Pokémon Heroes of Hoenn

Faith

"Zangoose, X-Scissor!!" I commanded. Zangoose shot forward and slashed out at Absol with its sharp claws, causing a light blast from the power of the attack. Absol fell to its side, no longer able to battle any further.
That was our fifth and final match with Sidney.
Sidney took in a deep breath, smiling softly as he stood up straight.
"Well, looks like I lost. It was fun though, so I guess it doesn't really matter... You're one tough kid, I'll give ya that." Sidney teased with another light chuckle.
"We won... we actually, really won...!" I stated in awe as Zangoose smiled a cute and innocent smile at me from its place on the battle field.
"Haha, you sure did! Now listen to what this loser has to say! You've got what it takes to go a long way, so get on over to the next room and enjoy your next battle!" Sidney ordered warmly, a proud smirk on his face as he spoke.
"Thank you.... Thank you!!" I exclaimed breathlessly, swept away by just how strong my Pokémon had grown. Shaking my head to regain some composure, I smirked down at Zangoose and nodded readily, earning a battle ready smirk in response.
"Come on, let's go take on the next Elite Four member and go the whole way together... Zeo." I called softly, Zangoose giving me an awestruck look in response to the name I had called it by. With a quick nod to Sidney and a thumbs up to Gabby and Ty, I raced towards the door behind Sidney with a newly found enthusiasm.
"Zeo, huh? Ruby and Zeo.... now there's a team that's going places." Sidney murmured to himself as he turned away, leaving to go get his Pokémon healed at the Pokémon Center.
As I raced up the next flight of stairs and grabbed the handle to the next door, a shutter went up my spine, causing me to freeze in place afterwards. Hesitantly, I pushed open the doors to be met by a much more polished purple battlefield and my next opponent. It was a lady who wore a rather light amount of clothing, including two pink flower-shaped bows in her hair.
"You must be Ruby. I've heard so much about you. I'm so thrilled to be able to battle you here and now, in the Pokémon League!" the lady exclaimed cheerfully.
"Y-you've heard about me...?" I asked, taken aback that one of the Elite Four knew anything about a typical kid like me.
"Of course! You're the trainer who went around and put a stop to Team Aqua and Team Magma's plans, along with your friends that is." she explained.
"Oh... I didn't think the news would travel all the way to the
Elite Four... Anyways, enough about me. Who are you?" I asked curiously.
"Me? Haha, I'm Phoebe, a Ghost type Pokémon trainer. I've trained on Mt. Pyre since I was a kid, so don't go easy on me." Phoebe teased.
"Please. Me go easy on you? Don't hold your breath." I teased back with a smirk, earning a warm giggle from Phoebe in response.
"So whaddya say we get started? Don't wanna keep your fan crew waiting." Phoebe suggested with a wink, teasing the two news reporters behind me.
"After you." I offered. Phoebe nodded throwing out two Pokéballs to reveal two Banettes, which caught me completely off guard.
"Let's have a double battle, 'kay?" Phoebe asked cheerfully. Finally understanding her motives, I nodded, plucking out two of my own Pokéballs.
"Alright then, if it's a double battle you want, a double battle you get. Milotic, Mightyena, let's go!!" I called out as I released my Pokémon of choice.
"You have a Milotic?! Wow! That's a beyond rare Pokémon!! It's so cute too!!" Phoebe squeaked with excitement, her eyes sparkling as she admired my Milotic.
"Yeah, but I didn't find Milotic. Milotic found me. Even saved my life when we first met." I stated softly, reminiscing my first encounter with said Pokémon.
"That's so cool! You've got a strong bond, I can tell. Alright, then let's put it to good use! Banette, both of you, use Shadow Claw!!" Phoebe called out.
"Mightyena, use Shadow Ball!! Milotic, Ice Beam!!" I command swiftly. Before either Banette could attack, Mightyena hit one with a powerful Shadow Ball, blasting it into a wall easily while the other was frozen by Milotic's Ice Beam.
"B-Banette!! Are you two okay?" Phoebe gasped, raising a hand to her mouth and another to her heart in shock. With the confirmation that her Pokémon were in fact doing just fine, Phoebe turned to me with a half smile. "You really aren't a push over, huh?" Phoebe asked teasingly.
"If I was, I would've never been standing before you like this." I stated in a matter of fact.
"Touché. Well, looks like I'm gonna have to go all out to put your reign to an end." Phoebe stated with a smirk. I smirked back, gently tapping the palm of my left hand with my right fist.
"Bring it on." I stated combatively, earning a nod from Phoebe in response.
This'll be fun.

