Sapphire lifted the skirt of her dress, sitting down as she waited for Ruby. She could foresee what would happen, if she desired, but she'd rather be surprised. She had a feeling it would be worth seeing. The gem ran a hand through the grass, shutting her eye with a sigh. The Region was so… different. Years ago, there was nothing, but Pokémon and people just trying to get by every day. They shouldn't have gotten involved. Because of them, the Region was nearly destroyed. Was there anybody who was descended from the people back then still alive to know who they were? Especially… them. "No," Sapphire muttered to herself. "They wouldn't have kids. It didn't seem like something they'd do."
Sapphire looked up, jolting in surprise at the sight of a young child standing right in front of her. The child was wrapped up in a large, green overcoat that reached their knees with little boots, a scarf, and hat. The only thing you could really see of them was their eyes. Sapphire stared, looking the kid up and down. Everything they wore was green except for the mismatched red and blue gloves hidden under the large coat sleeves. "Hello.. Are you lost..?" The kid stared, blinking as Sapphire looked around. Nobody was looking in a panic and she couldn't hear anybody calling out for a kid.
"Where are your parents?"
No response.
"Are you here to get a Pokémon?" The child nodded, eyes lighting up a little. "Hmm.. Aren't you a little warm in that?" The child shook their head, fixing the scarf as they looked around before their eyes lit up once again, running off. "Ah- Wait..! The lab is right- Hang on!" Sapphire shouted, unable to get the kid's attention. They were already gone before she could look around the lab in time. She couldn't foresee where they went. "Where did they go..?"
The gem sighed, sitting down until the door opened. She stood right away, watching Ruby step out with a Pokémon in her arms. "Is that your Starter?" Ruby nodded as she approached Sapphire. The Pokémon looked like a tiny chicken with orange feathers, yellows one decorating the top of its head and the tuft around its neck. The Pokémon chirped, staring at Sapphire as Ruby smiled. "This is Nugget." Sapphire held a hand to her mouth as she giggled, smiling behind it. "Oh my goodness. You can name them now? This is spectacular." Ruby nodded as she placed a hand on the Pokémon, patting its head.
"The Professor seems nice, so get in there and pick a Starter, then we can go on our adventure." Sapphire nodded, stepping into the building. The gem took a deep breath as the door closed, closing her eye for a minute. "Hello. Are you here to get a Starter?" The gem looked up at a man, nodding to him. "You'll want to talk to Professor Birch, then. He's back there." Sapphire bowed, thanking the man as she walked to the back of the lab. Her attention was turned to the two Pokéballs on the table. Ruby had one of them, so now she would have to choose one of the two.
"Hello. Here to get your Starter?" Sapphire turned her attention to another man standing up from a desk. He was a heavily built man with brown hair that had a slight wave look to it and a smile wider than his face. He held the strap of a brown bag hanging from his shoulder, pulling out some papers that he placed on the desk. "Yes. I'm here for a Starter. Are you Professor Birch?" Birch nodded, approaching Sapphire.. "I am. You must be with that Ruby girl outside. Is your name Sapphire, by any chance?"
"Umm.." Sapphire gulped, unsure what to say. "It's fine. You don't have to be afraid of me. Your friend told me- Umm.. D-Do you need help getting out of that ice?" Sapphire looked down, noticing the patch of ice that had formed at the base of her dress. "Oh! I-It's fine, I got it." The gem lifted the dress a little, breaking parts of the ice as she stepped from the ice patch. "Sorry about that."
"It's quite alright. I can fix that up later. So, you're here for a Starter, right? We have two right now. Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon, and Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon." Sapphire approached the table picking up the Pokéball on the right. "This one. Mudkip, right?" Birch nodded, watching the gem let the Pokémon out the ball. It looked like a small puppy, but more aquatic than a normal puppy. It turned to face Sapphire, its tail fin wiggling a little as it squeaked at her. "Seems she likes you!"
"Yes." Sapphire got on one knee, holding out a hand as the Mudkip walked up to her. The gem picked the Pokémon up, smiling at it. "I'm going to call you Brook." The Mudkip beamed, squeaking as it nuzzled its face into her neck. "Boy, she REALLY likes you. You must have some kind of charm with Pokémon." Sapphire chuckled, patting Brook on the head as she nodded. "I've had some experience with Pokémon before, but I've never seen one become so affectionate so fast."
"The world of Pokémon is strange, but that's why we're still studying it. We want to discover all the secrets to finding the perfect life for both humans and Pokémon. Well, in this case, humans, Pokémon, and gems." Sapphire looked up, nodding as she bowed to Birch. "Thank you for the Starter, Professor. I hope your research goes well." Birch smiled, patting Sapphire on the shoulder. "Of course. When you and your friend get the chance, come by anytime. I want to learn more about you gems."
"Certainly. Goodbye," Sapphire called out over her shoulder as she walked towards the door. She stepped outside, turning to face Ruby. "Look what I picked, Ruby." Ruby looked at the Mudkip, watching its tail fin wiggle as it squeaked in excitement. "I've named her Brook." Ruby nodded. "Ahhh, a water name for a Water Pokémon. That's very clever, Sapphire. So, we got a Torchic and a Mudkip. I can't wait to see them Evolve!" Sapphire nodded, smiling as she held out a hand. "Let's get going, then. We have a long journey ahead of us if we're going to get to Mt. Pyre." Ruby chuckled, taking Sapphire's hand with a smile. "You think they're still there?"
Sapphire looked down, closing her eye. "I'm not sure. I can't seem to foresee anything. One of them is wandering about, but I can't see which one." The gem nodded in response, gently tugging on Sapphire's hand. "Let's get going, then," Ruby said as they walked to Route 101, Pokémon held close.