A New Life Chapter Twenty-Five

A/N: Man, this was definitely one of the harder chapters to write. Anyways, there won't be much action in this chapter, as it's more of a bridging chapter. The action will come in the next chapter.

Oh and with this chapter, the word count for the story has shot over 300k! Woohoo! Goku's Power levels can't compare to this! XD (who cares about NINE THOOOOUSAAAND?)

Oh and one more thing. Credit and thanks go to RedPriest17 for the info about the Limbec Pirates! He's awesome!

Alright, enough of my craziness. Now for the story. Remember to review!

"And the winner is…Jigokuno Uzumaki!" The referee declared much to the delight of the spectators. After all, they came here to support Naruto. They would naturally want him to win. Their hopes were dashed though when the referee continued speaking.

"Tamer Rod, you have a Dragoness that is fit for battle. Do you wish to send her out?" Rod had to control himself to keep himself from screaming at his opponent. The referee was just doing his job which stated that he had to ask this question.

"No, I do not." Rod replied as he returned Ciel to her Pokeball while his opponent did the same with his Leviathan. Fit for battle? His Dragoness could not even stand now, let alone battle. This was his loss and he would not be sore about it.

Walking over to his opponent, he stuck his hand and said, "That was a very good match."

Thankfully, his opponent did not gloat over his victory. In fact, he was very gracious about it. He grasped Rod's hand tightly and even though Rod could not see his face, he could sense that the masked Tamer was smiling. "Agreed. It was a very close match. It could have gone either way at the end."

The leader of the Elite Four then released the handshake and walked off towards the exit. When he saw that his opponent was not following him, he stopped and beckoned towards the masked Tamer. "I have a very good Pokecentre here as well. If you follow me, the NurseJoy can heal your Pokegirls' wounds too.

Naruto nodded and followed after his opponent, catching up easily to Rod. Although Rod was surprised at the speed that the masked Tamer possessed, he said nothing, choosing instead to listen to Uzumaki's question.

"That last attack, it was a Mega Flare attack, wasn't it?"

"Indeed."

"I do not believe that technique was one of those listed under a Leviathan's move list."

Rod grinned slyly. "Neither were many of the other moves that you and I both employed."

Both of them shared a laugh then. It was true. Neither of them were the least bit conventional when it came to battles. Heck, they were abnormal in almost every single way.

"Why did you let Ciel learn Mega Flare though? It is quite a circumstantial technique to use."

Rod nodded his head. "It is indeed a hard technique to utilise. The Pokegirl using Mega Flare must be at half of her hit points or less. In addition to that, charging the Mega Flare up takes thrice as long as charging a Hyper Beam up. However, the immense damage is more than worth it."

Naruto arched an eyebrow under his mask. Immense damage was hardly ever worth a slow and cumbersome and delivery.

Rod seemed to sense his companion's skepticism. "Tamers battle not only in sanctioned battles." He elaborated.

Naruto got it immediately. The Mega Flare was normally a technique reserved for when he encountered enemies that were not governed by rules. It was in that time when his other Pokegirls would cover for the Leviathan, allowing the Leviathan to wipe out the enemies in one blow. It was similar to what he had planned for Kidara.

Conversation halted then as the two of them arrived at the Pokecentre and both of them handed their Pokegirls over. Silence permeated the room as both Tamers waited anxiously for the NurseJoy to return, worried about the state of their Pokegirls.

The minutes seemed to stretch for what seemed like an eternity before the NurseJoy returned, smiling at both distraught Tamers. "Your Pokegirls are all fine. However, I need more time for Rod's Leviathan because it sustained pretty heavy injuries. Is that all right?"

Both Tamers nodded their heads, sighing in relief. It was good to know that their Pokegirls would be fine. They had taken some pretty heavy damage from the fights. Suddenly, Naruto turned towards Rod and bowed deeply.

"I am sorry for all of the injuries that Rylai has caused to Ciel. Please forgive her."

Rod pulled Naruto up, chuckling lightly. "Don't worry about it. After all, that is what little that I could do to help you."

"Help me?" Naruto asked warily. He did not like where this was going.

"I'm not your average Tamer, you know? I know that you are planning something big, Jigokuno Uzumaki."

"I know not of what 'big plans' you talking about. I'm just a Tamer that managed to climb up here through sheer hard work."

Rod narrowed his eyes. His companion had spoken with a perfectly level with not a single tremble to be detected. He had also detected no signs of surprise from his body language, although the robe did a lot to help hide it. Had his hypothesis been wrong? No, he could not be wrong about this. He had never been surer about something in his life.

"Come, let us go to somewhere private while we wait for NurseJoy to finish her work. This matter is too important to be spoken about openly."

Naruto simply nodded and followed after the dragon Tamer. He had to know how close Rod had come to the truth, and also to determine if Rod had told anyone else. If Rod turned out to be an enemy…Naruto slipped his hands under his robes and fingered the hilt of Ryuutsume lightly. It would be just one more death.

Naruto sat before a table as Rod bustled around his room before he placed a mug full of steaming dark liquid in front of him.

"Want some hot chocolate? Don't worry, I didn't poison it." Rod as he sat opposite Naruto and drank deeply from his mug, exhaling loudly as he did so. It had been way too long since he had gone without something sweet.

Naruto made no move to touch his own mug. He was not afraid of poison, seeing as his Youki would easily wipe out any traces of poison in his body. Rather, he did not want to reveal his face in front of someone that he could not fully trust. He could just down it swiftly in one gulp, but that tended to be quite uncomfortable for his throat.

Rod soon understood why Naruto was declining to take his drink. He shrugged then, as though it did not matter to him at all. "Well if you wish to retain your secrecy, go ahead. I already know your identity, anyways."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at that. Discovered his identity? That was pretty much impossible. He had covered his tracks so well that even the governments of the world combined, along with Team Trauma could not figure him out.

"Please, enlighten me on your discoveries." Naruto said calmly. "I too would like to know how I should proceed from here onwards."

"Very well then. Let me first start with the time when you first made your 'appearance'. Approximately two months ago, a masked Tamer suddenly popped up from nowhere and challenged the Gym Leader of Pewter City, Brock. With a single Samurai, he mopped the floor with the Gm Leader and demolished the Gym in the process. He then proceeded to do the same with three other Gyms, only with different Pokegirls."

Seeing that his hot chocolate had somewhat cooled down, Naruto took a swift drink, downing half of it before Rod had even blinked. Once he was done, he spoke once more. "What is your purpose in repeating things that I know just as well you do?"

Rod simply continued on, unperturbed by Naruto's jab. "If you look at it from a casual bystander's point of view, it might be a stunt done by Jigokuno Uzumaki in order to garner attention to himself. The mask and the secrecy surrounding him is simply an act to make him more mysterious, thus increasing his popularity. Taking part in my challenge to fight me head-on can be seen as a way for Jigokuno Uzumaki to make the leap to being world-famous easily."

"However, one should never make biased judgments or look from solely one point of view. Now, what do you think this fellow would want from entering my challenge other than popularity, hmm?"

