A Different Chosen

by GodsShadow

Arceus decided that having Ash as his Chosen wasn't a good choice. So what does he do? He unleashes a Maelstrom upon the Pokemon world! Aura Guardian Naruto. Naruto x Harem.

6. A Will of Fire!

Chapter Six: A Will of Fire!

The Group had just finished their Cerulean City Gym Battle and made their way back to the Pokemon Center. Planning on getting their Pokemon healed up and to get a good night's rest.

Nurse Joy saw the Group arrive at the counter, and smiled brightly at them, "Did the Battle go well?"

Naruto gave a smirk and a nod, as he reached into his Trenchcoat to pull out his Badge Case with a flourish. He opened it and showed off his Cascade Badge, "You bet it did! It was a tough fight, but we all managed to get a Badge!"

Nurse Joy clapped happily, "I'm happy for you! You guys definitely deserved it, I don't think I've ever seen a group of Trainers so dedicated to their training." She pulled out a tray for the Group's Pokeballs, "I'm sure you need to heal up your Pokemon after that Battle, I'll be sure to make them good as new!"

The group gave Nurse Joy their Pokemon and headed to their room for the night, they had spent the day training and battling so they were rather tired.

---

Leaf collapsed face-first into Naruto's bed the moment they entered the room, not even bothering to take off her suit.

"Man that was exhausting, I didn't think battling in front of a crowd would be so stressful." She moaned into a pillow.

Naruto laughed at her as he removed his bag and Trenchcoat, setting them by the window. "You handled it really well, I couldn't even tell if you were nervous or not."

Hinata sat down on her own bed, "It was a bit nerve-racking. Although, I forgot about the crowd the moment the battle began." She said innocently. Completely missing the deadpan stares of her two companions.

'I'm beginning to think she's fully aware of that split personality and she just uses it to mess with us' Naruto shook his head, and sat down next to Leaf on his bed.

Naruto took a moment to go back over the battle in his head, and decided to voice his thoughts. "Still, the battle was a lot closer than it should have been," He started, "We all had Type advantages, and it we still ended it with our Pokemon barely standing." He frowned, as he thought back to the battle.

Even Grace was forced to use Reversal, a move she had specifically avoided learning during her training as a Riolu. It wasn't that she hated the move, it just didn't really match her style. Reversal was an all-out attack, fit more for an aggressive style, Grace preferred to simply avoid damage altogether.

"We'll have to work on that soon. I'm not sure if we'll ever have to Double or Triple Battle again, but it's still a good thing to practice." He said, already thinking of some moves he could add to Grace's skillset for Double Battles. Protect was extremely useful, and was shown clearly by Cloyster in their battle.

Not to mention it would be good training for battling Team Rocket, from what he understood, Rocket Grunts always traveled in groups, like the pair he took down in Viridian. The Order would need to know how to work together if they wanted to fight these criminal groups.

Leaf and Hinata both nodded in agreement, they had their own problems with the battle. Neither had been prepared to deal with that Surf, and it almost ended the battle prematurely. It was only due to Breloom and Grace's fortitude that they managed to continue.

"But we did well for our first try. With only a day of experience, we managed to defeat Gym Leaders in a Triple Battle, I doubt anyone else could say the same." Hinata said happily. She frowned when she saw Naruto only nod, still thinking about the battle. A plan formed in her mind, and she decided to distract him in the best way possible.

She rose off of her bed and sauntered over to him, placing a hand on his chest she lightly pushed him down onto the bed.

"Hinata?" He said surprised, as she slowly climbed up on top of him.

"I believe you promised us something last night, Naruto." She purred and leaned down to plant a kiss on his lips.

Yes, he did. So Naruto immediately kissed her back with more passion, slipping his hands behind her to squeeze her large ass. Despite the Kimono that was covering Hinata's ass, Naruto could still feel the softness and played with it to his heart's content.

Hinata let out a moan while she deepened the kiss, and pressed herself against his chest. She started grinding her own body against his crotch, feeling herself start to get wet as her body heated up. She leaned up from the kiss, and straddled his waist, rubbing herself harder against him. She felt his erection start to strain against his pants, and let out an internal cheer. She let out a longer moan, to tease Naruto, and placed her hands against his chest. She grabbed the zipper that ran down the center of his vest, and dragged it down.

Naruto took the cue, and pulled himself out of his vest, tossing it on the floor. He looked up at Hinata, and found himself appreciating her beauty. Slightly glazed, lavender eyes looked down at him with love, and her light moans tickled his ears. She was still dressed in her Kimono, that had been modeled after his own outfit, but she looked slightly more disheveled now and her Kimono had been opened, leaving a generous amount of her cleavage exposed to Naruto's eyes. Naruto couldn't resist and reached up with his right hand to grab a handful of her large breasts. He realized something rather crucial when he felt the pillowy softness of Hinata's boobs.

She wasn't wearing any underwear.

Had she gone commando through that whole battle?

The thought got him even more turned on, and he started groping her even more aggressively. He reached for the knot that tied her Kimono closed, and looked up to her, asking a silent question. Seeing her give a timid nod, he undid the knot, and reached up to expose Hinata's chest. The Kimono slipped off her shoulders and fell down to her waist, revealing her upper-body to Naruto's hungry gaze. He took a moment to burn the image of Hinata's massive breasts into his mind, they were an attractive milky white, matching her pale complexion, with two cute pink nipples sticking out. He trailed his hands back up her sides, and latched onto her breasts.

"How are your tits so big Hinata? You're only sixteen!" He said as he watched visibly amazed as her titty-flesh spilled out between his fingers. He reached for the small pink nubs, and pinched Hinata's nipples lightly.

She let out another moan, "I don't know, every girl in my family has large breasts. Even Hanabi is starting to show." She sped up her motions, trying to pay Naruto back for his fondling, and rubbed herself into his erection, starting to feel the pleasure even through her Kimono.

Leaf made her presence known, and appeared behind Hinata. She had already stripped out of her suit, when she noticed they were getting heated. She was left in her navy-blue undershirt that was clinging to her petite breasts, her flaming skirt, and her pair of black socks. She wrapped her arms around the Hinata's waist, and kissed her neck. "You weren't going to leave me out of this, were you Hinata?" She gave a playful pout, and turned Hinata's face to meet hers. Leaf initiated the kiss this time, and softly held their lips together.

Hinata broke away from the kiss with a blissful smile, "I wouldn't dream of it," She said teasingly, "I was just waiting for you to join." Hinata took the moment to slip out of Naruto's grasp and push Leaf down on the bed. She recreated the position from the previous night, and got on all fours on top of the younger girl. She hooked their ankles together once more, and spread Leaf's legs. She looked back at a stunned Naruto, and wiggled her hips, causing the Kimono to finally slip the rest of the way off, exposing her large ass, and a pair of dark-blue panties, visibly wet. She slipped her legs out and kicked it off the bed, before looking back down at Leaf.

"You know, it's not very fair that we are the only ones shirtless!" She said as she flew through the buttons on Leaf's top, before throwing it onto the ever-growing pile of clothing. Now Leaf was the one exposed, with only a small white bra hiding her cute boobs. Hinata looked back at Naruto, and wiggled her ass again, "Naruto, aren't you going to come join us?" She said with a sultry tone, her ass beckoning Naruto over.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice, and slipped out of his pants, leaving him clad in only a pair of boxers. He slipped over to the pair, and let his hands roam over Hinata's ass, taking an extra moment to let his hands wander, before he started grabbing and kneading the flesh. The tiny pair of panties she was wearing left just enough of her ass exposed to tease him, while still concealing what laid beneath. Naruto had decided he had enough of waiting, and slipped his hand over Hinata's pussy lips, rubbing the wetness through the fabric.

Hinata let out a startled moan, and latched her lips back onto Leaf, slipping her tongue into Leaf's mouth. She swirled her tongue around Leaf's and let her hands slip underneath Leaf's back, reaching for the bra's hook. The bra joined the pile on the floor, and Hinata wasted no time in groping Leaf's perky breasts. "Your titties are so cute Leaf!" She smiled widely as she tried to emulate what Naruto had done to her, and massage Leaf's boobs. Soon enough both girls were moaning into each other, as they squirmed from the pleasure.

Naruto's mouth grew dry as he heard the two girls start to kiss and moan. Luckily he knew just how to fix that problem. He reached up to Hinata's waist, and hooked his fingers through the band of the panties, and slowly slid them down. She shivered as her wet pussy became exposed to the air, and Naruto's eyes. He leaned down and spread the pink lips, taking in full view of Hinata's most private place, before taking in a breath of Hinata's arousal. He dove in, using his tongue to lap up Hinata's love juices, and ate her out. He idly discovered that Hinata tasted sweet, and reached up to hold her waist still, to stop her from squirming too much.

Hinata let out a small shriek as she shook from the pleasure, "Oooh, more Naruto! Keep going!" She moaned out as she rubbed her ass back into Naruto's face.

Hinata shook and shivered, as she felt Naruto lick at her pussy and suck on her clit. She moaned louder and pressed her chest against Leaf's rubbing their hardened nipples together. She continued to make out with Leaf and trailed a hand down the girl's body. She slipped underneath the waistband of Leaf's skirt and into her panties. Rubbing quickly at her lower lips, Hinata tried her best to give Leaf some of the pleasure she was feeling.

The two girls rubbed together faster, and their moans gained volume as they reached their climax. Hinata came first, separating from the kiss so she could scream her release, and pinched at Leaf's clit. The sudden pleasure triggered Leaf's own climax, and she came just as hard as Hinata did, holding onto the larger girl as they both moaned loudly.

Naruto was quite pleased with himself as he watched the two girls squirm and rub together. He delighted in their moans and his dick strained against his boxers. They both went limp and collapsed together, panting and shivering as they came down from their orgasms. Naruto took this moment to get out of his boxers and moved on to the next step.

He rubbed a hand against Hinata's ass, and guided his dick to her pussy lips, sliding against them to get her attention. "Are you ready Hinata?"

She whined and rubbed herself back against him, "I've been ready for years Naruto! Just fuck me already!"

Naruto smiled and rubbed his dick against her lips, using the juices to lubricate himself. He lined himself up with her, and slowly pushed himself into her cunt. He stopped when he felt her barrier, and was going to break it gently, when Hinata slammed herself back against his hips, breaking her own hymen. She let out a small shriek, mixed with pleasure and a bit of pain, and latched onto the girl under her.

