Dragonfox Hero (Dragonfoxtaur TF)

Part 1

In the summoning chamber of another world…

The summoning chamber thrummed with magic. A dozen robed mages stood in a perfect circle, their voices weaving together in a low, resonant chant. At their center, the head mage raised his staff, its crystal blazing with runes.

With a sharp cry, he brought the staff down.

A column of white light erupted from the circle, roaring as though the heavens themselves were being torn open. The floor trembled. The mages gasped and shielded their eyes as the radiance flared higher, higher… until it burst apart like shattered glass.

Standing in the fading glow was no ordinary hero.

A towering figure with four pink dragonlike legs, a fox tail fanning behind her, scales glimmering against pink skin, and pink-blonde hair tumbling around fluffy ears. A dragon, a kitsune, a taur… something that looked equal parts like all three and at the same time extremely cutesy.

The chamber fell silent, until the head mage took a reverent step forward. “The summoning is a success,” he announced. “The Hero has arrived!”

A ripple of cheers and gasps spread among the mages. Whispers darted around the chamber.
“So majestic!”
“Look at the tail…!”
“Are those dragon scales?”

The head mage raised his voice again. “Hero, you have come at last. Tell us, are you indeed the one chosen by the goddess?”

Savru straightened, one leg twitching faintly.
“Yes, we are th—”
“I am the Hero. Yes. I have been sent by the goddess personally to your aid.” She said, interrupting herself in an odd manner.

The chamber erupted into relieved cheers. But over the noise, the Hero’s lips moved again, barely audible. “…against our will, that is.”

The head mage, oblivious, beamed and stepped closer. “A joyous day indeed. May we humbly ask… what is the name of our new Hero?”

Savru opened her mouth.
“Oh, my name is Sav-”
Another split-second interruption.
“-ru,” she finished quickly.

“Sav…ru?” The mage frowned at the odd cadence.

“Uhm… yes. Exactly. My name is Savru, the Dragon Kitsune. Ahaha…” She laughed, a little too high, a little too nervous.

The head mage accepted it without question, bowing low. “Lady Savru, we have much to discuss. Please, follow me. We have even prepared quarters for you, though we did not anticipate… such an extraordinary form.”

Savru’s tail flicked, her four clawed feet clicking as she followed after him. Her voice dropped to a whisper only she could hear. “…Neither did we.”

Part 2

After a longwinded exposition dump in the royal conference room…

The heavy doors closed behind the maid with a polite bow. “If Lady Savru requires anything, please ring the bell. We shall attend to you immediately.”

The dragon-kitsune-taur gave her best regal nod, tail curling in practiced elegance. “Thank you kindly.”

The maid smiled, then slipped out, leaving Savru alone in her lavishly prepared quarters.

The instant the latch clicked—

“Haaaaahhhhhh…” Savru let out a sigh so deep it rattled the curtains. A sigh that carried the weight of two people at once.

“What a weird situation to be in, huh?”

Her voice echoed in the quiet room. Then, without pause, she spoke again. “I should really take some notes from how these maids act. They’re actual maids, unlike anything back in Kobayashi’s world. They’re so diligent!”

A beat. Then another voice, no different in sound, but dripping with annoyance, snapped through the same mouth. “God, could you pull yourself together? You seriously don’t care about us being stuck together in this body at all, huh? …Tohru?”

Savru’s lips pursed, then moved again, this time more carefully. “Your name was… Savoia, right?”

“That’s right,” came the immediate answer, equally from Savru’s mouth.

A pause stretched between them.

“Welp,” Tohru finally said, her tone far too casual, “was fun being fused with you. But I think it’s time we separate again.”

Before Savoia could protest, Savru’s claws began to glow with blinding golden light. Sparks licked across the floor as Tohru flexed her borrowed power. “Let’s just break this spell, or whatever it is, that’s holding us together!”

“Eep—!” Savoia squeaked as Savru’s massive frame lurched upright, tail whipping. With a sudden motion, they raised both clawed hands and slammed them down into the marble floor.

The chamber erupted in flashing sparkles, the walls rattling as magic coursed wildly through the room. Curtains flew, furniture trembled, and the bell on the nightstand rang all on its own.

And then… silence.

The glow fizzled out. The claws dimmed. The sparkles vanished.

Savru stood there in the wreck of her room, smoke curling faintly off her fingertips.

