Disclaimer
Let me just start out with the standard Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Pokémon, or any of the associated or mentioned franchises/companies, and I am not making a profit on this.
The image I am using was made by BlissfulGold on , and I am using it with their permission. Please check out they DeviantART page sometime.
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Review Response
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Amaterasuice: Thank you for your review, and I am glad you liked my last chapter so much. I hope you like this one just as much
Soulofdragon1: Thanks for the pointer. I need to fix that.
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The Daughter of Deaths: Long reviews fill me with happiness
Kiba and Ino needed to be dumped. They're not main characters.
I like your Pokémon suggestions, and will try to use a few.
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Thank you everyone for all your support! Now, on to the chapter!
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Pokémon Konoha
Chapter 10, Part 1
"Poor Hinata," Naruto sighed, sitting down in his bed. "I feel really bad about today."
The boys were in their room in the Pokémon Center. They had come back late in the evening, after they worked everything out with the police and talked with Prof. Iruka. Naruto had wanted to go and challenge the City's Gym Leader, but Iruka managed to convince him that he should get some rest and prepare first. After arriving at the center, they found poor Hinata alone and near tears, thinking she had been abandoned.
Across from him, Sasuke nodded. "We're just lucky she's so timid. Had we done that to Sakura, we'd never be hearing the end of it."
Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, Hinata's being pretty sweet about it. That's nice of her."
"You know, I bet it would mean a lot to her if you told her that," Sasuke pointed out.
The other boy looked at his friend. "Eh? Why? You think she's secretly mad at us?"
"Never mind," his friend growled in frustration. What did Hinata see in him? "Let's just change into our PJs and-"
RING-RING-RING!
"Gha!" Shocked, Naruto jumped up in the air and looked around for the source of the ringing. Then he realized that it was coming from his jacket pocket. He reached in and pulled out his Pokénav.
"Who is it?" Sasuke asked, leaning over as Naruto answered the phone.
Much to both boys' surprise, Naruto's mother appeared on the screen.
"Hey, baby!" she said happily, smiling big. Then she spotted Sasuke. "Oh hi, Sasuke!"
"Uh, hi Mom, eh," Naruto responded uneasily. Suddenly, he was glad Hinata and Sakura were sleeping in the other room.
"Hi, Aunty," Sasuke butted in cheerfully, smiling.
"So good to see the two of you," Kushina said. "So nice to see that you're safe and sound, that nothing bad happened to you. Of course," she added, her smile suddenly loosing all cheer and becoming dangerous, "I already knew that, seeing as how you've been calling home every day like I asked you to. Isn't that right, Naruto?"
Something cold and heavy dropped down Naruto's stomach as he realized he hadn't called once since he left. The icy chill of dread going down the blond boy's soul spread to Sasuke as the realization dawned on him as well. "W-Well...uh..."
"Oh, that's right," his mother said coldly, "YOU HAVEN'T CALLED ONCE!"
The two boy's jumped back at her roar, which still held it's full power even over video-phone.
"You've been gone for more than a week, and you don't even have the decency to try and call your own Mother!" she ranted on dramatically. "Do you have any idea of how worried I've been!
"AND don't try and sneak away, Sasuke," Kushina hissed as Sasuke tried to slowly make his way to the door. "I see you trying to make a break for it! Don't think you're any better than Naruto. Why, you're poor Mother is all alone at home, waiting by the phone, hoping her one good son would care to remember her!"
"We're sorry, Mama!" Naruto squeaked, getting on his hands and knees.
"Yeah we are!" Sasuke begged, following suit.
0o0o0
Meanwhile...
0o0o0o
"I'm really sorry, Hinata," Sakura said for the umpteenth time, "I should have thought about you-"
"Don't worry about it, Sakura," the other girl said softly, patting her back, "you had to chaise after Waterlily, and then you were attacked by those Team Snake thugs. That's far more important-"
"-then a friend?" Sakura asked. She looked at Hinata seriously. "No, no it's not. Even with everything that happened, you're still my friend, and you're just as important as any of my Pokémon. Don't go short selling yourself; you're more valuable than you think."
Touched, Hinata nodded and smiled. "Th-Thank you..."
"It's just the truth," Sakura reassured her, patting her on the back. "Now, can you tell me what the Doctor say about your headaches?"
Hinata took a step back. "Oh...uh, he said it was just some of the effects of puberty."
"Really?" the other girl asked, somewhat skeptical.
"I have a note signed by him!" Hinata protested, pulling it out.
Sakura took it and read it quickly. Sighing, she had to admit that it did make sense overall. Still, something felt...off.
"Okay, you win," the pink-haired girl agreed, shrugging. "Just tell me if you have any more of those headaches or anything like that, okay?"
Hinata smiled, nodding.
"Now, let's talk about another problem we have," Sakura said.
"Eh?" Hinata responded, a bit confused.
0o0o0
Back in the boys' room...
0o0o0
"-18 hours of agonizing labor after a 10 month pregnancy, pushing you out into the world and give you life, and this is the thanks I get!" Kushina ranted on, coming to near hysteria.
"-okay, Honey, let me talk to the boys for a few minutes," someone out-of-view cut in. Naruto's father pulled his wife away, smiling hesitantly. "Why don't you go think of all the pranks our son pulled so you can guilt-trip him with that?" he suggested, his voice borderline sarcastic.
Kushina growled aggressively, but backed away.
Minato turned, looking at the two boys. "Hey, I was going to warn you that your mother was kind of upset with you, but she sort of called you before I could."
"He-he-he," Naruto laughed slowly, getting up off his hands and knees, but still recovering.
"So, how's your journey been so far?" Minato asked brightly.
"Great Dad," Naruto said, much more cheery. "I've already caught a Pokémon, and he's a strong one!"
The boy pulled out a Pokéball and called out his Furret. The Pokémon looked around a bit, before noticing the Pokénav's shiny screen and pretty buttons. Squealing with delight, Puck ran over and started pawing the device.
"Hey, stop that!" Naruto ordered, holding it high; this only caused his Pokémon to start crawling up his arm. "Down, Puck, down!"
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke grabbed the Furret and pulled him away.
"A friendly little fellow, isn't he?" Minato laughed. Next to him, Kushina had reappeared, visibly calmer.
"Yeah, he's pretty awesome, even if he is a handful," Naruto admitted. "Plus, he's got this real wicked new attack!
"Oh, really?" his mother asked, raising an eyebrow, "What's is it?"
The boy turned to Puck. "Substitute, Puck!"
The Furret closed his eyes and concentrated.
Poof!
A second Puck stood by the first, sniffing around.
"Amazing!" Naruto's mother cried. "How did you catch a Pokémon with an attack like that?"
"Uh, well, you see, Puck didn't know that when I caught him," Naruto admitted as the clone exploded into smoke.
"Huh?"
Breathing in, Naruto started to recount the team's misadventures in the past few days.
0o0o0
Back to the girls...
