Naruto: Johto Journeys

Chapter 14: Red Gyarados

"Pokemon" Normal speech

'Pokemon' Normal thoughts

"Pokemon" Pokemon that can talk

"Pokemon" Flashbacks

"Pokemon" Pokedex speech

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I don't own Pokemon. I do however, own this laptop and this story and NONE OF YOU CAN HAVE IT! :)

A/N:You can guess what this chapter's about from the title. Hope you guys like it. NOW ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

After resting for a few days in the town, due to Espeon's broken leg during the contest, the group had decided to head for Mahogany Town and the area of Naruto and Sasuke's next gym battle. Because of this, Sasuke and Sakura were now, temporarily, a part of the group. Before leaving, however, Naruto and Akatsuchi were able to have Flaffy and Onix evolve into their evolved forms. Flaffy evolved from a successful rematch against Tenten and Lee, allowing it to become Ampharos as Skarmory was easily put down with a barrage of electrical attacks and a powerful Iron Tail to the skull with a few Thundershocks had easily taken down Poliwrath. Onix was given a Metal Coat from Tenten and it was traded with Naruto to allow it to become a Steelix. Thus two more Pokemon were added to the Pokedex.

Ampharos the Light Pokemon. An Electric type Pokemon. The bright light on its tail can be seen far away. It has been treasured since ancient times as a beacon.

Steelix the Iron Snake Pokemon. A Steel/Ground type Pokemon. Its body has been compressed deep under the ground. As a result, it is even harder than a diamond.

With that, the group had set our for Mahogany Town, the birthplace of ninjas and the place where the next gym battle awaited the two pre-teen trainers. Hinata giggled with glee as she opened her ribbon case and viewed the two ribbons within it.

"Still excited about winning, neh Hina-chan?" Naruto asked as he walked a bit closer to the Hyuga. Hinata nodded.

"Yup, three more and I'm good to go!" Hinata grinned as she turned to the blonde who grinned back. Espeon and Typhlosion watched their trainers with a ghost of a smile on their faces.

"Ty Ty Typhlosion?"

"Espeon, Esp." The Sun Pokemon shrugged before making a 'kissy face'. The two Pokemon laughed upon seeing Naruto's and Hinata's crimson blushes.

"I'll put you back in the Pokeball if you keep up that attitude." Naruto threatened the Volcano Pokemon. Typhlosion snorted.

"Typhlosion Phlo."

"True, you can just break out of it. I should talk to Professor Sarutobi about this and tell him his device is defective in a way." Naruto huffed. Hinata patted the boy's shoulder to calm his annoyance. Sakura and Sasuke blinked at the scene before looking at the two trainers.

"You can understand your Pokemon?" Sakura asked. Naruto and Hinata turned to their new travel companions.

"Yeah, but I can only understand Espeon and Naruto-kun can understand practically any Pokemon...wait, can't you understand your Pokemon, Sakura-san?" Hinata asked. Sakura shook her head.

"No." Bayleef sighed at that.

"Bay Bayleef Bay."

"She says you never tried." Naruto translated. Sakura chuckled nervously, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"Well I guess that IS true." Sakura said as she looked at Bayleef. The saurian Pokemon laughed at its trainer because of her expression.

"So how did you...know what they say?" Sasuke asked, curious about his rival's ability, glancing at Feraligatr as he did so. Naruto blinked before grinning mischievously.

"It's a secret, teme." Naruto laughed as Sasuke tried to hit him over the head.

"Dobe!" Sasuke roared as he continuously tried to pound his rival into the dirt, running circles around the group as they moved forward. Hinata put away her ribbon case before pausing as she heard the two rivals go silent. The others trainers and the Pokemon looked at them, the blonde and black haired trainers seemed to be looking around for something.

"Did you guys hear that?" Naruto asked.

"Hear what, Naruto?" Akatsuchi said.

"We didn't hear anything." Sakura added with a tilt of her head to emphasize her confusion. Naruto and Sasuke continued to look around before they sprinted down along the path towards Mahogany Town. The group continued to run, Naruto, Sasuke and their partners taking the lead.

"Oi, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out to her crush, "Where are you going?"

"Naruto-kun, hold up!" Hinata called after the blonde. Both boys didn't reply as they continued to follow the route. Suddenly, they skidded to a halt. Feraligatr and Typhlosion stood up on their hind legs and stared out in front of them. Hinata and Espeon looked to see what the four were looking at and gasped.

"No...No way!" The pale eyed girl stated.

The group had traversed through the current route, Route 42, and were now in front of a large body of water which separated them from the town of Mahogany. The body of water was also split in half by the large mountainous region that rose up. The mountain was known as Mt. Mortar. On the half of water that they were currently seeing, the trainers and their partner Pokemon were all gaping at what was before them. Standing atop the blue waters were the three Legendary Beasts.