Naruto let out a large groan as Hinata forced him to go deeper. "Shit, you're tight, Hinata!" She was clamping down on him hard, as they both reveled in the new sensations. They stayed like that for a moment, getting used to the feeling, before Hinata grew impatient.

She let out a small mewl, and tried to thrust back against him. Naruto got the hint, and placed his hands on her hips as he started moving. He thrust into her, speeding up as she started to moan and shake under him.

"F-Fuck Naruto! You're so big!" She moaned, and had her attention pulled to Leaf. The younger girl wanted to help, and latched her mouth onto Hinata's bouncing breasts. Sucking on a pink nipple, she used her free hand to squeeze and massage the large boob. She alternated between them, doing her best to increase Hinata's pleasure.

Hinata let out another shriek as Leaf pulled back for a moment to pinch both of her nipples, "Oh~! Keep going!" She moaned to both of them as she was double teamed.

Hinata's hot, wet walls shivered and spasmed in delight as he continued to push deeper. He pounded into her harder, and felt her pussy contract and shiver as he bumped his bulbous head against her cervix.

"God, Hinata. I've wanted to do this for so long," He admitted, as he added more power to his thrusts, and watched as ripples were sent through Hinata's large ass with every pump. His hips made loud smacks against hers as he pounded into her. He sped himself up again as he felt his orgasm approach, "Gonna cum, Hinata!" He growled out.

"Me too! Inside me!" Hinata broke out of Leaf's grasp and arched her back as she reached a toe-curling orgasm.

Naruto groaned as Hinata's walls massaged his dick through her orgasm, and reached out to grab the breasts that Leaf had released. He pulled her up against his chest, and turned her face to capture her lips in a hungry kiss. Her climax set off his own, and he slammed himself to the hilt inside her, and came hard.

They both deepened the kiss as they rode out their orgasms. They basked in the after-glow staying connected for a while, before they pulled away.

Hinata sighed and leaned back against his chest, "I love you Naruto," She said gently as she slowly rocked herself back against his dick, drawing out the pleasure.

Naruto smiled widely, and kissed her neck, "I love you too Hinata," He whispered into her ear, and gave her breasts a big squeeze, "And you're mine now." He said possessively.

She shivered at his tone, and mewled against him. Then looked down at the blushing girl beneath her, and smiled at her. "Your turn Leaf," She moaned out as she slid Naruto's cock out of her and collapsed on the bed. She crawled over to the side of the bed to get a good view, and started to lightly touch her over-sensitive pussy as she waited for Leaf to get her turn. She was content to take a small break while Naruto had his way with their other partner.

Leaf blushed nervously, and slipped herself out of her skirt and panties. Naruto had sat down and leaned his back against the wall, so she climbed over to him and straddled his lap again.

Naruto took control and gave her a gentle kiss, idly tasting Hinata on her lips, as he used one hand to massage her wet vagina. He reached behind her with his other, and squeezed her cute butt. She was smaller than Hinata, but no less attractive, and in his eyes, her cute frame just added to her appeal. He stayed like that for a while, diverting his efforts between kissing her, and massaging her pussy and ass.

Leaf let out a moan as she let his tongue enter her mouth, and kissed him back while she enjoyed his hands bringing her pleasure. She pulled back for a moment, "I-I think I'm ready, watching you two got me seriously turned on." She said as she lined up his cock to her small slit. She stayed there, with his head pressing against her lower lips, and wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him take control.

Naruto nodded, and placed his hands on her hips to gently guide her down. They both let out a moan as his head popped inside her wet walls, and started making its way through. Naruto felt her shiver as he entered her, and stopped once he felt a barrier.

She looked back at him and gave a timid nod, "D-Do it. Take me." She whimpered.

Naruto gave another nod, and pulled her down, breaking through her maidenhood. He wrapped his arms around her back, and gently kissed her to distract from the pain. He saw tears gathering in her eyes, and trailed kisses along her face, running his hands across her back.

She was tight, a bit tighter than Hinata, due to her smaller body, and constricted pleasurably around his member. He had to resist thrusting away at her, and gave her a moment to calm down.

She got used to the feeling after a minute, and gave him another nod, "You can move now," She smiled when she felt his pulsing member twitch in response.

He grabbed a hold of her ass, and started slowly thrusting up into her. They started gently, and slowly rocked themselves against each other as they thoroughly enjoyed the sensations they were giving each other.

Leaf moaned as the pleasure overrode the pain, and she started to gyrate her own hips against his. She leaned back and arched her back as the pleasure increased, and she thrust her hips down to meet Naruto's.

She became more vocal with her pleasure, loudly giving moans and shrieks when Naruto would hit a deeper spot, "Faster Naruto!" She called out.

Naruto complied, and used his grip on her ass to lift her up and drop her down on his dick. He sped up his thrusts, and locked his gaze on her two cute tits, jumping around erratically everytime he bounced Leaf on his cock. He leaned forward and latched onto one with his mouth, sucking on the nipple as he fucked her. He swirled his tongue around the edge, and lightly nipped at her tits as he played with her breasts.

Leaf ran her fingers through his spiky blonde hair as she pushed his head further into her breasts, loving the attention he was giving her.

His grip on her ass tightened, as he felt her pussy walls twitch around him, and he knew she was close. He thrust up into her even harder, and felt his own orgasm approaching.

"Oh, fuck" He growled out as he released her breast from his mouth.

He slammed into her one final time, and crashed against her cervix as they came together. He leaned up to meet her lips in a fierce kiss as their orgasms hit, and cut off her scream with his mouth.

She held onto him fiercely as she shook and trembled from her first heavy orgasm. The pleasure nearly overwhelmed her, and she kissed him back as they rode out their climaxes.

"Man, that was amazing." She said as they separated.

Naruto nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that felt insanely good." He said as he idly continued to play with Leaf's butt.

Naruto pulled Leaf off of him and looked over to Hinata. She had a wide smirk and was still lazily touching herself as she watched them both.

He noticed he was still erect and pulled Hinata back over to him to start the next round.

---

A Few Days Later.

The group set off from Cerulean City to their next destination. Vermillion City.

They were taking their time along Route 6, they had just finished their second Gym so they were going to need to take a break to train up for the next Badge anyway.

So, they were slowly making their way down Route 6, battling the various Trainers they came across. Leaf and Hinata took the majority of the battles, with Naruto taking a few for his newer Pokemon to get some experience. He mainly used Serket, as he hadn't had a chance to start Skadi's training, but Scylla also got to crush some unsuspecting Trainers along the way.

"So what's the next Gym specialize in, Naruto?" Leaf asked as they walked along the path.

Naruto smiled widely, "Lt. Surge! He specializes in Electric-types, and his Gym is themed around it." He said as he thought back to his fellow blonde. "He's really strong, but you shouldn't have too much trouble as a Grass Trainer."

Leaf hummed in thought, "You sound like you know him?" She questioned.

Naruto nodded, "Yep! A couple years back he was pretty arrogant, and actually harmed his challenger's Pokemon pretty bad."

Leaf let out a gasp, "Didn't the League do inspections? How did he keep his Gym?"

Naruto let out a sigh, "Well he was in a sort of grey-zone in the rules, while he was hurting Pokemon, it was mainly the Trainer's fault for challenging him with weaker Pokemon, like a newly-caught Pidgey. So all the inspector could really do was tell him to tone it down," Naruto explained.

"After a while, he grew a bit bored, and started traveling around a bit to look for a challenge. He heard about the Order and went to go pick a fight with some of our Knights. Mom had heard the commotion and went over to check it out. He said he wasn't going to leave without a fight, so Mom obliged with her own Team." Naruto let out a laugh as he remembered the battle, "Unfortunately for Surge, he wasn't prepared for Mom's Uzumaki Temper and he got his ass handed to him." He smiled at the memory of his Mother tearing straight through the Gym Leader's Team. She was an Aura Master, and had a Pokemon Team to back her title up. "Seeing his own Pokemon get destroyed, sobered him up quick, and he hung around the Order for a while to train, so I got to talk to him a bit."

"Hmm, I don't remember that," Hinata chimed in as she tried to remember the event.

"You probably weren't there, you were busy with your own training." Naruto commented as he pulled out his Dex, "That being said, I still don't know what to expect from Surge, it has been a while since I saw him, and I've only seen his personal team, not his Gym Teirs."

He opened his Dex and pulled up Surge's data page. "Lt Surge, the Lightning Lieutenant, well-known for his power-focused electric types, and fierce training regimen." The stoic voice of the Adjutant informed them.

"Common appearances are Voltorb, Mangnemite, Elekid, and their evolutions. Rarely, he has been known to use a Jolteon, or his own signature Raichu against trainers that he finds worth his effort. Considered one of the strongest of the Common Eight, he is widely considered the best electric-type trainer in Kanto. His Gym is extremely favored within Vermillion City, and he accepts the most Students out of any other Gym in Kanto."

Naruto sweatdropped, "Surge is teaching?! I don't know if I should be happy he's calmed down, or feel sorry for those poor trainees." Honestly, Surge had a physical training addiction that even made him blanch.

"This sounds like it could be difficult Naruto, none of us really have any experience with Electric-types," Hinata mentioned. She had her new Tyrunt, but she would need some serious training before she was ready to battle a Gym Leader.

Naruto nodded in agreement, "Yeah, and I was hoping to use Skadi, if I can prepare her in time." A small yip of agreement came from his shoulder, where the small ice-fox was wrapped around his neck, snugly. "We should find a place to settle down for a while, and get some serious training done."

The Adjutant spoke up from his hand, "Warning: Severe weather conditions are approaching, expect heavy rain, lightning, and strong winds in under one hour."

Well shit.

"Oh, dear. Is there anywhere we can find shelter?" Hinata asked.

"A local Pokemon Center is located further down Route 6." The Adjutant replied.

"We should hurry then!" Leaf said as they increased their pace.

---

A little over a half-hour later, and they were overlooking their destination from the hill. The Pokemon center looked very different from the usual hospital-look the ones located in the city did. It had more of a cabin-in-the-woods feel to it, made entirely of wooden logs. It had a lavender slanted roof, with a grey P on the side. Orange light shone through the square windows, providing a welcoming glow against the grey sky.

Thunder rolled in the distance, and they hurried down the hill to enter the safety of the cabin.

