Author's Notes: A product of the Ruby discord's thought process and my boredom. I'm honestly surprised no one else has done this before, given how there is actually a Pokemon Ruby.

Dear Ruby,

Today, I received a promotion from the Pokemon League, Hoenn branch. I am now the official gym leader of the Petalburg City gym, the 5th gym leader that they've had since the gym was moved from Fallabor Town. As a benefit of becoming gym leader, I am allowed to choose one trainer to receive a Starter Pokemon from the region's professor, a very exclusive offer. Naturally, I am extending this chance to you first, as I believe you could accomplish great things in the realm of Pokemon Contests.

However, there is a catch to this. You and Mother would have to pack up from your home in Celadon City and move to the Hoenn Region in order to receive your Pokemon. I have attached below a listing for a reasonably priced house in Littleroot Town that I think you both would find comfortable. I hope you are able to accept this offer, but if not, I will understand your decision. Either way, please respond as soon as you've made your decision.

From,

Your Reliable Older Sister

Dia Kurosawa

Dear Onee-chan,

Mom says that sounds like a great idea! We should be able to move to Littleroot Town in a month or two! Can't wait to see you again Big Sis! It's been what, like two years since you left Celadon? We have a lot of catching up to do!

See you soon!

Ruby Kurosawa

When she arrived in the Hoenn region, she noticed two colors that really stood out in the region. The blue of the ocean, and the green of the trees and grass. It was a nice change from the dull grays and whites that Ruby was used to from the bustling city life in Celadon. The air was also a lot cleaner, which wasn't saying much, considering her old house had been next to a family or two of Grimer. It was still nice however, and she found herself a lot calmer than she thought she would be in her first day away from Kanto.

It took another day or two to travel from the airport in Slateport to Littleroot, but Ruby didn't mind. After all, so many of the Pokemon she was seeing were totally new to her. She wondered if she'd get one of those Pokedexes they showed off on the technology channels after she obtained her first Pokemon, but she doubted they'd trust a klutz like her with something so expensive.

"So Ruby, have you looked into which Pokemon you're going to pick?"

Ruby gave a little jump, as her mom had been silent the entire ride up to this point. "Um, yeah. There's Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip, I think? I looked up their evolutions too, Sceptile, Blaziken, and Swampert."

A small nod from Ruby's left. "That's right. Naturally no contest champion would dare use a Swampert, not with all the other, much cuter Water Type Pokemon that are out there to choose from," she dismissed outright. "The other two aren't bad starts however, so it's up to you which one you use."

"Y-yeah, of course Mom. I'll make sure to remember that."

Littleroot lived up to its name alright, Ruby thought. It was indeed little, with maybe one or two stores, and maybe ten or fifteen houses in the entire town. If this was Celadon, she would barely consider it a neighborhood. The town was pretty quiet though, which was enjoyable.

The Kurosawa house was smaller than most of the apartments she was used to, but it was bigger than her family's apartment, a single-story ranch home with a nice front porch and three bedrooms, one for Ruby, one for her parents, and one for when Dia came home to visit. If her memory was correct, it also was right next to the professor's house.

Ruby spent most of her first day in Littleroot sitting on the front porch while the moving company had their Machokes do the heavy lifting. She didn't want to get in their way, and sitting on the porch swing, just rocking it and watching the flocks of Taillow in the distance, was more relaxing than it should have been.

The next day however, was the big day. Dia was supposed to get in town a little after noon, and after that they'd go over and Ruby would pick her Starter Pokemon. Truth be told, she was pretty nervous about the whole thing. Her entire family expected great things from Ruby in the contest realm, and she didn't want to let them down.

Dia arrived on time, of course, but Ruby was a bit surprised to see her ride into the town square on a Swellow instead of just coming by car. Petalburg was only two towns over after all, so she didn't really think sis needed to fly into town. "Hello Ruby-chan!" Dia greeted as she got off the bird before giving a little wave. "Long time no see. How's my favorite little sister feeling today?"

