I hope no one voted last chapter. Oh wait, some did! Now, vote this chapter, and not the next.

SL's Ruby & Sapphire segment will probably focus more on Ruby and Sapphire's interactions with each other than anything else. This is because SL is the only place in all of S-EARL where that can happen. SE has no space until its conclusion (unless I make a successor), SA… has its obvious reasons, and SR doesn't focus on such a thing. As such, SL's Ruby & Sapphire segment may go a little slow compared to the others.

Segment: Ruby & Sapphire.

Chapter 11: Journey's Start

April 22, Nuvema Town, Unova, 8:30 am…

The flaming bear-pig Pokémon swung its thick cudgel of an arm at Ruby as hard as it could muster. The Dex Holder simply sidestepped to avoid the attack, but it didn't seem necessary. Sapphire had grabbed the arm of the Pokémon with one hand and simply held it up. The Pokémon and its trainer looked very surprised. The Pokémon glanced back at its trainer, wondering what it should do. Taking this time, Sapphire lifted it high above her head and glared at its trainer.

The trainer seemed to snap out of his shock and was about to order something when Sapphire threw the Pokémon roughly 20 meters away. The Unova boy gritted his teeth and took out two more Pokéballs. Sapphire reached into her bag for one of her own and glanced at Ruby, who didn't seem to be paying any attention. She roughly nudged him in the ribs with an elbow.

"Ow… Before you ask, I'm not going to participate in this random savage fight," Ruby said as he rubbed his side. "Besides, I don't battle in front of strangers."

Sapphire growled at him. "You've done it once before, and you'll do it again! My Pokémon are a little tired from beating two Gym Leaders without any preparation, so I'll need every able body I can get. Even yours."

"I'm not sure that phrase applies here, Sapphire."

"Shut it and send out your Pokémon already. Your method failed, so we're using mine. We'll beat the sh*t out of this kid and maybe he'll be willing to answer a few questions. Like… why he decided to attack us for absolutely no reason."

Ruby sighed. "… So you're just going to beat the information out of him?"

"Yeah. The old fashioned way. He started it!"

"Just so you know," Ruby said to the Unova boy. "This idea is not mine. It's hers."

The Unova boy sent out an eagle like Pokémon and a giant spider like one. Sapphire sent out her Blaziken and Ruby sent out his Swampert. But just as the battle was about to start, the Unova boy's flaming bear-pig Pokémon came running back, more pissed off than ever.

Sapphire glanced at it and grinned. "Alright! I could use some damn stress relief!" She unstrapped her bag around her waist and let it fall to the ground. Ruby glanced at the dirt now on the yellow bag and grunted slightly. Sapphire looked over at him. "You take care of the double battle. I'm sure you can handle it."

Ruby sighed. "Whatever. Too late to stop now. Alright then. Have fun and be careful."

Sapphire stretched her arms and legs and looked at the flaming bear-pig Pokémon intently. It seemed a little confused at first, but decided to fight her anyways. It charged straight towards her and she charged straight towards it at the same time.

The Pokémon swung its thick arms at her to try to knock her away. However, when it came close, she simply dropkicked it in the legs, making it fall. The Pokémon soon got back up and glared at her, really pissed off now. Sapphire grinned and with her hands, signaled it to bring it on.

At the same time, Ruby watched with disinterest as the Unova boy ordered his Pokémon to attack. He didn't like battling (in front of strangers no less) and he actually intended to support Sapphire in the double battle and let her do all the work. But since she technically abandoned him so she could fight, he had no choice but to actually do something.

To start, Ruby examined the two opposing Pokémon. The eagle like one seemed quite strong physically. No doubt it was going to rely on close quarters fight. The spider like one had multiple eyes, giving it a wide view. It didn't seem to be physically strong, so it would most likely attack from a distance. The multitude of eyes set off a small alarm in Ruby's mind.

'Compoundeyes… That could be a problem. And those 6 eyes are disgusting and unnerving.' He looked over at his Swampert and Sapphire's Blaziken. 'Alright. Sapphire's Blaziken can handle that yellow spider thing, and Zuzu can handle that eagle. That eagle is probably going to swoop down to attack, so I'll use that.' He looked over at the Blaziken to give it orders. '… What did Sapphire call her Blaziken again? Crap… Oh well.' "Flamethrower at the spider!"

During her fight with the flaming bear-pig Pokémon, Sapphire took a look back at Ruby to make sure he was doing fine. He didn't seem like he was having fun, but he seemed to be in full control of the battle. The Pokémon she was fighting tried to take advantage of her distraction and tried to grab her. Sapphire ducked out of its reach and when it stumbled closer, delivered an uppercut.

Deciding that just punching and kicking this thing wasn't going to subdue it, Sapphire prepared herself for her next move. When it came recklessly charging with its head lowered for a Head Smash, she crouched, grabbed onto the charging Pokémon with both her arms and lifted it above the ground. She ran directly into a tree while carrying the Pokémon, effectively smashing it into the tree.

