**So this chapter has nothing altered about it. It was the only chapter of the original 4 I was happy with. Enjoy everyone.**
**Co Writer- Masamune X23**
**Chapter Four**
The first thing Naruto and Melody noticed was the abundances of bug Pokemon that lived in Viridian forest.
The moment they stepped into the forest the buzzing sounds of Beedrill could be heard everywhere as swarms of the wasp like Pokemon buzzed across the tops of the tree's, heading towards their colonies home.
Stuck on the trees were dozens of Kakuna. They guessed they must have walked past at least a hundred Kakuna getting ready to evolve into their Beedrill form. The Kakuna just lay perfectly still as they waited for their moment to join the colonies of Beedrill that took refuge in the massive home that was Viridian Forest.
Naruto couldn't wait to see more. Though bug Pokemon was not particularly one of his favorite Pokemon types, seeing new Pokemon in their natural habitat was nothing short of incredible and it sparked his inner Pokemon professor.
There was also an abundance of flying types like Pidgeys and Spearow again like the route up to Viridian City. He even saw a few rare Tailows that originated from the Hoenn region that flew by.
So far he had just seen Kanto bug Pokemon but he hoped he could maybe find Johto or maybe even Hoenn type in here as well. Their was just an abundance of bug type everywhere he looked.
"It's amazing," Melody said as she spun around in a circle as she looked up at the various bug and flying type Pokemon that lived in the forest. "It's so full of life, it's just so beautiful."
"It really is. Is this the first time you have been here?" he asked and saw Melody nod her head.
"Yeah we didn't go on holiday much since mom and dad worked a lot but when we did go away we usually went abroad."
"Really? Where?" He asked, curious to find out where else she had visited.
"Usually the Johto region since its where my dad came from and we have family out there. We would go visit my mother's side of the family but there are so many Joys out there that we lose track of where most are," she said laughing prompting Naruto to laugh.
"Yeah that does sound like a problem. How many Joys are there in the world anyway? Other then yourself and your mom the only other Joy I met was Diana Joy who lived in Nuvema Town. She showed me a few Pokemon healing techniques when I first got Latias."
"I think I recognize her name but like I said too many to follow," she told Naruto before turning to look at him. "What about you? Anywhere else you have been?"
"A few other places though they were mostly in Unova. I use to go with my Aunt when she went on research projects out of town. My parents and siblings were away a lot so I spend a lot of time with her."
Melody nodded. "Your dad's the champion and your mother's the top coordinator," she said before giggling at the surprised look on his face.
"H-How did you know?" he asked clearly surprise that she knew who his family was.
"I always read the poke magazine and you look exactly like your father bu with shorter hair. Oh and there's the last name." she said ruffling his hair making him smile a little sadly.
"Yeah they…they were away a lot on business you could say so I never really spent much time with them. It's probably why I am so close to my godmother."
Melody nodded and left it that, not wanting to pry into her new friend's life just yet.
The rest of the day they spent wandering around Viridian city, taking in the forest and the Pokemon that lived in it.
Walking further in they spotted some Metapod's happily resting on some opposite tree's in a different area from the Kakuna. Since the two separate Pokemon had a history of being quite hostile towards one another, the Pokemon obviously did not want the mature Beedrill's to attack them while in the chrysalis stage.
Once the morning was over they spent the afternoon training their Pokemon. Despite not training to be a Pokemon trainer, Naruto had managed to convince Melody it was in her best interest to train up her Squirtle. He told her having a giant Blastoise was a great Pokemon to have for protection.
They ran the same Pokemon training that he had set up during his time heading towards Viridian city and had Melody's Squirtle follow the same training path that his Poliwag was going through.
Meanwhile he helped Melody by giving him advice on how to use a Pokemon in battle along with making sure she always knew the level and the moves that her Squirtle knew. To do this he used his pokédex to help her with that information.
They spent the rest of the day training before they set up camp as the sun began to set. Melody's pink tent sat on the opposite side from Naruto's orange tent, making a neat little campsite for their group and had a small fire in the centre again like before.
While Naruto cooked dinner for himself and his new friend Melody brought out some Pokemon food that her father had developed and given to her. The new food added a bit more kick to it as well as provides some extra nutrients for the Pokemon. His Bulbasaur and Poliwag seemed to like it and was happy his Pokemon was getting along well with Squirtle.
Latias though stuck to her Dragon Pokemon food since he knew how picky she could be.
After some light chatter and further getting to know one another the two turned in for the night, looking forward to their next day of adventure.
**One Week Later**
"I think we're lost," Naruto said as he and Melody took a seat on a wooden log and rubbed her feet, their days of walking beginning to make her feet ache.
"I think we have been lost for the last three days, someone was just a little stubborn to say no," she said pouting at Naruto who gave her a goofy grin in response while nervously scratching his head. We could have flown out. It would have been a lot easier.
Naruto sighed, he had been through this before.
"I know Melody but Latias isn't big enough to carry two people. She is barely big enough to carry one. Besides if we flew out of Viridian forest on a Latias it would draw unwanted attention."
Melody nodded, understanding that he had a point. She was just frustrated at being lost in Viridian Forest for so long.
"Hey at least during our time lost we got a lot of training done right?" He told her since it was at least one positive that came out of being lost in the bug infested forest.
