Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Redemption and Revival

Chapter 7

Ember slips back into the room, her padded feet making no noise as she creeps over to Sparky's bed. Looking down at the still sleeping Shinx, she smiles. Leaning down, she gently nudges him with her head. "Wakey wakey... I have a surprise for you."

Sparky groans, going about his usual wake-up routine of rubbing at his eyes and trying to sit up. "It's too early..." He yawns, it not occurring to his groggy mind that he's actually slept in compared to previous mornings. Finally, he manages to get his eyes to open.

Grinning down at him is the foxy face of his partner. "Sorry, I would have let you sleep in more, but they only serve breakfast for so long." She pulls a bowl of mixed berries and fruits off her back, setting it in front of him. "Here you go, breakfast in bed."

"Huh?" He looks down at the food in surprise, his tail flicking. "Oh, um...th-thanks..." He gives an awkward little smile, unsure of the proper way to respond.

"No problem. Go ahead and try it." She grins back, her own tails flicking.

Nodding a bit, he leans down to the bowl and takes a small bite of the berries. He sighs in relief as he starts filling a belly he didn't realize was empty.

She giggles. "Glad you like it. Be sure to eat it all so you get better, okay?"

He chuckles. "I will. Thanks again for this, Ember." He takes another, larger bite.

Smiling at him, she nods before heading into the bathroom to get cleaned up while he eats.

Ember and Sparky stand in front of a large purple stand, the Sableye owner smiling at them with his pointed teeth and watching them with unblinking jewel eyes. He nods, putting the small bag of gold away. "Yesss... your wealth will be quite safe here, I assure you..."

The Electric-type nods, smiling back nervously. "A-Awesome...thanks." He quickly leads his friend away, shivering.

The fox looks at him, head tilted. "Was it really that bad?"

"Ghost-types just kind of creep me out. Especially the ones that are always happy." He shivers again and shakes his head. "Let's move on..."

"Okay... if it helps, you'll actually get more comfortable with him as time goes on. At least that's how it was for me." Staying against his side, she motions forward. "Maybe you'll like this next place better. The storage!"

A few minutes and one trip to the aforementioned facility later, Ember turns to Sparky. "So, were you worried about that shopkeeper, too?"

"Not really..." He shakes his head. "Though I'm a little hesitant about going to get our stuff back later."

She tilts her head. "Why? Swalot's nice, he's not gonna deny you your stuff or anything."

"He just seemed a little eager to take it...especially the food items." Sparky takes a deep breath. "Best to not think about it."

"You're just paranoid... and making me think gross things." She nudges him slightly. "Well, if you get a bad feel from these next two, I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

He tilts his head. "What's next?"

"The store," she says simply, leading him onward. They arrive next at a very festive looking stall, the two proprietors standing side by side. One is a normal Delibird, and the other is his Shiny equivalent.

The normal Delibird looks up and smiles. "Greetings, explorers of the guild! How may we assist you today?"

Sparky looks surprised and glances to Ember. "How do they know we're from the guild?"