Pokémon Heroes of Hoenn

Weather Troubles

On our way to Fortree City, a heavy storm broke out, causing us to sprint to find shelter from the rain. We raced through the soaked grass, our shoes getting filled with water as we made it to a long wooden bridge that crossed over a river. The river flowed down from a waterfall nearby the bridge, adding on to the sound of pouring water.
"Come on, where's a shelter when you need one?!" Emerald yelled in frustration. I was about to respond to her, but my voice got caught in my throat as my foot slipped on the soggy wood, causing me to slip off the edge of it.
"Ruby!!" Leaf yelped, reaching out to grab me and missing by just an inch. I gasped as I hit the water, the rain making it impossible to see my surroundings. I thrashed about desperately, looking for any way out of the river. I heard a strange cry nearby, and in a matter of seconds something swam beneath me and carried me to the surface, lunging up and landing on a small piece of land beside the river. I gasped for air, glancing around to see who or what had saved me. A large, serpent-like Pokémon looked down at me curiously, seemingly asking if I was alright. I forced myself to sit up a bit, my soaked clothes weighing me down as I moved about.
"Wh-who are you...?" I asked between pants, trying to refocus my vision on the Pokémon before me. The Pokémon simply let out a soft cry and wrapped itself around me, trying to keep me warm with its body heat. "S-say, thanks, but uh... it's still raining on us." I stated softly, feeling the droplets of water coming down on my face and clothes. The Pokémon seems to realize this and released me from its light embrace. Glancing about, it seemed to lock its gaze with something under the bridge, signalling me to hop on its back. "Uh, no thanks, I-I can't swim- GAGH!!" I yelped as the Pokémon used its tail to flip me onto its back and jump back in the river, swimming towards whatever it was staring at before.
It turned out to be another small portion of land, this one just big enough to hold us. It was underneath the bridge, so the rain didn't seem to reach through to it. The serpent-like Pokémon carried me onto the piece of land, curling around me once again as we got comfortable. "Thanks, your a big help. And now that we're in a dry place, why don't I find out just what kind of Pokémon you are?" I asked rhetorically, pulling out my Pokédex in the process. My eyes widened in shock, glancing from the Pokédex to the Pokémon before me. "No way... you're a Milotic?!" I asked as I gaped at the Pokémon before me. Milotic nodded, grinning shyly in response. "Wow... so you're the Pokémon they call the most beautiful Pokémon in the world? That's a high title, pal." I complemented, earning a cry of joy in response. I smiled softly at the large Pokémon, resting my head on its long body and closing my eyes to relax, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the river water as I did so.
I assume I must've fallen asleep, because when I realized I was awake and finally opened my eyes, the sun was out and Milotic had its head rested on my lap, sleeping soundly and looking quite relaxed. I gazed at the rays of sunlight shining down on the river, making the water look clear as day. Though where Milotic and I rested was shaded by the bridge, it felt slightly warmer since the sun was out. I stretched out my arms a bit, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I suddenly began to here distant voices.
"Ruby!! Ruby, are you out here?! Answer me!!" Leaf's voice called, distress evident in his tone.
"You don't think he....?" Sapphire choked out, her voice quivering as she obviously considered the possibility that I had drowned.
"No way. Ruby might not be able to swim, but I know he's okay. I don't know how I do, but I just do. Trust me, we'll find him." Emerald stated firmly. I leaned over to look up at the bridge, wondering where my friends were since they sounded so close by now.
"They're looking for me..." I murmured to myself, suddenly feeling Milotic shift its position. I glanced back at the now awakened Pokémon as it let out a soft cry of confusion. "Milotic... I gotta go, my friends are worried about me. Do you think you could take me to the top of this bridge?" I asked, pointing above our heads to show it what I was talking about.
Milotic nodded firmly, signaling me to grab on as it jumped back into the water. It let out a cry that I could somehow tell meant for me to hold my breath, so I did, and Milotic dived beneath the surface, suddenly bounding up out of the water and landing gracefully on the bridge. I gasped out once again, startled after just being beneath the surface, but glad to be back where I started.
"Thanks, Milotic. If it weren't for you, I'd be a goner." I stated softly, earning a soft cry in response. "Hey, Sapphire, Emerald, Leaf, I'm right here!!" I called out, glancing around to find my friends.
