"MITCHELL, HOW DID YOU LET THEM GET THE DEVON GOODS!" A deep voice bellowed out from the Devon Corporation's main office as a man with thick grey hair, thick blue suit, and white hat as Mitchell cowered in fear, bowing to the seething man who stood above him.
"Mr. Stone, p-please see reason. T-they caught me off guard and security did nothing to help me defend myself." Mitchell tried to ease his boss's words as his short boss looked out the window toward where the perpetrators who stole the goods went. He received a call when he tried desperately to contact Officer Jenny that she was in the hospital and the police office had been burned down, making the situation even more hopeless.
"Mitchell, you don't understand. Those goods were supposed to be taken to Captain Stern immediately! I need to fire all the security if they couldn't handle a simple fucking break-in. This is supposed to be the Devon Corporation, not PokeStar Studios!" He then shook his head vigorously before muttering, "You're lucky I'm lenient. You've been a fantastic worker, Mitchell. Now let's run, if we don't get those Devon Goods the sub won't be completed." Mr. Stone and Mitchell ran before the automatic doors swung open to reveal Naruto and Brendan running inside the building before Mr. Stone almost hit Naruto, who flipped away at the last second as Brendan caught the man.
"Hey, did you order some goods here?" Brendan joked before getting smacked on the head by Naruto while his Grovyle and Elecktrike snickered.
"Not the time, Brendan. Plus, you know that's my thing." Naruto deadpanned before Brendan started yelling, "Oh come on! I can't prank people now!" Naruto ignored his brother's fussing before both walked up to Mr. Stone and Mitchell.
"NARUTO! Thank god you're here! Are those the Devon Goods?!" Mitchell asked happily before Naruto nodded as Mitchell breathed a sigh of relief while Mr. Stone looked at the two boys and how different they looked, but how close they seemed, as if they were brothers.
"Excuse me, you two…" They looked at Mr. Stone as he smiled at them and said, "Did you apprehend the people who stole from us? I'd like to speak with them." The man's anger took form as a tick mark grew on his face, killing intent laced in the look that promised to make someone suffer before Naruto and Brendan as well as their pokemon immediately pointed outside. Mr. Stone walked outside and saw three people, two of whom had the same outfit. They all were surrounded with electricity as he deduced they were hit with a Thunder Wave.
"Ah, I see." Mr. Stone glared at the three unconscious people before taking a deep breath and staring at the duffel bag Naruto held.
"Excuse me, young men…" Naruto looked at him as Mr. Stone walked up before shaking his hand with assertiveness before doing the same to Brendan. "Thank you for protecting our Devon Goods. May I have your names so I know who to thank?" Brendan stepped up as he pointed a thumb to the man, "My name is Brendan Birch, and this is my brother Naruto." Mr. Stone widened his eyes at the last name before shaking his head and giving a nod, "My name is Joseph Stone, owner of the Devon Corporation. Pleased to meet the two sons of the Hoenn Professor." Naruto gave him a nod back along with a grin as he replied, "Nice to meet you sir. But when you say Stone, do you mean you're related to the Champion Steven?" Mr. Stone looked at the two teen boys who were glistening with wonder before he chuckled and said, "Yes, Steven is my son. He may not act like he knows me any time we meet on TV but we have a true connection only a father and son should have." Mr. Stone bellowed with laughter as his previous foul mood was gone. He then looked down at the Pokemon the two boys had and saw Grovyle and Genji standing in their trainer's shadow while the Elecktrike rested by Brendan's foot.
"Interesting. The boys look nothing alike and they say they are brothers. One must be adopted then, in fact, that Naruto boy looks a lot like Namikaze of Kaiho, except his hair is much shorter and his eyes are violet." He kept quiet about that before Naruto handed over the duffle bag, with Brendan standing beside him and Mitchell standing beside Mr. Stone as he opened it and grinned before taking a pokeball out of the duffle bag with a confused look. He looked at Naruto and Brendan to see if it was their pokeball and saw that they were also confused.
"Wait, who's pokeball is that?" Brendan whispered as Naruto shrugged before Mr. Stone released the pokeball to reveal a white bird with blue stripes on its wings as it looked around.
"Win-wingull." It sounded out with a whimper as it looked around to see four people it didn't know, crying out for its trainer as Genji and Grovyle talked to it.
"A Wingull, who's its trainer?" Naruto looked around to see an old man with no hair, white beard, and white eyebrows running around screaming before he walked out to confront the old man.
"Yo gramps, you alright?" Naruto tapped on his shoulder and then got his shoulders grabbed by the old man before he spun out of it easily and screamed, "Hey, what gives?!"
"Please…" The old man stood still before Naruto's gaze softened at the old man's voice before he asked, "Where's my Wingull, where's Peeko?"
"Oh, that's your Wingull?" The man's eyes widened as Naruto pointed to the doors of the Devon Corporation. "Yeah, your Wingull is inside that building. We found its pokeball." Naruto smiled as the man turned and ran straight for the Devon Corp, yelling with euphoria before Mr. Stone came outside with the Wingull perched on its shoulder while it pecked at Brendan's hat.
"PEEKO!" the old man shouted as the Wingull flew on top of his head and laid its wings on his head.
"Wingull-wing." The pokemon conveyed its happiness by covering the man's eyes with its wings and snickering.
"Briney, why were you screaming like a mad man? I thought I told you never to do that." Mr. Stone exclaimed with a strained voice from all the yelling he did before the old man bellowed with laughter, forgetting his sadness when he found his Wingull.
