Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Unchained Explorers

by OmegaEntertainment

An SI without the memory of his name gets thrown into the world of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, except things are...different. Tags, if that at all interests you: Anthropomorphic Pokémon main characters, eventually nsfw, gloriously wholesome romance, op main characters, vaguely gamer-ish.

7. Chapter 7: To Dance Beneath the Stars

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Unchained Explorers.

Chapter Seven: To Dance Beneath the Stars.

---

In which the Expedition actually fucking happens, finally.

Since this shit can't be put into spoiler tags, well...yeah.

Current Info and Stats, Riolu:

Level: 24.

Abilities: Steadfast, Inner Focus.

Riolu's Moves:

Tackle.

Endure.

Agility.

Feint.

Force Palm.

Counter.

Foresight.

Quick Attack.

Brick Break.

Swords Dance.

Bite.

Protect.

Screech.

Roar (from Vulpix, mutually learned).

Confuse Ray (from Vulpix, mutually learned).

Flamethrower (from Vulpix, learned via TM).

Dark Pulse (from Vulpix, learned via TM).

Will-O-Wisp (from Vulpix, mutually learned).

Imprison (from Vulpix, mutually learned).

Current Info and Stats, Vulpix:

Level: 25.

Ability: Flash Fire.

Vulpix's Moves:

Ember.

Tail Whip.

Agility.

Roar.

Quick Attack.

Will-O-Wisp.

Confuse Ray.

Flamethrower.

Imprison.

Counter (from Riolu, mutually learned).

Force Palm (from Riolu, mutually learned).

Feint (from Riolu, mutually learned).

Brick Break (from Riolu, mutually learned via TM).

Swords Dance (from Riolu, mutually learned via TM).

Protect (from Riolu, mutually learned via TM).

Screech (from Riolu, mutually learned).

The War Kit:

2x Big Apples.

4x Oran Berries.

2x Pecha Berries.

2x Heal Seeds.

6x Reviver Seeds.

4x Sleep Seeds.

4x Stun Seeds.

1x X-Eye Seed.

2x Max Elixirs.

---

The Day of the Expedition.

Pausing on the stairs to the Guild, I had a sudden idea and, after explaining it to Vulpix, we headed over to Spinda's Café in order to get something that would definitely help us against the boss encounter.

4x Big Apples recycled.

Prize Ticket obtained.

Prize Ticket redeemed.

Silver Ticket obtained.

Well, that's...unhelpful, I guess?

Silver Ticket redeemed.

Right, so, if we choose the same color...

Consolation Prize obtained. Escape Orb obtained.

Escape Orb thrown away.

Well, fuck. I was aiming for the Hunger Seed. Didn't realize they also gave these shits out.

...sigh, guess we'll just try again, then.

Then, just as I prepared to throw in four more items, Vulpix tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to something that I probably should have looked at beforehand.

Note: Hunger Seeds can only be obtained as Consolation Prizes from Prism Tickets. Prism Tickets and only be obtained after reaching Hyper Rank and ḑ̸́͠e̷͕͒f̸̛̺̖̑e̵̥͓̎a̵̝̾̀t̴̺̃̇i̷͈͋̋n̸̲̮̈́̅g̸̦͋ ̷̢̀̍P̷̻̈́͒r̷̛̘ỉ̶͎͝ḿ̵̝̃á̸̲l̴̩̽̅ ̵̄ͅD̶̖͕̀i̶͚͗a̵͉̕l̷̦̀̎g̸͚̉ḁ̷͚̀͆.̶̜̆͑ Hunger Seeds must be obtained through alternative methods up to this point.

I took a moment to recognize the sheer bullshit that I was reading, and then carefully tried to take deep, calming breathes.

Vulpix took my hand, and led me outside of Spinda's Café before I said something that might have gotten us kicked out.

Then, I took a breath, and let it out...

"FUCK!"

Then, after having taken a moment for me to calm down as Vulpix held me in a side hug and Diglett stared at us in shock, we continued up to the Guild, my plan for making the false-Groudon fight even less of a threat completely ruined.

"Oh? Are you ready for the Expedition, Team Fire Shadow?"

Vulpix and I nodded in unison, and Chatot nodded to himself before continuing.

"Incidentally..."

I decided to skip the entire "you may not bring non-Guild team members" line, replying, "We know, and we don't actually have any team members that aren't part of the Guild, so that won't be an issue."

Chatot gave us a look of surprise, before smiling enigmatically, "Hmm...yes, I suppose I can see why you would want to focus on each other first...yes.

"Either way, please wait here until the other apprentices assemble, I will commence the briefing then."

Exchanging a smile, Vulpix and I walked over to sit against the wall, my partner leaning her head on my shoulder as we watched the ladder and waited in comfortable silence.

Then, after everyone had assembled, Team Skull included, we stood and walked over to our usual places, hand in hand.

Chatot looked over the gathered Guild members, and turned to the Guildmaster. "All accounted for, it appears.

"Well then. Let me explain about this expedition.

"First, the objective is the exploration of Fogbound Lake."

Vulpix and I nodded to each other, both of knowing what would actually be there due to my knowledge of the plot, though I hadn't told her exactly what the true lake looked like.

"Just so you all know...it is also rumored that a treasure of exquisite beauty is hidden there!"

Yeah, about that, Chatot...it's not exactly the kind of treasure we'll be able to recover. Well...actually, we COULD, it'd just be an absolutely fucking stupid idea at this point, even if it'll be necessary later on.

Then, Chatot instructed all of us to open our Treasure Maps, and we did so.

"First, this is where Fogbound Lake is said to be. As an uncharted territory, the area is shown under a cloud cover."

Yeah, because even our fucking Maps are magical arcane bullshit, yes.

"As you can see, the lake is a considerable distance from the Guild. Therefore, we will encamp at the foot of the highlands here. That will serve as our base camp.

"However, if we were to travel all at once as a single group to the base camp, our mobility would be restricted severely.

"The strategy is to split up into several groups in order to travel to the base camp.

"I shall announce those groups now."

He turned his head, looking over all of us, before continuing. "The first group is Sunflora, Loudred, Diglett, and Croagunk.

"The next group is Dugtrio, Chimecho, and Corphish.

"Erm...let's see...the Guildmaster and I shall travel as a pair...that is acceptable, yes?"

Vulpix and I leaned backwards warily as Wigglytuff began complaining about going with Chatot, Skuntank's eyes locked directly on the Guildmaster and his body as tense as ours, as the two of us prepared to defend ourselves against another possible attempt to go Super Saiyan.

After successfully quelling the Guildmaster's sadness by way of verbal force somehow, he turned away and continued, "Our guests, Team Skull should travel independently as their own group."

Skuntank sent Chatot a nod and spoke his agreement, his eyes never leaving the Guildmaster's form.

Acknowledging Skuntank's nod with one of his own, Chatot turned and spoke again, "The final group will be Team Fire Shadow and Bidoof."

Together, Vulpix and I turned our heads, both of us sending Bidoof a smile and a wave without breaking line of sight with the temporarily disarmed nuclear bomb that was our Guildmaster.

Chatot spoke once more as Vulpix and I walked over to join Bidoof, the quadrupedal Normal-type giving us a smile in return, "Well then! Everyone, let's get to it and move out!"

---

Craggy Coast/Side Path.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, Vulpix gripped my hand in hers and pulled me forward, the two of us smiling at each other as we watched the sea, Bidoof smiling up at us as Vulpix laid her head on my shoulder and we looked at the sheer cliff in front of us.

Vulpix sighed in contentment, before lifting her head from my shoulder and motioning towards the Kangaskhan Rock in interest, Bidoof elaborating for our benefit as I remembered that we probably could leave our War Kit here and then reclaim it later on at the Base Camp.

Then, I turned to explain this to Vulpix, Bidoof watching the cave's entrance as Vulpix and I spoke to each other, "So, we can probably leave the War Kit here and instead grab a more endurance based one, honestly."

Vulpix tilted her head, staring at me in a way that caused my heart to begin beating faster just due to how cute it made her look, "Oh? Hmm...let's see...huh, I suppose we could? I just don't want us to be under prepared..."

I blew air through my nose in a short laugh, before smiling at her and pulling her into a hug, my partner relaxing into it and her breasts pressing against my chest as I spoke against her ears, "Heh, and here I thought that was supposed to be my line...we should be fine, honestly, since we'll most likely be able to get it back at the Base Camp and continue on from there."

I felt Vulpix nod against my shoulder, and we reluctantly separated in order to deposit our War Kit and withdraw some more...endurance focused items.

...and then the fucking Dungeon itself decided to say "fuck you" to that plan and we found ourselves presented with the two options of Craggy Coast and Side Path, with no option to back out of the menu.

The two of us exchanged a glance as Bidoof watched us read something he couldn't see, before I rose my hand and selected "Craggy Coast".

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 1.

Taking point as usual, I chose a direction and we set off through the dungeon, trusting Vulpix to watch my back as I silently hoped that the dungeon hadn't weakened Bidoof too much...

Riolu: Level 24.

Vulpix: Level 25.

Bidoof: Level 14.

...son of a bitch, alright then.

Turning toward Vulpix as we entered the next room, I grabbed her in a sudden hug and spun with her in my arms, Bidoof staring at my back in confusion as I leaned down to press my lips to the top of Vulpix's head, and whispered a single sentence as I did everything in my power not to crush Bidoof's self-esteem like a complete asshole.

"Vulpix, this just became an escort mission."

Then, I spun us around again, Vulpix staring directly into my eyes as she gave a single nod and took a look at her menu, a brief glance at the level difference between the two of us and Bidoof giving all the context my partner needed as she squeezed back once, her breasts pressing against my chest, and reluctantly pulled herself out of my arms.

Due to the fact that we couldn't pull our usual Agility trick without leaving Bidoof behind, yet another reason why we had chosen not to recruit other Pokémon into our team, we continued through the Dungeon at Bidoof's pace.

Coming to the first enemy of the Dungeon, a sleeping Krabby, I stepped forward warily, the enemy Pokémon awakening at the disturbance and undoubtedly preparing itself for a hard-fought battle.

...and then I promptly smacked it aside with a Force Palm, its unconscious body making a new crater in the wall as I blinked, a little bit startled at how effortless it had been.

Fucking hell, that level difference is no joke, huh?

Pausing to smack aside another Krabby with a Force Palm, I stared in shock as a fucking box just sort of materialized in front of me out of literally nowhere, before I extended my hand and the Box found itself in the Bag.

Pretty Box obtained.

Walking past a Krabby as Vulpix sent forth a spiraling lance of flame and sent it directly to the shadow realm, I spotted the stairs and motioned towards them insistently, very much planning not to bother picking up most items due to our space being limited by the sheer extent of the War Kit and the fact that we hadn't had the chance to replace it with a smaller and more endurance based one.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 1.

Man, this place really doesn't have many items, huh? Or are we just getting really unlucky?

Pausing as Vulpix sent an approaching Krabby flying with Flamethrower through some kind of magical bullshit despite flames not really having much mass, we continued on.

Then, we came to both the stairs and the floor's singular item, Vulpix extending her hand- Apple obtained -as we walked toward the disguised dimensional corridor, Bidoof watching our back as the three of us descended, Vulpix and I lighting the way for Bidoof with a low-powered Flamethrower on our every breath.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Huh, well, that's a bit better, I suppose...

73P obtained.

...and then, idly noting the fact that we had landed right next to the next set of stairs, the three of us continued forward and promptly encountered a fucking Dratini, the first Dragon-type Pokémon of Generation One slithering its way towards us in a way that very much indicated that it did not want to give free hugs.

In response, I activated Force Palm and struck what I guessed to be its center mass, the first Dragon-type flying backwards until its unconscious body landed in a pile against the opposite wall.

Huh...kinda feel bad about it, honestly.

Deciding to ignore my own guilt, we continued on through the dungeon, before finally finding the last item of the floor.

80P obtained.

Taking a moment to smack aside an approaching Spheal with a Force Palm on our way back to the stairs, Vulpix and I paused at the sound of a ping, Bidoof showing no reaction to the sound as he watched our backs and the two of us shared a glance.

Riolu has leveled up! Riolu has reached Level 25.

Smiling as my partner pressed her lips against my cheek in congratulations, I pulled her into a quick side hug, wrapping my arm around her waist and squeezing once, before we reluctantly separated and continued on back to the stairs.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Sleep Seed obtained.

...is that a fucking Gastrodon? Do...do they even evolve anywhere near that level, or this a "Gen 1 Lance's Dragonite" kind of situation? Eh, we'll take it either way.

Then I promptly smacked it into the nearest wall with Force Palm, idly taking a moment to grimace and try to wipe slime off of my hand before we continued forwards, Vulpix giggling at my brief misfortune as Bidoof tried his best to keep himself from smiling in blatant amusement.

...his best, unfortunately, was not enough.

I immediately knocked out a Krabby that had been unfortunate enough to put itself in our path, and tried to use part of its shell to get the slime out of the fur of my hand.

...before I promptly realized that there was water fucking everywhere and used that instead.

Smacking aside a few enemy Pokémon without much effort, I suddenly found all of my balance failing me as a Wingull blasted blatant earrape at me, Vulpix stepping past Bidoof as he slammed a Headbutt into the offending seagull and knocked it the fuck out.

