The Ruby Files (MD fic)

[Karuta64]

File #15: Another Shocking Mission



After a wonderful day at the festival, we decided to head for home with our new recruit once the nightly fireworks had ended. Thankfully, Peach and I seemed to get along rather well, so the walk home wasn't too interesting. Aside from Peach's chatter about how excited she was to be with us and Mizu raving about the acrobats on the main stage, there wasn't that much conversation either.

"Nice place you've got here..." Peach smiled as we walked up the front walk to the house.

"Thank Lita..." I laughed. "She's the one who built it!" Lita softly giggled at Peach's look of amazement, flattered by my compliment.

"You really built this all by yourself?" Mizu was impressed too. "It must have taken you a very long time!"

"It didn't." Lita assured both Mizu and Peach. "I had help from some townsfolk." We nodded, then made our way inside, where we all got comfortable for the evening. I had particularly eaten a lot at the festival, so I wasn't too hungry for the meal Lita was starting to prepare. I decided to humor Lita and eat a little bit of the vegetables, including the onions she was slicing. Peach was helping by peeling carrots. Mizu was boiling some meat on the stove to add to the mixture. I figured they would be a while, so I pitched in by doing what odd jobs I could.

When the meal was ready, I served myself a tiny helping of the stew. Despite the fact I had eaten a lot of burgers, fries, candy and other treats in town, this too was great food. I had to get Lita's recipe--if and when I got home, I could make it for my family.

"How is it, Sammi?" Lita asked.

"Very good." I mumbled as I swallowed a bite. Mom would make this a lot back home, but hers had too much vegetables in it and not enough meat. Lita's, on the other hand, had a perfect balance between the meat and the vegetables. "Thank you."

"I had a great time today." Mizu smiled as she ate.

"I'm glad to be here with you all." Peach agreed. "Beats the healer's old creaky house with a leaky roof." We all laughed at this. "The master healer never fixed it because he thought it would stop on its own, but it never did."

"So what did you do?" Lita asked.

"We put up with it by putting buckets under the leaks and emptying them when they got full." Peach explained. "This was fine for a while, but after roughly six weeks, we were all getting annoyed with the old Meganium for not fixing it. The poor fellow was blind as a Zubat, so he couldn't really tell what was wrong."

"Aww..." Mizu said. "That's sad."

"Then what happened?" I was now mildly interested in Peach's story.

"The last straw came when a patch of the roof caved in during a storm." Peach continued. "The master healer finally sensed a problem and begged our forgiveness for not noticing it sooner. We forgave him, of course; but cleaning up the mess took at last a month!" She waited for our nervous laughter to calm down before concluding "Ever since then, he paid attention when one of us told him about a leak."

"Lucky for you, I made the roof nice and watertight, so it won't leak!" Lita smiled as she got up to clear the table. Once everything had been washed and put away, we trooped upstairs to bed.

Lita and I slept in one bedroom, and Mizu and Peach in another. The bathroom was across the hall from either of the occupied bedrooms, and two more bedrooms were a little further down the hall. Assuming that each bedroom could comfortably hold two occupants, we had enough room for eight team members in the house.

Yet the four of us were comfortable enough for now. I drifted to sleep dreaming about the various games and shows I had seen at the festival. As for the odd dream with the white blob, that one did not recur.

I rose early the next morning and walked out to the mailbox. It was still early, and Nigel would not be coming for at least another hour. However, I still noticed a slip of paper hanging from the box.

Curious, I took the paper and looked at it:

Dear Team Ruby:

We were out on the nature hike in Tiny Woods yesterday, and one of my children got seperated from the group. No rescue team has found him yet, so I've spent the better part of the night worried sick! If you could investigate and look for him, I'd be very grateful.

--Ampere

I carefully folded up the letter and brought it inside. When Lita came downstairs, she noted the Magnemite print letter at my place. "What's that?"

"A rescue job that came last night." I explained. "From someone named 'Ampere'"

Peach's eyes lit up. "Isn't Ampere the rich Electrode that owns the Highland District?"

"Yeah!" Mizu smiled. "The Highland District is where all the richest Pokemon live." she explained. "It's an honor that common people get to go up there...."

My mind was racing--one of the richest Pokemon in the area had asked for our services?

END OF FILE  

[Karuta64]

File #16: The Voltorb Roundup



As we trooped off into the woods, I took comfort in knowing that Tiny Woods was presumably much shorter--and much safer--than Thunderwave Cave. In fact, it didn't take us very long to find the missing Voltorb, either.

He was resting by a pool when I called out to him, "Your father wishes you to come home!"

Surprisingly, I got a snide response: "My father, asking a novice rescue team, to come rescue me from the woods? HAH!!!"

