic ability would have on its own body, the morals and rules most Psychic types had, and the proper use of such powers, there was a lot to think about. And this whole time Mana had only been selfishly thinking about its own problems and how to answer Cimm. If anything, Air had shed some light on the very important fact that there was more to accepting this TM than just pleasing others, and it didn't want to take the information for granted.
"It seems to be a gift that could either turn out very good, or very bad depending on how one uses it." If Mana wasn't careful, Cimm wouldn't be the only one unhappy, but possibly loads of Psychic Pokemon and pretty much anyone else. It was potentially dangerous too. Mana had to wonder if its leader had thought of all of this beforehand or if he knew not of the possible repercussions that may or may not come along with gaining mental powers such as these. Mana assumed the former since the Luxio had indeed warned the Gastly of some hardships that may come along with it. "Not that Cimm wanted me to use it for anything inherently wrong. I-I suppose it's like you said. I'm a bit apprehensive about how someone else may feel about such private things being invaded." Mana really wasn't fond of the thought of 'seeing' another's bare emotions or thoughts. At the same time it felt rude for thinking such a thing because that was like saying natural psychics were doing something wrong, and that wasn't how Mana felt at all. "Th-there are indeed some commonly known taboos among ghosts, and I can imagine easily what some would be for psychics. If I may ask, what are some things that are looked down upon for psychics?"
Now Mana felt as if it were using Air as an information bank rather than a good person just trying to help a ghost out. "That is, if you don't mind. I've taken up so much of your time already..."
((Mana and I want to KNOW IT ALL!!!))
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 3:56 pm
Air A second to let it all sink in, Air could give Mana that. With a quick "Okay" the Ditto-Gastly settled into his gaseous form and entertained himself (or perhaps put himself at ease) by phasing out of existence and into invisibility. It would hardly be difficult for Mana to tell that the Ditto hadn't moved at all from his initial position, but was merely waiting and watching from a place where he couldn't be seen. It was odd to experience the sensation of melding with the air, and to know that while he could see Mana but Mana couldn't see him as he was. Well...it wasn't really seeing, more like sensing. He didn't have eyes like this so he couldn't see in the traditional sense, but he could see kind of. It was an odd sensation, and he quickly shifted back into a physical form with a kind of a shiver just in time for Mana to speak up again.
"S-Sure, if you're sure." Air's response came quickly, the Ditto doing his best to placate his ghostly companion. He really would feel more comfortable if Mana knew everything he could share with him, but only so long as it didn't do anything to jeopardize the relative ease they'd managed to establish between them. "I just want to make sure you know what would have been useful for me to know beforehand. And if you want to get tangled up in all this, because you're right--it could be good or it could be really really bad."
Right, where had he left off? "Um, right, taboos." It took the Ditto a minute to collect his thoughts and get back on track, but he got there eventually. "So the first thing is between Psychic and Psychic. If you did take the Psychic there would be no point in hiding it. There's a very distinctive difference between Pokemon who can tap into their Psychic energy and those who can't, and Psychics will know that in a heartbeat. They'll also be very very aware of your presence. Just like there's no point in hiding from a Ghost, there's no point in hiding from a Psychic, but that's even more true if you can use Psychic yourself. The only reason to try to hide your ability to use Psychic and its strength from another Pokemon is because you might be planning to use it against them." There was no point in hiding it from another Psychic, they'd know, but hiding it from other non-Psychics wasn't wise either. It was harder for non-Psychics to tell what other Pokemon had use of Psychic like themselves, but that made them all the more suspicious. "It definitely pulls you into the spotlight when you have that kind of ability, because it's not usual for you kind. It makes people question your motives." From where Air was standing, he couldn't see Mana appreciating such attention very much, but he wouldn't come out and say it unless it was necessary.
"The most important things to remember are the rules of respect. These come inherently to most Psychics because they're so emotionally attuned to others that it hurts them when they hurt other Pokemon, so when they try underhanded things as children--provided they ignore what their parents have taught them or were never taught of course--they learn very quickly that the results of such attempts typically turn out for the worst." That was what Neo had told him and Air was perfectly willing to believe it; his captain, of course, knew other stories of Pokemon who had enough charisma or luck or skill to get aware with it, and how these Pokemon ended up as the most frightening characters in history, but he hadn't shared such things with Air since he'd been reluctant to kill the Ditto's optimism. "Anyway the rules. You should never try to force your way into another Pokemon's mind. Forcing is a loose word but what it boils down to is you should never try to read a mind unless you've been given permission, or are suitably close with the person you're doing it to. This is true at all times--it may be alright with a friend if you read their mind one day but not the next, so you have to be respectful of their wishes and privacy. Nobody likes to feel violated like that, so you shouldn't do it unless it's absolutely necessary or you've received permission first."
