Returning to Ruby, I hope you guys enjoy the last instalment. Unfortunately I have not been able to include everything that you wonderful readers requested, but I did my very best. Now, in true Ruby Bates fashion...
It's Show Time!
Standing outside Professor Birch's research lab, I gave a smile as I looked around the familiar surroundings before stepping inside. I walked on through to his office where I knocked on the door then entered when he called out. He was pouring over research notes which were strewn over his desk, however when he looked up and saw me, he instantly beamed. "Why, if it isn't Ruby Bates! Good to see you again, you've grown." He noted as he reached out and gripped my hand with both of his, shaking it welcomingly as I smiled.
"It's good to see you too Professor Birch. I hope you're taking better care of yourself whilst you're out doing your field research." I chuckled and he rubbed the back of his head with a guilty expression, remembering the first time we had met.
"Yeah, I learned my lesson don't worry." He told me. "But hey, you must be here to see Max, he's on his way right now along with two other trainers. They're all coming to pick their first Pokémon."
"I was hoping to catch him, glad I made it in time." I smiled as the door opened and two younger trainers walked in, being guided by one of Professor Oak's aides. There was a girl with violet hair and dark purple eyes, a huge and excited smile on her face as she shifted from foot to foot. She wore a pink dress with small white frills and a yellow belt which had a daisy at the front and I gave her a smile which she returned slightly shyly as Aurora nodded her head in greeting.
The boy had mousy brown hair and grey eyes which were frowning slightly, looking sceptically about him as he placed one hand in his jacket pocket. "Professor, this is Katrina and Billy, two of our newest trainers here to pick their Pokémon." The aide said and Professor Birch let go of my hand to turn to them with widespread hands.
"Welcome! An exciting day, choosing your first Pokémon before starting on your own journey. I'm glad you could all make it safely." He said and Katrina gave a small smile.
"When do we get to meet the Pokémon?" She asked and the professor chuckled.
"The moment our last arrival gets here. Since there are three of you coming today, it's only fair that he gets a say in which Pokémon he wants as his first partner. I'm sure he won't be too long, but in the meantime, I'd like to introduce you to a very special friend of mine." He said then turned to me. I nodded my head, tilting back my hat and placed my hands on my equipment filled belt which was locked around my cargo sweatpants. I also wore walking boots as well as a blue tank top with a simple brown cotton jacket with my backpack. "This is Ruby. She started her first Pokémon journey five years ago."
"Hi there." I greeted with a wave. "It's so great that you've decided to become Pokémon trainers. I know you'll all have the greatest time of your life." I told them and the boy, Billy, frowned at me further.
"Wait a minute…I know who you are! You were at the Johto league! And you were in the Hoenn Grand Festival three years ago!" He realised and Katrina gasped.
"I thought I recognised you! You've grown out your hair!" She realised and I blushed, touching the plait that ran down my back and nodded my head.
"That's right. Meet my partner, Aurora." I introduced and she gave a growl of greeting as Billy stepped forwards to look at me closely.
"So your first Pokémon was a Charmander right? And it's now a Charizard? Are you competing in contests this year or gym battles to go for the Hoenn league?" I blinked slightly as he began to rattle off more questions but then Katrina stepped in and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.
"Give her some space and some time to answer already." She said, giving him a pointed look before turning glittering eyes at me, clasping her hands together. "You're such an inspiration to me, the way you threw yourself out in front of your Vaporeon to save her, I want to be just like you! That's when I decided to become a Pokémon trainer, but then I saw you in your contests and at the Grand Festival, so now I can't decide which I want to do!" I blushed humbly at her declaration, rubbing the back of my head.
"Gee, thanks Katrina, that's really sweet of you. All I can say is you won't know what you like until you try it. Why not go for both contests and gym battles?" I suggested and she nodded her head enthusiastically. "The only important thing to remember is that you have to consider what your Pokémon want too. You have to be sensitive to them, because if they're not happy doing what you want them to do, then they'll never shine in either contests or gym battles." I told them and Katrina gasped, her eyes glittering again.
