Walking through the peaceful town of Phenac City, Wes along with Espeon and Umbreon stared at Rui with confusion as she giggled and ran around in front of him like a little kid. Wes just didn't get this girl, she was just kidnapped and held captive by two men that could have seriously hurt her, and she was happy and giddy like it had never happened. He continued to stare at Rui until her voice broke him out of his confused state.
"Wes, we've reached the Mayor's office." She said cheerfully.
Wes nodded his and was about to turn around and leave since the deal was only to take Rui to the Mayor's office. However before he even turned a heel, a tall figure stepped out of the Mayor's office. It was a very odd and somewhat intimidating looking man. He had long silver hair and was wearing a purple robe like outfit that went almost all the way down his body. However the one thing that caught Wes' attention the most was the mans cold red eyes.
Not trusting the man at all, Wes stepped a little bit closer to Rui and scowled at him. The man who took notice of Wes and stared at him with interest.
"Hmm...From the way you look boy, I'd wager that you're a traveling trainer." The man said in a low tone of voice that made Wes even more suspicious of him.
"Yeah, what do you care?" Wes replied coldly.
A wicked smile formed on the man's face as he let out a menacing chuckle.
"I like your attitude as well as what I see in your expression kid. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you again real soon." He said.
The man then walked away as Wes continued to glare at him. Rui stared at Wes for a moment before tapping on his shoulder making him jump.
"Come on, Wes, don't worry about him, let's go inside." She said to him before walking into the building.
Wes simply shook his head and followed her inside as he continued to think about the man he just saw.
Stepping into the office, Wes and Rui saw a rather fat man walk out from behind the desk.
"Oh my, I've never seen your faces before, are you both new in Phenac City?" He asked in a very jolly tone of voice.
Both Wes and Rui nodded their heads in unison as the man walked up to them with a smile and shook both of their hands.
"Well then welcome! I'm Es Cade the Mayor!"
Rui then stepped forward and the mayor looked at her.
"Oh, what can I do for a pretty young lady like you?" He asked her
Wes stepped to Rui's side not liking a man his age saying something like that to a girl her age.
"I...I saw it!" Rui stammered as both Wes and Es Cade looked at her with confused looks.
"Saw it? and what did you see?" Es Cade asked.
"I saw a very strange Pokemon, no that's no quite right." Rui replied trying to make sense of what she so desperately needed to say. "What I saw is a Pokemon, that had a black aura surrounding it. This Pokemon was like a fighting machine, because not only did it attack Pokemon, it attacked people as well!"
Es Cade stepped back a little bit after hearing Rui say that.
"O-O-Oh my, a Pokemon that attacks people!?" He asked in disbelief. "Well now, if that was true that would be frightening. However, it does seem a little bit hard to believe. I've never heard of a Pokemon that would attack people."
Wes looked at Rui curiously wondering what she was talking about as she stepped a little bit closer to Es Cade.
"But it's true Mr. Mayor! I saw that kind of Pokemon and then I was made prisoner of some very frightening men! Please, you have to believe me!" She begged.
"Hmm..." Es Cade hummed out loud as he scratched his chin. "I see that you very bothered but what you've supposedly seen. Very well then I'll order an investigation at once."
Rui's face immediately beamed with happiness at hearing this.
"You will!? Oh, thank you, Mr. Mayor!" She said happily as she shook his hand.
"Your quite welcome my dear." Es Cade replied with a smile on his face before looking at Wes.
"Oh my, you seem like your a very strong trainer, young man." He said to him.
"Yeah, so what?" Wes replied coldly.
Rui gasped in shock at his response.
"Wes! You can't talk to the Mayor like that!" She scolded
Es Cade chuckled before saying, "It's quite alright my dear, anyway, since you are a strong trainer you should go to Phenac City's glorious Stadium while you wait. If you win the tournament that's held there, you'll receive a large amount of money as well as fabulous prizes."
Wes simply nodded his head in response, he needed the large amount of money since he only had enough to buy just a few common items."
"Alright then, I wish you good luck and I will let you know if I find out anything." Es Cade said happily before shaking both Wes and Rui's hand again and leaving the room.