"Next, this applies almost doubly so for Psychics. They're already aware of what happens when it comes to Psychic energy and they're reading you as much as you're reading them. That makes interactions between two Pokemon with Psychic capabilities very delicate. Everyone has their own specific preferences I'm told, but it's generally agreed that the closer you are to a person, the more mingling of the minds that is acceptable or even expected. Two siblings might interact with each other more through their Psychic than physically, whereas two strangers would only brush Psychics briefly in greeting. Typically when you hold a conversation with another Psychic, there's another part to it--like, you know, aside from what you say in a conversation there's tone and body language and all that?--and that's monitoring each others' emotions. You're expected to watch the emotional flow of the conversation and help guide it if you have to, by reading your companion's emotions and making them easily visible to him or her too. It's alright to send Psychic energies out in communication as well, which enrich and inform the conversation too. Like you can send a surge of positive energy toward your friend if you're feeling happy to see them or grateful for something they did and so on, which will elevate their spirits and probably lead them to return it in kind. You can also send negative emotions to draw another Pokemon's attention and get them to notice you, and it can get more complicated from there if you want it to. Warning pulses are a big thing, neutral pulses to let others locate you, hostile pulses to warn others to leave you alone, things like that. Of course, you never know if the pulse you send out will have the proper effect, particularly when it comes to other Psychics, but it's an effort anyway." Air shrugged his gases. That was a complicated issue and he hadn't had much practice with it, so he couldn't say exactly what complications Neo had been talking about.
"Then there's the issue of controlling your own emotions. Psychics are very sensitive when it comes to their specialty, and when you're sensitive about emotions you can pick up on the slightest changes in everyone's mental state. Normal Pokemon feel emotions at a typical rate, but even that's overwhelming for new Psychics. You can imagine how hard it is around particularly excitable and emotional Pokemon." It was exhausting, plain and simple; not to mention a little bit painful. He'd made the mistake of mirroring Neo once around the children, and the emotional roller coaster it had dragged him on was terrible. The ups made him practically giddy with their intensity while the downs were so dismal he felt like his heart would split in two. Fortunately, his captain had helped fix that problem quickly, by getting him into a less sensitive form and telling him more about how to deal with that later, but Air would never forget how hard that day had been on him. "There are ways to drown out the emotions of others of course, just like you can and always should drown out the thoughts of others. It's a lot like looking at the world through a microscope--have you ever seen one of those? They have some in the library I think... But anyway, they have these different lens that let you see things closer and closer up. So most Pokemon see just normally, with their eyes. Psychics can kind of...zoom in I guess. And they control how close they zoom in. So they can stop at the basic, which is magnified to sense and perceive emotions, or they can go closer, to see surface level thoughts, or closer still, to enter another Pokemon's mind entirely and essentially control them. Thing is, before you can do that you need to learn how to block out other Pokemon, because imagine how hard it would be to read multiple minds at the same time--you'd go crazy from the chatter!"
Air paused, realizing he was getting into touchy subjects again, but by now he'd really passed the point of no return. "So, uh, yeah. Anyway you have to be respectful of other Pokemon who can sense your emotions and not get carried away with anything. If you're feeling nervous then you'll set other Psychics on edge, if you're angry they'll be stirred by your violent reactions, if you're sad their hearts will ache in empathy. The stronger your emotions come off the worse it is for the one who's perceiving it, so you can learn how to control the emotions you give off. It's like you have to actively pull back on the feelings and bring them in towards you. That's the best way I can think to explain it, but it's kind of hard to describe. You have to constantly be doing that so you don't overwhelm any of your fellow Psychics. They don't expect if from Pokemon who can't control their Psychic energy, but if the other Pokemon can control Psychic energy then they should know enough to do that."
What else had Neo told him... "I...can't think of anything else." Air finished anticlimactically, shrugging again in defeat. "There may be some other things but I think that's all the important ones. That's what I remember from what Neo told me anyway. You're welcome to talk to him about it sometime if you want. He'd be a better expert than me." Air felt bad for giving all of the information second hand, but it was the best he could do. "Personally I find it all really overwhelming," the Ditto said truthfully, "I made a really big mistake and ended up turning a whole civilization of Psychics against me once, so it makes me nervous to take on their forms and abilities. With you...it'd be easier in some ways because they would know you weren't born with the ability so they wouldn't expect as much from you. In other ways it'd be much, much harder, because there aren't many reasons non-Psychics adopt the Psychic arts that aren't suspicious at best. I don't think many Psychics take kindly to it, except when it's something like Telekinesis or Teleport, used for only the physical results and not the mental and emotional ones. I...really don't want to sound negative, and it might not be my place to say..." And he felt bad for saying it when he knew that Mana would take the comment to heart, but he couldn't in good conscience leave it unsaid. "You said that you feel like it would cause problems for your Team if you don't take it, but I don't think that's true. It would probably cause more problems for you and them by extension if you did take it. Unless you had someone to teach you the proper way to use the TM I can see it turning out very badly for you, and you don't deserve that." In part, Air was being paranoid and he knew it: just because he made mistakes didn't mean someone else would too. However, there was something about the whole thing that set the Ditto on edge (or was that just the residual effect of sensing how uncertain and overwhelmed Mana had been when he was a Meowstic?), and he did what he felt had to be done, which meant voicing his honest opinion.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 5:53 pm
Mana listened the whole time in still silence, nodding in a couple places only to let Air know it was still listening. The gases that made up the Ghastly's form barely stirred other than to contract in nervousness the more the Ditto revealed to it. If Mana had been hesitant before, the spirit was finding itself completely turned off by the notion of having a Psychic now. For one, Mana was nearly always trying to hide from others. Now, it knew that it couldn't disappear from everyone's senses, like other ghosts, psychics, or aura readers. But to make itself even more obvious? Yeah, that wasn't the most pleasant of thoughts to Mana. Not that the spirit didn't like others, Mana actually loved observing and getting to know others (though not as much as Air). It was just... Hard sometimes for Mana to muster up the courage to greet someone.
