Ruby's Journey of Love, Harmony and Adventure

(my Nuzlocke experience from Pokémon Emerald)

Chapter 1

Arrivals

The constant, monotone rumbling of his surroundings suddenly faded away, prompting his slumbering body to awareness. In the darkness inside the moving truck, little light poured from a small opening onto the pages of the book he had been reading. Awkwardly propped against a multitude of boxes, the sleepy boy blinked, pushed his skewed glasses up and closed the book, stretching while complaining about the prickling sensation all over his body. As he placed the book inside his bag, the cover read: "Beauty in strength: The Challenge of a Coordinator Trainer." He lazily got up, registering the where and the when.

It had been several hours since the boy left his home in Johto. It was not an idea he really liked from the beginning, and after restlessly travelling by bus, boat and this truck, he hoped to finally have arrived at his destination.

Thankfully, the doors of the truck opened before him, letting the early morning sun definitively wake him up. Several Vigoroths, tall, fidgety and muscular, immediately came in and started picking up the boxes, leaving the boy with little room to exit the truck. But he still got out, and while he took his first breath of fresh, new Hoenn air, he rubbed his eyes, pulled his white hat deeper into his head, took in the scenery.

Littleroot Town (that was its name, right?) was nothing special to look at, with few small houses scattered around, surrounded by a forest that looked no different from the ones back home. It was early, but already the Taillows skid across the clear air, twittering about in their trivial daily routines. The only place that actually caught his attention was a large building nearby, which looked sober and professional, somewhat important.

But before the boy could wonder what said building might be, his mother ran out of their new house and into his arms, bellowing an excited, "Ruby, you're here!" and squeezing him tight.

"Hello, mom..." was Ruby's sole reply as he sternly detached himself from her, looking slightly annoyed. But she was already pulling him forward, beckoning him into the house, and the pair was followed by the first group of Vigoroths carrying boxes. As expected, the house was still quite empty, but it looked spacey and much finer than the one back in Johto. The ground floor opened directly into the kitchen and the living room fused together, a staircase leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. Yes, the house was just starting to get furnished, but Ruby noticed with some humor that the television was already plugged in and turned on.

"Do you like it, Ruby? Isn't this the best?" his mother asked, and she looked genuinely happy. It even rubbed off a little on Ruby's stingy mood. He managed a smile.

"Yes, mom. It is lovely."

"Well, since your father's Pokémon are doing the moving, there's not much to do... Isn't that nice, dear? Now please go upstairs and set the clock. It'll mark our official moving in!"

Ruby grumbled a little but he did as he was told. After climbing up the stairs, crossing a long corridor and going through a door, he reached a large room with an empty bed frame and his already-set-up computer. He slumped down on the chair before it and noticed his mother had deposited a potion for him. He withdrew it, just in case. Then his gaze passed by the stopped clock on the wall, his next destination.

It was a simple analogical clock, it gave the boy no trouble to set for 7:04 am. As he wound it up he felt utterly, irreversibly bored, unexcited about this entire town and the little he had to do with these new people. Not that things were hip and wonderful back in Johto: he never really had friends to begin with, nor the chance to train with his father, since he was so busy all the time. Still this had to count as one step backwards and Ruby could not be happy about that.

As soon as the clock (now ticking) was back hanging on the wall, his mother called him again, but this time she sounded even more excited. The boy took his sweet time walking back to the kitchen, and when he was there to see what all the ruckus was about, his mother groaned, disappointed, while staring at the television.

"Oh, Ruby, you missed your father by just a second!" she said. "They were just interviewing him, since he's the new gym leader and all... He was wonderful."

"How nice, mom..." the boy replied, nonchalant. He really had no idea of what to do now he was in this new place. The Vigoroths hadn't even brought in the couch yet, so that he could slump and pout all day... But thankfully his mother had a few ideas...

"Don't look so gloom, honey... Why won't you go out for a while and meet our new neighbors? I'm sure Professor Birch is in his lab too..."

Oh, so that big building from before was a Pokémon Laboratory? That actually seemed interesting... This showed on the boy's expression, which made his mother chuckle and say, "Well, go along! Just make sure to stay out of trouble..."

