AN: Thanks for all the favs and follows and reviews!
Omniverse Nexus: I have every Kingdom separated in two, which will hold mainly one generation of Pokémon. A few mix-ups here and there will happen through migration and stuff, but, at first, our group will catch and see the Kanto generation. Experienced trainers will have more to offer though because they have travelled and seen more.
Mystic321: Yes, but actually dangerous and competent. They won't be comic relief like the anime Team Rocket.
Jekke604: 1.A full Evo-Stone team would have been expensive to evolve though, lol. 2. And yes, they wouldn't have had a chance to defeat them in a fair fight. Their Pokémon are all still babies and kiddies. 3. Ruby is too lawful to just take stuff from potential evidence, even if no one would know, that's true. 4. Thanks for your review!
"How didn't I notice the 'Arc' in Terra Cotta-Arc?!"Ruby wondered out loud as they left the arena after getting their appointments for next week, starting with Jaune of all people. It had to be so weird for him to battle his sister-in-law for his first arena badge.
"I'm kinda surprised that none of you caught onto the name," Jaune said, giving them all curious looks. "I mean, Arc's not that common that you'd just assume, y'know, that it's a different Arc."
Weiss hummed. "But Arc...Terra Cotta-Arc...that'd have been a bit of a reach." She looked a bit embarrassed, though, and Ruby was sure it was because it had hurt her pride a bit that she hadn't connected the dots either. In the short time they've known each other now, Ruby had learned one important thing about Weiss: the girl hated to be wrong and she hated not knowing things, especially when the things were actually quite obvious.
"Anyway, are you gonna introduce us to your sister?" Ruby asked.
Jaune's expression betrayed the war raging inside of him, but, eventually, he relented. "It's unavoidable, I guess…but after our matches."
Pumping her fists in the air, Ruby squealed in joy. "Yes! I can't wait to learn all I can about baby Jaune!"
The only reaction she got from Jaune was a pained and resigned groan.
Training with her Pokémon was beneficial in a lot of ways, Ruby found out. For one, she could literally feel how she changed from being 'out of shape' to being 'not that out of shape anymore'. She no longer collapsed when doing her morning run, for example – at least not before finishing her first lap – and her lungs didn't feel like they were about to fall off anymore.
Another beneficial thing she gained from training with her Pokémon was that she felt like she was really bonding with them. She wasn't a fan of the drill sergeant kind of training that she had seen many trainers apply in videos on MePipe. She liked to think that doing this together with her Pokémon was a great way to show that she saw them not just as pets and tools on her way to fame and glory. She liked to think that it was a great way to show that she saw them as partners, as friends and as family. They were in this together.
So, even though she was drenched in sweat, tired and almost gasping for breath, she was running her last lap on the racing track behind the Pokémon Center with a wide grin on her face. Nidoran and Nidoran were somewhat keeping up with her, but Paras and Staryu were struggling for obvious reasons.
It was okay, though. Paras, for one, would benefit in the long run. Sure, he'd never be able to zip and zap across an arena, but might get mobile enough to surprise opponents here and there. Staryu didn't exactly need this training, but it'd hardly ever get the chance to fight in an arena beneficial for its water type. So, she wanted it to be as mobile as it could be on land. The way it walked looked kinda funny, so that was great too.
"Training's finally over, guys and gals," Ruby said, surprising herself with how steady her voice was.
"Nido! Nido-Nidoran!"
Ruby giggled at the excited chatter of her male Nidoran, who certainly proved himself to be the chattiest of the bunch. She had half-expected him to be full of angst after (likely) losing his mother at a very young age and having to care for his timid sister. It was great to see him like this, though.
Walking to a bench by the Pokémon Center and picking up the blue Nidoran before putting her on her lap, she scratched her behind her ears, smiling at the look of utter bliss on the small Pokémon's face. The other three played fetch close-by, though Nidoran appeared to be always winning, which wasn't all that shocking.
"I'm glad you're healthy now," Ruby told the female, remembering how relieved and elated she had been when the local nurse had told her that her temperature was completely normal and stable and that there was no sign of any infection or anything similar. After Nidoran had been knocked out by that Raticate in the Tunnel Of The Moon, Ruby had been quite worried because of the numerous deep scratches Nidoran had suffered from.
"Nido." Nidoran reached up with her head and tried to reach Ruby's face, but only managed to give her throat a small lick.
"Awww, you cutie!" Ruby cooed, cuddling her Pokémon closely, though minding the toxic bits. "I'm all sweaty and icky, though." She then sighed. "Would you mind if I gave you a name?" she then asked the female.
Nidoran gave her a curious look. "Nido?"
"Well, hearing Jaune give names to all of his Pokémon kinda made me feel bad...like I wasn't caring enough," Ruby admitted with a small frown. "Also, it would make giving commands to you and your brother a lot easier."
The female appeared to be thinking for a moment before nodding and turning in her lap. "Ran! Nido, Nidoran!"
The other Pokémon heard her and stopped their playing, quickly joining them at the bench and by Ruby's feet.