“…It didn’t work,” Savoia said flatly.

“Yeah,” Tohru admitted, equally stunned. “I noticed.”

Part 3

The same day, just much earlier in the divine realm…

The office looked more like a mortal workplace than any divine realm should. Stacks of glowing parchment leaned precariously on every surface, and a typewriter-like contraption clicked away in the corner all on its own.

Behind the cluttered desk sat the goddess. Not in robes, nor a halo, but in a sharp business suit with her hair in a bun, spectacles sliding down her nose. She rifled through glowing files with the expression of a woman five minutes late to every deadline in the universe.

“Alright,” she said briskly, not even looking up, “you are the chosen Hero of another world. You will bring salvation to—”

Then she glanced up.

Her pen clattered out of her hand. Sitting before her were two girls.

On one side, Tohru: tall, blonde, horns gleaming, posture full of smug dragon pride. On the other, Savoia: a pink-haired, single-tailed kitsune with curious eyes and a slightly sheepish smile.

“…Wha—?” the goddess blinked rapidly, rubbing her temples. “No. No, no, no, this isn’t… You’re not supposed to be plural.”

“Plural?” Savoia tilted her head. “So wait… are we both going to be heroes?”

Tohru snorted, folding her arms. “Pass. I’m no hero. I’m a dragon. I don’t need your little titles.”

The goddess went pale. She flipped through her glowing parchment faster and faster, muttering under her breath. “No, no, no, I can’t…! Two heroes means two salaries, two quest chains, two reports to upper management…” Her eyes widened in horror. “If this gets out, my record is ruined! A perfect streak… destroyed by a double-pull error.”

“Um,” Savoia began, ears twitching nervously, “are you alright…?”

“No! I am not alright!” the goddess snapped, springing to her feet. “But I will be if no one ever finds out.” She jabbed a finger at the two of them. “There’s only one solution!”

Before either girl could react, she snapped her fingers.

“Ah!” A crushing force seized Tohru and Savoia, dragging their bodies toward each other. Their protests overlapped in a chorus of alarm as their forms collided… then began to melt.

Flesh and scales, fur and horns swirled together like molten glass. Tohru’s golden hair bled into Savoia’s pink, strands weaving into a shining pink-blonde mane. Their faces merged, features blending into something neither one nor the other. Their chests swelled alarmingly, pressing against their clothes before reshaping into something far more generous.

Their legs fused and multiplied, dragon claws stamping against the floor as their lower body grew into a massive taur form. Behind them, Savoia’s single tail ballooned outward, blossoming into one immense, plush pink fox tail, tipped with scales. Atop their head, two sharp dragon horns curved proudly skyward.

The light faded.

Where two girls had sat, only one remained, an imposing dragon-kitsune-taur hybrid, blinking in shock.

The goddess exhaled, tugging at her collar. “There. Perfect. A single hero. Seamless.”

Savru, because that was what she was now, stared down at herself, then muttered under her breath in a voice that was both Tohru’s and Savoia’s at once. “…What the hell just happened?”

“Another plus side is that fusion results in a single, new mind. Meaning neither of them will remember what happened. So neither of them can tell on me…” The goddess muttered, then straightened up trying her best to sound professional. “You have just been called by me into the heavenly realm, because you are about to be summoned into another world as a hero. Rejoice, as a new adventure will start soon! …if you would now please follow me into the summoning preparation room. Your summoning will happen anytime between in ten and thirty minutes.”

Part 4

In the Summoning preparation room…

The divine preparation room was little more than a waiting lobby, if a lobby had floating runes for wallpaper and chairs carved out of clouds. Stacks of golden parchment littered a nearby desk, a half-finished cup of celestial coffee steaming beside it.

The goddess had practically shoved them in and hurried out the door, muttering about “deadlines” and “upper management breathing down my neck.” The door slammed shut, leaving silence in her wake.

Savru, still blinking in shock at her new taur form, shifted uncomfortably.

“…I can’t feel my legs,” Savoia’s voice muttered through their shared mouth. Her arms lifted, patting down clawed thighs and scaled knees. “Wait… no, I can feel them. I just… can’t move them.”

“What are you talking about?” Tohru’s sharper voice answered, annoyance dripping through the same lips. The lower half of their body suddenly lurched forward, claws clacking against the marble floor. “See? Legs are fine.” She strutted a few steps, tails swishing proudly.

