Author's note: Normally I don't update on Mondays, because that day seems rather nefast when it comes to getting reviews (and my self-esteem needs reviews) but regardless of that, I'm still updating today (or well early Tuesday morning, whatever) because of two reasons: 1) I know it has been a while since I last updated this story, for which I apologise! It took me a bit to get into the right mindset for this one, sorry. 2) After months of shittiness I finally had a ray of good luck today! (Evening was a whole other matter, but whatever). Thanks to three generous, anonymous people I now have Mewtwo, Rayquaza and Entei in my team! I've been wanting them in my team for ages and now I finally have that opportunity, so yes, time to celebrate!
Does anyone even read this AN's? LOL Whatever, Mewtwo is adorable when playing with a ball, just saying.
Thanks to the following reviewers: Nellana; babyvfan; Guest; Hardpoinz; PinkyPieParty122894; Pen-Woman; Banjo the Fox; SuperNinjaGirl197; TheBeauty; SarahNThatcher; narukeforever2639
Warnings: My own interpretation of the law in the Pokémon world
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto owns it. I also don't own Pokémon, that belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and The Pokémon Company.
I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 3
"We have to see the professor first before we can leave," Naruto remarked and broke off a piece of the sweet pastry, handing it over to Mimikyu, who happily munched on it.
Normally Naruto didn't eat sweet pastries during the morning – or even that often in general – but this morning he had something to celebrate: him finally getting a Pokémon of his own! And what better way to celebrate than to buy a couple of sweet pastries at the local bakery? Milcery there must have noticed his good mood, because the small Pokémon had kept dancing around him the entire time he'd been there, chirping and twirling as if he'd wanted to share in the happiness. The baker had to take Milcery in his arms when Naruto left just to avoid the Pokémon from following him.
"I'm going to need a Pokédex," he went on and continued to break off pieces for Mimikyu. "I mean, I know quite a bit about Pokémon already, but not everything and who knows who we will encounter?"
The thought of meeting all kinds of Pokémon – known or unknown – sent a bolt of excitement through him. He hadn't thought he would ever get the chance to really explore the world and encounter Pokémon outside his lonely bubble here. He'd actually given up on that even, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life, but now he had Mimikyu and that meant his dream wasn't dead and buried after all. He couldn't wait to find out who else they would meet once they got on the road!
He knew that some trainers tended to focus on one or two types of Pokémon at most – Gym Leaders were a good example of that, though not every Gym Leader followed that unspoken rule – but he didn't think he would focus on just one type himself. Not only because that would leave him at a disadvantage for most gyms, but also because he didn't want to restrict himself to just one or two types at most. He wanted to get to know as many Pokémon as possible and that wouldn't happen if he restricted himself.
There was no point in worrying about his future team already, though. First, he and Mimikyu would need to visit the professor in order to get the Pokédex and get the permission to do the gym challenge. Let's see, what else did he need to do? Definitely pack a bag and his tent, get more Pokéballs, pack some food, definitely stock up on some medicine … Anything else?
"Mimikyu?" Everything okay?
Naruto was pulled out of his musing by Mimikyu, whose shadowy arm hovered close to the blond's. When the little Pokémon noticed he'd had his trainer's attention, he blinked at him and retracted his arm.
"Ah, nothing's wrong," Naruto smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just thinking of everything that needs to be done before we can officially leave. It'd be pretty embarrassing to arrive at the next town only to realise we forgot stuff here."
Especially because he didn't have a bike nor did he have a Flying type Pokémon big enough to carry him. Once they left they had to be completely sure they had everything.
"I think it's best if we see the professor first," he suggested and popped the last piece of the pastry in his mouth. "We should be able to leave on our journey without any problems, but it's best to get that part out of the way first before we tackle the rest."
Mimikyu nodded, still looking a bit bemused, but Naruto didn't blame him for that. Mimikyu hadn't had any reason to come into contact with the professor so far, so it was natural that he was somewhat confused now.
After cleaning the table and pulling on his shoes, he turned to Mimikyu, who was waiting patiently for him at the door, having followed him from one room to the other while he was getting dressed.
"All right, you want to go into the ball or do you want to stay out of it?" Naruto asked curiously, lifting the ball in his hand higher. "I don't mind either way, but I know that some Pokémon prefer staying out of the ball."