"Nido, Nidoran. Ran, Nido, Nido."
After the female was done talking, all the attention of her other Pokémon shifted suddenly to her, looks of excitement and expectation on all of their faces – which, basically, was just her other Nidoran: Staryu didn't have a face and Paras was all mandibles and chitin and his large eyes weren't the most expressive she had ever seen on a Pokémon.
"Did you tell 'em that I want to name you guys?" Ruby asked the Nidoran on her lap, who gave her a quick nod as an answer. "And you guys all want names?" She got another three nods as an answer, causing her to smile. "Okay, then. I'll think of good names for you."
"Poison Powder!"
Paras wiggled his back as the opponent's Mankey was rushing in with a wild shriek, ready to unleash its Fury Swipe on her Pokémon.
"Careful, buddy!" Her opponent yelled in a brief moment of panic, but he was too late.
In a thick cloud of purple spores, the fighting Pokémon still managed to hit her Paras with three swipes, but each got weaker as the poison went to work in his body, weakening him by the second.
A loud 'ding!' from her scroll distracted her for a moment, putting a grin onto her face in the middle of a Pokémon battle. "Paras learned: Absorb," a mechanical, female voice said from her short's pocket.
"That so?" Ruby's grin widened. "Use Absorb, Paras! Finish this!"
Her Paras paused for a moment, then the two mushrooms on his back and the panting and kneeling Mankey began to glow, indicating the link between her and her opponent's Pokémon. The Mankey convulsed in pain while the scrapes, cuts and bruises on Paras' body were healing, albeit slowly. Then, Mankey collapsed, passed out on the ground.
"Ruby Rose and Paras are the winners!" Their neutral referee said, who was another trainer waiting for her turn in Stonehold Town's arena's appointment list.
"You were so great, Paras!" Ruby quickly jogged to her starter and went down onto her knees, her arms stretched out. Paras didn't waste a moment and scuttled up to her, happily hissing and clicking his little mandibles. "You're growing so fast! You've learned two new attacks in just two days!"
"Great match," her opponent, a boy called Fern Meadow, said. "Your Paras is a tricky little bastard to fight."
Grinning, Ruby got back up to her feet, Paras in her arms, and shook the offered hand with her free one. "Thank you! Your Mankey is amazing too and if his soft and shiny fur is any indicator, you're taking great care of him."
"I'm doing my best, thanks," he said, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "I'm gonna head inside now, so, if you could…?" He held his scroll up.
Ruby nodded and fished for her own scroll. She then held its top end in front of Fern's and, a moment later, she received a notification: "Payment received: 150 Lien."
With a nod, she gave her opponent a quick wave before turning towards her friends, who were sitting on one of the benches of the Pokémon Center's training area.
"Good match," Pyrrha said. "Paras is growing fast."
"I know, right?" Ruby said, sitting down next to Weiss on one end of the bench. "He's amazing!"
Said amazing Pokémon grabbed a finger and put it between his mandibles, gently gnawing on it, making her smile. Sometimes she wondered if it was a 'pacifier thing' he had going. Then again, he wasn't a mammal Pokémon. Paras didn't nurse their young, so she doubted that hers had any idea about breastfeeding and pacifiers and whatnot. No, it was more likely that it was his way of showing affection.
"Only four more days, Jaune. Are you nervous?" Ruby asked, leaning forward to see him at the other end of the bench.
"Yeah," Jaune said, not bothering to hide his nervousness. "Every day we get closer I get even more nervous."
"You'll get the badge, Jaune," Pyrrha said with a hand on his shoulder. "No one can judge the progress you've made as well as I can and I am telling you: you are doing exceptionally well."
"Yep!" Ruby added. "Poliwag is doing great and has a couple of wins under his belt and Eevee knows Iron Tail. Just play your cards right and you've got this."
Jaune just nodded silently. She wished she could help him to get more confident in his abilities as a trainer.
Three days left.
After another morning exercise with her Pokémon and another match – a three versus three with both her Nidorans winning against a Bellsprout and an Exeggcute respectively, but a loss from Staryu against a Drowzee after the psychic type put her Pokémon to sleep – she was spending her day in her room to watch Terra Cotta-Arc's most recent matches. A lot of them were just outings for publicity and a few events, but they still held important information. Although it was unlikely that they would have to face Rhydon or Golem or Tyranitar or Gigalith, it was a way to analyze the fighting style she would have to go up against.
She expected to face the classic Vale natives, like Geodude or Onix. Maybe a Sandshrew to mix things up.
Heavy beats of wings suddenly startled her, followed by a deep, almost metallic sounding caw. Her room darkened for a moment before a heavy thud sounded across the area.
"Cor!"
"No way…" Stuffing her scroll into her shorts' pocket, Ruby dashed out of her room. Without getting far, she cursed and ran back to her room, grabbed her Pokémon belt and took a moment to make sure she didn't miss anything else this time.
Then she ran back out, narrowly avoiding a startled Weiss on her way out. When she got outside and caught sight of the giant, steel-plated bird enjoying beak-rubs from the tall and middle-aged man with messy, black hair and red eyes, it just exploded out of her.