Raikou, Entei and Suicune looked to be as if they were conversing amongst themselves before they turned. Their red eyes focusing on the trainers before them or rather on Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata. The three beasts stared, their overwhelming power could be felt by the entire group before they turned and walked along the waters as if it were solid ground. The three legendary Pokemon walked a few steps before turning back.

Raikou uttered a growl before turning back. Typhlosion looked to his trainer.

"Ty Typhlosion!"

"It wants us to follow?" The Volcano Pokemon nodded to the blonde trainer. Naruto tilted his head in confusion, but took out Quagsire's Pokeball and released the Mud Fish Pokemon. He then cursed as he realized that Mt. Mortar's formation had caused a large ridge to separate the group from the other side of the body of water. The Legendary Beasts turned back and made a motion to follow once more before leaping over the ridge as if it were a low hurdle.

"We'll pass through Mt. Mortar." Akatsuchi said, "I'm a Hiker, I can help you navigate through it easily. In fact, I have gone through this particular mountain many times." Naruto nodded.

"Come on, teme. " Naruto told his rival. Sasuke nodded before Feraligatr, Quagsire and Sakura's Marill, splashed down into the waters. After helping the group of trainers and their Pokemon in crossing the body of water to the entrance of Mt. Mortar, they entered the dark mountain.

"Agh, it's dark in here. I can barely see a thing." Naruto said, "Typhlosion, ignite your flames." The Volcano Pokemon nodded before the flames on its lower neck, sprung to life and provided a source of light for the group. He then released Ampharos as well and had the Light Pokemon charge electricity into its tail to act as a lightbulb.

"Good going, girl." Naruto patted the female Pokemon which baa-ed at the acknowledgement.

"Come on, this way." Akatsuchi directed the group as he used Typhlosion and Ampharos to help him lead the way. Along the way, the group had encountered various Pokemon and battled them to get them out of the way. Such Pokemon included the every present Zubat and Geodude along with some Machop, Naruto having caught one of them for the Pokedex, and Marill, which Hinata took the opportunity to capture to add it to her Pokedex.

Marill the Aqua Mouse Pokemon. A Water type Pokemon and the evolved form of Azurill. The tip of its tail, which contains oil that is lighter than water, lets it swim without drowning.

Machop the Superpower Pokemon. A Fighting type Pokemon. It loves to work out and build its muscles. It is never satisfied, even if it trains hard all day long.

Naruto blinked when he heard Hinata's Pokedex mention a Pokemon called Azurill.

"What's an Azurill? I've never heard of a Pokemon like that in Johto." The blonde said. Sakura then decided to answer, showing off her extreme intellect.

"An Azurill is the pre-evolved form of a Marill. The Azurill are actually a non-native Pokemon to Johto, having been founded in the far-off Hoenn Region." Sakura explained. Naruto made an 'o' with his mouth as the information registered in his mind.

"So unless we either breed the Marill or go to the Hoenn region, you're saying we can't see an Azurill?" Hinata asked. Sakura nodded.

"Exactly that." The pinkette replied. Akatsuchi then ushered for the group to hurry after him. After going through the mountain, which took much longer than they thought due to the mountain's many tunnels, they managed to find the exit and return to the land where the sun shone brightly.

"Phew, I thought we'd never get out of there." Sakura sighed, "I was feeling a little necrophobic back there."

"Necrophobic? I was feeling claustrophobic with how you kept so close to me." Sasuke scowled, "AND YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN!" He backed away from the green eyed girl before the group spotted the three Legendary Beasts waiting for them. Naruto returned Ampharos to its Pokeball. The group watched in confusion as Suicune gave a bark and Raikou and Entei nodded, giving roars and growls in response to their blue sibling. Raikou and Entei then glowed yellow and red, respetively. Lightning crackled around Raikou as it took off an unimaginable speeds like its fiery sibling. Entei had been coated with embers before it too took off at break-neck speeds. The two then vanished as blurs of red and yellow, leaving streaks of lightning and fire trailing behind them before the elements seemed to vanish into the air as if they were never there. The Aurora Pokemon then walked towards the group before ushering them to follow it. The group crossed the waters to reach the other half of Route 42 and watched as Suicune ran off leaving a streak of blue behind it due to the speed it was moving at, not waiting for them to catch up any longer.

"Come on, we have to catch up with it!" Naruto said as the group ran along Route 42. Naruto, Sasuke and Akatsuchi, beating the trainers that came along the way and aided in gaining some experience. Also, Hinata had managed to catch a wild Aipom during one of the boy's battles.

Aipom the Long Tail Pokemon. A Normal type Pokemon. Its tail is so powerful that it can use it to grab a tree branch and hold itself up in the air.