0o0o0
"Team Snake is after us!" Sakura said, gripping her fist tight, "Or at least after me, but anyway, I told you what that Snake chick said! She was ordered to steal the Pokémon egg Prof. Iruka's going to give me. That mean's that someone high up in that crime syndicate wants it! That means we're going to be in constant danger until we figure out what to do. And as you saw today," Sakura pointed out, "we're not really ready to face them. Iruka was the one who drove the two boys off, and the girl was crushed under them. Do you see what I'm getting at?"
"Eggs," Hinata mused thoughtfully, biting down on her knuckle.
"Yeah, that's what their after; the Pokémon egg Iruka is going to give me," Sakura growled impatiently. Didn't she just mention that?
"No, you don't understand," Hinata said, shaking her head. "You told me the girl said you had some eggs she wanted. Not an egg. She was under the impression you had more than one," Hinata pointed out.
Amazement hit Sakura at her friend's observation. "You're right! Brilliant work, Hinata! And now that I think about it, they clearly didn't know that Prof. Iruka's going to be the one to give them to me," she added. "They thought I'd have them by the time I got into town."
"But what does this all mean?" Hinata asked.
"I bet the three are either posers who heard about the rare eggs somehow and are just pretending to be part of Team Snake to sound like their serious thugs, or they really are part of them and their boss is just being a jerk and not telling them everything...or their just idiots. My guess is a combination of the first and last options."
The pale-eyed girl chucked softly.
"But that still doesn't change a thing," Sakura said, her resolve unwavering. "Whether or not they're from Team Snake, the fact is we're going to be trouble for a while. And I have no intention of running home and crying for Tsunade to save me. She trusted me enough to let me go on this journey, and entrusted the care of that rare egg to me. I'm not going to be weak and let her down." The girl crossed her arms and nodded confidently. "How about you? After hearing all this, do you want to just call it quits and go home?"
Part of Hinata really wanted to say yes. She wasn't even sure why she was on a Pokémon journey to begin with, other than her father expecting it of her. She wasn't brave, confident, or a dreamer like Sasuke, Sakura, or Naruto. But, Hinata admitted, she was really happy now that she was on it, that she had met Naruto and his friends, that she had friends now. She couldn't go back home, to abandon them and meet her father's disappointment. "I...I'm not sure what I want to do," she admitted slowly, "but, I do know that I don't want to run."
"Good!" her friend cheered, clapping her on the back.
"Azu!" Waterlily chorused, jumping up and down.
"Now, back to what I was saying," Sakura explained. "Since we're not going to run away, Team Snake is going to give us trouble. We need to toughen up if we wanna face them. We're not going to depend on Sasuke and Naruto and be damsels in distress, right?"
Hinata nodded. Though she did want to stand on her own, she blushed at the thought of being a princess locked away in a tower with Naruto riding up on a Ponyta in shining armor to rescue her.
"So here's my plan," the pink-haired girl said, pulling Hinata in close and speaking in a hushed voice. Inwardly, Hinata wondered why, seeing as no one was around to hear them.
"Tomorrow morning," Sakura began, "you and I are going to wake up early and head off to do some special training."
At Hinata's questioning look, Sakura explained. "We're going to face the Teal Town Gym, and win ourselves a badge."
"Why?" the dark-haired girl asked.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Why not? Badges are symbols of prestige, and show a trainer's strength. More importantly, fighting Pokémon Gyms really helps a trainer get stronger. Besides, who says we won't take on the Pokémon League one day? I just might; be nice to see a female Champion again."
Hinata nodded her head, seeing Sakura's point.
"Also," she added slyly, "it will be a great way to show Sasuke and Naruto that we're not just a bunch of pretty baggage." Hinata had the distinct impression Sakura was taking about how she thought Sasuke viewed her, rather than Naruto's view of either of them. "Imagine the looks on their faces if we win our first badges before they do!"
"Oh, that sounds like a terrible thing to do," Hinata cried.
"Why?" Sakura asked bluntly. "We win them first, we win them first; it's not our fault we did it faster than the two of them, and if they let that get to them, then they're just being stupid and hyper-macho. In which case, a little humiliation would do them some good."
"Zu-zu!" Waterlily agreed, sticking out her tongue
Sighing, the Hyuga girl thought it over for a few seconds. Then, she slowly nodded. "Okay, I'm in."
"I knew you'd understand," Sakura said, smiling. "Now, here's what we're going to do: we're going to go to bed early, so we can wake up early and sneak out before Naruto or Sasuke. Don't worry-" she added as the other girl opened her mouth "-we'll leave a note for them. Anyway, we're going to train together at a Battle Park and improve our skills at double battles."
"Double battles?" Hinata asked, perplexed. "Why those?"
"It's what the Teal Town Gym Leader tests trainers on," Sakura explained. "I remember hearing Tsunade saying that he always fought beginners in double battles to help teach them the importance of teamwork."
"But I only have one Pokémon that can battle," Hinata pointed out sadly. "Waltz is a cocoon now and can't move…"
"No worries!" Sakura insisted. "We'll fight together."
"Sakura, are you sure we should be fighting for our first badge together? Doesn't that seem like...we're not earning it?"
"Don't be silly," Sakura insisted. "If the Gym Leader says we can do it that way, then why not? Two trainers learning how to fight together is more difficult than a single trainer learning to fight with two Pokémon out at once, after all."
"I guess you're right..." Hinata admitted, shrugging. "So, who is the leader and what's his type specialization?"
The other girl laughed a bit. "No idea who he is. Normally, my Pokénav could tell us, but that feature's been disabled."
To illustrate her point, she pulled out the device and looked up Teal Town. A map of the city appeared, and Sakura tried to look up the gym. However, instead of displaying any information, the message, 'Accuses Denied: the Gym Details feature of this Pokénav have been turned off,' appeared across the screen.
"It's that way for any other city as well," Sakura went on, tucking her nav away. "I think Prof. Tsunade had it disabled. You know, so I'd have to us my wits and abilities to win gym matches rather than just planning to catch Pokémon that are naturally stronger. Besides, this makes it more like what our parents had to go though, right? Hard work produces the best results, after all."
"I see," Hinata mused, "I wonder if Naruto's Pokénav is set the same way?"
"Probably," Sakura shrugged. "We could probably just ask about the gym from the locals, but I'm going to honor Tsunade's wishes. Besides, this is way more fun."
Nervously, Hinata laughed in agreement.
"Okay then, it's settled!" Sakura cheered. "We're gonna earn ourselves a badge!"
0o0o0
Back to the boys...
0o0o0
"-and that's it," Naruto concluded.
"Sounds like you've had quiet the adventure already," his father said, surprising calm.
"Sounds like our first date," his mother joked.
Minato glanced at his wife who gave him a particular look. "Uh, will you excuse us for a sec?" The two moved out of the screen's view.
"What's up with them?" Naruto asked, looking over at Sasuke.
"Their probably debating on whether or not we should continue on our journey," Sasuke said, his voice almost bitter.