They were welcomed in by a chipper Nurse Joy, who didn't seem bothered in the least about the weather, and ushered into a booth by the window. She brought them all a set of hot chocolate to fight off the cold. She smiled happily as she recognized Naruto, before returning to the counter.

The Center was relatively empty, he could see a few groups of Trainers together around the edges of the lodge, each eating and chatting about training. A particularly loud group was sitting on a couch in the very center by a large brazier, drawing the annoyed glares of the surrounding trainers. They did their best to tune them out.

Thunder cracked again, louder this time, as they settled down to eat, and rain started pattering against the window beside them.

Suddenly, the main doors slid open again, and a group of three travelers came in with heavy breaths. It seems they'd been running to get out of the rain. Luckily for them, they had come in just before the rain started to pick up, so they were only slightly wet.

The first one they noticed was the only girl. She seemed to be dressed for a day at the beach, not for a day of traveling through heavy weather. A tiny yellow tanktop covered her chest and left her midriff exposed, with red suspenders attached to an equally tiny pair of jean shorts. Bright orange hair was tied up in a side pony-tail.

The second one could only be described as a Pokemon Trainer. He was dressed in a standard Trainer outfit, that seemed to be a personalized version of the Pokemon League jacket, and shaggy black hair was concealed by an official Pokemon League Trainer cap. A Green pair of fingerless gloves matched his backpack. A simple pair of jeans covered his legs and he wore a pair of sneakers.

Naruto nearly choked on his drink as he recognized the third member. Standing beside them, leaning over to catch his breath, was the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock Slate. Brock straightened up and scanned the room with his usual squinted eyes. He noticed them with a bit of surprise and waved, "Hey Naruto!"

Brocks two companions seemed a bit confused as they followed him over to the table that Naruto had been settled at.

"Brock!" Naruto said surprised, "What are you doing here? Don't you have the Gym to take care of?"

Brock let out a laugh and waved it off, "It's a long story, but I'm traveling to become a Pokemon Breeder now! Mind if we join you? We just got out of that nasty storm."

Naruto gestured to the open seats across from him, "Go ahead," His ladies were sitting on either side of him so they had plenty of space.

Suddenly Brock was sitting directly across Hinata by the window, and hearts filled his eyes. "Ahhh! My heart has ached for the day we would be reunited– OwOwOw" Brock was interrupted by a kick in the shin from Hinata, and an ear tug from his own female companion.

"That is no way to speak to a lady!" She twisted his ear painfully.

Naruto snickered at Brock's punishment and took a look at the other two people. The girl seemed to be staring at his whiskers intently, and the Trainer was eyeing him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. Suddenly, a Pikachu peaked out from the Trainer's shoulder and hopped onto the table, instantly stealing Leaf's attention.

"Aww, is this your Pikachu?" She said as she scratched the mouse behind its ears.

"Chaa," It let out a soft cry as Leaf found the sweet spot.

"It sure is! Pikachu is my partner and we are challenging the League together!" The Trainer said, with Pikachu giving a fist pump in agreement.

Suddenly the boy blinked at Leaf for a moment, "Leaf?" He asked.

She looked up and blinked back, "Ash?"

He smiled, "Wow, crazy meeting you here, I thought you'd be miles ahead by now. You didn't leave on your bike?"

She shook her head, "Nope. I'm traveling with my two friends here, Mom told me it'd be better to go on foot and I bumped into them along the way. I'm surprised I haven't seen you until now though Ash, I've been taking it pretty slowly."

Ash seemed a bit embarrassed, "We might have had a few detours."

The girl traveling with Ash snorted, "You mean we got lost!"

The girl released Brock's ear and gave him a light slap on the shoulder, "Since you seem to know these people, why don't you introduce us, Brock?"

Brock straightened up and cleared his throat as he introduced the group. "Right. These are my traveling companions, Misty Waterflower, and Ash Ketchum. We are following Ash on his Journey to the Indigo League."

Naruto took another look at Misty with a raised eyebrow, "You're the fourth Cerulean Sister? We battled your sisters the other day."

She blushed a bit and smiled weakly, "Sorry about them, they can be a handful."

He shook his head, "Nah, they were cool about it, we had a lot of fun."

Brock continued his introductions, "Misty, Ash, these are three Trainers that challenged me just before Ash did. Leaf Green, a Grass Specialist if I'm not mistaken. Hinata Hyuuga a Pokemon Nurse. And Naruto Uzumaki, a variety Trainer just like Ash."

Naruto smiled at them and looked at Ash with an appraising eye. Maybe he could get a good battle out of this guy. Surely the two Gym Leaders were traveling with him for a reason, right?

Ash looked at Naruto with wide eyes and slammed his hand on the table, "You're Naruto Uzumaki?" He stood up and pointed at Naruto accusingly. "You're the guy who keeps beating us everywhere we go!"

Naruto was taken aback by the exclamation and turned an eyebrow to Brock for an explanation.

Brock scratched his cheek and let out a light laugh, "Yeah, everywhere we seem to go the people keep talking about you Naruto. First, it was an Officer Jenny who was talking about a group of Trainers that defeated a pair of Team Rocket members effortlessly. Then it was a Nurse Joy talking about how you saved a Poison-type from near death. We even heard rumors of a Trainer walking around with a mysterious snow-white Pokemon, I knew it had to be you. It was going on in every city too, I couldn't tell if they were blowing things out of proportion or not."

Misty turned a bit red, "Yeah and my sisters pulled me aside to brag about a hot blonde with whiskers that they had met." She looked down at the table to avoid his eyes, "I thought they were joking about the whiskers."

Naruto gave a fox-like grin to her, and turned to Ash, "So that means you beat the Sensational Sisters? You must be pretty good then."

This time Ash looked down at the table and chuckled sheepishly, "Not exactly... They said their Pokemon were too exhausted from that triple battle you guys had, so I battled Misty instead."

"And I almost beat you!" Misty said smugly.

"To be fair Misty, you didn't let him use Pikachu, which gave you a huge advantage." Brock crushed her argument.

A cute yawn distracted them, as Skadi woke up and hopped onto the table, eyeing the new people with curiosity.

"Wow! What kind of Pokemon is that!" Ash excitedly pulled out his Pokedex, and tried to scan the fox. His face shifted into a confused frown as it came up with no information. "That's never happened before."

"A Shiny Vulpix!" Brock said with a bit of awe, "I didn't know you had one Naruto."

Naruto let out a light laugh, "Not Shiny, but just as rare, at least in Kanto. She's an Alolan Vulpix! They have a unique climate there that causes Pokemon to adapt, Vulpix is an Ice-type instead of Fire." He said as he scratched the scruff of her neck. She still had the blue bow wrapped around her neck, giving her an adorable look.

She stuck her nose up high, and blew out a bit of frosty breath for show.

Brock rubbed his chin in thought as he studied the snow-white Pokemon, "Interesting! I wonder how many different types there are in Alola." He silently wondered what kind of food the Vulpix would eat. Would it prefer the same types as a normal Vulpix? Or would it prefer food that Ice-types generally like?

Naruto shrugged, "Couldn't tell you, I've never been. Skadi was a gift."

"She's cute!" Misty scratched the small fox under her chin as she admired the fur. It was cool to the touch, and very soft, like silk sheets.

"That's awesome!" Ash had stars in his eyes as he looked at the rare Pokemon, "A Pokemon from a different region! We should have a battle sometime! I'd love to see its moves."

Naruto easily agreed to the challenge, interested in Ash's Pokemon.

They all settled down for some warm soup and coco as they shared some stories of their adventures. Misty had left the Gym to her sisters to travel and train to become a Master of Water-types, and Brock had left the Gym to his Father, who happened to be the strange rock salesman, to continue his studies in Pokemon Breeding.

Brock had nearly fainted when he heard Hinata had gotten a Shiny Tyrunt out of one of his Father's rocks.

They found that Ash and Leaf had known each other beforehand, having grown up in the same small town. They weren't very close, but had a few interactions in Professor Oak's various Summer Camps, and Pokemon related Events.

Brock had told them of his worries about a young Charmander they had found along Route 6, sitting on a rock all alone. The story had the entire group looking outside the window in worry. Rain was never good for a fire-type, and if he was still out in the open, there was a serious chance of sickness or worse.

The conversation slowed as they all thought about the Charmander, and a loud voice grabbed the attention of the entire lodge.

"Wow, Damian you sure have a lot of Pokemon!" A snotty voice said.

They turned their heads to the center of the room, where a group of teenagers was sitting around a table covered in Pokeballs.

An arrogant looking teen in the center, with a thick accent spoke up, "Yeah just look at 'em. It's a good collection."

"Yeah."

"It's awesome."

"Didn't you used to have a Charmander though?"

Naruto gripped the table tightly as he connected the dots.

"Yeah, but that thing was so weak!" He waved it off, "Completely pathetic." He smirked and stuck his nose up in the air, "So I left it on a rock in the woods. I promised I'd come back for it, and do you know what happened? The stupid thing believed me!" He rolled his eyes dramatically. The group surrounding him all laughed.

Naruto let a growl escape his throat, and Brock stood up, anger obvious on his face. He was about to march over and give the kid a piece of his mind, but Naruto stopped him, "Hold on Brock. He's not important right now." Brock looked furious at Naruto but a glare silenced him, "Charmander is. Why don't you and Ash head back to where you found him? He'll die out in this storm." Naruto said seriously. "I'll deal with the prick." Brock's face softened and agreed, throwing on his pack in case he needed it. Naruto caught Nurse Joy out of the corner of his eye, she looked horrified at Damian and ran off for the video-phones.

He turned to Hinata with a conflicted face, "Hinata..." He frowned as he spoke, "Can you go with them? If the Charmander is still out in this rain..." He didn't need to finish before Hinata was on her feet and nodding. He hated himself for sending her out in the rain, but a Nurse was likely going to be necessary.

"Of course! We should hurry!"

Brock pulled Ash to his feet, and they headed for the exit.

The trio took off out the door quickly, and Naruto turned to Misty. "You're still a League registered Gym Leader right?" He asked.

She stopped glaring at Damian to look up at him, "Yeah, I had to be to give Ash his Badge. Why?"

Naruto gave her a feral grin, "Because I would like some witnesses."

He walked over to the group of Trainers and interrupted their conversation. "Excuse me."