Naruto chose to make no answer, observing Rod closely and dissecting his words carefully, prepared to move should he come to an unsuitable conclusion.

"The only other things that he would want would be the prize or the act of fighting me itself. However, we can dismiss simply wanting to fight me. Do you know why? That is because you were extremely relaxed when pitting yourself against me. You did not fight as though it was life or death. Instead, you fought with a relaxed manner, as though you had already accomplished your goals."

"To fight hard to reach me, and yet relax when actually fighting me? That could only mean that your goal was the prize of the ship that I was giving out."

Rod then paused and took another drink before he continued. "Let us now put that aside and return to the Gym Battles. If we dismiss the idea of the stunts being for popularity, then what could be the purpose be?"

Rod wagged his finger at Naruto then. His whole demeanor had changed, although because of the hot chocolate or because of the joy of revealing his revelations Naruto did not know.

"The only purpose left would be for training. If you examine it closely, you can see that Jigokuno Uzumaki purposely chose the most difficult kind of Gyms for his Pokegirls; Rock-Type for a sword-using Pokegirl, a Psychic Gym for an illusion-using Pokegirl and so on and so forth. That then begs the question. What is Jigokuno Uzumaki training his Pokegirls for, if not solely for the act of fighting me?"

Rod took in another drink, frowning as his cup was emptied. "This is when we return to Jigokuno Uzumaki wanting the prize of the ship. With his capabilities, it would be far easier to compete in other tournaments and get the money to buy his own ship. However, he just had to get one that was the best there could be. Where could he travel that such a good ship is required? The only answer to be gotten is the Dark Continent."

Rod grinned as he leaned in even closer. "Now, let us bring in the fact that Macavity has been following Jigokuno Uzumaki for quite some time. It is well known that Macavity and Jenova are very well-acquainted. This other fact is rather less-known, but Jenova is rumoured to have created Sanctuary which is located somewhere in the Dark Continent. Going along this line of thinking, it can be deduced that Jigokuno Uzumaki is searching for Jenova."

At this, Naruto's grip on Ryuutsume tightened slightly. How had Rod managed to deduce so much through what seemed to be scattered pieces of information? He was stopped from acting when Rod continued to speak.

"However, I suspect there is more to searching for Jenova. Let us now discuss Jigokuno Uzumaki's secret sixth Pokegirl which has never been revealed to the world. A few months ago, the headquarters of Team Trauma was suddenly destroyed."

Government agencies raided the ruins immediately afterwards. However, they found that while there were records of an Eva being experimented on to evolve into an Evangelion, there were no traces of the Eva. Some time later, Team Trauma unleashed a clone of Infernus which died mysteriously, possibly due to genetic problems."

"And then, after a short while passed, the Tamer known as Jigokuno Uzumaki appeared to the world. Coincidence? I think not."

Naruto growled then. "Your argument is convoluted. What are you trying to imply?"

Rod simply smiled merrily and held up his Pokedex. "Using this, I managed to discover the fact that Tamer Uzumaki Naruto was there at Team Trauma's base on the day of its destruction."

This took Naruto by surprise. He had modified his Pokedex such that it was totally untraceable by even the government satellites!

"Of course, it was not easy confirming that. Uzumaki Naruto had modified his Pokedex to make it untraceable. However, safeguards that are built can be easily demolished if the opponent is smart enough."

"Even so, I do not see how that concerns me."

Rod's smile grew wider. "Of course it does. I suspect that on that day, Uzumaki Naruto somehow managed to capture the Evangelion and that Jigokuno Uzumaki is Uzumaki Naruto, with your secret sixth Pokegirl being the Evangelion!"

"And, now that it has been established, let me now give my final conclusion. Based on the fact that Typhonna is awakening and the fact that you possess an Evangelion, you are planning to use Jenova and Kidara to locate Typhonna and take her down before she awakens fully!"

Rod's joy at unveiling his companion was cut short when he suddenly felt the edge of a naked blade touching his neck. "Give me one reason why I should keep you alive now, Rod." Naruto hissed.

"Other than my adorable looks?"

Rod stopped joking when the blade pressed deeper into his neck, drawing blood. His face grew serious as he spoke. "Firstly, you wouldn't be able to get the ship with me dead. Secondly, I am on your side."

"Prove it."

"I have not told this to anyone else other than you. Not even my Pokegirls know of this."

Naruto lowered his blade at that. With that admission, it essentially meant that Rod's life was almost useless now. The both of them knew that Naruto could easily steal the ship away now that he was in Rod's residence. However, by admitting that he was the only one who possessed this knowledge, it would only give Naruto extra incentive to kill him. Rod had placed his life in Naruto's hands fully.

"Very well, I'll trust you for now. How did you come to the conclusion that I was Uzumaki Naruto?" Naruto asked, truly curious for once.

Rod did not answer immediately, choosing to take out a lollipop instead. He needed something to calm himself down after that near-death experience.

"Trust me, it wasn't easy. There were many times when I wrote you being Uzumaki Naruto off the list altogether and investigated someone else instead until I got additional inspiration."

"Cut to the chase."

'Alright, alright…relax, yo?" Rod said as he waved his arms in front of him. It seemed like Naruto was still pretty on edge from the earlier revelations. Rod could not blame him either. He knew he had alleviated some of the suspicion through his earlier gamble, but he would not be able to gain Naruto's full trust.

"Well, after your magnificent victory at Brock's Gym, I just had to know who you were. To my disappointment, Brock knew nothing about you, seeing as he had not bothered to scan you. I put it out of my mind, waiting till the next time you took part in another battle. To my surprise, once again, the Gym Leader did not scan you for your info. In fact, none of the Gym Leaders did!"

"So, in order to sate my curiosity, I hacked the satellites of the Blue League and tracked down the Pokedexes that were present during your battle with Brock. Not many Tamers know this, but other than being a tool for Tamers, Pokedexes are also installed with a device that allows the government to track them down should they ever go rogue. The ingenious part about this is that it is so flawlessly merged with the system that it cannot be removed without destroying the Pokedex."

Naruto nodded. He knew that part from experience. Something Rod said caught his attention though. "Wait, you hacked the Blue League's satellites?"

The leader of the Elite Four simply shrugged. "I wanted to know your true identity. Besides, it's not like they could ever catch me. I'm too good."

Naruto sighed. Despite his intelligence, Rod simply had not experienced as much as he had, making his dealings more…immature.

"Alright, continue."

"Well when I tracked the Pokedexes down, one of them was recognized to be Brock's, and the other, to my utter surprise, was blocked. I eventually managed to get around the protective measures set up around the Pokedex after a few days of non-stop work and found that Jigokuno Uzumaki was a Tamer with the name Johann Green."

"And, just as the Pokedex stated, he had a Samurai in his Harem. Tamer Johann Green then entered a Pokegirl Battle almost immediately after the Gym Battle and used all six of his Pokegirls. However, the weird thing is, he never once used a Samurai even though he had not had time to visit the Pokecentre!"

