Sharks in Sunny Places

College. It feels just like high school. It just costs money and people are more mature.

I finished watching Puella Magi Madoka Magicka (or however you arrange its title, I'm so confused by this point...) and I have to say, I'm sorry if this fanfic turns into a BreakTheCutie. I'm unfortunately quite fond of the trope, and as I was looking over my outlines I have to say I'm quite horrified for what all I have planned for poor little Hinata-chan.

In that regard, I don't know if I'll be bumping the rating up to M or not, it just depends on if I think it gets to be too much to be still rated T. Keep in mind, I've already said Zetsu would be making an appearance. He's going to be doing his Zetsu thing.

I kind of want this to turn into a BreakTheCutie, just to amuse my morbid self, but I'd also like to...y'know...Keep Hinata's sanity in tact. And some of the things I have planned aren't really all that...sanity-preserving. So I might turn this into two separate fanfics altogether. I don't know.

Writing this chapter, or at least the first portion of it, caused quite a lot of DERPing on my end. I had written the first part, but the I scene changed and went to school. At school I'd written down that Kiba was suppose to battle CHILE, meaning I had to rewrite an entire scene after I had just finished the first part of the battle against Chile's Lillipup. I feel special.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Naruto. Boo.

Chapter Four: Gym Battles and Consequences

Hinata Hyuuga was quite confused when she saw Kiba and Shino at the Striation City gym. She thought she remembered them saying they got the gym badge yesterday. As a result, they had adequate time to spot her as she was scanning her memory.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Kiba called, shaking Hinata out of her thoughts. Hinata smiled, deciding it didn't matter, and went over to join her friends. Kiba was brimming with excitement, eagerly talking about his strategies to use on the gym leader, when a green-haired man stepped out of the gym.

"Ah. I thought I'd heard people talking outside. Hello, I am Cilan." He greeted warmly. "You are here to take the gym challenge, am I correct?"

"Yeah! Of course we are!" Kiba said, nodding. Cilan smiled, and motioned them inside.

"Ah, by the way, what Pokemon did each of you start out with?" Cilan asked, if it was an after-thought.

"I started with Oshawott, Shino-san started with Snivy, and Hinata-chan started with Tepig." Kiba informed eagerly as he stepped into the gym, and Hinata saw Shino twitch. Kiba then realized what he had done and facepalmed. "Stupid, stupid, stupid..." He muttered to himself. Hinata wondered what was going on between the two, her head cocked to the side in confusion.

"Kiba…We had a plan." Shino muttered irritably. Kiba froze as he recognized Shino's tone as a bad one, and turned to face Shino. A nervous grin flitted across his face.

"Uhm…Oops?" Kiba apologized nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Shino sighed. "This will be more challenging. That's better for us as Trainers."

Hinata looked around the gym a they talked, noticing that Cilan had vanished. Next to the door was a counter-top with a young lady behind it, dressed in a waitress's outfit. She was smiling at the trio, and motioned for Hinata to look at the rest of the gym. It was a large and spacious-feeling building, large ceilings and walls made out of what looked to be wood; Curtains near the back wall had an elemental symbol printed on it. The floor on the room ahead had three elemental symbols on the ground, and they looked like switches.

It was a puzzle, Hinata decided. Not a very complicated one, but a puzzle nonetheless. The waitress, who had been watching Hinata piece it together, clapped her hands together three times. The trio turned to look at the waitress. "Hello~! Welcome to our Café! To reach the main course, you'll have to find the appetizers! Good luck, dearies." She smiled, and shooed them onwards.

And so the three novice Trainers began their very first Gym Challenge.

"So you've made it to the main course." The opposing trio said in unison. Hinata warily looked at her cell's opponents. The trio all looked remarkably similar, so much so that she would assume that they were fraternal triplets if not for their varying hair and eyes' colors. They all even wore the exact same butler suit.

In the middle stood Cilan, posing in the exact same manor as his brothers. To his left was an energetic redhead, who Hinata assumed was Chile. His eyes unnerved her, and she was glad he wasn't her opponent. To the right of Cilan was who she assumed to be Cress. Immediately, she was reminded of Kisame's blue hair, as they were almost exactly the same shade. Cress seemed calmer and more composed than both of his brothers.

Cilan stepped forward, and the cell's attentions turned toward him. "Now, I shall introduce your opponents."

"Kiba Inuzuka will be having the Cilan Sage Course, with a side of Lillipup."

"Hinata Hyuuga will delight in Cress's signature Pan-porridge and Puppychow."

"And last but not least, Shino Aburame will face the heat of Chile's Super-Searing Spice Smash, with a relief of Lillipup."

"And now we will determine who dines first!" The opposing trio formed a close circle, and the Trainers watched in wonder. Was there some method that they used to determine who goes first? A sense of anticipation creeped into Hinata, while Kiba was noisily muttering a mantra of "Me first, me first, me first..." to himself.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" The gym leaders cried in unison.

…

"It's a draw." Came the unison announcement.

"Again, again!" Chile urged, looking impatient.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

…

"It's a draw."