The flaming bear-pig Pokémon smashed its fists into her back, which hurt like hell. Sapphire clenched her teeth and slammed it onto the ground as hard as she could manage. She then immediately jumped onto it and delivered a series of punches to its face. It punched her off, which also hurt, and tried to get back up. Sapphire kicked it on the head, knocking it back down. Once the Pokémon was unable to fight anymore, she took a few seconds to catch her breaths and recover a little from those hits before heading over towards Ruby, who seemed to have won the battle already. But it seemed that the Unova boy still had additional Pokémon and he was willing to fight until he dropped.

But before the second battle could start, the door to the Unova boy's house opened and a girl appeared. Ruby looked at the girl and examined her clothes carefully. Sapphire sincerely hoped that he was not getting any ideas for her next attire. The Unova girl seemed to have been crying, as she still seemed to be sniffling a little. But she seemed quite angry as well.

"Fine!" the girl yelled as she sent out her own Pokémon. "You two wanted me, so here I am! But I'm not going without a fight!"

"The hell is wrong with everyone in this region?!" Sapphire yelled as she looked back and forth between the new girl and her green… banana like Pokémon. "It's all battle-first-talk-later!"

Ruby looked up from the Unova girl's clothes and into her eyes from the distance. "Why exactly do you think we're here for you?"

"Of course you're here for me!" the girl spat out. "Everyone has been for the past week! I – I spent my whole life helping you people and one accident happens and all of a sudden you all treat me like a criminal!"

Ruby crossed his arms and thought for a second before he returned his Swampert. Sapphire looked over at him in surprise.

"Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Sapphire, withdraw your Pokémon," Ruby said calmly. "There's clearly a misunderstanding here and remaining battle ready and hostile won't improve the situation."

Sapphire reluctantly returned her Blaziken and looked at the two Unova trainers.

"Who are you two?" the Unova girl asked. She didn't return her Pokémon yet, but didn't appear to be as upset as before. "And what do you want?"

"I'm Ruby and she's Sapphire," Ruby said to the girl. "We're from the region of Hoenn. We came to Unova so I could participate in the Pokémon Musical."

"The Musical is no more. It's closed," the Unova boy said as he took a worried glance at the girl beside him.

"And that's why we're here," Sapphire said. "We want to know why it's closed. Actually, I don't give a damn, but this sissy does. Anyways, at Nimbasa, Elesa told me to look for the president of the BW Agency in Mistralton City. At Mistralton, Skyla told me to go to Nuvema to find someone named Black. And Professor Juniper here told me that Black lived here."

"I'm Black," the Unova boy said as he returned all of his Pokémon.

"Great! So do you know the whereabouts of the president of the BW Agency?" Sapphire asked.

"I should," Black replied. "She's right beside me."

Ruby and Sapphire looked at the Unova girl, dumbfounded for a short while. "… Well, isn't this awkward. We've been asking about the whereabouts of a girl who's right in front of us…"

Before long, the two Hoenn Dex Holders found themselves seated by a dinner table inside Black's house, looking at the two Unova trainers who sat across the table from them. After proper introductions, Black explained to them what happened with the BW Agency recently and therefore why the Pokémon Musical was closed. White looked quite crestfallen at the thought of the downfall of her company and recent events.

Ruby nodded in understanding. "We're real sorry for you. I understand why you were hostile to us."

"So what now?" Sapphire asked as she looked over at Ruby. "… Sightseeing? Finally?"

"I guess," Ruby said with a sigh. "But first…" He looked over at Black in a scrutinizing glance. "Professor Juniper told me something interesting about you."

"Oh, that thing," Sapphire muttered.

At the same time, both Hoenn Dex Holders pulled out their Pokédex and showed it to Black. Black looked a little surprised. White looked quite… horrified.

"… You have a Pokédex too? No wonder you were so strong," the boy muttered. "But I never saw those models before."

"Y – You're… Hoenn Dex Holders!" the girl stammered out.

"You heard about them, Miss President?"

"Yes, of course. Before I… lost my company, I did some research. There are a total of 13 before us, Black. They are our seniors." The girl looked over at Ruby and Sapphire. She hastily rose to her feet and bowed politely. "I always wanted to meet you, but… not like this… I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding and for being hostile. I – I didn't know…"

"It's okay," Ruby said.

"… Was I like that when we met our seniors a few years ago?" Sapphire asked Ruby. "Was I that nervous and stammering?"

"Nah," the boy replied after a short moment of thought. "You were overly excited, but you weren't particularly nervous. And besides, things were kind of chaotic, so there really wasn't time for you to be like White here."

"I'm sorry for attacking you too," Black said with a short bow. "Miss President had been getting unwanted visitors recently and I was just protecting her."

"Hear that?" Sapphire yelled as she glared at Ruby. "He protects her! So why don't you protect me?!"

"Because you don't need protecting!" Ruby yelled back. "And besides, did I ever abandon you when you needed my help?" Sapphire was about to answer but he cut her off. "On second thought, don't answer that."