Noctowl of the local teacher, Iruka, was a good example of that. For as long as Naruto had known the older man, Noctowl had always been out of his Pokéball, utterly refusing to get inside of it.
"Mimi, Mimikyu, Mimi?" Come out later again?
"Sure, I don't mind," Naruto smiled bemused. "Like I said, it's up to you. Although I guess if the weather turns really awful when we're on the road, it might be better for you to get into the ball before you get sick or so." He jumped slightly when red light burst out of the Pokéball, enveloping Mimikyu and pulling him into the ball; the mechanism clicking shut the second Mimikyu was completely inside.
"Ah, that's going to take some time to get used to," Naruto muttered, breathing out slowly. Then he grinned, excitement filling him once again.
Because now he actually had time to get used to it. How amazing was that?
"Onix, you mind breaking up the fight between Golem again? They're causing too much of a ruckus," the professor said irritated when Naruto walked into the lab.
The doors to the garden stood wide open, allowing Naruto to catch a glimpse of Onix lumbering past with a low growl in agreement. There was the noise of something like rocks clashing against each other and Naruto grimaced, not envying Onix for having to pull those Pokémon apart. On the other hand, if there was one Pokémon who could do it, it would be Onix considering his sheer size and strength.
"You're still keeping the Golem here?" he asked curiously, approaching the professor.
The two Golem had been here for two weeks already, after they had been found nearly destroying the river dam. They were pretty sure that they had a trainer, but so far nobody had shown up yet.
The professor turned towards him, pushing herself away from the desk. Stretching out her arms, she groaned quietly before rolling her shoulders. "Yes, not much of a choice until we find out whether they actually have a trainer or not," Tsunade replied, frowning. "I did tell the police, however, that I can't keep them here forever. I'm not a day care and they're often scaring the other Pokémon."
She stood up and closed the notebook she'd been writing in. "So, what brings you here today? You want to help out?"
He smiled, halting just a few feet away from her. Senju Tsunade had taken over from the previous professor when he had decided that he had become too old to record data still. Barely a day after he'd announced his retirement, a busty blonde woman had shown up, carrying a completely no nonsense attitude and had taken over the lab without any issues. She might be a bit more abrupt than the previous professor, but she did good work and all the Pokémon loved her.
Naruto himself regularly stopped by her lab to help out with taking care of any Pokémon present. If there weren't any Pokémon in need of help, he usually aided her in filing data on the computer. There was always something different to be done at the lab and he'd enjoyed working with her, because she had never treated him any differently like some people were wont to do all because he hadn't managed to become a trainer at thirteen years old.
As a matter of fact, she had actually tried to help him out at the start when she had heard why exactly he hadn't been able to become a trainer. She'd called around, had had several discussions with her colleagues in other regions, but in the end even she hadn't been able to change the rules. You could only get a Starter Pokémon in the year you turned thirteen, not earlier and not later. Those were the rules and they weren't going to be changed any time soon.
He could still recall with clarity how frustrated she had looked when she had told him there was nothing she could do to help him. He hadn't expected her to actually be able to change the rules, but he'd still appreciated it greatly that she had gone through all that trouble for him. It was one of the reasons why he loved working at her lab, because she took him seriously, even without a Pokémon to call his own.
"I'd love to, but I'm actually here to ask you something," he said, slipping his hand into the pocket of his jacket. It was large enough to contain a Pokéball and his fingers closed around the cold metal, preparing to take it out and reveal it.
"Okay, what do you want to ask?" she questioned, not even flinching when another loud crash sounded somewhere in the garden.
"Erm, Professor, shouldn't we go look?" her assistant, Shizune, questioned nervously, casting worried glances at the open doors.
Tsunade waved her hand carelessly. "You can if you want to, but I assure you, Onix has everything under control."
The loud roar following almost immediately confirmed she was correct.
"I'd like to have a Pokédex, please. And your permission to do the Gym Challenge," he said, quicker than he had intended, but it was hard to contain his excitement now that he was this close to following his dream for real this time.
Her features softened, even as she crossed her arms underneath her impressive chest. "Naruto, you know I can't give you one of the Starter Pokémon," she said gently. "I would if I was allowed to, but they're still refusing to change the rules." Her lips thinned, showing she still disapproved of that rule to this day.
"I know, but the rules don't say anything about starting with a non-Starter Pokémon, right?" he rushed to say before she could usher him outside.
