Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Unchained Explorers.
Arc III: Death March Part 2.
Chapter Eighteen: Always and Forever.
Yeah.
Yeah, I just went there.
Remember that punch to the feels I mentioned in the Chapter Seventeen author's note?
Well. There you go.
Better buckle in and grab a box of tissues if you haven't already, fuckos, because it's going to get even worse.
...I'm serious about that box of tissues, by the way.
This is your only warning, go fucking grab or buy one if you don't have already any.
(...I had to reupload this because FFN decided to be a shit, lmao, so that's why you're getting this six hours late)
Temporal Tower Entrance.
I felt Vulpix's arms tighten the embrace as we watched another wave of crackling stasis flow down the tower's walls, the hold not letting up even as her body flashed blue with Shadow Force.
"I...I don't want to go in yet, Riolu."
"I know, Vulpix. Believe me, I know, and I don't want to either, but..."
"But we have to?"
"Yeah...yeah, we have to."
"Mmm..."
I took a second to squeeze back as I felt my partner tighten the embrace again and another wave of broken time passed us by, breaking over our forms like waves against a rock, before she pressed her lips against mine and pulled away despite our mutual and very obvious reluctance as the ground shook beneath our feet.
"I...I know we just said it to each other a few minutes ago, Riolu, but I love you."
"I love you too, Vulpix."
As...as much as I want to keep holding her, we do have to go inside.
Right, okay...let's-let's store everything we've got except what we have equipped, grab what we need for this dungeon, and then get going, I guess.
Heal Ribbon stored.
4x Big Apples stored.
Brown Gummi stored.
Sky Gummi stored.
Yellow Gummi stored.
7x Oran Berries stored.
Heal Seed stored.
Quick Seed stored.
Hmm...should probably leave the eight Reviver Seeds in the bag, actually.
...we'll probably take a Sleep Seed and Stun Seed with us, so leave those in the bag as well...leave a couple Max Elixirs, too, just in case we need them.
Stun Seed stored.
Max Elixir stored.
Leave the TM and the Orbs we aren't bringing...
Hidden Power TM stored.
Decoy Orb stored.
Hurl Orb stored.
Transfer Orb stored.
Right. twenty-four free slots, so let's grab the Pure Seeds...
15x Pure Seeds withdrawn.
"Should...should we run through every third floor and use Pure Seeds for the rest?"
"That...sounds like a good plan, Riolu."
I felt her hand squeeze mine, nothing less than utter reassurance in the gesture, and I squeezed back as she rested her head against my shoulder.
"I...I'm glad that you're willing to think these things through, Riolu. ...after all, I prefer to just punch things or light them on fire. It's...simpler, that way."
I glanced toward her and snorted at the wry grin on her lips, silently hoping that my smile didn't look too brittle as I leaned into the embrace.
"We both know you're not stupid, Vulpix, even if you might prefer to downplay how smart you really are."
I saw her smile turn just a bit more genuine as she leaned further into the embrace, and we went back to sorting our bag in comfortable silence despite the situation still looming over our heads.
...and then grab the Hunger Seed...
Hunger Seed withdrawn.
Then the Vile Seed and two Violent Seeds...oh, huh. I guess we've only got one for whatever reason, so I suppose we'll grab an X-Eye instead.
Vile Seed withdrawn.
X-Eye Seed withdrawn.
Okay, seven slots left...Petrify and a Foe-Hold Orb should help if we hit a Monster House that we can't get away from.
Petrify Orb withdrawn.
Foe-Hold Orb withdrawn.
Alright...let's just do a double-check of what we've got...and then it's time to head on in and blitz this shit, because I'm not sure how much longer we have and that tremor was JUST a bit more powerful than the other one.
Current Bag (35/40):
1x Stamina Band (currently equipped by Riolu).
1x Special Band (currently equipped by Vulpix).
1x Hunger Seed.
8x Reviver Seeds.
15x Pure Seeds.
1x Sleep Seed.
1x Stun Seed.
1x Vile Seed.
1x X-Eye Seed.
2x Max Elixirs.
1x Foe-Hold Orb.
1x Petrify Orb.
2x Totter Orbs.
Right, that...that looks like everything.
...as much as I want to delay more so I can spend more time with her...we need to go in.
...and I felt Vulpix's lips press against mine once again, one of my hands reaching up to the back of her head to pull her further into the kiss and the other reaching down to press against her spine and pull her body against mine, even as I held back the tears of utter despair that threatened to bring everything crashing down like so many stacked cards.
I-I don't want to die, and I don't want to leave her...even if I know I'll have to.
I took a moment to enjoy the feeling of my partner's body against mine, all six of her tails wrapped around our waists in a cocoon of warm fur and protective heat, before we reluctantly pulled away and turned toward the entranceway at the feeling of another tremor beneath our feet.
...and as we walked into the tower, I couldn't help but hold tightly to the comforting feeling of her hand in mine, knowing full well that I'd end up breaking her heart and silently hating myself for it.
Temporal Tower.
You are now on Floor 1 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 1.
Well, at least we can see the first item alre-
I was forced to duck as a trio of blue glowing rings flew through where my head had been and detonated against the wall, a Lunatone having just suddenly appeared in front of us in a burst of Rock Polish enhanced speed faster than I could read the interface's warnings, and I heard Vulpix hiss as the Lunatone blasted her with a second Psywave before either of us could react.
H̵̪͎̚͘å̵̦̎t̷͈̄͑ê̸̲̈́.̶̯̈
...and suddenly all I could think of was the pain burning against my mind, as if something was trying to gouge out my thoughts with a spoon and only just barely being prevented from doing so.
I barely noticed the way that Vulpix slammed a purple glowing fist into the Lunatone's form and knocked it out in a single super-effective punch, my right hand reflexively catching the wall for something to steady myself against, even as I shook my left hand from my partner's grasp and rose it to fire a Focus Blast at the approaching Porygon.
...and the feeling of hate actively trying to burrow its way into my mind stopped as the visibly furious Normal-type's body shattered like multicolored glass and just as quickly reformed itself, its form going completely still as it fell to the ground like a stone and I could suddenly think again.
...ow. I-I don't think they like me very much, fuck.
Right, let's...let's grab that Seed item and then use the first Pure Seed, I guess.
Stun Seed obtained.
Ah, good, one more couldn't hurt I guess.
I turned toward my partner just in time for her to lean in and press her lips to mine, two hands covered in soft dark brown fur gently pushing one of our Pure Seeds into my own, and I couldn't help but smile into the kiss as a pair of beautiful brown eyes met my gaze firmly.
"Go, Riolu, and...good luck. We...we won't be separated for long, remember?"
"I remember. ...stay safe, please?"
I felt and saw her nod of agreement, and took a moment to kiss the love of my life again, before we separated and I rose my hand to carefully place the Pure Seed into my mouth, not willing to risk the possibility that I could fumble and drop the seed in the process of trying to look cool by tossing it in.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
...and suddenly I was somewhere else, a quick survey of the room showing me the Wonder Tile in front of me...and the stairs at my back.
Huh. Kind of feel like we wasted that one, because the room with the stairs was JUST to the east of where we showed up, and there were probably only three rooms total on this floor anyway, if I'm reading the mini-map correctly.
Right, well, nothing we can do now, so I guess I'll just walk into the stairway.
You are now on Floor 2 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 8.
Right, a bit weird that there wasn't an actual corridor for us to walk through, but there's the next set of st-
I promptly found my thoughts diverted as a body covered in soft brown fur melded itself to my own, Vulpix's lips finding mine with practiced ease as we took a brief moment to forget the world and just focus on each other.
...a brief moment that was promptly ruined by the Lunatone rapidly hovering toward us, my hand raising to fire a Focus Blast from my palm on pure reflex.
H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍
...and I winced as another psychic scream tried to burrow its way into my head, barely able to watch as the Lunatone went down and the Porygon was Fire Blast-ed with quite a bit of prejudice.
OW. Fuck, that hurt.
Okay, right, that's...that's the two enemy Pokémon dealt with, so let's grab that orb and go.
Foe-Fear Orb obtained.
...also, that item count DEFINITELY means that there's a Monster House on this floor, but luckily we don't have to deal with that shit.
You are now on Floor 3 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
Right, no stairs in the first room this time, so...Pure Seed again.
I blinked as my hand reached into the bag, barely surprised by the feeling of my partner's lips against mine, before she smiled into the kiss and pulled away just far enough for me to place the Pure Seed into my mouth.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
I found myself somewhere else mere moments after my teeth had bitten down...and I stumbled as a psychic lance of utter fury tried to burrow itself into my brain.
H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍
H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍ H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍ H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍
I lashed out with a Force Palm on almost nothing more than reflex, barely able to think past the furious Normal-type screaming its hatred into my mind...and I drew a shaky breath as the Porygon shattered into fractal patterns of solid light and reformed, its presence vacating my mind at the literal speed of thought as the artificial Pokémon dropped to the ground like a stone.
Right...right, grab the TM and go. Just grab the TM and fucking go, no matter how cold things feel without her here next to me.
Focus Blast TM obtained.
We...we already know that move, but I guess we'll keep it to sell...eventually.
You are now on Floor 4 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
Three items, a Wonder Tile...and a Bronzor.
Well...at least it's not a Porygon, so let's grab that scarf item while it approaches...and then hit it with whatever we feel like using.
Special Band obtained.
Right, Focus Blast because I faintly remember that Heatproof is an ability that exists.
...it withstood that because I didn't account for the Psychic dual-typing, so I'll just meet it halfway and then FORCE PALM.
Okay, okay...ignore the Black Gummi and the pile of Gravelerocks because they're not that important, and then Pure Seed.
I glanced at Vulpix, thoroughly looking forward to another kiss for luck, and I promptly had my thoughts scrambled in all the good ways as her beautiful brown eyes met mine.
I found myself completely unable to stop the smile spreading across my face as she leaned in to press her lips against mine, her eyes almost literally glowing with teasing mirth.
"Good luck, Riolu."
...and I had just enough time to feel my partner's fingers press against my lips, before she pushed the Pure Seed into my mouth and I was in a completely different room faster than I could blink.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
Okay, let's see...nothing except a Wonder Tile and the stairs, so I guess I'll just walk right in.
You are now on Floor 5 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.
There's a Seed item of some kind... and a Bronzor that Vulpix just knocked out with two back-to-back Flamethrowers.
Okay, grab the seed, whatever it is, and then let's use another Pure Seed.
Blast Seed obtained.
Oh. Nevermind, I'll just eat this first rather than carrying it.
Blast Seed consumed by Riolu.
Predetermined attack ineffective: No target in front.
Cool, good to know what I could already SEE, but I'll just use that Pure Seed now.
I paused as Vulpix leaned into my side to press her lips against my cheek, and I took a brief moment to just enjoy the sudden embrace for a moment, before she rose the next Pure Seed to my lips and pushed it between them.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
...we could've just gone north, it was right THERE...but whatever.
