Naruto: Emerald Adventures

by KitsuneDragon

SEQUEL TO JOHTO JOURNEYS! Kanto and Johto gave him all they had to offer, but now it is time to soar to greater heights and make new discoveries. Three years of training on Mt. Silver definitely made Naruto stronger and wiser, but will it be enough to conquer the Hoenn region?

3. Chapter 3:For the Spores

Naruto: Emerald Adventures

Chapter 3: For the Spores

Petalburg Woods, Hoenn Region

The world was a blur of various shades of black, brown and green. He ran as fast as he could through the woods with dark eyes staring straight ahead with no intention of looking back. If he did he would have been beside himself in terror after seeing the Mightyena capture the members of his colony that initially managed to escape when the red and black coloured humans entered their territory.

The howls of the Bite Pokemon echoed throughout the woods as they continued their hunt, the orders from their human masters being followed to the letter. A gruff bark came from above, but the bark was replaced by a sharp yelp as one of his remaining colony members tackled the canine to the ground. The command to keep running, to escape the hounds of hell that nipped at his feet did not need to be repeated.

Keep running. Don't stop.

Keep running. Don't stop.

Keep running. Don't stop.

The mantra kept him going for as long and as quickly as his stubby green legs could carry him. He cursed said stubby lower limbs as they refused to let him move any faster and tears collected at the edge of his eyes as he heard the sounds of combat behind him. His comrade was lost to the red and black humans now, but that did not stop the remaining red-eyed beasts.

It seemed as if nothing would stop the Mightyena. They would take him down and the humans would use him for whatever nefarious purpose they had planned for his colony. The familiar sound of energy coalescing into a single point met his auditory sensors and with gruff bark, the blob of shadow and darkness rocketed through the air. The Shadow Ball would have struck him straight in the back had he not been saved by tripping over the tree root in front of him.

His eyes widened and time slowed down for him before quickly returning to normal as another Shadow Ball generated an explosion as it crashed down on the ground directly behind him. Dirt and grass scattered and the powerful shockwave sent him careening through the air. Earth met sky as he tumbled across the forest floor, his already dirt covered form becoming even more dirty and bearing a few fresh bruises now. He grit his teeth and as he aimed to climb back to run once more, his dark brown eyes, full of terror and despair, looked up to meet bright crimson ones that were brimming with shock and confusion.

"Please...help."

---

A few minutes ago

Silcoon the Cocoon Pokemon. A Bug-type Pokemon and the evolved form of Wurmple. Silcoon tethers itself to a tree branch using silk to keep from falling. There, this Pokémon hangs quietly while it awaits evolution. It peers out of the silk cocoon through a small hole.

Cascoon the Cocoon Pokemon. A Bug-type Pokemon and the evolved form of Wurmple. If it is attacked, Cascoon remains motionless however badly it may be hurt. It does so because if it were to move, its body would be weak upon evolution. This Pokémon will also not forget the pain it endured.

Taillow the Tiny Swallow Pokemon. A Normal/Flying-type Pokemon. Taillow courageously stands its ground against foes, however strong they may be. This gutsy Pokémon will remain defiant even after a loss. On the other hand, it cries loudly if it becomes hungry.

Slakoth the Slacker Pokemon. A Normal-type Pokemon. Slakoth lolls around for over 20 hours every day. Because it moves so little, it does not need much food. This Pokémon's sole daily meal consists of just three leaves.

Naruto pocketed his orange Pokemon encyclopaedia as the Poke Ball that captured his Slakoth was immediately transported out of sight.

"Man, the person who developed that system to teleport Poke Balls is just one hell of a genius." The blonde commented. "I mean it was one thing to have them teleport to Professor Iruka's lab since the main server was in Kanto, but to have it work even though we're all the way in Hoenn..."

"It is rather impressive." Hinata agreed as her own Slakoth was teleported away. "I believe Iruka-sensei's colleague, Shiho-san, runs the server here in Hoenn. So I guess we have her to thank."

"If we ever meet her, then for sure we're thanking her." The Silver Conference winner spoke with conviction. "I mean, the Hoenn-specific Pokemon number more than eighty. Can you imagine lugging around eighty-plus Poke Balls around this entire region?"

The image of their backs breaking under the immense weight entered the couple's minds making them unconsciously rub their lower lumbar regions.

"By the way, Hina-chan?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Any particular reason why you chose to evolve your Wurmple into a Cascoon rather than just catching a wild one like I did?" Naruto asked. "I mean, you still caught a wild Silcoon."

"Because wild Silcoon and Cascoon don't have a moveset that's very ideal for training." The Saffron City native replied. "It's like when you're raising a Caterpie or a Weedle as opposed to catching a wild Metapod or Kakuna. They're easier to capture, but the ones raised to become Butterfree and Beedrill are stronger in the long-run."

"Fair point."

"Ty Ty." The Volcano Pokemon shook its head in haughty derision.

"You're calling me an idiot?" Naruto snorted with a roll of his eyes. "Pot meet kettle."

"Tyyyyy!" Typhlosion pulled down its lower eyelid and stuck out its tongue.

"See? This is why you're no longer as adorable as Mudkip anymore!" Naruto gave a proud grin to his little blue starter.

Hearing its name being called, said starter Pokémon turned to face its trainer with a delightful cry of "Mudkip!". This proved to be a mistake for the Water-type Pokemon. Reptilian yellow eyes glinted as the opportunity to strike was gifted to Hinata's Treeko and so the Wood Gecko Pokemon pounced upon its fellow starter.

The shadow of the Grass-type reptile encompassed the Mudfish Pokemon, and under normal circumstances, its antenna would have allowed it to quickly react from sensing the disturbances in the air. However, being distracted by Naruto's unintentional call allowed for the unforgiving tail strike that was Treeko's Pound attack to score home.

"Mud!" The Water-type tumbled through the air before landing harshly on the grass, now nursing the bruise on its cheek.

The mock battle was then called to an end on that note as Mudkip tearfully ran over to its trainer with Treeko sweatdropping at the weepy Water-type.

"Mudkip Mud! Mudkip Mud!"

"Oooooh, you sweet little blue boy." Naruto laughed lightly as Mudkip ran into his arms. "Come here you little cry baby you. You took a punch to the face from Slaking like a champ, but a Pound attack from Treeko makes you cry? I don't even know if you're tough or sensitive."

Hinata allowed Treeko to climb up her legs and rest on her shoulder. She pet the Wood Gecko Pokemon on the head and smiled gently.

"You won fair and square, Treeko. No need to feel bad." She assured the Grass-type.

"Treeko Tree." Treeko rubbed the back on its head, still feeling a slight sense of guilt at making its fellow starter cry.

"Ty Tphlosion Typhlosion Phlo!"

"I am not babying Mudkip."

"TY TY!"

"Am not!"

"TY TY!"

"You only confirm my earlier statement that this kind of behaviour is why you're not as adorable as Mudkip anymore."

It was a deathly blow that made Typhlosion grip its chest as if it had been struck by a Poison Jab. Naruto blinked slowly, a deadpan expression on his face as he watched his partner Pokemon continue to be a drama Vespiquen.

"No need to be so dramatic, Typhlosion." The blonde trainer clapped his hands in preparation before looking down at Mudkip. "Now let's help Mudkip level up. Rustboro City is a Rock-type gym so while he does know Water Gun, he's going to have to raise his defense in order to be an effective tank in the future once he evolves into a Swampert."

"Ty!"

Typhlosion huffed as it folded its arms in protest, turning away from both trainer and Water-type as it puffed its cheeks like a pouting child.

"Mud Mudkip Mud!"

Ruby coloured eyes met obsidian ones which sparkled with metaphorical stars of admiration. That in tandem with the fact that Mudkip just referred to Typhlosion as Onii-chan practically made the Fire-type's will crumble to dust.

"Ty Ty Typhlo!" Typhlosion picked up his newly appointed surrogate little brother of a Pokemon and raised him into the sky. The little blue boy was one to be cherished, and the smile on Mudkip's face was one that must be protected, no matter the cost. Typhlosion would burn any who threatened that smile's existence into ash.

This he swore by the great god Arceus.

"Typhlooooooo!" The Volcano Pokemon's neck flames burned intensely, reflecting his resolve, causing Naruto, Hinata and Espeon to sweatdrop.

"Well..." Hinata laughed. "...At least you no longer have to worry about any sort of jealousy Typhlosion might have felt towards Mudkip."

"You're so easily swayed." Naruto snorted in amusement as he continued to watch the newly formed bond of his two Starter Pokemon.

The small group were immediately drawn out of their conversations as the sound of explosions met their ears. Typhlosion set Mudkip down and took a protective stance alongside Espeon in front if their trainers and the diminutive Water-type.

"Mud?" The Hoenn Starter blinked in confusion as both trainers and the Pokemon stared into the depths of the woods, eyeing the area where the echoing booms seemed to be coming from. With each passing second, the explosions seemed to grow ever louder and closer. The brush shuddered and shook with each one until finally a part of the brush burst apart to reveal the tired, dirty and damaged form of a Shroomish tumbled across the ground.

The panting Grass-type directed its fear-filled dark brown eyes up, meeting the crimson ones of Typhlosion which looked in shock and confusion.

"Shroo...mish." The Mushroom Pokemon's eyes rolled up into its head before it succumbed to unconsciousness.

