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.

Review Response

0o0o0

Okay right now, it seems that of Sandile, Gligar, and Larvitar, good old Larvitar is the most poluare, with 5 votes for him and none anywere else. However, just so you guys know, unlike the other two, Larvitar would not evolve (for various reasons). He or she would remain a Larvitar, in all his or her Larvitar-ish glory. So if that changes your mind on Larvitar, you may change your vote, on account that I am now holding a poll for it.

Also, none of you have mentioned anything about what personality it should have. So, feel free to tell me that too.

Thank you everyone for all your support! Now, on to the chapter!

0o0o0

Pokémon Konoha

Chapter 10

Part 2

"What a sore loser," one student said to his friend loudly, sticking out his tongue at Sasuke's back as the boy left the gym.

Of course, Naruto heard the child, and growled angrily. "Shut your mouth, you brat!"

"That loser was just being a stinky-head!" the boy retorted.

"You're a stinky-head!" Naruto snapped back immaturely.

"No, you are!"

"No, you are!"

"No, you!"

"You!"

"You!"

"You!"

"You infinity," the student said triumphantly, blowing a raspberry. The other kids cheered.

"Doh! Darn, he's good," the blond growled, crossing his arms.

"Behave, both of you!" Prof. Iruka shouted at last, stepping before his class. "Listen up, all of you: No matter what a person does, so long as he doesn't break any rules or hurt anyone, you have no right to judge or be rude to them. That's basic Trainer Etiquette, and a Gym Leader has every right to refuse your challenge, or even refuse to hand over their badge, should you fail to follow it. Understand, or do I need to assign a 5-paragraph essay?"

"We understand," his students said quickly, the fear evident in their eyes.

Their teacher smiled, pleased with his ability to get a class under control. "Good, now have a half-hour break so you can stretch and talk about what you saw just now." Nodding, he left for the School's infirmary to have his Pokémon patched up.

The kids cheered, jumping up and dividing into groups with their friends.

Meanwhile, Naruto and the gang were scarcely paying attention, too busy talking amongst themselves.

"Poor Sasuke," Naruto sighed, looking at the door. "Maybe we should go-?"

"No," Sakura hissed, her voice firm, yet shaking. Her eyes were blinking repeatedly, fighting to hold back tears. "Leave him."

Naruto tilted his head. "But Sakura-"

The girl glowered at the boy. "He's just being a jerk! A big jerk! I'm not going be part of his pity party, and neither are you two!"

Sakura grabbed Hinata's hand and stomped over to Mizuki. "Hey, we're ready for a battle whenever you are!"

The white-haired man raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to wait and cheer on Naruto?"

"He doesn't need it," she responded confidently. "Naruto's gonna win, and so are we. Then maybe Sasuke will realize just how stupid and rude he was and ask for our help!"

Next to her, Hinata winced. She really wanted to cheer Naruto on, and she really didn't like the idea of rubbing their victories, if any of them did win, into Sasuke's face.

However, Naruto spoke up before she could. "Go on ahead," the boy said, shrugging. "I mean, Sasuke needs some time to himself, and it's not fair for us to put our battles on hold just because he lost. He still has my Pokénav, so we can call if we need him."

"B-But don't you want us to watch you?" Hinata asked, blushing slightly.

"Well, actually, yeah, I'd love having a bunch of girls ooh and awe while I show off," Naruto admitted, rubbing the back of his head and laughing like Jiraiya. "But I get that you guys wanna have your own battle, and even though I'd like having you two watching me be awesome (like I always am), I understand if you don't wanna…uh, unless you do, in which case…"

The boy rambled on and on, not sure how to say what he meant. Meanwhile, Hinata was blushing brightly. Unfortunately for them, several of the students noticed.

"Kissy-kissy!" he shouted, pointing at the two, "Somebody's in LOVE!"

Instantaneously, the entire class broke into a fit of catcalls and giggles, some singing mocking playground love songs. Hinata's face turned a deep shade of pink, while Naruto felt a surge of anger boil up from his stomach.

Whipping around, the boy breathed in and shouted, "SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, YOU SNOT-NOSED BRATS!"

The class responded by bursting into loud, mocking laughter.

"Look, he's protecting his Girlfriend!" one kid laughed.

"She could do better," a girl commented.

"Come on, Hinata!" Sakura sighed, grapping the poor girl's arm and leading out of the room. "Let's go, Mizuki," she added, wondering why he wasn't doing anything to try and control the class.

"Here," Naruto added, handing the yellow egg (back in its case) to Sakura. "This might get ugly, and I don't want Jr. around to see me crack open a couple of kid's skulls."

The girl was about to warn him not to do anything stupid when Iruka entered, causing the class to quickly fall into a fearful silence.

0o0o0

Meanwhile…

0o0o0

Sasuke walked down the street, every step echoing the anger he felt inside. Falling in step behind him, Bayushi followed timidly, staying a good distance away.

Once in a while, the boy turned around and looked at the Eevee, who would glance up hopefully, but then quickly case his eyes down when he saw the look in his master's eyes.

Without a word, the two quickly made their way to the Pokémon Center. Sasuke walked up to the counter, and was greeted by the nurse.

"Welcome," she said, her voice notably calm and even, as if she knew the boy was in a bad enough mood without having to deal with a honey-sweet personality. "How can I assist you?"

Sasuke breathed in and out deeply, careful to make no sound as he did so, before talking. "My Pokémon just lost-" he began, but then paused. "-I mean, my Pokémon were in a battle, and need to be healed. This one," he added, handing over Akodo's Pokéball, "is poisoned." He picked up Bayushi and handed him over to the nurse without looking the Eevee in the eye. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, young man," the nurse responded, bowing her head. "You know, it may not be my business," she added as the boy stalked away, "but being angry at your Pokémon for loosing may not be the best way to encourage them to win."