Finally, after much running, they came to a stop at the entrance of Mahogany Town. They looked around, frowning as they saw no sign of the legendary beast.

"Where did it go?" Hinata asked as she searched the rather small town for the legendary Pokemon.

"It probably was just hinting at us. Something must be happening HERE in Mahogany Town." Akatsuchi said. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he saw Feraligatr suddenly snarl as it spotted a man wearing a black suit, white gloves and boots and a black beret. A red 'R' was emblazoned on the chest.

"ROOT's HERE?" The protagonist trio exclaimed. Typhlosion and Espeon prepared for battle, but paused when they saw the ROOT member was not paying any attention to them.

"Wait...we don't want to cause any unwanted attention. If something is happening here in Mahogany Town, it best be done undercover." Akatsuchi said. The group surveyed the area. There were a number of ROOT grunts traversing the small town that was said to have been the birthplace of ninjas, once upon a time. Getting a bit bored, Naruto took out his Pokegear.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, I got this nifty Radio Card for my Pokegear after winning a little quiz at the Goldenrod City Radio Tower before ROOT took it over." Naruto informed his travelling companion, "Now we find a station to play some music and..." Naruto blinked when all he heard was static.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked, "Why is there no music playing?" The pale eyed girl tilted her head in confusion.

"You sure that thing is not defective, dobe?" Sasuke asked. Naruto tapped the piece of machinery lightly, but there was no change. He held up high into the air to see if it was the connection to the radio tower that was causing the trouble, but static was still heard.

"Something's not right." Naruto mused.

"Genius thinking, Naruto." Sakura said sarcastically. Naruto ignored the pink haired girl before closing down his Pokegear as he saw two ROOT members exit the town to go towards Route 43.

"Damn it...ROOT is always doing some shit." Naruto cursed. Feraligatr then poked its trainer with a claw before pointing at the tree near to the small shop that sold items as a replacement PokeMart.

"Hmm?" Sasuke followed the gaze of the Water type before sweatdropping as he spied the tree. "Oh...wow...that's such an epic fail." The raven haired boy commented. Everyone looked at the raven haired boy before following his gaze and repeated his action.

"I agree with the teme on this." Naruto deadpanned.

"You'd think people would pay attention to a large radio antenna coming out of a tree." Sakura added.

"That must be the cause of the radio interference here in Mahogany Town." Hinata hypothesized. However, just before they were about to try and destroy the antenna, a local of Mahogany Town walked up to them.

"Hello." The group of trainers and Pokemon turned to see a girl with long black hair. He wore a white shirt and black pants and had a dark blue cloak which was worn over it all. She had on a pair of black shoes and around her neck was an ice blue scarf. Attached to her scarf was a golden pin. The pin was a golden Pokeball with an orange Pikachu sitting atop the Pokeball as if it were waving. The words Pokemon League were inscribed on the midway mark of the Pokeball. A single senbon needle was being twirled in her hand.

"Hello...little girl that we have never met before" Akatsuchi greeted with an unsure tone. The girl chuckled before looking at the group.

"You all seem to be new to the town. I'm guessing you two..." She pointed at Naruto and Sasuke, "Are trainers and are looking to battle the gym leader here, correct?" Sasuke, Naruto, Feraligatr and Typhlosion nodded.

"Yup." Naruto replied. Sasuke didn't reply verbally. The girl nodded before looking to Route 43.

"Well, I'm a...representative for the gym leader. The gym leader has closed down the gym momentarily until the crisis at the Lake of Rage is over and done with." The girl said. The group blinked.

"Crisis?" Hinata asked.

"What kind of crisis?" Sakura added. The girl twirled her senbon a bit faster in a show of uneasiness.

"Well...you see these people in black here...they had appeared out of nowhere and have taken over the town. I can't do anything because I am just one person, however...you five seem to be strong trainers. Do you think you all can help me?" The girl asked. The group looked at each other before gathering in a circle.

"What do you guys think?" Naruto whispered.

"I don't know, she seems genuinely concerned for the problem..." Akatsuchi spoke.

"Yes, but remember what happened with Wallace?" Hinata added.

"I say we see what's going at the Lake of Rage up ahead." Sakura added, "It'd give us an idea to see what exactly is going on and besides that person has the official Pokemon League seal on her pin. Not everyone can get that pin." Sakura said to add credibility to her statement. The group nodded before turning to Sasuke.

"What's your take on this, Sasuke-kun?" The pinkette asked. Sasuke sighed.

"I don't know, but from what I see...this ROOT or whatever is a group of bad people. If something's going on at the lake on Route 43, we'd better check it out. Dobe, Hyuga and I should check it out. Hiker and Sakura can stay with the girl here and gather intel on whatever is going on in Mahogany during that time." Sasuke explained his plan.

