Chapter 12

The townsfolk had left once they had an eyeful of what had happened and left the two trainers to their own affairs. Wes and Eagun had settled themselves down on the grass where they both sat criss cross. Espeon and Umbreon had been treated by some potions and berries, which they gnawed on at Wes' side. Eagun cleared his throat, drawing their attention.

"Rui grew up with my son in Saffron City, Kanto," he started. "She had a normal family and went to a normal school to get good grades just like anyone else. She had a few friends, but one in particular was her favorite, a little girl with pale pink hair. The two of them spent almost all their time together. Reading books, shopping, eating lunch together, and playing video games. They were almost a perfect match for each other. But there was one thing wrong with her friend: every pokemon was out to get her."

"Every one?" Wes asked. Eagun nodded.

"The pokemon that attacked her were not Shadow Pokemon. They were normal pokemon. Whether they were wild or trainer owned, there was not one that Rui's young friend could come near without being targeted. It made no sense to anyone why such a thing happened. The young girl was so delicate and kind and lived in a happy family where both parents were trainers. They tried everything, from therapy to pokemon professors, but no one could figure out how to stop the pokemon.

"Rui didn't like seeing her friend in pain. She was sick of running away whenever they came across a pokemon. So Rui, maybe when she was ten years old, stood up to a stray dratini that jumped at her friend. The instant the fire pokemon saw her, all the hostility disappeared, and the pokemon became her friend. Because it was her first partner, Serenity the dratini became Rui's honorary partner.

"Over a span of several years, Rui collected quite the collection of partners. All of the hostile beasts that had targeted his pink-haired friend were now hers to battle and play with. The majority of them she didn't even keep in pokeballs. They would just see her from time to time when passing by and spend a few days with her. It was no wonder why she was so popular in the pokemon community."

"Do you know why her friend was being attacked so much?" Wes asked. Eagun sighed.

"It was only a matter of time before the girl figured out why pokemon were afraid of her. She was a half pokemon, half human hybrid that had been created in the name of Team Rocket. When her parents realized this, they took her to Hoenn in hopes that she would be safer." He paused. "I had some other Ace Trainers report to me on what they found of her. It wasn't at all helpful."

"Dead?"

"No, she had run away. Just as Rui had done the few months before." Eagun spoke the last words in obvious pain.

"When you heard that her friend had run away, did you think Rui had gone with her?" Wes asked.

"No, if Rui had any communication with her friend, my comrades would've known."

"Then why did Rui run away?"

"That's where things took a twist," Eagun explained. "As soon as her friend left, Rui had a hard time making friends. Not only was it unusual for such a young girl to have so many pokemon, but it was hard to contain them. The random appearance of noisy or large pokemon during school hours made Rui an outcast. Though she tried time and time again to tell them to leave her alone, they refused.

"Eventually it got to the point where her parents had to lock the doors and bar the windows. The pokemon became aggressive and started to force their way to see Rui. She had to leave school and stay at home under permanent lockdown. But because she lived with her parents and brother, they had to do just the same.

"My son, his wife, and their son became angry as pokemon started tearing apart their home. Now they were the outcasts with a freak daughter. Their anger was taken out on Rui in the form of insults and sometimes violence. In the midst of all this, Serenity disappeared. Now that she no longer had any connection to her home, she ran away. She left everything that had her scent on it like clothes or items that might lead the pokemon to her. She picked up some clothes from a worn down store and nearly bathed herself in perfume before disappearing. Her family has not yet sent anyone to search for her. They informed us but demanded we not search for her. I'm afraid my son and his family will not take kindly to seeing her again."

Wes was quiet. Eagun noted his silence and continued. "Though Rui didn't know it, Beluh and I were determined to find her. The people of Agate are very informed of the workings of pokemon, surely if she came here we could find a cure to what pokemon loved about her most. It took my wife and I some searching, but we seemed to have found the reason why Rui is exceptionally gifted with bonding with pokemon."

"Is it because she hung around that friend of hers?" Wes asked softly.

"You are a smart young man, Wes. That is correct. The pink-haired girl whom young Rui was acquainted with was obviously not normal. Giovanni had made plans for her to become a killing machine, much unlike the pokemon that she shared heritage with. It turns out that just by being around her, Rui had inherited an ability as well. Hers wasn't to deter pokemon, however. It was to soothe them."

"Why haven't any pokemon followed her around like they used to in Saffron?"

"I don't doubt it was because Rui changed on her journey."

"Changed," Wes said like it was a statement and not a question.

"Yes. Rui had to do quite a quite a bit of growing up once she was on her own. Her heart probably changed for the worse without Serenity or her friend by her side. I half expected her to be a criminal by the time we finally found her. But why didn't she change, I wonder?" He asked the question but he already knew the answer. Wes narrowed his eyes at him. "You know this, my boy. What would possibly halt her decline to a heartless, pokemon-hating shell of her normal self?" Eagun poked Wes in the chest with his finger. "You."

"That's not right," Wes said. "I'm not really dating her, sir."

"Now, now. There's no need to lie. I see the sparkle in your eyes right now. Even if you're not dating, you can't convince me that you don't have even the slightest bit of longing for her." Wes decided not to protest further. He looked to the grass. His cheeks started reddening. "Wow. It's quite a sight to see the once stone heart of my friend melt at the thought of my granddaughter."

"It's…" Wes paused. "We have to deal with the Shadow Pokemon first. As soon as this is over, maybe."

"It's too late for that," Eagun laughed. "You're telling me that if Rui was to come up and asked you for a kiss you'd turn her down?" Wes' face was redder than a cherry. "Aha, I've never seen someone so in love in my life!" He ruffled his friends' hair. "Now I'm certain that she's safe. You wouldn't let anyone touch her without going through you. Why don't you act more like yourself when you're around her?"

"She wouldn't like me," Wes said quietly.

"Nonsense," Eagun laughed. "What, has she not shown any sign that she likes you?"

"Um…"

"So she has!"

"It was just a hug-"

"Just a hug, he says!" Eagun crossed his arms. "And I bet you'll say it was just an accident. Or was it after she got that nasty scar of hers?" Wes looked to the side. "You're a terrible liar, Wes. Now why don't you return the it?"

"Re-return it-"

"Yes, return it. When we get back to the house, greet her with a hug. If she doesn't hug you back, she doesn't like you back." There was a thoughtful pause.

"We don't ever speak of this again," he hissed.

"Scout's honor." The grandfather helped him to his feet. "By the way, if you break her heart, I'm obligated to break every bone in your body."

"That's… only fair, I assume."

Wes Is Infatuated!

Eagun Used Flatter!

Wes Is Nervous!

Saving Game…

Game Saved!