Pokemon: Radiant Ruby and Shining Sapphire
Chapter 11
Dewford's Brawler
Upon entering the Pokemon Gym, Ruby looked around to notice something very strange. There were treadmills, dumbbells, ellipticals, stretching mats… "Wait a minute." The boy thought. Combusken finished the thought, "Isn't this just a normal Gym… Like for muscle training and all that?" The two then looked at eachother and thought in a complaining tone simultaneously, "NOOOOOOOO!"
Soon a blue haired woman dressed in orange workout clothes walked over to the visitors and asked, "Are the three of you here to work out? I'll have to ask you to sign in at the front desk." She pointed towards a registrar desk and then started walking towards it.
Sapphire caught her mid-stride though and said, "Actually miss. My friend and I are here taking the Hoenn League Gym challenge.
The woman stopped, swung around, and examined the two children. She first walked to Sapphire, and measured her arms and legs circumferences. She then walked over to Ruby and proceeded to do the same to him. As she did, the boy asked awkwardly, "Um… What's happening here exactly?"
The woman responded, "I'm determining if you even remotely have what it takes to challenge Brawly."
Ruby questioned, "Who's Brawly. And what do our bodies' attributes have anything to do in regards to our Pokemon battling skills?"
The blue haired girl laughed and stated, "Brawly, our Gym Leader, is very particular about how to face him. But I guess I don't have to explain anything. Just ask him yourself. She pointed to a young man with long, spiky, sky-blue hair in black under armour doing squats further in the Gym."
The children walked towards the man and could hear him grunting, "Two hundred ninety eight, Two hundred ninety nine, Three HUNDRED!" After exclaiming the number loudly, he turned to see two children in baggy clothes, nowhere near what one would work out in. The man had Blue eyes and orange glassed on top of his head. He laughed and said in a thick accent, "Ye two scamps look pretty lost. But since yer here I assume ya wish ta speak? What's up?"
Sapphire explained, "The girl upfront told us to talk to you regarding what we should do to challenge you to a gym battle."
The man nodded, "Rightya are. Pretty particular bout my opponents I am. But before anya that crap, how bout we do some introductions, aye? The names Brawly Winchesta', at ya service."
Sapphire took first introduction, "My name's Sapphire Birch. It's nice to meet you."
Ruby then stated, "And I'm Ruby Plake, and my partner here is Combusken."
Brawly nodded and smiled as he said, "So the professa's lil flowa, and Norman's lad aye? Don't usually get theis intrestin a bunch on Dewford. And ya say yer both planin on battlin wit me?"
The two nodded at the same time. Brawly then explained, "Well good luck on passin yer entrance trial then mates."
Ruby asked, "Entrance trial? Shouldn't it just be, walk in, challenge gym leader along with co-leaders, and leave in either defeat or victory?"
Brawly nodded, "The normal formula yep, but my gym my rules as they say. I'd ratha not stick ta whatever everyone else does anyway. Sounds way too bland. Run my place a bit difrent I do."
Sapphire asked, "Then could you explain what we have to do to get to battle you?"
The gym leader nodded and said, "Simple. Ye gotta best me in a wrestlin match!"
Ruby fell to his knees and yelled aloud, "Physical activity?! WWWHHHHHHYYYYYY?!"
Sapphire saw Brawly laughing at the boy as she sighed saying, "Please pay him no mind. He's just really lazy. However, I too am a little concerned regarding the criteria. What does a wrestling match have to do with measuring one's abilities as a trainer?"
Brawly scratched the back of his head, laughed, and said, "Doesn't really at all mate. Just someway te have a good match ery once in awhile."
Ruby stood back up and scowled, "You do this just for entertainment essentially? That's distressing."
The gym leader nodded, "Well it's not yer gym now is it. Now quit complainin and git ready."
Ruby explained, "And what clothes should I 'wrestle' in? This gym seems terribly thought over."
Brawly stated, "Wear whateva ya like. Just meet me by the wrestlin mat when yer ready." He pointed to the center of the gym at a mat which looked to serve as the centerfield of a pokemon battle arena. He then walked away towards the front desk.
Combusken thought, "This gym sure is fifty shades of messed up."
Ruby responded, "Indeed. I can't think of a more infuriating challenge. However, I suppose I have to do it!" He looked and his baggy, outdoor attire and sighed saying aloud, "These really aren't the best clothes for this."
Sapphire agreed, "Yeah, we should probably get something built to work out in first. There was a clothes shop right down from the Pokemon Center. Let's check that out quick."