"Eh?"
"We're twelve-year-old kids that have been attacked by Team Snake twice in as many days," Sasuke pointed out. "Most parents would refuse to let their kids continue on if they thought a criminal organization was after them. Could you blame them?"
"No way!" Naruto growled. "We just started! I haven't even gotten my first badge, man. No way I'm going to come running home with my tail between my legs just 'cause some freaks think they can mess with me!"
"Why do you think we'd make you do that?" The boy's parents had reappeared during his rant.
"Ghha!" Naruto whipped around quickly and tried to smile nervously.
"What? Just because you bump into some bad people you think we're going to make you come back home? The same thing happened to us on our own journeys you know," Kushina pointed out. "Do you really think we'd want to baby you?"
Her husband started to open his mouth, but Kushina elbowed him to shut it.
"Oh, uh," Naruto stammered. "Uh, thanks Mom. You guys are awesome."
"I know," she responded.
"We're just glad you're having a good time and making so many friends," Minato laughed.
"Yep, I even met your future daughter-in-law," Naruto joked happily.
"Yes," Kushina mused drying, eyes narrow. "I'd love to meet this 'Sakura' of yours sometime."
"Easy girl," Minato cooed, as if talking to a Tauros ready to charge. "You're too young to be a jealous, clingy mother-in-law."
"You're right," she laughed.
"They're not even dating," Sasuke pointed out. "She does her best to pretend Naruto doesn't even exist."
Minato saw his son deflate at this. "It's all signs of growing affection," the father reassured Naruto, "trust me."
"Anyway," Kushina cut in, "what town are you planning on going to after you're done here?"
"Uh, not sure," the blond boy admitted. "Guess wherever there's a gym?"
"You should totally check out Winterborn City," she responded, smiling big. "They have a brand-new Gym Leader. Not to mention, there's an event going on there next month that you'll just love."
"Cool," Naruto laughed. "Guess we're going to Winterborn. I suppose you couldn't tell us what kind of gym's there?"
"The city's called Winterborn," Sasuke said dryly, "what else could it be but Ice?"
"Stop being a know-it-all," Naruto retorted.
"Speaking of gyms," Minato smoothly cut in before the two boys could start arguing in earnest, "have you been to Teal Town's Gym yet?"
Both Naruto and Sasuke shook their heads, and strangely, both Kushina and Minato grinned.
"What?" Naruto asked.
"Oh, no reason," his father responded casually.
"Let's just say you're in for a pleasant surprise," his mother added.
"Oh, come on! Tell me!" the boy begged.
"No, that would spoil it," Kushina pointed out. "Now, you've had a long, long day, so get some rest now, okay? Get up early and train hard, and be sure to pace yourself right. Have fun with your Pokémon, do more than just battle with them. Remember to bath regularly, and put on clean underwear-"
"MOOooom!"
"I think he gets the idea, Honey," Minato laughed. "Okay boys, stay safe, and tell us if anything weird happens to you anymore. Okay?"
"Oh, and one more thing," Kushina added, smiling dangerously. "Make sure you call home regularly...or else! That goes for you too, Sasuke."
Gulping, both boys nodded.
After all the goodbyes were said, the two changed into their pajamas and went to bed.
"I wonder what's going on in Winterborn City?" Naruto said, pulling the covers around him.
"I wonder what's up with this city's gym?" Sasuke responded, shrugging. "Guess we'll find out tomorrow."
"Yeah," Naruto yawned, "tomorrow..."
0o0o0
The next morning...
0o0o0
"Shush," Sakura whispered as the two girls tiptoed out of their room. She slapped a sticky-note onto the door which read 'Gone out, meet you guys at the Pokémon Academy at 12:00,' and then the two were off.
"Ahh!" Sakura sighed, stretching as they walked towards their destination, the rays of the rising sun making the morning beautiful. "We are so gonna win today! Right Hinata?"
Nervously, the dark-haired girl nodded, twiddled her fingers together and looking down. "Uh, right..."
"Azu, zu-rill," Waterlily sighed as she started nodding off in her trainer's arms.
"That's right, baby," Sakura cooed, rocking her arms gently, "conserve your energy; you're gonna need it."
"You're going to use Waterlily?" Hinata asked, surprised. "But she's just a baby."
Sakura laughed lightly. "I've been raising her for almost a year; that's about the age of your Totodile," she pointed out. "She may be small, but Waterlily's a tough little girl."
"Zu-zu!" the Azurill cheered, fighting the urge to sleep.
The three made their way to Teal Town's battle park, an area where trainers could battle freely without risk of causing property damage.
The receptionist at the front was a young man, about 25, with neatly trimmed hair and a clean uniform. "Ah, greetings, young ladies," he said happily, clapping his hands together at the sight of the two girls. "My, aren't we up early today? How can I help you two?"
"We'd like to rent a field for double battles, please," Sakura requested politely, smiling big.
"Oh, I bet you're planning on fighting the Teal Town Gym," the receptionist laughed, looking up at his list of free arenas. "You wouldn't happen to be beginning trainers?"
"That's right," Hinata nodded.
"Perfect. I've got a field available with two other starter trainers waiting for someone who wants to tag-team."
The two walked to their arena, not sure as to what to expect.
"Oh, here we are!" Sakura cried, pointing at a battlefield that was enclosed by a chain-linked fence, a sign with the number 3 posted on the door. Two trainers were already outside of it.
The duo was a boy and girl. Both had strawberry-blond hair, dark brown eyes, and tanned complexions, and were dressed in designer sportswear. The girl had her hair in a sporty braid that came down her right shoulder, while the boy's was slicked back in a way that struck Sakura as snobbish.
"Hi there!" the girl laughed, "I'm Jenny, and this is my brother, Benny. I guess you're the other tag-team, right?"
"Yeah, we are," Sakura responded, taken back by the girl's openness. "Uh, I'm Sakura, and this is Hinta; hello to you, too."
"Nice to meet you," Benny said, winking at Sakura and holding the door open. He bowed in the most gentlemanly way as the girls passed.
"Right," Sakura mused, not liking the way his smile seemed to be practiced. "Uh, let's get started, then?"
"An excellent suggestion!" Jenny cried, clapping her hands. "Go Diana!"
"You two, Charles," Benny added, throwing his Pokéball.
Jenny's Pokémon was a cute, blue penguin, while Benny's was a green turtle with a small sprout growing out of his head.
"Whao," Sakura said, pulling out her Pokédex, "aren't those from the Kumo region?"
The device sprang to life. "Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon. Piplup are very proud Pokémon that will puff out their chests after tripping or doing something clumsy.
"Turtwig, the Tiny Leaf Pokémon. Its shell is made from earth, and it hardens when Turtwig drinks water. Turtwig's body undertakes photosynthesis, andas such, it produces oxygen.
Both Piplup and Turtwig are native starting Pokémon in the Kumo Region," it concluded.