"You're so smart!" But then Billy groaned impatiently, rolling his eyes.
"Come on already! Can we just choose our Pokémon? That kid isn't here so he snoozes, he loses. If he can't be bothered to get here on time then that's his problem." Billy said and instantly I narrowed my eyes at him.
"If it were you who were running late, you'd want everyone to wait for you, wouldn't you?" I demanded to know, both hands on my hips as I looked at him sternly and instantly Billy looked down, scuffing his shoe at my scolding, but then the doors flew open.
"Sorry I'm late professor! There was…Ruby?" Max questioned, catching back his breath as he stared at me and instantly I smiled, giving a laugh as I straightened up.
"Hey there squirt, you've sure grown since I last saw you." I told him as his jaw dropped open. His ebony hair was still the same, slightly long and his glasses remained perched on the bridge of his nose, however I noticed his wardrobe change. He wore a green shirt and longer brown bottoms however I noticed he still had the same yellow backpack.
"Ruby!" He cheered then instantly flung himself at me, making me laugh as I caught him then swung around as I held him tightly, smiling happily as he anchored his arms around my waist. "I didn't think you'd actually come! Wow! I can't believe you're really here to start off my Pokémon journey!" He babbled, making me grin down at him.
"Come on squirt, you really think I'd miss this day of all days? I thought you knew me better than that." I said before Max noticed my Riolu and instantly he was transfixed with her.
"Wow! What Pokémon is that?" He asked me, dropping down to his knees to get a better look.
"This is Aurora, my Riolu. She hatched from an egg in the Sinnoh region." I explained as Professor Birch cleared his throat and all eyes turned towards him as he held three Pokéballs in his hands, facing us all with a broad smile.
"Great! Now that you're all here, it's time for you to meet your Pokémon!" Professor Birch threw one up into the air. "First up the water type Pokémon, Mudkip." The Mudkip appeared and blinked before looking up at the three trainers with a tilt of its head.
"Kip?" It queried and instantly Katrina beamed.
"Aw it's cute!" Professor Birch and I chuckled before he moved on to introduce the next Pokémon.
"Now we have the fire type Pokémon Torchic." Smiling with memory I watched as the Torchic appeared then began to chirp, fluffing out its feathers and Katrina squealed again, aweing at its adorable features as it blinked up at her. "And finally…"
"The grass type Treecko!" Max called out excitedly, smiling from ear to ear. "That's the Pokémon I want, I've always wanted Treecko since ever I first knew it was a starter Pokémon!" He said as the professor nodded his head with a smile and let out the Treecko. Katrina instantly backed away with it, shivering nervously.
"It's…kind of weird…" She said but Max shook his head.
"No it's not, it's the coolest Pokémon ever!" He said but before he could reach out to introduce himself to Treecko, Professor Birch lifted a hand.
"Now wait just a moment Max, remember your manners. It's ladies first." He reminded Max who sighed but then stepped back, gesturing to Katrina who giggled then stepped forwards.
"Thanks Maxie!" She trilled then frowned thoughtfully, looking down at all the Pokémon with a finger against her lips, looking to them all in turn. "Well…Mudkip looks cute, but so does Torchic…oh I don't know! I can't decide." She admitted, blushing deeply as the Pokémon all looked at her. Torchic was trying to look as adorable as possible, but Mudkip didn't seem interested, turning its head proudly and I tittered my tongue at it slightly, making it wince slightly with shame before simply sitting quietly. "Okay! I've made my decision. I'm going to choose…Torchic." She decided firmly and Torchic instantly chirped with joy and leaped into her arms, making her giggle as she hugged it to her.
"Now, it's between you boys. Please be fair to one another and…"
"It's okay professor." Billy announced, making us all look over to him as he stepped forwards and picked up the Mudkip. "I want Mudkip as my first Pokémon." He announced and instantly Max cheered and punched the air.