The group turned to him, and their 'leader' spoke up. "Who are you?"

Naruto just gave a sheepish laugh and waved him off, "Ah sorry, I just couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You see I had heard about a Charmander lost on Route 6, is that the one you were talking about?" He asked with a 'friendly' smile.

'Come on, buddy, dig your own grave for me.' He thought to himself.

Damian smirked, "That's the one. Useless thing couldn't even beat a Bulbasaur."

Naruto resisted the urge to break this prick's face, and smiled wider. He gave a light laugh, "I see, now it makes sense. Does that mean all of these Pokemon are yours as well?" He gestured to the pile of at least twenty Pokeballs on the table.

Damian gave another smug look, "You bet. I've captured all of these powerful Pokemon myself. I'm gathering a collection."

A small eyebrow twitch broke through his mask and he laughed again to cover it, "Wow! That's really something! How do you get around the six Pokemon rule? If you don't mind me asking." He leaned in and feigned interest.

Damian snorted, "You really think they enforce that? I just carry around all my Pokemon with me."

Naruto nodded sagely in understanding, "I see. That makes a lot of sense. So all of your Pokemon are powerful then? Wow, you must be a really good Trainer if you don't have any weak ones." He laid a bit more praise to keep the prick talking.

Damian crossed his arms and tried to look smug, "Yeah, I'm pretty good. All my Pokemon are strong, so I just leave any of the weak ones I find behind, they are so stupid they just assume I'm coming back." He unknowingly hammered the final nail into his own coffin.

Naruto let out a genuine laugh this time, and dropped his smile. His eyes turned cold and he glared down at the group of scum, "You really are an idiot."

Damian's face twisted into a scowl at the sudden change in personality. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

Naruto snickered and gestured around the lodge, "Look around you, moron."

Damian scoffed and glanced around the room, his face slowly lost color as he realized the lodge was completely silent. All the Trainers that had come here to eat and rest, were suddenly glaring directly at him with no small amount of anger in their eyes. Even his group of friends were looking at him conflicted.

Seeing the realization slowly make its way into the prick's thick skull, Naruto shook his head. "You're an idiot because you just admitted to multiple counts of Pokemon abuse, neglect, abandonment, and breaking several League laws, inside of a League Sanctioned Pokemon Center." He let out another laugh and gestured to his left this time, "Not to mention the League Sanctioned Pokemon Gym Leader, that just heard the entirety of your confession, and the Nurse Joy who I'm sure has already contacted the local Officer Jenny."

Damian started to sweat, and glared back up at him, "And who the hell are you?! You can't do anything about this, you have no proof!"

Naruto shook his head, "Seriously? I think over a dozen witnesses are plenty proof to put your license under investigation, but since you asked so nicely." He gave a mock bow, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, Aura Guardian Grandmaster, and as a proud member of the Order, it is fully within my capabilities to handle this situation myself." He cleared his throat and smirked down at Damian, "I, Naruto Uzumaki, revoke the Trainer License of Trainer Damian, until a League Offical can investigate it thoroughly. As of this moment, you are no longer a Pokemon Trainer."

Several gasps broke the silence of the lodge, and people started whispering among themselves as they watched intently.

Damian turned red with anger and reached for a Pokeball, planning to wipe that smirk off his face.

A flash of silver, and suddenly the table was empty, and there was a beautiful white Lucario standing beside Naruto, with arms full of Pokeballs.

Damian shot to his feet, "You can't do this! You have no right!" He shouted.

A new voice chimed in behind him, "Oh? Doesn't he?"

Damian spun around to curse whoever had just interrupted, only to meet the eyes of a very pissed off Officer Jenny.

She pulled out a set of cuffs and it finally sank in just how much trouble he was in. Pokemon abuse was no joke in this world, and the punishments were usually severe. It was everyone's favorite sport, hobby, and way of life. Seeing anyone abuse that, got the public extremely angered.

Damian's words caught in his throat and a pair of Officers came from behind Jenny to take the teen away. The Officers got a standing ovation from the groups of Trainers that had been watching, as they guided Damian out of the Center.

Damian's group of friends looked ready to bolt, and Officer Jenny turned her glare to them. "Oh no you don't! You are going to sit right there and stay quiet until backup arrives. If you try to leave or resist, I will have you brought up for neglect by association." Suddenly the group was all sitting down quietly, frozen stiff.

Nurse Joy hurried around the counter to them, and bowed to Officer Jenny, "Thank you for coming so quickly, Jenny! I was worried they were going to start some trouble in my Center."

Jenny smiled brightly, "No problem! Happy to help!"

The doors were thrown open once more, and a trio of soaked Trainers stumbled in, "Nurse Joy! We need help here!" Brock called out as he pulled his wet vest off of a weakened Charmander.

"Oh my! Chansey bring me a stretcher, quickly!" She called to the back of her center as she carefully looked over the Charmander.

A moment later the Chansey appeared and the Charmander was whisked off to the Emergency Room.

Naruto walked over to a shivering Hinata and pulled her into a hug, "Well done, princess." He kissed her forehead through her wet hair, "Let's get you warmed up." He guided her over to the large fire in the center of the room. The trio of wet Trainers surrounded the fire as they fought off the cold.

Leaf and Misty headed over, to greet them. "Is the Charmander going to be okay?" Leaf asked worriedly.

Hinata nodded, "I think so. It was looking bad when we got there, but my Chansey managed to heal it a significant amount. The only real worry now is its body temperature, it was too cold and too wet for too long. Hopefully, Nurse Joy can help it now."

"I can't believe someone could be so terrible to Pokemon," Misty said with a frown.

"Yeah, that was awful! Where is that guy anyway? I'll teach him a lesson." Ash said as Pikachu started to release some sparks.

Naruto chuckled, "Damian is currently in the back of a squad car, heading to Vermillion City's Police Station."

"Where he will hopefully stay." Officer Jenny approached them with a smile, "Thank you for your assistance Grandmaster Naruto."

Suddenly Brock was kneeling in front of her, grasping onto her hand, "Oh Jenny, my love! We must be destined to meet here!"

Jenny sweatdropped and tried to pull back her hand, "Can you please stop? You're getting me wet."

Brock's smile turned lecherous and steam blew out of his nose, "That's what I like to hea– Omphh"

Misty delivered a vicious blow to his head with a mallet she had produced from somewhere, "That's not how she meant it you pervert!" She latched onto his ear and dragged him off to the other side of the fire.

Naruto nodded at Jenny, ignoring the sobbing man, "Excuse me Officer, but what would you like me to do with these Pokemon." He said as he pointed his thumb at the pile of Pokeballs Grace was still carrying.

"Those are Damian's right?" She paused in thought, "Well, I'll have to put them up for donation, which means finding Trainers willing to take them." She looked at Naruto and smiled, "Why don't you each take one? It will save me some time, and I know they will be cared for."

"Seriously? You are just giving us these Pokemon?" Leaf asked.

"Yes. I've got to go call for backup so we can start getting witness accounts, so please stay inside the Center." She said, and headed back to the car.

"So she says," Naruto commented, "Let's scan these Pokeballs and see what we have to choose from."

"You're being very nonchalant about this Naruto," Leaf said as they sat back down around the table, and Grace placed down the Pokeballs.

Naruto shrugged, "Would you rather they go to some random Trainer that could be just as bad as Damian? Not that it will happen, I'm sure Officer Jenny will make sure they get good Trainers, but still, I think it's better if we do our own part."

Brock nodded as he gently rubbed the welt on his head Misty had given him, "He's right, and considering what just happened, I'm sure some of the other Trainers here wouldn't mind taking care of one as well."

"You're being quiet about this Ash, I figured you'd be bouncing in your seat if someone told you they'd be giving you a Pokemon." Misty tapped Ash on the shoulder to get his attention. He was staring off at the door to the Emergency Room.

Ash looked back at them and shook his head, "I'm just having trouble not thinking about that Charmander. He looked really hurt when we got there, and to find out his Trainer left him there..." He trailed off.

Naruto smiled at the kid's love for Pokemon. "Well then, you'll just have to take the Charmander." He said, getting Ash's attention. "If you are worried about the little guy's health, then you'll just have to make sure he gets taken care of from now on."

Ash stared at Naruto for a while, and nodded. "Yeah..." He looked down at the rows of Pokeballs with a bit of excitement back in his eyes, "So? What kind of Pokemon did the jerk have?"

The group of four with Pokedexes each started scanning, with Brock making a list of names, and gender.

"Ladies first!" Naruto said, and Brock passed the list to Misty. Not that she needed it, she immediately reached for a ball containing a Seel, while they had some at her Gym, she had yet to catch one of her own, and she had her eyes locked on the ball since they had scanned it.

Hinata was next, choosing a cute Swablu. Altaria, the evolved form, is known to be a very affectionate Pokemon, that can sing beautifully. A perfect choice for her.

Leaf chose an Exeggcute, adding a Psychic to her team of Grass-types.

Brock went next and happily chose a... Geodude. He shrugged and said it was his favorite, so they dropped the subject.

Naruto went last, and studied the list carefully, realizing he was never going to pick one out of the list he decided to do it the Uzumaki way.

He pulled his headband down over his eyes and reached out to grab a random ball. He felt a slight pull toward one so he chose it. Taking off his headband, he scanned it to see he had chosen a female Growlithe.

"A Growlithe? That's perfect for you Naruto!" Hinata leaned into his shoulder to read the Pokedex entry.

It was true, Growlithe were extremely loyal to their Trainers, and will fight off any threat no matter how large, to protect its Trainer. It was surprising that Damian had one, but considering the amount of rare Pokemon on the list, he suspected Damian hadn't actually caught them all, and perhaps did some less than honest things to get them.

Officer Jenny returned with a handful more Officers to start questioning the various Trainers around the Lodge. An hour of answering questions later, and she gave them a final salute as she headed off. She had taken the rest of the Pokeballs, and given the friends of Damian a very strict warning before she left.

---

The storm kept up as the sun went down and they settled down along the couches to wait for Nurse Joy to finish her work. It shouldn't have taken this long, which was worrying.

"Hey, Naruto?" The questioning voice of Misty called out.

"Hmm?"

"You said you were an Aura Guardian. Was that true?" She had heard the stories growing up, just like every other kid, so it was strange to her to have one of those fantastical heroes sitting down in front of her.

