Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Unchained Explorers Chapter 13: Broken World, a pokémon fanfic

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Unchained Explorers.

Arc II: Dark Future Part 1.

Chapter Thirteen: Broken World.

AN: Warning, the entire Dark Future arc will have some fucked up shit.

This will be the first of two Fucked Up Shit warnings given for this arc, and I refuse to be blamed if you choose to continue from this point.

Fucked Up Shit warning: Death, gore, and just general suffering.

And now...on to the chapter.

Oh fuckin' boy... better brace, friends, because the sadism train has lost its breaks, in this arc.

Fucking hell, when did our bed get so damned uncomfortable?

Oh shit, this isn't our room...well, fuck.

I took a moment to shake off the disorientation, before I laid my eyes on the jail cell doors from my position on the floor and suddenly remembered what had happened.

I felt Vulpix's body shift against mine, our arms still wrapped around each other, before she sat up and we reluctantly separated.

"Riolu, this...this isn't good, is it?"

I shook my head, still feeling like something in the air was off, and we both stared as the latest in a long stream of notifications appeared in front of us.

Ṫ̵͉é̴̼͚m̴̥̀p̵̟͕͆̽ő̶̝ṛ̸̖͗à̵̘͋l̵̜̕ ̴̧̝̑ā̸̗͐ń̶͙̘o̵̢̺̾m̶̞͒̓a̵͎̮͠l̵̝̝̈́ỵ̶̞͋̕ ̷̬̙̋d̵͍͘e̴͉̩̐̒ẗ̸̰̈́ẽ̸̞͆ċ̷̣t̴͍̀͗ḛ̶̿d̵̩̎́ͅ.̷͈͜͠

Huh, yeah, that...makes quite a bit of sense, actually.

I pushed myself to my feet, the stream of alerts stopping as soon as we had laid eyes on the latest ones, and I felt my girlfriend's hand grasp mine as I shivered from the cold.

I felt her hand warm as it held mine, fire undoubtedly spreading through her veins as heat begin to emanate from beneath her skin, and we walked toward the doors.

I began to channel power into my free right arm, wisps of flame floating into the air from between my partner's lips, and I slammed a Focus Punch into the doors.

...to absolutely zero effect, other than the sound of my fist meeting metal as one of the bars dented just that little bit.

Well...that was fucking useless.

...and then we stepped back as the doors opened, twin fountains of orange and yellow flame spiraling into the hallway as the four Sableye were forced to flatten themselves against the walls on either side of the doors.

I exchanged a glance with Vulpix, both of us mutually agreeing without a single word that even if they'd take us...we'd make them fucking fight for it, and I was forced to duck as a Shadow Ball flew over my head.

My stream of literal fire cut out for just a moment, and one of the Sableye ran forward with its claws shrouded with Ghost-type energy...only for my partner to shift her head and spray it down with a torrent of flame, the heavily burned Ghost and Dark type retreating with a hiss of pain.

...and I felt my eyes widen as a pair of rainbow lights shined, before two Mega Sableye crept forward from the darkness, their gems serving the role of shields as the two regular Sableye took cover behind them and began to lob Shadow Balls over the gem-shields, the red eyes of the Mega Sableye glowing as they lifted their makeshift riot shields and pushed forward.

They shouldn't have that. They shouldn't FUCKING HAVE THAT!

I saw Vulpix duck under a blindly thrown Shadow Ball, her stream of fire cutting out for just a second...and that second was all one of the regular Sableye needed to roll a blue orb into the room like a bowling ball.

Oh shit, that orb's what I think it is, isn't it- OW FUCK, MY EYES!

I heard my partner yelp in pain as the Luminous Orb activated, essentially serving as a flash grenade, and I tried to struggle against the purple arms as I blinked the spots out of my eyes...and then my attempts to clear my vision were rendered pointless as they pulled a blindfold over my eyes.

I felt the Sableye continue to carry us forward, even as I wildly drove a Force Palm into something's side and heard one of the Sableye let out a hiss of pain.

...and then I winced as I felt them tie quite a few ropes around my entire body, before I sent a Flamethrower forward even as the blindfold was removed.

Well, I probably hit SOMETHING, at least.

I glanced to my left and saw Vulpix in the same situation that I was, our hands instinctively reaching out and coming up short due to the distance between the pillars.

"Humph. So, you two were caught as well, then. You should've known better than to trust Dusknoir."

I stared into the darkness around us, wondering whether or not I could use Vacuum-Cut to tear the ropes apart, before I shook my head and grimaced.

"We didn't trust him for a second, Grovyle."

I saw my partner frown, wisps of flame spilling from between her lips, as the doors opened and six Sableye filed out, one of them Mega Evolving to deflect Vulpix's spiraling lance of flame off of its gem shield, before the Sableye exchanged glances and another one Mega Evolved, all six of them repeating the same tactic they had used to force their way into our cell and creeping forward even as they were forced to shield themselves from another flaming spear.

...and I stared as the four regular Sableyes' claws became covered in poison, and they turned to regard that complete asshole Dusknoir as he floated through the open doorway, poison dripping from their claws as one of the Mega Sableye barely lifted its shield high enough to block a spiraling lance of flame aimed directly for Dusknoir's eye.

I felt myself shiver as one of the Sableye spoke, its voice wrong in some way that I couldn't quite place.

"Lord Dusknoir, the three have been tied to the stakes, though the Riolu and Vulpix have...resisted."

I heard Dusknoir hum, his eye glancing toward us even as my partner drew a curved line of fire on the ground in front of us in order to keep the Sableye back.

"Hmm...very well. Proceed."

I saw the four Sableye grin as they turned back toward us, blue gem eyes flashing to red as the rest Mega Evolved and all six used their gem shields to force their way through the wall of yellow flames, and I saw their claws begin to drip poison once again as they reverted back to their regular forms as soon as they were through the wall.

I heard Grovyle hiss at us to stay quiet, and I nodded at him as I just barely saw the blue surface of another Luminous Orb poke through the ropes on his left side.

"What can you do, Riolu?"

I rose an eyebrow at him, as if there was any other answer, "Attack, obviously. We've got more than a few, including ones that you haven't seen yet."

I saw him nod as the Sableye began to scrape their claws together in anticipation, and I barely held back a grin as Dusknoir warned his minions not to take their eyes off of us.

Yeah...that orb will come on VERY handy, then.

"Commence their elimination, now."

I spat a gout of flame as one of the Sableye got overeager and jumped forward, the Flamethrower intercepting it in mid-air and forcing it back...though I still noticed how its claw had been aimed directly for one of my eyes.

I saw the Sableye grimace as Dusknoir ordered them to make it quick, their claws beginning to glow and scrape just that little bit faster as the poison was repelled.

"The Sableye will unleash their Fury Swipes in a frenzy, and when they cut through the ropes, that's our chance to escape."

...and then there wasn't any more time to talk as the first Sableye lashed with a glowing claw, and I felt its swipe graze against my side in the moments before a nearly invisible green shield spread over my body.

I felt a surge of outright murderous rage as I heard Vulpix's hiss of pain, moments before she imitated me and a green shield spread across her fur...and the Sableye didn't seem to care, still slashing in a wild frenzy as all of their previous professionalism fell away and was replaced by nothing less than maddened bloodlust, despite the way Dusknoir's eye narrowed.

I felt the ropes give just a little bit as Dusknoir floated forward, obviously having caught on even as the gaps continued to widen.

Even as the Protect faded, I lashed out with a Vacuum-Cut and pushed my way out of the ropes, a solid wall of invisible blades spreading through the air as the Sableye flinched backward.

...and that was all the time my partner needed to unleash hell, a fountain of fire erupting from between her lips as she swept it across all six of the Sableyes' forms, Dusknoir raising an arm to shield himself from the heat.

I saw Grovyle raise his hand out of the corner of my eye, the Luminous Orb glowing white as he threw it in front of us, and I felt Vulpix's hand grasp mine as Grovyle pulled us into the ground using Dig.

Upon emerging from the ground thirty seconds later after confirming that Dusknoir and his minions had actually left, Grovyle glanced at us even as we tried to get the dirt out of our mouths, his gaze lingering on our joined hands before he turned away and began walking toward the doors.

"Let's get out of here, and fast."

With that, we followed Grovyle through the open doors, and out of the stockade.

...and that's a fucking wasteland, holy shit.

I barely caught Vulpix as she stumbled against my side, and I felt my eyes widen as I stared at the actual blood leaking from the scratches under my partner's fur, before I promptly panicked and shoved an Oran Berry into her mouth.

Oran Berry consumed by Vulpix.

I saw Grovyle send us a grimace, his own wounds already healing, and I heard Vulpix let out a gasp of shock as she pulled my hand away from my apparently bloody side, before I promptly found an Oran Berry shoved into my mouth, much like I had done for her.

Oran Berry consumed by Riolu.

As I chewed the Oran Berry and stared out at the wasteland, I faintly heard the sound of the Sableye letting out their signature laugh from the tunnel behind us.

Fuck, we need to move, they're...they're really trying to outright fucking KILL us, aren't they?

I exchanged another glance with Grovyle and Vulpix, before I activated Agility and a pulse of dim white light radiated from my body, the light swiftly sinking into all three of us before we began running just that little bit faster.

Riolu: Speed increased. Vulpix: Speed increased. Grovyle: Speed increased.

