Chapter 3 - Favor

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Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, at least, that was what Ruby felt whenever he spent his time with Zach. It was like wherever he went, Zach was always mysteriously there. He didn't know if this was a coincidence or the alpha Pokémon, Arceus, was making fun of him. He swore he had enough of Zach's weirdness, for he had been experiencing it for a week.

It was not that he hated the guy, but he just thought he needed a rest from the weirdness. Another good thing to note was where Zach impulsively told Ruby that he was starting to like Sapphire and asked him a bunch of questions about her.

"It's funny that I ask a lot of questions about her. Maybe it's the fact that... you know, I like her."

After their talk that day, Ruby couldn't control his emotions from rampaging. He was still having a hard time believing that Zach had a crush on Sapphire. In his perspective, it was definitely the worst thing that could ever happen. He knew he had said it more than once, but for the sake of assurance, he and only he had the right to say that he had those certain feelings for Sapphire. Did he sound selfish? Oh, he definitely was. No one could have a crush on Sapphire but himself, and that was enough proof.

Going back to the main question that had been bugging his thoughts for a while, how did Zach's feelings develop it in the first place? After thinking about it for quite some time, he remembered where Zach stated that her cuteness was the starting point of that certain feeling.

"I've met a lot of girls during my travels, but oh dear Arceus! She's adorable! When I first saw her, I already took notice of it. What's with her fangs? Is she born with it? Nevermind. She looks adorable in there as well."

As much as he wanted to glare or to punch Zach until he said he didn't like Sapphire, Ruby refrained himself from doing it, since he was his master's friend. However, his annoyance towards Zach couldn't help but to increase.

He thought things were starting to go back to normal by not seeing Zach for two days, but boy he was absolutely wrong. While Ruby and Sapphire were on their way home from their secret base, they came across the guy they both did not want to see.

"Hey, guys!" Zach called and approached the teens with a smile on his face.

Ruby and Sapphire wanted to run away and hide in their secret base just by seeing Zach. They didn't want another dose of awkwardness.

"I can't believe we just came across, eh? It's like a path of diversity or something. Okay, that didn't make any sense." He continued to which he received a stare from them. "Anyhow, wanna see a photo of me and Professor Birch? Why not a photo of me and the Petalburg City gym leader, Norman?"

"Eh?!" They both asked at once and wondered how he managed to take a photo of him with their respective fathers.

"I haven't told you guys, but I'm actually a huge fan of all the Gym Leaders and Pokémon Professors. Whenever I travel, I often make an appointment with them and take their photos with me on it. Check this out," He squatted down on their level, turned on the camera he was holding and showed them the photos. "This is me with professor Oak. I was actually in Kanto last month. He's a nice guy and all. Oh, here's me with his grandson, Green. Man, he's cool! He's the coolest guy I've ever met! Oh and here's me with Professor Birch. He's really cool as well. Oh, here's me with Norman. I heard he's strict, but it was fun talking to him! Finally," He slowly stood until he reached Ruby's level. He placed his hand on Ruby's shoulder and pressed the camera's button.

"Wait, I—"

In a matter of seconds, the camera took their photo. "Me with Ruby, and..." He removed his hand on the lad's shoulder and he now placed it on Sapphire's shoulder.

"W-What?!"

"Me with Sapphire." He removed his hands on hers and showed them the photos. "Now I have a memento of you guys!"

"Do ya have to take our photos as a memento!?" An irked Sapphire asked.

"Oh come on, it's fun!" Zach responded with a smile. He put the camera in his pocket just to make sure they wouldn't try to take it and delete their respective photos. "Besides, it's worth remembering. We can look at it and remember those fun times, especially when we had our first date. Oh, wait. I should have asked..." He paused and gave her a sheepish smile. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Sapphire gaped in horror. Why was he asking her out!? Did he hit his head or something?

Ruby, on the other hand, was having a hard time believing what Zach had said. He heard it correctly, right? If this were a dream, he would like to wake up now.

Zach let out an innocent chuckle at her reaction and bluntly said, "I asked you out on a date. I swear you'll have a great time. The bills are on me, and I bet you'll look absolutely adorable on our time. That is if you agree. I'm hoping you will."