"Gah!" Chile growled, a scowl settling onto his face. "I'll just go first!"

Cress looked disappointed, but Cilan stopped Chile. "I saw them first. Therefore, I have the right of the first battle." Cilan said, smiling. Chile stopped walking towards the leader's box, and scowled at Cilan.

"You say that every time, Cilan!" Chile whined, causing Cilan to smile bigger and brighter.

"Of course I do. It's because I'm the only one who ever goes outside to get fresh air." Chile promptly started to pout, before grabbing Shino's arm and dragging him to a table.

"Fine, but I call second match!" Chile exclaimed, scowling at his brother. Cilan gave an apologetic look towards Cress, who merely shrugged in disappointment.

"YES!" Kiba whooped, jumping into the air in excitement. "I go first, all right!"

"Shino Aburame battles second, meaning Hinata Hyuuga battles last." Cilan said simply, and smiled at his opponent.

"YOSH! Let's get this battle started!" Kiba exclaimed, a feral grin planted firmly on his face. Cilan smirked in response.

"I couldn't agree more. But can you handle the seasoning?" Cilan taunted good-naturedly as the two moved to their respective positions on the Battle Café's floor. Hinata moved out of the way, following Cress to a table. She sat down, and prepared to watch her best friend's first gym match.

Kiba snorted arrogantly. "Of course I can! Send out your first Pokemon, and I'll match it in strength!"

"Very well then, let the meal begin. Go, Spicebread!" Cilan cried, and tossed a Pokeball out onto the field. The ball opened mid-air, and the red light quickly formed the shape of a Lillipup.

"Heh. That all you got?" Kiba sneered, and grabbed Akamaru's Pokeball and tossed it out. "Let's see how you can handle Akamaru!"

Akamaru's shape quickly appeared on the floor, and the two Lillipup immediately began growling at each other. "Oh? A Lillipup? Well, it does look rather well-seasoned. Your move is first, since you're the challenger."

Kiba smirked, and as soon as Cilan was done speaking he had finished barking out his commands. "Akamaru! Tackle, then Bite!"

Akamaru sped towards the opposing Lillipup, and Hinata was surprised by his speed. The puppy had crossed the length between them and had fiercely tackled Spicebread before Cilan could even command him to dodge. Akamaru firmly bit onto the Lillipup, and Spicebread yipped loudly before kicking the opposing puppy off of him.

"Return the Bite in kind!" Cilan ordered, and Kiba grinned fiercely.

"Just as planned, Akamaru!" He directed confidently, and Akamaru easily dodged Spicebread's oncoming Bite by rolling to the side. He ran over to the other side of the field, leaving Spicebread and Cilan in confusion, and then turned right around and charged directly at Spicebread.

Cilan hastily warned Spicebread to dodge, but the shock at Akamaru's speed rushing towards him in a Tackle meant that the puppy Pokemon was knocked out in quick order. Kiba grinned confidently as Akamaru strode over to his side, and Cilan returned Spicebread.

Cilan smiled over at Kiba, taking out his next Pokeball. "It seems I was correct, your Lillipup is very well-seasoned."

"Can you please stop saying that?" Kiba deadpanned. "It makes you sound like you intend to eat him." Cilan laughed openly at that, before sending out his next Pokemon.

"Brussel, use Vine Whip!" Cilan commanded, before his Pokemon had even fully materialized. The Pokemon, who appeared to be a Pansage, quickly sent out vines to attack the puppy Pokemon.

"Dodge, then head straight for it in a Tackle!" Kiba instructed. However, Akamaru wasn't nearly fast enough to dodge the vines, and they slapped the puppy harshly. Welts began to rise up underneath the puppy's fur, and Akamaru growled in irritant tones.

Akamaru began snapping his teeth at the vines when they started to approach him, and pierced through the vines with his teeth, causing Brussel to stop his attack. Brussel withdrew his vines, looking at them worriedly before glaring at Akamaru.

The two of them stood apart, glaring each other down. They both seemed to be waiting for the other to make a move, and Cilan and Kiba watched in silence. The stare-down continued for what felt like minutes, and Hinata bit her lip nervously. What would happen next…?

Then, suddenly, there was movement as Akamaru charged towards Brussel in an all-out Tackle. Brussel waited until Akamaru was close enough, then swiftly dodged. As Akamaru whirled around, Brussel slammed into the puppy with a Tackle of its own. Akamaru was throw back, skidding against the floor, and finally slumped down in defeat.

"Akamaru!" Kiba cried, worry and fury evident in his voice. He quickly recalled Akamaru, giving quiet praise to his friend as he did so. Cilan smiled as he watched Kiba take out his next Pokeball. Kiba glared at Cilan, tossing his Pokeball into the air with an aggressive cry of, "Go, Aoi!"

The Oshawott landed on the ground simply, a determined look in its eye. "C'mon, girl, let's get it started with a Tackle!"