While Latias had managed to go up a good two levels and learned safeguard, a powerful defensive move that he knew would become very handy in the future. The big boost was from his Bulbasaur and his Poliwag.
The two little Pokemon had both gone up a good five levels thanks to their training and picking fights with Beedrill. Who knew the endless swarms of Beedrill would actually come in handy for something.
While Bulbasaur managed to learn Leech Seed, Poliwag meanwhile learned Water gun and Bubblebeam.
The same could be said for Melody's Squirtle that managed to go up a few levels and also managed to learn bubble and water gun. The little Squirtle was very determined and spirited when it came to defending her friend and trainer. Though Naruto knew a trainer as loving as Melody, this Squirtle was going to go far.
"Come on, we should keep moving," he said as he looked at his map of his Xtransceiver. "We can navigate through this; we just need to be smart about. We are lost because this is our first time going through it."
Walking forward Naruto was about to lead the way before he noticed a large brown figure suddenly step in the middle of the path they were on. Beside the brown lump was a strangely dressed boy who was wearing some kind of samurai outfit. On his back was a big catching net.
"Halt trainers. State why you are in this forest," he asked as he pointed his finger towards the duo who looked at him a little oddly.
'_Who is this nut job?'_ they both thought.
"Hey buddy….isn't it a bit early for Halloween?" Naruto asked jokingly.
"I am a samurai, the samurai of the forest and the great catcher and trainer of Bug Pokemon. Pinser!" the boy called out as the brown lump turned around and Naruto saw the large form of an intimidating Pinsir.
It had a bipedal, dull brown body and a large pair of grey, spiky pincers on top of its head. In its mouth were many long, flat teeth arranged horizontally. Its legs are short and thick while its arms are long and thin, and each limb ends with three grey claws.
Naruto quickly scanned it with is pokédex.
_Pinsir the stag beetle Pokemon_
_Despite the scrawny looking arms Pinsir possesses a strong level of physical strength and their horns are their greatest weapons for combat. They will use their horns to grab their enemies and constrict them painfully. They are known to be territorial and enjoy the taste of tree sap. If their horns fail to constrict they will simple toss their enemies away._
"Wow a Pinsir, I can't say I have ever seen one of those before. It's really cool looking," he said complimenting the Pinsir making the boy look at him in surprise.
"Ahh another person who loves Bug Pokemon just like I do. How wonderful," the boy said happily. Naruto guessed the boy was about his age or younger.
"Well I wouldn't say love but I find them interesting and they have their perks," Naruto told him as the by nodded. That was when Melody intervened.
"You said you live in this forest right. That means you know the way out?" She asked with Samurai nodding. "Thanks goodness we have been stuck in here for the last few days. Do you think you could show us the way out?"
The boy looked at them quizzically and gave them a once over.
"You two are trainers right?" He asked with Naruto nodding.
"Future nurse and breeder," Melody said as the boy nodded before he pointed at Naruto.
"I guess I can show you the way out but I have a condition that you must meet. Face my Pinsir and if you defeat it then I will show you the way out. If not then you are on your own."
"A Pokemon battle?" Naruto asked with the boy nodding. Both Melody and Samurai saw him grin.
"This will be my first Pokemon battle. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Thank you for being my first opponent" he said giving Samurai and Pinsir a small bow which surprised them.
"A Pokemon trainer of honor, I like that. Choose your Pokemon."
"Melody can you referee for us," Naruto asked with Melody quickly nodding and getting in the middle of them at a good distance
'_Okay well since this is my first Pokemon battle I feel my friend will be a bit overkill. So I know what the logical choice will be,'_ he though before taking one of the poke balls from his pocket.
"Go Bulbasaur," he said throwing the ball and releasing Bulbasaur as the little grass Pokemon appeared on the ground.
"We got our first battle today buddy. You up for it?" he asked getting pumped up.
"Baaalllba," was the answer he got as his Bulbasaur got in position, ready to fight the much bigger Pinsir.
"_So my opponent has chosen a Bulbasaur. This'll be the second one I've battled since those 4 trainers from Pallet Town passed by"_ Samurai thought to himself remembering the previous battle he had with a Bulbasaur.
"Alright are you both ready? This is a one on one Pokemon battle," Melody asked in position as Naruto and Samurai got behind their Pokemon. They both looked at Melody and nodded their heads.
"Then let his battle…BEGIN."
"Pinsir use **Bind**," Samurai shouted quickly as Pinsir charged forward with its large pincers opened and aimed right at Bulbasaur.
"Bulbasaur dodge by rolling to the side then **Tackle **its side," Naruto told Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur nodded and rolled along the ground to the right, dodging the Pinsir's attack before it lunged forward.
"Pinsir defend yourself with **Harden**" Samurai said as Pinsir glowed white for a moment before the glow vanished and it's body now looked shinny.
Bulbasaur crashed against Pinsirs side but it proved to be a mistake as Bulbasaur was flung back as if he tried to tackle boulder while Pinser stood in it's spot seemingly with no damage done to it.
"_Darn, he raised it's defensive power against physical attacks_" Naruto though while grinding his teeth thinking about how to overcome this problem.