"So you two are from Kumo?" Hinata asked carefully, hoping not to offend. However, the two looked like they lived near a beach, not in the mountainous land of Kumo.
"Nah," Jenny laughed, "our parents just ordered our darling Pokémon from Kumo. Wonderful, isn't it?"
"That's pretty neat," Sakura admitted. She looked down at Waterlily, who had awakened when the two sent out their starters. "You're up, Waterlily."
"Azu!" she cried, jumping down in front of Jenny's Diana.
"Uh, I guess I choose you, W-Waltz," Hinata said nervously, calling out her Totodile.
"Two Water-types," Benny pointed out, his smile becoming vicious. He looked down at his Turtwig smugly. "I guess we'll have the advantage, Sissy."
"It can't be helped," Jenny cooed, looking at her Piplup and then to Hinata's Totodile. "Water-types are just sooo cute!"
"Th-Thank you," Hinata said, nodding.
"Right," Sakura shrugged. "I guess they are pretty nice. Uh," she added, not wanting the Turtwig to feel left out, "Charles is pretty sweet too." In truth, however, she thought that that sprout in his head must not be good for his brain.
"Thanks," Benny said, grinning. "I've always thought that Grass and Water-type are the only way to go for Starting Pokémon. Personally, I think only a fool would choose something like a Cyndaquil or a Charmander."
Sakura instantly thought of Sasuke and Togashi. "Oh, you are so going down!"
0o0o0
Meanwhile, at Police HQ
0o0o
"As you can see," the white-haired man concluded, smiling smugly and stroking his beard, "you have no reason to hold my clients any longer."
Across from the desk, the officer looked over the papers the well-dressed lawyer had shown him. "Well, it seems that way," he admitted, "however, I'd like to know why someone like yourself would be-"
"Defending a trio of wrongly accused 14-year-olds?" the man asked skeptically. "It must be particularly heartless, even for a sleazy lawyer like myself," he added sarcastically. "Truth be told, I'm doing it at the request of on of the accused parents; we're old friends."
"Yes, but, these three are Team Snake members," the officer insisted.
"We've been over this," the man persisted, getting tired of having to continue to fight with the officer. "The three are accused of being members of the so-called 'Team Snake,' with no evidence against them other than the words of a 12-year-old girl who was trespassing and probably lying to avoid getting in trouble. And the only one who says they are indeed a member, by the girl's testimony, which is shaky at best, is Ms. Tsuchi. Mr. Abumi and Mr. Kinuta were just having an illegal battle that got out of hand, and Prof. Iruka Umino has generously offered to pay for all damages caused by this unfortunate incident. And, considering that the other minors involved were released without incident, it is clearly unfair to hold my clients, not to mention unlawful. So, are you going to let them go free now, or after the News gets wind of this unlawful injustice?"
"Fine," the officer sighed. "They're minors anyway, so I guess you have a point. Just make sure they keep their noses clean."
"I knew you'd see reason," the lawyer said with a grin.
Dosu, Zaku, and Kin were all lead outside of the police station, where they were told that their parent's lawyer was waiting for them.
"Thank you for your help," Dosu said as soon they got into the back of his car and drove off, "but would you mind explaining to us what you're doing? Don't pretend to be our parent's lawyer, either, 'cause we don't have any."
The white-haired man laughed, pulling his beard off, revealing it to be a fake. "Ha-ha! Don't worry, Little Brother. I'm one of you." He pulled out a necklace with the styled symbol that represented membership to Team Snake. "The name's Mizuki, and I'm here to help you with your mission."
0o0o0
Back at the Pokémon Center...
0o0o0
"I can't believe we slept in so late," Sasuke growled hopping on one foot as he slipped his socks and shoes on.
"I say we blame Sakura; she's the one that wakes us up every day after all," Naruto pointed out.
Switching feet, Sasuke shot his friend a dark glace. "What is she, your mother?"
"Vee," Bayushi hissed in agreement, jumping onto his master's shoulder.
Naruto lifted his hands defensively. "Hey, hey, I didn't mean it like that. I was just kidding around, man!"
"Whatever," Sasuke sighed, grabbing his backpack. "You do have a point though; Sakura does do that. Let's find out what's stopping her today." He walked out their room briskly.
"Hey, wait up!"
The two found their answer in the form of a note on the girl's door.
"Hmm," Sasuke grunted thoughtfully, "apparently, they've got their own plans for the day. I wonder what?"
"Maybe their shopping?" Naruto suggested. "They might not have finished it yesterday with everything going on..."
"Do you think that's all girls can do, Naruto?" Sasuke asked mockingly. "Maybe they heard a rare Pokémon is nearby that only comes out early."
"Why didn't they invite us!" the blond boy cried, stifling a yawn.
"If they're hunting rare Pokémon," his friend pointed out, "can you blame them for not wanting to have a lot of competition? Besides," he added, sticking out his tongue "they're probably after some cutesy Pokémon anyway."
"You're probably right," Naruto shrugged. He looked over at the clock. "Come on, its past 11. Let's get moving, or Sakura and Hinata will beat us to the Gym!"
0o0o0
At that moment, outside the Battle Park...
0o0o0
The two girls walked away from the park, an uneasy air between them.
Gulping, Hinata tried to talk. "Sakura, I just-"
"Don't. Say. A word!" the pink-haired girl warned, her eyes fiery.
A few more moments of awkward silence passed between them.
Then Hinata tried again. "You didn't have to do that," she said quickly, taking a step way from the other girl just in case.
"You heard that snobby little brat!" Sakura protested, getting an agreeing cry from Waterlily.
"Yes...but," Hinata said slowly, picking her words carefully, "did you really have do...that?"
"We will discuss this later!" Sakura hissed quickly, pointing.
Not too far away, Naruto and Sasuke were walking along.
"We're just in time," she laughed, her dark mood dissipating instantly. She started over to the boys. "Hey, Sasuke!"
Sighing, Hinata took one look back at the Battle Park. "Poor Benny..."
0o0o0
A little while later at the Pokémon Academy...
0o0o0
"We're here…" Naruto sighed, staring up at the academy's doors. They seemed to loom of the four kids, the Pokémon League's Symbol engraved in one, and a symbol Sasuke guessed was the gym's badge engraved in the other.
Laughing, Naruto looked over at his friends. "Well, Sasuke, here's where we earn our first badge!"
Scoffing, Sasuke glanced at him. "I'll earn my first badge. You'll try."
Strangely, Sakura cleared her throat. "Aren't you two forgetting something?"
"That's right," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head, "sorry, Sakura."
The girl smiled.
Naruto corrected himself. "Sasuke and I are going to earn our first badges, and you're gonna get that rare egg, right?"
Hinata squeezed other girl's shoulder to keep her from thrashing the blond boy.
"I can't wait to wipe those smug looks off their faces," Sakura hissed, glaring at the boys.
"Come on!" Naruto cheered, running up to the two doors, "let's go-!"
BAM!