Aoi waddled towards the Pansage with a surprising amount of force, and would have charged directly into Brussel had Cilan not ordered him to halt Aoi. Vines slithered out of the Pansage as Aoi approached, causing the Oshawott to hastily jump over the vines. However, now she was in a freefall, and the only thing that she could do now was land. And the landing target was obvious.

Brussel tried to redirect his vines, but they weren't fast enough to catch Aoi's fall. Aoi's large head slammed right into Brussel's forehead, and the impact could be heard throughout the gym. Aoi slid down off of Brussel, clutching her head as Brussel did the same.

"Off guard!" Came Kiba's cry, and Aoi quickly snapped back on guard. "Tackle, go!" Brussel, who was still trying to recover from the headbutt, didn't even have time to pull his paws away from his face as Aoi slammed into the small monkey's stomach. The monkey landed on his back, swirls in his eyes, as Aoi put her hands on her hips and gave a smug look at her defeated opponent.

Cilan simply smiled and returned his Pokemon, while Kiba stared at the scene. It took a few seconds for the victory to chime in, but once it did he was yipping joyously. A smile graced Hinata's lips, Kiba's joy infectious. She was happy and proud that her friend had won his first gym badge. The elation of the moment even reached Shino, who was also smiling, although not to the degree of Kiba or Hinata's.

The happy moment was quickly ended by Chile's chair scraping against the floor. An eager smirk was on his lips, and he glanced over at Shino. Fire danced in his eyes, and it met Shino's cool determination. Sparks flew as they sized each other up.

"Will you give me a heated battle like that one?" Chile asked, and Shino shrugged nonchalantly.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" He replied, a smirk flitting over his normally neutral face.

Cilan sighed, and waved Kiba to a table. Kiba gave a quick thumbs up at Shino, who nodded in acknowledgement. It was time for Shino's battle. The scraping of Shino's chair followed as he stood up. Chile quickly bounded over to where Cilan had stood the previous match, while Shino calmly walked over to the challenger's position.

Shino and Chile faced each other, Shino's calm opposing Chile's eagerness. "You'd better give me a good battle, Aburame!"

Shino let a smirk flit over his face, and sent out Ivy in response. "Ooo, the strong, silent type, I see."

"Yes, I suppose you could call me that." Shino acknowledged, before pretending to take a double-look at Chile. "I suppose you're the loud, energetic, battle-loving type. This will be just like battling Kiba."

Kiba snorted from the sidelines, aiming a mock-glare at Shino. Hinata giggled. Chile's face grew frustrated and irritated. "Like you could compare me to a side-dish like that! I bring the heat on in any situation!"

Now Kiba was actually hoping Shino would wipe the floor with this guy in a humiliating defeat.

"Go, Maximus!" Came Chile's cry as he sent out his first Pokemon, a peppy-looking Lillipup. "You first, Aburame-san." Chile said, the fierce energy in his eyes contradicting the calm expression he put on.

"Ivy, use Vine Whip please." Shino asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. The Snivy's vines sneaked out of her neck slowly, and Maximus's eyes were locked onto their movements.

Suddenly, the vines snapped forward, and wrapped around the puppy's small form. Maximus yipped in surprise. The vines lifted the Lillipup off the ground, and he began struggling in vain against them. Once Maximus was high enough, Ivy slammed him against the ground in a shocking amount of speed. Chile watched in shock. Ivy picked up the Lillipup with her vines, and threw him in Chile's general direction.

Chile quickly rushed to see if Maximus was alright. He was slowly but steadily pulling himself to his feet, and the puppy looked very tired. But he was still able to fight, and he growled at Ivy with eagerness.

Ivy merely crossed her arms and looked smug. Her vines, while mostly withdrawn, still hovered in the air around her body. Chile assessed the situation, and returned Maximus.

"Maximus has withdrawn from this match." Chile announced, barely keeping his voice even as he glared at Shino and Ivy. He returned Maximus into the safety of his Pokeball, and placed it on his belt. "I hope you can handle the main dish, Aburame-san." Chile taunted. Shino merely stared back calmly.

"Ginger, prepare for battle!"

Hinata's eyes narrowed. Now it was time for the real battle between Chile and Shino. While Hinata was a bit worried at Shino's...extreme tactic to remove Maximus from the match as soon as possible, she could understand why he did so.

Shino had no Pokemon that would have an advantage over Fire-types. He didn't even have one that would take normal damage from a Fire-type. If he didn't take out Pokemon fast enough, a Fire-type would wreck the entire battle for him.

And Chile's next Pokemon was a Fire-type.

Shino was in trouble.

The Pansear gazed lazily across the field, and snorted when he saw his opponent. A Snivy wouldn't be much of a threat. He had faced them and won over them before.

"Vine Whip."

He didn't even have time to respond. The vines were wrapped around him, lifting him into the air.

"Oh no, not THIS again." Chile sneered. "Ginger, Incinerate!" Shino smirked. All according to plan.

Ivy's vines were burnt, and she quickly jerked them away from the Fire-type Pokemon. But as she did that, she also let go of him. Now, the monkey was falling towards the wooden floor. And there wasn't much it could do about gravity.

