Chapter Text
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
That's the situation I find myself in at this moment of my life.
It bothers me. I always wanted to win tournaments. I really do, but every time I reach closer and closer towards the final hurdle, I trip and fall flat for the world to see.
It's gotten to the point where I even ask myself...
Why?
Why do I participate in Pokemon tournaments?
It’s a question that bothers me when no one's around. They say males tend to be shocked by a Pikachu rather than be left alone with their thoughts, and I could see why that’d be the case.
Do I participate because I feel like I belong in the Pokemon battle scene?
Is it because that’s when I can sink out all the noise in my head?
Is it a matter of self-pride? Is it a way of proving myself?
“Lucaaa…” Rey snaps me out of the trance of thought I was in. Her eyes zoning out into the distance via the window, and her head on the palm of her hand, presumably due to boredom.
“I know Rey. He’s late.” I sigh as I feed my Lucario a blue Kelpsy Berry, imported from the Paldea region.
To say Oscar Sumiyoshi is a punctual person would qualify you for the ‘Liar of the Century Championship’. That man has been late to everything since the day he was born, and the irony is that Oscar is actually born a few days earlier than he should be. Turns out that is the last he would ever be early at something.
“Ruby?” I hear a familiar voice call my name.
I turn away from the table and standing upon me was a guy my age, with beige coloured skin and black hair, with a pair of green eyes to go with it. To say that I am used to this sight would be, well, an understatement. I’ve only known him since we met at Rustboro High more or less a decade ago, but it feels like everyday for the past 5 years of my life has him involved in some sort of way.
“Took you long enough.”
“A flock of Tailow’s decided it was a good time to have a picnic in front of my lawn this morning and leave all their shit with it just as I was about to leave.” Oscar sighs. “Then I got my clothing all wet trying to clean it and now I have to wear my Tuesday lab coat on a Monday.”
Damn, those Tailow’s were on a mission.
“Alright, bird business aside…” I try to lead Oscar to get to the main point of this meet up. “You wanna tell me what’s been bothering you lately-”
Before I could finish my sentence, a pile of papers containing vector graphs, charts, and pictures were presented to me on the table for viewing. Its thickness is comparable to those encyclopedias I used to read about Pokemon battling, or those books that your dad uses to swat a pesky mosquito that won’t leave you alone at night on a camping trip.
What I’m tryna say is…
“That’s thick. What are all these about then?”
“One of my observation decks off the shore of the mainland has been picking up some strange sound waves recently, its been going on for a whole week." Oscar answers as he walks around the room. "It's most likely coming from the archipelago just further north of Hoenn, which is off limits for normal people like you and I.” Oscar explained as I look through the vector graphs he was referring to. “Normally I would chalk this off as a freak one-off accident, if it not were the fact that-”
“The patterns are repeating.” I utter as I take a closer look at the graphs. “At a high pitch too.”
“I see that you're sharp as always.” Oscar responds with a nod. “I’ve tried comparing the graph with other known species of Pokemon that possibly inhabit the island, but none of them match. Hell, almost none of them are able to match the amplitude of the graph either.”
“Have you tried comparing it with the roars of the Weather Trio?” I ask further.
Oscar shakes his head. “None of them fit the match. Besides, why would the three of those Pokemon be outside of their usual habitat?”
"Fair point..."
“I don't want to sound like some paranoid conspiracy theorist, but I think there's something going on in the north.” He continues with a shift in his tone, slightly pressing on the seriousness of the situation.
"Alright..." I reply with a bit of confusion. Sure, this is all very concerning stuff, but... "Why, exactly, are you sharing all this to me?"
Oscar looks at me with amusement. "Is it wrong for me to share my findings with my friend of 5 years whom I trust?"
His reply just made me more suspicious, I can't lie.
"Okay, let me rephrase my question earlier." I try again. "Why are you sharing this information with someone you trust, and why is it me to be specific?"
"I mean, why not you?"
"Mate, we haven't talked for a few months now. Ever since I relinquished my role as your lab assistant, we don't even text each other, let alone hangout.
Now imagine my surprise getting a text message from you, saying we should meet up at your office as soon as possible, doesn't that seem a tad bit suspicious? Like there's a motive behind this meeting?"
Oscar can't help himself from laughing, I guess that what I said was true?
"You really haven't changed a single bit." Oscar finally stops his laughing to continue the conversation.
"C'mon mate, just because we haven't met up for a few months doesn't mean our 5 year friendship hasn't taught me anything."
"Right, right..." Oscar nods as he ponders out the window.
"Would you mind going out with me to the north to investigate what's going on?" Oscar finally gets to the point of this whole meeting.
Immediately I could feel the tension in the room rise the moment that question was raised. Oscar looks at me with hope that I will accept his proposal, whilst I myself try to keep my composure and maintain eye contact with him.
What else can I do when I am presented with that sort of question? I want to go with him, but I'm not free this entire week. Not to mention...
