Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Unchained Explorers.
Chapter Three: In which someone breaks the nonexistent Geneva Conventions.
AKA, FFN didn't let me fit the full chapter name in the text box.
Wigglytuff's Guild, six hours later.
Vulpix and I, having returned from the Hot Spring after spending a very relaxing two hours there, stood next to each other at our room's window, watching as the moon rose into the sky.
Tilting her head in surprise, Vulpix opened the menu and directed it to an option that I distinctly remembered not being there before.
Active Memory Modification Field. Currently set to: None. Trusted Members: None. Trust Options: All/Specific Guild Members/None.
Finding ourselves somewhat amused at finding such a sudden explanation for why not one other Pokémon had reacted to the fact that we were distinctly different from other members of our species, and a bit creeped out at how it was apparently accomplishing this, I decided to switch it over to Specific Guild Members, Vulpix watching as it immediately brought up two lists, the one on the left filled with all of the current Guild Members as well as three "?"s, and the one on the right completely empty, something which soon changed as Vulpix and I began to add all of the current Guild Members to the right list, leaving only the three "?"s remaining on the left.
Then, after exchanged a nod with Vulpix, I pressed the check mark at the bottom, and the menu closed, displaying only a single sentence as we stared at it uncomfortably.
Memory Restructuring in progress, please wait...
After only a few moments, the menu re-opened, Vulpix leaning her head on my shoulder as we read that the "memory restructuring" had been completed, and that it could not be undone.
Closing the menu, Vulpix pressed herself against my side as we continued to watch the stars, almost seeming outright cliché in how romantic it was, before we turned to each other, leaned forward, and...
"Ahem..."
Were promptly interrupted as Chatot stared at us from the room's entrance way, his look deadpan in such a way that I found my lips curling in a amused smile despite us having been interrupted for the third time in a fucking day.
Raising an eye ridge in a way that I did not expect, Chatot continued. "Though I know you two may...resemble humans, much more than other members of your species, please do try to remain professional while within the Guild's halls, despite your... affection, for each other.
"As I told you the night you joined our Guild-" what the fuck? I don't remember ever having that conversation. -"though you may resemble humans, please try not to imitate some of the specific... habits that we once recorded."
Exchanging a glance with Vulpix, she seemed much more embarrassed than lost at that remark, a quick glance at the menu confirming and reassuring me that her memories hadn't been modified at all, though it was still a lack of knowledge that I immediately attempted to fix, despite not remembering there being any records mentioned in the original game.
"Uhh...Chatot? What records are you talking about, exactly? Because I don't remember anything about there being any records about humans..."
Turning his head to stare at me, he seemed almost...regretful. "Ah, yes, right... your amnesia. I'm sorry, it slipped my mind that you would've also lost your memories of the human records...
"See, when the humans first disappeared from our world almost a thousand years ago and the Time Gears appeared to stabilize things in their absence, they left behind many things that have long since faded into memory for all but the most long-lived Pokémon.
"Though it was long before my time or the founding of the Exploration Guilds, their creations, the Porygon line...they helped to preserve and write down what records they could of humanity's history, though as the...servers, I believe they were called? continued to degrade and the Porygon found themselves more and more limited, Pokémon across the world helped to preserve what history they could.
"Oh...I wish I could have seen it! Thousands upon thousands of Pokémon from all over the world, of every type and species, all working together to save what they could before it was lost! Electric-types to charge the...batteries? Ice-types keeping the servers cooled. Porygon taking what data they could and projecting it to be written down by Smeargle. Psychic-types and those of your own line, Riolu, spreading the memory of humanity through the minds of their children and all who would listen, in order to ensure that the humans would not be forgotten...
"Truly, the organization that such an undertaking would have required, in the absence of humanity and their capacity for unification and direction, calming those who had undoubtedly lost friends and family... it must have been truly an incredible sight, I suspect! ...and yet, so much was lost to either degradation or time..."
Letting out a sigh of disappointment as Vulpix and I attempted to recover from what had essentially been an entire metaphorical shotgun blast of exposition that was not mentioned anywhere in the original game, he seemed to collect himself and nodded for us to follow him, stating. "Now, please, come along. The Guildmaster wishes to see you two, right away."
Despite both of us already knowing about the expedition due to my knowledge of the game, though not having known exactly when it was supposed to happen, we followed him anyway.
After having Chatot and Wigglytuff explain things we had already anticipated, including the fact that rookies wouldn't be considered- except we were, because plot reasons -, we went back to our room and laid down on the beds of hay that had long since been pushed together and merged into one, Vulpix pressing herself against my side as I held with one arm, my left hand otherwise occupied by holding onto her own, as we fell asleep...
And then nine hours later were promptly woken up, as usual, by Loudred being the absolutely perfect embodiment of his species' name that he was.