At this, Sasuke stopped, looking over his shoulder. "If a battle is lost," he replied coldly, "then it's entirely the fault of the trainer; no one else's." Without another word, the youth left.

The nurse stood blinking, confused. "If he says losing was his fault, why is he acting like he's mad at you?" she asked Bayushi.

Much to her surprise, the Pokémon cringed in shame at the question.

0o0oo

Back in his room, Sasuke was able to brood in private.

Good, because he wanted to be alone. Right now, he didn't even want Bayushi around, knowing full well that he'd probably shout at his poor Eevee for making him lose the battle, and that would be more than just cruel and unfair, that would be lying.

Angry as he was, Sasuke knew the truth of the matter: he lost today because of one person; and that was him.

Growling, the boy flopped onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

ARHG! Why was he so mad anyway!? So he lost, what was the big deal?

I lost my first gym battle, and it wasn't even because the enemy was too strong, Sasuke thought bitterly, taking off his jacket and throwing it across the bed. It was because my Pokémon couldn't-

"NO! It wasn't because of them," he forced himself to admit aloud. "Even if they started fighting each other, it was because of me. I didn't train them well enough."

Strangely, even though saying this hurt Sasuke's gut like a Beedrill's sting, he had to admit…it was a good hurt.

"Okay, I know what the real problem is, and I admitted it, so why do I still feel so angry?!" the boy shouted, jumping up from the bed. "What am I even angry at!?"

He started pacing back and forth, like a caged Luxray, his anger mixing with all sorts of emotions like self-pity, confusion, self-loathing, guilt, and sorrow.

Finally, he sat back down on the bed. "What am I supposed to do?" the boy asked aloud, as if the air could answer him. He felt something hard with his hand, and turned to see Naruto's Pokénav sticking out of his jacket's pocket.

In the back of his mind, Sasuke remembered how Aunty Kushina told him to call his mother soon.

Despite himself, the boy laughed.

"She would know what the real problem here is," Sasuke admitted, turning on the phone setting.

As Sasuke was about to dial home, he realized just how pathetic this would look: him losing his first fight and then calling his mother to comfort him.

Cringing, Sasuke debated what to do for a moment. However, just as he was about to put the Pokénav back down, he swore he could hear Aunty Kushina say, "Too proud to ask your mother for help? Don't you love her?"

Flinching, he quickly picked it up and dialed home, praying Naruto would never find out about this.

"Well, even if he did," Sasuke admitted as the phone rang, "he's a Mama's Boy too, and he knows it."

The phone was answered by a voice that filled the boy with calm happiness. "Hello?" his mother said, "can I help you?"

"Hey Mom," he answered. "It's me, Sasuke. Yeah, you can help."

0o0o0

Outside Teal Town Gym…

0o0o0

Hinata and Sakura stood on the grass field that had been set up for battles. Across from them, Mizuki watched the two.

"Okay then, it seems we're all ready," the teacher said, waving. "I trust you know the rules? This will just be a two-on-two double battle. Simple enough?"

Sakura nodded. "Fine, and for this battle, I choose my Waterlily!" Said Pokémon leapt from her trainer's arms, hopping into the ring eagerly.

"A baby Pokémon?" Mizuki asked mockingly. "You sure about that?"

"This 'baby' is going to wipe that grin off your face!" Sakura exclaimed.

"A-Zu!" Waterlily growled, baring her teeth.

"A-And I'll be using my Starting Pokémon, too," Hinata stuttered nervously, tossing Rhapsody's Pokéball. The Totodile materialized dancing, as usual.

A dark grin spread across Mizuki's face. A baby and a dancing cutesy Pokémon; this was going to be easier then he thought. Looking past the girls, he eyed the two precious eggs in their cases, virtually unguarded. His grin became wider. He could almost taste his success-

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Sakura demanded, wondering why Iruka's assistant was just standing there with a stupid grin on his face.

"Oh, right," Mizuki said, shaking himself from his thoughts. He grabbed two Pokéballs from his belt. "Grimer, Gulpin, go!"

The two Pokémon that appeared were, in a word…gross. The one called Grimer was made up of purple sludge with a mouth, eyes, and arms being only vaguely disenable, and smelled something aweful. The Gulpin looked like a green blop with a feather on his head.

"Haha," Mizuki laughed, pointing at his team. "Behold: Grimer, the Sludge Pokémon, and Gulpin, the Stomach Pokémon. They're more than capable of putting down your Water-types, I think."

"We'll see about that!" Sakura shouted. "Waterlily, start this out with a Water Gun!"

"Follow suit, Rhapsody."

The girl's Pokémon fired twin jets of water at Mizuki's team, hitting both. Sakura was actually surprised; she expected at least one of them to dodge.

Mizuki winced, but then said, "Grimer, fight back with Disable!"

The Sludge Pokémon held out his arm, blocking the steam of water. Then his eyes glowed as a thin, blue ring of light was fired from his hand, dissipating Rhapsody's attack as it made its way to him. When it hit, the Totodie's Water Gun stopped completely, and the Pokémon was now outlined by a dim blue light.

"Toto?" Rhapsody gasped, trying to fire another jet, with no success.

Next to him, Waterlily looked at her partner, confused as to what had happened. "Azu?"

"What?" Hinata asked, looking at her opponent for an explanation.

"Grimer's Disable locks down a Pokémon's attack for a spell," he explained. "You'll have to find another way to win this. Gulpin, Grimer, now use a double pound!"

