"Stop right there!" Sapphire turned as two Trainers approached them, a Pokéball in each hand. "We want to battle you!" The two gems nodded, placing Nugget and Brook down. The two Trainers backed out, throwing the Pokéballs forth. Two Pokémon popped out, standing side by side as they let out a cry. The first looked like a brown raccoon with a face you could never say no to. The other looked like a grey wolf pup with striking red eyes. Ruby and Sapphire looked at one another, nodding they stood behind their Pokémon.
"Nugget, Scratch the Zigzagoon!"
"Brook, Tackle the Poochyena."
"Zigzagoon, use Tail Whip!"
"Poochyena, Growl!"
The four Pokémon leapt into battle with Nugget making the first move. The Torchic used his talons to scratch the Zigzagoon, who retaliated by smacking him in the face with its tail. Brook tackled Poochyena down, only to back up as it growled at her. The four finally backed away from one another, all staring at each other. Ruby bit her lip, trying to think of a good strategy while Sapphire simply stared. Sapphire closed her eye, keeping a Pokér face as she saw the match ending in two turns if all went well for them. She waited as Ruby called out an attack before adding in. "Scratch the Poochyena, Nugget!"
"Tackle the Zigzagoon, Brook."
"Zigzagoon, another Tail Whip."
"Tackle, Poochyena!" The four Pokémon leapt forth again, Brook making the first move this time. The Mudkip tackled the Zigzagoon, knocking it off its feet for a moment as it retaliated with a Tail Whip. Nugget scratched at Poochyena, chirping. The Poochyena raised a paw, tackling the Torchic down. As the Pokémon started to back up, the two gems shouted their next attacks as the Trainers gave their Pokémon a blue colored berry. The Zigzagoon and Poochyena were ready as Nugget and Brook leapt forth, Scratching or Tackling them. The two Pokémon stumbled before falling over.
The Trainers returned their Pokémon, eyes wide at the two gems. "You two are really strong..! You should battle the gyms!" Sapphire looked at Ruby, smiling as her little chuckle. "Ah, we'd love to, but we're only here for a couple of days or weeks to help a friend."
"And we can't delay for too long." The first Trainer nodded, placing a hand on his hip. "Well, alright. Consider battling the gyms if you get the chance, though. It's worth it. Here. Take this. For having a good battle." Ruby and Sapphire held out their hands as the two Trainers each give them a few dollar bills. "Use them to get some Potions and maybe a couple of Pokéballs to catch more Pokémon. Have a safe trip, you two." Sapphire nodded, waving to them as Ruby gave a farewell. The gem looked down at the money, holding out a hand as Ruby reached over and took it, walking alongside her. The two looked at one another, smiling as they entered the next town.
Petalburg City was a small town, surrounded by two lakes. Sapphire couldn't recall if they were ever there before. They didn't get to see much of the Region back then. Sapphire looked at Brook as she trotted beside them. This time, they were ready to face any Trainer that would come their way. "I hope we see that kid again. Wally, I believe his name was. He was so nice," Sapphire chirped, as they entered a building with a blue roof. Ruby chuckled, nodding as they started to approach the counter. "Me, too. I feel bad about knocking him over like that. I really hope he's ok."
The gems came to a stop, staring as the cashier handed five purple bottles to a young girl. Her green clothes weren't hard to recognize. "Ah, it's you!" shouted Ruby and Sapphire. The girl turned to look at them, eyes widen as she started to place the bottles in her bag. "Wait, you've met her, Ru…," Sapphire stuttered, seeing a slight sparkle in the girl's eye. Something about her was setting her off, but she couldn't see what. "Ru… Rebecca..?" Ruby nodded as Sapphire stared at the girl. "I did. While I was waiting for you at the lab. She ran off, though."
"So did I.." The girl shuffled her feet, rubbing the back of her neck. Her coat seemed to bulge at the chest until the top popped open and a Pokémon stuck his head out. It was a green gecko with big yellow eyes. The gecko tilted its head at them before shuffling back into the coat. "That must've been a Treecko. You must like Grass Types." The girl rubbed her arm, nodding with a very quiet chuckle. She stepped back, gesturing to the counter with a small grunt.
"Oh. Thank you." The two approached the counter, looking at items on sale. Perhaps they could split their money and get each other the needed items. Ruby placed her money on the counter, pointing at the Pokéballs as Sapphire placed her money down beside her. "I'll take four of those, please."
"And I'll get 6 potions, please." The cashier nodded, grabbing four Pokéballs and six Potions, placing them on the counter as he took the money and handing back what remained. "Thank you for your purchase. Have a great day." Ruby grabbed the Pokéballs, handing two to Sapphire as she was given three of the bottles. "S… Sophie, where's the bag?" Sapphire frowned, placing a hand on her shoulder. They just had it moments ago. Unless they lef it behind. No, Sapphire was certain they brought it.
"I thought you had it." Ruby placed a hand on her head, frowning. "Oh, no..! We must've left it when we bumped into that kid earlier..! Dang it..! We're going to need something to put these in." The girl tapped their shoulders, holding up two small bags. They were red and blue with either a black or white trimming. She took the items and placed them in each bag before handing it to the gems. "Wow, thanks. You uh… You bought these, right?" Ruby muttered.
Sapphire watched the girl shake her head as she held a hand up, placing her thumb and index finger together and did a little wave motion. "Oh, I see. You made these. The craftsmanship is truly spectacular. Don't you agree, Rebecca?" Ruby nodded. Sapphire pulled the bag on, lookign at it over her shoulder Ruby spoke up. "Yeah! And they fit nicely, too! Thank you so much, uh… What's your name?" The girl kept her hands over her scarf as she spoke, her voice very quiet. "Emeline."
"It's nice to meet you, Emeline. Thank you for the bags." Emeline nodded, closing her eyes as she wrapped an arm across her chest. The Pokémon in her coat chirped as she walked to the door, waving to them. "Bye, Ruby. Bye, Sapphire." Sapphire gasped quietly, hand over her mouth as the girl stepped out, disappearing once the doors closed. "Did she... No, that's impossible. How did she know our names?" Ruby asked.
"Hmm.. Maybe she was nearby when we ran into Wally, but we must hurry along. I have a bad feeling something will happen if we don't get to Mt. Pyre," Sapphire muttered as she took Ruby's hand. Brook cried out, nudging Sapphire's skirt while Nugget chirped. "Let's heal them first. I think there's a Pokémon Center nearby. We'll rest there for a bit and then be on our way."