Pokémon Heroes of Hoenn

The Starting Point of a True Adventure

"Heroes of what now?" I asked, completely dumbfounded by the raven haired girl's statement. She raised a finger, grinning widely as she began to explain.
"The Pokédex is a symbol. Professor Oak of Pallet Town made some for Professor Birch of Littleroot Town to give to trainers with promising skills. The reason for this... was to create a team of trainers strong enough to defend the region, otherwise known as the Heroes of Hoenn!" the girl explained cheerfully.
"Wait, but if that's true, how do you know that?" Emerald asked, skeptical about the whole situation.
"Because.... I'm a Hero too! Well, Heroine. Fire's the name!" she announced, showing off her bright red Pokédex.
"Wow, you have a Pokédex too! But that one looks different than ours." Sapphire stated, looking from her own Pokédex to Fire's to observe them.
"That's because I have the second generation of Pokédexes. You all have the third generation." Fire explained.
"That makes sense... Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm Emerald, and this is Ruby, Sapphire, and Leaf. We're sorta traveling together." Emerald introduced cheerfully.
"Hey wait a minute, don't I know you?" Fire asked, pointing at Leaf. We turned to face him, the shocked look on his face unwavering even as Fire spoke.
"I-it's you... Fire.... it's really you!" Leaf exclaimed, a light blush on his face that only I seemed to notice. I recalled something Leaf once said about a girl back in his hometown and then it hit me; he must've been talking about Fire.
Huh, what a small world.
"Yeah, I remember you! You said his name's Leaf, right? You're from Pallet Town!" Fire exclaimed, a large grin on her face.
"You know this guy, Fire?" the redhead boy behind Fire questioned with an emotionless gaze.
"Yeah! Leaf used to watch me train with Red a long time ago with his Eevee! I even battled them once too! Long time no see, Leaf!" Fire said cheerfully, patting Leaf's shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Y-yeah... it sure has been a long time." Leaf muttered, the blush on his face darkening a bit.
Somebody please spare me this sentiment...
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you all to my friends! I'm sorry! This is Gold, Crystal, and Silver. We've been traveling together for awhile now, and we're the trainers that make up the Heroes of Johto." Fire introduced.
"Hiya!" Gold exclaimed with a cheerful grin.
"A pleasure to meet you." Crystal stated warmly.
"It's about time you introduced us, Fire." Silver muttered.
"I'm sorry, Silv, I was just excited to meet them, that's all." Fire stated softly, gently wrapping an arm around him. I shifted my gaze away from them, a little disturbed by the public show of affection. My eyes widened for a second as I turned to see Leaf, realizing how that must've affected him.
"Wait, don't tell me... are you two...?" Leaf began, pointing between Fire and Silver with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Together? We sure are! One thing lead to another during our first journey, and, well, here we are! Two Pidgeys of a feather!" Fire exclaimed with a cheerful grin.
"Wha- ah man... there goes my chances...." Leaf muttered, dropping his head and slouching forward in defeat. I shot him a quick glance, feeling somewhat sympathetic towards him.
"Fire... you didn't have to go into detail." Silver muttered uncomfortably, a light blush appearing on his face. Gold and Crystal chuckled in response to Silver's reaction. Just watching this made me feel more and more bad for Leaf.
"Right, sorry... Oh! Um... Say, we were thinking about grabbing a lunch while we're here, do you guys wanna come?" Fire offered kindly.
"Sure, I'm up for it!" Sapphire exclaimed, strolling to Fire's side as she spoke. I glanced back at Leaf as everyone strolled ahead, wondering if he planned on moving from his position. Realizing he wasn't leaving anytime soon, I sighed, grabbing him by the bandana around his neck and dragging him with me in the direction everyone else was headed.
"Come on, let's go." I stated with a light sigh, rolling my eyes as Leaf whimpered like a Growlithe locked outside its home during a thunder storm.
We grabbed lunch at a little restaurant on the beach before heading into town. Each of us got to know each other fast, and I gotta say, the Heroes of Johto all seemed pretty cool.
Silver's a lot like me, not too much of a social person unless he wants to be, so we get along pretty well. Gold's a little overly cheerful, but he's not annoying about it. In fact, I actually found it quite soothing, surprisingly. Crystal, preferably Crys, is really kind and intelligent as well. Though she doesn't seem like she could keep a secret for the life of her. I found that I could get along with Fire the best. Though she was spirited and outgoing, you could tell that she's been through some tough stuff. She seemed like the type I could communicate my problems with on a personal level, and I don't say that about anyone.
We headed to the Pokémon Center for a bit of rest, Fire and her friends getting their rooms and dropping their bags to get some weight off their shoulders. I watched as Leaf left the Pokémon Center, probably heading for the back porch.
"What's the matter with him? He hasn't been talking as much." Emerald asked as she came from the left hallway behind the reception desk.
"His crush is taken." I deadpanned, staring out the door he had left.
"What?" Emerald questioned, barely earning a side glance from me.
"Why don't you ask the one you're concerned about what's wrong?" I suggested bluntly, earning a little annoyed look from Emerald before she left to go find him. I sighed as she left, resting my elbows on my knees.
"Hey Ruby, you alright?" Fire asked, leaning on the back of the couch across from me. I glanced up at her before dropping my gaze to the floor again.
Here it goes...
"No, not really..." I muttered.
"What's the matter?" Fire questioned, clearly feeling sorry for me.
"Have you ever felt... like you've, I dunno.... like you lost sight of yourself? And... you just want to be the real you again?" I asked hesitantly as Fire came around and sat beside me.
"Ruby... everybody loses sight of themselves sometimes. Do you know why I started a journey? It was because my brother, Red, had went missing almost two years prior to my travels. Before I was sent on a journey by Professor Oak with the Pokédex, I had gone through a long series of depression, and I found myself scared of being alone until I received this Pokédex. My journey through Johto... it opened so many doors for me. I got to meet Gold, Crystal, Silver.... and so many more trainers and Pokémon that changed my life forever." Fire stated calmly, closing her eyes as she reminisced some memories.
"Yeah.... do you think that.... I'll have that kind of experience too?" I asked hopefully, looking back for a reaction.
"Of course. The point of your journey is to grow with your Pokémon and friends. Your journey is bound to open many doors for you as well. Maybe meeting all of us was just one of them. And know this, if you're ever in doubt, or you need someone to talk to, call one of us, the Heroes of Johto would be happy to help!" Fire stated half teasingly. I smiled a genuine smile, something I haven't done in a while now. It felt a little strange at first, almost foreign to my face as my lips curled upwards, but I didn't try to stop it.
Fire was right, my journey is supposed to help me grow, but I have to put effort into that growth. Even if it's one step at a time, I'm gonna put all my efforts into being a good friend to Sapphire, Emerald, and Leaf. And an even better trainer to my Pokémon.
"Thanks, Fire. I've only known you for a day and you're already helping me out. But you know, I can't lean on you forever... I'm gonna be the Hoenn Champion, so I gotta step up my game." I stated calmly, determination filling my tone and heart as I spoke.
"Hoenn Champion, huh? Well then, I hope to see you on the news one day!" Fire exclaimed teasingly, standing up with me and offering a hand to shake.
"Right, count on it. And when I'm stronger, let's have a battle." I offered with a smirk, taking Fire's offered hand.
"You got it! You're gonna have to be much stronger than you are now, but I believe you can do it. A spirited trainer like you can do nearly anything with close friends and Pokémon by their sides." Fire stated with a grin as she shook my hand.
"Right!" I agreed, smirking back as the determination coursed through me.

Close friends and Pokémon.... with them, I can do most anything... and those two things I indeed posses.