And then there were the taboos. Mana had asked to know, but was regretting it as Air spoke of them. It wasn't like the purple ghost would have done these things in the first place, but the thought of not being accustomed to the common courtesy of other Psychics and accidentally slipping up and making a mistake scared Mana more than anything. Even with the assurance that s Psychic can learn to control its powers over time, Mana was sure it wasn't ready to take that risk.
By the time Air had finished speaking about all the details, Mana had nearly shrunk to half of its normal size. It was a subconscious habit Mana had whenever it couldn't just disappear from someone's sight and yet felt the urge to hide away. Once the ghost realized what it had been doing, it let out a breath and returned to its normal state. Mana had to agree with the Ditto. It was all a bit overwhelming. Growing up as a ghost, Mana had learned the ins and outs of its own specie's culture, which by itself was complex if you tried to learn it all in one day. The spirit couldn't imagine worrying over more than it already did.
Then Air seemed to pause for a moment and his tone of voice changed a smidgen. Mana was both relieved and disappointed to hear Air's straightforward opinion on the matter. Relieved because it was as if it were just given permission to refuse the TM, and disappointed in itself for not being capable enough to take one for the team. "You're absolutely right in saying so, too." Mana sighed as it felt a bit of its tension pulling away from it now that the panicked fog had fully receded and the ghost could now make a proper answer, though the gloom didn't very much lessen. "If you've had troubles with such a thing, I no doubt would as well. Not to mention, even if I had a teacher, I don't think I'm the best person to take a Psychic after all. I-I'm not the best at controlling my emotions, you see..." And it certainly sounded like that would be a problem. "Maybe if I was a bit more stable I could handle the issues that come along with it properly. But after hearing all that you've said and your own experience with it, what can I say?"
Mana certainly felt now that Cimm had made a mistake when deciding on it to take the TM.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 5:51 pm
Air Air had noticed Mana's shrinking about halfway through his speech, but the Ditto had already dug his grave too far by that point to stop. He frowned sympathetically when he finished and let Mana's mind catch up after everything that had been said. He didn't know exactly how he could have made it easier on the Gastly: an information dump was never an easy thing to spring on somebody, but Mana had made it sound like the decision had to be pretty immediate so Air had given it everything he had. Now there was nothing left for him to say, so he bit his lip and settled back into his gases uncertainly, waiting to see what the Gastly's reaction would be.
"Well..." Air hesitated, trying to come up with a good response. Mana sounded so crestfallen, and he didn't like the thought of taking the wind out of someone's sails like that. "I mean, it's nothing you can't learn with time," he said half-heartedly, vaguely wondering why he was still hanging them up on this matter, "And even if you're a more emotional type you can get around that--it's all about restraint." In the end, that was an enormous factor in the lives of every Psychic out there, maybe even the most important. While others controlled the elements or their bodies or even certain methods of thinking and fighting, Psychics controlled the things closest to a Pokemon's core: their lives were built around knowing what was too far and what was enough, and no one ever stopped learning something like that. The secret was knowledge of the self and Mana, perhaps, had a bit more soul-searching to do before the Ghost would be capable of such things.
"But I think you know yourself best, and if you think it's going to be too much that's probably the right call." Once again the Ditto-Gastly offered a slight smile to his counterpart. "You shouldn't think that says anything bad about you though--I think it's awfully big of you to be able to say that you don't think it would be a good choice. It means that you know enough about yourself to know what would push you too far and that's just as important on taking on a new power. The more you understand yourself, the more you'll understand what you're capable of on your own, and once you know that maybe then you'll be ready to take on something like that." Air exhaled, glancing up at the clouds with thoughtful eyes. "If it makes you feel better, you don't have anyone on your Team who would have known just how much difficulty and responsibility comes with a power like that. And if your Team captain had any idea of what it would hold, he probably trusts you a lot if he thought you'd be the best to take it." It left Air feeling a little uncomfortable again, knowing that the Team captain would choose one of his members over his vice captain to offer the TM to, but then Mana had said his Team's vice captain was pretty erratic... The Ditto didn't really know what to think--it was a tricky issue and one that a Team without a Psychic really shouldn't have had to deal with--hopefully whatever ended up resulting from all of this was for the better. He just hoped he'd done the right thing here.
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