"Evade," Sakura instructed, watching her Azurill use her tail's weight to fling herself to safety as the two blobs tried to ram into her and Rhapsody.

Meanwhile, the Totodile nimbly danced out of the way, waving as the Grimer flew past him. Once his foe's back was to him, Rhapsody drew back and tried to fire his Water Gun, which failed miserably.

"You can't use that attack, Rhapsody," Hinata called. "Try a Scratch instead!"

Growling, the blue crocodile jumped forward and lashed with his claws, catching Grimer in the face. His foe winced in pain, but when Rhapsody tried to pull back, he found his arm stuck in the sticky Pokémon's body!

"Child's play," Mizuki laughed. "Use Pound, Grimer. Gulpin, Poison Gas attack!"

"Water Gun now, Waterlily!"

The Gulpin started to breathe deeply in preparation for his attack, but his open mouth was instantly hit by Waterlily's jet of liquid. "Gulp!?" Shocked, the Poison-type started to bloat and fill as Waterlily continued to fire into him.

Meanwhile, Grimer raised an arm and smacked Rhapsody across the face. The hit was strong, but the Water-type remained stuck.

"Perfect!" Mizuki cheered. "Do it again!"

"Rhapsody, when Grimer attacks," Hinata instructed quickly, "Bite his hand!"

"To-TO!" Rhapsody laughed, understanding.

When the Grimer tried to hit him with another slap, the Totodile caught the attack in his wide jaws, clamping down.

The Grimer yelped in pain, flailing his arm around so violently that he pulled Rhapsody free and flung him away.

The Totodile landed and bounced to his feet, spitting and gasping as he tried to get the Sludge Pokémon's taste out of his mouth. "To-DILE!"

"Poor Rhapsody…" Sakura sighed. Considering how it smelled, she couldn't even imagine how it tasted!

"Pretty clever, girly," Mizuki growled. "But this is ending down! Gulpin, use- GULPIN!?"

The Stomach Pokémon rolled across the field with Waterlily playfully balancing atop him, filled with so much water that he was now swollen twice his size. He cried out for help pitifully.

"You should pay more attention to both your Pokémon, and not just the one winning," Sakura commented confidantly. "Now Waterlily, Slam him!"

"Zuril," her Pokémon laughed, jumping up and crashing back down on Mizuki's Gulpin. Not only did this damage him, but it also caused him to violently fire out all the water inside him at Grimer in a flood of an attack.

"Gu-!" was all he could say

"Harden, Grimer!" Mizuki shouted.

"Gri," he nodded, pulling his arms into his body and closing his eyes. As the wave of water washed over him, Grimer's sticky body dried and hardened. He didn't move an inch, nor was he damaged.

"Well Waterlily, use Watergun and-"

Before Sakura could finish, Mizuki's Gulpin rose up and roared, causing Waterlily to lose her balance and fall over.

"Disable her Water Gun before she gets up, Grimer," Mizuki ordered.

Chuckling darkly, the sludgy Pokémon sent a white ring at Sakura's Pokémon. It was about to hit-

"Defend her, Rhapsody!" Hinata cried.

With surprising speed, the Totodile, still under the Disable's effect, jumped in front of the Azurill, taking the attack with no effect.

The gym leader's aid was stunned by such coordination, and the shy girl did not let the opportunity go to waste.

"Follow up with Scary Face!"

"Toto-" Rhapsody drew himself back, covering his face…and then jumped up, flailing out his arms and screaming. "-DILE!"

Mizuki's team staggered back in fear, allowing his Azurill partner to get back atop her tail.

"Waterlily, now, use your strongest attack," Sakura instructed. "BubbleBeam!"

"Azurill!" Waterlily fired a powerful jet of bubbles, each hard as balls of glass. The attack spread out, hitting both the Grimmer and Gulpin.

The two tried to shield themselves from the attack as Azurill fired more and more bubbles.

Sakura laughed, clapping Hinata on the back. "Ha, we're winning!"

However, Mizuki was not worried. "Just hang in a little longer, boys."

"What do you mean?" the pink-haired girl asked, but then she realized. Waterlily's attack was suddenly slowing down.

"You're Pokémon's well raised for its age," Mizuki pointed out, "but she's a baby nonetheless." He turned to his Pokémon. "Double Sludge time!"

Ignoring the bubble attack, which was now notably weaker, the Poison-types spewed steams of unsanitary black-brown sludge, hitting both Waterlily and Rhapsody so hard the two were thrown back.

"Waterlily!" Sakura cried out as her baby hit the floor. The little Azurill was too tired from her BubbleBeam onslaught that she couldn't move.

"A-ha!" Mizuki laughed. "Sludge again, but this time, aim for Little Ms. Mighty Mouse."

As the Grimer and Gulpin prepared to fire, Hinata saw Sakura nearly crying, and knew what she had to do. "Rhapsody, protect Waterlily!"

"Dile-di!" Nodding, her faithful Pokémon did not hesitate.

"What the-?" Mizuki managed before the Totodile sprang into action.

He bolted, grabbing Waterlily and using his tail as a springboard to leap over the twin Sludge attacks.

"Hit them while they're in mid-air!" Mizuki shouted desperately.

However, as his Pokémon fired, Hinata realized that her Pokémon was no longer suffering from the Disable attack. "Rhapsody, fire your Water Gun directly down!"

Rhapsody fired off a jet of water downwards as his trainer suggested, sending him and Waterlily upwards.

"Awesome!" Sakura cheered.

Rhapsody laughed and posed, not realizing that he and Waterlily were now plunging to the ground until he landed on his butt painfully. "Toto-doh!" he cried, rubbing his hindquarters.