You are now on Floor 6 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 2.
Well, there's both of the floor's items, so let's grab them and head...south, I suppose.
Reviver Seed obtained.
Blast Seed obtained.
Right, eat the Blast Seed...
Blast Seed consumed by Riolu.
Predetermined attack ineffective: No target in front.
...and then let's get going.
Nothing in here except a sleeping Bronzor, so let's take it down and head west.
As we walked toward the Bronzor, I heard a click underneath my feet, and a single downward glance had me very carefully stepping to the side at the sight of a Voltorb's spherical body painted onto the trapped floor tile.
Holy fuck, am I glad that trap didn't go off.
Okay, Vulpix just hit the Bronzor with a Flamethrower, so I'll just step in front of her and FORCE PALM.
Right, ignore the box it dropped, step around the Explosion Trap, and let's keep going.
...and then we exited the hallway, and I ran face-first into an explosive ring of psychic energy courtesy of a Solrock.
Ow. Right, Protect and Focus Blast, then.
Holy fucking shit that thing got in my face REALLY fucking fast, what the hell.
Okay, calm down...and Force Palm, I guess.
...and again, I guess.
There we go...alright, now that I can actually look around the room, there doesn't seem to be anything in here except a Wonder Tile.
...not that I expected much, given that we already grabbed both of the floor's items, but enough mental rambling let's go north.
As we entered the next room, I had the briefest of moments to spy the next set of stairs...before another telepathic scream tried to burrow itself into my mind and I rocked backward on my heels, only prevented from collapsing by my partner's hands tightening their hold on my shoulders.
H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍
...and then one of Vulpix's hands left my shoulder, her palm trailing paralyzing sparks as she slammed a Force Palm of her own directly into the Porygon's face.
R-right, okay, now that I can think again...let's just ignore the box and go.
You are now on Floor 7 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 9.
...and I was instantly driven to my knees by the feeling of four different lances of psychic hatred burning against my mind the very moment we appeared in the room...alongside over a dozen enemy Pokémon.
H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍ H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍ H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍ H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍
Monster House activated.
Barely able to focus past the overwhelming pain, I almost didn't notice the way that my partner reached into our bag, her hand pulling out of our several orbs...and then the pain suddenly stopped as the orb pulsed and every enemy Pokémon froze in place at once.
Petrify Orb activated.
Okay...okay...I-I can think now, fuck.
That...that looks like a Green Gummi, so let's just grab the money, take down whatever we need to, and get to those stairs I can see underneath that hovering Solrock.
2P obtained.
139P obtained.
For-Force Palm that Porygon, grab the money sitting under it, and keep going...just keep going.
80P obtained.
137P obtained.
Prep a Focus Punch to one-shot the Solrock, Vulpix just Flamethrower-ed a Lunatone trying to enter the room...and thank fuck she's good at making those precise, because any of that fire splashing onto the petrified enemies nearby would NOT have been fun, even if we've knocked out most of the Porygon by now.
Right, hit the Solrock because Focus Punch is fully charged, ignore the box...and let's go.
Probably could skip the next two floors with Pure Seeds, now that I think of it...being separated from her isn't going to be fun, no matter how brief it'll be.
...and just...just don't think about how we're going to get separated AGAIN at the end.
You are now on Floor 8 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
There's some money and a Pecha Berry...so grab the money, and then use another Pure Seed I guess.
47P obtained.
As I placed the pile of assorted coins into the special section of our bag reserved for them, I felt Vulpix wrap an arm around my waist and her other hand catch my wrist, stopping me from reaching toward our Pure Seeds for just a moment.
"Riolu, are...are you okay? Those Porygon have been trying to hurt you, and even if they're ignoring me, I can see what they've been doing and how much pain you're in, and I...I'm worried about you."
I took a moment to lean into the embrace, hoping that the smile I sent her didn't look like too much of a blatant grimace, even as I shifted and the side embrace turned into a full-frontal hug that I had zero intention of pulling away from.
"I...I'm okay, I think. It definitely hurts, hell it feels like someone's trying to punch my brain, even if I'm not sure how the hell that's supposed to work...but-but it seems to fade pretty fast once the Porygon isn't actively doing it. Granted, I...I don't know why they're doing it, but I should be okay."
I saw my partner nod to herself, the relief in her expression obvious, before she leaned in and I was promptly distracted by the feeling of her lips on mine.
...and I felt her hand leave my wrist as she pushed herself further into the kiss, both of us taking a moment to just enjoy each other's presence, before I felt her pull away from the kiss just far enough to press a Pure Seed between my lips.
"Good luck, Riolu."
I had a brief moment to consider the thought that, had the mischievousness in her brown eyes been any more blatant, it may well have become its own physical force, before I was promptly sent somewhere else faster than I could blink.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
Oh, hello Bronzor.
Have a Focus Blast, I guess...and it missed, fuck.
Right, Force Palm then...and another.
There we go...and now, the stairs, because there's literally nothing else in this room.
You are now on Floor 9 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
Bright sunlight weather condition now active.
Huh, weird. I must have just not noticed the notifications before.
Right, anyway, three items and the stairs, so let's grab what we want and then go.
Apple, pile of Iron Thorns, some Gravelerocks...well, I guess we're not grabbing any of those, then.
You are now on Floor 10 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
Okay, grab that scarf item, and then another Pure Seed.
Zinc Band obtained.
Cool, and now, after Vulpix gives another kiss for good luck, that is...
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
There's an orb, so I'll grab that and go.
...does kind of feel like a waste of a Pure Seed, given that the room was directly on the path we would've taken anyway, but whatever.
Stayaway Orb obtained.
Oh, cool, that could actually combo pretty well with a Radar Orb, now that I think of it.
Anyway...
You are now on Floor 11 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 6.
Apple and the stairs, good.
Right, let's go...though not before kissing her again, of course.
You are now on Floor 12 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 6.
I had a split-second to check the room, before my vision was almost immediately taken up by Vulpix's eyes and her body pressing against my own...and then the peaceful moment was promptly ruined as a psychic spike of pure and utter rage tried to drive itself into my brain.
H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍
Fuckfuckfuck, OW! Make it stop!
...oh thank fuck, or rather thank Vulpix and her Flamethrower, because I can actually think now.
Okay...okay, let's grab that pile of money and go before anything else shows up.
223P obtained.
194P obtained.
You are now on Floor 13 of 13.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.
H̵̛̙̳͒a̵̜͝t̵̡̬̊e̸̩͔͌̾!̷̫̽̍
Owwwwww, fuck!
I stumbled as another spike of hate tried to burn a path into my mind, barely noticing the steadying hand on my shoulder...and then a Focus Punch from a hand that wasn't mine slammed directly into the Porygon's holographic face, and I found myself able to think again.
Right, now I guess I should-
...I was promptly distracted from my thoughts by the feeling of my partner's lips against mine, barely noticing the way one of her hands pressed a Pure Seed into my palm as I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"Good luck, Riolu."
Man...she really does scramble my thoughts in all the good ways, huh?
Hell of a lot better than whatever the Porygon keep doing, though, so I wouldn't complain even if I wanted to.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
Oh, huh, I just remembered that there was a Max Elixir in that room...but that's fine, we didn't really need it.
...and that's a pair of Bronzor, so let's just ignore the item behind them and see if I can beat them to the stairway.
As my foot touched the first step, I felt my entire body suddenly freeze in place as one of the Bronzor used Imprison...and then a familiar pair of flickering orbs spiraled around my body, and I could feel my balance fail me and the room begin to spin even as a trio of glowing blue rings detonated against my side.
...and my gaze slid over the transparent pane of blue light floating in front of my vision without recognizing it as the Imprison wore off, before the Proceed option was suddenly selected by someone else and I found myself teleported away.
I felt myself stumble against my partner's side as we appeared in the Rest Stop, my balance reasserting itself even as she pushed her shoulder underneath my arm, and I took a moment to just lean against her and enjoy it.
...and then the tower shook beneath our feet, thoroughly ruining the moment as we tried to keep ourselves upright, and we promptly unbalanced and fell to the floor as a second tremor vibrated the stone tiles hard enough to make them ever so briefly lift off of the floor before settling back into their places.
I exchanged a glance with Vulpix, only just then realizing that my arms had reflexively wrapped around her waist to pull her body rather pleasantly against my own, before she leaned down and the feeling of her lips on mine scattered my thoughts like leaves on a nonexistent wind.
"I...I want to, Riolu. But..."
"Not the right time?"
My partner nodded into the kiss, before she pulled away and leaned in to press her forehead against mine, both of us trying to ignore the way I was hardening from the feeling of her body molding itself to mine like two almost-perfectly connected pieces of a puzzle.
"Not...not the right time, I know...even if I want to because-because something might happen to one of us, and-and I know that there's the possibly that we might not come back, and-"
I leaned in and cut off her words with another brief kiss before reluctantly pulling away, and I saw her send me another glance as she helped me to my feet, unable to keep that ever so desperate longing out of her gaze.
I was unable to keep the sad smile off of my face as we leaned against each other, my left arm wrapping around her waist on pure reflex.
"Heh. Remember how annoyed you were that the color puzzle in Crystal Crossing wasn't harder?"
I heard Vulpix snort to herself, and despite the fact that we both knew I was just trying to distract us, I could see her smile become ever so slightly more genuine.
"Don't remind me..."
I saw her glance over at the sight of my smile widening, something utterly content in her gaze despite the metaphorical aura of dread hanging over our heads.
"All blue."
...and the exasperated yet gentle nudge directly to my ribs was completely deserved, even as she leaned in to press her lips against mine.
"I swear that puzzle was designed for children, Riolu, and, no matter how much I love you, not even you can convince me otherwise."
"Rated for everyone age ten and above?"
I saw my partner's head tilt, something curious in her beautiful brown eyes.
"Physical or mental?"
Wait, what? Ohhhh, I see what she means, now.
"Ah, uhh...humans age one to one."
"One to...oh, that makes sense."
...and yet, despite both of us being fully aware that the banter was just to distract ourselves from the battle to come, I couldn't help but feel comforted by the feeling of her hand in mine as we walked into the exit.
Temporal Spire.
You are now on Floor 1 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.
Right, we've got eight Pure Seeds left, so we should be good to do our planned strategy- oh SHIT that's a Salamence!
Okay, just keep calm and throw Focus Blasts and Flamethrowers at it.
Good, good, that Force Blast looked like it weakened the fucker a bit, so I guess I might as well try another.
Whew, okay...let's see what's in here, now.
Pile of money and a TM of some kind, so let's grab those and go south.
230P obtained.
Roar TM obtained.
I...think we might already know that?
Yeah, we already know it, so I guess I'll just grab that Pure Seed and...hmm, actually, now that I think of it...
"You know...I'd joke about needing another kiss for good luck, but I don't think we actually need to use a Pure Seed for this floor.
