Before we begin, kudos to Noble graysin and Guest for getting it right!

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Chapter 4: Believe in Me!

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After a life-or-death struggle, returning to the hustle and bustle of Mistral felt almost weird. The people were walking around like it was another day. The sense of sheer normality made Ruby feel like nothing at all had happened even though she knew that could not be further from the truth.

Pyrrha had already left them to report what had happened back to the League and leave the wild Pokemon in the proper hands. Meanwhile, Ruby had taken a much-needed shower in her room.

Being covered in mud was surprisingly a lot less fun than it had been when she was five.

As for Yang, she was...

"Yang?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"What are you doing?" Ruby had just come into Yang's room after changing only to find her sister sitting on the floor cross-legged and with her eyes closed.

"I am meditating," came the reply from Yang. The blonde did not stand up or even open her eyes. She just remained sitting on the floor, calm and peaceful.

The sight sent shivers down Ruby's spine.

That was just wrong.

Now, Ruby would be the first person to say her sister was totally awesome because she totally was. You didn't get to be a Dex Holder with seven badges by collecting bottle caps. That said, Ruby knew better than anyone that Yang did not do calm and peaceful. Pleased? Yes. Satisfied? Constantly. Both usually came after liberal applications of violence and were often followed by the same.

However, Ruby had never really seen her sister just sit there and do nothing.

"Ruby?" Yang asked after opening one of her eyes and seeing her sister aiming her Pokedex at her.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?

"Just checking to see whether you are Ditto or a Zorua."

For that comment, Ruby received a pillow to the face and just like that, the world made sense again.

"Funny," Yang grumbled. "If you must know, it's his idea."

Yang pointed to the Throh in the corner of the room. The short, red Pokemon was seated in the exact same position as Yang. His breathing was slow and steady. He was so quiet and still Ruby hadn't noticed him until Yang pointed him out.

"He convinced you to stay still for more than a minute?" Ruby blinked as her brain processed the new information. "How?"

Arceus knew their dad would love to know the secret.

Yang snorted. "Well, Throh here doesn't seem to think I am entirely qualified to be his trainer." She shot him a dirty look which the Pokemon did an admirable job of ignoring. He didn't even seem to notice they were talking about him.

"He's one of "those" Pokemon," Yang said, summing up her situation to Ruby.

Ah. Ruby nodded in understanding. Every Trainer who aimed for the big leagues encountered at least one during their journey or so had Uncle Qrow told her. That one Pokemon in your party that didn't seem to think you were good enough to listen to. Some Trainers managed to earn the Pokemon's respect. Others ended up trading it away.

There were even cases where Pokemon who didn't respect their Trainers chose to run away from them.

"Before you ask if I have thought about trading him, he won't go for that," Yang said, pointing at Throh with her thumb. "Plus, he was a gift from a Gym Leader so it'd be a bit awkward if I gave him away."

Yang grumbled something about 'dumb gym leaders' and 'no-good, backstabbing Pikachu' under her breath. Wisely, Ruby chose not to ask.

"Since I can't just give him away and he doesn't want to go away, we worked it out like this. See, he thinks I'm too reckless," Yang said in a way that implied that couldn't be further from the truth.

It took all Ruby had not to snort at that.

"So every time I battle with him I have to pay him with a couple of hours of meditation to 'find my center.' Whatever that's supposed to mean."

"Wait," Ruby said, the corners of her lips curling up. "Are you saying... your Pokemon is training you?"

Yang glared. "Sure, laugh it up, but someday it is going to happen to you, and then we'll see how you handle it."

Ruby held up her hands. "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

"I was thinking it," Ruby admitted.

"It is not so bad," Yang said after a while. "Other than this, Throh doesn't really cause any trouble. He even gets along well with the others."

He also hadn't interrupted them at all since they had started talking. Ruby looked at the red Pokemon, then at Yang, and back at Throh again.

She wondered if Yang had noticed just how well she understood what Throh wanted and what that meant for the two of them. After all, not many trainers could say the same.

Sure, Ruby could understand most of what came out of Crescent Rose's mouth as if it was perfect English and she was certain Yang could say the same for Ember Celica, but that was because they were awesome like that. Sorta. At least that was how uncle Qrow had explained it. Her father had given her a longer, more boring explanation which she didn't remember all that well, but she had the gist of it.

Really.

It was not her fault her uncle's drunken lectures made more of an impact. He was a really charismatic drunk. Everyone said so.