"That's right, you jerk."

"Hey, for the record, I didn't abandon you. I just didn't want any part of what you were getting into. But I came back, didn't I?"

Ruby and Sapphire bickered for a little while before they realized they were making a scene in front of their newly found juniors. They both instantly stopped arguing and cleared their throats simultaneously.

"So… White, what are you going to do?" Sapphire asked to break the awkward silence. "Are you just going to stay here forever?"

White looked down and sighed. "I… don't know. I can't stay here like this, but there's nowhere I can go either."

"I think the top priority is to help her get her self confidence back," Ruby said as he crossed his arms. "And that is not something you can gain by hiding inside a house all day."

"What do you suggest?" Black asked.

"White, give yourself a challenge and try to accomplish it," Sapphire said to her junior. "Something like… beating all the Gyms within 80 days or something."

"Real original, Sapphire," Ruby said with a smirk.

"Hey, it's a good challenge!"

Black put an arm around White's shoulders. "What do you say, Miss President? Do you want to try getting all the Gym Badges in Unova?"

White didn't reply but both Ruby and Sapphire could tell that she wasn't considering it deeply.

"Come on, White. You can't stay like this forever," Sapphire said. "You have to face your fears some day. I know I will."

Black suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ah, I got it!" He looked at White excitedly. "Miss President, how would you like to challenge Cheren in a Gym Battle?"

"He's… not a Gym Leader yet, isn't he?" White asked.

"Not yet, but he's trying to become one. Soon, he'll become the Gym Leader of Aspertia City."

"… Aspertia?" White muttered in surprise.

"Why? Do you know that place?"

The girl slowly nodded. "Yes. It's… my home. But… I really don't want to go there. Not like this."

Black nodded in understanding. "Don't worry. Remember, Cheren is here in Nuvema. So you could have a battle with him where you're comfortable and without attracting any attention. It'll be a great practice for both of you."

White soon nodded. "But… let's say I do agree to that Gym Badge challenge. People might not recognize me because I changed my style completely, but what about you? People might still recognize you and they might remember seeing you with me before."

Ruby grinned as he intervened. "Let me worry about that. While you have your practice Gym Battle, I'll make sure your friend here isn't recognizable."

Sapphire rolled her eyes. 'Ruby, don't tell me you're going to ruin our junior's looks…' Ruby looked over at her as if he heard her thoughts. She ignored him and sighed as she looked at her juniors. "… Prepare to be surprised."

"That settles it, then," Ruby said as he rose to his feet. "White has a practice Gym Battle, I make Black unrecognizable, and we're out of here!"

"Wait," Black said. "I know it's a little much to ask since we just met, but you're our seniors. Could you come with us on the Gym Badge challenge? I think Miss President and I could really use your help."

"What do you think, Sapphire?" Ruby asked. "Do you want to just go home, or help these two?"

Sapphire thought for a second. "Let's help these two. We got nothing better to do anyways. If we follow them, then we'll be able to do some damn sightseeing for once and with people who know this region. And besides, we'll be getting to know our juniors better, now won't we?"

"Alright then, it's decided. We'll go with you," Ruby said to the two Unova Dex Holders.

Both Black and White bowed in gratitude. Soon afterwards, Black went to call his friend, leaving Ruby and Sapphire to look at White in silence. They really didn't know what to say, as they never had a junior before…

Sapphire looked over at Ruby. "I don't know about you, but… now that I have juniors, I suddenly feel… older."

Ruby sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I guess this is how the Kanto guys feel all the time."

"But you know what? We're still on the junior side of the Dex Holders," Sapphire said with a grin. "… Unless there's another batch of Dex Holders we never met. Then we're no longer juniors, but we're not seniors. And only if there's yet another batch we'll be on the senior side. Which won't be for a long while!"

Poor Sapphire. When Pokémon Special progresses to XY, she'll be on the senior side…

Yes, I'm making another blind prediction. I'm guessing White's hometown is Aspertia City. Black lives in Nuvema, but it's completely unknown where White lives, so I'm taking a guess that her home will be the starting area for BW2.

And no evil ending. I'm saving all the evilness for SA, which will be completely unleashed in one chapter. After that, SL will become evil again.

Currently, it has been 5 chapters since the last Green & Blue segment, 2 since the last Gold & Crystal segment, 0 since Ruby & Sapphire, 7 since Diamond & Platinum, and 4 since Black & White. So, take your pick.

And do not expect any update for 1~2 months. For all of S-EARL. After that time, all of S-EARL will be updated at once (something I want to try, despite its risks). This is the reason behind the 1~2 month break. I need time to complete all four update chapters. For those who are following all of S-EARL, you'll be quite busy in the next update. So have fun.

In the meantime, wait patiently. Or reread S-EARL. Spot some errors here and there so I can fix them. Become a faithful reviewer or fix the reasons for you being revoked of that status if you're bored.