Pokémon Heroes of Hoenn

Intertwining Worlds

“So where are you headed now, Ruby?” Fire asked as we all strolled towards the edge of town.
“Well, the next Gym is in Mauville City, so I guess we're headed there.” I stated casually as I checked my Pokénav's Town Map future.
It's strange to be surrounded with so many people now. Usually I spend my time alone, not depending on anyone. But all of a sudden, that changed. Now I have friends… Sapphire, Emerald, Leaf, Gold, Silver, Crystal, and Fire… it's almost like they opened up a new door, much like Fire said before. Yet this door leads to a very familiar feeling, one that I can't seem to explain at the moment.
“It's been a whole year since our last journey… We haven't traveled much since.” Silver stated calmly, staring up at the buildings as we strolled through town.
“Yeah, feels like forever though. I can't believe we never thought about coming to Hoenn!” Gold exclaimed cheerfully.
“You’re from Johto too right, Gold? Why would you want to leave the place you call home?” I asked, staring ahead as I questioned him. Gold stood silent for a second, and I could feel the smile slowly making its way to his face as he considered what I asked him.
“Look at it this way, if you stay put you'll keep growing no matter what, but you'll never see the world. And in a place where there's so much to see, who would want that?” Gold explained cheerfully. I glanced back at him, noticing the nod of agreement he received from Silver.
I never thought of it like that...
“You know, it's a long way from here to Mauville City. Got any bright ideas on how to pass the time, Gold?” Silver asked, a light tease evident in his tone. Gold put a finger to his chin, staring upwards and humming softly as he thought. Fire suddenly snapped her fingers, grinning at Silver as she skipped ahead a bit and started to walk backwards.
“I've got one! Why don't we all have a battle?” Fire suggested cheerfully.
“Yeah! And we can turn it into a race as well! We'll keep moving forward while we battle so we get to Mauville City faster!” Crys exclaimed, adding on to Fire's suggestion.
“And the first one to win a battle when we get to Mauville wins! Alright, sounds like fun!” Gold cheered.
“So who's battling who?” I questioned, glancing between each of the senior trainers curiously.
“Whaddya say you and I have a match, Gold?” Emerald asked with a confident smirk.
“Sure!” Gold agreed, a wide grin spreading on his face.
“I'll battle you, if you'd like, Sapphire.” Silver stated calmly.
“Yeah! Mudkip and I'll give it our best!” Sapphire cheered.
“I'll battle with you then, Crys.” Leaf stated, earning a nod from the blue haired girl.
“Well then, that leaves you and me, Ruby. Don't worry, Typhlo and I can take it easy on you just this once.” Fire stated teasingly. I smirked, signaling Combusken to prepare for battle. Fire released her own partner, a Typhlosion, and a strong one at that. He seemed to be eager to fight. Gold's Meganium seemed like a gentle giant, but I could tell she was an excellent battler. Treecko probably wouldn't stand a chance. Feraligatr was quite intimidating. You could tell it's been through some tough battles. On the other hand, Mudkip has only seen a handful of battles. Crystal's Pichu had a unique feature on one of its ears. Its fur spiked up on it, making it stand out from other Pichu. Though it may be small and un-evolved, Pichu was obviously bound to be a tough match for Eevee.
Before we realized it, we were all sprinting ahead, calling out moves to our Pokémon partners as we dashed for Mauville City. Fire, Gold, Silver, and Crystal unfortunately had to take it easy on us since we were less experienced than they are, but it was tough regardless. Sapphire's Mudkip and Emerald's Treecko ended up evolving into Marshtomp and Grovyle during their battles. Even though they didn't evolve, Combusken learned Flamethrower and Eevee learned Shadow Ball, so both Leaf and I had worthwhile matches as well.
Upon reaching Mauville City, we all fell in the grass just on the outskirts of town, exhausted from the battles and sprinting. I sighed out softly, throwing myself into the grass on my back and staring up at the perfectly clear sky.
"Man... that was tough..." I panted, wiping some sweat off my forehead.
"You said it..." Leaf muttered, rolling onto his side and returning his Eevee.
"Hey, Fire, we should probably get to the Pokémon Center now.... Fire?" Silver called softly, lightly shaking the raven haired trainer. He suddenly groaned, rolling his eyes as he turned away from her with a pout on his face. "Oh great, she's asleep." Silver muttered.