"You know how much I care for Peeko, Joseph. Don't underestimate our bond!" He gave Mr. Stone a sarcastic thumbs up as Mr. Stone muttered curses at the old man.
"Gramps, who're you supposed to be?" Naruto asked as Brendan stood by his side, also wondering who this old man was.
"Young men, this is Mr. Briney, an amazing sailor and fisherman. He's been a friend of mine for years ever since our young days." Mr. Briney walked up to Naruto and Brendan before staring at the both of them for quite some time and grinning before saying, "You found some tough ones, huh Joseph. Promising young stars."
"I didn't find them. If anything, they found me. They are the ones that saved my Devon Goods and your Wingull from those people." He pointed to the three unconscious people by the side of the building as Mitchell went back inside to get something.
"I see…" Mr. Briney walked up with an intimidating aura around him as he stared at the three hooligans before grinding his teeth together and kicking the two males in the shoulder repeatedly.
"Um, what…" Brendan's voice was laced with confusion as Mr. Stone sighed and said, "Don't mind him. It's how he gets when someone messes with his Wingull." Naruto grinned and said, "He's protective of his pokemon. I don't blame him, I'm the same way."
"Okay…" Mr. Briney turned and smiled at the three before rubbing Wingull's head softly while it squawked.
"Thank you boys for saving my Peeko, and Joseph's Devon Goods. I'm lost without Peeko, so I deeply appreciate it." Brendan and Naruto grinned at the man before giving thumbs up, Brendan saying, "No problem, old man. It was no trouble." A dark aura erupted from Mr. Briney as Mr. Stone warned, "One thing to know about Briney, he hates being called old."
"You're damn right I hate it. I'm still in the prime of my youth!" He screamed at Mr. Stone who just chuckled while Brendan glared at Naruto, "So it's okay for him to call you gramps, but it's not okay for me to call you old man?!" Naruto shrugged before saying, "It's just like I told you Brendan, only I can do those things."
"I hate you so much." Brendan aired out with a depressed air cloud around his head before Mr. Briney asked, "Anyway, I saw how the police station had been burned down. May you catch me up on the story?" Mr. Stone looked at the two teens as Brendan looked at Naruto, who was there for most of it.
"You see the man and the woman in red?" He pointed, as everyone nodded before he carried on. "Those two were the ones who burnt it down. The one in the blue was arrested earlier because he tried to attack me and your assistant Mitchell with lethal force, ordering his Poochyena to 'tear me apart.' He then grabbed a knife out of his outfit and tried to stab me before I easily apprehended him. I escorted Mitchell out of the area and I challenged the gym. After the gym I headed out and saw the police station where he was located had been burned down and Officer Jenny had been injured along with her Growlithe, those two running away from the scene with that guy chasing after them screaming for them to give him back the Devon Goods. I chased them down and Brendan came out of Rusturf Tunnel, so we both apprehended everyone with no difficulty." Naruto explained everything to the three, Brendan adding on bits and pieces of information from when he joined the fight.
"Yeah, I came out of the Rusturf Tunnel and saw Naruto and his Frogadier fighting a Numel and two Poochyena. I'm assuming they used the Numel to burn down the police station, and try to kill him." He morbidly said before pointing at the man in blue. Mr. Stone and Mr. Briney looked at the two teens before glancing at their pokemon, each standing in tandem behind their trainers.
"Did you catch their names?" Mr. Stone asked seriously as he finally began to recognize the clothing that the people were wearing.
"The guy in the blue was calling the people in red 'Magma Idiots' while running after them." Both of the old men's eyes widened massively at that name as Naruto and Brendan saw it before growing worried as the two men looked back with anxiousness.
"Those guys were also in the Rusturf Tunnel. I think they were trying to extract those two with no issues before I took them all down." Brendan added as Mr. Briney asked, "Are they still knocked out in the tunnel?" Brendan nodded as Naruto looked at his brother, "I had my Elecktrike use Thunder Wave on them and their pokemon to make sure they weren't able to move from there." Brendan said while rubbing his chin and then remembering something, running inside to grab his bag before the two old men looked at Naruto, who pointed at Mr. Stone.
"He had something to deliver to you and the Devon Corp. from Mauville, that's why he was even coming back to the city." Mr. Stone looked confused and thought about deliveries he was supposed to receive from Mauville.
"I know I asked Wattson to give the Devon Goods a boost, but I didn't think the extra boost would be done this early. Plus, I thought he'd be delivering it himself or have one of his gym aids deliver it. I guess he trusted this trainer enough to bring it to me directly. Both these trainers seem reliable. Maybe they could help me with my delivery. They are strong and fearless." Mr. Briney looked at his friend, who seemed to have one of his breakthrough moments that he normally had with his inventions, as Brendan came back out of the building holding a gold and silver jumper cable that sparkled with electricity.
"Damn it Wattson, I thought you said this would be less dangerous you damn lunatic." Mr. Stone cursed to himself while Mr. Briney laughed at how their eccentric friend's work had always caused problems.
"Gro-Grovyle" "Frog-Froga" Both pokemon watched Brendan and shook their head at the obliviousness to the danger before Naruto walked up and grabbed one side of the cable, ensuring that Brendan wouldn't be shocked too hard before they dropped the cable in the duffle bag.
