Hi there!

Sadly, I'm terribly new at this. This is my first Spe fanfic to ever write, so please forgive me if Ruby and Sapphire (and every character except the OC here) were out of character and I apologize for the future stupidity I may cause in this fan fiction.

The truth is, I got the title from "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", but this is not exactly based on it and the fact that I'm not done rereading that book. So... there might not be some references on it since I'm still rereading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own this franchise. That's it.

Edited (just noticed this, note: June 19, 2017):

As I was editing this in my MS Word doc file, I noticed Ruby and Sapphire were in their post RS, pre-Emerald personas. Well, this was written months before the ORAS chapter ended, so their character development weren't applied that much here. I think I've written this when the chapter 16 of ORAS was out? Anyway, expect they would not be in their post ORAS characters. But don't worry, I will make sure they are in character in the rest of my fanfics. *cough* Perfection, Lost Fragments and Randomizer, also known as my written frantic drabble/short story collection *cough*


Chapter 1 - Emotional Starting Point

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Ruby let out a sigh, feeling the cool breeze of Lilycove City's busy environment. He took out the PokéNav from his pocket and checked the time which says fourteen-thirty, two-thirty in the afternoon. He let out another sigh, this time to calm himself.

He had been waiting for thirty minutes for his master's friend to arrive and he was getting a bit impatient.

Wallace was supposed to pick up his old friend, but somehow that so-called Gym Leaders Conference, meeting, or however they call, it got in the way. It left Wallace with no other option but to let his student pick up, or wait, rather, for his friend to arrive.

According to Wallace, he could recognize his friend quickly by his appearance. He was a twenty-three year old Caucasian man, having an average height, light blue eyes with big, nerdy glasses, a messed up curly black hair and somehow a slight eccentric atmosphere once he started talking.

There was no doubt that Ruby could recognize his master's friend quickly, but what he didn't know was there were a lot of Caucasian people with different hair colors, including the color black, that had been wondering around Lilycove and it was quite hard to know who exactly was his master's friend.

Well, it was his master's fault for forgetting to tell his friend's name after all. If he were going to blame someone for wasting his time, then it would be his Master. The details he gave weren't enough to know who his friend's exact identity was. To make conclusion, it was Wallace's fault.

It was a good thing that the guard from `Sawsbucks Coffee wasn't telling him to leave since he was not buying anything from the café. He didn't want to wait away from Sawsbucks' clean environment where there was dirt involved.

"I finally found you. Well I guess I have to thank your white beanie or… hat I should say."

Ruby went out of his trance once he heard that witty, yet regal voice. After blinking a few times, he finally made an eye contact with the speaker. He didn't know who he was, that was one note. However, after a quick scan of the man's appearance, it was definitely his master's friend. He felt speechless for staring at him for too long. "H-How?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's rude of me to call you like that." He gave the lad an eccentric smile and reached his hand for him. "The name's Zachary, but you can call me Zach. I'm Wallace's friend from Unova."

Ruby nodded at the man and stood up from his seat. He fixed his clothes, making sure he looks regal yet fabulous in front of his master's friend. Afterwards, he accepted the man's hand to give him a welcoming hand shake. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Oh no…" Zach gave the lad a sheepish smile. "You're not calling me sir. Just call me Zach, simple as that. I'm pretty sure our age gap isn't that large."

Now Ruby understood why this man was eccentric. He certainly talked a lot in spite of his witty-regal voice. "Excuse me, but how did you know that I'm—"

"Wallace's student? He gave me the details. I understand he won't be able to pick me up because of that meeting… convention or whatever they call it. Besides, I only want him to pick me up 'cause I'm gonna treat him. All bills on me."

Ruby just nodded at his response. The way Zach kept on talking just reassured him that his master was right for calling Zach an eccentric person.

"You don't have to worry though. I know my way around Hoenn since my last visit was well, last year. I think it was last year. Oh wait, that's two years ago. Man, I need to fix my memory or something."

"Well then, welcome to Hoenn." Ruby responded, not knowing what else to say.

Zach gave the charmer a huge grin. He lifted his arms on his level, giving him a thumbs up on both hands. He then breathed the what-he-called the 'Hoenn air' and looked at the coffee shop in front of him. "Anyway, let's go inside and get to know each other. You're my friend's student after all."

Ruby was surprised to hear that. He was only tasked to pick him up from Lilycove City and drop him off to whatever vacant hotel they could find. Things were definitely not going according his to plan as he hoped. "Thank you, sir. I mean, Zach, but I politely decline. You see, I was only tasked to escort you to whatever hotel we can find. Besides, I have to pick up my friend at four in Fortree City. She's… training alone, without her master, and… she must be tired from all that training, so I'm going there to pick her up."

Zach's curious eyes met Ruby's serious ones. His lips slowly curved into a teasing smirk. "By her you meant your girlfriend, eh?"

Ruby responded with a slight blush on his face, both from embarrassment and some unknown emotions compressing in his chest.