"Glad that's over." Wes said before turning around to leave.
"Wait, Wes!" Rui called making Wes freeze dead in his tracks.
"Now what, I told you that you were on your own after I brought you here." He snapped at Rui.
Rui walked up to Wes and looked at him shyly.
"I know, but I was wondering If I could stay with you for a little while longer. I wanted to see you battle in the Stadium, so I can see how strong you really are."
"You really don't want me to leave do you?" He asked her earning a nod from her in response.
Wes sighed.
"Fine, I might as well let you stick with me then."
Rui gasped when she heard Wes say that and a smiled formed back on her face.
"You mean, I can stay with you!?" She asked excitedly
"Yes, I don't think I'll be able to get rid of you." Wes replied with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"Oh thank you, Wes! Thank you so much!" Rui replied while smiling at him thankfully
Wes simply rolled his eyes at her.
"Whatever," he said "but we're looking for a place to eat before we do anything, I haven't anything to eat all day and my Pokemon and I are starving."
Hearing about food, made Umbreon lick Wes's hand Espeon start rubbing herself against his leg making Wes roll his eyes once more and making Rui giggle at his reaction to the Pokemon.
"Let's get going." He said to everyone before leaving Es Cade's office with everyone following behind him.
After about thirty minutes, Wes and Rui were sitting at a table in a small diner near the center plaza of Phenac City. Espeon and Umbreon sat underneath the table and happily ate the that Wes had bought them at the Pokemon Mart before coming to the diner. Wes and Rui sat silently at the table waiting for foo that they ordered. Rui continued to stare at Wes who seemed lost in thought.
"Is everything alright Wes?" She asked him curiously
Rui's voice snapped Wes out of his state of mind and made him look at her.
"I just can't stop thinking about that guy we saw before at The Mayor's office." Wes replied. "I don't like the looks of him."
Rui simply smiled at Wes before saying, "Forget about him. He's gone now, so you shouldn't worry about him."
Wes simply glared at the girl across from him, not saying another word to her. Espeon and Umbreon soon finished their food and curled up in a ball together at Wes' feet as a server brought him and Rui their food. Wes immediately began shoving large amounts of food in his mouth while Rui just stared in shock and disgust at his table manners.
"Geez, Slow Down!" was all she said.
"I told you, I haven't eaten all day." Wes replied to her.
"Neither have I and you don't see me eating like a, Grumpig." Rui countered.
Wes didn't have a remark making Rui smirk.
The pair soon finished their food and Wes woke Espeon and Umbreon before paying what he owed for the food. Rui then stood up and made her way to the diners entrance.
"C'mon, Slowpoke, aren't you coming?" she asked cheerfully.
Wes just stared at her before asking, "Why are you so happy, after everything you've been through today, how can you be so cheerful?"
Rui simply giggled at him before saying, "Oh, that's all in the past now. Yeah getting kidnapped by those creeps was scary, but I put it all behind me. Ever since I was a little girl, I always thought that you should put the past behind you and live in the now."
She then walked outside as Wes just stood up and walked towards the door with his Pokemon.
"That's a lot easier said than done." He muttered to himself.
After a few minutes, The group had entered the Phenac City stadium. They couldn't help but relax a little bit as the cool air thanks to the waterfalls inside the stadium cooled their bodies and the smell of the water was very refreshing. Espeon and Umbreon definitely enjoyed the feel of the environment. They walked up to the receptionist at the front of the stadium.
"Good afternoon," The receptionist said with a smile on her face. "What can I do for you."
Rui then stepped forward and said, "Hi there, my friend here, would like to compete."
Wes simply stared at Rui when he heard her say the word friend.
"We're friends!?" He asked himself in thought.
The receptionist's smile quickly faded away before saying, "I'm very sorry but the tournament has already started, you'll have to wait for the next one if you want to enter."
Rui and even Wes looked disappointment to hear the receptionist say that.
"Oh well," Rui said before smiling "We'll try again later."
They then turned around to leave.
"I'm perfectly capable of talking for myself you know." Wes said to the girl beside him.
Rui simply giggled in response to his statement.
