notes – A lighthearted character study of the heroes from Ruby's POV. Phosphenes are the stars and colours you see when you rub your eyes.

Phosphenes

Ruby thinks he sees a pattern in all of this.

Maybe it's because he's been sleeping in his own bed for once instead of camping out on the cold hard floor of the Secret Base. Maybe it's because he changed his shampoo one week ago and all the minerals are working their magic on his roots already. Or perhaps it's because he's always been this fabulous. On second thought, of course it is.

He's figured out why all the Dex Holders have been drawn towards acts of heroism: they have collective, irrevocable bad luck and/or timing. Okay, so maybe most people their age do, teenage life is dreadful like that. But the Dex Holders seem to be especially unlucky, Ruby swears by his prized fashion magazines.

Most of them weren't really born to be heroes. Red's the only exception to this, but that's because he's Red, the legendary boy who got frozen twice, steered an aircraft with zero qualifications, and survived with plenty of cheerfulness to spare. Logic stopped being applicable to him a very long time ago.

In fact, while most of them have saved the world once, others at least four times, they are awkward teenagers at best.

Ruby doesn't know if he should be feeling proud or depressed. Conflict, conflict, conflict, – as if he doesn't have enough of that with Sapphire already.

Gold likes to be illegal.

Sometimes he does it on purpose. Usually, he just does whatever the hell he wants.

Ruby is thoroughly unsettled by this, but it's not like he can do anything about it. Crystal has been trying for five years to institutionalize him and Gold is still resolved to be a miscreant – an obnoxious, disruptive miscreant. Ruby's biggest regret is ever allowing himself ten feet within Gold's sight. Once you get mixed up with him, everything just tumbles into trouble.

"Why is this happening to me? Why?" Ruby clutches his head in his hands and shakes it furiously. He only ran away from home once. Once! Did that really warrant all this divine punishment?

When the typlosion he's clinging onto for dear life barrels through a thick wall of forest, Ruby wails.

"Quit being a wimp, Fashionable Lad," Gold orders, riding up front.

Ruby really, really wants to shove him off that high horse.

"I am never – repeat – never coming back to Johto ever again!" he exclaims, brushing the leaves off his clothes.

"Aw, why not?" Gold asks conversationally, looking over his shoulder; as if they aren't in a wild chase scene, bounding through the middle of a huge forest.

"If I ever survive this, I'm never going near you again!"

"You're so dramatic," the older boy laughs easily, ducking his head to avoid a protruding tree branch.

"Well, who was the one who picked a fight with those biker thugs on the road?" The branch thwacks Ruby in the middle of his forehead. "My face!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault that the guy had a little back-up." Gold shrugs.

"An army!" Ruby corrects him in a shrill voice.

"We could have totally taken them on."

"Says the guy who left me alone when he heard the police sirens," Ruby sighs. Silver's perpetual irritation is completely justified now.

He's tired from all the shouting, and the typlosion's pelt is admittedly comfy now that he's gotten used to the bumps on the road. Its fur could definitely use some conditioning and a brushing down though. He props his chin in his palm and tucks his legs underneath him, deciding that if he's riding a beefy pokémon and escaping possible arrest, he should do so in style.

Yellow stands on the other side of the spectrum. While Gold is too illegal to be a proper hero, Yellow is far too humble and modest and blonde. Yes, blonde. She could afford to dye her hair into a lighter shade of blonde, it would suit her eyes more.

"So if I sew some beautiful clothes for your pokémon, will you help me win my next contest?"

"Sure thing," she says without a fuss. She's a nice girl with no demands. Ruby could get used to their partnership.

"Alright, then this is between you and me. We won't mention it to anyone," he states. Yellow nods in agreement, her eyes brightening at the thought of Ratty having his own tailor-made hat, and Kitty having a toasty coat when the weather's cold. She turns to listen to Zuzu as he gestures to the entrance of the Secret Base and croaks.

"He says he hears Sapphire coming," Yellow informs Ruby.

The boy jumps off the stool and hurries to clear his sewing kits and the stacks of papers around them (all fashion works-in-progress). It's too late though. Sapphire bursts into the Secret Base, bulldozing through his perfect alignment of the pokédolls, his collection of cloths and a boxes of needles in the process. Ruby feels very faint. Yellow catches him before he falls and Zuzu rights him back onto his feet.