"What the..." Before Naruto could complete his sentence, the brush was once against parted to reveal the snarling visages of three Mightyena and the Team Magma grunts that were their trainers.

"Move aside, brat." One of the grunts said.

"Give us the Shroomish and nobody gets hurt."

Naruto and Hinata looked down at the unconscious and injured Grass-type. They then turned back to the Team Magma grunts, deep frowns on their face as they glared at the assailants.

"You're a part of that same team that evaporated that lake on Route 103." Naruto snarled. "You killed innocent Pokemon."

"That's none of our concern, and quite frankly, it's not yours either." The third grunt scowled. "Now give us the Shroomish before we make you."

The trio of Mightyena immediately dug their claws into the dirt upon seeing what they deemed as opponents, things that were inhibiting them in their quest to retrieve their prey.

Naruto and Hinata remained resolute in their stance, Typhlosion and Espeon standing protectively in front of their trainers.

"Fine!" The grunts shouted as they looked to their Mightyena. "Use Shadow Ball!"

"YEN!" One of the black and grey furred canines barked, glancing to the other two before nodding towards the Shroomish. The other two Mightyena nodded before the leader of the trio opened its jaws and fired a Shadow Ball.

The glob of shadow energy crashed down in front of the small group causing a thick cloud of dust and smoke to form. Naruto, Hinata and Mudkip were forced to shield their eyes as winds from the resulting shockwave were kicked up. However, due to the precognitive abilities of a certain Psychic-type, the plan the Mightyena proved to be an effort in futility.

"Espe!"

"Ty!"

The pink-purple furred Eeveelution's eyes glowed the trademark blue that came with the usage of telekinetic abilities and a Psychic attack parted the dust cloud to reveal the two of the canines jumping to attack the Volcano Pokemon from either side while the third had already moved to take the Shroomish away in its fangs. The large Dark-type dug its claws into the dirt, leg muscles tensing before pushing off with explosive force to go back into the forest.

"YEN!" The two oncoming Mightyena bared their sharp fangs, ready to deal damage and draw first blood with a pair of Crunch attacks. However, Typhlosion quickly raised its arms and grabbed both Dark-types out of the air. The Mightyena released stifled yelps of surprise and pain as Typhlosion's tight grip was wrapped around their respective throats.

"Typhlosion use Earthquake to knock them out and make sure the third one doesn't get away!"

"TYPHLO!" The Fire-type did as instructed. Its shoulders and arms flexed and with a cry of effort, the Volcano Pokemon slammed both Mightyena down into the unforgiving earth with enough force to crack it. The cracks then began to expand as it utilised an Earthquake attack to both enhance the damage done, while also sending out seismic waves across the battlefield.

As a result, the two Mightyena in its grasp were effectively knocked out and the third one which was aiming to flee with the Shroomish found itself stumbling and tripping over its front paws. Espeon's eyes glowed with blue light, using its telekinetic abilities to pick up the Shroomish and bring it back to its side.

"I've got it." Hinata said as she took a Revive out of her bag. "Naruto-kun, you handle those guys."

"On it!" Naruto nodded as he looked to the Volcano Pokemon. "Thunderpunch!"

With the Spore Pokemon secured, Typhlosion quickly tossed aside the Mightyena that were in its grasp and raced across on all-fours towards the downed, yet still conscious one. The Mightyena's red eyes widened as it found a shadow covering its body. A whimper managed to escape its throat before a fist cloaked in golden lightning crashed down on its skull.

The Mightyena fainted almost immediately.

"Muuuuud!"

"Treeko Treeee!"

The two Hoenn starters looked between Espeon and Typhlosion with stars sparkling in their eyes.

"Who the hell are these kids?" One of the grunts muttered.

"Look, it doesn't matter anyway." The female of the grunt trio said. "Karyuu-san said we already secured enough of the Shroomish. Even if we didn't catch this one, we're still good for phase two."

"Well if that's the the case..."

The three grunts raised their Poke Balls and the Mightyena were converted into red streams of energy as they were recalled into the capturing devices.

"Alright, let's get out of here and get back to camp."

"Right!"

The three grunts moved to run away, but their eyes widened as they suddenly found their bodies frozen in place. A shroud of blue energy covered each of them.

"What the hell?!"

The trio were then raised into the air by an unseen force and brought to hover directly in front of the two teenage trainers.

"Good job Espeon." Hinata patted the purple furred Psychic-type.

"Esp!" The Sun Pokemon smiled at the praise, still keeping its psychic hold on the three red and black clad humans.

"You damn brats, let us go!" One of the two male grunts shouted, trying in vain to break through Espeon's iron clad telekinetic grip.

"First off, no." Was Naruto's reply to the outburst. "Secondly, you Team Magma guys are clearly not very good people."

"Ty Typhlosion Phlo."

"Shut up, I don't need your sass here while I'm trying to have my moment of coolness here." The blonde snapped at the Fire-type, said Fire-type rolling its eyes in response. "Now as I was saying, yeah, you guys are assholes. I don't know what you have planned but you're going to tell us one way or another."

"Oh yeah?" The female grunt snorted with an eyeroll of her own. "And how are you going to do that?"

"Well I got two options for you." The son of a Champion said as he raised two fingers. "One, I ask nicely and out of the goodness of yours hearts, you tell me where your base camp is, what you're doing with the Shroomish and then Hina-chan and I go on our merry way to stop the rest of you bastards. Mind you, that's the easy way."

"The easy way?" The female grunt laughed. "You tellin' us that you have a 'Hard Way' option?"

"You may have us stuck in your Espeon's telekinesis, but there's no way in hell you're going to torture us." One of the male grunts stated with a matter-of-fact tone.

The third grunt voice his agreement. "You're just a bunch of brats, you don't have the balls."

"Well to answer your question, yes, there is a Hard Way option." The Silver Conference winner smirked as he reached to the shrunken purple Poke Ball hanging around his neck. Pulling against the magnet that held the ball in place, Naruto held it in his hands and enlarged it. "I'm gonna give you guys one last chance. Cough up what I want to know, and we can all part ways in a...mildly amicable fashion."

The grunts remained tight-lipped, merely glaring at the sixteen year-old trainer.

Naruto sighed as he looked at Hinata. The Hyuga girl merely shrugged her shoulders before gesturing for her boyfriend to continue with his actions.

"Alright, you asked for it." The blonde glanced at the Master Ball in his hands. "Mewtwo, you're up."

"As you wish, my friend."

The Master Ball snapped open and in a flash of purple and white light, the Genetic Pokemon emerged.

"Wh-What...What the fuck is that Pokemon?"

The grunts stared with wide eyes as the seven-foot tall Pokemon seemed to stare into their souls with its deep violet eyes. Mewtwo raised one of its hands, each of the three bulbous fingertips touching the foreheads of each of the grunts.

"Now..." Mewtwo's violet irises were lost in a sea of blue light as it activated its psychic prowess. "Tell me what we wish to know."

---

Pokemon Centre, Rustboro City

Sasuke winced slightly as Sakura rubbed the anti-bacterial ointment onto his wounds.

"Sorry Sasuke-kun."

"Hn." The Uchiha grunted.

Kisame's Sharpedo's Rough Skin was definitely not just an ability to make cautious battlers be wary of using physical attacks, and to have it be used offensively against a human was clearly a dangerous thing.

Sasuke's upper abdominals were healing quite well due to the expert medical care provided for him by the Accident and Emergency department at the Rustboro City hospital as the wounds weren't so severe that he would require skin grafts, but they were still painful and would require time to heal. Bleeding was stemmed and pain was reduced with some oral pain-killers. He was allowed to be discharged that same day with some bandages and a topical ointment to be applied on a daily basis so as to prevent infection, numb the pain and accelerate the healing process.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Mr. Stone.

"Do you think Mr. Stone is doing ok?" The pinkette asked her boyfriend.

"I doubt anything has changed from what we learned yesterday." He replied. "We aren't direct relatives nor are we next of kin, so we can't exactly get more information that we already got from the nurses at the hospital."

The elderly CEO of the Devon Corportation was still undergoing post-operative care at the hospital due to the extent of his injuries. Losing an entire forearm and having it being eaten by a Sharpedo was definitely not an ideal situation. Due to being the ones who brought him in, the day after having been admitted to the surgical ward, the two teenaged trainers were at least able to learn from the medical staff that the surgery went well for Mr. Stone and he was stable and recovering.

"I know, but I'm just worried about him." Green eyes met onyx ones. "He could have just as easily have died."

Sasuke remained quiet however, an audible grunt of pain did manage to escape his throat as Sakura finished applying his bandages.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." He assured the pinkette before putting on his shirt. He took his daily dose of the oral analgesia and then walked over to pick up his bag. "Let's get going."

"Going?" Sakura tilted her head in confusion. "We still have to wait for Naruto and Hinata before we head to Dewford Town and deliver the letter for Mr. Stone's son. Where are we exactly going to go?"

"Yes, it's true we're waiting for the dobe and Hinata, but remember you and I have our own goals to accomplish." Sasuke stated as he patted Feraligatr on the head. "And Rustboro has a gym leader here."

Green eyes widened in realisation. "Oh, that's right! With everything that just happened, I completely forgot!"

