Chapter 1
Arrival of a Rival
'It's a battle win or lose. It's the friends you make, it's the road you choose...'
"I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST! LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS!"
Running through a lush emerald forest singing at the top of their lungs was a teenage girl wearing a flowing red cloak with a hood pulled over her face. Following closely behind was a red and black blur that playfully buzzed around her before coming to a rest atop her shoulder.
"Tired already, Ledian?" she asked, a toothy grin peeking out from under her hood. The large ladybug Pokémon shook its head and nuzzled their heads together, causing them both to giggle. "What do you think? Should we try finding some bug catchers and show them how it's really done and maybe catch a few new teammates along the way, or should we keep heading toward Mahogany Town and our next badge?"
Ledian shrugged her shoulders comfortably nestled in the crook of her trainer's neck. "Alright! A couple of battles and some new friends it is!"
The girl sped up causing her companion to hang on for dear life with all four of its boxing glove-like hands until they found themselves on the other side of the forest, her trainer gasping for air and gulping water from a canteen that she kindly shared.
"It's still early!" she wheezed. "Where are all the bug catchers? And the Pokémon for that matter?"
Again Ledian shrugged her many shoulders but couldn't help hiding a grin. Her trainer had probably alerted the entire forest to their presence, if not all of Johto, and besides the occasional Pokémon poking their head out to see what all the commotion was about, they hadn't run across any potential teammates. Her trainer as usual seemed to have missed them all entirely, but that was just as well since all the wildlings in the area seemed perfectly content remaining where they were.
"Sakura said something about there being wild Marill in the area, right? Maybe if we can find a spring or a pond we'll see one." She turned to Ledian and stuck her hands behind her head. "They're like fluffy blue Pikachu with really big ears like this, and they walk kinda like this." Ledian covered her mouth watching as her trainer squatted down and began waddling like a Psyduck.
"Hey! Don't laugh! We could really use a Water-type on the team. As much as I adore Primarina, it's not fair to her or Yang to keep asking to borrow her whenever we need to surf somewhere. And I can't bring myself to use my big sister's Pokémon in official gym battles..."
'Beh-bee!' Ledian proudly flexed its nonexistent muscles which caused her trainer to smile and pat her on the head.
"OH! Maybe we can catch that cool dog Pokémon we saw earlier! Remember? It was blue and ran on water. That means it has to be a Water-type, right?"
The ladybug Pokémon nodded at her trainer's flawless logic and pointed in the general direction she thought it ran. The caped-girl nodded and pulled out a handful of multicolored Pokeballs. "What do you think? Should we go with Kurt's Lure Balls or maybe his Fast Balls?" Ledian laid a gloved hand atop the blue Pokeball with a red V and three yellow stripes running through the middle. "Right, color coordination. Lure Ball it is! Come on, if we can't find it maybe we'll find a Marill on the way!"
After dragging her foot across the dirt like a Tauros about to charge, she took off running with Ledian clinging to her cape, cheering her on to run even faster. "Alright, you asked for it! Ruby used Agility! It's super effective!"
On and on she ran passing what were likely Pokémon sleeping in their dens but hardly giving the pair a second glance. All the Hoothoot and Noctowl had returned to their nests while Spearow, Pidgey and Pidgeotto took their place searching the forest floor and fields for worms and insects, including small, defenseless Bug-type Pokémon.
Keeping her large eyes peeled for friends and foes alike, Ledian would shudder whenever she caught sight of the sharp beaked Pokémon despite their attention always being directed toward her trainer, never herself. She was much too large to be made into a meal except by the largest of birds, and even the most predatory of Pokémon instinctively viewed her as not being worth the effort seeing how she belonged to a trainer and therefore more powerful and cunning than their average prey.
Spying a particularly large Pidgeotto nearby with a worm in its mouth, electricity crackled around Ledian's fists as she considered sending a receipt from back when she was a helpless Ledyba.
"I think I see something!" her trainer called out, sprinting even faster. "There! At the bottom of the hill! Snowflakes! It must be an Ice-type! We don't have one of those either!"
