Notes: Just some general notes and warnings. This story will have massive Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon spoilers and will be fairly dark. There will be violence and possible death, although the death will be mostly pre-story (or will it). There are also several dark themes but it won't retract much from the original storyline, which was already pretty dark when you think about it.
Also, there is a poll on my profile on which Pokémon was the most fun to play during the Mystery Dungeon franchise. I included every single playable character from every game that I know but it's only for the main character you play as. As such, I have to say that my personal vote would either go to Bulbasaur or Eevee, although Squirtle also has a special place in my heart. I'll have one up for favorite partner Pokémon in the following week or so (my vote for Riolu, Eevee, or Shinx). It may or may not have an effect on the story so please be sure to vote.
Inspiration: Partially Undertale and my own frustrations at what the game should have been called: "Fuck Your Grass Starter." You will find many a reference.
They don't know how many times they've been through this. It all starts to blend into enter, encounter, defeat, walk, ascend, encounter, defeat, ascend, encounter, lose, revive, defeat, encounter, lose, revive, defeat, encounter lose revive defeat encounter lose revive defeat encounter lose revive defeat encounterloserevivedefeatencounterloseloseloseloselose
They lose a lot.
Ampharos is getting worried about them. He says that maybe it's time to quit, just for a little while, ℙ̅ͭͭ͌ͮ͌̓ͥͫͩͯ̽ͯ̃̌̉̚̚͟͡҉̬̲̰̖ ̡̛̲͙͕͎͈̤̩̻̭̗̻̜́̒̑͌͛͂͛ͪͧ̇̑ͦͫ́͘͘ґ͖̪̗̹͙͍͂̔͂͒̃͐͐̍̍̅̓ͤ̽̓̍ͪ͟͡ ̉͗̈́̿̎̈ͯ̔̔̀͊̒͏̴̫̬͖͈̯͔͍͍̬̳͚ᾔ̴̱̞̝͖͙̙͎͓̫͖̯͑ͬ̄̌̾͊ͪͯ̈́ͣͨ͌͟͟ε̧̦̮̣̈̆ͣͤ͛̚͜я̸̘̜̰̬̭͓̠̭͉̱̹̪̪̩̝̄͋̊̈́ͨ̀͜͡ wouldn't want to see them like this. He says that children shouldn't have to be like this. Everyone else shows their concern too, just in different ways. Mawile takes them on archeological digs and always comes to them when she finds new information on ℙ̅ͭͭ͌ͮ͌̓ͥͫͩͯ̽ͯ̃̌̉̚̚͟͡҉̬̲̰̖ ̡̛̲͙͕͎͈̤̩̻̭̗̻̜́̒̑͌͛͂͛ͪͧ̇̑ͦͫ́͘͘ґ͖̪̗̹͙͍͂̔͂͒̃͐͐̍̍̅̓ͤ̽̓̍ͪ͟͡ ̉͗̈́̿̎̈ͯ̔̔̀͊̒͏̴̫̬͖͈̯͔͍͍̬̳͚ᾔ̴̱̞̝͖͙̙͎͓̫͖̯͑ͬ̄̌̾͊ͪͯ̈́ͣͨ͌͟͟ε̧̦̮̣̈̆ͣͤ͛̚͜я̸̘̜̰̬̭͓̠̭͉̱̹̪̪̩̝̄͋̊̈́ͨ̀͜͡. Jirachi lets them look through his telescope and he points out the constellations late at night, when they can't sleep. Buizel and Archen eventually accompany them through the dungeon and they even made it to the last floor once—but this is their journey and their journey alone and they, reluctantly, turned back. Dedenne uses her telepathy to send them jokes from time to time and to keep them updated on what goes on around them. Bunnelby, they're sure, accompanies them, too, on their dungeon explorations, just in a sneakier way. They glanced back many a time to see an out of place hole or the quick glimpse of too long ears hiding away beneath the earth. Even Swirlix has noticed and saves them at least one perfect apple for dinner each night without fail, no matter how hungry she gets. Maybe everyone is right and they should take a break but the longer they go without ℙ̅ͭͭ͌ͮ͌̓ͥͫͩͯ̽ͯ̃̌̉̚̚͟͡҉̬̲̰̖ ̡̛̲͙͕͎͈̤̩̻̭̗̻̜́̒̑͌͛͂͛ͪͧ̇̑ͦͫ́͘͘ґ͖̪̗̹͙͍͂̔͂͒̃͐͐̍̍̅̓ͤ̽̓̍ͪ͟͡ ̉͗̈́̿̎̈ͯ̔̔̀͊̒͏̴̫̬͖͈̯͔͍͍̬̳͚ᾔ̴̱̞̝͖͙̙͎͓̫͖̯͑ͬ̄̌̾͊ͪͯ̈́ͣͨ͌͟͟ε̧̦̮̣̈̆ͣͤ͛̚͜я̸̘̜̰̬̭͓̠̭͉̱̹̪̪̩̝̄͋̊̈́ͨ̀͜͡, the longer time stretches before them lost and alone and scared and so very very sad.