---

Rustboro City Gym, Rustboro City

The Shiny Pikachu sitting atop the golden Poke Ball, the symbol of the Pokemon League Association, shone in the midday sun and made quite a spectacular contrast to the dull shades of red oxide, black and brown which coloured the gym.

Sasuke strode in through the automatic sliding doors with Feraligatr, Sakura and Meganium following dutifully behind the duo, and glanced around the area. The layout of the gym was to standard regulations with a rectangular battlefield outlined with white paint. A red coloured box was present at the far end of the battlefield and a blue box was located nearer to where Sasuke was standing. The walls and and floor were all deep shades of brown and the battlefield itself was decorated with numerous boulders and stone formations to provide the aesthetic of an obviously Rock-type based gym. On the wall directly opposite to the entrance was the symbol of the Stone Badge which looked very much like a reddish brown and sulphur yellow rectangle with two of its corners more emphasized than the others.

However, what the two teenaged trainers did not expect to see was the class of young children standing in the gym. The class consisted of equal parts girls and boys, 15 each and made for a total of 30. The children appeared to be no older than eight years old. All of them sat in the bleachers that lay along the length of the battlefield as they listened attentively to an older girl whose loud voice was projecting throughout the entire gym.

Said older girl appeared to be the same age as them, Sasuke observed. She was white-skinned, closer to Sakura's skin tone than to his paler complexion, and had a lean yet muscular frame as evidence her well-defined arms. She had short black hair which was parted to the left slightly and framed her face up to the level of her cheek bones. Her black eyes were almost as dark as his own, but there was a shine to them that made them seem somewhat lighter and seemed to be more paramount as she gazed upon the class of youngsters that were her students. Her clothing, for someone who clearly appeared so strict, was a lot more freeing that one would expect. She was clad in a red dress which was open on the front-right side from the waist down to completely expose her right leg and bore a single left sleeve. Black gloves were worn on her hands with black and red sneakers adorning her feet.

"Now that we've finished covering all of the 18 types of Pokemon there are, who here can tell me about type advantages?"

"OH! ME!" One young boy jumped up with his hand waving excitedly in the air. "ME! ME! PICK MEEEE!"

"Yes Hop?" The young teacher addressed the brown skinned, curly blue-haired lad.

"Yes!" The boy cheered at being picked. "So type advantages are-"

"Kurotsuchi-sensei!"

"Now Now Max, I know you want to try and answer as well, but Hop raised his hand up first." The young woman lightly berated her bespectacled student.

"But sensei, you have two people by the door!"

"Hmm?" Black eyes shifted away from the class and seemed to scan Sasuke and Sakura as she took notice of them. "Oh, so it seems."

Sakura laughed nervously as they were being noticed by the entire group of thirty-one people and waved lightly. "H-Hi!"

Kurotsuchi placed a hand on her hip as she looked at the two trainers. "You two challengers?"

"Just me." Sasuke stated firmly as he stepped forward.

"Not a problem, I'm down for any practical lessons to help my kids learn about what it means to be a Pokemon trainer." The black-haired female nodded in acceptance. "What's your name?"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Wait a minute, I've heard that name somewhere before..."

"It's Sasuke!" The young boy named Max exclaimed. "Kurotsuchi-sensei, he's the runner-up from the Silver Conference Victory Tournament in Kanto and Johto! Plus he's the son of Mikoto Uchiha, the Blackthorn City gym leader!"

Sasuke's eye twitched at the runner-up remark.

"Really now?" Kurotsuchi's eyes widened slightly. "Then I can expect an actual challenge since you got some credibility."

"This coming from Ohnoki's granddaughter?"

"So you know about me too?"

"Okaa-chan told me a couple things about the Hoenn region's gym leaders before I came here."

"Good, then I don't have to go through the normal pleasantries." The Rock-type gym leader smirked. She turned on her heels before walking across to the red box on the far side of the battlefield. She confidently stood with her legs shoulder width apart, her hands on her hips. Her black eyes seemed to burn with excitement and her smirk evolved into a battle-crazed grin. "Well then, Sasuke Uchiha, take your spot and let's get down to it!"

Sasuke nodded as he and Feraligatr took their spots on the blue box.

"Max, you have the highest grades for this term so if you want to, you can be referee!"

"OH BOY! CAN I?!" The bespectacled, black haired boy exclaimed excitedly.

"Go for it!"

"WOOHOO!" The boy leaped out of his seat, nearly tripping on the way down as he sitting on the third row, but luckily he managed to regain his balance in order to stumble to his place at the mid-way line of the battlefield. Sakura walked around the gym's perimeter and took a seat in the bleachers and gave an approving nod to the kids that wanted to play with Meganium. The green-skinned saurian Pokemon smiled gently as the children sat atop its back and tried to climb up its neck.

Max adjusted his glasses as he raised his hands high into the air. "This is a Pokemon battle between Kurotsuchi-sensei, the gym leader, and Sasuke Uchiha, the challenger! This is a three-on-three match! No items are allowed and substitutions are allowed!"

"You're doing great, Max!" Kurotsuchi yelled to the eight-year old.

With a beaming grin from the praise, Max raised his arms in the air. "LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

The two trainers faced each other, obsidian meeting onyx as their gazes met one another. They each reached for a Poke Ball and the red and white spheres enlarged before being tossed into the air. With a loud SNAP, the capturing devices opened and bursts of white light emerged, twisting and bending before solidifying into the shapes of the Pokemon that lay within.

"Round one will be Kurotsuchi-sensei's Geodude versus Sasuke-san's..." Max shared a confused look alongside his teacher and fellow students. "Lotad

"Lotad Lo!" The dual type Pokemon cried as it emerged to take on the Rock Pokemon.

"Sasuke-san, what's going on?" Max asked. "Where's your Sneasel? Or your Rhydon?"

"I left my other team home in Blackthorn." Sasuke replied. "Other than Feraligatr, I decided to start my journey through Hoenn with a clean slate."

"So you think I'm not good enough for your Feraligatr?" Kurotsuchi asked with a mildly joking tone.

"If you have a Pokemon that you think can handle him, that remains to be seen."

"Then I guess we'll just have to work our way up to that then." Kurotsuchi smirked.

"Be careful sensei!" Hop cried out to the older trainer from atop Meganium's head. "Lotad has a type advantage against you!"

"I know about type advantages Hop!" Kurotsuchi groaned at her excitable student. "I taught them to you!"

"Maybe you should talk to Professor Iruka about handling students." Sasuke suggested. "He was our teacher back at the Pokemon Training Academy in New Bark Town, and he seemed to have a pretty solid teaching method."

"Pretty mouthy for an Uchiha, aren't you?" Kurotsuchi smirked at her opponent. "Thanks for the offer, but I can handle them just fine. It's this one who keeps asking me about whether or not I remember type advantages all the time after class." Kurotsuchi chuckled as Hop seemed to deflate slightly from the light-hearted jab.

"Oh don't be like that Hop, you know I love your enthusiasm!" The Rock-type specialist turned back to the raven haired boy. "But it's time I show my cute little students that type advantage isn't everything! Geodude, use Rock Throw!"

"Bubble attack!"

The Rock Pokemon dug its powerful hands into the battlefield and ripped out two moderately sized chunks of rock.

"GEO! DUDE!" The dual-type cried out as it hurled them towards Lotad at terrifying speeds.

"Loootaaad!" Lotad met the Rock-type move head on by unleashing a furious stream of shining blue bubbles. The two moves collided causing a small explosion of foam and dirt to occur.

"Rock Throw again!"

"Dodge it!"

Geodude hurled another pair of massive rocks, punching holes through the foam cloud in the process. The two stones crashed down with terrific force against the battlefield, but Lotad easily hopped to the sides and avoided the attack.

"There you are." Kurotsuchi's eyes shone with a malicious glint. "Geodude, use Rock Tomb!"

"Geoooo-DUDE!" The dual type slammed its hands down on the ground harshly. The earth rumbled and Lotad looked around in surprise, stumbling as the shaking ground made its footing unsteady. Four round-tipped spikes of stone jutted out of the battlefield, two striking from the sides and two others hitting from the front and back.

"LOTAD!" The Water Weed Pokemon released a cry of pain as the Rock-type move dug into its body, trapping its body as the four points held it in place.

"Now use Tackle attack!" Kurotsuchi ordered.

"DUDE!" Geodude sped across the gym floor, visible streams of air resistance flowing around it to highlight just how fast it was moving.

"Lotad, hang in there!" Sasuke called out to the Water/Grass-type. "Hold it off by using Astonish!"

"TAAAAAAD!" The Water Weed Pokemon unleashed a shrill cry from its throat and Geodude gritted its teeth as it was struck by the Ghost-type move.

"You think a weak move like Astonish is gonna stop my Geodude! Think again!" The Rock-type Gym Leader shouted. True to her word, Astonish did little to hinder her Pokemon's charge and the distance between it and Lotad quickly decreased.

"Quick, take advantage of the distance and use Absorb!"

"What?!"

"Geo?!"

Kurotsuchi and Geodude's eyes widened in shock.

"TAD!" Lotad opened its mouth and fired off a small vortex of green energy, striking Geodude head-on. Due to the short distance between the two Pokemon, the Grass-type move was able to make contact with the Rock/Ground-type Pokemon.

"GEO!" Geodude cried out in pain as the green vortex suddenly became a violent crimson and the energy flowed back into Lotad's body.

