A/N: I meant to post this a lot later, and I'll say more stuff at the end of this... please read!

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-Sinnoh Ash in later chapters.)

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

Training was hard. Harder than Edward could have imagined.

But it was easier, too, because Al and Riolu were with him every step of the way. Hurting and sweating and panting and learning, just about every minute Ed was.

Ed had been amazed – and a little alarmed – to discover that Izumi knew more about hand-to-hand combat than even Riolu did, and Riolu was a fighting-type pokemon.

As she'd promised, Izumi taught them more than just alchemy. No, she taught them more than even they thought that it was possible to know. Under her, they learned about life, about people, about pokemon, how to do strange things like dodge knives and jump on moving trains.

And, perhaps most importantly, she taught them how to battle, a real Amestrian battle.

Ed knew that in other regions, battling was different. Trainers sent out their pokemon to face off against each other, seeing who knew their pokemon best, who had the best mind for strategy. In Amestris, though, it didn't work that way.

Amestrian battles were a practice that had evolved from the region's bloody, war-torn history. In war, anything went – that included humans fighting side-by-side with their pokemon.

Soldiers came home and found themselves unable to abandon the practice, and they passed it to their children, who taught the style to their friends, and now, just about every Amestrian battle featured both the pokemon and the trainer.

In formal battles, of course, there were strict rules, guidelines on arms and armor. Of course, that didn't stop those things from appearing in street battles, but it limited the damage to the pokemon, at least. Ed was surprised; Amestrian government wasn't usually that kind, but then, everyone went a little strange when it came to pokemon.

"Focus!" Izumi snapped, sending Ed a fiery glare and a knife, and he ducked, gold eyes wide, and nodded frantically as he looked back up.

"Yes, Teacher!"

Al's two pokeballs tinked together as he knelt to the ground, eyes on the bone-white array in front of him. He glanced at Ed, one pokeball standing out brightly at his belt, and Ed grinned at him.

"Ready, Al?"

"Ready," Al replied confidently.

Ed's agonized scream ripped through the house, and Riolu struggled harder in his pokeball. Dammit, why couldn't he break out? His trainer needed him! His trainer needed him now!

Ed and Al had been planning this for months, Riolu knew, maybe longer. And Ed and his brother were smart, really smart – genii. What could have gone wrong?

Ed was gasping for air now, and Riolu banged against his pokeball in panic, making it wobble but nothing more. He needed out! He needed out now!

"Dammit!" Ed gasped. "This can't be happening!"

No. No, it couldn't. Riolu felt like crying. Why couldn't he help his trainer? Was he that useless a pokemon?

"It can't be!" Ed gasped out, sounding short of breath and in more pain than he ever had before, in all their time training with Izumi. Riolu pounded on the pokeball. "This wasn't supposed to- He's gone, what've I done?"

He was gone? Who was gone? Riolu couldn't see what was going on, what was happening? Was Al gone? Ed would die if Al was gone, Riolu needed to go help Ed and look for Al, he needed out-

"Somebody help me," Ed whimpered, terrified, hurting. "Please, Mom. Mom, please."

Riolu screeched, thrashing around in his pokeball with all his fighting-type might, and it wobbled so hard it went rolling, but it didn't break, didn't even crack. Ed! Ed!

A few seconds passed in silence as Riolu panted, despair swirling in his mind. He was useless, he was a useless pokemon, Ed may as well throw him away, might well, after this, smash his pokeball in sheer disgust-

Then something must have happened, because Ed screamed. "No! No, this isn't what we wanted!" He sounded like he was at his breaking point, no, Riolu should be beside him, he was useless… "Riolu, please!" Ed half-sobbed. "Al! Alphonse! Alphonse!"

Riolu smashed himself against the wall of his pokeball, again and again, and screamed.

Riolu didn't escape his pokeball until hours later, and even then, it was because someone let him out. He peeked out from behind his paws and yelped, leaping away, as a giant suit of armor leaned over him.

"Who are you?" Riolu growled, half-panicked. "Where's Ed? Where's my trainer?"

The armor held its hands up in surrender.

"It's okay," he said in Alphonse's soft, familiar tones, wobbling like he was trying not to cry. "It's okay, Riolu, it's only me. I wanted to let you know that Ed was okay and you can see him now. I'm sorry it took so long to let you out. That must have been awful for you."

Riolu stared up at him with wide eyes – yes, that was the familiar aura, the very same one that Ed hugged and laughed with and loved. Then the words processed.

Ed!

Without a second look, Riolu turned and ran toward the open door right nearby, where he could sense Ed's aura, weak but present. They were in a house he'd never seen before, but that was okay – they weren't with Izumi, he recalled, they were in another town, a smaller one. Ed had said that that was where they were going, but they hadn't had a chance to see it before-

Ed!

Riolu ran up to the occupied bed, red eyes wide and panicked. Ed's breathing was shallow and labored, his shape strange under the covers, and Riolu, now that he was closer, could sense pain like he knew Ed had never felt before.

He crooned at his trainer, worried. "Ed? Ed, wake up."

A Minun, curled up next to him, silent and sad, lifted its head to look at him.

"Who are you?" she asked in a whisper, trying not to disturb his trainer.

"Ed's Riolu," he said shortly, leaning closer and standing on his tiptoes to get a better look at his trainer. "Is he okay? He doesn't feel okay!" Panic crept into his voice.

Tears welled up in Minun's eyes. "He's hurt real bad," she whispered. "I never should have let him go alone." She burrowed her head into Ed's side, ears drooping.

At that moment, a human girl entered, with blonde hair and sad blue eyes that landed on Riolu, a subdued Chansey by her side and a Happiny wobbling along beside her, trying not to cry.

"Oh," she said softly in her strange human tongue. "Are you Ed's pokemon?"

Riolu nodded quickly, looking at her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It must have been awful for you."

Riolu growled at her. He deserved it for not being there for Ed! "What happened?"

She shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, you probably want to know about Ed, don't you?" He nodded quickly, eyes wide. "He'll live, but, well…" She crossed the room and reached forward. Riolu growled at her, but she didn't stop, pulling back the covers over Ed's right side, and suddenly Riolu was too distracted to growl, because Ed had no right arm.

Riolu reached one paw toward the bandaged area covering his arm – because his arm had to be under there, it had to be – and the girl stopped him.

"E-Ed?" Riolu stuttered, frightened. "Ed, wake up. Please, Ed, you're scaring me. Ed!"

Minun whimpered, flattening her ears as if to block out the sound, and the girl started to cry.

Yeah, I'm sure this is earlier than you all expected. But I just finished Omega Ruby - or I thought I did... I beat the Elite Four, anyway, and I was feeling really happy and pleased with myself and decided to post this, but now aghfsklj what is happening. Something about a meteor... I don't remember this, is all. Anyway, please review!

UPDATE WITH SPOILERS: I still don't understand, why am I picking a Johto starter?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!

MORE UPDATE: THIS SEEMS FAMILIAR. (Also I promise to stop now.)