"Yellow! Wanna' go climb some trees? Explore the forest?" Sapphire ignores the mess she's invoked, jumping eagerly on the spot.

"Sorry Sapph', but we have some important matters to attend to," Ruby tells her with a smug grin, a torchic doll in his arms.

Sapphire's expression shifts from anger to curiosity. "What kinda' matters?"

"It's a secret! I could tell you but…" Ruby trails off.

Yellow tugs the sleeve of his shirt. "I – I thought you said we wouldn't talk about it?" the blonde reminds him in a quiet voice.

"You see, Yellow," Ruby starts, raising his index finger and the torchic along with it, "there's no point in keeping secrets unless people know we're keeping secrets."

She smiles a tight-lipped, disapproving sort of smile, as if to say 'I don't think that's the right thing to do'. Sapphire complements Yellow with a frown on her face, and he can tell she's eyeballing him with something along the lines of 'you better tell me now if you know what's good for you'. Do all girls know how to talk with their mouths closed?

Ruby has to pick up this neat trick – if he survives Sapphire's interrogation.

One thing about being a hero is the publicity and recognition that comes along with it. Ruby can safely say that he doesn't really mind this part of the job. It's the 'hero-ing' part that tends to ruffle his feathers. Sapphire is always there to iron them back in place though.

He remembers the celebration after the Jirachi crisis at the Battle Frontier. He'd lost the tournament mid-way through, but he still received a medal at the awards ceremony. It recognized his participation in saving Hoenn from flooding over and saving five renowned seniors. It hadn't been that bad. He'd exploited the time on stage to show off his team of pokémon, prepped and primed to perfection.

He recalls people like Blue, Red and Emerald seeping in the attention, waving at the spectators – Gold attempting to surf the crowd. Others like Yellow, Green, Crystal and Sapphire all humble and quiet, treating the audience like a fleeting acquaintance. Silver, though, visibly cringes when his name is called. He receives the medal with an uncomfortable hunch in his shoulders.

During the swanky after-party, everyone wears their medals but him and Silver. Ruby opts for this choice to prevent clashing colours on his outfit. He dangles the golden medal around his wrist instead.

He follows Silver out to the balcony, curious with nothing else to do. He would be with his Master, but apparently he's waltzing with Winona.

"Senior," Ruby says easily, "are you alright?"

Silver looks over his shoulder, his dark jacket blending into the night. "Yes. I'm just glad to be out of that stone," he says. "Thanks," he adds, not sure what else to say.

"You aren't wearing the medal," Ruby kind of just states, breaking the silence.

"It's in my pocket," Silver replies, voice pricked in defense.

"Oh, no, don't get the wrong idea! I think the medal is a little gaudy myself." Ruby laughs. Silver smiles a small, amused smile even though it doesn't seem like he can totally relate to Ruby's opinion.

"It's not that," the older boy says, voice softer. "I don't know why I'm telling you this, maybe it's because it's easier than to tell someone like Gold or Blue," Silver contemplates. Ruby quiets down and listens – – potential gossip material?

"I was never into being a hero, I don't think I was made for it. I think I just got swept up in everything up to a point where I just wanted to help out," Silver tells him.

Ruby straightens his back and gapes.

"S-soulmates!" Ruby declares. He throws his arms around the redhead for extra measure.

It's right at this moment that Sapphire steps out onto the balcony, carrying two drinks in her hands. "Oi! How long are you going to be out– " she stops in her tracks.

Ruby is forced to pay for two broken champagne glasses.

Blue might end up in jail one day.

Strike that. She's too wily and intelligent to ever land up behind bars. Also, Ruby is devastated by the sheer thought of his most reliable shopping companion having to wear zebstrika stripes – cardinal fashion sin, much?

They've shopped in Celadon and Goldenrod, and are currently conquering the newly rebuilt Lilycove Department Store.

Blue skips beside him, paper bags hanging at her wrists and elbows. Ruby carries marginally less, but is still equally satisfied by the horde of items he's procured from the outrageous discounts and sales. When she tucks her hair behind an ear, the dangling pearl earrings catch Ruby's eye.

"I didn't see you buy any jewelry," he coughs, already feeling unsettled. He remembers Red telling him stories about how Blue used to be a little… whimsical in her younger years.

"Oh, I didn't," Blue grins, her eyes twinkling.