I heard Vulpix gasp as something roared in the distance, before I felt my eyes widen as I glanced back and just barely recognized the form of something that should've only existed in Pokémon Insurgence pouring from within the ruins of Temporal Tower in a whirling and shifting hurricane of green and red.

...and the Mega Spiritomb's form swiftly dissolved into thousands upon thousands of green and purple lights, before they swiftly divided into their own individual swarms as they spread through the sky within clouds of purple and light blue smoke.

"Grovyle, what the fuck was that thing!? Why the hell is there a Mega fucking Spiritomb!?"

I heard the Grass-type inhale as he glanced back, before turning his head forward to make sure that he didn't fall off of the path.

"Gestalt Spiritomb. I'll...I'll explain as soon as we're safe, partner."

As we ran, though, I couldn't help but notice the way that Vulpix bristled at his words.

Chasm Cave Entrance.

I saw Grovyle glance backwards as we approached a rather...isolated cave, before he gestured for us to stop and the three of us began to slow down, eventually stopping right behind a stone wall.

"This forms a natural alcove, which should shield us from view.

"We'll have to get moving soon, after a quick rest."

I exchanged a glance with Vulpix, her hand tightening on mine, before her eyes locked on to the wall behind me and I turned just in time to see Grovyle wince as we stared at the footprint runes crudely clawed into the rock face.

I felt her fingers tighten on mine and squeeze, her eyes narrowing as she drew the pointer finger of her free hand over the engravings.

"Be-beware the false stars? What...what does that mean, Grovyle?"

I'll be honest...I forgot that she could read those, but yeah, the fuck?

I saw Grovyle wince once more, even as I squinted and just barely spotted what looked like a small blue star in the distance, one that was clearly moving and slowly getting closer as it chased the green lights spreading through the sky.

"They're...they're Chandelure."

I felt my eyes widen as I put two and two together and arrived at oh fuck, my head whipping around to stare at Grovyle as his eyes met mine.

"You're fucking serious, aren't you?"

His only response was to nod, the look in his eyes completely resigned as the love of my life glanced between us, clearly confused, before her expression once again tightened in clear displeasure at his next sentence.

"Yeah, partner, I am."

I breathed in, my hand reflexively tightening on Vulpix's as she leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Riolu? What's wrong? What's...what's so bad about Chandelure?"

"Chandelure eat souls, and the flame of a Chandelure gets bigger for every soul it eats, and with all of this death..."

I heard my partner inhale, quickly arriving at the same conclusion that I had, before she pressed herself against my side.

"Oh."

As I watched the swarms of green and purple lights spread through the sky, I suddenly realized that their individual numbers looked very similar...suspiciously similar, in fact, and turned toward Grovyle.

"Grovyle, those Gestalt Spiritomb...are they made of other Spiritomb, and if so, how many?"

I saw him grimace, his gaze turning toward the sky as that blue star slowly grew larger in the distance.

"One hundred and eight, partner."

I felt my eyes widen, and I frantically dropped into a squat as my finger drew in the dirt beneath my feet.

Spiritomb have one hundred and eight spirits in them, so square that...multiply the eight by itself, get sixty-four...multiply the first hundred by ten and get a thousand, and then multiply the result of THAT by ten to get the one hundred squared...

Holy fucking shit.

Ten thousand and sixty-four.

EACH one of those thing has over TEN THOUSAND souls in them.

What. The. Fuck.

As I rose to my feet, I swept my hand along the ground a few times and thoroughly destroyed the math equation I had written into the dirt, before I felt Vulpix's hand grasp mine and squeeze.

I took a moment to recover from my sudden episode of pure panic, before I realized that my partner was outright bristling in pure offense, and I saw wisps of flame curl from her lips as she openly glared at him.

"He's not your partner anymore, Grovyle, he's mine!"

I saw Grovyle's jaw firm, his eyes boring into hers as his entire body tensed.

"You don't know what we've had to deal with, Vulpix. I don't expect you to understand."

Oh, it's possessiveness. I mean, it certainly feels nice, but I'm not sure that now is the best time...

"What you've had to deal with!? He doesn't even remember you, Grovyle!"

Oh. Oh shit.

I saw the regret and horror in Vulpix's brown eyes as soon as the words left her lips, Grovyle's entire body stilling as he glanced between us, clearly hurt as he hesitantly opened his mouth to speak.

"Pa-partner, is...is that true?"

I could see my partner restrain herself from saying more as I frowned and glanced back toward the path at the sound of faint laughter, "I...I can explain, Grovyle."

I saw the betrayal in Grovyle's eyes as I prepared to explain, before he turned away and walked into the Chasm Cave Mystery Dungeon.

Well. Fuck.

I felt Vulpix's body collapse against mine as my arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, and her tears of regret began to dampen my fur as she pressed her head against my chest and cried.

"I-I'm sorry, Riolu. It just came out and I was so angry and-and I couldn't stop myself and...

"I...I wanted you to have been wrong about Dusknoir, Riolu...and-and when I saw that he-that he was worse, I just...I just took it out on him."

I took a moment to tilt my head down and kiss the top of her head, before I tilted my partner's chin up and pressed my lips to hers, fully cutting off her attempted apology as she leaned her body against mine.

"Hey. It's okay. I...I understand why you did it, even if I don't agree with what you did."

I heard my partner's voice waver as she tried to gather herself, tears still visibly streaking down through the fur of her cheeks, and I felt her arms wrap around my back as she pulled herself further into the embrace.

"It's...it's not okay, Riolu! I...I said those words to hurt him, and even if they weren't wrong, I still regret saying them!"

I winced, fully recognizing that I had probably said the wrong thing, there, before I took a moment to rub circles along her back in an attempt at comforting her.

"Okay, so...yeah, you did kind of go overboard there, and I can recognize that, even if I'm very much biased in your favor, but... I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

I felt her nod into my chest, her eyes meeting mine as the sound of laughter became louder, and I leaned to kiss her again before we reluctantly pulled ourselves away from the hug, and her fingers once again intertwined with mine as we turned toward Chasm Cave.

Right, let's...let's go ahead and grab two more Oran Berries to replace the ones we used.

2x Oran Berries withdrawn.

...shit, they're getting closer.

I felt Vulpix's hand tighten on mine as we walked into Chasm Cave without another word, the blue light of a false star at our backs and all six of the Sableye not far behind us.

You are now on Floor B1 of 8.

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

Oh, well then. Fuck the items, I guess, because the stairs are RIGHT there.

You are now on Floor B2 of 8.

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

Right, one item on the floor and no stairs in this room, so let's head...east.

Hmm, four way intersection, so...north.

West, this time.

Fuck, nothing in here, so let's double back and head north.

No stairs HERE, either. How many fucking times are we going to have to double back, in this dungeon?

The damned abyssal darkness everywhere is bad enough, even if there DOES seem to be some kind of force field keeping us from walking off by accident.

Right, anyway, back to the intersection...and that's a Grumpig.

Just as the Grumpig's eyes began to glow with psychic energy, I felt Vulpix's breasts press against my arm as she leaned past me to slam a purple glowing fist into its face, instantly knocking it unconscious as she pressed her lips to my cheek and pulled back.

That works, yeah. Right, and now we head east, since that's the only way we haven't gone...for THIS intersection, at least.

Oh fucking great, another four way intersection...yippee.

Oh shit, that's a metal bird taller than a lot of human beings.

...and therefore, Force Palm.

Nothing in the northern room...

Oh FUCKING DAMMIT, another intersection?

Fiiiine, let's head north...I can already hear Vulpix giggling because of my groan of exasperation.

Oh, well, there's the floor's only item, at least?

Special Band obtained.

Cool. Not very helpful at the moment, but cool.

As I turned back toward the room's only entrance, I felt my partner's hand grip the Stamina Band wrapped around my neck, before she used the leverage to pull me into a kiss that I eagerly returned.

Special Band equipped by Vulpix.

Oh yeah, that makes sense.

Right, as much as I'd love to keep kissing her, we ARE kind of being hunted by a bunch of Mega Evolving Sableye.

Oh thank fuck, there's the stairs.

Who knows how long it would've taken us to find them, if I hadn't gone with the process of elimination.

You are now on Floor B3 of 8.

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

Nothing but a Wonder Tile, so let's go.

Fuuuuuuuuuuck, it's MORE INTERSECTIONS!

Alright then, dungeon, I guess you really do want to fuck with us, huh?

Right, pile of money in the southern room, so let's grab that and head...west.

59P obtained.

Right, another thrice-damned intersection, so let's head south again.

Nothing in here, great...

There's ANOTHER fucking intersection! Ughhhh, these fucking things, I swear.

Right, south AGAIN, I guess.

Holy shit, that Skarmory sleeping in the corner startled the HELL out of me.

Ignore that pile of rocks and grab the TM, since Vulpix just roasted the metal bird.

Flash TM obtained.

Oh cool, it's that one again. The TM that we technically use all the time...I deserved that poke in the side, yeah.

Oh hey, there's another Grumpig...which is now no longer an issue.

Oh thank fuck, there's the stairs.

You are now on Floor B4 of 8.

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

Cool, we're...about halfway, I think?

Nothing in this room except for a Wonder Tile, so let's go.

Thank fuck, no intersections this floor.

Grab the money, and let's keep heading west, since that's the only way we CAN go at the moment.