Ruby nodded and he and Combusken followed the girl out of the gym and across the sandy beach until they reached a large building. The sign out front read, Wears and Supplies. They walked in and to Ruby's surprise, it was split into two sections, a department store, and an all out clothing store.
Sapphire drug Ruby along into the girl's clothes section and continuously asked his opinion on different options. Ruby played the safe card on all of the options and said they would all look good on her, but the situation changed upon Sapphire picking her last choice.
Sapphire smiled as she looked at a black workout shirt with blue stripes running down the sides. She put it up to her body and asked Ruby, "And what do you think of this one?"
Ruby looked at the girl and grinned at how the shirt almost worked perfectly for the girl. He answered, "Again, looks great. I'd actually go with that one, looks cooler than the rest, and even a little more mobile."
Sapphire laughed and stated, "I think so too!" She then grabbed a pokeball from her bag and threw it in the air. A red beam shot out to reveal Marshtomp once again. As the ball retreated to the hand with the magnet, she asked her pokemon, "So, what do you think Marshtomp?" The Pokemon nodded before trotting over to the department side of the store.
Sapphire then looked at Ruby with a sparkle in her eyes, "It's your turn now. Let's get going!" She took him by the wrist over to the men's clothing section. The boy looked through layers of shirts hanging on a long clothes line. Most didn't grab his attention, but that changed when he saw it. It was a black t-shirt with orange and red streaks trailing from the sleeves to the sternum area. He unhooked the shirt and turned to Sapphire, who examined the boy's choice. She smiled and said, "Yep! That one's you all right."
The two then parted ways to pick up different pants for obvious reasons. They met back up at the cashier's desk and purchased their clothing. Then the four of them, Combusken and Marshtomp still out of their Pokeballs, returned to the gym. Ruby went to the men's dressing room and Combusken followed. Combusken asked, "Now that you have the clothes, how exactly do you plan to beat Brawly in a wrestling match?"
Ruby laughed before responding, "Honestly, i don't know. The guy's ripped as fuck. But I'll think of something. I have to, right?"
Combusken mocked, "Well maybe if you were in better shape…"
Ruby stated, "Or maybe you could shut up."
Combusken explained, "Oh, nice dodge. Can't wait for it to come back after you can't beat Brawly with your skinny ass."
The boy replied, "Well, I can't wait to beat him and prove you wrong. Just hope YOU'RE ready for the next gym battle after I win."
Combusken explained, "About that. You know that Lotad and I will be the only viable partners against a Fighting Type team right?"
Ruby seemed puzzled, "Fighting Type? We don't even know what type of Pokemon he uses yet."
The humanoid bird thought back, "Well, why else would this Gym be set up the way it is. Roxanne's was covered in rocky formations everywhere. Your dad's was basically a balance dojo. The only Type that would work for this setting would be Fighting, correct?"
Ruby put his hand to his chin and agreed, "Yeah… now that you mention it, that does make a lot of sense. Which means a Normal Type like Zigzagoon would be at a terrible disadvantage being that it's only real weakness is Fighting Type."
Combusken almost seemed impressed, "Well, looks like someone's done their homework."
Ruby shook his head and stated, "It's nothing. My dad's main Type is Normal, so of course I know a lot about it. But I don't know much about Fighting Type."
Combusken took this as a lead in to explain. "Fighting is strong offensively against Dark, Ice, Rock, Steel, and as you mentioned, Normal Types. And weak defensively against Fairy, Flying, and Psychic types. The only Type you use currently that isn't neutral to it is Normal."
Ruby smiled at his partner and stated, "You sure no a lot huh?"
Combusken concurred, "Indeed. When it's just you and the wild, you need to know these things. But anyway, let's get back to the gym."
Ruby nodded as he slid on his shorts and walked out of the changing room to see Sapphire in her new black and blue shirt with shorts on talking to the woman from earlier. She saw Ruby, waved to the girl, and ran towards the boy. She held out her fist and asked excitedly, "You ready for this one?"
Ruby extended his own fist out to hers and stated with just as much enthusiasm, "Damn straight! Let's do it!"
From the center of the gym, Brawly's voice rang, "Glad ta see ya so pumped! Ya two ready ta git down te business?"
The two walked over to the gym leader as their Pokemon partners followed behind them. Sapphire looked over to Ruby and asked, "Hey, can I go first? I think I'm ready. Might as well get out of the way while my confidence is here, right?"