"Hehe, I'm your only sister Onee-chan, I sure hope I'm your favorite," Ruby giggled in response. "I'm a bit nervous, to be honest. Today is a pretty big deal after all."

Dia pulled out her Pokeball and recalled Swellow before walking up to hug her. Ruby of course eagerly hugged her back, arms easily reaching around Dia, unlike the last time they'd met up, where they could barely reach her shoulders. Of course, Ruby had only been thirteen back then, but it was still nice to remember how much taller she'd gotten. "I'm glad there were no challengers scheduled for today. Made it a lot easier to make it over here, since I didn't have to postpone anything."

"That's good to hear," Ruby chirped in response. "How is that going anyway? Last I heard you were at like, twenty wins and three losses?"

"Yeah, I've had a few more wins since then," Dia answered. "They're considering re-adding the old prerequisite of needing four badges before challenging my gym. It's been a few years since they last needed to use that rule, but there are too many new trainers thinking they can handle a gym right off the bat. Of course I go easy on their Pokemon," she added as an afterthought, "but it's still getting to be a problem."

Ruby smirked at the response. "Wow, big sis sure is strong!"

"Eh? Well, it's not really that big of a deal..." Dia stuttered, but Ruby could tell she was lying.

"Onee-chan, you're scratching your mole again," she deadpanned.

The local Pokemon laboratory stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the small houses surrounding it. About three or four stories tall, Ruby mused that it wouldn't have stood out at all if inserted somewhere in Celadon's sprawling metro area. Regardless, as she listened to Dia as she told Ruby about her experiences with the professor, Ruby pondered why someone studying Pokemon would put their lab so far away from any large cities. Surely having a bigger workplace would help with research, she figured.

Ruby went ahead and opened the door first into the Pokemon Lab, only to be immediately tackled to the ground by some sort of brown blur, letting out a shriek as they fell.

"You were right Dia-chan! Your sister is so adorable, zura!"

"Zura?" Ruby repeated, somewhat befuddled.

Dia sighed before pulling them both up. "Didn't I warn you she was easily frightened, Hanamaru-san?"

The other girl-Hanamaru-brushed herself off before extending a slender hand out to her. "Sorry about that, it's just always nice to see new friends in town! Like your sister said, my name's Hanamaru, Hanamaru Kunikida!"

Ruby gingerly reached out to grab Hanamaru's hand. "Ruby Kurosawa, nice to meet you."

"So were you just going to tackle the first person to enter regardless of who came in that door?" A deeper voice called out from inside. "What if it was just the mailman dropping off a package?"

Hanamaru tried to hide what looked like a faint blush as she turned back to the lab. "Um, sorry Papa! Just a bit excited is all, zura!" She backed up a bit to allow the Kurosawas inside. Ruby saw who she guessed was the professor. The man was a bit wide, but he was VERY tall, probably at least six-foot-five. She probably was only able to come up to his shoulder if she stood on her toes. If she didn't know better, Ruby would have guessed the guy was a lumberjack or something similarly labor-intensive, and she had trouble imagining him in a lab coat. "Ah, the Kurosawa family! Dia-san has told me a lot about you, especially you," he said, pointing at her.

"Ah, really?" Ruby replied.

"Well of course," Dia answered, as if it was obvious. "Professor Kunikida likes to know just who he's giving his Pokemon to, after all. He likes to only do so with those who will treat Pokemon with care."

"Exactly," the professor agreed, pulling open his briefcase. He tossed 3 Pokeballs into the air, and out popped the starters that Ruby had seen during her search. "Here are your choices, Miss Kurosawa. Choose carefully, as you'll only get one!"

Ruby glanced from Treecko, to Torchic, to Mudkip. She spent about 3 minutes looking between them as her mom and sister looked on, somewhat confused. Then she sat down on the ground in front of them, legs crossed, and waited.

Dia was the first to respond. "Um, Ruby-chan...what are you doing, exactly?"

Ruby glanced up at her sister, before returning her gaze to the Pokemon in front of her. "I want the Pokemon to choose. I will choose whichever one wants to be with me."