"Wow Ruby, you made her that exhausted?" Sapphire questioned teasingly.
"No way, Fire's tougher than you'd ever imagine anyone could be! She's just not the greatest runner." Gold stated, smiling nervously as he finished his last sentence.
"Yeah, but she's got a nasty kick. Remember what she did to that door back in Mahogany Town?" Crys chuckled, sitting up as she spoke.
"That door was already busted up anyways, it was bound to break." Silver countered, probably not wanting to accept the fact that Fire could kick a regular door in like nothing.
I sure would believe it after that battle.
Sapphire and Emerald soon left to the Pokémon Center with our Pokémon to heal them and get our rooms, meanwhile Leaf and I sat around with Gold, Silver, Crystal, and Fire, enjoying the warmth of the evening sun. I lied down between Fire and Leaf, throwing my arms behind my head for comfort. It was awkwardly quiet, so I decided to start up a random conversation.
"So, what did you guys do on your journey anyway?" I asked, peeking up in Gold's direction.
"Oh, a whole lot! We got eight Gym Badges, competed in the Pokémon League, defeated Team Rocket, and we even traveled through Kanto!" Gold listed, thinking back to his journey with a cheerful grin.
"I ended up studying with Professor Oak while they continued to travel. Though I met back up with them when Fire earned her title of Johto Champion." Crys added calmly. I nodded softly before doing a double take.
"Wait- what?!" I yelped, throwing myself into a sitting position.
"You didn't know? Fire's the Champion of Johto." Gold stated casually, like it was a normal thing to hang out with a Champion.
Then again, it was for him.
I stared down in shock at the sleeping figure of the Champion beside me, shuddering in slight fear of her power. That's when it hit me… two years ago, in Goldenrod City, when Team Rocket attacked, I remember seeing a raven haired girl with Whitney, the local Gym Leader. She was wearing a Team Rocket uniform, but I assumed it was a disguise because Whitney seemed to know her. She took a scarf out of Whitney's hands and wrapped it around her neck before running off towards the Radio Tower. I remember wanting to give chase when dad suddenly grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and dragged me away.
"So it was you..." I thought aloud, earning puzzled looks from Gold, Silver, and Crystal.
"What?" Crys questioned.
"Back when Goldenrod City was attacked by Team Rocket... I had seen Fire that day with Whitney. That's when you guys were first given the title Heroes of Johto, wasn't it? I just remembered my dad read that in the newspaper a few days later." I explained calmly, taking in everything I recalled.
"Oh that's right! I forgot, you're from Goldenrod City!" Gold exclaimed, moving his hair from his eyes as he spoke.
"Hm... It almost seems like we were meant to meet. Fate works in mysterious ways, after all." Silver stated calmly, closing his eyes softly as he thought over what I had said.
"So Ruby knew you long before you knew Ruby, and I knew Fire long before she knew any of you. Strange, isn't it?" Leaf chuckled.
"Yeah..." I murmured, staring up at the soft blue sky. It's as if our worlds have been connected long before we all knew it. Was everyone's lives.... set like this? Were we all destined to meet certain people and do certain things even before we were born? Maybe the regional Heroes are all already chosen as well.
Fire slowly sat up, rubbing her tired eyes and mumbling softly before glancing around at us.
"Did I fall asleep...?" she questioned tiredly, her sleepy eyes trying to focus in on something.
"Yeah, you did. Come on, let's get to the Pokémon Center." Silver stated with a light chuckle as he stood up, reaching a hand to help Fire up. He lead the drowsy Champion to the Pokémon Center, the rest of us following close behind. I stayed behind a bit further than the others, smiling softly as I watched Gold and Crys match their pace with Silver and Fire's. Leaf paused, waving back at me to speed it up. I nodded, picking up my pace to catch up with him when I felt a familiar presence.
"Oh please, uncle! Let me challenge the Gym!" the green haired boy pleaded. My eyes widened a bit as I spotted him, trying to tell myself that couldn't be who I thought it was.
"Isn't that..." I muttered, stopping in my tracks to unintentionally stare. He must've sensed my presence as well since he turned to face me and his eyes brightened curiously. Sure enough, that was definitely him.
"Ruby...?" he called softly.

I recognized this moment as one of those times you can't help but realize just how small the world really is.