"There you go Mr. Stone! Wattson called it the E.B.A.O, which stands for Electric Booster Add-On. He said it would power up the Devon Goods to nearly 5 times its total power for a 30 minute span before it needs to be recharged again. He also said that to charge it fully, you'd need an electric type pokemon to hit it with the move Thunder."
Naruto had a wide-eyed look before facepalming with laughter as Mr. Stone and Mr. Briney cursed their friend once again for his absolute obsession with electricity.
"Wattson was always crazy about electricity, I'm not surprised." Mr. Briney chuckled while Mr. Stone sighed as he began to walk back into his building before saying, "In any case, we need to go check on Officer Jenny and go apprehend the ones in the Rusturf Tunnel. You two…" He pointed at Naruto and Brendan who stood by each other, "Please go bring them back here and I'll give you a reward for your troubles. You already deserve one for what you did with the Devon Goods and Briney's Wingull, but I'll add on another thing if you do this."
"Don't worry Gramps, we would've done this for free, anyway." Naruto pointed his fist at the man before he and Brendan started running back towards the Rusturf Tunnel along with their Pokemon at full speed, disappearing into the distance as Mr. Briney walked inside with Mr. Stone before saying with a smirk, "They remind me of your son and young Lance with how much confidence they exude. Looks like you found some diamonds Joseph." Mr. Stone nodded with a smile before walking along with Mr. Briney and replied, "Those two have a bond with not only each other, but their pokemon as well. I saw how their Grovyle and Frogadier shadowed their every movement while around us, ready to act if anything threatened them. They also are compassionate, as they didn't need to help with this situation but immediately sprung into action when they saw something wrong. Plus, both boys looked like they trained themselves along with their pokemon, judging by the acrobatic movements that young Naruto had pulled off when I nearly bumped into him and he flipped away from me with no trouble. It's what they said about Magma that has me worried though." He now had a dark look as Mr. Briney looked at him before shaking his head and saying with a hard voice, "10 years is a long time, Joseph. If they are back, that means they rebranded and will stop at nothing to complete their goals again, which nearly cost us Sootopolis and the entire Kaiho Region before whatever happened back there. Kaiho refused to drop information on how they were stopped considering the high tension the situation brought, and the International Police did the same. Let's just hope these two boys can weather the fierce storm approaching." Both men walked up to the office, dragging the three criminals along with them, the female beginning to stir before getting shocked from the paralysis and returning to her slumber.
xXx
"Alright Naru, did you get the two near Verdanturf?" Brendan's voice echoed in the cave before Naruto looked back in the echo's direction to see Brendan and his Grovyle with three people in red cloaks who were tied up. He echoed back, "Yeah, me and Genji got it all done over here. How are we going to transport them back without leaving one behind?" Genji looked at his trainer before pointing at the multiple Whismur hiding behind the rocks of the cave, Naruto seeing some scuff and burn marks on some of them before frowning as Brendan's voice rang out, "We have to carry two at most for each of us and have our pokemon carry the last one."
Naruto didn't respond as he looked at the multiple Whismur who were looking back at him, ready to attack before he slowly went into his bag and pulled out a couple of Oran Berries that he had gathered and left them for the Whismur to eat. Genji stood by, reading to use a Water Pulse if the Whismur attacked before one came up and brought the berries to the others that had scuff marks on their bodies.
"Whis…" It's soft voice protruded through the areas as Naruto smiled before they started eating, the scuff marks disappearing by the second as multiple Whismur got up and went over to Naruto and Genji before picking up the two grunts and started running toward Brendan, picking up the other three people as Brendan looked shocked while Grovyle almost prepared a Leaf Blade before Genji called it to stop as twenty Whismur carried the five grunts before standing at attention.
"WHIS-WHISMUR!" They all stood at attention as Genji and Grovyle each ordered the group of Whismur out of the area while Brendan gave Naruto a look.
"Some were injured and burned, so I gave them some Oran Berries I had available and they decided to help with the problem. It's likely they saw you take them out earlier and wanted to repay that favor. Whismur are known to cause uproars with unfamiliar people, but we proved that we're good." Naruto grinned as Brendan grinned back before they walked out of the cave to see the multiple Whismur going down the road with the people on top of them.
"We're lucky they didn't attack us on sight, if we even slightly ticked them off our ears would have been blown up by their Uproar." Brendan sounded out to Naruto, who looked back at the cave and asked, "Where are you going after this Brendan? You have two badges right?" Brendan flashed his badge case and opened it to reveal the Rustboro Badge as well as the Mauville Badge with a proud smirk. "Of course, you're slacking bro. But I'm probably going to head to Lavaridge Town, then head back down to Slateport and catch a ship to Dewford. We can only fight Uncle Norman when we have 5 badges or more, and I don't want to head to Fortree without defeating him!" Naruto smiled at his brother's display before saying with similar energy, "Nice plan. I was thinking about asking Mr. Briney for a favor since he's a sailor and could bring me to Dewford, then Slateport. If we go like that, then you could catch his boat and go back to Dewford, and I'll head up to Mauville and Lavaridge. Doesn't sound that bad does it?" Naruto gave Brendan a foxy grin that his brother returned as they high-fived each other, green once again emanating from their arms.
