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It’s been close to over five years since that day. It started simply enough, like most lazy weekend afternoons. Ruby had been relaxing in their shared secret base, having came back from a contest showcase earlier in the day. Sapphire who had just came back from a meeting of Gym Leaders, was off in a corner, strangely pensive. The usually lively feel of the base was replaced with an eerie stillness.
Brushing it off as the both of them having just came back from busy mornings, Ruby slowly went around his team, helping take off various accessories and costumes, he saw Rara wearing a troubled expression. Rara had tensed up the moment Ruby arrived at the base earlier. Before Ruby could ask Rara what she was worried about, Ruby heard a voice from the corner.
“Hey, Ruby…. Hey!”
Ruby snapped awake. He was seated at his office desk, his laptop propped up against the wall. He gave a quick glance over and saw he had dropped his drawing stylus onto the floor. Reaching over to pick it up, Ruby turned to see an unamused Lisia standing by his desk.
“Did you get the designs ready yet? I know you’re chummy with the bosses over at Devon but surely their marketing team won’t be happy if you push the deadline back yet another time.” Lisia had her tablet by her side and looked to have her email software open.
Ruby placed the stylus back on the desk and tried to reply as nonchalantly as he could.
“Ah I just got those done. Should I send them over to you right now… or do you want to see it here, I can pull it up.”
Lisia sighed and massaged her temple. “Send them over, I’ll pull it up on my tablet so we don’t have to crowd around your tiny screen.”
While Ruby opened his web browser to prep the materials, Lisia half sat at the edge of his desk.
With a softer tone, Lisia half-whispered, “You holding yourself together in one piece there? I know it’s that time of year…”
Ruby gave an exaggerated shoulder shrug.
“Not any worse than the last five years have treated me. Alright it’s sent, let me know if there’s anything minor to change before we send it over.”
Lisia intently scanned over the document.
“Hmm, this would do. It’s nothing too adventurous but the callback to last year’s campaign is a nice touch. I’ll send it over and let you know if they have any comments.”
“They’ll greenlight it. Since when did they send comments back to me anyways.”
Lisia lightly jabbed at Ruby’s ribs.
“That’s cause I screen all your work first. Honestly some of your first drafts looks deliberately unpublishable.”
Ruby dramatically postured as if he had taken grave offence.
“That’s cause you don’t get genius! Hmph.” Lisia rolled her eyes at the theatrics. Ruby sensed her mood souring and quickly changed tack.
“For real though, thanks for all the hard work. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without your keen eye.”
Lisia set down her tablet and turned round to Ruby, staring straight at him.
“You don’t need to keep up the cheery front Ruby,” At this, Ruby himself sighed and physically deflated slightly in his chair.
“Beats being miserable all the time though… even if all the positivity ain’t real.”
“You should head home for the day, catch some fresh air. When was the last time you properly slept in your bed?”
“Far too long. That whole campaign’s been killing me. I still have some stuff to wrap up I’ll just finish those up and I’ll head back early to-“
Lisia gently closed Ruby’s laptop.
“8PM is not early Ruby, everyone in the studio’s been worried about you. Don’t worry about whatever you have left, we can handle it. Take care of yourself first.”
Ruby motioned to open his mouth in objection but did not speak up. Sighing once more, he started to gather up his stuff into his bag.
“Fine you got me. If I’m taking a day off, what about you, any plans tonight?”
“In need of company? Sadly I’ve got a date tonight, I don’t mind coffee some other time though.”
“That’s a shame.”
Ruby slung his bag over his shoulder and prepared to head out.
As he prepared to exit the studio, Lisia called over.
“Oh and Ruby, one last thing.”
“Hm?”
“Don’t beat yourself over and over again for… whatever happened,”
Ruby could only muster a pained smile.
“I’ll … try,”
With that Ruby headed out the door, with the studio door closing with a slam behind him.
“Hey Ruby, can… we talk?”
Ruby responded while still slowly taking off Rara’s ribbons.
“Sure Saph what’s up?”
“It’s… something serious, can you stop what you’re doing for a second?”
Ruby, for all his faults knew something wasn’t quite right. Finishing the last of the pins, he returned his team to their pokeballs and turned around to see Sapphire. She had been standing by one of the walls of the base awkwardly leaning on it.
“I… We… We should break up.”
“Sorry? What do you mean by-“
“Listen to what I have to say okay? It’s not… It’s not anyone’s faults.”
Ruby sat there, in stunned silence.
“I think the both of us could be doing better with some distance between us. I’ve been having a good time with the whole Gym Leader training thing and helping out Dad with his research but… I’m scared I’m getting too comfortable with it all. The whole meteor thing last year only reminded me of my complacency.”
“But we did win out at the end didn’t we?”
“After you hid the whole affair behind my back? Everyone knew before I did!” Sapphire let out a long exhale.
“Point is I think it’s time for me to leave Hoenn, at least for a while. See what other regions are like, train with other champions and gym leaders…”
“I don’t-“
“ ‘I don’t mind following you.’ Is what you’re going to say right?” Sapphire sighed. “That’s exactly why I asked to breakup.”