"Sure, mom. See you later..." Ruby waved, and left.

Going through the door and into the little town, there were now more people going on and about their lives, once in a while addressing the boy with curiosity, for a stranger was a rare occasion here. Most of them recognized him instantly after he mentioned his father, to his great annoyance, but there was nothing he could do. His father was the new gym leader of Petalburg City, after all. It meant all his years of hard training had finally paid off, even if he had to move his entire family to a whole new continent and was still away from home most of the time - Petalburg was still somewhat far away.

In any case, Ruby quickly reached the big building that turned out to be the Pokémon Lab. He went inside without anyone blocking him entrance, and for the first time since he arrived, he was absolutely astounded. The seemingly state-of-the-art machinery sprouted amongst a jungle of enormous, beautiful plants, giving the lab a look of utter wilderness. Several people, all white robes and glasses, scurried here and there to follow an experiment, take down some notes, ignoring him. Ruby had to force his jaw up as he stepped further inside, but after a while his presence was finally noticed...

"Hey, boy! Can we help you with something?"

The boy was almost startled, but answered right away, "The professor...?"

"Professor Birch is not here... He got carried away with his field work again... You must be Mr. Norman's son, right?"

Again with the recognition via parents... Ruby nodded.

"Well, he must be right out of town, studying the tall grass... I think you can meet him there. But first could you take this to his wife, please?" he handed out a small parcel. "Their house is right beside yours, if I'm not mistaken..."

Ruby took the package and the lab aide smiled in thanks. He managed to mumble a low, "See ya..." before leaving yet again.

Once in front of the professor's house, which was quite easy to find, he knocked on the door and wondered what kind of family this man must have... The door opened right away, but not to his liking, for someone came crashing into him... The shock nearly pushed Ruby to the ground, and got him in a fouler mood than before.

"I'm sorrysorrysorrysorry!" came a voice, and the boy noticed it was a girl that had collided with him. He regained his composure and put his glasses in place.

"That's okay..." though his tone somewhat contradicted this."I was actually coming in to deliver this to prof. Birch's wife..." he showed her the parcel.

"Oh, I can take that! Let me introduce myself, I'm Sapphire, I'm the professor's daughter!" She stretched out a kind hand, which the somber boy reluctantly shook. Now that he could study this girl properly, she looked overly excited and ready to go on an odyssey, all bandanas covering her brown hair and snug clothing, huge backpack strongly strapped to her back. "I've been waiting for dad to send me this before going out again... You know, I'm a Pokémon trainer! Thank you for bringing this!"

Ruby envied this girl, living the life he wanted for himself. He stared at her, hopeful, as she closed back the door and unwrapped the package, reacting quite happily to it and then stuffing it into her backpack. "And who are you?" she asked him then, curiosity taking over her emotions. "I bet you're that new kid!"

The boy sighed before nodding and saying, "Yes, I'm Ruby... Norman's son..."

"Ah. I know how it is to be always associated with your father's name..." Sapphire sympathized, and a surprised Ruby knew that she was being honest. Yes, being daughter to a Pokémon professor couldn't be very agreeable either. "And coming all the way here with no friends, it must be quite hard... Well, why won't you go speak with my father? He sometimes needs help with his researches and he is somewhat of an airhead, so he could probably keep you busy..."

The boy actually smiled this time, "Well, that was exactly what I was going to do... Apparently, he's working in the field."

"Hmm, typical... Oh, I have to get going, but it was really nice to meet you, Ruby!" she shook his hand again, smiling. "Hope to see you soon!"

Ruby watched her leave, remaining on the spot for while, before realizing he was actually heading her way as well. But when he started making his way out of town, Sapphire was nowhere to be seen.

The boy's first steps into the wild were nervous but actually quite empowering. He knew better not to walk into the tall grass, and he was already playing with the possibility of seeing this new Hoenn through the eyes of a trainer AND a coordinator, of realizing his dream. Perhaps he shouldn't dream so loud, tempting disappointment to find him...

He was just wondering if he still had to walk a lot more before finding the professor when he heard someone yelling for help. Worried, he ran towards the screaming and saw a man sprawled on the grassy ground, a raccoon-like Pokémon viciously growling at him, though its appearance seemed anything but dangerous... Upon his arrival, the man (who sported a beard and white laboratory robes) looked at him desperately, and pointing to a briefcase next to Ruby, begged, "Please, take a Pokémon from there and help me!"