"Good work Pinsir now keep after it. Use **Focus energy** and lock Bulbasaur in **Bind**" Samurai told his Pokemon.
Pinsir glowed blue for a moment before it charged forward again to try and trap Bulbasaur in its pincers but Naruto just kept telling Bulbasaur to keep dodging. Thanks to the speed training they had been doing Bulbasaur was a lot faster than he was over a week ago and it was beginning to show.
"Keep it up Bulbasaur, use your speed to our advantage and it will tire Pinsir down." he said with Bulbasaur nodding. It was a good strategy for a small Pokemon against a larger Pokemon.
After a good minute Naruto and the others could see Pinsir slowing down.
"Bulbasaur use **Razor Leaf."** he commanded as Bulbasaur shot out multiple leafs at a fast rate as they whizzed through the air and aimed at Pinsir's body.
"Pinsir use **Harden **and intercept with your horns" Samurai spoke as Pinsirs body got a shine to it again as its skin hardened. It lowered it's body using it's horns for shields as they blocked the attack which did little damage and simply bounced off it's horn without so much as a scratch on them.
Despite this Naruto wasn't done yet. "Bulbasaur use your **Vine Whip** and tie up it's horns."
Bulbasaur shot its twin vines out of its bulb and wrapped around them around Pinsirs horns forcing them closed together.
"Now pull it forward to make it lose balance." Naruto ordered.
"Pinsir stand your ground." Samurai countered.
Bulbasaur pulled with all it's strength to make Pinsir topple forward but the bug type type simple used it's arms to now stand on all fours preventing it from falling down.
"Now Pinsir pull Bulbasaur in." Samurai commanded as Pinsir did just that. It used it's arms as to push itself back on its two feet and then reared its head back as hard as it could.
The result was poor Bulbasaur getting flung forward like if its vine whip had been attached to a speeding car as he was now on a collision course with Pinsirs horns.
"Oh no!" Naruto shouted realizing too late that he fell for a trap.
"Now Pinsir use **Focus Energy **and then use **Cut **when Bulbasaurs in range" Samurai ordered as Pinsir glowed blue again before it vanished and it's claws were now glowing white as it prepared to cut down Bulbasaur.
"_What do I do, what do I!?" _Naruto thought urgently seeing that Bulbasaur couldn't block the attack or avoid it while in mid air. "_Wait…mid air? That's it!"_
"Bulbasaur use your vine whips to fling yourself over Pinsir to dodge it" Naruto called out quickly as Bulbasaur heard its trainer. Obeying, it used the vines that were still tied to Pinsirs horns to steer itself up by reeling itself in. It worked as Bulbasaur went over Pinsirs head avoiding the claws it swung at him to try and cut him but Naruto wasn't done yet.
"Now Bulbasaur before you land on the ground pull Pinsir back all your strength!" Naruto shouted.
Complying the grass type pulled it's vines back and this time the result was different. With the added force provided from being pulled by Pinsir and from being pulled from behind instead of the front. The bug type was pulled completely off the ground and into the air like Bulbasaur was a moment ago.
"Oh no Pinsir!" Samurai shouted seeing his Pokemon was now helpless.
"Now throw Pinsir!" Naruto ordered as Bulbasaur did just that by continuing to reel in Pinsir with all its strength before it launched it straight towards a tree as Pinsir collided face first into the tree. The force caused it to shake and drop a lot of leaves before Pinsir fell to the ground clearly having taken lots of damage from the hard collision.
"_Is it over?_" Melody thought after seeing Pinsir not getting up.
"Hang in there Pinsir and get up, we're not beaten yet" Samurai encouraged his Pokemon whose body now twitched before it's arms slowly pulled it up and it stood back on it's feet although on a closer look it showed that it was a bit disoriented after that crash.
Naruto noticed this and took his opportunity. "Bulbasaur use your **Leech Seed.**" he orders as Bulbasaurs bulb had a seed sprout out from the tip before it was fired like a missile towards Pinsir before it connected with its head and began to quickly sprout out vines that wrapped all around it. After which the vines seemed to unleash a red burst of energy that made Pinsir groan as he felt his energy being drained while small green bits of energy flew to Bulbasaur as it absorbed it into its bulb and body regaining energy.
"Now use **Tackle** again before it retaliates"
"Pinsir try and dodge it and catch it in a **Bind**," Samurai said in a quick tone but it fell on deaf ears as Bulbasaur was too quick for the Pinsir to even react.
Bulbasaur ended up slamming into Pinsir with its head connecting with Pinsir's head and throwing it back. The attack succeeded as Pinsir was weakened and off balance due to the loss of energy as the back of its head hit the same tree it collided with before.
Pinsir groggily stood up for just a moment trying to keep fighting as the leech seed was still draining it's power before it finally collapsed onto the ground face first ending the match.
"Wow," Samurai said looking impressed at how his Pinsir had been taking out by Naruto's use of strategy. Taking out a poke ball he quickly recalled the bug Pokemon and patted it affectionately while whispering proud words that it tried its best.
"Great job Bulbasaur," Naruto said leaning down and patting Bulbasaur on the head which made the little Pokemon smile a big smile at its trainer.
"The battle goes to Naruto!" Melody said happily before returned to her friend's side as he returned Bulbasaur to his poke ball.
