Chapter~ A Past Layered in Rubies

"I'm sure you both heard that Micheal and I came from the Laneno region," Caleb explained, sitting opposite of Aubree and Anabel. They had returned to the cafe so Caleb could tell the two female trainers his and Micheal's story, and at this point, Caleb didn't care to address his friend by his fake name. If Anabel and Aubree were to know the full truth, Caleb would hide nothing.

"It's a region north of Kalos, correct? I heard that they actually turned down a league offer some ten years ago." Anabel commented, sipping on a small coffee. The warm liquid provided comfort from the cold she felt outside and inside.

Caleb nodded his head. "That's correct. Laneno had no use for a league, we already had guilds."

Aubree quirked an eyebrow at this. "Guilds? What are those good for?"

"Guilds are a group of teams that exist in Laneno. Think of them as mercenaries that exist to keep the peace within a select territory." Caleb explained, propping his shoulders onto the table as he did so. "But that isn't all guilds do. It's very common for guilds to battle each other for territory. And I'm not talking about your everyday trainer battle. Sometimes these can get vicious. Not every guild is friendly with each other."

"How vicious can one battle get?" Aubree quizzed, quirking a brow.

"Not just one battle. It's more akin to a small war. For some of the more dangerous guilds, it's not uncommon for some trainers to die in battle." Caleb explained, meeting the horrified gazes of Aubree and Anabel.

"Killing each other? Over something as trivial as territory? And they let children participate? That can't be right, no governmental system would allow that!" Anabel exclaimed.

Caleb shook his head. "It shouldn't come as much surprise when I tell you that Laneno's government has tried and failed multiple times to demolish the guild system. It's existed for hundreds of years, and the people are too stuck in their ways there." The black-haired trainer released a small sigh, looking up into the sky. "Of course, they aren't stupid. Children in Laneno look up to guild members, and many strive to be a part of them. So they made guilds that were child friendly, and forbade them from taking part in turf wars. You know a guild allows children when they have a gem in their name; like the Ruby Royals."

Anabel hummed slightly. "So we know how the guild system works in Laneno, but what does that have to do with Justin- er, Micheal?"

"I'm getting to that." Cabel explained. "I met Micheal a couple of weeks after he began his journey. I was traveling through Laneno when he challenged me and Prankster. At the time, he only had a few pokemon, two of which were both Ralts."

"Gamma and Delta." Aubree cut in.

"Correct. After we battled, he asked if he could tag along with me as he explored the region, getting experience as a trainer. It was throughout the next few months that me and him became good friends. Micheal was obsessed with the guilds, particularly the Ruby Royals."

Anabel raised a hand, prompting Caleb to pause his story once again. "I get why he was so interested in guilds, but why the Ruby Royals in particular."

"You remember the snot-nosed guy who battled Micheal earlier, Wallis? The two of them were good friends when they were little, and Wallis had joined thanks to his dad being a member already. Micheal wanted to join his friend, so he spent the next year two years training so that he could gain entry. Throughout that time, we traveled to a few regions together: Kalos, Unova, Hoenn, and for a brief time Galar. Every time we returned from a trip, Micheal would challenge Wallis, and would typically lose. It was only after he and Gamma learned to weaponize that they finally landed a victory against Wallis, allowing him entry into the guild."

The day had finally started to move into the afternoon, with the cold front from earlier shifting into a warmer breeze. Anabel furrowed her brow at Caleb's story. "I remember you telling me about the power one night during Little Rock Island, but you never really explained how it worked."

Caleb shrugged as he slipped his coat off, gazing into the sky. "I can't really explain it myself. I don't think Micheal really understands it either. I guess it's something similar to having hope. The stronger Micheal and Gamma believe in themselves, the easier it is to achieve the weaponize transformation. It really was something to behold for that year and a half."

Caleb's stare turned cold and lifeless as the memories came roaring back. "He was so excited to finally join the Ruby Royals. Neither of us noticed until months after how corrupt things really were there."

"I'm not sure when it started to happen- it was likely before either of us joined- but the guild had gotten shifty. They were sneaking the children's division into turf wars, and they had initiated some disgusting rules. You saw Wallis try to get one over on Micheal earlier today."

Anabel scowled, thinking about the stunt Wallis had tried to pull earlier. "You mean to tell me they steal pokemon from their own guild members."