"Alright! That means Treecko, you're all mine!" He laughed and Treecko instantly echoed his new trainer's response by calling out happily and gave Max a high five as the others both introduced themselves to their own Pokémon. I stepped back and snapped a photo of Max as he hugged his Treecko, laughing uncontrollably as Professor Birch then handed them each a new Pokédex as well as five Pokéballs each. He gave them a few words of encouragement before letting them all get started, however Max bounded over to me and I noticed that Katrina hung around with her Torchic.
"So Ruby, are you going to come travelling with me?" He questioned and I blinked in surprise.
"Do you want me too? You sure you wouldn't want to try heading out on your own for a while?" I asked but Max shook his head.
"No, I want you to come! We can go back to Petalburg City together and you can see May, she's been taking a break at home after her Johto contests and I know she'd be glad to see you." He said so I thought for a moment before nodding my head.
"Okay squirt, it's a deal." I agreed and he instantly beamed, looking to his Treecko who perched on his shoulder.
"You hear that Treecko? Ruby's going to travel with us for a while!" He said before there was a small cough from behind Max who turned around with surprise to see a blushing Katrina as she scuffed her foot on the floor shyly.
"Um…if it's okay with you guys…I'm heading the same way. I was wondering…would I be able to travel with you?" Katrina questioned and Max looked at her then to me so I gave a shrug.
"It's your call squirt. It's okay with me as far as I'm concerned." I said so Max turned around with a smile.
"In that case, you're more than welcome to come along with us!" He said before holding out his hand. "I'm Max, my dad is the Petalburg gym leader." He explained and Katrina smiled, the blush disappearing from her cheeks as she became less shy.
"I'm Katrina, it's nice to meet you Maxie." She said so I chuckled before resting my hands on both their shoulders.
"Come on you two, we'd better get going if we want to reach the next Pokémon Centre before nightfall." I said then turned back to Professor Birch. "It was good to see you professor, if you ever need a hand with anything and I can help, then don't hesitate to send me a message." I informed him and he shook my hand gladly.
"Always a pleasure Ruby. You all take care now, alright? Remember to practice with your Pokémon to get stronger."
"We will!" Both Max and Katrina called out with a wave before racing outside and both Aurora and I had to run to catch up. Both of them were excited and couldn't help but smile at their new Pokémon. "I know, let's have a battle right now!" Max said, turning around to face Katrina who instantly wore a determined look on her face.
"Alright! That's a great idea! Hey Ruby, would you mind refereeing?" She questioned and I nodded my head.
"Sure, but I'm not an official." I answered, giving a nod to Aurora who leaped down off my shoulder to stand at my side as we took our spot between the two new Pokémon trainers. "Okay, call out your Pokémon!"
"Let's go Torchic, we've totally got this!" Katrina cheered, bouncing up and down excitedly as Max pointed ahead of him.
"Our first battle Treecko, let's win this!" He called and Treecko instantly leaped down to the ground in front of him.
"Treecko! Treecko Tree." The female Treecko agreed, picking a daisy from the grass and placed it in her mouth, making me chuckle as she stood ready to battle.
"Alright you two, this is a one on one knock out with no time limit. Do you want to toss to see who goes first?" I asked but Max shook his head.
"No, Katrina can go first." He invited and Katrina beamed at him.
"Ah Maxie, that's so sweet of you!" She giggled before nodding her head. "Okay, we're ready!"
"Torchic Tor!" Her Torchic chirped in agreement so I lifted my hands up, Aurora mirroring my movements.
"Begin!"
"Torchic, use Ember!" Katrina yelled excitedly, watching with her fists tucked against her chest as her Torchic opened its mouth and began to shoot tiny flecks of flames straight at Treecko, who widened her eyes in slight fear.
