x

When I opened my eyes, nothing made sense.

The world was an endless void around me. Well, I thought it was an endless void. It was honestly a little hard to tell with all the ethereal mist swirling in every direction. I pushed myself up from where I'd been curled and shook my fur out, the movement stirring the mist into a writhing dance that I watched with a frown.

"A'ight, what the hell is all this?"

That was the first thing out of my mouth as I glanced around. I tried peering deeper into the fog but it was like trying to see past an undulating wall. Was I in a dream? Because if I was, I felt nothing but disappointment at having created something as soul-draining as this. Bad brain, the least you could've done was conjure up the phantom of some babe in all her bootylicious glory, preferably on a beach with white sand and crystal seas. It didn't even have to be a human babe either, 'cause I'd be down to pop some Poké-cherries. Wait, did that thought make me an official furry now?

I didn't have much time to wonder about how my being a Pokémon would factor into that question before a strange sound echoed around me. It was a long, droning cry that resonated through the mists like a song and sent chills down my spine. I turned about to see if I could tell which direction it was coming from but, to my dismay, it seemed to be emanating from all around me. I screwed my eyes shut and strained my ears to see if that would make a difference but that got me nowhere fast. When I opened my eyes a second time, I jumped nearly a foot into the air at the silhouetted figure that decided to jumpscare me.

It was hard to make out any definite shape as it descended in the fog, but I could've sworn it twisted into something else as it reached the ground. I watched on warily as something that might've been human straightened up ahead of me and held up an arm in what felt like a beckoning motion. I could almost imagine it standing there imposingly, crooking a finger in that universal "come here" gesture.

Unthinkingly, I placed one paw forward, then another, then another. Slowly, I began marching ahead to whatever awaited me. The figure was growing a bit more real with every step and I realized uneasily that it wasn't human after all. Humanoid, yes, but not human. I took another step and knew that something was wrong. The figure had stopped growing any closer as I moved. It almost seemed like it was drawing back to match my every step forward, leading me deeper into this place. Alarms began going off in the back of my head, telling me to turn around and run, but I couldn't. My body was moving of its own volition, charmed by this thing lurking on the edge of visibility.

"..."

It tried to say something to me but I couldn't make out the words, as if I was hearing its voice from the bottom of a swimming pool. One more step forward—and I promptly fell as the ground beneath my feet ceased to exist. I flailed with my paws to find purchase on something, anything, but found only air as I tumbled through an endless world of mist and howling wind. The figure had disappeared, leaving me to fall further and further. The ambient light vanished into oppressive darkness with each passing second and soon I found myself in empty oblivion. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out as something darker than pitch waited for me.

"Oi, Evan, it's time to wake up."

I felt a paw prod into my back and jerked awake with a gasp when a shot of electricity turned my spine to ice. Eyes flying open in a mix of alarm and pain, I legit yelped like a dog who'd just got punted and found myself staring confusedly at a room lit by mid-morning light. Then Poppy came into my field of vision, a smile on her face. "That's more like it! I let you sleep in long enough and now it's time to get the day started."

All of the evening's memories came rushing back then, reminding me where I was and what was going on. "Ugh, you could've at least woken me up normally," I said, idly hoping my heart hadn't just developed an arrhythmia. "Hell, I was already having some sort of nightmare. I probably would've woken up on my own if you let me have another minute or two."

"Oh, sorry," Poppy replied, the grin slipping from her face. "I used to be jolted awake like that all the time growing up. Guess it slipped my mind that it hits different for Pokémon who aren't Electric-type. Uh, what was the dream about? Anything related to... your situation?"

I took a moment to think about it, kicking each of my legs to make sure I hadn't lost motor function in any of them. "I don't know, honestly. I was in a strange place that was all foggy and something in the mist was pied piper-ing me before I started falling. It was getting real dark and then you woke me up."

"Pied piper-ing?"

I saw the Pikachu's questioning face and realized this world might not have that cultural reference. I sighed. "It's just something from back home. So how's your morning been? You look like you're feeling a lot better."

Indeed, the insecurity that had plagued her last night was all but gone now and the rodent seemed more like how I expected her to be. "I am, thanks. I haven't been up too long, just enough to finish the food I didn't eat last night, clean myself up for the morning, and get the used towels from my bag washed so it doesn't smell like sex for the next month. At this point, I'm just waiting on you so I can sell the orb, maybe give you a proper tour of Canvas Town, and start the hunt for anything that could clue us in about what's up with you."

