Chapter 7

The Path to Rage

'Everybody wants to be a Master. Everybody wants to show their skills. Everybody wants to get there faster. Make their way to the top of the hills.'

Taking shelter underneath a canopy of leaves, Ruby and Weiss stood admiring the torrential downpour that without warning had appeared on an otherwise sunny day. It had been thanks to Ruby's quick thinking and Meganium's ability to create foliage from even a previously dead tree that the two hadn't been completely soaked to the bone, but despite their helpfulness, the Kalosian heiress still seemed to think her traveling companion had something to do with her recent string of bad luck.

"If you hadn't wasted so much time this morning, I would be in Mahogany Town registering for a gym battle with Pryce right now. I'd also be dry, have a full belly, and most importantly, not smell like wet Eevee."

Ruby sighed as Weiss was once again repeating herself. She seemed to think that complaining would somehow make their situation better, or perhaps hurry the storm along, and after wandering lost in the woods for three days together, Ruby got the distinct impression that Weiss physically needed someone to blame for her problems or else risk imploding. And it just so happened that she was that outlet...

"I was ready before you," she reminded, "and all I did was pick a few berries whenever we came across an unpicked bush. If there's more than enough for the animals and Pokémon, it'd be a shame to let them go to waste. "

"We couldn't walk five minutes without you stopping. Honestly, it's a wonder it's only taken you a year to get this far from New Bark Town."

"I told you not to wait for me. If you're in that much of a hurry why don't you just ride into Mahogany Town on your Rapidash? You'd probably be there in an hour or two."

"Thirty minutes at most," she said proudly, "but I'm not leaving you lost in the woods with a roving band of Ursaring. Although I may not share your love for walking from place to place or camping in the middle of nowhere, I also don't wish to be an accessory to murder."

Nearby, Meganium bayed loudly, enjoying the rain while also keeping a close eye on its newest party member, a rambunctious young Eevee that had little to no regard for anything except finding puddles and making the biggest splash any Pokémon had ever made before. From the top of the canopy, Ledian gave four thumbs up as Meganium sent a tidal wave rolling over the hills that Eevee was all too happy to take credit for.

"We're on a Pokémon journey," said Ruby once she felt it was safe to speak. "If our Pokémon are ones with nature then we should be too. Trainers are supposed to take the roads less traveled, which means we see a part of the world most people never do. If we traveled from city to city as fast as possible, there's no telling what all we could be missing!"

"Sure would be a shame to miss all this," Weiss muttered, lifting her feet as another tidal wave rolled in.

"For all we know there's a Pokémon just around the corner waiting to be our friend, or maybe one's in trouble and we're the only ones that can help them! And after a long day of hiking, nothing beats curling up in a sleeping bag surrounded by your Pokémon under the stars."

As Ruby started at the dreary sky, imagining the twinkling lights beyond, Weiss sighed and shook her head. "You almost had me until you mentioned camping..."

"Wait, was this your first time camping?"

"Of course not! I've been journeying for three years in case you've forgotten, and after scaling Mt. Coronet multiple times on my Sinnoh journey and traveling across several regions afterward, I've simply developed an appreciation for warm meals and even warmer beds. Also, I've spent my entire life dreaming of a battle with Master Pryce, as well as him officially bequeathing me the title of Ice-type Master. Now that I'm so close to fulfilling that dream I believe I have every right to be a tad impatient."

"But just think how good it'll feel when we finally make it to Mahogany Town!"

"I am thinking about it. I'm thinking about it right now as a matter of fact. I'm also thinking of how I've lost nearly two weeks of my life because of you, and how we're lost all because you wanted to look around Mt. Mortar for a Marril. Does this forest look even remotely mountainous to you?"

"I think it was probably the pack of Ursaring blocking the road and chasing us that got us lost, and I still think we could've reasoned with them. Maybe they would've let us pass if we had given them some berries."

"Reasoned with them!? Are you insane!?" Ruby shrugged, answering her question. "The only reasoning we were going to do with them was which of us they ate first!"

"You don't know that. Their pack leader seemed reasonable enough."

"Oh yeah? You made a Teddiursa cry simply because you wouldn't share your candy bar with it, and now every Ursaring in northern Johto wants to eat us. Happy?"