"Good match," Samurai said shaking Naruto's hand in a firm grip.
"Yeah it was, your Pinsirs really tough. I was panicking when you had Bulbasaur almost caught by those horns when you used its vine whip against him" Naruto complimented as he couldn't imagine how the match would've gone if he hadn't come up with that plan.
Samurai nodded "Thank you but your plan to regain control of its vine whip and then use the air momentum to increase its tugging strength so it could lift Pinsir and throw him was a clever move. As agreed I will show you the way out of Viridian forest. It should take about a few short hours to get back to the main path so let's get going before it gets dark."
"Man four losses in the two weeks. I'm really off my game lately," Samurai muttered to himself though he was overheard by Naruto and Melody as they quickly followed him from behind.
"You were in another battle before this. Who was it against?" Melody asked with Naruto listening carefully.
"Some kid from Pallet down with a Pikachu constantly sitting on his shoulder along with an orange haired girl. He was the fourth kid I battled from that town"
"Was he any good?"
Samurai shrugged. "He was a newbie from what I could tell but he was alright, he was good to his Pokemon at least and they seem to like him in return. I watched his Butterfree evolve while they were being chased by a swarm of Beedrill. In the end he used it to put the entire swarm to sleep."
"A Butterfree? How beautiful" Melody answered in awe. "I wish I had a Butterfree."
Samurai promptly turned around to look at her. "If you want a Butterfree then you should start by getting a Caterpie. If you want I can show you where to find one."
"Really, you would?" she asked with stars in her eyes with Samurai nodding and leading them in another direction.
"It's not far so we won't lose much time."
It really didn't take that long and fifteen minutes later they found a small field where various small bug type Pokemon lay with the majority being Weedle. But on the edge closest to them they saw a small Caterpie lying there looking in the sky, seemingly ignoring the presence of all the Weedle.
"Will I need to use Squirtle to help catch it?" she asked Naruto shook his head.
"No Caterpie are usually quite weak Pokemon so it would not put up much of a fight. You can easily catch it with a standard poke ball," he told her with Samurai nodding in agreement.
"So do you think it would be a good catch?" she asked, a little nervous about catching her first Pokemon.
"I think if you train them the right way and care for them right then they will become strong no matter what. A Caterpie might not be all that great personally but once it becomes a Butterfree then it can become quite the opponent."
"A Butterfree can only be as powerful as their trainer. They are a kind of Pokemon that thrives of the love and care from their trainer," Samurai added as Melody nodded.
She gulped and took a poke ball from her pocket. The two trainers watched her steel herself and take a few steady breaths before she threw the poke ball towards the Caterpie.
The unsuspecting bug Pokemon barely turned around before the poke ball hit it on the head and sucked it into the poke ball. Together all three of them watched at the ball shook around on the grass for just a few seconds as the Caterpie tried to get out but moments later they saw it cease moving and an audible click could be heard.
Both Naruto and Samurai both smiled when they saw the happy and joyful look appear on Melody's face and saw her barely contain her excitement at catching her first Pokemon all by herself. She ran forward and held the poke ball high into the air.
"I CAUGHT MY FIRST POKEMON," she shouted happily as she jumped around on the spot. Both Naruto and Samurai laughed a little at her antics while the field full of Weedle looked at her strangely.
"Good job Melody, the first of many I'm sure," Naruto congratulated with Melody giving him a big smile as she skipped and bounced her way back towards him.
As they congratulated her they heard the distinct buzzing sound of swarms of Beedrill heading towards them. They all looked towards the sky but no one saw anything telling them the Beedrill must have been at large if they could hear them and not see them.
"Come on we best get going. That particular swarm of Beedrill are not as friendly as the rest," Samurai told them as Naruto and Melody nodded and quickly followed after him as they left the field.
**Pewter City**
Three days later Naruto and Melody both found themselves out of the Viridian City and staring at the large welcome to Pewter City sign that was made of Rock. It kept up with the town's affiliation with rocks and rock type Pokemon.
"So this is Pewter City. What do you want to do first?" Melody asked seeing Naruto look around his surroundings.
"First off I need to find the Pewter City Gym. It's my first gym battle and I'm feeling kind of pumped."
"So you want to go straight there?" She asked with him nodding.
"Yeah though let's find the Pokemon Center beforehand. I want to know where it is in case some kind of emergency happens. That or if I get my ass kicked seven ways to Sunday."
"I'm sure you will be fine," Melody stated. "Come on let's get going."
So the two quickly entered the tow and looked for the Pokemon Center which was relatively easy to find since it was situated at the front of Pewter City. Naruto found that having a member of the Joy family travelling with him was a great positive since it put in a good word with the Joy family. When one Joy liked you so did the rest and it stayed that way.
After dropping his stuff off at the Pokemon centre with his Pokemon now ready in their poke balls along with the necessary equipment he marched towards the Pewter City gym with Melody following behind him.
As he walked he could feel his heart pounding on his chest in both excitement and nerves. Excitement because it was his first real gym battle ad nerves because he hoped he had what it takes.
'_If my sisters can do it then so can I,'_ he thought as his hand went up to clutch Latias luxury ball that lay comfortably around his neck.
"I'm probably going to use you for this girl so please be ready," he whispered before smiling as the poke ball shook. Latias was ready, he just hooped he was.