"M'kay, give me a bit to throw myself together," I said, rubbing a paw against my face before rolling to get my legs beneath me. I got to my feet with a grunt, arching my back for a nice stretch while fighting off a yawn. My muscles were still slightly sore and there was some residual tingling from my minor electrocution, but I otherwise felt much better than when I'd fallen asleep. "Hey, Pokémon wouldn't happen to have toothbrushes and stuff, would they?"

Poppy shot me a look as though I'd just asked if fire was hot or water was wet. "Yeah, I got a spare in the drawer. Funnily enough, I was actually gonna make you do that before leaving. You need help brushing?"

I glanced down at my paws and once again mourned the loss of my hands. RIP opposable thumbs and rotating wrists, you'll forever be missed. Still, I wasn't sure if I was up for the assist. Having the rodent wipe me clean while trying to stay conscious in a mystery dungeon was one thing, as was being bathed by an innkeeper with a dump truck of an ass and thighs that could crush skulls, but I had my wits about me now and the offered help felt like a blow to what little pride I had. Then again, the only way I could picture myself brushing my teeth as I was now was to keep it pinned upright between my paws, getting those pearly whites polished by bobbing my head on the thing like I was giving head. Since I could probably write a college-level thesis on how much worse that would be for my self-image, I begrudgingly accepted being treated like some paraplegic. "Fine, just make it quick."

Too curious to pass up the opportunity, I followed her to the drawer and peeked into the mirror I'd spied yesterday to get my first good look at myself. The polished disk of metal had a few blemishes but I could still easily make out my face in its... reflection...

...

...

...Holy shit, I was adorable.

There was no dancing around it. The round head paired with the short muzzle, big brown eyes, long ears, and tiny black nose came together in a face that would melt hearts and win me countless scraps of food from the table if I were an animal back on Earth. I stared stupefied at the Eevee and the Eevee stared stupified back at me. Then I decided to do what any toddler would do when faced with a mirror and began making faces. I stuck out my tongue in a blep, let my ears droop to the sides of my head as I gave my best puppy-dog eyes, scrunched up my face in a pout, and even shot a glare while peeling my lips back into a snarl. I almost felt like having another fit of manic laughter at the absurdity of it all but was cut off when I heard Poppy clear her throat.

"You finished?" she asked, looking rather amused as she held a crude wooden toothbrush and a jar of what might have been toothpaste if my new sniffer was working right. My face flushed beneath my fur and I nodded.

"Yup."

One tooth cleaning later, Poppy threw on her raggedy bandana and the two of us emerged back into the inn's common room. My heart fluttered at finding it a bit busier than the evening prior, with more Pokémon chatting or heading out for the day while Nana and what may have been another employee made sure everything was spotless. I didn't see or smell any breakfast, interestingly, so it looked like we'd have to pick something up while we were out. I followed my Pikachu out the front door and it was, ahem, like stepping into another world. The street looked different in the morning light and it was definitely busier than it'd been previously. I watched a giant green mantis with wicked blades for arms stroll past and just knew today was going to test my nerves. I took a slow, calming breath and steeled myself as best I could. Keep your cool and act normal, you're just another Pokémon to them.

"Alright, here's the plan," Poppy began, "we're about to head straight to a place where I can sell the orb. It's one of the busiest parts of town, so I'm gonna ask you politely to not freak the fuck out. If no one has the merchants held up we should be in and out faster than you can say 'crowds make me anxious'. After that, we can swing by the library to see if any answers are waiting for you between the covers of a book. Sound good?"

I nodded absently, following along as I took in the settlement for a second time. The building's colors seemed to pop out even more now and I noticed an image beyond a press of bodies being actively painted over as we passed. It was a pretty impressive depiction of a river winding through some unnamed jungle, accompanied by more of that strange writing. The whole thing reminded me of a graffiti tag, only without any of the stylizing. It wasn't long before we hit the intersection where we'd first arrived and hooked a right, heading down the bustling boulevard and deeper into Canvas Town. I soon found myself surrounded on all sides by more Pokémon than I could shake a stick at, equal parts wary and fascinated with what I saw. More refreshed, I could better process the volume of creatures and couldn't help but marvel. They ranged from the familiar and mundane, like a giant ferret and a group of pigeon-looking birds that wouldn't look too out of place back home, to the exotic, like the moving cactus rattling like a maraca as it danced behind its stall to draw in customers. It made me wish I'd played at least a couple of the games in the franchise so I could understand some of what I was seeing.

