Return to you
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokémon.
Chapter 1: Valued Existence
July 1st
It was a peaceful day in Hoenn. White feathery clouds drifted across the clear cerulean sky while the radiant sun beamed down from the heavens. Adding that to the refreshing forest breeze and symphonic rustle of the leaves made it the ideal time to relax under a shade of a tree. And Ruby was doing just that.
After letting all his pokemon out of their pokeballs and placing his bag on the roots of the tree, the boy lay on the soft grassy hill and gazed at the sea of verdant foliage above him. It was warm and cool at the same time. Sunlight seeped through the little gaps making the treetops sparkle with a neon glow. The smell of fresh dew in the air added to the feel of serenity. He pulled his hat down to cover his eyes and placed his hands behind his head. Within moments, he prepared to doze off, if not for a slight disturbance.
"I found ya!" A cheerful voice broke the calm atmosphere.
Ruby immediately recognized who it belonged to because of the strange accent. He lightly pulled his hat up to catch a small glimpse of his unexpected company and sure enough, a brown-haired girl with little fangs was grinning beside him.
"Five more minutes…" Ruby yawned and covered his eyes again.
Sapphire giggled and poked him on the cheek. The boy grumbled under his breath but didn't stir. Sensing his disinterest in her playfulness, the azure eyed girl gave up. She settled down next to him and sighed. "I hear Gold's been lookin' for ya nonstop."
The grumbling noise became more audible. Ruby returned his white beanie to its proper position and turned to his side, opposite that of Sapphire. And there laid, a green and white object wrapped in a red woolly scarf. The boy stroked its side before sitting up and holding it close. "I don't care what he says! I'm not letting him anywhere within a mile of my precious RuZa!"
"Alright Prissy boy! Hand it over!" Gold demanded the egg from Ruby as he tried to corner him.
The pokedex holders paid an unexpected visit to Hoenn in preparation for Ruby's birthday. It was when they met up with the Hoenn duo at Mauville City that they learned about the egg. While the others settled in a nice looking restaurant, Gold insisted on helping it hatch but Ruby didn't want him anywhere near the egg, in fear of it inheriting his mischievous senior's bad habits.
"There's no way I'm giving Ruru and Zaffiro's egg to you!" The crimson eyed boy wrapped his arms protectively around the egg as he glared at his senior.
Gold was not willing to give up. He was very much enjoying the challenge of getting the egg from his junior. "C'mon! They don't call me the King of Breeding for nothing!"
"Who died and gave you the Title!?" The other pokedex holders exclaimed, particularly Crystal.
Gold paid no heed to them and continued to persuade/force Ruby to give the egg to him. "With my awesome skills, I'll bring out that little guy's true potential!"
"And inherit your stupid habits?! …No way!" Ruby refused.
"You leave me no choice." Gold had a conniving grin as he clutched a pokeball in one hand and a billiard cue on the other. He threw the red and white sphere in the air and a red light burst out, forming a purple monkey with two tails, each with a large rounded hand. It bounded to the other side and helped its trainer surround the Hoenn trainer. Ruby felt the situation was getting dire but he wasn't going to give up easily.
"Gold, would you please leave Ruby alone? If he doesn't want to, you shouldn't force him." Yellow tried to coax Gold into giving up but it was useless.
"Ataro! Go get the egg!" Gold commanded and immediately the Ambipom charged at the crimson eyed trainer with tails spread across. Ruby jumped out of the way and turned on his running shoes before making a break for it.
"COME BACK HERE!" Gold shouted and chased his junior around. Ataro joined in to assist his trainer. Ruby ran as fast as he could with the egg held tightly. After circling around the city a few times, the three soon disappeared from everyone's sight.
"I'm sorry. I tried," Yellow apologized to her friends who were watching the scenes unfold from a restaurant. "I know his intentions are good but that doesn't mean he should use force."
"Cheer up!" Blue pounced on the blonde girl and hugged her. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Blue's right." Red gave a reassuring smile to Yellow. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
"Pika-Pika!" The two Pikachus sounded in chorus as they came over to comfort her. Yellow picked up her mouse pokemon, Chuchu and gave her a hug. The female electrical mouse snuggled sweetly against her trainer's cheek.
"Gold has a one-track mind. Once he sets his sights on something, he never pays any attention to anyone or anything else,"Crystal pointed out as she sulked in her chair.
"And he calls me a kid?" Emerald spoke up sarcastically.
"Tch. That guy will never grow up," added Silver.
Yellow felt thankful for their words and smiled back at them.
"While those two play Persian and Rattata, let's go ahead and plan prissy boy's birthday." Pearl suggested.