"Nervous?" Melody asked with a spring in her step. Since catching her Caterpie she had been even more joyful to be around the usual. Her new bug Pokemon instantly took a liking to her and Naruto would not be surprised if it changed into a Metapod soon.
This Caterpie was oddly spirited for a Caterpie.
"Yeah. The first gym battle is always the toughest. It's where you see if you're good enough. If you have what it takes to go the rest of the way. The first hurdle so to speak."
Melody simple nodded and would stand by her new friend for support. From what she had already seen he was a great trainer. He knew when to push his Pokemon and went to be lenient. He treated them with the utmost respect and never went outside their comfort zones.
After ten minutes of walking Naruto eventually found himself standing in front of the large Pewter City gym and was taking calming breaths. The entire gym was made out of stone with the words Pewter Gym inscribed in the massive stone walls. On the front was large iron door that looked ready to be pushed open at any second.
"Here we go." he whispered before he pushed on the doors and swung the doors wide open.
Stepping inside he quickly saw the field that his Pokemon would be battling on. The battlefield was a standard look field but was littered with jagged rocks and boulders, and a balcony along the edge that provided spectators with a spot to watch Gym battles.
"Hello," he called out as his voice echoed through the gym. "My name is Naruto J Namikaze. I'm here for a gym battle.
"Welcome," a strong voice called out as he watched a figure appeared on the opposite side of the field. Looking over he saw a man in his early forties with bronze skin and dark hair wearing simple clothing that consisted of a dusty cream shirt and jeans. His brown hair was natural spiked up.
"Are you Brock?" Naruto asked.
"No I am Flint, Brock's father and the new Gym leader. My son has gone on a Pokemon journey with a new friend of his and to fulfill his dream. Until his future return I will be the taking care of the gym."
"Right okay well as I said I am here for a gym battle." He said again making sure to be respectful.
"Very well, is this your first gym battle?" He asked and saw Naruto nod. "A Gym match is different from other battles. This match is for Pokemon League Authorization and therefore it will go on record for occurring. There are special rules that you must abide to." He told Naruto.
"I already know about the special rules, and I'm willing to follow them." He responded.
"We will use two Pokemon each, understood?" Flint told Naruto as he stared across the field at his opponent. "How long have you been with your Pokemon?"
"Two of them for about two weeks, the other for five years," he told him and saw Flint get a little thrown at the last comment but nodded.
"I see. Then I see this may be an interesting match," Flint stated as he took a poke ball from his belt and threw it. "Go Geodude."
Out from the poke ball appeared a small grayish boulder like creature with large black eyes and two muscled arms on each side. Strangely its body was hovering off the ground. "Geooooodude," it said as it readied itself.
Curious he took out his pokédex to analyze it.
_Geodude the rock Pokemon_
_It lives in caves and mountains while gaining more edges the longer it lives. It hides halve its body underground to sleep and observe which is why it's is commonly mistaken for a boulder by travelers. If stepped on it'll get angry and attack._
He put away the pokédex. "Here we go. Go Poliwag." Naruto released his small water Pokemon as it stood up straight and had a determined look on his face as it tiny tail swung side to side.
He noticed Flint looking a little deep in thought, no doubt weighing the pro's and cons of his rock Pokemon fighting a water type. With a determined look he shouted for the match to begin.
"Alright then let the match BEGIN!" a vice shouted from the balcony and saw a young boy with multiple children that looked like siblings standing beside Melody who was watching intently.
"Geodude use **Mega Punch**." Geodude bounded forward with its rocky fists cocked back. As it took a swing towards Poliwag, the small water Pokemon ducked under the blow and began dancing around Geodude.
'_Rock Pokemon are known for defensive strength and power but they lack speed,'_ Naruto though since speed was something he made his smaller Pokemon focus intently on.
"Use your speed against him Poliwag and then hit him with **Water Gun**." Poliwag ducked from another swing and puffed out it's chest to prepare to fire but Flint wasn't letting it happen so easily.
"Quick Geodude use **Double Team,**" Quickly responding Geodude glowed for an instant before Poliwag fired its water gun but when it hit Geodude he simple vanished showing Poliwag had hit a fake as suddenly 11 more Geodudes appeared all around him and had him cornered as they were all lying still.
"Damm he responded faster than I thought," Naruto said softly as he saw Poliwag looking confused as it looked between all the Geodudes and having no idea which one to attack which Naruto didn't either since he couldn't tell which was the real one.
Flint took this moment to speak up. "It's clear to me that even though you have some experience in battles you don't have much experience battling against trainers. You may have a type advantage in this battle but me and my Pokemon have more experience than even my sons when he was the gym leader. You'll need to come up with a better plan if you want to defeat me boy," he said almost like if he was giving a lesson or advice.
Naruto tightened his fist as he heard the comment but didn't let it bother him as he tried to remain focused on the match. "If we can't find the real one then we'll have to try and hit them all at once. Poliwag use your **Water Gun **and then rotate to hit them all" he ordered.
Poliwag got its focus back as it puffed it's chest before firing another water gun at a Geodude that vanished showing it was fake too so it quickly began to circle around hitting more of the Geodudes duplicates.