"Hang tough and hit it hard, Geodude!" The Rock Pokemon kept its momentum going and delivered a powerful shoulder tackle, breaking through the rocks which held Lotad in place and dug into its dual-typed opponent's face.

The Water Weed Pokemon released a grunt as a dark bruise formed right between its eyes, and the Absorb attack was thus short-lived. Lotad flew through the air, still being carried by the force of Geodude's Tackle attack, but came to a very painful and sudden halt as it slammed into one of the decorative boulders that were scattered across the Rock-type gym.

The Water Weed Pokemon panted slightly as the trade-off between health lost and health regained was enough to still keep it in the fight.

"Lotad, are you ok?" Sasuke asked.

"Lo." The Water Weed Pokemon shook its head before stamping one of its stubby feet on the ground, beady eyes burning with determination. "Lotad Lotad!"

"Alright." The young Uchiha nodded. "Bubble attack!"

"Use the Rock Tomb stones as a shield!" Geodude carried out the command and utilised the former imprisonment of stone as defensive structure. The bubbles exploded against the stone, eroding it significantly. The stones remained mostly intact however, and so Kurotsuchi saw her opportunity to counter.

"Use the remnants of the Rock Tomb and use it for Rock Throw!"

"Dodge it and then use Bubble!"

"Use Rock Throw with the rest of that Rock Tomb and then use Tackle attack!"

"Geodude!" The Rock Pokemon nodded in accordance to its trainer's commands and its strong fingers dug into the stone spikes. Its arms tensed and with a roar of effort, the Rock/Ground-type Pokemon picked up the heavy stones and hurled them throw the air like lances. The stony spikes flew through the air like arrows, but Lotad quickly ran forwards and hopped to the sides. Each of the two thrown spikes crashed down into the battlefield with terrific force, generating small shockwaves.

"Looootaaaad!" Lotad inhaled deeply before exhaling a storm of bubbles at its opponent. However, the Water-type move was met with resistance as Geodude ripped out the remaining two Rock Tomb spikes and threw them at the Bubble attack. A foamy explosion occurred and with their momentum halted, the spikes dropped to the ground as large chunks.

Geodude then sped across the gym floor to go for the Tackle attack, the Rock Pokemon's black eyes zeroing in on its target.

"Alright Lotad, dodge and then use Bubble one more time!"

"Tad!" Lotad weaved around the fast moving Pokemon, its mouth already open in preparation to use the Water-type move and end the battle. However, a malicious glint formed in the Rock/Ground-type Pokemon's eyes, an expression which was mimicked by its trainer.

"Now Geodude, Rock Throw!"

"GEODUDE!" Geodude sped past its opponent, but as it did, it reached out to the two rock spikes which Lotad had initially dodged. One spike was within its arm's length and so the Rock Pokemon picked it up with its strong grip and utilising its momentum, spun around quickly to swing the rock like it was a bat.

"LO?!" The Water Weed Pokemon released a cry of surprise and pain as the improvised Rock Throw made direct contact with its body. Lotad's body seemed to fold around the rock spike before the momentum carried it through the air at a breakneck pace. The Grass/Water-type Pokemon slammed through a decorative boulder before coming to a definitive halt at its trainer's feet.

The gym was quiet for a few moments as Lotad lay unmoving on the ground.

Max then nodded his head and raised up his arms.

"Lotad has fainted!" The bespectacled eight year-old announced. "The winner of the round is Geodude!"

"ALRIGHT KUROTSUCHI-SENSEI!" The class cheered for the seventeen year-old Gym Leader.

"That's right, I'm amazing!" Kurotsuchi gave a peace sign to her students, a toothy grin present on her face. "Gotta say Uchiha, you had a good plan going on there when you used Astonish, and I was genuinely caught off-guard by that close-range Absorb."

"Hn." The Uchiha grunted as he returned Lotad to its ball. "Thirty percent is a pretty low rate to bank on so I had to make a contingency in case Geodude didn't flinch."

"You mean you planned that?" Max asked, his eyes wide in awe. "That's so cool!"

"Take note kids." Kurotsuchi's voice entered into what her students had affectionately dubbed her 'lecture mode'. "As you can see, type advantages are not everything to win a battle. Also, you need to take into account the moveset of your Pokemon and come up with back-up plans for your back-up plans in case things go south."

"Yes sensei!"

With her teaching moment now over, the black-haired Gym Leader turned her obsidian eyes back to her opponent. "Alright, Uchiha! Whatcha got for me?"

Said Uchiha chose to respond by reaching for his second Poke Ball. The red and white orb opened and unleashed his second battler.

"Torchic Tor!" The Fire-type ruffled its feathers as it stood on the battlefield.

"A Fire-type now?" The red-clad Gym Leader raised an eyebrow. "Getting desperate are we?"

"No." Sasuke replied as a shine of determination blazed in his eyes. "Just using your Geodude as a stepping stone."

"That's a terrible pun."

"It was unintended."

"If you say so." The Rock-type specialist shrugged. "Geodude, use Rock Throw attack!"

"DUDE!" The Rock Pokemon dug its fingers into the gym floor once more and hurled a pair of moderately sized stones at the Chick Pokemon.

"Torchic, jump back!" The Chick Pokemon obeyed and quickly leaped out of the way of the oncoming projectiles.

"Tackle attack!"

"Dodge it!" Torchic's small size and longer legs gave it much greater mobility compared to Lotad and thus the diminutive Fire-type was able to keep up with oncoming Tackle attack. Torchic leaped out of the way as the Rock/Ground-type Pokemon crashed down on its former location. A small cloud of dust and dirt formed and Sasuke capitalised on it. "Now blind it with Sand Attack!"

"Chic!" The Fire-type Pokemon scuffed at the loosened stone and sent a cloud of sand into Geodude's face.

"Geo!" Geodude cried out in annoyance, the burning and itching sensation irritating its eyes.

"Now use Scratch!"

"Defense Curl to block!"

Torchic dug its talons into the dirt, powerful leg muscles tensing up before explosively releasing as it pushed off towards the Rock/Ground-type.

"Fast!" Kurotsuchi eyes widened as she noted the trail of dust which followed behind the rapidly moving Chick Pokemon.

Torchic rapidly cleared the distance between itself and the Rock Pokemon.

"TORCHIC!" The Fire-type starter leaped, baring its talons menacingly. "TOR! CHIC!"

The Fire-type raked its talons against Geodude's tough exterior, lashing out with two consecutive strikes. The attack did very little damage as Geodude raised its arms and curled up.

"Geooo-DUDE!" Geodude uncurled its body and pushed Torchic back. The Chick Pokemon backflipped and landed on its feet, a line of dust marking its movement as it skidded backwards from the momentum.

"Torchic, use Ember!"

"Toooor-CHIC!" Torchic inhaled deeply, its round torso expanding significantly before it unleashed a barrage of fiery projectiles at its opponent. The small fireballs of the Ember attack collided with Geodude causing a small explosion to occur. Geodude was sent back slightly, but while it was more powerful than Scratch, the not very effective move still did very little damage.

"Tackle attack!"

"DUDE!"

The black eyes of both trainer and Pokemon widened in shock as Geodude had already moved to attack, moving much faster than expected.

"Slow it down with Sand Attack!" Sasuke ordered.

"You're the one that's too slow!" Kurotsuchi announced.

"CHIC!" Torchic kicked up a cloud of sand into Geodude's face, but the Rock Pokemon was already within proximity and crashed a hard shoulder joint into the Chick Pokemon's abdomen. Black eyes widened from the pain and Torchic coughed up some spittle before it was sent tumbling across the battleground, coming to a painful halt after slamming into one of the decorative boulders of the gym floor.

"Now end it with Rock Tomb!"

"Dodge it!"

"Too slow!"

"GEOOOODUDE!" The Rock Pokemon slammed its palms onto the battlefield and the ground rumbled as four pillars of stone erupted forth from the bowels of the gym floor. A small cloud of dirt and dust occurred as the four spikes collided with one another, and the black eyes gym leader smirked confidently.

"That's two down and one to go." The Rock-type specialist stated. "If you don't have anything else in your team, you may actually have to use Feraligatr against my lowly Geodude."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kurotsuchi." Sasuke said, his onyx eyes meeting her obsidian ones. "I believe now it's my turn to say, 'Too slow'."

"What?!"

"Torchic, Peck!"

"TOR!" Torchic's body seemed to materialize out of thin air as its fast moving form skidded to a halt behind Geodude. The Rock Pokemon turned slightly, its eyes widening as it caught sight of the orange-yellow feathered Fire-type in its periphery. The Chick Pokemon's beak then glowed with white light before it pushed off with its powerful legs. The Flying-type move scored home and Geodude was knocked back a few feet.

"Now end it with Ember!"

"TOOOOORCHIIIIIC!" Torchic's body swelled before it unleashed the storm of fireballs. The orange-yellow flames bombarded Geodude like a miniature meteor shower before a powerful explosion of fire and dust occurred. Geodude tumbled through the air from the resulting shockwave before finally colliding harshly with one of the Rock Tomb pillars it had created.

"Ge-o-dude." The Rock Pokemon grunted as it tried to remain conscious, but in the end, the burnt rock's levitating body fell back down.

"The battle is over!" Max announced. "Torchic is the winner!"

