It's funny to think that only a few short years ago, I would've shied away from getting down and dirty…that I would condemn such a vulgar act as physical violence. Everything in my life had to be beautiful; my Pokémon, myself, the people around me… nothing could tarnish my pristine world.

That pristine world has long turned to ash.

Even the thick blood clotting the vision in my right eye couldn't stop me from beating the shit out of this garbage in my hands. No matter how hard I hit, no matter how many times I felt the satisfying crunch of shattered bone underneath my fist, my bloodlust could not be satisfied. The world was bathed in a hazy ruby red.

Ruby red…how fitting. I sometimes wonder if this is what my parents had in mind when they named me.

I tossed the man aside, content that he would have a hell of a time walking away from this…if he walked away at all, that is.

I prowled through the forest like a wild animal, senses on high alert. He was here…I knew he was here. The man who stole my life from me.

The man who killed Sapphire.

It was odd to me of how calm I felt at this moment. The grueling months of searching and tracking, the numerous false leads and dead ends…every single moment was worth it. I could almost taste the sweet zest of revenge on my tongue.

Two more of his henchmen tried to rush me from the sides; it was an easy task to knock the knives out of their hands, driving both of them down to the ground with a few well-placed kicks.

Pokémon…now that was another matter. A Mightyena jumped me from behind, latching onto my arm with jaws of steel. No matter how sorry I felt for the Pokémon and its rotten luck with trainers, it didn't change the fact that it was in the way of my goal. I tried to shake the creature off, almost too distracted to notice one of the men near me struggle to his feet.

Almost was the key word. I managed to dodge his haphazard swipe, the knife barely grazing the skin of my neck. I swung my arm around in a wide circle, slamming the Mightyena into the man, sending them both flying.

I hoped his friend would be wise enough to stay down. I was in no mood to play games.

The sky screamed my fury, peals of thunder shaking the earth. My left arm hung limply at my side, warm blood dripping down my fingertips. I pushed the pain to the back of my mind; more important things begged for my attention.

Finally…finally, after all my waiting, the man I have so dearly wanted to see slowly slithered out of the shadows, a most disgusting sneer twisting his lips.

I wanted to rush toward him; my mind shrieked at my body, telling me to run up and strangle him with my bare hands this very instant. But the unimaginable magnitude of my rage overwhelmed my senses, rooting me to my spot.

Only one thing stood out in my mind:

This was the man.

The man who killed my Sapphire. The man who single-handedly ripped my life from me and tore it to shreds. The man who took everything from me.

This was the man.

"Well, well, well! I thought I had managed to crush both of those pesky insects, but it seems one of them managed to crawl away! What an annoying cockroach." His leer grew as he smoothed his hair back with a hand. "Hello, Ruby. It's been a while, hasn't it? I never got to thank you properly for ruining my plans all those years ago."

I clenched my fists, silent. I had no words to waste on this filth.

He chuckled, crossing his arms. "Well, aren't we the chatterbox? I guess your still a little miffed about the explosion." He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry about that. I didn't really have anything against your little girlfriend…she wasn't nearly as meddlesome as you were." Another disgusting sneer. "But, both of you did destroy my plans for land Pokémon utopia…so I thought I would try to kill two birds with one stone, you know? Poor girl…she was a pretty little thing, too…a little on the wild side, but there's nothing wrong with a little—"

"Maxie…" I growled the name, mouth burning from the acid dripping off my tongue. "Don't you dare speak of her."

"Oooh, did I strike a nerve?" He slowly slunk toward me, a patronizing smile spreading across his face. "Haven't been coping well with the grief, I see. You should really work on that, Ruby." He stopped, inches away from me, close enough for me to put my hands around his neck. I willed my hands to move, but to no avail. I was frozen in place, my whole body shaking with suppressed rage.

"Don't worry, boy. I made sure to place enough explosions in that house to destroy a skyscraper."

Memories flooded my senses: the initial euphoria of the day, the bright sunlight, the blue sky…an earsplitting explosion, thick black smoke, screams…my own screams…

I only stepped out for a moment…it had only been a moment…

And the discarded cloak bearing the Team Magma insignia, waving like a flag in the wind…

He put a hand on my shoulder, my skin crawling at his very touch. "Her death was quick and virtually painless, I promise you."

Some people would try and tell me that revenge isn't the answer…that Sapphire wouldn't want me to be like this. She would want me to live on and be happy.

Those are empty words. Sapphire can't say anything anymore.

She's gone.

"The girl probably didn't even feel a thing."

There's only me left. No one can tell me what is right and what is wrong. No one can tell me what I need to do. I wanted justice.

And I would have it right now.

I lunged for his throat, voicing all my pent up rage and fury. I could have managed to snap his neck pretty easily if the sharp pain in my gut hadn't stopped me, cutting off my scream in a ragged gasp.

The lightning lit up his face, the patronizing sneer taunting me. "Although, I can't promise the same for you, Ruby."

I looked down, watching as my lifeblood oozed around the knife hilt protruding from my stomach. Bile built up in the back of my throat; my knees gave out, sending me to the ground.

The man stood over me, the same smile still stretched across his face. "Just think of this as a favor; I've given you a one-way ticket to visit that little bitch you loved so much. No need to thank me, though! It's the least I can do, since you're giving me the great pleasure of watching you die. Slowly…and painfully." He chuckled, walking away.

Painful coughs shook my body; I could taste the bitter tang of blood trickling from my mouth. I closed my eyes, biting my lip to silence the screams.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen.

My eyes flew open, forgetting all the pain.

This was supposed to be my revenge.

I struggled to my knees, newfound rage surging through my veins.

This taste in my mouth was supposed to be sweet.

Quietly, I rose to my feet, my anger giving me strength. I ripped the knife from my own stomach, stalking my prey. He would not take this away from me too.

He didn't even have a chance to turn around.

I managed to stumble out of sight of the corpse before collapsing against a tree, retching more blood and bile. I feebly reached up a hand to wipe the mess off my chin, the energy from my rage quickly ebbing into fatigue. I looked down at my clothes; they were completely ruined. Between the blood splatters and tears, there was now way that I could possibly salvage them.

Despite myself, I laughed. I laughed and laughed…laughed until the pain choked off my laughter.

It's funny to think that only now, I'm beginning to worry about my appearance. To think that only now, all the bruises and gashes I've obtained are beginning to throb unbearably. That only now, the grief I've bottled up from loosing Sapphire is hitting me like a freight train.

Rain began to pelt my immobile body, washing away the tears and the blood in rivers of ruby red.

Ruby red…how fitting. I wonder…if this is what my parents had in mind…when they…