A/N: VIVA LA REQUEST WEEK! We're back again with another speedy update and another long one too~! First things first. As the journal entry portion of this chapter indicates, a bit of time has passed since the last chapter. Nothing major, just thought you should be aware of the relatively minor time-skip.

There, now that we've settled that...

Thank you all so much for the support, both yours and for this story! It heartens me great to see that so many wanted Mhyrloc's story to continue after all these years. And while I can never hope to match him, I DO hope that my humble work will at least help to fill the void left behind by his absence, if only partially. But I'm going to do my best to live up to the standard that he set with his groundbreaking story.

Now, I got a TON of votes for Pokemon and pairings alike and things have been decided. This chapter will reveal that.

In spades.

One final reminder, Naruto's Pokemon adore him. Those who've hurt him? Not so much. Now, I do NOT like to bash characters, but someone catches a bit of heat in this chapter. so I apologize if I offend anyone in doing so.

ONCE MORE, A LAST DISCLAIMER!

I!

OWN!

NOTHING!

ALL HAIL ARCEUS!

"...pffft!"

"Why are you laughing, dobe?!"

"I can't help it! Ohohoho, this is priceless!"

~?.

Fledglings are Fierce

Dear Diary,

Well, I'm in shock.

I've got a sneaky little fox and an orange, fire-breathing lizard as my partners! Did I mention orange? Good. I'm saying again! Charmander's a clever girl, too. She definitely understands me when I'm talking to her, and she's damn quick to respond. Heck, she already knows one of her most powerful moves, right out of the egg! Now that's something!

Eh?

What? How do I know she's a girl? Simple. Iruka told me. Of course, Anko said the same thing but I don't trust her as far as I can throw her. Sensei, or not, hell, guardian or not, I'm still convinced the woman is crazy. Wanna know what she did as soon as she realized I scratched my cheek? She licked the blood right off my face for crying out loud! And I have to LIVE with her? Me! On one hand I'm glad to get out of this nasty sty of an apartment, but why do I have to move in with Princess Stabbity?!

Wait, wait, wait!

I'm forgetting all bout Zoru!

He's even trickier than Charmander!

Hungry, too!

Think he likes the nickname, though.

He likes taking my stuff, that's for sure! I can't tell if its just a game to him, or if he's honestly trying to train...

Iruka demanded we get them their checkup of course-hate, hate, HATE hospitals-but everything turned out alright. They're healthy as can be! Good thing, too; because I never want to go back to that hospital unless I absolutely HAVE to! Needles are friggin' scary!

But at least-


(...)


"GIVE THAT BACK!"

Zorua leaped away and out of Naruto's lap before the blond could nab him, clutching its hard-won prize in his mouth. Namely, his journal, with its now-unfinished entry hanging between the little kit's jaws. For a fleeting instant the red and black fox stood perched on the sofa, its tail wagging rapidly, body crouched and ready to spring. Then with a mischievous gleam in its blue eyes the little dark type bounded away, shooting across the hall with a startling burst of speed (Agility) that had the Pokemon prankster streaking away in a red/black blur faster than even Naruto could follow.

"Zorururura!" it cackled happily!

"Oi, ya little thief!" the boy cried giving chase!

Charmander watched the exchange with a muted shrug, as if to say "Oh, well."

There simply wasn't any challenge in chasing the kitsune; not when its speed so outclassed her own. Greater fights awaited without trying to clash with her wicked ally. Besides, she already knew the outcome of this one in any case. The result would likely be much the same as it always was, as it had been since they'd left behind the stinking hole of Naruto's apartment and been shunted into Anko's. That had been several days ago. She couldn't say she was displeased with the change of scenery either.

Anko's dwelling bordered somewhere between an apartment and a small house; sporting a sparsely furnished kitchen and multiple rooms as well as an outdoor yard complete with training posts.

Said posts now bore numerous claw marks courtesy of the flame Pokemon.

With newfound room to stretch-metaphorically of course-her legs, Charmander was quite pleased. She could train with Naruto to her heart's content, watch intently as he the purplette drilled him into the floor with each successive spar. But so too did he grew stronger with every encounter. It was something the lizard Pokemon took a fierce pride in. If she was going to be strong, it only stood to reason that her partner(s) should be just as strong as her, if not more-so. She, however, had long since learned that the mistress of torture didn't appreciate such a ruckus in the early mornings.

Nor was she particularly receptive to anything resembling the mad cackling that now raced through the long halls as boy gave chase to fox. The end result was something of a circuitous route, as Naruto chased his fleet footed partner around the kitchen island in a vicious loop that seemed to go on without end.

Charmander shook her head at the sight.

