Chapter 4: The Quest ................ The next day we were at New Bark Town. We started there because I wanted to get a Poke'dex from Prof. Elm. "Hello! Professor Elm!" "Hello Ruby. I see that you're here for the Poke'dex. Well, here it is!" "Thanks," "That's a healthy Pichu you have. I could check to see how it's doing if you want me to," "Sure, why not?" The tests showed that Paprika was healthy. "Wow, that's a more than healthy Pichu! Usually they get sick during a trip because the build up in electricity. Tell me your secret!" "Well, I let her shock my communicator to charge it every evening," ............. When we left, we made a plan to go through Cherrygrove then head for the gym in Violet city. We headed to the mart in Cherrygrove to get supplies. "Alright, give me your Poke'mon, right now!" "And why should I?" "I'll hurt your Poke'mon and you! You'll regret that you to refused to do as I say!" "We'll see about that!" "Fine, go Cyndaquil!" "Go! Paprika!" The fight with him was easy because, he was mean to his Poke'mon. He didn't even give his Cyndaquil medicine after the battle! "That is cruel!" "What is cruel?" "What you're doing to your Poke'mon! I show that Paprika's a friend. You treat your Poke'mon like it's a machine," "Humph! You never will be stronger than me that way! We're going to have a long practice session," I thought of the trainer as we entered Violet city. When we enter the gym I remembered the tips Gold gave me: Stay calm, relax, and care for your Poke'mon. ................ Three weeks later. I was in Blackthorn city. My last badge was here. "Who challenges me to a battle?" "I challenge you to a battle!" "Well let's see what you're made of!" The 1 on 1 was a hard battle. I learned new things, but I remembered the things I knew before I started. At the end, we won! "You may have won, but I won't give you the badge until you pass the test in the dragon's den!" "Alright. I'll go over," "Pichu, chu, chu, chu, chu," That was a tiring match, but we headed for the den any way. When we got there, we saw what looked like a shrine. The only thing was, between us and the shrine was Suicune. "Sui, Sui, Sui, Suicune. W -what are you doing here? I mean, you must have something more important to do than see me pass the Den's test," "Cune. Cune," I've been with Paprika so much; I sort of understand what they say. Suicune said that he/she/it/whatever, knew about the letter. Suicune was the Poke'mon that hid me! I never thought that a legendary Poke'mon would do that. Only, why? It was getting late as we went to the shrine. When we entered there was a silence. It was too eerie for me. "So, you're the challenger. In order to pass, you must honestly answer this test. First, what Poke'mon are the best?" "All Poke'mon are the best. It is the trainer who decides how he/she should raise their Poke'mon. I prefer to raise with love and knowledge," "Very good. Next, what kind of trainer would you like to battle?" "Any trainer. I would fight with strategy," "Nicely done," "So, how did she do?" I noticed that Clair, the gym leader came in. "She did what you can't," "What! She passed? Fine, I'll give you the badge Ruby," "Thanks," "Clair, you must learn what she knows," "I'm sorry for my rash actions. I want you to have this Poke'mon, Dratini," "Thanks. You were wise to put me to the test though," "Really? I mean, you were just doing what was natural," "That is how the trainer gets strong Clair. You can keep the Dratini," "Hmm, it seems that you can defeat the Elites. Good luck," "I hope you'll make it, Ruby," "Thanks. And good luck with your training!" Even though I was a fox, they talked to me like I was a human. I guess that they know that a trainer is a trainer, even if they're different. I followed the directions Clair gave to go to the plateau. I never believed I was in Kanto! That's the place where the plateau is. I couldn't wait until I was there! I'll have to fight the elites and prove to Lance that I can be a champion. I remembered a song I heard: More than Heroes. The song didn't have any words but the music showed a story. No one could hear it and not like it. The story told of friends who stood together when a strong danger came, going together as one. One team. Now, I have to be a team with Paprika. We won't be stopped. Even if that boy we met was the champ. I don't know why he would be so cruel to his friend. I wish he would change. "Eevee! Eevee, eevee eevee," " You come back