"The next time Jigokuno Uzumaki took part in a Gym Battle; his Pokedex registered him as a Tamer going by the name Andrew Wiggins. In the following Gym Battle, his identity switched once more. In fact, every time before he left and entered a Gym, he would somehow manage to switch identities."

"That was when I mused to myself. Could Jigokuno Uzumaki be so skilled as to wipe and create a whole new identity in the Pokedex in mere moments? It was only when you entered Koga's Gym that I found out what you were doing. In that battle, you took on the identity of Edwin Real. However, Edwin Real had just lost against Koga. A rematch in such a short span of time could not have been possible. The only other reason is that Jigokuno Uzumaki has been somehow switching Pokedexes!"

Naruto grinned under his mask at that. He never thought there would be someone in the world that would have been able to detect. His mind then drifted to the lobby of the Fuchsia Gym.

A voiced sounded through the speakers then. "Please ask him to wait for a moment. I shall be done with my challenger soon." Almost as soon as the voice had spoken, a hole opened in the wall beside Naruto which a young Tamer fell through.

He was pasty looking and was trembling all over. "That Koga…he's insane, having that Pokegirl in his Harem. No wonder he hasn't been beaten before." Standing up, he saw Naruto standing up beside him and immediately rushed forward to grasp Naruto's hands. "You're that mask Tamer who beat Sabrina and Brock, right?" he exclaimed.

It was then that he had performed the switch of the Pokedexes. Setting up the protection had been easy as he had created a device which would upload the 'program' into the Pokedexes, setting up a defense in mere seconds. He returned his attention to Rod as the dragon Tamer continued speaking.

"I then continued to track Jigokuno Uzumaki through the Pokedexes that he was using. Each time, I needed lesser time to crack the defenses. However, it was still too long. By the time I had finished cracking the defenses; Jigokuno Uzumaki had already switched Pokedexes. It was then that I realized this was a wild goose chase."

Rod then glared at Naruto, unhappy at having been played for a fool. "In the case that he was being tracked, Jigokuno Uzumaki pulled off this elaborate trick. The defenses were not there to fully protect him, but rather give him enough time to switch Pokedexes. The switching of the Pokedexes was supposed to lead the pursuer on a never-ending chase, with Jigokuno Uzumaki always being in the lead. His location and identity would never be revealed."

"Having realized that, I then turned to another method. I hacked into the files of the entire world's governments and began searching for any Tamer who possessed any of the FrostWyrm's evolution lines. I then began tracking them down one by one. It didn't take very long, seeing as there are very few Tamers who have one of them, and most of them did not even possess half the guile that Jigokuno Uzumaki did."

"Slowly, one by one, I narrowed it down to Tamer Uzumaki Naruto. I was elated to learn that he even had a Vampire. This made the match even closer. However, after the Vampire, Uzumaki Naruto seemed to gaining no new Pokegirls. However, I continued tracking him down, because the defenses in the Pokedex were quite similar to the ones employed by Jigokuno Uzumaki. I tracked him all the way to when he appeared in the Team Trauma Headquarters, after which he was suddenly registered as 'Dead'."

Rod leaned back in his chair, sighing wistfully. "It was then that I almost gave up all hope. With Uzumaki Naruto dead, that removed all of the Tamers who possessed a FrostWyrm. Of course, there was a probability that Jigokuno Uzumaki had gotten his Pokegirls only after he hacked his Pokedex, but that would mean that I would have to search through the entire world's Tamers. I wouldn't be able to do it even with ten lifetimes."

"How then did you link Uzumaki Naruto to be me?"

Rod chuckled then. "Believe it or not, it was due to a stray thought. I was thinking at that time. I was thinking that it seemed like Jigokuno Uzumaki had dropped off the face of the Earth. In fact, it would probably be easier tracking down a dead man lost in the middle of nowhere. It was then that I wondered…if it was possible to create such an elaborate protective system, then would it be possible to fake a death status."

Rod pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and examined it. There was only a small chunk left that was not even a centimeter wide. Sticking it into his mouth, he crushed it in his mouth and then pulled out a new stick.

"After a few experiments, I found that you could indeed do that. In fact, you could even modify the Pokedex to not update on the progress of your Pokegirls. If Uzumaki Naruto was alive and could modify his Pokedex as stated, then everything would link together."

Naruto could not help but be impressed. Bringing his hands together, he clapped lightly to show his admiration for his companion while Rod simply bowed deeply.

"What I would like to know though, is why you have revealed this and what did you mean by help me?"

"Well I'd have to answer in the reverse manner. For why I'd to help you, this is my world as well. I wish to protect my Pokegirls just as I believe you do. However, I understand that you some other trump card that you have not revealed. I do not have that trump card, thus I cannot take on Typhonna on my own. By displaying my knowledge, I wished to show that you have someone you can confide in, someone you can share your plan with and if possible, I would like to aid you as much as possible."

Rod then pointed in the direction of the Pokecentre. "Helping your FrostWyrm evolve was simply one of the ways to help you out. Having a more powerful Pokegirl is always a boon. I can help you in regards to the ship and preparations for your journey. Supplies and a crew can be easily assembled by me. If you need anything more, you just need to tell me."

Naruto mused over this. He could not trust Rod fully. He could not trust anyone fully, period. Even his Pokegirls were not privy to his plans. After all, the best way to deceive your enemy is to deceive even your friends. However, if he played his cards right, he could manipulate Rod into aiding him without revealing too much.

"Well, actually, there is something that you can do to help me."

As Naruto leaned in to whisper instructions, he was glad that he had taken the time to set up seals around Rod's Gym last night. There had been many things revealed today and it would not do for their unseen enemy to catch hold of the conversation."

The next day, Naruto stood with Rod in front of the ship that was to be his prize. All of their Pokegirls were released and although there was initial awkwardness and hostility, both groups had found something that they liked to do; complaining about the harsh training their Tamers had them go through, as well as their stupid addiction to unhealthy food, as well as how they were too smart for their own good, and many, many other things. In other words, they bonded through gossip.

Hearing foot steps, both Tamers turned around to see Matthew and Macavity heading towards them.

"Hey laddie! You called for me?" Matthew shouted. His exuberance was soon turned into awe when he laid eyes on the ship before him. It was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen in his whole life. He was dying to get onboard to check it out, but the ship was Naruto's, not his, and his mother had brought him up with good manners.

Naruto could easily through Matthew's thinly veiled desire and simply smiled. "Go ahead Matthew, I know that you are dying to check it out."

"Wow, I can really go up that beauty?"

"Of course, after all, you'll be the captain. I have next to no nautical knowledge. The ship is mine only in name. It practically belongs to you already." Matthew froze in the middle of running up the ramp.

"You really mean that?"

Naruto simply nodded. "I have not much use for a ship like that except for accomplishing my plan. Of course, I'll be expecting you to be my personal chauffeur."