Ruby nodded and stepped back. Sapphire said to Brawly, "Well that settles it. I'll be your first opponent."
Brawly, cracked his knuckles and exclaimed, "The lass first eh? Roight, let's do it." He motioned the woman at the front to come to the ring.
When she arrived the gil explained, "So these are pretty basic wrestling rules. The goal is to pin the other for ten seconds or until the opponent taps out. However, unlike a normal match where the set would restart upon ring-out, the match will end immediately in a loss to the competitor that stepped out-of-bounds."
Sapphire asked, "So all grapples are fair?"
Brawly explained, "I'll try ta keep it from getting too awkward lass, so don't fret that."
Sapphire grinned stating, "Oh, I don't really care about any of that. I was just asking the question is all."
Ruby smiled and thought, "Of course she doesn't care. How tomboy can you be?"
Combusken stated, "Well, she has more balls than most guys I know, so pretty tomboy."
Ruby thought back, "That was rhetorical… And you know you don't have to reply to every thought I have right? That gets a little weird at times."
Combusken stated, "Just making sure you constantly know I'm here to experience all of your 'dirty' thoughts with you."
Ruby choose to ignore this comment, and snapped back to the situation in front of him. Sapphire and Brawly were set in opposite positions in the center of the wrestling ring in a squatting stance. The blue haired woman dropped her hand and said, "Begin!" Upon hearing this, the two didn't even flinch, both eyeing for the other to make the first move. Brawly laughed without losing concentration, "Yer a smart lass I'll give ye that. Most people just rush in right away and lose because a it."
Sapphire didn't respond, she was entirely focused on the match. It wasn't long though before she jutted to the right. Brawly reacted accordingly by pushing to the same side, however he wasn't expecting Sapphire to have thrown a fake read. Mid motion. Sapphire changed the direction of her approach entirely, swinging her body to the left while grabbing Brawly's right arm. She wrapped herself behind the man and pinned his arm to his back. After doing this, she pushed all of her body forward onto the man's back, pressuring him down into the mat. The woman ref began to count, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5…" Just before six Brawly managed to bring his free hand up under Sapphire's left armpit, grip, her shoulder, and pull down with enough force to completely flip the girl over his body. Sapphire lay face up on the mat for a brief moment before Brawly reached for her left arm. The girl was too quick to react though, rolling to the side and returning to her original stance.
Ruby thought, "Damn, she's good. She just might pull this off!"
Combusken admitted, "Indeed, she's doing rather well, but look where she's at."
It was then that Ruby noticed that the girl was just on the edge of the wrestling ring. He thought, "One good push from Brawly, and she'll be pushed out!" This urgency left the boy though the moment he looked at Sapphire's expression. "She's grinning. She's definitely aware of her situation, but she's not worried in the slightest."
Combusken agreed, "She does seem to have a grasp on her confidence still. Let's see their next moves."
Brawly got back down into his crouched position as well and smiled as well. He looked like he was having the time of his life. He asked, "Where did you learn to wrestle? You're pacifist father would never teach you."
Sapphire finally opened her mouth to explain, "Correct, my dad didn't teach me anything, I owe what I do know to Ruby over there."
Ruby as incredibly surprised by this. He had no clue as to what she was talking about. Brawly stated, "Oh ya do huh? Then how bout we make a little deal. If ya do win this and Ruby beats me in a Pokemon battle, I'll just give ya both badges. That gives ya a lot less of a reason ta just up en quit this match now don't it?"
Ruby then shot back to looking at Sapphire urgently, "That's why she had that look on her face?! She didn't even care if she won or lost?!"
Sapphire nodded to Brawly and said, "Well all that means is I have to win this. I have no doubt in my mind that Ruby will win in a Pokemon Battle." She then swung immediately to the left. Brawly, now believing to have a read braced his left side, but instead, Sapphire followed through with her assault on his right side, pushing him face down to the ground. She then grabbed both of the man's legs, stood up, and started to spin. The gym leader tried to free his legs by kicking, but was unsuccessful every time. After the first 360 degree rotation, none of Brawly remained on the ground. Sapphire spun once more and let go of the man, sending his body out of the ring.
Sapphire clapped her hands together and laughed, "Wasn't expecting that one now were ya?" Marshtomp then ran over immediately and gave the girl a congratulatory hug.