I think we were getting closer to some kind of market. More stalls were popping up along the sides of the boulevard, more Pokémon were hauling goods about by all sorts of means, and the smell of food being cooked by various vendors was growing stronger by the moment. We dodged around a train of five large wagons being pulled by a single fucking donkey creature and I gawked as the street suddenly opened up.

"Welcome to Mural Plaza," Poppy said, probably smirking as she led me along, "or The Market, it's called all sorts of things by all sorts of 'mon. If you're in Canvas Town and want to buy or sell anything, this is the place to do it."

I'll admit it, I was impressed. We found ourselves in a square, surrounded by multistory buildings on what felt like all sides. Seeing past the throngs of pedestrians, I made out many, many shops that lined the whole perimeter of the place. Most were stalls, but I spied at least a few storefronts leading indoors. There were also a variety of tents that seemed stylized after certain Pokémon species near the center... probably more shops, but what held my attention more than anything were the murals the plaza was named after. Instead of the bright colors, every side of the buildings facing into the plaza had an enormous, breathtaking image of different landscapes painted for all to see that made the jungle graffiti from earlier look like it was made by a five-year-old with cheap crayons. There were forests, deserts, and a mountain range with a smoking volcano, but my favorite had to have been the giant still of the coral reef from beneath the water. The point of view was such that it let the artist capture the refracted sunlight from above in a display that left me legit speechless. Several fish and pink coral Pokémon were going about their business and the silhouette of some manta ray looked like it was just about to breach the waves. The painting called to me for some reason, but when I tried to think about why my mind drew another frustrating blank.

"I don't mean to be a bother, little dude, but you're kinda in the way."

The male voice brought me back to reality and I turned to see a badger Pokémon towering on his hind legs. The fur on his arms, legs, face, and the front of his body was a pale beige while the rest, including a band of fur around his neck, was a bluish purple. A few circular spots along the band were magenta, along with his half-lidded eyes. I turned to look for Poppy but all I saw were strangers stepping around me, some of which looked none too pleased that I was just standing there like an retard. I looked back up at the Pokémon and felt another blush coming on. "S-sorry," I squeaked out, "this is my first time here and I was just uh, enjoying the art."

A placid, almost dopey grin spread across the creature's face, making me wonder if this guy was toked out of his mind. I couldn't smell anything on him, but there were also countless other odors vying for my attention. Finally, he responded. "Huh, guess that makes two of us. I haven't been this far west in years and I've never visited this town in particular before." His brows then knit in thought before continuing. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Lopunny's Guild is, would you? I think I've been walking around in circles."

I felt my mouth press into a thin line as I moved to not be in everyone's way. "Don't have a clue. There are plenty of others to ask, though."

I gestured to the crowds moving past us. The badger sidled up to me and tilted his head back and forth, regarding the crowds before shaking his head. "Nah, asking locals would just take all the adventure out of it, y'know?"

"I guess..." I answered. I tried to peek around all the bodies to see if I could spot my missing rodent but got nowhere fast. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where someone can sell a Wonder Orb to get some money, would you?"

The much taller Pokémon chuckled at the commandeered question before flashing another, more toothy grin. "Lots of shops will buy orbs off you, but I bet it's Kecleon's Shop you're after. I do know where that's at... I think. It's definitely here in the plaza 'cause I've walked by it like, ten times already. Hmm, let's try going this way."

And that's how I ended up letting a Pokémon I'd just met, who may or may not have been high off their ass, lead me around a city neither one of us knew. I promise it wasn't as bad as it sounded—I'd more or less done something similar with Poppy in Pleasure Meadow, after all. Besides, I didn't get any stranger danger vibes so I was content to follow in the hopes that I'd run into the aforementioned Pikachu. It wasn't even that exciting of an adventure because, as it turned out, our destination was just on the opposite side of the plaza I'd entered from. The badger led me up to one of the indoor shops and I glanced up at the sign. I still couldn't read the writing, but like with the inn, the painted depiction of some lizard Pokémon's head surrounded by a Wonder Orb, what looked like a seed, and a... magic wand kinda clued me in.

I was just about to walk through the open door when something yellow and in a hurry strode out and nearly bowled me over.

"Oh, there you are," Poppy said with a sigh, "I was just about to go looking for you. I had a whole spiel ready about this shop and all the kinds of items you can buy or find in mystery dungeons when you disappeared on me. What happened?"