The point was she knew not every Trainer could bond with their Pokemon like that. For Yang to be so in-synch with a Pokemon she was supposedly having trouble with was very impressive.

Her sister was cool like that.

Yep, there was no way she hadn't noticed it.

"It is a bit annoying but it is worth it," Yang said. A frown appeared on her face. "Especially this time. Ruby, I... I am sorry."

Ruby blinked. "Huh, for what?"

"You know why," Yang said. "You could have died today. If Pyrrha and I got gotten there a moment later..."

"That wasn't your fault," Ruby protested.

Yang slammed her fist against the floor. "Like hell it wasn't! Ruby, I told you to go there."

"Actually, you told me not to go," Ruby said, pointedly raising a finger. It was a very good point. At least she thought so.

The fierceness in Yang's eyes told her she did not share her vision.

Ruby's finger slowly came down like a kite with no wind to hold it.

"Ruby, I know you. I wrote that letter so you would want to come find us," Yang said. It had been a great idea. At least she thought so at the time. An opportunity for her little sister to get her feet wet under mostly controlled circumstances.

That plan had crashed and burned.

"I'd have gone after you anyway. You know that," Ruby pointed out. "I'd have gone there even if you hadn't been here at all."

The chance to see a Gym Leader take care of a wild Pokemon? Who wouldn't want to see that?

"Without me, you wouldn't have had a map showing you exactly where you shouldn't go," Yang replied, eyes downcast. It was not a look Ruby was used to seeing on her sister, and it was not one she liked at all. "Ruby, I am supposed to take care of you, not lead you into danger again-"

"That wasn't your fault!" Ruby's reply was instant. Her hands were balled into little fists and her silver eyes were fierce.

Yang shot her a look.

"Okay, maybe it was," Ruby admitted. "But we were young. This is different. Who could have known it'd be some sort of super Slaking?"

Seeing that Yang about to open her mouth, Ruby sighed and shoved her red Pokedex on Yang's face.

"Ruby?" Yang asked.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?

"Showing you my Pokedex," Ruby said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It really was.

"Yeah, I get that, but-"

"My Pokedex," Ruby repeated, emphasizing the first word and shaking the red gadget in front of Yang's face. "I passed the tests. I earned it. I am a Trainer now. Just like you. Just like dad... and just like mom. I am going to run into dangerous situations."

It was pretty much inevitable. Anything could happen in the wilderness.

"But I am not going to break. I am not a little kid anymore," Ruby said, bringing her Pokedex to her chest.

"Not a kid, huh?" Yang said, after a long silence. There was an unusually pensive look on her face. "Yeah, I guess you aren't one anymore."

Yang sighed. "But I still worry, you know? I can't just turn that off."

"I get it." A bright smile spread across Ruby's face. "But Crescent Rose and I are really strong now. You don't have to worry about me all the time."

"Strong?" Though faint there was a small smile on her face. "I think Korosed and I might have to test that."

Ruby's smile grew into a grin.

"How about it, sis? Let's have a match after I get my badge."

"Crescent Rose and I are going to kick your ass!" Ruby promised. Yang laughed and caught her sister in a bear hug. Ruby could only yelp in surprise as Yang moved her around so she had her in a headlock, ready to give her a noogie.

"Wait! Stop! No fair!"

"What's wrong? I thought you were a big strong trainer now?" Yang taunted.

As Ruby futilely tried to break out of her sister's grip, Throh smiled.

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"I can't believe I lost," Yang said, looking a little lost as they walked away from the Gym.

"At least you got the badge," Ruby tried to cheer her up. As Pyrrha had put it, Yang had more than proven herself against the Slaking. They didn't need to have a match at all, but Yang had insisted, eager to see how she measured up against the prodigy.

"I know. I know," Yang said. "I just thought I'd do a little better against her."

Yang had looked good for the first minute of the fight but in the end, Ember Celica had not been a match for Milo.

"She did win the conference," Ruby pointed out "And she's using her real team, not a levelled one like the other Gym Leaders do."

Truth be told, Ruby was a little surprised as well. Her sister was tough. Ruby had seen that when Yang had challenged their dad for his badge. Sure, their dad hadn't used his main team but still, not everyone could claim to have earned the Sun Badge.

"I just don't get it. Ember Celica had just about every advantage against her Magneton!" Yang threw her hands up. "She's even immune to electricity!"