Stumbling around as if I had suddenly become extremely drunk, I silently promised myself that if I ever managed to find or make alcohol here, I'd make sure to mix that shit with all the Persim Berries, my mouth moving without the consent of my brain as I fell against Vulpix and my partner wrapped her arms around my torso to stop me from moving around further...

Quickly recovering as I tried to ignore the existence of suddenly headache, I looked up and found Bidoof facing away from us and apparently trying as hard as he could to forget everything I might have said, Vulpix staring down at me with her eyes widened and blushing visibly, a very happy smile across her face.

Bidoof turned toward us, and blinked as I spoke up and my partner helped me to my feet. "So...what did I say, exactly? Because I feel like I'm missing both something and the last two minutes of my life."

Bidoof glanced over at Vulpix, before smiling awkwardly, and our quadrupedal fellow Apprentice opened his mouth to reply...

Speed increased, speed increased. Speed increased, speed increased.

And then Vulpix was just there, her face practically glowing red as she slapped a hand over Bidoof's mouth and he immediately shut it in response, Vulpix leaning down to our non-anthropomorphic fellow explorer and nearly hissing the words, "Don't tell him! Not. A. Word. Not even one!"

I rose an eyebrow in response, now knowing that I had apparently said something that greatly embarrassed Vulpix, "Right...it was something really embarrassing, wasn't it?"

Vulpix blurred back to my side, her blush nearly incandescent as she wrapped her arms around me and I reciprocated the hug, my partner quickly mumbling into my shoulder as her double-B cup breasts pressed against my chest, "Not...not now, please?"

Despite my overwhelming curiosity and a bit of suspicion, I decided to drop the potential issue due to the fact that we were still in a Mystery Dungeon, pressing my lips to the top of Vulpix's head as she reluctantly pulled away from the embrace and we continued on our way through the dungeon.

Pausing briefly to smack aside an approaching Wingull, we went down the stairs, my partner and I lighting the way for Bidoof once more.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

Upon reaching the next floor, I immediately turned and beheld another Dratini, a quick Flamethrower from Vulpix putting down the first Dragon-type before we moved past its now unconscious body.

Escape Orb obtained.

Well, that's...helpful, I guess?

Smacking aside an approaching Spheal, I was somewhat interested to find a Blue Gummi laying on the floor.

Blue Gummi obtained.

...won't we need these at some point later on? Something to do with a Manaphy, I think?

Eh, guess we might as well keep any we find and throw them into storage for later, just in case.

Continuing on, we found some more things...and then I promptly found my vision filled with the sight of Bidoof using Headbutt on a Spheal...way the fuck away from us.

Turning toward my partner, I found Vulpix shaking off what had undoubtedly been the same exact vision as the one I had...and a distinct lack of Bidoof following behind us.

Exchanging an extremely worried glance with Vulpix, we immediately set out toward Bidoof's location via the restrained use of Agility, the map in the bottom left of my vision constantly updating as it tracked his location and the two of us internally berating ourselves for losing what was essentially our "escort client" and then not noticing.

Oh thank fuck, there he is. How the hell did we even lose him in the first place!?

Vulpix and I exchanged a relieved glance, our earlier embarrassment at...whatever I had said before now forgotten, and continued on.

Escape Orb swapped for X-Eye Seed. X-Eye Seed obtained.

Recognizing that our Bag of Distinctly Limited Holding was now very full, my partner and I exchanged a glance and mutually agreed, without even a single spoken word, that we should just try and get through the dungeon.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Oh hey, we ended up right next to the stairs.

Guess we'll just smack this Wingull and move on.

At a single glance from me and a motion of my eyes pointing toward the stairs, Vulpix promptly sent forth a spiraling lance of flame, immediately throwing the now heavily burned and unconscious Wingull to the floor as the dungeon itself began to heal its injuries, and we quickly moved on.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Oh holy shit, that's just a full-on motherfucking SEALEO.

Then, Vulpix sent forth the twin lights of Confuse Ray as I slammed a Brick Break into the Gastrodon behind her, the confused Sealeo barely having the chance to swipe a flipper to the left and miss her entirely, before my partner sent it into unconsciousness with a Faint Attack to the head.

Without a word, we headed out, Bidoof smiling to himself as he watched our backs.

Getting hungry...

Glancing backwards as we stopped moving, I blinked as her eyes stared directly into my own, silently imploring as I considered whether or not I'd be able to resist the look...nah.

Vulpix smiled and leaned forward to press her lips against my cheek, briefly hesitating as she glanced at Bidoof, before deciding to do it anyway as I withdrew an Apple from our Bag and my heartbeat quickened at the sight of her smile.

Then, I split it into thirds with a Brick Break and passed out the two other pieces, Bidoof happily taking one in his jaws as my partner and I sat down, and she pressed herself into my side contently as we ate in comfortable silence.

Apple consumed, full effect gained due to hunger mechanic.

Huh, I had always wondered why I gained the full effect of these things even though I only ate half. Guess I know now.

Vulpix smiled at me, and rose to her feet, pulling me to my own as she pressed another kiss to my cheek and held my hand in hers, Bidoof glancing between us as he smiled knowingly.

Then, the three of us continued on through the first dungeon of the Expedition, Vulpix and I idly smacking aside enemy Pokémon as we searched for the stairs.

And that's a Gastrodon.

I immediately slammed a Brick Break into what could be vaguely defined as its center mass, idly shaking slime from my hand as I closed my eyes and decided to try using the Aura Sight.

Grimacing in pain at the sudden headache, I barely managed to recognize the silhouette around the corner ahead of us as a second Gastrodon, the pulse of Aura cutting out as I fell back into Vulpix's arms and brought up my hands to massage my temples.

"Fucking ow."

Vulpix leaned her head over mine, shifting me in her arms as she slammed a Force Palm into the approaching Gastrodon and Bidoof watched our backs.

Then, she turned her head to look down at me, my partner's deadpan expression practically radiating disapproval as I found it just a little bit hard to meet her eyes.

"Riolu...did you just try using your Aura Sight again? As in, the same Aura Sight that had you screaming in pain the last time you used it? That Aura Sight?"

I opened my mouth to explain, and she pressed a finger to my lips, before shifting us until my head was resting on her shoulder and her body was leaning against the wall in as comfortable a position as she could make it.

Then, Vulpix sighed, silencing me with another look as I once again opened my mouth to explain.

"Riolu, I'm not angry that you tried to test it, I'm just...worried. You didn't give me any warning that you wanted to try it, and you could have hurt yourself with it, and...and I don't want that, Riolu!"

I smiled, grabbing her hand and pulling it to the side and away from my mouth, as I leaned up to press my lips against her cheek.

Then, we briefly separated, before Vulpix pulled me back and wrapped her arms around me, her forehead pressing against my own as she stared into my eyes. "Promise you'll at least warn me before you try to use it again, Riolu?"

I leaned into the hug, and pressed my lips to the top of her head, Bidoof looking interested in pretty much everything that wasn't us, undoubtedly in order to avoid spoiling the moment, and I spoke, smiling to myself as her ears twitched. "Promise."

Then, we actually separated, Vulpix leaning over to press her lips to my cheek before we continued further into the dungeon, taking a moment to smack aside a Dratini and replace our previously consumed Apple.

Apple obtained.

Then, we went down the stairs yet again, Vulpix laying her head on my shoulder as our every breath lit the way for Bidoof to follow us.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

Choosing to completely ignore all of the items, we began our search for the next set of stairs and quickly found them, walking past the nearby Oran Berry as we went down the stairs once more, not a single enemy Pokémon having appeared to try and attack us during our quick trek through this floor.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Right, so I'm pretty sure this is the last floor...?

Then I turned around and we stared at the stairs literally across the room from us.

Turning my head as I wrapped an arm around Vulpix's waist, I smiled, "Well, that's convenient as hell, isn't it?"

I felt Vulpix's nod more than I saw it, Bidoof following us as we descended the stairs...and finally exited the dungeon, Vulpix and I sighing in relief as I felt my strength return to full and my hunger sate itself.

---

Mt. Horn Entrance.

"Whew...by golly, I reckon we're finally through."

Then, after a brief discussion on whether or not it would be better to keep going, we decided to wait until tomorrow.

Taking a moment to get comfortable, my partner pressed herself against my side as Bidoof settled in a few feet away, before we tried to get to sleep despite the fact that we were quite literally sleeping on hard rock, Vulpix's body heat greatly reducing the chill I would've otherwise felt, as Bidoof withdrew a pile of sticks from his Treasure Bag and my partner politely set them on fire with a low-powered Flamethrower, our fellow Apprentice looking over and smiling as he watched us hold each other.

Then, who knows how many hours later, I woke up to the sun shining directly into my eyes, Vulpix wincing at my side as we both covered our eyes because ow.

Bidoof's makeshift firepit had long since gone out, the quadrupedal Pokémon already walking up to the dungeon's entrance as my partner and I reluctantly separated and rose to our feet.

Turning to Vulpix, I took a moment to see if we could replace the War Kit...and promptly discovered that the "Take" option was entirely red, meaning that while we could store items, we couldn't take anything else out.

...unless it's just because the bag is full, maybe?

Hmm...let's see.

Blue Gummi stored, Pretty Box stored.

Oh shit, so we CAN take things out. That makes this a lot less complicated, then.

Smiling to each other, Vulpix and I stored the War Kit and withdrew the items necessary for a far more endurance based one, though I'd still make sure to actually retrieve the War Kit once we reached the Base Camp, since I wasn't quite sure whether or not we'd be able to get it back while halfway through Steam Cave.

1x Apple stored

2x Big Apples stored.

4x Oran Berries stored.

2x Pecha Berries stored.

2x Heal Seeds stored.

6x Reviver Seeds stored.

5x Sleep Seeds stored.

4x Stun Seeds stored.

2x X-Eye Seeds stored.

2x Max Elixirs stored.

4x Big Apples withdrawn.

4x Oran Berries withdrawn.

4x Heal Seeds withdrawn.

4x Reviver Seeds withdrawn.

2x Max Elixirs withdrawn.

Alright, that seems like everything we'll need to get through this dungeon, then.

Hand in hand, Vulpix and I turned and walked over to Bidoof, the non-anthropomorphic Normal-type watching as we manipulated something he couldn't see, before he visibly chose to ignore it and nodded his head toward the dungeon's entrance.

As we approached, the menu appeared, giving us the option between Rock Path and Mt. Horn...and I immediately rose my unoccupied hand to select Mt. Horn.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

Oh hey, the stairs are just...right there.

Exchanging an amused glance with my partner, we decided to ignore the stairs for now and instead check to see what the dungeon had to offer...after all, we were on an Expedition, so we might as well do some exploring while we were there, since we had more space due to the absence of the War Kit.

Oh, hello, three items in one room. Fucking hell...

Max Elixir obtained. 97P obtained. 54P obtained.

Continuing on, we tried to avoid combat, at least for now...

Ooh, what kind of orb is this...?

Totter Orb obtained.

Oh nice, we could use that later.

Right, last item of the floor, let's move on.

I turned and immediately smacked away an approaching Natu with Force Palm, the attack sending the Psychic and Flying type directly into unconsciousness despite being only a quarter of its true effectiveness.

We continued on, and I came face to face with a Parasect, the zombie-like Pokémon walking towards us on insectoid legs, its eyes completely empty of all thought or basic sentience...

And then I punched it in the fucking face with a Brick Break, because you always aim for the head when dealing with zombies, and the mushroom controlled Bug-type Pokémon flew backwards, fully unconscious.

Fuckin' zombies, man.

Vulpix took a moment to watch warily as its legs twitched, before we stepped past its body and continued on, my partner visibly restraining herself from burning the downed enemy Pokémon with a Flamethrower for good measure.

I turned my head to smile teasingly at Vulpix, "Don't like zombies?"

As I watched in alarm, she visibly shuddered despite her ability to generate far more heat than other Pokémon, the motion obviously having nothing to do with the dungeon's temperature as we continued walking, "I...I don't know what a "zombie" is, but...I've- I've heard stories about their evolutionary line, about the ones who aren't able to resist that mushroom's influence. They...they aren't people anymore, not really, you know?"

Bidoof spoke up, apparently trying to reassure her, "By golly, I've met some nice Parasect, great people, yup yup...but I've also met the ones who couldn't."

Recognizing that the conversation had taken a very dark turn and gone from zero to a hundred real fuckin' quick, I stopped and turned to pull Vulpix into a comforting embrace, my partner shuddering as I held her, and she continued, "The-the bad Pokémon, the ones who defend dungeons, or the Outlaws? They...they still have things they care about, goals, families, things they want..."

She laid her head on my shoulder, relaxing into the embrace as I continued to hold her, her shudders of horror lessening as we stood together, Bidoof watching both sides of the tunnel warily as he helped stand guard, and Vulpix spoke once more as we held each other, "The Parasect, the ones who can't resist it? They...they have nothing, nothing they care about, no one they care about. Just the directives of that mushroom controlling their bodies...and nothing else."

