- 0
CD-shroom
My apologies, Chief Alloysuckle. I'm a little late.
- 1
Alloysuckle
It's all right. You're not that late. Did you come alone?
- 2
CD-shroom
Some of the others are still on their way. The rest followed a new lead somewhere else.
- 3
——Homing Thistle
Hmm? Is this one of your organization's members?
- 3
——Red Stinger
Alloysuckle, may I ask who this mushroom is?
- 4
Alloysuckle
Allow me to introduce CD-shroom, one of our organization's finest and an expert on space.
- 5
Applayer
Sorry to interrupt. Peony's condition is serious, so let me quickly bring everyone up to speed.
- 6
Applayer
Judging from her symptoms, Peony appears to be malnourished.
- 7
Wiremoss
Huh? Isn't she a power source? How can a power source get malnourished?
- 8
Applayer
Even a power source needs an energy input to sustain itself.
- 9
Applayer
Before she passed out, she told me her usual supply of drinks had suddenly vanished. That may be the cause.
- 10
Hygro Plantago
You mean "The Pond"? I remember she still had a few when we arrived.
- 11
Hygro Plantago
I think it's some kind of energy drink. Oh, that would mean...
- 12
Applayer
It may contain electrolytes her battery needs. Without a sample, analyzing its composition will be tough.
- 13
——Homing Thistle
Everyone leaves things on the ground when we take a break. Could she have forgotten to pick them up?
- 13
——Red Stinger
Could she have left them behind after one of our breaks? Why don't we go back and look?
- 14
Sunflower
I don't think she forgot them. Peashooter and I checked everything before we set out.
- 15
Peashooter
This desert made us worried we'd lose something, so we were extra careful.
- 16
Alloysuckle
In that case, it's unlikely, but the items may have been lost during a shift.
- 17
CD-shroom
Chief Alloysuckle, the mechanics behind that are rather strange.
- 18
CD-shroom
A shift like this usually has some way to decide which objects change along with it.
- 19
CD-shroom
If her belongings were classified as part of the environment, they may have vanished when it shifted.
- 20
CD-shroom
I don't know how the clock works, but shifting a few more times might bring them back.
- 21
Cuscata
Doesn't this place have only two states, snowfield and desert? One shift should find them, right?
- 22
Alloysuckle
They may all look like the same snowfield or desert, but the exact point in time varies.
- 23
Alloysuckle
Every trip from snowfield to desert and back has some temporal drift. There's no guarantee we'll return anywhere near the original point in time.
- 24
Alloysuckle
That's my judgment as a local. I can sense the subtle differences.
- 25
Hygro Plantago
Then I'll try cycling it a few times. Let's hope we get lucky.
- 26
Hygro Plantago
I can't even tell which state we're in now, with all this blowing sand.
- 27
(monologue)Homing Thistle
(Still, nobody here actually understands this clock. I hope nothing else goes wrong.)
- 27
(monologue)Red Stinger
(This clock really doesn't inspire confidence. I hope everything goes smoothly.)
- 0
Ordzumby
Alloysuckle, long time no see! I heard things weren't going well here, so I hurried back.
- 1
Hygro Plantago
Ordzumby? What are you doing here?! And you know Alloysuckle?
- 2
Alloysuckle
My family took care of Ordzumby years ago, so we consider each other family.
- 3
Alloysuckle
After the organization was passed down to me, Ordzumby went to the waterfall for a vacation.
- 4
Alloysuckle
By the way, didn't our chief strategist come with you?
- 5
——
Is it that pine tree over there? It looks pretty sharp.
- 6
CD-shroom
No, that's just a zombie hiding inside a tree shell—a hunting method local zombies adapted to this environment.
- 7
——
Then is it that little sprout with the flower? It looks full of life.
- 8
CD-shroom
No, that's just a little weed. It sprouts at night and shrinks back by day—or sprouts by day and shrinks back at night.
- 9
——
Then is the chief strategist that rock? It looks extremely... rock-like.
- 10
Ordzumby
The rock—uh, the chief strategist—is conducting some additional research. It'll probably be a while before they arrive.
- 11
——Homing Thistle
So after all that, they're still not here. Your organization is pretty big... Wait, Wiremoss, why do you keep switching the clock?
- 11
——Red Stinger
So they're not here yet. Your organization sure has a lot of members... Wait, who's been messing with the Apple Clock?
- 12
Wiremoss
Stop chatting! Applayer says Peony's vitals are barely registering now.
- 13
Wiremoss
Hurry up and adjust the clock! We need to find that drink and save Peony!
- 14
——Homing Thistle
Peony is already that weak? Saving her comes first.
- 14
——Red Stinger
Peony's condition... We need to move, now.
- 15
(monologue)Homing Thistle
(I really hope switching the clock this much doesn't have any side effects.)
- 15
(monologue)Red Stinger
(We can only bet that messing with the clock like this has no side effects.)