"No..." Ruby murmured. "Yang has an Ursaring. It's sweet and cuddly, but chocolate makes it sick which I tried explaining to them. I thought maybe we could be friends. Then I could have a cute Teddiursa to cuddle with at night."

*sniff*

Weiss sighed and patted her on the back. "Take my advice and catch a Cubchoo instead."

"Is that like a bear species of Pikachu? Because if so what are we doing standing around here for?"

"No, and there's no way I'm traveling all the way back to Kalos with you. Cubchoo are Ice-types. They're far cuter than Teddiursa or Pikachu, and when they evolve into Beartic, they don't eat their trainers."

"I don't want an ice bear," she said, reminding Weiss of a small child. "I want a bear that I can bury my face into and not get the sniffles. Besides, I have a secret weapon for catching aggressive Pokémon. She dug around her bag for a moment before retrieving a green Pokeball with red markings. "It's called a Friend Ball, and this one was made by Kurt himself with my help. They have a soothing effect on Pokémon which helps make them extra friendly to their trainers."

Weiss turned her nose and forced a smile. "A Luxury Ball would have the same effect, and they're also not nearly so garish."

Ruby studied the Pokeball in her hand. "They're almost as expensive as Ultra Balls though, and I think Pokémon like apricorn balls better. Plus I can always paint it to match whatever Pokémon I catch."

"Suit yourself." With a huff Weiss crossed her arms and turned away, exhausted by the conversation. At first this seemed to suit Ruby just fine, but after a while of watching the Pokémon play, occasionally unable to suppress her talkative nature, she glanced up at the sky and studied what she thought were peculiar patterns in the clouds.

"Does this storm seem weird to you?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath. "Not particularly no. Why, afraid of lightning or thunder?"

"Yes, I mean no." Ruby shook her head. "Don't the clouds look kinda funny? They're circling like there might be a tornado, but Johto isn't supposed to get tornadoes."

Weiss squinted and followed where Ruby was pointing. "I hate to admit it, but I think you're right. It's almost like a Pokémon used Rain Dance. Lots of Pokémon, and powerful ones at that. Hmm, I wonder if we somehow wandered too close to-"

Whatever Weiss was about to say was cut short as an orange beam of light streaked across the sky followed by another and another, and several more after that.

Ruby jumped and quickly hid behind Weiss. "Were those Hyper Beams?" she stuttered. "Did the Ursaring find us? I don't wanna get eaten..."

"They are, but those looked much too large to have been coming from Ursaring. I hate to say it, but I think you may have led us straight to Lake of Rage."

"Lake of Rage! I didn't wanna go there!"

"Rain Dance and Hyper Beam are two of Gyarados' signature attacks. Don't worry, so long as we keep our distance and stay away from any tributaries we should be fine. Should being the optimal word."

"W-what if it keeps raining and the forest floods?"

Weiss frowned and glanced around the clearing and nearby hills. "I don't believe we're in any immediate danger, and by the look of it, the Gyarados are too busy fighting amongst themselves. I would feel better if either of us had any electric Pokémon on hand though. Stupid League regulations limiting us to six Pokémon," she muttered.

Ruby nodded and glanced up at the humanoid ladybug whose fists were surging with electricity. "Sorry, Ledian, but I don't think that's a good idea. Especially not when there might be lightning and thunder..."

The bravado seemed to be just that as Ledian dropped down into her trainer's arms, both sighing in relief when a bitter chill suddenly filled the air. Ledian quickly crawled over her shoulder and pulled her hood up to hide in, briefly blinding Ruby who was busy searching for Froslass. Over the past couple weeks she had grown accustomed to the ghost Pokémon's chilly presence and sensing her even when she was invisible, but to her surprise she found Froslass dancing in the rain not far from Meganium, the water eerily passing through her body before turning to ice.

"You felt that too, didn't you?" A wicked grin spread across Weiss' face. "As powerful as Gyarados may be, it's highly unlikely any of them learned how to use Blizzard in the wild, much less be proficient enough for it to be felt miles away. Do you know what that means?"

Ruby shook her head. "It means there's an incredibly powerful Ice-type Pokémon up ahead, and since I can't think of any that appear naturally in the wild around here, it must belong to a trainer! Do you know any Ice-type trainers in this area?" Ruby bit her lip but before she could speak, Weiss squealed and began jumping up and down. "It's Pryce! It just has to be! He must be battling the Gyarados!"