Brawly groaned as he flipped himself on his back. It took him a second before a wide smile consumed his face, and honestly, his whole being. He sat up and laughed, "Yep, no way in hell I'd evera thought ya'd give up on the mixup that worked so well the time bafore. Thet was one hellevamatch lady Birch!"
Combusken chirped in awe, "That was AMAZINGLY thought out. No way I'd ever have placed money on her! She sure is something else, huh Ruby?"
Ruby nodded and said, "Yep, one of a kind that one. For better or worse." He walked over to the girl and extended his fist for another bump. Sapphire saw this and laughed saying, "Not yet, you need to earn that by keeping up your half of this whole thing."
The boy nodded before walking over to Brawly and extending his hand down to the Gym Leader saying, "I guess it'll be our turn to battle next, but this time as Trainers."
Brawly took the boy's hand and got on his feat saying, "Indeed. But I'm beat, and it's actually gitten rather late. Mind if we postpone our duel till tomorra. I'll make it up to ya by buyin some food for both ya scamps tonight."
Before Ruby could even think about objecting, Sapphire butt into the conversation, "Yes please! Food sounds fantastic right now!"
Ruby laughed and said to Brawly, "Well the girl has spoken. I guess that'll be fine but… I guess that means I bought these clothes for no reason at all."
Brawly laughed and said, "I'll pay for those too I guess. Get changed and then we can get goin!"
The children did exactly that. Once back into their normal attire, the five walked out onto the sandy roads of Dewford to be greeted by the beginning of a beautiful sunset. They walked down the beach a bit until Brawly looked at the town hall, "The hell is this contest sheet about? Just yesterday they wa goin on bout some mega stone crap."
Sapphire scratched her head and laughed as she explained, "Yeah, I told them about the contests in the mainland, but even I didn't expect the redecoration immediately."
Brawly sighed as the party continued to a seafood restaurant right on the coastline. When they were waiting for their food Brawly started a conversation, "So how long have ye been on this lil escapade of yers, eh?"
Ruby answered, "Almost a whole week now."
Brawly shot up out of his chair, "A week? Birch just got his kid her first Pokemon that long ago too. So are you really chalengin me to a battle with such lil experience?"
Sapphire told the gym leader, "Yeah. I don't see a problem with it. We already have one badge, so this isn't new to us or anything."
The gym leader sat back down with his arms folded and a wide smile across his face, "Y'all ev got one already then aye, that makes this one a bit more intrestin."
Ruby asked, "Wait, what do you mean by that?"
Brawly explained, "The first Gym badge one gets, the battle doesn't have to follow League regulations, almost like it's a warm up round. Starting the second though, the match must have a ruleset."
Ruby asked, "I've never heard of that. What do these rules entail?"
Brawly explained, "Well for the second badge, the even Pokemon rule is in effect. It will be a 2v2 battle. Also, the use of one, none held item will also be thrown in."
Ruby laughed before saying, "2v2, huh? Well that works out just fine for me my Fighting Type friend. My third Pokemon would've been a Normal Type anyway, so I'll take it. Which reminds me." He took the two pokeballs off of his belt and threw them in the air. Red beams shot from the center to reveal Zigzagoon and Lotad. Ruby explained, "You said you'd pay, but that means for my whole team too."
Sapphire laughed and said, "Seems fair to me." She then threw out her own pokeball to have Silcoon land on the table.
Brawly scratched the back of his head and said, "Yea, whateva. As long as I'm part of the League I can get away with all that."
Their food finally came, Magikarp Filet. Both Sapphire and Ruby snarfed down their food. Brawly laughed, "The way yer eatin ya think ya'd not eatin all day."
Ruby and Sapphire responded simultaneously, "That's because we haven't."
Brawly expression changed from laughter to shock almost immediately, "WHAT THE HELL SCAMPS!?"
Sapphire explained, while chewing, "Well yashee we jusht kinda…" She burped before finishing, "... did a lot in quick succession today. Never really got around to food."
Brawly asked, "What the hell were ya doin before comin to the gym?"
A voice came from beside the table, "They were playing delivery boy and listening to a story." The kids looked over to see Emerald walking to there table. This time however, he was accompanied by a large green lizard with leaves sprouting from it's head and elbows. It stood up to about the boy's chest.
Ruby pulled out his Pokedex which read:
Grovyle
The Wood Gecko Pokemon
Hight: 2'11"
Weight: 47.6 Lbs
The leaves growing on this Pokemon act as a convenient camouflage from its enemies. It can adeptly climb and fling itself up trees with ease.