"Whoa, dude." Zach suddenly backed off, now removing the smirk on his face. "Calm down. I'm just teasing! Unless she is then, I'll probably stop teasing since it's you know, a fact. Nonetheless, I might tease you guys to stop flirting instead, if I ever get the chance to meet her."

"S-She's not." Ruby stuttered as he rolled his eyes at him, avoiding his gaze. At least, not yet.

Zach jerked his head to his right side, curiously eyeing the charmer. He seemed to be telling the truth. "Okay. If she isn't then you wouldn't mind I treat you at Sawsbucks."

"But—" Ruby tried to tell a lot of reasons why he should leave, but all were no to avail. Zach had already placed his hands on his shoulders and dragged Ruby inside in the famous Sawsbucks Coffee.

"Sorry lad. I insist. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. Besides, it's my treat. I'll pay all the bills. I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind if you get a bit late. Just tell her that I was an hour late. She wouldn't mind that."

Ruby only let out an exasperated sigh. This was going to be a long day.

With their orders on the table of their place in the coffee shop, Zach first decided to eat, telling the charmer was always hungry, hence, having a huge appetite. He told Ruby that he could eat whatever he had ordered since he was paying all the bills.

Ruby just nodded politely and thanked him for his treat. Honestly, he was not expecting that he was that rich to treat him at the world famous coffee shop. He may not have a lot of money like Zach, or even the Berlitz family, really, but Ruby knew that not only Sawsbucks' menu was delicious, since his first time in here was when Wallace treated him when he finally got his Christmas bonus, but they were also a bit expensive for a regular person with a regular salary. He guessed he must be lucky that Zach was rich.

"First thing's first." Zach finally started as he swallowed the *oran berry cheesecake he had been eating. "What's your name lad? I got a bad habit of remembering people's names. Well… not really, just the people that I don't meet yet."

"It's Ruby." He responded bluntly.

"Hmm… matches your eyes' color. What's with parents these days? They often give weird names to their kids."

Ruby just blankly stared at him. Does this mean his name was weird?

"There's one whose name is a combo of his parents' respective names, but I'm not gonna say it. The guy might be embarrassed thanks to his parents' combo name, but don't worry. Your name is not weird. I like the fact that it matches your eyes. At least its colors. Anyway, what are you? A Pokémon trainer or something?"

Ruby tried to his best process everything he had said. He was starting to wonder how Wallace became friends with him in the first place. Zach was too eccentric and he definitely talked a lot. "I… I… I participate in Pokémon contests, actually."

"Splendid, I should say! I mean, I hardly see a male Pokémon trainer who is interested in contests. Well, not hardly see, but hardly met. I understand why you have to look neat at all times. Your reputation is at hand." Zach added an innocent chuckle. This lad was starting to pique his interest. "Anyway, what's going on with your life? Have you accomplished a lot or something? Oh, try their oran berry cheesecake. I swear it's delicious! Come on, don't be shy."

"Uh… thanks." Ruby just did what the man said and used his fork to get a piece of the cheesecake. Honestly, he was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable at his questions. He swore he didn't sign up for an interview. Nonetheless, he was happy to know that Zach wasn't complaining as to why he was not a trainer who prefers Pokémon battles since most guys were. Sure he did some battles, but he only did that when it was necessary or when no one was looking.

"Ooh, sorry for my manners, mate. I mean come on! Straight eight hours for not talking? I mean, I didn't know anyone on that freaking boat, so I literally did not talk for eight hours, so that's why I have to let it all go and talk."

"It's okay, Zach. I… uh… haven't talked to anyone for the last thirty minutes." Ruby said, trying not to sound sarcastic. He was starting to get used to Zach's eccentric atmosphere, thankfully, but he just wanted to get this meal done and escort him to whatever hotel they could find as soon as possible. He had a lot of things to do, well more like to ask Sapphire with regards to her sudden training. That was why he wanted to pick her up hours before his usual time.

"Ah yes, that thirty minute delay. I apologize. I got distracted by some… merchandise. But, enough talk, let's just enjoy this quality time we had together and have fun, you know? Besides, it's my first time meeting Wallace's student."

Ruby just nodded at him. What else should he say? What else should he ask? He might as well let Zach do all the talking. It was a win-win situation since Zach not only asked questions about him, but he also talked a lot about his life. He glanced at the coffee shop's enormous clock, which says fifteen, three in the afternoon. At least he had one hour left before he takes his leave to Fortree City.

The rest of their conversation is all about Zach's life: What made him go to Hoenn in the first place, his family, his background and how he and Wallace became friends. He had been to Hoenn before like he said, but he forgot his way around after a year. He was still an amateur business man, but found Pokémon contests interesting since he was getting tired of the Pokémon Musicals and the Pokéstar Studios' films, with a bunch of sequels after the first film instead of making a new one. As much as he wanted to take his Pokémon out, it might cause chaos in Sawsbucks since it was not a fan of the smell of coffee.