Then, she pulled away from the embrace, a brittle smile on her face and her eyes distracted as she pressed her lips to my cheek and held my hand tightly in her own, not at all willing to let it go, before we continued on our way back towards the stairs without another word.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

...and then we were promptly ambushed by two Beautifly -Beautiflys? Beautiflies? Eh, whatever.- before I slammed a Force Palm into the closer one, Vulpix following up with a Confuse Ray as the other one approached, the first now-confused Beautifly drifting to the right as I spat a Flamethrower, the unconscious body of the first Beautifly falling to the ground as Vulpix sent forth a spiraling fire lance of her own towards the second, its unconscious and burnt body falling to the ground without either of them having even a single chance to attack us.

Without a word, we continued on through the dungeon, Vulpix not having let go of my hand even once.

80P obtained.

We then entered a room, and to our probably sadistic amusement, it was another Kakuna situation, the Cascoon glaring possibly literal murder at us as we passed by, its attempts to impotently unlock Kryptonian Heat Vision going just as ignored as its general existence.

Oh hey, another Max Elixir. Nice.

Max Elixir obtained.

Ooh, an Apple, we can use that instead of the Big ones, then.

Apple obtained.

And then we came to the room holding the stairs, finding ourselves amused at the sight of another Cascoon glaring at us impotently as we passed by, Vulpix deciding to take pity on this one as she sent forth a spiraling lance of flame and instantly knocked it the fuck out.

Then, we descended, Vulpix and I exchanging a mutually concerned glance as we recognized exactly what that number implied, her hand tightening its grip on mine as the three of us continued on.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 8.

Yeah, no, that's a fucking Kecleon Shop notice if I've ever seen one.

And then, not even two rooms later, we found the shop, a Cascoon glaring impotently at us as the assassin god smiled, power glowing beneath its scaled skin as a Parasect approached, the zombie Pokémon staring at us with eyes devoid of all life as it walked forward.

I promptly slammed a Force Palm into its head, the mushroom controlled Pokémon flying backwards from the force of the blow, before we carefully maneuvered around the shop owner so that my partner could hit the Cascoon with a spiraling lance of flame, visibly ignoring the sight of the Parasect's twitching body.

Then, I took a look at what the assassin god was offering, though I didn't really plan on buying anything.

Pink Gummi identified, White Gummi identified, Apple identified, One-Shot Orb identified.

After motioning to Vulpix and Bidoof, we stepped off of the rug, the assassin god calling out for us to "please come again" as we left the room behind.

Natu picked up the Iron Thorn(4).

Eh, okay then?

And then we came to a dead end, and I came face to face with a spider quite literally almost twice my size, immediately slamming a Force Palm into its center mass because fuck that shit, no, before we turned around and went to search for the stairs.

Pecha Berry obtained. Rest TM obtained. x2 Iron Thorn(4) obtained.

Despite the stairs being right there, Vulpix and I exchanged a glance, agreeing to double back to the shop and sell some of these things while we could, without even needing to speak a word between us.

"Welcome! Welcome!"

Iron Thorn(8) placed, Rest TM placed.

Then, I turned to the shop owner and nodded, mentally bracing myself as it turned and smiled faster than any of us could follow, enough power to kill a god gleaming beneath its unassuming form.

Items sold for 266P.

Doing a couple quick calculations as to what the fuck had costed what, I accepted the transaction and we prepared to walk away back to the stairs.

Out of curiosity, I took a moment to press the tip of a finger against the Rest TM I had just sold, and immediately felt extremely ripped off.

Rest TM. Cost: 6500P.

Oh for the love of fuck, what kind of bullshit is THAT? We barely got a 26th of its fucking cost!

Mentally cursing to myself as Vulpix and Bidoof stared in concern at my suddenly angered expression, I stormed away from the shop, ignoring the assassin god's cheerful "we value your patronage" with as much silent rage as I could.

Vulpix and Bidoof took a moment to catch up as I slammed aside a sleeping Parasect with a Force Palm out of nothing but sheer spite, Vulpix seizing my hand in hers as she spotted my version of the menu, the cheerfully insulting notification staring both of us in the face without a care in the world.

Rest TM. Cost: 6500P.

My partner took deep and calming breaths as she suddenly realized what had pissed me off so much and apparently found herself agreeing instantly, the two of us taking a moment to smack a second Parasect out of the way as we marched towards the stairs.

Bidoof followed us and appeared very confused as we silently dismissed the offending notification with a thought and we both took a moment to send twin spiraling lances of flame at the Parasect's unconscious body out of a failed attempt at catharsis, the zombie Pokémon's legs twitching even as the dungeon continued to heal its injuries and burns.

Then, Vulpix's hand holding tightly onto my own as she stared at the Parasect and shuddered in horror, Bidoof followed us as we ascended the stairs, the three of us walking through the dimensional corridor without a word.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

And we immediately emerged in front of a Beautifly, the pile of Geo Pebbles going ignored as I spotted the next set of stairs from the corner of my eye.

Vulpix and I, in perfect unison, slammed a Force Palm each into the Beautifly's center mass, the now-unconscious butterfly Pokémon falling to the floor as we turned toward the stairs and walked into the dimensional corridor.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

My partner took a moment to draw me into a hug, before we separated and she spun to put down another approaching Beautifly with a Flamethrower.

Taking a moment to choose which way we'd go, I grabbed the Apple laying on the ground before the three of us went down one of the tunnels.

Apple obtained.

Promptly discovering that apparently that direction was an entire maze of dead ends, we instead chose to backtrack and go what could vaguely be defined as "north", immediately coming to the stairs as we chose to ignore the floor's only other item.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Hearing a startled yelp from Vulpix, I turned just in time to watch her use Flamethrower to put down the Parasect she had "spawned" face to face with, idly noting the fact that we had appeared in a room with both of the floor's only two items as well as the stairs.

Spurn Orb obtained, Aerial Ace TM obtained.

Huh, nice, I wonder if we can use that one?

We promptly turned toward the stairs, silently ignoring the Natu trying and succeeding at playing catch up, before I mentally selected the "Proceed" option and we found ourselves in another dimensional corridor, the enemy Natu nowhere to be seen, Vulpix pressing herself against my side as she looked around warily despite the stairway being completely safe, and I held her gently as I felt her shivering continue.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Right, something seems fuckin' off about that shit...oh hey, an Orange Gummi- oh, AND the floor's remaining item? Nice.

Orange Gummi obtained.

Foe-Fear Orb obtained.

Huh, fuck, we can't use this TM...maybe one of us will be able to use it once we evolve?

Warning: Neither Lucario nor Ninetales are capable of learning Aerial Ace.

Well, shit, I guess that answers that...guess we can just sell it at some point, then. Still fuckin' annoyed about getting ripped off like that, though.

Vulpix's hand tightened on mine, before the three of us continued on in search of the next stairwell...and immediately found it upon entering the next room.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 5.

Hmm...that seems like it might imply a Kecleon Shop...also, how fuckin' long is this dungeon, again?

No answer, no helpful tips this time, menu? Well, al-fuckin'-righty then, let's go.

Oran Berry obtained. Stun Seed obtained.

Nice, we can use that for the false Groudon.

And then, after a brief issue of having to backtrack from a dead-end, we continued through the tunnels and I came face to maw with a fucking Aerodactyl, some kind of glow playing over its leathery skin before I suddenly found the effort of using Brick Break to be twice its usual requirement, though that still didn't stop me from knocking the motherfucker out.

Nifty Box obtained.

Slamming a Brick Break into an approaching Pineco as a spiraling lance of flame shot over the pond and directly into an enemy Venomoth, I prepared myself as I spotted two more enemy Pokémon, lashing out with a Brick Break toward the second Aerodactyl, the same glow as before playing over its skin before I breathed out a Flamethrower of my own, the Beautifly's burned and unconscious body falling into the water before what I could only assume to be the dungeon itself drew said water away from the two unconscious Pokémon within it, undoubtedly to prevent them from drowning.

Finally reaching the next room after that brief onslaught, we found the stairs waiting for us, along with two of the three items remaining on this floor.

72P obtained. Flash obtained.

Ah yes, a move that we can't learn despite the fact that we technically use it all the time. Heh.

Vulpix nudged my side with her elbow without ever having let go of my hand, undoubtedly having guessed what I was thinking as I turned to smile at her, and beheld the most utterly fucking deadpan look possible, my partner rolling her eyes fondly and pressing her lips to my cheek before we turned to walk up the stairs.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 5.

...and then a Pineco used Bug Bite on Bidoof, and somehow stole one of the Oran Berries from our Treasure Bag through some kind of arcane bullshit.

Good thing we packed extras...oh hey, the stairs.

Apple obtained.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Hmm...yeah, alright then.

Coming to a decision, I withdrew an Apple from our Bag of Distinctly Limited Holding, splitting it three ways with a low-powered Brick Break before passing the other two thirds to Vulpix and Bidoof, my partner taking a moment to press her lips against my cheek and rest her head against my shoulder as we leaned against the wall together and the three of us ate in comfortable silence, though I still took a moment to watch her out of concern, as I suspected that her silence wasn't entirely based on how content she was.

Apple consumed, full effect gained.

Oran Berry obtained.

Taking a moment to just enjoy the feeling of holding Vulpix in my arms, we reluctantly separated and the three of us continued on, finding the stairs as well as an impotently glaring Cascoon, my still silent partner taking a moment to send out a Flamethrower as we passed by it, with predictable results.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

And then we promptly found ourselves in the same room as an Aerodactyl and a Venomoth, Vulpix sending forth a flaming spear from between her lips as I slipped past Bidoof and lashed out with a Brick Break, the Aerodactyl's skin glowing...as it dodged out of the way and my Brick Break missed completely, something I quickly corrected with a follow-up Flamethrower which it was very much unable to avoid at this range.

Oran Berry placed. Twist Band obtained.

Well, nice, we can sell that too.

Walking down one of the tunnels at Bidoof's pace, we came to a room and Beautifly attempted to block my entrance, before I seized the giant butterfly in my jaws with a Bite and flung its now-unconscious body to the ground, idly noting the sight of an approaching Venomoth and Bonsly as I tried desperately to ignore the taste of bug in my mouth and breathed out a Flamethrower, the Bonsly dodging to the side due to the fact that I hadn't really aimed it at anything except their general direction.

Venomoth picked up the Petrify Orb.

Well, thanks for letting me know ahead of time, I guess?

My partner took the opportunity to send forth a spiraling lance of flame into the Venomoth as I cleared her line of literal fire and baited the Bonsly forward, before seizing it in my jaws without a word and flinging it to the ground.

Venomoth dropped the Petrify Orb.

Idly noting the next stairway as well as two more items, I took a moment to chug one of our four Max Elixirs.

Max Elixir consumed.

Petrify Orb obtained.

Taking a moment to consider it, I tapped each of the two Seeds laying on the ground next to the stairs, the brief contact just enough to let the menu tell me what they were.

Heal Seed identified. X-Eye Seed identified.

Hmm, now let's see, what do I want to leave for that X-Eye Seed...? Ah, here we go.

Spurn Orb placed. X-Eye Seed obtained.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

...and we promptly found ourselves ambushed by yet another Aerodactyl, and I indulged in a brief moment of curiosity as to how Vulpix's "PP Saver" skill would interact with the Aerodactyl's ability to double PP usage, before I slammed a Force Palm into its center mass without a word and we continued on toward the next set of stairs, Vulpix's hand still holding onto mine.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 1.

Oh, hello there sleeping Pineco...I'd try to just go around and not even bother waking you up, but...

Taking a moment to send a smile Vulpix's way, I slammed a Force Palm into the Pineco's center mass.

You know, I could've sworn those things exploded...or am I thinking of Forretress? Eh, whatever.

Then, I picked an entirely arbitrary direction and we continued on, a few Force Palms dealing with two more Pineco before we found the stairs, silently ignoring the floor's only item.

Man, quite a few Pineco on this floor, huh? Either way, this next one should be the last, I think...

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

Beautifly picked up the Black Gummi.

Eh, that's fine, we probably don't want it anyway.

Oh, good, the stairs out of THIS fucking place, plus some money, too.

54P obtained.

Then, we ascended the stairs, and Vulpix and I sighed in relief as we felt the act of exiting the dungeon restore our physical exhaustion and sate our hunger.

---

The Base Camp.

Hand in hand, Vulpix and I walked into the camp, my partner laying her head on my shoulder and pressing herself against my side, Bidoof walking in front of us as we approached Chatot.

The parrot-like Pokémon spun and glared at us, sighing as he watched Vulpix nervously scan the area warily despite it explicitly being safe, "You all are late, everyone else arrived a long time ago! What delayed the three of you?"

I spoke up, grimacing in sympathy as Vulpix's hand squeezed mine as I mentioned something that we would've both preferred to forget, "...we crossed Mt. Horn today, and...we encountered Parasect for the first time, it...it wasn't exactly a fun experience."

As I watched, Chatot's expression softened at that, before he continued in quite possibly the gentlest voice I'd ever heard from him, "I see...they had already lost to the tochukaso, hadn't they?"

I felt Vulpix's shudder of horror, her shivering having nothing to do with the temperature as she leaned further into the embrace and answered him, "They...they weren't people anymore, Chatot."

Chatot nodded, and motioned us forward as gently as he could, "I understand, Vulpix. I truly understand...had I remembered that they would be there, I would have never sent two rookies along that route to encounter them, given my own experiences with their...unfortunate fate."

