A jet blue blur floated across the green grass of the Lake of Rage. It flew across the blades, heading straight for the pink puppy who watched motionless, unable to predict where it's attacker was coming from.
"Yes! We got it this time Rocket! Keep it up and we'll-" The young girl's voice cut in an instant as the jet blue blur became visible as it tumbled through the weeds.
"No!" The girl cried, gritting her teeth. A loud, bellowing laugh came from across the makeshift battle arena in return.
"You can't even..." The opposing boy huffed and puffed, out of breath. "Your Pokemon can't..." He doubled over in laughter. "Even manage a teensy little quick attack!" The boy bellowed on some more while the girl watched her Pokemon raise itself out of the prickles and weeds.
The young girl thought quickly, rearranging her strategy.
As her opponent and his Pokemon were still laughing loudly at her Pokemon's tumble, the girl yelled "Forget about that fall Rocket! Tackle attack!"
The fresh snow Pokemon nodded in agreement before zipping off towards the pink puppy with careful jumps. He slammed cleanly into his opponent, knocking the puppy right off his little paws.
Paws wriggling in the air, the puppy let out an annoyed "Snubb! Snubb, Snubbull!" as Rocket landed back on his feet gracefully.
The boy, shocked by the swift attack and not necessarily the swiftness of the Pokemon, called out to his Snubbull.
"Snubbull, get 'em! Use thunder fang followed by tackle!"
The young girl gasped as she watched the electricity over take the blue figure before he was thrown out of the clearing's boundary line. Tensing, she waited for her beloved and faithful partner to get up, only he didn't.
She blocked out yells and shouts of joy from her opponent and the Snubbull as she ran over to her Pokemon and returned him to his Pokeball.
"You did good Rocket," She whispered to the red and white sphere.
"Hey, you owe me, kid," The boy sneered, though he was not two months older than the girl herself, he felt extremely superior, having won to someone belonging to one of the prestigious gym leader families.
The girl fished out of her pocket notes and coins, half of the small amount of money she had on her person. She handed it to the boy, who gaped at her.
"This is what I get for beating a gym leader's protege?" His face screwed up. "Humph. What a waste of my time,"
With that, the boy and his laughing Snubbull left the clearing, heading towards the famous Lake of Rage. The girl watched him go before getting up and slowly heading back down the path to the town. She stared at the Pokeball in her hands, a disappointed look in her eyes. That was the third battle the pair had lost in the last four days. If only they didn't have this extreme pressure on them both to do well...
Ruby Lockwood was a gym leader. Or, nearly. The girl was four years away from taking up the position as gym leader of Mahogany Town, settled in the region of Johto before the treacherous and chilly Ice Path and the famous Lake of Rage, raging with the almighty Gyarados.
Her grandfather was the very wise Pryce, a leading authority on all things ice. When neither of Pryce's two daughters had wanted to take over for him at his beloved gym, he had instilled a hope that his grandchildren would. And he was right.
When Ruby came along, Pryce recognised the same fiery passion he held for Pokemon within her. With that diagnosis, Ruby was placed on the pedestal of gym leader to be.
Ruby Lockwood had been under her grandfather's training part-time since the age of ten and a half. She was now twelve years old and no closer to becoming a gym leader. She highly doubted she'd make it at all as a gym leader after all these defeats.
Pushing her fringe of her face as she continued down the path to the town, she suddenly heard a quiet but stern "You were trying too hard Ruby,"
Ruby spun around out of sudden fright to face wrinkles and white hair. Only grandpa.
Hands on her hips, Ruby glared at her grandfather before spitting out "Why were you watching me?"
The older man sighed, closing his eyes. "I've told you Ruby, if you want to succeed as a gym leader, then you're going to have to train properly,"
"And what if I don't want to be a gym leader anymore Grandpa?" Ruby's ice blue eyes stared straight back at her grandfather. "Did you ever think about that?"
Pryce, out of frustration for his granddaughter, didn't say a word back. He simply left the path, heading down to the town. Ruby clenched her fists and hastily followed Pryce with glaring eyes.
Dinner was unusually uncomfortable in the Lockwood residence. Mainly because Grandpa Pryce had insisted on staying for dinner that night.