"Geodude use your **Mega Punch,**" Flint quickly ordered as the Geodude that was facing Poliwags back when it turned to fire at a duplicate shot forward and before Naruto could tell Poliwag to dodge was hit from behind by the powerful rock types punch that sent it flying back and crashing into a rock.
"Poliwag are you okay!?" Naruto asked with concern as his friend got up and shook his head to clear it's dizziness.
"Poliii" it cried out saying it was okay and could still fight.
"Okay then let's get back in this, charge in Poliwag and use **Water Gun **once more," he told as Poliwag charged it's opponent before firing another water gun at the rock type.
"Geodude use **Double Team **again," Flint orders as Geodude once again duplicates of itself appeared and surrounded Poliwag as the water gun hit a fake that replaced the real Geodude.
However this time Naruto had a smirk as he was prepared for it. "Use your tail to jump into the air and fire your **Water Gun** at the ground" Poliwag hopped into the air to land on it's talk before it used to as a spring to jump high into the air before firing its water gun at the spot where it stood as the ground began to soften and soak up the water.
"_What's he planning_?" Flint thought wondering why he was watering the ground. The ground was rocky and was over a concrete floor so why would be soak it.
All of the Geodudes looked up at their opponent just as confused as Flint wondering why it hadn't attacked them instead of the field.
"Now Poliwag use fire your **Bubblebeam** at the same spot," Complying Poliwag while it was still in the air it fired it's multiple large bubbles at the same spot from before. What happened next caught Flint completely off guard. He was expecting the bubbles Poliwag fired to burst when they hit the ground but instead they slide apart from each other and scattered across the entire field. He didn't even have time to tell a command before all of the Geodudes were hit by the wide spread attack at the same time. All of the fakes vanished while the real one was sent rearing back from the hit in pain.
"Alright it worked!" Naruto exclaimed happy to see that his plan worked as Poliwag landed on the ground.
Flint couldn't believe what he saw. This young boy had used his Pokemons element to his advantage by staging a combo that ended up overcoming his Geodudes double team defense.
"Well I must admit I'm impressed by your maneuver. I never battled someone that used the home field of their opponents Pokemon to launch such a surprising attack," Flint complimented the young trainer.
"Thanks Flint," Naruto said being grateful for the compliment.
"However this battles far from over," Flint said seriously as Geodude got back up, still looking ready for more.
"Then let's keep going. Poliwag use **Bubble,**" Naruto commanded as Poliwag fired smaller bubbles at Geodude.
_"Using Double Team again probably won't work if he makes another combo. So…" _Flint though for a moment before he decided. "Geodude use your **Mega Punch** at the ground beneath you."
With another strong punch Geodude stroke the ground as a large slab of earth was upturned in the process which Geodude instantly used as a shield to block the bubble attack which failed to break through.
"Fire your **Water Gun **at the ceiling above Geodude," Naruto told as Poliwag looked up and then fired another water gun. This one hit the ceiling and dispersed causing it fall to the ground over Geodude like rain as it groaned in pain as even rain hurt it.
"Now move in around that slab and use **Bubblebeam,**" Poliwag ran forward moving around the upturned slab of earth and fired it's attack.
"Dodge and use **Seismic Toss,**" Flint countered as Geodude narrowly avoided the bubblebeam before it quickly moved forward and caught Poliwag in a hold from behind so it couldn't attack him as he suddenly flew in the air and roll with his captured opponent before he threw him to the ground at a fast paste as Poliwag impacted on the ground harshly and a dust cloud formed from it.
"POLIWAG!" Naruto said urgently as he saw his friend get slammed to the ground.
Melody had her hands to her heart in worry as the dust cloud began to clear up and Geodude returned to the ground panting as it was starting to feel weary after all the water it was hit with and after using its seismic toss.
The dust could began to completely clear up and when it did Poliwag was revealed to be lying in a small crater with swirls on its eyes showing it had fainted.
"Poliwag is unable to battle Geodude wins the battle," the young boy said as the children cheered for their dad first win since his return while Melody was looked a little down that Naruto lost the first round.
Despite this loss Naruto wasn't deterred as he took out his poke ball and called back Poliwag. "You did great Poliwag, I'm sorry that I couldn't lead you to victory in your first official battle" he apologized to his friend as he put his poke ball away.
He had been hoping to defeat the leaders first Pokemon but it seems that with the replacement of Brock for his father who appeared to have more experienced Pokemon he was now in a harder challenge than he was expecting.
"_Looks like its all up to her now,_" Naruto thought as he removed the luxury ball from his necklace and pressed the button to enlarge it before he kissed the ball and threw it onto the field.
"I CHOOSE YOU LATIAS!" He shouted as the luxury ball opened, releasing what lies inside.
From out the luxury ball Flint saw the Pokemon appear and he raised his eye brows at seeing a Pokemon he'd never seen before. While the children were in awe at seeing the pretty looking Pokemon they've never seen before. The girls were especially looking with stars in their eyes at seeing how beautiful it looked.
"I've never seen that Pokemon before," Flint spoke up seeing it hovering of the ground in a similar way like his Geodude except it was moving up and down a bit showing it was levitating rather than hovering.
"It's no surprise since she's from a region outside of Kanto" Naruto answered.