She furrowed her eyebrows, regarding him perplexed. "I'm not sure I follow you," she said slowly.
"The rules say you can only get a Starter Pokémon when you turn thirteen – but they don't actually forbid starting your journey at a later age, right?" he continued, nearly vibrating on the spot at this point. "You just can't have a Starter Pokémon like the others then."
"Where are you going with this?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her brown eyes slightly.
This time he couldn't help but grin widely as he swiftly retrieved his Pokéball from his pocket, enlarged it and smoothly threw it in the air, calling out, "Mimikyu, I choose you!"
Without even missing a beat, bright red light filled the room, making Shizune squeak in surprise, and there Mimikyu appeared, landing firmly onto the tiled floor with a loud cry.
Naruto gestured at Mimikyu, grinning. "Professor, meet Mimikyu, my partner! Mimikyu, this is Professor Tsunade!"
Mimikyu regarded her warily but bobbed his fake head up and down in an awkward greeting before he shuffled closer to Naruto's legs, obviously not very comfortable yet around strangers. That was understandable, however, given what had happened the last time he'd been around strangers.
While Shizune stared wide-eyed at Mimikyu, Tsunade lowered herself on her haunches, her white coat trailing across the floor, as she studied Mimikyu intently.
"Mimikyu, hm?" she murmured thoughtfully, before looking up at him sharply. "How did you two meet? And how did you two become partners?"
"Ah, that," Naruto cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck a couple of times, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. "We actually met around a week ago when some trainers were bullying Mimikyu. I managed to scare them off with the help of a Gyarados and I brought some stuff to Mimikyu's home afterwards to help him heal and such. Yesterday, those trainers found me and I apparently had offended them enough for them to try to attack me."
Tsunade instantly rose up, her eyes sparking dangerously. "What did they do?" she bit out, balling her hands to fists.
Wrapping his arms around himself, feeling a bit uncomfortable, Naruto answered, "They attacked me with their Sandslash and Talonflame. Got some cuts and a burn, but Mimikyu was there to prevent things from getting worse. After he chased away the bullies and I passed out, he protected me from a Tyrogue as well. I took him home to take care of him and well, he noticed my Pokéball and last night, he basically asked me whether I wanted to be a team with him. And so here we are, a team now."
He spread his arms as if to say "Tada!" but he knew his smile was weak when he looked at her murderous looking face.
"Do you know their names?" she asked clipped, already marching to her computer. "Did you talk to the police already? Because if not, you really should."
"Like that's going to do anything," he snorted bitterly.
Mimikyu looked up at him, worry radiating from his small form as he hesitatingly reached out with his shadowy arm, wrapping it lightly around his calf. "Mimikyu?" You okay?
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry," Naruto muttered, bending down to pat the shadowy arm gently.
It felt somewhat cool against his skin and very fluid, like he was trying to catch mist.
"You know they need to be reported, Naruto," Tsunade said, pursing her lips even when she angled herself away from her computer. "What they did was highly illegal! You could have died, for god's sake! There's a reason why only battles between Pokémon themselves are allowed!"
Naruto grimaced and looked away. It was something science was still trying to figure out: how Pokémon could attack each other and most of the time only cause the other one to faint – rarely did they actually ever go as far as killing the opponent – but the moment they turned those same attacks to a human, they risked harming the human so severely to the point they might die.
If those Sandslash' had actually managed to cut him any deeper yesterday, he would have been in some major trouble, because he had been nowhere near close to a hospital and the place they had been in was remote enough that he wouldn't have been found for several days at least.
It was why one of the most important laws was: never order a Pokémon to attack another human being. Because the consequences could be dire to potentially lethal and anyone convicted of such a heavy crime would face life in prison. That same law was the reason why Pokémon who got out of control for one reason or the other and accidentally harmed humans were rounded up and kept away in a remote facility until they were rehabilitated.
Some Pokémon were just naturally aggressive, however, and in those cases they would spent the rest of their lives in the facility, never able to return to their freedom in the wild again because they would pose too much of a risk.
"How would I be able to report them when I don't even know who they are?" he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "They didn't exactly introduce themselves when they attacked me, you know. And it's not like they had any rare Pokémon either that would make it easy for the police to identify them. Trainers with a Talonflame and a Sandslash are like a dime a dozen around here."
