From the beginning

The Challenge

Ruby POV

It was 7 in the morning and I left my room early to go get something that I would challenge Thomas to, when I left my room Braixen came out of her pokèball. "Mistress? Where are you going?" "Oh to the pokèmart." I smiled and she looked at me. "Can I help!?" "Of course you can...and hey we could have girl talk along the way!" "Yay!" We giggled on our way down to the main lobby of the motel, there we saw Yummy with his Houndoom. "Yummy?" He turned around and waved us over. "Hey sis how was your first day of your journey?" "Well I caught a Pouchyena who's so cute!" I called out Shred, as soon as he appeared he went straight to Yummy and jumped into him and started kissing. "Oh come on not the face!"

"Uh Yummy what are you doing here?" "Oh I'm off to Rustboro city to go for a job interview at the Devon corporation." I smiled. "That's good now I have to go, see you later!" Shred and Braixen both followed me out, Yummy waved to me as I walked off. "Alright off to the pokèmart." I said. "Yeah!" "Pouch. Pouchyena!" We walked in silence, I broke the silence and asked Braixen a question that made her face go pink. "Who's your crush?" "Well he could be on Thomas's team..." "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours and no riddles." She sighed. "It's...Lucario." My jaw dropped, that's who I thought it was. "Really!" "Yes...now you have tell me yours!" I started to blush. "It's...Thomas...I've known him since we were kids it's just I really like him...he's so different, his mood went from mostly happy to serious." Shred didn't have a clue what we were talking about, but he just went along with it.

When we arrived at the pokèmart Shred wanted me to pick him up so like the kind person I am, I picked him up and held onto him throughout the time we were in there. "What is it we're looking for?" "A box of something called 'Pocky sticks'...I'm gonna get Thomas and challenge him to do the Pocky challenge with me and if you want you can challenge Lucario!" I don't know what'll happen between me and Thomas if we succeed in the challenge. "Sure I just need to know what the Pockey challenge is." "You can't back out deal!" "Deal!" I whispered into her ear the rules and as I did she started to blush. "Is that true?" She asked and I nodded. "Yes it is...you can't back out now!" "Yes I know but does it have to be Lucario?" I nodded again, Braixen took a box of Pocky sticks and carried it over to the cashier. "That'll be 50 pokèdollars." I pulled out the amount needed and paid for the box, thanked him and we went back to the motel.

When we walked into my room, Thomas and Lucario were talking on the couch in front of the TV. "Oh hey girls, Shred." "Hey Thomas!" "Heyyyy!!!" Lucario said sounding annoyed. "Oh yes you too Lucario, now we want to do something with you two." The two boys looked at each other and got up. "What is it?" Braixen and I giggled, we turned around. "Now you take 6 and I'll take 6...you'll take the box and hide it behind your back while Lucario follows you to the other room and as for you Shred you go with Braixen alright." "Pouch!" "Alright." I put Shred on the floor, Braixen opened the box and I grabbed 6 sticks and left the rest for her.

"Follow me Lucario!" Braixen said with her back turned to the bedroom door, Lucario got up from the couch and followed Braixen into the bedroom. Lucky for me Lucario slept on the couch so he wouldn't wake me up. I walked over to the couch where Thomas was and we sat down. "What is it?" "I challenge you to the Pocky challenge! We both get and end of a Pocky stick and put it into our mouths and if one of us on one of our turns snaps it in half the loser has to answer a question truthfully and if neither of us snaps it...you'll find out." Sweat dropped from his face but he then shook his head. "Challenge accepted!" He said in a French accent. I took one of the Pocky sticks and put the an end in my mouth while the other was ready for him to put in his and he did. I bit into my end a little and he did the same, we kept going until we were nose to nose and Thomas took a bite one last time but he snapped the stick. "Oh no! You lost this one...now you must answer one of my questions truthfully...who is your crush?"

"It's...ummm...you." He said blushing, I started to blush, I then grabbed another Pocky stick and put an end in my mouth. "You ready to go again?" I asked him and he simply took the other end and smirked. I bit into my end more then last time and he did the same. Once again we were nose to nose but it was my turn and when I bit it again I was relieved that it didn't snap but I knew what would happen when Thomas goes, when he did his turn we were mouth to mouth, it was my turn and I lunged into him and we were kissing, I was enjoying it until I started to lose my breath so I broke the kiss so we could both catch our breath. I was blushing so much that I almost passed out. "That's...what happens if...one of us doesn't...snap it." We were still trying to catch our breath, when we did, we still had 4 more sticks left so I took another one and we did it again but this time I broke it. "My turn...what would you want in a boyfriend?" "Well I'd want someone who's like you...funny, thoughtful and helps others!" He smirked, I saw that he had a sharpened tooth. "How'd your tooth get like that?" "Save that for if I lose again."

I was shocked that he wanted to keep going with the challenge, so I took another stick and put it in my mouth and he put the other end in his mouth and we did another round, I lost again. "If you had a crush on someone like me would you go out with him?" "Yes definitely!" We did another round and I won. "How'd your tooth get so sharp?" "I lost in a fight and my tooth was chipped and when I went to the dentist, he tried but he couldn't get it flat so I'm fine with it like this, now the final round." I giggled and took the last stick and put it in my mouth, he took the other end and we began, I lost once again, the words I heard next made me burn up. "Will you go out with me..." I couldn't believe it, my own crush asked me out! "I-I don't know what to say." "I understand if you don't want to...I didn't get the chance to ask you 10 years ago." That right he had to move 10 years ago...I didn't know how he felt about me then.

"I...will!" I screamed and I hugged him, he put his hands on my back. "You, m'lady, were my first kiss." "And you were my first."  We hugged until we heard the bed room door open. "Hey you two!"" "What's going on?" We looked over to our partners and gave them both a small laugh. "Well you could say that we're no longer best friends." "But boyfriend and girlfriend!" I added, Lucario's jaw dropped and Braixen went wide eyed. "WHHAAAAAATT!!!" The two yelled. "Hey hey what's with all the ruckus!" Logan came in without us even knowing. "Oh sorry Logan...Lucario here is freaking out because Thomas and I are dating." He just looked at us dumbfounded, after we had a laugh, all I heard was laughing coming from above us and when I looked up all I saw was Gengar's face peaking through the roof. "Heh heh Partner your face was so funny HAHA!" "Gengar...get down here man!" Gengar did as he was told and came down.

"Hey Logan where's your brother?" "Oh I just got back from talking to him...he's in the next route waiting...and he wants to challenge you to a battle Thomas." Thomas just about jumped up from where he was sitting. "Perfect I need a good battle." "Well what are we waiting for let's go!" I said. I went into the bedroom and got my stuff, came back out and we all went down to the lobby of the motel, gave the owner the keys back to him. "I hope you enjoyed your stay and have fun on your adventure!" "Thank you!" We waved back to him as we walked out of the building.