"Sasuke-kun, that's such a brilliant plan." Sakura cooed.

"It's MY plan, of course it's brilliant." Sasuke scoffed. Naruto and Hinata turned to Akatsuchi.

"You okay with surveillance duty? I know you're one to go into the action." Naruto said.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Hinata added. Akatsuchi waved his hand.

"Nah, it's cool. Besides, I have Sakura and Bayleef here to keep me company." Akatsuchi said. The group nodded before turning back to the girl.

"We'll help you." Naruto stated. The girl smiled before bowing.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, but was caught off guard as Akatsuchi and Sakura grabbed her hands.

"Come on, we're going to see if we can find out what that antenna is used for and how it is related to ROOT." Sakura said.

"Bay Bayleef." The Grass type nodded with its trainer's statement. The girl nodded.

"We'll stay in touch with our Pokegears." Hinata said. The others nodded before looking at the girl with a confused look.

"By the way...what's your name?" Hinata asked. The girl grinned.

"I'm Haku...and by the way, I'm a boy." The girl-now-a-boy laughed loudly at the surprised faces on the trainers' and Pokemon's faces.

"WHAAAAAT!"

Route 43

Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, Feraligatr, Typhlosion and Espeon all ran along Route 43 to head for the Lake of Rage. Along the way, there were a few trainers, which were easily defeated, and a few wild Pokemon. Namely Girafarig, Venonat and wild Noctowl which they caught for their Pokedex-es.

Girafarig the Long Neck Pokemon. A Normal/Psychic type Pokemon. Its tail has a small brain of its own. Beware! If you get close, it may react to your scent and bite.

Venonat the Insect Pokemon. A Bug/Poison type Pokemon. Poison oozes from all over its body. It catches and eats small bugs at night that are attracted by light.

Noctowl the Owl Pokemon. A Normal/Flying type Pokemon and the evolved form of Hoothoot. Its eyes are specially adapted. They concentrate even faint light and enable it to see in the dark.

As they reached the entrance to the Lake of Rage, they entered the building that acted as the path between the two locations before spotting two ROOT members blocking the way to the other side. A pair of Houndour and Zubat were also with them.

"Oi, brats! If you wanna get by, it's 1000 Poke...each." The ROOT grunts said. The three twelve year old trainers gaped.

"THAT'S A FUCKING RIP-OFF!" Naruto roared.

"Do you KNOW what I can get for 1000 Poke? I can get A LOT of thing for 1000 Poke." Hinata added.

"Ty Typhlosion TY!"

"Espe Espeon!"

"Feraligaaaatr!"

The Pokemon voiced their opinions as well before the ROOT grunts looked at their Pokemon.

"Listen brats, it doesn't matter...if you want to get through, the pay the fee." The grunts had their Pokemon take a few paces forward causing their opponents to take a few steps back.

"How about this..." Naruto grinned, "TYPHLOSION, FLAME WHEEL!"

"FERALIGATR, WATER GUN!" Sasuke commanded.

"ESPEON, SHADOW BALL!" Hinata ordered her partner.

All three Pokemon let loose their attacks and easily knocked out the pair of Houndour and Zubat along with the ROOT grunts. Naruto reached into his bag and took out some of his spare Escape Ropes and used it to tie up the grunts and their Pokemon. After making sure the knots were tight enough, the trio of trainers and their Pokemon moved forward and headed for the Lake of Rage. However, as soon as they stepped out of the building, a sudden downpour crashed down on them. Typhlosion whimpered as his non-flammable fur was getting wet.

"Naruto-kun, I think you should put Typhlosion in his Pokeball." Naruto nodded to the pale eyed girl before returning the fire type. He then sent out Ampharos in exchange.

"Smart move, dobe. Ampharos' electrical attacks would be made more powerful with a rainstorm." Sasuke said. Naruto blinked before coughing.

"Ummm yeah, that...that was the plan." Naruto chuckled nervously. The Light Pokemon baa-ed in amusement at its trainer's 'idea'. The group continued towards the Lake of Rage before they heard a loud roar. The roar was practically deafening.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto cried over the howling winds of the rainstorm.

"Flaaaaaffy!" Flaffy ducked behind Naruto as the roar continued to echo through the air.

"I don't know, Naruto-kun, but...it sounds really bad." Hinata said.

"Espeon Espeon!" The Sun Pokemon looked around, even using its psychic abilities to try and apply a wider of range of sight, but to no avail. Sasuke and Feraligatr remained silent as they stared out at the raging waters as the lake held up to its name. Suddenly, the heard the sound of footsteps on the grass. The trio turned to see a figure garbed in a black cloak, the hood of the cloak prevented the figure's face from being visible.