Emerald saw the two scanning his partner and said, "Yeah, he evolved while I was training with an old friend of mine."
Sapphire asked, "Didn't you have somewhere to be?"
Emerald explained, "I did, yes. I needed to visit said friend for classified reasons."
Brawly finally greeted the boy as well, "It's been a while Emerald. Last I saw ya, ye were with yer mother lookin at those ruins in Granite Cave."
Emerald nodded and said, "Yeah, things have gotten a bit complicated since then, but it's still good to see you too Brawly."
Ruby then asked, "Why are you here now though Emerald? Don't you have a team to get back to or something?"
Emerald sat down by Brawly and said, "Nah, not at the moment. I took leave for three days starting this morning. I'm gona enjoy my time off. I trust my admins enough to keep the grunts in line for that long at least."
Sapphire smiled and suggested with food in her mouth once again, "Then why don't yu cheel with us for a bit?"
Emerald snickered before asking, "I thought you hated me?"
Sapphire swallowed and said, "I don't like you cause you stole my dad's Pokemon. However. Grovyle over there doesn't seem to NOT be comfortable with you, so I figure I'll just call it even for taking good care of him."
Emerald shrugged and said, "Well I don't see why that wouldn't work. I'll take you up on that actually. Plus, I'll get to watch a Gym battle right? That'll be entertaining."
Ruby was about to ask how he knew that, but stopped himself because of how completely obvious the answer was. The boy then thought to Combusken, "This a good idea?"
His partner answered, "No idea. However, he already took the offer. It's a little late to start telling him off."
Ruby finished eating and stood up to stretch. He looked at Brawly and said, "That really hit the spot. Thanks so much."
Brawly said under his breath, "The least I could do fer a few scamps tryin to starve themselves…" He then looked Ruby in the eyes and said, "Just be ready fer a battle tomorra."
Ruby nodded and started to walk off. He asked Sapphire, "You wanna walk on the beach for a bit before going back to the Pokemon Center for the night?"
Sapphire shot out of her seat and said enthusiastically, "Thought you'd never ask! Let's go!"
Combusken thought to Ruby, "I'll leave you two to your own devices. I'm not quite done with my food. I'll watch after Lotad and Zigzagoon too for a bit. We'll be waiting in the Pokemon Center for you to return."
Ruby smiled at his partner and thought, "Thanks buddy! And thanks for not making some embarrassing joke regarding the situation."
Combusken chirped as he responded, "I didn't? Huh… weird. Anyway, see you when you get back." The humanoid bird gave a small salute to his Trainer before continuing to eat.
The two children then walked out of the restaurant and walked up to the coastline. As they walked, Sapphire began to talk, "Hey Ruby? You ever wonder why stars shine?"
Ruby looked up at the sky to see the stars of the newly blackened sky, filled with a feeling of nostalgia. He stopped and just looked for a while. Sapphire didn't notice this, for a few seconds, and then ran back to the boy and asked, "Hey, you can answer while walking you know."
Ruby smiled, still facing skyward. He slowly let his body drift backwards until he fell on the sand below him. Sapphire looked down at him and asked, "You doin ok?"
Ruby nodded as he patted the sand next to him, signaling for the girl to follow suite. She lay down next to him and starred upwards. There was silence among the two for a time being. When the silence finally broke, it was Ruby that said, "My mom and dad used to always love going stargazing with me. Back in Johto, outside of my hometown, Olivine, there was a beach just like this one. We'd go out and stare up to the sky for hours. It was what I did for fun back then. I guess I'm just happy to see the same stars here."
Sapphire sighed and said, "Yeah. I guess I've just kinda drug you into my life without ever asking what yours was like. I'm sorry."
Ruby shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it. Even to this day I don't know all that much about you. Your personality is what drew me to you."
Sapphire laughed and said, "Yeah, I guess so. But now's as good a time as any to tell the tales of our lives, right?"
Ruby shrugged and said, "Yeah, I suppose. But just know that mine doesn't have much going for it, so don't be disappointed."
Sapphire laughed and explained, "Yeah, same here." She closed her eyes and gripped the boy's hand at her side and began, "You might be surprised to hear that this is my first time ever leaving Littleroot."
Ruby smiled and said, "Yeah, that's a bit surprising. You seem so open about everything, and not to mention, you're great around people."