Ruby's face darkened. The only thing in his mind was the desperation to hear her disagree.

"I swear we will have a great time." Zach's tone was happy yet desperate. He really wanted her affirmation.

After a minute of staring, Sapphire didn't hesitate. She gave him a nonchalant stare and said, "No. Not interested."

It was now Zach's turn to gape, this time, with disappointment. "Holy crap."

Ruby had never been relieved after hearing Sapphire's answer. If she agreed, he would have isolated himself from society until the nightmare was over.

"Well... I guess rejection does hurt, and I didn't expect that. Anyway, I'm not gonna give up. You'll agree to go out with me one time. Well, eventually. See you around!"

Ruby could feel his fists were shaking from intense irritation, and possibly jealousy, but he was absolutely, very stubborn to admit it. It would be the end of the world if Sapphire would go on a date with Zach. Nonetheless, she wouldn't go out with Zach once he asked her again, right?

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"Admit it; you're jealous."

Ruby gave Wallace a curious look. His eyebrows furrowed, confused from his master's words. "What?"

At exactly nine in the morning, he received a call from Wallace, telling him to go to Fortree City. Ruby responded with a compliant groan at first, concluding it was about Zach again, but asked his master why. To his relief, Wallace said that he should help him move Winona's stuff to her newly built house since she and Sapphire were waiting for the house furniture to be finished.

Sighing, Ruby told his master that he would be on his way while mentally thanking that it wasn't anything involved with Zach. He let Rara used teleport and he arrived at his destination in a matter of minutes. While helping Wallace put the boxes inside, he asked his student what happened when he let him hang out with his friend. Ruby mentally groaned just by hearing Zach's name. Nonetheless, he told everything to his master. Somehow, he couldn't control his frustration whenever he talked about Zach, which gave Wallace that conclusion.

"I said you're jealous; just admit it."

"I'm not." Ruby denied sternly. He was certainly, one hundred percent, not jealous. Why would he be jealous? "I'm... just annoyed, that's all."

Wallace nodded slowly. He had to admit this was his first time seeing Ruby this jealous. It was evident that he and Winona knew that their students liked each other. However, it was a bit irritating to see them hide their mutual feelings for one another. That's why Wallace often teased Ruby whenever Sapphire is involved. Zach having a crush on Sapphire was a surprise, though. He never expected it to happen. "Then, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't mind telling Zach where Sapphire is?"

"Wait, what?!" Ruby frantically scanned his surroundings to look for that certain peculiar man. Thankfully, he wasn't around and he fell for it. "Master, what was that for?" He asked with all the annoyance he could muster.

Wallace chuckled at his student's reaction. Ruby often fell in his miniature pranks when it comes to his affections for Sapphire and this one was another definite proof. "It's just a joke, calm down."

Ruby responded with an exasperated sigh. He sometimes wondered how his master knew about his feelings for the girl. He had probably found it out from Winona or from his father.

Before Wallace could make Ruby admit he was jealous, a knock on the door interrupted him, much to Ruby's pleasure. There was no doubt he liked to talk with his master, but their topic was kind of making him uncomfortable.

Wallace approached the door and opened it. To Ruby's astonishment, it was Sapphire and her master.

Wallace let them inside and closed the door. "Winona, Sapphire... you're early. Where's the furniture?"

"It turns out the building process got delayed. It might be a couple of days before they finish it." Winona said as she observed the place. There were different sizes of boxes placed neatly on the sides of the house, making it easier to walk around and know where which box is which. She had to thank Wallace and Ruby for organizing it. As much as she wanted to unpack and organize her stuff now, it looked like it has to wait once the furniture arrived. "Anyway, thanks for all of your help, but I think it's time to go back to the gym and work."

"Yes, you're right. I have to meet up with Zach as well. You want a ride home in my aircar, Ruby?" Wallace asked his student, already knowing his answer.

"N-No!" Ruby blurted with his hands in a defensive position. With his master meeting up with Zach, there was no way he could ride in that air car.

"Alright, then I'll be going." Wallace bid farewell and left Winona's house.

