Chapter 5

After leaving the Pokemon Center, Emerald headed to the Rustboro City Gym. With each step he took he saw Leif’s pained expression when he told the Treecko that he would be joining Team Magma. He was pretty listless as he walked through the nighttime atmosphere of Rustboro. As Emerald trekked down the city streets he was constantly jostled by other pedestrians as he walked, barely feeling it.

He called me a friend. Emerald said. I don’t think anyone’s called me that since elementary school. And he called me that. In fact, Leif said more than that. He said that I was the kindest person he’d ever known. Will...will I be willing to join the group who ruined his life?

The truth was Emerald did in fact hate to force Leif to serve Team Magma but more than anything he wished Leif had never known it was Team Magma who destroyed his home. He knew the Treecko couldn’t easily forgive them, so he wished that he became magically unaware of that little fact. Emerald needed to make money and between becoming a trainer for the Rustboro City Gym and Team Magma, he’d choose the latter.

The reason for that was that Magma grunts were usually paid more than typical gym trainers. Also, gym trainers also had to have at least one Pokemon of the Gym leader’s type. Both Team Magma and Aqua pressured their subordinates to have a Pokemon that was Fire or Ground in the former’s case or Water or Ice in the latter’s case but they were more flexible. However, that difference probably wouldn’t matter as Rustboro City trainers were clearly cutting the surrounding woods to expand the city limits, something Leif would understandably hate doing.

The only other option is to become a trainer who gets most of their money from battling trainers in the wild. Emerald said. But not only is that illegal, I don’t want to live out in the middle of the wilderness. Could...could I just convince Leif to forget his grudge against humans?

As he walked down the city street he found that it was a good thing Leif was not around to see it. Around Emerald were buildings that were still under construction not with human hands or machinery but Rock-type Pokemon. Geodude, Graveler, Aaron and Lairon would take rocks they grew from their body that were shaped like bricks and place them in the unfinished walls.

The humans overseeing them were not so much trainers as taskmasters that made sure they used their stone-growing capabilities and incredible strength for labor and didn’t rebel. Gym leaders were not just for military capabilities but to specifically raise and breed Pokemon for specific tasks. The Rock-type specialist gym leader lived here in Rustboro and she distributed Rock-type Pokemon around the Hoenn region for the specific purpose of city construction.

Knowing what I do now… He thought. Pokemon can feel a sense of loss, friendship, and even mixed emotions like giving up freedom for survival. Knowing they’re as human as I am...would I want to do that for no compensation?

Emerald stopped right there. He looked down at himself, almost angry with his own refusal to see the humanity of the very creatures they captured. He’d been around Pokemon his entire life but whenever Emerald thought of them as people he merely pushed them away. It wasn’t because he didn’t recognize their sentience but because the acknowledgement of it would lead to too many uncomfortable questions.

No! He thought to himself. Sentient or not, I need to survive! Leif and Dangler even admitted that Pokemon kill each other all the time in the wild for food! It’s what predators and territorial creatures do! There’s no greater sin between killing and enslaving others to live! I may not like joining Team Magma and killing, enslaving and destroying the homes of Pokemon but...but it is what I must do to live!

Just as he began trying to form this argument in his mind to persuade the Treecko, he found himself staring at the entrance of Rustboro Gym. It was a large but rather plain building made of gray and black stone like most of the city was. Emerald knew from news reports that there were large mineral deposits in the caves near the city that could be mined for construction materials.

Above the doorway not only did it say “Rustboro Gym” but “Rustboro-Team Magma Headquarters”. Emerald sighed at the sight before opening the door and entering in, hating the fact that Team Magma and Aqua were often connected to certain Hoenn Gyms. The two organizations understandably worked closely with Gym leaders to complete certain projects.

Upon entering, Emerald was accosted by a great commotion that filled the room. He looked around to find that the room filled with those in red Magma uniform and more casually dressed trainers were all staring in the upper left corner. Shrieks of anger and sorrow made the young man recoil in pain.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he raced forward to get a look at what everyone was staring at. Emerald had to jostle through quite a few people and before coming across the sight. He was a bit shocked when he arrived near the left corner of the Gym’s first floor.

The Pokemon cowering in the corner looked like a yellow burlap sack with arms that were equipped with boxing gloves. It’s simplistic, somewhat round body was topped with a circular head that ended in a topknot. Its feet had only two toes and its cheeks were marked with red rings.