Matthew smiled so widely that his eyes practically disappeared. "I'll be pleased to, laddie!" With that, he disappeared into the ship and everyone could hear his excited footsteps echoing in the ship.

They shared a chuckle before they returned to their previous activities. While Naruto and Rod stood aside and watched their Pokegirls interact, Naruto was suddenly reminded of something that his companion had said in one of the matches.

"Rod, when my Vampire was battling your Basilisk, you mentioned something about True Blood. What is it?"

Rod looked over, confused for a moment until he remembered the exact scene.

"Ah, that. Don't worry. Seeing how your Vampire acts, there is no way she is a True Blood."

Naruto was intrigued by this. "What are the True Blood anyway?"

Ron hummed for a moment, stroking his chin as he thought of a way to explain what little he knew. "Well, I met one of the True Blood during one of my travels so my information might not be fully accurate. The True Blood are seemingly a special breed of Vampire, or maybe it's an evolution of the Vampires. I am not sure of the details. The one I came upon displayed similar powers to your Vampire. I was too far away to make sure. Anyway, one fact is for sure. They detest humans to the guts. The one I saw killed any humans in sight. I was only able to escape because my Dragoness was fast enough."

Naruto mulled over that piece of information. While it was true that Vinslet was not exhibiting any violent tendencies towards humans, it was true that she had been more 'active' recently. Perhaps this was a warning symptom? Either way, he planned on keeping a close eye on his Vampire.

Naruto then nodded at Rod, thanking him for the information provided. Even though it was not much, every little bit helped.

Knowing that it would be some time before Matthew completed his inspection, Naruto pulled out a chessboard from his seal and waved it in front of Rod.

"Care for a game?"

The grin on Rod's face was enough of an answer.

Their game had just ended in draw when Matthew emerged from the ship, a dazed look on his face.

"This ship will definitely manage to get us to our location and back!" Matthew called out.

"Now, all we need is the crew and supplies and we're ready to go."

Rod nodded. "I can supply both crew and supplies so you should be ready to depart in a month, maximum."

"No need for the crew. Just the supplies are enough." Matthew said as he approached the two Tamers. Sensing their unspoken question, Matthew elaborated.

"What do you think I was doing all this time while you were off beating Gym Leaders and what-not, eh? I've been busy preparing for our journey!"

"Did you inform them of our location?"

Matthew nodded. "I will take no unprepared man on my ship."

"And you still managed to find a full crew for a ship of this size?"

Matthew simply grinned broadly. "Heh, there are people out there who'd cut their arm off to sail with me, the great Matthew Blue!"

Naruto returned the grin, although no one could see it. He knew it had been a good idea to recruit the sailor.

"So, when can we be off?"

This time it was Rod that answered. "I can easily teleport any crew member over here. My Gym is large enough to hold that many people. So, preparations should take a maximum of a week."

That was acceptable for Naruto. He would have enough to finalise his preparations in one week. His Pokegirls would also be to interact with someone else other than within the Harem. That would be good for them.

"Hey, laddie, what's the name of the ship?" Matthew asked he turned to Rod.

The leader of the Elite Four simply shrugged and turned towards Naruto. "I never named the ship. I was planning to let the winner name it."

Naruto simply shrugged and spoke to Matthew. "You're the captain. You name it."

"Re…really?" Matthew asked, stunned. It was a great honour to name a ship. The greatest honour possible for a seafarer!

After some thought, Matthew finally decided on a name for the ship. "Her name shall be Renastere, which means 'Rebirth' in Romanian."

"Woohoo! The sun! The sea! The sparkling white sand! And last but definitely not the last, the hot babes! The Orange Islands rock!" Travis cheered as he alighted from the ship. His joy was cut short when he was suddenly smacked on his head extremely hard. He turned around and pouted at his Alpha who was frowning at him, hands on her hips.

'You are not going to ogle at any other girls other than us, got that?"

Travis nodded dejectedly. "I understand."

"Good, besides, we did not come here for fun. Naruto was so kind as to pay for the entire trip. Now, shouldn't we start work?"

"I know…I know…" Travis said as he moved towards the hotel that had been reserved for him. Once he was checked in and had unloaded his luggage, he pulled out the stuff that Naruto had mailed to him.

Holding the mask up in the air, Travis glanced at it, before turning to look at the newest addition to his Harem.

"So, do you think we can do it, Roxanne?"

His Vampire simply shrugged her shoulders. "I'll be able to beat the opponents we meet just fine, but I doubt I'll ever reach the levels of Vinslet. She is different from normal Vampires like I am."

"Different? What do you mean?" Travis asked as he struggled into the clothes that Naruto wore on a daily basis. How could he stand this? It was so stuffy!

"I believe Vinslet is one of the True Blood."

Travis had never heard of that, but he did not bother pushing for more information. If Roxanne did not divulge it of her own accord, then it was unlikely that any pushing would get her to reveal more.

"But man…" Travis commented as he placed the mask on, the final accessory. "Naruto sure is kinda creepy. How'd he know that you were included in my Harem mere days after I got you?"

"He is simply more capable than you are." Was the blunt and direct reply.

Travis winced at that. "Oh well, time to start repaying Naruto for all that he has done for me. Off to work!"

"Turn right after the giant rock that looks like a turtle shell and walk hundred meters…"

"Well, this is it. Man, is this some deserted place." Brock said as he wiped sweat off his forehead. Tucking the map and instructions into his backpack, Brock pulled out another piece of paper that had an elaborate design on it.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Brock saw his Pokegirls lugging a granite monolith over to where he was standing. Once the Pokegirls were done, he returned all but a few of them to their Pokeballs.

"I don't know what this is but knowing that masked Tamer, this has to be some sort of elaborate plan." He chuckled then as he started carving the symbol that had been sent to him by the masked Tamer.

"After what he's done to my Gym when his Pokegirl was simply pissed off, I'd really like to see what happens to this person who made him go to such efforts."

In the Hardcore League, a Kunimitsu was currently facing off against an Amachamp. Even though her opponent was many times stronger than her, the Amachamp was no match for her skill, especially after she had learnt her lesson from her last defeat.

Flipping in mid air, she landed on the Amachamp's back and knocked it out with a powerful attack. With that, the Pokegirl Battle was over, with the Kunimitsu's Tamer emerging as the victor.

"Damn, it seems like the rumours of the Masked Tamer aren't just exaggerations. To go through my entire my entire Harem with just one Pokegirl…" The loser muttered as he walked away, utterly crushed.

Once he was certain that there was no one nearby, the masked Tamer removed his mask, smiling at his Kunimitsu. "Great job, Aya."

The Kunimitsu simply nodded, accepting the praise. She had indeed improved drastically since the last time she had fought Yuffie, but she was far from being at Yuffie's level. This infuriated her.

Even though it had been an extremely humiliating defeat, Koga had learnt from his defeat and used it to train his Pokegirls even further. Following Yuffie's style of deception, his Pokegirls were able to last longer without revealing as much. In addition, he also made sure that his Pokegirls kept thinking about new ways to use their techniques, just as the Masked Tamer had done.