"The source of the raging waters lies in the center of the lake." The figure spoke. The trio of trainers and Pokemon looked at the figure before the figure turned to them. Lightning flashed revealing only a half of the figure's face, revealing it to be male and having black hair and eyes.

"Who...Who are you?" Naruto stood in front Hinata protectively. The man did not respond before looking at the three.

"You best hurry, else the Red Gyarados goes on a rampage." The figure spoke, "I will come to you three when you find yourselves in the ROOT Headquarters." The three trainers and their Pokemon looked at the figure in confusion before a flash of lightning blinded them. When they opened their eyes, the figure was gone.

"Who was that guy?" Hinata asked.

"He looked...familiar." Sasuke said as he pondered on the look on the figure.

"You know him, teme?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"I can't say for sure, but maybe if I get a better look at his face the next time we meet him. Besides, he gave us a clue. ROOT Headquarters are most likely here in Mahogany Town."

"He also said something about a Red Gyarados, but that's not right...Gyarados are blue. Right?" Naruto asked, a bit unsure of the fact-turned-opinion.

"That's what we've known, maybe it is a Shiny Pokemon." Hinata guessed.

"Shiny Pokemon?" Sasuke asked, confused as to what a Shiny was.

"Shiny Pokemon are Pokemon that are shown to be a different colour to their original forms. They are, by legend, said to be blessed by the Pokemon gods of this region, Lugia and Ho-oh." Hinata explained for the Uchiha. Sasuke nodded before they heard the loud roar once more. Naruto quickly took out Quagsire as he and Ampharos climbed atop the water/ground type, and Sasuke then leaped atop Feraligatr.

"Hyuga, send out your Pokemon and let's go." The coal eyed boy stated.

"Well you see, I have no large Pokemon to carry me across. I only have Furret, and though it may know Surf...I don't think it would handle these waters very well." She looked at the raging waves of the Lake of Rage. Sasuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Teme, give her and Espeon a ride on Feraligatr." Naruto said.

"What?" The Uchiha argued.

"No time to argue, Sasuke!" Sasuke blinked. Naruto almost never called him by his first name, always 'teme'. He noted the seriousness in Naruto's gaze before nodding.

"Fine...climb on Hyuga. Make sure Espeon holds on tight." Hinata thanked the boy before sitting atop the Big Jaw Pokemon's back with Espeon, gripping one of its protruding spines to remain steady. As a safety measure, they quickly placed their Pokedex-es and their Pokegears and other important items that were in their pockets, into their backpacks so that they wouldn't get wet.

"Good thing we have water-proof backpacks too." Naruto jokingly added. The group then set out through the waters. The water type Pokemon battled the wild waters of the Lake of Rage, the roars of the creature of the lake, the Red Gyarados, as the man before had stated, getting louder indicating they were getting closer to their intended target. Hinata took out her Pokegear and looked at the map of the Lake of Rage.

"Okay, we've reached the center of the lake. That strange person back there said how the cause of the storm lies here." Hinata said. She and her fellow trainers observed the area, spotting no anomalies of any sort.

"But there's nothing here, Hina-chan!" Naruto called from his spot with Quagsire and Ampharos. However, as he said that, the water gurgled and swirled before a large pillar of liquid suddenly erected itself. The three trainers gasped at the immense size of the pillar. The water then fell away to reveal that it was not a pillar of water. Red scales shone in the light of the lightning. Its roar echoed like the thunder. Piercing black eyes zeroed in on the three trainers before it. Its serpentine body seemed to stretch for miles deep beneath the waves.

"N-N-N-No way!" Hinata gaped.

"He was right." Sasuke said.

"The...The Red...The Red Gyarados!"

The Red Gyarados roared and suddenly began to thrash about, its tail generating large splashes of water. The crimson scaled reptile's jaws opened wider than they already seemed to be before launching towards the trio with amazing speed. However, its head was knocked back as Feraligatr and Quagsire used Surf to knock it back with a massive tidal wave. Gyarados became submerged beneath the water...a grave mistake on their part. Gyarados' speed was seemingly unparalleled in the water.

"AMPHOROS, USE YOUR TAIL TO GIVE US SOME LIGHT!" Naruto called to his electric type. The Light Pokemon performed the act that gave it its species name as a large red light covered the surface of the lake in a thirty mile radius.

"Right, now we'll be able to see the stupid Gyarados!" Naruto cheered.

"YOU IDIOT, THE THING IS UNDER WATER!" Naruto sweatdropped.

"Oh...SO HOW DO WE FIGHT IT?" Naruto yelled. Suddenly the water rose up behind Feraligatr and the water/flying type released a roar as it performed Thrash. The attack sent Feraligatr through the air along with its three passengers.