67P obtained.

97P obtained.

Nothing in this room, moving on...

That's a Grumpig, so have a Flamethrower.

Nice, let's go.

There's a pile of money, the stairs...and a Magnemite just kind of floating around above the abyss?

Cool, have fun with that, I guess, we're just gonna...go.

54P obtained.

You are now on Floor B5 of 8.

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

The floor is now slightly blue? ...also, that's a Magnemite and Skarmory.

Force Palm for the Magnemite, and Vulpix just roasted another metal bird.

...wait, huh. Well, that explains the weird blue tint to the floor, I guess.

That fucking Chandelure is flying over the dungeon, apparently, though I have not a damned clue where it's going.

Right, grab the Orb, ignore the Wonder Tile AND the Chandelure, and let's go.

Blowback Orb obtained.

Ow, fucking Grumpig and their Zen Headbutts.

Anyway, let's head...north.

Cool, there's another of the floor's four items.

Special Band obtained.

...okay?

Right, let's go east.

...I despise all of these intersections.

Nothing in the northern room but a Wonder Tile, so...

Huh? Why is there another Vulpix here, and why does it look EXACTLY like my girlfriend, humanoid form and all?

Oh...that's a Ditto, isn't it?

As much as it pains me to hurt something that even just LOOKS like her...Force Palm.

Vulpix has leveled up! Vulpix has reached Level 46.

Nice- mmm... As much as I'd LOVE to have some congratulatory sex, this PROBABLY isn't the best time or place, so I'll just settle for kissing her...a lot.

Ugh, it's another intersection.

Nothing in this northern room...

Nice, that eastern room had the second-to-last item, so let's grab that and continue on.

Radar Orb obtained.

Yet another intersection, so let's check the eastern room...which has a TM in it, nice.

Reflect TM obtained.

...which neither of us can learn, so let's just go check the southern room.

Oh good, there's the stairs.

You are now on Floor B6 of 8.

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

Nothing in here, so let's go.

Onix picked up the 80P.

Grumpig picked up the Reviver Seed.

Well, good to know, I guess?

Fucking INTERSECTIONS...right, let's check west, because process of elimination.

Nothing in here...and that's a Drifblim. Time for that Blowback Orb, I guess.

Blowback Orb utilized.

...aaaaand it's gone, somewhere over there, in a direction we don't care about.

Anyway, let's go south...which is another intersection, so let's check the western room.

Nothing, yay, moving on.

Fuck, that's a second Drifblim. Right, Flamethrower.

Dammit, I just grazed it, and it's now FASTER, what the fuck...and nevermind, Vulpix has it handled with that lean-past-my-shoulder Faint Attack.

Aaaand south...nothing, fuck, let's go east.

Check the next southern room...nothing but a Wonder Tile, so let's check east.

Also, holy shit, it's a good thing we brought our own food, because we have found fucking NONE so far.

It's another damned intersection, bleh. I bleh in your general direction, because Monty Python jokes that I barely remember by this point.

Anyway, that aside, let's check the THIRD southern room...which has nothing, of course.

Why did I expect anything different...oh hey, there's a scarf in the eastern room, let's grab that.

Special Band obtained.

...it's another Special Band.

...and now, north...and then east, because intersections.

Wonder Tile, another scarf that's probably a Special Band...and holy fuck that's a sleeping Onix.

Holy fuck, that thing is huge...and now it's awake, so Force Palm.

Huh, that two times super-effective crit is no joke, damn, even if I did kind of have to reach upward just to HIT it.

Now, let's see what this scarf is...

Pecha Scarf identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

Ah, that'd do it.

Hmm...yeah, might as well use the Radar Orb. It'll free up space while letting us know what's where on this floor, at least where enemy Pokémon are concerned.

Radar Orb utilized.

Pecha Scarf obtained.

...and oh shit, that's a Onix coming down the pathway, and what's that behind it?

Right, Focus Blast to take down the Onix, and then let's use the Aura Sight to see what's behind-

As the Onix fell to the ground, I barely avoided biting my tongue as I clenched my jaw and screamed through my own teeth, Vulpix's arms wrapping around my stomach as I collapsed into her, and I felt a spiraling lance of flame pass over my head as I frantically deactivated the Aura Sight.

Agh! Fuckfuckfuck, OW!

I heard the blatant concern in my partner's voice as I tried to open my eyes and hissed in pain, the oversensitivity more mental than physical despite how dim the Chandelure's light was.

"Ri-Riolu? Are you alright?"

I tried to relax as I leaned into the embrace, still keeping my eyes closed because ow, and I could feel the slight strain in my voice from my previous screaming as I replied to her question.

"Yeah...ow. If-if I try to use the Aura Sight here, in...in this timeline, fucking stop me, because that shit hurt.

"Even though I've never experienced them outside of playing video games, it feels like somebody just sent the full blast of a flashbang made from suffering directly into my damn brain."

Upon realizing that I hadn't heard her give a wince of sympathy, I took a moment to recognize that she most likely didn't actually know what a flashbang was, and the realization was quickly confirmed by her next sentence.

"Riolu, what's a...flashbang? Did-did I say that right?"

I nodded, relaxing further into the embrace as I finally managed to open my eyes and see the notifications sitting in front of my face.

Onix dropped the 80P.

Grumpig picked up the 80P.

Grumpig dropped the 80P.

Riolu has leveled up! Riolu has reached Level 46.

Cool. Now, how to explain flashbangs to her...ah, yeah, that should work.

I took a moment to test my voice, humming to check whether or not it was still strained from my earlier screaming, before I tilted my head up to press my lips to hers reassuringly.

"Yeah, you said it right, and uhh... combine a Totter Orb and a Luminous Orb, and you've got the general idea."

I heard her let out a hum of consideration, before she audibly winced at the realization that I'd had those effects projected directly into my brain.

Right, as much as I wish we could sit like this for hours on end, we should probably grab that money and get going.

80P obtained.

Hmm, given where the other Pokémon are on the mini-map, there should only be two more northern rooms for us to check.

Nothing in here...

Heh, we can SEE them across the gap, even if they can't attack us because of the force fields preventing accidental falls.

There's the Grumpig...and here's a Force Palm because why not.

Grumpig dropped the Reviver Seed.

Oh cool, I wasn't actually expecting that to one-shot it without a critical hit, good to know.

And now for the Onix, since I'll probably need another Focus Blast just to reach its head...

Onix dropped the Reviver Seed.

Reviver Seed identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

Well, that's just unfortunate. Let's see, what to leave behind...

Ehh, we've got more than enough Special Bands.

Special Band exchanged.

Reviver Seed obtained.

...and there's the stairs, nice.

You are now on Floor B7 of 8.

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

...and THAT'S a Drifblim in my face.

Protect and Focus Punch, I guess.

...and I suddenly felt a surge of horror as the green light of Protect played over my skin and completely failed to solidify, just before Vulpix's purple glowing fist slammed into the Drifblim's face.

...and then it fucking exploded, because of course.

Ow, that shit HURT.

I saw my partner wave her tails in front of her body as the explosion washed over us, greatly reducing the damage she would have taken as her skin absorbed the heat upon contact...though it didn't seem to do jack shit for the wave of pressure, even if she hadn't taken as much damage from it as I had, before she turned to bathe the approaching Magneton in a fountain of yellow flames.

Right, Protect DOESN'T work all of the time, good to know.

Let's grab that money and get moving, I guess- and that's an Oran Berry in my mouth.

Oran Berry consumed by Riolu.

Nothing in this room, and it looks like it's following the same idea as floor...four, I think? Probably four.

Oh hey, that Wonder Tile will actually be useful, since the Magneton DID manage to get off a Metal Sound before she knocked it the fuck out.

Wonder Tile activated by Vulpix.

Stats normalized.

Cool...and is that an Oran Berry? Because if so, that's INCREDIBLY fucking convenient.

Oran Berry obtained.

...how convenient, that we'd find an Oran Berry right after using one, despite not having found ANY other food items throughout the ENTIRE DUNGEON.

Right, ignoring THAT bullshit...let's keep going east.

...and there's the stairs.

You are now on Floor B8 of 8.

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

Right, last floor and only a single item...we can do this, fucking hell.

We can finally get the hell out of this bullshit dungeon with all of these bullshit intersections aaaand there's more of them.

...even as I heard Vulpix giggle at the sound of my loud and drawn out groan of annoyance, I couldn't help but wonder if Pokémon on the other side of the dungeon had heard it.

Fuuuuuuuck.

Right, let's check north, I guess.

Here we go with the process of elimination, again.

Nothing...another intersection...nothing to the west except for that sleeping Onix that we're going to leave alone...

Oh, holy shit, we found the stairs a LOT faster than I thought we would.

Alright, let's get the fuck out of here.

As Vulpix and I emerged from Chasm Cave, I couldn't help but notice the path in front of us...and the water suspended in mid-air as it was falling into a natural fountain.

Good thing the Treasure Bag has its own water supply, holy shit.

I saw my partner lean toward the fountain as we approached, the liquid water frozen mid-flow underneath our feet distinctly solid in a way that felt odd to the touch, like the surface of an ice cube that somehow wasn't cold and yet still refused to melt.

I watched her eyes glance between me and the fountain, her hand squeezing mine in a silent question as I shook my head, already knowing that she was asking whether or not we should use the Dimensional Scream.