"No, as much as I hate to admit it, it's not stealing," Caleb explained. "It's an official rule. The loser of any Ruby Royal match must forfeit a pokemon of the winner's choice. It happened to Micheal when we returned from Galar; He lost his Raboot to Wallis. He didn't want to go back to Galar after that, he was too ashamed."

"That's horrible!" Aubree exclaimed, standing up and throwing her hands onto the table. "But... I still don't get it. Why did Wallis treat his friend so poorly? What happened between them? And what about the girl with the silver hair.

"I wish I knew what happened to Wallis. Eventually, he just started to get a big head- thought himself superior to Micheal after beating him so many times. Wallis was a very lucky individual. His starter, the Weavile he used in battle, is particularly special."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm not too sure on the specifics, but there's a term among pokemon breeders that define a pokemon's strengths. They're called IVs, or "Individual Values." Every breeder strives to get a pokemon that has perfect IVs in every category, it's extremely rare to have even one."

"I've heard of this term, I believe." Anabel piped up. "To have more than one perfect IV is a rare occurrence indeed. So how many does Wallis' Weavile have?"

Caleb rested his elbows on the table, leaning his head onto his hands. He looked at Anabel with a piercing gaze. "That Weavile has perfect IVs in every category."

"Emie is a.. weirder story, to be completely honest," Caleb explained, changing the topic despite Aubree and Anabel's shock. "We met her in Unova, and she started following us, or Micheal, to be more precise, after she fell for him. She's just a very weird character in general. Don't ask me how the hair thing works, but it changes based on her mood, similar to those fancy gems that some people like to wear."

"Why exactly did she fall for him, and why does she still have those feelings after eight years? Seems a bit odd to me.." Aubree trailed off as Caleb shot her a furrowed brow.

"She's more than a bit odd in general. She's like those Hex Maniac stories that you see online. Some crazy girl who becomes obsessed. To add to the creepiness, I'm pretty sure she specializes in Ghost Pokemon."

Anabel held her coffee, staring into the mug with a thoughtful eye. "So we know about Wallis and Emie. What exactly was it that happened between them and you two that caused all this trouble?"

Caleb released a heavy sigh, squinting his dark eyes towards the table. "It was around a month after Micheal lost his Raboot. We had taken a small trip around Laneno to train..."

"This isn't a good idea, Micheal." Caleb warned as he kept pace with his determined friend. After Micheal lost his Raboot to Wallis, the two had went on a trip through Laneno, with Micheal pushing his pokemon, and himself, to their limits. Micheal had refused to go back to Galar after his defeat to Wallis, claiming that 'even if he couldn't finish the galar challenge, he would get Raboot back.' The two had spent the past month training Micheal and his pokemon past their limits. Even Caleb had been panting by the end of their training sessions.

But Caleb still had his doubts. For all the training they had done, one month wasn't enough for Micheal to suddenly turn the tides against Wallis. As the smell of birch and wet leaves blew past him, Caleb couldn't help but fear the worst.

Micheal simply waved him off, his gaze still holding tightly to the road before him. "It's going to be fine, Caleb. Have a little more faith in me! Me and my team have fought crazy hard to increase our skill, and I can't wait a moment longer. Wallis is going to pay for taking my friend."

Caleb merely sighed, running his hand through his short hair. "You know I can fight in your place, right? Let me get your Raboot back for you, please."

"No, I can't let you do that for me." Micheal shook his head, speeding up ever so slightly. "It won't be the same. All it will do is make me look weak.."

"You're starting to sound like Wallis.." Caleb trailed off, doing his best to keep up with Micheal. In the distance, the rural town that the two boys called home was finally in view. The town was dotted with orange as fall had finally begun to set in. Even the grass was starting to dry, creating a field of orange that would soon be replaced by the winter season.

Three bright shines came from Micheal's pokeballs as Gamma, Delta, and Mew made their appearances. The determination between pokemon and trainer matched, and Caleb didn't miss the look Micheal and Delta gave each other.

"We've got this in the bag..."

As soon as the two had set foot into town, Micheal had ran to the guildhall, demanding a challenge to Wallis as soon as he swung open the doors. Despite the initial surprise from Micheal's outburst, Wallis had been happy to accept the challenge, and once more the two found themselves facing off in battle. To Caleb's pleasant surprise, Micheal was holding his own, leading the battle 2-1 against Wallis. At some points, Caleb was sure he saw Wallis sweat.