"It's okay Treecko, use your speed to dodge it, then use Pound!" Max directed, keeping perfectly calm and I smiled approvingly as Treecko then narrowed her eyes determinedly and darted out of the way of the flames, zipping around the battlefield then used her tail to smack Torchic to the ground, who chirped in shock as Katrina gasped.
"No! My little Torchic!" She squeaked before pointing. "Quick, use Scratch!" Torchic leaped up, brushed himself off then ran at Treecko who didn't move in time to avoid the attack. She cried out as Torchic managed to scratch long claws at her before Max shook his head and got it together.
"Use Quick Attack Treecko, and combine it with Leer!" I arched an eyebrow curiously then watched to see what the effect would be. Treecko turned and glared openly at Torchic, who blinked up at her then yelped as Treecko slammed against him at full speed, making Max cheer as he punched the air. "Yeah! Way to go!" He turned to me with a proud smile. "I got that from watching all my sister's combinations."
"Great job Max." I nodded my head approvingly as Katrina struck back.
"Use Ember again, as fast as you can!"
"Dodge it!" Max answered however Torchic managed to follow Treecko and caught her side, burning it slightly and she fell to the ground on her knees, flinching and grinding her teeth whilst taking deep breaths.
"Tree…Tree…Tree…"
"It's okay Treecko, I know you can do it!" Max called out to her and she looked back at him with surprise. "You and I are going to make a great team, and the start of our awesome journey together is happening right now! So let's do it!" He punched the air and instantly, Treecko was back on her feet and facing Torchic with a call of determination.
"Treecko!"
"Use Pound!"
"Counter it with Scratch!" Katrina called, however Treecko was just too fast. She powered forwards and knocked her tail against Torchic with considerable force, knocking him to the side and he fell to the ground, chirping softly and weakly so I lifted my hand towards Max, seeing that Torchic was too hurt to fight anymore.
"Torchic is unable to battle, Treecko is the winner!" I decided and both Max and Treecko jumped up into the air with a whoop before Treecko leaped into Max's arms as he laughed happily, hugging her close as Katrina picked up her Torchic with worried eyes.
"I don't understand…I thought grass types were weak against fire." She said as I knelt down before her with my medical kit and Aurora gently patted her arm.
"True, but that doesn't mean you'll always win. Sometimes it's the Pokémon who seem least likely to win that will surprise you the most. Treecko was fast, much faster than Torchic and was able to utilise that against you." I informed her as I began to spray Torchic with Super Potion.
"What is that?" Katrina asked curiously as Torchic blinked then fluffed out his feathers, chirping brightly once again. "Torchic! You're okay!" She beamed then hugged him close. "You battled so hard, I promise that together you and I will only get stronger." She promised.
"That was Super Potion. It's used to help Pokémon gain back a little of their strength." I informed her. "It's important for every trainer to always be well supplied with things that'll help keep yourself and your Pokémon healthy." I informed as Max ran over.
"Hey Katrina, that was a great battle, you almost beat us." He said, Treecko still in his arms. "We'd better train harder if we're going to compete with you again." This made Katrina blush as she stood up.
"Thanks, I hope Treecko's okay?" She looked down at Treecko and Max looked down to me, but before he could ask I was already holding out my hands.
"I'll take care of her." I assured him with a smile, so he passed his Treecko down to me and I smiled as I cradled her gently. "Hey there Treecko, it looks to me that you and Max have a very strong bond already. Now, about that burn." I murmured then sprayed some Burn Heal on it and also some Super Potion before she was back to her old self again, perking up instantly.
"Treecko!" She thanked before springing back up onto Max's shoulder and he laughed with relief.
"Well, let's get moving. There's a long road ahead of us from here to Petalburg City." I announced, shouldering my bag after putting everything away, standing up as Aurora jumped forwards, ready to lead the way.
"Right behind you Ruby!" Max nodded his head so I chuckled then ruffled his hair, making him grin further before I walked on, following the road out of town and head towards the next one, both Katrina and Max at my side as they excitedly talked about Pokémon and all the ones they wanted to catch.