Even with her superior vision, Ledian still had to narrow her eyes and concentrate, but sure enough at the bottom of the hill they were currently careening down, was a white figure obscured by trees and bushes walking the path they had strayed from earlier that morning. Apparently her directions hadn't been all that accurate, and her trainer's sense of direction even worse.
"Alright, let me do the talking. Once I convince them that I'm gonna be a Pokémon Master someday, they'll either beg us to let them on the team or they'll wanna test us. Just watch my back, okay? Ready, go!"
The caped-girl leaped off a low ledge and flew through the air, narrowly dodging a shard of ice meant for her chest before embracing their newest friend and traveling companion.
"Ruby used Tackle! It's super effec-"
"UNHAND ME THIS INSTANT!"
The wild Pokémon responded with an even more effective Screech attack, and Ruby blinked at the girl she currently had pinned to the ground. "Huh? You're not a Pokémon."
"How very astute of you," they replied sarcastically. "Of course I'm not! Now unhand me or I'll turn you into a popsicle!"
Ruby stared into the piercing blue eyes of the stranger beneath her, and realizing the position they were currently in, leaped to her feet and offered the girl a helping hand which was immediately slapped away.
"Sorry!" Ruby shouted. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She continued repeating herself as the girl in white dusted herself off and checked for injuries, thankfully not finding any.
The girl had fair skin and even fairer hair, as well as a deep scar traveling from her left brow nearly even with her lip which she attempted to hide with makeup. She wore a white jacket and skirt with leggings much like herself only cleaner and less tattered, and appeared to be two or three years older than herself, making the girl in white roughly her sister's age.
All the while the stranger tended to herself, she glared at her attacker, paralyzing them with fear. Sheepishly, Ledian fluttered beside her trainer, looking down at the ground and playing with her mitt-like hands. Seeing the ladybug Pokémon and studying her apologetic expression, the other girl eventually sighed, evidently deeming the pair harmless enough.
"You're lucky you weren't impaled just now," she said, sounding mildly disappointed.
"I'm really sorry," Ruby stressed, bowing as was the custom there in Johto. "It probably wouldn't have been that bad. A few weeks ago I nearly got eaten by a Victreebel I thought wanted to be my friend but really just wanted a late night snack. Lucky for me, I carry lots of berries and have lots of healers on my team! And extra clothes and an emergency medkit..."
The stranger blinked and wrinkled her nose when a dirty, sweaty hand was offered for her to shake.
"Hi. I'm Ruby Rose." Realizing her hand was once again being rejected, she removed her hood revealing bright silver eyes and dark hair with red tips that fell into her eyes and just above her shoulders. "I-I'm normally not this bad at first impressions."
"Really?"
Ruby hung her head and kicked a nearby rock. "No. I'm usually a lot worse actually..."
The girl in white nodded. "I'm shocked."
"Shocked? That's a funny name. Is it-" she was interrupted by a vicious glare that Ruby had long since gotten accustomed to seeing but was by no means resistant against. "Sorry! I mean, what's your name?" Ruby forced a smile when her question was followed by a long, awkward pause.
"Weiss," she said carefully, watching the other girl for any sort of reaction. When all Ruby did was continue ogling at her, occasionally brushing the remains of a bird's nest out of her hair, Weiss adjusted her shoulder pack and forced a polite smile. "It's been a...pleasure making your acquaintance, but if you're uninjured and your brain still somewhat functioning, I need to be on my way. Please tell me which way you're traveling so that I can go peacefully in the opposite direct-"
"Where'd that Ice Shard come from?" Ruby asked suddenly, spinning around until both she and her Pokémon were dizzy. After spending a few moments massaging her temples, Weiss snapped her fingers, and out of thin air appeared a pale figure beside her hovering a couple feet off the ground.
"G-ghost!" Ruby stuttered, both trainer and Pokémon grabbing ahold of one another trying to use the other as a makeshift shield.
As Weiss continued rubbing her left brow the ghost turned to her looking concerned, causing her to suddenly stop. "I'm alright," she said before turning her attention back to the pair of screaming fools, her left eye twitching slightly. "I'd like to introduce you to Froslass. She is my faithful companion and protects me from anyone who may wish to do me harm, as well as idiots flying through the air, though it seems she could work on her aim..."