Despite its stocky appearance, the Pokemon covered its faces with its arms and had tears streaming from its eyes that looked like slits in burlap. The Pokemon’s trainer, a Magma grunt, leered at the creature. She held out a Pokeball at the Pokemon as she screamed at it.

Unable to recognize the creature, Emerald took his Pokedex out. After pointing the glass eyepiece at it, he found it was a Makuhita, the Guts Pokemon. It was a Fighting-type with a stout body capable of absorbing physical blows which it used to store up inside itself in order to gain more power.

The more times it was hit and the more tremendous the blow was, the more it grew and the closer it came to evolving. Apparently it liked to train, fight and push the limits of its physical capabilities. The Pokedex entry claimed this was a trait shared amongst virtually every Fighting-type in existence to some degree.

“No!” the Pokemon cried, Emerald recognizing the voice as a female. “No! I can’t take it anymore! I can’t kill-!”

“You’ll do as I say!” the woman in Magma uniform shouted. “You are to obey me to the letter and if you have to battle Pokemon that’s just something you’ll have to live with!”

“But I don’t want to kill!” she cried. “I can’t kill anymore! I can’t look them in the eyes and rip them to pieces again! I’ll end my life before I do that one more time!”

“You never want to come out of your Pokeball again?!” the trainer shouted. “Because that’s what’ll happen if you continue to disobey?!”

But the Pokedex entry claimed all Fighting-types loved fighting. Emerald said. Why would this one stop altogether? What would Leif do in this situation? What would he want from me? He called me kind...should I ignore that bit of praise?

Knowing the answer immediately, Emerald rushed over to the Pokemon. The female grunt glared at him as he stood between the Makuhita and her trainer. Her glare went from angry to just confused as the Fighting-type continued to cower.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“What-?” she said. “What on Earth are-?”

“Leave the Makuhita alone,” Emerald said. “It said it doesn’t want to fight for you anymore.”

“What?!” she shouted. “Are you crazy?! I caught it! I have the right to do with this Pokemon as I want! Or are you just trying to get it for yourself?!”

“I don’t care who owns this Pokemon,” Emerald said. “I just know that it’s more like a human that you give it credit for. Please...just let it go.”

The woman immediately slapped him across the face. His neck swerved to the side before Emerald grabbed his left cheek in pain. Still, he didn’t step aside, afraid that if he did that the Makuhita would be returned to its Pokeball. Emerald knew enough that if a solid object stood between the Pokeball and its caught Pokemon, it would not be returned.

“This is insubordination!” she cried. “I’ll have you know I’m Taylor, a high ranking Magma member! I-!”

“What an interesting sight this is.”

The two turned to see someone walking toward them. Emerald was taken back by her familiar sight. She had long brain hair and wore a red top, red bandana and blue and white shorts. She half-glared, half-smiled at him.

“It’s been a while?” Ruby said. “Hasn’t it been, Emerald?”

The young man froze in fear. He was staring in terror at the sight of Norman’s daughter he sired with his legal wife, Caroline. Emerald had only seen her in person a few times on court dates where their family had to be present.

But he’d seen her on the news more often than in person. Ruby was a prodigy when it came to intelligence and battling. She consistently made the highest grades and contests of Pokemon knowledge which the local channels captured. Emerald had even seen her on the news when channels covered Team Magma’s exploits. Ruby had been involved in a few projects of terraforming the Hoenn region as she’d been an accomplished trainer in the near year she’d been a part of Team Magma.

Jealousy welled up inside Emerald every time he saw her, especially in person. He saw Ruby as everything he wished he had and more. She had both a father in her life that was proud of her and a mother who didn’t treat him like a burden. Knowing that Ruby was such a powerful trainer that Norman admired so dearly made Emerald sick to his stomach as he believed he could never compete with her.

Could I beat her now? He thought. I have two powerful Pokemon with me…I’d love to crush her in front of Norman to rub it in his face he was wrong to choose to raise Ruby over me.

“I see you finally got your act together and decided to become a professional trainer,” Ruby said. “But...trying to take another’s Pokemon is just a dumb move.”

“I’m not trying to take her Pokemon,” Emerald said. “But...but I’d love to take you on myself.”

“What?” she asked. “I’m-I’m-you mean a battle?”

“You know this idiot?” Taylor asked.

“He’s my-” Ruby said before stopping herself.