The two doors flew open, slamming into Naruto and sending him to the floor.
"Whoa, what was-?"
The poor boy was cut off as a herd of children in school uniforms stampeded out, mowing him down.
"Hey, Hey!" a man shouted, stepping out from behind the gaggle of kids. It was Iruka, pointing at the children as they spread out. "Stay on school grounds- oh!" he cried, noticing Sakura and Sasuke (and Hinata, though he didn't know her), "You're here; I was wondering when you'd show up…where's Naruto?" Iruka looked around.
"Here, Sir," a small, broken voice said. From the floor, Naruto's arm rose up into Iruka's eye line.
"Naruto! What happened to you?"
0o0o0
A short while later...
0o0o0
"We're sorry for running you over, Naruto," the group of students said in unison, bowing to the boy.
"I'm really sorry, Naruto, but it is recess," Iruka joked.
"Yeah, well maybe you could at least teach your kids it's not polite to trample people?" Naruto suggested.
"We said we're sorry!" a little boy with a bandana on protested, crossing his arms.
"Be polite!" Iruka warned. Sighing, the professor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ah, just go play."
"Thanks, Professor!" Without another word, the children scattered.
Iruka looked back at the four trainers. "Nice seeing you all." He glanced at Hinata. "I don't think we've been introduced. Hi, I'm Prof. Iruka, nice to meet you."
"I'm Hinata Hyuga," the girl squeaked shyly.
"Hyuga?" Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Neji Hyuga, would you?"
"He's my cousin," Hinata gasped, "why do you ask?"
"I remember the name well," Iruka explained. "How couldn't I? He gave me as spectacular battle. And it was all for his first badge, only." The man smiled as he reminisced about it about it.
The girl started to deflate at the reputation she was going to have to live up to while Naruto staggered back in surprise, falling onto his butt.
"Y-Y-You're Teal Town's Gym Leader!" he gasped, pointing accusingly as Iruka nodded calmly. "Why didn't you ever tell us!"
The Professor shrugged. "Your parents thought it would be a good surprise for you. Besides, I wanted to see the look on your face."
"Congratulations, you really earned the job," Sasuke said, stepping forward. "Now that the niceties are out of the way, I challenge you for Teal Town's Badge."
"Hey, I wanted to challenged him!" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet.
"Then get in line," Sasuke smirked, "You can play after I've beaten him."
"What?" the blond demanded, glaring. "No way! He was my favorite teacher in the first place!"
"Calm down, calm down," Sakura intervened, stepping between the two boys, "there will be plenty of time for you both to battle him-" Sasuke and Naruto backed down slightly. "-Right after me and Hinata take him," she added quickly.
Of course, the boys weren't pleased with the idea. "No way-!"
"Enough!" Iruka hissed, raising his hand.
The three youths silenced instantly.
"Excellent," Iruka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now, if you follow me inside, I'll decide the order I'll accept challenges in, and when I will."
As the team obeyed, Sasuke glanced over at Sakura. "When did decide to take on the gym?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"What makes you think I wasn't planning on it from the start?" Sakura retorted smugly, Waterlily nodding.
The boy shrugged. "Whatever. Just don't whine to me if you lose."
Sakura's eyes widened, her gut tightening in rage. "And what makes you think I'll do that?" she asked, pushing her anger down. After all, Sasuke was probably just trying to treat her like he would Naruto.
Instead of answering, Sasuke just smirked and turned away. On his shoulder, Bayushi laughed.
Privately, somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura bitterly hoped to outdo him. But she quickly squashed the idea.
Meanwhile, Naruto was gleefully cheering Hinata on for deciding to fight for a badge.
"This is soooo cool," he said, slapping the girl on the back affectionately, "we're all gonna get our first badges today!"
"Y-Yeah," Hinata agreed, her nervousness showing as she twiddled her fingers together.
"We are gonna look so awesome," Naruto went on, grabbing the Pokéball that held Kata. "I bet I could win the whole thing with Kata, in fact."
At this, the girl realized that Sakura hadn't said anything about how the Gym worked. "Oh, the challenge is a-"
"Tough one!" Sakura cut in smoothly, moving between the two. "Don't think it will be easy, Naruto."
"Seriously," Sasuke agreed.
"What was that for?" Hinata asked Sakura in a hushed voice.
"Let them figure it out for themselves," she explained darkly, glaring at Sasuke as he walked on.
Sighing, Hinata decided to just go with it.
Iruka led them to a large room with a floor that was set up with white marks and dividers that showed it to be an official battlefield. To one side, there was a set of desks and seats that looked like they were for students; to another, there was a table with a microphone and laptop computer that looked like it was for a referee. A big-screen on one wall was displaying the Pokémon League's symbol at the moment. Up high, behind where the gym leader would stand, the same symbol on that was on the Academy's door was set in polished tile. It was blue and purple, and shaped to look like two Pokémon's silhouettes forming a ying-yang sign. After a moment, Sakura identified the silhouettes as being a Nidoran male and female.
A man with white hair was sitting down at the referee's table, reading a book titled Make-out Paradise, with his feet probed up.
Iruka glared at the man, who didn't realize he was no-longer alone, and cleared his throat. Yelping, the man panicked and fell to the floor.
"This is my assistant gym leader, Mizuki," Iruka said coolly, introducing the gang. "Mizuki, this is Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchina, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuga."
"Naruto Uzumaki?" Mizuki asked, getting up and shaking the kids' hands. "The same as your favorite student you told me about? The one who's dad got you a job as a profess here?"
"The one and same," Iruka nodded.
Sakura listened to the conversation, wondering a bit about Naruto's father. What kind of connections could he have to get Iruka a job like this?
"Anyway," Iruka went on, "they've challenged me to a gym battle, and I need to set everything up."
He turned to the team. "Now, let me explain something. Each gym in the League is designed to test trainers in different ways, not just in type-advantages and such. I've set up Teal Town Gym to test your Pokémon's teamwork in a double battle. You'll have to face me in a battle using two Pokémon, working together to defeat my two. If you can't get your team to work together, or if they go so far as to fight among themselves, you lose. Understood?"
The four nodded.
"Sounds really cool!" Naruto laughed. "You think of the awesomest ways to teach people, Prof. Iruka."
"You mean, 'the most awesome,' not the 'awesomest.' That's not a word," Iruka corrected. "Anyway, seeing as we have four challengers, two of you can fight me at once, and the others can face Mizuki-"
"No," Sasuke said flatly, "I refuse to win my first badge with someone else's help."
"Don't be so rude," Naruto growled. "Iruka's the one in-charge!"
"Yeah, don't be so stubborn, Sasuke," Sakura added playfully, grabbing his arm. "If you don't want to be Naruto so bad, you could fight with me." She smiled hopefully.
"I'm going to win my first badge on my one, with my own strength!" the boy persisted hotly. "I'm not going to be dragged down by someone else."