The professor pondered the idea for a moment, "and what if none of them choose you?"

"Then I must not be a very good trainer, correct?" She looked up at him, completely serious, before feeling a nudge on her arm. Ruby turned back and smiled, "I'll take this one."

Professor Kunikida looked on for a moment, then simply chuckled in response. "Very well, Treecko will be your first Pokemon. Would you like to give her a name?"

Ruby looked down at the Treecko, receiving a nod in response. "Sure, her name will be...Emi-chan!"

"Awww!" Hanamaru gushed. "That's a cute name!"

The professor just nodded in response. "Alright, Emi it is. Now, your sister has gone through the trouble of getting you a trainer 'starting kit' of sorts," he added, gesturing towards Dia.

"Aw," Ruby beamed, "you shouldn't have-"

"-but I did anyway," she interjected. "Now in this bag, I have some Poke Balls, Potions, Repels, Paralyz Heals, Burn Heals, Awakenings, Antidotes, Ice Heals, and a Town Map."

Of course, the bag was a bright pink, much like most of Ruby's wardrobe. Other than that, the only thing that stood out was the loop it had for the user to hook up to 6 Poke Balls to. "It's adorable!" Ruby exclaimed. "Thanks, onee-chan!"

Ruby went up to hug Dia, but was stopped by someone tapping her shoulder. "I have one last thing to hand to you Miss Kurosawa," Professor Kunikida said, reaching into his briefcase again. "Here I have for you a Pokedex, mark III. It should be able to identify any Pokemon you can run into while traveling the Hoenn region."

She reached out to accept it, but Ruby noticed her sister's expression had turned to one of confusion. "Um, was this part of the deal Dia had with the League too?"

A sheepish grin popped up on the man's face. "Well, not really, but we did just get a shipment in yesterday, so I figured I could give you one of them."

While still skeptical, she wasn't about to turn down his offer. "Well thanks Professor," she replied, accepting the device.

Dia then pulled out her own map. "Alright Ruby-chan, in order to be registered to compete in Pokemon Contests, you'll just need to register at any contest venue. The closest one I can think of is in Slateport, but that's still not exactly easy to get to on foot."

"Hm, I see," Ruby responded, squinting at the map. "Yeah, that'd take a while to get to, and I'd have to go through that cave between Rustboro and Verdanturf."

"You could also just take a boat there from near Petalburg, zura," Hanamaru pointed out. "I actually have a friend there who'd be willing to take us there."

Dia arched an eyebrow in response. "Are you talking about that one girl in the fisherman's shack?" She got a nod in response. "I thought she never went outside? All I've heard about her is gossip in town though, so I could be wrong."

Hanamaru shook her head at that. "She's not shy, she just likes being out during the night more. When Papa went to study the Petalburg Woods, he left me at her place. We'd read old sailor's tales that her family had in their collection, and she said that she'd be willing to take me on trips when she learned how to sail, which I think happened a few months ago."

"And what about Ruby? This girl doesn't know my sister like she knows you," Dia pointed out.

"Well I could always vouch for her zura!" Hanamaru replied, before her grin changed into a smirk. "On one condition, that is."

"Oh?" Dia inquired, as Ruby looked on, having no idea what Hanamaru was getting at. "And just what is this 'condition' of yours?"

"Well that's simple," Hanamaru answered, "I would like the honor of being Ruby-chan's first opponent!"

While Ruby nearly leapt in shock at this, Dia seemed to be expecting this. "My sister is going into contests Hanamaru-san, needless battles like this are a big buu-buu desu wa!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at the young brunette, who merely chuckled.

"Well that's fine," Hanamaru acknowledged, "if you're alright with taking an extra month or two getting to Slateport, zura!"

"How dare you hold something like that-"

"It's alright, Onee-chan," Ruby interrupted, "after all, it's her choice whether or not I can go with her."

"Ruby-chan, please, I can arrange for a ride if you need one," Dia offered. "I'm sure the leader over at Mauville would be willing to help you out."