With no further ado, the boy promptly opened the briefcase, and among torrents of papers and sketches and other complicated-looking instruments were three regular Pokéballs. There was no way Ruby could tell which Pokémon was inside which one, so picked one randomly and just threw it. As the red beam of light took the shape of a blue finned amphibian-like Pokémon, an exhilarating trail of emotion went through the boy's spine. The blue creature blinked twice at him, as if waiting for something, and the fallen man merely said, "Come on, give him an order!" Thankfully, the other Pokémon hadn't noticed them yet.

Ruby couldn't quite imagine what he was supposed to say, so a simple, "ATTACK!" would have to suffice.

Thankfully it did, for the growling Pokémon was sent flying by a powerful charge of the boy's blue companion. Ruby was happy with his success and even made a small victory gesture. Upon landing, the other Pokémon turned to him tackled back. Feeling a bit more responsible, Ruby tried his best to steer the battle in his advantage, and after a few rounds of tackling their opponent, it finally fainted.

This was the first time the boy ever fought and won a battle, and he was extremely excited about it. He was finally doing what he had wanted for so long and was finding himself falling naturally into its rhythm. While the man got up after this strange rescue, Ruby scurried towards the blue Pokémon and congratulated the weird creature on its fighting prowess. Then, all he could hear was the man laughing as he introduced himself.

"Wow, now that was some battle... I am Professor Birch, and I thank you for helping me here... Sometimes I forget how territorial some Pokémon can get..."

Ah, the hand of fate... Ruby reached over and greeted the professor with a firm handshake. "I'm Ruby, sir. My mom suggested I'd meet you, and so did your daughter..."

"Oh, yes, you are new here. I wasn't really sure if I could help you with anything, but now I can see you have a natural talent for battling, like your father, even if your methods aren't very... conventional... Little Mudkip here seems to have taken a liking to you." And the blue Pokémon knocked its head gently against the boy's leg. A Mudkip, eh?

"Actually, I have an idea..." the scientist went on."My daughter is supposed to spend the rest of her day up on Route 113, you should go there and meet her. Ask her to teach you some things about being a trainer and then report back to me... You can take this Mudkip with you, the two of you shall protect each other. What do you say?"

Ruby wasn't quite sure of what the professor wanted from him, but he really couldn't let an opportunity like this pass him by. "Alright," he answered.

"Okay then. You'll find Oldale Town along the way, then you head north, until you get near a river. Sapphire should be there. Good luck, I'll go back to my lab now, my colleagues must be worried..." Birch closed his briefcase back again and picked it up. "Oh, and by the way, do you wish to give that Mudkip boy a name?"

Ruby thought for a while, and said the first thing that popped into his mind. "Fish."

The professor laughed. "Well, Fish it is. See you soon, boy." And he headed away.

The boy, now alone (save for the Mudkip) and holding the Pokémon's Pokéball in his hand, wasn't quite sure of what to say. He decided to return Fish to its small home, placing it inside his trouser's pocket. Then he started heading away too, but in the opposite direction from Professor Birch.

The way to Oldale Town was quick and painless, and the place wasn't much bigger than Littleroot. Curious about the new buildings he found, Ruby found a woman promoting the local Mart: she gave him yet another potion he saved. The Pokémon Center, imposing and beautiful, sparked quite some interest in Ruby, who went in and was amazed at how quickly they could heal Fish if he just handed his Pokémon to the kind nurse. The machine beeped for a couple of minutes, and while his companion was getting some rest, the boy used the time to sit down himself. After a long morning of wearing his reading glasses, Ruby decided to finally put them away. He ordered some food from the small restaurant inside the center and ate hungrily, before picking Fish up and heading out again.

So he had to meet Sapphire now... Walking and staring at his Pokéball, Ruby decided to postpone that for just a bit, for he was still empowered by the thrill of battling, curious of what more he could accomplish. He tried heading west, to the route that would lead him to his father's new working place, but a thoroughly enthusiastic scientist went crazy at him for bothering his footprint investigations. So, he decided to train closer to his goal instead.