Sapphire let out a small giggle before saying, "Well yeah. About that. I just kind of wing it. I say the first thing that comes to mind and promise myself not to regret what I say. But that's all it is. A false facade in a false security. But I clearly manage." She reached her free hand to the sky and said, "For the longest time I just wanted to run away, to see the whole world. My dad realized this and promised me something. "On your thirteenth birthday, I'll get you a Pokemon, and then you can help me with my research all across Hoenn". You couldn't even imagine my excitement! I waited and waited for two whole years. Then one day, the day after my thirteenth birthday. You showed up and my world opened up. You know the rest of the story, so I won't bore you with those details."
Ruby took a deep breath in before sighing, "Never would've expected that mine would be a little more detailed, but it'll turn out to be that way without a doubt." Sapphire, didn't make a sound, almost as if she was just waiting to here the boy begin. So he did, "My family was blessed and cursed by my father's ability to Pokemon battle. Almost everyone knew who my dad was, just like they seem to here. Everyone expected him to become the new Champion of the Tohjo regions. However, he didn't want that. All he wanted what was the best for me and my mother. So, he became the gym leader of Olivine. I wanted to be like him for so long, a Trainer who would cast his own glory aside for the well being of his family, sounds like nothing short of a hero to me."
Sapphire squeezed the boy's hand and said, "I didn't ask for your father's biography, I asked for yours."
Ruby laughed and stated, "Yeah, sorry. It's just my aspiration to be like my father was basically all I felt until I was nine or so. But those feelings eventually faded. Not for any particular reason, but more so just the question of "What do I really want for ME in this life" emerged in my thoughts. It was around then that I found myself closed off from the world. Students at my school started bullying me because I basically cast myself out. All except one. A brown haired girl by the name of Jasmine always stood up for me. She was my only friend until I moved to Hoenn. And although I love it here, and wouldn't go back to my old for the world, I guess I still find myself missing her from time to time."
Sapphire let out a small laugh and jokingly stated, "This your idea of a date? Dragging a girl to lay with you on a beach and telling her about your dad and your ex?"
Ruby shot up and said, "Whoa hey! It wasn't like that!"
Sapphire laughed and hugged the boy saying, "Oh SURE it wasn't."
Ruby sighed, now realizing that she was just playing around again. He then stood up and held his hand down to the girl, who took it to get herself up. He then said, "Let's head back. I have to rest up for my battle tomorrow anyways."
The two walked back to the Pokemon Center together. They were greeted upon entry by Emerald and Kailin. Emerald said sarcastically, "And the two arrive at last. Hope you didn't do anything naughty while out there alone."
Ruby stated, "No, kept this one PG."
Emerald stated, "Well I'd hope so."
Kaitlin then said, "I brought sheets down there for all three of you."
Sapphire asked, "Is Steven still in? You said he was staying here."
Kaitlin shook her head saying, "No, he checked out an hour after you first arrived. But when I told him about you two he said you'd already given him the letter. I decided not to pry further as to why he left so soon."
Sapphire nodded and said, "Alright then. No big deal."
The three walked down the steps to the lodging area, returned the pokemon to there ball containers, and got dressed for bed. As Ruby did, Combusken asked, "So, what did happen out there?"
Ruby stated, "We just kind of talked about our pasts."
Combusken asked, "So Jasmine then?"
Ruby shot back, "How the hell do you even know about her?"
Combusken stated, "Our minds are linked, which means your memories are mine too."
The boy had no idea how to respond to this. He just sat there staring at his pajama shirt. Combusken gave a small chirp and said, "Oh don't fret about if. You can remember the things I did in the past as well."
Ruby sighed and said, "It's not that. It's just… I still wonder how she's doing, you know. I'd still choose Sapphire any day, but… she was still my best friend for so long. I just hope she's holding up."
Combusken comforted, "Yeah, but it's only been a week since you left Johto. I'm sure she's doing fine. Unlike in your shoes, she had friends other than you. Not to mention the fact that she managed to beat your dad in a gym battle with her Onix and Magnemite. She's tough Ruby, just like you."
Ruby sighed before thinking back, "Thanks for that. Just so you know, Sapphire isn't the only one I'm really glad to have along with me."
Combusken chirped before responding, "Oh shut up. I said you were tough, not that I liked you or anything."
The two looked at each other for a brief moment before bursting into a laughter. The boy then finished changing and laid down in his bed. Sapphire and Emerald were quiet the whole night, so Ruby was taken by sleep rather quickly. He had to rest after all, he had a battle tomorrow.
What do you think so far? Leave a comment in the review and I'll happily look into it.