But the battle was far from over. Micheal had brought out Gamma early, burning through their Weaponize transformation; both of Gamma's swords had been destroyed, and the shield wasn't far off.

With a shaky smirk, Wallis sent out Weavile. Gamma had put up a good fight, but he was unfortunately too worn down from his previous fights, and ultimately fell to Weavile's Slash.

From the sidelines, Caleb and Emie watched the battle. Professor Pine was there as well, having been called about the battle at some point. For the life of him, Caleb couldn't figure out why Pine was here.

Much to Caleb's confusion, and minor annoyance, Emie seemed to be cheering for both sides, cheering for Micheal when he landed a devastating hit, while also clapping for Wallis every other time.

But the battle was drawing to a close, and Caleb was worried. Gamma was by far Micheal's strongest pokemon, and with Weavile now on the field, the black-haired trainer wasn't sure if Micheal's remaining pokemon would be up to scratch.

And when Micheal pulled out Delta's pokeball, Caleb was even more confused.

"Delta, you're up!" Micheal called. With a sparkle upon release, Delta stood opposite of Weavile, her calm expression rivaling the sneer of the Dark/Ice type.

Wallis quirked a brow at Delta, before leaning his head to the side to look at Micheal. "You're.. bringing out your Gardevoir? Seriously? I've seen this thing battle, do you really think you stand a chance just because of a slight type advantage?"

As much as he hated it, Caleb had to agree with Wallis. Delta could fight, sure, but she was by far not Micheal's strongest. Delta typically preferred to avoid fights, instead cheering both Micheal and Gamma on from the sidelines. To see Micheal use her as a last resort sent Caleb's stomach into a fit.

It was at that moment that Caleb noticed a small ring attached to Micheal's finger. It was small, almost hidden by Micheal's long jacket sleeves, but Caleb still recognized that gem; a Key Stone. His eyes flickered over to Delta. After a little bit of searching, Caleb saw a small band around the Gardevoir's leg. He couldn't tell from his current angle, but he was certain that was Gardevoirite.

Just like that, it was all too clear what Micheal wanted to do, and Caleb's stomach sank at the realization. Micheal was hoping that Mega Evolution would be enough to give him and Delta the edge over Wallis, but there was so much more to it than that.

Mega Evolution was nothing like Weaponizing; the latter came so easy to Micheal and Gamma because they had been gifted that power, from a legendary pokemon no less. Mega Evolution took time and practice, for both trainer and pokemon. It was very common for trainers new to Mega Evolution to find their movements sluggish and their attacks weaker than normal. It was a process- one that Micheal hadn't taken the time to learn.

As Caleb predicted, Delta and Micheal had not been prepared for the strain caused by Mega Evolution, and it had been a slaughter. Wallis' Weavile dodged all of Delta's attacks, moving faster than the shiny pokemon could keep up with. Before long, the battle was over, with Wallis the victor.

Micheal slumped to his knees, with his eyes cloudy as he returned Delta to her pokeball. Caleb looked on in sorrow as Wallis waltzed forward, sticking out his hand.

"Well, that was fun and all, but I believe you owe me my prize." Wallis gestured towards the pokeball in Micheal's hand, with a small grin. "Go on, give me that pokeball."

Caleb nearly rocketed out of his seat as Micheal froze in horror. The black-haired trainer sprinted towards the battlefield, before Professor Pine grabbed his arms, holding the young trainer above the ground.

"What?" Micheal asked quietly. "You... you want Delta?"

Wallis nodded. "That was a pretty weak showing of Mega Evolution. I bet I can do it better. So, come on, I haven't got all day. You and me have more things to discuss." Wallis reached for Micheal's pokeball as said trainer tried to slowly shuffle away.

"Let me go, Pine!" Caleb exclaimed, struggling against the older trainer's grip.

Pine shook his head. "No can do. You know the rules Caleb, it's our of our hands." As Prankster's shadow slowly crept out of his pokeball, Caleb swore he saw the Professor grin.

Wallis' hand snatched Delta's pokeball, slowly tugging at it as Micheal desperately attempted to keep his grip. Before long, however, Wallis snatched it away, tossing the ball into the air a few times.

"See, was that so hard?" Wallis taunted, as Micheal's eyes slowly started to water at the full realization of what had just happened.

"Why?" Micheal asked quietly, looking to the ground in shame.

