Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rising Spirits

Chapter 4, Part 2 - Unbearable Heat

Trevor opened his eyes to find himself back in the same world of morphing colors he had been in a month prior. He remained completely silent as he continued to float aimlessly amidst this sea of blinding lights.

"This dream again," the Meowth mused internally, his thoughts echoing amongst the wall of silence which towered over him. "Why am I-"

"Trevor?" The voice from before rang out from the distance, significantly clearer than the last time Trevor had appeared in this world. "Is that you?"

Trevor eagerly called back. "Y-yes! Hello? What is this place? Who are you?"

A silhouette suddenly apparated itself in front of Trevor, small and with two feather-tipped tails. The Meowth's heart began to pound ferociously as he awaited the shadow's next words.

"Human, it's about time you-" the shadow's voice cut off briefly, then re-emerged with a harsher tone. "Wake up."

"Huh?" Trevor murmured, startled by this sudden command. "What do you-"

"Wake up!" the voice continued to insist, only growing harsher and louder with each time it repeated the same two words.

Trevor could only shake his head in confusion. "I don't..."

"C'mon, Treph, wake up!"

Upon hearing the harsh voice crescendo into a forceful shout, Trevor frantically began flailing his limbs as everything around him seemed to tremble violently before dissipating into nothingness. With a startled grunt, Trevor wrenched open his eyes to find Aiden grabbing him by the shoulders in an attempt to shake him awake.

"We're here!" Aiden remarked upon seeing Trevor wake up while motioning towards a massive expanse of red earth in the distance. Upon recollecting his senses, Trevor looked around to find a cluster of massive volcanoes jutting out from a seemingly endless stretch of rocky, red-colored terrain. Aiden took a deep whiff of the smoke-filled air with a wistful expression.

"Welcome to the Ash Continent." the Scorbunny muttered in a low voice.

After walking through a winding path, the pair wound up in a busy plaza bustling with tough, stern looking Pokémon which marked the center of Ore Point. Instead of scarves and satchels, the Pokémon in the Ash Continent preferred hard hats alongside thick belts holding a variety of tools, many of which were chipped and worn from constant use. Stalls which would have sold berries and incense in the Lush Continent now housed a myriad of powerful-looking merchants displaying an array of shiny gems and colorful stones. Between the lively vendors, the stifling heat, and the overbearing smell of ash which lingered in the air, Trevor couldn't help but stagger slightly as he felt his head begin to spin. Nonetheless, the Meowth continued forwards while squinting at the crumpled flyer held in his paws.

"I think we're supposed to meet our client here, at the center of this plaza," Trevor stated, "You doing okay, Aiden?"

Trevor looked upwards from his flyer to see Aiden fidgeting nervously while struggling to let out a plastic smile. "Yep. Everything's gonna be juuust fine," the Scorbunny muttered, "Let's just find whoever our client is and get this over wi-"

"Hey! Long time no see!" shouted a gruff voice which immediately caused Aiden to tense up. As Trevor turned his head to trace the unknown voice's source, he found himself face-to-face with a lean Raboot, his yellow eyes burning with intensity as he pulled his jacket down to reveal a sly, condescending smile. His entire body was stained with soot and ash.

"It's been too long..." he stated while giving Aiden a hard slap on the back, "...lil' Sis!"

Aiden's plastic smile faltered slightly upon seeing the Raboot, beads heartrate rapidly rising despite her best attempts to remain calm. "H-hey, Sid!" she greeted as enthusiastically as she could manage, "Good to see you, bro! How've you been?" Aiden abruptly turned towards Trevor with wide, manic eyes. "Treph, this is my big brother, Sidney! Sidney, this is my friend and fellow explorer, Trevor! I'm sure that you two'll become the best of pals!"

Trevor tentatively extended a paw out, only for Sidney to remain completely still without taking it. He hastily retracted the gesture.

"Seriously though," Aiden continued, attempting to ignore Sidney's adamant refusal to shake Trevor's paw, "How've you been?! How're Mum and Dad doing? C'mon, talk to me here!"

"Stop pretending like you care," Sidney suddenly stated with a low tone, completely dropping his lighthearted attitude from a few seconds prior. The siblings stared silently into each others' yellow eyes for what seemed like hours as Trevor awkwardly stood nearby.

"Aaanyways," Aiden hummed while absentmindedly darting her eyes to scan the entirety of Ore Point's bustling roads, "Nice catching up and all, but we've got a client to meet for a mission. Explorer business, y'know. Let's catch up later!"

Sidney only offered a light chuckle in response. "Oh, a mission!" he exclaimed sarcastically, "How exciting! You two have to find a Moonstone, right? At the Forlorn Mines?"

Aiden's jaw turned completely limp. "H-how did you-"

"You needed to find your client, right?" Sidney asked while confidently pointing towards himself. "Well, search no more, he's right here! I managed to catch word about you forming your little team, and knew I had to celebrate your newfound success face to face! So, I decided to make a little request to have my mission sent directly to your abode in the Lush Continent so that we could have a little... family reunion of sorts."

"So that flyer was a trap..." Aiden quietly murmured, "Looks like somebody forgot to tell me about how he got the mission through our mailbox rather than the request board..."

Trevor ashamedly looked away, having completely and utterly fallen for Sidney's little scheme.

"Well?" Sidney declared while clapping his paws together, "I'm your client, so shouldn't we get going?" The Raboot raised his hands, then placed them firmly on Trevor and Aiden's shoulders. "It'll be fun! We'll enter the dungeon, search for the stone, and maybe even... break the ice in the meantime! Catch up on old times!"

Aiden forced a large, bucktoothed smile. "Yeah," she proclaimed through gritted teeth, "It'll be fun, alright! Just like old times!"

Trevor felt his heart strain from unease as the three left the plaza in absolute silence, waves of tension emanating from the now reunited siblings.