He nodded proudly, "Yep! Hinata is too. She's an Adept Nurse."

Brock glanced over at him, "That explains a lot actually, I could have sworn I saw Hinata's hands glowing when we found Charmander, but I thought it was just a trick of the light. I guess that explains your Lucario as well."

Ash seemed to be lost entirely, "What's an Aura Guardian? And what is a Lucario?"

Misty snickered at his confused face, "Seriously Ash? First off, you saw a Lucario earlier, it was that pretty white Pokemon standing behind Naruto when you came into the Center, although they are normally blue, not white. And secondly, have you seriously never heard of Aura Guardians? Surely you've at least heard the story of Sir Aaron right?"

Ash turned a bit red, and starting scratching Pikachu behind the ears to distract himself, "Uh... Sorry, I don't think so."

Misty's head hit the table and Naruto laughed as he gave a brief explanation on what a Guardian was. "Well, to put it simply, they are similar to the Pokemon Rangers, but focused on the bond with Pokemon and protecting Legendary Pokemon, rather than just Pokemon preservation. We get sent missions to deal with rampant Pokemon, or protect people if they are traveling to someplace dangerous, like Mt. Silver. In fact, that Poison-type you guys had heard about was Hinata's most recent mission."

Ash leaned forward with interest, "So you get to meet Legendaries?! That's awesome!"

Naruto nodded, "Well, if the situation calls for it, not that many of our Guardians actually meet some, although I've heard that the Masters have all met one before. In fact, my Mother met a Moltres on a mission to Mt. Silver once." He smiled as he remembered how excited Kushina was as she described her encounter to him. She made it seem like the most wonderful experience of her life.

"Really?! What did she do?" Ash was now smiling widely and sitting on the edge of his seat. The rest of the group seemed quite interested as well, even if they showed it less than Ash did.

"She did the only thing an Uzumaki would do in that situation of course." He smirked, "She challenged it to a fight."

Ash's face showed a bit of confusion, "Why would she want to fight it? Aren't you suppose to be protecting Legendaries?"

Naruto nodded to the point, "Of course, but it was more about testing herself, she had just been promoted to Master, and had the chance to measure herself against one of the most powerful fire-types in the world. She didn't want to catch Moltres or anything like that. If she had won, she likely would have just healed the Pokemon and been on her way."

Ash seemed to understand that, "That's... cool. I'm not sure what I'd do in that situation, but testing myself against the strongest is definitely part of my dream." He sank back into the couch and looked back at Naruto, "So? Did she win?"

Naruto smiled again, "That's a secret. It was my Mother's test for herself, so she is the only one who needs to know that answer."

Ash seemed disappointed but was focusing his thoughts elsewhere, he thought back to the first day of his Journey, and the mysterious Pokemon he had seen. He figured he might as well try, "So does that mean you know a lot about Legendary Pokemon?"

Naruto nodded, "As much as I can, the Professors might have a bit more knowledge than me, but I do have access to some pretty old data from the Order, so I know quite a bit. Why?"

"Well, on the first day of my Journey, I got messed up pretty bad in a thunderstorm, and I think I saw one." He said seriously, Brock and Misty both leaned in, he hadn't told them this before. "I talked to Professor Oak about it, but he didn't seem to believe me."

"Can you describe it to me?"

And so Ash did. He told him all about his first day, trying and failing to catch a Pokemon, angering a Spearow flock, stealing Misty's bike, getting caught in a storm, and finally seeing the large phoenix-like bird flying over a rainbow.

Naruto leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes as he went over the events in his head, "Damn, Ash, your first day was almost as messed up as mine was. But a legendary phoenix flying over a rainbow, interesting." He pulled out his Pokedex and searched for some pictures of a Pokemon he knew matched that description.

He passed the Dex to Ash, which had an old painting of the Pokemon on display, "Ho-oh, the Rainbow Pokemon. It's said that anyone lucky enough to spot Ho-oh will be granted eternal happiness."

Ash smiled as he looked at the picture, there was no mistaking it now, "That's it. I saw it on my very first day." Pikachu gave a cry of agreement from Ash's shoulder.

A small ding caught their attention, and the light above the Emergency Room finally turned off, a satisfied Nurse Joy made her way to them, "He's all healed now. But fell into a deep sleep, he likely won't wake until morning." She looked around, "Where's Jenny?"

The group all looked relieved and filled her in on what had happened while she was working, as well as Ash taking responsibility for Charmander.

"Can I see him?" Ash asked.

Joy nodded, "Of course, but don't try to wake him, please. He needs the rest."

Ash hurried off to the room and the group all agreed to tuck in for the night, they could chat more in the morning.

---

The next morning, Naruto had just finished his morning training and meditation, when he was pulled into the Pokemon Center's kitchen by a flustered Nurse Joy. He was a bit confused until he found a sight that amused and terrified him in equal parts.

Hinata and Brock were arguing in the kitchen.

Wearing identical pink aprons.

He was slightly impressed by the way they managed to argue about who was cooking what, while maintaining enough focus to cook at a furious pace.

Nurse Joy looked completely lost, and left the situation to him as she headed back into the lobby.

He sighed and leaned against the counter, far enough away to avoid the crossfire, "What exactly is the problem here?"

Hinata turned to him with a heartbroken expression, "He," She gestured to Brock with a spatula, "was trying to cook you breakfast!" She declared as if revealing some horrific crime.

Brock countered as he prepared the next set of eggs. "I was trying to cook everyone breakfast. It is my job as the group's Pokemon Breeder!"

"Well it's my job as the Nurse to ensure everyone is as healthy as possible, that includes their diets!" Hinata shot back as she continued her own cooking.

Naruto was watching intrigued as they managed to maintain a glare at each other without spilling or burning anything they were making.

"Have you tried cooking together?" Naruto helpfully suggested.

They stopped their glaring to look at him, scandalized.

"Impossible." They said at the same time.

Hinata nodded curtly as she came to the only obvious conclusion. "I suppose there is only one thing left to do."

Brock caught on and nodded sagely, "Indeed, it has come to that."

"We'll make it a competition." Hinata challenged.

"Now hold on–" Naruto tried to defuse them.

"I accept your challenge." Brock agreed.

"I really don't think that's necessary–"

"Ready? Go!" Hinata called.

They set off again, doubling their speed as the cooked with perfect precision. Pots and pans flew as a variety of breakfast foods were prepared at lightning speed.

An hour of mortal combat later, and suddenly the group was gathered around a large table with several different dishes placed in front of them. Ash and Pikachu had matching hungry expressions. Leaf was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Misty seemed to be sending him a questioning look. And the other half-dozen Trainers that had been pulled into this mess were about as confused as could be.

The two culinary warriors came out of the kitchen satisfied with their efforts.

Hinata wiped her hands on her apron and sat beside Naruto, "Alright! The plates on your right are prepared by me, and the ones on your left are prepared by Brock. We are having a competition so be sure to choose whichever you liked the best."

Brock nodded as he sat down beside Ash, his stoic expression completely betrayed by the bright, frilly, pink apron he was still wearing. "Yes! Be sure to vote fairly, our pride is on the line!" He said seriously as he used a cloth to gently dab the stains out of his apron.

Naruto looked around the table frantically, and couldn't find what he was looking for. He turned to Hinata and tugged on her apron, "Uh– Hinata? Where is–"

Suddenly a steaming hot bowl of ramen was placed in front of him, and he silently wept as he thanked the goddess that was Hinata for this wonderful meal.

The Trainers all still looked lost, but silently began eating the food that had been placed in front of them.

Ash and Pikachu had foregone any semblance of manners, and dove into their food like a pair of starving men. Misty and Leaf both ate slowly, happily tasting the differences in the large variety of food.

"Hmm. They are a lot different actually." Misty commented as she tried two nearly-identical plates from either side. Somehow they tasted entirely different, despite looking the same.

Leaf nodded, "Yeah, Brock's tastes more home-cooked."

"Like my Mom's," Ash helpfully added, between mouthfuls.

Brock didn't know whether to laugh or cry at being compared to a Mother's cooking.

"But Hinata's is more... Professional?" Misty continued.

"Like an expensive restaurant." Leaf agreed.

Murmurs of agreement came from the surrounding Trainers, as they each enjoyed the surprisingly good cooking.

The conversation moved to Pokemon as the Trainers all ate together, and they discussed the various Pokemon in the area, and the Gym leaders they had fought.

Soon enough everyone was finished, and Brock had called for a vote.

It was unanimous.

"Hinata!" Naruto declared, placing his chopsticks onto his finished bowl with no small amount of reverence.

The rest of the Trainers let out their own murmurs of agreement, crushing Brock's spirits entirely.

"B-But... Why?" He fell to his knees in despair.

"She made me Ramen," Naruto said as if it explained everything.

"She's a girl." Leaf shrugged.

"She's not a pervert!" Misty added, missing Naruto choke on his drink.

"You're wearing a pink apron Brock." Ash drove the final knife into his friend's back.

"That's so unfair!" Brock whined.

Naruto gave each of his girls a peck on the cheek, drawing some weird looks from the Trainers. "I'm going to go get some more training done." Both Leaf and Hinata nodded and told him they'd join him in a bit. Naruto ignored the sobbing man dressed in pink, and headed off to the Training Grounds.

---

"Okay! What first?" He spoke his thoughts as he stretched his limbs. "Skadi needs some experience, but I also have that new Growlithe to introduce myself to." He scratched his chin in thought.

"Better get that out of the way. She can watch for the first day while I get training with everyone else." He reached for his newest Pokeball and released her.

He immediately noticed something wrong when he saw the Growlithe dart her eyes around the clearing and start growling at him.

He knelt down in front of her, and held his hand out, "I'm not going to hurt you girl, Damian is gone. He won't be anywhere near you ever again."

The Growlithe went a bit quieter but lowered itself into a combat stance.

He moved a bit closer, and kept a friendly smile, "I'm your new Trainer, my name is Naruto." He reached out to pet the Growlithe's head.

The Growlithe moved back and growled louder. She opened her mouth to reveal a small fireball, and launched a quick Ember at Naruto.

He sighed and raised his hand, a silvery shield materialized in front of him, absorbing the attack completely.

He reached out with his hand while the Pokemon was still shocked by his Protect, and placed his palm on the Growlithe's head.

He reached out with his Aura quickly, and showed Growlithe his own memories. Memories of Damian admitting his crimes and getting arrested, and memories of the other Pokemon all going to good Trainers that would take care of them.