I smiled down at Vulpix, pressing my lips to the top of her head as I guided us over to the rest of the gathered Apprentices, steadfastly ignoring the sense of familiarity I had felt upon entering the forest as my silent partner pressed herself against my side and Chatot began the briefing.

Then, Chatot and Vulpix turned their heads toward me in interest at Chimecho's mention of Uxie and its memory erasing capabilities, before I shook my head at them and spoke up, gaining everyone else's attention as I elaborated for their benefit.

"It's...possible that Uxie is the source of my amnesia, but I have reason to doubt it. After all, from what little I know, it's rumored to be a Psychic type, and not only that, it's rumored to be a Psychic type Legendary.

"For all we know, it's already aware of our presence, save for Skuntank. Hell, believe it or not, he's probably got the best chance of remaining undetected by it, at least until it decides to stop messing around and starts reading our memories directly just to see him."

Chatot nodded as Vulpix's hand tightened on mine, and my partner leaned her head on my shoulder, "I see...either way, you will all explore the forest in groups, the Guildmaster and I will stay behind and organize what intel you bring us...remember, you must find a way to lift this fog if possible."

I nodded back as the others began to leave, guiding Vulpix over to the Kangaskhan Rock as we sat down and she pressed herself against my side, undoubtedly still recovering from our encounters with the Parasect.

Hopefully those thrice-damned things didn't traumatize her...fucking hell, if I had known they would've caused this kind of reaction, I would've tried to get us through as soon as possible or just tried to avoid the fuckin' place...

Then, without bothering to even physically interact with the Kangaskhan Rock due to our proximity to it, I pulled up the menu with a thought and began to exchange portions of our endurance kit for the War Kit, Vulpix's hand gripping mine tightly as I began to rub circles on the back of it with my thumb in an attempt to soothe her nerves.

Now, let's see...

Twist Band stored, 2x Apples stored, 2x Big Apples stored, Orange Gummi stored, Pecha Berry stored, Max Elixir stored, Aerial Ace TM stored, Flash TM stored, Foe-Fear Orb stored, Petrify Orb stored, Totter Orb stored, Nifty Box stored.

2x Reviver Seeds withdrawn (6x held total, 3x remaining in storage), 4x Sleep Seeds withdrawn (4x held total, 12x remaining in storage), 3x Stun Seeds withdrawn (4 total held, 3x remaining in storage), 2x Violent Seeds withdrawn (2x held total, 1x remaining in storage), 1x X-Eye Seed withdrawn (2x held total, 1x remaining in storage).

Capacity: 30/32.

Yeah...that- that should do it, then.

Silently closing the menu with a thought as I felt my partner's body barely relax into the embrace, I took a moment to hold her against me in another attempt to help comfort her, and just started quietly rambling about...anything really, as Chatot and Wigglytuff walked away to do...whatever.

"I'll be honest, I...I kind of miss being able to eat meat, you know? I mean, not that the berries and apples are bad or anything, and I'm sure we're fully capable of eating it, I just...miss it. I know that other Pokémon species have their own food chains and shit that they prefer, but it's...not the same, honestly."

I took a moment to consider what I'd say next, silently hoping that it wouldn't gross her out.

"Hell, one thing I don't miss is having to go to the bathroom. I don't know if it's just some process where food just sort of converts itself into energy, or if Pokémon bodies are just that efficient to the point where they don't create any waste, but...well, I haven't had to do that in...fuck, it feels like forever."

I glanced down as Vulpix nudged her head against my shoulder and looked up at me, before she spoke up, confusion having visibly replaced the previously horrified look in her eyes, "Humans...used to do that? I mean, I-I read about it in some of the human records, but I wasn't sure..."

I smiled in amusement and leaned down to press my lips against the top of her head, silently deciding not to go into too much detail.

After all, I was trying to help her forget the Parasect we had encountered, not gross her out with something else entirely. "Heh, yeah, we...we used to. Hell, I used to, it was...very annoying, though we certainly had a lot of things to help make it less disgusting. No idea about this world, though I'd bet a couple thousand Poké coins they had similar things to my original world."

Vulpix blew air through her nose in a snort of amusement, and offered her hand to help me to my feet, before drawing me into a tight hug as my arms wrapped around her waist and her double-B cup breasts pressed against my chest, "I can't imagine having to deal with that..."

Then she pressed her lips to my cheek and we smiled at each other, "And Riolu? Thank you."

Finally separating, though both of us were very reluctant to do so, we mentally prepared ourselves to dive into the third dungeon of the expedition.

Though not before I wrapped my arm around Vulpix's waist and pulled her into a side hug, her hand immediately finding mine as she reluctantly pulled away and I smiled at her. "Always, Vulpix."

Then, hand in hand, we walked toward the Foggy Forest Mystery Dungeon.

You know, I could've sworn this place was fuckin' time stopped...or am I thinking of somewhere else? Hmm.

...and then I promptly stumbled and almost lost my balance as my foot collided with some kind of warm stone, Vulpix staring in interest as she picked it up from the ground and examined it closely.

She turned to me and rose an eyebrow, "Hey Riolu...is this important? Because I...I kind of like it."

I smiled and laughed to myself, drawing her into another hug as she held the red gem in front of us, "I'll be completely honest, I forgot that thing existed, but now...yeah, I think it's needed for something later on...something about a statue, maybe?"

My partner hummed as she considered that, before slipping the red stone that I hoped wouldn't be capable of causing a Primal Reversion or some shit into our bag.

Drought Stone obtained. Ě̶̝r̷̼̃ř̸̙o̶̳͊r̶̜̀:̸̫̆ ̷̲͘S̵̜̃p̵͙̒á̴̦c̶̲͗ȇ̷̻ ̴̖̃u̴̻͗s̶̖̋a̷̪͘g̴̣̾ë̸̢ ̸̡͌n̷̖̔ȅ̸̗ǵ̷̥à̴̪t̶̫͝ē̵̩d̴̡͆.̴̠̓ ̴̝̾E̸͖̊r̷͇͝r̷̥̍o̵͍͘r̵̰̿:̶̯͆ ̴̗̓I̸̮͋t̵̫̀e̷̢̚m̸͕͝ ̷͙̇r̴̢̈ẽ̶͓q̶̩͋ù̵̺ḯ̶͉r̷̩̔e̶̱̿d̸̮͋ ̵͖̔f̵̟̈õ̶̠r̷͙͆ ̸͓̀l̶̘̏a̷̺͒t̴̪̕e̷̹̋ȑ̸̯ ̴̗̃ũ̵̢s̴̞̎e̴̝͂.̶̜͋

---

Foggy Forest.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

Oh, hello there Skiploom. Would you like a Flamethrower for your troubles? No? Too fuckin' bad.

Oh hey, wonder what this is...

Focus Blast TM obtained.

...excuse me, motherfucker?

Turning toward Vulpix, I considered the idea of just immediately using it, especially since I'd prefer not to lose it, and it would teach the attack to both of us...yeah, no, not really seeing any downsides there.

Seeing my interest in the TM despite the very dense fog, Vulpix rolled her eyes and smiled, nodding in agreement as I accessed the menu and activated the TM.

Focus Blast TM used on Riolu, this Pokémon m̶̳͆u̴̻͑s̶̢̎t̷̺͝ ̴̿ͅf̶̘̕ơ̷̝ř̵̻g̶̩͊è̷͉t̷̹͠ ̴̬͂a̸̮̐n̵͎͝ ̵͗ͅo̴͓͊l̴̤̈d̴̝̍ ̸̲̐m̷͉͘o̷̭͐v̵͙͝è̶̡ ̷̱͂f̴͆ͅī̶̜r̷̛̖s̴̢̽t̵̯́.

Riolu has learned Focus Blast, Vulpix h̵̢͝a̶̝͋s̴͈͠ ̵̢̚l̶̗̈́è̷͍a̶͎͑r̶͖͑n̵̺͆e̷̗̒d̶̨͌ ̷̯͝F̵̹̕ǒ̷͇c̶̞̎u̵͉̎š̷̢ ̴̬̔B̷̘̑ĺ̷̲ä̷̺́s̶͈̓t̴͇́.̸͇͌

Oh, this will come in handy...quite a bit.

And then, without a word, we continued on in comfortable silence.

Heal Seed identified.

Eh, we probably don't need another one...oh hey, the stairs.

Exchanging a wordless glance as we mutually agreed to ignore the floor's last item, we ascended the stairs, a low-powered Flamethrower on our every breath helpful to cut through the fog.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 1.

Huh, not many items, but that's actually sort of a good thing for us, since we're carrying the War Kit...oh hey, money.

42P obtained.

Heh.

Taking a moment to smack aside some enemy Pokémon, we swiftly found the next set of stairs and ascended once more.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

Hell, do we even need to use our actual attacks on some of these? Also, how fucking long is this dungeon, again?

Fucking unhelpful menu, first you state the obvious and then you decide to be cheerfully insulting, I fuckin' swear...

Oh hey, money and the stairs...I forgot to throw out the Used TM, didn't I?

Used TM placed.

...yep.

Silently rolling my eyes as Vulpix giggled at my apparent forgetfulness, I took a moment to smile and poke her in the side as I picked up the money laying on the ground.

73P obtained.

...and then she proceeded to poke me back as we walked toward the stairs.

Oh, this means war, alright then.

Laughing to ourselves as we proceeded to have a brief side-poking war, Vulpix leaned her head on my shoulder as we walked into the dimensional corridor that was the "stairs", only interrupting our moment to smack aside an approaching Hoothoot without a single word necessary.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 5.

...seems like a possible Kecleon Shop, we should probably be careful- did Vulpix just poke me again?

Alright, more war, I guess.

Then, still smiling as we continuously poked each other, we continued on via the restricted use of Agility.

Huh, according to the map, this room has almost every single item in it...oh, hello random Skiploom and Hoothoot, would you like a firsthand introduction to Brick Break?

Wait, no Kecleon Shop? Huh, alright then, let's see here...

Stick(4) identified, Reviver Seed identified, Black Gummi identified, Luminous Orb identified.

Hmm...that Reviver Seed could be useful, and we could sell the Gummi at some point.

Reviver Seed obtained, Black Gummi obtained. Luminous Orb utilized.

Ah, so THAT'S where the next set of stairs are hiding...

Then, I swept Vulpix into my arms and ran towards the room with the stairs, taking a moment to eat a Blast Seed solely for the extra Hunger "points".

Blast Seed consumed.

Idly noting the fact that the Luminous Orb also allowed us to track enemies from anywhere on the floor, I set my partner on her feet and we ascended the stairs, hand in hand.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

72P obtained.

Oh nice, the stairs are just...right here.

Ignoring the Oran Berry on the ground due to the fact that we wouldn't be able to fit it anyway, we ascended the stairs.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

Taking a moment to smack aside a Pachirisu with a Force Palm, we began our search for the next set of stairs.

Huh, weird, why do I get the strange impression that we should be on Floor Seven by now? Fuckin' odd...

Stick(4) identified.

Ehh...nah.

And then Vulpix giggled and poked me in the side again, my only response being to smile, pull her into a side hug...

...and poke her in the side, pressing my lips against her cheek as she leaned her head on my shoulder and we continued through the floor.

Not even a few seconds later, we entered the room with the stairs, and I got very interested when I saw the notification pop up.

Stantler picked up the Red Gummi.

A couple Force Palms later, I was deciding what to exchange for it, Vulpix smiling as she visibly restrained herself from just outright eating the fucking thing.

Ah, there we go, that'd work.

Black Gummi placed, Red Gummi obtained.

And up the stairs we go...is there a song about that? Hell if I know...

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

Oh, good, both of the items in this room are just money, no space worries needed.

59P obtained. 2P obtained.

Taking a moment to laugh to ourselves at that, we continued on in search of the stairs.

Hmm...we probably don't want to bother with that Pecha Berry.

Upon smacking aside a Pachirisu with Force Palm, Vulpix and I paused at the ping.

Vulpix has leveled up! Vulpix has reached Level 26.

Drawing into a hug, I pressed my lips to her cheek in congratulations, the two of us smiling at each other as Vulpix blushed and visibly began considering something, before she pressed herself against my side and we continued on, coming to the room with the stairs a few seconds later.

Apple identified.

Meh, we've got enough of those, honestly.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Taking a moment to warn Vulpix and make sure that she was alright with it, I closed my eyes...and activated the Aura Sight, the pulses of blue echoing into the world as I recognized the silhouette of a Breloom in the room to our "east".

Surprisingly enough, though? There wasn't any of the previous pain, something I quickly opened my eyes to inform my partner of, to which she gave a relieved smile and pressed herself further into my side, kissing me on the cheek a moment later as we began to head towards the "east" room.

And then, right as we approached the stairs, I found myself freezing in place as a Skiploom spread its paralyzing powder over my body, Vulpix pulling me back as she leaned forward and furiously put down the offending Skiploom with a spiraling lance of flame, though not before it sent forth a cloud of purple powder.

Riolu has been poisoned.

Well, good thing the stairs are right there, huh? Still...ow.

Then, as the paralysis wore off and I found myself able to move once more, Vulpix threw my arm over her shoulder and helped me towards the stairs...despite the fact that I really didn't need the help, though I still let her do it anyway.