"What the...But..." Kurotsuchi's eyes narrowed in thought before widening. "The Absorb attack."

"That's right." Sasuke nodded in confirmation. "Rock-type Pokemon are known for their defensive prowess, and with the current moveset that Torchic has, it would have either been a very long drawn-out battle or a very short one depending on how long Torchic's stamina would last before finally being taken down by one your super effective attacks."

"Tor Torchic Tor!" The Chick Pokemon chirped happily before speeding over to its trainer. Black eyes shone as it stared up at the teenaged boy, an expectant look on its face. Sasuke stared blankly at the feathery furnace of a Pokemon before finally sighing in exasperation.

"Fine." The Uchiha rolled his eyes before reaching down and patting Torchic affectionately on the head.

"Chic Torchic TOOOOOR!" Upon receiving the headpat, Torchic's body suddenly began to glow. Bluish-white light completely encompassed the Fire-type Pokemon's body and with it came a very significant change. Through the light, the on-lookers were able to appreciate Torchic's body growing taller, its legs growing much thicker and its wings lengthening to become akin to arms.

"COMBUSKEN!"

The light died down with the newly evolved Pokemon's cry. The Pokemon was a bipedal, chicken-like Pokémon. Most of its upper body was yellow, while most of the lower body was orange. An orange, pointed design adorned the center of its waist at the dividing line of the two colors. It had orange eyes and a short, wide beak. There was a feather crest on top of its head with three orange points. Its tail was short and pointed. It had three, sharp claws at the ends of its long arms, and scaly, gray legs with well-developed thighs covered in shaggy feathers.

Sasuke's Pokedex beeper and the young trainer whipping out the black coloured device.

Combusken the Young Fowl Pokemon. A Fire and Fighting-type Pokemon, and the evolved form of Torchic. Combusken battles with the intensely hot flames it spews from its beak and with outstandingly destructive kicks. This Pokémon's cry is very loud and distracting.

A secondary beep followed immediately after.

Combusken would like to learn the move Double Kick. Which move would you like to forget?

The choice to forget Scratch was an immediate one and a beam of blue light short forth from the Pokedex, striking Combusken in the centre of its forehead. Combusken's orange eyes blazed brightly before it hopped into the air and delivered a series of kicks and landed deftly on its feet.

"Com-busken!" Combusken raised a clawed arm and made a come hither motion towards Kurotsuchi.

---

The children's eyes sparkled with amazement and wonder at having been lucky enough to witness Torchic's evolution.

"And it knows Double Kick now!" Hop exclaimed excitedly. "And Fighting-type moves-"

"Fighting-type moves have a type advantage against Rock-types!" The other eight year-old's all rolled their eyes at their dark-skinned classmate. "We know about type advantages, Hop!"

Sakura could only laugh as Meganium rested the young boy down on the ground and gave him a comforting nuzzle for not being able to complete his sentence.

"Neh, Onee-chan?" A little girl scooted closer to the pink haired coordinator with a curious look in her brown eyes.

"Yes?"

"How come Sasuke-san's Torchic...or...well, Combusken..." She corrected herself. "How come it's so fast? I've seen some Pokemon run super fast, but I don't think I've ever seen a small Pokemon like Torchic run like that."

"Yeah!" One of the other girl students nodded her head in agreement. "Torchic was like super duper fast! It didn't even use Quick Attack or Extremespeed!"

"Ok, well, you have to keep it a secret ok?"

The students immediately began to gather around Sakura, their curiosity peaking as she began to speak in a makeshift whisper to enhance the mystery of it all. Sakura held up a pinky finger and they all nodded as they wrapped their smaller ones around Sakura's, agreeing to the promise to keep it a secret.

"Ok, well Sasuke-kun's Torchic is a bit different from other Torchic. You guys have learned about Pokemon abilities in class?"

"Uh huh."

"Well the normal ability of Torchic is Blaze, but Sasuke-kun's has what's called a Hidden Ability." The pinkette couldn't help but smile as she saw the looks of amazement increase in the students' eyes. "For Torchic, its Hidden Ability is Speed Boost."

"WHAT'S A SPEED BOOST ABILITY?!"

All the students turned and glared at the golden eyed boy that was Hop.

---

Kurotsuchi's eyes widened as she looked to her students berating Hop for being so loud, but things suddenly clicked into place for her as she heard Hop's words.

"Speed Boost huh?"

Sasuke sighed in exasperation. So much for it being a secret weapon.

"Yes Tor...Combusken's ability is Speed Boost, not Blaze." Sasuke confirmed. "Your Rock Tomb activates quickly, but after using about three moves, Torchic would have had enough speed to outpace Rock Tomb and allow me to launch a counterattack."

"Combusken Busk!" The Young Chick Pokemon's chest swelled as it received indirect praise for its speed. It then stood beside Sasuke and took his hand in its claws, and purposefully rested it atop its head.

Sasuke sweatdropped at his newly evolved dual-type. "You don't need to get headpats every time I praise you."

"Combusken!" The evolution of Torchic ignored its trainer and continued making its trainer pat its head.

Kurotsuchi couldn't help but laugh at the exchange between trainer and Pokemon as she returned Geodude to its Poke Ball.

"Well, I have to say, you definitely caught me off-guard with that one for sure." She pocketed Geodude before reaching for her second one and enlarging it. "But remember this is a three-on-three and I've still got two more for you, my challenger! Go, Nosepass!"

The ball opened as she tossed it into the air, white light solidifying as the newest member of her Rock-type arsenal came onto the battlefield.

Nosepass was a blue, angular, hard bipedal Pokémon. Its bright red, triangular nose slightly resembled a 3D arrow. It had arms and legs without any visible joints and small, circular holes on the undersides. Its arms resembled compass needles. It had similar circular holes on the sides of its head. Its eyes, covered by dark, somewhat mask-like markings, had the appearance of being closed.

"Nosepass." The Compass Pokemon uttered its cry.

"Hn." Sasuke's eyes narrowed in thought as he gave the Rock-type Pokemon a once-over. 'Its body is thick and appears sturdier than Geodude's. Its defensive abilities might be too tough to punch through, and I'm not too sure about what sort of moves it would have at its disposal. I'll feel it out from long-range, make a distraction and then go in for the kill with Double Kick.'

With a mental nod of approval upon reviewing his plan, Sasuke looked to Combusken and gestured to the gym floor.

"Busken." The Fire/Fighting-type Pokemon took its place on the battlefield.

"Combusken run around Nosepass and use Ember!"

"Use Harden."

"KEN!" The Young Fowl Pokemon's leg muscles tensed and the ground cracked beneath its talons. The ground cratered slightly from the force at which it pushed off before Combusken became a literal blur of colour. A ring of kicked up dirt formed around Nosepass, but both Kurotsuchi and the Compass Pokemon remained calm as the newly evolved Combusken unleashed a barrage of Ember attacks.

The miniature fireballs caused small explosions to form upon contact with Nosepass as well as with the ground at its feet, embers and dirt forming a thick cloud around the Rock-type. However, the Rock-type's body shone as its Harden prevented any significant damage overall.

With the smokescreen now in place, Sasuke took the initiative to strike.

"Use Double Kick!"

"Combusken!" Combusken circled one more time before rushing forth to commit to a straightforward strike, but Kurotsuchi remained level headed throughout the entirety of Sasuke's plan as she smirked.

"Rock Tomb."

"Nosepass!" The Compass Pokemon cried out and the ground rumbled once more. Four pillars of rock erupted from the gym floor with the intent to slam into Combusken.

"Com! Bus! Ken!" The Fire/Fighting-type veered around the three attempts from the Rock-type to damage it with the super effective move, and Combusken drew ever closer to the Compass Pokemon. Time seemed to slow for the two combatants and Combusken skidded across the ground to properly position its body for the Double Kick.

"Use Rock Tomb! Defensive maneuver!"

"Defensive what?!"

The ground rumbled once more as Combusken was about to swing its leg to deliver the first of the Double Kick strikes, but Combusken quickly dug its talons into the dirt and halted. The Young Fowl Pokemon's sixth sense for danger kicked in and the Fire/Fighting-type performed a swift series of back hand springs as four pillars of stone once again came out of the gym floor. However, rather than trying to damage Combusken, the stones formed a square-based pyramid of defense around Nosepass.

"You think that just because you have speed on your side that you can get to my Nosepass?" The Rustboro Gym Leader chuckled. "Well think again."

"You're making up for speed with overwhelming attack and defense."

"This is the way for most of us Rock-type specialists." Black eyes narrowed. "Now that you've seen my defense, it's time I show you my offense! Nosepass, Rock Throw!"

"PASS!" The blue stone Pokemon caused the earth to rumble once more and two pillars of rock jutted out of the ground to send two of the pillars currently surrounding Nosepass to fly through the air as if they were ballistic missiles. The stones arced through the air with surprising accuracy, but Combusken's Speed Boost once against kicked in and so it evaded the oncoming projectiles.

'It seems as though Nosepass isn't able to move its arms.' Sasuke noticed. 'So she's compensated for that weakness and is using Rock Tomb as a way to use Rock Throw.'

"Don't let up, Nosepass!"

"NOSE!" The Compass Pokemon summoned another pair of rock spikes to launch another projectile-esque strike upon the Fire/Fighting-type Pokemon. Combusken jumped into the air this time, powerful leg muscles carrying it almost to the height of the gym's ceiling. However, Nosepass did not let mere height deter its objective as it fired off another two rock spikes.