"We got them now!" Mizuki said, pointing. "Fire da' cannons, men!"

"Gulpin!" his Stomach Pokémon shouted, spewing sludge.

"Grimer!" his Sludge Pokémon agreed, flowing suit.

"Rhapsody, move!" Hinata begged. However, his lower body was too sore to be quick. Instead, he pushed Sakura's baby Pokémon behind him, puffing out his chest.

"Helping Hand, Waterlily!"

At the last minute, Waterlily's body glowed, her movement speeding up as she shoved Rhapsody out of the way with her tail. The Totodile could only watch as she took the attack's full force.

"DILE!" Rhapsody cried, jumping to his feet and running over to Waterlily, scooping her out of the disgusting muck.

"Zu-zu," she said weakly.

"Sakura, why?" Hinata asked, wondering if Waterlily was okay.

However, the other girl didn't hear her. "Waterlily…" she whispered, "are you alright?"

"If you want to surrender, I fully understand," Mizuki said. "It would be the mature decision to know when you're-" He trailed off, instead looking at Rhapsody.

The Totodile's eyes turned red and his breathing shallow, anger emanating from him.

"Rhapsody, what's happening?" Hianta asked.

"To…to…dile!" he growled, glaring at Gulping and Grimer, who started to back away.

"DILE!" Screaming murder, the Totodile rushed forward with amazing speed.

"Gulpin, stop him!" Mizuki stammered, not expecting this. "Poison Gas!"

"Gulp-in!" The Pokémon started to expel noxious fumes, but instead of being slowed dowm, Rhapsody just grabbed the blob and raised him above his head.

"Toto-" he screamed, slamming the poor Gulpin down onto the Grimer, "-DILE!" Rhapsody lifted Gulpin up, and repated the attack again and again.

"DILE! DILE! DILE! DILEDILEDILEDILEDILE!"

"Grimer, Pound! Sludge! Anything!" Mizuki screamed, watching as his two Pokémon were utterly throttled.

"That must be Rhapsody's Rage attack," Sakura gasped.

She turned, and much to her surprise, Hinata was gripping herself tightly, biting her lips as she watched her Totodile unleash his wrath upon Mizuki's Pokémon. Finally, the soft-spoke girl could take no more.

"Rhapsody, stop!" she screamed, running over and ripping her Totodile away from the fight. "Please, stop," Hianta begged, pulling him into a hug.

Slowly, Rhapsody's breathing slowed down, and his eyes returned to normal.

"Toto…dile?" he whispered, looking around.

"Good boy," his trainer sighed, holding him tight.

"Azurill?" a small voice squeaked.

The pair looked around, and saw Waterlily nearby her trainer. The Azurill shook herself, glowing light blue as water-like waves flowed around her. The glowing subsided, and she was now clean and fresh-looking, if not still scuffed up from the fight.

"My Waterlily can use Refresh," Sakura explained. "It may not be the same as a good night's rest, but it will do the trick in a pinch. See, Rhapsody, you're friend's okay."

"Zu-Zu!" Waterlily cheered.

"Totodile-dile-to!" Laughing, Rhapsody jumped out of Hinata's arms and started doing his Snoopy Happy-dance (one he learned from Naruto).

"Good work," Mizuki said, looking over at his Pokémon. Grimer was now little more than a flat pile of sludge that was trying very hard to pretend to be dead so he'd be left alone, while Gulpin had been beaten to unconsciousness long before Rhapsody was done using him as a hammer. Sighing, Mizuki returned the two.

"Well," he went on, walking over to the two girls. "It seems as though you win."

"But I interfered with the match," Hinata said, confused.

"Only because your Pokémon was going berserk and mine were utterly helpless," Mizuki pointed out. "Besides, I was about to call them back when you saved the day. Good think you did too, or your Totodile might have tried to attack me. I say you both showed cooperation and maturity as trainers, not to mention proved your Pokémon's superior skill and strength. You both earned you're Antidote Badges!"

"OH YEAH!" Sakura shouted, pumping her arms. "We did it! We beat our first gym, and on our first try!"

She laughed and high-fived Hinata, whooping and jumping about. Rhapsody happily joined in while Hinata was pulled into the crazy victory dance.

Meanwhile, no one noticed Waterlily as she gazed at the dancing Rhapsody, blushing.

0o0o0

Back at the PokéCenter…

0o0o0

"-I told her I didn't even want her around in the first place and ran out," Sasuke concluded, recounting his actions in the gym, which now struck him as childish.

"I see," Mikoto said thoughtfully. Her fingers where threaded together in front of her chin, which rested against them gently.

"I know, I was being a brat and a jerk," her son confessed, "and you have every right be disappointed."

"While your treatment of your teammate is something you'll need to apologize to her for, the rest of your actions are not nearly as bad as you make them out to be, Sasuke," Mikoto explained.

"What?" Sasuke asked, confused. "But I-"

"Lost your first gym battle because your Pokémon attacked each other," his mother pointed out. "And yet, instead of yelling or saying it wasn't fair, as several 12-year-olds would have, you quietly conceded defeat and left before doing anything childish. Save of course, yelling at your friend, but that is at least understandable. Also, instead of blaming your Pokémon for your loss, you had the maturity to blame youself, even though you were upset. You even had the foresight to go straight to the PokéCenter and have them healed." She smiled gently. "I would say that's acting pretty grown-up for someone your age, Sasuke."

Instead of making him feel better, his mother's words only caused Sasuke to feel his stomach churn like he swallowed a Vanillite. "You're just sugar-coating everything, Mom," he said accusingly. "You weren't there. You didn't see how I acted."

"Okay, perhaps I am sugar-coating it, even if just a little," she admitted. "But the fact is you acted much better than most trainers would have in your shoes."