"I mean, granted, I certainly wouldn't complain-"
I promptly found my words cut off as Vulpix leaned in and pressed her lips to my own, her smile matching mine as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close without a second of hesitation.
I felt her pull away from the kiss, the motion clearly reluctant even as my arms let her go, before my partner pressed herself against my side and intertwined our fingers.
"...I'm not complaining either, Riolu."
Okay, only thing in this room is a Wonder Tile, so let's ignore it and head south.
Ow, that Gyro Ball kind of hurt...and oh that's a giant bell named Bronzong!
...the stairs are right behind it, though, so it's nice that we didn't waste that Pure Seed.
Right, Protect and Focus Punch, then.
...Bronzong is down...so let's go.
You are now on Floor 2 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.
There's a pile of rocks we don't care about, so let's go...west.
Hey, what the fuck is that thing floating out of the darkness in front of-
...and then I stumbled into the wall as the Porygon-Z twitched, its ringed eyes trying to bore a hole in my head even as it shifted to avoid Vulpix's spiraling lance of yellow flame.
F̴̡͗A̸̬̒L̶̯͌̂S̶̻͒̈E̷̜̲͌ ̴̜͇̉̚H̵̠̪̑̄U̸̢̻̚M̸̹̽͝A̵̻͙̓̇Ṇ̶̄̾!̴̪̙͋
D̶͕̽͠e̸̫͗̊s̸̤̜̄͌e̶̱͋ç̶̳̀r̸̤͚̈́̽a̸͇͉͋ť̸͈͆ó̸͈͗r̶̪͋͑ ̴̖̰̈́̕o̶̙͒̎f̴̢̖̆͂ ̷̦͉̒̈́ț̴̓̐ḧ̷̢̼̉e̶̱͗̋i̵̠̒̑r̴̗̈́̅ ̴̠͎͂̈́m̷͖̌e̸̘͊m̸̠̗̐ó̸͕͈́r̸̟̞̈́͐ý̸̨̙̔!̷̗̑͝
Ḑ̵̖̋̆ę̷͑͌s̸͙̀e̸̝̬̎c̶̟̳̿r̴͕̩̽͑à̷̺͋t̵̳͂o̷̳̾͝ͅŗ̷̳̎!̸̣̙̽̄
Vulpix: Speed increased.
Ḑ̵̖̋̆ę̷͑͌s̸͙̀e̸̝̬̎c̶̟̳̿r̴͕̩̽͑à̷̺͋t̵̳͂o̷̳̾͝ͅŗ̷̳̎!̸̣̙̽̄
Vulpix: Speed increased.
Ḑ̵̖̋̆ę̷͑͌s̸͙̀e̸̝̬̎c̶̟̳̿r̴͕̩̽͑à̷̺͋t̵̳͂o̷̳̾͝ͅŗ̷̳̎!̸̣̙̽̄
...and then the feeling of pressure in my head suddenly went away as my partner slipped past me to slam a glowing fist directly into the Porygon-Z's eye, its form shattering into twisting lines of fractal light that didn't quite look like they actually belonged in our physical world, before its body reformed and collapsed to the ground with a burst of crackling static.
I heard Vulpix audibly hold back a wince as she threw my arm over her shoulder and began walking us toward the corridor's exit, barely able to focus on the sound of her vehemently cursing the Porygon-Z's entire bloodline past the pain fogging my mind as we walked through an entirely empty room and into another corridor.
I barely felt my partner stop and gently push me against the nearest wall, her entire body flickering with the power of Shadow Force as she slammed a glowing blue fist into the Bronzong in front of us, and I blinked blearily as the Bronzong collapsed with a ringing groan that managed to pierce the fog obscuring my thoughts.
Mmm...that...that really fuckin' hurt. Okay...okay...we've got an Orb there, and the stairs over there...
"Riolu? Are...are you alright, now?"
"Yeah, I...I'm okay, now."
I couldn't help but smile weakly despite the pain just behind my eyes as Vulpix leaned in and pressed her lips to mine, before we reluctantly separated and properly walked into the room.
Evasion Orb obtained.
You are now on Floor 3 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
Three enemies, all Bronzong, and all four of the floor's items...what the fuck did we just appear into?
...at least it's not a Monster House, so small mercies there if nothing else.
Right, start throwing Focus Blasts and Flamethrowers and just hope they don't have Heatproof, I guess.
Okay, okay...they're all down even if one of them managed to get a Block off on Vulpix.
Let's wait a sec to let the immobilization wear off, and then see what we should grab before using that Pure Seed.
Pile of Iron Thorns, so no...we shouldn't need that Rawst Berry since we've got Heal Seeds and Vulpix is immune to being burned either way, so...I guess we just grab those two piles of money and move on.
223P obtained.
137P obtained.
Alright, and...mmm.
"Good luck, Riolu."
...she knows me so well.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
Huh, that's...a lot close than I thought it would've been.
...kinda feels like we wasted this one as well, but whatever, what's done is done and all that shit.
You are now on Floor 4 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
Okay, nothing in here- mmm.
I snorted in amusement, unable to stop myself from wrapping an arm around my partner's waist as I leaned into the kiss.
I'd make a joke about how we JUST saw each other a few seconds ago, but...I get where she's coming from, so I won't.
"I...I don't want you to go again, Riolu, but..."
I saw her glance at her mini-map, both of us noting how the floor we were on was clearly bigger than the previous ones just going by the room's scale relative to the rest of the map.
I leaned in to kiss her again, feeling the way she mouthed those two words into the kiss, before she pulled back and pressed one of our Pure Seeds between my lips despite our mutual and rather obvious reluctance.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
...and then I stumbled as a psychic hammer of hate slammed against my mind, a single backwards glance all I needed to see the Porygon-2 levitating toward me, its furious gaze trying its best to burn a hole into the back of my head.
W̷̰͚͗e̴͚̻̅̈́͊ ̴̝̱̫͗͂͘h̸͇̣̖̔̓́å̶͈͉t̵̥̐́̇e̶̲̔ ̷̞̬̯̈́̂y̶̖̠͌̈́̐ő̷̪͋u̸̧̠̍,̷̫́ ̵̫͊́̕f̷̙̫͑̅̊a̷͔͉̝͝l̴̞̋̃͠s̸̨͎̏͘͝e̶̻͙͋́̂ ̸͓͑̽́h̵̹̼̝̀͌u̸̡̪̿̎̚m̵͚̝̅̚͝à̶̧n̵̘͇̑̆͑.̵̖̝̼̈
Ẃ̵̺̖̖͘ė̸̙͠ ̸̼͒̈̅͜A̶̟͈͛͝͠L̵̛̳̓̍ͅL̸̬̍ ̵̧͓͒͐h̷̼̪͗͌̌ã̴̤͙͊ṯ̴̀̉ê̴̛̗̟͉͠ ̵̲͇̉̿ỳ̶̡̬̙͝o̸͍̯͂́u̷̫̽.̶̟͍͔̃̈́͑
I turned and stumbled toward the stairway, hardly able to think past the pain of its hate trying to burn itself into my mind.
Y̴͈͉̜̍̋o̴̡̳̐̐͝ǔ̸̩ ̵̢̹͑͑ạ̷̰̀̅ȓ̷̜̦e̵̙̓͝ ̵͔͂n̵̹̿͆͑ö̶̠̗͙́t̸̡̿͂ẖ̴̜̮̑͘i̸̗͓̋͑͠ͅn̸̡̈́͂͝g̷͘͜ ̸̬̈́b̴̪͗ũ̵͎̞̗t̴̠̥̎ ̸̨̺̪̃a̵̼͛ ̵͉͎̔͒d̷̪̘͆͐͛e̴͖̖̥͂̿̅s̵̼͚͚͌̅̍e̴̗̥̖̓c̶͎̫̬̓r̵̗̭̋̄ă̸̭̑̓t̴̥̬͎͒̋͘ì̴̪̝̎̌ǒ̷͚̣̿ͅñ̴̖͚̍ ̶̜͙͎̈̾̿o̸̰̬͛̀̕f̶̘̊̅ ̶̖̖̀̎ẗ̴̢̤̐̊h̸͓͋͒̈́ȅ̷̬̭i̷̺̫̦͂̕r̴̗̗͘͜͠ ̴̡̾͌m̸̬̅̓è̶͕̊͊ḿ̵̛̹ǫ̴̣̉r̵͚͍̼̎y̷̘̮̱͗͊́,̷̼̫̊̇̚ ̶͈͎̾f̴̯̏ͅä̷̟̊͊l̴͈̓̈́ͅs̶̳̊͌̕e̶̼̳͎̚͝ ̵͉̫̓̚h̴̩̼͕͑̄͂ủ̸̬͔̊m̴̤̟̍a̷̜̘̎̉̂n̷̏̎͆͜!̶͓̲͜͝
I saw that familiar pane of blue light appear in front of me, a silent question written upon its transparent surface, and hurriedly tapped my finger against the "Proceed" option.
.̵̖͔͇̄̈́.̴̛͈̗.̴̳̪̎͠á̸͔̖n̸͕̠̊̓d̷̢̫͆ ̷̛̬͎̟ţ̷͈̂h̷̛̫̍ä̴̜̀̓t̴̯̫̳̓̒͘ ̵̬͕̈́̌i̶̪̅͝ś̶̲̘̕͝ ̵͈͖̼̌̎͝a̶̠͕͐͝l̶̺̝̉͌͘l̷͖̻̪͝ ̵̫̦̄͛y̶̟͎̰̅͐̕ỏ̴͍̏͂u̸͍͒ ̵͉̗̀̈w̸̮̔̋̔i̸͚̠͛̌̐l̸̼̲̈͜l̷̟̒͐̚ ̷̢͚͎͌̆E̴̗̪͊V̴̦̿͝E̴̥̦͗̑̀͜Ṙ̴̳̣̲ ̷̼̓̏b̶̻̓́̌ḛ̴͓̈̏,̷̡̺͎̌͒̊ ̵̺̩̈̕͘d̶̹̜̄͠e̷̦͙͊s̷͐ͅe̶͚̲̎̋̑c̴̱̈r̶͇͕͕̊̋͝a̷͍̝͂t̸͚̬̔̄ò̶̼̪̓́ŗ̸̧͙͑̑̏.̴̥͐
You are now on Floor 5 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 5.
As I sagged into Vulpix's arms and leaned into the embrace, I could feel her flinch as we turned our heads toward the Metagross stomping toward us, stone tiling shattering under its every footstep as a pair of red eyes stared at us dispassionately, clearly only caring about the fact that we were considered its enemies and nothing more.
...and I saw her glance toward me out of the corner of my eye as the Metagross rose into the air under the effects of a self-contained magnetic field, though admittedly I was far more occupied with the Deoxys hovering beside it, the Psychic-type's tendril arms twisting and untwisting in some alien display of agitation.