One heart-stopping encounter with Anko's partner had been more than enough to curb her temper in that regard for good.

Zorua, on the other hand, never seemed to learn his lesson no matter how many times it was forced upon him.

Especially when one considered today's importance, today, when they would add two more their pack.

"SHADDAP!"

An annoyed shout was all it took to seal Zorua's fate, ending its game in an instant.

A dark purple coil slammed into the kit's path, followed by a bemused hiss.

The small fox skidded to a halt, whimpering.

Then it looked up.

Up some more.

And up.

UP.

"Z-Zorua...?"

A towering shadow fell over the shivering dark type, angry and hissing.

"Arbokkkkkk!"

The massive snake-like Pokemon seemed to fill the entire corridor all at once, simultaneously furious and very, very grumpy.

It too, did not much enjoy being woken from its early-morning slumber.

Zorua froze beneath the weight of the serpent's glare.

It leaned forwards then, and, despite its distinct lack of anything resembling lips, the cobra somehow managed to grin, flashing its many pointed teeth in a menacing smile. Zorua squawked and made its retreat a heartbeat too late; the snake was already in motion. Its large, serpentine coils wrapped around the tiny kit's body in a blinding flurry. Not enough to hurt the poor thing of course, but juuuuust enough to hold him firmly in place as well as remind the tricky fox Pokemon who ruled the roost in this house.

Impossibly, its master looked even more menacing despite her relative state of undress.

It was also enough to scar Naruto for life.

"Aargh!" Even from her perch on the table Charmander could hear the blond's startled squawk. "What the hell, Anko?!"

"Oh, please! You've seen worse!"

"Don't remind me!"

Clad in little more than her undergarments, his sensei all but stormed out into the hall, reached down into Arbok's coils, and plucked the sheepish kit from her Pokemon's grasp. Angry hazel eyes dropped to the terrified Zorua, noticing the battered, tattered book in its mouth. Deft fingers snapped down, locking around the matted missive, clenching only slightly when the poor fox tried to resist. Even from here she could feel the waves of killing intent radiating from the purple-haired Jounin.

"Fork it over the journal, runt." the poison wielder snarled.

Zorua complied hastily, dropping its prize.

"Good. Now get. I need to get ready."

Zorua didn't need to be told twice; he got.

Naruto did as well.

Idly, Charmander couldn't help but wonder if the cycle would repeat itself tomorrow, too...


(...)


Several hours and a fair bit of thrashing later, Naruto found himself all but dragged back into class.

Not willingly, mind you!

"I don't get it," he complained, "Why are we here? I already passed the test, right?"

Anko's only response was a saucy wink.

"You'll see."

"But I don't see!" the boy protested, growing more and more baffled. "You're going to be my sensei, right?" He made a face at the mere mention of it, lips screwing up as though he'd just bitten into a particularly bitter lemon. "So why do I have to come back here?"

"Well, you have to meet your teammates, don't you?" the jonin replied with more patience than he gave her credit for. "Don't you want to meet them before I end up dragging 'em through the mud?"

"Yeah, I guess, but-

"Good boy! See ya laters!"

Without another word she vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving him to fend for himself. Naruto twitched slightly.

Charmander yelped at the skill, eyes gleaming.

"Mander?!"

"No," the blond sighed, glancing down at his ever-eager ally. "You can't learn how to do that. Hell, even I don't know it!"

Her small shoulders drooped.

"Chaaaar..."

"Hey, don't be like that."

"Rua?"

"You and me both, buddy." Naruto muttered at the little fox's inquiry, idly reaching up past his headband to muss his partner's fur.

As was its lot, Zorua had claimed a perch on his head, oddly reminiscent of something Akamaru did with Kiba, its tiny paws gripping into his hair with surprising strength. Utterly unrepentant despite having been caught in the act of its mischief, his prankster partner of a Pokemon had taken to leering at anyone and anything who so much as glanced at them askance; almost as if it were just daring them to protest its presence. When one paused to consider just how many started at the sight of the unique dark fox, there were quite a few indeed.

Charmander simply refused to be carried, the proud Pokemon opting to walk instead.

He could respect that much.

Oddly enough, when he found himself all but shoved into the lecture room it was nearly completely empty, most of the graduating class was nowhere to be seen.

There were a few faces he recognized, however.

"Aha!"

Naruto recognized Ino dead away, if only because his fellow blond bolted upright and started shouting the moment she so much as laid eyes on his shadow. Judging by the way she all but flailed her fists about herself, he was guessing she was none too pleased with him or the strange situation they were in. Ah, well. At least she didn't hit him. Anything was preferable to that, if not by much. Bracing himself for the inevitable rant, he placed both hands in his pockets, sighing as she all but stormed up to him.

