AN: This AN is coming first today...I need to say some stuff in it. The one with the trivia and afterword on the chapter will still be at the end.
If you don't know, which you likely don't, I am also a Let's Player...I don't have TOO much done right now because I had to stop for a while due to living situations and other such things...including my bipolar internet connection which seems to only work when I give it nice candies. On top of that, I seem to have gotten some sort of virus, and am currently running in Safe Mode(with a bit of extra adjustments to give me sound) because in normal mode it freezes up after about ten seconds and refuses to do jack shit.. Also due to all this, I had to halt on the fanfic for a while, and I'm deeply sorry for how late this chapter is. Either way, all that is in the past; though I still have the virus, I've been fine in Safe Mode the last few days..though I'm not sure if I can record in Safe Mode, I can at least write. Now, on to the actual chapter...
Chapter 3-Shades of Blue
When I wake up, Sapphire is still sound asleep, as are both Pokemon. Well, this at least gives me more time to get ready for the day without fear of anyone interrupting me. I take a shower and decide to look through my items one last time. I figure that recalling Mudkip would be pretty pointless at the moment, since he's asleep and isn't going to wander off anywhere.
The moment I finally decide that everything that was in my bag last night has not magically teleported off somewhere, Sapphire starts to wake up.
"Finally awake, are we? Maybe you should get a tighter sleep schedule like me, I hear it helps with concentration." This is all bullshit, of course. My own sleep schedule is completely random; I sleep when I'm tired and wake up when I'm not. But she doesn't know that...yet, so there's no harm in having a little fun.
"Oh, be quiet; you. You should be glad I woke up before noon, y'know? Anyways, should we go now or wait a little while?" Well, Sapphire's not a morning person...noted.
"Don't you need to take a shower? Or check to make sure everything is still all together?"
"I took a bath last night; I woke up in the night and just decided to take one to relax. And check on my things? You think they just ran off? Don't be silly, Ruby!" Baths? Relaxing? I hate baths; what's the point of getting clean if you're just laying in the water with all the filth? Though I guess most people would consider hot baths relaxing...not me. I can't stand hot showers or baths, the drain all the energy out of me and make me too tired to move.
"Hey! Ruby, is something wrong? You seem a bit out of it..." Oh, right...I can't just daydream now; I've got someone with me.
"Hmm? Uh, no, I'm fine. I must still be a little sleepy, I guess. Anyways, I think we should get going pretty soon; the earlier we start, the sooner we'll get to Rustboro. I'll go wake Mudkip up, okay?" Yeah, it's good to get off the subject of just how spaced out I really am. She doesn't need to know about that just yet.
"Oh, alright then! I'll wake Torchic up, I guess...but it looks so peaceful, maybe I should let it sleep a little more..." It? Does she not know Torchic's gender yet? Ah well, it's nothing too important, and it can be remedied easily.
"Well, you may as well wake it up now to give it time to actually get going. Oh, and take it down to Nurse Joy; she can give it a checkup and tell you Torchic's gender." It's a good thing that the National League funds all of the Pokemon Centers in a country, otherwise Trainers would run short on cash just from healing their Pokemon or resting at a Center.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. See you in a minute then, Ruby!" After Sapphire heads down the stairs, I shake Mudkip awake, and watch it wobble around for a minute. It's pretty adorable, really. I'd never took much time to just look at him before. Well, I can keep him out of his Pokeball for a little while; it isn't like he'll run off or anything.
Now, about Wally's note...he said something about strange people. I don't know what he meant by that, really. He could mean just abnormal, weird people or he could have meant threatening or evil-looking people. Well, for now, I'll keep this to myself. Again, no sense in worrying Sapphire and potentially getting us into some kind of trouble.
"Okay, Ruby! Nurse Joy checked Torchic out, and it's female like I thought! Oh, and I guess I'm ready to leave now, if you are."
"Female? That's pretty rare, actually. Most Torchic are male, like Mudkip. Well, okay, if you're ready to go, then I am as well. I'm going to keep Mudkip out of his Pokeball for a while; I don't think he'll run off." And even if he does, I can catch him easily. Those stubby legs are not made for running.
"Then hurry up! I wanna get going now!" Well, she didn't recall Torchic, so I guess she's gonna let it rove around...but Torchic will have to be watched; she can actually get away since she's decently quick and so small. Guess I'll have to do it...
We head downstairs, out the PokeCenter's door, and through the mostly-empty city streets towards the western outskirts of Petalburg. The main thing that bothers me is just how abandoned the streets are. Even when we first got here, early in the morning, there were people about...but not now.
"Hey, Ruby! Are you still asleep? Or did you just not hear me?" Wha? Oh, Sapphire said something. I have to work on this stupid spacing out.