I felt my partner lean against my side, her lips right next to one of those little black appendages that served as both aura sensors and my hearing, her voice hushed even as the Deoxys stared at us with its quite literally alien gaze.
"Riolu...what is that? Is it another legendary? Because I...I don't recognize it."
"It's a Mythical, yeah...basically Legendaries but a little bit rarer. That, though...that's a Deoxys, and I don't know what it's doing h-"
I saw the Deoxys shudder in place, its form twisting in ways that looked almost uncomfortable to look at, before those alien eyes snapped back toward us and it tensed in some way that didn't seem physically apparent but was still somehow obvious to me.
...and then the crystal within its chest pulsed and its body changed again, though this time I could see a sort of alien purpose to it...and I barely had enough time to recognize the Deoxys' Speed Form before it blurred toward us almost too fast for my mind to fully process, arm tendrils slamming down on a hastily raised dome of protective green light.
I turned toward Vulpix just in time for her widened eyes to bore directly into mine, two soft hands shoving another Pure Seed into my hands.
I saw the Deoxys' form change once more, a pair of twin arm-tendrils glowing as it brought them down upon my partner's Protect and shattered it like glass, only for the Mythical to be ever so briefly driven back by a wave of darkness, even as the Metagross flew forward to fill the gap and was summarily knocked out from the detonation of a five pointed star of yellow flame directly between its eyes.
I had just enough time to see a hand covered in dark brown fur rise to push my wrist back toward my body, before the Pure Seed in my hand was shoved almost gently into my mouth and I reflexively bit down even as the Deoxys sped back in to slam a pair of arm-tendrils against her side.
Pure Seed utilized by Riolu.
Okay...okay, just have to get to the stairs, and then it should just be the regular enemy Pokémon we have to deal with.
Apple obtained by Vulpix.
You are now on Floor 6 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.
Well, there's the entire floor's items, so I guess we'll grab those and go-
...and then I felt the soft fur of Vulpix's hands shove against my chest and push me away from her, just as a pair of red and blue arm-tendrils speared through the air where my chest had been, their very ends glowing with the psychic energy of what I could only presume to be a relocated Zen Headbutt.
Fuck, it followed us!
I had a brief split-second to meet my partner's eyes, before I spun around to pour a stream of orange flames from between my lips and the Mythical Pokémon's form changed once again, the alien Pokemon parrying my Flamethrower off of one flattened arm with barely even a wince as yet another Pure Seed was pressed into my hand.
"GO, RIOLU!"
I saw Vulpix's body glow with blue light as the Deoxys raised a familiar green shield, before those alien eyes widened and it sped backward with another near-instant form change as my partner's hands tore through the Protect without even a moment's pause.
As I rose the Pure Seed to my mouth, the Deoxys' eyes shifted toward me and narrowed, before it was forced to blur further back as Vulpix advanced toward it with clearly violent intent.
Pure Seed consumed by Riolu.
Okay, there's the stairs- OH SHIT.
...and I was forced to dodge as the Deoxys appeared right next to me with a flash of light, because of course it knew Teleport, and I saw purple liquid splash over the Treasure Bag as a trap clicked beneath my feet.
Fuck it, I don't know what just got ruined and at the moment I don't CARE, just have to make it one more step-shit!
I had only a split-second's warning as the alien Pokémon's form twisted, before I was forced to dive toward the stairs under a glowing ball of some kind of energy that the interface identified as Psycho Boost, avoiding the attack by mere inches as the prompt appeared and I selected yes with a frantic thought.
You are now on Floor 7 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
I glanced toward my partner even as she put down a Bronzong with an almost disdainful five-pointed star of flame, both of our backs pressed against the nearest wall and a Pure Seed already changing hands from hers to mine.
...and when the Deoxys appeared in front of us, still in what I could vaguely recognize as its Speed Form, I saw its eyes narrow with actual pain as Vulpix jumped up to slam a Shadow Force empowered punch directly into its face and my Dark Pulse washed over its body, before it blurred away from us all the way to the other side of the room.
I saw its eyes narrow as it bent to avoid my partner's spiraling lance of yellow flame, its body twisting in ways that seemed almost painful to witness and far beyond what I could barely remember human contortionists to be capable of.
I watched those alien eyes flick between us as I rose the Pure Seed to my lips and Vulpix stepped forward, flames curling from between her lips and hands trailing the telltale sparks of Force Palm, before its body twisted into Attack Form and it levitated to meet her halfway, arm tendrils nearly blinding with the glow of psychic energy.
Pure Seed consumed by Riolu.
As I ran toward the stairs, I spared a glance toward the interface just in time to see my partner get hit quite hard by what was presumably the Deoxys, and I hurriedly chose the proceed option in order to hopefully spare her from getting hit again.
You are now on Floor 8 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 4.
Fuck, that's a Metagross in front of us.
The Deoxys hasn't reappeared yet, but dammit we do NOT have time for you.
Those clearly dispassionate red eyes narrowed at us, the living supercomputer already preparing to send forth whatever psychic abilities it could bring to bear...and it was promptly met by a Force Palm and a fountain of yellow flames slamming directly into its face.
Okay, grab that TM while we have the time...
Swords Dance TM obtained.
That's fucking useless we already know that...
Alright, anyway, I guess I'll get out the Pure Seed and go...no matter how much I don't want to leave her again.
As I pulled the Pure Seed from our Bag, I felt Vulpix's soft arms pull me into a hug despite the steadily healing bruise on her chest from the Deoxys' arm-tendrils, and I took a moment to press my lips against hers because I didn't know when we'd get another chance to just relax like this, given how much the Psychic Mythical had been hounding us.
"I love you, Riolu...and good luck."
...and I blinked as she pulled the Pure Seed from my hand and pushed it between my lips, my partner's smile matching mine despite the completely fucked up situation we were in.
Pure Seed consumed by Riolu.
There's three items that I'm ignoring and a Metagross, time to see if I can beat it to the stairway.
Oh fuck it used Agility!
Riolu: Speed increased.
As I dove for the stairs, already boosting myself up to match its increased speed, I hissed as I felt a metal leg slam into my back...and I saw the Deoxys appear in a flash of teleportation from the corner of my eye as I hit proceed, its body already twisting into Speed Form as I watched.
You are now on Floor 9 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.
I felt Vulpix lean against my side as we appeared on the next floor, both of us rather mentally exhausted by this point, and I saw her ears twitch as the footsteps of a Salamence cracked the tile behind us
"Just two more, Vulpix...I-I can see the stairs from here, even."
Porygon-Z picked up the Sky Gummi.
...and despite the fact that I could see her mouth move, whatever she said in response was drowned out by a wave of almost-blinding pain as the approaching Porygon-Z projected its hatred directly into my brain.
E̸̻̅v̶͉͆̋ḙ̸̘̅n̵͈̹̐ ̶̻̖͝t̵̞̬̑͋h̸̞͗͘e̴̘̋̆ͅ ̴͈͋ŏ̶̻̮̕n̵̥̘̍e̴̡̖͛̐ ̶̻̝͂t̴̢̹͌h̴͙̘͐͝a̶̳͠t̵̳̾ ̵͔̮̔́D̵̬̙͊i̶̺͈͊a̶̠͌̌l̴̯̫̈g̴̪̞̀̌a̶̖̐ ̶̖̑w̷̦̗͐͠a̷̼̿t̸̟͎̾̌c̵̝̐͛h̶̖̍e̸̳̿d̸͎̲͂̿ ̶̝̬̀ȯ̵̼̫v̷̛͈ͅe̴͍͋̉ř̴̥̜ ̶̥̈͠d̴̖̼̒̓e̸̙̻͐̽s̷̠̀̚p̵̙̀i̸̠͌s̸͚̘̔͠e̴̱̔̕ṡ̷̲̽ ̷͇͊̃ẙ̸̘o̴̢͊͌û̷̪r̷̎͜ ̴̖̈́p̸̺̼̒̀r̷̙͗e̵̤̕s̷͈͋e̵̳͒͑ṉ̶̗͂c̴̳̩̑e̸͖͋,̴̛̯̦ ̵̪̃f̴̞̳̑̊a̸̛̟̠̅ĺ̵̳s̸͈͕̔̄e̸̙̰̍̓ ̷̤̈h̶͖̅̉u̸̥͈͌m̸̟̍a̵͕̝͊̎ń̴͇.̴̲͎̑
C̸͍̎̅ä̷̪́n̷͍̿̔ ̶̩̫̎͝y̴̙̎ó̸͎u̷̘̓̇ ̷̡̟͐n̶̼̭̆̈o̵̯͎̎t̷̨̎͝ ̵̣̻̅s̷̱̟̋͠e̸̝͇͂̌e̶͎̓͐ ̵̣̳̈́t̸̠̓h̷̢́͠a̶̛̯t̵͎̗̓̈́ ̵̠̠͒͠y̵̩͌͜ò̴̻͕u̸̱̻͛ ̶͖̺̈a̶̤̓r̴͖̹̚e̵̯̟͑ ̸̝̿̃ụ̷̋n̵͉͠w̷̡̟͗̄e̶̬̋l̴͙̣̓̕c̷͓͍̆ȏ̷̦m̵͓͊ē̵̖ ̶̡͝i̵͕͚̾n̷͐͜ ̵̨̥̚t̵̥̝̾h̶̫͙͠i̴͕͒ŝ̶̲̟ ̶̰̯̐̈́p̴̞͉̾ľ̸̪̰a̵͓̾͝c̴̰̈́ẻ̸͇,̶͉͛ ̷̩̲̎d̷̘̙̕̚e̸̻̓s̶͈̯͠ē̴̯̬͝c̸̹͙͌̌r̷͗̓͜à̶̡͎t̶̼̅̏ö̶̭͈r̶̛͕͝?̷̼̐́
I barely saw my partner send forth a pair of spiraling lights that caused the pseudo-Legendary Dragon-type to stumble away, before she began absolutely pummeling it with Force Palms and Flamethrowers until it finally went down, and she spun on the spot to fire a Focus Blast at the Porygon-Z as it activated a presumably useless Magnet Rise.
Porygon-Z dropped the Sky Gummi.
...and I could suddenly think again as the Porygon-Z dropped to the ground, before Vulpix threw my arm over her shoulder and walked toward the stairs, angrily kicking the Porygon-Z's unresponsive form as we passed.
Ig-ignore the items and let's go, I...I guess.
You are now on Floor 10 of 10.
Acute Sniffer activated. Total Items on this floor: 3.
Just...just one more. We can do this...
I blinked and I shook my head as I felt my partner press another Pure Seed against my lips, attempting to clear the fog over my thoughts, before I shifted my arm and pulled her further into the sudden embrace.
"Good...good luck, Riolu."
Pure Seed consumed by Riolu.
Porygon-Z picked up the Swords Dance TM.