Sasuke scowled a bit. "Then why am I still feeling bad about it?"

Mikoto resisted the urge to smile. Her boy had such trouble sorting out and understanding emotions, not unlike his father when he was young. "Well, you said yourself you were being a jerk, Baby. Of course you're going to feel bad about it now that you've calmed down. After all, you must be feeling guilty about losing the match when you were sure your team would win, and about the hurtful things you said to Sakura. You must think you've betrayed their trust, but please, Sasuke, understand that you haven't, okay?"

"What do you mean?" the boy asked.

"Everyone, no matter what Pokémon they have or how much training they do, lose," Mikoto explained. "In fact, losing is an important step in getting stronger; how else can you learn from your mistakes and grow?" She paused, letting her words sink in. "Now, I know you think that you didn't win because of your actions, but that's not true, not entirely. Maybe you should have trained your Pokémon more, and maybe you should have taken others' advice, but your Pokémon fought because they choose to. It doesn't matter why they did, but that they did. You trusted them to work with you, and in that, they came short."

"But Father said that losing a battle is on the head of the trainer, because they failed to teach their team properly," Sasuke protested.

"Well, your Father is wrong this time, Sasuke," Mikoto responded firmly. "Pokémon are not tools that are programed by their master. They're sentient beings with feeling and thoughts of their own. While the general of an army is responsible for training his men properly, but the soldiers are responsible for their own actions. Sometimes, the army fails entirely because of the general, and sometimes it's entirely the soldier's fault, but most of the time, the responsibility for losing is shared by both. Don't think in absolutes and place the blame on one person every time."

Sasuke thought about her words. "So, what are you saying?"

"I am saying," Mikoto said with a smile, "that you need to re-evaluate what happened during your battle, and find out the real reason for Akodo and Bayushi's actions. If you just blame yourself, you'll never know the real reason, or fix it. A good trainer doesn't blame themselves or their Pokémon. That doesn't do any good. Instead, they seek the truth of the problem, and strive to fix it, making the bond between them and their team stronger. Do you understand, Honey?"

Slowly, Sasuke nodded his head. "Yeah…yes, I understand, Mom. Thanks!" He laughed lightly. "Okay, now I guess I need to have a talk with those two and find out what the big deal is…"

Much to his surprise, his mother grinned sheepishly. "Sasuke, have you considered that Akodo might be jealous of Bayushi?"

"Eh, why would he be jealous? Why do you even think that?"

"Well, you did say that you were shouting praises for Bayushi when Akodo shocked him," Mikoto pointed out. "Isn't it possible that Akodo wanted you to say he was doing a good job too?"

Sasuke groaned, embarrassed at how easily his mother had identified the problem.

"You said that you saved Akodo from a Luxio and risked your life doing so," she went on. "He must really admire you for doing that. Shinx are brave Pokémon with a strong sense of honor, after all; Akodo must hold you in high esteem, and really want your approval. Just imagine how it must have been for him hearing you cheering for Bayushi. Not to mention, Bayushi would be the type that would rub being the favorite into another Pokémon's face."

Sasuke's head hung low. "I suck at being a trainer!"

"That's not true, and I won't hear you say that!" Mikoto said.

"I made my Pokémon hate each other," Sasuke pointed out, "how can you excuse that?"

"You didn't make them hate each other," Mikoto laughed. "They're just upset with each other right now. And you didn't mean to show Bayushi favoritism; he's just been your pet for as long as you had him, so you're just used to doting on him. I'm sure you'll make things right between him and Akodo."

"Thanks Mom," Sasuke said softly.

"You're welcome, Sasuke," she replied with a smile. "Remember that I'm very proud of you, no matter what. Now, go train up your team so you can win your badge and tell me all about it later!"

"Yes Ma'am," he laughed.

The two said their goodbyes, and Sasuke tucked the Pokénav away.

The Center's intercom signaled that the boy's Pokémon were fully healed, so Sasuke made his way to the front, thinking about what his mother had told him.

"Greetings, Mr. Uchiha," the nurse said. Bayushi was sitting on the counter next to her, still looking upset, and Akodo's Pokéball was beside him.

"Thank you," Sasuke nodded, ruffling Bayushi's head affectionately before picking up his Shinx's ball and calling the Pokémon out.

"Shix?" Akodo squeaked, not sure what was going on.

Sasuke nodded to the nurse and left, making sure to motion for both of his Pokémon to follow, the anger they had seen earlier gone.

As the three left the center, the nurse wondered what happened to the broody little kid from before.

Once outside, Sasuke led them to a nice spot under a tree where no one else would bother them. He knelt on one knee and looked his Shinx and Eevee in the eye.

"Listen up, you two," he said calmly, but then stopped. "Wait, Togashi should be here too."

Sasuke pulled out his Charmander's Pokéball and called him out.

"Char!" Togashi sighed, stretching. He looked at Sasuke and waved, then at Akodo and Bayushi, but noticed their grim airs, and quieted down.

Sasuke nodded, and then continued. "I know we lost our first gym battle, and I was pretty angry over that, but that's not important. I'm not upset with you guys, okay?"

The three looked at each other in confusion, and then at their trainer.

"You can't win every time you fight," Sasuke went on, "we all need to understand that. If we lose we lose, and if we win, we win. That's that, and I promise never to be mad at you for losing ever again."

Bayushi squealed with delight, jumping over and hugging his trainer.

Sasuke laughed, but then noticed Akodo looking away sadly.

"Oh, come here, you!" Grinning, the boy reached over and pulled the Electric Pokémon into a tight hug. "You two, Togashi," he added when the Charmander looked at them hopefully.