She suddenly covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. "That means he's in trouble! Come on, we have to help him. We can ride Meganium. The rain and mud won't slow her down, and she'll also resist any Hydro Pumps that may come our way."

"What!?" Ruby backed away nearly out into the rain. "We're riding t-toward the Gyarados?"

Weiss grabbed her hand. "Pryce could be in trouble, or at the very least his Pokémon could be. Congratulations, you were right earlier about never knowing what's around the corner when taking the roads less traveled."

Ruby swallowed and nodded. With her hands shaking slightly, she stepped forward and gave a sharp whistle, causing the Pokémon to look toward their trainers for instructions. All except Eevee that is, who quickly got distracted by seeing his reflection in a particularly sizable puddle.

"Meganium!" she called, "We need you to take us to where those lights are flashing. It could be dangerous but someone might be in trouble. Think you're up to it?"

The large plant Pokémon nodded and galloped toward the tree, its grassy coat already dry by the time it lifted Ruby and Weiss onto its back. Afterward it created a large umbrella made of foliage for Ruby to hold.

"Thanks, Meganium," she said, hugging her long neck and kissing her on the cheek. "Come on, Eevee! There'll be more puddles where we're going!"

The small fox Pokémon seemed perfectly content splashing from puddle to puddle to their destination, but using one of her vines Meganium lifted him into Ruby's arms who proceeded to bury her nose in his wet fur.

"When we get to a Pokémon Center you're getting a bath," she promised. With a kiss between the ears she raised a Friend Ball recently painted brown and returned Eevee to his new home. "Don't worry, you can splash all you want in the tub. I've even got a rubber Psyduck-y for us to play with."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Froslass," she said, the ghost Pokémon barely visible in the rain. "I want you to go and scout the situation up ahead. Stay invisible and don't get involved unless you have to, and give us ample warning before we wander too close."

The ghost Pokémon bowed and disappeared out of sight, though a peculiar trail of ice did reveal her path through the trees. Meganium followed suit, dashing through the forest as swiftly as a gentle giant could. She wasn't nearly as fast as Weiss would've liked, but the grass Pokémon was completely unhindered by the rain and overgrowth, and at times the forest almost seemed to move out of her way.

"Can't she go any faster? Pryce might be in trouble!"

"You heard her, Meganium!"

She bayed loudly so that the entire forest heard her call, and using her vines she vaulted over the few bushes and trees that refused to get out of her way. Weiss screamed and grabbed hold of Ruby in front of her, intending to use her as a cushion should they fall. Ruby embraced her back before raising her arms and screaming at the top of her lungs as though riding a roller coaster.

"Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Weiss leaned over the side, her face almost as green as Meganium's grassy coat. "Oh, no, I think I'm gonna-"

As she fought the urge to expel her campfire breakfast, the heiress glanced up and saw Froslass hovering nearby, watching with a concerned, albeit unnerving expression. "Never mind me, Froslass! Pryce needs our help!"

The ghost Pokémon shook its head and pointed, and no sooner did Weiss stop to look did the roller coaster come to a sudden stop and she banged her head on the back of Ruby's.

"Ow!" Ruby groaned. "What was that for?"

"For ruining my life," she groaned back, already retrieving aspirin from her pack.

Both trainers were too busy nursing their concussions to notice that they had entered a small clearing with a raging river nearby. The rain had also slowed to a gentle sprinkle, which Meganium seemed to be enjoying after the exertion.

"That's seventeen today, Master Pryce," called a young woman across the clearing.

Weiss' eyes snapped to attention, and ignoring her migraine she jumped to her feet using Ruby's head to maintain her balance.

"Good work, Diana," another voice shouted, this one male and rough as sandpaper.

Weiss looked all around but even from atop Meganium's back there wasn't much to see, especially since she already didn't have the greatest vision, made worse by the rain and aforementioned concussion. All she could see were giant blue and white sea serpents lying all around them, their large mouths hanging open revealing fangs nearly as long as the girls were tall.

"Gyarados!" Ruby screamed, closing her eyes again after recovering from her latest head injury.