"Dragged down?" Sakura hissed in a dangerous tone. "Fine! Be that way. 'Just don't whine to me if you lose!'" she added, mimicking the same tone Sasuke had used when he said it.
"If you insist on fighting alone, I won't stop you," Iruka sighed, "but I would advise you to reconsider. It would make everything easier, you know."
"I don't want it to be easier; that's the whole point of earning badges, isn't it?" Sasuke pointed out bluntly.
"Let the kid battle you alone," Mizuki interjected, putting a hand on his boss's shoulder. "This stubbornness will get him far in the long run, after all."
"Fine," Izuki agreed. He looked over at Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata. "But now, one of you will have to fight alone. Uh, how about you and Ms. Hyuga team up, Naruto?" he suggested.
Hinata started to blush at the thought, but Sakura quickly put it down.
"Actually, Hinata and I were planning to fight together. We've been training for double battles all morning."
"That's okay," Naruto said, "I kinda wanted to fight you alone."
"So be it," his old teacher agreed. "Mizuki, set up the computer to pick the order of challengers, please."
"Sure thing," Mizuki agreed. He thought for a moment. "Say, why don't I take the girls for you? I'm qualified as your assistant, after all, and it would be a lot easier on your Pokémon to boot. We've even got a second battlefield near the playground."
"Good idea," Iruka agreed. As Mizuki left to set things up, Iruka looked at his watch. "Anyway, I prefer to hold challenges with students watching, so they can make notes and learn. Recess is still on for a few minutes, still, so you'll have to wait."
"You could show us that egg Sakura's supposed to get," Naruto suggested, smiling.
"Good idea," Iruka said, "come on."
0o0o0
A little while later, in Iruka's office
0o0o
"The most important things in the Academy are kept in this safe," Ikura explained, walking over to a large, steel door. "These eggs are so perplexing that I've kept them secret from everyone else in the academy."
"Eggs?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought there was only one?"
"Really?" the professor responded, crossing his arms. "Hmm, I guess there must have been a miscommunication."
"How did you even get them?" the pink-haired girl asked, tilting her head.
"A friend with the police found them on a raid with a smuggling ring," he explained. "After examining the two, they couldn't identify what either was no matter what they tried, so they gave them to me. Unfortunately, nothing I did could help either. That's why I decided to let Tsunade handle it. She knows so much more than me on Pokémon physiology."
The girl wondered briefly if he knew that Tsunade's method of 'handling it' was having Sakura take care of the eggs until they hatched. "No one but you is supposed to know about the eggs?" she asked.
"No one but the police," Iruka said.
"Uh, well," she started telling the story of Kin and Team Snake.
"Well," Sakura concluded, looking over at Hinata, "I guess that Kin girl really was a member of Team Snake. How else could she know about the eggs?"
"This is disturbing," the professor sighed. "With those criminals involved, maybe Tsuande herself should be involved in this-"
"There's NO way I'm running back home to Tsunade!" Sakura said stubbornly. "She let me go on my trainer's journey because she knew I could do it! I'm not going to disappoint her."
Behind her, Sasuke smiled, impressed. He liked this fiery side of Sakura worlds more than the flirty one he was used to.
"I understand, I understand," Iruka nodded, holding up his hands. "I was just saying how scared I am for you guys. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to open up the safe. The combination is a secret known only to me, so do you mind turning around while I-?"
"Please." Sighing, Naruto slipped right under his arm and reached for safe's dial. "17-3-43-26," the boy said, stating the numbers he entered. After the last one, the safe opened smoothly.
He looked up at Iruka, only to shrink back as he glared down at the boy.
"What?" he asked innocently. "Not my fault you use the same combination for everything."
"That explains so much," the teacher growled, making a note to memorize a new combination…and find out how the kid found out about the first one.
Sighing, he stepped into the safe-room, and came out with the two eggs, each held in a special egg case; glass cylinder containers with Pokéball set in the lid for when the egg hatched. Aside from acting as an incubator, the case would also protect the egg. One of the eggs was lavender, while the other was yellow.
"Here you go," he said, setting the two down on his desk. "Take good care of them."
"Thank you," Sakura responded gratefully. She set Waterlily down next to them. "Well Waterlily, meet your new siblings."
"Zuzu?" the Azurill said, her voice laced with wonder as she stared at the eggs.
"Hey Sakura, how are you going to carry both of those things and Waterlily?" Naruto ask.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I was going to put it in a pack and sling it over my shoulder, but that was before I had to deal with two…"
"Maybe I should carry one for you?" the blond asked hopefully, reaching for one of the cases.
"Nice try," Sakura laughed, smacking his hand playfully, "but you'd probably drop it." She thought for a moment. "Hinata, why don't you take one?"
Jumping, Hinata glanced at the eggs hesitantly. "I-I'm not sure if I should…" she admitted.
"Why don't you all take turns?" Iruka suggested. "That way, you can all share the responsibility and learn from the experience."
"Good idea," Sakura agreed. She picked up the case holding the lavender egg and carefully gave it to Hinata. "Now don't be modest," Sakura ordered, "you'll be great at this."
"Yeah, and if you need, I can help you" Naruto added hopefully.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Oh, for Heaven's sake, just let him hold one," he told Sakura. "His mother breeds Pokémon anyway, so he knows how to handle eggs."
"Really?" Sakura asked, glancing at Naruto. She was learning more and more interesting things about his family. What next, his father was Konoha's Champion? "Here," she said, handing the case with the yellow egg to him, "and don't make me regret it."
The girl turned around to pick up Waterlily, and by the time she turned back, Naruto had already taken the egg out of its case and was rocking it like a baby and rubbing it affectionately. "Hey, little guy," he crooned lovingly, "hatch soon, okay? It's a great big world out here, and I wanna show you it all." After a few more seconds of baby talk, the boy realized he was being watched.
Slowly, Naruto looked up at the staring faces. "What?" he asked casually.
A flash caught his attention.
Everyone turned to see Sasuke holding Naruto's Pokénav up and taking a picture with it. "Yep, that's a keeper," the boy laughed wickedly.
"Say," Naruto said, pointing, "how'd you get that out of my pocket?"
0o0o0
A little while later in the Gym Battlefield…
0o0o0
"Take your seats everyone," Mizuki instructed, leading the class of students into the room. "Prof. Iruka's been challenged by several trainers, so you're all in for a treat."
The children cheered gleefully.
"I still expect all of you to take notes," Iruka pointed out, gaining a collective grown from the crowd.
"So, which of us is first?" Naruto asked eagerly.
"Well, I'll be fighting Sakura and Hinata outside, so they don't need to wait," Mizuki explained. "As for you and Sasuke-" The man pulled out a quarter and flipped it into the air. "-call it!"
"Heads!" Naruto shouted, watching the coin hit the floor.
"Oh, it's tails," Mizuki laughed, watching the boy deflate.
"Looks like I'm up first!" Sasuke said, walking forward proudly. Bayushi jumped off his shoulder and down in front him, sitting up regally. Several students oohed and awed with delight at the sight of the white Eevee.