"Sorry," I said with a sheepish grin, "I was just letting my inner art critic out for a walk. Stoner Dude here helped me find you."

I gestured to the Pokémon in question and he waved. "Heya."

The Pikachu looked up at the badger, opened her mouth to say something, then paused. Her eyes narrowed in scrutiny for several seconds before flying open wide, the bag slipping from her grip. The red circles on her cheeks lost a bit of color as if she'd gone pale and opened her mouth again.

"Holy shit, you're Sp—mph!"

Faster than I expected anyone who might've been baked to react, the badger had crouched and cupped a paw over Poppy's mouth before she could finish whatever she was about to exclaim. His own eyes had sharpened and he looked a lot soberer all of a sudden. I tensed up, ready to act but unsure what to do. The Pokémon leaned forward and held a single digit up to his mouth in a shushing gesture. "Shhh, that's supposed to be secret, understand?"

Paw still over the Pikachu's mouth, a quick nod was the only response she gave.

"Cool," he said in a hushed tone, releasing the rodent. "Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting to be recognized around these parts, especially without my harness and badge. You an admirer of my team?"

"...Uh huh," came Poppy's dazed response. Seriously, she looked like she was about to faint.

"Nice," the badger said, giving that dopey grin again. "Anyway, seeing that you caught me, you wouldn't happen to know where the guild around here is, would you?"

"Y-yeah," Poppy stammered. She glanced around slowly, like she was in some sort of dream, before pointing to one of the streets exiting the plaza. "I-it's not actually in Canvas Town, by the way. Uh, just go down that street until you get to the northern exit and you'll spot it near where the town ends and the plains begin. Should be on the right."

"That's where it was hiding?" the Pokémon asked with a snort, standing back up to his full height. "Wow, this place is so different from Pinnacle City. Ah well, guess it's part of the local charm. Thanks for the help, little miss. And remember: I was never here."

He turned and sauntered off in the direction Poppy had pointed him in, moving through the crowds with a purpose at odds with the pace. We watched him until he slipped out of view, gone as suddenly as he'd appeared, and I glanced over just in time to see Poppy's head rotating to look at me. Slowly, oh so slowly, she turned, placed her paws on my shoulders, and spoke quietly after drawing a long breath. "Okay, how in Giratina's twisted hell did you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked.

"That entire fucking interaction!" she whisper-shouted, gesturing back in the direction of the badger she'd helped. "Do you have any idea who that Typhlosion was?!"

I just gave the Pikachu a flat look and she hesitated.

"Right, that was a stupid question. Evan, that was Spliff Soulburn we just talked to, second-in-command of Team Trip! Those guys are some of the best bounty hunters on the whole continent... when they're not blasted into orbit from all the shit they smoke."

"Huh, sounds like a pretty big deal."

"That's because it is! And now I wanna know why he's here." I watched as the rodent dragged her bag to the side, leaned it up against the front of the Kecleon Shop, and fell onto all fours. Much to my amusement, she began to pace, muttering quietly as she went back and forth. "There's no reason he or anyone on that team should be out this way. There are no big-time criminals around here and I keep a close enough eye on the guild news that I'd know if that had changed. Whatever it is they want it under wraps. Most 'mon don't try to hide their identity like that."

"Didn't seem very hidden to me," I quipped, unable to let that last sentence slide, "if you call not wearing something you normally would a disguise, then this place needs better disguises."

Poppy waved a paw dismissively. "You'd be surprised. No one likes to admit it, but apart from friends and family, most normal folk have trouble telling apart two Pokémon of a different species or evolution line. I bet if I plugged your nose and stood next to another female Pikachu, you'd also have trouble figuring out who's who."

Wow, that felt oddly hurtful. I bit back my retort on how she'd managed to recognize the badger, though, because this was my first time seeing Poppy act like this. I could make out a slight tremble in her body as she moved and occasional jolts of static sparked across her fur. There was an excited, almost hungry glint in her eyes now and she mumbled low enough that I couldn't parse her words out from the ambient noise of the plaza. I got the impression she was ready to shoot off at a moment's notice and was reminded that I'd only just met the Pikachu yesterday; I knew little about her apart from first impressions. She looked up suddenly and I could tell some kind of decision had been made in her head. She stood back up, fiddling with her bandana before slinging her bag back over her shoulder.

I couldn't resist asking. "So, what's the plan?"