"I know what you are thinking, Aya, but results come only with great patience. One step at a time is the surest way to success."

"I know, Koga but still…it feels like she is so far away from me." The Kunimitsu tensed then as she felt someone nearby.

Noticing that, Koga quickly put on his mask, resuming once more the identity of Jigokuno Uzumaki. Knowing the masked Tamer, he likely had a good reason for this strange and sudden request but he would go along for now. After all, he had to admit he was pretty curious what Jigokuno Uzumaki was actually setting up for.

"Aya, it seems like it's time for another battle."

'Yes, that is all that is required. Thank you.' With that, Sabrina cut off the mental link, slumping tiredly in her chair. She had been accepting less Gym Battles lately, what with the Masked Tamer's strange requests. She had been busy all day contacting fellow psychics in other lands, as well sending her Pokegirls off to other areas to create illusions.

"This had better be worth it…" Sabrina muttered as her Alaka-Wham Teleported back to her and reported the details of her mission.

"When this is all done…I swear I'll strangle him if he does not hand over the negatives of those photos, celebrity or not."

In the Celadon Gym, Erika had been having pretty much the same day as Sabrina, using her wide social circle to help out with the Masked Tamer had requested of her. She had then asked her Pokegirls to deliver special pollen and distributed them over many areas.

These pollen were special hallucinogens that allowed Plant Pokegirls to slightly manipulate what the victims of the pollen would see. Erika did not know why Jigokuno Uzumaki wanted such an elaborate set-up but that did not matter.

She hummed happily as she watered the flowers and plants that she grew. Once Jigokuno Uzumaki was done with his plan, whatever it was, he had promised that he would go out on a date with her, with his mask removed!

Suppressing a squeal, Erika still not help but dance a little jig at that thought. She did wonder though, what in the world was Jigokuno Uzumaki up to?

"So…this is it…" Testament said as he gazed upon huge metal doors. He had been here only a few times, unlike Dizzy who had visited this place many times before.

"Yes, this is Mother's resting place." Dizzy replied as she moved to open the huge doors. She paused as she suddenly remembered something.

Reaching into the pouch at her side, the General Pokegirl pulled out two slips of paper from a huge stack stored within it.

"I believe the seals that Naruto provided are going to run out soon. We'd better replace them."

Testament nodded and took one of the slips of papers, pasting it on himself while he ripped off the one still one his body and burnt it. It was better to leave nothing behind that would give them away.

He still remembered clearly the conversation that the both of them had had with the masked Tamer after they had woken up from their coma.

Testament woke up to find himself somehow healed. Worried for Dizzy, he immediately shot up and looked around. Thankfully, his charge was laying just a few feet away, unconscious but still alive. He then noticed that the both of them had been moved into the forest near the mountain.

Standing up, Testament attempted to check out the surroundings when he suddenly bumped into an invisible barrier. Taking out his scythe, Testament attempted to break through the barrier. However, no matter how hard he swung, the barrier just would not break and Dizzy was eventually roused by the ruckus that Testament was making.

A voice suddenly came from above, causing the duo to look up in tandem. There, above them, was the masked Tamer hanging upside down from a tree-branch.

"So, you guys are awake huh."

Silence then ensued, with all three trying to figure out a way from this awkwardness. After some time, it was the masked Tamer who spoke.

"Well, let's just get the unpleasantries over and done with. I believe I have proven that you will never be able to lay your hands on Kidara, so just give up on that. Try again and you will die, no joke about that."

The masked Tamer then jumped down, landing in front of the duo. "Right now, the only reason you are still alive is because you have a part to play in my plan. Obey me and you live. Go against me and I kill you right now. Which do you choose?"

Testament snarled at the arrogant attitude with which the human was speaking with. "What's to stop us form just killing you right now?"

To his utter gall, the human actually laughed at him. "Other than the fact that I could kill the both of you easily? You are currently in my barrier, my territory. I believe you know what that means."

It was then that Dizzy spoke up. "What is this plan that you speak of, and what do you require of us?"

"Before that, let me ask you a question. Were you tipped off as to Kidara's location by some one?"

Curious as to how the human would have known that, Dizzy nodded her head tentatively.

"I see…" Naruto muttered as he clenched his fists. His hypothesis had been proven true. His enemy was indeed a dangerous one.

"Very well, I shall cut to the chase. There is someone trying to revive Typhonna. I wish to stop her and in order to do that, I need the two of you to seek Justice's help."

Moments passed as Naruto elaborated in –depth his suspicions and plan, eventually convincing the duo to go along with his plan.

Once Naruto was done with his explanation, the duo were about to set off for their new mission when Naruto halted them, handing over a pouch stuffed to the brim with slips of paper.

"From what I have theorized of our enemy, she seems to track people by focusing on one person or building, after which her vision is brought to her target. This is what the seals for. They prevent you from being 'locked-on' so to speak. Seeing as dead people cannot be 'locked-on' as well, this will confirm in our enemy's eyes that the two of you are indeed dead, seeing as I have only employed such seals on immobile buildings."

Naruto chuckled then. "After all, if I already had them, why not use them earlier? Therefore, our enemy will conclude that I do not have them, especially since the two of you will be the only ones using this seal."

Naruto then turned serious once more and pointed to the seals. "However, this seals take a lot of energy and thus burn out extremely quickly. Replace them once every hour or you risk being discovered. You are a major component of my plan. You cannot fail."

The duo nodded. After all, the fate of the world was in their hands.

When Testament had broken out of his musings, Dizzy had already placed her seal on and had opened the door. Stepping inside, the both of knelt down in front of an enormous.

"Mother, we have some seeking your help." Dizzy said as she prostrated herself on the ground. "The world is in danger and requires your aid."

Naruto stood alone on the deck of Renastere, allowing the gentle breeze to wash over his face. It had been way too long since he had been on a ship. In fact, the last time he had been on one was on the adventure to Snow Country. He grinned as he recalled the adventures when he was young and untainted. His grin slowly shrank as he glanced at his hands.

To him, it looked as if his hands were soaked to the bone with blood. Not just any blood though, but also with the blood of innocents. Naruto walked over to the railings of the deck and leaned on them, sighing as he looked up at the sky.

From here, he could hear the sounds of explosions and chanting coming from Fumiko's room. Ever since her loss, she had been more pumped-up than ever, determined to prove her strength. This was made worse by the fact that out of all of her Harem sisters, she had been the only one who had lost.

That was not to say that the other Pokegirls had been slacking. Vinslet and Yuffie were far from satisfied with a draw and had tripled their efforts. Encouraged by the success of her new fighting style, Kireina had spent even more time creating new forms and 'techniques', all the while using the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu as the base. Rylai had eventually learnt of her evolution and the resulting events and had doubled her efforts in trying to control her powers. However, with so many people on board, she could not do that frequently and thus was kept in her Pokeball most of the time. It was the same with Kidara.