They just want to reach Natu. They just want to know about ℙ̅ͭͭ͌ͮ͌̓ͥͫͩͯ̽ͯ̃̌̉̚̚͟͡҉̬̲̰̖ ̡̛̲͙͕͎͈̤̩̻̭̗̻̜́̒̑͌͛͂͛ͪͧ̇̑ͦͫ́͘͘ґ͖̪̗̹͙͍͂̔͂͒̃͐͐̍̍̅̓ͤ̽̓̍ͪ͟͡ ̉͗̈́̿̎̈ͯ̔̔̀͊̒͏̴̫̬͖͈̯͔͍͍̬̳͚ᾔ̴̱̞̝͖͙̙͎͓̫͖̯͑ͬ̄̌̾͊ͪͯ̈́ͣͨ͌͟͟ε̧̦̮̣̈̆ͣͤ͛̚͜я̸̘̜̰̬̭͓̠̭͉̱̹̪̪̩̝̄͋̊̈́ͨ̀͜͡.They just want to see ℙ̅ͭͭ͌ͮ͌̓ͥͫͩͯ̽ͯ̃̌̉̚̚͟͡҉̬̲̰̖ ̡̛̲͙͕͎͈̤̩̻̭̗̻̜́̒̑͌͛͂͛ͪͧ̇̑ͦͫ́͘͘ґ͖̪̗̹͙͍͂̔͂͒̃͐͐̍̍̅̓ͤ̽̓̍ͪ͟͡ ̉͗̈́̿̎̈ͯ̔̔̀͊̒͏̴̫̬͖͈̯͔͍͍̬̳͚ᾔ̴̱̞̝͖͙̙͎͓̫͖̯͑ͬ̄̌̾͊ͪͯ̈́ͣͨ͌͟͟ε̧̦̮̣̈̆ͣͤ͛̚͜я̸̘̜̰̬̭͓̠̭͉̱̹̪̪̩̝̄͋̊̈́ͨ̀͜͡.
It's a horrible fate they've fallen in. They can never be at a high enough level to survive Houndoom's inferno or Serviper's bite and they never have enough reviver seeds to reach that one last floor. Wands go fast and so do orbs and seeds and pretty soon, they're left with nothing except to wait for rescue, restock, restart. It's become a bit of a habit now (get up, travel on Lapras Travel Liner, enter dungeon, lose, wait for rescue, return home, eat dinner, sleep, repeat) and they've even heard some of the adults whispering about "obsession" and "it's not healthy." But that's okay because they're going to one day reach the final floor and meet Natu and he'll tell them where ℙ̅ͭͭ͌ͮ͌̓ͥͫͩͯ̽ͯ̃̌̉̚̚͟͡҉̬̲̰̖ ̡̛̲͙͕͎͈̤̩̻̭̗̻̜́̒̑͌͛͂͛ͪͧ̇̑ͦͫ́͘͘ґ͖̪̗̹͙͍͂̔͂͒̃͐͐̍̍̅̓ͤ̽̓̍ͪ͟͡ ̉͗̈́̿̎̈ͯ̔̔̀͊̒͏̴̫̬͖͈̯͔͍͍̬̳͚ᾔ̴̱̞̝͖͙̙͎͓̫͖̯͑ͬ̄̌̾͊ͪͯ̈́ͣͨ͌͟͟ε̧̦̮̣̈̆ͣͤ͛̚͜я̸̘̜̰̬̭͓̠̭͉̱̹̪̪̩̝̄͋̊̈́ͨ̀͜͡ is and they'll find them and everything will turn out fine and everyone will get their happy endings because that's what heroes deserve and they saved the world and so did ℙ̅ͭͭ͌ͮ͌̓ͥͫͩͯ̽ͯ̃̌̉̚̚͟͡҉̬̲̰̖ ̡̛̲͙͕͎͈̤̩̻̭̗̻̜́̒̑͌͛͂͛ͪͧ̇̑ͦͫ́͘͘ґ͖̪̗̹͙͍͂̔͂͒̃͐͐̍̍̅̓ͤ̽̓̍ͪ͟͡ ̉͗̈́̿̎̈ͯ̔̔̀͊̒͏̴̫̬͖͈̯͔͍͍̬̳͚ᾔ̴̱̞̝͖͙̙͎͓̫͖̯͑ͬ̄̌̾͊ͪͯ̈́ͣͨ͌͟͟ε̧̦̮̣̈̆ͣͤ͛̚͜я̸̘̜̰̬̭͓̠̭͉̱̹̪̪̩̝̄͋̊̈́ͨ̀͜͡ so both of them deserve their happy endings... Right?