Several wild Pokémon appeared, some of them just like the first one he faced: Zigzagoon, it seemed to call itself. A few caterpillar-like creatures and dogs also faced Fish in battle, and now that Ruby started to get a hang of it, Tackling and Growling at his opponents came naturally. Not that the boy had to order the Mudkip to attack every time. His bold nature made him dive right into the battle, taking the other by surprise, even if it sometimes made him quite reckless. He had to be more careful about that.

In any case, after Ruby felt more confident, he gave Fish a new healing treatment and finally met Sapphire, who was indeed sitting by the river with her father's parcel opened next to her: some kind of ink she was using to sketch something the boy could not see from where he was. He stepped forward.

"Hey."

The girl stopped whatever she was doing to turn her head back. "Oh, it's you Ruby! I wasn't expecting to see you so soon... and I almost didn't recognize you without your glasses..."

He went straight to the point, somewhat annoyed, "They're just reading glasses... I met your dad and he gave me this," he showed her Fish's Pokéball. "He said I should learn a few things from you, but to be honest I kind of think he wants you to test me. I'm prepared for it, though. I really want to be a trainer."

Sapphire laughed and was already dropping her brush, getting up, taking her own Pokéball from her belt. "I'm sure you are... Bring it on!"

Both young trainers threw their Pokéballs, Fish emerging quite excitedly from his, while the girl's took the shame of a green, gecko-like creature. A grass-type, most likely. Mudkip, obviously a water-type, would probably be in disadvantage. But it didn't seem to bother Ruby much.

Sapphire's Pokémon was weaker than Ruby's, but she had a keener sense of strategy, a closer bond with it, and it made the battle a greater challenge than just tackling their opponent away. However, by blind chance, Fish landed directly into a mud pond in what seemed to be a whole new move, and it splashed all over the opponent's face, giving Fish the chance he needed to Tackle it to oblivion, which he delivered in style. Both trainers called their companions back, Ruby adding this Mud-Slap to his move repertoire.

"Very well, you beat Treeko on your first try!" Sapphire congratulated, smiling. "I think that's enough... let's go back to dad." The two of them tidied up the place and walked back to Littleroot.

Ruby imagined this could only be a good thing…

"So, my daughter told me everything about your battle, Ruby..." Birch started, standing by a desk, Sapphire right next to him. The lab was in its usual state of wilderness, though the trio seemed to go unnoticed by the other scientists. "She already is an experienced trainer, the fact that you beat her on your first try is quite impressive. But I was already expecting that, and because of that I want to offer you this."

The professor picked up a small device from the desk and handed it over to the boy, who took it with curiosity. It was orange and looked extremely sophisticated, opening for him like a Shellder as he touched it. On its little screen appeared pictures of all the Pokémon it had met so far, including Sapphire's Treeko and his own Fish, which had a little Pokéball-shaped marking next to its name.

"It's a Pokédex," Birch explained before the boy could ask anything. "It automatically records all the data on the Pokémon you've seen and captured, like a high-tec encyclopedia! They were given to me by Professor Oak, who wanted me to test it with the Pokémon of this region. I'm sure you know who Oak is?"

Ruby nodded vigorously, scrolling down the pictures of the few Pokémon he'd seen. Who didn't know Prof. Oak?

"Sapphire has one of those, and she goes out regularly to try and fill it out... and I was wondering if you could do the same."

The boy looked up at the professor, and then at the smiling girl. This was quite better than what he had expected: going on a Pokémon journey with this machine would certainly be a privilege.

"Of course you can refuse, but you always have the League challenge and even several contests to keep you busy as well as-..."

"I'll do it," Ruby said right away, conviction echoing through his voice. "I'd really be a pleasure to help with this."

Birch chuckled and nodded, "Alright then! I think you're ready then... It's best if you tell more mother before you leave, of course, but I have great expectations in you. You've shown promise, and you can even live up to overcome your father. After all..." and the professor hoped he wasn't coming across as too bold, "... going out and feel the land is quite different from being a gym leader..."

This actually made Ruby smile. "Thank you."