Of course, by that, I obviously referred to the fact that he deliberately chose to scream louder than a fucking literal shotgun blast despite being in the same room.
Walking into the main gathering room and taking our usual places, Chatot continued to explain how the lake was "far to the east" and how there were "many aspects of that lake that remained mysterious". You know, all that shit.
Then, he announced the fact that the guild was planning an expedition to it...to universal cheers from everyone next to us, Vulpix and I smiling along with them despite having already known...all of this.
Before the gathered group of apprentices broke apart, he repeated the fact that everyone must "work hard so that you may be chosen for the expedition", you know...the hard work that Vulpix and I definitely hadn't been doing for the few weeks since we'd joined the Guild, yeah, that hard work which definitely didn't exist.
After everyone separated and went to their usual places, Chatot turned to us...and told us to do the exact same shit that we'd been doing.
Letting Vulpix lead the way, we climbed the vertical ladder up to the first sublevel of the Guild, Corphish and Bidoof apparently having gotten up it via some kind of arcane bullshit when we weren't looking.
...and then Vulpix and I turned toward the Job Bulletin Board, and promptly recognized the sight of the Zubat and Koffing that I had previously designated as Bitch One and Bitch Two.
Exchanging a wary glance with Vulpix, we both decided to take the side of caution and activated both Agility and Swords Dance- speed increased, attack increased, attack increased -, walking forward as we braced ourselves for them to try...anything, really.
Turning the right and noticing us as we approached them, Zubat and Koffing sort of just...existed their way to the side, rotating to face as what would definitely end up as an epic JoJo battle through the power of words or some shit began.
...Koffing promptly ruined it, crying out "You two!?", as he looked as nervous as physically possible for a fucking ball of poison in the general shape of a World War sea mine.
Vulpix had apparently decided to skip the entire canon flashback section and stepped forward, a very much not low-powered Flamethrower on her lips and both hands glowing with enhanced Force Palms, "And what are you two crooks doing here, after you stole my Relic Fragment?"
Zubat seemed to tense at this, replying, "Heh, what's so wrong about a legitimate exploration team checking out the Job Bulletin Board?"
I interjected, raising an eyebrow at them as I readied my own Force Palms, "Legitimate exploration team, right... I'll believe that crock of shit when Palkia descends from the sky and smacks Dialga back to his senses."
Looking around the room, which had gone completely silent as soon as the confrontation began, I rose my other eyebrow, "Well? I'm waiting..."
Turning back towards the two muggers, I grinned, "Huh, well, how unfortunate...nothing happened."
Bitch One and Bitch Two promptly glared in my direction, despite Zubat not having any eyes with which to do so, and turned to Vulpix. "So, what are you two doing here, anyway?"
Vulpix glared at them, fire quite literally spilling from between her lips as she spoke, "We're training here to become an exploration team."
This information, some-fucking-how, shocked them, and they...existed their way forward, surrounding Vulpix in an attempt to grab her and drag her into the corner as in canon...and to say that we reacted badly to this would be greatly underselling it.
Vulpix immediately bathed Zubat in flames as I sped forward and around Koffing with the assistance of my Agility boost, putting myself between him and Vulpix into order to guard her side as I slammed two enhanced Force Palms into Koffing's...pretty much entire mass, given that there was nothing "central" to target, Vulpix's own enhanced Force Palms sending Zubat crashing into the wall moments later.
Koffing dragged himself back into the air, visibly grimacing, "Whoa-ho-ho...if the Chief was here, that woulda never happened..."
In response, I simply proceeded to activate Swords Dance again- attack increased, attack increased -, without moving from my position at Vulpix's side, a tap to the back of my right hand from Vulpix drawing my attention to the sound of footsteps above us...and the smell that was beginning to come from the ladder leading to the entrance room, Vulpix and I tensing in preparation without taking our eyes off of Bitch One and Bitch Two.
Koffing and Zubat, by comparison, seemed to visibly relax despite their new injuries, with Bitch One remarking, "Whoa-ho-ho...speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!"
As one, Vulpix and I turned away from our defeated opponents and toward the ladder, both of us activating Swords Dance again as I said two words to her "Boss Protocols"- attack increased, attack increased, attack increased, a̴̯̓ṭ̷̒t̶̖́a̴͍̾ĉ̶͍k̵̗̅ ̴͖̆î̴̯n̴̘͗c̶̩̆r̴̯͐e̷̱̚ă̶̖ş̵̛e̴̡̊d̶̗̍ -and a Skuntank descended the ladder, immediately coming face to ass-face with me.
"Move! Out of the way!"
...and then he promptly violated the Geneva Convention's ban on chemical weaponry, despite that not being a thing here... directly into my face, the force and sheer smell of the blast sending me recoiling backwards as I fell to my knees and tried as hard as I could to recover from the smell, the enhanced senses of my Riolu body compared to my previous human one acting as a distinct negative change.