The ghost Pokémon rubbed the back of its neck but also smiled kindly at the caped-girl who shuddered at the unnatural-looking expression but got the distinct impression it might've missed on purpose, or at least she hoped.
"Froslass..." she said, sounding the name out. "I've never seen a Froslass before. Actually, I don't think I've ever even heard of one."
At this remark Weiss raised her chin up. "I'm not surprised. They're rarely if ever seen in the wild due to the odds of a female Snorunt ever finding a Dawn Stone, but due to how expensive the stones can be, finding a Froslass in the wild may actually be more common than with a trainer."
"She's so pretty," Ruby said, causing the ghost to cover its face as if attempting to cover its nonexistent blush. "So, how are you two connected to the SDC?"
"E-excuse you?" she took a step backward while Froslass moved in between them.
Ruby pointed at the snowflake emblem on the side Weiss' utility belt normally covered by her jacket. "The Schnee Dust Company. They make Pokeballs, medicines, and lots of other trainer supplies."
"Do I look like a Pokemart stock-girl to you!?" Weiss pointed at her custom made jacket as well as her shoes and jewelry.
Ruby looked her up and down several times much to Weiss' chagrin and annoyance before shaking her head. "No, but the SDC sponsors trainers from all around the world and their headquarters is somewhere in Kalos." Having an ear for accents she couldn't help picking up the other girl's nasally Kalosian accent, a region to the far west of Johto.
"Oh, o-of course." Weiss glanced at Froslass who shrugged and drifted back beside her trainer. "Yes, the SDC is sponsoring my Pokémon journey and Johto gym challenge."
"That's so cool!" Ruby gushed, fluttering in the air like Ledian and Froslass. "I'm pretty far from home too actually. Well, sorta. My dad's a retired ace trainer and gets to travel all around the world as an official Pokémon League consultant. We're originally from Alola but right now he's working in New Bark Town with Professor Elm, and before I got my trainer's license last year I was working in the lab as an assistant!"
"How exciting..."
"I know, right! I also got to travel with my sister once she started on her journey. Yang's the best! She won both the Alola Island Challenge and the Orange League back-to-back, and now she's gonna win the Silver Conference in a couple of months. That is unless I have something to say about it!"
Weiss didn't appear to be listening closely, but her ears seemed to perk up at mention of the upcoming tournament. "You mean to tell me that you, a rookie trainer, intend to win the Silver Conference?"
Ruby nodded. "Yep! I officially started my Pokémon journey last year in New Bark Town, and this year I'm gonna win the tournament then go on to challenge the Elite Four and become the Champion!" After striking a heroic pose with her cape billowing and Ledian mimicking her, they both grinned and rubbed the back of their necks sheepishly. "Or at least get as close as we can anyway."
Weiss pursed her lips together trying not to laugh. "How many badges have you collected so far?"
"Five." Ruby ticked off as many fingers while digging around in the side of her pack. "See?" She opened a protective case with the Pokémon League's emblem revealing five gym badges she had polished just earlier that morning. Weiss studied them for a moment as if checking to see if they were real and not from a cereal box before looking up with a mischievous grin.
"The traditional Johto challenge I see. Couldn't defeat the gym leader in Ecruteak, could you?"
In unison both Ruby and Ledian slapped their foreheads. "I knew I was forgetting something! Ledian, you were supposed to remind me!"
'Beh-bee!'
"Morty was busy the first time we came through Ecruteak," Ruby explained. "Something about searching for the legendary gophers or something. Beasts? Anyway, I visited the Kimono Girls and after a few wins but mostly losses, I got distracted hearing about the Whirl Cup south of Olivine, and after weeks of traveling and spending most my money getting to the Whirl Islands, I found out I couldn't even enter the tournament because I don't have any Water-type Pokémon."
"Yes, I'm beginning to see how you could make such a mistake."
"Then I got distracted challenging Jasmine and Chuck for the Mineral and Storm Badges. I just got back to Ecruteak the other day and was so focused on rematching the Kimono Girls and getting to Mahogany Town that I completely forgot about the Fog Badge!"