"Well that kind of defeats the purpose of a Pokemon journey, doesn't it?" Ruby inquired. "I mean, you're supposed to be exploring the world. What's the point if people just drive me everywhere?"

"But-"

"Besides," she continued, "it seems like Emi is interested in battling Hanamaru-chan." Indeed, the Treecko had snuck up to Hanamaru while they'd been talking, and had begun trying to swipe at her Poke Ball. "I'm sure they're friends from hanging out in the lab together. It makes sense that Emi is excited to fight her."

"You'd be right on that inference Miss Kurosawa," Professor Kunikida replied. "Your Treecko there has been at the lab for about three months or so, and she was always pretty close to Hanamaru. If Hanamaru didn't already have a starter I'm sure they would have stuck together."

Dia sighed. "Alright, fine. Just throw Ruby-chan straight into the fire why don't you," she said, which Ruby responded to with a pout.

"Gee, glad to see you have faith in me, Onee-chan," she quipped. "Alright Hanamaru-chan, you have a deal. I'll give this my Rubesty!" Ruby declared, holding her arms so her head was in between, perpendicular to the ground, the trademark Ruby pose.

Hanamaru began hopping for joy at the confirmation. "That's great, zura! Don't worry Dia-chan, she doesn't have to beat me," she clarified, looking over at the clearly peeved sister, "I just wanted to see how she battles."

The party had moved to one of the training halls the laboratory had specifically for battling. Professor Kunikida was in the stands, while Dia was to officiate the match. Ruby peered over at Hanamaru from across the battlefield, which looked so much bigger than it did on TV. How was she expected to keep track of such a large area?

Dia stepped into the middle of the field. "Alright you two! I will be the referee for this match! I swear, on my honor as a gym leader, not to show favoritism in the officiating of this match! The battle will end when the first Pokemon is KO'ed! Any signs of cheating, dirty play, or otherwise will result in the match being called off immediately!" Ruby tried to maintain a serious look as Dia glanced at her, then over to Hanamaru. "Am I clear?"

When both sides nodded, Dia raised her right arm with the flag in it. "Alright, this battle is now underway!" She swung it down before backing up to the sidelines.

"Alright Emi! Go and do your Rubesty!" Emi dashed onto the field at her command. Ruby clenched her fists as she waited for Hanamaru to send out her Pokemon.

"Come on out, Noppo-chan!" The Poke Ball opened with a bright red light, which quickly cleared, revealing a Torchic with a small yellow bow on its head.

While Ruby was slightly curious as to why the girl would name a Pokemon after a snack, she was more annoyed because of course her first battle would be at a type disadvantage. "Round One, begin!" she heard Dia cry out.

"Alright Noppo-chan, use Scratch, zura!"

Ruby had to push down the feelings of panic that cropped up, she needed to make sure Emi-chan didn't get hurt. "Emi-chan, use Pound!" The Treecko's tail began to glow as the attack charged up. Ruby clenched her fists in anticipation, only to cry out as Hanamaru's Pokemon leaped over the swing.

"Now Noppo-chan!" With a high-pitched battle cry, the Torchic landed a hit on Emi, sending her back about ten feet with a few scrapes visible.

"Emi-chan! Are you okay?" Ruby asked. The Treecko looked back, giving her a thumbs up in response. "Alright then, Emi-chan, use Pound again!"

"Noppo-chan, dodge it again!" The Torchic once again leaped over the attack with ease, although Emi was able to dodge the counterattack this time. Ruby knew that she couldn't win if the opponent just kept dodging her attacks. She had to think of something else in order to land a hit.

"Noppo-chan, go on the offensive!" Well at least Hanamaru seemed excited, Ruby mused. She looked at the Pokedex Professor Kunikida had given her, reading the bio for her Treecko.

Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokemon: It quickly scales even vertical walls. It senses humidity with its tail to predict the next day's weather.

As the Torchic rushed forward with her claws beginning to glow, Ruby got an idea.