"Feraligatr, use Ice Fang on the water to give us a surface!" Sasuke yelled. The Big Jaw Pokemon nodded as it dove down into the water before the two trainers and Espeon. Suddenly the water froze and Sasuke, Hinata and Espeon landed atop it.

"NARUTO-KUN!" Hinata called out to the blonde for him to come over to their ice float. Feraligatr and Espeon fended off the Red Gyarados with Water Gun and Ice Fang, and Psybeam and Shadow Ball. The attack which were slowly, but surely, holding it back. Naruto quickly directed Quagsire to the icy piece of land in the middle of the lake and had Quagsire swim off to aid its fellow water type.

"AMPHAROS, THUNDERSHOCK!" Naruto commanded. The Electric type nodded before releasing a bolt of blue lightning at the water/flying type. The crimson Gyarados released a roar of pain as it began to shudder from the paralysis effect, however it was still thrashing about wildly. A side-effect of using Thrash as it was now confused. Feraligatr and Quagsire were knocked back by its tail, but the two fired off twin Water Guns and nailed the Pokemon in the face sending it reeling back from the force.

"FERALIGATR, ICE FANG!" Feraligatr used its amazing swimming prowess to avoid the thrashing tail of the serpentine Pokemon before leaping and aimed its ice covered teeth at the Red Gyarados. However, the Red Gyarados got over its confusion and spied the Big Jaw Pokemon's form before releasing a roar. The water gurgled beneath the waves and another Gyarados, a blue one, appeared and took the powerful strike and it was suddenly frozen in a block of ice. The Red Gyarados roared before knocking aside its frozen brethren like it was a piece of trash before launching its tail at Feraligatr and sent the starter Pokemon beneath the waves.

"What...What did it just do?" Hinata gasped as she saw the frozen Gyarados' form.

"Apparently it has the ability to control the other Gyarados in the lake." Sasuke said as he saw the Red Gyarados roar once more and three more blue Gyarados appear. Ampharos' Thundershock easily took them out though as the storm had upgraded its electrical power.

"We have to take that thing down!" Naruto yelled with unbridled fury, "Even though Gyarados are unable to cooperate with one another...even if this Red Gyarados could control the other blue ones...it's unbelievable that it would use them as decoys to allow for it's own survival." Naruto glared at the crimson reptile before turning to Sasuke and Hinata.

"TAKE IT DOWN!" The two other trainers nodded to the blonde before they looked at the Red Gyarados.

"FERALIGATR USE ICE FANG!" The Big Jaw Pokemon leaped at the Red Gyarados, but a blue one took the hit, freezing into a block of ice. However, Quagsire launched a powerful Water Gun at the crimson serpent and caused its head to tilt from the force. However, the Red Gyarados took a deep breath and fired off a blast of purple flame.

The Dragon Rage attack managed to hit Quagsire, sending it flying back. Quagsire used Surf to catch itself and slammed the wave against the large serpent before it was struck by Espeon's Shadow Ball. The Atrocious Pokemon roared and suddenly a large typhoon erupted out of the water. The Twister attack sucked in Feraligatr and Quagsire and sent them skyward. The large Pokemon then released a powerful Dragon Rage at them, however the attack was intercepted by Ampharos' Thundershock.

"Use Thundershock again!" Naruto commanded. The Light Pokemon released the electrical move, but the Red Gyarados dove beneath the water, however, Feraligatr didn't let it as it used Surf to force Gyarados back to the surface. Espeon then launched a powerful Psybeam, nailing it between the eyes. Quagsire performed Surf and crashed its hard skull against Gyarados' own. The Atrcious Pokemon became dazed for a few seconds and thus gave Ampharos enough time to launch a Thundershock attack. The bolt of blue lightning struck the Pokemon and the super effective move caused the Red Gyarados to spasm before it got over it. It released a roar.

"What the hell is with this thing?" Sasuke yelled as he commanded Feraligatr use Ice Fang.

"It's stronger than any regular Gyarados!" Hinata exclaimed.

"ROOT must have done something to it, probably to make it as a weapon!" Naruto said.

Ampharos used Thundershock and it sent Gyarados skidding backwards before it was slammed by twin Surf attacks, courtesy of Quagsire and Feraligatr. Espeon launched Psybeams and Shadow Balls sending the Water/Flying type's head reeling backwards from the blows. However, it recovered quicker than expected and performed a Thrash attack. Quagsire and Feraligatr were knocked back and the ice floe was beginning to crack a bit from the waters forcefully crashing against it. Red Gyarados performed Dragon Rage, but Feraligatr countered with Water Gun and a small explosion formed before a Twister attack sent Feraligatr into the air. Espeon used a burst of telekinetic energy to help Feraligatr land in the water without hurting itself before launching a Psybeam. The Red Gyarados performed Twister to shield itself from the attack before sending the cyclone towards the ice flow. However, Ampharos used a powerful Thundershock to split it apart, but as the lightning bolt continued towards the Red Gyarados, it dodged an fired a blast of purple flame.