"Naruto, how about a battle? Genji versus my Grovyle?" Brendan really wanted to battle his brother. It was a goal of his for a while now after his Treecko evolved into a Grovyle. While he knew Naruto and his Frogadier were nearly unbeatable for the level he was at, considering they defeated Norman's Vigoroth, which could take down multiple trainers with a single move. He also knew Naruto had a bond with his Frogadier that he wanted with his Grovyle, since they knew each other all of their lives. His Grovyle trusted him, and he treated every pokemon should be treated, like his family. But Naruto was truly brothers with his Frogadier, almost on the same level as him. He could understand what it said, and they both watched each other's backs religiously. He knew he may not beat them yet, but he and Grovyle both wanted to attempt to fight them to the best of their abilities.
Naruto looked up at the sun to think of what Brendan had asked. He looked ahead to the Whismur walking ahead with Genji and Brendan's Grovyle guiding them. They both took constant looks at each other, Grovyle more so than Genji. He looked back at Brendan and said, "Not right now." Brendan frowned before Naruto spoke up again, this time with a more excited tone, "Why would I battle you now when I can battle at a better point where it doesn't feel contrived? I want to battle you Brendan, but our full teams instead of just one pokemon. Not only are you my brother, but we both want to be a champion in the future, so we are rivals as well. At Slateport, that's when we will have our first battle of many to come." Naruto's grin became downright savage as Brendan smirked back at his brother.
"We fight when our teams are stronger, so we push each other to even higher levels. That's what rivals do, push each other to their highest point."
xXx
"So Briney, would you like to deliver it to me?" Mr. Stone was at his desk as he sat across from his friend, who was drinking some tea while he drank some alcohol. Mr. Briney looked at his friend with a deadpan as he gulped down the alcohol with no issue whatsoever. It was always a skill of his to drink as much alcohol as possible without getting drunk.
"Joseph, you know the time I have on my hands now. Slateport from here is a good couple days, even more if I'm to contact your son in Granite Cave. I'd say it'd take 2 weeks tops." Mr. Briney responded as Mr. Stone looked at his friend before smirking and saying, "Don't worry, I'm sure either young Naruto or Brendan shall travel with you to Dewford for its Gym Badge, so they'll be able to get to Steven with relative ease, seeing as you only have Peeko and they are aspiring trainers with crazy potential. They both seem to have their journeys at least somewhat planned out." He grinned at the thought of his son being surprised by either of the two passionate trainers. He knew his son saw talent in the blink of an eye and would surely see it with the two.
"Mr. Stone, we got them!" Naruto ran into the room with a grin as both adults took a glance at the excited look on the boy's face and deduced something big must've happened. They both looked outside the massive office window to see a pod of Whismur carrying the criminals while Brendan watched over. Both shook their heads in pure amazement at the two seemingly able to befriend the most irritable and quick-tempered pokemon in the world.
"Naruto boy, you know Whismur can make sounds that are equivalent to a jet plane, right?" Naruto shrugged at the two men before grinning and said, "I just have that effect on people and pokemon, ya'know." He laughed and walked out with a hop in his step before seeing the Whismur start to walk away due to the orders of Genji.
"FROGA!" "GROVE!" Genji and Grovyle pointed back to the cave as the Whismur saluted it back before starting to walk away, Brendan trying to contain his laughter at the entire ordeal before seeing Naruto walk up next to him.
"So, are we checking on Officer Jenny, or what? I thought you wanted to see if she was okay before we left?" Brendan asked his brother who looked at him and nodded.
"We both know you wanted the same thing when I told you. Even if we aren't blood, we still are wired the same as we want to protect, believe it." Naruto stared at the distant Pokemon Center while Brendan snorted at his brother's "catchphrase.
"Alright you two…" The brothers looked to see the two old men standing in front of them while Genji and Grovyle stood by them. "Thanks to you, we got the criminals here. I don't know where we are going to put them until further notice, but I'm sure we can find a way with Roxanne's permission. For now, we'll just keep them locked up within the gym. Roxanne will be here shortly to come get these hooligans, and while she's doing that, we shall visit the Pokemon Center and I will tell you boys about something I had in mind." Mr. Stone and Mr. Briney started walking towards the Center while Naruto and Brendan ran ahead, barreling away with their respective Pokemon.
"They are confident, reminds me a lot of myself."
xXx
"Alright, Chansey watch over the Growlithe. I'll stay here with Jenny." Nurse Joy ordered her partner away with a worried tone.
"Chansey" Her friend cried out softly as it went over to the Growlithe who was currently being healed of its injuries. Nurse Joy looked back at the Officer Jenny who was knocked out in bed with a wet towel over her forehead. Nurse Joy looked around and saw the bruises across her arms along with the black eye that were slowly going away with her Chansey able to use Heal Pulse, but it was still very slow and she doubted Jenny could get back in action for at least another two days while she healed.
"Nurse Joy!" She turned to see Naruto and Brendan running towards her as she saw they were in a hurry. "How is she? Is she alright?" Nurse Joy looked at the teens and shook her head, saying, "Sorry boys, but you aren't able to see her at the moment. She is currently knocked out and healing and no one is allowed back there except for me and Chansey."
"May we at least get an update on her condition, considering how this young man saved her from the burning station?" Mr. Stone walked up behind the two with a curious gaze at the Nurse while Mr. Briney hung back.
"She is slowly healing the heavy bruises she got when she was attacked, but it will be awhile before she will be available to return to post. It's lucky that this young man got her when she did, because when she did she had a couple first-degree burns on her back that could've gotten worse." She looked at Naruto with a thankful glance before saying, "Her Growlithe is also fine, just some broken bones that Chansey and I will take care of. Arceus Bless the damage was very minimal compared to what it actually could've been." She smiled at the group before walking back and continuing her work to recover the two in the back while the Pokemon Center remained silent.