"That's a great idea!" everyone replied.
"Also, let's have something to eat. I'm hungry," Diamond chimed.
*Pearl whacks Dia with a paper fan.*
"You're always hungry!" Pearl yelled at his friend and consequently the pokedex holders laughed, except for Green and Silver who were sitting quietly in one table.
"Dia, you're going to be the one to bake the cake, right?" Crystal asked.
"That's right. Does anyone know what flavor I should use?" Diamond nodded and turned to his seniors for suggestions.
"I heard from Sapphire and Platina that Ruby once baked a dark chocolate cake for his father. Maybe dark chocolate will do," Blue said.
"So, prissy boy can sew as well as cook. He'll be a great mom someday!" Pearl teased and everyone laughed excluding the same two before.
"Speaking of which, where are Sapphire and Platina?" Yellow inquired.
Everyone shifted their head from side to side and saw that the two were indeed not around.
Then Red spoke up, "I think they said they had some business to attend to."
Somewhere not far…
"Toro! Use Sky Uppercut!" Sapphire commanded and her Blaziken quickly charged at Platina's Empoleon with a claw glowing bright blue.
"Empoleon, counter with Metal claw!" Platina ordered. The Emperor pokemon's flipper glowed blue as well and clashed with the Blaziken's attack, blocking the assault.
The two girls were having a pokemon battle which they planned weeks prior. It was 3vs3. Platina won the first round but was defeated by Sapphire's second pokemon. Then the next round ended in a draw and now both sides were on their last pokemon.
"We're not finished yet!" Sapphire's eyes flickered with burning determination as Toro's other claw shone with a bluish light and swiftly dealt the attack. Platina's pokemon wasn't fast enough to block or dodge it, and it was struck hard with the super-effective move.
"Empoleon!" The dark haired heiress watched in shock as her pokemon was flung across the battleground, knocking it unconscious. Platina rushed to her starter's side and hurriedly used healing items. The regal penguin regained consciousness and stared at her trainer with disappointment of their defeat.
Meanwhile, Sapphire was rejoicing with her Blaziken. She jumped around and cheered. "Ya did awesome, Toro!" The Blaze pokemon panted as she took a moment to regain her breath. It was a well fought battle.
The Berlitz heiress smiled proudly at her pokemon and stroked its side, "It is alright. Empoleon. You gave it your best. We were just up against a tough adversary."
The two female trainers returned their pokemon to their respective pokeballs before approaching each other. Platina spoke first. "Congratulations Sapphire. I accept my defeat."
The brunette scratched her head with embarrassment. She never got used to Platina's formality. "It was a great fight. Two out of three ain't bad. I lost to yer Lopunny when I used Rono. That infatuation thing is serious stuff."
Platina giggled. "But both her and my Pachirisu were defeated by your Minccino, …Momo right?"
"Yeah. Ruby named her," Sapphire replied with a toothy grin.
The Sinnoh heiress' face lit up when the boy's name popped up. She smiled suggestively at the brunette. "So what do you plan on doing for his birthday?"
Sapphire flinched and flushed bright red. "Ah—I-I haven't r-really thought of anythin'."
Platina was disappointed. But before she could say another word, her pokegear rang. She took it out of her bag and answered it. "Yes?"
Sapphire didn't mind the person Platina was talking to. Instead she focused on finding a birthday present for Ruby but nothing came to mind. It was important for her to get one; he is her boyfriend after all. Platina's call ended and Sapphire still didn't have a clue what to get. Unhappy, the brunette turned to the Sinnoh heiress and asked, "Who was it?"
"It was Pearl. He was looking for us. Our seniors ordered food for everyone so he wanted us to return to the restaurant," Platina answered as she tucked her pokegear in her bag. "Also, he wants us to find Ruby. Gold lost sight of him as he was chasing him down for the egg."
"You go back ta the others. I'll go and get Ruby," Sapphire suggested. Platina knew how well the azure eyed girl was good at tracking people especially Ruby. She nodded in agreement and bid her farewell.
After waving goodbye, Sapphire ran off to search for Ruby.
Sapphire sighed and sat up. "Ya dunno if it's a girl in the first place."
"If it's a boy then it's RaZu." Ruby hugged the egg and nuzzled sweetly against it. He still couldn't get over the fact that his Gardevoir and Gallade made an egg. When the news got to him, he was beyond ecstatic that he rushed from his house to the Daycare center on his running shoes.
After a few moments of showering the egg with affection, Ruby turned to Sapphire. "So how did your battle with Platina go?"