Naruto could not help but smile at his Pokegirls' earnestness. So far, they had only killed because they were threatened and the enemies were the 'evil' people. That kept their souls pure while at the same time allowing them to know that reality was far from like what fairy tales depicted. They had never needed to kill someone because it was 'part of the plan' like he had and he planned to keep it that way.

Suddenly, the sirens on the deck started blaring and Matthew's voice was heard over the speakers. "The Renastere is entering the start of the Eternal Ocean. All hands get into your positions." Naruto was suddenly not alone anymore as sailors swarmed the decks, setting about their own objectives.

Having barely any nautical knowledge, Naruto decided to leave the ship to the more experienced sailors and instead ruminated on the information that Rod had given him. The Eternal Ocean was an ocean fraught with many dangers, with the Limbec Pirates being the most dangerous ones around.

Amazingly, Rod had managed to track down the Limbec Pirates and had provided him with information about each individual captain as well as the fleet that she commanded. Seeing as there was not much else he could do, Naruto decided to go over them in his mind to make sure that he had absolutely memorised the data given to him.

Ship Name: Kiira's Plight

Ship Type: Ironclad

Flag: Three gold eyes in a triangle formation on a black background

Captained By: Pirate Queen Mephaesta (Psi-Dyke)

Crew: Psi-Dyke, Piratit, Sharptits

Weapon: 48 Paixhans Guns

Ammunition: 500 kg Bombs

Notes: Kiira's Plight is a steam-propelled warship protected by steel armor plating that's a solid meter thick. It was put together by Councilwoman Lindi Valiant specifically for Mephaesta to take over all Limbec Pirates group and have them all sail under her colors and Sanctuary's banner. Kirra's Plight is also very versatile; the Ironclad was designed for several roles, including as high seas battleship, coastal defense ship, and long-range cruiser. While it has three masts on deck, there is a smoke-stack on deck as well for the exhaust of the steam-engine, the ship's primary source of power and propulsion.

Ship Name: Jet Diamond

Ship Type: Spanish Galleon

Flag: White paw print on a black background

Captained By: Tigre Caliente (Tigress)

Crew: Catfish, (minor mix of other feline Pokegirls)

Weapon: 32 Demi-Culverins

Ammunition: 8 lbs. Shot, Grapeshot, Chain Shot

Notes: The Jet Diamond is a large, multi-decked sailing ship that is primarily black in coloration thanks to techniques of staining the wood via tar and naturally-dying the wood, and black sails. It is also thanks to its colorations, the Jet Diamond is an incredibly stealthy ship when it sails at night. Thanks to a lowering of the upper-deck and elongation of the hull, the Jet Diamond has an unprecedented level of stability in the water and reduced wind resistance at the front, making it a faster, more maneuverable Galleon compared to most sea-going vessels. The Jet Diamond rumored to move faster than the wind.

Ship Name: Father's Bones

Ship Type: Swedish Fleut

Flag: White skull with its right eye bright red on a black background

Captained By: Tah'Vraay (Drow Zee)

Crew: Drow Zee

Weapon: 12 Dahlgren Guns, 2 Chase Guns (Dahlgren)

Ammunition: 12 lbs. Heavy Shot, Chain Shot

Notes: The Father's Bones is a vessel designed to facilitate transoceanic travel and storage, maximizing the use of space and crew efficiently. While it is limited to the number of cannons it can hold, thanks to this Fleut's size and speed, the Father's Bones is effective at using block and tackle tactics with the two forward-mounted Dahlgren Guns at the bow making for solid sea-faring chases. Two of the most striking aspects of Tah'Vraay's ship are its bright red sails and the numerous shark teeth and human bones that align the bow and mast. It should be noted that the guns the Father's Bones uses, while not traditional for piracy, were chosen by Captain Tah'Vraay as they are able to fire a powerful payload upon their targets.

Ship Name: Shibou Hana

Ship Type: Pankeseon

Flag: Red heart and blue spade on a white background

Captained By: Yagyu Jubei (Samurai)

Crew: Ronin, (and one other Samurai)

Weapon: 8 Cheonja

Ammunition: Daejon, Chulwhan, Wangu

Notes: While normally depending on propulsion obtained from a galley, the Shibou Hana or 'Death Blossom' is a Pankeseon that has been worked below deck to contain a working steam propulsion system, despite its outer-appearance of an older-style Edo vessel. This makes for more room below deck to use for various storage purposes. While its guns are limited, it utilizes various types of ammunition, including rocket-shaped, iron tipped arrows, (Daejon) specialized iron shot, (Chulwhan) and fire shells, (Wangu). The Captain, Yagyu Jubei, is also considered the best sword-fighter among all the Limbec Pirates, seconded only by her First Mate, Yagyu Freesia.

Ship Name: Bleu Vague

Ship Type: French Seventy-Four

Flag: Five gold rings on a blue background

Captained By: Cramoisi Poignard (She-Captain)

Crew: Buttaneer, Piratit

Weapon: 28 32-Pounder Guns, (Gun Deck) 30 18-Pounder Guns, (Upper Gun Deck) 16 Demi-Culverin (Upper Works)

Ammunition: 36 lbs. Shot, 18 lbs. Shot, 9 lbs. Shot, Flèchette Rounds

Notes: The Bleu Vague is a type of two-decked, triple mast sailing ship that is made to carry 74 guns. The design proved to be a good balance between firepower and sailing qualities, however, because of trying to balance the weight from the artillery and crew, and the lack of spare room the Seventy-Four cannot carry much in the way of plunder. This makes the Bleu Vague dependant on naval battles, since even if it were used to attack costal cities, there is not much that could be taken back. The Bleu Vague was the most feared Limbec Pirate Ship for a solid decade, until the appearance of Mesphaesta's Ironclad, Kiira's Plight. Captain Cramoisi Poignard also has a shared history with Captain Tigre Caliente.

Ship Name: Heart of Stone

Ship Type: Mediterranean Carrack

Flag: Two crossed silver sword piercing through a gray heart on a red background

Captained By: Jennifer Calloway (Armsmistress)

Crew: Buttaneer, Slicer, Piratit

Weapon: 10 Carronades

Ammunition: 42 lb. Heavy Shot

Notes: A powerful warship over two-hundred feet in length. The Heart of Stone is a four-mast sailing ship that was square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast, with a high rounded stern. However, even with the mast design giving it substantial maneuverability and the powerful cannons that were on deck, the Heart of Stone is limited in the amount of artillery it can hold and is dependant more on its crew than its impressive Heavy Shots to cause damage in battle. It's best used as a coastal vessel than for battle in open water.