She gave a soft glare at him before gritting her teeth. If Ruby admitted to Emerald being her half-brother it would be an embarrassment to one of the strongest and most respected gym leaders. Norman’s Pokemon and battling skills were said to be on par with that of an Elite Four member, not to mention a vice general of Hoenn’s army.

Known as a fair, pragmatic and stoic leader that had won Hoenn many a victory against their foreign enemies, the news of an illegitimate child would be a blow to his reputation. Very few knew of the court case his mother had waged until recently as Norman had been careful to keep it underwraps. Ruby, obviously aware, wouldn’t give Emerald that opportunity to embarrass her family.

“The son of a woman who's been harassing us for years on end,” she said. “Claims to be related or...something or other. I don’t know.”

He turned down to look at the Fighting-type behind him. She was no longer cowering as much, instead her expression was more curious than anything. The Makuhita was very surprised that a human was taking up for it.

“Yeah,” Emerald said before turning around. “Wouldn’t want to admit a loser like me is Norman’s other child, would you?”

“What?” Taylor asked. “Son? I didn’t know Norman had a-”

“Shut up!” Ruby cried. “He’s crazy! He just-!”

“Anyway,” he said. “This has nothing to do with this Makuhita’s freedom! It doesn’t want to battle because Team Magma’s been driving out Pokemon and destroying the environment! It shouldn’t be forced to be a soldier in a war it has objections to.”

“You sound awfully-” Ruby said. “Sympathetic to a Pokemon. Are...are you...disagreeing with human expansion?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Taylor said. “I need to get this jackass out of the way so I can get my timid little Makuhita back! I’ve spent so long training her and this is how she acts in response...I don’t want all that time to go to waste!”

She got in his face this time, the woman clearly twice Emerald’s age now that he got a better look at her.

“I need her back in captivity now so I can discipline her right,” Taylor said. “Any Pokemon will do anything once punished enough.”

“No!” Emerald shouted in her face. “She refuses to fight and doing so infringes on her right! Human or not, the Makuhita doesn’t want to be a killing slave anymore! You can come through me if you want but-”

“Enough,” Ruby said. “Taylor...this hasn’t been the first time your Makuhita has refused to obey you. It...it clearly has problems. Possibly defective. A Fighting-type that doesn’t want to fight is a strange thing indeed so it’s-”

“No!” Taylor shouted. “That Makuhita has gotten so strong...it’s not far from evolving!”

“How about a battle for it?” Emerald asked. “Whoever wins gets the Makuhita?”

Taylor paused for a moment, clearly considering the option before shrugging.

“Well…” she said. “Without my Makuhita I’m...I can’t battle at full strength so-”

“No,” Emerald said. “Not you.”

He pointed at Ruby.

“Her,” he seethed.

“What?!” Ruby asked, her face stricken with confusion.

“Hah!” Taylor shouted. “What are you talking about?! She may be a new recruit but she’s a prodigy trainer! Ruby’s already proven herself to be a stronger than average trainer! And you think that someone like you has a chance of beating her?! Ain’t that right, Ruby?”

Taylor turned to see the girl was wearing a nervous expression. Something about the challenge that Emerald issued was seriously messing with her. It was like for the first time Ruby had to acknowledge his existence as something more than a nuisance. Emerald was no longer a mere stain to her family’s reputation that could be quietly tucked away. He was a threat.

“Ruby?” Taylor asked. “You okay?”

She shook her head in disbelief.

“You win,” Emerald said as he glared at his half-sister. “Taylor gets her Makuhita back. And you get all the money I have. All I ask is a chance for a televised battle and that Norman watches.”

“We-well,” Ruby said. “Y-you can’t...you can’t say stupid things on television. So I don’t want to accept if you’ll just lie that my dad is also your’s. Also...how could my dad watch?”

“There’s a battle arena in the gym here,” Emerald said. “I’ve seen trainers other than the gym leader have live matches. And I know the daughter of one of Hoenn’s most renowned trainers can get a camera crew up here in a heartbeat. So...you accept my challenge?”

Ruby looked very uncomfortable at his offer, something that Emerald was enraptured by and took great pleasure from. The sight of her normally pretty and calm face turning into a nervous wreck felt very satisfying to watch. If Emerald managed to beat her, it would not only give Ruby a crisis of identity that her father’s mistake managed to beat her but it would embarrass Norman. He’d wonder if he made a mistake choosing his first family over Emerald’s mother.

“You-” she said. “You’re on. But never, never harass my family again.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Emerald said. “If I crush you, that’ll be enough.”