"Of course, I won!" Sapphire replied eagerly with a toothy grin.
"That's great. Congratulations." Ruby inched closer to her and placed a hand on hers, making his warmth travel immediately to Sapphire and making her blush.
"I still haven't completely beaten her, ya know?" Sapphire's pinkish hue faded as she dwelled deep into her thoughts.
Ruby's face softened as he looked at her. "You're really going to Johto to collect the eight badges in 20 days, huh?"
The blue-eyed brunette turned to him with a wide grin. "Yup! Yer hometown is Goldenrod City, right?"
Ruby couldn't wait any longer. While one hand was holding the egg, his other hand cupped the girl's cheek. Before Sapphire could react, a pair of lips pressed tenderly against hers. The warmth before turned into heat. The touch of his hand and the softness of his lips sent a burning sensation which made her melt. Their hearts thumped in the same rhythm and joined in the harmonic song of the breeze. Sapphire tenderly held the hand that caressed her face as she returned the kiss and made it deeper.
The moment being that close to the person they loved was irreplaceable. The touch, the warmth, the presence; All of it held a deep value in their hearts. Ruby slowly parted and gazed into her eyes as he said, "It's going to be tough but I'll be with you every step of the way."
Sapphire couldn't be any happier. She leaned closer to him and rested on the boy's shoulder. Ruby wrapped his arm around her waist and nestled his face gently on the girl's caramel hair. It had the scent of the forest. Something that was unique and natural only to her. Sapphire held Ruby's hand as well as the egg. If people saw them, they would think that they were a married couple and the egg was their child.
*Shimmer*
Ruby suddenly heard something. It was like someone calling him. He shifted his head from side to side to find the origin. Sapphire noticed his unusual restlessness and asked him, "What is it?"
The crimson eyed boy turned to her. The feeling of someone calling grew stronger and louder in his head. There was a sudden urge for him to seek out who it was. He handed Sapphire the egg and told her, "I just need to check on something. I'll be back."
Sapphire felt worried for some reason. It was unexplainable as to why. Ruby could tell by the look on her face and the flicker in her eyes that she felt uneasy but so was he, though he didn't show it. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead to reassure her, "Don't worry. When I return, we'll meet up with our seniors, and afterwards you can try on some clothes that I have been working on. I made it especially for our upcoming journey through Johto. It's going to suit you, plus bring out those baby blue eyes of yours."
Sapphire's anxiety went away with Ruby's enthusiasm about her new clothes. She just hoped that they weren't too girly, flashy or excessively frilly. With a gentle smile, she looked at him."Hurry back then."
And with that, Ruby ran off. Sapphire couldn't help but stare at his back as it disappeared from her field of vision. An ominous feeling kept nagging at her but she didn't know what it meant. She tried to take her mind off things by watching Ruby's pokemon laze around or play in the water.
Zuzu was wading nearby in a freshwater pond. He seemed to be making friends with the local Lotads and Surkits. Nana and Coco were napping underneath the shade of another tree. Popo was in her Sunny form while smelling the flowers and playing around with the dandelions. Each of them was enjoying their time in the tranquil scenery. Ruru and Zaffiro were still at the daycare center with Wally and his cousin, while Nene and Mimi stayed at home with Ruby's mom.
Sapphire gazed at the egg on her lap. The scarf that Ruby made for it was soft and warm just like the blue one he made for her. It was just a few years ago that they confessed their feelings and sometime after that, they started dating. Though they bicker at times, mostly due to Ruby's eccentric tastes for all things clean and beautiful and Sapphire's literal down-to-earth personality, they were still an inseparable pair. The recollection of those events made her feel happy and calm.
The brunette gently stroked the side of the egg. Then she suddenly felt a light force, sort of like a kick or a nudge. Sapphire's face lit up. She scrambled to her feet with the egg safely held in her arms. Then she rushed towards the direction Ruby ran off to and yelled at the top of her lungs, "RUBY! I think RuZa ...errr RaZu is about ta HATCH!"
*Bright flash*
A strange burst of light came from the woods that lied ahead of her. The ominous feeling, she had, became stronger, almost like it was shouting at her. With her heart rate escalating, Sapphire held the egg tightly in her arms and rushed into the forest.
*Consecutive flashes*
Sapphire followed the pulsating light with no knowledge of what was happening. All she could think about was Ruby. The leaves above her began to shake in the forceful wind coming from within the area. Her adrenaline was pumping as she got closer to a clearing where the light was originating from.