"I'll be goin' home too. Just tell me if ya need help, master." Sapphire said a minute after Wallace's departure. She stopped after taking her first step outside and turned her attention to Ruby. "Ruby, are ya comin' or what?"

Ruby snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah."

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"Ya seem tense."

"What?" Ruby asked, confused at what she meant.

Sapphire turned around to face him. It had been exactly ten minutes since they left Fortree and she decided to let Troppy give them a flight to Littleroot. Moreover, it was also another way to cool Ruby's anxiety. Well, at least that was what she felt when he hysterically declined Wallace's request. "I said ya seem tense. What happened when we were gone?"

"N-Nothing," Ruby said, not looking in her eyes. Despite that he badly wanted to tell her, it didn't seem like the right time.

Sapphire sighed exasperatedly. It was obvious that he was lying and she was not going to let it slip. "If this—" Before she could finish her statement, a sudden wind turbulence caused her to wobble and almost fall on to Troppy. Thankfully, Ruby caught her by wrapping his right arm on her waist and used his left hand to hold hers. Their proximity sent heat on her cheeks. She had no idea whether or not Troppy did this on purpose. It looked like she needed to talk to all her Pokémon team when it comes to teasing her with Ruby.

"You okay?" He held her close as if he were hugging her.

"I-I'm fine." She said with a deeper shade of the color red on her face. "It's just the wind. Nothin' to worry about."

"Just the wind?!" He asked with a raised voice. She looked up and felt disappointed. He looked more anxious than he was. "Sapph, you almost fell thanks to that damn wind!"

"Why are ya so worried 'bout that?!"

"Well I can't bear to see you fall!" He knew she was a strong and independent person. However, he couldn't help but worry about her safety when danger was involved in the situation.

"Stop worryin' 'bout me!"

"I will stop worrying until you're safe with me!"

Sapph was speechless after hearing that. She appreciated his concern, but him treating her like a fragile plush toy was always new and a bit awkward. "I'm sorry," She mumbled and buried her head on his chest. In spite of his rapid heartbeat, she knew he had calm down.

Ruby finally managed to smile and if possible, held her closer. "It's okay... just... just remember that... you know..." He mentally groaned and cursed himself at his lack of sweet words. He knew what he should say, but by some unknown reasons, those certain words could not properly come out. He was starting to wonder how he managed to confess to her again after they destroyed that meteorite.

"Yeah, I know." She responded, feeling the temperature kept rising on her cheeks. "It's a miracle ya haven't forgotten."

"Eh?"

She lightly punched his chest as a response. Because of her inhuman strength, however, he wobbled a bit but later regained his balance.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sapph, I swear I'll never forget it. I did assure you."

"I thought it was a promise?" She met his gem-like red eyes with wonder. What did he mean by assurance? He said he promised back then, right?

"Well, I... I said it was a promise, but sometimes, promises are broken and I don't want that. What I meant to say is..." He looked at her in the eyes and smiled. "Well, I assure you it'll happen one time."

She gave him a warm smile and nodded at his decision. It did make sense. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She said with a small voice, then squirmed herself out. Despite that she enjoyed their proximity, she was still uncomfortable at it, especially when they were in public.

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The next day, Ruby woke up with a smile on his face. He didn't know why, but he felt it was mostly related to the circumstances yesterday. What happened yesterday didn't seem that bad in his perspective. In fact, it was the most eccentric-free day he had for a while despite they did talk about Zach. Well, he admitted it was all about that affectionate time he had with Sapphire. It was quite a shock they had that.

It was true they have confessed their feelings again after destroying that meteorite. It wasn't easy doing it for the second time, but thank goodness they managed to and it was absolutely worth it. They couldn't conceal their respective feelings for a long time. Unfortunately, much to their dismay, they were not yet a couple.

The truth was they both think they were too young to start a relationship in spite of their deep feelings for each other. However, Ruby did make a promise, well, more like he reassured, that he would ask her to be his girlfriend when they were both ready. Moreover, he gave her his word that he would never forget, pretend and lie that this confession never happened. He lost her once and he would never allow himself to lose her again.