"Well I look forward to battling your mystery Pokemon," Flint said as he looked at Geodude who was looking tired after that rough battle with Poliwag. He was sure that Geodude would not be able to win against the new Pokemon but the least he could do is weaken Latias so his next Pokemon will have a better advantage.
"Second battle Geodude vs Latias. Ready…BEGIN!"
"Let's hit him hard and fast Geodude, use **Rock Throw,**" Geodude acted fast as he punched a small boulder that broke apart into smaller rocks that were sent flying towards Latias.
Despite this both Naruto and Latias stood calm. "Let me show you why you should not underestimate us" Naruto commented.
"Block them with **Psychic,**" he said simply as Latias's eyes began glowing blue with power as most of the rocks began glowing the same and stopped their approach right in front of her while the remaining rocks ended up colliding with the captured rocks and fell to the ground as not a single one managed to get through the blockade.
Flints was in shock by what he saw. "_It's a psychic type"._
"Now send it back at Geodude," Complying Latias used it's psychic power to send the rocks back at Geodude who was bombarded by the psychic powered rocks and sent rolling back until it collided with a boulder and fell to the ground as it was knocked out.
"Geodude is unable to battle Latias is the winner," the boy said again as he and his siblings couldn't believe how strong the mysterious Pokemon called Latias was to have been able to stop Geodudes rock throw and send it back. Clearly it was a Pokemon not to be taken lightly.
"Geodude return," Flint muttered as Geodude was returned to his poke ball. He then looked over at Naruto. "A fine first battle for your Latias but you will find the second won't be as easy. You won't beat my next Pokemon."
"GO ONIX," he shouted as an enormous rock like snake appeared on the field. Its gray boulder like body got smaller towards the tail. There is a rocky spine on its head and a pair of black eyes right beneath it. It glared at Latias who glared right back despite looking a little unnerved at the great difference in size.
"_Come on Naruto just one more win and you've got it,_" Melody thought as she saw that the stage was now even with both Pokemon being at 100% full strength and there was no type advantage on either side.
"Final battle Onix vs Latias…BEGIN!"
"Onix use **Tackle,**" Onix lunged forward with its large head aimed towards Latias. Despite the large Pokemon charging at her at what would be a painful collision, Latias remained calm like before awaiting her trainers commands.
"Veer to the left and dodge it" Naruto said as Latias did what her trainer asked and easily soured out of the way. Her slim and aerodynamic body was designed for speed and Onix coming towards her was a speed she could easily see coming.
Flint though wasn't done. "Onix when you hit the ground use **Dig**." When Onix hit the ground it quickly began to burrow into it before it disappeared just a few seconds later.
"Keep your eyes open," He told her as Latias floated in the air and kept an eye on the ground. From behind her the ground began to crack before the enormous head of Onix roared towards her.
"Dodge and use **Psywave**," he told as Latias dodged to the right and then fired rings of multicolored energy as they hit Onix by the head and caused it pain while pushing it back slowly.
"Hang in their Onix it's time we change our tactics. Use **Dig** once more," Flint ordered as Onix understood his trainers command and went back underground to escape from the constant attack.
"Stay sharp Latias he's up to something," he said as Latias kept an eye out for signs of the rock snake.
Naruto was also keeping his at the ground looking for any cracks or earth that'll be upturned by Onix reappearance from below.
"Get ready Onix!" Flint shouted as the rock snake heard him from below and the ground began to shake.
"He's coming but from where!?" Naruto said softly as he looked urgently around the field trying to see where it was going to come out while Latias was doing the same thing.
"NOW!" Flint shouted as Naruto saw the ground directly behind Latias crack up and upturn with a small dust cloud being made in the process.
"Latias behind you, turn around and use Psywave again" Naruto quickly ordered as Latias turned around and fired another Psywave however both Naruto and Latias were given a surprise when another dust cloud appeared behind Latias revealing Onixs head while the Psywave blasted the first dust cloud to reveal it was only the tip of Onixs tail that she hit.
"**Tackle **it now!" Flint ordered.
"LATIAS GET AWAY!" he tried to warn but it was too late as Onix was already too close for Latias to dodge as she was hit by the full force Onixs tackle that sent her crashing to the ground and into one of the remaining boulders which knocked the wind right out of her.
"Don't let up on it Onix use **Bind" **Flint told as he Onix seize the opportunity.
"Latias fly up now!" Naruto told as Latias tried to fly back up but it was still shaken from the impact and wasn't completely aware of the surroundings yet which Onix used for its advantage by raising its body higher and catching Latias with its tail where it then proceeded to constrict her earning a painful squeal from her.
Naruto now knew he was in trouble. "Fight back with Psywave," he said as Latias tried but it couldn't focus on firing it's attack with all the pain it was feeling as Onix began to slowly tighten its grip.
"Latias try and free yourself with Psychic," he pleaded to his friend as Latias grit her teeth trying to tolerate the pain as her eyes slowly opened and glowed with power. Onixs tail began to glow the same color as it felt something trying to pry it open so Latias could escape. He fought to resist it as he tried to keep constricting her.
Latias was feeling a strain on its mind as she had never tried using Psychic on something as big and heavy as an Onix. Especially one that was wrecking her concentration by constricting her and filling her with pain. It felt like she was trying to lift a Snorlax off the ground while it was thrashing around.