"Damn, why did they have to cause this?" Naruto nearly punched the wall before catching himself and feeling Brendan's hand on his shoulder while Mr. Stone watched on before shaking his head and tapping the two boys.
"I need a favor from you two, well one of you." He then told them to come with him as they all walked out of the center to see Mr. Briney standing there.
"You asking them already, because I need to go get the ship ready." Mr. Briney deadpanned at his friend, who just laughed in his face.
"You see boys, I need a small favor." He then pointed at Mr. Briney and continued, "I want to get my Devon Goods delivered to Slateport, but seeing as people have already tried to steal them, I wish for them to be delivered by sea. I asked Mr. Briney to head to Dewford in a day or so. I was wondering if one of you are planning on heading to Dewford." Brendan looks at Naruto who already had the shit-eating grin as he stood up and exclaimed, "I'll be happy to! I was already planning on asking him for a ride and if I'm helping, I can at least get the badge and also take a trip into Granite Cave." Mr. Stone smirked at the excited tone and Mr. Briney walked up before taking a letter from Mr. Stone and began to walk out before Naruto yelled, "WAIT!" Both adults turned to see him pointing at Brendan before saying, "If you're gonna bring me, at least bring Brendan back around to Dewford and Petalburg when we meet at Slateport." Mr. Briney looked at the two before smiling and nodding.
"Of course, you've both helped Joseph and I. I'll go clean up the ship, stay safe Joseph." He walked out as Mr. Stone looked at the two who high-fived with smiles on their faces and had a glint in his eyes as he began to think of Steven and his friend Lance when he saw these two trainers.
"These two, I swear they are just like you and Lance, my son." Mr. Stone thought before he coughed and got the duo's attention.
"Well you two, if you would like to come back to my office, I have a gift for you both that I know you will love." He walked out as both walked up and Brendan asked, "Wait, is it something that you made?" Mr. Stone just shook his head as both of the trainers looked at their Pokemon with dubious glances as their Pokemon had the same response.
"What could he be giving that is so important?"
xXx
"Alright you two, do you each have a PokeNav?" The question was given as soon as they entered the office, to which Naruto and Brendan both pulled out their PokeNav and saw the glint in Mr. Stone's eye.
"Good, I hope you know we made those. But I'd like to give them an upgrade. Consider it as thanks for helping the Devon Corporation with this situation." He then got two devices behind them that looked much more exuberant compared to their devices and pushed them into their hands.
"This is the PokeNav Plus, the first of its kind. We are currently mass-producing them as we speak with the help of every company we are aligned with, but you two get the first of their kind. They are equipped with an app that can connect to your PokeDex, a Holo Caster app similar to the ones used in Kalos that can be used with the Calling Option to get the chance to produce a hologram of the person you are talking to when you call them, a news station connecting directly to Mauville TV and other regions, live television from the multiple apps, unlimited energy, and a direct line to me. You'll be able to contact me anytime about issues and I'll get back to you. You two are the only two trainers not of the gym leaders and Elite 4 that have this privilege. Use it wisely."
"We will!" Both exclaimed with a nod and fist pump as Mr. Stone sat back before looking at Naruto.
"Naruto boy, you must depart soon. I know you wish to stay for a little longer, but Briney will be ready in some time and you need to get through Petalburg Woods. Brendan boy, you need to return to your journey. Both of you have your journeys ahead of you. Make sure you don't fall victim to people trying to manipulate you and befriend you for the wrong reasons."
Naruto resonated with that statement, looking down at Genji with a slightly saddened glance before looking back up and pointing a fist at Mr. Stone. "Don't worry sir, I've matured enough to know the difference between what is real and what is fake." The sincerity in that statement made Brendan smile, but also felt a pang in his heart as he thought back to when Naruto explained his past to the family and nearly grit his teeth before giving the same fist to Mr. Stone and looking at his Grovyle, who gave him a nod.
"Same here, I won't stop until me and my Pokemon are strong enough to take on the world, no matter who stands in our way. Including you, bro." He laughed and grinned at his brother, who looked back with a challenging glare as both stood apart from each other with fierce looks as their arms glowed while Mr. Stone watched on, reminiscing about something.
"Oh, Steven, they are just like you and Lance. I'm sure you'll be surprised when you meet these kids, they might be the ones to finally surpass you."
"Alright you two, I'll see you again another day. For now, you need to go while Roxanne and I have this meeting about what to do with those criminals." Both waved and ran out as Mr. Stone watched them leave with a smile before grasping something beneath his desk and pulled it out to reveal a picture of multiple people. His son was on there, as well as a Red-Haired man with a cape, a light-blonde haired woman with gray eyes, black trench coat and black clothes, a red-haired man that seemed to be older than the rest with old-fashioned clothes and had a grin on his face, a black-haired woman with white clothes on that seemed to make her stand out more than the others, and finally a blonde-haired man with a white jacket and red symbols on the back.
"I wonder, who will be the next generation of this picture?"
xXx
Naruto and Brendan were sitting by the lake that separated Petalburg Woods from Rustboro City as sunset came upon them. Both were eating Oran Berries as all of their Pokemon were eating with them.
"So, you have a Dartrix now? How many starters are you going to get?" Brendan asked rhetorically as Naruto shrugged before saying, "My question is what do you think you're going to go for next? Flannery might be a bit of a challenge since you are going early and she is a bit of a rookie, so she might not know the rules of a set gym challenge for a specific number of badges."