After rushing pass tree after tree, Sapphire stood frozen at the spot when she saw Ruby fading into the white luminous matter. Her breathing became narrow as a shadow of fear came over her. The boy caught a glimpse of the brown-haired girl as he tried to break free from the strong force pulling him in.
"Sapph!" Ruby reached out to her.
Sapphire desperately went for his hand. "Ruby!"
*Flash*
The final flash of light instantaneously vanished into nothing. All that remained was a young girl slumped on the forest floor, unable to believe the event that just occurred before her. The wind began to die down and silence grew heavy. All around her began to move in a fast forward pace, or it was her world the one stuck in slow motion.
"…R-Ruby?"
Tears unconsciously began to flow from her eyes. Her hand trembled at the emptiness she grasped. Sapphire didn't want to believe anything she saw. She stood up and started looking in every direction. "Ruby! This ain't funny!"
There was no response. Trees towered over her in every direction. There was nothing else and no one else in sight. Ruby's pokemon arrived one by one. They were startled by the mysterious light and decided to go and investigate but all they found was panicking girl and no sign of their trainer. Sapphire didn't notice them. She was too busy getting a grip on reality.
"Ruby! I know ya have a habit of disappearin' but enough is enough."
Zuzu nudged her leg, jolting the girl out of her daze. With tears still falling, Sapphire turned to the giant mud fish pokemon. The rest of Ruby's team stared at her as if they wondered where their trainer was. Sapphire didn't know how to explain it to them nor could she even say the words. Her legs shook and soon gave way. She slumped back unto the leafy soil and hugged the egg in her arms. Any words she forced out of her mouth were muffled by sobs and cries. Soon afterwards, everything in her vision blurred and faded into darkness.
Sapphire POV
That day, I lost something precious to me. Before, when he disappears, I had some kind of clue to where I could find him, but not this time. Everything happened too fast; too sudden. Moments ago, we were sharing each other's warmth but now, he's gone. I should have trusted my instincts and stopped him. He was right in front of me and yet there was nothing could I do; nothing at all.
Somewhere within me kept saying I shouldn't give up or lose hope. I found him several times before. I'm sure this time would be no different.
That's what I thought…
When I woke up, I wished everything was just a bad dream but the faces of my seniors told me otherwise. I was in a room inside a pokemon center and with me were Crystal, Yellow and Platina. I learned that Zuzu and the others carried me back to Mauville. Ruru had read my mind and learned of what happened. She and the other dexholders immediately investigated the forest where Ruby had disappeared.
Yellow sat beside me with a gentle smile and asked, "How are you feeling?"
I wanted to answer but there were thousands of questions pouring inside my head. Did they find Ruby? What happened to him? Is he alright? What was that light? Why did he disappear all of a sudden? The pain in my chest kept throbbing and my body wouldn't stop trembling.
Senior Yellow held my hands calmly and gave me a reassuring face. "Everything will turn out fine."
I wanted to believe her, really, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes that Ruby was back, safe and sound, before I could finally feel settled. But the series of events that followed were not as we had hoped.
Senior Red and the other dexholders scanned the whole forest but found nothing. They had alerted Ruby's parents as well as my father. Coach and Wallace also joined in the search. Everyone spent the whole afternoon looking, but it all ended with no result.
That night, I couldn't sleep. My mind replayed the moment over and over. His hand was in my reach. If only I was a little quicker. It was a nightmare. I wanted it to stop. I wanted to see him. I wanted to know if he was okay. But what could I do? Where would I start? I couldn't even think of a gift, let alone figure out the mystery of his disappearance. Everyone; all of our friends did their best but found nothing. If that wasn't bad enough, more news followed.
Something happened to Ruru and Zaffiro's egg. It suddenly became ice cold. According to Nurse Joy, it was fine but it wasn't going to hatch anytime soon. Gold tried touching it but a psychic force kept pushing his hand away. It was as if it didn't want to come out. The egg was placed in an incubator for safety precaution. Then it was handed over to my dad so he could continue to monitor it in his lab in case there were any changes to its condition.
The last news that hit us hard was the fact that Ruru could no longer detect Ruby's emotions. No matter how far he may be or what kind of predicament he was in. Ruru could always sense even just a sliver of her trainer's presence, but there was nothing. It was as if he no longer existed.
End of Chapter 1
Like I said before. Forgive the redundancy. I promise the story will be good. Just wait and see...
I'll post my cover pic as soon as I'm done with chapter 2-3.
Anyway, review please! Any comment is fine.
I update faster if I receive more reviews. They really get me fired up!
Thanks for the 1st reviews : supersexyghotmew95, Saraku Namikaze, and Cindy Medeiros
Sorry for the typos...