"Char-char!" Togashi yelped, jumping into the group hug.

"Now listen," Sasuke said, suddenly serious, "I know I've been showing Bayushi a lot of extra attention because I've known him longer than you two."

While Bayushi tipped his head and Togashi shrugged, Akodo, strangely enough, looked down, as if ashamed.

"You don't have to be ashamed at being jealous," Sasuke insisted, setting the three down. "You're all my Pokémon, and I shouldn't care or love one of you more than the rest. Got it?"

All three nodded, but Sasuke noticed Akodo look a bit happier.

"That doesn't mean that it was okay for you and Bayushi to fight," he pointed out. "I understand why you two did, and I'm really sorry for making you two so angry with one-another, but you can't be fighting like that. We're a team, right? We got to stick together."

Once again, his Pokémon cheered.

"So, from now on, I'll try to be a better trainer and treat you all the right way, and you'll do your best to work together, okay?" Sasuke asked with a small smile.

His team's response was to tackle him down affectionately.

"Great," the young trainer said. "Now, let's start training up for another shot at our Antidote Badge!"

0o0o0

Back at Teal Town Gym…

0o0o0

"I'll decide your punishment later," Iruka growled, turning away from the class. Across from him, Naruto waited, smiling big. "You ready, Naruto?"

"You bet, Professor!" the boy laughed. "This is going to be a synch!"

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? It wasn't so easy for your friend."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, between me and you, Sasuke should have paid more attention to the team he chose. I mean, I can't believe Sasuke didn't notice how Bayushi and Akodo weren't getting along; even I could see the two hissing at each other before the match. Not to mention he used an Electric-type against your Grass Pokémon; that was pretty stupid, especially since he's got a Charmander. Besides, he lost mostly because of bad luck; if Akodo had listened, he would have beaten you. And if it was that easy for him, it's gonna be a breeze for someone like me. I mean, my Pokémon adore me!"

Iruka scowled, offended by the boy's egocentric bragging.

"And there's the fact of who my Dad is," Naruto went on vainly. "I inherited more than his looks, you know. With his genes and my skill, becoming a Pokémon Master is practically within my reach. Besides," the boy added with a glint in his eyes, "I am your favorite student. No offence, but you probably don't have the heart to go all out with me."

While Naruto laughed, Iruka glowered, fuming at his arrogance. "If you're going to have an ego that big, then I'll just have to knock it down a few notches," the professor whispered, taking two extra shinny Pokéballs from his belt. "It's my duty as a teacher to teach you every lesson I can, even one in humility."

Iruka cleared his throat. "Are you ready to begin, Naruto?"

The boy nodded, holding up two Pokéballs. "You bet I am; Kata, Puck, come on out!"

His Riolu appeared kneeling, but as soon as Puck materialized, the Furret looked about curiously, sniffing the air before starting to wander on over towards the class.

"Hey, you're about to battle, buddy! Focus!" Naruto shouted, shaking a fist.

Puck rolled his eyes wondering what ridiculous thing his trainer was blabbing about now.

Iruka tossed his Pokéballs out before anything else could be said between the two.

"Vincentio! Isabella! Time to battle, both of you."

To very similar rabbit-like Pokémon with horns appeared. One was purple with a longer horn and ears, while the other was blush-ish with more defined whiskers. "Nido!" the two said in unison.

"What are those things?" Naruto asked, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon," it explained. "While the two are of the same Pokémon species, the male and female Nidoran are not only different in appearance, but also in what moves they may learn and what Pokémon they evolve into. Male Nidoran's ears a large and can detect the faintest of sounds, and his horn grows much larger and stronger than the female's. Said horn can secrete a powerful poison from it that beguiles his small size. Meanwhile, a female Nidoran is very adept at using her claws and teeth to defend herself, offsetting her underdeveloped horn. Unlike the male's, the strength of a female's venom is not proportional to the size of her horn."

"Two poisonous hamsters?" Naruto laughed, tucking his dex away. "Iruka really is going easy on me."

The judge got ready, seeing the two prepared to battle. "The challenger Naruto Uzumaki of Orange Spring Village faces Prof. Iruka Umino, Leader of Teal Town Gym, blah-blah-blah, I've already done this today, and START!"

"You can make the first move, Naruto," Iruka offered generously.

He really is letting me win, the boy thought gleefully. "Let's start off with Quick Attack, Kata," he ordered.

"Ri-O!" Kata ran forward, and then fell into a sliding kick directed at the male Nidoran, Vincentio.

"Helping Hand, Isabella," Iruka said just as the attack was about to hit.

The female Nidoran moved fast, body glowing as she moved with automatic precision, pushing her partner out of the way, causing Naruto's Riolu to slide right on past them, much to his shock.

"Ri!?"

"Now, Peck and Scratch!" Iruka ordered.

The two Nidoran worked in unison, Isabella lashing at Kata's face while Vincentio stabbed with his horn. The Riolu raised his arms and tried to ward off the attacks with minimal success.

"No, Kata!" Naruto screamed. He looked at Puck, who was watching the Riolu being beaten while lying on his back with mild-interest. "GET UP AND HELP HIM!"

"Fur!" Puck jumped up, stuck out his tongue, and slinked over to the fight with surprising speed. Using his long tail, Puck swept Vincentio away.

"Now some Fury Swipes," Naruto cheered. "Kata, get her off you!"

Growling, Puck viciously lashed out with his little claws, driving the little Poison-type back.

Meanwhile, Isabella raised her paw for another Scratch, only for Kata to catch it in a strong hold. Heaving, he flipped the Nidoran up and over, tossing her to the side. Then he was up on his feet just as she landed with surprising grace.

