A/N: So I STILL shouldn't be making new stories, I'm being stupid with my stories again, but I just spent literally all of Saturday playing the new Pokemon game and it is AWESOME. This is the only game I've loved enough to play straight through - it's been two days and I'm already through all eight gym leaders, heading on to the Elite Four. (Or I would have been if I hadn't gotten distracted, dammit, Anna.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Title: Another Kind of Battle
Author: liketolaugh
Rating: T
Pairings: None
Genre: Friendship/Adventure
Warnings: AU
Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Sinnoh Ash in later chapters.)
Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.
One of Ed's earliest memories was an impression of darkness, his small body held close to Jigglypuff's warm fur as she sang to him. Little Minun, barely more than a baby then, crouched on Jigglypuff's shoulder and stared at him with wide eyes.
Large, cold hands lifted him from Jigglypuff's hold and he cried, upset that he'd been separated from Jigglypuff, making Minun's eyes well up as she started to wail, too. Daddy hastily gave him to Mommy, just warm skin and a soft smile, who laughed and held him close until he fell asleep.
"Brother?"
Al's soft, sleepy voice broke into Ed's dreams, and he yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"Al?" he asked sleepily, peering at Al.
"I need to potty," Al whispered, squirming.
Ed blinked at him owlishly for a moment – Al was adorable, he really was, but it was early – before he yawned, nodded, and rolled out of bed, accidentally jostling Minun awake.
Minun sat up and looked at them quizzically, blinking tiredly. She'd grown up a lot faster than them, and though she was still young, she'd taken responsibility for them, especially Ed, like Plusle had for Al. Ed shrugged at her, but Al insisted, "Potty!" and Minun, too, yawned and got out of bed, ushering the two toddlers out of the room, leaving only Plusle, curled up in Al's bed.
They had just left the bathroom when Minun suddenly moved to block their sight. Al just blinked at her and rubbed his eye tiredly, but Ed frowned and craned his neck to look past. He tilted his head.
Mom and Dad were talking, and a suitcase rested in Dad's hand, like when he went for a business trip. But he never went for a business trip at night, he always smiled awkwardly at them and announced it over breakfast, and then left right after. Mom looked sad, but resigned, and Dad turned, facing the door. Ed's hand tightened on Al's. Where was Dad going? Why wasn't he saying goodbye? Dad always said goodbye.
"Min!" Minun said sharply, sparking slightly with anger. Dad paused, and Mom gasped softly, eyes wide and guilty and darting toward them.
"Ed? Al? What are you doing up?" Her voice was soft and gentle, not quite enough to hide the startled tint to it.
"Al had to go potty," Ed whispered, eyes on Dad.
"Min-un!" Minun insisted, taking a step forward and sparking dangerously at Dad. She'd never liked him; Ed had never understood why. It was Ed's fault he didn't like picking him up, after all, not Dad's.
It didn't stop Dad from stepping out, nor did it stop the door from swinging shut behind him. And he didn't say goodbye, and there were tears in Mom's eyes, and Ed's heart stopped.
Minun had never liked Dad, and now Ed knew why.
Trisha collapsed on a sunny day, a day Ed, Al, Plusle, and Minun had spent running around, playing and gathering fruit in the hopes of pie.
Jigglypuff was standing over Trisha when they arrived back, chirruping in distress, blue eyes wide and teary with panicked worry.
They had never seen her so upset.
Despite having gotten sick weeks after, Jigglypuff died a few days before Trisha did.
As weak as she was, Trisha let them cry on her and cried with them until they thought they had no tears left to cry.
They were wrong.
The Elrics' house was subdued after Trisha died. Ed and Al spent long hours shut up in the study, with Plusle and Minun curled up with them, eyes sad.
That was where they were now, Ed yawning and trying to focus on the book through the haze of exhaustion. Al had long since surrendered, asleep atop his book, with Plusle strategically blocking the light so it didn't wake him.
"Mi-nu," Minun yawned, leaning her head against Ed.
"Not now, Minun," Ed yawned, frowning at his book. "Just… a little… farther…" His eyes slid shut and his head fell forward.
"Minu," Minun whispered. She yawned and stumbled up, rubbing one eye, and turned the light out, leaving the study night-dark. Then she stumbled back to Ed and curled up against him, falling fast asleep in seconds.
The anatomy book would have to wait until the next day.
Plusle and Minun didn't want to leave.
Ed guessed he understood; the two of them had always been house pokemon, unsuited to travel. Unlike most pokemon, they'd never had dreams of being stronger, faster, better. So going with a woman like Izumi, who'd already promised to teach them more than just alchemy, wasn't exactly for them.
Ed understood. It didn't mean he wasn't sad.
Plusle and Minun waved them off right alongside Winry and Pinako, and Ed and Al waved right back.