Ruby found it weird that Zach's Pokémon didn't like the smell of coffee. Coffee was a product of nature, right?. In his perspective, the smell of coffee was amazing. It was not that much of a pain in the nose. Nonetheless, it all made sense once he thought about it: like master, like Pokémon.

After another several minutes of listening to Zach, he glanced at the clock once again. He only had five minutes left until four and he needed to leave now.

"Aww man. Thank Arceus for the food. That was a fun meal. By the way, there's no need to escort me to the hotel. I'll tell Wallace that I told you."

"Um… thanks. Anyway," Ruby stood up from his seat and slightly bent his head, bowing at Zach. "I… uh… enjoyed our time together. Thank you for the free food. I appreciate it."

Zach just nodded at Ruby. "Nah, it's fine, no worries. I can treat you anytime you want. Besides, we've been here for too long, my stomach needed a little rest from digesting the food."

Ruby stared at him for few seconds, and then nodded. In spite of the short time they've spent, he still thinks he was… weird. He made a mental note to ask Wallace how he became friends with Zach.

"Anyway, let's go and—"

"There ya are. I ain't surprised you're in this so-called fancy place."

Zach and Ruby flinched at the sudden voice and turned around to look at the source. Everything certainly did not turn out as planned.

"Wow, that is quite an accent, miss."

Ruby and Sapphire ignored Zach's statement. One reason was that Sapphire didn't know who he was and Ruby's reason was he was absolutely tired of listening to Zach for hours.

"Sapphire, what are you doing here? I'm supposed to pick you up at four."

"Yeah, well my trainin' ended quickly as I thought." Sapphire bluntly responded while enjoying the smell of coffee, sugar and cream in the air. She had to admit she was starting to like the place's smell. "Why didn't ya tell me yer here? I though ya were enterin' a contest."

"I wasn't. I was tasked by my Master to pick him up. That's my only reason why I'm here." Ruby said and pointed at Zach, who was behind him.

"Zachary here, just call me Zach, nice to meet you." He reached his hand while Sapphire just stared at it. "Okay, maybe you don't go via handshake. What's your name, miss?"

Sapphire was still confused at the guy's energy. Where did it all come from? She was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable at his presence, honestly. "S-Sapphire."

"Is this a coincidence or do both your names matches your eyes' respective colors?" Zach asked, receiving a blunt stare from the teens. "What? I'm just curious. I swear I just noticed it. Anyway, how long were you friends? Oh wait, let me guess. Is it more than three years? Is she participating in contests too or in battles or both?"

"I thought the food in here is expensive?" Sapphire asked Ruby, both ignoring Zach and his rant.

Ruby gave her an arrogant smirk, but makes sure that Zach doesn't see it. "He actually treated me."

Sapphire let out a sigh of exasperation at his response. It was not that she was jealous that he got free food, really. She was just disappointed that they didn't eat at this so-called fancy place together. "Ya just got lucky, idiot. Anyway, just here to tell ya that I'm goin' home."

"Hold on, I'm coming with you." Ruby followed Sapphire outside of Sawsbucks. Once he got out, he was surprised to see Troppy waiting a few meters away from the entrance. "Sapphire, isn't it rude to let Troppy stand meters away from the entrance? A parking place is there for a reason."

"Troppy isn't hurtin' or disturbin' no one. That's what matters." Sapphire responded, trying her best not to start an argument with him, and hopped onto the Pokémon's back. "You comin' or what?"

Ruby just let out a sigh just to hide his smile from the girl. That was Sapphire for you. She was never afraid to be herself and she always had this ability to make him smile despite that the reasons were a bit exaggerated. He sometimes wondered why he fell for her in the first place. The thought made Ruby mentally slap his forehead.

Where did that come from?

Sure his feelings for her grew stronger as the years passed, but he was still having a hard time getting used to it. In other words, these feelings were still new to him.

"I gotta admit your friend is adorable, naturally adorable."

Ruby knew that Zach is the man behind him. Moreover, he knew that he was the one who said that Sapphire was adorable. The truth was she is adorable. She was cute, in fact. He took a deep breath, calming himself.

Nonetheless, Zach's statement gave Ruby some unknown, negative emotions forming in him. He didn't know it yet, but he was certain that it was annoying when Zach said Sapphire is adorable. If anyone was going to say that Sapphire is adorable, then that anyone would be and only him.

"Anyway, you guys should head home safely. Maybe the next time I see either of you, I'll let you in for a treat. Free food from me."

Ruby just nodded at Zach's farewell. In spite of the offer, he was still annoyed that Zach said she was adorable.


*Let's just say that's the Pokémon world's version of Starbucks Coffee.

*Can I consider this as an Inside Out reference? *chuckles nervously*

*'Cause you know, oran berry kinda looks like a blueberry so why not?

Notice: The entire fic is edited. I left a little note in the last chapter but that's just me saying how much this isn't a good fic in my perspective, lol.