here!" The Eevee jumped into my arms. The voice I heard was that boy! "Oh, it's you. What I want to know, why are you so strong? When you battled Cyndaquil, you should have lost. What do you have that I don't?" "A friendship. You can start now, it is never too late," The boy's name was Nate, he wanted to be able to defeat the elites, even become one. We left each other, maybe to never see each other ever again. "Eevee! Eevee! Eevee eevee eevee!" It was the Eevee. From what I heard, it wanted to join us. It was a sweet thing to do for a trainer. Ten weeks later......... Paprika (now a Pikachu), Prelude (my Eevee, now a Espeon), and I were ready. Ready for the Elite 4. A few minutes later........................... "Ready?" "Espeon!" "Pikachu!" Here it is, the final moment, against Lance. I was nervous, his five Poke'mon, verses my two. I wouldn't have a chance. "Welcome, you might be able to beat me, Ruby, I, Lance, the Poke'mon master, challenge you to a Poke'mon battle!" Well, the battle went on. Charizard verses Paprika and Dragonite verses Prelude. My friendship between them was strong, as strong as I hope to be in this match. The battle was on. Paprika Shocked Charizard out of the sky. Prelude surprised Dragonite and it laughed while Prelude fought. We won! As I went back to Station Square, I couldn't wait to tell Tails what happened! We went to the Ruins where Tails is always training his Taillow, Skyno. "That's it Skyno! Now let's lower it a bit!" "Swellow!" His Taillow must have evolved while we were gone. They were practicing Arial Ace. That was a hard move to master, but they were doing great! Tails always was up to something. "Oh, sorry, Ruby! So, you made it?" "Yep! And I also have a new friend here with me," "Espeon!" "Her name's Prelude," Someone was trying to sneak up on us because we heard the bush move. The person wasn't someone we knew. "Are you Ruby Prower?" "Yes?" I wasn't so sure about this man. He didn't seem friendly. "Where is your manager?" "What manager?" "Every band needs one, I'm sure you have one?" "Whoa! My sis just got back from Joto! She didn't have time to think!" "Well, you also need more band members. I expect you to have both and a decent name by tomorrow," We were glad when he left. That left us with a problem: we need a name, more band members, and a manager. Great! "Hey, Ruby, Tails! Why are you two down? That's the first time I've seen you both like this," "I have to get a manager and more band members," "Ouch. Why don't we join? It shouldn't hurt," "That just leaves the manager," "Why not Prelude do it? I bet she'll be better than Lil' Romeo's," "Thanks Sonic!" We got Tails and Sonic instruments and practiced a bit. It wasn't hard at all. We left practicing to think of a band name. That was the hard part. We tried to think of something good. More than decent. More than good. More than excellent. That's when I got it, 4Ever, More Than Heroes. "Guys! I got something!" "Well, tell us!" "How about 4Ever, More Than Heroes?" "It's the best we got. What do we have to loose?" That was all we needed: a name (4Ever, More Than Heroes), more members (Sonic and Tails), and a manager (Prelude). I was ready to show that guy how good 4Ever, More Than Heroes, really was. The next day the guy was here to see us. See us play. "Ready?" "Yeah!" "Pika!" "Let's get rockin' " We played for him Neo Nocaliga, It's my turn to Dream, and More than Heroes for a finally. We made it, just barely. I don't think that guy likes us. Anyway, we passed! "Humph! You pass. I don't like rock bands anyways," I wished we could perform, but there wasn't going to be a concert where we could do it. I left to travel some more, who knows where I'll be? Tails stayed to do a few things around the Black Tornado. And Sonic? He's keeping an eye out for Egg man. The trip was a long one, even with no stops. Well, I wasn't sure where I was going. I decided to stop at this city, Elismore. It wasn't so bad; the place was a nice town. There were many parks, the entire city was clean, and there was a friendly neighborhood wherever you went. When I heard of a concert, I thought that this was our chance. I quickly called Sonic and Tails, telling them this is our chance. Knowing the two they would get here quickly. About 5:56 and 999 thousandths of a second. I had a digital watch with me. We planed the song we'll do: More than Heroes. It was a piece of cake. That night we were ready to shine. I started with