Sai Meets his Match

Summary: Sai has never had a pokemon of his own; he's always used super-powered pokemon provided by ROOT. Sakura and Naruto decide to change that.

"I don't understand," Sai said. "Why have a pokemon if not to battle?"

Sai, Sakura, and Naruto were walking through the streets of Konoha. Now that Sakura and Naruto trusted Sai more and were a little friendlier, the two decided to introduce the emotionless artist to their leisure pokemon, Bubblegum the Skitty and Trixy the Vulpix. When Sakura and Naruto had tried to get Sai to do the same, they learned he had no other pokemon than those assigned.

"The pokemon the academy, or in your case ROOT, gives you and the pokemon you catch in the field are very different than the pokemon you have at home," Sakura said, holding Bubblegum in her arms.

"Yeah," Naruto said, "They don't have to battle." "Vul."

"Then what is the point of them?" Sai asked. "I see no need to have a powerless pokemon to sit around and be lazy."

Sakura frowned and looked at Bubblegum who looked back with clueless but happy wonder. Sakura felt back for Sai, she couldn't imagine a life without her Skitty. This Skitty has been by her side for everything since the day she turned four. It cuddled her when she was scared, was silent when Sasuke left, and made all of her pain go away. What Sakura loved most though, was that Bubblegum could smile, she'd always smile and it would never be fake.

Sakura stopped walking.

"Oh," she said softly and hugged her Skitty closer. Bubblegum returned the affection wholeheartedly; meowing happily as she nuzzled her mistress's face and licked her nose.

The boys had stopped as well; watching the endearing moment.

Sakura looked at the kitten pokemon with a loving look.

"If I know one thing, it's that I trust this Skitty with my life more than I do with Bulbasaur or Wartortle," she said.

Sai was confused (though he didn't know it) and Naruto was thoughtful; he looked down at his Vulpix. Trixy returned his look with a mischievous foxy smirk and a trickster's snicker; Naruto gave his own smirk. Yeah, this was his pokemon; the precious gift left to him as an egg from his parents. The one who was always ready for a prank, who warmed his feet and heart while he was in the hospital, the one who was always ready to escape a scolding from Iruka. This was his precious Vulpix; the one who's look a Groudon in the eye unafraid and stand by him no matter what.

Still looking at Trixy, Naruto said: "Sai, the only way you can understand this is if you get a pokemon yourself."

Team 7 was now at the Konoha Daycare and Breeding Center: Little Leaf. This center in specific is where very civilian pokemon is born; meaning they weren't trained from birth for battle, reconnaissance, medicine, etc. Naruto and Sakura chose this center because it was diverse and the pokemon were gentle natured and most importantly: innocent.

Sakura smiled brightly. "I'll go talk to the caretaker," she said and left.

Naruto grinned and patted Sai's shoulder. "Go for it Sai," he said and followed after Sakura.

Sai frowned, looking around the unfamiliar territory. Everything was small, and happy, joyful and playful. Many of the pokemon were some he saw on the streets with kids or in the woods around Konoha like the Poochyeta and Rattata. Some he recognized from their final forms like the Charmanderes and Riolu. He recognized more Vulpix and Skitty as well as a Seedot, like what his brother once had.

Sai silently glanced back at his teammates; Sakura was talking to a caretaker and Naruto was being mauled by a Shinx and Growlithe. Sai looked back in front of him; unknown to him, Sakura and Naruto were adamantly watching him.

Sai took a step forward, then another, silently wondering as he walked what his team epexcted of him. Sai couldn't feel happiness or friendship. None of these pokemon were cute or 'cool-looking'. They just looked like pokemon, weak, easy to kill pokemon. Maybe he should just choose one to get it over with; just take one and go, they'd never mean anything to him anyway.

Suddenly, Sai stopped, looking at a small corner in the room. In the corner were five Smeargle, all with their own canvas and using their tails to paint. One in particular, caught Sai's attention. This Smeargle was a girl, marked by a pink bow in its ear, and the paint secretions in her tail were pink. The Smeargle had painted a heart but it wasn't finished; only half drawn. She was sad and lonely looking, almost defeated.

Sai didin't know why, but he was moving, walking to the Smeargle. While walking, he pulled out hi spaintbrush; his tool of death and mayhem. Once behind her, Sai crouched down.

"Smear?"

Sai ignored her and then he moved his hand in a single stroke. The heart was complete. Sai's weapon of blood made something… pretty.

Smeargle and Sai looked at each other at the same time. They smiled, a real smile, and for the first time in a long time, Sai felt happiness.

End.

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BTW, it makes sense to show no bonds to pokemon a ninja would use in battle which is why they go by their species name and not nicknames. Pokemon in the ninja world would be used like summons that can die (sadly) and do many things: battle, stealth/spy, medicine, etc.

A leisure pokemon is a pokemon that can battle but not as a ninja; just friendly pokemon battles. They stay at home. Most ninja like them because they are innocent in a bloody world. All civilians have at least one pokemon; who wouldn't want one?

Poll: Name Sai's Smeargle, must be a name with a meaning like ex: Hana means flower; would prefer a Japanese name. You can also think of a name for Yamato's male Sudowoodo and what pokemon Kakashi's Pakkun should be (I was thinking Snubull).