The Dragon Rage attack was deflected as Espeon and Ampharos used Iron Tail to redirect it before sending forth Thundershock and Shadow Ball attacks. The crimson Atrocious Pokemon ducked and performed a multitude of Thrash attacks, sending all the Pokemon flying through the air. It was a miracle that the ice floe the three trainers were on was still intact. Espeon and Ampharos were quickly transported to the floe by Quagsire before the Mud Fish Pokemon used a Surf attack. the large wave sped towards the Red Gyarados only for a blue one to take the hit. It was then hit by the Red Gyarados, a nasty bruise forming on its skull, as it was knocked out of the way before firing a Dragon Rage.

"Quagsire use Water Gun!" The Mud Fish Pokemon let loose a strong jet of water and clashed with the Dragon Rage. Feraligatr then dove down as Espeon and Amphoros aided to keep Quagsire from falling victim to the purple flames by keeping it at bay with Psybeam and Thundershock. Feraligatr then dove down as deep as it could manage before turning around and swam back up. Its tail and legs were pumping furiously before it burst out of the water. Red Gyarados spied the Big Jaw Pokemon before channeling more power into the attack and a small explosion formed before it roared. A blue Gyarados took the Ice Fang attack that was intended for it and the freezing effect of the attack took over.

The Red Gyarados seemed to give Feraligatr 'Eat that bitch!' look before firing a Twister from its jaws. The Big Jaw Pokemon dug its claws into the frozen blue Gyarados' frozen form to keep from being sent back. The Red Gyarados was then hit by a Psybeam and Water Gun, and Feraligatr used the opportunity to jump from atop the frozen blue Gyarados and performed Crunch. The Red Gyarados cried out in pain as the teeth pierced its flesh. Feraligatr let go before kicking off of the large water type as a powerful barrage of Shadow Balls crashed against it, knocking it backwards. The dazed Gyarados moved through the water as it was shot by a Psybeam attack. The confusion status afflicted its being causing it to go into a rage. Rage and Thrash made a deadly combination as its attack power rose up and it began to lash out with its body, slamming it against Quagsire and Feraligatr. The two water types were hit by the powerful Pokemon's tail multiple times before a strong headbutt crashed into them. The two water types skipped along the water's surface before coming to a stop in front of the ice floe where the trainers were.

"Take a good rest, Quagsire." Naruto said as he saw how tired the dual type Pokemon was.

"Hina-chan, keep it confused with Psybeam! Sasuke, use Feraligatr to deal damage!" Naruto said.

"And what are you going do?" Sasuke asked. Naruto looked at the storm, lightning arcing across the cumulonimbus clouds that made its being.

"I'm going to prepare Gyarados for the shock of its life." Naruto grinned widely. Sasuke and Hinata stared at the blonde before smirking.

"You better not mess up, dobe!" Sasuke said as he and and Hinata commanded their Pokemon to hold off the gargantuan Pokemon. Naruto turned to Amphoros.

"Launch a Thundershock into the sky!" Naruto commanded. Amphoros nodded before launching multiple, powerful bolts of electricity into the clouds. The clouds suddenly flashed blue as the lightning moved through the clouds.

It is said that lightning is the movement of electrons from a negatively charged area to a positively charged area before returning back to the negatively charged area. The light in lightning is one of the energy emissions from lightning. The fact is that lightning moves just like that, from the ground, up and then back to the ground and it occurs so fast...that is looks like lightning moves from the clouds to the ground.

Naruto smirked as he saw a blue flash above Ampharos.

"NOW AMPHAROS...THUNDER PUNCH!" Ampharos' fist suddenly became coated with yellow electricity as it leaped into the air. "HINA-CHAN, GIVE AMPHAROS A BOOST!"

"ESPEON!" Hinata commanded. Espeon fired a Shadow Ball at Red Gyarados before turning to the electric type and sent a pulse of telekinetic energy, sending the Light Pokemon higher into the air.

"TEME, PUT GYARADOS CLOSER TO US!" Sasuke nodded.

"FERLIAGATR, SURF!" The Big Jaw Pokemon nodded before it swam around Gyarados and hit it with an Ice Fang and Crunch combo to damage it before backflipping off of its body. As it was in the air, Feraligatr called upon the waters and a large tidal wave rose up and crashed down upon the Red Gyarados with enough force to send it towards the ice floe the three trainers were atop of.

"Come on, come on." Naruto looked at his rising Pokemon. Then the lightning struck. Naruto smirked as it met Ampharos' body.