Sighing in relief as I felt the poison just sort of stop existing due to the effects of the dimensional corridor, I took a moment to press my lips against Vulpix's cheek in thanks, the two of us continuing through the stairway hand in hand.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

And then I swept Vulpix off her feet and into a bridal carry, my partner rolling her eyes and smiling as I sped off toward the "west" side of the dungeon in search of the stairs.

Which we promptly found almost immediately, not a single enemy Pokémon appearing in our path.

Huh...I really didn't expect to find them so quickly, but I'll take it.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

54P obtained.

...and then, having previously set Vulpix down on her feet so that we could walk up the stairs together, we were almost instantly ambushed by a Noctowl and Breloom upon entering the second room of the floor, Vulpix slamming a Faint Attack into the Noctowl's center mass as I leaned past her and put down the Breloom with a Flamethrower.

Buneary used Foresight.

Riolu isn't a Ghost type!

Ah yes, once again, menu, your powers of stating the fucking obvious are truly a wonderful thing to behold.

...without a word, I slammed aside the Buneary with a Brick Break, feeling a little bad at the fact that I had essentially just punched a rabbit, before we continued on in comfortable silence, Vulpix leaning her head on my shoulder and smiling as our fingers intertwined.

Ah, there's where the stairs were hiding...

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

Oh hey, money.

My implicit trust in Vulpix to watch my back was immediately validated without a word from either of us, my partner removing her head from my shoulder just long enough to put down an approaching Noctowl with a spiraling lance of flame as I swiped the money off of the ground.

67P obtained.

And now, to look for the stairs, oh hello, Breloom...is that another Red Gummi?

Without a word, Vulpix lashed out at it with a Force Palm, the Grass and Fighting type just barely weathering the blow...as Vulpix immediately fell asleep in my arms and I furiously put the little shit down with a Flamethrower.

The Breloom's burned and unconscious body disappeared from its place at our feet as I held my partner against my chest and silently waited for her to wake up, while also trying to ignore the feeling of her breasts pressing against my chest as we leaned against the wall.

Then, a mere fifteen seconds later, Vulpix shifted and yawned, freezing in place as she realized where she was, before relaxing into the embrace and lifting her head to smile up at me, her beautiful brown eyes staring into my own.

Well, that thought came out of nowhere...but it's not wrong, I can admit that.

Vulpix leaned up and pressed her lips against my cheek, blushing visibly through her cheek fur as we took a moment to just hold each other in comfortable silence.

Man, I...I really want to kiss her, but...not yet. After all, there is that one place up on that giant pillar, though how in the hell it defies physics like that, I have no idea...

Brown Gummi identified.

Huh, fuck, could've sworn that was a red one.

Then, we reluctantly separated and set out in search of the stairs, quickly finding them after a bit of accidentally going down a dead-end.

Oh hey, more money.

62P obtained.

This should be the last set, I think, and then we're on to the statue.

---

Then, Vulpix and I sighed in relief as we felt the act of "leaving" the dungeon erase our physical exhaustion and sate our hunger, before we walked forward, hand in hand, and found our attention drawn to the waterfalls coming down from above.

I heard Vulpix inhale at the sight, her head still resting on my shoulder and our fingers still intertwined. "Wow...that's- that looks incredible, Riolu! But...where's it coming from?"

Smiling in amusement as she rolled her eyes, already expecting it as I rose the hand she wasn't holding on to and pointed upwards, she sent a deadpan look my way and elbowed my side without ever pulling my hand from hers, "Other than the obvious, Riolu..."

The only response I gave was to smile wider, already looking forward to her reaction once the fog cleared...though, I'll admit, I was also looking forward to seeing just how large the pillar would be.

Then, we turned together as we heard Corphish's voice come from the fog ahead of us, "Hey, hey! You two find any clues?"

In response, we walked forward, hand in hand, Vulpix pulling the Drought Stone from our Treasure Bag as I followed up for her, "Just this, though for all we fuckin' know it could entirely unrelated. Any luck on your end?"

Corphish, despite being a non-anthropomorphic lobster Pokémon, seemed visibly disappointed in his own lack of clues, "I've got nothing here, sorry."

And then, he immediately contradicted himself by guiding us forward with the statement. "But... There is something here that's kind of interesting."

I felt more than heard Vulpix's hum of amusement, as she rose one of her eyebrows and smiled, "You mean...like a clue, Corphish?"

I couldn't help the snort of amusement, though I still felt like a bit of an asshole as Corphish visibly slumped in front of us, "Yeah...like that, hey hey..."

To my amusement and relief, he immediately bounced back, happily pointing us forward with a claw.

Oh...that's- that's a pretty fuckin' big statue, holy shit. Though maybe it's just because I'm shorter than I used to be as a human?

I heard Vulpix inhale next to me, undoubtedly recognizing it in part due to my explanation of why you don't fuck with what were effectively Pokémon's version of fucking Endbringers, though at least the Legendaries were a lot more benevolent, in most cases. "That's...Corphish, that's a statue of Groudon."

Then, she reluctantly pulled herself from my side and took a moment to look around the statue, before motioning towards an inscription...that I couldn't fucking read, the "footprint runes" effectively being Egyptian hieroglyphics as far as my reading comprehension was concerned.

Though, my partner at least seemed to recognize them, and she began to read them out for our benefit.

"Reignite the life that burned within Groudon...then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat...the path to treasure shall be revealed?"

Oh yeah...the Time Gear, because that's definitely a treasure that people would be willing to steal...if they were either insane or desperate, sure.

Vulpix and I exchanged a wary glance, knowing exactly what that "treasure" line was referring to, before I stepped forward as Corphish began excitedly asking what we were supposed to in order to get the treasure of Fogbound Lake, briefly pausing as Vulpix spoke up.

"Hmm... Riolu, do you think your...ability, might be able to tell us how to... reignite the life?"

I smiled, and nodded at her, "I think it wouldn't hurt to give it a fuckin' shot, honestly."

Then, I pressed a hand to the statue, Vulpix seizing my other hand as the Dimensional Scream decided to say hello.

Ṕ̶̳o̴̠͠s̶̙͂s̶̟͛i̸̯̾b̴̖̉i̷̡͗l̶̬̒í̶͍t̸̝͌y̶̦̑.

Yeah, yeah...

Wait, what's going on?

Hold the fuck up, what? Vulpix?

Ǘ̴̗ṉ̵̒i̴̭̚o̶̜̐n̸͔̈́.̸̼̅

Excuse me, motherfucker?

RIOLU!? WHAT'S GOING ON!?

I-I think the Dimensional Scream managed to pull you into it, somehow!

D̴͓̓a̷̠͋t̵͚̂ā̷̢.

P̷͖̕o̷̩̚s̸̯̄s̶͇͝i̶̦̅b̶̹͝i̸̬͠l̶͈̓ȋ̸̙t̷̫̒ŷ̷͙.̷̝͗

S̴̖̋o̵̮̾u̴̪̽ń̷̩d̴̨̿.̷̭̅

Who's-who's voice was that? Riolu, what is this?

I didn't have a chance to answer her, the Dimensional Scream immediately ceasing, Vulpix and I barely having enough time to send each other a mutual glance of shock as her hand tightened on mine.

...and then the motherfucker started again.

À̴͜f̸̱́f̶͙̀i̴̝͒r̸̡̊m̵̓͜a̸͉̅t̶̙̒i̵̥̒o̶͉͋n̷̯̽,̸̤̏ ̷̬͂ṷ̵͠n̶̤͛ȋ̶̙f̵͝ͅi̸̯͝ć̶̬a̷͓̋ţ̶͠i̸͎̕o̸̝̎n̴̺͑.̶͙́

D̴͓̓a̷̠͋t̵͚̂ā̷̢.

When the fuck did this shit show up?

Riolu, why is there another one!?

I have no idea, my memories didn't mention any of this shit! I should have remembered something about there being TWO Dimensional Screams back to back like this!

S̵̞̿ȏ̴̯u̸̹͂n̷̢̄d̴̪͘.̵͎́ ̷̯̾D̴͙̕a̵̡̎t̴͕̕ą̷̾.̵̰̽ ̶̞͊U̸͚̒n̵̤͝d̶̗̚e̷̪͌r̷̤̈́s̷͚̍t̶̼͗a̴̦̚n̵̡̓d̸͝ͅi̸̟͝n̸͉͘g̵̘̓.̸͉͝

That voice! It...it's telling us how to lift the fog, Riolu!

I know, let's just hope this thing ends soon...fucking Shardspeaking bullshit.

Riolu, before this-this mental connection ends, I-I just want you to know that I-

And then the Dimension Scream ended because apparently that shit had a sense of dramatic timing, and the two of us stumbled backwards, breathing heavily as we supported each other and Corphish stared in confusion.

Turning my head to look at Vulpix, I opened my mouth to ask, before she smiled brittlely and pressed a finger against my lips, frustrated tears gathering in her eyes even as I rose my hands to cup her cheeks and rub the tears away with my thumbs. "Not- not now, Riolu. Please?"

Sighing, I smiled gently and drew her into a hug, her breasts against my chest as she rested her head on my shoulder.

Riolu: Status: Frustrated. Status: In error error error.

Vulpix: Status: Frustrated. Status: Error error error error.

Yeah, real FUCKIN' helpful, menu.

Mentally growling to myself in annoyance as I dismissed the notification with as much silent disdain as possible, Vulpix and I turned toward the Groudon statue, my partner pulling the Drought Stone from our bag and giving it a longing look before she pressed it into the statue's chest.

I smiled, and leaned down slightly to press my lips to the top of her head, "Don't worry, I'm sure I can find you another souvenir to take back to the Guild."

As a white light began to radiate from the statue and the fog began to clear, she looked up at me and smiled in a way that made my heart start beating faster, before the look on her face turned to shock and she motioned with her eyes for me to turn around.

...holy shit. That's...that's a big fuckin' pillar. How does that shit even work, anyway? What kind of magical physics defying bullshit...

Corphish said something about letting the rest of the Guild know, but to be honest, I...wasn't really listening by that point, too caught up in the feeling of holding Vulpix in my arms as we gazed in awe at the blatant violation of physics and structural stability above us.

Turning toward each other, Vulpix and I stared into each other's eyes, smiling as we leaned forward...and then a voice called out "Hold it!", immediately making me want to murder whoever the fuck had interrupted us while we were having a moment.

The two of us turned as Team Skull emerged from out of approximately fucking nowhere and stood in our path, Koffing and Zubat visibly recoiling as they saw the outright murderous looks on both of our faces, though Skuntank merely narrowed his eyes warily.

"Chaw-haw-haw, good job, you two! You solved the mystery for us...we'll be taking the treasure, though."

Riolu: Attack increased, attack increased. Vulpix: Attack increased, attack increased.

I tilted my head, trying to suppress just how much I wanted to kick their mostly nonexistent asses into the next century. "Oh? Strange, I could've sworn we planned on working together, did we not? After all, I thought you wanted to be part of saving the world."

Skuntank laughed derisively, outright mocking us as he grinned, though neither of us missed the way his body tensed, "Chaw-haw-haw! You think we actually believed that, Riolu? Please...you two may be strong, but that doesn't mean you're not delusional."

I barely managed to hold Vulpix back, my arms wrapping around her waist as fire began spilling from between her lips and her hands glowed with Force Palms, though she was at least willing to hide the fact that we both knew Focus Blast as our trump card despite how utterly infuriated she appeared to be. "Delusional!? You...you..."

Then, Koffing and Skuntank stepped forward, Zubat backing away in order to clear the blast radius as Skuntank laughed, "You may not have had to experience it the last time we spoke, but let me show you how Koffing and I deal with opponents! The Noxious Gas Special Combo!"

Vulpix stopped struggling as we activated Agility -speed increased, speed increased- and prepared to jump out of the way, before all of us found attention drawn to the sound of someone else approaching.

...and then a fucking Perfect Apple rolled to a stop between the two of us and Team Skull, with the sapient nuclear warhead known as our Guildmaster chasing it.

Then he turned to regard everyone, Vulpix and I very much aware of the way his gaze lingered on the flames spilling from my partner's lips, the Force Palms in her hands, and the way Swords Dance glowed faintly across our forms, before he turned to look at Team Skull and smiled.

Oh fuck...that's an ALL MIGHT type of smile.

He turned that smile toward us, and cheerfully ignored the way we leaned back warily. "You two shouldn't be dawdling here, should you? You two have a job, don't you? Go on then, off you go!"

Taking the order as an immediate reason to vacate the hell out of the immediate area, I swept Vulpix into my arms and activated Agility, speeding off even as Wigglytuff turned to smile at Team Skull cheerfully.

"YOOOOOOOOOOM...TAH!"

And then, a mere minute later, a fucking wall of sound resounded behind us with an audible crack, Vulpix falling out of my arms as I felt myself be pushed forward while still at an Agility-boosted sprint, Vulpix frantically checking me for injuries as what few scrapes I had began to heal and I stared in shock at the direction we had just come from.

"Holy. Fucking. Shit..."

"Riolu...what was that?"

I turned to Vulpix, my eyes wide, "...you know that crack when you used Agility on Mt. Bristle, and knocked yourself out by hitting the wall?"

Given that she immediately poked my side and blushed in embarrassment, she definitely remembered that...incident.