"Impressive moves," Iruka commented, "you've taught him well."

"Thanks, I learned that one from Jiraiya," Naruto laughed. "Kata, get her with a Quick Attack!"

"Isabella, Double Kick," Iruka responded calmly.

The two squared off. Isabella jumped and spun, trying land a whirling set of kicks at Kata, who dodged easily and landed a punch on her.

"Good!" Naruto cheered. He looked over to Puck, who was now chasing after Vincentio, who was backing away with a scratched-up face.

"Vincentio, Poison Sting!"

Growling, the Nidoran charged through Puck's attack and jabbed him right in the stomach. However, the Furret just burst into a puff of smoke.

"What?" Iruka gasped. He and Vincentio looked around, spotting Puck standing far away, waving merrily.

"Puck can use Substitute," Naruto explained happily. "You're powerful attacks are all for moot."

"Substitute may be useful, but it takes a lot of energy," Iruka pointed out. "Let's see how much your Furret's got. Vincentio, Horn Attack!"

"Nido-RAN!" Roaring in rage, Vincentio bull rushed forward with his horn lowered. His attack hit, and once again, Puck exploded in a puff of smoke.

"Now where'd he go?" Iruka growled in irritation.

His answer was right behind Vincentio. Laughing, Puck jumped up, twirled in the air, and landed in a handstand.

"YEAAAHH!"

Shocked, Iruka and Naruto both started as the class of students cheered at Puck's pose.

Smiling, Puck jumped up from his one paw and did a backflip, landing on his tail and rocking back and forth, clapping his hands together.

Once again, a roar of approval rose up from the kids.

"Hey, you're supposed to be battling, not posing!" Naruto shouted angrily.

Sticking his tongue out at his trainer, Puck did another trick for the children. Along with the cheering cries, one student threw an apple that landed just outside of the arena.

"Fur-Fur!" Puck said, gleefully running for it.

"No Puck!" Naruto yelled in horror. "It's a trap! Don't fall for it!"

Too late. The Furret ran outside the boundaries of the field and scooped up his prize, happily taking a bite and ignoring all around him.

"Ring Out!" the referee announced, waving a flag. "Puck as left the arena and is disqualified; the challenge must continue with his one Pokémon now."

"Darn it!" Naruto hissed stomping his foot. "How could you do this to me, Puck?"

"Sorry, Naruto," Iruka sighed, "but rules are rules."

The boy grabbed his Furret's ball from his belt. "Get back in your Pokéball, you little traitor."

As Naruto seemingly called Puck back, a quiet little girl in the back decided not to tell anyone that he was under her desk, having used Substitute again. Instead, she pulled out a bag of cookies and started feeding them to him.

"Okay, it's all up to you Kata," Naruto said. "We can do this!"

However, just then, Isabella landed one successful Double Kick, followed by a second.

"Now, while he's still reeling from your attack, use Poison Sting!" Iruka shouted.

"Ni ran!" Isabella growled, japing her small horn forward. She hit the Riolu squarely in the chest, knocking him back.

"Lu…" Kata winced as he rose, feeling poison burn in his veins.

"Isabella, now a Fury Swipes."

"Use Counter!" Naruto instructed quickly.

Isabella lashed out with her claw, catching Kata on the arm. However, when she tried to strike again, the Riolu caught the attack, preparing to punch her in the gut.

"Helping Hand!"

Out of nowhere, something ran into Kata from behind, causing him to stumble back and expose himself to Isabella's onslaught.

"Good, now use a twin Beat Up beat-down!" Iruka shouted.

"Nidoran!" The two Poison-type positioned themselves so that one was on either side. Then, both turned shadowy and seemingly duplicated themselves before returning to normal. Kata looked up, he found himself surrounded by 6 Nidoran on all sides.

"Ri?"

"Kata, try another Counter!" Naruto suggested, unsure of what was going on.

"Rio," Kata nodded, preparing himself just as they rushed him. The Riolu moved deftly, grapping the first male Nidoran by the horn and shoving him into the charging female, causing both to fade into shadows. Kata jumped above the second male Nidoran, grabbing his ears to flip him into another foe, but he was hit from behind, stunning him. As he tried to recover, another attack hit his left flank, followed by a slam to his right. As each Nidoran duplicate hit him, they faded away, ending with the two originals ramming him in the front with a joint attack that sent Kata sprawling to the floor.

"Kata, try to get up!" Naruto begged.

"Ri…o..lu!" Nodding, his Pokémon slowly rose to his feet, glaring down at his twin foes defiantly. As he felt the pain from Isabella's poison, instead of wincing, the Fighting-type extended a hand and motioned for them to 'bring it.'

"I commend you and your Riolu for shear grit," Iruka admitted, "but as a trainer, you need to understand when to call it quits. Not surrendering to save pride can get your Pokémon hurt."

Naruto looked down for a moment, thinking about what his old teacher had said. It wasn't right to make Kata keep on going just because Naruto wanted to win. Sighing, he pulled out Kata's Pokéball. "You're right; Kata, return."

"Riolu!" Shocking everyone, the boy's Pokémon flipped over the beam and shouted boldly at his trainer, stamping his foot.

"What are you doing?" Naruto demanded. "We've been beat-"

"Ri-ri lu!" Kata retorted, looking back at the two Nidoran and striking his fighting stance.

"You still want to fight, even though we're going to lose?" Naruto asked in awe.

"Rio," Kata nodded, looking over his shoulder and smiling. He felt the sting of his poisoning again, but pushed it aside.

"…you're right!" Naruto looked up at his teacher, fire in his eyes. "Kata won't quick, and neither will I. So bring it on!"