Her sigh was heavy and deep, making her blonde hair flutter around her. "Guess you're right, but can you at least describe them to me? I can keep an eye out for them. As trainers they'll have to visit my lab some time at least."
"I can do that," he acquiesced before smiling tentatively. "But erm, can I get a Pokédex now? And your permission to do the Gym Challenge? Because I have my own Pokémon now!" He gestured at Mimikyu once more, who actually puffed out his chest, standing as tall and proudly as his height would allow him.
A shadow of a smile flitted across Tsunade's face. "Trust you to find a loophole after all," she said amused, resting her hands on her hips.
"Well, I mean, it's not against the rules, so." He shrugged, grinning cheekily at her. "I got a Pokémon now and I'm old enough, so that satisfies the two main rules, no?"
She chuckled, shaking her head. "True, the rules never did specify that you can't start your journey with a non-Starter. Fine, you cheeky brat, I'll give you your Pokédex and you have my permission to attend the Gym Challenge. Shizune, get a Pokédex, please, they should be still stored in the back."
"Yes, professor!"
As Shizune hurried to the backroom, Tsunade bent over her desk and filled in the permission slip for the Gym Challenge, signing it as proof that Naruto was allowed to take on the various gyms in order to defeat the Elite Four later on.
And potentially become the new Pokémon Master, but that was something he wasn't going to think about yet.
"Here it is!" Shizune announced, striding over to them with a smile. "I checked and it's completely new, ready to be filled in by you!" She handed it over to him.
"Thank you, Shizune-san," he smiled and couldn't help but stare at the red cover of the little machine. He'd been dreaming for so long to hold his very own Pokédex in his hands and now the moment had finally arrived!
The red colour positively shone in the T-lights of the lab and he couldn't keep himself from opening it quickly, admiring the shiny buttons and the black screen. Mimikyu's inquiring mewl had him showing the Pokédex to his partner as well.
"This is going to help us out so much on our journey," he explained, smiling. "This little machine can tell us everything we need to know about whatever Pokémon we're going to encounter! Look, see?"
He held it out in front of Mimikyu, making sure the little camera would align perfectly with the Pokémon. At once the Pokédex came to life, the screen brightening up.
As a picture of Mimikyu appeared on the screen, a mechanic voice read, "Although it's a quiet, lonely Pokémon, if you try to look at what's under its rag, it will become agitated and resist violently."
"Man, this Pokédex entry really needs some work," Naruto remarked and wrinkled his nose, snapping it shut when Mimikyu lowered his fake head.
Kneeling down so that he could be closer to Mimikyu, Naruto said softly, "Hey, don't worry about what the entry said, all right? The Pokédex is still a work in progress and needs to be updated every once in a while. It's wrong about you, because you're definitely not violent and you were pretty brave for helping me yesterday. The professor can change your entry without a problem, right, Professor?"
She raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Yes, I can do that. How about you send me the information you think will suit Mimikyu the best and I'll update the Pokédex? I can do it automatically now, so there's no need to leave the Pokédex behind."
"That sounds great!" Naruto grinned and rose up again. "So that means I'm good to go? Mimikyu and I can start our journey?"
"Go kick their arses, brat," she smiled and held out her hand to shake his. "I can't wait to see you back here with all your shiny badges. Give them hell for me."
"We definitely will," Naruto promised and slipping the Pokédex and the permission slip in his pocket, he turned back to Mimikyu, who gazed at him expectantly. "Well, this is it, Mimikyu. From this moment on, we're officially a team!"
"Mimikyu!" Mimikyu cheered, bouncing up and down, his fake head waggling adorably back and forth.
Naruto bent down slightly and offered his fist out for Mimikyu, smiling encouragingly at him when the small being eyed it cautiously. "You and I, we're going to be one kickass team, I already know that for sure!"
"Mimikyu!" With a determined look in his eyes, one shadowy arm unfurled from underneath his cloth and closed in something resembling a fist, tapping Naruto's fist gently.
It was time to start their journey!
AN2: Three chapters in and they're finally ready to start their journey LOL I hope you guys are all prepared for however long this story will end up being XD
Fun question: if any of you has Mimikyu in your current team, which level are they at? Mine's currently at level 96 because he literally hasn't left my team since I got him :')
I hope you liked this chapter, even if there wasn't much action yet ^^; Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
Cuddles
Melissa
P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.