"No problem. Well, my e-mail's in that Pokédex, so you can contact me through any PokéCenter computer whenever you have any doubt. If I'm not around, I'm sure one of my aides will help..." he admitted sheepishly. "And I guess that's it. I hope to hear from you soon, Ruby. Good luck on your journey."

And with this the newbie trainer turned to leave, but Sapphire took him to the door and handed him a bunch of Pokéballs. "You'll need these to get started. I'm really excited that I have a Pokédex buddy now! I hope to meet you many times on our journey, I want to battle you more."

"Oh, you bet!" Ruby replied, a mischievous smile in place. "Thank you."

And as she left for the unknown, the boy faced home one last time.

His mother took all the events of the day with great ease, as if she was already expecting something like this to happen. With Ruby being more than old enough to start his own journey (and of course with his father's steps to follow) there were no objections to his request, and so half of the afternoon was spent making preparations to his departure. The boy ended up with a bag as full as Sapphire's, his father's very first Pokéball belt to carry Fish around, a good supply of food, water and money, and the promise that this would be as exciting as it got. Even his trusted book was with him too.

When the time came to definitively leave Littleroot, his mother didn't miss a chance to enlighten him on the dangers of this new, unknown continent and how he had to trust his friends to guide him through the troubles. He always had his father too, should he need any help, and he shouldn't be afraid to meet new trainers, that would make his experience worth the while.

Ruby listened to all this and nodded in lazy agreement, his Pokédex firmly pressed against his hands, just dying to be used. The last thing his mother gave him was something called 'Running Shoes', which were terribly unfashionable and seemed to be no different from his own, but apparently would help him run faster. The boy wore them just to humor his mother, but he soon realized they were actually quite useful.

Hugging his mother goodbye was at the same time sad and empowering, in the way she mentioned how proud his father would be to know what he was doing, yet in the way she was sure that he'd build his own path in a most spectacular way. Little did both know how true that was...

His leaving moments were blurred by excitement and promise, but he still would never forget them for what they were.

After leaving Littleroot, Ruby decided to let Fish out to follow him, while he kept fidgeting with his new Pokédex. It was actually quite addictive, and the boy wondered which Pokémon he was to capture first. His communication with his companion was wordless and strange, but the two seemed to have some sort of understanding. The Mudkip had an extremely amusing personality and it brought out a gentler, more smiling side of the boy. From the beginning he could tell he'd trust this new friend with his life, and he understood why Birch had asked them to go on this adventure.

But distraction in the wild in the mid-afternoon is seldom forgiven, and Fish was suddenly attacked by a Poochyena. The Pokémon seemed mocking and teasing in his movements and behavior, and Ruby was set on capturing it. The battle was easy and uneventful, and the Pokéball Ruby threw hit it directly in the head, capturing it with no further complications. The boy picked it up and watched its data being recorded on the marvelous equipment that was his Pokédex. After considering a name for their new companion, the young trainer came up with Faolan and was set with that. Ruby congratulated Fish on their catch far too formally, causing them both to laugh all the way to Oldale's Pokécenter.

Both Pokémon were healed again, and the nurse noted Ruby's constant visits throughout the day. He explained how he was just beginning his journey and she helpfully told him that the scientist that had been blocking the way was now away, disappointed that the footsteps were just his own all along. So much for being an expert... Ruby laughed at that and knew this was his chance to head forward. He'd get to Petalburg even before nightfall and would test Faolan in battle.

He left and lingered just a little while on the threshold of Route 102, overwhelmed with the beginning of so many good things: a dream, a story, a friendship, an adventure.

Then he merely stepped forward, set on giving all those things a magnificent course.

END OF PART ONE

So, since I've never played this game, I decided to go through Pokémon Emerald in a Nuzlocke Challenge! And since those who know me know I'm no good at drawing, a fanfiction it is!

The story is similar to the game's with personal touches here and there, and so far it's been going well.

My team at the time consisted on my level 8 Mudkip, Fish, and the newcomer level 2 Poochyena, Faolan. The second part is now ready to write, and it'll go all the way to Rustboro City.

So, what do you think? Leave opinions with your reviews.

I hope you've enjoyed, and now I need to update my other fics too...

kathlaida-princess logging out…