The group walked outside the Stadium. Rui was a bit of distance ahead of Wes as she continued to look at the sights around her. However she wasn't looking where she was going and accidentally bumped into a three men that looked all too familiar to Wes.
"Hey watch where your going!" One of the men said as Rui laid on the ground in fear.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you." Rui apologized
The men simply glared at her as the man she bumped into spoke up.
"Yeah, you better be sorry you little-" The man fell silent When he saw Wes staring at them with a look of anger on his face.
"W-Wes!?" The man said in shock as the other looked on in shock as well.
Rui heard the name of the young trainer behind her and looked at him.
"It is you, we finally found you, you backstabbing traitor!" The leader of the three men said angrily.
Rui just stared at the glaring Wes upon hearing what she had just heard.
"Traitor? Wes, do you know them?" She asked him
"What are you three doing here Wakin!?" Wes snapped at the three men in front of him completely ignoring Rui's question.
Espeon and Umbreon readied themselves to battle the familiar faces. Rui at this point was very confused as she stood up and stood close to Wes for protection.
"Don't play stupid Wes, you know why we're here. Blowing up the hideout wasn't enough for you, so you had to go and steal the Snag Machine? You've got some nerve! Nobody makes fools of Team Snagem and gets away with it." Wakin exclaimed as the two men behind him nodded in agreement.
Rui at this point couldn't handle the confusion anymore and spoke up to the young man beside her.
"Are these guys part of Team Snagem, Wes? Why do they keep calling you a trai-" Rui cut herself off in mid sentence as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Wes...don't tell me...you mean..."
"That's right, pretty lady, your boyfriend here is from Team Snagem just like us." Wakin said with a smirk.
"I am not her boyfriend!" Wes quickly shouted as Wakin just ignored him.
"Not only is he a member of Team Snagem, he's a Snagger, and a darn good one at that, he's the best Snagger we've ever head, or at least he was until he turned on us."
Rui was completely silent after hearing that before looking at Wes.
"Wes, is that true? Are you really from Team Snagem?" she asked him.
Wes tried not to look at Rui and gritted his and before staring angrily at Wakin.
"Leave her out of this Wakin, this is between you guys and me!" He snapped.
Rui gasped. It was the truth, she couldn't believe this entire time she was walking with a criminal.
"Your right Wes it is!" Wakin snapped back "Your at the top of our hit list, Gonzap wants you dead, and frankly so do I. After everything we've done for you, you turn on us." He then pointed at the device that Wes had in his possession. "Now hand back the Snag Machine you stole from the hideout!"
Rui became confused once more before looking at the thing on Wes's right arm.
"Wes, is that whats on your arm? Is that the Snag Machine?"
Wes tried to ignore Rui, not wanting to tell her about anything that involved him and Team Snagem, but Wakin continued to spill the secrets that he hid from her.
"That's exactly what that is pretty lady." He said to her while looking at the gadget on Wes' arm. "The Snag Machine is used to steal Pokemon from their trainers. Ordinary Pokeballs are converted into Snagballs by that machine, the Snagballs will then steal a trainers Pokemon from them in battle."
Wes growled in frustration as Rui looked at him in disbelief at what she had just heard.
"Now, I won't say it again, Wes, hand over the Snag Machine!" Wakin demanded.
"Forget it!" Wes shouted in response "I won't let you guys have this so you can keep stealing other peoples Pokemon!"
Wakin simply smirked.
"Heh, so you wanna play hero, Wes? Gonzap was right you have gone soft."
Wes growled when hearing his former bosses name as Wakin took out two Pokeballs.
"Fine then, hero" He said "If you won't give us back the Snag Machine, I'll just have to take it from you by force!"
Wakin then threw the Pokeballs in his hands. "Go Koffing! Go Corphish!"
A gas ball looking Pokemon and a crab looking Pokemon appeared in front of Wes as Espeon and Umbreon stood in front if their master, ready to protect him.
"Espeon use confusion on Koffing and Umbreon use bite on Corphish."
Espeon shot her psychic energy at Koffing while Umbreon charged at Corphish showing his sharp teeth the whole way.