Peach glanced at our Rescue Badge, then shouted back to the Voltorb "Novice or not, your dad asked us to find you, so come on!"

"No." and with that, the Voltorb rolled off to another part of the clearing.

Mizu sighed. "Of all the missions we could possibly go on, we get the one where the client doesn't want to be rescued!"

"It didn't say anything about stubbron clients in the Rescue Manual!" Lita agreed.

"Guys, the only way to get this Voltorb to come home is to somehow lure him to his dad." I suggested. "So any ideas?"

"I think I have one!" Mizu grabbed a blueprint from the toolbox and started to draw on it.

Peach sighed. "What's so complicated about luring a Voltorb back to its dad?"

"You know Mizu--has to think everything out methodically." Lita replied as Mizu continued to draw.

---------
"Okay!" Mizu began as she unveiled her blueprint. "Here's how we'll lure the Voltorb to us and rescue it!"

"This better be good, Mizu..." I groaned. Deep down, I was hoping to Arceus that this plan didn't go horribly wrong.

"All right...When the Voltorb passes by this spot..." Mizu paused to point out a grassy spot by the pool that was marked with an X on the blueprint. "Peach will wrap him up in a vine so he can't escape."

"Mm-hmm..." I motioned for Mizu to go on.

"Then, that will give either you or Lita time to use Ruby Flash and send him back to daddy Ampere!" Mizu concluded. "So, let's try it!"

"DADDY Ampere?" Peach was a little unnerved as we waked to the marked spot, a pile of grass and leaves by a tree.

"Mizu must've eaten too many Pecha Berries for breakfast today..." I sighed as I used my tail to burn the image of an X into the grass. Peach nodded and glanced out towards the pool for any sign of the Voltorb.

After roughly ten minutes, I heard the metallic rolling of a Voltorb in the distance. "Here he comes!"

Peach waited until the Voltorb had rolled on the X, then fired a vine at him! "ENERGY VINE!!!"

"Wha..." The Voltorb had no time to react before the glowing vines plopped him into our circle. "Hey, Let me go!" he protested as he fruitlessly struggled to free himself.

"Hurry, Lita!" I yelped.

"Pokemon Rescue...Ruby Flash!" Lita called, enveloping us and the Voltorb in light.

When we arrived before Ampere a few seconds later, he sheperded the Voltorb to his side and began. "My son, the rescue team was only trying to help...why did you have to give them so much trouble?"

"Well, I only wanted to explore the forest..." the Voltorb explained.

"But resisting the team that only wanted to help you is not acceptable." Ampere continued a little sternly. "You had me worried sick!"

The Voltorn teared up. "Father, I only wanted to see the forest, nothing more."

"Exploring is quite all right, but please--be sure to inform me of your planned return from now on." Ampere sighed before turning to us again. "Here...take some coins for your trouble." With that, he nudged a huge pile of coins to us. "This is my thanks to you."

"Wow! Thank you!" Lita smiled as she gathered up the coins.

---------

"1,997...1,998...1,999...2,000 credits!" Peach announced as she deposited the last coin in the money box.

"That's a lot!" Mizu was shocked.

"And fitting considering that Ampere is the local rich Pokemon." Peach smiled. "But, he uses his billions for good reasons--that's how he became so respected around here.

"I see." I smiled as we trooped up to bed, another day and mission completed.

END OF FILE  

[Karuta64]

File #17: Friends and Foes Alike



Not long after our mission to recuse the Voltorb, word about Team Ruby began to spread. For the next few days, we were getting a deluge of letters. Some asked us to find a lost Pokemon, like we'd been doing for a while. Others wanted them escorted through a dungeon to find someone who had gotten lost. Still others wanted us to deliver an item to them.

It was after one of those missions when I noted Melody's coupon sticking out of the toolbox. "Hey..."

"Hmm?" Lita asked as she led us into the line to see Aunt Wendy.

"Can we go see Melody after we drop off these Gummis?" I asked as Lita gave Wendy a few extra Gummis.

"Why?" Mizu was confused.

"Well...I was thinking that I should use it." I replied as I checked its date--it would only be good for another day after today.

Okay, then. Let's go see Melody." Lita smiled. With that, she lead us a little farther down the square and down to where the Friendship Club, where Melody was singing as happily as ever. We ran to get a place in line, but just as our place got reserved, I saw a letter floating down to the ground.

"Excuse me, pardon me, sorry..." I mumbled as I slogged through the crowds of Pokemon. I reached out a paw to catch it, but missed. I tried again as a breeze lifted it back in the air, but still missed.

"Need help?" a Bulbasaur standing a few places behind us asked.

"Please..." I replied as I fruitlessly grabbed at the envelope dancing in the wind.