Ruby would drop the bags he's carrying if they didn't cost 2000 pokédollars.

"W-what?" he hisses, pushing Blue and himself behind a shelf of pokémon dolls.

"You could say I swiped them." She winks, adjusting the earrings with the air of someone who hasn't committed blatant theft. Ruby really should reconsider the circumference of his social circle.

"Isn't that, um, a criminal offense?"

"What?" Blue looks surprisingly surprised. The realization spreads across her face after awhile, probably because the only expression on his face is panic. "Oh, Ruby! I stopped petty thieving a long time ago," she assures him with a laugh. She makes it sound like she's moved on to more advanced methods of crime. Ruby doesn't want to find out.

"I got these free with a purchase, silly!" she explains, smoothing the creases in her shirt.

Ruby breathes a sigh of relief.

"Now, these pair of gorgeous heels, on the other hand– "

A wise voice at the back of his head says: Ruby, you are a wonderful boy, why do you torment yourself so much?

"I don't know, inside voice. I really don't know."

"Sorry?" Blue blinks her eyes and smiles.

"Ehm, nothing," Ruby clears his throat. He frequently pretends not to know many things. It's a force of habit. This is just something else to add to the list.

Green isn't cut out for the stardom of being a hero. It's mostly because nothing ever seems to satisfy him.

He is critical about everything: his opponent's lineup of pokémon, how some people tend to talk too loud, the colour of the grass. Ruby watches how he takes in everything with those narrowed eyes.

Thus, Ruby must conclude that Green is quite possibly the coolest person he's ever met! (Discounting the Master and the Grand Master, of course.)

"… Can I help you?" Green asks in a careful tone when he realizes that Ruby is staring at him.

"Just stand there, if you don't mind," Ruby muses, tapping a finger on the frame of his spectacles. He tries to capture Green's classic aloofness and package it at the back of his head. It'll come in handy the next time he's prepping a contest routine for Nana in the Cool category. Will Green notice if he takes a photo of him for reference?

The older boy arches an eyebrow, but the surprise slowly eases off his face. He loosens his shoulders and continues sifting through the research papers in his hands, undeterred.

Sapphire is behind Ruby, pep-talking her team of pokémon and stretching her muscles with them, warming up for a battle. The excitement on her face lights up the entire room. Green's gym is simple, with dark walls and a few gym trainers hanging around the renovated floor, texting on their pokégears from where they stand between the neon directional arrows. He could afford to be more creative and flashy– Ruby certainly would if he had his own gym.

Snap!

"What was that sound?" Green looks up from the documents.

Ruby just pockets his camera and nudges Sapphire into the challenger's arena.

Crystal is a much better at desk jobs than she is at being a hero.

Ruby means this in the most flattering way possible.

He knows who to go to when he wants to have a look at a rare, beautiful pokémon for inspiration. Crystal usually has one of every species stored in the PC boxes of the lab. Roserade? Caught two months ago. Gorebyss? It's been swimming in the lake out back since half a year back. Articuno? Hold on for a sec, I'll drop by to Seafoam Islands and see what I can do about it.

Even if she doesn't have the pokémon in question, the girl could easily walk outside and capture said pokémon without a fuss. Crystal is a girl who will never say no to any request as long as you ask politely and tell her she is the best in her field. Ruby likes her because she is the least complicated girl he knows, and he's eternally grateful for that.

It's just that sometimes, she seems like a workaholic.

Ruby pampers Coco's fur with a short hairbrush, sitting in a swivel chair beside Crystal and waiting for her to finish up work for the day. Sapphire is outside the lab trying to see if she can beat the chimchar in vine-swinging or some other Neanderthal past time.

When Professor Oak steps out of his private office, he makes a beeline towards Crystal.

"It's your turn to take time off," he says with a smile.

Crystal doesn't respond at first, punching numbers into a calculator and penning the answers down onto the documents she's fussing over. The professor has to clear his throat, and even then, Ruby has to poke her shoulder to get her to raise her head.

She looks at Oak's meaningful gaze and already knows that he wants her out of the lab and acting like a typical teenager, living off adrenaline and being nocturnal .Crystal is anything but that. Her brow creases and the corners of her lips quirk, like she's humoring the professor. She returns her attention to her work shortly after.

"That won't be necessary. I still have a lot of papers to file," she explains.

"I'll get the others to do it for you."