There was only a moment of hesitation before Poppy replied. "I think we can push the library back for a little while. I wanna know why one of the best bounty hunters on the continent is here and figure out if it's gonna get in the way of any future dungeon diving I've got planned. So, how do you feel about taking a trip to... Lopunny's Guild?"

I didn't miss how she slowed at mentioning the guild. For the briefest of moments, that resolute attitude wavered and I saw something like last night's anxiety bleed through, but it was only a moment and I found her staring wantingly at the street the Typhlosion had wandered down. A little grin crossed my muzzle and, though I didn't say it, the sudden shift in the air left my heart beating a little faster. "Sure, I'm game. Can I just... point out one teensy thing?"

"Sure."

"With a name like Spliff Soulburn, there's absolutely no reason you couldn't have named me Max Thundercock."

The smack I got on the back of the head for pointing that out was totally worth it.

We waited a good minute like anyone with half a brain would do before leaving the plaza to tail Spliff. After that, it was just a matter of following Poppy like I'd been doing for most of the time I'd been in this world. Still keeping a close eye on the traffic around us, the conversation fell to the obvious as I moved to walk by her side.

"So, guilds..." I ventured, "I can guess some obvious things, but you still wanna enlighten me while we walk?"

The Pikachu was quiet for a moment as we swerved around a bear-like Pokémon that earned its own episode of My 600-lb Life by taking up a quarter of the street. Once we made it past the living obstacle, she answered with a sigh that was hard to decipher. "Guilds? They're pretty awesome. They've been around for almost as long as mystery dungeons have and do a whole bunch of badass things like provide rescue and relief, research the mystery dungeon phenomenon, work with law enforcement, and explore all sorts of unexplored places. That last one doesn't happen much these days, but it's still an important part of their history."

"Neat. Sounds like you're a fan."

The red circles on her cheeks lit up faintly and she nodded. "Yeah..."

I waited, half-expecting her to go into a tirade like some fangirl, but that didn't happen. She just trooped on in silence, carefully scanning ahead to make sure we weren't gaining ground on the uh... Typhlosion? Again, I thought I saw a moment of uncertainty showing through the impassive face she was trying to put on. I was so caught up in trying to read her that I nearly ran into a dog that, and I shit you not, looked like it was made of raw dough. It even had a fermented smell about it that I seriously hoped wasn't some kind of yeast infection.

It stayed like that for some time, the silence between us growing a bit awkward as we weaved through the crowds. I wanted to ask so badly why she was quiet all of a sudden, but common sense told me that doing it in the middle of town wasn't the place. Something screamed to me that this was personal, so I decided to just keep myself preoccupied with our surroundings to pass the time. My ears were sensitive enough to pick up even hushed conversations if I had them pointed in the right direction, so I decided to practice the unfamiliar gesture, swiveling the floppy appendages to and fro while being an overall fly on the wall.

"...and so I told that old bastard he can shove those berries right up his..."

"...hole in the wall, but it has some of the best drinks in town..."

"...you hear about the Grafaiai that keeps tagging the walls?"

"...swear I saw a light shine over Pleasure Meadow yesterday morning..."

I did a double-take at that last one, keeping my ears focused on the red, white, and blue bald eagle straight from some US patriot's wet dream as he conversed with a literal rock with four arms and a face on it. The rock rolled its eyes in annoyance but the eagle just kept on going.

"Don't give me that look, Igniel, I'm serious! I was out for my morning flight when all of a sudden I saw a pink light in the sky that fell right where that damn mystery dungeon is!"

"It was probably just the light bouncin' off some 'mon again," the rock, Igniel, rumbled. "You're gettin' worked up over nothin'."

The avian Pokémon shook his head, leaning in conspiratorially. "No, this wasn't the same as that Aron. It was in the air, then it fell until it got inside the space-time boundary and disappeared. And it didn't just fall like a rock, either... no offense. It streaked down like a shooting star!"

"Then it was probably a Minior, air-for-brains."

"No, I would've noticed it a lot earlier and there would've been a sonic boom! I'm telling you, those mystery dungeons are alive and they know that I know! This has to be their way of fucking with me. It's only a matter of time before they decide to start spreading across the land like a virus but none of you will listen to me!"

"Gee, I wonder why that would be?"

Well, that was interesting. Had that light been me appearing in this world? Tuning out the conversation, I glanced to Poppy to check if she'd picked up on the passing dialogue, but I must've slowed down when listening because she was a good ways ahead of me. I picked up the pace so that I was by her side and took a quick look around. The crowds around us were thinning out some and the buildings were beginning to look more residential. Hell, there were a few multistory buildings that looked a lot like apartments from a pre-industrial era... although the sizes were a bit all over the place to cater to Pokémon of different sizes.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Poppy inquired, snapping my attention back to her.