He received a strong punch on the chest afterwards (he thought he deserved it) with Sapphire demanding a serious explanation of why he 'pretended' to forget their confessions at Mirage Island. She knew him too well, for he didn't even mention about their first confessions. He guessed she just knew about his lies. Nonetheless, he gathered all his courage and told her everything. She may still be a bit mad about his lies, but she completely understood his reasons.

The day after their confessions felt like nothing happened, for they were both too timid and uncomfortable about the topic; lt alone ask if they remember it!. Nonetheless, their so-called romantic moment yesterday might be a sign of their growing relationship. Who knows? They might go over the boundaries of friendship. The thought made him shook his head vigorously. It was definitely not the time to think like that. It was still too early.

A frantic knock interrupted him from his thoughts. He turned his attention on it and smiled. If there was someone who liked knocking and getting into someone's house by using their windows, then that would be Sapphire. He gently opened the window in his room to let her in. Not a moment later, he was tackled down on the floor by his precious wild girl.

"Ow, Sapph, what gives?" He asked while trying to stand up from their mortifying situation.

"Can you do me a favor?" She quickly stood up after their fall and closed the window. Then, she sat on the floor while waiting for him to be finished from fixing his clothes.

"Sapph, it's ten in the morning and you're in my room." He said and sat beside her. "What's going on? You literally went into my room by my window. You know you're welcome to use the door."

"Just shut up! I need yer help!" She exclaimed with her arms wrapped around her knees.

Seeing her frightened gesture, he let out a sigh to ease his anxiety for her and nodded. "Okay, what is it?"

"I need ya to do me a favor." She paused and looked at him. He gestured her to continue with a nod. She bit her lip. Here goes nothing. "Zach came to Papa's lab today askin' for another photo of him. He said he accidentally deleted the photo in his camera."

Ruby's face darkened and his emotions just started fuming. What was with that guy?!

"Before he leaves Littleroot, he saw me outside of our house and asked..." She let out a distasteful groan and continued. "...me to g-go on a date again."

Ruby clenched his fists. Forget his fuming emotions, he just wanted to punch him now.

"I declined him. I wasn't interested in the first place."

He mentally sighed in relief. He knew she would decline him again, but saying it herself helped reduce his fuming emotions.

"That's why I wanna ask ya a favor. Ya have to help me tell Zach that I will never be interested goin' on a damn date with him."

Ruby was taken aback at her favor. She wanted him to help her tell Zach? Well, at least that was what he heard. "Wait, what?"

"Ya heard it!" She went closer and gripped on his shirt collar. "Ya got to help me so we can tell him to leave me alone! I ain't interested in goin' on a date with him!"

"Calm down, Sapph." He cooed and placed his hands on hers.

"I can't calm down! He's startin' to bug me!" She retorted and released her grip. She looked through the window and let out a sigh. Zach had officially left Littleroot, thank goodness.

"Hold on, he's here?!" His tone was angry. She was hiding from Zach?! That explained why she was on a rush on getting into his room. Seriously, when would that guy learn?! He stood up and looked through his window to spot that peculiar man. Thankfully, Zach was nowhere to be found within his field of vision.

"He's gone, and I hope he is for good."

Ruby sighed exasperatedly. The possibility she would agree to go out with Zach was nil. However, if Zach would keep on asking, she might agree just so he could stop. He hoped it wouldn't happen. "Alright. I'll do it."

She let out a sigh of relief and gave him a sincere smile with her fangs sticking out. "Thanks."

Ruby smiled back and nodded. He was absolutely desperate to knock some sense into him. Zach may be a nice guy, and... very odd, but from what he observed so far, he was quite stubborn when it came to his requests. It was already proven thrice and one of them included his sudden interest in asking Sapphire on a date. He just hoped Zach wouldn't interrupt him or change the topic. "But... I insist I should talk to him alone."

Seeing his full-fledged determination, Sapphire had no other option but to agree. He may have a bad habit of keeping things under control when the clock was ticking, but the least she could do was to trust and to believe in him. "Fine, but when ya take too long, I'm comin' to help."

He looked in her bright, blue eyes for a while. She seemed determined as well. It looked like he had no other option. "Alright then."

Edited: Did I really write this? ;-;