"Emi-chan, use Pound!" Ruby smiled as she heard Hanamaru give her orders. As the Torchic leapt into the air, she gave her second command. "Emi-chan, swing down!" The Treecko listened, swinging her tail straight down. "Go up!"

As Hanamaru realized what the plan was, Emi rocketed into the air, knocking Noppo off-balance. Ruby then began part two of her plan, "now cling to the ceiling!" Emi reacted appropriately, promptly swinging so that her feet stuck to the ceiling.

Hanamaru watched as her Torchic fell face-first onto the field, relaxing when it got up quickly. "Alright, you got a hit in Ruby-chan, and I see what your plan is. Not too shabby, considering this is your first time battling. However, you should know that your Treecko can't walk on the ceiling like you might have thought."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion briefly. "Really?"

"Yup, zura! You see, Treeckos are able to stick to almost any surface using small hooks in their feet." Hanamaru explained. "However! They do not have these hooks in their hands, so this ability only allows them to move on walls, not ceilings, since gravity makes it hard for them to stay correctly oriented and keeps them from steadying themselves with their hands and tail."

"I suppose that makes sense," Ruby conceded. So now she had a Treecko stuck to the ceiling, that couldn't move on said ceiling, and would eventually tire out, crashing onto the battlefield from above. That might be a problem. "Okay then, Emi-chan! Use Leer!"

Emi listened and Ruby could see her Treecko's eyes begin to glow. Noppo shuddered, but otherwise didn't react. "Sheesh, zura. That move's pretty lame, I've seen stronger glares from my own mother," Hanamaru quipped. "Let's just end this fight. Noppo-chan, use Ember!"

"Stupid type-effective moves," she grumbled. Ruby had to think of something quick, or this fight would basically be over. "Emi-chan, dodge it, please!"

The Treecko dropped down, only to fall straight into the opponent's flames as she watched in horror. "Emi-chan!" Ruby cried, as she ran to catch Emi before she hit the ground.

"Ruby's Pokemon has been knocked out!" Dia shouted. "Hanamaru-san is the winner!"

Now back in the lab, Ruby watched from behind the glass as her Pokemon was being treated by the healing machines Professor Kunikida used on a daily basis. She didn't really understand how the machines worked, as all she really saw was some flashing bulbs on a big chunk of steel. Of course, right now that wasn't her main concern. Rather, she was just hoping Emi was okay after that fall she took. Her pondering was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. Resisting the urge to jump yet again, she looked over to see her big sister. "S-sorry, Onee-chan, I was just thinking about things."

"I sure hope you aren't second-guessing yourself Ruby-chan."

This time Ruby actually jumped. "W-what?! Um, I might be doing that. J-just a bit, you know?"

Dia seemed to ponder this for a moment. "What's bothering you Ruby-chan? Is it that you lost," she said, before looking over at Ruby again, "or are you upset that Emi was hurt? Knowing you, it's probably the latter."

"E-eh? Um, yeah, I suppose you're right," Ruby sheepishly admitted, "I feel like it's my fault she got hurt, as dumb as it might sound."

"Buu buu desu wa!" Dia chided. "Your Pokemon wanted to battle anyway. If anything, I'm sure Emi's glad you let her fight, even when I was against it at first."

"Really?" It sounded a bit weird, but then Ruby remembered how Emi had snuck up to Hanamaru during the exchange. She supposed that made at least some sense.

"Of course, zura!" Speaking of Hanamaru, she practically flung open the doors. "Most Pokemon love battling their friends! Think of it as you would one of your favorite hobbies, like playing a sport or a video game! You might lose, but it's still a lot of fun for everyone involved!"

Ruby thought it over for a moment. "Hm, I suppose that makes sense, in a weird sort of way."

"Besides," Hanamaru added, "it's not like you were bad out there anyway! You had some good ideas, you just couldn't put it together out there. It's nothing you can't improve with some experience," she pointed out, before startling Ruby with a hearty pat on the back. "We'll set off tomorrow to begin your journey! We'll head to Oldale Town, then Petalburg, at which point we're practically there! Should be on that boat in about a week or so, zura!"