*Sorry for the late update; I got home late last night and totally forgot about updating. TT^TT Don't kill me please. Without any further ado, here's Chapter 20!*
Chapter 20
Sapphire could smell the smoke, the acrid tang of burning wood, see it rising above the trees in lazy spirals. There was fire in the forest, and she knew that was where the battle had to be. The fire from the beach could not have spread that far and so fast.
She should have never gone after Ruby- she realized that now. She had gained nothing, absolutely nothing, from venturing after him, only exhausting her Pokemon and likely having worried her senpai. Not to mention she wasn't fighting when they needed her, needed her to aid them in battle.
Running as fast as she could possibly run, her lungs begged for air. Already, the oxygen was becoming depleted by fire. Small red embers were visible on the ground in front of her, embers liable to sprout into collosal flames. Now was not the time to extinguish them though- she had to get to her senpais' side as soon as possible.
Rei's probably makin' Ruby fight with 'im, she thought, arms pumping, propelling her forward. Which means I'll have to fight Ruby.
Dread had been building up inside her since she had realized this about half an hour earlier, after waking up from her short unintentional catnap on the edge of the woods. After climbing off Pilo, despite resting, an hour of sleep had not been enough to catch up on the many more she actually needed. Guilt filled her up as she remembered sinking to ground, unable to hold herself up any longer, falling into deep, dark slumber. Luckily, fire from the beach had tickled her toes, waking her up soon after. Along with the realization that she'd actually have to hurt the boy she loved.
It wasn't like she'd never battled Ruby before. But those battles had been good-natured, both seeking victory, but not desperate for it, filled with laughter, smiles, turning into good memories... This would be war, the two of them stuck on clashing sides, he would be intent on destroying her, and she would have to do her best not to hold back, not to take mercy on him...
She stopped, legs suddenly giving up on her, and she felt her head swirl in dizziness. Her exhaustion had never disappeared, it'd only been pushed back to the edges of her mind, and now it was attempting to claim center stage again.
I will not sleep, promised Sapphire, forcing herself to keep on moving, forcing back a yawn. I hafta get there, I hafta help... We need everybody we've got...
Her eyes almost missed the shadow running past her, a few yards to the side of her, causing a crinkling in the dry forest leaves coating the ground. Turning, she took in the running figure. A burnt black shirt, black pants, black hair, with a familiar trademark cowlick...
Almost unconsciously, she turned around, dashing, sprinting after the shadow, completely forgetting her exhaustion. Thoughts of joining the battle escaped her mind, replaced with thoughts of chasing him down. Chasing down Ruby.
She gained on him with incredible speed- she'd always been a faster runner than him anyways- quickly catching up to him in a matter of seconds. Ruby's eyes flashed with surprise as she jumped at him, quickly pinning him to the nearest tree, her arms trapping him like a cage.
"Ruby," she said loudly, feeling all of her emotions bubbling up inside of her, like a cauldron about to spill over. Her grief for having lost the Ruby she'd always known, her hope that she could bring that Ruby back, her anger at Rei for turning him into this- this mindless slave, her guilt at letting Ruby be taken from her, and her love for the Ruby she knew must still be buried inside of this seemingly empty vessel, under layers and layers of lock and key. And yet, despite all of these feelings, she didn't know what to say now, what to do. It was as if she'd zoned out- she was completely clueless.
So it was Ruby who got the first word, snarling out an insult while attempting to struggle free, trying to get Sapphire's strong arms to budge. "Let me go, you bitch!" he hissed, eyes alight with loathing, an emotion Sapphire had never seen on his face before, and it stung, like Beedrill poison. "Let me go!"
"No, I will not let you go," refused Sapphire, pressing herself closer, further assuring Ruby could not escape her grasp. In any other situation, just a week or two ago, she would have been dead embarassed to be in this position, having him so close, faces barely inches apart, bodies touching. This, however, was anything but romantic. It was heartbreaking to see Ruby like this. "I will not. I want to bring you back."
"My master will kill you once he's finished with the rest of your friends," Ruby threatened, teeth gritted. "And I'm going to help him. You'll burn and die in flames."
"I will not die. Rei is not your master. You have no master!" said Sapphire urgently, hoping that somehow, her words would break through and reach the Ruby she knew and loved, who would understand her. "Come on, Ruby, fight him! I know you can!"
"Lies," growled Ruby, still trying to free himself, but his attempts were in vain. He might be stronger simply because he was a boy, but Sapphire had more experience and the advantage, keeping him imprisoned. "Fire is too good for you. Perhaps I could switch it up, drown you for a few minutes, then burn you in fire, on and on until you die."
It hurt, even though Sapphire knew it wasn't really Ruby who was saying these stabbing, painful words, that Rei was using him as a mouthpiece, a puppet to play with her, torture her. It was like someone had grabbed her heart and was squeezing it, twisting it inside her chest, the pain unbearable. She wanted to cry. But she would not.