"What took you so long, Naruto?!" she cried. "We had to wait for you!"

"I could ask you the same thing!"

"Char!" Charmander echoed, defending her partner.

Ino nearly did a spit take.

"Eh?"

The pale-blonde's attention swiftly snapped southwards to the orange lizard at the blond's side, her anger momentarily misplaced-forgotten in the wake of this revelation. Blue eyes narrowed, quietly observing the stoic little lizard at the blond's side. The determined Pokemon met her glare for glare, refusing to back down under the weight of the Yamanaka's incredulous stare. Despite Naruto's initial dismay, Ino actually tried to pet her. To his double dismay Charmander actually let her! She even hummed like a contented kitten, despite the dearth of any need to do so.

"Is that your Pokemon?" she asked. "She's cute~!"

Charmander bristled slightly at such slander.

CUTE?! She was not cute!

She was fierce!

"One of 'em." Naruto pointed to the top of his head for emphasis. Then there's this little guy. Say hi, Zoru!"

Zorua cried his name from its perch atop the blond's spiky mane, merrily waving a tiny paw.

"Zor!"

Then, incorrigible prankster that it was, the dark type leaned forward and utilized one of its favorite moves.

Lick.

The result was nothing short of spectacular.

"YEEEEK!" Ino squeaked and all but bolted backwards as the small kit licked her nose, her face a bright shade of scarlet. "NARUTO!" she sputtered, raising a trembling finger! "W-What the hell?!" Her blush could've put a certain Hyuuga to shame, and it certainly did in an odd, albeit unexpected, sort of way. Perhaps, had it realized just how much such a simple act would change things, it would've stayed put. Still, Zorua didn't much care in any case. The human's reaction had been far too priceless to forgo such mischief.

"Gah, sorry!" Naruto cried, trying and failing to shoot the snickering kit a glare. "He's ah, really friendly, I guess?"

For a long moment, the jiinchuuriki honestly thought Ino was going to wallop him into next week.

Her expression certainly promised pain of some sort, righteous female wrath boiling over.

Then, to his surprise-and relief-she averted her gaze.

...fine." she relented. "But! If he does it again...!"

"He won't! Still, they're pretty cool, right?"

Oddly enough, Ino actually flushed anew

"S-So what if you have two, huh?" she huffed, puffing out her chest and struggling to forget that incident, "Look at what I got!"

Naruto's gaze snapped down-avoid looking at the chest avoid the chest avoidthechestatallcostsman!-to the tiny green creature nestled in her arms. Bright, golden eyes peered back at him inquisitively and for a moment he found himself flummoxed. It looked...well, like a gecko, really. All dark green and bearing a deep red crest on its belly, it was small to the point of being outright petite, more-so than Zorua even. Finding fault with his gaze, the puny Pokemon scrambled out of its owner's arms and landed nimbly on its tail at their feet.

"Treecko!" the grass type preened proudly, chewing on the small fig in its mouth.

"Oh, cool!" he grinned, easily impressed. "Does it know any moves besides pound, yet?"

Ino colored deeply at that.

"Um...Bullet Seed."

...that's it?"

"Well, what do yours know?!"

"Well, a bunch!" Naruto chirruped happily, entirely missing the spark of anger in those pale blue eyes. "I mean, we've trained like crazy! Let's see...oh! Zoru's are Lick, Bite, Faint Attack, Agility and...well, we don't know the rest of em. Charmander, she can use Scratch...Ember, Metal Claw and Flamethrower, I think."

Ino swallowed thickly, suddenly horribly nervous. "Y-You, think...?"

How on earth was it growing so quickly?! They hadn't even had their Pokemon for that long!

Charmander grinned deviously at Treecko.

"Char."

"Ko!" The little grass type protested at the insult.

"Mander."

A blast of flame sent the little gecko scurrying back to the arms of its mistress.

"Hey!"

"Sorry," the blond replied hastily, scooping up the indignant lizard before it could loose another fiery breath. "She's really feisty."

That started something of a small stampede as each of the remaining genin each desired to see Naruto's partners for themselves. Then their own partners in turn were quite curious about their Pokemon in addition to all the new sights, smells and sounds assaulting their senses. In short order chaos ensued. Nearly everyone was suddenly out to prove just how incredible their new partners were-albeit some were more subtle than others. Naruto, more than happy to be acknowledged receive so much attention in the first place, welcomed it with open arms.

It certainly helped!

"Hey, Naruto!"

"Chouji!"