"So it seems," Iruka said, looking over at Mizuki. "Why didn't you just use the computer?"
"Easier this way," the professor's assistant shrugged. "You girls ready? Or do you want to watch Sasuke's match?"
"You know what, that sounds like a good idea," Sakura mused. She and Hinata moved next to Naruto while a referee got into position.
"This will be a two-on-two double battle," Iruka said, standing on one end of the field. "The fight will continue until both members are reduced to unconscious or if the members of one team start fighting each other. Should you succeed, you will earn the Antidote Badge of Teal Town." He held out the badge, which was the same as the image on the wall, as Sasuke suspected. "Do you agree to these terms?"
"Agreed," Sasuke said in a loud and clear voice. "For my team, I choose Bayushi-" he motioned to his Eevee and then grabbed a Pokéball from his belt "-and Akodo!" Tossing the ball, Sasuke's Shinx materialized, growling proudly. "With their speed and power, I can't lose!" the boy explained.
Bayushi glanced at Akodo, hissing quietly, warning him not to try anything like the last time the he was out. Akodo responded by Leering slightly, eyes glowing threateningly. Both went unnoticed by their owner.
Prof. Iruka nodded. "So you plan on fighting that way," he said, tossing a pair of purple Pokéballs. "Then I choose Pompey and Shylock; go!"
The Pokéballs opened and flashed out light that materialized into two Pokémon. One was the round, purple Koffing, and the other the flower-like Bellsprout.
"In the Challenger's Corner stands Sasuke Uchiha of Palace City, a beginning trainer" the referee said into the microphone. Sasuke's picture appeared on the screen, along with Bayushi and Akodo's. "And in the Home Corner, Professor Iruka Umino, Teal Town's Gym Leader and 'The Pinpoint Teacher.' Will this newcomer's team be able to defeat the Professor's poisonous tactics?" As with Sasuke, an image of Iruka and each of his team appeared on the big-screen.
"A Poison Gym," Sasuke noted, wishing he had the foresight to bring a few antidotes, "this will be interesting."
"Go Sasuke, go!" Sakura shouted, jumping up and down.
"Show us what you're made of!" Naruto cheered.
"Good luck," Hinata added, notably quieter.
Meanwhile, Iruka's students gave catcalls and shouts for their teacher.
"Begin!" the referee called.
Sasuke moved first. "Quick Attack, Bayushi! Akodo, Charge up!"
Bayushi dashed for the Bellsprout while Akodo's fur sparked with electricity, building up power. However, Iruka was prepared for such tactics.
"Protect your partner with Clear Smog, Pompey," Iruka ordered calmly. "Shylock, Ingrain."
While his Bellsprout rooted itself in place, Pompey dove down to ground level and breathed in deep. Just as Bayushi was about hit him, the Koffing blew out a billow of white smoke right into the Eevee's face. "Fing!"
"Vee!" Bayushi coughed, stumbling to his knees.
"Save Bayushi!" Sasuke ordered Akodo. "Use Spark on the Koffing!"
"Shinx!" Akodo responded, running at Pompey. The Poison-type tried flying up, but Akodo jumped right up and rammed into him, unleashing a powerful blast of electricity.
"Pompey," Iruka gasped, his Pokémon in a daze from the extreme voltage while Akodo held onto him with his teeth.
"Quick Attack, Bayushi," Sasuke said, noting his Eevee was already on his feet.
"Vee!" This time, Bayushi rammed into Shylock without interference. The Bellsprout was unable to dodge with his roots planted into the ground, and he was forced to grapple with the Normal-type.
"All right!" Naruto laughed. "Sasuke's separated the two already!"
The dark-haired boy smiled at the compliment. "Good work you two," he called to his Pokémon. "Keep up the offence and we got this."
"Sorry, but you've got a lot to learn about teamwork," Iruka said, smiling without worry. "Now, use the Screech-Growth combo!"
Pompey's face, dazed only a moment ago, broke into a smile. "Kooooooff!" he cried, letting out a disorientating sound.
Both Akodo and Bayushi were affected; the Electric cub let go of his foe, dropping to the ground while Bayushi winced in pain, forgetting about the Bellsprout.
Meanwhile, said Bellsprout scrunched down, drawing on nourishment from the ground, and stretched up, stem and leaves expanding and gaining strength.
"Perfect form," Iruka said. "Now Shylock, use Wrap on Bayushi."
Shylock nodded, a vine sprouting from a leaf and snaking around his foe. "Bell-Sprout," he hissed, tightening his grip.
Bayushi squirmed in pain. "Eevee!"
"Get away from it!" Sasuke shouted, but he could already tell his Pokémon was trapped. "Akodo, help-"
However, the Shinx had already gotten up and hissed hatefully at Pompey. He leapt at the Koffing, digging his teeth in with a Bite attack right on Pompey's mouth.
"Fing?" the Koffing staggered, unable to speak proper.
"Ignore him," Sasuke ordered angrily, "get the Bellsprout!"
"Shylock, use Poison Powder," Iruka ordered.
"Bell-" The Grass Pokémon drew in air, puffing up.
"Don't let him, Bayushi," Sasuke ordered. "Bite him!"
The Eevee gnawed at Shylock's vines, but they healed quickly from the Bellsprout's Ingrain move.
"-Sprout!" Skylock spat out a cloud of purple spores at both Pompey and Akodo. While the Poison-type was unphased, the Shinx was affected by the poisonous powder instantly, visibly weakening.
"Akodo no!" Sasuke cried.
"Perfect, now use Venoshock Pompey!" Iruka ordered.
The Koffing puffed up, shooting out several neon-green globs of goo out of the holes in his body. They hit Akodo dead on, blasting him off Pompey.
Even after hitting the ground, Akodo just hissed defiantly, staggering to his feet, eyes glowing. However, the green goo started to tingle with energy, and gave him another shock.
"What happened?" Sasuke asked.
"Venoshock hits the opponent with a special liquid that reacts to the poison in the body, causing it to do extra damage against a poisoned target," Iruka explained.
From the sidelines, Sakura sighed hopelessly. "This is bad. Iruak's team is built around supporting each other, while Sasuke's just trying to power through."
"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto screamed. "Your Pokémon need to work together and outsmart Iruka's!"
"Shut up!" the other boy growled. "I don't need you or anyone else's help! I'll earn my badge on my own! Akodo, Spark! Bayushi, keep Biting!"
"Shylock, ignore the Eevee and stop Akodo with Vine Whip!"
"Sprout!" The Bellsprout did as he was told, letting the Eevee bite away at his regenerating vine and shooting out a second vine from his other leaf, using it to punch the sparking Shinx away from his partner.
"Quick! Use Assurance while he's still in the air, Pompey," Iruka said.
"Koffingkoffingkoffing," Pompey laughed, spinning around and flying at Akodo, hitting him hard.
Akodo was able to land on his feet, but crumbled to his knees as the venom from Shylock's poison weakened him further.
