Ok, I have been playing pkmn ruby recently and I want to talk about it.
Mudkip is the BEST pkmn for the game. everything will still be challenging but not impossible to beat (like any other gen 1-3 water type). Poochyena is also an underrated pkmn. Poochyena is great for running away in battles where you can't. Poochyena is also pretty is easy to train is this game. They are also good back up. Both of these pkmn are the only good babies I have seen so far. The game starts out pretty slow at first but seems to progress quicker after the rock gym.
In conclusion, No one talks about how good Poochyena is and Mudkip is my favorite starter.