Meanwhile, Savru’s upper body flailed helplessly, arms twitching out of sync. Savoia grunted, trying to cross them, only for one hand to smack herself in the face. “Okay. Okay, that’s not me. I can’t even move them where I want!”

The two fell silent, testing in awkward unison. Tohru tried to run forward, Savoia attempted to pull back. The result was Savru crab-walking in a strange circle, arms waving wildly like a puppet on bad strings.

After several minutes of tripping over themselves, Savoia sighed. “…So I think the goddess wanted to create a fused personality and instead split the controls.” She tapped her chest with one hand. “I’ve got the torso. Arms, upper body, the works.”

“And I’ve got the lower half,” Tohru confirmed with a stomp of their claws.

They both paused, then spoke together. “And both can talk through the mouth.”

A beat.

“Huh,” Tohru said flatly. “That goddess sure is incompetent.”

Before Savoia could agree, the runes carved into the floor flared to life. Light surged upward, forming a blinding column around them.

“Eeeep—!” Savoia squealed as Savru’s body lifted into the air, every scale and hair humming with divine energy.

And with a thunderous crack, the dragon-kitsune taur was swallowed whole by the light, ripped from the waiting room and hurled toward the mortal realm.

Part 5

The next day, making an attempt to pick a weapon…

The smithy was hot, noisy, and glorious. Sparks leapt from the forge as the blacksmith hammered glowing metal into shape. The air smelled of coal, steel, and sweat.

Savru ducked her horns through the doorway, claws clicking on the stone floor. Her single massive tail swished behind her, nearly knocking over a rack of spears.

The blacksmith looked up, blinking. “…Well. Ain’t seen one o’ you before. Whatcha need? Boots? Saddle? Bracers? …Uh. All of the above?”

The knight-captain, who’d escorted them, cleared his throat. “Lady Savru is our new Hero. She requires arms and armor suited to her station.”

“Station?” Savru grinned wide, her voice suddenly sharp and proud. “Weapons and armor are for weaklings. Real dragons fight with claws!”

The smith froze, hammer half-raised. “…Claws. Uh-huh.”

But then Savru’s lips moved again, tone changing in an instant. “Oh no, don't get me wrong! I’m fascinated! Look at the tempering on that blade rack! And those pauldrons, are those mithril inlay? And I was saying that I need something that is at least as tough as a dragon claw, and your craftsmanship fits beautifully!”

The smith blinked, glanced at the captain, then back at Savru. “…Is she… complimentin’ me or threatenin’ me?”

“Yes,” the captain muttered under his breath.

Savru leaned over the counter, tails wagging excitedly. “I want something elegant! Graceful! Perhaps a something grand too, like a big—”

“Ridiculous!” her voice snapped, cutting herself off. “You already have claws sharper than any forged toy!” She flexed one scaled hand, sparks scraping against the stone floor.

The smith slowly set down his hammer. “…Y’know what, I’m not askin’ questions. What exactly are we makin’ here?”

Savru looked between him and the captain, then tilted her head down and muttered, barely audible: “…Tohru. Please. Shut up. Let me handle this.”

A beat of silence. Then she straightened, putting on her brightest smile. “Alright! Here’s what we need. Reinforced talon-caps for Toh… I mean, my claws, so they hit like steel, and a longsword, perchance big enough to wield even while running.”

The smith’s eyebrows shot up. “…Now that I can work with.” He grinned, already pulling out chalk to sketch. “A monster with a blade, eh? This’ll be fun.”

The captain gave Savru a wary side-eye as the smith bustled off to his forge. “…Do you always argue with yourself?”

Savru’s smile twitched. “…No? We… I would never.”

“Aha.” Was all the guard captain said, with a look that said much more than his words.

Part 6

The next week, in their very first real fight…

The villagers huddled at the edge of the field, pointing toward the beast rooting through their crops. The “monster” turned its massive head, tusks gleaming, an oversized boar with eyes full of rage.

The knight-captain barked an order. “This is your first quest, Lady Savru! Drive it away… or better yet, slay it!”

Savru stepped forward, claws flexing, greatsword gleaming on her back. She took a deep breath.
“We’ve got this,” she said.
“We’ve definitely got this,” she agreed with herself, then immediately contradicted herself.

“Alright, I’ll finish this quickly with my claws!” Tohru’s voice rang proud.
“Excuse me? No, we use the sword! The sword!” Savoia argued, arms reaching back to yank the blade free.

The boar squealed and charged.

Savru lurched forward, legs pumping one way, arms swinging another. Savoia raised the sword high, but Tohru juked left at the last second. The blade whooshed past empty air, nearly taking off a fencepost.

“Why’d you dodge?!” Savoia snapped.
“Why’d you swing?!” Tohru snarled back.

The boar turned, snorting, and came barreling back.

“Claws this time!” Tohru roared, lunging forward with deadly precision, only for the upper body to twist sideways as Savoia tried to line up a sword strike. The result: the claws scraped dirt while the sword smacked harmlessly against the ground.

The villagers winced as one. “Ooooh…”

“Stop pulling me!” Tohru shouted.
“Stop running the wrong way!” Savoia shouted back.

The boar squealed again, lowering its head for another charge.

“Fine! Ill handle this!”
“No I will!”

They both moved at once, utterly out of sync. The legs tripped over themselves, the arms causing an imbalance due to the massive sword, and Savru’s enormous frame toppled forward like a felled tree.

With a resounding CRASH, they landed square on top of the charging boar.

Silence. Dust. A faint squeal muffled under their bulk.

When the dust cleared, the boar was flat on the ground, dazed and twitching, eyes spinning.

The villagers erupted in cheers. “The Hero has slain the beast!” “Praise the Dragon Kitsune!”

Savru slowly lifted her head, dirt clinging to her hair. Both voices spoke in unison. “…Yes. Totally intentional.”

Somewhere in the distance you could hear the knight captain facepalm.

Part 7

The next day, the captain summoned Savru to the training yard alone…

The training yard was quiet save for the rustle of the morning breeze. Wooden dummies stood in neat rows, and a rack of blunted weapons gleamed in the sunlight.

Savru shifted awkwardly on her four clawed feet, massive tail swaying nervously. The knight-captain stood before her, arms crossed, helm tucked under one arm. His gaze was sharp, but not unkind.

“I see…” he said at last, after hearing their stumbling explanation. “So you are two different people mashed into one hero?”

Savru’s ears twitched. “…That would explain a lot of what you saw,” The captain admitted, thinking a bit more.

Tohru huffed, tail swishing. “Not that we needed to explain. We’re still strong!”

The captain raised an eyebrow, then chuckled softly. “I am glad I booked this private session, then. Secrets aside, a hero must master their body, whatever form it takes.”

There was a moment of silence, oddly tender, as Savru felt the weight of his words.

“Now,” he barked suddenly, clapping his hands, “to work! Arms and legs must be in sync!”

The training began with push-ups.

Tohru, eager to prove herself, drove their lower body down with dragon strength. Unfortunately, Savoia wasn’t ready, and the torso went flat into the dirt with a muffled splat.

“Too fast—TOO FAST!” Savoia yelped, spitting grass.

The captain pinched the bridge of his nose. “Again.”

Next came weapon drills. Savoia hefted the massive longsword, eyes glinting with determination. She swung left, elegant and precise—

But the legs suddenly dashed right. The result was Savru spinning like a drunken top, blade carving wild arcs through empty air.

The wooden dummy behind them collapsed in half. The one in front of them remained untouched.

“Hey, I hit something!” Savoia said proudly.
“You missed the target!” Tohru barked back.

The captain sighed. “…Again.”

Hours passed. They sweated, stumbled, argued, and occasionally flattened themselves into the dirt. But slowly, painfully, they began to find rhythm.

A lunge here. A timed swing there. Legs moving where arms wanted to go. Arms striking when legs gave them the opening.

Finally, with a sharp cry, Tohru charged, and Savoia brought the blade down in perfect unison. The training dummy exploded into splinters.

Both halves of Savru panted, wide-eyed. “…We did it.”

The captain studied the wreckage, then them, and gave a slow, genuine nod. “You’re… unconventional. But effective.” His stern expression softened into the faintest smile. “I see potential. I really do.”

For once, Tohru and Savoia said the same thing at the same time.
“…Thank you.”

Part 8

A month after the summoning, in a massive hotspring near a mountaintop…

Steam curled lazily into the night air, carrying the scent of minerals and pine. The hot spring rippled around Savru’s enormous form, water lapping at scales and fur alike. The warmth seeped into every muscle, every joint, every tired part of them.

For the first time in weeks, they weren’t fighting, training, or tripping over themselves. Just soaking.

“Haaaaah…” they sighed together, the sound almost content enough to shake the stones.

Savoia let their arms float up, studying her hands through the steam. “You know… it’s been a month since we got summoned. And I don’t think we ever really just… looked at ourselves.”

Tohru shifted their massive claws under the water, curling and uncurling them with dragon pride. “Hmph. I did, a little. But I was too busy being annoyed at the goddess to care.” She glanced at their reflection shimmering across the spring. “Still… you’re right. It’s kind of… something.”

Their shared face softened, tails wagging lazily in the water.

“You know,” Savoia murmured, “I always thought dragons were awesome. The scales, the horns… the raw power. It’s hard not to admire it up close.” She tapped one horn gently, smiling.

Tohru chuckled, leaning back so the steam clouded around them. “And I have to admit… the kitsune thing has grown on me. The tails, the ears. Even the hair.” She used one of her massive claws to flick one pink-blonde lock out of their eyes. “It’s… cute.”

For a moment, neither of them argued. They just watched their reflection in the rippling water… the pink-blonde hair, horns proud, ears perked, a great fluffy tail trailing behind their scaled haunches. A body that shouldn’t exist, but did.

“…We’re cute,” they said at the same time, then laughed.

The night passed in the warmth of the spring, their bickering stilled for once, replaced by something rare and treasured. A quiet wonder at the strange, beautiful body they now shared.

Savoia tilted their head, letting their arms rest against the water. After a pause, she murmured, “Although… I do have a feeling our chest has grown bigger than either of ours was before.”

Tohru snorted. “I don’t think so. I’ve always had the same cup size.” She smirked proudly. “D for Dragon.”

Savoia giggled, grabbing her tail out of the water with her hands. “Then just imagine what would happen if you became a kitsune…”

Both of them broke into laughter at the same time, the sound echoing off the rocks and steam, carrying into the night.

Part 9

Two months later, in a village to the demonrealms border…

The tavern buzzed with the clatter of mugs and low chatter. Savru hunched a little on her stool, four clawed legs didn’t fit well under a table, and her tail had already knocked over a chair once, but the stew was hearty and the ale was cold.

She raised her mug when the voices at the next table drifted over.

“…the Demon General, aye. Camp’s not far from here. They say he’s marching with a whole army.”

“Whole army?!” another villager hissed. “This town’ll be dust if they come through.”

Savru froze mid-bite. Her ears twitched.

Tohru’s voice came through their mouth, muffled around a mouthful of bread. “Ha! Perfect. If the general’s that close, we can finish this whole mess fast. Then I can finally be done with this stupid hero gig.”

Across the table, the knight-captain looked up sharply from his plate. “…Done? You mean… you plan to leave so soon?”

Savoia set their mug down gently, her softer tone slipping through the same lips. “Of course. Once the Demon General is defeated, we’ll be summoned back to our own world. That’s the deal.”

The captain’s brows furrowed. His shoulders sagged, just for a moment. “…I see. Then this land will lose its hero as soon as it gains her.”

Savru tilted her head, tails twitching in discomfort. But before she could reply, the captain straightened and gestured for them to listen.

“Regardless, you must know what you’re facing tomorrow. Our scouts report that the general has reinforced every entrance to his fortress with guards. The gates, the cliffs, the sewers, even the skies are heavily defended.”

Tohru smirked. “So what? We smash through anyway.”

The captain sighed. “…Yes. That is the plan. The front gate is, strangely enough, the least reinforced now. So tomorrow, we will send you, Lady Savru, straight through the army. You will face the general head-on.”

Savru blinked, both voices overlapping. “…Wait. Through the front gate?”

“Yes.” The captain took a solemn sip of his ale. “It is the only way.”

There was a beat of silence. Then Savru groaned into her stew bowl.
“…This is going to be ridiculous.”

“I didn't want to believe it myself at first either, trust me.” The captain sighed, before raising another toast to victory for the very next day.

Part 10

The next day, in the demon generals castle…

The battlefield was smoke and fire, steel ringing against steel as knights clashed with demons. At the center, the Demon General staggered back, his once-massive frame scorched, claw clutching his bleeding side. His crimson eyes burned with rage as he snarled, spitting blood into the dirt.