Wallis' eyes flickered over to Micheal as he grinned. "Why? Because I won, that's the rule Micheal. Just be glad I didn't take your Gallade or your Mew. Speaking of.." Wallis trailed off, his grin taking a sadistic turn. "You heard about the scuffle Laneno is having with the northern regions, yes? My father, and most of the other royals, just recently left to.. settle matters with them.. in their absence, I was named King."

"That's Tauros crap!" Caleb cried out. "They would never let a child become King of a guild!"

Pine shrugged. "They would if he's the strongest member of the guild. It's not like he has that many powers as King anyway."

"That's true, but I can exert the powers I do have." Wallis nodded, looking towards Micheal. "Like this one.. Micheal, give Pine your Mew so that the Professor can perform the tests he's been so desperate to try. You'll get your pokemon back when Pine is done."

Micheal finally looked up from the ground with disbelief. "What?! No, you know how Mew feels about that! You know how I saved Mew!"

Wallis shook his head. "Don't care. The Professor's research will jump in leaps and bounds if he gets some of Mew's DNA. This is an order Micheal, now do it."

Micheal finally stood up, glaring at Wallis. "No, I refuse! I don't care what title you have, I won't force Mew to do anything they don't want to do!"

Wallis rolled his eyes, signaling around him. Neither Micheal nor Caleb had noticed that many of the guild members had started to surround them. "That was an order Micheal. I'm not giving your or Mew a choice. You do it, or we make you do it.

"Now!" Caleb cried out. In that instance, Prankster appeared from behind a group of trainers, knocking them down with his Shadow Ball attack.

In the confusion, Caleb escaped Pine's grip, sprinting towards Micheal, and grabbed a hold of his arm. Prankster continued to cause chaos as other members were locked in battle. Caleb could hear Wallis and Pine both shout, but he didn't care to hear what they were saying.

Once he reached the door, he released Micheal's arm and kicked the door open. "Come on, Micheal, let's go!"

Micheal stood frozen. "But, Delta-!"

"There's no time!" Caleb interrupted. "I promise you, we'll come back and get her, but we can't do it against that many trainers!"

With a small nod, Micheal nodded, and the two trainers ran out the door, and towards the wilderness. As they ran, they could just barely make out Wallis' shout.

"You can't run from this Micheal! I'll make you suffer if you don't come back right now!"

"Dad, you can't honestly believe that!" Micheal cried out, with Caleb keeping a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady.

It had been a week since the incident, and Micheal and Caleb had returned to Micheal's home, in order to speak with his family. Since the incident, Pine had locked Micheal's pokedex out of his PC. Micheal had been unable to get access to any of his stored pokemon, and, to Caleb's own guilt, he silently thanked Arceus that he hadn't stored his own pokemon with Pine.

The rest of Micheal's family had already left by the time they returned home- Micheal's father had been summoned by the Guild Leader to help in the fight up North, and so Micheal's mother, as well as his siblings, had gone to provide moral support from the backlines.

Micheal's father frowned. "I don't know what to believe anymore Micheal. I don't think you'd be the type of person to do that, but I saw that footage. You two attacked the Guildhall. If it's true that it wasn't you, then come with me and at least say something."

"I can't!" Micheal cried out, his eyes watery. "They'll just take Mew! I can't let that happen!"

Caleb glared at the old man. For as long as he knew him, Micheal's father had always sided with the Guildhall, in virtually everything. They likely weren't going to get through to him.

Micheal's father sighed. "Then there's no more to say. I've failed as a father if you refuse to admit to your own wrongdoings. Now I have to go, my presence up North is urgent. When you're ready to face this like a man, instead of like a child, you can come home. Until then, just wander around Galar or something. Not like you help the guild much anyways."

With a small nod, Micheal's father walked away from the two trainers. Caleb's grip tightened around Micheal's shoulder, but it wasn't enough to stop his friend from falling to the ground.

"I have.. no one.." Micheal uttered.

"Since then, we've made attempts to raid the Guildhall and Pine's laboratory. But each time it ends in failure- either we get discovered and have to flee, or we can't find any of Micheal's pokemon. My guess is that they aren't even there anymore." Caleb explained.

Anabel covered her mouth with her hands. "How horrible.."

Aubree was in no better condition, a few tears running down her cheeks. "And, that's it? Micheal never got any of his pokemon back?"

Caleb shook his head. "No. What you see is what he has. The only pokemon he's 'caught' in eight years was that Glaceon, and that was only because it latched onto him after hatching from an egg.