The Akimichi was the first to approach, followed by a snuffling little blue creature that only narrowly beat out Ino's Treecko in terms of height. Suddenly very interested, Zoru clamored off Naruto's head and hopped to the floor to greet this curious newcomer. Giving the strange Pokemon a cursory sniff, the dark fox tilted its head, blinking.

"Zor?"

"Phanpy!" the little blue elephant raised her trunk in greeting, one mirrored by the kit's toothy grin. Just like that they were off in a flash, chasing one another about the room like good friends. Naruto felt the beginning of a smile pull at his lips as he observed. He'd never had much opportunity to play with others his age when in his younger days; most parents simply kept their children away from him. He still didn't understand why to to this day. It warmed him more than words to see that his partner at least wouldn't be denied a high-spirited game of tag.

"Spirited, isn't she?"

Chouji managed a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I guess she is. She's really a bundle of energy."

"Troublesome."

"Hmm?" Naruto blinked, noticing a certain lazy genius reclining beside him. "Damn. What happened to you? You don't look so good."

Shikamaru looked positively ill, as if he hadn't gotten enough sleep as of late.

"My egg happened." the shadow-wielder grumbled.

It didn't take long to realize what he meant.

His Pokemon was all but sprawled across his back. For that matter, it was also the most recognizable to Naruto; he vividly remembered its humanoid shape and yellow-brown colors. He also remembered it slept almost all time. Much like its partner. If he remembered correctly-and yes indeed, Anko's grueling lessons had surely stuck with him-this was a psychic type and an infamous teleporter at that. No wonder the poor Nara hadn't gotten any sleep! He'd probably spent the last week chasing his new partner halfway across Konoha!

As if to echo that thought, the sleepy Pokemon yawned.

"Abra."

Charmander sighed a halfhearted greeting of her own, expelling a thin tongue of flame in frustrations. She had no interest in chasing someone who could-quite literally-disappear and reappear on the other side of the village. She might be battle-hungry but she certainly wasn't about to go on a hair-brained flight with nothing to show for it. Too much work for precious little experience.

"Bra~." the lazy pokemon answered in agreement.

Naruto bit his tongue.

That was possibly the perfect Pokemon for the lazy Nara.

Something tugged on the leg of his jumpsuit, demanding his attention. Naruto complied, glancing south and found himself look at a tiny, scaly little creature, even more baffling than the last.

"Eh?"

A bipedal, grayish-green Pokémon with short limbs and pale, straight tusks protruding from the sides of its mouth. The back of its head was dark grayish-green with a tall, slightly curved horn. Large, dark grayish-green ovals with its red eyes peered up at him, its rounded snout snorting in anticipation. A forest green collar marking encircled its neck, making it look as though the tiny creature was somehow on a leash. All in all, it was a cute little fellow, he'd dare say harmless, but who knew when it came to Pokemon? Some would say Zorua was harmless, but he was one helluva prankster after all...

"Hello?" he blinked, briefly baffled.

"Axew!" it replied cheerily.

"Will you stop running off?!" a rough voice demanded. "Geez, I take my eyes off you for one second...! Naruto! Don't let him get away, oi!"

Glancing up, the Kyuubi container nearly found himself face to face with Axew's partner. To his surprise, he found he actually recognized him.

Kiba sniffed.

"I guess he's yours?"

"Yeah," the Inuzuka drawled cheerily, "He's always tryin' to pick fights. Say...my ma says he's a dragon type. Isn't that neat?" a wry grin tugged at his marked face. "Dragons are strong against fire, right? Betcha Axew could beat your Charmander no problem."

Charmander grinned at the implied challenge.

It was pure teeth.

At last, someone worthy of her time!

Despite its innate resistance to the flames, the little dragon cringed away from the heat of her tail. Naruto laughed. A battle sounded perfect! Unlike his one-sided beatdowns against Anko, here he actually had a chance!

"Let's go, then!"

"I cannot allow that." a stern voice interjected before they could begin. "Why, you ask? Because it is forbidden."

"Aw, Shino!" Kiba cried, rounding on the Aburame. "Don't be such a buzzkill! I can kick his ass any day!"

Naruto bristled, mildly insulted.

"In your dreams dog boy!"

"As I said, it is forbidden."

An angry shrilling note followed his words. (Screech)

Both boys blanched.

"Er...ah, right."

The source of the agonizing note, his Pokemon, had claimed a roost atop his shoulder, and was something of a very large bug. Naruto wasn't terribly surprised, considering. He was surprised however, by the sheer amount of animosity the reddish purple creature was currently directing at him and Charmander. Its yellow eyes threatened to bore holes in him, and its teeth threatened to do much more than that if he came any closer. Now Naruto wasn't entirely sure what he might have done to offend the buy Pokemon, but clearly he must've done something to upset it; because it wouldn't stop giving him a Scary Face!