"Tackle."

Ivy dashed towards Ginger, the Pansear hitting the ground mere seconds before Ivy slammed into it. The monkey was thrown several feet, before landing on his feet. It snorted angrily, before lobbing a ball of fire at the Grass-type from its mouth.

Ivy jumped to the side, dodging the fireball somewhat awkwardly.

"Tackle." Shino commanded again, and Ivy nodded before charging.

"Incinerate it before it gets to you!" Chile cried out, and Ginger aimed another fireball at the moving target. Ivy didn't manage to dodge it completely this time, the fireball singeing her tail. But it wasn't enough to stop her.

Ivy slammed into the monkey, who skidded against the floor as he tried to resist the snake's movement. Once they stopped, the two stood together. Chile and Shino both watched on, anticipation sinking into them.

Ginger fell back, swirls in his eyes.

Shino's lips twitched upwards. Kiba whooped in excitement. Hinata smiled brightly. Chile glowered. Cilan smiled, a hint of concern in his eyes as he looked over at Chile. Cress watched as Chile reluctantly handed his badge over to Shino, before standing up and holding his hand out for Hinata.

Surprised, Hinata stared at it for a second before accepting it. She smiled warmly at Cress as she did so. "Good luck, Cress-sama." Cress merely blinked.

"You too, Hyuuga-san." The two walked over to their respective spots. Hinata stared at Cress, trying to read him. She found it difficult. So she watched him, waiting for him to make the first move, her hand unconsciously coming to her mouth in a thoughtful pose.

The stare-down continued until Shino and Chile sat down. Then, Cress took out a Pokeball and wordlessly pressed the button. A Panpour appeared.

Hinata realized her advantage, and sent out Poofeh. She had a type-advantage right off the bat. Even if she couldn't read her opponent, she could win for sure like this.

"Poofeh, use Leech Seed!" Hinata said as soon as the Pokemon had finished materializing. The cotton Pokemon chucked seeds at the Panpour, who attempted to dodge them. The majority of the seeds missed, but one hit its mark.

"A Cottonee?" Cress asked aloud, and Hinata nodded. "An interesting choice, but it won't mean you'll win. Water Gun!"

The Panpour quickly inhaled and aimed at the cottonweed, and a blast of water slammed into Poofeh. "Oh no! Poofeh, get out of the stream!" Hinata rushed, watching as Poofeh did so. "Use Absorb, quick!"

Green balls of energy came off of the Panpour, restoring Poofeh's energy and recovering its mild wounds. Panpour, while winded, wasn't close to being knocked out just yet. But energy still flowed out of the monkey, due to Leech Seed taking effect.

"Get in close, and then try to paralyze it with a Lick!" Cress ordered, and the monkey rushed towards Poofeh.

"Float and keep away from it for as long as possible, Poofeh!" Hinata ordered, both arms in front of her. Hinata was almost nibbling at her fingers. While she knew she had the advantage, she couldn't help but feel that something...was going to go wrong. "Use Absorb!"

Everytime the Panpour got close to Poofeh, she would float out of the way. Every so often, she was take energy from the monkey. Eventually, Panpour got sick of never reaching its goal. He blasted a water jet at the floating Pokemon, soaking it and knocking it to the ground. Hinata bit her lip. She didn't know what to do.

"Charge in, paralyze it while its grounded!" Cress ordered, and Panpour rushed in, giving the cottonweed a gross lick that it couldn't avoid due to its now slowed-down self. Getting hit with water once wasn't much of a deal. Getting hit with it twice added a bit too much weight to easily float around on.

"Absorb!" Hinata ordered hesitantly , but Poofeh couldn't move. She was paralyzed. However, that didn't mean she couldn't draw on Poofeh's Leech Seed. The Panpour, now in close proximity, didn't realize that the drainage would be that much easier and quicker.

Panpour fainted. Cress withdrew him silently, and sent out his Lillipup. Hinata bit her lip, not sure what to do with Poofeh. She was almost about to recall her, when Cress ordered his next attack.

"Bite!" Hinata watched in horror as the majority of Poofeh's head was inside of the puppy's mouth, a crunch resonating throughout the entire room. Hinata quickly withdrew Poofeh without even waiting to see if it had fainted.

From the sidelines, Shino stared at Cress, analyzing him. Was this...What he thought it was? He didn't have time to dwell on that thought, as Hinata summoned Pepper.

Hinata looked angry. Fierce. Determined. It was...shocking to see the normally loving and timid Hyuuga girl have such emotions bubble up inside of her. Shino only ever recalled Hinata being angry once, and even then she hadn't done anything against the person who had made her feel that way.

Shino was worried.

"Pepper! Ember, then Tackle!" Hinata called out quickly, and her Tepig rushed to follow her orders. The small pig breathed fire at the puppy, halting its flame-breathe mere seconds before it slammed into the puppy.

"Okay!" Hinata cheered, before commanding her next move. "Now, hit it with another Ember!" She pointed at the Lillipup, one arm still shielding her even in her righteous fury.