They haven't seen Carracosta in a while. They haven't seen (Dad) Nuzleaf in a while. They miss them.
Again, it's the same today. They enter the Sand Dune of Spirits during early morning, when the heat isn't so bad. Already, they're faced with a battle as Houndoom howls from the other side of the room they've been warped into. They attack the space in front of them once and Houndoom moves towards them. They continue attack the space in front of them until Houndoom is in a reasonable range and then they wave a Petrify Wand at the fire-type, escaping the room before he shakes off the status effect. After a few more dead end rooms and close calls and some reviver seeds, they finally find the stairs. This continues for the next couple of floors until they reach Level 7. They don't see the Houndoom coming until it is too late and the inferno burns through their body, leaving them broken and helpless on the ground.
Satisfied, the Houndoom leaves the room and leaves the child on the floor. They curl up into themselves and wait for rescue. Tears fall fast and hotly down their face, aches ringing through their body and burns leaving lasting marks that join the preexisting ones. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair. They just wanted to see their friend again so why was the world being so mean. Why why why.
Another loss, another defeat.
I don't want this either…
They blinked.
I don't want it to end like this. I'm so close.
Was that… a voice? Inside their head?
Maybe they were going what the adults called "crazy." They sat up, tears dried on their face but no longer falling. Maybe this voice could help them. After all, voices in their head had helped them before. Maybe it was another Pokémon with telepathy, like Dedenne or Espurr. Maybe this Pokémon wouldn't be such a big bully and would actually help them.
Please, I need to make it to Natu.
That's what they wanted too. They made up their mind.
Hello…?
…
…
…oh my god. How is this possible?
Um, I—
This shouldn't be happening, it's just a videogame.
Please, um—
Maybe Mom was right and I'm getting too attached. That's it, I've officially gone crazy.
Wait—
It's like Creepy Black or whatever its name was—Lost Silver? It's like that creepypasta all over—
Canyoupleasehelpme?
Silence. They were nervous but nothing ventured, nothing gained. It's not like they wouldn't be rescued in a moment anyway.
…yeah. Yeah, I can. This is all probably a dream anyway.
What?
Yeah, one last time. We'll do it one last time, then…
Then…?
Flash forward, static. They're startled, choking on a bit of oran berry. When did they get back to Lively Town? When did they sit down to dinner? They can remember back to the dungeon, faintly, and they can remember being rescued but it's like they used ten quick orbs that lasted hours instead of minutes. Static interrupts in the background, things they can't remember or events they can't quite place fade into the black and white snow. It's a weird feeling because it doesn't feel quite like the world anymore, more like a playground to play around in before going home: separate, fun, inconsequential. The day doesn't feel like a day anymore and it's more like a series of events strung together to make a "day" instead of an actual day itself.
Flash forward, static. They've woken up but they don't remember going to their room and they don't remember falling asleep. They don't know what's happening and they're scared but flash forward, static, everyone's yelling, "Yes sir!" and they do their best to keep up. There's a sick feeling in their stomach but they try to keep it down as they exit the society, earning a different flash forward, darkness. It's scary and they have to spend a few minutes calming down, reminding themself that they already beat the Dark Matter. They take a step forward, afraid of the darkness reappearing, then another when it doesn't.