"Uh, I didn't hear you, could you say it again?" She can think I'm deaf all she wants.
"Well, I just said that it's awfully quiet out this morning, you know? I wonder why that it is..." Huh. Maybe I've been underestimating Sapphire. Then again, it isn't like it's all that hard to notice.
"Yeah, I've noticed it as well. It's a little eerie, to be honest. Just watch out, all of this is giving me a bad feeling."
"Hey! You two!" Huh? When I hear the voice, I look around, and finally find the source, off to my left. It's a weirdly dressed man... He's wearing a black and white striped shirt, blue pants with strange, circular patterns on them, and a blue bandana with a vaguely pirate-like symbol in the middle. There's..something strange about this guy, but I can't really tell what it is. I'll just see what he has to say, I guess. "What are you doing out? Haven't you heard the news? A Devon researcher was nearly mugged in the woods last night! Everyone's holed up in their houses in case the guys who did it are still around!" Wha...that's worse than I expected. I'd just thought that there was a warning about the weather or something. But a mugging..or wait.
"What do you mean by "nearly mugged? Did the researcher manage to escape? Or did someone come along?" It's probably the second one...I doubt a researcher could have outrun a mugger, really.
"Well, actually, rumor has it that it was a kid who stopped the guy. I don't believe that, though. Devon makes sure that its employees always have a Pokemon on hand, in case this ever happens. If the mugger took that down, there's no way a mere random passerby child could stop them. No, I'd say it was the Petalburg or Rustboro Gym Leader. Or maybe the Devon Corp's President's son, they say he's pretty good. But anyways! I've talked long enough! You two need to get back wherever you came from, this is no place for little brats like you!" The way he says this, it sounds like he holds resentment towards whoever stopped the mugger. This is turning out badly.
"Well, I'm sorry, sir, but we have to go through the woods; we're en route to Rustboro City."
"Yeah! But, we don't really know how to get there. Sir, could you please show us the way?" What? Sapphire, what are you thinking?
"Uh, one sec, mister."
I edge close to Sapphire, and start talking quietly.
"Are you crazy? There's definitely something weird about this guy; there's no way it's safe to go with him! And we already have a map!"
"I know it's not safe! But that's why I want to go with him! I think he's got something to do with all this, and if we can him in the woods, we can take him down and make him talk!" Oh...she's violent. But damn. There's no way I can convince her that this idea is completely insane; she's too stubborn. And also because of that, there's definitely no way I can make her stop. I have to go along with this, no matter how crazy of an idea it is. There's no way she can take him by herself, which she WILL try if I don't go. The only good thing is that I think we could take him if he doesn't have powerful Pokemon.
"Well...this idea is just batshit insane, and so are you...but I can't stop you, so I'll just go along with it. I hope you know what you're getting us into." I say this, knowing 100% that she has no clue what she's doing. Why didn't I just go on this alone?
"Oh, don't worry! I've got my secret weapon, you know! And I'll remember that remark, too!" What? Secret weapon? Does she mean Torchic? Or what? Oh, the guy is staring at us..guess we better wrap this up.
"Uh, I agree with her. We need someone to show us the way, would you help?" Oh, this is such a bad idea...
"Heh, sure, kids. I guess that there's no harm in me..showing you the way. But you gotta recall those Pokemon of yours. I don't want them running off while we're going through the woods. And hurry up about it, I won't wait on ya!" And with that, he takes off walking towards the forest, leaving Sapphire and I to follow behind him. After we recall Mudkip and Torchic, we don't really speak on the way; I fear anything I say would alert the guy, and Sapphire either feels the same way or just doesn't want to talk. The strange man himself...I guess he's just not the talkative type. Or maybe he feels that he'd alert US if he spoke.
On the path to the woods, I again notice that there's no one around. Not on the beach below us, not on the actual path, not even on the raised ledge on the eastern part of the path...the only place that seems to be somewhat alive is the old, worn-down cottage over by the cliffs near the water, which has its lights on. There are some berry trees at the northern end of the route, but of course, with this guy with us, we can't go pick them or inspect them.
When we enter the woods themselves, it's the same; no one's around and it's eerily quiet, though in here there are wild Pokemon, including some I haven't researched...what's going on?
"Hey, stop screwing around? We've got to get deeper in the forest!" That...didn't sound right at all. I grip Mudkip's Pokeball tighter, ready to release him at any moment.
And as it turns out, that moment wasn't too far off.
"Hehe...looks like we're deep enough in here. Okay ya little brats, come quietly and I promise not to hurt ya...heh." Dammit! I knew it, yeah, but I guess I didn't really believe it until now.