The Lillipup didn't manage to dodge out of the way of the second Ember, and was left with a burn. But Cress knew his Pokemon could keep fighting, and quickly told his Pokemon to bite the piglette.

The puppy bite the pig's neck, ducking under the flames. Its teeth clenched down harshly as the pig struggled to get away. The pig cried out nervously, kicking at the puppy.

"Ember!" Hinata cried out. The pig jerked his snout to the puppy's body, and breathed scorching-hot flames onto its back. The puppy tried to hold on for a few seconds, its teeth sinking down into Pepper's neck, but eventually it slumped down.

Hinata had won. It may not have been the most agreeable battle, or the most honorable battle, but she had won. Hinata smiled at the thought, before Pepper's slumping down caused it to be quickly washed away. She ran over to her Pokemon, checking his wounds. The teeth marks were deep. She recalled Pepper, worried that his condition might worsen.

She stood up, looking over at Cress. She was confused by him. She hadn't expected the swiftness of his attacks, nor the extremity of the conditions. She suddenly realized, if he had more Pokemon he would've easily wiped the floor with her.

"G-good match, Cr-cress-sama." Hinata said, smiling up at him shakily. He shrugged nonchalantly, his returning his Pokeball to his belt.

Cilan stood up, and all eyes turned to him. Concern and nervousness were evident in his eyes, but he masked them with a half-smile. "Now...I congratulate you all on your victories." Cilan started, and motioned for the Trainers to make a line. Kiba was first, Shino was second, and Hinata was third.

It was in this order that Hinata, Shino, and Kiba all received their first TM, as well as a Gym badge. They also received a piece of paper, saying that they were now eligible to receive a C-Gear and to use the Entralink. During the whole process, Hinata couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something more to this battle than the three knew.

She'd find out later. Right now, she had to heal her Pokemon.

The Pokemon Center was relatively quiet. While Kiba was generally a loud speaker, he was now speaking in hushed tones to Shino. About what, Hinata didn't know. All she could do was worry about her Pokemon.

Nurse Joy had said her Cottonee was in critical condition. That it might die. That she was lucky she had returned it so fast. That she was lucky it hadn't been worse.

Hinata hadn't gotten enough time to talk to Nurse Joy before she rushed off into the emergency room. She didn't even know what was wrong with her Cottonee, even though her mind was certainly showing her all sorts of horrific ideas.

Hinata shivered, and pulled her coat around her tighter.

In an effort to cheer her up, Kiba and Shino had taken her to a local Pokemon Daycare. It was right outside Striation City, sitting right on the start of Route 3.

The Daycare was run by an elderly couple who were well-known for their ability to care for Pokemon. They even let the Pokemon venture over next door to the Preschool next door, to amuse the children.

It was quite an adorable sight, seeing the little ones play with cutesy Pokemon. It would've certainly cheered Hinata up, if not for one little problem.

The first Pokemon they'd seen had been a Cottonee.

Hinata was back in the Pokemon Center, looking at her Town Map. She had marked down all sorts of interesting things and locations along the map. The Daycare was circled in red. The Dream Yard was circled in blue. The Pokemon gym and the Center were circled in black.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kiba and Kisame chatting.

She quickly decided where she wanted to go next. Wellspring Cave. She grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and confidently strode outside the Pokemon Center. The sun was bright and cheery, fitting for the time of day. Not as fitting for her mood.

Kisame and Kiba watched her leave, concerned. Kiba had told Kisame what had happened, and the two were both sympathizing with her. But they didn't know how to fix her, so they just left her alone. They hoped for the best.

Hinata strode passed the buildings, trying to keep her head clear. All she wanted to do was continue. No turning back. Keep your head focused on your current task. The noise of the city dulled, becoming unimportant as Hinata's tunnel vision led her out of the city.

The garden next to Striation City was very pleasant, she decided. The shapes made out of the topiary were very cute, and the streams surrounding the center made it all seem very pleasing. It uplifted her mood a bit, for which she was grateful.

She'd have to come back to fully enjoy it another day, she decided.

She walked onwards, reaching the fork in the road. One way went to the Daycares, the other went to Route 3. Hinata went on the path that led to Route 3.

She walked slowly, each step an exact measurement. She took in the sights and sounds of the new Route. She could hear the chirps of Pidove, the occasion cry of a Purrloin. It was surprisingly relaxing, and Hinata found herself smiling. She had always loved the outdoors.

Hinata took out a map and a pen, quickly circling the garden in blue. She checked the distance from the Daycare to the cave. It was a surprisingly short amount. A thirty minute walk, at most. She picked up her pace, humming a little tune to herself.

She didn't feel like she should be happy, but she just couldn't help herself.

She timidly stepped into the cave, using the side of the opening to brace herself as she went through the awkward opening. The cool cave air hit her face as she cautiously stepped into the cave.

She didn't know what to think of the sight she saw before her. The cave was dank and dark, lit with odd light-fixtures that were hung to indentures in the walls. There was water dripping from somewhere, a light plip-plop sound hitting her ears every few seconds. Hinata could make out some of the terrain ahead of her. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, eagerness and nervousness clashing.