"Knock it aside with Double Kick!"

The new form of Rock Throw rocketed towards Combusken at a breakneck pace, but the Speed Boost enhanced starter Pokemon lashed out with two swift kicks.

"Bus! Ken!"

One rock was sent spinning off to the right and the other to the left. Combusken's orange eyes then widened as another stone was fired towards it, but with quick reflexes only found in the Fighting-type designation of Pokemon, Combusken quickly planted its claws against the upper surface of the oncoming rock and front flipped over it. Combusken landed gracefully on the ground before running off to the sides.

Stone projectiles followed after it and so the Young Fowl Pokemon was forced into a series of acrobatic maneuvers to prevent itself from earning damage. Cartwheels, Front flips, Back flips, Backhand springs, Forward rolls. Combusken performed nearly every trick in the book, but the onslaught was nearly endless and so Combusken was kept on the evasive.

'Something's not right.' Sasuke thought as he watched the battle. 'Nosepass is attacking, but it isn't following after Combusken when it's running. Sure, it might be that it's too slow moving or that Combusken's current pace at using Speed Boost would make it nonsensical to even attempt to chase after it, but even if that were the case, most Pokemon would still want to keep their opponent within their field of vision. Yet Nosepass hasn't even turned a single centimetre almost as if its rooted in place and it can't...'

Onyx eyes narrowed as gears began to turn in his head.

"I'll need to test it out first." He muttered to himself. "Combusken, strike from the sides!"

"Ken?" Orange eyes glanced at him, confusion written all over the newly evolved Pokemon's face.

"Just trust me!"

"Combusken!" The starter Pokemon nodded and went to strike from the left.

"You can't get past my defense while also outrunning my Rock Throw!" Kurotsuchi shouted confidently. Nosepass fired off the rock pillars that were covering Nosepass's face and back, but just as the new Rock Tomb pillars were rising to replace the ones that were launched, Sasuke saw his chance.

"There!" Sasuke pointed at the currently exposed face of Nosepass. "Now Combusken! Rush it and use Double Kick and hit its nose!"

"COMBUSKEN!" The ground cracked heavily and Combusken's legs burned. Its body appeared to lengthen from the sheer speed and just before the Rock Tomb pillar could fully rise up, Combusken lashed out with its powerful legs.

Sasuke's eyes were wide as he focused on the event that just occurred. He watched as his Pokemon's sharp talons raked their way across Nosepass's nose and the Compass Pokemon's body was harshly shifted to the right from the force of the super effective attack. It was then and there that he saw it, and with it, his key to defeating Nosepass.

Combusken rotated in the air and dug its talons into the ground, tearing small trenches in the stone as friction allowed it to skid to a halt.

Kurotsuchi cursed mentally. Couldn't have her students hear her using swear words in front of them after all.

"Lucky shot." She gritted her teeth in annoyance. "But you won't get another shot like that again."

"Actually I will." The Uchiha heir stated.

"Oh?" The Rustboro Gym Leader raised an eyebrow. "Those are some pretty confident words there, Uchiha."

"Actions will speak louder." Sasuke looked to his Fire-type starter. "Combusken! On my mark!"

"I won't give you the chance!" Kurotsuchi snarled. "Nosepass, Rock Throw!"

"NOSEPAAAASS!" The onslaught of rock came towards Combusken again, but the Young Fowl Pokemon easily weaved through the falling stones with its superior speed. Ember attacks were launched and Double Kicks were used to bat aside the ones that were starting to get too close, something which Sasuke took note of. Combusken's Speed Boost enhanced agility was indeed superior, but the beads of sweat that were tracing the edges of his Pokemon's face were showing him that his Pokemon couldn't keep up that level of speed for much longer.

"COMBUSKEN!" The Fire/Fighting-type Pokemon shouted to its trainer. The Pokemon stumbled slightly, going into a forward roll in order to avoid the falling rock spike that was tossed its way.

"Not yet!"

"BUSKEN BUSK!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he watched the rocks being fired by the rising Rock Tomb pillars. There was a rate at which the rocks were replacing each other. It was a rapid rate and so he had to give the correct timing to Combusken otherwise it would end up being struck by the Rock Tomb pillar that would come up to replace the one launched. A super effective attack being delivered when Combusken's stamina was beginning to wane was not a favourable outcome, and Kurotsuchi might actually force him to use Feraligatr as none of the other Pokemon in his team he caught in the Hoenn region were currently equipped to deal with Gym Leader-class Pokemon.

"Almost...there." Sasuke watched the Rock Tomb rocks for several more seconds until his eyes widened. Synapses fired and he saw the moment of truth. "NOW! COMBUSKEN, STRIKE FROM THE RIGHT! DOUBLE KICK AND END IT!"

"COOOOOMBUSKEEEEEEN!" With another crater forming push, Combusken's dug its talons into the ground and launched itself towards Nosepass. The rock pillar that was launched from the defensive Rock Tomb was halfway through with being replaced by the pillar that was currently rising up from the bowels of the gym floor. Combusken's ornage eyes burned with as much intensity as the burning in its leg muscles. The pain was immense from the amount of lactic acid that was built up in its powerful thighs, but Combusken powered through it, rushing past the rising rock pillar and lashed out with a terrific Double Kick to the side of Nosepass's head.

Time slowed down for the combatants. A loud crack echoed through the gym before time resumed and Nosepass rocketed through the air, smashing through the left Rock Tomb pillar and then bounced across the gym floor like a stone across a lake before coming to a halt as it crashed down with a final bounce that had it laying in its own crater.

"Com-bus-ken." The Young Fowl Pokemon panted heavily as it fell to its knees, sweat pouring down its face. Orange eyes stared intensely at the crater where Nosepass had landed, but there was no movement from the downed Compass Pokemon as it lay face down in the dirt.

"W-W-Wow that was...ummm...I mean..." Max blinked rapidly before finally managing to raise his arms into the air. "Nosepass is unable to battle! Combusken wins the round!"

The students, Sakura and Meganium all cheered for the Fire/Fighting Pokemon and its trainer as Kurotsuchi returned Nosepass to its ball.

"You did a hell of a job, take a good rest." She smiled gently as she shrunk the capturing device and placed it into her dress's pocket. "And you did one hell of a job too, Sasuke. What'd you realise that you were so confident with getting through my Rock Tomb-Rock Throw combo?"

"At first I thought it was maybe its body mass was too much or that simply moving to keep up with Combusken was too much of an effort in futility to try and keep up, but even if it couldn't keep up with Combusken, most creatures, humans and Pokemon alike, if we try to keep track of something we tend to follow after it to keep it in our field of vision. Nosepass never did that and so I pieced together that it was only able to face in one direction and so I used that Double Kick to the nose as a way to confirm that hypothesis."

"Geez, that's some genius level brain work you got goin' in that head on yours." The Rustboro Gym Leader laughed nervously. "To figure out that Nosepass only faces in magnetic north because of the internal biological magnet in its nose...No wonder you were able to earn runner-up in the Silver Conference."

"Hn." His eye twitched once more upon hearing his rank of being runner-up. "Anyway, after I confirmed that it could only face in that single direction I just had to take a shot from any other angle. The new tricky part was to work out the timing the Rock Tomb pillars would rise up to replace the ones that were launched to use for Rock Throw, but as you can see...I managed to get it." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "I will admit though, if it were any other Pokemon other than Combusken, I wouldn't have been able to pull off such an attack. Speed Boost is the only reason why it worked."

"You're a monster." The Rock-type specialist laughed before pulling out her third Poke Ball. "I'm getting even more excited and now I really want to fight that Feraligatr of yours!"

"Do you have a Pokemon worthy of its time?"

"Oh hell yeah." Her laughing devolved into a manic grin, obsidian eyes gleaming with battle lust. "Once I get that Combusken on yours out of the way, your Feraligatr is gonna be in for a fight."

"Gatr?" The Big Jaw Pokemon's crimson eyes looked at the red and white capturing device which Kurotsuchi enlarged.

The spheroid was tossed up into the air before opening up to reveal the prehistoric avian carnivore of the Pokemon world.

"AEROOOO!"

"An Aerodactyl?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That's your trump card?"

"You just wanna have Combusken forfeit, or would you rather go down swinging?"

"Com...Combusk...Combusken!" The Young Fowl Pokemon's legs shook as it rose back to its feet and glared at the Rock-type Gym Leader and her Rock/Flying-type Pokemon.

"There's your answer." The Uchiha trainer stated.

"Your Combusken has tenacity which is something I can respect, but..." The Rustboro Gym Leader's eyes became cold and unforgiving. "You're in the way."

"AERO!" Aerodactyl flapped its wings and took to the air.

"Ember attack!"

"COMBUSK!" The evolved form of Torchic fired off a barrage of miniature fireballs, but with superior speed and aerial superiority, Aerodactyl easily avoided the attacks before arching through the air. It tucked its wings in and with a roar, the prehistoric Pokemon went into a vertical dive. Combusken's eyes widened, but as it moved to dodge, its legs buckled. Too fatigued from the battle against Nosepass, Combusken's legs finally gave out and thus was left to the mercy of the Fossil Pokemon.