a few mellow notes, Sonic on the guitar, Tails on the drum, Paprika on a keyboard, and I was on another. The crowd was wild! When we got to the fast part, they screamed! They loved what we did! The song kept them in suspense. There were a few people who wanted an encore even! I couldn't wait for the end of the concert. I was tired when it was. The day was long. The next day, seeing that Sonic and Tails left, I went for a walk around the city. Well, more like a run. I was being chased by a bunch of fans. One song at a concert, and I'm being chased up a tree like a cat and a dog. When the fans left, I knew it was safe to get out of the tree. I was glad I was a three-tailed fox, and then I could fly off. The real reason I was here was to see my friend, Zoey. I snuck off one time and met Zoey. That was the one time I left the house. Zoey wasn't too far away for me to recognize her. I could recognize her among a thousand clones! The only problem was that she wouldn't recognize me! I'm a three-tailed fox! No way she would recognize me! "Hi Ruby! I would recognize you if you looked like Sonic!" "Hey Zoey! Long time no see?" "I guess so. So what's with the fox costume?" I had to tell her the whole story. Every detail. And that was a long story. "You mean, you're a fox? Well, I guess I'll tell you a secret," "I'm all ears and zipped lips," That was our way of saying that we'll keep the secret. "'Kay, I have something unexplainable, I mean, it's making me do strange things," "Chill. I think it's gonna end up like something you'll get used to," "I hope. Why don't you come to where I work tonight?" "Sure, where do you work?" "Café Mew Mew," "Well, see you later!" That was a pleasant chat. I wanted to practice near the park in the open air. "Hia!" I turned to see a performer on a ball. She looked very friendly. "Hi!" "My name's Niki! Have you heard of Café Mew Mew?" "Yes I have," "I work there! I'm just waiting for the place to open. Wanna see some tricks?" "Sure, why not?" The tricks were awesome! I never thought that those things could be done on a ball! "I hope I can get enough money to go to a concert," "How about a free one?" "That's only a fantasy," "Here, this might cheer you up," I handed Niki a back stage pass. I felt sorry for her. She didn't have a home. "Wow, thanks. Wait! You're the keyboardist, Ruby Prower, for 4Ever, More Than Heroes!" "You're welcome," "Can I have your autograph?" "Sure why not?" She was pretty sweet. She's a fan, and she didn't scream my name out loud! ............... At Café Mew Mew. "Guess what? My friend, Ruby is coming over to our café!" "Nice," "Oh, Corinia. Quit being such a kill joy," "Sorry I'm late! I met a great keyboardist on the way and I lost track of time! She was so nice she even gave me a back stage pass! She's even coming here!" "Wow, Niki She must be very nice," "Hello? Is anyone here? Zoey? Niki? "Hello, Ruby!" "Hi Zoey! I thought that I got lost," "Well, that is easy. Considering that you're new around here," "Oh, Corinia," "It's nice to meet you Ruby. Sorry about Corinia. She gets a bit stuck up at times. I'm Bridget," "I'm Renee," "And of course you know Corinia," "Hi Ruby!" "Hi Niki," "You know Niki?" "Yeah, I met her in the park," "By the way, when are you going to have your next concert?" "Concert?" "Yeah, she the keyboardist I met," "Well, I'm not sure when, I mean, I don't know where Sonic is, and Tails is working on the Black Tornado," "Wow, tough," "We better get to work," "May I take your order?" "I'd like a cappuccino," ............................ Café Mew Mew was a great place! Zoey even brought Prelude and Paprika a cappuccino. I thought about another concert. "Hey, Ruby!"It was Sonic. "What's up?" "Nothing, except a few complements about our performance last night and a few rumors that we're doing another concert," "Why not? I mean we can contact Tails, Get it set up in no time," "You sure you want to be chased? I hung around to see the results, only to be chased like you," "Well, a bunch of my friends that live around here might enjoy it," "Sonic! Sonic!"A pink hedgehog was running toward us looking a bit upset. "Uh-oh, gotta run!" "Sonic! He's such a brat at times!" "Believe me, he was getting a bit on my nerves," "So, who are you?" "Ruby Prower" "I'm Amy Rose. I saw you guys last night. That was an awesome performance!" "You wanna join?"Sonic looked like he was hoping that she'd say no. "Really? I'd love to!" Poor Sonic, he