She pursed her lips, strengthening her determination, and stepped forward with purpose. She had come to explore, to see the cave, to see the Pokemon that resided in it. She would continue on.

She walked on, noticing the Woobats on the roof of the cave. She noticed the rocks, which weren't actually rocks. She noticed the large underground lake that shimmered with something underneath it. Quietly, she stepped to the water's edge, looking over the lake in awe. It was beautiful, the emerald hue from inside the deeps lighting up this portion of the cave.

Time seemed to freeze as she gazed at the lake. She just wanted to stare at the lake, an odd tugging feeling in her heart. She felt like taking off her boots, rolling up her pants, and putting her feet in the water. She felt like staying here forever, in the ebb and flow of the emerald green light. A sense of peace permeated her being, and something told her to st-

"Hey! Be careful!" Came a female's voice, shocking Hinata out of her trance. She turned to where she thought she heard the voice come from, and saw a woman looking at her. She was only twenty feet away, a concerned look in her blue eyes.

Hinata blinked, trying to re-orientate herself. After a few tries, her head cleared up completely. In that timeframe, the woman had approached her. She was right in front of Hinata now, causing her to jump back. The woman smiled slightly, chuckling a bit. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."

"I-it's okay." Hinata said shakily, pulling her arms up to her as she looked at the woman in front of her. She looked extremely familiar, but she couldn't place why. She had dark brown hair that framed her pale face, pulled into a large ponytail and covered with a black and white Trainer's hat. A white coat was zipped closed, reaching barely down to her beltline, Pokeballs fastened to it carefully. Jean short-shorts covered very little, with white thigh-high socks covering the rest of her legs, held up with lace. Brown hiker's boots went up to her shins. Suddenly, it dawned on her who this was.

"I'm Kitai Touko, from Nuvema Town! You're Hinata Hyuuga, am I right?" She asked, and Hinata was surprised by her forwardness and her knowledge.

"Y-yes. T-touko-sama, what are you d-doing here?" Hinata asked, placing her hand to her mouth. Touko smiled brightly at her, amused to see she was still the same as ever.

"Not much, Hyuuga-sama. Completing the Pokedex for Juniper-sensei. I need to finish gathering data on only about twenty or thirty more species, and then the Unova dex will be full of information for future Trainers." Kitai explained eagerly. Hinata smiled politely at the woman. Ah, yes, that's where she'd heard of this woman. Juniper-sensei's school and lab. Kitai Touko was a veteran Trainer who'd spent the last thirteen years of her life catching and training Pokemon in the Unova region. She was famous for providing most of the information on Pokemon in the Pokedex.

She was one of Nuvema's finest. And Juniper-sensei never hesitated to inspire upcoming young female Trainers to be just like her. A lot of her family had not-so-discretely stated that they wished she was the heir to the clan. So, it was without a doubt that Hinata had a small inkling of dislike and envy towards the girl.

"O-oh. Th-thank you for a-all your hard w-work, Touko-sama." Hinata said, while trying to secretly judge how far it was to the exit. Kitai smiled broadly at the younger woman.

"Oh, by the way, when did you start you journey?" She asked, as if it was an afterthought. She put one hand on her hip and ran her hand through her ponytail, her smile remaining a constant on her face. Hinata suddenly felt very awkward next to this woman.

"O-only a few d-days ago." She answered. She suddenly felt a bit foolish. She hadn't even been on her journey a week, her journey had just begun. And yet here she was, casually talking to a veteran Trainer while looking for an escape route. Even her gym badge was nothing compared to this woman.

"Hmm?" Kitai murmured, glancing Hinata up and down. She peered at the younger Trainer, a perplexed look on her face. "Well then, Hyuuga-sama, I have a favor to ask of you. Well, two, actually."

"O-oh?" Hinata cursed her luck. She really didn't want to do much for this woman. Which made her feel quite bad, actually. She'd always thought of herself as a girl always wanting to help others, and yet she didn't want to help this woman. Her good mood was now quite soured.

"Yeah! I'd like for you to help me evolve my Boldore! And I'd like to battle you." The shocked look on Hinata's face was quite amusing to Kitai.

"Wh-what? B-battle you?" Hinata exclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the cave. Kitai merely smiled and nodded. She let the information sink in for a minute or two, and then grabbed Hinata's arm and promptly started to drag her back to Striation City.

It was about three in the afternoon when the battle started. Hinata had reluctantly agreed to Kitai's battle, despite all of her protests. Kitai was going to use three of any low-leveled Pokemon she had, and Hinata would use her Pokemon.

Hinata really didn't want to battle. Kitai really did want to battle. It was with these mentalities that the battle started.

"Ferroseed! Go!" Kitai called out, spinning stylishly as she tossed her Pokeball into the air. Red light poured out of the open Pokeball, forming the shape of a mostly gray Pokemon with many green thorns sticking out of its skin. Hinata blinked, slightly put-off by the strange looking Pokemon, before sending out her own Pokemon.