"Probably a Water Type or Ground Type. The Hoenn Desert is right next to Mauville and there's water by Mauville as well. I'll try to see if a Pokemon there can fit my team and if I can bond with it." Brendan said truthfully as Grovyle nodded while Elecktrike was chomping down the berries.
"Let's not forget that there are multiple islands that you can go to on the way to Dewford, so you can realistically catch a pokemon from any region over there. What are you thinking about getting?" Brendan asked his brother as Naruto replied, "Honestly, I think my team is pretty set for now. Brawly won't be a challenge, and by then my team will have even more training than before so I'm expecting a victory." His team looked back with complete confidence as he smiled at them before Brendan snorted and asked, "You think Brawly will up the challenge for you?"
"Most likely, considering Roxanne will probably contact him about me, and maybe even Flannery for you. It will be fine though, I won't quit, even if I face the worst odds." His conviction resonated with his pokemon as they all looked up and agreed.
"Froga" "Dartrix" "Poi-Poi." They all gave him the response he wanted as he put his hand on each of them while they ate, showing his appreciation for his new family.
"Grove-Grovyle" "Yeah Grovyle, they all have such a powerful bond." He looked at his partners and tried the same thing, getting soft groans from his team as they both showed their admiration for their trainer.
"What do you think will happen if we see those guys again?" Brendan asked as Naruto looked to the sky, seeing multiple Tailow and Wingull flying above them before sighing.
"Honestly brother, couldn't tell you, even if I wanted to. I just hope they won't try to interfere with my life, because I won't hesitate to knock them all down." He snickered softly before seeing his brother stand up slowly, his Pokemon joining him.
"So I guess this is where we break off until Slateport?" Naruto asked his brother, who grinned and looked towards the setting sun.
"What can I say, we both love rushing forward. I just take it literally nowadays. Remember bro, we are similar. You'll be rushing forward soon, trust me." He grabbed his brother's hand and lifted him up, both staring into each other's eyes before grasping their hands together in a firm handshake, unwilling to break it apart.
"You know what, you're probably right." Both smirked as their Pokemon all looked at each other with respect smothered in their eyes as Brendan grabbed his bag and started walking before looking at his older brother.
"See you soon Naru, may our first battle be the stuff of legends." He saluted and walked back towards the paved roads of Rustboro, his Pokemon right by his side as they soon became silhouettes in the distance. Despite being far, Naruto could still feel his brother's spirit right by his side. He looked at his team and looked towards the forest before kneeling in the soft grass.
"I'll see you again, Rustboro City."
Naruto walked back towards Petalburg Woods, feeling the warmth of the sun covering him and making the water sparkle. His Pokemon walked close to him before he said, "Alright team, let's head out. We got training and we have a job to do." Artemis perched on his shoulders. Olympus flew up and went into his hands, and Genji stood by with its arms crossed. They all walked away from the city, disappearing into the woods for their next challenge.
xXx
(2 Days Later)
"I swear to Arceus, where is that kid? He should've been here about an hour ago." Mr. Briney stared at the woods along with Peeko, waiting for Naruto to walk out with a tick mark on his face. He then saw someone running out of the woods and was prepared to scold the young man before he saw boiling water being shot at Naruto. He watched with wide eyes as the young man dodged the Scald before flipping backwards to avoid a Razor Leaf and Venoshock and landing on his feet before looking to see his pokemon all ready to pounce.
"Alright, I yield. Good training today. You are getting even faster with your reaction speed and reducing the time to use your attacks in succession. All of you are looking good!" He gave a thumbs up to his team before grabbing his bag and handing out berries to his group.
"Sup Gramps! Sorry about being late, I got lost on the road of life and needed some last-minute clarity." He said with a joking grin that caught the old man off guard.
"In all my days, I haven't seen a human who would be trying to dodge hits from their own Pokemon ever since I was around your age." Mr. Briney said before shaking his head.
"At least you got here today so we can leave and still make it to Dewford at mostly the same pace. My ship is ready to leave, have you healed your Pokemon?" He questioned, to which Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment before saying, "Yeah, made sure the team was good before we got here. Last-minute training didn't hurt them, and we are all ready to leave." He then looked at his team who all understood what he was about to do and each accepted it since they wanted some rest. "Return." Naruto returned his team so they could sleep a bit more and walked with Mr. Briney to the docks to see a large ship in front of them.
"Young man, say hello to the S.S. Wingull." Mr. Briney exclaimed before Peeko flew on his head and cawed while Naruto stared at the ship in utter excitement.
"Wow, when did you get this?" Naruto asked as Mr. Briney laid a hand on the boat.
"A gift from someone after I did them a favor. That was years ago however, we've lost contact since then." He said before Naruto looked down at him with a sad smile.
"You should really connect with them again. Who knows when the last time you ever talk to them may be." The melancholic tone that came out of his mouth made Mr. Briney flinch back, as he saw the genuine care Naruto had when he said that.
"You know, sometimes you act far beyond your years." Mr. Briney grinned at the young man as both got on the ship and he took control.