looked like he was going to faint. Amy must have gotten on his nerves. Well, she was in. That night we were on. The crowd was ready for our opening, How Machines Fly. Then we played Dream Pipe, Sonic Boom X, It's My Turn To Dream, Morning Sun, Life as a Hedgehog, and Let Me Run Again. They were extremely happy that we were the main topic of a concert, not in a part of a concert. Amy was bashing her tambourine and singing, Tails was pounding the drums, Sonic flew over the strings, and I was constantly rockin' the keys. There were cheers everywhere. I could see my friends in the front. They were excited as I was. Everywhere we looked, there was someone screaming or someone taking a breath because they were really screaming. We ended with a song we made, Chaos Uncontrolled. The crowd was uncontrolled during that song. The next day only Amy was there. I guessed that Sonic and Tails left to not get chased. I double-checked to see if either of them were around. I put on my running shoes just in case. Even though it was three in the morning, we had to be careful. I heard that you were never safe until midnight, even afterwards. "There they are! Get them!" It sounded like an old man was yelling that. What we saw were a bunch of security guards, charging at us! ................... We were knocked out by something. I don't know what. "There, there now girls. They will make excellent company," "Caz! Are you out of your mind? What you have are a pink hedgehog and a yellow three-tailed fox with each tail looked like it was dipped into a bucket of paint," "And they would say no because you kidnapped them!" She was right. I would say no to a million rings right now. I couldn't see a thing, and Amy was still knocked out. "Just let them go Caz," "I know that they are rock star legends! I'll prove it to you! I have a CD of their last concert," "According to this CD, there are four members. You're two short!" "I have the leader, Ruby Prower!" "Fine, we'll listen," Amy was finally awake by this time. She would be able to see who it was. I could tell that she was trying to say that it was Hi-Hi. It was hard to tell, since I couldn't even talk. Our voices were weak. Hearing what our concert sounded like was neat. "Still, no way! They are wild!" "But, so are you, during your concerts. They both are awake right now so I'll see if they agree," I quickly mouthed to Amy "no". She nodded approvingly. "Hello, Amy and Ruby! I was wondering if you would like to join me on my bus, going from place to place on tours?" I recovered enough to say something. "No way! After that?" We scrammed to get way and headed to a jungle. It wasn't the best thing, but it was our only shot. I don't know how far we went, but I knew we had to hide. Somewhere. We stopped to see some flames. An ancient civilization! The dancing flames were mesmerizing. I couldn't stop looking at the fire. The flames made me feel as if I was in a trance. Amy was looking at the shadows, hypnotized. I couldn't look away any longer. I kept looking at the flames dancing quickly. Then things went black. ................... *The shadows were what kept me quiet. I thought about telling Ruby about This feeling the shadows were giving me, but I couldn't. It was strange. The shadows made me feel weak. I couldn't control myself, I almost couldn't breathe. If I didn't fight, I might lose my memory, I had to fight. "Ruby," I finally was able to say something. There was no response. I looked. She just had blacked out. She wasn't fighting. I had to get us out. Even though I was tranced, we had to. The shadows stopped. Now that the shadows were gone, the only problem was, how to get out. "Swellow!" There was a yellow Swellow above us. I took a closer look. It was Skyno! "Skyno! Down here!" He dived down to get us. I was so happy that someone was looking for us! The forest was endless! Making sure that Ruby was secure, Skyno took off. The search party was at the end of the woods. Tails, Sonic, Zoey, Niki, Corinia, Bridget, and Rene were there. I was happy to see them all. Ruby hasn't recovered from her blackout. I wished I could do something. Her Poke'dex fell. Then I thought of Ruby's Poke'mon. They might be able to help! I looked up Espeon up first by accident. That was the answer! I got Prelude out and told her what to do. Ruby soon came to. **I woke up what seemed to be hours after what happened. I remember that Prelude told me what happened. A flame trance. One of the