Ship Name: Tsumetai Kamisori

Ship Type: French Galiot

Flag: A single silver diagonal bar across black background

Captained By: Suisei (Ninjanezumi)

Crew: Ninjanezumi, Buttaneer

Weapon: 1 Mallet Mortar, 6 Swivel Guns (Hwangja)

Ammunition: 1 lbs. Shot, 217 kg Bombs

Notes: The Tsumetai Kamisori, better known as the 'Cold Razor' is a rather un-intimidating ship to look at initially. It is rather small warship, even for a Galiot. With only a pair of sails for propulsion, seven cannons of smaller caliber, and a crew of only fifty, one would not have thought the Tsumetai Kamisori wouldn't have been successful at piracy. However, the cannons, while small, are accurate up to nearly 1600 m, and more importantly, it is a Bomb Boat, and the Galiot's main gun is a large mortar. Very few vessels can stand up to a bombardment of the devastating explosive warhead payload the Tsumetai Kamisori can unleash.

Ship Name: Sweet Revenge

Ship Type: British Brigantine

Flag: A laughing white skull on a green background

Captained By: Camilla Reolla (She-Captain)

Crew: Buttaneer, Gynadose

Weapon: 20 Swivel Guns (Falconets)

Ammunition: 1 lbs. Shot, Grapeshot

Notes: The Sweet Revenge has two masts, one being fore-and-aft and the other square-rigged, making it a rather fast and maneuverable vessel. However, while most choose 6-Pounder or 12-Pounder guns, Captain Reolla chose to arm her vessel with Falconets, a gun of much lower caliber, because of its weight, she is able to store more guns on it than other Brigantines, making for a much larger bombardment. While most sailing ships would laugh at a Brigantine with twenty 1-Pounders, until mass volleys started killing the helmsmen, the Sweet Revenge has another surprise. A number of the ship's crew are Gynadose, and a volley of broadside Hyper Beams are nothing to laugh at.

Ship Name: Inazuma Tate

Ship Type: Junk

Flag: Blue shield over a yellow electric bolt on a white background

Captained By: Tso Pu (HeroWu)

Crew: AmazonWu, HeroWu

Weapon: 16 Hyeonja

Ammunition: Daejon, Chain Shot

Notes: The Inazuma Tate or 'Lighting Shield' is a pirate vessel of Edo origin. It is an efficient and sturdy ship that's designed for long-distance travel across oceans. It incorporates numerous technical advances in sail plan and hull designs. The structure and flexibility of Inazuma Tate's sails make easy to sail fast. Unlike a traditional square rigged ship, the sails of Inazuma Tate can be moved inward, toward the long axis of the ship, allowing the junk to sail into the wind. The sails include several horizontal members, (battens) which provide shape and strength. Due to its problems in shallow water, the Inazuma Tate is a ship best suited for open-waters battle, with a bombardment of shot before the crew overtakes that of the targeted ship.

Ship Name: The Hellfire

Ship Type: Spanish Manila-Galleon

Flag: White screaming horned skull on a flame background

Captained By: Veronica (Foxx)

Crew: Foxxsea, Buttaneer

Weapon: 30 Culverin

Ammunition: 12 lb. Shot, Bar Shot

Notes: The Hellfire is a multi-decked sailing ship that is much wider than a regular Galleon due to the concept of Mexican ship-building over that of Spain, giving it a widened hull for buoyancy and storage. Because of its much larger design, the Hellfire is not as fast as the original Galleon concept. However, the design was due to the Manila-Galleon being originally meant as a trade ship, giving the ship more storage space than its predecessor. As a pirate ship, this translates to a higher allowance of crew and guns, something the Hellfire puts to use.

By the time he was done, the crew had already finished with their preparations and had headed below deck to complete their maintenance or whatever they were doing. Plucking two Pokeballs from his belt, Naruto tossed them high into the air, releasing Rylai and Kidara from their Pokeballs.

'Now that we are in the Eternal Ocean which cannot be viewed by any satellite, I want the two of you to fly above us unseen and scout for me. In the meantime, you can use this time to try and practice your techniques but do not go overboard.'

Naruto arched an eye brow as there was suddenly a huge ruckus coming from below deck. Walking down the staircase, he grabbed hold of the nearest sailor. "What's going on?"

"Oh, they're showing a re-run of your fight against Rod, only this time, they're throwing in a special interview as well as some special news coverage. The boys can't wait to watch the fight, seeing as some of them missed the initial broadcast."

Naruto simply chuckled and then followed the sailor to the cafeteria where a gigantic television was set up for the crew to watch programmes together. Throughout the entire replay, Naruto was forced to endure the awed looks that the crew kept sending to him, while sailors kept going up to him to request for autographs.

The replay was eventually over and then a report was shown on the TV, interviewing Rod who was once more dressed in the resplendent overcoat given to the leader of the Elite Four. Now that he knew Rod a little better, he could see how uncomfortable Rod was in that overcoat. He, like Naruto, preferred simpler clothing.

"Mr. Rod, what are your thoughts on the battle against the enigmatic Jigokuno Uzumaki?"

"It was a great battle. It has been long since someone has made me so excited. I am looking forward to a rematch with him."

"Well, that would be one that I believe the whole world wishes to witness. By the way, Mr. Rod, has Jigokuno Uzumaki revealed to you his plans for the future?"

"I believe he said that he was going to tour the world looking for more challenges."

The screen then shifted, showing the reporter sitting at a desk.

"It seems like Rod has confirmed what reports we have been receiving. Jigokuno Uzumaki has been seen all over the world. The Orange Islands, the Hardcore League, the Forest league, everywhere! In addition to that, two of the Gym Leaders that Jigokuno Uzumaki has beaten; Koga and Brock, have disappeared, stating that they needed to train harder. It seems like he has affected much of the world indeed."

"On a site note, citizens living in coastal areas have been experiencing premonitions of disasters to come and have started to move away from the cities, waiting till they think it's safe. No one knows why this is so, as the seismologists have not detected any earthquakes and no hurricanes are predicted to happen in the short term."

Naruto smiled as he walked away, the following news no longer interesting. It seemed like his plans were indeed coming along very well. He had created a seal that protected the Renastere from being detected by the enemy, which meant that they could be not be tracked easily.

Therefore, the enemy had only a few choices. Scour the Eternal Ocean inch by inch to search for the Renastere, or carefully go over every case of him appearing in the other continents. Which was the real plan, and which was the feint? Or were both of them feints with his plan being worked on secretly? Or perhaps all of these were essential components to an overarching plan?

He would confuse and deceive at every single turn, making the enemy doubt herself with every move and in the end, victory would be his.

The journey passed uneventfully…in Naruto's opinion at least. They had encountered no less than ten storms in every three days. The sky was permanently overcast and the members aboard the ship could only tell if it was day or night through the use of clocks. The ship had also been frequently attacked by Feral Pokegirls, although these were easily dealt with by Naruto's Pokegirls.

Pirate raids were few and far in between, with the few pirates being easily fended off. They definitely did not have the notoriety that the Limbec Pirates had. Matthew was personally ecstatic at how well things were going. This time, with a ship of this quality and his naval experience, navigating through the storms and tsunamis were easy, with not a single crew member lost. In the previous journey, many casualties had been due to raids. However, with Naruto on board, the pirates did not stand a chance even if Naruto had his hands and legs tied.

Therefore, it was to his surprise when Naruto suddenly walked into the bridge one day and told him to slow the ship down as there were threats ahead that might need some time for him to clear.