"No point, and it wouldn't work anyway."

I saw her give a reluctant nod, before we continued walking at the sound of faint laughter.

Fuck, they must have gotten closer while we were searching every single damned intersection in existence.

Right, let's throw the extra shit in storage and get moving.

Special Band stored.

Flash TM stored.

Reflect TM stored.

Pecha Scarf stored.

Reviver Seed stored.

Hmm...we should probably grab something to eat while we're here, actually.

2x Apples withdrawn.

Apple consumed by Riolu.

Apple consumed by Vulpix.

Right, that's everything we're not taking with us, let's go.

...and with that, we walked into the Dark Hill Mystery Dungeon.

You are now on Floor 1 of 15.

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

Oh hey, there's a Seed and the stairs, nice...oh FUCKING SHIT.

I couldn't stop myself from stumbling backwards as I noticed the corpse hanging from one of the room's walls, and I heard Vulpix barely hold back a scream as her hand tightened on mine to the point of being painful.

That's...that's a fucking Celebi. Why in the hell is there a DEAD CELEBI!?

Wait...what-what the fuck is that thing in its hand?

As I reluctantly walked closer, I couldn't help but grimace at the smell coming from it, and I felt my eyes widen as I saw what the Celebi was still holding in its outstretched hand.

I heard my partner inhale as we stared at the broken Time Gear still clamped in the Celebi's literal death grip, and I barely had enough time to recognize that it wasn't Shiny before I had to catch myself with a hand against the nearest wall.

Fuck. Just...fuck.

Let's...let's just go.

Pure Seed obtained.

Well, I...I suppose that's nice.

You are now on Floor 2 of 15.

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

...oh what the shit.

I heard Vulpix audibly slap her free hand against her mouth in order to stop herself from vomiting as we stared at the Gliscor hanging from the northern wall, the half-eaten corpse of another long dead Celebi in its jaws and the two halves of another broken Time Gear laying on the floor, and I barely swallowed back the bile in my throat as the Gliscor's eyes locked onto us and the half-eaten Celebi fell to the ground.

I fired a Focus Blast from my hand, trying desperately to ignore the way that the Celebi's corpse had caused a loud splat as it hit the ground, and I saw the Gliscor's now-unconscious body hang from the wall before it disappeared from sight.

I felt my partner's hand tighten on mine as we turned away, both of us recognizing that the Celebi clearly hadn't been killed by the Gliscor, and I firmly told the part of my mind that was still screaming to shut the fuck up.

Right...grab that money, and then let's head...west.

62P obtained.

That's another damned Gliscor...at least this one isn't currently eating, I guess.

As the Gliscor dodged my Force Palm, Vulpix's Flamethrower cleanly intercepted it before it could attack, and we both tried to ignore the numerous Celebi bodies laying on top of the time-locked water as we stepped over the Ground and Flying type's unconscious form.

No stairs, a dead-end...and dear unholy fuck that's an entire PILE of corpses.

As we stared at the pile of dead Celebi and broken Time Gears, I barely held back the urge to vomit as I realized that it smelled exactly like a freshly mowed lawn.

Right, let's just turn around, and...hurp.

I felt myself lose the battle against the bile collecting in my throat, and I barely turned away from my partner in time for my vomit to splash across the surface of the stasis locked pond.

...and the only thing that stopped me from throwing up again at the sight of vomit splattering onto a few of the dead Celebi was the fact that we hadn't actually eaten much of anything since entering the dungeon, Vulpix's arms carefully holding me up as she visibly resisted her own nausea.

Ugh...fuck this place. Just...fuck everything about this place, holy shit.

I took a moment to wipe my lips with the back of my hand, lamenting the fact that the water was completely solid and therefore unusable for washing off the bile staining my fur and skin, before I smiled and pulled my partner close as she poured some of the water from our Bag's internal storage onto my hand.

As we turned away from the time-locked pond and Vulpix began to carefully wash my hand off, I rose the Treasure Bag above my head and poured some of the water from its internal storage into my mouth, before I swirled it around for a few seconds and then spat the mix of water and vomit onto the ground away from us.

...and then I turned and pulled my partner into a hug as my lips pressed against hers, trying to project as much of my appreciation as I possibly could.

I felt her reluctantly pull away from the kiss, before her head leaned against my shoulder and her fingers intertwined with mine.

"I love you, Vulpix."

"I love you too, Riolu."

I felt Vulpix's hand tighten on mine as we passed through the previous room, idly noting that something had taken the first Celebi corpse, before we speed-walked into the southern hallway.

Right, no stairs in here, two exits to the east and south, and...oh what the fuck?

Wonder Tile activated by Ĉ̷̺̼͠ë̶̳̱̈́l̵̯̣̀ẽ̸̲͠b̸̡͙̌͋i̴͚̖͛̄.̷̱̂͝ͅ

Oh. Oh shit...

Wonder Tile activated by Ĉ̷̺̼͠ë̶̳̱̈́l̵̯̣̀ẽ̸̲͠b̸̡͙̌͋i̴͚̖͛̄.̷̱̂͝ͅ

I felt my partner's grip tighten to the point of nearly being painful as we watched the Celebi fall out of the air, the stump of its severed right arm and torn off wings trailing green blood as its body impacted the Wonder Tile...and then it appeared to teleport back into the sky, both of us completely frozen in place as we watched the Celebi loop back to the moment of its own death over and over again in a bubble of broken time.

I saw Vulpix reach out as if in a trance, her entire arm glowing blue as I tried to pull her away...and then the stasis bubble let out a screech of crackling stasis as her hand carved through its outer shell like a knife through butter, the Celebi's body hanging limp as she caught it by the wrist of its left arm.

Ŭ̶̧̝n̸͔͖̙̊̆i̶̧̛d̸̞̄ė̵̳̭͉́n̷͙͈̍̑̚t̵͔̮̲͆͂i̵̖̦͝f̶͕͘ì̴̛̖̲͝ȩ̶̓̔̕ḓ̵̜̀ ̸̨̜̰͂m̴͈̝̻̈́ó̴̼͓̚͜v̶̤̘̞͂e̴͓̜͆̽ͅ ̵̣̏u̴̳̖̍t̶̩̹́̾ȉ̴̹̞l̶̪͘i̷͕̎̚z̴̮͚̏͝e̴̜͓̔͝d̸̡̛̈́.̵̢̜͉̉

...and I saw my partner's eyes widen as she clenched her teeth to hold back a scream of fear and threw the Celebi's body away from us, the blank look in its eyes showing that its mind had undoubtedly checked out a long, long time ago.

Without a word, I pulled Vulpix's shivering form close and walked into the eastern hallway, carefully ignoring the stinging bile in my throat as I spat a fountain of yellow flames at a Gliscor gliding toward us over the time-locked water.

Fuck, nothing but a winding corridor and a dead-end.

Fuuuuck, we'll have to double-back and head down the southern hallway, then.

As we finished backtracking through the tunnel and re-entered the previous room, though, I noted the way a single red dot disappeared from our mini-map, the Celebi's body clearly no longer there.

Well. Fuck.

Oh, good, there's the stairs.

You are now on Floor 3 of 15.

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

Hmm...Wonder Tile, a couple items right in front of us, two exits to the south, and one exit to the east.

Right, let's grab the items and get going...because I can smell freshly cut grass behind us and I'd rather NOT turn around.

...mowing a lawn is never going to be the same, I swear.

Special Band obtained.

Warp Seed obtained.

Cool, and let's go...south.

...which is a dead-end, fuck.

Right, so let's backtrack through the starting room, carefully DON'T look at the Celebi corpse in the corner, and go east.

Okay, now I can tell Vulpix to uncover her eyes and nose...and that's a T-junction.

Hmm...east again.

...fuck, nothing in this room, I guess.

I DO see a path past the water to the west, but those fucking barriers aren't letting us just WALK over it like we're trying to do a Jesus impersonation via blatant cheating.

Right, let's backtrack...and that's yet another Gliscor.

Why are there so many fucking Gliscor in this fucking dungeon?

I saw the Gliscor dive forward, its fangs crackling with electricity...and then I felt Vulpix's chin rest again my shoulder as a spiraling lance of yellow flame intercepted the scorpion bat thing in midair, its unconscious body crashing to the ground moments later and disappearing as my partner's lips pressed against my cheek.

Right, now let's go south...oh what the fuck now!?

As I felt something slam into my arm on the side of my body that my partner wasn't on, I lashed out with a Force Palm on near-instinct, and the only thing I hit was stone as the spectral body of a Misdreavus retreated into the wall.

Fucker probably heard us fighting that Gliscor and came to join in.

Right, well, if we can't HIT the thing, we'll just walk past it.

I heard Vulpix hiss in pain as the Ghost-type's head slammed into her side, and I briefly saw it retreat again as a fist covered in blue light slammed into the wall and oh so briefly phased into it.

I saw my partner pull her fist from within the wall, and I took a moment to hope that she'd hit it...and then the Misdreavus flew out of the wall and slammed into her side again, before retreating back into the wall as the two of us exchanged a glance of pure annoyance and continued forward.

I watched the Misdreavus poke its head out of the wall before it let out a loud screech...and it pulled its head back into the rock just in time to avoid Vulpix's blue glowing fist as she slammed it into the wall right where the Ghost-type's face had been.