"Alright Naruto boy, let me show you why I'm considered one of the greatest sailors of all time!" The ship's horn blew as the S.S. Wingull pulled out of the dock and headed down south. Naruto looked over the front of the ship and saw it slowly pulling away from the Hoenn mainland. He saw multiple pokemon like Tentacool, Qwilfish, and Barboach underneath the water before looking up to see Wingull and Pelipper all flying around. Mr. Briney felt the sailing rush he always got as the ship finally departed, Dewford Town awaiting their presence. Naruto let his arms hang by his side as he stood on the bow, feeling the breeze press against his entire body, covering him fully. He breathed in the salty air and let out a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding. His bandaged arm glowed blue underneath, and he whispered one thing that the sea would only hear.
"It's been a long time since I've felt the sea cover me."
xXx
(Flashback)
"Minato, Kushina, don't tell me that was your plan the whole time?!" a voice from inside a secluded office yelled out as the figure could be seen with anger written all over their face. The figure tightened their fists as veins popped out.
"I'm sorry sensei, but Naruto was vehemently hated by the public, and even with us trying to keep him away from the public eye, they still abhorred his mere presence here. They wanted him burned at the stake." A younger voice tried to take control of the conversation before a slam was heard.
"THAT ISN'T HOW YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO RUN THINGS MINATO. YOU ARE THEIR LEADER, SOMEONE THEY RESPECT, AND YOU CAN'T CONTROL THEM?" HE screamed out as both figures flinched back before a woman's voice was heard.
"Please Jiraiya, we're trying the best we can, but it's too late. The damage was done and we can't hold the citizens back, or else there will be multiple riots and maybe an uprising." She tried to get him to understand, but Jiraiya wasn't having any of their nonsense.
"Then at least let me take Naruto away, allow him to grow up with someone who can really guide him. Can't you see, YOU'LL JUST CAUSE HIM TO RUN AWAY THIS WAY!" Jiraiya was furious at this explanation, and the fact they tried to get him back to the city for another reason while trying to hide this from him nearly pushed him over the edge.
"I'm sorry, sensei, but we can't do that. Naruto needs to grow up with us, grow up with his siblings and us. I know we haven't done the best so far, but I've been trying to think of ways we can do it. You still have your job at the International Police, you can't take care of him. At least Kushina will be taking care of him most of the day, while you'll be off doing Arceus knows what." Minato's cold tone made every figure in the room shiver, as Jiraiya was reminded why his student was one of the most feared trainers in the world.
"Minato, you understand I don't work for Konoha City anymore. I am a man of the world. The only ties to this city is that I was born here and my sensei still lives here, along with Tsunade and you. Don't test me." Jiraiya's hollow voice silenced the room for a couple of seconds as he glared at Minato. He loved his student, but today he had lost a lot of respect for his prodigy.
"Then what about Tsunade? She is taking care of Naruto right now and loves him like a nephew…" "THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS RIGHT!" He cut Minato off as he continued, "Naruto will grow up and see the signs of hate. He will notice you are not doing anything to help him against those narrow-minded citizens. Even if you say you love him, you aren't making any decisions that benefit him. And don't tell me Tsunade loves him. I'm one of the few people that could actually see through her and I see the signs. I know you love your city Minato, trust me I did too." Minato and Kushina both noticed the usage of the past tense. "But sometimes you have to be selfish with your family. You are one of, if not the strongest trainer in the world and you are letting the citizens push you around and hate your son, and I've seen no damage control being done. But fine, you can have Naruto for now. His own siblings don't like him, Kakashi doesn't care, Tsunade hides behind a mask of love. Sensei Hiruzen is the only one that actually cares. Just know…" He started walking away with his eyes shadowed, not being able to look his student and his wife in the eyes, "Naruto will undoubtedly run away, and when he does, it will be on your hands. Don't expect any help from me either. As of today…" He unhooked something from his hand and let it drop to the floor before stomping on it, breaking the floor boards as both Minato and Kushina looked shocked.
"I will never come back to Kaiho until Naruto is treated correctly. If I find out he leaves, I will find him myself and do the job you couldn't, be a true mentor and parental figure that you failed to be. You say that you love him, and I won't deny that you do, but the way you went about this makes me completely fucking sick. Don't expect me to return Minato and don't contact me either. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you." He jumped out of the window, leaving behind a broken floorboard and a broken-plated headband. Both Minato and Kushina couldn't move from their spots, as they were shocked by what just happened. Both couldn't believe Jiraiya could have done that, and left his own nation as their decision became more and more clouded in their minds.
Jiraiya after he jumped out of the window jumped through multiple trees into the forest before grasping a black and gold pokeball out of his pocket and releasing it to reveal a large avian pokemon with dark blue feathers on its underside and dark red feathers on the wings.
"Braviary, find sensei and bring him back here to meet. It's time."
"Brave-" It flew off at high speeds as Jiraiya waited in dark silence while waiting for his sensei to come. 5 minutes later his Braviary returned with Hiruzen hopping off of it while smoking his classic pipe.
"So I assume you wish to get Naruto out of here, am I correct Jiraiya?" Hiruzen immediately understood why Jiraiya had called him there, as he had also gotten into it with Minato on some occasions for his decisions on how to handle the citizens.
"I just want to know how the citizens got ahold of all of this information. I thought Naruto's runes would be kept under wraps." Jiraiya's anger was all Hiruzen needed to see to know that Jiraiya's plan to take Naruto away and have him raised by him and the International Police didn't go so well.