"Pepper! Use Ember!" Hinata called out firmly. The small pig let out a battlecry, before charging towards the spiney Pokemon. As he ran, he opened his mouth and blew out several decent-sized fireballs towards his opponent.

Hinata quickly realized that Ferroseed were extremely slow. And that they had a double weakness to Fire-types. The Pokemon looked like it was barely standing after just that starting attack.

"Tch. Return!" Kitai muttered, looking kind irritated. "Well, that was a good start, Hyuuga-sama."

"Th-thank you, Touko-sama." Hinata chirped. Hinata felt a rush of confidence surge inside of her. She...might just be able to battle. She might just be able to win this.

"Hmp. But can you take this? Go, Litwick!" Kitai said, confidence booming through her voice. An adorable Pokemon formed from the light. It was a small candle-shaped Pokemon. Hinata had to resist the urge to coo and squish it in a giant hug.

"Pepper, use Ember!" Hinata commanded, but she was shocked when the candle just absorbed Pepper's fire attack. The fire just melded into the Pokemon, and the purple flame at the top of the candle just grew bigger. The reason for Kitai's confidence was now evident.

"Fire-spin!" Kitai called out, a smirk on her face. It really didn't suit her, Hinata decided as she thought of a way to counter the candle. She had known it was a Fire and Ghost-type Pokemon, and knew a Tackle wouldn't work on it, but she hadn't expected Ember to fail her.

"Dodge it, quick!" Hinata ordered, her mind racing as she looked for a viable tactic to use. And then it hit her. Odor Sleuth. "Fill up the area with an Odor Sleuth, then hit it with a Tackle!"

Pepper dodged out of the way of the numerous Fire-spins that Litwick was sending at him, and started to send out a gas from its mouth. The gas was a light-gray color, and it was only barely opaque. And it would let Normal and Fighting-type attacks hit Ghost-type Pokemon. Pepper charged at the candle, and slammed into it repeatedly.

The Pokemon let out an odd cry, and started to release a purple gas from its mouth. Suddenly, Pepper was choking on the gas, and was backpedaling away from it. Hinata's brows knit together in confusion, before she noticed the purple hue that Pepper's skin had taken. Poison gas.

Panicked, Hinata quickly withdrew her Pokemon. Kitai looked at her in confusion, but didn't question her as Hinata reached for another Pokeball on her belt.

"Mimi, let's go!" Hinata called out, biting her lip as the puppy formed. She felt quite light-headed as she looked at the Lillipup, before firming herself and blocking out the feelings ruthlessly. "Tackle the Litwick, then Bite it!"

Kitai swore as she realized that would knock out her Litwick, hastily ordering a Fire-spin. The smell of singed fur filled the air, but Mimi jumped out of the inferno, intent on taking out the candle. The flaming tornado followed after the puppy, who slammed herself into the candle. The candle made its odd cry, starting to let out purple gas again, before Mimi bit down on the side of the Litwick's body. The candle-shaped Pokemon shrieked noisily, before fainting.

Surprisingly, Kitai smirked as she recalled her Litwick. Hinata was inwardly cheering for herself and her Pokemon, but seeing her smirk like that put her on edge.

"Go, Sawk!" The light formed a blue-skinned Pokemon, clad in a karate outfit. Hinata felt all of her confidence go out of the window. Sawk was one of Kitai's most well-known Pokemon, and it was one of her strongest. What was this...? Kitai smirked at Hinata's fallen face. "Oh, don't worry Hyuuga-sama. It's not my Bluebelt. It's just Bluebelt and Lolita's offspring. But that doesn't mean you have a chance. Sawk, Doublekick!"

Sawk zoomed towards Mimi, its speed staggering. It kicked the poor puppy into the air, and appeared above it suddenly, before kicking it back into the ground. Hinata gasped, her hands flying up to her face as she saw her Lillipup get slammed into the ground. It was obvious that Mimi wasn't conscious anymore, and Hinata clumsily picked up her Pokeball, her hands shaking as she returned her puppy.

"T-touko-sama...C-can I f-forfeit?" Hinata asked, her entire body shaking like a leaf. Kitai smirked.

"No." She replied simply. "Send out your next Pokemon."

Shocked, Hinata fumbled for her next Pokeball. She knew Yumeko had a type advantage, but against a Pokemon like that? She honestly didn't want to continue, but she didn't know how Kitai would react if she suddenly fled. Probably not in a good way.

"Yu-yumeko...Do your b-best!" She mumbled, barely managing to hit the button on the ball. The Pokemon barely had time to form, before Kitai was ordering Sawk to attack.

Hinata slumped down to her knees as Yumeko was defeated almost instantly.

She felt like such a failure.

After that, Kitai had forced her to trade her Lillipup for her Boldore for a few minutes, so that it could evolve. Then they traded back, and Kitai left her with some meaningless words of encouragement and wishes to see each other again.

Hinata just wanted to crawl up into a ball and sob the day away. She didn't understand what had gone so wrong, when the day had started out so well...Now, Mimi was looking at her with distrust, Yumeko was battered and sad-looking, and Pepper kept giving her concerned looks.