"This is not you," Sapphire whispered, the harsh tone of her voice surprising Ruby. "You'd never threaten to hurt me, you'd never let anyone burn and drown, you'd never say these things. Ruby, wake up, fight Rei off, please!" Her voice was begging, rising in pitch and volume, but Ruby was still unmoved, showing almost no hints of having listened.
"You are not worthy of saying his name- no matter." He smiled, a cruel, victorious smile that caused Sapphire to look down towards his hand, where a Pokeball lay on his palm. "Delcatty, Double Edge!"
The cat Pokemon flew out of its Pokeball, but froze when its large black eyes saw its target, holding back. Its nose was crinkled in disbelief, it stared at her wonderously, not wanting to attack. This was Sapphire's chance.
"Coco, you want Ruby back too, don't you?" Sapphire begged, turning her head halfway between the Pokemon and Ruby so she could keep an eye on both. "Help me. I can't do this alone, please, Coco."
"What are you waiting for, you stupid Pokemon!" yelled Ruby angrily. "Attack her already! I'm your trainer, listen to me!"
"This isn't Ruby, this is Rei speaking," Sapphire said, watching as the Delcatty looked between the two trainers warily, not sure which to listen to. "You can't listen to Ruby. Listen to me, Coco. I'll try and bring Ruby back."
"Use Double Edge!" repeated Ruby impatiently, fury permeating every syllable. "What the hell are you waiting for?"
Suddenly, an idea struck Sapphire. She knew Groudon and Kyogre were capable of fighting off the power of the orbs, and with the right retaliation, could control their controller. Ruby did not have that power, but she could force him to fight him off if she was able to stop Rei's influence from reaching him.
"Coco, Safeguard," commanded Sapphire, hoping that the Pokemon would listen. To her relief, it did, sending out a pulse of peaceful blue light, causing Sapphire to feel protected, safe, almost calm. It was like she was back in her cave in Littleroot, breathing in fresh forest air, Ruby by her side. But of course, that was only a distant hope, a wish.
The moment the light struck Ruby, he stiffened, and then relaxed, his eyes closing, his struggles ceasing. his breathing slowed to an almost sleep-like pace, and Sapphire could see him in the peacefulness of sleep, oblivion, see her Ruby still buried within. Right now, he was free of Rei. Free for her to bring back.
"Ruby," she called softly, the voice she'd use when shaking him awake after a night in their secret base. "Ruby," she repeated, more loudly, lightly shaking him. "Wake up."
"Who are you?" was his reply, and Sapphire mentally cursed herself. How was she going to make him remember? Coco's Safeguard wasn't going to last long- the Delcatty was exhausted from what was likely a battle. Ruby's nose twitched, and his eyes flared awake, full of fear. "There's fire. We've got to get out of here!"
"Don't worry about the fire, Ruby," assured Sapphire, releasing her hands from his shoulders, allowing him to move. "That's not what's important right now."
"Are you crazy?" he argued, though reluctantly. "It's going to kill us! And I don't even know you- how-"
Sapphire grabbed Mimi's Pokeball from Ruby's belt, swatting him off when he tried to take it back. Releasing the water- type, Sapphire looked up at its long serpentine form, into its big, bright red eyes. "Mimi," she said, knowing it would listen. "Aqua Ring. You can stop complaining about fire now- we have to get down to business."
"Answer me first," he whined, staring at the strange sphere of water curiously, with an appreciative eye. Sapphire looked at the attack. It was beautiful, the light reflecting off ripples of water and the radiating blue Safeguard accentuating the soft aqua-colored tones. Ruby always did have an eye for these things. His voice broke her out of her reverie. "Who are you?"
"Sapphire, my name is Sapphire." How many times would she have to answer this question? She was his best friend, having to listen to that question, "Who are you?" was devastating. It shouldn't have had to be this way. "I'm- I'm- I'm your," she stuttered, wanting to say best friend, but suddenly, the title didn't seem to represent her feelings.
"My what?" Ruby arched one eyebrow, and Sapphire looked into his eyes, the crimson crystal clear of the inky black influence of Rei.
"I'm your friend, your greatest friend, the one who's spent her last five years hanging out with you, training with you, laughing with you, smiling with you." She saw those five years in her head like a photo album, all of their greatest moments captured on her mental camera. Ruby running around, chasing her, trying to stuff her into a dress, their cheerful bickering (which by the way, was very loud) drowning out the forest noise, her facing off against him one-on-one, both wiping sweat off their brow as they shouted their next commands, so many afternoons dedicated solely to laughing, so much laughter and smiles, from jokes, from their familiarity.
She needed to let him see them, remember the memories he had lost. But how? Coco already looked fit to fall over, and how could she describe so much in such little time?
A familiar Pokemon cry, muted through the walls of its container, called Sapphire's attention. Ruru had her hands up against the side of her Pokeball, a mystical light like an aura around her. Ruru can sense emotions... remembered Sapphire. And she can help Ruby see everything! This is it!