Riolu: Attack reduced. Vulpix: Attack reduced.

Ah, so that was Growl, then? Hmm...interface message log says it used Growl, so I suppose that confirms it.

I heard my partner hum in annoyance...before the Misdreavus made a crucial mistake.

By crucial mistake, I of course mean that the Misdreavus followed us as we walked toward the next room, and left the safety of the wall while doing so.

...and was promptly met by Vulpix's blue and purple glowing fist impacting its face, my girlfriend sending me a grin of pure catharsis as the unconscious Misdreavus floated down and into the floor.

Ah, and there's the stairs.

You are now on Floor 4 of 15.

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

Okay, so we're almost a third of the way through the dungeon...and that's the NEXT set of stairs. How convenient.

You are now on Floor 5 of 15.

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

That's a Claydol, just...right there. Good to know, I guess.

Honestly, I'm more shocked by the fact that it's guarding an Apple of some kind, considering how few food items we've found.

...and by few, I mean almost fucking none.

I felt Vulpix's hand leave mine, before she slammed it directly into the Claydol's torso, her entire arm glowing blue as a horrifyingly familiar light played over the Claydol's form...and then my partner's fist impacted its face and knocked it the fuck out.

Yeah...I think I'd rather NOT find out what a Mega Claydol looks like, honestly.

Anyway, THAT shit aside...let's grab the Apple and go...west.

Apple obtained.

Huh. I'll be honest, I was half expecting it to be a Big Apple.

...and that's a Banette reaching its hand out of the wall.

You don't scare me, you little fucking puppet. I've got nightmares scarier than you.

Right, fuck that, pull back to the room and lure that little shit out, because neither of us are up for more wall things unless I'm fucking Vulpix against one.

...probably not the best time or place for THAT kind of humor, but whatever.

As Vulpix and I backed away and the Banette began to emerge from the wall, I saw the light of Mega Evolution play over its form and the Banette became a Mega Banette, just before my partner's glowing blue fist slammed into its face, before she grasped it by its spectral head and slammed it into the wall...somehow.

Fucking dammit, why is EVERYTHING Mega-Evolving!?

RIGHT, moving on...no stairs in this room, so let's keep heading west.

There's a Cheri Berry, so I guess we might as well grab it...

Cheri Berry obtained.

...and that's another Claydol.

As the Claydol floated forward, I couldn't help but notice the transparent form of a Garchomp behind it, the pseudo-legendary Dragon-type seemingly unaware of our presence or general existence as Vulpix's fist impacted the Claydol's face and sent it floating backwards, the Ground and Psychic type Pokémon passing through the apparition without a sound before its unconscious body slammed into the wall.

Right, let's just step around that thing and go north...because I'm pretty sure those AREN'T supposed to be here.

Oh, good, there's the stairs, let's go- HOLY SHIT!

I was forced to jump backwards as the transparent form of a spectral Bastiodon charged through the space that I had just been standing in, my girlfriend's hands resting against my shoulders as she helped me steady myself, and we stared at the Bastiodon's form as it disappeared from sight before continuing on our way toward the stairs.

What the fuck is even happening, anymore? Because I sure as hell don't know...

You are now on Floor 6 of 15.

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

Right, big room, let's see what's in here... that's a TM, I can see the stairs from here...and there's also THREE enemy Pokémon in here with us.

Hoo-fuckin'-ray...right, let's prioritize the Claydol and then handle everything else one step at a time.

I saw Vulpix's arm glow a familiar mix of purple and blue as she slammed her fist directly into the Claydol's central eye, before I turned to slam a Force Palm into the second Claydol floating its way toward us.

The second Claydol promptly spun out of the way, because of course, and its weird orb arm detached from the rest of its body, a beam of energy passing over my head mere moments before my partner's purple glowing fist slammed into the Psychic type's face and sent it to the ground.

Okay, so, with THAT out of the way, let's grab the TM and go- fuck my life, that phantom Rampardos startled the hell out of me!

Right, NOW let's go, before the dungeon decides to throw any more random bullshit at us.

As we approached the TM, I saw a blur of purple fly toward us from the corner of my eye, before I heard Vulpix hiss in pain as a Shadow Ball slammed into her side.

Huh. Message log says that it was a Banette.

...that is a MEGA Banette, interface. We have been lied to.

Roost TM identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

Yeah, no, let's...let's just leave that, then.

As we turned toward the stairs, I glanced over to see my partner carefully holding a hand against her side...and I heard a click from underneath my feet a split-second before I suddenly found myself somewhere else.

Oh thank fuck, I'm still in the same room, at least.

Right, let's try that again, WITHOUT undergoing accidental teleportation.

Oh, nice, looks like Vulpix handled the Mega Banette, then.

...fuck my life, has it always been this COLD in the future?

As Vulpix and I reunited in the center of the room, I couldn't help but notice the sheer amount of heat that she was radiating, before her hand gripped mine as we turned back toward the stairs.

Oh, I guess it has been, and I just haven't noticed because Vulpix is the best partner and girlfriend I could've ever asked for.

...still one hundred percent certain, though, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Right, anyway, let's try that again WITHOUT undergoing accidental teleportation.

You are now on Floor 7 of 15.

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

Huh. How interesting, the floor is different now.

Also, that's an item, no stairs... and two enemy Pokémon coming out of the northeastern hallway.

Gliscor picked up the 83P.

Oh hey, the Gliscor are back. I really didn't miss them, honestly, and I'd prefer if they hadn't come back at all.

Right, let's try Protect and Focus Punch again, I guess.

Okay, looks like Vulpix handled the Haunter pretty well with that Flamethrower...and I mistimed the fuck out of that Protect, good to know.

Ehh, might as well just try and hit it with a Focus Blast, then.

Gliscor dropped the 83P.

Nice, let's grab the money and head...east.

83P obtained.

...and that's another Banette.

It's not Mega-Evolved, at least, so that's nice.

I felt my partner's hand squeeze mine in an upspoken signal, before I tilted my head to the side and her chin rested on my shoulder, the Banette going down without a word needing to be exchanged between us.

...and then I sent a confused double-take at the mini-map, suddenly realizing that there was something missing from the northeastern corner of our current room.

Huh. I guess there was never a northeastern hallway, then. Could've sworn...wait, was that Gliscor ALWAYS in the room, then? Because I swear it and the Haunter came out of SOMEWHERE, but all I'm seeing up there is a solid wall.

Fuck it, I'm not willing to puzzle that shit out right now, let's just go east.

Hmm, that's a T-junction, so let's try heading...south.

Claydol picked up the Vile Seed.

Oh, cool, we could use one of those for the Primal Dialga fight, whenever the hell we actually reach that.

Claydol dropped the Vile Seed.

Nice, the Claydol's down, so let's grab the Vile Seed and leave something in its place.

Vile Seed identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

Cheri Berry placed.

Vile Seed obtained.

Good, good, there's an Orb of some kind AND the stairs.

Hurl Orb identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

...nah.

You are now on Floor 8 of 15.

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

Alright, we're a bit more than halfway through the dungeon.

...well, I think I see the floor's only item, and it's a literal pile of fucking rocks, which we DON'T care about.

Hmm, right, let's head...north.

Oh, hello Dusclops. At least you're not that "traitorous" dickhead, I guess.

...I was not expecting her to hit it quite THAT fucking hard, but I guess it makes sense.

Still going to squeeze her hand, because mutual support is the best kind of support.

Oh, interesting, they've got Pressure...I almost didn't notice.

Huh, I...I don't think we ever tested how Pressure interacts with PP Saver, did we?

Anyway, let's keep heading north and see what we find.

...the answer is apparently nothing and/or "fuck-all", yay.

Right, time to backtrack and head west, this time.

...that's another fucking Dusclops, so let's start off with Force Palm and then just start punching it in the eye.

Okaaaay, so, with THAT out of the way, let's try heading...north.

Nothing again...let's backtrack and head west, I guess.

There's a Gliscor coming from the southern hallway...ugh, of course it has a Celebi gripped in its tail. Right, ignoring THAT, Focus Blast.

Good, now let's go.

Oh, nice, there's the stairs.

You are now on Floor 9 of 15.

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

Only on item again, but we're...three-fifths of the way through, good.

Right, nothing in here, so let's head...south. If only because we're closer to that hallway.

Dusclops picked up the Gravelerock(4).

Ah, yes, yet another item that we just don't care about, how nice.

Oh, hello Dusclops...and do I see a Claydol in the room behind your left side? Good to know...and now for Focus Punch.

Dusclops dropped the Gravelerock(4).

Huh. Well, that explains that, I guess.

Gravelerock(4) identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

Yeah, yeah...we get it.

Nice, that's the Claydol down, and now let's go west, since that's the only way out of this room that DOESN'T involve backtracking.

Nothing in here, of course...

Ah, there we go, the stairs.

You are now on Floor 10 of 15.

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

Right, we're now two-thirds of the through the dungeon and I can SEE the floor's only item from here, so let's grab that and head...west.

Focus Punch TM identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

Well, that's...slightly disappointing, I suppose.

Anyway, let's go...that's a Claydol in the western corridor.

Right, hit it a Force Palm and then...OH SHIT IT'S GLOWING!