"Um...does he have a problem with me?"

"Apologies." Shino mumbled. "Bug types fear fire."

"Hey, its not like I was planning to burn i'm, ya know."

Shino might have blinked, but Naruto wasn't entirely sure.

"Venipede."

"Oh, so that's his name!"

"Indeed."

Their "conversation" if one could call it that, was all going relatively well, until Sakura approached Naruto.

Then all hell broke loose.

Zorua skidded to a halt, suddenly distracted from its game Phanpy, its hackles rising angrily. In a bolt of speed the little kit was at his side and past him, placing itself firmly between him and Sakura. Charmander took it a step further

She actually hissed.

Faster than Naruto could blink, the little orange lizard spun and bared its fangs at the startled kunoichi, snarling fearsomely. (Growl)

"CHARMANDER!" it cried, tail flame flaring! "Char, char, char!"

"What the heck?!"

Sakura clutched her own partner tightly, repressing a shiver of fear. Her Pokemon did the same. For a fleeting moment she actually thought the flame Pokemon was going to roast them on the spot. Naruto seemed half-inclined to let it. He certainly didn't do anything to make the little lizard cease its angry rant. Her arms tightened across her chest, reflexively seeking to defend her center of gravity. It was only when her partner let out a tiny cry of pain that she remembered the small being in her arms.

"Buneary!"

"Oh, sorry!" then she remembered the angry Pokemon glowering up at her. "W-What's wrong with it?"

"Her." Naruto clarified coldly. "She is not an it. And I guess Char just doesn't like you...pinky."

"P-Pinky?!" Sakura sputtered.

Now it was Ino's turn to howl with laughter.

Charmander wasn't laughing, though.

Not one bit.

"Mander!" If looks could kill, "pinky" would've been a smoldering pile of smoldering ash.

This...this girl was not part of the pack, nor would she ever be pack.

This girl was the polar opposite.

She was an enemy.

Pain, loneliness, sadness and sorrow, all these things and more.

This one had hurt the alpha and that could not be tolerated.

She'd felt these feelings as an egg time and time again, dark thoughts like poison in the back of her mind. Now that she finally had a face to pair them with, she was determined to keep the harm-seeker away from him at all costs. Her small claws flexed at the thought. If she ever dared raise a hand against her partner again...

She.

Would.

BURN.

Her.

Admittedly, Naruto wasn't very impressed either. Now that he no longer looked at the Haruno through rose-tinted glasses, he found her well...rather annoying, truth be told. Her partner slightly less so, if only because it was so damnably adorable. A rabbit. Brow and tan and as harmless as well...a bunny. What the hell could a rabbit do in a fight? Didn't matter, he supposed. So long as the powers-that-be didn't place her on a team with him he'd never have to care. Arceus damn it, he didn't want to. Something in him had hardened since the night they'd received their headbands, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever be the same again. Now that he knew what it was like to receive genuine affection-both from his partners and people like Anko-he realized how incredibly blind he'd been.

And then Naruto saw Sasuke.

More aptly, his partner.

Cold anger vanished.

...wow."

"What?"

To his credit, Naruto tried not to laugh at the last Uchiha; he really did. It would be rude of him, and more than a touch disrespectful to mock someone's Pokemon. He pursed his lips, and even went so far as to bite his tongue, but still the snicker escaped him. Anko-sensei had told him time and time again that no one would ever take him seriously if he started laughing like a madman out of nowhere. They'd just think he was crazy, and while she insisted that crazy was often a good thing, there were limits. By the time he realized it, he was all of three seconds from losing control of his gut.

He just couldn't help himself.

"...pffft!"

Thus the floodgates opened and there was no more holding back the waters. With a sharp bark of laughter, Naruto tumbled to the floor, clutching his ribs and whooping like a mad Haunter. He just couldn't help himself! Tears of mirth streamed down his face as he rolled about the floor like a mad tumbleweed. A cat! He had a cat! And then the Uchiha's partner growled at him and sent him into renewed paroxysms of delight. Shoulders shaking, he redoubled his laughter, much to the blue-black creature's dismay.

"Shinx!"

"Bahahahaha!"

"Why are you laughing, dobe?!"

"I'm sorry! I can't help it! Ohohoho, this is priceless! Ahaha! Ow! Oh, god! My ribs!"