hardest to fight. I, like others couldn't fight it off. It was embarrassing. I went to the jungle again. I didn't know why, I thought that the trance hadn't worn out yet. If it hadn't, I could be stuck in the jungle for the rest of my life! I had to figure it out. Figure out the trance. Sometimes it might lead you to what is important, others something that they might want. I had to find out. Another tribe was there. I tried hard, but I couldn't fight the trance again. This time, when I blacked out, I saw a deep lake. I knew that something was there waiting for me. But, what? I knew one thing for sure, I had to find it. "Going somewhere?" It was Shadow. He always gave me the creeps. "Why would you like to know?" Something fishy was going on. And it wasn't the fish in the lake I saw. "You remind me of a dear friend. She was an extremely nice friend and," I already knew. It wasn't that I read his mind, I was good at guessing things. It was just too sad for us. Even Sonic was sad because of what happened. "Alright you can come. Just don't tell anyone. We'll leave at dawn," "I'll meet you right here," As I left, I wondered if Shadow was hiding something. It wasn't that I was spectacle, anyone could see it. I didn't know what he was doing here. He could've had to meet someone. But, he was looking bored. He'd met them by now. I had to get some rest. Tomorrow was an even bigger day. We had to travel to that Lake wherever it was. In my mind that night I kept hearing a strange song. I never heard it before. It sounded like a night sky, had a map to the lake. Whatever was there, I really needed to find that lake. I don't know why. Maybe more of my past I didn't know could be hidden there. Or something more mysterious was there. I had to find it. I woke up at midnight. Getting my stuff, I decided to write a note to Shadow when to meet. At night. I left in a rush. Paprika ran with me, knowing that neither of us knew where we were going. I ran, to only stop at a field, to get some more night's sleep. The more I thought about it. The more I knew. I now know why I left. I didn't feel safe there. I was for once, scared. I wanted to cry, but there was no one to comfort me at the moment. Prelude and Paprika were asleep. It was quiet. I normally fall asleep to the thought of a song, or a radio. I was too scared to think of a song and I never bought the radio. Somehow I fell asleep. Before I knew it, it was the following night. I slept through the day! I was only cold. I ran to where I knew the place that Shadow and I were supposed to meet. I saw that Shadow wasn't there. I hoped he didn't leave without me, then I remembered that I was the only one who knew how to get to the lake! "Sorry I was late. Do you know how to get there?" Shadow always was a mystery to me. I didn't know why he wanted to come. "We have to follow the path the stars have. I'm, not sure why," "Let's go then," The trip was long. I kept looking up. There was something up there. I finally saw it, a shooting star. I also saw the map that was there. The shooting star was a pointer for where we needed to go. We headed south knowing where to go. An occasional shooting star was flying across the map, showing us where to go next. The lake was nearby. I finally saw it. It was huge! "What are we looking for here?" "That, I'm not sure of," I never was sure about things ever since the fire trance. That frightened me. "Pika!" "Paprika must have heard something," I agreed. I also heard something. But it was so fast, I couldn't tell where the sound came from. "Enti!" "Cune!" "Rai!" It was Siucune, Enti, and Raico! Here all at once! I was caught with fear. Shadow seemed to be afraid too. They weren't themselves. "There they are!" I turned to see two teenagers. One a boy, the other a girl. The One who spoke, the girl, was wearing a sky blue jacket and jeans. The boy was wearing a dark blue jacket and jeans. "We finally found them, Tom!" "We better get them back to themselves, Bethanne," "Wait, what happened to them?" I was upset, they were legendary Poke'mon. "They're Shadow Poke'mon. The only way they can be returned to normal is if they build a friendship with a kind hearted trainer," Tom was on a mission to stop the production of Shadow Poke'mon. I knew what to do now: Help Suicuni, Enti, and Raico Become what they used to be. We needed help with that. Tom gave us his PDA number. We were to call him when we had a strong friendship with them. With their