...and then I blinked as Vulpix appeared at my side, both of us rather thoroughly surprised, and my back met hers as over a dozen enemy Pokemon flooded into the room from both the passageways and teleportation, only stopped from attacking by our twin domes of protective green light.
Warning: Monster House forcibly activated by Deoxys.
Emergency recall initiated, Pure Seed consumed by Vulpix.
That's...that's never happened before, what the fuck-
OH.
Right, worry about that shit later, we've clearly got bigger problems.
...and we both glanced toward the stairs as the Deoxys appeared in a visible flash of psychic energy, rather blatantly blocking our way forward as the enemy Pokémon crowded in around us, its body twisting directly into Attack Form even as one of the Porygon-Z dove into the body of a Metagross and the now-possessed Pokémon let out an uncharacteristic roar of audible rage.
...fuck it, if I need to use something THAT powerful in order to finally take this thing down, then so be it, I'll take the Reviver Seed use if I means we reach the end.
"Vulpix...use Protect, and then run for the stairs as soon as things stop fucking exploding."
I saw those beautiful brown eyes widen as she realized exactly what I was planning to use, before her gaze hardened and her entire body lit up with the familiar blue light of Shadow Force.
"No, Riolu. I'm not going to let you do that, not without me right there with you."
As I watched, two portals formed above my partner's back and a pair of easily recognizable black tendrils slipped through, just in time to stop the possessed Metagross' charge in its tracks and hurl it back into the crowd, the living supercomputer's red eyes having been replaced by the ringed eyes of a Porygon-Z which clearly cared about nothing else but crushing my body beneath all four of the Metagross' metallic legs.
Direct assistance necessitated, additional Shadow Force abilities have been unlocked, my avatar.
"...we go down together then, Vulpix?"
I saw her glance back to send me that oh so beautiful smile, only for her to blink and shake her head as she stared at the two tendrils of Giratina's Origin Form stretching over her shoulders, before she visibly chose to ignore them and take my hand in hers even as the tendrils slammed against the side of a roaring Salamence, both of them passing through our twin Protects without even a moment's pause.
"Always and forever, Riolu."
I took a moment to squeeze her hand as the Deoxys stared at us, our fingers intertwining with reflexive ease as another attack failed to penetrate our shields and I leaned in to kiss the woman I loved more than anything.
"Always and forever, Vulpix."
...and I heard the entire Monster House recoil in unison, as I pulled away from the kiss and an orb of golden light began to shine from the back of my throat.
I turned my head back toward the Deoxys, fully expecting it to attack us on the spot...only to exchange a glance with Vulpix as the alien Pokémon reverted back to its Normal form and moved aside, no longer blocking our path as that alien gaze turned to stare almost disapprovingly at the Porygon-Z floating toward us.
T̸̤̞̉̈́h̴̻̆í̶̖͇ë̸̝̹́v̴̟̠͒͊e̶̦͚͌s̴͇̑̚͜!̷̜̟̅̀ ̸͍̆Y̶̪͑̕õ̴͕u̷̬̅̈ ̸̧͈̃́ẁ̵̟̦͘h̶̢̯͠o̵̺̔͝ ̵̟̏w̵̛̯̫̓o̵̻̍͗͜u̵̪͘͠ḽ̵͗́ď̷͔̼ ̵̤̂̆ḑ̸͖͛ȃ̷̠̭ȓ̵̢̫é̸̗̤ ̷̱̌t̵̪̆̕o̴͈͋ ̸̧͇̈́͘ṯ̸̢̿̕a̶̮͊̈k̵͙̰̓e̵͕̠͒́ ̷̜̥͒̕e̵͖͐v̵̹̽͊e̵̛̦n̸͓̿ ̷̜̒T̷̯̃H̵̜̀̏E̷̡̩̒I̷͙̮͗̅Ȑ̸͚͖ ̸̼̓́p̴̘̎ơ̵̭̰ẁ̸̞̌e̵̘̫͗ṙ̸̡̔ ̶̱͗̊f̷̼͋ơ̸̺̥̈́r̵̤̻͠ ̷̱̅̀ͅy̶͉̿ǒ̷͕͕ǘ̴̲r̸̯̼̊͘s̸̯̱̈́͝e̶̪̰͛l̴̖̻͆v̸̜̫̋͘e̸̢͍̽̿s̸̢̾!̸̜̜͘
I barely saw my partner wince as the Porygon-Z projected its hatred into both of our minds, only for the Deoxys to twist into its Speed form and body slam the artificial Pokémon into the wall, mere moments before a pair of black tendrils lashed through the air where the Porygon-Z had been at a near-lethal speed.
I glanced around as the pain faded, only to see the rest of the enemy Pokémon backing away as if suddenly uncertain, and I began to pull Vulpix toward the stairs by our joined hands as the Deoxys turned to watch us leave, something regretful entering its body language despite the fact that it hadn't physically moved in any discernable way.
Temporal Pinnacle.
As we stepped out of the dimensional corridor, I felt Vulpix's hand squeeze mine as we glanced up at the sky and saw a ring of Unown orbiting beneath the red clouds constantly swirling over the top of the tower, every single one of their eyes locked directly onto us with an almost unnervingly single-minded focus.
I glanced toward my partner just in time to see the two tendrils of Giratina's Origin Form flex from within the portal boundaries of where they were connected to her back, as if they were picking up on her anticipation for the coming battle and fully relishing the ability to inflict violence, before they settled into placidity as her hand squeezed mine again.
...and my gaze met hers as the tower shook beneath our feet, flames curling from between her lips and my free hand trailing the telltale sparks of Force Palm.
"The tower feels like it's going to break apart at any moment, Riolu. Do we...wait, no, you have one. I know you far too well to think that you don't, so... what is our plan, then?"
I took a moment to bring up the interface and open our storage, and I saw her nod to herself as I said the only words she needed to hear in order to understand.
"Stun, Sleep, Vile, Cross-Eye, Hunger."
...before she brought up her own interface and quickly refamiliarized herself with just what those Seeds did.
"Alright...we should hurry, Riolu."
With the plan fully set, we began walking toward the glowing red wall where the Time Gears should have been, keeping our eyes on the pillars on off chance that Dialga was somehow hiding behind one.
...and I was forced to tackle Vulpix out of the way as her foot hit the first step and a clawed foot the size of both of us combined crushed the tile where she had been, before we rolled to our feet in perfect sync and stared as Primal Dialga pulled itself out from the space between moments with a sound like shattering glass and falling diamonds, its red eyes wide with utter madness.
"YOU! YOU...SEEK THE DESTRUCTION OF TEMPORAL TOWER!"
I exchanged a glance with my partner, her hand finding mine and squeezing as I spoke, both of our gazes locked on the glowing red diamond in its chest.
"Uhh...no, we actually brought Time Gears to save Temporal Tower, see?"
I saw those red eyes narrow as it stared at the Time Gears having conveniently poked themselves out of our bag, before it glanced back at the holes where the previous set of Time Gears should have been.
...and when it turned back toward us, I felt Vulpix's hand pull itself from mine and saw her body reflexively glow with Shadow Force, both of us acutely aware from the look in Primal Dialga's eyes that he had rather unfortunately connected the exact wrong set of dots.
"YOU DARE TO BRING RUIN TO MY TOWER! YOU...WOULD DARE TO LIE TO ME, TO STEAL WHAT IS NOT YOURS!"
Riolu: Attack increased, attack increased.
As I braced myself and began to activate Swords Dance over and over again, I caught my partner's gaze and flicked my eyes meaningfully toward the altar, both of us wordlessly agreeing that I'd try to hold Primal Dialga's attention for as long as I could, given that he clearly wasn't willing to listen to reason.
Riolu: Attack increased, attack- stat increase reverted.
...and I saw a wave of broken time flow off of the damaged altar that flowed over Vulpix's body in a rather familiar fashion, before activating Swords Dance again in order to render the reversion meaningless, even as the mad god in front of us twitched and let out a roar of pain as day suddenly shifted to night.
Riolu: Attack increased, attack increased.
Riolu: Attack increased, a̵̮̎̽t̶̤̿t̷̯̄̏a̴̙̩͑c̴͙̓k̴͇͇͋̿ ̴̬͋ͅi̸̫̣͗́ǹ̸̲̣̏ċ̷͓ŗ̴̼̎e̵͉̘̽ȃ̷͙s̶̳̝͐e̷͉͉̓̓d̷͚̅͠.
"FOR...FOR ALL THOSE WHO THREATEN TEMPORAL TOWER, I WILL SHOW NO MERCY!"
Riolu: A̷͙̞͗t̵̨̯͆̏t̵̠̫͊̂ą̶̥́͋c̷̝̀k̴̪̞̂̄ ̷̞͌ͅḭ̸͠ñ̵̡c̵̫͝ṟ̸̐̄ḝ̸̯͝à̵̞s̷̯̩̒̆e̴͖͗̑d̶̨̘͗,̸͔͘ ̷̙̅͜a̴̳͌͗t̷̖̗̐͊t̶̛̩̾ȧ̶͚͆c̴̙̑k̴̛̰̈ ̵̻̦́i̸̘͒n̵̥̩̆̕ć̴͉͈r̵̜͆̈́ê̵͙͜a̷̩̽s̵̻͗ë̶̮̗́ď̸͉̥.̷̳̦̓
Riolu: A̷͙̞͗t̵̨̯͆̏t̵̠̫͊̂ą̶̥́͋c̷̝̀k̴̪̞̂̄ ̷̞͌ͅḭ̸͠ñ̵̡c̵̫͝ṟ̸̐̄ḝ̸̯͝à̵̞s̷̯̩̒̆e̴͖͗̑d̶̨̘͗,̸͔͘ ̷̙̅͜a̴̳͌͗t̷̖̗̐͊t̶̛̩̾ȧ̶͚͆c̴̙̑k̴̛̰̈ ̵̻̦́i̸̘͒n̵̥̩̆̕ć̴͉͈r̵̜͆̈́ê̵͙͜a̷̩̽s̵̻͗ë̶̮̗́ď̸͉̥.̷̳̦̓
Warning: Backlash potential is now unsafe, backlash effect automatically localized.
"Stunsleepvilecrosseyehunger!"
I heard Primal Dialga roar as my partner and I braced ourselves against the beam of distorted time washing over our forms, the black tendrils barely able to physically shield her from the onslaught and reduce the damage she took, before we began rapidly throwing seeds at the recovering mad god.
Stun Seed thrown by Riolu.
Dialga has become petrified.
Sleep Seed thrown by Vulpix.
...and then another wave of broken time from the podium that turned night back into day somehow knocked the Sleep Seed off-course, though I took a moment to thank Arceus only a little bit ironically, since it seemed that Primal Dialga was still petrified.
Right, ignore that and keep going, then.
...and that was the exact moment I remembered that we hadn't grabbed any Oran Berries.
Fuck it, we'll just keep hitting him with seeds even if he still ends up knocking us both out, we've got the Reviver Seeds to weather it even if it'll HURT.
