Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Redemption and Revival

Chapter 3

Ember slowly comes back into consciousness, nuzzling her comfy blanket as it rests against her. This makes a part of her mind confused. Wait... she didn't go to sleep at home, why would her blanket be here? Her eyes open to find not a blanket, but a Pokémon up against her. Stiffening, she opens her mouth, baring her teeth as a fire starts to build in her throat.

Suddenly the events of the previous evening come back to her and she quickly shuts her mouth. A bit of smoke comes from her nostrils as she looks to Sparky, glad she remembered him. Raising her head, she peers into the sky, noting that morning has well and truly come. She puts a paw on his back and, idly noting the Shinx's blue fur is far less coarse than his black, she pushes him lightly. "Hey, wake up."

Sparky reacts immediately to the nudging, though not in the expected way. Rather than instantly waking up, he just squirms a little and yawns before flipping over in his slightly disturbed sleep, now facing the Vulpix with his eyes still closed. Despite her attempt to wake him, he still seems to be resting peacefully, the only hint that he had begun to stir being his changed position.

At their closeness, Ember scoots away, tails coming off them both. "Silly hard sleeper..." Shaking her head, she stands up, shaking herself off a moment and thinking about a nice bath before nudging him again, this time a little harder and with her head. "Wakey wakey."

This time, it has the desired effect. The Shinx slowly starts to stir again, yawning and stretching his body as he returns to consciousness. His eyes slowly open, taking in the scene. "...what happened?"

"Nothing big this time, we just slept." She smiles at him. "Sleep well?"

He rubs at his eyes with a paw. "Well...I had a weird nightmare that I was being chased by robots, but I'm well-rested, so...I guess it was average?" He glances down and notices one side of his body covered in dirt and grass stains. "...ew."

"Good old camping, huh?" She wears an expression similar to his as she flicks her tails forward, picking out bits of leaf and twig with her mouth. "At least we can head back to town today."

"I don't think this is the best first impression of me they'd be able to get," the Shinx points out, trying futilely to brush the dirt off his fur. "Plus, this stuff feels...really weird."

"Might be you being an Electric-type." She tries as best she can to clean herself off too, her tail ending up a bit in need of a brush, but otherwise fine. Her coat still has a small layer of dust, though. "Don't worry, we can get nice and clean in town, or maybe earlier if we find a stream."

Nodding, Sparky looks around at their surroundings, noting that nothing seems to have changed since they fell asleep, aside from the sun rising. "Hopefully we find one on the way to town." He gives up on trying to clean up with just his paws, and stands up with another stretch. "Speaking of which...should we get going?"

"Yes, yes we should." She picks up her pack, slipping it on. "Follow me; we should get there in no time."

"I knew I heard one!" Sparky practically cheers as the two walk through a gap in the trees, discovering a shallow lake with a slow, but still audible, current.

Ember follows, shaking her head as she giggles at his energy. "Yep, you were right. Tell you what, how about we eat a few of my berries for breakfast after we get clean as a reward?"

His growling stomach provides enough of an answer, and his face flushes red. "G-Good idea..." He quickly focuses his attention on the water, stepping into it carefully to avoid slipping. Once he's relatively deep in, he starts rubbing away the dirt with a paw, having slightly more luck than his previous attempt without the water.