- 16
Alloysuckle
Hey, if our strate... strategist were here, they'd come up with a much better... solution.
- 0
???
Sorry I'm late. The situation around Distant Pond held me up for quite a while.
- 1
Alloysuckle
This is our chief strategist, Honey Bamboo! We have an urgent problem and need your advice.
- 2
[narrator]
Alloysuckle and CD-shroom explained Power Peony's condition to the bamboo.
- 3
Honey Bamboo
Your current approach is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Let's calm down and think this through carefully.
- 4
Honey Bamboo
This drink comes from Distant Pond. The situation is urgent, and we have no other leads.
- 5
Honey Bamboo
I think tracing it back to its source is our best option. And as it happens, recently—
- 6
Magnet-shroom
As it happens, you recently obtained information about the pond and have been dealing with the zombies there.
- 7
Honey Bamboo
Our operation against those zombies should still be confidential within the organization. Did CD-shroom mention it to you?
- 8
CD-shroom
I never mentioned that. Perhaps another member of the organization—
- 9
Magnet-shroom
There's no need for baseless suspicion.
- 10
Magnet-shroom
I simply used this clock and heard about it in the past.
- 11
——
You used the clock to travel through time!?
- 12
(monologue)
(I never imagined this clock could be so terrifying.)
- 13
Wiremoss
Then why didn't you suggest this plan sooner? That would've been better for Peony!
- 14
Magnet-shroom
Because the chief strategist's original plan only covered events after our meeting.
- 15
Magnet-shroom
If I acted early, events might have veered into uncharted territory.
- 16
Magnet-shroom
We only have one chance. We can't risk making things worse.
- 17
Honey Bamboo
Under these circumstances, a cautious approach was indeed the better choice.
- 18
Honey Bamboo
Then what was the original plan?
- 19
Magnet-shroom
As the plan calls for, please give me some time to modify this clock.
- 0
Magnet-shroom
The clock is ready. It can now jump back into the past.
- 1
Magnet-shroom
All you need to do is use the clock to shift into the past, then go to Distant Pond.
- 2
Magnet-shroom
Something must have happened there to stop the energy drink from being produced normally.
- 3
Magnet-shroom
Leave everything else to me.
- 4
Honey Bamboo
What does the original plan call for you to do?
- 5
Magnet-shroom
The plan requires a few other conditions. I'm the only one who can arrange them.
- 6
Magnet-shroom
First, Lorus can't come into the past with us.
- 7
Magnet-shroom
The pond is on an island in the middle of the ocean, so it's easy to get lost.
- 8
Magnet-shroom
We need to preserve the Lorus of that time, who had just left the pond for Mysterious Swamp.
- 9
Magnet-shroom
That way, you can meet him by the sea. He'll have left the pond only recently, so he'll remember the way.
- 10
Magnet-shroom
Second, I need to return to Snowbloom Palace, stop Peony, and arrange for BISHOP to meet us.
- 11
Lorus
True. The pond is in the middle of the ocean, and even I'm no longer sure exactly where it is.
- 12
——
That's a lot to handle. Will you be all right on your own?
- 13
Sweetbriar Rose
I'll go with you. If you need to coordinate with BISHOP, having me there will make things much easier.
- 14
Wiremoss
Then Mei and I will go too. As plants of Mechanical Snowfield, we can't help but worry.
- 15
Magnet-shroom
All right. Once we've dealt with the zombies, we'll get ready to leave.
- 16
——
If possible, could you mention the Nuclear Facility too?
- 17
——
We have no idea how to restore this area. If we can prevent the disaster, we won't have to.
- 18
Alloysuckle
Sorry to interrupt, but is this clock really all right? It's hopping all over the place. How strange.
- 19
Enzymei
It's almost as if it were catalyzed...
- 20
Magnet-shroom
The clock was just modified, so it may be a little overactive right now.
- 21
- 0
(monologue)Homing Thistle
(This clock... It really hurts when it slams into you, but it feels nice to the touch.)
- 0
(monologue)Red Stinger
(Ow! This clock keeps bouncing into me. It's so springy, though—it must be wonderfully chewy.)
- 1
——
So that's what you meant by "overactive"... It's finally settled down.
- 2
Magnet-shroom
The modifications were extensive, so this kind of behavior isn't too surprising.
- 3
Magnet-shroom
Let's proceed with the plan. Take the Seed Packets to the pond. Wiremoss and the others will come with me to handle everything else.
- 4
Magnet-shroom
Oh, and one more thing. If you go to the pond now, you should arrive just in time to meet Gatling Pea.
- 5
Peashooter
Gatling Pea! Why would he happen to be there?
- 6
Magnet-shroom
At least in the previous timeline, he was traveling there around the time you reached the swamp.
- 7
Sunflower
Hasn't Pea-Pea always wanted to meet Gatling Pea?
- 8
(monologue)
(Peashooter's that excited? We should get an autograph while we're there.)