"Sasuke, get Feraligatr out of the water!" Hinata said. Sasuke looked as Ampharos seemed to levitate from the amount of electricity being absorbed into its body from the lightning bolt. Sasuke nodded and had the Big Jaw Pokemon remove itself from the water.

"IKUZOOOOO!" Naruto yelled. Ampharos dove down at break-neck speeds as it became encased in blue lightning.

"AMPHAROS, FINISH IT OFF!" Naruto yelled, "THUNDERPUNCH!"

"AAAAAAMMMMMPHAROOOOSSSSSSSS!" The Light Pokemon threw back its fist as it neared the Red Gyarados' forehead before letting it loose. A large flash of electricity filled the air and the water as the attack made contact...or so they thought.

Team Rocket HQ

"Leader-sama, there appears to be something interfering with the Red Gyarados!" A ROOT grunt informed the violet eyed leader. The leader closed his eyes in concentration.

The Red Gyarados was the product of the experiment of using electromagnetic waves to induce evolution of a Pokemon. When they had done so in the Lake of Rage, a golden Magikarp had made itself known and revealed itself to be a Shiny Pokemon. However, the electromagnetic waves turned it into a rampaging Red Gyarados. It suddenly became the leader of the Gyarados within the lake and it seemed as if the Pokemon had developed higher levels of thinking than the other Gyarados as it developed strategies to avoid capture when ROOT had tried to take it in and use it for studies. Thus the reason they had to resort to using the Shiny Vulpix from the Pokeathlon in Goldenrod City.

"Leader-sama, what do we do? The thing interfering are mere children and their Pokemon. They are probably aiming to catch it." The grunt informed the leader. The leader smirked at that as he activated the cameras surrounding the Lake of Rage. He saw an Ampharos leap into the air and saw it catch a lightning bolt and descend with a powerful Thunder Punch.

"Activate the flash freeze whirlpool and bring the Gyarados, the children and their Pokemon to the base." Leader said. The grunt looked shocked.

"Leader-sama are you..."

"I SAID DO IT, YOU SIMPLETON!" The Leader roared. The grunt gulped, but complied before going off to activate the whirlpool. The leader grinned as he watched from the monitors as the Ampharos was about to make contact only for a sudden swirl of water to appear and cause the Thunder Punch to miss, though the electrical energy still electrocuted the Shiny Pokemon. The trio of trainers and their Pokemon also descended into the whirlpool and they were helpless against it. As he saw the group disappear within the depths of the whirlpool there was a sudden flash of blue and the entire Lake of Rage froze over.

The Leader grinned before getting up from his leather chair.

"Ruby, Sapphire, Wallace!" The Leader barked into the PA system. Within a minute, the leader's three children stood present before him.

"Yes, father." The three bowed to their parent.

"Come with me." The three children looked confused as they followed their father out of the office that had become a home to the violet eyed leader of ROOT.

"Where are we going?" Sapphire asked.

"What are we doing?" Ruby asked.

The Leader smirked at their questions before he was handed a white cloak from Wallace. The leader put it on, the symbol for ROOT in crimson was emblazoned on the back of the cloak.

The leader chuckled. "Well, children...I think it's obvious what we're going to do...We're going to welcome our guests."

(A/N: Well that's chapter 14. Hope you guys liked it. I know it's not as long as my other chapters, but I cut it short because all the good stuff in the ROOT base doesn't really suit this chapter. Also, another reason I cut it short is because I want to build suspense as to who I made the Champion (a.k.a black hooded figure). Did I surprise you guys with the appearance of Haku? Note, I will be having a little quiz as to ask you all...who, or should I say what...is Haku to Mahogany Town? The answer is rather obvious to anyone with half a brain so I expect many of you readers to get it out. Well please review, REVIEW, REVIEW! Until chapter 15 of Naruto: Johto Journeys, The Belly of the Beast.)

Pokedex: Seen-90

Caught-71

Character Bio: Shino Aburame

Eye Colour: Black

Hair Colour: Brown

About: Shino is a quiet boy who is rather intelligent. His ability to come up with strategies is second only to the Shikamaru and is third when it comes to coming up with them on the fly as Naruto outclasses him in that aspect in strategic planning. His love of Bug Pokemon originated from the fact that his father, Shibi Aburame, the gym leader of Azalea Town, had let him mingle with these specific types of Pokemon. His dream is to become the Pokemon League Champion and to be a master of Bug type Pokemon like his idol, Aaron of the Sinnoh Region.

Naruto's Team:

Typhlosion(Male)

Pidgeot(Male)

Heracross(Male)

Quagsire(Female)

Amphoros(Female)

Eevee(Male)

Hinata's Team:

Espeon (Female)

Butterfree(Female)

Nidoran(Female)

Skiploom(Female)

Furret(Male)

Togepi(Male)