Vile Seed thrown by Riolu.
Dialga: Defense and Special Defense temporarily minimized.
As Vulpix and I braced ourselves against another beam of distorted time, I felt all of the pain suddenly stop as a flash of light consumed my vision, and I blinked away my disorientation just in time to read the two notifications in front of us as Primal Dialga began to recover from the exertion of using Roar of Time.
Reviver Seed utilized: Riolu has been automatically revived.
Reviver Seed utilized: Vulpix has been automatically revived.
I exchanged another glance with my partner as Primal Dialga glared at us...before he was promptly distracted by an X-Eye Seed slamming into his face.
X-Eye Seed thrown by Riolu.
Dialga is now hallucinating.
Just...just the Hunger Seed, now.
Hunger Seed thrown by Vulpix.
Hunger Seed effect negated by Self-Curer IQ Skill.
FUCK!
...and I heard Primal Dialga roar in pain as I jumped up to slam an over-boosted Focus Punch directly into his face, instantly knocking out the mad god in a single strike, before I landed...and instantly fell to my knees as the metaphorical liquid fire of pain poured from my wrist, much like the flames that flowed through my partner's veins.
Backlash effect has exceeded safe levels, all damage has been localized to the primary impact area.
I barely felt Vulpix's hand grasp my shoulder and squeeze as I cradled my thoroughly broken wrist and tried not to scream through my teeth, the tiles beneath our feet jumping entire inches in the air as Primal Dialga collapsed onto his side in front of us, and I felt my partner's hand tighten on my shoulder once more as I pushed myself to my feet despite the nearly blinding pain.
I felt her hand leave my shoulder to gently intertwine her fingers with mine, her other hand pulling one of the Time Gears from our bag as we walked past Primal Dialga's unconscious form...and the black tendrils hovering over her shoulders speared forward to tear a hole through another wave of broken time as it flowed around us, my partner's hand squeezing mine as she lifted the first Time Gear and settled it into place.
I exchanged a glance with Vulpix as the air around us shifted from another pulse of crackling stasis and day yet again turned to night...and I barely managed to push us both to the ground as a colossal tail covered in draconic energy swept through the air where we had just stood, Primal Dialga's footsteps cracking the tile behind his feet as he proceeded to kick us rather harshly away from the dais.
Ow.
I blinked as my partner helped me to my feet, my wrist suddenly feeling completely fine, and I glanced at the black tendrils that had dug into the tiling in order to push Vulpix to her feet, before we looked back toward Primal Dialga to find him standing almost protectively in front of the Time Gear wall in the bright moonlight, in what would have probably been a very cinematic pose...had we not been the ones fighting him.
Fuck.
...this shit has turned into a MULTI-STAGE boss fight, then.
I exchanged another look with Vulpix as the altar pulsed again and the darkness of night turned back into the near-blinding brightness of day, both of us noting how the interval between waves had obviously slowed, before I met my partner's eyes and glanced meaningfully toward the four Time Gears laying at Primal Dialga's feet.
...and I felt her lips briefly press against mine as she nodded in wordless agreement, and both of our bodies began to glow with white light as she activated Agility.
Vulpix: Speed increased.
Riolu: Speed increased.
Vulpix: Speed increased.
Riolu: Speed increased.
...and then I saw the two black tendrils of Giratina's Origin Form carve their way through the tiling as Vulpix launched herself toward the Time Gears and I rushed toward Primal Dialga, a Focus Blast in my hand and the orange flames of a Fire Blast on my lips.
That pair of maddened red eyes turned away from me as my partner dove underneath the swinging tail and rolled, scooping up one of the Time Gears as she did so, before the mad god's attention was diverted back to me by a five-pointed star of flame detonating against the side of his head.
...and then I heard him roar as my handheld Focus Blast was slammed directly between his eyes, even as the black tendrils tore through another crackling wave and Vulpix pushed another Time Gear into place.
I saw Primal Dialga turn toward my partner as she stepped back from the wall, Giratina's tendrils changing shape to form the wings of its Altered form in order to shield her from the next wave of crackling stasis as day turned to night once more...and I saw the mad god's tail shroud itself in metallic light and his body begin to turn as she bent down to grab the last three Time Gears off of the floor, his form shrouded in draconic energy and his speed far faster than it should have been, seemingly the result of self-targeted temporal acceleration.
As she straightened, I felt my Aura Sight activate on its own and for a brief split-second, I saw the branching timelines before us and knew, with absolute certainty, that should Primal Dialga hit Vulpix with the Iron Tail swinging toward her, the woman I loved more than anything would die.
...and that was something I refused to accept, even as I activated Agility and threw myself toward my partner, the mad god's aim shifting as I entered his line of sight.
I had only a moment to wonder if I should have regretted my decision, before I was summarily slammed out of the air by Primal Dialga's Iron Tail and I hit the opposite pillar with a near-sickening crack, the wind driven from my lungs even the third Time Gear was slammed home and night turned back into day.
I rose my head just far enough to stare as Primal Dialga stepped closer to me, a five-pointed star of flame detonating against the side of his head before those insane eyes turned back toward Vulpix...and I tried to struggle to my feet, only stopped by the sudden realization that I couldn't feel anything below my waist and that the crack from before had actually been the sound of the pillar breaking my spine upon impact.
I saw my partner send me a glance as Primal Dialga's foot cracked the tiles between us and those black wings shifted back into tendrils, before I said the only thing I could because she needed to know that I couldn't intercept him for her again.
"Vulpix...I can't feel my legs!"
I watched Primal Dialga stop and turn his head toward me, something visibly regretful breaking through the madness in his red eyes, before the crystal in his chest plate pulsed in sync with Vulpix pushing a fourth Time Gear into place and the insanity consumed his gaze once more, day turning to night once again as the glowing orange lines and red crystal of Primal Dialga's body became outright ominous in the moonlight.
Vulpix: Attack increased, attack increased.
...and then I opened my mouth and spat an orb of golden light that split into ten just before impact, the shotgun blast of Arceus' power detonating with enough force to blast Primal Dialga off his own damn tower.
I took a moment to catch my breath and test my legs again, just barely able to get a brief twitch out of them.
...before Primal Dialga flew in from below our line of sight and landed in front of me before I could prepare a second Judgment, confusion and fury briefly overriding the madness in his eyes as he rose a foot to stomp down on my paralyzed form, his body covered in the indigo shroud of another self-targeted Roar of Time and over a dozen glowing Ancient Power stones hovering above his head like a broken crown.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Vulpix: Attack increased, a̵̮̎̽t̶̤̿t̷̯̄̏a̴̙̩͑c̴͙̓k̴͇͇͋̿ ̴̬͋ͅi̸̫̣͗́ǹ̸̲̣̏ċ̷͓ŗ̴̼̎e̵͉̘̽ȃ̷͙s̶̳̝͐e̷͉͉̓̓d̷͚̅͠.
...and as my partner leapt onto the mad god's back and those black tendrils wrapped around his neck to pull his head directly into a Focus Punch, I wondered if it was possible for me to ever love her more than I did in that moment.
I felt the ground shake as Primal Dialga stumbled away, his red eyes shocked as he instinctively tried to pull his head away from the thing causing him pain and the Ancient Power stones crashed to the ground, before the unnatural strength of Giratina's twin tendrils tightened around his throat and forcibly wrenched his head back...and directly into Vulpix's glowing fist, her entire body shining white with the barely contained power of an over-boosted Swords Dance.
Vulpix: A̷͙̞͗t̵̨̯͆̏t̵̠̫͊̂ą̶̥́͋c̷̝̀k̴̪̞̂̄ ̷̞͌ͅḭ̸͠ñ̵̡c̵̫͝ṟ̸̐̄ḝ̸̯͝à̵̞s̷̯̩̒̆e̴͖͗̑d̶̨̘͗,̸͔͘ ̷̙̅͜a̴̳͌͗t̷̖̗̐͊t̶̛̩̾ȧ̶͚͆c̴̙̑k̴̛̰̈ ̵̻̦́i̸̘͒n̵̥̩̆̕ć̴͉͈r̵̜͆̈́ê̵͙͜a̷̩̽s̵̻͗ë̶̮̗́ď̸͉̥.̷̳̦̓
I saw Primal Dialga's leg cleave through the tiles as the disoriented mad god slipped, before he collapsed into a pillar and completely demolished it on his way to the ground as the love of my life punched him in the back of the head again.
I heard Primal Dialga groan as those black tendrils continued to outright strangle him and my partner rose her glowing fist once more, the five-pointed star of a Fire Blast forming between her lips...and I came to the sudden realization that she was about to prevent him from ever being a threat again, if I didn't tell her to stop.
"Vulpix...don't kill him."
...and I saw those beautiful brown eyes lock onto me as the haze of fear and murderous rage cleared from her gaze, leaving only worry where they had once been, before she leapt off of Primal Dialga's back and ran toward me, Giratina's tendrils unwinding themselves from around the mad god's neck without any resistance whatsoever.
I had a moment to realize that I could finally move my legs at least somewhat normally, before Vulpix pulled me to my barely-functioning feet and directly into an almost crushing hug, the black tendrils shifting into wings to drape themselves protectively around my form as my partner's lips met mine.
I felt my partner's lips leave mine and those brown eyes light up with the intent to commit glorious violence as we heard Primal Dialga groan, his red gaze unfocused as he stared at us and tried to rise to his feet.
"BROTHER...FATHER...? WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED ME...?"
I felt Vulpix pull away from the hug, her expression showing nothing but resolve...before I grabbed her hand and squeezed, her startled brown eyes meeting mine as I shook my head and nodded toward the dais, one final Time Gear laying in front of the wall from where she had dropped it, in her haste to save my life just as I had saved hers.
I saw my partner nod to herself, before she threw my arm over her shoulder and we began stumbling toward the dais together despite her clear reluctance, carefully avoiding the holes where some of the Ancient Power stones had punched through the tiles and into the tower floor beneath us, leaving Primal Dialga behind as those black wings tore through another wave of crackling stasis and night turned into day.
Vulpix bent down to pick up the last Time Gear as I reflexively activated Protect at the sight of a Dragon Pulse flying toward us from the corner of my eye, the attack dispersing harmlessly against that green shield of light as we held the final Time Gear together and pushed it into place.
...and I heard Primal Dialga stop as the altar radiated a final pulse of distorted time, day shifting to night for a final time and somehow accelerating, before I turned just in time to watch his stumbling body slip between the space between seconds and disappear from sight.
I waited for the flash of light that would consume our vision and fix everything, before I felt my partner's hand tighten on mine and we walked to the edge of the tower, openly staring at the completely monochrome floating island hundreds if not thousands of feet below us in the almost-faint moonlight, crackling waves of stasis visibly paused just before they had reached beyond the edges of Hidden Land.
It's...not receding, or fading away, or...no.
...we can't have failed, so close to the end.