I grimaced, looking backwards as the forest around us shook as an after-effect of the shockwave, "Yeah...he just did that. But with his fucking voice. He just used sound to break the sound barrier...what the fuck kind of bullshit..."

How MUCH does that motherfucker hold back?

Accepting Vulpix's hand as she helped me to my feet, we continued on and quickly arrived at the Steam Cave Entrance.

Smiling to each other as we watched steam constantly burst from the vents surrounding the fissure, we took a moment to drop off some of the things we had gathered, though we specifically chose not to exchange the War Kit.

Red Gummi stored (3 in storage), Reviver Seed stored (6 in bag, 4 in storage).

Then, with a wordless glance of mutual agreement and a smile, we walked into Steam Cave hand in hand, our fingers intertwined and Vulpix's head laying on my shoulder.

---

Steam Cave.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

Both of us taking note of the fact that we had appeared in the same room as the stairs, we silently agreed to disregard obtaining items in favor of just tearing our way through the dungeon.

Vulpix immediately lifted her head from my shoulder as we walked toward the stairs, putting down an approaching Kricketune with a spiraling lance of flame before we ascended the stairs without a word needing to be spoken.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Ignoring the small pile of Iron Thorns sitting on the ground, we immediately ran from the room using Agility, tearing through the dungeon in search of the next set of stairs...which we found upon entering the next room, not a single enemy Pokémon appearing to oppose us.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Upon appearing on the next floor, we found ourselves face to face with a Snubbull and Magby, Vulpix lashing out with a Force Palm and instantly knocking out the Magby, though not before the Snubbull dodged my first Force Palm and retaliated with a Fire Fang.

Riolu has been burned.

Didn't even know that learned that shit, honestly. Also, fucking OW.

Riolu has leveled up! Riolu has reached Level 26.

Nice.

Ignoring the box that had appeared as a result of knocking out the Magby, I smacked aside the Snubbull with a second Force Palm and I paused as Vulpix slipped one of our Heal Seeds between my lips and pressed her lips against my cheek in congratulations, before we continued on in comfortable silence.

Heal Seed consumed.

Nice, there's some money AND the stairs.

72P obtained.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

Then, without even a word needing to be spoken between us, I swept Vulpix into my arms and began speeding through the floor, only pausing to knock out any enemy Pokémon that put itself into our path.

42P obtained.

Ah yes, yet again, the answer to life.

Continuing on, we came to the stairs a single room later, ignoring the other two items as we ascended into the next floor of the dungeon.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

Oh hey, I forgot there were Yanma here.

And then, without even a word necessary, Vulpix lifted her head from my shoulder and put it down with a spiraling lance of flame, both of us ignoring the two items in the room as we searched for the stairs once again.

Oh, and speaking of the stairs...

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Within two rooms, we found the next stairway, ascending to the next without even a single enemy Pokémon showing up to put itself in our path.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Oh hey, some more money, let's just grab that shit and move on...

90P obtained.

Let's see, how much have we built up at this point...?

Money held: 1,543P.

Huh, good to know.

Oh hey, more money...hmm, was this floor just money items? I guess so.

59P obtained.

Pausing to knock out an unfortunate Kricketune with a Flamethrower and then smack aside a Magby and Snubbull with a Force Palm each, Vulpix smiled as she leaned past me and her breasts briefly pressed against my chest, we continued searching for what I was pretty sure were the last set of stairs...for this section of Steam Cave, anyway.

...is that a damned Farfetch'd? Those- those exist here? Huh, the more you know, I guess...

Fucking finally, there's the stairs, this place is like a damned sauna, and while I might prefer heat over cold, I'm pretty sure I'd have sweated an entirely new lake by this point if going up the stairs didn't clear that shit away, fucking hell...

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

...fucking dammit, I should've known.

Vulpix turned and stared in concern as I continued to pant from the heat, visibly considering whether or not to use the Cleanse Orb on me before she blushed at something and apparently decided not to.

Oh good, more money.

72P obtained.

Huh, that's a Slugma...let's just not bother it, I think.

Oh thank fucking ARCEUS, there's the actual final set of stairs, let's get the fuck out of this shit.

Hand in hand, Vulpix and I walked into the stairway, Vulpix visibly frowning in disappointment even as I silently reveled in the entirely neutral temperature of the dimensional corridor.

...and then we emerged into the rest stop area and immediately leaned back as a roar echoed from ahead of us.

Vulpix turned toward me even as I silently tried to ignore the way the temperature had spiked as soon as we had entered the rest stop, mentally lamenting the fact that it would only end up getting worse and hoping to myself that Pokémon were immune to heatstroke.

"Riolu, was that...?"

I nodded, breathing heavily as the dungeon continuously blew cool air throughout the rest stop as if mocking my inability to handle its environment. "Yeah, that- that was the boss...whew, shit."

Then, the roar came through again, and I nearly fell to my knees as the temperature spiked again, Vulpix barely catching me as I stumbled and leaned against her.

Attempting to access the Kangaskhan Rock only resulted an error message from the menu, undoubtedly a result of us being unable to utilize both the save feature, as usual, as well as the storage, before we proceeded to ignore the nonfunctional statue and walked forward into the final section of the dungeon, hand in hand, barely reacting as the false-Groudon roared again and the heat continued to increase.

---

Upper Steam Cave.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Promptly turning as Vulpix lifted her head to send forth a spiraling lance of flame into an approaching Illumise, we ran through the halls in search of the stairs without a word, only pausing to smack aside two Kricketune with Force Palm and collect some money.

24P obtained.

Coming to a couple of dead-ends that I really should've expected, we backtracked and I immediately had to knock out a third Kricketune with a Flamethrower, the Bug-type Pokémon's unconscious body falling to the ground even as I found myself reminded of how we had encountered three Pineco on a single floor earlier today.

Fucking hell, today has been a LONG day...yeesh.

...and then we found ourselves having to backtrack again and return to the original room we had appeared in, because apparently this floor of the dungeon was based on nothing more than dead-ends and sadism.

Oh, hello there, Volbeat. Get fucking roasted by a Flamethrower, because I am entirely out of fucks to give unless said fucks involve Vulpix.

...man, I really need to get the hell out of this dungeon. I mean, it's true, but thank fuck I didn't say THAT out loud.

Then, Vulpix and I smiled at each other in relief as we finally found the stairs, entirely done with this floor's bullshit obsession with dead-end corridors.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.

We promptly found ourselves face to face with a Volbeat, yet another Kricketune approaching behind it as I lashed out with a Force Palm, the Bug and Flying type barely weathering the blow as Vulpix leaned to the side and hit the Kricketune with a spiraling lance of flame.

...and then that little shit Tackled her into the wall, and I saw red, immediately activating Swords Dance twice- Attack increased, attack increased. Attack increased, attack increased -before I proceeded to pull it off of its feet by the arm and slam its body into the ground mercilessly, before I swung its unconscious body off of the ground and threw into a nearby wall.

Vulpix breathed heavily as she recovered from the Volbeat's attack, the Tackle more startling than painful due to it briefly driving the air from her lungs, and the motion did some very nice things to her chest before she leaned forward to press her lips against my cheek in thanks.

Oh hey, what kind of scarf is this?

Pecha Scarf obtained.

Nah...actually, hmm...

Eh, yeah, we might as well keep it to sell later.

Then, we stepped into the stairs together and went up to the next, entirely unwilling to deal whatever other kind of bullshit the dungeon wanted to throw at us.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.

Oh hey, the stairs and another scarf item, let's see what that is...

Pecha Scarf obtained.

...you're serious? I mean, fuckin' alright then, but sure, I guess we can sell this shit too.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

Hmm...may be a Kecleon, may not be, guess we might find out.

Oh shit, that's a Shuckle. Time to hope it doesn't throw some bullshit Pokémon Showdown tactics at us...heh, here I am, thinking of that while LIVING another Pokémon game, though honestly? I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Proving my point perfectly as to why I wouldn't give it up, Vulpix smiled gently and pressed herself against my side, her smile widening as I pressed my lips to her cheek and our fingers intertwined once more.

And then the Shuckle crawled forward and used Safeguard, drawing my attention back to it as I prepared a Force Palm and waited for it to approach.

I promptly slammed the Force Palm into its center mass, the enemy Pokémon withdrawing back into its shell just before it found itself embedded into the opposite wall and knocked unconscious, and we moved on without a word being necessary.

Oh hey, what TM is this?

Vacuum-Cut TM obtained.

Oh. Well, that's convenient.

Admittedly, it's not the most powerful move...but it should work well enough, think I'll save it for later, honestly.

Oh good, more money, nice.

59P obtained.

Mentally tallying up what items we had found and ignored, I silently considered the idea that we hadn't in fact found a Kecleon Shop as we entered the last room of the floor.

Huh, can there even BE Kecleon Shops in this dungeon? Hmm...

Then, I felt Vulpix tap me on the shoulder with her left hand, the fingers of her right hand still intertwined with those of my left and neither of us at all interested in changing that, drawing my attention to the Magmar approaching us as well as the fact that the stairs were behind it.

We each took a moment to slam a Force Palm into its center mass, before moving on to smack aside the Illumise I hadn't even noticed was napping next to the stairs.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

...and then we found ourselves ambushed by a Granbull and Magmar, Vulpix turning her head to watch the Magmar approach, flames spilling from her lips without being released as I slammed a Force Palm into the Granbull and knocked it out instantly.

Magmar picked up the 54P.

...yes, menu, we can SEE that, considering the fact that said Magmar is STANDING IN FRONT OF US, for fuck's sake.

Without an instant of hesitation, I slammed a Brick Break into its center mass, Vulpix doing the same with a...Flamethrower? as the Magmar went down without a chance to attack us even once.

...I did not expect it to be vulnerable to Fire type attacks, honestly, but whatever works, I guess?

54P obtained.

Running through the dungeon in search of the next set of stairs, I came face to face with a Shuckle and fired a Focus Blast in order to bypass its use of Withdraw.

...and then its unconscious body, tucking into its shell at the last moment, slammed into and then through the pillar behind it, skipping over the water once as we stepped into the next room and promptly ignored the single item within.

Oh, hello Granbull. Have a Focus Blast for your troubles.

I am having too much damned fun using this move, holy shit.

Stamina Band identified. Sleep Seed identified.

Hmm...maybe? Ehh...nah.

Then, we moved on in search of the next set of stairs, only pausing in order to smack aside a couple Magmar that put themselves in our path, though they did manage to land a couple good hits on me in return using Ember...

I turned to Vulpix, smiling...and promptly found an Oran Berry shoved into my mouth, Vulpix pressing her lips to my cheek as I chewed it and we continued searching for the stairs.

Oran Berry consumed.

Having to backtrack once more, I found myself facing down a Volbeat and a Magmar, smacking aside the Volbeat with a Brick Break even as I shielded myself with Protect, its attacks completely ineffective as the green light glowed across my form like a second skin.

The Magmar stepped forward as my Protect shield disappeared, and then I promptly used Protect again, because I was entirely done with these motherfucking Magmar in this motherfucking dungeon.

And then, entirely done with everything, I fired a Focus Blast at it...which immediately decided to say "fuck you" and missed completely, because of course it did, to which I simply fired another one even as the green light of Protect faded.

The Magmar immediately found itself flying backwards from the force of the successful attack, rendered unconscious almost instantly as we continued on, only pausing to smack aside a Granbull with a Brick Break, before we had to fight off two more Magmar, which both dropped Pretty Boxes that were immediately ignored.

Thank fuck, we finally found the stairs...

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 5.

Oh hey, more stairs, let's get the fuck out of here as soon as possible and go murder that fucking Siberian-like projection...would that make Uxie into William Manton, then? Hmm.

Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.

Right, this should be the last floor, I think...fucking hell, this heat is ridiculous.

Coming face to face with a Magmar, I took a moment to shield myself with Protect, before chugging a Max Elixir and slamming a vindictive Force Palm into its center mass, both of its attempts to use Ember against me going completely ignored in the face of my glorious green shield of "go fuck yourself".

Right, that "Gorgeous" Box it just dropped can go fuck itself in approximately THAT direction, because fuck these Magmar and everything they represent.

Oh shit, there's the stairs, the glorious, glorious, fucking STAIRS, finally we can get out of this hellhole and go punch that fucking false-Groudon.

Then, a Volbeat just sort of appeared behind us, Vulpix immediately turning at the sound of its footsteps and sending a spiraling lance of flame behind us...and we heard a glorious ping as the Volbeat's unconscious and burned body fell to the ground.

Vulpix has leveled up! Vulpix has reached Level 27.

This Pokémon can learn a new move, but m̶̲͗ư̷̦s̴̭̀t̵͍̉ ̶̭̿f̴̫̍o̴̪͂ŗ̷̂g̷̹͌e̶̠͝t̸͖͊ ̸̭͒t̸̟̍ḫ̷̽ë̸̪́ ̴̠͗o̴̙͛l̷̰͗d̵͔̆ ̷̹̏o̷̫͘n̸͒͜ẹ̷̌ ̸̪̂f̶͇̿ǐ̴̜r̵̹̾s̴̩͝ẗ̵̙.̸̖͌

Vulpix has learned Safeguard, Riolu h̴͖͝a̴̗̎s̸͜͠ ̷̮̉l̸͈͝ẹ̸̉ą̴̒r̷̥̊ñ̴̥e̴̺͠ḋ̴̘ ̷̟͆S̵̯̈́a̸̗̍f̸̨̃e̴̼͠g̶͙͝ú̷͜ã̸̤ŗ̶͛d̴̪̐.̷͔͠

I took a moment to pull her into my arms, spinning her around before pressing my lips against her cheek in congratulations, before I saw another enemy appear in the room and we had to reluctantly separate in order to properly smack it unconscious and head towards the stairs.