The Growlithe calmed down as she watched the memories, "Why are you showing me this?" She asked mentally.

"Because you were being mean!" He heard Skadi yell into the Bond.

The young Growlithe looked startled for a moment before she realized that there were four other presences in the Bond.

She was a bit overwhelmed at first, she could feel their emotions inside herself. They were kind, and welcoming. It felt... nice. Different from Damian's group, and a welcome change.

"I plan to head to the very top, and that means winning the Indigo League. I'll need powerful Pokemon to help me get there, and I want you to be one of them. Will you join me?" He asked.

She thought about it for only a moment. "I will," She agreed, "You seem to be better than Damian, and I refuse to fight for that monster."

Naruto smiled widely and pulled his new friend into a hug, "I'm happy to have you with us. Now you need a name, everyone gets one."

He plopped down onto the ground and placed his new Growlithe into his lap, "How about Amaterasu? Or Amy for short." He ran his fingers through her warm fur. Silently gushing over the orange and black color.

She agreed and lied down in his lap, "That's fine." She relaxed as she enjoyed his affections.

A thought struck him and he pulled out his Pokedex to scan his new friend.

Growlithe the Puppy Pokemon

Growlithe are extremely loyal, and will fearlessly defend its Trainer from any threat. They remain still until their Trainer gives them an order. It has a superb sense of smell, and will never forget a scent. It has the ability to disable its sense of smell to defend against strong or unpleasant odors.

This Growlithe is female and has the Ability Flash Fire

This Growlithe knows the moves – Bite, Roar, Ember, Odor Sleuth, Helping Hand, and Fire Fang.

A small yip echoed through the Bond and he realized he hadn't scanned Skadi yet. "Sorry girl, I got distracted these past few days." He pulled out her ball and scanned it.

Vulpix the Fox Pokemon

This Pokemon is an Alolan variant that has adapted to snowy mountain peaks, its coat turned white to blend into the snow, and it learned to control Ice. They travel in small packs and usually avoid humans. They can expel extremely cold breath which is capable of freezing anything.

This Vulpix is female and has the Ability Snow Cloak and has activated its Hidden Ability Snow Warning

This Vulpix knows the moves – Powder Snow, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, and Ice Shard.

"Damn, you girls are pretty powerful already!" He said as he read through the move-sets. Skadi was a bit surprising, the only other Pokemon that had activated their Hidden Ability was Grace, so to see one so young with it was impressive.

He felt Skadi's happiness at the praise, and idly listened to her start chatting excitedly with the team's newest addition.

He stayed there for a moment, enjoying the morning air as the rest of his team introduced themselves. Skadi seemed particularly happy to have a friend of similar age.

"Hey, Naruto!" A loud voice shattered the peaceful moment.

Amy shot up and immediately stood in front of Naruto growling at the intruder.

Ash stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of a Fire Pokemon glaring murder at him.

"Relax Amy, he's a friend. I showed you, remember? He helped Charmander." Naruto said as he lazily made his way to his feet.

A small orange lizard peaked around Ash's legs and walked forward to greet Amy, "Chaarr."

Amy relaxed and trotted over to her former teammate, and started chatting with him.

Naruto smiled at the Pokemon and turned to Ash, "Hey, Ash. What's up?"

"I came to tell you that Charmander is good as new! Nurse Joy let him out just after breakfast and he agreed to join my team!" Ash said with excitement.

"That's great. I just introduced myself to my new partner as well. She's going to be a great member of my team." He looked back at Amy who seemed to be checking Charmander over for wounds. "I was about to start training. Care to join me?" He offered.

Ash's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of training and he agreed quickly, "Yeah! I'd love to." He seemed to lose a bit of his excitement for a moment, "I... didn't do very well with the Gyms I won, and Brock said it was only going to get harder from here on out. To be honest, I didn't really earn either of my Badges, the first one Pikachu only beat Onix because of a faulty sprinkler system." He confessed.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You beat an Onix with a Pikachu?" That was still pretty impressive, especially if Brock took the fight as seriously as he did with the three of them.

Ash was a bit confused on why he only took that piece of information, "Yeah? But like I said I only won because the Onix got soaked."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "So let me get this straight. You're upset because you managed to use the terrain to your advantage, and defeat a much stronger opponent with a type advantage, by zapping a wet Onix with a Pikachu?"

Ash hesitated for a moment and nodded, "It felt like cheating."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched and he chopped Ash on the head. "Are you an idiot? There's nothing wrong with being resourceful, and the fact that Brock gave you the badge means that he agrees. Hell, if I had seen the sprinkler system, I probably would've done the same thing."

Ash rubbed his head and backed up, "Yeah, I guess, but I'd rather win by using my Pokemon's strength, instead of relying on luck."

Naruto nodded, "I can agree with that. You'll need to be strong to win the League, so let's get to training. Release your team and let's see what we have to work with."

Ash brightened up at showing off his team and released them one at a time.

Naruto did the same, letting Skadi run off to play with Amy. He released Scylla in a nearby pool and let her swim to warm up. Grace and Serket followed behind him as he walked back to Ash.

Ash seemed to have a good variety already caught. Pikachu, Butterfree, Pigeotto, and a Bulbasaur. He was staring a bit awestruck at Naruto's unique line-up.

Naruto took a look at Ash's Pokemon, who were all looking at him with a bit of curiosity, and nodded to himself. "You've got a good team, Ash, Charmander will compliment them nicely." He watched as Pikachu pulled Charmander over to Ash's team and started introductions.

Naruto gestured to the Pokemon at his side, "This is my partner Grace, and Serket, she's that Poison-type you heard about." He said as he gently rubbed Serket's head.

Ash had stars in his eyes once again as he looked at Grace. "So this is a Lucario? What type is it?"

Naruto bopped him on the head again, "She. Not it. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if I called Pikachu, it. And her name is Grace, as I just told you."

Ash realized he was being rude and apologized, "Sorry... Grace. What type is she?"

"Fighting/Steel-type," Grace responded.

Ash jumped back in surprise and pointed at her, "She can talk!"

Grace nodded with a bit of amusement, "I use Aura to stimulate my vocal cords."

Naruto clapped his hands and brought them back on topic, "Right. Well now that we've established how badass Grace is. Let's get to training!" He took another look at Ash's Pokemon, "What kind of training have you done so far? You've got entirely different types from my own group so I won't be able to help you much with attacks."

Ash looked away embarrassed, "Well- I mainly stuck to sparring and getting their moves stronger."

"Not a bad place to start, but training new moves is important as well." He advised. "Well, let's get started."

He had Ash gather up his Pokemon and give them each their own jobs. Pikachu was learning Iron Tail, a move that would give him a decent counter against Rock-types, under a bit of guidance from Grace. Scylla was attempting to teach Pidgeotto Twister. Butterfree was sparring with Serket. Ash's Bulbasaur was entertaining an excited Skadi until Leaf arrived, who would likely have a much better idea on how to train him. And finally Growlithe and Charmander were having a mock-battle, they were both Fire-types so they couldn't really hurt each other too badly, but it helped them learn to dodge and aim.

Naruto watched with amusement as Ash flew around the clearing, cheering on each of his Pokemon and giving advice where he could. He didn't seem to be the most knowledgeable of Pokemon Trainers, but his Pokemon seemed to all be very loyal to him.

Naruto glanced over to the side of the training field, where the rest of the gang had settled down in the shade to watch their training. He walked over to them and gave a wave, "Yo!"

He sat down between Hinata and Misty, and joined them in their spectating.

"Having fun, Naruto?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah. His Pokemon are pretty tough. They don't have much experience yet, but they all seem to be determined." He commented.

Misty gave a weak smile, "Seriously. They really don't know when to quit. They fight until they win or blackout. I'm not sure if it's admirable or stupid."

Naruto laughed, "Probably both. He doesn't seem to know that much about Pokemon though, and that'll end up causing some serious problems for him."

Brock agreed, "Yeah, he seems to fight all of his battles with a type disadvantage. It's fine for now, but against some of the stronger Gyms?" Brock shook his head, "It'll be hard for him."

"Then why don't you teach him?" Naruto suggested. Brock looked over at him surprised. "You are traveling together, right? You don't have to give him a full crash-course, just give him bits and pieces as you travel. Gotta have something to talk about while you walk right?"

Brock seemed to take it into consideration, but didn't respond.

"Are you ladies planning on joining in the training?"

Hinata nodded, "I'd like to get some time in with my Tyrunt today, I'll need her for the next Gym."

Naruto turned to Leaf, "How about you Leaf? Ash has a new Bulbasaur that he could use some advice with, if you wouldn't mind?"

"No problem at all! I'm sure Ivysaur would like that as well." She hopped to her feet and ran over to the Bulbasaur that was tickling Skadi with his vines.

He glanced at Misty, and noticed she was staring at the pool with a conflicted face, "Something wrong Misty? Want to train your Water-types?"

"I-I'm fine Naruto, I think I'll just watch for today." She stammered for a moment and glanced at Scylla.

Naruto caught on, and wasn't going to leave it be. "Well, I'm not." He hopped to his feet and pulled her up with him. Taking her hand in his he marched off toward the pool. "Come on, you'll love Scylla she's a sweetheart I promise." He felt her relax a bit but she was still moving stiffly as they approached the water.

He got Scylla's attention through the Bond and she left Pidgetto for a moment to swim over and greet them. "Misty seems nervous, go slow." He warned.

She listened, and slowly made her way to them, laying her head down on the edge of the pool to seem less intimidating.

He guided Misty forward gently, and placed his hand on Scylla's head. "This is Scylla, she was the first Pokemon I caught, and I've had her for a few weeks now."

Misty reached out with a shaky hand and ran her fingers along the Gyarados' crest. She was terrified and nearly jumped out of her skin when Scylla let out a small whine.

Naruto wrapped an arm around her to calm her down, and spoke gently, "Is there a reason you seem to be afraid of her? I promise you, she's one of the nicest Pokemon I've ever met."

She nodded, "When I was young... I was almost eaten by a Gyarados." She said timidly.

Naruto looked at her with shock, and felt Scylla's anger swell up at the thought. "And you still like Water Pokemon?" He asked incredulously, "That kind of thing would usually scare someone away from the water."