(Silver's POV)

Each of us gathered in the living room area of the room we were given upon boarding the ship, most of us gathering around the TV to watch Ruby's challenge in the Pokémon League. Fire, Gold, Crys, and Green all sat on the couch, Green sitting beside Fire on the right side and Gold and Crys on the left. Blue leaned on the back of the couch while Yellow watched from the small kitchen, preparing snacks for us as she watched from the distance. Proton sat at the counter, trying his best to offer some help to Yellow, who politely declined. As for me, I stood with Lance and Red at the corner of the small hallway that lead to the door, Lance standing between us as Red and I leaned against the walls.
"Looks like everyone's pretty set on watching Ruby battle. He was an interesting trainer though, so I'm not surprised." Lance stated casually.
"He is strong. I sensed that the first time I spoke with him." Red murmured softly, keeping his eyes focused on the screen.
"Yeah, strong hearted too. I still have my doubts that he'll be able to beat Fire, but I have enough confidence to believe that he can become Champion." I stated softly, glancing over at Red for a moment as I spoke.
"You're just saying that because you don't want to admit that he could ever be strong than you." Lance accused teasingly.
My face burned, causing me to tense up and muffle a gasp.
"Th-that's not true!! I-it's just that I've battled her plenty of times and I still haven't beaten her!" I exclaimed defensively, completely embarrassed by Lance's words. Much to my surprise, Red did something in front of me that I'd never thought he'd do because of me. He laughed. Not a muffled one or a chuckle, he actually let out a laugh because of me. I relaxed a bit at the sight, relieved to know that there was a possibility of me being able to make him smile.
I never had too many conversations with Red, mainly because he's extremely hard to read and I have no idea how he feels about me, but whenever we did casually chat I could at least tell that he didn't mind speaking with me. I was the one who was deeply in love with his sister. Naturally, Red's opinion of me was one of my main concerns, seeing as how he's her older brother. Back when I first met Red on Mt. Silver, I worried about what he would think about a low life like me. My name holds no honor, seeing as how my own father is the founder of Team Rocket, the world's worst criminal organization. The weight I carry because of my last name, Rocket, is a weight that I could never rid myself of. Red could easily assume that I'm just like my father and tell me to hit the road and he wouldn't be wrong. To this day I still bare the guilt of stealing Professor Elm's Tododile, and though I am constantly reminded about forgiveness and that nobody blames me, I still don't forgive myself. I wouldn't be surprised if Red never excepted me into his life, I deserve as much.
"What're you guys laughing about back there? Get over here, Silv, Ruby already beat Phoebe's Banettes!!" Fire called back enthusiastically.
"The cookies are ready as well, so come have some everyone." Yellow added cheerfully as she set the large platter of chocolate chip cookies on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"Oh! Don't mind if I do!" Lance stated in a singsong tone, marching over to the lounge chair beside Gold and happily taking a cookie from the plate.
I stared blankly at them for a minute until a gentle hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned to face Red, who had a warm look in his eyes as he smiled softly at me.
"Come on, Silver. Let's go watch Ruby's challenge. She wants you buy her side anyway." Red stated softly in a matter of fact, shooting me a wink before walking ahead and taking a seat on the carpet right beside the coffee table and curiously taking a cookie. I watched him for another moment, wondering if he knew that I was just worrying about his opinion of me.
Was that.... Red's way of saying that he approved of me?
Shaking the thought from my head, I smiled warmly and made my way to the lounge chair opposite of Lance, everyone shooting me a grin as I nodded to them. Turning my attention to the screen as everyone leaned forward in anticipation, I realized Ruby was in his final match, Phoebe's Sableye versus Ruby's Manectric, his Mightyena and Milotic watching from off to the side of the battlefield. I smiled softly to myself, hoping to see Ruby to the end of his Pokémon League challenge. He's come a long way since we first met him, and I'm sure since before then as well. In a way, Ruby and I are much alike.

If it wasn't for the people we've met on our journey, we would never have come as far as we have. Hopefully we'll both continue to reach for greater heights, Ruby. I have confidence that you will always do just that.