Mercifully, the visible cloud drifted away toward the others, each of them expressing their displeasure despite two of them lacking visible noses, Chimecho bringing up a Safeguard to shield herself from the scent, and Skuntank turned toward Vulpix, the two of them glaring at each other. "Move it! Or do you want to end up like-" attack increased, attack increased "-that wimp-" attack increased, a̴̯̓ṭ̷̒t̶̖́a̴͍̾ĉ̶͍k̵̗̅ ̴͖̆î̴̯n̴̘͗c̶̩̆r̴̯͐e̷̱̚ă̶̖ş̵̛e̴̡̊d̶̗̍ "-over there?!" Á̶͓ṭ̷̒t̶̖́a̴͍̾ĉ̶͍k̵̗̅ ̴͖̆î̴̯n̴̘͗c̶̩̆r̴̯͐e̷̱̚ă̶̖ş̵̛e̴̡̊d̶̗̍, a̴̯̓ṭ̷̒t̶̖́a̴͍̾ĉ̶͍k̵̗̅ ̴͖̆î̴̯n̴̘͗c̶̩̆r̴̯͐e̷̱̚ă̶̖ş̵̛e̴̡̊d̶̗̍.
In response, Vulpix, the absolutely beautiful partner that she was, promptly slammed a near-excessively enhanced Brick Break into what be vaguely defined as his chin, the makeshift Sky Uppercut sending him into and then through the ceiling, bits of dirt and pebbles raining around her as the room somehow became even more silent than it already was, her chest heaving and doing some very interesting things as I watched her breathe heavily from the backlash.
Glancing toward Bitch One and Bitch Two, I was greeted by the hilarious sight of the two thieves staring in mute shock at the very Pokémon they had previously insulted as being weak. Vulpix immediately rushing towards me, pulling me to my feet and into a hug oh fuck my ribs!
Desperately tapping her on the back repeatedly and getting her to barely loosen her hold, I managed to choke out three words, "Ribs! Spine! Ow!", prompting her to reduce her grip from crushing to merely very tight.
Drawing in as much glorious oxygen as I could as the enhanced strength of her hold began to weaken, her breasts pressing against my chest as she stared in horror, I rested my forehead against hers as I tried to reassure her, "I...I'm fine. It's okay, Vulpix. I'm...alright. Whew, fuck."
Ignoring the sight of Zubat and Koffing existing their way up the ladder in search of their now very absent leader, undoubtedly planning to tell him about the expedition if that attack hadn't somehow managed to commit a fucking Pokécide, I continued to recover from both the effects of the cloud and Vulpix's accidental attempt at breaking my spine.
Pulling away from her, I grabbed her hand and held on to it tightly, the enhanced strength almost fully absent from her own grip, and motioned toward the Boards with my left arm, smiling at her, "So, other than that glorious performance you just gave...want to take a look at the Boards?"
Vulpix smiled back and silently nodded, laying her head on my shoulder as we walked to the Job Bulletin Board together.
End of Chapter Three.
Bit of a quick one, though the confrontation with Team Skull did go a lot differently when compared to canon, with rather interesting results.
Do note, not gonna be showing the metaphorical grinding, so that'll happen off-screen with save for some noticeable mentions, because boring, though I'm sure you'll all want to see the literal grinding...
Also, since I didn't do it last chapter, here's the last mission's gains, as well as the current inventories (which will be put in spoilers, of course).
Money, stored: 1,297P. Money, held: 517P (obtained from previous mission).
Items gained on mission, currently in Bag:
0x Apple. 1 gained, 1 consumed.
1x Pecha Berry.
1x Pink Gummi.
1x Power Band.
2x Sleep Seeds.
1x Special Band.
1x Totter Orb.
Current Bag Inventory, 23 (15+7)/24:
1x Power Band.
1x Special Band.
1x Apple.
1x Pink Gummi.
1x Cheri Berry.
2x Oran Berries.
2x Pecha Berries.
1x Heal Seed.
2x Reviver Seeds.
4x Sleep Seeds.
1x Stun Seed.
1x X-Eye Seed.
2x Max Elixirs.
1x Foe-Hold Orb.
1x Totter Orb.
Current Stored Inventory, no change:
1x Fuchsia Bow.
8x Apples.
17x Big Apples.
10x Cheri Berries.
36x Oran Berries.
18x Pecha Berries.
1x Rawst Berry.
1x Sitrus Berry.
6x Heal Seeds.
2x Reviver Seeds.
10x Sleep Seeds.
2x Slip Seeds.
6x Stun Seeds.
4x Warp Seeds.
2x X-Eye Seeds.
11x Max Elixirs.
3x Drought Orbs.
1x Escape Orb.
1x Foe-Hold Orb.
1x Luminous Orb.
1x Rollcall Orb.