Pokémon Heroes of Hoenn

At the End of the Line

I was no longer with Leaf and Wally as I made my way through Victory Road, but I was keeping a steady pace. Not many trainers had made eye contact with me, allowing me to push past them easily on the course. There was a lot of climbing and swimming involved, but luckily I have Milotic and Flygon to help me out with that. Our ability to work with our Pokémon makes this a whole lot easier, which I couldn't be more thankful for. I had gotten ahead of most of the trainers, only being stopped about three times during the course. It was much quieter now than before, so I assumed I must be farther ahead than I originally thought.
Still, I know better than to slow down. For all I know there could be twenty or more people ahead of me, though I'm pretty sure only a select few have passed me.
Zangoose remained by my side through the course, warning me of any nearby trainers to avoid. Zangoose has been a great help since dad left him in my care not only in battle but with his own abilities as well. He's a highly alert Pokémon, detecting even the slightest sent or sound of anything nearby easily. Without Zangoose, I would've been in a real mess. I'll have to thank dad later if and when I win this thing.
As I reached a winding path in the cave, I played back in my head what Sapphire and Emerald said to Leaf, Wally, and I when we were leaving.

"Good luck, guys. We'll be cheering you all on through Victory Road." Emerald stated supportively.
"Thanks, but I don't plan on losing to either of you." Leaf stated teasingly, directing his words at Wally and I.
"Neither do I." Wally said confidently, holding up his fist to show his determination.
"Right, well, we should get going. Don't want to get caught too far back in line." I suggested. Wally and Leaf nodded in agreement, racing ahead of me afterwards. I watched them for a moment with Sapphire and Emerald, and as I prepared to say my goodbyes, Emerald stopped me.
"Hey.... I didn't want to say this in front of Leaf and Wally, but honestly, I think you'll win this." Emerald said softly, a warm look in her eyes as she stared into my own.
"R-really?" I murmured shyly, caught completely by surprise by her words.
"Yeah, both of us do. So do us a favor, Ruby..." Sapphire paused, taking my hand in her own and raising it a bit, "win this for us!" she exclaimed cheerfully. I stood silent for a moment, unsure what to say in response.
"We've got faith in you, Ruby. We always do. So get out there and win this thing. We'll be waiting to face you and call you Champion." Emerald stated reassuringly. I smiled softly in response, nodding once in understanding of their words.
"Right, I won't let you down. Besides, I've got to many people cheering me on. I can't give up now. You can count on me coming out of here a Champion!" I exclaimed readily, a new found determination in my heart as I spoke.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Emerald cheered.