"Hey, there he is!" Emerald called out. I turned around to see Sapphire, Emerald, and Leaf racing towards me with a big grin on each of their faces.
"Ruby!!" Sapphire exclaimed as she tackled me into a hug, a Yelp escaping my lips as she threw her arms around my neck.
"H-hey guys. Did ya miss me?" I asked teasingly, shifting a little so Sapphire wouldn't snap my neck as I placed a gentle hand on her back. Though it was nice to see her again, Sapphire hugging me was making my soaked clothes press up against me, making me feel colder than before.
"Uh, yeah! We watched you fall off a bridge on a cliff! And you can't even swim!!" Leaf exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air for emphasis on his distress.
"What Leaf means is, we were all worried about you. Falling from pretty high up and into a river during a storm while you can't even swim? I'd say you've seen enough for one day." Emerald stated half teasingly.
"That reminds me, how did you get out of the river, Ruby?" Sapphire asked as she took a step back to look me in the eye, staring up at me curiously as she did so.
"I didn't get out myself. Milotic here helped me out. She saved my life." I stated softly, glancing back at Milotic, who remained behind me the entire time. Everyone gaped upon acknowledging the beautiful Pokémon behind me, probably in awe that I stumbled upon such a rare Pokémon.
"Wow, that's so cool!! Milotic is such a rare Pokémon! Nice to meet you, Milotic!" Emerald exclaimed cheerfully.
Well, guess I saw that one coming, huh?
Milotic cried out happily in response, glancing between my friends to observe them in the process. I heard a sudden cry from above, but before I could look up a woman and her Pokémon landed firmly right before us, startling the daylights out of me.
"I see you found your friend now, yes?" the woman asked calmly, keeping a firm gaze on me as she spoke.
"Yes, that's him. Winona, this is Ruby. Ruby, this is Winona." Emerald introduced casually.
"Nice to meet you." I stated calmly, wondering who exactly this Winona lady is and when my friends had met her.
"A pleasure. Your friends told me some things about you. One of them being that you're aiming for the Pokémon League, is that correct?" Winona asked.
"It sure is. I'm gonna be the next Hoenn Champion." I stated proudly.
"Now that I'd love to see." a voice called from behind us. Startled, I whipped around, spotting a familiar cyan haired man in the process.
"Steven!!" Sapphire, Emerald, Leaf, and I chorused.
"Long time no see, huh?" Steven asked with a chuckle. His soft expression changed a bit when he spotted Milotic behind me.
"What's this...? Ruby, is that Milotic your Pokémon?" Steven asked curiously.
"No, not exactly. You see, Milotic saved me from drowning in the river, and she hasn't left my side since." I explained with a shy grin.
"Ah... Well it appears it has taken a liking to you. It is quite possible that Milotic wishes to travel with you, Ruby." Steven stated softly. I turned to Milotic with a curious look, wondering what she could be thinking.
"You think...? Hey, Milotic, do you... want to come with me?"  I asked hesitantly. Milotic wrapped itself around me once again, nuzzling my cheek with its own and crying out joyfully. "Okay, okay, I get it!" I laughed, hugging Milotic back as I spoke. I pulled out a Pokéball when Milotic pulled away, willingly tapping the button with its snout and entering the Pokéball, letting itself be captured.
"How do you always get such awesome Pokémon to want to travel with you, Ruby?" Leaf chuckled. I grinned in response, glancing down at Milotic's Pokéball in my palm and imagining all the battles I'd face with it in the future.
"Well then, now that that's settled, why don't you stop by the Gym tomorrow? I'll be waiting to face you." Winona stated calmly.
"Wait are you... the Fortree City Gym Leader?!" I gasped out, completely caught off guard by the sudden introduction.
"Well duh, why else would we ask her for help in finding you out here?" Emerald stated teasingly.
"That's right. We ran all the way to Fortree City to ask Winona for her assistance." Sapphire confirmed.
"Wow... then can I battle you today?!" I asked eagerly, staring up hopefully at the Fortree Gym Leader.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea. You're soaked to the skin and you've been through a lot. You should take the day to rest." Winona suggested.
"But I'm fine! I could battle you right here, right no-o-ah- ACHOO!!..." I gave Winona a shy look after sneezing so strongly, a timid grin on my face. "On second thought, tomorrow sounds great." I chuckled nervously, earning a smirk in response.
"Come on, I'll take you to the Pokémon Center." Steven offered with a chuckle, placing a hand on my shoulder gently as he spoke.
"Heh, yeah.... I could really use a change of clothes and a nice, long nap." I chuckled, earning a laugh from everyone in response.

I have to say, today has been a rough day, but with a Gym battle waiting for me tomorrow there's not much that could kill my spirits.