I felt the full force of the Claydol's Selfdestruct push my body against the wall, and I barely heard Vulpix wince as her tails waved in front of her, absorbing the flames and heat but not the pressure wave.

Ow.

I saw the Claydol collapse into unconsciousness, the explosion having completely demolished several of the wall sections around it, before my partner promptly reached over and gently shoved an Oran Berry into my mouth.

Oran Berry consumed by Riolu.

Oran Berry consumed by Vulpix.

Yeah...yeah, that's understandable.

Right, explosive bullshit aside -and holy fuck I'm glad THAT'S not a literal statement-, let's see what's in this next room.

...not the fucking stairs, apparently, so let's head north.

Oh, hello Gliscor. Have a Focus Blast, because that Quick Attack kind of hurt a bit.

Wonder Tile activated by Ĉ̷̺̼͠ë̶̳̱̈́l̵̯̣̀ẽ̸̲͠b̸̡͙̌͋i̴͚̖͛̄.̷̱̂͝ͅ

Right, no stairs in THIS room either, so let's go east...and try to ignore the Celebi death-looping on one of the two Wonder Tiles.

Wonder Tile activated by Ĉ̷̺̼͠ë̶̳̱̈́l̵̯̣̀ẽ̸̲͠b̸̡͙̌͋i̴͚̖͛̄.̷̱̂͝ͅ

I'm...not sure if we're succeeding, honestly.

Oh, good, there's the stairs.

You are now on Floor 11 of 15.

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

There's an Orb, the stairs, and the two enemy Pokémon that the mini-map is showing behind us at the room's northern wall.

One-Shot Orb obtained.

Huh, cool. Fucking useless for anything that we'd actually WANT to one-shot, though, since they're all bosses.

Actually, now that I think about it... Just wait for the Dusclops to approach, and...

One-Shot Orb activated. Dusclops defeated via calamitous damage.

Huh. Well, it...didn't kill it, at least? Not sure if Ghost-types can even BE killed, but whatever.

Right, Vulpix just handled the Gliscor, so let's go.

You are now on Floor 12 of 15.

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

Four-fifths of the way through...

Oh hey, there's actually more than one item on this floor, and I already see one of them in this room.

Could do without the two enemies ALSO in this room, but that's fine.

Fucking Pressure.

Right, the Dusclops, plural, are no longer a problem, and we've discovered that Pressure affects long-range attacks such as Flamethrower...somehow.

67P obtained.

Cool. Let's head...north.

Nothing in here but another two Wonder Tiles...at least there isn't another Celebi to go along with them.

Even as I noted the Seed item laying on the ground and the stairs icon on our mini-map, I felt Vulpix's head leave my shoulder before she spat a spiraling lance of yellow flame off to our right, perfectly nailing the Dusclops in the eye as it turned toward us after emerging from the northern entrance.

Nice, and Pressure didn't even activate for that one.

Maybe PP Saver DID activate and ended up negating it? Hmm, something to think about, I guess...

Anyway, let's grab that seed item and go.

Slip Seed obtained.

Oh, cool, I was wondering when we'd find another one of those.

You are now on Floor 13 of 15.

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

Huh. I'd bet on a Kecleon Shop, but those aren't a THING here, so...

Right, two items in this room, one enemy, and no stairs.

Energy Ball TM obtained.

Can Vulpix learn? I swear Vulpix are capable of learning this one...

Vulpix are only capable of learning Energy Ball via breeding.

...huh. Good to know, I guess.

I couldn't help but squeeze my partner's hand as we stared at a very specific word within the sentence in front of our eyes, her head leaning against my shoulder even as we heard the Gliscor coming closer.

...and then she turned to put it down with a spiraling lance of flame as the transparent blue pane of light disappeared, before we began walking toward the room's other item.

Someday, maybe, just...not yet.

I saw Vulpix turn her head to spit a second Flamethrower at the Dusclops walking toward our backs, before we continued walking, her hand never leaving mine.

Oh hey, PP Saver activated. I...wasn't actually tracking how much she had for Flamethrower before, so I have no idea if it worked how I theorized.

Oran Berry identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

Hmm...nah, we've still got six left and we're two floors from the end, we should be fine without this one.

Right, so, let's go...north, since we're closer to that hallway.

Nothing in here, so let's head west.

There's a seed item, so let's see what that is and then head west again.

...I'm very tempted to make a "let's see-d what that is" pun, but nah.

I feel like she might poke me for that one if I say it...I'd deserve the poke, though, I can admit that.

Blast Seed identified. Inventory capacity insufficient.

Oh, I can just eat that right now, then. It'd give a few hunger points, I guess, even if the whole "firing a cluster explosion out of your mouth" thing feels weird as hell.

Blast Seed consumed by Riolu.

Right, there's a Pecha Berry in this room, so-

As we stepped forward, I promptly found myself inhaling pink gas at the sound of a click beneath my feet, and I faintly felt my partner's arms wrapping around my torso as she caught me in her arms.

Around thirty seconds later, I opened my eyes and stared directly up at Vulpix, her brown eyes roaming the room as she sat against the wall, with my head in her lap and wisps of flame curling from between her lips.

...and then, just because I could, I pulled myself up just far enough that I could press my lips to hers.

I heard her sigh in contentment into the kiss, and I felt her hand grasp mine even as I mumbled into her lips, my words slightly muffled by the fact that our mouths were still connected.

"Mmm...you know, Vulpix, I remember a time when that would've been a lot more awkward than it is now."

I felt her smile in the moment before she reluctantly broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against mine, her fur radiating the heat coming beneath her skin as we held each other.

"Oh? Does...does it still feel awkward, Riolu?"

In response, I rose and helped my partner to her feet, before I pulled her into a hug and kissed her again.

"Nope...it makes me feel safe, now."

I saw her beautiful brown eyes began to glisten with unshed tears as we separated, and I took a moment to help her wipe the tears away, before she leaned her body against mine and pressed her forehead against my own.

"I love you, Riolu."

"I love you too, Vulpix...always and forever."

As we turned toward the floor's southern exit, I couldn't help but notice the smile on her lips as her hand found mine and our fingers intertwined, her head tilting to lean against my shoulder as we took a moment to just be there for each other.

"Always and forever, Riolu."

So, let's try to avoid that trap and head south-

...and then I promptly heard another click, as I carefully stepped around the first Slumber Trap and immediately found myself inhaling pink gas from the second one right fucking next to it.

Around five seconds later, I found myself waking up in her arms again, my partner pausing even as she was preparing to drag my formerly-unconscious body over to the nearest wall for more cuddling.

I took a moment to relax into the embrace, a bit shocked and annoyed at the fact that the dungeon had decided to have two Slumber Traps right next to each other, before we reluctantly separated and began to walk toward the southern hallway.

...and then I turned at the sound of a third click, barely catching Vulpix as she fell into my arms, before I leaned my back against the wall and waited with the love of my life sleeping in my arms.

This room is ridiculous, I swear.

A few seconds later, I felt her begin to shift as she woke up, my partner burrowing herself further into the embrace before she remembered where we were, and I felt her reluctantly pull herself out of the embrace before she leaned in to press her lips to mine.

As her hand grasped mine once again and we turned toward the southern hallway, hopefully without there being a Slumber Trap directly in front of the entrance, I clearly heard the words she whispered as her head settled back onto my shoulder, and I tilted my head to kiss her again in response.

"It makes me feel safe too, Riolu."

Right, well, that Pecha Berry can stay there, I guess, we're just gonna go.

Ah, there we are, the stairs...

You are now on Floor 14 of 15.

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

Right, there's the next set of stairs...and a Gliscor.

...and now the Gliscor is no longer a problem, good.

You are now on Floor 15 of 15.

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

Let's see, there's an item, something purple coming out of the eastern exit...and the stairs.

Riolu: Force Palm +3: 0/12 remaining.

Vulpix: Flamethrower +3: 1/12 remaining.

Huh, I guess we just don't have to use any of our Max Elixirs, yet.

...and then I saw the Gengar's body begin to glow as it fucking Mega Evolved, because apparently we didn't have enough problems already.

I saw the lower part of its body sink into the ground and turn red, just in time for my Focus Blast to sail cleanly through the air where its head had been, and as we watched, the third eye on its forehead opened and the Gengar stared at us.

As I watched, its third eye shifted over to Vulpix, something that wasn't us reflected in its unblinking gaze...and then both of the Mega Gengar's original eyes widened as it charged, the temperature dropping by several degrees from its presence and then rising back to normal as my partner flared the flames under her skin in response.

I saw its eyes widen further as it lifted itself from underneath the ground and bore down on us, all three of its eyes locked on to Vulpix's arm and its entire form radiating fear as it tried to sink back into the ground in an attempt to escape, and I could hear the broken time around us scream as the Gengar seemingly tried to burrow itself into another fucking dimension in order to get away.

My fist passed through its form without resistance, despite the fact that immunities weren't a thing...and my partner's fist slammed into the terrified Mega Gengar's face before she grasped it by an ear-spike and pulled it out of the ground, her entire arm glowing blue and almost appearing to phase in and out of solidity from moment to moment.

...and then I watched as one of her eyebrows rose in surprise and she threw the Mega Gengar away from us, her arm reverting to normal as we watched the Mega Gengar phase itself into the wall on the exact opposite side of the room from us in order to escape.

Well, that was...fucking odd.

Let's go grab that item and go, I guess.