"Koffing, quick, use smog on Espeon!" Wakin commanded
Koffing then began to fire out black smoke from it's pours but it was too late to dodge Espeon's attack as the super effective psychic move connected with the poison Pokemon knocking it Unconscious. However Espeon wasn't off the hook as Koffing's smog shrouded around her like black cloud and caused her to cough and gag as she tried to escape the black smoke around her.
Umbreon continued to hold his bite down aggressively and violently on Corphish's claw but the water Pokemon was able to shake him off and Umbreon jumped back to Wes's side. The smog soon cleared but Espeon was having trouble getting her vision back as she shook her head around violently. Wakin had a sinister smile on his face as he tried to take advantage of the situation.
"Corphish use vice grip on Espeon." He shouted before Wes could call a move.
The crab like Pokemon began charging at the psychic Pokemon with it's claw raised ready to strike. However Umbreon quickly jumped in front of Espeon and Corphish grabbed him with its sharp claw instead of it's intended target.
"Umbreon!" Wes shouted with worry.
Umbreon howled and cried in pain as Corphish continued to squeeze him.
"Espeon quick use Confusion!" Wes shouted as he looked at Umbreon with grave concern. Espeon regained her sight and quickly shot her powerful move which knocked Corphish backwards forcing it to release Umbreon. Corphish tried to get up to continue but it passed out right in front of Wakin.
Wakin growled as he returned Corphish to its Pokeball.
Both Wes and Rui both ran to Umbreon's side as he got up and went over to Wes shaking slightly. Wes gently stroked the Pokemon's head to calm him as Wakin and the other two grunts ran past them.
"Don't think this is over Wes! We'll get the Snag Machine back! Just you wait!" Wakin shouted angrily as he ran.
Wes and Rui both watched them leave as Espeon nuzzled Umbreon affectionately as thanks for saving her.
"I better get them both to a Pokemon Center," Wes said as he softly pet both of his Pokemon. "Wakin put up much more of a fight than I thought."
Rui nodded her head as Wes and his Pokemon turned around to leave.
"So you really are from Team Snagem Wes?" Rui asked him
Wes tensed when he heard her say that.
"Yes." Was all he could reply.
He then began to walk off with his plans changed entirely. Rui ran in front of him making him stop.
"Where are you going?" Rui asked him curiously. "You're not leaving me behind are you?"
Wes stared at Rui in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Wes asked her more harshly than he intended. "You now know that I'm part of Team Snagem. So I'm going to have to leave town before you turn me in."
Rui softly smiled at Wes.
"Don't worry I'm not going to turn you in, I don't care if you are part of Team Snagem, or should I say, 'were' part of Team Snagem."
Wes was absolutly shocked when said that and he just stared at her dumbfounded.
"Rui, I worked with the bad guys, why would you still want to follow me?" Wes asked her.
Rui giggled at Wes and softly smiled at him.
"Remember what I told you back at the diner about putting the past behind you?" She asked him sweetly.
Wes simply nodded his head as Rui continued to speak.
"Well that's what your doing. You're Putting your past with Team Snagem behind you and turning over a new leaf. Your not a bad person like the rest of Team Snagem, Wes. I think your a good person inside and your trying to become that good person."
Wes just stared at Rui as she continued to offer him a gentle friendly smile.
"Besides your also my gallant prince that rescued me from those two thugs."
Wes continued to say nothing as Rui picked up Umbreon and the Pokemon didn't seem to mind, it seemed to trust Rui.
"Let's go to the Pokemon center so they can take care of your two cuties." Rui said as she affectionately nuzzled the side of Umbreon's cheek as Umbreon enjoyed it with a smile on it's face.
She then began to walk off towards the Pokemon center as Espeon and Wes watched her leave. Standing up they saw Rui motioning with her hand to come with her. Wes looked down as a small smile formed on his face. Rui called him his friend before and he didn't think of her as his friend. Now she knows the truth and she still calls him her friend.
"Maybe she's not so bad to be around after all." Wes said softly to himself as he and Espeon walked over to Rui and Umbreon to join them.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Looking back I've noticed a few grammar errors here and there throughout the chapters. I apologize for that, grammar has never been my forte. I really haven't had the time to go back and fix these errors but I will try to fix them whenever I can. I'll see you all next chapter. :)