“No but for real, I can follow you on your travels, it’ll be alright.”
“And leave the agency you just started with Wallace’s support? Ruby you’ve barely started a career and you’re here ready to leave it all?”
Ruby grew silent at Sapphire’s comments.
Sapphire stared to the side, “Besides, it wouldn’t be the change of scenery I would need. You get it, don’t you Ruby?”
“How long have you thought of this?”
Sapphire gave a bittersweet smile, “Half a year, I guess. I didn’t want it to be the case but if we don’t stop us here I know you’d find a way to follow me, even if I left without saying much.”
The both of them stayed there, silently taking it in for a few minutes. Ruby spoke up first.
“When are you leaving?”
“Early next month, so two more weeks?”
“Do you need any help?”
Sapphire gently shook her head.
“If I’m headed off on my own, I’d rather do all the prep myself.”
“… Alright. Stay safe out there Saph.”
“You too Ruby.”
Ruby stopped at the intersection. It felt weird, treading such familiar ground with the sun still up. Realizing what he’d been thinking, Ruby muttered to himself.
“It’s been a while since I’ve lived a normal day huh…”
The fact of the matter was that Ruby knew how self-destructive the work he took upon himself was. He’d always take on extra work, not that there’s any shortage of it in the lead up to the festive season, to distract his own mind. Falling onto a messy unmade bed barely conscious each night was an easy way to pass the days. With time, Ruby felt his own dissatisfaction creep into his passion for contests and design. Last year was the first year where Ruby felt he was no longer doing contests for any grand purpose of showcasing his Pokémon or his designs. He was simply doing it all by force of habit. The love had disappeared.
Ruby looked up and surprised himself. He had walked the path through Petalburg forest and was coming up to the climb towards their secret base. In the past 5 years, he’d stopped himself from heading back to what was essentially ground zero but this year, whether it’s his fatigue catching up or some other feeling, Ruby found himself headed there.
Climbing past the rocks, past the bushes that flanked the entrance, Ruby found himself back at familiar ground. He expected whatever was left to be caked in dust but he was surprised to find the sound of a kettle set to a gentle rolling boil. With a click, Ruby heard the stove be turned off and the pouring of water into a cup. Ruby proceeded to take his shoes off, more out of habit than anything, and headed deeper inside the base.
Sapphire had just finished pouring her cup of tea and set the kettle back on the stove. She turned around and saw Ruby.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
Ruby sat down, across her at the table. He had inadvertently saw Sapphire in the news or in official battle broadcasts in cafes and waiting rooms across the years but he had not paid close attention to her. Five years was a long time, and though the woman sat across from him was recognizably her, she felt as if she could have been a different person entirely. The both of them sat there, in familiar but awkward silence for a while.
Like five years ago, Sapphire spoke up first.
“How have you been Ruby?”
“Busy.” A pause. “Very busy, I guess. What about you?”
“Well turns out being an elite trainer is rough work. Meetings here and there all the time. You spend as much time stuck indoors at some boardroom or another as you would outside on the field.”
“Tell me about it, no one’s ever happy with anything that gets presented. They always want some little bit here or there changed. Make themselves look like they’re doing work.”
Ruby and Sapphire exchange soft smiles, acknowledging the familiarity of the whole affair.
“So, what brings you back Saph?”
“Some business or another got me down here. I thought while I was passing by…”
“Mm.”
“There’s also something I never got around to doing that I should do.”
Sapphire turned to face Ruby straight on. Her fierce eyes were what drew Ruby in all those years back but today they had a clarity to them that Ruby could not stand. He wanted so badly to turn away from her but he could not.
“Thank you for everything you did for me, Ruby. I know we parted ways rather abruptly and even having thought over what I wanted to say back then so many times I still could not say everything I wanted. So here, today, let me say the words that should not be left unspoken. So yea, once more, thanks for everything Ruby.”
“Hey, don’t mention it… Guess I take it we’re not getting back together again huh,”
Sapphire laughed softly at Ruby’s wry response.
“It’s not like I can fully shake off those thoughts either.”
And then once more, that tense, familiar silence. The sun was slowly setting in the horizon.
With the sound of Taillows roosting for the night filling the sky, Sapphire got up and dusted her pants.
“You haven’t been back here much have you?
“I’ll admit, this is the first time I’m back in five years. This year had been particularly rough for me.”
“Five years huh… I have the same reasons for why I’m back too”
Sapphire took a few steps over to Ruby and offers a hand. Ruby takes it and pulls himself up off the ground. Ruby dusts himself off too and prepares to leave the base. As he’s headed for the exit, Sapphire spoke up, with that same damned tone.
“Hey Ruby,” A knot began to form at the pit of Ruby’s stomach. He turned around to face Sapphire, her face bathed in the warm setting sunlight. She raised her hand to brush her hair away from her face and in that moment, Ruby caught the glimmer of metal.
“Ruby… Let’s properly end these last five years.”