Weiss blinked having only caught every other word from the fast talking girl who seemed to have a penchant for rambling. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that. I'm also sorry to say that with only five gym badges, your odds of making the deadline for the Silver Conference aren't in your favor. I don't know about Morty, but the Mahogany Town gym leader east of here is a former Champion and Elite Four Leader, and would likely still be a member if not for taking over his family's gym a number of years ago."
Ruby stiffened. "S-so? I'm still just an intermediate ranked trainer. It's not like he's gonna use any crazy strong, high-level Pokémon against me. And how do you know so much about him?"
Weiss brushed her hair back and for the first time appeared to genuinely smile. "Pryce is considered to be the leading authority on Ice-type Pokémon, and as a soon to be Ice-type master myself, I've decided that his badge will be the second to last I add to my collection."
"Second to last?" Ruby again ticked off fingers starting from eight. "That means you only have one more badge than me!" She scratched the top of her head confused as to why she was being lectured when only a few days depending on the gym leaders' schedules separated them on their journey.
"Not quite..." Weiss reached into her own pack and retrieved a blue and white case and opened it, causing Ruby to gasp and nearly begin drooling.
"Fourteen!?" she stuttered, quickly running out of fingers. "H-how? I didn't even know there were that many gyms in Johto!"
Weiss closed the case when Ruby reached out to touch them. "There aren't. The badges you just saw are from both Johto and Sinnoh, as well as the territory in between called Sinjoh where the badges are recognized by both regional conferences and is also where the Battle Frontier is located in case you didn't know."
"Y-you're entering two leagues at the same time!?"
"Not at the same time, but after the Silver Conference this fall I intend on entering the Lily of the Valley Conference next spring. I have enough badges to qualify for either tournament and only need two more in order to enter them both. I've decided that will be the Glacier Badge from Master Pryce and the Rising Badge from Clair, a Dragon-type expert who I'll most likely make quick work of. I very much doubt you stand much of a chance however."
Ruby shifted her weight and wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. She didn't much like the way Weiss was talking down to her, but she had heard countless horror stories about Clair and her infamous dragons, and even Yang had barely scraped by with a narrow victory. She'd said it was her proudest victory to date, but it also wasn't until a week later that her injured Pokémon were released from the Pokémon Center.
"Being an Ice-type expert I doubt I'll have very much trouble at all with her dragons, and after training with Pryce and going through Ice Path on the way to Blackthorn, I believe I'll have earned the right to call myself an Ice-type Master. You on the other hand-" she grinned, letting the obvious speak for itself- "Clair doesn't have a special team for rookie or intermediate trainers challenging her gym. She's Champion Lance's cousin, and the person who replaced him as Blackthorn's gym leader a decade ago. She's even going to be challenging the Elite Four next year, and with the bottom seat's term ending she very well could take their place if she doesn't become Champion."
Ruby swallowed, her hands trembling slightly. "Yeah well, my team and I have worked really hard to get here! I don't know if we'll qualify in time for the Silver Conference this year, but if the deadline was tomorrow that's five badges we don't have to worry about next year! Maybe I'll do like you and challenge two leagues the same year! It's called a Pokémon journey for a reason! It's not the destination, it's the journey that matters!"
"For you maybe. For the rest of us, including your sister from the sound of it, the journey is pointless if you don't reach your destination. It's all that separates the winners from the losers."
"Lots of great trainers never become Champions or Pokémon Masters!"
"True, but in a hundred years nobody will have ever heard of them."
"They'll know my sister! She's already qualified for the Silver Conference, and she's gonna steamroll through the competition! Including YOU!"
"I wish her luck with that," Weiss said, standing on her tiptoes so that she towered over Ruby even if slightly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have important business to attend to in Mahogany Town. I'll see you at the Silver Conference cheering your sister on from the sidelines. I'd cherish the moment if I were you because that's probably the closest you're ever coming to standing on a championship battlefield. Goodbye and good day."
Brushing her hair aside, Weiss attempted to walk past the inferior trainer but a filthy hand reached out and grabbed hold of her sleeve.
"How dare you!" she cried, yanking her arm back to no avail. "Unhand me at this instant! Froslass!"
"Battle me," Ruby said, ignoring the cold breeze blowing in her face. "Battle me and I'll prove you're wrong."