"Go for it."

She hesitated a moment, her paws twisting their grip on the neck of her bag. She opened her mouth, then closed it in a moment of reconsideration, then opened it again. "...How are you getting over your nerves so fast? Yesterday you looked ready to faint from more than just exhaustion when we got into town, now you're strutting around and unwittingly talking to famous 'mon like it's just another morning. I'm sure you've noticed I have my own hangups so I wanna know what your secret is."

Huh, that was unexpected. I put a pin in what I'd heard from the eagle and took a moment to consider the question before answering. "I don't think there really is a secret. I'm still a little whigged out about all this. Maybe I'm good at going with the flow or maybe I'm just a people person—I genuinely don't know." There was another moment of silence before I continued. "I'm guessing you have some history with this guild stuff?"

Poppy didn't reply immediately, a tight frown forming on her short muzzle as she considered the question. "Something like that. I... don't really wanna talk about it right now."

"I gotcha. Just don't be afraid to get it off your chest if it's bothering you. I don't know squat about myself but if last night were any indication, I won't judge."

The electric mouse's lips quirked in the ghost of a smile. "Maybe later, then."

I nodded and we continued in a more amicable silence... well, as silent as you can get in the middle of a street full of foot, hoof, and [insert appendage here] traffic. Fortunately, it became even more sparse and the buildings likewise thinned out until we found ourselves at what I assumed to be the northern exit of Canvas Town. The paved street gave way to the same hard-packed dirt, some wagons loaded with goods were passing us on their way into town, and I swear I could see the faintest traces of looming hills on the edge of the horizon. What begged for my attention most of all, though, was the building not too far ahead on our right, sitting atop a slight incline.

My gaze fixed on the mansion and the wrought iron fence surrounding the property it occupied with no small amount of bemusement. The facade was a brick and limestone that stood out from most other buildings I'd seen in town and felt... naggingly familiar. Most of the windows had glass in them, as opposed to the wooden shutters I'd seen while walking with Poppy, and I could spot the rich curtains and blinds even from here. Leading up to and around the building itself was a menagerie of hedges and multicolored flower beds that may or may not have triggered a slight episode of PTSD and I noted what few trees I saw were all bearing some kind of fruit. I watched as a very Spliff-shaped Pokémon entered through the open double doors and the two of us made our way up to the front gate, which was also opened wide for anyone to enter the property.

I took one look at the insignia welded onto the iron and froze. Forget that eagle's conspiracy about the mystery dungeons fucking with him—what I saw was nothing short of this entire world playing a practical joke on me. The symbol for what I assumed to be Lopunny's Guild was a disk with the head of some rabbit Pokémon on it. But let me tell you something, my imaginary audience, I wouldn't be making a big deal about it if that was all.

I'm not gonna pussyfoot around it: how the rabbit was stylized and the profile of the image made it one of the most blatant parodies of the Playboy logo I'd ever seen. That was also when it dawned on me that the guild building called to mind the famous mansion that shared that very same Playboy moniker.

"Oi, don't just stand there, Evan, we've got some investigating to do."

I glanced between the Pikachu and the guild several times before swallowing hard. What the unholy fuck was I about to get myself into?

A/N:

Hmm, I wonder what goes on inside the walls of a guild when the mystery dungeons turn you into a raging nymphomaniac?

Anyway, this thing gave me more trouble than I'd initially thought it would. The original plan was to get it up in two or three weeks, but that clearly wasn't how things turned out. On top of still having to motivate myself, I also had to rewrite multiple sections multiple times. Hell, there was originally going to be an entire section in Spliff's POV and the sequence at the beginning was initially intended to be the beginning of the previous chapter. In short, this chapter was a clusterfuck to get through and I'm still convinced the end product is a dumpster fire. Maybe I'll go back and edit things in the future, but I don't know.

In other news, take a look at that smug mug now gracing the story's cover art with its presence! I... kinda suck at drawing (the thing was made almost entirely in a vector graphics app, for fuck's sake) but I hope you guys like it nevertheless. It certainly beats having nothing.

Here's some useless trivia before I go: Spliff was actually what I wanted to name my Hisuian Typhlosion in my PLA playthrough, but Gamefreak's censorship being what it is, I was unable to do so.