Poke'balls in hand, we went to find Sonic, Tails, and Amy. ....................... "What!" "I told you guys, we have to save Suicini, Enti, and Raico," It was hard to say that three of the most legendary Poke'mon were now Shadow Poke'mon. "Come on Sonic. We have to do something about this," "Amy's right. We can't do anything sitting down yelling at each other," "How about a battle? I mean, Treeko loves battles," "Alright. Let's have each of us battle them," With Amy as referee, we started to battle. We battled a whole lot, hoping that we can do something about the Poke'mon. We were very close at the end of the day, so we headed for bed. I didn't. I took Suicini, Enti, and Raico on a walk. It seemed so peaceful at night. But the forest soon glowed. It was beautiful. It was as if the forest wanted us to go on, deeper into the forest. "Biiiiiiii!" The call was eerie. We were soon at a spot that had what looked like a relic. "Bi! Bi bi bi!" I saw Celebi coming! It was a very legendary Poke'mon. "It seems like you found another way here," It was Tom and Bethanne! "Well, as long as you are here, let's do it!" "Since you have their Poke'balls, you have first honors, Ruby," I was nervous, but excited. Celebi flew around them, then I could see a dark mist come from them and shatter. "Yes! They're free!" "From shadows and having a trainer," I broke their balls. The Poke'mon went in different directions. I left to go to Elismore. It was getting real late. I wondered if I would see the Poke'mon ever again. I walked past some stores. There were costumes on sale. Then it hit me, Halloween was in a week! I couldn't wait! I then wondered how Halloween would be like for me this year. Probably fighting Egg man, trying to think up a song for the band; not how I liked it. I then felt that something was behind me. That something was not friendly. It was Egg man. "Ha! I finally got you!" "You have to catch me first!" I jumped to dodge each attack. Occasionally I would get him, but it was mostly dodging. Then I was nabbed. Egg man was leading me to a trap all along. That sneak, even though it was almost Halloween, it still wasn't fair. I was good as bait. That was because I was bait. I'll explain Egg man's plan in the shortest, and easiest way I can. With me as bait, Egg man could lure Sonic and Tails into another trap that would keep them locked up until he has done everything that he wanted. Great. Someone contacted Egg man on the main system. It was about a trade. I remembered Egg man said something else, but I wasn't sure what it was. I had to get off now! I soon saw a gap that I might squeeze through. I had to try. I managed to get through, only to get my feet wet, and the rest of me. Double great. Now, I'm a fox, not a fish, so I was in trouble. I wasn't able to see the surface and I was going to need to get air soon. I was barely able to see at all. The water clouded my mind. I felt like crying. This was it for me. "Raugia!" The roar I heard didn't sound like a roar, but like a song. It was the last thing I heard before I blacked out. ................... I woke up to see myself still in the water, still alive. I was so happy that I let go of my breath. But I was able to get another breath. I wasn't sure what happened. Then I saw that I was on Lugia's back. I heard legends about Lugia having mystical powers. I guess that one of them let certain people breathe underwater. This was a cool trick. I swam around the area. It was pretty cool. I left the water, only to be running. 4Ever, More Than Heroes was still the most popular band in Elismore. I was getting a bit tired. The place I hid in was really a trap set up by Egg man. Again caught. This time, he wants me out of the way. Great. Even better, he's taking me to another city. At least I have a window to see where I was going. .............. ***"What's that?" "I'm not sure. It looks like a ship," "No, what's on the ship," "Help, me," "Well, it looks like someone is in trouble," ................. **"Aww, man. No one's gonna see my message at the distance the ship is," "Anyone need help?" "Who are you?" "Static and Gear at your service," "Yes, I would like some help. We have to get off quickly," "What for?" "Ha ha ha ha. Looks like I'll have to greet my guest, properly," "I guess he's bad with guest," "You really don't want to be around for the greeting party," *Amy is telling the story. **Ruby is telling the story. ***Ruby is no longer telling the story.