"What would these threats be?" Matthew asked warily. All of the current attacks had been dealt with while Naruto was happily slurping ramen at the side and cheering his Pokegirls on. What could make Naruto this serious?

"Rylai and Kidara have spotted three of Limbec Pirates' fleets up ahead."

Matthew immediately paled. "Thr…three? But they have never been known to work together! Never!"

"I know. That is why some time will be needed. I need to find out what is going on. If you'll look outside, you'll see that my Pokegirls are already handling the problem."

Matthew looked through the window and saw a beam of light descending from the skies, causing several explosions in the horizon.

"That would be Rylai's Hyper Beam. Now, don't blink and watch the real show."

Suddenly, a hail of orange beams rained down on the horizon. Although Matthew could not see the enemy before even with binoculars, he could now see where they were, as burning ships are much more noticeable than ones concealed in darkness.

"What…was that?"

Naruto simply chuckled. "Kidara's been under-going some special training."

Naruto then patted the captain on the shoulder and walked out of the bridge. "I just came here to give you a little heads up. There is nothing to worry about. Oh and by the way, I am just a Kage Bunshin. Ja ne." With that, Naruto closed the door and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Meanwhile, Naruto was running along the water, Kireina in his arms. Yuffie was running on the water beside him as well, using chakra to keep herself from sinking. Vinslet had activated her Ashen Wings and was flying with her own power while Fumiko had summoned Chaos and was having the Summon carry her.

'Rylai, Kidara, report.'

'We have destroyed nearly a third of the ships that were gathered. However, we were unable to wipe out a full fleet, instead destroying separate parts of each fleet. Kidara and I will need some time before we can move again, as the attacks from such a huge range took a lot of energy.'

'That is alright. Good work, the two of you.'

Naruto then spoke to the Pokegirls around him. "I'm sure you heard Rylai's report. We'll be up against three damaged fleets."

Kireina was the first one to speak up. "That would be quite unfair."

Vinslet nodded in response. "Indeed. According to my calculations, this would be a one-sided massacre."

Fumiko nodded her head rapidly. "Perhaps if we have more time, I can summon Exodus. She might be willing to help even the odds."

To her surprise and chagrin, all three Pokegirls near her burst out in outright laughter.

"Ahh…that was great…" Yuffie said as she wiped away her tears of laughter. "When we were talking about things being unfair, we were worrying for them, dear child."

"huh?"

"Considering the only battle you've had was against a genius' Pokegirl, I can understand why you think you are not that strong but seriously, we are leagues ahead of any normal Pokegirl. For them to give us a challenge…what would they need, Vinslet?"

The Vampire simply grinned savagely. "According to my calculations, they'd need five to six fleets to pose a problem. For them to kill the four of us, they'd probably need eight fleets. With Rylai and Kidara on our side, they might as well just surrender straight away."

"Hey, you forgot to include me in your calculations!" Naruto cried out indignantly. "I fight too, you know?"

All the Pokegirls turned to him with flat expression on their face.

"Adding you into the calculation is useless. It's an instant win, Naruto."

The fight, if it could even be called that, was over with barely any effort on the part of Naruto's Pokegirls. Kireina had gone after the Shibou Hana, seeing as that was the ship with Ronins and Samurais on it. Kireina did not even to use her new forms to take down the Ronins. The Samurais proved a little more difficult to beat, but they still lost in the end with Kireina not even taking a single wound.

Yuffie had gone after the Tsumetai Kamisori, claiming that she was going to show those Ninjanezumi how a real shinobi fought. The moment she had gotten within a hundred meters of the fleet, she had activated the Jikoku no Shintai (Instant Movement) and proceeded to wipe out anything and everything that moved.

Vinslet and Fumiko took on the last fleet together, this one being the Sweet Revenge. It was potentially the most dangerous fleet to take on, seeing as the Gynadoses were no laughing matter. However, no matter how powerful a Hyper Beam was, it was useless unless it actually hit its target. With Vinslet's illusions, the crew on board was forced to attack each other while the Vampire lounged on top of one of the masts. Fumiko then added to the chaos with her powerful spells, destroying ships left and right. Her additional practice with her spells had given her a lot more power. Poor Chaos was reduced to mop-up duty, killing off those who escaped by jumping into the sea. After all, she lacked the destructive powers of Naruto's Pokegirls.

By the time Rylai and Kidara had finished recovering their energy, the battle was already over. Swiftly returning to the Renastere, Naruto gave Matthew the green light for the ship to continue on its voyage. As it passed by the scene of the massacre, the sailors' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the destruction wrought. In that moment, Naruto turned from Great to God in their eyes.

Two Pokegirls stood side by side on a sand dune as they saw the human ship dock. A few moments later, a Pokegirl that they recognized as Macavity and a human stepped out, with the human following Macavity.

"What is Macavity up to, bringing a human to the Dark Continent? The only reason she comes here is to…" the speaker grinned suddenly as a thought came to her mind.

"The only reason she comes here is to see Jenova when she is inside Sanctuary. This is a perfect chance for us. We shall tail the two of them, find the entrance to Sanctuary and wipe them all out in one go!"

The other Pokegirl spoke up then. "But sister, don't you think you should let go of this grudge?"

The first Pokegirl snapped at her sister. "They are a danger to us. Besides, this is the perfect time, as Seele and many anti-Sanctuary organizations have gathered here in the Dark Continent. It is as though we are fated to destroy Sanctuary!"

"But before that…those humans will have to go."

The first Pokegirl twitched her finger and a few Sphinxes flew towards the human ship, aiming to destroy it. However, their efforts were foiled when they slammed into a barrier that just would not give.

"God damn this….what in the world is happening?" The first Pokegirl growled as she followed the feline Pokegirl and the human.

Naruto smiled darkly under his mask as he felt himself being watched. So far, all of his theories were being proven correct. If he was right, then something pretty exciting would be happening soon.

Suddenly, Macavity stopped walking, causing Naruto to nearly bump into her.

"Why have we stopped?"

The Legendary Pokegirl twirled around and smiled brightly at him. "That is because we are at the entrance of Sanctuary! Now just give me a moment to enact the ritual that will open the entrance to Sanctuary."

Macavity was about to start when Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't you think you should wait for a moment? I can set up a seal around this area that will prevent us from being seen. Sanctuary's entrance is supposed to be kept a secret, right?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"Oh don't worry." Macavity said as she waved her hand flippantly. "I don't sense anyone nearby."

"Oh…alright then…" Naruto said as he allowed Macavity to continue while his smile broadened.

'Silly little cat. I know you don't feel any danger. After all, I'm the one doing that to you.'

After a few moments, the entrance was finally open. Macavity immediately pranced inside, waving for Naruto to join her. Naruto did so, laughing at his companion's antics.

'Now…come! Fall into my trap!' Naruto thought as he entered the next phase of his plan.

And that's the end of the chapter. Xanatos Roulette in the making! Wakakaka. Now, remember, review!