No attack was needed. Just the full weight of the 59 kilogram Pokemon bearing down at a diving speed of nearly 80 miles per hour pressing down upon it at crater creating force was enough to knock the Young Fowl Pokemon unconscious.

"AERO!" The Fossil Pokemon screeched as it stepped off of Combusken, who now lay within an imprint in the centre of its personal crater.

Sasuke blinked rapidly, his eyes wide with shock at how fast the battle had ended. It showed not only how high levelled the Aerodactyl was, but also how well trained to simply carry out a detail-less command. Not even the Aerodactyl he and Naruto used during the Double Battle rounds of the Silver Conference were at that level.

"Well...congratulations." Sasuke held out his arm and Combusken returned to the Poke Ball as form-less red energy. "You've earned the right to fight my strongest, just as you wanted."

"Feraligatr." The Big Jaw Pokemon growled as it lumbered from its trainer's side and stood before the Fossil Pokemon.

A Rock/Flying-type like Aerodactyl would be a quick fight, but there was something off with the level of confidence Kurotsuchi exhumed.

Kurotsuchi raised her sleeve covered arm and pulled it down to her elbow, revealing the golden band around her wrist. It was then Sasuke realised why her confidence was so high, for embedded within her wristband was a Key Stone. His eyes then shifted to the Aerodactyl and his eyes widened even further than they already had when he took note of the silver collar forged of Steelix steel worn around its neck. Resting within the collar was a dark purple and violet stone, the Mega Symbol seeming to glow in the gym's lights.

"Sasuke Uchiha, given how far you've come in your career as a trainer I can say you've earned your right to be so arrogant." The black-haired Gym Leader's face was completely serious as she placed her index and middle fingers on the Key Stone of her wristband. "A Feraligatr that has mastered the ultimate Water-type move and at the very least has the capability to fight toe-to-toe with an Elite Four-class trainer is truly a monster of the battlefield, but I don't think you've ever experienced a battle like this one."

A sudden gust of wind surged throughout the gym as a bright rainbow of light burst forth from the Key Stone, and a violet glow emerged from the Aerodactylite in Aerodactyl's collar.

"Now let me show you mine and Aerodactyl's power!" Kurotsuchi raised her arm skyward. "AERODACTYL, MEGA EVOLVE!"

---

Petalburg Woods

Naruto and Hinata walked through the winding pathways of the woods with Espeon, Typhlosion, Treeko and Mudkip by their sides. The variety of Bug-type Pokemon as well as a few Taillow all watched from the shadows of the upper branches or behind the tree trunks as the group wandered past them.

"Do you think those three Magma members will be okay?" Hinata asked.

"Kind of too late to worry at this point." Naruto shrugged. "But I think they should be fine, right Mewtwo?"

The Master Ball wobbled slightly as the telepathic voice of Mewtwo echoed through their minds.

"I have not done anything other than forced them to tell us everything with regards to their purpose here in the forest. The strain from my mental touch simply knocked them unconscious and they should wake up before the day is over." Mewtwo replied. "If you so wished it my friend, I could have crushed their psyches and rendered them effectively brain dead."

"No! No, that's...that's okay, Mewtwo." Naruto laughed nervously. Spending the past few years with the Genetic Pokemon training on Mount Silver, Naruto sometimes forgot that the scope of Mewtwo's powers were well beyond that of the regular Psychic-type's outside of battle. "Thanks again for the help, but we'll take it from here."

"Of course, Naruto."

The group then turned their attention to their guide.

The Shroomish had quickly recovered thanks to Hinata's usage of the Revive and Max Potion, and after learning where the Team Magma Group was hiding within the woods thanks to Mewtwo's gently ripping the information from the grunts, the current plan was to use that information and follow the Shroomish back to the Team Magma campsite and rescue the other members of its group.

"Shroom Shroomish Shroo."

"We're getting close." Naruto translated for his girlfriend.

After a few more minutes of walking, Shroomish suddenly halted before rushing to the side and hiding behind a bush. The others followed the direction of the Mushroom Pokemon and dropped low to the ground, crawling on their bellies as they took refuge behind the lengthy piece of foliage. Peeking through the spaces of the leaves, the group's eyes stared at the scene before them.

Grunts were walking around as they performed their assigned tasks. Some were looking through sheets of paper and discussing their reports. Others simply stood in place acting as guards, their Mightyena and Golbat surverying the areas every now and then. However, as the group looked around the Team Magma site, they took note of two things.

One was the tall man who a noticeable amount of grunts were speaking to. His outfit matched the theme of the group, but it was different enough that Naruto and Hinata could label him as a possible higher-up.

"That must the Karyuu guy the three grunts mentioned." Naruto whispered. "Gotta say, he certainly does look like the part of an admin."

"And that must be the spore machine they talked about." Hinata pointed to a moderately sized glass-dome.

The herd of Shroomish that were captured all stood huddled together, their eyes showing a myriad of emotions ranging from fear to frustration. Due to their emotional state, a mulitcoloured mist made up of their spores flowed from the tops of their heads. The mist floated up through a vacuum device and Naruto and Hinata's eyes followed the pump's length to see it feeding into three separate collection tanks. One tank was filled with a yellow powder, the second contained a purple powder and the final one contained a bright green powder.

"They're collecting the spores and filtering it into those tanks, but why?"

"Does it really matter, Hina-chan?" Naruto asked. "We gotta save those Shroomish."

"Shroooooo." The Grass-type Pokemon's body shuddered in anger as it looked upon the black and red clad humans. However, as the revenge driven Pokemon was about to charge, it quickly found itself being held in place by Espeon's psychic abilities. A glare was directed at the Psychic-type Eeveelution, but it looked in confusion as Hinata stroked in gently atop its head.

"I know you're angry and you want to save your friends, but you can't charge in there by yourself." She advised. "We need to make a plan and once we figure out what's going on, ok?"

"..." Shroomish frowned deeply. "Mish." The female human made sense, and while it clearly wasn't a fan of not going in to immediately save its herd, the Mushroom Pokemon remained seated behind the bush.

"About to go charging in without a plan." Hinata giggled. "Reminds me of somebody."

"Who?"

"What do you mean who?" Hinata sweatdropped at her boyfriend's question before waving him off. "Anyway, Naruto-kun, I think we should make a distraction while Espeon, Treeko and I circle around to the sever the power supply to that spore collector. You can use a Flamethrower attack to do some widespread damage, and you can also have Mudkip to help you out."

"Got it, widespread damage."

"Yes, but remember we have others with us." Naruto nodded as she gestured to Shroomish, Treeko and Mudkip. "So try not to use Eruption or Earthquake."

"Alright."

Hinata quickly moved off, crawling along the forest floor with Espeon and Treeko in tow. Once the three were out of sight Naruto turned to the trio of Pokemon, a toothy grin threatening to split his face.

"Alright then, let's go wild."

"Ty!"

"Shroom!"

"Mudkip!"

The four males jumped out from behind their hiding place, loud battle cries escaping their throats that caused the entire Team Magma camp to pause in their actions. Some were shocked, others were confused, and the remainder had mainly stared as the blonde teenager landed at the edge of their camp with the three Pokemon.

"Flamethrower attack!"

"TYPHLOOOOO!"

The Volcano Pokemon inhaled deeply, its neck flames blazing brightly as it body trembling slightly. It withheld the Fire-type move for a moment longer before unleashing the blazing hot gout of orange-yellow flame. The floor of the Petalburg Woods became a field of fire and all the Team Magma members were immediately caught off-guard by the sudden attack.

Tents, desks of what were probably stacks of important data, and a few bright and shiny pieces of machinery went up in flames the moment Typhlosion's attack made contact.

"What the hell?!"

"What's going on?! Who's that kid?!"

"I don't know!"

"What the fuck's he doing?!"

"Don't just stand there gawking! Somebody stop him!"

The grunts who were acting as guards sprung into action and a pair of Golbat and Mightyena leaped into action.

"Golbat use Wing Attack!"

"Mightyena, Crunch!"

The bat-like Pokemon screeched as their wings glowed with white light before they descended towards the assailants while the Mightyena's paws thudded noisily against the forest floor. The Mightyena barked as they leaped, their pearly whites shining in the firelight, but Typhlosion quickly surged forward and planted its forepaws atop their heads and used them to push itself into the air while also slamming them into the ground.

The Mightyena all growled in pain as they were sent skidding into the dirt, but as they came to a stop, their red eyes widened as they came face-to-face with an angry faced Shroomish.

"SHROOOM!" The Mushroom Pokemon shook its body and a haze of golden-yellow powder wafted over the pair of canines. The Mightyena all gritted their teeth as their muscles suddenly constricted from being paralyzed by the Stun Spore.

"Nice job Shroomish!" Naruto praised the Grass-type. "Now Mudkip, hit 'em with Water Gun!"

"MUDKIIIIP!" The pressurized blast of water exploded out of the blue starter Pokemon's mouth and nailed the two Dark-types in the face with enough force to send them rolling across the ground. However, the soaked Pokemon suddenly found themselves electrocuted as Typhlosion knocked the two Golbat out of the sky with its Thunderpunch. The lightning coated Golbat's bodies were sent into an even greater fit of seizure-like activity as the water from the Mightyena's fur conducted.

"YEN!"

"GOL!"