"Minato is still digging through on who leaked the information. But we believe it was someone higher up, as the Rangers are supremely loyal to Minato and they were the only ones who saw them besides us. Now that you've told me what the runes truly mean, it's imperative we get Naruto somewhere he can be safe, at least until you meet up with him. He is a happy child you know, one that loves Pokemon so much. He bonds so well with Enma and Asuma's Chimchar, and I took years to gain the trust of that ape."
"Don't worry, there is a ship that will leave the docks of Wave City in a week that will go to multiple regions. Since you are well-recognized within this region, they will let you know what region Naruto will go to and you will know where he finally gets off. Don't tell me until he reaches the age in which he becomes a trainer, as I don't want anyone in Kaiho to suspect me of taking one of Minato's children. Once he reaches that age, let me know and I'll help him reach a level far beyond my own. My godson deserves that at the very least." Hiruzen nodded before asking, "Should we tell Tsunade?" Jiraiya rocked his head as he explained, "Tsunade may seem like she loves Naruto, but she is hiding her grief. Remember, Naruto was born the day Dan died, and she obviously sees Naruto as a symbol for the day Dan left her. Naruto reminds her of the grief she felt, and I caught her one time almost hitting him. Tsunade can't be trusted, not after she agreed with Minato and Kushina about what to do with Naruto and not after what I saw. She looked like she wanted him dead, Sensei." Hiruzen saw the grim look Jiraiya gave and sighed, since it was a rough day for the both of them.
"I see, so Tsunade needs to take control of her grief and the rest of Konoha can't be trusted. Very well then, I'll keep in contact with you and Looker and let you know Naruto's location. Is there anything else you want me to do?"
Jiraiya gave him a letter, and Hiruzen read the contents and chuckled. Jiraiya was evil, that much was for sure. "Are you sure you wish to play with their grief? Once Naruto is gone and they read this, everyone in their close circle will fall into depression for not seeing things this way."
"Yes, if they can't make out what those runes mean by themselves, then let them read that when they are certain he's missing. I want them to know what they did wrong."
"Very well, and remember to make him a legend Jiraiya, I want a battle with him when he's ready." Hiruzen took a smoke of the pipe and saw the smile on Jiraiya's face.
"Really, sensei, you gotta remember who you are talking to. I am The Gallant Jiraiya, and I never fail a mission!" Jiraiya's boisterous self peaked again as he got on his Braviary.
"Don't worry Jiraiya, you'll see him, eventually. Maybe if Tsunade saw this side of you before, she wouldn't have stayed stricken with grief."
"You know sensei, sometimes I wonder the same thing."
Braviary began flying away, Jiraiya leaving the Kaiho Region behind as Hiruzen stared ahead before slowly walking back to Konoha City.
"Jiraiya, make me proud my student. I'll make sure to visit you and Naruto when I can. Good Luck."
(Flashback End)
Jiraiya sat on a tree above a city combined with a forest, reminding him of his home. Fortree City was beautiful at night, as the leaves danced in the wind and the fresh air brought a sense of serenity that he could only get from the hot springs.
"You know, I should really hit up the Lavaridge Town Hot Springs when I can." He said with a perverted grin before seeing a flare in the middle of the forest. He jumped towards that flare and saw a man with a uniform that reminded him of the clerks at PokeMarts. He smiled as the man gave a greeting.
"Jiraiya, it's been a long time since you've been in Hoenn to gather information. What do you need to know?" Jiraiya gave the man a handshake and said, "Yes, it has been long, Satori. I need to know of Team Aqua and Magma, as well as masked men and a blonde-haired boy with bandages around his arm."
"Well, I've been in contact with a spy from Rustboro City, and there have been multiple Team Magma grunts and a Team Aqua grunt fighting for something that the Devon Corporation created before they were easily defeated by a boy with a white hat with a Grovyle and your blonde-haired boy with bandages on his arm that had a Frogadier. Both apparently put on a show and easily defeated the grunts before earning the personal favor of Joseph Stone. As for the masked men, there have been no sightings of any but there have been strange ships entering in and out of the islands between Dewford that came from LaRousse City." The spy gave all the information he had as Jiraiya nodded and paid the man accordingly before leaping away as he thought to himself.
"Naruto is okay, and he seems to be getting involved with Team Magma and Team Aqua. I hope he knows what he's doing getting involved with them."
Jiraiya also thought about the ships, knowing that Danzo and Orochimaru escaped into another region. Sightings of ships have also been reported by the International police, but they were shown to have normal trainers on who were completely aware of what they were doing. Since Looker was already on Team Magma and Aqua's tail, he knew where he had to go. He made his choice.
"Braviary, take me to LaRousse City. I need to investigate there." He released his Braviary and hopped on, making a beeline towards the technologically advanced city off the Hoenn Mainland.
Notes:
Bit of a transition chapter, but hey what are you gonna do.
On the bright side, ya boy just graduated high school and got into University, so I'm excited. that's why I haven't uploaded in so long. Sorry about that.
So yeah, Jiraiya and Hiruzen plotted to take Naruto away. I'll cover Minato and Kushina's side of things very later on, as I've addressed in the past.
One thing I will mention which some people might find dumb is why Brendan and Naruto didn't battle, so I'll re-iterate my point here. Brendan has two pokemon, Naruto has 3. His Frogadier could beat fully evolved pokemon easily, so I decided building both trainers up and building up a fight down the line is better than having an impromptu match out of nowhere with no buildup.
Ask any questions in the reviews and I will answer without spoiling too much.
Also, what are your thoughts of Pokemon Legends: Arceus?
Until the next chapter