Oh cool, so it was a pile of money, then.

90P obtained.

Right, let's...let's just get the fuck out of here.

As we exited the dungeon, I couldn't help but notice the lights in the distance, Vulpix's eyes clearly radiating her sorrow as she nestled herself into my side.

"That's...that's the stockade, isn't it, Riolu?"

I nodded, leaning my chin against the top of her head as she turned and pressed herself against my chest, my arms reflexively wrapping around her waist as we stood together and stared over the edge of the cliff.

"Those...those are the only lights I can see, Riolu. There's...there's no one else out there, is there? We're...we're alone."

I felt her shudder as she undoubtedly remembered what we had encountered in Dark Hill, and I pulled her further into the embrace as I kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, Vulpix."

I could see the sadness in my partner's eyes as she glanced up at me, before she gave a brittle smile and leaned in to press her lips to mine.

"I love you too, Riolu."

I heard her take in a shuddering breath as she reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, and we took a moment to just hold each other before we separated and turned toward the path leading away from Dark Hill, our fingers intertwining with the thoughtless ease of long repetition as we continued along the path.

Well. That's certainly a massive fucking doorway. Kind of missing the DOOR, though, which seems like a rather important thing to not have.

The Kangaskhan Rock is pretty helpful, though.

I saw one of Vulpix's ears twitch as she stared at the doorway, undoubtedly listening for the sound of laughter behind us.

"Riolu, I...I don't hear them anymore. Can...can we rest here, please?"

Yeah, I'm...I'm feeling kind of tired too.

It's entirely possible that the Sableye broke off chasing us to set up an ambush at the Passage of Time...maybe.

I don't fuckin' remember, honestly, and right now I just want to cuddle with my girlfriend and sleep for a few hours.

I nodded in agreement, before taking a moment to throw our extra items in storage and refresh our full kit.

Hmm...we never DID end up using those two Sleep Seeds in our fight against Grovyle, so they can probably go into storage as well.

Special Band stored.

Pure Seed stored.

2x Sleep Seeds stored.

Warp Seed stored.

Apple stored.

Vile Seed stored.

Slip Seed stored.

Energy Ball TM stored.

Ah, right, we do need to grab replacements for the Oran Berries we used...fucking Self-Destruct.

2x Oran Berries withdrawn.

As I closed the storage menu, I felt my partner's hand squeeze mine before we laid down, trying to ignore how hard the ground was as we settled in for the...whenever it was at the moment.

I...I'd say goodnight, but I honestly have no fucking clue whether or not it's even night at all. It probably doesn't matter anyway, since time's frozen, but still...

Sealed Ruin Entrance.

A few hours later, I awoke to the feeling of two pairs of warm lips wrapped around the tip of my shaft, and I took a moment to open my eyes before staring, distinctly alarmed, at the sight of two separate copies of Vulpix laying across both of my legs with the head of my dick trapped between their lips.

I couldn't hold back a hum of pleasure as they exchanged a glance before dragging their tongues up my shaft, and I saw two pairs of identical brown eyes flick up toward me at the sound before shifting to the Force Palm enveloping my right hand.

I closed my eyes, grimacing as I activated the Aura Sight in order to make sure, before opening them once again as both of the two Vulpix reached up as if to grasp my hands reassuringly.

Fuck, it even copied her aura, so I can't use that to tell which of them is which, either.

What's something that ONLY my partner would know? Ah...yeah, that would work.

"Vulpix..."

I saw the two identical copies of my girlfriend pull away from my shaft, before tilting their heads at me in perfect sync.

"Where...where was our first time? Our-our first having sex, that is."

I saw the one on my left side open her mouth as if to speak, before my actual partner answered the question from my right side.

"Fog...Fogbound Lake, why? Riolu, what's wrong?"

I took a shaky breath, silently relieved, before I lifted my upper body and leaned toward the infiltrator on my left side, fully prepared to slam a Force Palm into its forehead.

"Okay, good...just push the Ditto away, and I'll hit it with a Force Palm."

I saw her and the Ditto blink in surprise, before exchanging a glance of sudden realization as my partner visibly blushed, outright incandescent red shining through her cheek fur.

"Riolu, she-she's not a Ditto..."

It was my turn to blink, before turning my head to stare at her incredulously...and then the other Vulpix's form flickered in a distinctly familiar fashion.

Oh.

Ohhhhh...that-that makes a lot of sense, actually.

I glanced at Vulpix, letting out a hum of pleasure as the solid and visible illusion wrapped her lips around the tip of my dick and began to bob her head, my partner's face still metaphorically blazing red as she watched her illusionary copy bob her head along my shaft, her tongue swirling around the tip in the exact same motion that Vulpix herself usually performed.

"Mmm...s-so, was this the thing that the Lake Guardians taught you how to do?"

I saw my partner's blush somehow intensify, before she let out a gasp of surprise as the illusion's left hand reached out to grope one of her breasts, and I hummed to myself as the solid copy pulled her lips off of my dick and dragged her tongue up my shaft.

"Th-they helped me c-create her, yes. Th-this was the se-secret that-that I didn't tell you about. Mmm... Hmm? Oh, I see..."

I saw Vulpix glance over to the illusion, which so far hadn't taken the time to speak at all, before I groaned as my partner and her identical copy leaned in to capture the head of my shaft between their lips.

...and I heard Vulpix let out a muffled gasp as the illusion opened her eyes and stared directly into hers, before reaching a hand out to press against the back of her head and pull her into a heated kiss, their lips connecting around the tip of my dick as my partner moaned and melted into the kiss.

Holy shit. That...that is really fucking hot, I'm not going to lie.

I saw Vulpix and her illusionary projection pull each other into a hug, their breasts clearly pressing together even as I felt the tips of their tongues press against either side of my shaft and begin to lick up and down.

As I hummed from the pleasure, it was all I could do not to thrust my hips forward, if only because it probably would have caused them to break the incredibly arousing kiss.

"Mmm...V-Vulpix, I'm going to..."

I saw my partner blink, before her eyes fluttered closed as the illusionary projection reached a hand down somewhere out of my sight and she gasped around the head of my dick, due to what I suspected was her copy stroking a finger or two against her slit.

I watched Vulpix reluctantly pull her lips away from my shaft, a pair of hands identical to hers reaching up to fondle her breasts, and I saw my partner glance toward me moments before her illusion cupped the back of her head and pulled her back into the kiss.

I...I am so fucking hard right now, holy shit.

I could feel the way she moaned out the words around the tip of my shaft, her voice going slightly higher pitched as the illusion pressed their pelvises together and began to roll her hips.

"In-inside, Riolu! I- mmm...I want us both to taste you- mhmmm, yes..."

I heard Vulpix's words cut off as the illusionary copy pulled her further into the kiss, the two outright making out around the head of my shaft even as I gave a groan of pleasure and came, my partner letting out a hum of surprise as I began to fill both her and the projection's mouths with my seed.

As I watched, I could hear both of them begin to loudly swallow my cum even as they continued to kiss around the tip of my dick, Vulpix letting out a muffled moan as her copy began to grope her breasts, and their lips left my shaft before they sat up and began openly making out above my dick with tongue, the head and shaft trapped between two identical pairs of incredibly soft double-B cup breasts even as I continued to climax.

Oh wow...I, uhh...I never really saw the appeal of that whole "cum-swap" thing, but holy shit do I see it now.

The fact that it's between my girlfriend and a copy of HERSELF just makes it even better, honestly.

I watched the love of my life and her illusionary projection reluctantly break the kiss and glance at the head of my dick barely poking out from between their breasts, before they both leaned their heads down to capture the very tip between two pairs of lips, identical twin tongues swirling around whatever they could reach and beginning to clean my dick as my orgasm fully ended.

I heard my partner let out an audible hum of annoyance as my dick began to soften, before I felt myself beginning to harden again as Vulpix and her illusion leaned down, thoroughly ignoring the cum covering their breasts as two tongues began to sweep over my shaft, cleaning everything that they hadn't already gotten before.

I saw my partner and her copy exchange a glance, before the illusion briefly flickered out of existence and then reappeared, her body completely cleaned.

...and Vulpix gave a moan of pleasure as the projection flickered back into existence, though it quickly intensified as the identical copy leaned her head down and began to clean my partner's breasts with her mouth and tongue, my dick quickly becoming fully erect again as I watched the incredibly appealing sight.

Honestly, I'm...I'm not sure how this can get any better.

As I watched, completely enraptured by the view, my partner leaned in to kiss her illusion directly on the lips, both of their mouths glowing from the inside...and promptly pulled them both to the ground, the projection's body straddling hers even as they both turned to look at me expectantly, in perfect unison.

Nevermind then, because holy shit it apparently can.

I quickly rose to my feet and walked over, two pairs of identical brown eyes staring directly into mine before looking down to stare at my hardened shaft, Vulpix's voice sounding distinctly pleased as I approached.

"Riolu..."

I saw her lean upwards, her lips almost pressing against those of her illusionary copy, and her words became muffled as the projection leaned down and captured my partner's lips with hers.

"Mmm...Riolu, I-I want you inside her."

I blinked, still just a bit hesitant, before I pressed the tip of my shaft against the lower lips of my girlfriend's illusionary projection, my partner laying on her back even as the illusion leaned back into my chest, her hips still straddling Vulpix's and all twelve of their tails intertwined, wrapping their hips in a solid cocoon of warmth.

