A/N: Eh... Oops? I'm sorry, guys. For some reason I thought I'd published this chapter already, and I was putting off until I wrote another. (Which I now have.) But, um, go ahead. *sheepish laugh*

Thank you to dissonantToxophilite, tylerxc626, and Alisontheperson for reviewing!

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-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)

Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.

That night, the first night back out of East City, they had a tent, a sleeping bag, and really, everything they needed that they should have brought before.

Ed woke up halfway through the night and stepped outside, Al shifting slightly as Ed moved past him but not getting up.

Ed was grateful for that; while he'd never say no if Al wanted to talk, tonight, he wanted to be alone.

He folded his legs and leaned back against a tree, staring up at the sky. They were just on the edge of a forest outside East City, and the difference between that and the desert just beyond was staggering. It was over that he gazed now.

There was nothing but stars, as far as the eye could see. Stars and the moon.

He sighed, a faint frown on his face.

He'd had a nightmare that night. It was about the transmutation, of course, and he deserved it, because it was all his fault.

Al had known it was a bad idea. Al always realized things like that before he did. Ed had known that, too. He just hadn't cared. So of course, Ed had let his foolishness and his pride get away with him.

Ed sighed again, curling up and letting his forehead fall to his knees, eyes closing. Nightmare images flashed behind his eyes, images of gaping mouths and reaching hands and screaming and flashing and white and blood.

Nightmares were so much scarier in real life.

Ed didn't know how long he sat there, but eventually, he became dimly aware of the sound of crying, heartbroken in the otherwise silent night.

Reluctantly, Ed pried his eyes open and lifted his head again. Glowing gold eyes skimmed the endless landscape, and finally, landed on a lonely Cubone, which howled miserably at the moon.

"Cubone, the Lonely Pokémon," Ed murmured to himself, smirking mirthlessly. Slowly, he stood up and stretched, eyes closed, intending to sink back into the trees.

Except, foolishly, ridiculously, he forgot about his new metal limbs - so quiet to his own ears and so loud to a pokémon's.

Abruptly, Ed realized that the sobbing had stopped, and opened his eyes to find the Cubone staring at him with frightened eyes.

Ed smiled, slowly and reassuringly. "It's okay, little guy. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just had a nightmare, okay? Like I bet you did."

Cubone was still staring at him with big, scared eyes, and he held up his hands placatingly, ignoring the way Cubone's gaze flicked to the starlight glittering off his automail.

"I'm going to go back now," he continued, taking one step back, eyes soft with melancholy.

"Cu!" Cubone yelped, eyes widening. To his surprise, it hopped up and stumbled, rushing toward him tears glimmering with moonlight.

Ed frowned suddenly; there was something strange about the way the Cubone walked, like it hurt. Was it injured?

Against his will, Ed knelt down and caught the Cubone, which cried into the crook of his flesh elbow. Deeply uncomfortable, he shifted slightly to account for his new attachment.

When Cubone's tears showed no signs of stopping, Ed sighed, settling back in preparation for a long night.

"Who was it, then?" he mused, mostly to himself. He was well familiar with the curse that plagued young Cubone, having gained a morbid fascination with them over the past year. "Your mother? Father? Sister?"

To his surprise, he felt a nod against his arm, and he sighed and brought up his metal hand to carefully cradle the back of its head, looking down.

"Older?" he asked softly. Head shake. "Younger, then." A nod. "I'm sorry."

Despite urban legend, it wasn't always the mother's skull that a Cubone wore. But they nearly always lost someone, and they always wore their skull.

Ed had heard that Cubone who lost no one grew up to be kangaskhan.

"I lost my mother," he felt the need to tell the little ground-type. "And I nearly lost my little brother trying to get her back."

The little Cubone had stopped crying, but as it lifted its head to look at him, he could still see its tears. Ed kept talking.

"It was my idea," Ed continued, tensing involuntarily. "Al still got the worst of it, though. He's still alive, but…" His shoulders shook, just a little, safely hidden by the dark of night. "But just barely."

Cubone laid its head on his arm again, but it wasn't crying anymore. Just listening.

"I'll fix him someday," Ed promised, gold eyes focused on something Cubone couldn't see. "I told him so, you know? I can't fail him. Even if he hates me for doing this to him-" His voice shook. "-I still need to fix this. It's my fault, not his." His expression crumpled slightly, and he looked down at Cubone, whose dull gaze was fixed on him. "I need to fix this," he repeated.

"Cuuu," Cubone whispered, curling into him a little. "Cu bone bone, cu bone."

"Yeah…" Ed looked at Cubone thoughtfully. "You know what that's like, don't you"

Cubone nodded, then hit him weakly with its bone club. His expression softened.

"You couldn't protect her, could you?" he asked softly.

The tears returned and it shook its head.

"It'll be okay," he promised, stroking it lightly. "You'll stand up and you'll move forward, and next time, you'll be better. We both will."

When he looked back down, Cubone was asleep.

He sighed and made to set Cubone back down, feeling strangely drained but also much better. Then Cubone's small hand tightened on his shirt, and he looked startled for a moment before he smiled softly and stood up, Cubone cradled in his arms.

The walk back to the camp was short; they'd stopped only just short of the desert, after all.

As Ed re-entered the clearing, Al stood up abruptly, the loud clanking sending several Hoothoots hoot-hooting away.

"Brother!" he exclaimed, undisguised relief in his voice.

Cubone stirred and Ed hastily pressed a finger to his lips.

"Sh," he whispered. But there was no need, really; ever-considerate Al had quieted as soon as he saw the sleeping Cubone. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Al."

"It's okay, brother," Al whispered, now moving only slowly and cautiously. "Just go back to bed, okay? You need your sleep."

Ed nodded in acceptance and returned to the tent, laying down with Cubone held close to his chest, and Riolu, still asleep, at his back.

"Huuu," Riolu murmured behind him. Ed winced.

"'s fine," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

Ed was out before Riolu could respond.

He woke, hours later, to the ding of a successful capture, his chest cold from where Cubone had vanished into a pokéball.

Ahahaha... Eh. Well, Ed now has another pokemon, I now have another chapter, and I'm sure lots of you are very annoyed. But still, thanks for reading and please review!