She returned them all, and went to talk to Nurse Joy about Poofeh.

She wished she hadn't.

How would she face Neji-ni? He had given her such a useful Pokemon, such a cute Pokemon, such an amazing friend...And she had...She had...

She had left the Center, fleeing from a concerned looking Nurse Joy, with tears streaming down her face.

Kisame found her an hour later, sitting on a bench all alone. A C-gear menu was displayed on her Xtransceiver. Her Trainer card was firmly clenched in her hand, her gaze locked on it. Kisame sat down next to her, letting the silence remain as he thought of something to say.

A sniffle from her broke the silence, and Kisame filled with dread. Oh Jirachi, please don't let her cry. I can't deal with that.

A minute passed, and she didn't start crying. Kisame awkwardly patted her head. Hinata turned to look at him, her lavender eyes filled with distraught. She sniffled again.

"You okay?" He asked gruffly, and kicked himself mentally. She obviously wasn't okay, but he wasn't good at this whole "comforting people" thing.

"N-not r-really." She said, in a voice so quiet Kisame didn't register that she'd said something until a full five seconds later.

"Ah." Kisame said simply. Master of words, that I am. Kisame grumbled mentally. "Kiba-san told me what happened." He stared at her, trying to judge her react. There wasn't much of one.

"I f-figured h-he w-would." Hinata said, sighing and looking at her now-clenched hands. Kisame could see them shaking.

" 'M sorry, Hinata-chan." Hinata blinked, and looked up at Kisame again. The surprise was written all over her face. His mouth was set in a grim line, and he looked like he had tasted something awful. "Usually...Trainers don't lose a Pokemon this soon. Usually it's been at least five years or so."

A tremor ran through Hinata's small form, and Kisame grimaced. That probably hadn't been the best of ways to reach the heart of the matter. Oh well. There was silence, awkward for Kisame and glorious for Hinata.

"H-have you l-lost a P-pokemon, K-kisame-san?" Hinata asked quietly, her voice barely louder than last time. She gave up trying to control her shaking hands by clenching them together, and started to clench the trim of her coat. Kisame watched her, trying to think of the best way to answer her question.

"Yes, I have. I've lost quite a few Pokemon, Hinata-chan." Kisame replied quietly. Another tremor shook through her. Another pang of empathy, sympathy, regret hit his heart. He suddenly remembered that this was a fifteen year-old girl, just starting on her Pokemon journey. And in her first official match against a registered gym leader, an adorable puppy Pokemon had crushed the skull of her adorable cottonweed Pokemon that her cousin had given her as a present.

Good Arceus...She's too young for this. He thought, barely repressing a shudder as he swallowed.

"D-does it e-ever get any e-easier?"

"Of course not." He replied. It shot out of his mouth too quickly for him to stop it, but it was the truth that he felt. The sob she let out made him want to run away, the feeling of uncertainty and unpreparedness in this situation making him feel inadequate. But he also felt like pulling her close and letting her sob out all the tears, because he knew that's what she really needed. He knew that has been what he needed when his first Pokemon died.

So Kisame awkwardly put an arm around Hinata's shoulder, pulling her close to him. Hinata started to sob louder, and leaned into him. She clung to him, crying all over him and probably getting snot all over him. But that was okay, he reasoned. After all, she had just realized one of the harsh truths about this cruel but wonderful world. One that would repeatedly show itself, Kisame remembered as he thought over all the friends he had lost...

"Kisame Hoshigaki? What the fuck are you doing?" A familiar voice called, jerking Hinata away from him and ripping his thoughts from that path. Hinata cowered, pulling her legs up to her as Kisame watched Kitai Touko walk up to them. "And what the hell happened to you?"

Kisame grimaced. This was going to be difficult to explain.

I apologize for the crappiness of this chapter. I mistakenly told myself I'd have PLENTY of time to get this chapter written. And then I got sick for the majority of the week. So I didn't get to make edits like I'm use to.

I also didn't mean for it to come out so dark, but I was writing Hinata and Cress's battle and thought "Hey! What if Poofeh died?" and then this happened. Mind you, it made writing a lot of other portions of this chapter a lot easier, but now I have to deal with the backlash of Hinata's angst over her Pokemon dying.

Kitai Touko is essentially the grown-up version of White. And to be honest, I was playing Pokemon Black and found her attire to be completely ridiculous when I was going through the desert resort, and when I was going through Twist Mountain during the winter. So I changed it. :D

I've also been reading reviews (they make me squeal with joy, by the way) and a lot of people are asking about Kisame's Pokemon. Yes, Kisame's Pokemon are under-leveled and such considering how long he's been a Trainer. But do you really think he'd stick with the same team for 15+ years? No. Yes, he has badass Pokemon. They're just in the PC right now. :P And they'll probably make an appearance soon, maybe next chapter. Currently though, his team consists of Pokemon he wants to train into epic baddies.

See you next week! Leave a comment, question, or concern if you please. C: