diff --git a/pokedex/extract/lib/compressed.py b/pokedex/extract/lib/compressed.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c195efe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pokedex/extract/lib/compressed.py
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+"""Substreams that can handle compressed data."""
+import struct
+
+from .base import Substream
+
+
+class DecompressionError(ValueError):
+    pass
+
+
+class CompressedStream:
+    def __init__(self, stream):
+        self.stream = stream
+        self.data = bytearray()
+        self.pos = 0
+        self._read_header()
+
+    def __len__(self):
+        return self.length
+
+    def read(self, n=-1):
+        maxread = self.length - self.pos
+        if n < 0 or 0 <= maxread < n:
+            n = maxread
+        self._ensure_bytes(self.pos + n)
+        data = self.data[self.pos:self.pos + n]
+        self.pos += n
+        return data
+
+    def seek(self, offset, whence=0):
+        if whence == 1:
+            offset += self.pos
+        elif whence == 2:
+            offset += self.length
+        offset = max(offset, 0)
+        if self.length >= 0:
+            offset = min(offset, self.length)
+        self.pos = offset
+
+    def tell(self):
+        return self.pos
+
+    def peek(self, n):
+        pos = self.tell()
+        maxread = self.length - self.pos
+        data = self.read(min(maxread, n))
+        self.seek(pos)
+        return data
+
+    def unpack(self, fmt):
+        """Unpacks a struct format from the current position in the stream."""
+        data = self.read(struct.calcsize(fmt))
+        return struct.unpack(fmt, data)
+
+    def slice(self, offset, length=-1):
+        # TODO limit or warn if length is too long for this slice?
+        raise RuntimeError
+        return Substream(self, offset, length)
+
+
+def _bits(byte):
+    return ((byte >> 7) & 1,
+            (byte >> 6) & 1,
+            (byte >> 5) & 1,
+            (byte >> 4) & 1,
+            (byte >> 3) & 1,
+            (byte >> 2) & 1,
+            (byte >> 1) & 1,
+            (byte) & 1)
+
+
+class LZSS11CompressedStream(CompressedStream):
+    def _read_header(self):
+        header = self.stream.read(4)
+        self.compressed_pos = self.stream.tell()
+        assert header[0] == 0x11
+        self.length, = struct.unpack('<L', header[1:] + b'\x00')
+
+    def _ensure_bytes(self, needed):
+        self.stream.seek(self.compressed_pos)
+
+        def writebyte(b):
+            self.data.append(b)
+
+        def readbyte():
+            return self.stream.read(1)[0]
+
+        def copybyte():
+            writebyte(readbyte())
+
+        while len(self.data) < needed:
+            byte = self.stream.read(1)
+            if not byte:
+                break
+            b, = byte
+            flags = _bits(b)
+            for flag in flags:
+                if flag == 0:
+                    copybyte()
+                elif flag == 1:
+                    b = readbyte()
+                    indicator = b >> 4
+
+                    if indicator == 0:
+                        # 8 bit count, 12 bit disp
+                        # indicator is 0, don't need to mask b
+                        count = (b << 4)
+                        b = readbyte()
+                        count += b >> 4
+                        count += 0x11
+                    elif indicator == 1:
+                        # 16 bit count, 12 bit disp
+                        count = ((b & 0xf) << 12) + (readbyte() << 4)
+                        b = readbyte()
+                        count += b >> 4
+                        count += 0x111
+                    else:
+                        # indicator is count (4 bits), 12 bit disp
+                        count = indicator
+                        count += 1
+
+                    disp = ((b & 0xf) << 8) + readbyte()
+                    disp += 1
+
+                    try:
+                        for _ in range(count):
+                            writebyte(self.data[-disp])
+                    except IndexError:
+                        # FIXME `it` no longer exists, need len of substream
+                        raise DecompressionError(count, disp, len(self.data), len(self.stream), self.compressed_pos, self.stream.tell())
+                else:
+                    raise DecompressionError(flag)
+
+                if needed <= len(self.data):
+                    break
+
+        self.compressed_pos = self.stream.tell()
+
+        # FIXME check this once we hit eof
+        #if len(self.data) != decompressed_size:
+        #    raise DecompressionError(
+        #        "decompressed size does not match the expected size")
diff --git a/pokedex/extract/lib/garc.py b/pokedex/extract/lib/garc.py
index 4eeadb0..358b6f7 100644
--- a/pokedex/extract/lib/garc.py
+++ b/pokedex/extract/lib/garc.py
@@ -94,7 +94,17 @@ class GARCEntry(object):
     def __getitem__(self, i):
         start, length = self.slices[i]
         ss = self.stream.slice(start, length)
-        if ss.peek(1) in b'\x10\x11':
+        peek = ss.peek(1)
+        if peek == b'\x11':
+            from .compressed import DecompressionError, LZSS11CompressedStream
+            decompressor = LZSS11CompressedStream(ss)
+            try:
+                decompressor.peek(256)
+            except DecompressionError:
+                return ss
+            else:
+                return decompressor
+        elif ss.peek(1) in b'\x10\x11':
             # XXX this sucks but there's no real way to know for sure whether
             # data is compressed or not.  maybe just bake this into the caller
             # and let them deal with it, same way we do with text decoding?
@@ -116,45 +126,6 @@ class GARCEntry(object):
         return len(self.slices)
 
 
-class CompressedStream:
-    def __init__(self, stream):
-        self.stream = stream
-        header = stream.read(4)
-        stream.seek(0)
-        assert header[0] in b'\x10\x11'
-        self.length, = struct.unpack('<L', header[1:] + b'\x00')
-        self.data = None
-
-    def __len__(self):
-        return self.length
-
-    def _decompress(self):
-        self.data = BytesIO(lzss3.decompress_bytes(self.stream.read()))
-
-    def read(self, *args):
-        if self.data is None:
-            self._decompress()
-        return self.data.read(*args)
-
-    def seek(self, *args):
-        if self.data is None:
-            self._decompress()
-        return self.data.seek(*args)
-
-    def tell(self, *args):
-        if self.data is None:
-            self._decompress()
-        return self.data.tell(*args)
-
-    def peek(self, n):
-        if self.data is None:
-            self._decompress()
-        here = self.data.tell()
-        ret = self.data.read(n)
-        self.data.seek(here)
-        return ret
-
-
 
 
 XY_CHAR_MAP = {