Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Redemption and Revival

Chapter 8

Despite normally preferring to sleep in, the extra nap the previous day along with the early bedtime causes Sparky to wake up well over an hour before the normal time. As he rubs his eyes, he notices a warm body pressed against him, and glances beside himself to see Ember still asleep. Smiling, he slowly tries to shift himself out of bed without jostling her too much.

Feeling the pressure she had been against all night moving, Ember subconsciously scoots closer. Her vulpine head nuzzles against him, smiling contently.

Sighing, the Shinx starts to realize how difficult this is going to be. He tries to push himself away without moving her too much, though the feat is made almost impossible due to his limited mobility. Still, he eventually slides out of the blanket nest, the Vulpix wrapping her tail around herself at his absence before sleeping on.

Sparky sighs again, this time in relief, and heads to the bathroom to get ready for the day. His leg feels significantly better, but unless Chansey says otherwise, he knows it'll be another day at least before he can begin exploring again. He can't help but feel bad, knowing that his partner had wanted to join an exploration team for this long, and now after only one assignment, she had to wait even longer just for him.

As if knowing she is being thought about, the little Fire-type rolls over onto her back. A tiny sneeze escapes her, a small wisp of flame shooting up before she settles into her new position.

Once he's done taking care of business, Sparky comes back out into the bedroom, finding the Vulpix still asleep. Chuckling, he sits beside her, patiently waiting for her to wake.

Eventually, she starts shifting again, her grey eyes opening. Blinking, she looks around, spotting him. "How come... you're watching me sleep... instead of joining me?"

He smiles. "I'm already wide awake. Just waiting on you now."

"Oh..." Slowly rolling over and out of the nest, the little fox shakes her head then her rump as she wakes up. "Okay, that was nice of you..."

Sparky chuckles. "Thought you'd appreciate the extra time to sleep. Once my leg's better, I doubt the guild will let us sleep in anymore."

"Maybe..." She stretches, yawning. "At least we go to bed at a decent time."

He nods, standing up. "Should we head off now? I can't think of anything to do today, but staying cooped up in here doesn't sound that fun."

Looking at him calmly, she lightly swipes all six of her tails across his nose. "Silly, a lady needs to get ready in the mornings."

"Right." He rubs his nose, then his neck. "Well, I'll wait for you out by the boards, okay? Take your time." He smirks. "Then again, you usually do."

She smirks back. "I don't ever hear you complaining about how I look for taking my time."

His cheeks go red at this, and he quietly walks out of the room, stumbling a bit on the way. "Uh...I'll see you in a bit."

She blinks as he leaves, tilting her head as she speaks to herself. "Did I actually get him to blush? Hmm..." She smile is sly as she saunters into the bathroom.

Ember enters the job room a bit later, her Zinc band around her neck with a cute bow in the back. Her usual straight bangs are also slightly curled to one side. She spots her friend looking at the wanted board and quickly walks over. "Anything interesting?"

He glances at her for a second before looking back at one poster near the bottom of the board. "New ones just went up...this guy..." He flicks the poster with a paw. One look reveals the poster to be of a D-Ranked outlaw; specifically, a Banette. "He looks...familiar."