"Um..." started Ruby, staring away. "Then what-"
"I'll let you see, see everything I can," said Sapphire, almost whispering. With an almost silent click, she removed Ruru's Pokeball from its place. The white and green Pokemon smiled as it was let it out, at its trainer, whom it was about to try and save. "I'm bringing back your memories, Ruby."
"How are you going-" Ruru's eyes glowed and became impossibly large in Ruby's vision, the red irises wrapping around his mind until he was drowning in their depths. He could see things only blurrily at first, hear small bouts of laughter, feel the touch of a warm, familiar hand, watch as a brown-haired girl gave him a smile, a small fang sticking out like a sore thumb. He didn't know any of it, and yet, it felt so close, like... a home.
"Ruby," whispered Sapphire, relating more memories to him through Ruru, wondering why she hadn't done this before, why she hadn't thought of this before, maybe they wouldn't be going through this, maybe they- Stop, Sapphire! she thought to herself. More memories, you need more of them! And Ruru didn't have this sort of power as a Kirlia anyways... Looks like Rei got one thing right at least, she mentally noted, though not without due sarcasm. Closing her eyes, she sent the memory she had been preparing, the one that changed both of their lives forever.
"A wild Salamence!" screamed a boy's voice, frantic and shocked. "Sapphire, run!"
"I-I," the girl stuttered, unable to take her eyes away from the dragon's sharp claws and giant teeth, unable to think of how easily it could swallow her up. Tears welled up in her eyes as her terror level grew.
"Nana, Coco, Ruru!" The boy had taken a protective stance in front of her, his Pokemon slowly circling the Salamence. The dragon paid them no mind- how could such puny Pokemon defeat it? "Attack the Salamence!"
The mighty dragon roared, slashing out without direction, trying to hit all it could in a fearful mixture of Dragon Claw and Outrage. The young boy tried to dodge the attack, the he was still clawed in the face, the force of the blow sending him up into the air, a surprised 'O' on his mouth. His Pokemon took advantage of the Salamence's distraction, quickly overwhelming it with stunning agility and an endless barrage of Hyper Beam, Iron Tail, and Confusion. It wasn't enough to knock out the dragon-type, but more than enough to send it running.
"I fought it off, see? There's nothing to be scared of now!" The young boy offered his hand to the little girl, wiping off the blood onto his shirt, the blood still running in thick rivulets from a twin set of scarring cuts across his forehead where unmarred skin and hair used to be. He smiled, but the little girl only stared, leaving him standing silently, not taking his hand.
"Scary," she finally murmured in a sob, crying. "So scary."
The little boy's smile instantly fell, face turning dark with shame, looking so much older than his age. "I'm sorry," he whispered, too quiet for her to hear. "I'm sorry."
I don't remember that part of it, thought Sapphire strangely, eyes closed in recollection. They snapped open in brilliant realization. "Ruby!"
Ruby opened his eyes as well, and they were his eyes again, the color of crimson, shining with life, the smallest hint of a smile on his face.
He parted his lips as if to speak, but he closed the last few inches of the gap between them with a kiss.
*FRANTICSHIPPING AT LAST! :DDDDDDDDDDDD I love Franticshipping! XD So, how was the chapter? Good? Bad? Do you want Chapter 21?
Review Reply Time!
ZXCVBNMEM: Your name is so hard to spell. . (I've been copy and pasting- random note) I love your review. XD It made me laugh so hard.
blazelight790: Fidget? Why? XD Did it turn out like you thought it would?
Killfith: Nah, Rei prefers to use Groudon himself, but had Ruby use it that one time as practice. Did you like how the teaser played out?
lolatron5000: If anyone fights Rei alone, it won't be Red. :P (though, it should be fairly obvious who will if it isn't Red. XD) After all, the main character of my story isn't really Red... *hint* *hint* *hint*
Light-Sakura: You're right. Cars don't land gracefully. They land as gracefully as my iPod can correct my spelling. :P (I swear, the thing is out to destroy my writing. XD) I used to try and write about 6 fics at once, but then I ended up giving up on all of them since it was just too much. :/ I hope you manage to update yours though!
Master Hiram: Aw, thank you! ^^ I will definitely keep it up!
FireMightyena: I always figured Ruby's a lot stronger than he lets on... It takes some skill to beat up both the Magma and Aqua Leaders with a Weather Ball from a Castform, just saying. (seeing that my Castforms can't even survive going up one level while Nuzlocking.) But I think level doesn't really apply as much in the manga- some of the Pokemon know moves that they wouldn't know for a looooooong time. (Gold's Typhlosion knows Flamethrower, doesn't it? In the manga, he's supposedly in the fifties and Typhlosion won't learn that except by TM until Level 60-ish)
FighterGirl14: Same! I always love the bad guys. :X (even when they're basically the devil reincarnated. *shot* My Mortal Instruments fandom is coming up into my brain! DX) I has updated! (but late. :/) Thank you!
Next week, next chapter! Review please and see you all again next Sunday!*