Huddled around the small rectangular oak table was Kevin and Allyson Lockwood, Ruby's parents. Both were making discreet eye contact, with Kevin wondering how long it would be until his father in law would leave.
Swinging his short legs and stuffing his face with mashed potatoes was Jasper Lockwood, nine years old and ready to be the next Pokemon master. On his shoulder sat his twin and partner in crime, a furry little Aipom who went by the name of Fidgit.
Grandpa Pryce looked furiously determined. About what, no one knew. His eyebrows just about overtook his smudgy black eyes, making it look like he had no eyes anyway. His grey hair was white, no doubt about that. Snow white.
Ruby sat awkwardly, pushing peas around on her plate. She definitely did not feel hungry after the day she'd had. She couldn't even let Rocket out of his Pokemon yet. Ruby felt completely responsible for the Pokemon's failed quick attack. In the back of her mind, she was even considering what her grandfather had said. Training properly would be great - if it was with someone other than the Grandpa Pryce.
Clearing his throat, it was Pryce who spoke up throughout the uncomfortable air.
"It is time to stop wasting the hours," he announced as he finished up his meal.
"What do you mean Dad?" Allyson replied, staring at her aging father with a unusual glance. She realised quickly that Pryce's thinking mind involved Ruby in some way.
"It is time for Ruby to train full time with me."
That statement made Ruby's jaw drop, Allyson drop her fork, Kevin nudge his wife with the intention to stop Pryce from pushing Ruby into anything she did not want to do and Jasper rolled his eyes. Again, his family neglected the idea that maybe he'd like to be the gym leader. Just because he was the youngest...
Ruby glared at her grandfather, eyes shining with fury before she pushed her chair away from the table, stood up and stomped into her room.
As she climbed the stairs to her room with the utmost fury, the idea that had been nagging away at her for the past few months popped back into her mind. An idea so radical, so disgraceful that Grandpa Pryce would be absolutely furious. If Ruby wanted to get attention, it would be the right moment to take action and put this plan of hers into progress. But it was not attention Ruby wanted, it was the chance to do something for herself. To learn from her mistakes by herself instead of being insulted, yelled at and criticized by her own family.
For Ruby to get that chance to be someone, she would have to start fresh. Start anew. Start off somewhere else...
Jasper & Fidgit,
You're really annoying most of the time. Actually, all of the time. But I'm trusting you with this information anyway.
You need to talk to Grandpa and start training to be gym leader. I can't do it, not now at least. But you and Fidge? You're definitely ready.
Rocky and I, we're going some place where we can start again. Somewhere no one knows who I am. Somewhere I can train by myself.
Tell Mum and Dad I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye, but I had to leave. I'll be fine though. Tell Grandpa I'm sorry.
Thanks Jasper.
Love Ruby and Rocky.
PS: I took most of your savings. You should really find a better hiding place. Sorry. I'll pay you back when I'm earning the big bucks! Love again from Ruby. xox
Seated at the back of the shabby old bus, hidden by the lack of light, Ruby stared out the tinted window to her left. The outside world rushed past in a blur. Rocket was seated next to her, his head nuzzling her arm affectionately.
"I hope this is the right thing to do Rocky," Ruby whispered, scratching the blue Pokemon on the head. Rocket started to nod but stopped.
Sighing, Ruby delved into her bag, pulling out a small rectangular photo album. In the limited light there was, Ruby could faintly make out the people and places she'd left behind. Jasper, Fidgit, her parents, Grandpa Pryce and Ruby herself all stood proudly in front of the Mahogany town gym after it was repainted two years ago. Childhood friends, picnics at the Lake of Rage and her mother's Sunflora who had passed away last year all flew by.
Ruby's memory lane run then stopped at one photo. The one photo that would be her new future. Cozy cottages with delicate and intricate flowering gardens sat on each side of a road that ran through the city. The sky was the clearest blue, stretching on forever above the city. A tall building stood its ground in the centre of the city, the king amongst all of his subjects.
Ruby turned the photo in her hands, feeling for the dented letter written in blue ink on the back of the photo. In the dim light, Ruby could make out one word.
"Saffron," she whispered.