"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby ran up to him and jumped into his wide-spread arms, laughing in joy. "What're you doing here?!"
"I've got business with the local police, so I figured I'd visit my niece," he said in his gravelly voice. "I don't think you've got a problem with that, do ya?" He ruffled her hair, making her growl playfully.
"Duh! 'Course not." She turned from her uncle to Corviknight, hugging his huge beak, which she only reached because he leaned his head down. "Hi, Corvi! How're ya?"
Her answer was a gentle push and a deep, metallic rumble coming from the bird's chest.
"Corviknight, the Raven-Pokémon. This Pokémon reigns supreme in the skies of the Vacuo region. The black lustre of its steel body could drive terror into the heart of any foe."
Ruby turned around at the sound of the Pokédex entry to see her wide-eyed friends and a few other wide-eyed trainers. Seeing a Corviknight right in front of them could as well be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of them.
Corviknight didn't mind the attention at all, though. He was visibly enjoying it, basking in it.
"Let's go to the back," Qrow said, pointing to the training area behind the Pokémon Center, a few metres away from the hostel for trainers they were staying at.
"Come on, guys," Ruby said, waving her friends over. "This is my uncle Qrow, by the way. You haven't seen him yet, Weiss."
"I have, though," Weiss said. Ruby was surprised at the look of disapproval on her friend's face as she gave her uncle a once-over. "He is that unprofessional Master Investigator in charge of the Evo-Stone robberies in Vale. He's all over the news."
Qrow just snorted. "You're Winter's brat sister, right?" He then glanced at Ruby, ignoring the indignant 'hey!' from Weiss. "You never told me your new friend was a Schnee."
"It's not important," she said with a shrug as they waited for the guard to open the gate so Corviknight could get inside the large training area.
"You could have just returned him to his Pokéball," Weiss told Qrow with a huff, then jumped at the angry and shrill caw coming from Corviknight.
That also distracted an ongoing match on the battlefield at the far end of the training area, prompting Ruby to wave at the participants and spectators. "Sorry, don't mind us!" she yelled at them.
"That big baby hates evil Pokéballs," Qrow said, his thumb pointing at his Pokémon, causing Corviknight to ruffle up his steel-covered feathers threatening.
"And you're such a big softy that, when he was still a Rookidee and cried after you released him from his Pokéball for the first time, you promised to never return him to his Pokéball again and allowed him to sleep by your bed." Ruby grinned and nudged her uncle with her elbow.
He raised a brow at her. "I'm not a softie and you weren't there and don't know what happened." He sat down on a bench.
Corviknight just made an odd sound from his throat that kind of sounded like laughter. She couldn't be sure though.
Still, grinning up to her uncle, Ruby released her own Pokémon. "Aunt Raven told me and I know she tells me the truth – and nothing but the truth, by the way – when it comes to stuff that exposes you as a big softie." Turning to her Pokémon, who all stared at Corviknight with awe and intimidation, she knelt next to them. "This is Corviknight, guys. He's my Uncle Qrow's partner and is also a big softie, even if he doesn't show it." That earned her an offended caw from the large Pokémon. "Go on and get to know him. You can learn a lot from him." They gave her another look, as if trying to summon some courage through her, and after seeing her smile and nod, they made a few hesitant steps towards Corviknight. Ruby then joined her uncle.
Following her example, her friends released their Pokémon as well, giving them similar words of encouragement to hers.
"So," Weiss said as she sat down next to Ruby, after watching her Pokémon walk up to Corviknight. "How do you know my sister?"
Qrow shrugged. "I was unfortunate enough to have had to do with her once or twice."
Ruby elbowed him, making him grunt. "Be nice."
Squinting her eyes at him, not bothering to hide her suspicion, Weiss continued her questioning. "What do you mean you have had to do with her?"
"She's a cop too, isn't she?" Qrow asked rhetorically. "Now enough of Schnees. Are you kids ready for your first arena match?"
"I think so, yep!" Ruby spoke first.
"Does Paras know some grass type moves yet?"
Ruby beamed at the question. "He just learned Absorb!"
"That Oddish and Horsea are yours?" Qrow asked Pyrrha after nodding at Ruby's answer.
"Yes, Sir." Pyrrha nodded with a shy yet proud smile.
"Big advantage. Shellder and Sandshrew – if it knows a ground type move at least – will be helpful too, as well as Poliwag."
"Eevee knows Iron Tail, though," Ruby pointed out.
"Does it now?" Qrow raised a brow at Jaune. "Lucky you, then."
And they spent another hour like that with her uncle before he had to leave for his appointment with the local police. Ruby's high spirits were definitely raised higher than they had been already. She couldn't wait for her first official arena match.
AN: Qrow's other Pokémon: Banette, Hydreigon, Hypno, Umbreon, Xatu.
Also, feel free to offer names for the Pokémon. It gets tiresome to distinguish between the Nidorans especially. So, all trainers will give names to their Pokémon to stick with it.