Eventually, however, his laughter ceased, and he found himself face to face with a rather perturbed prodigy of an Uchiha and an equally annoyed electric neko. Which would've been just a mite bit worrying if he hadn't received a crash course in all things taijutsu from a certain snake mistress. He was far from being a master like someone of Rock Lee or-Arceus forbid!-Might Guy's caliber, but even so he was fairly certain he could, at least hold his own against someone of Sasuke's level. And with two partners ready to back him up, no less! Not to mention the ace up his sleeve...

To his surprise, Ino of all people swooped in and broke things up before either could utter so much as a single word.

"Boys," she called, "If you're going to keep glaring at each other you might as well just kiss and get it over with."

Sarsuke grimaced.

Naruto gagged.

Each paled.

Nevertheless, the tension evaporated and since neither genin wanted to so much as look at the other after that, their little argument fizzled out before it could truly begin. Which was a pity, all things considered. Naruto honestly regretted laughing like an idiot back there, but he was certain he wouldn't regret going toe-to-toe with the broody boy. Part of him longed to showcase his newly-acquired skills, including the handful of jutsu he had managed to wheedle from Anko when she wasn't looking. But the small, increasingly logical half instilled into him by his new mentor urged patience and discretion. Would it not be that much sweeter to surprise the last Uchiha when he least expected it?

Revenge was a dish best served cold, after all.

"You're welcome." Ino muttered as they crossed paths on their way back to the desks.

Naruto blinked.

"Why did you...?"

"We're even now," she sang, sashaying back to her seat. "Thanks for making me laugh earlier. Pinky. Ha! Oh, I'm going to be getting giggles out of that one all week!"

Her fellow blond could only frown as he took his own place at his desk and awaited...

...anything, really.

Nothing came.

Seconds turned to minutes and morphed into hours, and then hours began to feel like days.

One by one the others and their Pokemon began to slouch, waiting for their sensei to arrive. Naruto tried everything. Meandering about proved fruitless, as they weren't allowed to leave the room with anything less than a Jounin escort and while he could just as easily have used henge to disguise himself as one and fly the coop, he wasn't willing to risk Anko's wrath over something something so juvenile. That woman had put the fear of god into him and something else besides! Nope! Not worth it!

In the end, he simply elected to catch up on his sleep while he waited, a sentiment Zorua and Charmander readily echoed.

If not for an elbow prodding him, he might've slept far longer.

"Psst! Naruto!" Ino's voice intruded on his pleasant, rameny dreams. "Wake up!"

"Huh? Wha?" Bleary eyes fluttered open. "You're still here?"

"Whaddya mean? Hinata and I have been sitting here for hours, now!"

Naruto blinked rapidly.

"Huh?"

With that, the dense blond finally became aware of the other genin in the room with them; though he would've been hard-pressed to find her in the first place, given that she'd all but tucked herself into the furthest of corners from the door. Curious, he made a beeline for her. The heiress feebly raised a hand at his approach, her pale face darkening slightly. Perhaps had he known the sheer amount of effort it took for the poor girl to meet his gaze, he might not have gotten so close. As it was, he blindly forged ahead, heedless of the consequences.

"H-Hello, Naruto-kun...

"Yo-

'Hi!'

Naruto's jaw clicked shut on his greeting, eyes bulging.

"Where did-

'Over here!'

The baffled blond's gaze snapped to the small, green and white, almost humanoid creature in her arms. It looked...almost like a small child, really. Curious red orbs stared back at him, shaded by a messy mop jade hair. A tiny white hand rose, waving happily, the other quietly caressing its horns. As he looked on she cried her name and gave another jaunty wave. Charmander tilted her head, regarding the little psychic type with mild curiosity. Naruto's reaction was slightly more...audible.

"Oh, cool! Was that your Pokemon talking to me?" at the latter's nod, his grin grew. "That's awesome! Wish mine could do that!"

"Ralts!" her partner chirruped.

Atop the blond's head, Zorua's ear twitched. The tiny Pokemon perked up, an impish grin lighting its sleepy face.

"Zor?"

"Ral!" the psychic chirped, as if to say "go for it!"

Naruto realized too late what his prankster Pokemon partner was planning; by the time he thought to reach up Zorua had already scampered off his head and landed atop Hinata's. The heiress barely had time to stiffen before the tiny kit, light as a feather, leaped down and claimed himself a proud little place in her lap. And the little bugger grinned! The blond froze, suddenly very leery of scooping the fox up at all lest, he get walloped for touching someplace he shouldn't. Hinata would never hit him of course, but he had no way of knowing that, only that the wrath of any female was something to be feared.

So when Hinata actually started petting Zoru, he had no idea what to do.

"Do you like that?" she asked tentatively.

Zorua purred.

"Zor!"

Before anyone could stop him, the kit placed two paws on the Hyuuga's chest, and leaned up. Just as he had with Ino, he got her right between the eyes.