She doesn't look like she can trust 'the others'.

"It's fine, sir," she assures him with a grin.

"Crystal, if you don't take the next week off I'm going to have to give the break to another assistant – again," Oak tells her, emphasizing on the last word.

No response.

"… Crystal. There are labour laws, even in the Pokémon world," he whispers.

She stops scrawling the necessary details onto the documents and slowly puts the ballpoint pen down. "… Fine," the girl grudges, pushing away from the desk, "I'll take a short break."

Ruby is amazed at how she can make taking a holiday sound like a sacrifice.

Diamond, Pearl and Platinum remind him of those glass figures that come in sets of three. You have to buy the whole set even if you just want the prettiest, regal centre piece because they can't be sold separately.

"I heard there was a huge museum here!" Pearl hooks Diamond and Platinum by their elbows and tugs them towards the direction of Slateport's famous museum.

"But I want to go and try out the food at the beach shack, Pearl," Diamond says even though he's already got four rice balls in his hands.

Ruby remembers promising Professor Birch to help the three youngest Dex Holders get settled in Hoenn, but he didn't really sign up to be a tour guide. He's above that.

"Ruby! Did you bring the equipment?" Sapphire's question tears him from the sanctity of his mind. He grudgingly unzips his backpack to show her that he's packed the test tubes and tweezers and other junk she made him carry along with them. Somehow, he's not above being Sapphire's pack mule. There is something terribly wrong with this equation.

"I would like to see the museum," Platinum announces, "but first, I intend to visit the city's Contest Hall."

Ruby's fabulous-senses tingle.

"Did you say contest?" He rushes over and clasps her hands dearly. Finally, someone with common sense! Oh, and a beautiful pair of rings. He has inbuilt respect for girls who know how to accessorize.

"Yes! I do enjoy them," the Lady smiles. The two boys flanking her don't look as delighted, but that's just because they don't understand the art of Coordination, the prestige of the contest hall and the majesty of pokémon being beautiful. Ruby pities them and everyone else who can't see the wonder of contests, he really does.

Sapphire makes a dismissive noise to remind him that she's still there.

"Sapph! Look, can we stop by the Contest Hall and participate in a teeny contest before we go and risk liability in the forest?" Ruby asks hopefully.

"It's nott'a liability! It's important fieldwork!" she snaps back.

Her temper frightens the three juniors, who shrink back in unison. Ruby doesn't blame them. He only stopped being terrified of Sapphire's outbursts when he was thirteen and learned that it wasn't really because she was angry. (Curse you, PMS!)

"I-if Missy wants to go there, then we'd be happy to go," Diamond interjects quietly, nibbling on a rice ball. Pearl nods, folding his hands without a fuss. "In fact, we will go!" the blond insists. The girl between them stands there with her chin tilted, nonchalant about the compliance of her two companions, as if she expects nothing less from them.

The trio are nothing like him and Sapphire – their bond is strong and comfortable and there's no air of tension between them even though it's pretty obvious both Pearl and Diamond have the hots for Platinum.

Now that's friendship.

Or a train wreck waiting to happen. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.

And then, there is Sapphire.

No matter how heroic she can get, deep down, she's just a young girl who's been led astray by the myth of romance.

"Do you like me or not?" she asks, hanging off an icky vine outside the entrance of their base.

She's broaching that taboo topic again. No. Just. No. Being a fabulously unlucky teenager who's saved the world twice and conquered all the Master Rank contests in Hoenn and Johto doesn't mean he's ready to confront this hot mess of feelings and emotions. There are just some things in this world that are too impossible to surmount.

"Yes or no?" She looms overhead, hands on her hips. This all feels more like threat than a lovey-dovey confession scene.

And the voice at the back of his head tells him: Ruby, sometimes you need to be a man. This is not one of those times.

final notes
– thank you to Snoaz!
– the fic isn't written in chronological order, but where it can be applied, I imagine that Ruby and Sapphire are 14/15, with the oldest Dex Holders being 19.
– the 'deal' Ruby made with Yellow was that she would help him translate Coco/Nana's opinions about their contest apparel so he'd be able to improve his designs for his next contest, in exchange for a few pieces of clothing for her own pokémon.
– & I feel that it's all these little traits that make our dex holders the heroes of their stories, and I hope Ruby helped to bring that out as well, thank you for reading!