Evening has fallen in Hoenn. In the countryside of Petalburg City, Ruby and Wally have found their way back to the same spot where they met earlier that day. The frail young lad is still uneasy about venturing out in the dark as he has never done so before, but Ruby assures him that things are fine and tells him to open his eyes to see the beauty of the evening Pokémon world. A patch of glowing lights gracefully flitter above the bushes and slowly reveal themselves as Volbeats and Illumises, all the while two Surskits quietly skate across the calm surface of the lake. A Linoon pops its head out under a tree branch and just as quickly disappears to continue scavenging for food.

Wally watches all this with amazement and Ruby says they should start looking for something appropriate for a capture. Wally suddenly spots a funny red zigzag line floating in the bushes, and Ruby calls for Zuzu to check it out. Before the little Mudkip could get close, an invisible object shoots out from the zigzag line and knocks it over. Aggravated, Zuzu gets right back up and starts kicking mud towards its attacker. The outline of a lizard slowly takes form, and the two boys gasp in surprise as the creature shakes off the mud to reveal itself as a wild Kecleon, the color swap Pokémon. It lashes out its long tongue to constrict Zuzu, who instantly wiggles free of the restraint and slams the tongue hard onto the ground.

The Kecleon retracts its injured tongue and starts to run away. Wally immediately gives chase and says he wants the Pokémon, much to Ruby's horror. Ruby frantically grabs the other boy's collar and says the ugly creature will not make it in any contest categories, but Wally says he finds its ability to turn invisible interesting. Ruby puts on a troubled look but decides to let the boy make his own choice. The two soon come an opening in the woods facing the sea, and Ruby immediately exclaims at the fabulous view. Wally, on the other hand, warns that the tidal waves coming from the water route 105 are known to be vicious and says people usually stay out of the area.

Ruby turns and spots the Kecleon hiding in between the trees behind them. He tells Wally to use Ruru, and the boy nervously calls out the psychic little Pokémon. Kecleon starts to flee again but Ruru instantly traps it in a confusion attack. This considerable weakens the color swap Pokémon, and Wally decides to try his luck and tosses out an empty Pokéball. However, Kecleon is still able to resist capture and swats the device away with its tongue. Wally attempts a second throw, but that, too, fails. The frail young lad begins to pant and Ruby gets worried about his physical condition, but Wally puts on a weak smile and says he has never felt so energized in his life. He thanks Ruby for letting him experience all this, and Ruby remarks that the boy must be having very positive disposition as well. He points towards Ruru's glowing horns and says the horns of Ralts emit light when the Pokémon detects positive emotions in the people around them.

Wally starts to get teary eyed and reaches into his pocket to pull out an oval shaped machine. He places it in Ruby's hands and says it is a thank you gift for his help. Wally explains that the device is known as the PokéNavi, developed by the Devon Corporation, and it would come in handy during contests with its ability to show the condition of Pokémons. Ruby looks at the machine in amusement and disbelief, and says he couldn't receive such an expensive gift, but Wally remarks that having Ruby teach him about the wonders of capturing Pokémons is already more than he could ask for.

The wild Kecleon is on the verge of fainting as Ruru continues its confusion assault. Ruby warns that at this stage, Kecleons would start putting on their camouflage, and no sooner has he said that, the color swap Pokémon begins to go invisible. The two boys, however, are not the slightest bit concerned as they've already learnt of the one and only body part of the Pokémon that could never be hidden. Wally watches the Kecleon disppear until the red zigzag line on its stomach alone remains visible, then hurries towards it and aims a Pokéball straight for the spot. In a blinding flash, the red and white device drops to the ground, shakes a few times, and successfully traps the wild Kecleon. Wally nervously walks up to the ball to pick it up, and immediately breaks into tears when he realizes it was not a dream and he has actually made his very first capture. He cries with joy that he would now have company in Verdanturf Town, and Ruby happily congratulates his new friend.

Just then, the ground begins to rumble and Wally exclaims in horror that it must be another of those earthquakes that happen at an abnormally frequent rate lately. The two quickly turn to head back towards the city, but the land starts to crack and divide between them, leaving Ruby on one side and Wally on the other with Ruru. The ground beneath Ruby begins to tumble into the sea and Wally tries unsuccessfully to reach for him. Ruby yells out for Ruru to look after Wally, and quickly gets carried away by the strong water currents. Wally frantically screams as he watches his friend disappear into the storming seas, and eventually faints.

The next morning, by the light of day, the bus departing for Verdenturf has arrived outside Wally's flat. The frail young lad wakes up in his own room to find Ruby's Ralts, Ruru, on his bedside. He realizes the little Pokémon must have used its psychic powers to teleport him back to his own place. The events of the night before immediately kicks into his mind, and he wonders what has become of Ruby. The horn on Ruru's head starts to glow and Wally wonders whether it was Ruby's or his own emotions that triggered it. The boy tries to fight back the negative thoughts in his head but finds that he couldn't dismiss the one horrifying possibility: his new friend might not have survived the ground-shattering earthquake...

Countdown to our heroes' rival showdown: 77 days!

Thanks To Coronis For Writing this for us