Lick.

Steam.

Hinata squeaked.

Pure steam burst from her ears!

"Gah!" Naruto squawked, snatching the fox back. "I'm so sorry! I don't know why he keeps doing that! I mean, he's only done it to Ino and all-

Something clicked in his head.

And it wasn't that.

Naruto froze.

"Wait. If you, me, and Ino are the only ones left here, then that means...

As luck would have it, Anko chose that moment to make her entrance.

For the life of him, Naruto didn't know where she'd gotten how she'd managed to line up her shot so she collided directly with the window and avoided cutting herself to ribbons on the reinforced glass. Nor did he wholly understand where she'd found that many smoke bombs or even the bloody banner for crying out loud; but he silently resolved to add that trick to his repertoire of tricks. It really was a rather impressive entrance when you thought about, loud, flashy, and poised to grab the attention of everyone in the room. Pretty badass, now that he thought about it.

What came next utterly ruined the moment.

"Ino Yamanka and Hinata Hyuuga!" the pony-tailed violette declared curtly, thrusting a finger forward! "Come with me if you want to live!"

The silence was appalling, more so for Naruto than anyone else.

He quietly facepalmed.

Anko loved drama.

...what?"

"Just...Just ignore her," he managed. "She gets like this, sometimes...watch out for the body flicker. Its a trip."

"Wait, what do you mean body flic-ACK!"

In short order the jounin grabbed the three flabbergasted genin -and their startled Pokemon!- in a crushing hug. They vanished in a swirl of leaves not a moment later. When the world finally reoriented itself and up was up and down was down once again they found they were no longer in class. Or in a room at all for that matter.

Instead the unlikely trio found themselves standing in a large field-one Naruto distantly recognized, if only for the charred craters. He knew this training ground. It was where Anko had showcased a handful of her more explosive jutsu and deadliest summons. Jutsu he'd never mastered. Jutsu he was likely about to be on the receiving end of, and her...

Oh, this was going to suuuuuuuck!

"Alright, brats, here's your first mission as part of Team Mitarashi!" Anko barked, spreading her arms wide. "I want you to hit me with every damn thing you've got! See this headband?" she jerked a defiant thumb to her forehead, grinning like a madwoman. "You have to knock if off my head in the next...I dunno, three hours? Yeah, three hours sounds damn good! But here's the catch...you have to do it a certain way. And I ain't telling you how. Pass this test and I'll teach you each one jutsu of your choosing. Fail and," her grin grew imperceptibly, "Well...trust me when I say you don't want to fail."

"W-What happens if we do?" Hinata squeaked.

"I tie you to a post and do things to you. Trust me, you're better off not knowing. Oh." she added as an afterthought, "And then I get to kick your smug little asses back to the Academy."

That was all it took to get Naruto and Hinata motivated.

Ino...not so much.

The Yamanaka frowned, petulantly, crossing both arms before her chest.

"And if we don't want to, sensei?"

Why was she stuck with these two anyway?! She'd wanted to be on Sasuke-kun's team! Instead, forehead got her way and SHE found herself stuck with...with...THIS! It wasn't fair! Now, she held no anger for Naruto or Hinata mind you. In fact, she didn't much mind having the blond and the stuttering Hyuuga. She wouldn't have minded having either of them as part of her trio. That wasn't the problem. You see, she did care about her romantic rival trumping her! That, and being partnered with a crazy woman! Treecko echoed its partner's visible displeasure as well, raising a tiny green fist to echo its ally's displeasure.

"Treecko!" the little green lizard cried! "Tree, tree!"

Anko's grin could've put the devil himself to shame.

"Funny thing, there. I was HOPING you'd say that. Its no fun if you don't struggle."

"Wait, wha-

With a snap of her fingers a flash of dark purple burst from her exposed arm and resolved itself into existence beside the jounin, swiftly taking on the hulking form of a massive, towering serpent. It reared back, tongue tasting the air, its hooded head craning this way and that as it took in the newcomers. Abrok hissed softly, trying to decide if they were part of the nest or just...prey.

The dango-loving ninja snapped her fingers again and that was the end of that.

"Arbok! Prey!"

PREY IT WAS!

Hissing sibilant, the snake Pokemon rose up on its tail, glowering down at the mouthy blond. Ino's already pale face lost all semblance of color as those dark, angry eyes met hers in an intimidating stare that all but left the blond and her fledgling Pokemon paralyzed on the spot (Glare) with a blinding intensity that seemed to set its eerie crest alight. Then, its target immobilized, the cobra uttered a heart-stopping roar.

"Arrrrrrbok!"