We...we have options, right? SOME way to fix this?
I turned to meet Vulpix's wide eyes, the barest hint of despair trickling into her aura as those black wings turned back into tendrils and disappeared into their closing portals...and I rose my gaze to the red clouds just in time to watch the ring of Unown divide into three, both of the newly formed rings hovering above the first...and for an ever so brief split-second, I saw the swarm of Unown's eyes flash gold in perfect unison, as clear a hint as they could have possibly given.
Oh.
...that might work, actually.
Holy shit, it might fucking WORK!
I felt my partner's hand squeeze mine as we walked back to the center of the tower, an orb of golden light beginning to glow from the back of my throat as I rose my head to the sky...and the barely visible three rings of Unown began to spin around an invisible orbit, clearly excited in some strange eldritch code kind of way.
I saw the Judgment attack float out of my mouth, hovering just in front of my lips as golden light reflected off of Vulpix's eyes...and I was just barely able to see the Fire Blast flow from between her lips and into the orb of golden light, tinting it ever so slightly orange as the air around us began to burn.
...and then I fired the Fire-type aligned Judgment straight up as my partner tilted her head up to watch, the orb of orange light constricting further and further into itself as it passed through each of the three Unown rings, before shattering in a pulse of divine heat that scattered the red clouds like fog in the morning sun.
I felt Vulpix lay down next to me as we laid on the stone tiles and watched that false sun sit in the sky below the full moon, warm orange light burning away the monochrome stasis of broken time around us as our fingers intertwined and we silently basked in the realization that we'd just saved the world.
...and then I felt her leg swing over my hips, my partner's lips pressing against mine desperately as my arms wrapped around her waist, and suddenly all I could find it in myself to care about was her, the world around us shrinking until there was nothing left except the two of us and that frantic mix of closeness and love, an almost primal need to reassure each other that it would all be okay in our adrenaline-fueled haste.
I pulled myself away from the kiss despite my own reluctance, knowing even without opening my eyes that her lips had tried to chase mine.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Riolu."
I felt myself sink into her without even a moment's resistance, our hips beginning to move together in oh so very perfect unison as I opened my eyes and stared directly into hers, before I lifted my hand to rest behind her head and gently pulled her back into another desperate kiss that she eagerly, hungrily, returned.
...and then we both froze as something coughed, the sound somehow echoing across the tower's pinnacle despite not having any surfaces to echo against, and I pulled away from Vulpix's lips before leaning to the side just far enough to look behind her and see Dialga standing between us and the wall of Time Gears, his oh so clearly sane red eyes clearly staring at the space above us even as that second sun began to fade away.
Despite everything, as my partner turned her head to stare at the no-longer-mad god of time, I couldn't help but wonder if the wisps of flame curling from between her lips were an reflexive reaction to the being we had just fought, or annoyance at being interrupted.
As Vulpix turned her head back toward me, my eyes caught hers and with that single glance, we both knew what the other was thinking, without needing to exchange even a single word.
We were both considering the idea of just ignoring Dialga entirely, and I could very clearly tell that my partner wanted nothing more than for me to roll us over and keep going, in that moment.
...and despite the disappointment I could see in Vulpix's beautiful brown eyes, as she slid my shaft out of her oh so very warm depths and we helped each other to our feet, I couldn't help but feel a surge of slightly vindictive smugness as I realized that Dialga had probably seen all of the timelines where we didn't stop.
"THOUGH I AM GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR YOUR ACTIONS IN RESTORING MY REASON AND HALTING THE COLLAPSE OF TEMPORAL TOWER, I WOULD PREFER THAT THE CELEBRATION OF YOUR VICTORY NOT TAKE PLACE UPON IT."
We watched Dialga turn his head to regard the collapsed pillars and destroyed flooring, remembered pain briefly flashing through his red eyes, before the now blue gem in his chest plate pulsed and the damage began to revert itself.
"THOUGH IT WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED BY THE CRISIS, TEMPORAL TOWER HAS SURVIVED. AND AS YOUR ACTIONS HAVE RESTORED TIME HERE, SO IT HAS BEEN RESTORED ELSEWHERE, THUS THE PLANET'S PARALYSIS HAS BEEN PREVENTED."
I turned toward my partner to send her a relieved smile, just in time for her lips to collide with mine and our bodies to fit together like two matching pieces of a puzzle, only for Dialga to give another echoing cough.
"AHEM...THOUGH I WISH TO OFFER MY THANKS, I MUST ALSO ASK THAT YOU LEAVE THIS PLACE, SOON.
"DEOXYS WILL ESCORT YOU, AND WILL ENSURE THAT YOU ARE NOT ATTACKED BY THE TOWER'S DEFENDERS, UNLESS YOU CHOOSE TO RETURN AND CHALLENGE ME TO A BATTLE.
"FOR NOW, HOWEVER...I MUST SPEAK WITH MY BROTHER."
...and with that, I felt one of Deoxys' tendril arms settle onto my shoulder as the extraterrestrial Pokémon began to escort us away from Dialga and down each floor of the tower, its alien gaze resolute as a Porygon-Z tried to approach us and a directed pulse of psychic power summarily forced it to back off without the Mythical even saying a single word.
At least, not any words that we could actually hear, given that Deoxys was a Psychic-type and could've very well just used telepathy instead.
I felt Vulpix's hand tighten on mine as we passed through the tower's entranceway and Deoxys' tendril-arms released our shoulders, the Psychic-type Mythical's body language somehow expressing gratitude as it hovered back into the shadows and disappeared.
...and as we took a moment to grab a pair of Oran Berries and Heal Seeds from the Kangaskhan Storage rock, we looked up just in time to see a yellow sphere unfold at the edge of the tower's pinnacle and release Palkia, the glow of its shoulder plates visible even from the rock path we were standing on and pink blades of energy curling along its wrists.
2x Oran Berries withdrawn.
2x Heal Seeds withdrawn.
"AH, I SEE YOU HAVE REPELLED THE INTRUDERS, BROTHER! TELL ME, DID THEY FIGHT WELL?"
Despite the distance, we could hear his voice as clear as day, the sound carrying far further than it should have even as Palkia stepped onto the tower's edge and walked out of our line of sight.
"...I SEE, SO YOUR SEAL FAILED, THEN? SHALL I GO DOWN THERE AND DESTROY THEM FOR YOU, BROTHER?
"THEY WERE NOT THE CAUSE? HMM... I SEE, THEN DO YOU KNOW WHO-"
...and then, despite the fact that we could hear him clearly before, suddenly the air around Temporal Tower's pinnacle hardened and Palkia's voice cut out mid-sentence, moonlight bending and focusing to shine on its surface from every angle at once.
I exchanged a glance with my partner and shrugged helplessly, before we turned away from the tower and continued walking.
...and as Vulpix's hand left mine and she walked ahead, her hips and all six tails rather intentionally swaying in the moonlight with every step, I saw a single mote of golden light float in front of my eyes.
...and the air around us that could've been either late-autumn or early-winter seemed to drop ten degrees in a single moment.
Oh.
...so that's how it is, then?
...and as a single notification from our interfaces appeared, I saw my partner's head turn toward me, fast enough that the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with very nearly gave herself whiplash.
Warning.
Riolu is dying.
I rocked onto the backs of my feet as I felt Vulpix slam into my chest, the desperation in her eyes obvious as she pulled an Oran Berry from our bag and pushed it into my mouth.
"No."
Oran Berry ineffective.
In that moment, all I could do was wrap my arms around her waist and try not to join her in crying, despite the fact that I had known that this was going to happen from the beginning, even as she pulled out a Heal Seed and tried again.
"No, no no no no no."
Heal Seed ineffective.
...and then a Reviver Seed was shoved in between my lips, and I saw the exact moment my partner's heart broke and hated myself for causing it.
Reviver Seed ineffective.
"Riolu...no. Please."
All I could do was smile and lean in to kiss Vulpix again despite the tears blurring my vision, my partner and girlfriend eagerly -desperately- pushing herself into the kiss and her body against mine.
...and as we reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, I saw something horrified enter Vulpix's gaze before she shoved her head against my chest, and I could feel her breath hitch as if the emotional pain had somehow become physical.
"...you knew."
"I...I knew, yeah."
I glanced down as the sky began to grow just that little bit brighter, my partner's eyes avoiding mine as she tried and failed to hold the tears back, and I couldn't help but hate myself just that little bit more as she spoke through outright sobs.
Because in all the months we'd been partner and more, all of the battles we'd fought by each other's side and everything we'd gone through, even when the Vulpix-turned-Spiritomb had shown us illusions that almost physically hurt to remember...
...in all of that time, despite all of the pain and the trauma we had gone through together, never had I ever heard her voice so utterly broken.
"...you promised, Riolu."
I could only nod and press my lips against the top of her head, unable to deny the betrayal I could hear in her voice, before she rose her head and those beautiful and heart-broken brown eyes met mine through the watery blur of tears.
...and despite the fact that she hadn't said another word, I could hear the silent accusation as clear as day, as well as feel the regret radiating out of her just like the heat beneath her skin.
Can I really trust you, if you were willing to lie like that?
Was that a lie, too?
...did you ever truly love me, if you were willing to leave me like this?
Even though it hurt to know what she was wondering, hurt enough that it felt like a pile of sharpened rocks had settled directly into my heart and began to bounce themselves off its metaphorical walls, I still rose her head to face me and pressed my lips to hers, desperately trying to convey as much apology and love as I possibly could.
...and felt her freeze and almost pull away, before the woman I loved more than life itself drew a shuddering breath and pushed herself into the kiss, eagerly -desperately- returning it despite the flow of golden motes floating up from my body.
I pulled away from the kiss first, my partner's eyes meeting mine as we held each other on that floating rocky path, and I dared to hope that explaining why would at least help dull the pain.
"I did it because I love you, Vulpix, more than anything... and if there was any, any other path that kept both of us safe and saved the world, I would've taken it faster than a heartbeat.
"I...I just didn't want to take the risk because I was afraid of losing you, because I was afraid that if we tried another path then you would've died instead of me...and I only did this because I knew, with almost one hundred percent certainly, that I'd come back, but...you-you don't have that guarantee, you don't have my get out of jail free card."
I saw those beautiful brown eyes widen through the blur of my own tears as Vulpix put the pieces together, before she closed her eyes and pushed her forehead against mine as she tried and failed to hold back her almost choked sobs, all six of her tails wrapping around my waist as if trying to convey how much she didn't want to let me go.
"Why...why didn't you tell me, Riolu?"
...and I felt the tears finally begin to flow, as I wrapped my arms around my partner and pulled her as far into the embrace as I could without making it too tight.
"Because I didn't want to break your heart twice. Once when you found out what was going to happen, and then again when you tried to stop it and couldn't."
I felt Vulpix's tears soak the fur on my chest as I held her and watched the sky begin to ever so slightly lighten, before I tilted my head down to press my lips against her forehead.