"Quiet," Weiss hissed. "They're unconscious, for now, so hold still before I fall off and take you with me."

She searched everywhere for the source of the man's voice but couldn't help keeping her good eye on the massive leviathans that could swallow her or Ruby whole even by accident.

"Hey, old-timer!" called another man's voice from somewhere up in the clouds. "Looks like the paparazzi found us after all!"

Ruby searched high and low for the vaguely familiar voice when a large mound of brown fur stepped out from behind one of the Gyarados, taller and bulkier than even Meganium. Two tusks made of ice protruded from its boar-like face, and around its fierce eyes was a blue and white pattern almost like a mask.

The beast exhaled as it greeted the newcomers, its icy breath causing them all to shiver and for Meganium to back up.

"What's that!?" Ruby stuttered, signaling their stead to retreat even further.

"It's a Mamoswine!" Weiss cried. "Which can only mean-"

Peering around the mammoth-like Pokémon, a golf cart fitted with off-road tires appeared, driven by a young woman with blue hair and wearing a pink ski suit. Beside her sat a wrinkly old man with wisps of white hair, pointing a cane at the unexpected visitors.

"You two!" he barked. "Get out of here, now! I warned all of you that it wasn't safe to come here. And if you tell me you came all this way for autographs I'll see to it that you're both reprimanded by the Pokémon League!"

Weiss dismounted from Meganium, and after stumbling in the mud she bowed as low as she could with Froslass quickly joining her. "Master Pryce, sir," she said. "My companion and I were coming from Ecruteak City when-"

"Ecruteak?" He glared at her suspiciously. "If that's true then how'd you wind up all the way out here?"

"We, I mean, my companion in her enthusiasm got us lost." Ruby waved awkwardly. "We were just on our way to Mahogany Town when it started raining. We saw Hyper Beams and felt a Blizzard in the distance, and we came to investigate in case someone was in need of our assistance."

"We're fine. Now get back atop your mount and be on your way. If you couldn't tell, it isn't safe to be here."

"Not to disrespect the former Champion," the other man said, "but I think we're safe enough for the moment. At least long enough for proper introductions to be made."

Ruby and Weiss turned, and both nearly fainted as an orange, humanoid dragon with antennae stood atop the largest of the fallen Gyarados, appearing to be claiming its prize while a red-headed young man with a black cape rode upon it.

"Lance," Weiss gasped, frozen mid-bow.

Pryce huffed and leaned back in his seat with his arms folded across his chest. "Must you always make grand entrances? Or waste so much time impressing young ladies? It's bad enough having Diana watch you instead of the road..."

"Master Pryce!"

The man flourished his cape and motioned for his Dragonite to set down near the golf cart, and dismounted after giving the driver a wink which caused her to squeal involuntarily.

"Quick, Meganium," Ruby whispered, quickly adjusting her hair and her own cape. "Use Ingrain to get rid of all the water. Then use Sweet Scent. I smell like wet Eevee and haven't showered since Tuesday!"

The plant Pokémon nodded, and almost immediately the battlefield beneath them began to bloom with lush, semi-dry grass, and with a triumphant bay Meganium slung its long neck from side to side, releasing a pleasant aroma that caused everyone around to take a deep breath and sigh.

"Marvelous," said Pryce, almost smiling. "Absolutely marvelous.

Weiss squeaked as though someone had stepped on her foot and immediately shot Ruby a nasty glare but she was already dismounting and on the move.

After an awkward hop she regained her balance and fell to her knees in front of the massive dragon.

"Mr. Dragonite, sir, can I please have your autograph!?"

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Just as Ruby's obsessed with weapons and not really a people person in fanon (and sorta canon), I really liked the idea that it's Pokémon that she's obsessed with in this world, so much so that when meeting with the current Tohjo Champion, she's more interested in getting his Dragonite's autograph than his. As a note on Diana, she's actually one of Pryce's gym trainers in HG/SS, and I thought it would be fun to add one of Pryce's female protégés for Weiss to interact with. My choices were between Diana, Jill, Carol, Clarissa, and Roxanne, and I decided to go with Diana because I always thought it was a pretty name (though Carol probably fits both RWBY and Pokémon's naming scheme better). All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and wonderful readers such as yourself. God bless)