"ENERGY VINE!!!" The Bulbasaur lashed out out a vine, catching the envelope before the wind could blow it further away. "Here you go." he smiled as he gave the envelope to me. "It says 'To Team Ruby'...

"That's my team." I replied as I took the envelope. "Thank you!" I called to the Bulbasaur as I raced to rejoin my teammates in line,

"Anytime!" the Bulbasaur called back.

"What was that about?" Peach asked when I returned.

"An envelope addressed to us was delivered by air mail." I explained. "I couldn't get it, so a Bulbasaur grabbed it with Energy Vine"

"That was very nice of him." Melody smiled as we approached the counter. "Now...what can I do for you today?"

"I'm hoping this is still good..." I stammered as I showed Melody my coupon.

"Oh it is!" Melody assured me as she took the coupon from me. "How many Friend Areas shall I unlock for you? One or two?"

"One--nah, make it two" I replied.

"Okay!" and Melody began to sing again, making two more bright flashes appear. Thankfully, I knew they were coming, so I didn't shield my eyes this time.

"What was that about?" said a voice. I turned to find the three Magnemite Bros. flying through the crowd, with Flicker leading. "Shock's been bugging me to let him join you guys for a week now...

"I've unlocked the Power Plant and Mt. Deepgreen for you." Melody explained, but that was all Shock needed to hear before flashing some celabratory static.

"Hold your Ponytas, Shock..." I laughed as I draped a Team Ruby bandanna around him. "There...now you're on the team!"

"Oh thank you, Sammi!" Shock replied before turning to leave. "I'll be waiting in the Power Plant if you need me!" With that, he and his brothers departed. We decided to head for home as well, but as we walked along the path out of town, I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. I glanced a a bush to see a pair of menacing eyes looking at me and swallowed hard. Could Rocko have been following us?

END OF FILE  

[Karuta64]

File 18: Nerves of Steel (part 1)


Peach looked at the envelope I had received earlier as we entered the house. "Wonder what it says?"

"Shall we take a look?" I replied as I reached for it and carefully opened it, only pausing to take the letter inside. After unfolding the ground type Pokemon print mail inside, I began to read: "Okay...it says..."

Dear Team Ruby:

A few nights ago, my work crew and I were digging a new tunnel into Mt. Steel, when a Skarmory kiddnapped one of the workers. We are well aware that Skarmories live inside the mountain, and we trade any jewels we find to them in exhange for supplies. However, the foremen have come to the conclusion that this particular Skarmory was a rogue bent on disrupting our work.

Everyone is worried sick about the kiddnapped worker's fate, so if you could find him and defeat the Skarmory, we would be most grateful.

Sincerely,

Koudo

Lita swallowed hard. "This is serious..."

"Koudo's one of the premiere tunnel diggers around here..." Mizu explained. "If his crew can't dig, how will we pass through the mountains safely?"

"Mizu's right..." Peach explained. "We need to find the lost worker alive so Koudo can dig."

Mizu pulled down a map of the world and pointed out a large mountain in the highlands, northeast of Thunderwave Cave. "Here's Mt. Steel...it has many jewels inside, which digging crews trade for metals and supplies." My question was: why would one Skarmory want to kidnap a crew member? I thought about this as we departed for the highlands.

After passing Thunderwave Cave and following a small pathway up to the base of the mountain, where a group of Digletts, Sandshrews, and Arons were digging, with a Dugtrio overseeing them all.

Mizu flashed our Rescue Badge to the Dugtrio. "Team Ruby, at your service!"

The Dugtrio abandoned the radar he was watching to meet with us. "Welcome, Team Ruby...I am Koudo, leader of this crew. We've currently halted our tunnel to find the kidnapped worker, an apprentice Diglett named Daichi."

"Do any of the foremen know where the rogue that swiped Daichi lives?" Peach asked.

"I do..." a Sandshrew interjected. "I'm Terra, foreman of the team Daichi was part of..."

"Okay then, Terra..." I asked. "What happened the night of the kidnapping?"

"We were about to break through to the third level of the tunnel, where it would merge with a second path another team had already dug." Terra explained. "Once our path joined with that path, it would complete the route on the mountain's third level. That was our objective that night."

"And then?" I beckoned Terra to continue.

Terra paused to adjust her hard hat, then continued. "Moments before we broke through to the other tunnel, we all heard this horrible screech. Daichi wanted to know what it was, so I told him it was a Skarmory coming inside the tunnel. Assuming the Skarmory wanted to trade, we offered it some rubies we had found.

"He wanted no part of trading, so he scattered the rubies everywhere and dragged Daichi away. That was the last we saw of him."

"We've had a few promising leads on his location." Koudo interjected, giving uis a map of the tunnels. "This should help you find your way through the mountain."