She shook her head, "I still love Water-types, and I always will. But I'm still terrified of Gyarados. I've wanted to break out of it for a while, but I can't do it on my own." She wasn't sure why she was telling him this, but she felt she could trust him.

Naruto's respect for her rose, and he decided to give her a hand. "Then I'll help you." He said with a mischievous smirk.

Before she could react, she was swept off her feet and into Naruto's arms. She let out a cute shriek as he hopped onto Scylla's head and sat down with her in his lap.

She was still scared, and clung to him like a lifeline but found herself quickly turning red with her close proximity to the attractive blonde.

A mental command to Scylla, and they were sailing across the pool at a leisurely pace.

She was still trembling in his arms so he did his best to distract her, "You have really pretty hair you know."

"W-W-What?" She stuttered not expecting the random compliment.

He smiled down at her warmly as he felt her shaking stop, "I said your hair is pretty. Orange is a favorite color of mine, maybe not as good as blue and black but that could just be my Order pride showing off." He chuckled to himself, everything he owned was in blue or black. "But your hair looks beautiful, I think it looks great on you." He said sincerely.

Misty hid her face in his chest, "What's with the sudden compliments?"

He shrugged, "Well I felt like speaking my mind, and it has been on my mind since I met you. That, and it helped you forget about the fact that we are riding a Gyarados right now." He pointed out.

Suddenly she realized she wasn't as scared as before, and found herself enjoying the smooth ride through the water. It was nice. Nicer than she thought it'd be. She stole another look at his face and blushed as he gave her a foxy grin. He was nice, but a sudden thought struck her, "Won't your girlfriend be mad if she sees us like this?" She blurted out before she could stop herself.

He snickered, "My girlfriend? Who are you talking about?"

She got a bit irritated, "You're dating Hinata aren't you? I saw you kiss her when she came back in last night soaking wet." She accused, "You kissed her again this morning! Along... with... Leaf?" Suddenly the realization started to seep in and she looked up at him questioningly.

He nodded, "They are both my girlfriends, and no, I don't think they will mind. In fact, for some reason, I get an odd feeling Hinata is cheering us on right now."

She frowned, "But how are they okay with that? Dating two girls and flirting with another? I think I'd be mad if I was your girlfriend."

"Oh? Already picturing yourself as my girlfriend? You're skipping a few steps I think." He laughed as she gave him a light slap on the shoulder.

She blushed again, "That's not what I meant!"

"Yeah, I was just teasing you, sorry. They are surprisingly okay with the situation. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have to have more than one girlfriend. So they decided, for reasons I've yet to understand, that they'd rather share me than not be with me at all." He explained, "Although, it helps that they have a bit of a crush on each other as well."

She turned red at the imagery, and suddenly the appraising looks Hinata had been sending her made a lot of sense.

"I guess I understand."

"Well, I'm sure Scylla is starting to get bored just simply swimming us around, why don't you release your Pokemon? You are a Water Trainer right? I'm sure they'd be happy to get a chance to swim." He suggested.

She nodded and leaned forward in his lap to release her team into the water. She had a Starmie, Kingdra, Seaking, a large Lapras, and her new Seel. It was a surprisingly powerful Team, one that he honestly wasn't expecting, but she was a Gym Leader so it made sense.

Her Pokemon tensed at the sight of the large Gyarados staring them down, and they prepared for a fight, until they saw their Trainer riding on top.

"No! She's friendly! I just brought you guys out to swim." Misty calmed her team down, they seemed surprised to see her riding a Gyarados, and Naruto assumed that they knew of her fears.

"That's a powerful-looking team you've got." He commented as he peeked over the edge of Scylla's head.

She leaned back into him, content to enjoy the position while she could, "Yeah I've had them for a while, since I was raised in a Gym I got my first Pokemon at ten and I've played with them all my entire life."

"I'm going to assume that this isn't the team that Ash beat, right?" He asked with a bit of sarcasm.

She giggled and shook her head, "Of course! He would get destroyed by these ones, he beat one of the Gym's Tier One Teams, it was a Staryu and a Goldeen."

Naruto nodded, and they stayed quiet for a moment, watching her Pokemon circle around Scylla and play in the water.

"My sisters showed me that match you guys had, I didn't recognize you at first, but they couldn't stop talking about your whiskers." She giggled as she remembered how they were gushing over him the entire time she was there. "I owe you a thank-you, that little show brought a lot of spectators to our Gym battles, and we are getting more popular now. So, thank you."

He nodded, "No problem, I had a lot of fun! Not to mention it will probably bring in a few new trainees at the Order, so it helped me as well."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a small hug, "Are you feeling better? I told you Scylla was nice, although she is pretty fierce in combat."

Misty could've sworn she heard a laugh escape from the Gyarados under her, but ignored it, "Yeah, I think this helped. Scylla seems alright. I still don't think I could go anywhere near a Gyarados without you though."

"That's fine. Baby steps. We'll just have to continue this another day."

Scylla brought them back to the edge of the pool and laid her head down so they could step off.

"I guess so." She agreed.

He scooped her up again, effortlessly, and hopped onto the ground. He placed her down and gave her a wink, "It's a date then!" He said, and ran off before she could respond.

She found herself not minding the idea.

---

"Pikachu! Iron Tail!" Ash called out as he approached.

The small electric mouse focused, and the lightning shaped tail glowed for an instant before taking on a metallic sheen. The Pikachu ran forward and did a small flip, slamming its tail into a boulder on the way down.

The boulder cracked under the weight and split down the middle.

"Alright!" Ash let out a whoop and gave a fist pump, "You did it Pikachu!" Pikachu gave its own battle cry and mimicked Ash's pose.

"Nice one!" Naruto said as he walked over to them. "You got it figured out?"

"You bet we did!" Ash said as Pikachu scrambled up his shoulder, "My Pokemon are on top of their game right now! Thanks again for helping us."

Naruto smiled, "No problem, how about we have that battle we promised? We can see if those moves you learned are battle-ready or not."

Ash smiled back, "You're on!"

They set up on one of the practice fields, with all of their Pokemon lining up on the side to watch, and Brock came up to Ref, "Two on two?" Both Trainers nodded. "This is a two-on-two match between Naruto of Rota, and Ash of Pallet Town. Trainers call out your first Pokemon."

Ash smirked and went first, "Let's see how strong you really are, Charmander!" He called out, and the fire lizard stood in front of him with determination in his eyes, he was given a chance by Ash and he wasn't going to waste it.

Naruto shrugged and turned to his team, "Who wants to go first?" He asked, they all shared glances with each other, but Skadi ran onto the field with excitement. She was finally getting her first battle, and she was ready. He nodded to Brock, and they prepared for the match.

Ash spun his cap around, and Naruto tightened his headband. They both put their game faces on, they may be friends now, but a battle was a battle.

"Begin!"

The battle was instantly enveloped in cold wind and hail as Vulpix's Hidden Ability Snow Warning activated.

If Ash was surprised, he didn't let it get to him, "Use Ember!"

The Charmander ignored the biting cold and shot a volley of small fireballs at his opponent.

Skadi dodged without prompting, avoiding the majority of the attack.

"Ice Shard!"

Skadi opened her mouth and a blue ball of Ice formed in front of her, she fired quickly and it flew across the field before the other side could react, slamming into her opponent.

Charmander let out a cry of pain as it was pushed back, but stood strong.

"Get it close and use Scratch!"

Charmander rushed forward, lashing out with its small claws and scratching the side of Vulpix's body.

Skadi let out a yelp of pain as the cuts stung her.

"Baby-Doll Eyes!" Naruto commanded.

She looked up at Charmander with big round eyes, the baby-blue orbs were slightly glistening with moisture.

Charmander stumbled back, unsure of how to deal with it.

"Now use Powder Snow!"

Skadi's sweet look vanished in an instant and it twisted into a smirk as she opened her mouth and unleashed a powerful gust of cold wind, laced with snow.

Charmander was caught completely off guard and took the attack full-on, a moment later he was trapped inside a large block of Ice, indicating that he had been frozen.

"Charmander, no!" Ash cried as he saw his newest Pokemon take the hit.

Naruto raised an eyebrow to Brock who nodded and called the match. In a normal match, freezing usually wouldn't end it, but these were baby Pokemon, and Charmander had just recovered from a sickness brought on by the cold.

Hinata and Chansey were already on the field defrosting Charmander, as Skadi bounded over to him, forgetting about the gashes she had on her side.

She hopped into his arms happily and licked at his face. He laughed and congratulated her, "That was an awesome fight, great job Skadi!"

He gave her a final head pat and sent her off to rest with Hinata to get healed.

Ash was standing stiffly on the field as he watched his Pokemon get thawed out. He couldn't believe he had lost, even if it was his newest Pokemon. He even had the type advantage this time!

"That was a good fight." The voice of Naruto snapped him out of his funk, "Honestly. The only reason Skadi's Powder Snow hit for that hard was that she had quite a bit of experience with that particular move, pelting Zubat back in Mt Moon." He chuckled as he remembered the way Skadi had shot them down with glee.

Ash nodded and regained his focus. He'd beat him this time.

They waited until Hinata had warmed up Charmander and moved him off to the side, then resumed their match.

Ash went for his trusty starter. "Come on Pikachu! Let's show him our power!"

Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and sparked its cheeks in anticipation. The Pikachu stood up on its hind legs and threw a fist at Naruto's group of Pokemon, "Pika-Pikachu! Pi Pi~Ka~Chu Pika!" Pikachu finished the speech and crossed its arms defiantly.

Grace strode forward with a purpose and Naruto looked at her questioningly.

"Pikachu wished to face your starter, Master. So I shall accept the challenge."

Naruto snickered with amusement and agreed, and Brock started the next match.

"Begin!"

"Pikachu hit them with Thunderbolt!" Ash started off with Pikachu's favorite move.

"Pika~Chuuu!" A cloak of bright yellow electricity formed around Pikachu and a bolt of lightning shot off toward Grace.

"Detect!"

Grace's eyes flashed blue and she waited until the last moment before swiftly stepping to the side, dodging the attack effortlessly.

Both Ash and Pikachu were startled by the simple move, and lost a bit of their confidence in the battle.

"Wha-? Dodge!" Ash shouted quickly, and Pikachu narrowly jumped over an Aura Sphere. The sphere flew past them and crashed into a tree before it could redirect itself.

"Don't get distracted!" Naruto shouted across the field, "Quick Attack!"