Weiss stumbled and nearly fell on her backside when Ruby suddenly released her. "You would be nothing but a waste of my precious time, and you've wasted enough as it is."
"How about we both wager something?"
"Wager?" she laughed. "What could you possibly wager that would be of any interest to me? I'm afraid the usual ten lien ante isn't going to cut it with me."
"How about-" Ruby reached into her pack, and after some digging retrieved what appeared to be some kind of watch. "Something that money can't buy."
Weiss peered at what she had in her hand, genuinely surprised. "Is that a Z-Ring?" she asked, to which Ruby nodded. "Well, I suppose that means you weren't lying about being from Alola, but why would I want a used Z-Ring when I can just buy my own?"
"Because inside is an Icium Z Crystal. They're only found on the summit of Mount Lanakila and they're so rare that most collectors don't even think they exist. They're banned from official Pokémon battles outside of Alola so I don't really have a whole lot of use for them. If you win I'll give you both my Z-Ring and the Icium Z Crystal inside, but if I win-"
"Which isn't going to happen but for the sake of argument, I'd be willing to compensate you whatever the market value of a Z-Ring and Icium Z Crystal might be. How does that sound?"
"W-whoa, really?"
"I've never looked into purchasing an Icium Z Crystal before, but if it's as rare as you say, I suspect it's worth a small fortune. I however have no intention of parting with any of mine."
Ruby glanced down at her Z-Ring and swallowed, her hand shaking slightly. "What do you think, Ledian?"
The ladybug Pokémon's eyes twinkled as she stared at the crystal inside, uncertain and perhaps even sorrowful.
'Beh-bee?'
Ruby shook her head. "Don't worry. If I didn't have faith in you, I wouldn't have opened my mouth." After patting Ledian on the head she turned to Weiss. "We'll both use two Pokémon each and battle under standard league rules. Sound fair?"
"Not really, but I suppose I'll humor you."
Turning around they each walked ten paces from one another before facing each other again. As Froslass took her position in front of her trainer, Ledian took hers and began shadowboxing in preparation. From across the makeshift battlefield, Weiss watched on smiling politely. "If you wish to switch Pokémon I won't begrudge you."
"Huh?" Confused, Ruby glanced back and forth between the Pokémon before catching her opponent's meaning. "Don't underestimate Ledian! She's an integral part of our team and one of our main powerhouses!"
Weiss suppressed a laugh and continued staring at the large ladybug in bemusement. Of course she had never actually battled a Ledian before as she'd never known a serious trainer to have one, and had just assumed it was either the girl's childhood Pokémon or merely her traveling companion to keep her company.
"I was considering using a Pokémon with a type disadvantage to try and make this at least somewhat fair, but to be honest I don't think that's possible so I'll just try to make this quick and as painless as possible. Froslass, try not to injure Ledian. It's not her fault her trainer's a rank amateur."
The ghost Pokémon nodded and bowed graciously at Ledian, who gritted her teeth and clenched her fists just like her trainer.
"We'll show you who's the amateur! Go, Ledian!"
(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This story is a bit of a guilty pleasure as a long time Pokémon fan, and was originally conceived from me wondering what Team RWBY's Pokémon parties would look like. Something about Ruby and Ledian's relationship is just very endearing to me, and overall I think the universe of Pokémon lends itself very well as a backdrop for characters like Ruby and Weiss, as well as themes of friendship and perseverance. Obviously some of my personal headcanons from both franchises are going to be found in this story and I will be taking certain liberties with the world of Pokémon, particularly in combining the worlds of the anime, games, and Adventures manga. Overall this story is meant to be a more laid back adventure compared to some of my other fics and just something I'm writing for fun. I'm not sure how regularly I'll update this story as finishing "The Patchwork Prodigy" is my main priority at the moment, but I have five chapters written with many more outlined. I hope you enjoy.
"The Road You Choose" gets its name from the theme song of the ninth season of the Pokémon anime, "Pokémon: Battle Frontier". RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, and Pokémon is owned by Nintendo. The cover image of this story belongs to the 1995 film "Little Red Riding Hood" produced by Jetlag Studios and distributed by GoodTimes Entertainment.
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)