...and then that issue, an issue that turned out to be an Illumise, was promptly solved as Vulpix sent forth another spiraling lance of flame.

Briefly diverting in order to pick up some money- 54P obtained -, we stood in front of the stairs that would lead us to the boss encounter, and I turned toward Vulpix.

I smiled despite how utterly fucking boiling it was in the dungeon, and asked only two words as we held hands in front of the stairs, "Ready, Vulpix?"

Then, to my distinct surprise and joy, she leaned forward and briefly pressed her lips against mine, both of us undoubtedly smiling ridiculously as she pulled me into a hug and we rested our heads on each other's shoulders, our bodies pressing together as she spoke only two words as her reply. "Always, Riolu."

I pulled back from the hug, smiling as I leaned forward to press my lips against her cheek, and we turned to ascend the final staircase of the Steam Cave Mystery Dungeon, sighing in relief as we felt the act of leaving the dungeon erase our physical exhaustion and sate our hunger.

Honestly, though? I was mainly just glad to be out of that fucking heat, no matter the fact that I wouldn't say that to Vulpix, given how much she seemed to enjoy the temperature.

---

Steam Cave Peak.

Walking forward, we braced ourselves as we picked up on the fact that things felt...strange, here.

"Riolu, you're feeling that too, right?"

I nodded, smiling at her reassuringly as we approached the opening ahead and her fingers intertwined with mine.

And then we leaned backwards as the same roar from the Rest Stop resounded outwards...from directly in front of us.

I briefly closed my eyes, a nod from Vulpix all the permission I needed to begin using the Aura Sight...and the pulses of blue resonated off of something coming directly the fuck at us, the ground shaking with the force of its footsteps as it roared once more and I found myself pulled back, opening my eyes just time to see a mass of red in the general shape of "fuck off and die" charging toward us.

Vulpix: Speed increased. Speed increased. Speed increased. S̴̯̉p̸̾͜ȇ̷̙e̴̜̎d̸̫͛ ̵̞͗i̶͚̓ǹ̷̨c̵͇̽r̸̲̆e̴͔͋a̵̛͕s̴̖̈́è̸͍d̷͇̈.̸̪́

I found myself pulled off of my feet as Vulpix jumped backwards just in time to avoid the clawed foot as large as us crashing to the ground where we had previously been standing, my partner's eyes widened as we landed a mere ten feet away and flames spilled from between her lips.

...and then it started fucking speaking.

"YOU! HAVE YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE? DEPART NOW!"

I pulled myself from Vulpix's arms reluctantly, my fingers once again intertwining with hers as I decided to at least try diplomacy, "Ah...no, no we have not, we just want to visit Fogbound Lake."

That was apparently the exact wrong thing to say, as the psionic construct seemed to be startled by that, "I AM THE GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM GROUDON!"

There are...so many jokes I could make about that line, including one involving Groot, but...not the time.

...and then the psionic construct promptly decided to go from zero to murder in the space of three seconds, roaring as it glared at us in rage, "YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS!"

Well. Fuck.

"PREPARE FOR MY WRATH!"

Right. Boss Protocols it is, then.

And then I felt something foreign in my head, taking a look through my memories regarding Groudon even as I turned to Vulpix, my eyes widening in horror and panic as I shouted, "DARK PULSE SHROUD, NOW!"

Even as Vulpix and I activated Dark Pulse and the presence was driven from my mind, I felt it latch on to one memory in particular...and then the false-Groudon's body began fucking glowing red, lava emerging from between its plated skin as it initiated Primal Reversion and slammed a foot into the ground, dozens of earthen spikes projecting themselves from the ground straight toward us as the Primal Groudon projection used Precipice Blades and we were forced to jump away from each other in order to dodge out of the way.

Then, as the glow faded and the false Primal Groudon went back to being a false normal Groudon, the earthen spikes retracted into the ground as I turned to my partner and stated, "Protocol Omega Ruby."

The only reply I received was a confused look as she stared at the Groudon projection and stated, "I...I don't know what that means."

Of course, I didn't tell her about that kind of because I didn't expect such utter bullshit.

"...it means that Groudon just went Primal."

This time, I got a blatantly deadpan look as the Groudon projection just...sort of let us talk to each other without retaliating, because apparently talking counted as a free action for some reason, "Riolu...I don't know what that means, either."

I breathed in, considering how to explain such utter bullshit while in a world where such bullshit shouldn't have existed yet, "...it means that Uxie just cheated, and we need to punch that thing in the face."

I watched in relief as comprehension lit up in her eyes, and Vulpix smiled as she turned to regard the false Groudon once more as we prepared to cheese the fuck out of this boss battle, arbitrary Primal Reversions be damned, "Oh... That, Riolu, I understand perfectly."

Holy shit, if it was possible to fall in love with her all over again, I'm pretty sure I just would have...

And then, without a word, I stepped to the side as the false Groudon approached us...and threw a Stun Seed, the projection's body locking up as the Stun Seed forcibly overwrote its reality or some other kind of arcane bullshit.

Stun Seed utilized.

Exchanging a glance of relief at the fact that it hadn't missed, we promptly dug the Violent Seeds out of our Bag of Distinctly Limited Holding and ate them, relishing the feeling as they rose our attack and special attack to levels that we normally wouldn't be able to surpass...if we weren't us, that is.

Riolu: Attack and Special Attack maximized. Vulpix: Attack and Special Attack maximized.

2x Violent Seeds consumed.

Then, without even a word needing to be exchanged as we smiled at each other, I charged a Focus Blast as Vulpix sent forth a pulse of dark energy.

The false Groudon took the Fighting type projectile attack directly on the chin, taking out a full near-half of its health as my partner's Dark Pulse slammed into its no longer stunned chest and caused it to flinch backwards.

Smiling to each other, I sent forth another Focus Blast while hoping that this one wouldn't miss...and I was not disappointed, the Focus Blast impacting its chest even as Vulpix sent forth another Dark Pulse.

...shouldn't it be down by now? I'm pretty we did more than 300 damage.

This time, though, it didn't flinch, turning to slow Vulpix with an intimidating glare of pure rage in the form of Scary Face, before I promptly made good on our plans to punch it in the face, slamming a Force Palm into its chin and sending it staggering backwards as my partner and I stared in shock.

Did...did we fuckin' do it? Holy shit, I think we actually did...

Then, we briefly leaned back warily and prepared for another fight as the light of Primal Reversion played across its body once more, before it faded and the false Groudon collapsed to the ground defeated, the projection's body fading from sight as we watched.

I sighed in relief, smiling as I turned to Vulpix and she pulled me into a tight hug, before we stared into each other's eyes, leaning forward...and then the voice of that cheating motherfucker known as Uxie projected itself into our minds, thoroughly ruining the moment as we reluctantly separated and turned to face the cave in front of us, our fingers intertwining as it spoke.

"That Groudon was nothing more than an illusion that I conjured, though I did not expect such an...interesting ability, to show itself in your memories."

I stared toward the entrance, silently trying as hard as I could to project the most utterly deadpan look possible through my thoughts alone as I spoke, "Yeah...we noticed, you cheating bastard..."

Then, we heard the Psychic-type Legendary laugh in our minds, before it continued, "Ah yes, that...my apologies, but as the guardian of Fogbound Lake, I would be neglecting my duty as its protector if I did not use every method possible to defend it...either way, I cannot allow you to pass."

Sighing, I turned towards Vulpix and found her staring directly into my eyes, "Riolu...are you sure?"

I smiled, nodding as I drew her into another hug, "Yeah, though we're still not telling Dusknior a single damned thing... Uxie, if you can hear me, look through my memories, see the knowledge they hold."

Then, I hissed in pain as Uxie's mental presence made itself known, the Guardian of Fogbound Lake projecting astonishment and horror as it scanned my memories of the game's plot and the future that we would be trying our best to prevent, Vulpix catching me as I stumbled into her arms.

Barely noticing as Uxie physically appeared in front of us and flew forward to seize my head in its paws, fire furiously spilled from my partner's lips as she watched Uxie's closed eyes stare directly into my mind, the Psychic-type Legendary releasing me mere moments later as Vulpix stared it down without a second of hesitation.

Then, the Guardian of Fogbound Lake physically spoke, its voice carrying a psionic echo even as I recovered from its not at all gentle scanning of my memories, "...incredible, a human from an entirely different reality, one where we do not exist, humanity remains...and all that we are is known to them."

Uxie breathed in, exhaling heavily as its closed eyes stared at us, "Yes...I see, now. Though your knowledge of events is...incomplete, when compared to the full extent of this...game, I see now, though I will not reveal your secrets, human, even to the one who plans to steal the remaining Time Gears.

"Yes...you are welcome within Fogbound Lake, Riolu and Vulpix. How odd, though, that my memories attempt to lie to me even as I watch you now, despite knowing the truth of your appearance.

"Now, please, come this way. I wish to show you the treasure of Fogbound Lake."

Without a word, Vulpix intertwined my fingers with hers and we followed Uxie into the entrance...

---

Fogbound Lake.

It...was not this dark before. Some kind of localized time dilation, maybe?

Also...holy shit.

As we watched the lights dance in the sky, Vulpix took a moment to lean her head on my shoulder, the grip of her hand tightening on mine as she spoke for both of us.

"That's...that's incredible. All of those fluttering Volbeat and Illumise..."

Uxie turned, staring at us without ever opening its eyes, "Yes, it is...now, cast your eyes to the glowing area at the lake's center."

We stepped forward, and stared in awe as we beheld the sight of the Fogbound Lake's Time Gear, its blue-green light radiating from beneath the surface of the lake.

Uxie turned back, and nodded, knowing that we recognized exactly what it was, "Yes...it is a Time Gear, one of the many that appeared following humanity's disappearance. It is the sole reason that I remain, guarding it from those who have trespassed here before you."

I nodded, still smiling as I tried to ignore the way my heart began speeding up at the sight of the Time Gear, undoubtedly a remnant of what would have been the player character's memories. "The Groudon projection, right?"

Uxie smiled, and summoned the false Groudon once more, Vulpix and I momentarily tensing as the light of Primal Reversion glowed across its illusionary body, "Indeed, it is something that I create using my psychic abilities. Though I fully intend to add those...unique abilities to it, I will not use them against the one who others claim to be your enemy, and I will still play my part in pretending to oppose him, as will my fellow guardians."

Vulpix turned to look at me, and I gladly answered as I pressed my lips to the top of her head, "Mesprit and Azelf, right? I'm pretty sure Treeshroud Forest and Limestone Cave remain unguarded, though? ...if their Time Gears haven't been taken already, that is."

Uxie nodded grimly, "Agreed, though I now understand the necessity of why they must be taken, I must admit that I still do not approve of how it must be done."

Then, the three of us turned at the sound of Wigglytuff's voice, "Oh well, we can't take a Time Gear! Too bad!"

Uxie tilted its head toward Wigglytuff as he stepped up to the edge of the platform, the Psychic-type's eyes remaining closed as it spoke, "Ah, yes, Wigglytuff. I recognize you from Riolu's memories."

Wigglytuff turned to look at Uxie as we watched warily, another All Might type of smile forming on his face, "Oh? And were you the one to take his memories?"

Neither of us missed the way power seemed to gather in the air, Vulpix's hand gripping mine tightly as we braced ourselves for a possible confrontation between the Guildmaster and the Guardian of Fogbound Lake, "No. I merely erase memories of Fogbound Lake, not the entire life. Nor am I responsible for his...unique situation."

Vulpix and I breathed a sigh of relief as the gathered power began to fade, the Guildmaster immediately walking over to greet the illusionary Groudon, utterly uncaring of the way its body flickered in and out of existence, before Uxie dispelled the projection with little visible effort.

Vulpix and I stepped forward, my partner's head resting on my shoulder as Wigglytuff spoke once more, "Wow. Gaze upon this amazing view!"

Even as we watched the lake in comfortable silence, I felt Vulpix squeeze my hand twice, drawing my attention as she smiled up at me and blushed, "Riolu? Can...can we go somewhere more private, please?"

I took a moment to look towards Uxie for permission, the Guardian of Fogbound Lake nodding its head toward the nearby forest before I found myself pulled off my feet as Vulpix activated Agility.

Within seconds, we appeared in a clearing looking out towards the lake and the Time Gear hidden inside, Vulpix pressing herself against my chest as we held each other and the middle of the lake erupted into a massive waterspout.

Then, I smiled at Vulpix, staring into her eyes as I rose our joined hands and intertwined our fingers, the palms of our hands pressing against each other as I put a hand on her waist and I asked a single question as we turned to watch the stars, "Hey, Vulpix, can...can we dance, here?"