"Are...are you sure, Vulpix?"

I heard her let out a moan as the illusion leaned her head against my shoulder, a pair of hands descending to cup and fondle my partner's breasts even as the copy's slit rubbed against the head of my dick.

"Yes, Riolu...she-she loves you just as much as I do, and I know that because she's me.

"Mes-Mesprit taught me how to copy my emotions to hers, U-Uxie taught me ho-how to-mmm... how to imprint my memories, and-and Azelf tau-taught me how to-to give her a w-will of her own. Ohhh yessss...k-keep touching them, please... Mmmmm..."

With that, I shifted my hips forward and entered the identical slit of my girlfriend's solid illusion, the copy giving a completely silent moan of pleasure as I did so, and I turned my head just in time for the illusion's lips to collide with mine, her hands still groping and kneading Vulpix's breasts.

I couldn't help but groan into the kiss as I thrusted into the identical copy of my girlfriend, my dick still very sensitive after the double blowjob I had received earlier, and I felt her reluctantly break the kiss, briefly pressing her lips to mine once more before leaning down to capture my partner's lips in a heated kiss with quite a bit of tongue included, and I saw the copy give a silent moan as Vulpix reached up to begin groping her breasts as well.

"Mmm...I'm-I'm going to..."

I saw both my partner and her illusion break the kiss, just long enough for the love of my life to say a few very arousing words before her identical copy pulled her into another kiss no less heated than the previous one.

"Inside her, Riolu...and then inside me, please!"

With a groan of pleasure, I thrusted my hips forward one more time before I began to fill the illusion's insides with cum, her inner walls clenching around my dick as we reached our orgasms at the same time, and I felt Vulpix's finger stroke just above my balls in a silent signal before I carefully pulled out of her identical copy and then entered my girlfriend, both of them moaning into the kiss as I began to also fill my partner with my distinctly not-fertile seed, though her moan was very much not as silent as the illusion's, and her inner walls wrapped around my entire shaft as I leaned against her copy's back.

Warning: Riolu is currently incapable of-

Yeah, yeah, I...I know.

I saw Vulpix blink as the notification was closed with a mere thought, though I still saw the mix of both relief and disappointment in her eyes even as the illusion pulled away from the kiss, my softening dick still captured within my partner's inner walls due to the simple fact that they just didn't want to let go.

Mmm, that-that was incredible.

Holy shit, we definitely need to do THIS more often. Honestly, it-it doesn't feel like I'm cheating on her at all, it just feels like I'm making love to more of HER, which...is probably the ENTIRE POINT, now that I think about it.

Also, if I just do this...

I leaned down as my unfortunately flaccid dick was finally pulled from within Vulpix's slit, both her and her copy taking the time to peck me on the lips as I did so, though my partner very much had to lean up in order for her lips to reach mine, and I wrapped my arms around the illusion's torso before pulling her and my girlfriend to the side, the two of us quietly cuddling the solid projection between our bodies, even as the love of my life began radiating just a bit more heat beneath her skin in order keep us all warm.

"I love you, Vulpix."

I saw her head tilt as she leaned up and smiled at me past the illusion's shoulder, her beautiful brown eyes practically glowing with emotion as she extended her arms around her copy's waist and pulled me further into the small cuddle sandwich.

"I love you too, Riolu...we both do."

Though...I couldn't help but notice that the illusion had remained completely silent, even if the smile she sent me was just as warm as the one on my partner's lips.

Hmm, I wonder...

"Hey Vulpix, is...is she not able to speak?"

I saw her blush despite the thoroughly satisfied look in her eyes, and I watched the illusion lean forward to peck her creator on the lips reassuringly, before her body flickered and vanished, somehow not leaving behind the foreign liquids that had been inside her.

...well, that was certainly interesting, but it's not important at the moment.

I heard Vulpix hum to herself, her expression distinctly embarrassed, before she scooted closer to cuddle against me, audibly holding back a gasp of pleasure as she did so.

Huh, is there a memory transfer component as well?

"I, err...I didn't actually...give her that ability, Riolu."

I took a moment to consider that, before the realization that the illusion hadn't even once used a single move hit me, though I still leaned forward to kiss my partner on the lips exactly as her illusion had done before.

"I...I also didn't give her the ability to use moves, either..."

Huh, I shouldn't be surprised that she knows me well enough to guess what I was about to ask, but alright.

...wait a minute...

I couldn't stop the distinctly teasing tone in my voice, her pelvis pressing against mine despite the way that neither of us had taken the time to clean ourselves off, before I leaned in to kiss her again and my arms wrapped around her waist.

"So...you made a perfect illusionary copy of yourself, to the point that I couldn't tell the difference...exclusively for threesomes?"

I saw her eyes widen, before she nodded in clear embarrassment and leaned in to press her lips to mine.

Wait, shit! I really hope I didn't just insult her with that...

Shit shit shit, what do I do to apologize!?

Before I could continue to silently panic, I felt Vulpix's lips collide with mine again reassuringly, something distinctly happy in her beautiful brown eyes as she pressed her body against mine.

"Riolu, it's okay, don't panic! It was a compliment, Riolu, I'm not angry!"

...wait, what?

At my clearly confused glance, she tightened the hug and kissed me again.

"You...you said that you couldn't tell the difference between us, right?"

I couldn't help my confused nod, wondering how in the fuck not being able to tell the difference between your girlfriend and someone who looks like her could possibly be considered a compliment.

"I...I tried using the Aura Sight, when I thought she was a Ditto, and, well...the auras were the same."

I saw her freeze and silently wondered why I'd just dug myself a deeper hole, before her eyes lit up in that way that I couldn't help but love seeing and she kissed me again.

"Riolu, that-that means that the illusion was perfect, that I made it perfectly, to the point that even someone who knows me as well as you do couldn't tell it was an illusion."

Uhh...? What?

So...it's some kind of cultural thing for Vulpix and Ninetales, then?

"Thank you, Riolu..."

I pulled Vulpix close, thoroughly ignoring the way that our pelvises made a distinctly wet noise as they connected...and my partner promptly swung her legs over my hips before reaching down to rub the head of my quickly re-hardening shaft against her slit, my dick slipping in without any resistance as she brought her hips down to press against mine.

I, uhh...I know we've got a bit more stamina than we would if we were human, but I'm quite not sure I can go another round.

...and then the love of my life leaned down to rest her body against mine, my worry evaporating as I realized that she was just planning to sleep with my shaft inside of her, but without us having another round of incredible sex.

Though...I-I certainly wouldn't be opposed to waking up like THAT more often, especially now that I know it's her illusion and NOT a Ditto.

I decided to just enjoy the feeling of Vulpix's body against mine and her head laying on my chest, my arms wrapped around her waist as we laid on the red-tinted ground, still connected despite how messy our hips were.

Oh, hey, there's one of those Chandelure floating closer...is it a Shiny one? Because that flame is pretty clearly RED instead of blue...

I took a moment to kiss my partner back as she leaned her head up to press her lips to mine...and I felt a burst of pure guilt as I remembered something rather fucking important, especially considering where we currently were.

We're right HERE, how in the hell did I forget?!

"Vulpix..."

I heard her hum into the kiss, distinctly confused at how panicked my voice sounded, even as I broke the kiss with no small amount of reluctance.

"Grovyle is still in there!"

I saw Vulpix blink, her beautiful brown eyes widening as she carefully but quickly pulled herself off of my shaft and we rose to our feet, though not without quite a few rather wet and inappropriate sounds due to the mixed fluids still coating our hips.

"Oh. Oh fuck."

Despite the serious situation, I couldn't hold back a snort of amusement as she openly cursed, and my partner sent me a distinctly embarrassed glance before I leaned in and kissed her, our fingers intertwining as we turned toward the entrance to Sealed Ruin.

Right, well, we've got everything we should need...and luckily the mere act of entering the dungeon at ALL should clean us off.

I exchanged another glance with Vulpix, both of us agreeing without words that we absolutely would not tell Grovyle how we were busy having sex while he was going through a dungeon.

...and then we walked into Sealed Ruin, not at all mentally prepared for just what we would find within.

End of Chapter Thirteen.

So, yeah...whole lot of shit to unpack there, huh?

The next chapter will be the end of the Dark Future Arc, and if you thought THIS was going to fuck with them?

Yeah, no, it gets worse, as some of the people on the Official Discord have already partially seen.

There's a reason why the next chapter is called "Mad Gods", though it's not specifically referring to the two of them, because, you know...they're not gods.

Also, a quick PSA for anyone who I haven't already told (aka, everyone on FFN): I'll be going on a camping trip for a few days, and we'll be leaving on the 17th of this month (October), so progress on Chapter Fourteen will unfortunately not begin until after I get back from that.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this specific clusterfuck, because the name of the chapter is very much well earned.

As always, here's the invite code for the Official Unchained Explorers Discord Server, if you'd like to join that: eGmzsUPgyJ.

Beware of spoilers though, because I have entirely too much fun showing off my future plans, there.

...and here's the link to my Voldemort-site account (for context, everyone on FFN, I tried to announce in the second Author's Note of Chapter Twelve, but it probably didn't work so well, due to the fact that I re-added the announcement after publishing the chapter): p a treon dot com slash OmegaEntertainment1.