"All right! All we have to do is take you out...Torchic, come on!" I guess I'll have to help out...
"Right! Mudkip, you're fighting too!" Right now, we really have no other choice but to fight. Though I doubt that matters at all to Sapphire; she'd be fighting either way.
"Heh, you're making a big mistake! I only lost to that weird green kid last night because that researcher wore me out...now that I'm ship-shape, I'll show you two what it's like the mess with Team Aqua! Come out an' play, Wooper and Corphish!"
The newly-identified Team Aqua member sent out two Pokemon, one blue, very round and simple-looking, with no arms, and only a small tail and weird, spiky antennae jutting out of the sides of its head to identify it, and one red and white, lobster-like Pokemon, with six short legs, very large claws, and three spikes sticking out of the top of its head...body...thing. This last one in particular looked ready to fight us, while the other seemed like it really didn't care...about anything.
"Ah..Sapphire, watch it! Those are Water-types, so Torchic is at a disadvantage!" At least, Corphish is a Water-type; I've never seen the other one. "I don't know what we should do here, really; this is a double battle, but we've only one Pokemon that can really fight them."
"Hey! Torchic's gonna fight too! It's not like these things are any good; some other kid beat them, right? I bet they don't even have any Water attacks!" Except, at that moment...
"Stop screwing around! Wooper, blast that little firebrand with Water Gun!" The blobby little 'Wooper' did just what I'd seen Mudkip do quite a few times: it launched a small stream of water from its mouth at about the speed you get if you hold your thumb over a water hose opening. Though, somehow, this water always seems a little denser than normal water, so I guess that's why it can actually hurt things a bit.
"What? It can actually use...that.." Sapphire was worried, but apparently, 'Wooper' isn't very well trained, as that shot missed by a mile.
"It doesn't matter that it can't hit you from afar! You still can't get close to it without being in danger. Listen Sapphire, I know enough about Corphish to know that it can't do much in the way of Water attacks, so you take it on. I'll fight this...'Wooper,' okay?" Well, it actually SHOULD know a Water attack, but it's weak and easy to avoid. It shouldn't be a problem for Sapphire or Torchic at all.
"Okay..Wooper. I've no idea how to fight you but—wait!" My dad upgraded my Pokedex for this very reason, right? I un-clip it from my belt, and point it at Wooper.
"Wooper. Type: Water/Ground. Height: 1'04". Weight: 18.7 lbs. Wooper usually live in water. However, they occasionally come out onto land in search of food. On land, they coat their bodies with a gooey, toxic film." Well that was long-winded and mostly useless(as per usual), but at least it told me the type.
"Okay...Water and Ground. Mudkip has the advantage here."
"Kid, I'm not waiting around all day! Wooper, Water Gun on that stupid blue one!"
"Don't even move, Mudkip. Just sit back and laugh." Of course, this Water Gun misses as well. If I stay away from Wooper, there's no way I can lose. But, at the same time, the Aqua guy might decide to send it after Sapphire. So, I have to get in close and keep the pressure on it.
"Mudkip, use your own Water Gun, but advance at the same time! Don't let it get near Torchic!" Mudkip does so, and luckily, he has far better aim than Wooper. It hits, and since Wooper is part Ground-type, it does a little damage. And it knocks it flat on its ass, which Mudkip apparently found hilarious, as it nearly fell over as well laughing.
"Mudkip! Keep running towards it! If we can keep it down now, then we'll win before it even gets up!" Mudkip, being who he is, runs over to the downed Wooper and starts smacking it around. Well, with that going smoothly, how is Sapphire doing?
"Useless little...ah well. Corphish, Bubble!" Unfortunately, Torchic was right in front of the lobster-like Pokemon, and took the full brunt of the otherwise weak attack. Some of the bubbles sprayed also clung to the little firebrand, hindering its movement. This isn't looking good...
"Ugh...Torchic, Scratch it! Take that stupid lobster down!" At her trainer's command, Torchic runs up to her enemy, claws bared in preparation for the attack...but she's still slowed from the bubbles, and since Corphish isn't just going to sit there and take the attack, she ends up chasing it around for a while before...
"Corphish, stop screwing around! Vicegrip! Crush that stupid bird!" At this, Corphish turns a full 180 and extends an open claw, looking to catch Torchic like a ball. Torchic, worn out from chasing the lobster and still impeded by the bubbles, can't stop herself in time, and is caught around the midriff. Corphish clamps down and holds the bird in place...and then gradually tightens its grip, slowly squeezing the breath out of Torchic.
"Torchic! Um...What do I do, Ruby?"
"Dammit! Mudkip, forget about the Wooper! Just get that Corphish away from Torchic any way you can!"