"Thanks!" I replied as I accepted a hard hat from an Aron. At least we wouldn't need any torches on this mission.

"Good luck, Team." Koudo called as we approached the mountain's entrance. "Hopefully, Daichi is still alive." He and Terra watched as we disappeared into the darkness, with only the lights on our hard hats lighting the way.

END OF FILE  

[Karuta64]

File #19: Nerves of Steel (part 2)



Mt. Steel, B1F

When we arrived in the network of tunnels, Peach noted something gray by my feet. "Nice...someone left some Gravelerocks here!" With that, she deposited the three tiny rocks into the toolbox.

"It's possible that in their panic, the miners dropped some of their supplies." Mizu explained as we rounded a corner to turn left at a fork. "While I'm sure Koudo would understand if we had to use the miner's supplies, let's try not to use anything that we don't need."

"Promise!" Lita replied.

"You have my word of honor." I replied, followed by attempting to make the Trainer Scout sign--index, middle, and ring fingers together, with the thumb holding the pinky down. Since I only had three tiny claws and not five, this was difficult to do.

Lita was piqued by my attempt to make the sign. "What does that sign mean, Sammi?"

"Well..." I started, trying to think of a way to make Trainer Scouts easy for my new friends to understand. "In the human world, one of the many things you can do is join a group of boys and girls and help the community. These kids and teens are called Trainer Scouts."

"Scouts? Like the spy on an evil team kind?" Mizu was interested now.

"No...these scouts ae more focused on bettering themselves, their community, others, and the world." I explained. "The sign I was trying to make was the sign that symbolizes the Scout's promise--'On my honor, I will try'. I had said that promise many times at award ceremonies, so it was still fresh in my memory. "Whenever a group of Trainer Scouts say that promise, they make that sign."

"Kinda like a secret password." Peach added.

I was about to tell Peach that the sign was not a password when I heard the flutter of wings approaching behind me! "GLOWING EMBER!!!" A Spearow squawked and fluttered away as it tried to extinguish its burning feathers.

"ENERGY VINE!" Peach lashed a glowing vice at an unsuspecting Zigzagoon approaching from the right, knocking it out.

"Thanks, Peach..." I smiled as I lead the way further down the tunnel.

"Anytime!" Peach replied as we turned down another corner and into an open room--which turned out to be a dead end.

After picking up the Gravelerocks in the room, we retraced our steps back to the fork, where we passed the Zigzagoon Peach had battered earlier. By now, he was awake, and breathing, just stunned from Peach's attack.

Peach hurried over to the Zigzagoon and examined the gash the Energy Vine had created. "No hard feelings, okay?" she smiled as she healed the wound with a soothing mist. "I was just startled by your sudden appearance and thought you were an intruder!"

"It's okay..." the Zigzagoon replied as he eased himself to his feet. In fact...as thanks for helping me out, I want to join your team."

"Hey, Lita..." I motioned for Lita to hand me the Rescue Badge. She complied, and I called "Ruby Flash!" sending the Zigzagoon out of the dungeon.

"Where'd he go?" Peach was mystified.

"Easy...I sent him to a Friend Area, where he can rest until we need him." I explained as we continued down the pathway and turned right. "By the time we finish this mission, he should be ready whenever he wants to come along."

"I see..." Peach replied as we trooped down the stairs.

Mt. Steel, B2F

No sooner had we arrived downstairs, did i see a pair of Spearows sleeping by my position. "Okay...let's try not to disturb these two." I cautioned as I began tiptoing past the two Spearows. Lita, Mizu, and Peach followed along behind me.

One of the Spearows ruffled its feathers, making us freeze for a moment. The last thing I wanted was for them to wake up and see us, which would probably lead to a fight. Thankfully, it didn't awaken as we kept tiptoing towards the right entrance of the room.

After entering another room and assuring myself that the Spearows couldn't hear us any more, I called "Okay guys...we can walk now."

"Bout time..." Peach replied as she scooped up some stray coins on the ground by the stairs. Hopefully we wouldn't have to sneak again as we ventured further into the dungeon...

END OF FILE  

[Karuta64]

A little explanation of the plot so far:

I'm attempting to show the gang's thoughts and how they solve problems. Sometimes they solve a petty problem quickly, and sometimes they need to discuss the problem before deciding what to do. Likewise, what seems petty to the audience might be worth discussion to the characters, particularly Sammi. She wants to earn and keep her new friends' trust, so she is carefully considering every choice she makes, no matter how trivial.

I'm taking a little creative liscense with Friend Areas...they are warped to the Friend Area if there are already four members (which there were), but I will be bending that rule of thumb a little later on, but only for one part of story.