Grace coated herself in a familiar silver energy and shot across the field.

"Use your own Pikachu!"

Pikachu started running across the field, sped up by its own attack.

"Counter!" Naruto said as the opponents closed in on each other.

Grace reacted fast, and switched her speed from attack to defense, sidestepping once again as Pikachu launched at her. She charged her paw with orange energy and struck Pikachu in the side.

Pikachu gave another cry and flew back across the field, crashing to the ground in front of Ash.

Ash clenched his fists tightly as he saw his partner hit the ground, he couldn't believe he was getting beaten so easily. Just how strong was Grace? "Come on buddy, you can do this!" He pleaded to his starter.

Grace watched on silently as Pikachu slowly got back on shaky legs. The small mouse stumbled for a moment before glaring at Grace with defiance.

Ash brightened up a bit but knew he didn't have much of a chance. "Use Iron Tail!"

The Pikachu's tail glowed and it ran up to fire off one last attack.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "End it." He left the method to Grace.

The battle had started off as a friendly competition, but Naruto had quickly realized Ash wasn't using his head as much as he could be. He reminded Naruto of himself, when he was younger and had just gotten Grace.

At the time, he felt unstoppable, and didn't even consider that he could lose. If not for his Mother, he was sure he would have neglected his training significantly.

But his Mother had beaten sense into him, sometimes literally. And he quickly found he had to use his head, if he ever wanted to win.

So, Naruto's goal in the battle shifted, and it was more about trying to teach something to Ash. Grace had followed her Trainer's line of thought, and did her part to convey the message.

He turned his attention back to the battle as Pikachu launched into the air, using a flip to bring down his Iron Tail.

Grace remained still, and prepared her newest move. She lashed out with a paw and caught Pikachu's tail with her own Metal Claw. Grace's crimson eyes stared at the mouse with stoicism as she raised her other glowing paw. She swung, and sent Pikachu flying back to the same spot he had started from.

The yellow mouse crashed into the ground again, and it was clear that it wasn't getting back up this time.

Ash didn't bother to wait for Brock to call it, and rushed forward to pick up his starter. His heart broke as he saw the battered form of his partner, and once again he felt himself letting his Pokemon down.

"Pikapi," Pikachu whined weakly.

Ash shook his head, "It's not your fault buddy." He whispered, "It's mine."

He silently handed his partner over to Hinata, who got to work healing immediately, and glared at the ground. He wanted to cry for getting his partner hurt again. He wanted to scream in frustration for getting beat so easily. But he couldn't allow himself to appear weak in front of his Pokemon, not when they were all looking at him with worry.

Naruto walked over to him silently, and waited for Ash to meet his eyes before he spoke, "Do you know why you lost?" He asked softly.

Ash grit his teeth, "You were stronger."

Naruto shook his head, "No." He said simply, "If it was that simple, then you would've lost to Brock. Do you know why you won against him?"

"I was lucky."

Naruto chopped him on the head hard enough to hurt, "Don't be stupid. You won because you knew that the water would increase the damage Pikachu's electricity did. You used your head. Where was that ingenuity today?"

Ash stayed silent, but he knew the answer. He didn't think. He rushed in and Pikachu paid the price for him.

Naruto let out another breath and gave Ash a pat on the shoulder, "You're not a bad Trainer Ash, you have a lot of potential. I can see clearly that your Pokemon would already go through hell for you, and that is not something many Trainers can boast. Just make sure that you can live up to that trust. A Pokemon Battle is a battle for the Trainer as well, and if you forget that, you'll drag your team down with you."

He saw that his words were hitting home with Ash, so he left him with a bit of advice, "The next Gym will be extremely difficult for you. I'm not even confident in my own abilities to beat Lt. Surge yet." He said seriously, Ash looked up at him with wide eyes, "So I'm going to stay here for at least a couple weeks, buckle down, and get some serious training done. I suggest you stick around for a few days, it'd do you some good to see other Trainers battle and train with their Pokemon." He gestured to the side, where a few other pairs of Trainers had started their own battles.

Ash nodded silently, and Naruto walked off to the side where Hinata was still healing Pikachu. He mentally smiled as he saw Ash's Pokemon instantly surround him. He'd be just fine.

---

"Was that really necessary?" Hinata immediately scolded as he approached.

Naruto sighed and nodded, "It's better that it happened now. Or Lt. Surge would take it upon himself to teach the lesson, and I have no idea how that would end up." He could imagine Surge beating the Pikachu down with his own Raichu pretty easily, but who knows how Ash would take it.

Hinata frowned but didn't argue, and finished up healing the Pikachu, who immediately bolted off to Ash.

"As much as I hate seeing Ash take it so hard, I agree with Naruto." Brock commented as he watched his friend give a speech to his Pokemon, they were out of earshot, but he could tell something had changed in Ash.

"I'm surprised, Brock. I thought if anyone was going to take Ash's side it'd be you." Misty said.

Brock shook his head, "Can you honestly tell me you thought Ash was going to win the League as he was? I'd rather see him take a fall now, than at the Indigo Stadium."

Misty remained quiet, but her silence was telling.

"I think it will help him." Leaf spoke up, "I was in a similar situation when I started, and I think if Hinata hadn't beaten me so badly in my first battle, I would still be struggling with Brock's Gym." She confessed. It was true. She hadn't even considered training when she left home, if not for some inspiration from Naruto, and wake-up call by Hinata, she would've likely neglected her Pokemon's training. And now, she already had two badges, in under a month of her Journey. It had hurt, to be crushed so thoroughly, but if Naruto had given one of his famous 'cheering up' speeches, she was sure Ash would bounce back just as strongly as she did.

A small tug on his pants brought his attention down to Amaterasu, who was nipping at his legs. He knelt down and questioned her through the Bond. "Something wrong, Amy?"

She responded with determination, "I would like to begin training now. I watched the others battle, and I'm ashamed to admit that I would lose just as easily as Charmander to Skadi right now."

"Hey!" He heard Skadi cry out.

He nodded to her and told the others he was going back to training.

He rounded up his own Pokemon and gave them all their own goals. He wanted each one to be ready for Surge, even if he wouldn't be using them all.

His Pokemon were all ready to begin a few weeks of rigorous training and Naruto was happy to provide.

---

The next morning.

Naruto fought for control of his breathing as he braced his body for the next attack. He lunged forward with his signature Mach Punch, landing a vicious blow on his Partner.

Grace took the blow admirably, and retaliated with a swift Counter.

They each slid back and eyed each other carefully, before rushing forward again.

Fierce punches and swift jabs were traded between Trainer and Pokemon as they pushed each other to their limits.

Grace faltered as exhaustion finally slowed her down, and Naruto capitalized quickly, tossing her over his shoulder to send her crashing into a tree.

She was on her feet just as quickly as she hit the ground, and shook off her injuries and irritation. "I still cannot match your stamina, Master."

Naruto shook his head and stretched his arms, "Not many can Grace, even in the Knights. You'll get there."

He glanced over at the treeline and sighed, "Are you going to keep watching us all morning, or are you going to say something?"

Ash Ketchum came out from behind the tree he was watching from, Pikachu still riding faithfully on his shoulder.

"Couldn't sleep, and I heard your training." He said simply.

Naruto nodded and continued his sparring with Grace, "So? Are you ready to get serious?"

Ash gave a nod and twisted his cap around on his head, "Yeah... I spoke with my team, and I won't play around any longer. I'll train hard." He said, and gave a small smirk, "And beat you at the Indigo Conference."

Naruto laughed happily and doubled his speed.

Flashes of lightning shone throughout the clearing as Ash and Pikachu joined Naruto for his morning routine.

---

Author's Notes (Minor Spoilers/Ideas)

Chapter 6 finished, finally.

Sorry, it took a bit but my computer finally died on me. Luckily, I had my files backed up to a cloud, and I didn't lose any FanFic stuff, so this story won't die a premature death like so many other stories on this site. I would say we should be all good now with tech troubles, but the last time I said that I jinxed myself. (I feel bad for even writing that, I feel like 'Tech Troubles' is such an over-used excuse for Authors on this site.)

Lemons are always welcome. How'd I do? There won't be one in every chapter, but I'll write them occasionally.

You got a bit of Misty romance, she won't be joining the Harem anytime soon, but I figured I'd set up a little foundation now, while she was there.

I was a bit hard on Ash, if he is going to make it to the Conference in this world of mine, then Ash needs a kick in the ass courtesy of Naruto. I made Naruto beat him pretty thoroughly to provide that kick, and by the time he gets to the Indigo League, he'll provide a much more appropriate challenge for Naruto.

I intentionally left Pikachu Genderless, I thought that was part of Pikachu's appeal when I watched the Anime, but I don't really mind one way or the other. Should I give Pikachu a gender? It won't really affect the story, but it could provide a cute moment when Ash realizes his starter may or may not be the Gender he thought.

Naruto is already starting to influence the Pokemon world, influencing Ash and even Misty and Brock, with his presence. So expect to start falling off the rails of Canon soon.

I also made Naruto already familiar with Surge. I never really liked how most Anime MCs are completely unfamiliar with the world they live in. Sure, it provides a good excuse to teach the viewer things as other characters explain it to the MC. But I think it makes far more sense for Naruto to have some contacts in the world. Especially considering Naruto has had some missions out of Rota, which would lead to him meeting people.

The newest member of Naruto's team is a Growlithe, named Amaterasu. I was originally planning to name his first Fire-type Hestia, my favorite Olympian, but I felt Hestia's passive nature wouldn't fit a combat focused Fire-type. So Amaterasu is a better choice. Not to mention the name's ties with the Naruto universe.

Completely unrelated to the plotline, I assure you, but I need a name for a female Electric-type. Something to do with Mythology.

The Poll is over, Jessie won with 104 votes or 45%, 10 more than May's 94. It was relatively close the entire time, but Jessie remained in the lead for the majority of it, pretty consistently.

No love for Solidad, but I suppose it was a bit unfair putting her up against two major characters. And here I was trying to be unique, shame on me I guess...

All jokes aside, I'm pretty excited to write Jessie, and I do agree that I don't think I've seen her paired with the MC enough in Fanfics. She'll show up soon, within the next few chapters, depending on how long I make them.

James is going to be around, somewhere, you may not see him for a while because of where I'm putting him but he isn't going to be disappearing on us.