This is getting bad...Wooper's out of the picture now; the Aqua guy recalled it after Mudkip left it alone. But Corphish has Torchic at its mercy, and still has a free claw and its Bubbles to keep Mudkip away... Speaking of which, he's getting nowhere. Corphish used Harden to make physical attacks pretty much worthless, and the only special one Mudkip has is Water Gun, which Corphish resists...and to make it worse, it dug its legs into the ground to keep Mudkip from pushing it over. And Torchic is still being crushed...
"Torchic...just...attack its face! Its shell might be tougher now, but you can still claw at its eyes!" Well it's crude, but it works. Torchic claws at its captor's eyes in desperation to free itself, and it works, because apparently Corphish have no eyelids...or this one in particular lacks basic reflexes. But it only makes it lessen its grip, and Torchic still isn't freed.
"Mudkip, attack its claws while it's weak!" As expected, Mudkip's tackle knocks Torchic out of the crawdad's grasp. With the two of us, the type disadvantage shouldn't be too much of a hindrance...
"Forget this! I can see when I'm beat...and I won't dick around here waiting for the cops. And don't get too full of yourselves! Sure, you can beat little old me, but if you think you can take on the entirety of Team Aqua, you're crazier than the boss!" And with that, the man called back his Corphish and took off into the forest.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going? Come on, Ruby!"
"No! He knows these woods better than us for sure, even if he's only been here a short while. We can't catch him no matter how hard we try. And besides, he can't do anything without his Pokemon. Let's just get out of here." Do I really have to explain everything to her? Well, I guess I should get used to it if I want to become a professor. But traveling with such a hot-headed cohort could get frustrating. In fact it already is...
"Uhh. I guess you're right...but it just doesn't sit right with me, letting a criminal go. Well, if we report this to the police in Rustboro, I guess that'll make up for letting him escape, right? We have to anyways, really. It's our duty as citizens of Hoenn to protect it!" She just got here and she's already a nationalist for Hoenn? Maybe she didn't like Johto very much. Well, I guess it's good for Hoenn to have as many people fighting for it as possible, so I won't question the reason.
"Right, I guess. Besides, reporting this kind of stuff is what we're supposed to do, not going after the lawbreaker ourselves. We would have been in deep trouble for that stunt if that guy was worth a damn as a criminal. I know it's a little late for all this, but you need to keep this in mind. We're just rookies, so it wouldn't be surprising if we were killed by one of these guys who knew what he was doing." I'm not just doing this to keep Sapphire out of trouble. I'm not wasting my life trying to stop some evil organization. I'm only here to collect data on Pokemon and refine my skills as a professor.
"I know what you're saying, but I just can't abide by that. If I see any of these guys, I won't be able to stop myself from challenging them, even if it is dangerous. I can't just let them steal from people. And they may do worse things to innocent people! If we don't stop these people, who will?" Of course, we've been walking as we talk, and we're nearly out of the woods now. At least I think; the trees and other growth are thinning, and there are less wild Pokemon to avoid. But I can't just leave what she's saying alone; I have to set her straight.
"Who will? The authorities; this is what they're here for. And please, with your current skills, you'd only get yourself killed, and I won't help you if you meet up with a commanding officer; that would be suicide on my part. Chances are a real criminal organization would just kill you, and me if I helped you, on the spot. If you're going to actively go after these people, please wait until you're a better trainer. I can't have a death on my conscience this early in my life. Either way, let's just drop it until we get out of here; I don't know about you, but I'd rather avoid alerting a wild Pokemon or another of those Aqua grunts to our presence." I know I really shouldn't be this harsh, but it is the truth, and I don't want her getting hurt over something that should be left to the authorities.
"...yeah, we shouldn't talk much here. Let's wait until we get out of here." Hm..I think I hurt her spirit a bit, or at least made her angry at me. But I only said what I thought I should. If she still wants to go after these people, then so be it, but hopefully I've dampened that part of her for now. I guess only time will tell...
AN2: And so the chapter ends...Well, the battle scene in this was probably complete ass. Sorry; I don't dislike battle scenes like many fanfic writers seem to(yet), but I'll need to adjust to them. It may just be that they're so different from normal writing, I don't know. And yes, I know Ruby is sort of an asshole in the chapter, mostly towards the end, but that's just how he thinks(and more or less how I think). Ruby will probably be far better written than any other character, since I relate to him a lot and since I don't plan for him to be as generic as Sapphire at least.
Also, to amichalap, I'm sorry and I hope you actually see this since it's so late, but yes, Wally will appear again...I actually have some big things in store for him. As to what they are...well we'll both have to wait and see for that; even I don't know everything I plan to do. But rest assured he will be pretty important.