They make it halfway down the stairs before flash forward, darkness. They spend the day in a dizzying state of flash forward, static and flash forward, darkness and they bumble around, trying their best to make sense of it all. They don't hear the voice again.
Finally, they enter the Sand Dune of Spirits armed with wands, reviver seeds, and orbs. They make good progress and make it five floors without being too damaged or having to use a reviver seed. Once they reach Level 6, though, it goes downhill. There are two Houndooms and a Serviper in the room they've warped to and they have to use three reviver seeds before they can escape the room. They find the stairs easily enough but have to use an oran berry to reclaim their health before the next floor. Thankfully, there are no Pokémon waiting for them in the next room. In fact, there are no Pokémon at all. Dread settles in their stomach but they push on and even spot the stairs in the next room.
Suddenly, Pokémon fall through the ceiling and they realize, with horror, that it is a Monster House. Six, no, Seven reviver seeds are used before they make it to the next floor. The next couple of levels are spent warily and safely, they only have one reviver seed left, and it's a tiny one at that. They use that seed on the ninth floor against a Venemoth, putting her to sleep with a Slumber Wand before climbing the stairs. It's the tenth floor and anticipation gnaws at their belly while excitement flows through their veins. The last floor, the last set of stairs.
They use up all their wands and some of their coveted blast seeds before they find the stairs. A grin stretches across their face as they prepare to take that last final step—legs collapse. Hunger, not anticipation, gnaws at their belly and they can only groan weakly at their horrible failure. They didn't even bother to bring an apple with them since reviver seeds revive them with a full belly, stupid, stupid, stupid.
They wait for rescue.
Well, I guess that's it.
Flash forward, light?
That was my last shot. Jeez, I really don't want to start over but…
Too much light, drawings in their head, a menu? Precious scarf, continue. Pelipper Island, rescue? Paper and eraser, D_E_L_E_T_E S_A_V_E ?
Eh, I kinda want to relive the story anyway. Maybe it'll be easier if I'm a water-type…
Too much light, falling (the cliff broke beneath them, the grass couldn't hold it together, they were falling), darkness, light, flash forward.
Besides, I did say that I would do it if I didn't make it this last time, even if it was in a weird dream.
D_E_L_E_T_E S_A_V_E ?
_Y E S
N O
Nonononononono Ampharos ℙ̅ͭͭ͌ͮ͌̓ͥͫͩͯ̽ͯ̃̌̉̚̚͟͡҉̬̲̰̖ ̡̛̲͙͕͎͈̤̩̻̭̗̻̜́̒̑͌͛͂͛ͪͧ̇̑ͦͫ́͘͘ґ͖̪̗̹͙͍͂̔͂͒̃͐͐̍̍̅̓ͤ̽̓̍ͪ̉͗̈́̿̎̈ͯ̔̔̀͊̒͟͡͏̴̫̬͖͈̯͔͍͍̬̳͚ᾔ̴̱̞̝͖͙̙͎͓̫͖̯͑ͬ̄̌̾͊ͪͯ̈́ͣͨ͌͟͟ε̧̦̮̣̈̆ͣͤ͛̚͜я̸̘̜̰̬̭͓̠̭͉̱̄͋̊̈́ͨ̀͜͡Dadleaf please
This isn't what they wanted.
_Y E S
Fennekin looks like a cute starter but Charmander is old—
Whatever connection line connected them to the voice snaps violently, like frayed rope at its end. There is no more light, just darkness, and they are all alone again. There is no sound, no sight, no smell, no taste, no touch. There is just a floating sensation and they are only thankful that there is no more falling. But maybe that means that there's no more of anything else and it scares them for a minute and they cry out— Nuzleaf—
But nobody came.
Flash forward, light. A splitting headache runs through their head and dryness claws at their throat. The sound of rushing water fills their ears and they have a strong feeling of déjà vu. They open their eyes.
A river sits before them as a waterfall cascades down to fill it. They can hear familiar beeping in the distance.
N_E_W G_A_M_E P_L_U_S