"Now wrap him!" Iruka ordered. Shylock's vine quickly wrapped around the Shinx, securing both of Sasuke's Pokémon in a hold.
However, just as Iruka was about to order another attack, Bayushi managed to wriggle free of Shylock's grip. Hissing, the Eevee then reached up and bit down on his foe's lip, chomping down as hard as he could!
"Alright!" Sasuke shouted, pumping an arm. "Good job, Bayushi!"
"Sprout!" Shylocked panicked, loosening his grip on Sasuke's Shinx.
"Pompey, hit Bayushi with Assurance," Iruka said, truly surprised at the turn of events.
"Akodo, stop him with Leer," Sasuke ordered. "Bayushi, Quick Attack!"
The Koffing started to get ready for his spinning attack, but Akodo's vicious eyes glowed sinisterly, spooking him for a second. That was all Bayushi needed, as he rushed in and tackled the floating ball, sending him sprawling in the air.
"Shylock, get them with Vine Whip!"
The Bellsprout nodded, drawing his vines up high! "Bell-Sprout! Bell-Sprout! Bell-Sprout!" he cried, lashing out at both enemies, one after the other.
The two, however, nimbly dipped and dodged until they moved outside of Shylock's reach. Suddenly, Sasuke had an idea.
"Both of you, use Bite on one of his vines each and don't let go," Sasuke explained.
His Pokémon nodded, and when Shylocked tried to hit them again, they both lunged, sinking their teeth into the Bellsprout's Vine Whip.
"Bell?"
"Now, quick, Bayushi go left and Akodo right; run as far as you can!" Sasuke ordered.
"No," Iruka gasped, realizing his foe's plan.
However, Sasuke's Pokémon succeeded, and soon, his poor Bellsprout was stretched out, straining and trying to pull his vines back in. His Ingrain attack now left him helplessly immobilized, unable to move around at all.
"Try to Wrap them both, and squeeze tight!"
Shylock tugged as strong as he could, and succeeded in wrapping his vines around Bayushi and Akodo. He started coiling down, hurting both.
"Good, now Assurance, Pompey!"
"Koff!" The Koffing spun around, flying at Bayushi.
However, the Eevee grinned mischievously and started running toward Shylock.
The Bellsprout's pulling added to Bayushi's speed, making his improved Quick Attack twice as fast as before, not only allowing him to dodge Pompey's attack, but also ram into Shylock with extra force.
"Sprout!"
"Veeveevee!" Laughing manically at his cleverness, Bayushi quickly ran back to where he was, Shylock too dizzy from his attack to stop him. Meanwhile, Pompey had slammed into the floor after missing Bayushi, and was seeing stars.
"Great work, Bayushi!" Sasuke cheered, grinning freely. "You're perfect!"
"Yeah, that was awesome!" Naruto agreed.
Hinata and Sakura added their praises as well.
As they all lauded Bayushi, Akodo looked on bitterly, wanting his master's praise too. However, it was only after Bayushi smirked at the Shinx mockingly did Akodo really feel his jealousy swell up.
"Shiiiiiiiii-" Akodo built up electrical power, ignoring the pain from the poison.
Sasuke realized too late what was happening. "Akodo, don't-!"
"SHINX!" Screaming a powerful battle cry, Akodo unleashed as much lighting as he could, letting the attack course though the vine down to his foe.
Unfortunately, he couldn't have predicted what happened next. Shylock, being a Grass-type, was relatively unharmed by the attack, his Ingrained roots channeling most of the electricity away from him. However, that wasn't the worst part.
The electrical attack was so powerful that it jumped past Shylock and continued on his other vine, right at Bayushi!
"VEEEEEEE!" he cried as he was shocked.
"…this won't end well," Naruto whispered nervously as the Eevee looked venomously at his partner.
"Vee-vee!" Bayushi demanded, glaring, clearly asking what he problem was.
Akodo responded, "Shinx-shi," his tone clearly mocking.
"Vee!" Hissing aggressively, Bayushi rushed at Akodo, who ran at him in turn.
The two clashed and started wrestling, paying no mind to Iruka's Pokémon.
"Hey, stop it!" Sasuke ordered, trying in vain to get his Pokémon under control. "I said STOP IT!"
"That's enough!" Iruka said loudly, holding up his hand.
"Agreed," the referee said over the microphone. "Sasuke's team is has failed to cooperate and has fallen to fighting amongst themselves. They are disqualified, and victory goes to Protester Iruka!"
At this, both Bayushi and Akodo stopped fighting and separated, looking up at their trainer, fear in their eyes.
Naruto winced at the news. "Oooh, he's going to be so mad."
Sasuke looked like he was about to protest the ruling. But then, he just breathed in. Beside himself with anger, Sasuke glowered down at Bayushi, then Akodo.
The two shrank down, unable to meet his gaze.
Uttering a wordless growl, the boy nodded curtly at Iruka. He then returned Akodo, muttering something about going to deal with his poisoning, and started walking briskly for the door.
Sakura ran over to him, grabbing his arm. "Sasuke, wait-"
"Can't you leave me be!" he hissed, pulling away and glaring at the girl. "I didn't even ask you to follow me around in the first place!"
Sakura backed away, her eyes tearing up. However, Sasuke didn't even notice, as he had already left the room.
Quietly, Bayushi followed his trainer, trying to sneak away as the shame at his immature behavior and even more humiliating defeat burning with every person's glance.
0o0o0
To be Continued...
0o0o0
-Author's Notes-
Sorry to cut the story off right in the middle of a battle, but this was already nearing 50 pages on my computer; sure, it was double-spaced, but still, that's a bit long.
Next chapter will be Sakura and Hinata vs. Mizuki, Iruka vs. Naruto, and we also find out what happened with the Sound Trio.
Before that, I need your helps with something.
The Sound Trio needs a motto, like Team Rocket's. My brother and I are working on one, but if any of you want to tell me your ideas, that would really help out.
I am debating on giving Naruto one of the following Pokemon: Sandile, Gligar, or Larvitar. Tell me, which one do you think is best for him, and why? If you dislike them all, please, give me another idea instead. Also, if you have an idea for what kind of personality they should have, feel free to tell me.
After some long debating with a friend and thinking it over myself, I have chosen to add some of the Pokémon that evolve from or into a Pokémon from a previous Generation from Generation IV.
The following will be added to the story:
Froslass
Gallade
Glaceon & Leafeon
Gliscor
Honchkrow
Togekiss
Meanwhile, the following will NOT be added to the story:
Dusknoir
Probopass
Porygon-Z
Mamoswine
Yanmega
Magmortar
Electivire
Tangrowth
Rhyperior
Lickilicky
Magnezone
Happiny
Munchlax
Mantyke
Mime Jr.
Chingling
Bonsly
Mismagius
Ambipom
Weavile
Budew
Roserade
Thank you all so much for all your help, and I hope you continue to enjoy my work.