Iruka nodded. "If your Pokémon wishes to continue, even against your request, then I can only say that I am proud that you wanted what was best for him, and that he wanted to win for you. Vincentio, time for your strongest attack; unleash your Drill Run! Isabella, lend him a Helping Hand!"

Vincentio leapt into the air, followed by his female partner. "Nido-"

"-Ran!" The two linked their arms and legs, spinning together as a purple aura surrounded them. They dove for the ground, their spinning becoming so rapid that they were a blur; the two drilled right through the ground, and continued onward towards Kata.

"Quick, dodge it," Naruto instructed.

However, instead of listening, his Riolu planted his two feet down firmly, and brace himself. Blue Aura energy emanated from him.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. Hearing a pinging sound from his Pokédex, Naruto pulled it out.

"Endure," it explained. "The user focuses itself and braces for the incoming attack. By preparing both body and mind, the user is able to weather any attack, enduring the damage without fainting."

The two Nidoran burst from the ground, flying at Kata like a torpedo. However, before they hit, Kata crossed his arms and used them to shield himself.

The Riolu's body became ridged and unmoving as Vincentio and Isabella continued to drill vainly. The force of the attack was enough to cause the ground around them to crumble and push Kata back, but he did not move from his stance.

"Awesome, Kata!" Naruto cheered. "Now, while their distracted, use your strongest attack! Force Palm!"

"Rio-" As the two Nidoran slowed down, Kata drew one hand back, Aura energy gathering in his palm. "LU!" Giving a kai shout, he punched his two foes, aura bursting with the strike.

"Ni!" The two were thrown back.

The blond boy laugh, jumping up and down. "Perfect…job?"

Much to Naruto's shock, instead of staying on the ground dazed for a few seconds, the Nidoran were up, Isabella grooming a scuff mark on Vincentio's cheek affectionately.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. "That was a direct hit, but they're not even acting like it hurt!"

"Fighting moves aren't very effective against Poison-types," Iruka explained. "Looks like your strongest attack wasn't that strong."

"Ri…Ri…" Kata heaved weakly, holding his chest. Using Endure against their Drill Run had taken all his energy, and seeing them unaffected by his attack was utterly disheartening. But he was not going to give up, no matter what. Naruto needed him to win. Calling on what little strength he had left, the Riolu started to prepare a Quick Attack.

However, just as he did, the poison in his blood flared up, sending pain throughout his body. Exhausted, injured, and spent, Kata could not take it, even with his will so strong, and he fell to the floor, vision darkening. "Ri…o…lu."

"Kata is unable to battle," the Referee decreed, "victory goes to Prof Iruka."

"Kata!" Naruto ran over to his Riolu. "Kata…I'm so sorry. I swear I'll make it up to you. You'll be at the Center in no time, buddy." He pulled out Kata's Pokéball, and returned him.

Iruka walked up to the boy, patting him on the shoulder. "He fought bravely, and tried his best for you."

"Iruka-"

"EEE!" a girl in the back of the class shrieked. "HELP!"

Naruto and Iruka looked up, and did a double take at what they saw.

Puck was atop of the girl's desk, tail securely wrapped around one of its legs, and was desperately pulling at her lunchbox, while she and two of her friends tried to tug it away from him.

"Puck! How'd you get out of your ball, and what do you think you are doing!?"

0o0o0

A little while later, outside…

0o0o0

"Naruto, wait!"

The boy skidded to a stop, turning around. "Sorry, but I wanna get Kata to the PokéCenter quick!"

"This will only take a second," Iruka reassured him. "First off, I want to say that your Riolu is well raised and very loyal to you, even if you've only been training him for little more than a week. You should be proud of him"

"Thank…you?" Naruto responded, not sure why this was so important.

"However," Iruka added coldly, "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Huh?" Shocked, Naruto jumped back.

Iruka's face became grim. "You're behavior before our match was nothing short of embarrassing, and you'll be lucky if I don't tell your parents. Did you hear yourself bragging? You sounded like a total brat. Worse yet, you were acting like you were entitled to a win because I'm your favorite teacher and your father-" Iruka quickly looked around "-happens to be Minato Uzumaki, the former Champion."

Naruto felt his knees getting weak as Iruka scolded him, realizing that every word was true.

"Listen very carefully," Iruka continued, pointing in-between the kid's eyes for emphasis, "I don't care if who your father is, that doesn't mean anything. Your father became the greatest Champion in Konoha's history by working hard and bonding with his team. If you want to follow in his footsteps, you better be prepared to work just as hard as he did."

Now Naruto was near tears of shame. Slowly, he nodded, not trusting his voice.

The gym leader sighed. "Lastly, even if you raised your Riolu right, your Furret is out-of-control. Have you even used him in a battle before today?"

Naruto opened his mouth to respond 'yes,' but quickly closed it when he realized he hadn't. Wincing, the boy looked down. "Guess I've got some work to do…"

Iruka felt terrible scolding Naruto like this, but he had to tell him what he was doing wrong. How else would the young trainer learn anything? "Listen Naruto, we all make mistakes; Heaven knows I have. But that doesn't mean we should just give up. We succeed by realizing our mistakes and fixing them, not by not making them at all. Understand?"

Naruto nodded, but he still looked down, ashamed.

"Hey Naruto!" a familiar feminine voice called.

Iruka and Naruto whipped around, and spotted Sakura waving happily. Next to her, Hinata was smiling, holding up Rhapsody proudly, Mizuki following behind.

"Naruto, we won!" Sakura laughed, twirling on her foot girlishly. "How awesome is-" she stopped, noticing the look on Naruto's face. "W-What happened?"

0o0o0

To be Continued…