The Yamanaka squawked, tumbling to the floor.

"Alright, alright! I give!"

Naruto sighed.

"Wow. Even I'm not that dense."

"Zip it, bub!"

"This is Arbok." Anko introduced her partner with a flourish, grinning as he patted the massive coils with her off hand. "She's going to be taking care of you for next three hours. Say hi, Arbok!"

"I...I'm not sure I like the sound of that, sensei...

Hinata's Ralts chirped an agreement of her own.

"Too bad! Aaaaaaand start!"

Sadly the brief moment of hesitation cost the three genin the element of surprise. Not that they would have been able to move anyway, what with a seven-foot cobra staring then down and hissing at the top of its lungs. Even the Pokemon froze, momentarily frightened out of their wits at the sheer aura of menace exuded by the towering serpent. (Ability: Intimidate)

Until Charmander stiffened and loosed a blast of flame.

Startled by the sudden flare, Arbok flinched, averting its gaze.

"SCATTER!" Naruto yelped, clamoring upright! "To the trees!"

"Careful~!" Anko called as they fled into the woods. "Arbok isn't very nice when she's hunting! Watch out for poison~!"

"You're crazy!" Naruto squawked!

"You know you love me, brat!"

Needless to say, the next three hours were pure hell.

A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT! A few notes here. The "battle" with Anko takes place next chapter. Its going to be all sorts of FUN. Anyhow, before anyone asks, YES the Wave mission will be given to Team Anko this time around. YES, as far as I'm concerned Haku is a girl; because...I just cannot think of that shinobi as a boy! 'Tis impossible!

Sakura getting put down like that is a one-time thing. Ino's not going to be a Sasuke fangirl forever, either. Oh, the plans I have for her and Hinata!

Yes, it is possible-in this fic-for someone to have multiple Pokemon. But six? Oi, oi, oi, that is rare as hell and I'm not sure if it'll happen in this fic. But can a ninja say, befriend a wild Pokemon? To that I say...yes. But they won't be able to summon said Pokemon as they would a partner, and it wouldn't exactly be bonded to them. Their aid would be entirely voluntarily on the Pokemon's part, unless we get into Sharingan shenanigans.

A prime example of this would be something along these lines.

Say Naruto befriends a random Pokemon like, I dunno...a Magikarp. He CANNOT summon that Pokemon. If it follows him around or even chooses to join him, that's fine and dandy, but he wouldn't be "bonded" with it, and be able to dismiss/summon it as he would others. It IS possible to circumvent this as certain Elite Ninja will reveal later, but I don't want to spoil things.

So for now, lets just keep Naruto at two, eh? I don't see that changing unless everyone makes a convincing argument otherwise.

As to the Pokemon themselves, I went according to reviews and PM votes and there were a LOT for these guys.

Okay! Ninja setups and Pokemon (thus far!) are as follows! Please read it!

Team Eight= Naruto, Ino, Hinata. Leader is ANKO. Major difference here! Kurenai does have a team in this story, but it is NOT Team Eight. As to her team? We'll see them later. All I'll say is that Sai is in it. Care to guess who the others might be, hmm...?

Team Seven= Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba. Leader is Kakashi.

Team Ten= Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino. Leader is Asuma.

Naruto= Charmander and Zorua.

Ino= Treecko.

Hinata= Ralts.

Sasuke= Shinx.

Sakura= Buneary.

Kiba= Axew.

Shikamaru= Abra.

Chouji= Phanpy.

Shino= Venipede.

Sai (Not seen in this chapter)= Smeargle.

Anko=Abrok

Asuma=?

Kurena=?

Kakashi=?

Hiruzen=Blaziken.

There we go.

As to Gai's team and their Pokemon, well...

...its a little early to reveal that, ain't it?

WHEW! That was a lot to write! Be sure to let me know what ya think!

So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would Ye Kindly?

And of course...

...enjoy the previews! VOTE ON THE ONE YOU WANT! ONE, TWO, THREE, OR ALL OF THEM! Your input-and reviews! matter, folks!

(Preview(S)!)

Charmander raised her hackles and hissed.

She didn't like this!

Not one bit!

Anko cooed.

"Oh, that's just adorable."


"Karp!" the pokemon flailed pathetically on the open road. "Magikarp!"

"Is that it?"

Naruto beamed.

"Nope."

That was all his opponent heard before the "Magikarp vanished and the telltale blaze of a Flamethrower barreled into him from behind.

"Aw, shi-


Naruto blinked owlishly.

"Oh, hey, little guy! Where'd you come from? Did you get lost?"

The injured Pokemon blinked up at him owlishly.

"..."

R&R~! =D