"Hang in their Latias and put more power into your attack," Naruto encouraged his friend who was fighting for her freedom.
Flint was wondering what to do in this tug of war between them. His Onix was fighting to maintain its grip on Latias who was loosening its hold just enough for it to keep its focus maintained on trying to free itself. However as he looked at Onix he saw that the area from its torso and up wasn't affected by psychic.
"Onix **Tackle **it while you still have her tied up," Flint said earning a gasp from Naruto as he saw Onix rearing its head back to prepare to tackle the captured Latias.
"Latias watch out!" Naruto called out as Latias turned her eyes to see Onixs head charging at her attempting to finish her off.
Latias's entire body suddenly began to glow before the power grew as it looked like a psychic bubble was growing around her before it kept growing until it forced Onixs tail to open up and let her go. It kept growing and then it seemed to vanish while creating a shock wave that hit Onix with full force sending the giant Pokemon flying back completely as it fell to the ground while both Naruto and Flint had to cover their eyes as the shock wave kicked up sand.
Latias fell to the ground in exhaustion from overexerting its powers.
Both Naruto and Flint looked in disbelieve at what happened especially Naruto as he never saw Latias use so much power like that. Naruto didn't understand what happened but right now he didn't have any time to worry about it as Latias was looking exhausted and the battle wasn't over just yet.
The miniature sand storm stopped as they both looked to the field to see Latias hovering off the ground while panting with some great exhaustion while Onix was on the ground flinching from the pain it's whole body was feeling after that huge attack.
"Onix get up, you can do this," Flint shouted as Onix slowly tried to lift itself from the ground to continue battling. The giant rock snake managed to lift itself before its eyes rolled into the back of its head and it fell back down.
Everyone watched as Onix slumped to the ground unconscious while Latias hovered over it.
Flint stared in disbelief as his strongest Pokemon was defeated.
"The match is over. The winner is Naruto J Namikaze," he said simply with an awed voice as his children in the balcony groaned at his loss while the pink haired girl jumped for joy.
Naruto took a sigh of relief before a giant smile appeared on his face as his fist shook and he fisted the air.
"Alright Latias," he called as he ran over to Latias and hugged her which unfortunately caused her to flinch from the pain it's body still felt. Naruto saw this and quickly let go "Oh sorry I guess you're pretty injured after that intense battle," he said softly as he stroked her gently and kissed the top of her head before hugging her softly this time.
Latias was feeling tired after that flashback experience but decided not let it bother her as Naruto continued to congratulated her on her first victory. So to return the affection she nuzzled him to show her own happiness.
"You did amazing Latias. Thank you."
As the two celebrated they were quickly joined by a joyful Melody who joined in the gentle group hug, Flint observed Naruto from a distance as he slowly made his way towards them.
After seeing that sudden display of power to easily throw a giant Pokemon like Onix was a testament to how powerful Latias was and Flint began to see this was no ordinary trainer and Pokemon. The look that was on their faces was the same and both had a similar calm aura about them. Like the two had this powerful trust in one another.
He recognized that it was rare to see in trainers and only those that had something to prove had it. He had a feeling this boy in front of him was special, just like that Ash kid he met.
"Naruto congratulations on defeating me. I guess my skills may not be what they use to be. But you have earned this," he said as he pulled out a small grey boulder badge. "For defeating me, I Flint, the Pewter City Gym Leader present to you, Naruto J Namikaze, with the Boulder Badge. You have earned it."
"My first badge," he whispered as he took the badge into his hand and looked it over. It was just a plain grey badge shaped like a boulder yet to Naruto it meant one thing. That he had proven himself a worthy trainer and that he was on his way.
"Thank you sir for the gym battle" Naruto said shaking Flint's hand.
"Your welcome Naruto. It was a pleasure battling you. I have a feeling I will be seeing more of you in the paper one day. Good luck on the rest of your journey," he said before he noticed his children coming towards them and one of his daughters tugged on Naruto's pants leg.
"Mr. Naruto can we play with your Ls….Lati….Latias please," she asked giving him a puppy dog look.
Naruto looked down at her and smiled before nodding his head. "Sure though she is still feeling sore from the battle she can play with you guys, just don't do anything forceful and play gently and very carefully alright?" He asked as all the children nodded while Latias stared down at the little girl with her big amber coloured eyes.
"Laaaaaaaa," she said before she began chasing Flint's children around the gym hall as the children mock cried in fear before they piled on top of Latias and began stroking and patting her. Latias was obviously enjoying it as she hummed happily as she licked the top of one of the youngest children's nose, making them laugh.
Everyone else laughed as Latias played with the children until Flint collected his children so they could go and get dinner ready.
After they said their goodbyes Naruto returned Latias to her luxury ball and he and Melody left the Pewter City gym with his first gym badge settled in his pocket as a happy and eager smile stayed plastered on his face for the rest of the day.
**Chapter 4 Completed**
**If you wondering why Latias had a tough time with Onix, I would like to remind you Latias has never been in a full scale battle of that type yet and its Naruto's first gym battle. Plus Flint is a experienced pokemon trainer so he was bound to cause a problem for Naruto and be stronger then Brock.**
**Okay so next chapter will be brand new and was written up a few days ago. **