Izumi Curtis was a scary woman, and the first pokeballs Ed and Al ever saw were at her waist. In them, she held a Granbull, grumpy as all hell, and a Luxray, playful and tricky. Ed had already been shocked from behind three times, and the Luxray was usually in her pokeball.
Ed sat back in his seat with a wistful smile.
"We'll see them again, won't we, brother?" Al asked, eyes sad.
"Yeah, Al," Ed reassured him. "As soon as we're done training, we'll see them."
And they'd see their mom, too.
The island was a damned scary place. If Ed didn't want to learn so bad, he might have tried to leave. Then again, he would have failed – there were no places to swim near Resembool, and he didn't know how.
It was their third night there and they were just as horribly, hopelessly lost as they had been on the first. They had no food, they barely had a fire, and the Masked Man kept attacking them.
And Al had a pokemon. A helpless pokemon.
"He's cold," was Al's soft defense, and the helpless, sad look on Al's face was enough to stop Ed's protests, even though he had no idea how they were supposed to take care of a helpless little Togepi when they couldn't even take care of themselves.
The Masked Man attacked that night too, of course. Their newest member did nothing to discourage him, which depressed Ed; oftentimes, even those who would attack children would leave those with young Pokemon alone.
"Al!" Ed screamed, gold eyes wide and desperate. "Take the Togepi and run!"
Al looked at him with wide eyes, Togepi clutched close to his chest. "But Ed-"
"Now, Al!"
Al bit his lip and turned and ran, and Ed gritted his teeth and turned on the Masked Man, deathly pale and scared out of his mind.
"Come on, then," Ed challenged, willing his voice not to tremble.
The Masked Man turned his head in the direction Al had gone. Ed gave up on sanity and charged.
The man practically swatted him out of the air, of course; Ed landed on the ground hard and gasped out, pain bright in apple juice eyes.
A growl ripped through the clearing and a blue blur popped out of nowhere, tackling the Masked Man. When it stilled, growling at the man, Ed found it to be a Riolu, and his eyes widened.
Then the Masked Man threw the Riolu off and Ed gasped, rolling out of the way and struggling to his feet. He looked at the Riolu, the Riolu looked at him, and they both nodded.
Then they looked at the Masked Man and attacked.
Together, he and Riolu chased off the Masked Man, but not without a price; Riolu got badly hurt in the fight, his leg fractured, maybe broken, and Ed knew from previous searches that there weren't any Sitrus or Oran berries on the island, so they were on their own.
Ed called out weakly to Al, knowing that he wouldn't have gone far, and picked up Riolu as gently as he could, moving him over by the empty fire pit. When Al appeared, Togepi still safe in his arms (if shaking like a leaf), his eyes widened.
"Brother?"
Ed was biting his lip, worry in his eyes. "Wait here and look after Riolu," he said softly. "I'm gonna see about finding something to bind his leg." Ed knew that pokemon healed many times faster than humans, but it still couldn't hurt.
Riolu crooned at him as he left, and when he returned, he could feel Riolu's eyes on him the whole time he was clumsily binding the pokemon's leg.
They already had three mouths to try, and fail, to feed. What was one more?
Eevee showed up two days after Ed first figured out that to live, they needed to take life, and her timing couldn't have been better.
Their traps were good; Ed knew that. The rabbits they'd managed to catch proved that. But Riolu didn't eat meat, and, unable to get up with his hurt leg, and with Ed and Al completely clueless as to which berries were edible, he was whining with hunger every night, as quietly as he could manage. And Ed felt awful.
So when Al turned up with two cupped hands full of berries and a proud-looking Eevee by his side, and Riolu's eyes lit right up, Ed smiled and waved and welcomed the Eevee in.
Izumi came to get them at the end of the month, and she looked surprised to see so many Pokemon with them, despite how many were on the island; Ed admitted to himself that yeah, that probably wasn't the point at all.
Still, she smiled, and Granbull huffed and puffed and tried not to do the same, and Riolu, leg now healed right up, hopped in defiantly after Ed, crossing his arms and huffing. Al climbed in and gave Izumi a hopeful look with an armful of puppy-dog-eyed Togepi, and Eevee strolled in and gave her an expectant look.
Izumi huffed out a laugh. "Yes, you can keep them," she said fondly, turning away. "You did solve the riddle, after all. I think you've earned them."
She took them into town that night and bought them their first set of pokeballs, six each. Riolu beamed at Ed as Ed held one out to him, grinning, and let out a happy cry as Ed tapped him with the pokeball, catching him.
Beside them, Togepi squealed happily as Alphonse gently pressed the ball to his head, and Eevee put her front legs up on Al impatiently, crooning. Al laughed and tossed a second, and Eevee squeed as she was caught as well.
Behind them, Sig chuckled and Izumi smiled fondly.
So that's the first chapter of Another Kind of Battle. I'm telling you now that this isn't a priority story, which is why I intended to post it much later. Still, I hope you enjoy it, and please review!