"Yeah, I was about to ask you about it. How did you even do that?" Last time Ruby checked Ground-Types were the ones who were immune to electricity.

Her Pokedex chose that moment to fill her in.

Through the application of extreme heat, a Fire-Type Pokemon can create a thermal lance to redirect and diffuse incoming electricity. This ability is commonly known as Air Lens.

"Oh," Ruby said, staring blankly at her Pokedex. "I mean... Of course!"

"Just heat up the air enough and stuff happens," Yang explained, taking pity on her.

"Okay, that makes sense." It didn't but she at least got it.

Sorta.

"Tell you what, if you catch a Fire-Type, I'll teach you how to do it," Yang offered.

Ruby pumped her fist. Yes!

"As a matter of fact, I happen to know a spot near Vale that's just perfect for catching Fire-Type Pokemon, if you're interested," Yang offered.

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Not going to work, Yang."

"What?" Yang, bless her heart, tried to look innocent. Tried to.

Even if she had been good at it, Ruby was the undisputed master of looking innocent. There was no way she could fall for it.

Except when Zwei did it.

"You go with me to Vale and next, you're going to want to see my first Gym Battle and I'm going to say yes. Then something else is going to come up and we start traveling together for a while and suddenly, you're babying me the whole journey."

Yang crossed her arms. "You're surprisingly not cute when you're being perceptive."

"I am adorable and you know it!" Ruby said, holding up her little fists.

She really was.

"Plus, dad told me he offered to train you in Dragon Mountain when you had your eighth badge."

Yang looked away. "Ah, he told you that."

Dragon Mountain was what Ruby and Yang called the mountain officially known as Golden Spire, the coolest place in Patch Island. Not that Ruby had ever been there, but it had tons of Dragon Pokemon. How could it not be awesome?

Due to its high amount of high-levelled Dragon-Types, not everyone was allowed to go to the mountain. In fact, most people were banned from even getting close to the area. Dragons were among the strongest of Pokemon and the average trainer simply could not handle one.

That's why no matter how much they had begged, their father had never taken them there to catch Dragon Pokemon. Even Uncle Qrow had said it was too dangerous, and he had been drunk at the time.

"Of course, I heard! It's Dragon Mountain! We have been wanting to go there since forever. Sis, you can't give that up to babysit me across Remnant."

"Hey, it's not babysitting."

This time, it was Ruby's turn to cross her arms and stare.

Yang held her stare for a solid minute before looking away. "Okay so maybe it is."

"It totally is."

"Fine. Fine. I get the message." Yang threw her hands up. "You're not a kid anymore so I won't baby you."

Ruby puffed her chest.

"Even though you haven't actually grown that much," Yang said, literally looking down on her.

Something that was meant to be a scowl but was too adorable to be called that appeared on Ruby's face. "I will punch you."

"You will kick me," Yang corrected, patting Ruby on the head. "But first, let's go to the Pokemon Center. I need to leave Ember Celica with Nurse Joy. We can have that battle I promised you after that."

As the two sisters walked a thought occurred to Yang.

"Hey, how did you manage to get a room in the Pokemon Center? I was sure that place was going to be full."

"Oh, that," Ruby said, seemingly disinterested. "I met a guy who let me stay in his room."

Ten seconds passed before the words fully registered in Yang's brain.

What?"

xXx

"A Shadow Pokemon? Are you certain?"

"I have never encountered one before, so there is a possibility I may be mistaken. However, it matched every description I have ever read about them. That Pokemon... it felt wrong. It wasn't just its behavior. There was something deeply wrong with its Aura, if it could even be referred to as such in that stage."

"That is troubling. Have you notified Ironwood?"

"Yes, I have reported the incident to the Champion. Currently, the Pokemon is in containment. League officials have already been dispatched to transport it to a more secure location."

"I see. I appreciate you informing me of this."

"There is no telling if there is another one out there. Our cities are close to one another so I thought it prudent to let you know, Gym Leader-"

"Pyrrha, I have told you more than enough times there is no need for formalities between us. We are both Gym Leaders. You are free to use my name."

"I am sorry. You are right. Thanks... Cinder."

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Chapter 4 – End

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AN: The first arc comes to a close and more is revealed.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have Shadow Pokemon. For those not familiar with Shadow Pokemon, look them up. They are a thing.

In other news, I have written a small one-shot for RWBY. Those interested in reading it can find it along with plenty of other stuff on my profile page.

Next time! Jaune goes fishing, and things happen all over Remnant.

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