Chapter 2:

Ruby POV

As soon as I reach 15, I know something is terribly wrong. My eyes snap open to a deserted clearing, Sapphire nowhere to be seen. Frantically, I call out her name only to be met by silence. Where is she? What did she mean she'd had enough? Had enough of what? Me? Something inside my chest tightens. Surely, she's probably just having a bad day, I reassure myself, and needs to go off to cool down. She'll be back in the morning for sure. Yes she'll definitely be back in the morning, all loud and annoying as usual. Comforted somewhat by that thought, I head home. Yet as I try to fall asleep that night, there was a small but loud voice in my mind telling me that the reason for her disappearance is all my fault.

I wake up the next morning to someone shaking me awake. A certain someone does this to me every single morning because she always wants us to watch the sunrise together. I knew she'd be back!

"Sapphire!" I exclaim.

However, as I excitably open my eyes, I see red, not azure eyes. My mother's eyes, not Sapphire's.

"Ruby, it's nearly 10.30 in the morning! Hurry up and get out of bed already!"

I don't even notice her left the room as there was only one thing on my mind and that was a certain brown haired barbarian. Why hadn't she woken me up like usual? Didn't she know that despite all my moaning and groaning, I actually enjoy watching the sunrise together? Something is wrong, terribly wrong. I think back to our conversation yesterday. In the past, whenever Sapphire brought up the confession topic, I'd act ignorant about it and then that would be it and we'd go back to normal. This time is different though. Never had she looked so sad before. Never had she cried before. Never had she disappeared before. I close my eyes and her final tear stricken face appears in my mind. A strange hollowness creeps over my body and I roll back under the blankets, using sleep as a method of escape from the reality; that Sapphire was no longer here.

Seconds trickled into minutes, into hours, into days, weeks and finally 8 months went by with Sapphire nowhere to be seen. After the first couple of weeks, it became clear that Sapphire was not returning, nor had she contacted anyone, not even her own father. I contacted all the Dex holders and together we have been searching endlessly over all the different regions. But not once have any of us seen Sapphire. We only hear whispers from villagers of a mysterious young female with brown hair, azure eyes that wears a blue outfit and helps people in the villages, only to disappear immediately afterwards.

Now after so long, everyone has finally reached the end of the line. Especially me. Nothing, I repeat nothing has ever been this painful for me before. The person who I love so much avoids me so desperately. It just crushes my soul. As I search relentlessly, every memory we have just runs through my mind over and over again. My regrets steadily piling up as time goes on. Oh how I wish I cherished you more. Wish I hadn't been so immature about our confession. Wish I told you how much you mean to me. How much I need you. Sometimes the emotions I feel just overwhelm me and I need a few minutes. In this time, Nana and Coco usually appear and nuzzle me gently, offering some love and support in this dark time.

Then one day, it happens. I was visiting Fallarbor town as an official judge for the contest hall. As I enter the contest hall with Master Wallace, a news story on the television catches my attention.

"This is breaking news. A teenaged female trainer with brown hair has been found brutally attacked in Meteor Falls. The attacker is believed to be a wild Salamence. At this point in time, the young girl is in a critical condition and is being taken to Rustboro city hospital."

Time stops. The words "teenaged trainer, brown hair, Salamence, critical condition" repeat endlessly in my mind. Then I'm running, paying no heed to the cries of my name behind me as I jump into Wallace's car and take off towards Rustboro city hospital with Sapphire's name on my lips.