“Damn you…” he growled. “I knew I should have locked the front gate!”

Savru towered before him, blade gleaming in her hands, claws still dripping with power. Her breaths came fast, but steady. For once, the legs and arms moved as one, a terrifying harmony of dragon strength and kitsune grace.

“This is it,” she roared, both voices in perfect unison. “The war ends here!”

With a final lunge and a sweeping slash, the blade cut through the general’s guard. He staggered, cried out… and collapsed to his knees. The battlefield froze for a heartbeat, then erupted in cheers as the Demon General toppled into the dirt.

Savru threw her head back, tails fanning high. “Hah! Victory! The war is won!”

But from the ground, the general coughed a bitter laugh. “…Fool. You think this is over? There are still three more generals who will avenge me. And if not them, then the Demon Lord himself… will take you down personally.”

Savru froze mid-celebration. “…Wait. You’re not the Demon Lord?”

The general blinked. “…No? I’ve never claimed to be him.”

Their ears twitched. “…The Demon Lord and the Demon Generals aren’t the same thing?”

“…Also no.”

There was a beat of silence, then Savru’s eyes widened. “You mean to tell me… there are three more idiots like you I have to beat up before I even get to the real final boss?”

The general grimaced. “…I mean, I wouldn’t have called my colleagues idiots, but… yes?”

“GOD DAMMIT!” Savru’s voice shook the field, claws digging into the dirt. “THIS IS GOING TO TAKE FOREVER!”

The cry rang out across the battlefield, louder even than the panicked screams of fleeing demons, louder than the triumphant cheers of the knights who were already raising banners in victory.

For Savru, though, the only sound was her own groan of despair echoing into the smoke-filled sky.

Part 11

A few days later, back at the royal palace…

The great hall glittered with banners and candlelight. Music swelled, goblets clinked, and roasted meats filled the long tables. At the center, upon a raised dais, the king himself stood and raised his cup.

“To Lady Savru, our savior in our darkest hour!” His voice rang out, echoing off marble walls. “By her claw and blade, the Demon General has fallen! Tonight, we feast in her honor!”

A roar of applause and cheers shook the hall.

Savru stood in the center of it all, forced into a smile, her tail waving gracefully as nobles craned their necks to stare at her extraordinary form. She bowed just enough to satisfy the king’s pride, but inside… she wanted nothing more than to be home, away from the noise, away from the obligations.

When she finally slipped away from the dais and into the relative calm of the feast, a familiar figure appeared at her side. The knight-captain, a cup in his hand and a knowing look in his eyes.

“I thought you’d be gone after the Demon General,” he said quietly.

Savru’s smile faltered. She didn’t bother hiding the double tone of her answer. “So did we,” Savoia sighed. “But apparently we have to defeat three more idiots before we can even attempt to beat the one guy we really want to beat.”

The captain nodded gravely, then lowered his voice. “Speaking of… you should know what awaits. The next generals are no small foes.”

Savru tilted her head, ears flicking. “Do tell.”

“There is the Harpy, who rules the mountain peaks. She’s fortified every summit with her flock. Then, the Minotaur, who has claimed ten different labyrinths and turned them all into his domains. And finally… the Terror of the Sea, who lurks somewhere in the ocean’s heart. No sailor dares chart her waters.”

Savoia’s eyes glazed over. All she heard was:
Two weeks of travel time to even reach the base of the mountains—not including the climb. Who knows how long solving ten labyrinths will take. And then an endless, miserable boat ride to find some arbitrary point in the ocean.

Great.

This was truly going to take forever.

Savru slumped in her seat, groaning. But after a moment, the weight of despair eased. Both voices spoke, softer this time, almost smiling.

“…Still. I guess it hasn’t been all bad.”
“…Yeah. We’ve had some fun. More than I expected.”

They glanced down at their reflection in the goblet, pink-blonde hair glinting in the firelight, horns curving proudly, their single great fluffy tail swaying lazily.

Who knew? Maybe there were even more strange, fun things to discover in this ridiculous body.

For now, at least, they would play the part of hero. And maybe, just maybe, they’d enjoy the journey.

—

Combination event: An unlikely combination in an even more unlikely situation.