Vulpix leaned her head against my chest, nodding once as she smiled, "I...I'd like that, Riolu."

Then, we began to slowly spin together as I guided us through a very basic waltz with the help of the only dancing memories I remembered, the enhanced reflexes of my Riolu body greatly helping me to avoid literally stepping on any toes as we held each other and danced under the lights of the stars.

Vulpix looked up at me, and smiled gently as I stopped spinning us, "Riolu...can- can you show me your menu?"

Briefly debating to myself as to whether or not that was a euphemism, I chose to interpret the question literally, pulling up my version of the menu as I pulled up the exact screen she was undoubtedly asking for.

Riolu: Status: Content. Status: In love error error.

Vulpix: Status: Content. Status: In error error error.

Oh hey, it's stating the obvious again...

Then, Vulpix groaned in annoyance as she brought up her menu and rotated it so that I wouldn't have to read the damned thing backwards...and then I saw what it actually said.

Riolu: Status: Content. Status: In love with Vulpix.

Vulpix: Status: Content. Status: In love with Riolu.

That damned thing was hiding shit from me, fucking hell. First it wants to be cheerfully insulting, then it wants to pull this? ...wait.

I turned to look at her, Vulpix smiling up at me as I stared into her eyes, "Riolu...can-can you say it to me? Please?"

I smiled and pressed my lips against hers, breaking the brief kiss just long enough to say four words.

"I love you, Vulpix."

Then, my partner leaned into the kiss, something about it just feeling right as our bodies pressed against each other and she said five words that caused my heartbeat to speed up, "I love you too, Riolu."

Without a word, my partner smiled and pushed me to the ground, laying down on top of me as our bodies pressed together and we resumed the kiss, both of us humming as she began rubbing her lower lips against my shaft, before lifting her hips as she broke the kiss and reached down to line us up correctly.

I sucked in a breath as I felt her hand rub against my hardened dick and the tip pressed against her entrance, before staring into her eyes as I spoke, "Vulpix, are you sure? I...I don't want us to do anything that we're not both comfortable with."

Vulpix smiled and leaned her head down to capture my lips with hers, both of us moaning into each other's mouths as her hips soon followed and I found myself fully inside of her, "Yes, Riolu...I-I want this, I want you...I love you, Riolu. Always and forever..."

I smiled back, and returned the kiss as I echoed her words, "Always and forever."

Then, both of us not really knowing anything about sex except just to do what we felt comfortable with, we began to move our hips together, quickly settling into a rhythm as the pleasure began to build and we moaned into the kiss, Vulpix nodding her permission as I rose a hand to cup one of her breasts and gently squeezed, silently enjoying the feeling of her breast cupped in my right hand as I rubbed a thumb over the quickly hardening nipple beneath her fur.

Vulpix moaned my name as the pleasure continued to build and my hardened shaft thrusted into her with the motion of our hips, before I leaned my head down to bring my mouth to her unoccupied breast, tongue diving through the fur as I swirled it around the hardened nipple and continued thrusting into her, the motion of her hips matching mine perfectly as I felt my release coming and lifted my mouth from her nipple.

"Vulpix, I'm...I'm going to..."

My partner just smiled gently, as she leaned down to capture my lips with hers once more and I rose my left hand to cup her other breast, both of them fitting perfectly in my hands as she continued meeting my hips with her own. "Riolu...I want it, please. Don't pull out..."

Then, her eyes widened and she blushed as her version of the menu appeared, Vulpix very quickly moving her hand to change something that I couldn't read in time, before she blushed and closed the menu as her insides squeezed along my shaft and the pleasure started to build into a crescendo, a notification briefly drawing my attention before it closed itself and she drew me into another kiss.

Vulpix: Pregnancy chance manually reduced to 0%.

Huh, good-good to know...mmm.

Vulpix pressed herself against my chest, our hips meeting one last time as both our orgasms hit and I felt myself release inside of her as she shuddered around my dick from pleasure and her insides became like a vice-grip.

Without a word, my partner lifted her head from my chest and blushed visibly as she pressed her lips against mine, and I smiled gently as I returned the kiss, Vulpix breathing out heavily as my hands settled behind her hips and on to her ass, "Riolu, that...that was..."

I press my forehead against hers, both of us smiling as we stared directly into each other's eyes in a way that was probably sappy as all hell, and yet I couldn't bring myself to care about that as I finished her sentence for her, both of us uncaring of the fact that we were absolutely covered in sweat from our activities and some of my cum was leaking from inside of her, "Perfect, Vulpix...it was perfect."

Vulpix blushed visibly, and pulled up her version of the menu, the opening of our Treasure Bag of Distinctly Limited Holding glowing as she withdrew an item remotely, only able to do it due to the fact that we weren't currently within a dungeon.

C̸̹͌l̵̼͂ȇ̴͜ạ̶͘n̶̹̅s̴̩̋e̴̞̽ ̷̹͗O̴̺̓ȓ̴̨b̷̻͂ ̸̝̍w̵͓͂i̷̘̿t̶̼̐h̴͉̔ḓ̷̓r̸̖̀a̷͖̎w̶̮̿n̷̪̈́.̷̮́ Ë̶̠r̵̙͝ȑ̸̟ò̴̹r̶̤̍.̸͎̂ ̴̟̉S̷͇͋p̸̛͕a̶̺̋ĉ̴̗ẽ̴̝ ̸̨͠u̸͈͒š̷̹a̷̟̾ǵ̸͙e̴͇͐ ̴̹͝n̶̠̄e̸̬͗ĝ̷͎ǎ̷̱t̶̰͑e̵̳͆d̷͓͂.̵̠̍ E̸̖͐r̷̙̀ȓ̵͇ö̷̞́r̶̿͜.̶̲̚ ̴̠̃I̸̺̍t̶̤̾e̴̻̍m̸̝̐ ̸͇͌d̷͕̚ō̶̪e̶̙͐s̵̲̊ ̴̠͑n̸̰̈́o̸̟̐ť̵̢ ̵̡̀e̷͓͑x̷̞̽i̵͍͗s̸̫͂t̴̯͆.̷̨̂

And then she smiled as she activated the Cleanse Orb over our heads, and we felt very refreshed as the sweat and...other fluids, were swept over by a grey substance covering our bodies and the fluids from our activities promptly found themselves ceasing existence as Vulpix reluctantly pulled herself off of my shaft.

C̴̱̒l̷̰͋e̶̫̒a̸̭͗n̷̜͌s̴̡͋e̶̻͌ ̵̮̈O̴̥̒ṟ̶͗b̴͉̓ ̷̩͊ū̶͉t̷̤́i̵̙̿l̸̈́ͅį̶̈́z̴̺͆ë̵̢́d̵͉̚.̸̡̈́ ̴̼̇E̵͎̓r̴̜̎r̷͖̉o̴̯͑r̷̋͜:̴̪̀ ̸̙̀I̴̤̊t̴̪͠ë̷̞m̷̞͂ ̵̛͓d̸̝̀ọ̴̃ȩ̸̕s̷̜̑ ̷̳͗n̵͚͑ö̸̡ẗ̴̜ ̵̡̾e̶̢͊x̷̹͗i̵͈̍s̸̼̓t̶͙̔.̷̢̍

Helping me to my feet, Vulpix looked down, my dick hardening once again at the sight of her body, a sight I was very much willing to enjoy, before she blushed at the fact that the Cleanse Orb...hadn't quite gotten everything, to say the least, simply because most of it was still inside of her at the time.

I smiled, and waved my hand toward the water, "It's fine, Vulpix, I can just wash it off, you know?"

My partner hummed, undoubtedly considering something as her cheeks reddened through her fur, and she grabbed my hand to stop me from going to the lake, and said something that very much drew my attention, "I-I can clean it off for you, if you want?"

I smiled gently and kissed her again, before pulling back as I pressed my forehead to hers and stared into her beautiful brown eyes, "Vulpix, I love you, but you...you don't have to do that if you don't want to."

She blushed visibly, before she let go of my hand and knelt down on her knees until she was eye-level with my hardened shaft, some of the leftover fluids still remaining from our previous activities.

And then, without a word, she extended her tongue and ran it up my shaft, the sensation of her tongue sliding over my dick sending all kinds of incredible feelings directly to my brain as she spoke, "Mmm...I-I kind of like the taste, Riolu. Oh, I...I seem to have missed a spot. Here, maybe if I try this..."

I inhaled, groaning in pleasure as she hesitantly engulfed part of it in her mouth and rotated her tongue around the tip, the pleasure building as she continued licking it despite having undoubtedly cleaned everything, before I brought my hand down to tap her on the head, gaining her attention as she grasped my hand and brought it down to cup her cheek. "Vulpix...I'm close."

My partner hummed, the vibrations of her mouth very nearly sending me over the edge of an orgasm before she withdrew from it, smiling up at me mischievously as she said a single word that almost caused me to release all on its own, "Good."

Then she put my shaft back in her mouth, humming intentionally as her tongue once again ran up the underside of my dick, and I groaned under my breath as I released directly into her mouth, ropes of cum disappearing down her throat as her eyes widened and she began swallowing as much as she could.

Vulpix pulled away from my now softening dick right after my orgasm ended, breathing heavily as she smiled up at me and stared into my eyes, opening her mouth to speak before closing it as she considered something, and then briefly turned away from me as her mouth glowed from the inside, my partner soon turning back to me and opening her mouth to reveal that she had used a low-powered Flamethrower to burn all of the semen remaining in her mouth.

Vulpix blushed, pressing her lips to mine as I helped her rise to her feet, the two of us deepening the kiss eagerly as I pulled her body against mine and her breasts pressed against my chest, one of my hands going up to cup her cheek as the other descended to press against her spine and pull her hips to mine.

Humming, we broke the kiss as I briefly activated my Aura Sight and noticed Dugtrio approaching us from underground, before I smiled and took my hand off of her cheek to intertwine my fingers with hers. "I love you, Vulpix. Always and forever."

My partner pressed her lips to mine briefly, Dugtrio emerging from the ground just five feet from us right as she echoed my words, "I love you too, Riolu...always and forever."

Hearing that, all three of Dugtrio's heads somehow smiled despite not having any mouths with which to do so, the Ground-type mole Pokémon nodding in unison to himself with all three heads as he spoke up in triplicate, Vulpix turning her head to look at him in shock as I whispered into her ear, reassuring her that no, he didn't see anything, "Ah, Team Fire Shadow. We'll be leaving soon to return to the Guild...and also? Congratulations, you two."

I smiled, humming to myself as Vulpix rested her head on my shoulder, "Thanks, Dugtrio. Though...has everyone else guessed what we're doing?"

Dugtrio smiled once more, somehow, "It's certainly possible...though I understand how you two feel, after all, Diglett is my son."

Dugtrio nodded at us with all three of his heads, giving us a few final reassuring words as he disappeared back into the ground and the two of us set off to reunite with the rest of the Guild together, "If it helps, though...I certainly can't smell anything from you two."

I took a moment to press my lips against the top of Vulpix's head, considering whether or not to make a few jokes as she turned to kiss me again, "Cleanse Orbs are truly a wonderful thing, huh?"

Vulpix rolled her eyes, smiling, before she froze as my hand brushed over the fur of her six tails, breathing out five words as I hoped that I hadn't just very much pissed her off, "Riolu...pl-please don't do that."

I quickly wrapped my arm around her waist, carefully avoiding the tails, "Oh shit, sorry, I...I forgot that your evolutionary line has a...thing, about that."

Recognizing the fact that my voice was full of concern, my partner turned to press her lips against mine, smiling as she shivered from something that wasn't the cold, "No, no, it's just...I, umm...I really liked that, and if you didn't stop, I-I probably wouldn't have been able to stop myself from having us do that again."

I breathed in sharply, realizing what she meant and, honestly, the only reason I was opposed to that idea at all was the fact that we had to meet up with the others, "Ohh...so it's a thing...I see. Well, shit, that uhh...that explains quite a lot as to why Ninetales put curses on people who touch their tails, if that's the kind of thing it does to you."

She blushed, her left hand reaching down to intertwine with the fingers of mine, "Ye-yeah, it's, umm...it's kind of embarrassing, though I-I wouldn't mind if you did it sometime, just...not now."

I nodded, smiling as I pressed my lips to her cheek, and decided to make one final joke, "So, Vulpix..."

My partner blinked up at me, a smile on her lips as I continued, chuckling to myself.

"Does this mean that we technically defiled Fogbound Lake?"

Then, we continued on to reunite with the rest of the Guild, Vulpix giggling to herself and groaning in exasperation under her breath in equal measure the entire time.

---

End of Chapter Seven.

In case you're wondering, FFN, this took about two weeks to write, originally.

Either way, do feel free to tell me what you think, and to those who might not...enjoy the sheer length of this chapter (yes, that was a sex joke, be amused), don't worry, this will not be the new standard, even if people might prefer it.

Honestly, the entire reason why it was this long was just because the Expedition dungeons couldn't really be cut into their own chapters without greatly reducing the "punch" of some of the worldbuilding.

Hell, the Groudon fight (and didn't that have one hell of a twist, huh?) and the Fogbound Lake scenes (you know what I'm talking about...) were originally one unified portion, though I chose to divide them into their own sections.

So yeah, twenty-one thousand words go brrr, I guess.