"Why has he not caught anymore pokemon? If his dex was disconnected from the PC, they should stay with him, right?" Anabel inquired.

"Because he's afraid," Caleb explained. "Afraid to lose any of them again. I can't blame him, if I lost almost all of my pokemon all at once, including one that was closest to me, I don't think I could bring myself to catch another pokemon." Caleb's thoughts drifted to Prankster; he shuttered at the thought of losing his own starter.

"That's not the story he told me back in Little Rock Island," Anabel explained. "He told me this all happened almost immediately after Hoenn."

Caleb scoffed. "That doesn't surprise me. Why would he talk about anything that happened after Hoenn? He-"

"Blames himself for what happened.." Anabel realized.

"Bingo," Caleb answered. "If I'm being honest, Micheal already had an inferiority complex. Always losing to Wallis, who he considered his rival, and traveling with me, a trainer who was already experienced, he didn't get many wins against those he was closest to. And then he lost everything, even his own father turned on him." Caleb leaned in, looking at the two girls with hurt eyes. "He doesn't even want to see his mother, or his siblings. He's terrified of what he'd see- what they'd say."

"And then he spends the next eight years isolated on an island, with failed attempts to rescue his pokemon." Anabel commented.

Caleb nodded. "With two highly skilled trainers. To be completely honest, Ash is the only one of our group that ever presented me with a challenge, so you can imagine that Micheal didn't fare well himself."

Anabel sighed slowly. "I think I get it now."

Aubree nodded. "So what are we sitting here for? Shouldn't we find him, go and help him?"

Caleb and Anabel nodded, both sitting up from their seats. "I just have one last question?" Anabel claimed, looking at Caleb's dark eyes. "What happened to Micheal's father, and the other Guild Leaders, during their fight up North?

Caleb looked at her with dead eyes. "They died."

The group wandered through the park in search of Micheal. They had spent the past two hours looking for him, only to come up short. It appeared as though Micheal had up and vanished, but Caleb ensured that he was somewhere likely training.

"Look, over there." Anabel pointed towards Micheal, who was training with his entire team. The only pokemon not locked in battle was Gamma, who leaned against a tree with a frown.

"Micheal!" Caleb called out, as Micheal froze at his name. The brown-haired trainer turned towards Caleb, Anabel, and Aubree with a pitiable frown.

"Hi guys.." Micheal trailed off, shame in his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Anabel worried, walking towards Micheal. To her disappointment, he backed away from her psychic hand.

"I'm.. fine. I'm fine, really I am." Micheal claimed, though he didn't show it at all. He looked towards his team, "If I'm going to stand a chance at all against Wallis, I need to be at full strength. So, we're gonna train till we drop." Micheal exclaimed. Try as he might to put on a brave front, he wasn't fooling anyone. They could all see the terror in his eyes.

"You know, even if you lose, you don't have to do what Wallis says." Aubree chimed in with a reassuring smile.

Micheal shook his head. "I know that, but it's not about that anymore. It's about Delta. I failed her once before, I can't do it again."

Gamma's head perked up, though he didn't make a showing of it. When he saw Anabel's eyes drift towards him, he lowered his head again, opting to simply listen in.

"I failed so many of my pokemon, but I failed Delta most of all. And now I have a shot at saving her. I don't even want to think about what she's been through for the past eight years, but I will save her. I have to." Micheal said, looking towards his pokemon. "So, we train till we drop."

Caleb shook his head. "That won't work the way you want it to, Micheal. You know how strong Wallis is. The last thing you need is to walk into that arena exhausted."

"He's right," Anabel added, moving forwards towards Micheal. "If Wallis is stronger than you individually, then the way to beat him is to make sure that you and I are stronger than him and Emie." She gave a reassuring smirk. "And we'll achieve that with our teamwork."

Micheal's eyes flickered between Anabel and Caleb. He didn't fool either of them when he smiled, but to see him smile was a bit reassuring. "All right, if that's the way to do it, then we'll do it."

"Perfect!" Anabel clapped her hands together. "Then let's continue where we picked off. We'll continue to compare our teams, and then decide which ones work best together. After that, we'll practice our teamwork."

Before Micheal had the chance to withdraw, Anabel snatched his hand and dragged him off to his waiting pokemon. Caleb watched on with a small smile, but inside he was worried all the same. He figured Micheal trusted Anabel enough to help lead him to victory.

He was worried about if Micheal trusted himself enough to win against Wallis.

Chapter End~

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