"You know I'm not your lab assistant anymore right?"
"I know."
Then that should make my answer very clear, shouldn't it, Oscar?
...
“Lucaa!” Rey breaks the tension that is filling the room as she takes a final bite of the berry I gave her, like, 2 minutes ago.
“She hasn’t changed one bit since I first met you.” Oscar giggles, referring to Rey’s habit of finishing every single food given to her in a flash.
“Well, a good warrior is a well fed warrior.” I reply as I Rey’s ears. “Mate, as much as I want to help you, I have training sessions organized for the upcoming Hoenn Championships until the next week or so. I can’t go to those islands and investigate even if I want to.”
"Really? Not even for old times sake?" Oscar asks again.
"I would, but maybe not when I have a tournament coming up in two weeks time." I stand firm on my decision.
Oscar stops moving back and forth around his table, places his arms on his hips with his head looking at the ceiling.
"I don't want to alarm you any much then I already have, but, whatever that's on one of those islands might just kill all of us." Oscar drops a bombshell of an info.
Alright, now he's got my attention.
"Why do you say so?" I enquire further.
"I mean, just looking by the facts we have now. Loud roars from an unknown creature, presumably larger than the Weather Trio, coming from an unexplored area of the Hoenn region, where we have no past nor present information about.
Don't you think that's a little bit suspicious? It's like the North of Hoenn is a black hole of some sorts. Nothing from there is getting in nor out."
"Or maybe there's something that the people from the past doesn't want us to discover, and the people of the present are trying to hide from the records." I add a bit more speculation to Oscar's prior statement.
"So you agree that its something worth to be investigated?"
As much as I want to debate with Oscar regarding my priorities, he is right. It might be fully fueled with paranoia, but maybe my obsession with training for the upcoming tournament is blinding my judgement. I know that this matter is worth investigating. I, like Oscar, am also curious as to finding out what's going on. But I just couldn't bring myself to sacrifice my time for this.
"We also haven't talked about the mysterious Pokemon much." Oscar snaps me out of my thoughts. "Isn't it concerning that not only that we don't have any official records that match this Pokemon's roar, but also the fact that the pattern of its roar is repeating? As if its calling for something?"
...
"You really are trying to sell me to go on this investigation with you, mate."
"Is it working?" Oscar asks as he lets out a guilty smile. I mean, it was quite obvious that he's trying to get me to change my decision.
"Depends on your answer to this question.
Do you actually think whatever on this island is going to kill the people of Hoenn?"
Oscar looks at me as his bright smile shrinks in size. He's still smiling, but its more of a smile where you accept your fate followed by the sentence 'it is what it is'.
"Not only kill, it will annihilate Hoenn as a whole." He uttered.
The last time Oscar said that, it was the night where his one of observation decks picked up strange shaking from the shores of Mossdeep Gym.
The next day? Kyogre and Groudon emerged from the seas.
I remember that day pretty well, considering it was 2 years ago, and that I was involved with fighting the dingus' that had awoken those two Pokemon in the first place. Luckily, those dingus' are no more, and the Draconid people took care with returning Groudon and Kyogre back to where they belong before anything escalated. Crisis averted.
That event was all I needed to not doubt Oscar's instincts.
“When do we move?” I ask.
“Is 15 minutes cool? Gives us time to pack the stuff we need and for me to change clothes.”
"Speak for yourself, I'm all prepped up." I reply as I get off the chair to leave the room, with Rey following next to me. “You owe me a lifetime supply of Castellia Cones after all this!” I slip in the charge of service before running off, not before hearing some muffled shouting though.
Must’ve been the wind.
I exit the lab and the warm summer sun greets me gently. The best part of Hoenn is how it is not too hot and not too cold either, just the perfect weather for me to able to wear my orange hoodie and black tracksuit without sweating nor shivering my legs to death.
But like Oscar said back in the lab, whatever that is in the north might have the capacity to bring Hoenn to its knees, and I won’t be able to enjoy this weather no more.
Not to mention the lives lost, destroyed homes, hell, Hoenn might not even exist anymore.
And if Hoenn doesn’t exist, so too would be the case for the Hoenn Championships.
"Looks like we got our work cut out for us." I sigh as I look at Rey, who looks unbothered by the chatter both me and Oscar had in the room just now.
Rey definitely understands everything we were saying just now, its just that, as much as Rey loves going on adventures during my days as a lab assistant, she definitely enjoys battling more than anything. Something about honing her skills and attacks whilst feeling the thrill and adrenaline of a Pokemon battle satisfies the self-esteem phase of Maslow's pyramid for her.
I guess this unplanned trip is probably a let down for her.
"It's okay Rey, we will make sure it won't take long." I try to persuade Rey. "Then we can go back to training for the tourney."
"Luca." Rey replies, rather shortly than normal. Probably satisfied by my promise, but is still disappointed, which, is understandable.
What awaits us at the archipelago, I wonder? Only time would tell.