My short flashback ended in that moment, letting me snap back into reality. I turned my head to face Zangoose, watching the serious expression on his face closely. I smiled softly in response, knowing that Zangoose was trying his best just for me.
"Just a little while longer, Zangoose, and we'll be right at the doorstep of our dream." I stated softly, earning a smirk and a nod of agreement from said Pokémon. "We can't back down now, not when we've got so many people cheering us on. With you to complete our team, I know we'll win this. I have just as much faith in all of you as our friends do in us." I continued, earning a grateful smile in response. Zangoose suddenly perked up its ears, focusing off in the distance. "What is it, Zangoose? H-hey, Zangoose!" I called after him as he suddenly bolted ahead, causing me to give chase. My eyes widened as I realized why Zangoose had been running ahead, and I picked up the pace in pure excitement.
It was the exit.
Just as I was a few feet away from the light of the exit, someone leaped infront of it, raising his head to lock eyes with me.
"You didn't really think I'd let ya get off the hook that easy, did you?" he asked teasingly.
"L-Leaf?...Heh, I guess I should've expected as much. So, what do you say we draw the line between us right here, right now?" I asked confidently​. Leaf chuckled, adjusting his hat so I could see the smirk on his face.
"Bring it on!" Leaf exclaimed combatively.
"Alright then, Zangoose, let's you and I give this a go!!" I called out, causing Zangoose to leap into a battle stance. The usual calm and sweet expression on his face changed to a more fierce and threatening one, but that didn't slow Leaf down.
"Mawile, let's show 'em how it's done!!" Leaf cried out as he released his Pokémon of choice. The battle rules of Victory Road include strictly one Pokémon per trainer so that the winner has time to keep moving, which made this a lot faster and easier for Zangoose and I.
"Zangoose, use Slash!!" I commanded.
"Mawile, Bite!!" Leaf ordered. Zangoose lunged forward, using one arm to swat away Mawile's jaw and the other to strike with its attack. Mawile didn't take too much damage since it's a pure Steel type Pokémon, but it appeared to take a little more damage than usual, which was good for us. "Don't hold your breath, Ruby! Mawile, Hidden Power!!" Leaf commanded.
"Not so fast! Zangoose, Detect!!" I called out swiftly. Zangoose's eyes flashed blue for a split second as it predicted the attack, easily dodging the orbs of energy flung at it by Mawile. "X-Scissor!" Zangoose's claws glowed a bright yellow green color as it slashed at Mawile in an 'x' shape. Once again, the move wasn't very damaging, but I had a trump card up my sleeve.
"Alright then, Mawile, Crunch, go!!" Leaf ordered.
"Dodge it!!" I cried out. Zangoose obeyed immediately, jumping out of range of Mawile's jaws and pulling its fist backwards, making sure its next attack went unnoticed by Leaf.
"Come on, Ruby! One of us has to win eventually!" Leaf teased, trying to cover up his obvious frustration and nervousness.
"I agree. How about now? Zangoose, you know the drill! Use Focus Punch!!" I commanded enthusiastically, Zangoose letting out a battle cry in response as it shot itself forward and hit Mawile with everything he had. When Zangoose regained his balance he stared down at the fainted Mawile calmly, a triumphant gaze in his eyes. Leaf stared wide-eyed at his Mawile, completely dumbfounded by how quickly he lost. After returning his Pokémon, Leaf stared at the ground for a moment, beginning to make me worry about him. Before I could speak up, Leaf suddenly began to chuckle softly, shifting into a small fit of laughter as he lifted his head.
"Wow! You really gave me a run for my money! I knew you were gonna win, but I didn't think you'd defeat me with no effort!" Leaf exclaimed through his laughter. I watched him curiously as his laughter slowed to a stop, letting him sigh softly to relax himself. "Well, guess that's it then. Knock 'em dead out there, alright? I don't have nearly the same amount of strength as you, so I'll be counting on you and your team to win this thing. After all, I need someone to brag about being friends with." Leaf teased.
"Yeah, don't worry, I've got you covered. And Leaf?" I called softly, earning an acknowledging hum. "Don't ever doubt the strength of you and your Pokémon. Your power may just lie elsewhere. My strength lies in Pokémon battles, Sapphire's is in Pokémon Contests, and Emerald's rests in her ability to protect nature as a Pokémon Ranger. You too have a strength that none of us can match. It's just a matter of you finding it." I stated calmly, speaking from my very heart to a friend that I hold dear. Leaf stared at me for a moment, his expression soon shifting to a softer, happier one as he let his shoulders relax a bit.
"Thanks, Ruby. I needed to hear that." Leaf chuckled. I nodded softly in response. "Go on, hurry on out of here. You've got one last battle to face before the Pokémon League, remember?" Leaf said with more enthusiasm in his tone as he waved me off, turning around to take one of the exits for those who lost. Surprisingly they had those too for some reason, but surprisingly no one has ever tried to cheat and use those. Probably because you'd be recognized as one of the trainers who lost a battle and be disqualified. I waved back to Leaf as he strolled off, then turned to the exit before me. Taking in a deep breath, I slowly took a few steps forward, the sunlight surrounding me as I stepped out of the cave. Roars of enthusiasm could be heard by the trainer who stood on the sidelines as they saw the me walk through and take a stand on the typical battlefield in front of the Pokémon League HQ. I stared off into the cave for a moment, waiting for my final challenge to arrive. Soon enough, a small silhouette began to approach from inside, keeping everyone leaning on the edge of their seats to see who it was. My eyes widened a bit and I let out an audible breath upon recognizing the green haired boy who took his spot on the battlefield.
"So, my final challenge really is you, huh, Ruby? Well then... I'm ready when you are." Wally stated with a confident grin as he and I locked eyes with each other.

My final challenge would be with a rival that I never would've imagined would make it here with the closed mind I had at the start of my journey. Yet with the mindset I have now, I can't help but question how I somewhat knew that he would be at the end of the road I walk, waiting on battlefield just like this one.