"Pr-promise that you'll come back, Riolu? Please?"
I thoroughly ignored the tears soaking into my chest
"I...I promise, and I plan on keeping this one.
"I'm going to come back to you, Vulpix, no matter how long it might take."
I saw her glance up just in time for my eyes to close, and that familiar pulse of blue lit the world around us in my mind unhindered by the tears blurring my physical vision, before I narrowed my mental eye to focus its sight solely on what was directly in front of me, all the way down to her very soul.
...and what I saw with that almost-but-not echolocation nearly took my breath away as I openly stared at my partner's aura, drinking in the sight of all that she was and committing it to memory.
With the Aura Sight so narrowly focused, I could see everything that made her the woman I'd fallen in love with, the woman I was so willing to sacrifice myself for.
I saw all of her, at her best, at her worst, and everything in between, all of the qualities that made her who she was.
...and in that moment, as I looked at her soul, at everything that merged and flowed to form the greater whole that was the woman I loved more than the stars in the sky, I couldn't help but find it beautiful.
I deactivated my Aura Sight and opened my eyes just in time for Vulpix's lips to meet mine, and I couldn't help but pull her close and say how much she meant to me.
"You really are beautiful, Vulpix, you know that?"
I felt her lips leave mine, the heartbreak in her eyes obvious as more golden sparks floated into the air on a nonexistent wind, and I watched her give a shaky smile despite the tears tracing their rivers of dampness through the fur of her cheeks.
"I...I wouldn't mind hearing it more, Riolu, if you're willing to say it again."
I just smiled and pulled her as close as I could, her chin resting on my shoulder as I moved my lips next to one of her ears and watched it twitch.
"I...I looked at your Aura, Vulpix. I looked deep enough to see all of you...and you know what I saw?"
I felt my partner's arms tighten, the silent question unspoken but still understood because of how well we knew each other.
"I looked at your soul, Vulpix, at everything that makes you who you are...and I saw something so beautiful that I don't even have the words to properly explain it.
"You're beautiful to me, Vulpix, all of you is beautiful to me no matter how good or bad it is, even the parts I know you regret."
...and I felt Vulpix's chest shake against mine as she tried and failed to hold back a fresh wave of sobs, and I had just a moment to hate myself for making her cry again, before she pulled away from the hug and pushed her lips into my own.
"I love you, Riolu."
"I love you too, Vulpix."
For a moment, all I did was hold my partner as we stood together in that not-quite-autumn but not-quite-winter breeze, all six of her tails unfurled and wrapped tightly around my waist to pull me as far into her arms as they could, before I glanced away from her and toward the slowly lightening sky to what I could only guess was our east.
"Hey, Vulpix? How...how does one more sunrise sound, before I...before I have to go?"
I watched Vulpix pull her chin off of my shoulder and her eyes meet mine, the heartbreak in her gaze obvious enough to make the metaphorical rocks in my heart clatter with fresh self-loathing, before she leaned in to briefly press her lips against mine.
"One more sunrise...? Yes, I...I think I'd like that, Riolu."
Despite our clear and mutual reluctance, we still separated just long enough to walk over and sit near but not on the edge of the floating rocky path, just on the off-chance that a stray gust of wind pushed against our backs, my partner's hand catching mine and our fingers intertwining tightly enough to almost hurt, even as she glanced away from the flood of golden sparks floating off of my body with every step I took.
...and I felt Vulpix lean her head to rest her cheek against my shoulder, despite the tears she was trying to hold back and the fresh wave of heartbreak I could see in those beautiful brown eyes, all of six of her tails curling around my waist as I pulled her further into my side and just held her.
As we watched the sun rise on the world we had just saved together, I felt my partner's hand tighten on mine and glanced toward her, red meeting brown as she stared directly into my eyes, desperate hope mixing with the heartbreak as we leaned against each other.
"...come back to me, Riolu?"
"I will, Vulpix. I will, no matter how long it takes."
...and as the numbness crept in, I took a moment to lean in and kiss her one more time, making sure that if I didn't come back, her face would be the last thing I ever saw.
One moment, I was there with her, with the woman I loved enough to die for.
...and the next, I was somewhere else, standing upon a solid floor of nothing and staring out into a potentially infinite void, uncountable white lights lighting up the dark like glowing stars in a midnight sky.
I took a moment to close my eyes and activate my Aura Sight, a pulse of blue radiating out from my body into the v̸͓͖̑̓ǒ̵̺̞i̵̗̩̓͘d̵̖͝ t̷̩̟͒͌h̶̪̥͛e̵̟̮̓b̷̨͌ĺ̴̹̽i̴͕̍̓n̶̪̒͠ͅd̶̹͎̒̀i̸̼͖͋n̷̘͚͌g̴͓͌v̸̰̭͒o̷͚̓̈́i̷̡͊͘d̵͌͐ͅ ẁ̴̥h̷̺̫̒͐y̵̢͉͊ị̸̞͝ś̸̡i̶͕̙͑t̶̡͊ͅB̵̦̀R̴̚͜I̶̡̓̍G̴̯̖͌͂H̴͙͋͝T̷̹͌̋ i̵̧͂̂t̷͇̙͌H̴̫̍U̶̳̎̅ͅR̸͔̈́̀T̷̹̽S̶͖͆̚ I̶̩͙͆T̴͇̀B̶̻́U̷̲̺̍͠R̴̤͐N̴̜̓͘S̵̲̓͘-
"CEASE."
...and then as my mind burned from a pain that somehow wasn't, something reached out and forcibly shut off my Aura Sight with as much ease as I'd need to flick a light switch.
I turned away from that infinite void and toward the voice that I could somehow feel without actually hearing it, my eyes burning with false pain...
...and beheld the God Llama himself, Arceus, watching me with eyes of green and red that glowed without emitting light, something immense and alien and unknowable sitting behind his gaze.
Before the stars moved and what I suddenly realized were Unown, a number of Unown so large as to make infinity a choice of semantics rather than a question, arranged themselves before Arceus to form words.
Hello, Riolu.
...and I found myself blinking in surprise as my interface brought up a single notification, in almost perfect sync with the sound of computer keys to my right, and I turned my head just enough to see Giratina floating behind a keyboard formed from blue light the exact same color as the interface, just hovering there in its Origin Form as a single tendril tapped a key made of what was probably either hardlight or an illusion.
Greetings, little brother.
Ȃ̴̤͠m̵͇̹̿̚ù̴̧̖ś̷͖e̷̢̕m̶͎̂ȅ̴̢̽ṇ̸̕t̷͉͙͗͌.̸̝̅͝
I turned my head to look behind my back, catching a single glance of a swirling portal at the edge of my vision before my eyes locked onto the Etsaru floating behind me, a single blue eye staring directly into mine from within an uncomfortably arachnoid form of purple smoke.
H̶̝̣̀̚ë̶͚́̏l̶̬̉͜l̴͖͎̽̿o̵̰̫̅͋,̸̻͐ ̶͉̟̋h̸̟͉͌e̵͈̓̌ ̶̛̜w̸̼͂̔͜ḥ̴̼͘ơ̷̧̪͘ ̶̦̱͑͗i̶̜̗̽͝s̷̪̾̐ ̵͈̙̐̀á̶̢̚n̶͍͝d̵̰͉̈́̏ ̶̮̩̎i̵̝͕̊̆s̶̱̊ ̶̯̖͐n̴̪͌̾o̴̗̊t̴̘̖̚ ̵̥̠̽ò̸͍u̶͍̐r̶̝̞̓ ̴͖̔͆c̶͔̿̅ṛ̷̨̈́e̶̛̻͊a̷̟̅t̶̩͘ǫ̷̛̠r̷̘͛.̷̢͎́
...right.
I took a moment to glance between the three beings who could each probably slap me halfway across a planet with little effort, especially without-without my partner fighting beside me, before raising a finger to point at the literal god of Pokémon.
"Arceus."
I shifted my gaze to point my finger at the renegade Legendary staring at me with surprisingly calm red eyes.
"Giratina."
...before turning to raise an eyebrow at the multiversal energy being born from the death of a star floating behind me, the purple smoke of its body shifting to something almost but not quite humanoid before reverting its previous spider-like form.
"An Etsaru, a stringweaver, a species that I thought I just made the fuck up on a whim. I'm...I'm going to ignore you specifically because I really don't want to deal with multiverse bullshit on top of everything else."
As I turned away from the Etsaru, its burning blue eye radiating enough amusement that I could almost feel it without my empathic abilities, that swirling portal caught my eye.
...and everything fell away, because in that moment nothing was more important than the fact that I could see Vulpix through it, my partner walking back to the Rainbow Stoneship alone even as another spike of self-loathing stabbed into my heart.
I didn't notice Arceus and Giratina exchange a wordless glance as the Rainbow Stoneship levitated back down to the Hidden Land and slotted itself back into place at the top of the ruins, too busy staring into that swirling portal which showed the woman I loved, despite the pain in my chest as I watched her step off the disc of stone and walk back to Lapras, her brown eyes dark with grief and her body language a shadow of the happiness and contentment that she had once radiated like a star.
All I could do was watch and hate myself, as the woman I had died for walked back to the guild, and pushed herself past our fellow Apprentices without a single word, all of them realizing at the same moment that she had come back alone.
...all I could do was hate myself for breaking her heart, as I watched the woman I loved curl up in our bed and cry herself to sleep.
End of Chapter Eighteen.
...I'm not crying, you're crying.
...okay, fuck it, yeah I'm crying too.
Right, well...can you tell why I had you all grab those tissues?
Anyway, feel free to tell me what you all think of this shit, and here's the invite code for the Official Unchained Explorers Discord Server, if you'd like to join that and tell me how much this chapter hurt to read, or just call me a sadist: eGmzsUPgyJ
...I've also got a soundtrack for this chapter (aka, shit I thought worked for the scenes in question), though feel free to play whatever you'd prefer instead, when reading the chapter.
(Links modified for FFN because FFN is shit and auto-deletes links, lmao, replace "slash"es with /, "dot" with a period mark, and delete the added spaces.)
Temporal Tower run: https: slash slash youtube dot com /watch? /3ZL8k78zSYo, stop at 3:07.
Boss Battle versus Primal Dialga: https: slash slash youtube dot com /watch? /OC2CpYvVBR8.
"We...we have options, right? SOME way to fix this?": https: slash slash youtube dot com /watch? /3ZL8k78zSYo?t=187 (same song as the Temporal Tower run, but timestamped).
Walking down the path: ...there is nothing that could truly replace the OG song, and I wouldn't try if I wanted to because nothing fits better.
...also, as of the publishing of this chapter (December 3rd, 2023), I'm now going to begin cross-posting Unchained Explorers to AO3 as well as FFN and QQ, at a pace of one chapter per week until they're properly caught up and have experienced THE SADStm like you all have, so that's...fun?