The two Dark-types and the two Poison/Flying-types found their bodies wrapped in the embrace of a fiery explosion as Typhlosion followed up with another Flamethrower attack from above. The four Pokemon lay unconscious as Typhlosion landed at the edge of the burning crater.

"Nice job boys." Naruto gave a congratulatory thumbs up to the three Pokemon.

---

The sounds of conflict were quickly taking over the area that was Team Magma's campsite and Hinata could only smile.

"Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Trainer indeed." She laughed as she recalled the unintentional title her boyfriend had gained from their friends. There was no argument that it was a fitting title to everyone except the party in question, but what she liked most about it was that it kept her significant other grounded in the reality he was still a boy despite holding the title of being the 31st Silver Conference Champion.

"Espeon." The Sun Pokemon's cry knocked the lavender-eyed coordinator out of her thoughts as she found herself currently in front of the Shroomish-filled dome.

The dark-eyed Grass-types all watched the human with the same anxious looks on their faces, but their anxiety decreased somewhat as they watched her smile at them. Now more confused than anxious and fear-ridden, the Shroomish could only pause as they watched the Saffron City native crawl towards the rumbling electrical generator which powered the vacuum device.

"Treeko, use Pound."

"TREE-" The yellow-eyed gecko of a Pokemon swung its heavy tail. "KO!"

The Normal-type move struck home and while the loud bang was mostly covered up the cries of alarm and battle from Naruto's interference, the Hyuga trainer found her actions outted by a few nearby Team Magma grunts.

"Oi! What the-!"

"There's another one over here!"

Luckily the generator was now ruined by the time her actions were revealed.

"So much for stealth." Hinata shrugged as she found herself surrounded by seven Golbat.

"Espeon Esp." The Psychic-type sighed in agreement before its pink-purple eyes glowed with blue light.

"Use Psybeam and branch it off with Psychic attack!" Hinata ordered.

"ESP!" A rainbow coloured beam fired itself out of the red jewel in the centre of Espeon's forehead before being outlined with the blue light signalled the usage of Psychic. The single burst of rainbow coloured energy suddenly branched off into seven separate strikes.

Each Golbat released a cry of pain as they were successfully hit between the eyes with the super effective blasts.

"Now use Psychic attack!"

"PEON!" The Sun Pokemon shouted and for the Golbat it felt as if gravity had increased ten-fold. Blue energy outlined their bodies before they were forcefully slammed into the ground with impacts hard enough to form small craters. Severely weakened and groaning in pain, the Golbat were sitting Ducklett to the pale eyed coordinator.

"Alright Treeko, finish them all of with Quick Attack and Pound!"

"TREE!" Treeko sped across the battlefield, its legs becoming blurs of green due to the pace as it which it moved. It then hopped into the air and performed a front flip to build up momentum. "TREE-KO!"

"BAT!" The Golbat released a final cry of pain before fainting as the Grass-type Pokemon's heavy tail slammed down on its skull. The rear appendage bent as Treeko utilised the powerful muscles to then flip off of the downed Bat Pokemon and land on the ground. With another Quick Attack enhanced rush, the Wood Gecko Pokemon moved in to strike at its second opponent.

"TREE!" The third was defeated.

"KO!"

The fourth Golbat was knocked unconscious and Treeko cried out with each successive swings of its tail, embedding the Poison/Flying-type Pokemon further into the forest floor. Treeko felt itself moving faster and its swings growing ever stronger with each Golbat it struck.

"TREEEKO!" With one final Pound attack, the seventh Golbat fainted as a fang sailed through the air like a comet with a tail of blood trailing behind it. "TREEKO TREEKO!"

The Wood Gecko Pokemon released a cry of victory before its body suddenly began to glow.

"There it is." Hinata smiled expectantly as the Grass-type starter was enveloped in the glow of evolution and her lavender coloured Pokedex beeped as the light began to die down and the second form of the Grass-type Hoenn starter stood before her.

The new form of Treeko was primarily green with a red underside. There was a belt-like green stripe across its belly. Its hands had two clawed fingers and powerful legs with birdlike feet. The newly evolved Pokemon had three long leaves on its wrists, a large leaf on top of its head, and two tails that had a leafy appearance.

Grovyle the Wood Gecko Pokemon. A Grass-type Pokemon and the evolved form of Treeko. The leaves growing out of Grovyle's body are convenient for camouflaging it from enemies in the forest. This Pokémon is a master at climbing trees in jungles.

"That climbing ability will surely help with taking down this machine." Hinata commented before hearing the secondary beep that came from her the digital Pokemon encyclopedia.

Grovyle would like to learn Fury Cutter. Which move would you like to forget for Fury Cutter?

Hinata quickly selected Leer to forget before pointing the Pokedex at the taller Wood Gecko Pokemon. A beam of blue light was fired from the Pokedex, striking Grovyle between the eyes, its pupils dilating as the information entered its brain. With Fury Cutter now at its disposal, Grovyle raised its arms and the three leaves on its arms merged together as they were enveloped in pale green light, much like the glow from when Naruto's Heracross used Megahorn.

"Alright Grovyle, take out that tubing with Fury Cutter!"

"Gro!" Grovyle hopped into the air with its powerful leg muscles. "VYLE!"

A line of pale green marked the path of the swift moving Bug-type move. Like a hot knife through butter, the vacuum tube was easily cut apart.

"Now Espeon, shatter the dome with Iron Tail!"

"Espeeee-" The purple-furred Psychic-type leaped into the air and front flipped, building up momentum before slamming down its glowing silver tails against the tempered glass. As strong as it was, it was no match for the power of a high level Iron Tail. A spiderweb of cracks emerged from the point of contact and the glass dome shattered into numerous shards. The Shroomish inside all released cries of joy upon realising they were being rescued.

"It's alright, you're all safe now." Hinata assured the small herd of Mushroom Pokemon as they hopped towards her, uttering their cries of thanks.

The Pokemon coordinator suddenly paused as she felt an oncoming heat. Spinning around, Hinata's eyes widened as she saw a large stream of crimson fire rushing towards her and the group of Shroomish.

---

"Golbat use Air Slash!"

"Counter with a long range Thunderpunch!"

"Long range?!" The grunts' eyes widened at the command, but they quickly found that the blonde trainer was not joking with his actions. Turning on the dime, Typhlosion reared back a fist of sparking golden voltage before punching it forwards. A lance of yellow lightning rocketed through the air at a breakneck pace, ripping through the arcs of pressurized air as if they weren't even there. A bright yellow explosion occurred as the bolt crashed into the three oncoming Golbat.

Spasming and smoking from being electrocuted, the Golbat fell, but three Mightyena hopped over their downed forms. They thundered across the forest towards their opponents.

"Mudkip use Water Gun! Typhlosion, Flamethrower attack!"

"TY!"

"MUD!"

Streams of fire and water raced towards the Dark-type Pokemon and a powerful explosion of steam occurred at the two elemental attacks crashed into the ground in front of them. However, red eyes were able to pierce through the thick cloud of water vapour.

"Shadow Ball!" The grunts ordered.

The canine Pokemon remained undetered in their charge as they leaped through the cloud of smoke and fired off a barrage of Shadow Ball attacks. The blobs of ghostly energy rocketed through the air, but Typhlosion unleashed a counter with its Flamethrower and tilted its head to hit all three Ghost-type attacks. The Shadow Ball attacks detonated in midair knocking the Mightyena back, but the Dark-type Pokemon suddenly found themselves tripping over themselves as Shroomish fired off a trio of seeds from the top of its head.

The seeds burst open, unleashing a series of lengthy vines that wrapped themselves securely around the Mightyena's feet. The canine howled as they felt their energy being sapped away from them, the vines glowing with an evil red light before becoming bubbles of green that floated out of the seeds and through the air into Shroomish's body. The Mushroom Pokemon smirked as it felt the healing effects of having its enemies' health sapped.

"Don't get cocky, kid!" One of the grunts snarled. "Mightyena use Shadow Ball and then Dig!"

The canine growled in response before managing to loosen the Leech Seed vines enough to fire off a Shadow Ball. The Ghost-type move crashed into the ground between it and its opponents before it began burrowing beneath the forest floor at a rapid pace.

"Mudkip use your fin to try to locate Mightyena!" Naruto ordered. "Typhlosion, provide cover fire for Mudkip!"

"Typhlo!" The Volcano Pokemon took a protective stance in front of the Mud Fish Pokemon and unleashed a stream of white hot flame from its gaping maw.

Mudkip's eyes closed and the fin atop its head waved slightly as it felt the vibrations of the earth in an effort to track the currently subterranean Pokemon. Black eyes widened and Mudkip's head snapped in the direction of Shroomish.

"MUDKIP MUD!"

"Shroom?!"

The ground suddenly rumbled beneath the Grass-type Pokemon's feet.

"Shroomish?!" The black eyed Pokemon's eyes widened as the earth burst apart and its hard skull dug into its underside.

"Gotcha!" The grunt exclaimed. "Now use Bite attack!"

The gleaming white fangs bit down on its body and blood flowed from the follow-up Bite attack. The canine shook its head rapidly, a cry of agony erupting out of the Grass-type Pokemon's throat before being thrown aside like a ragdoll.

"Shroomish!" Naruto's alarmed cry alerted his two starter Pokemon to the Grass-type's injury and Typhlosion quickly fired off a Flamethrower at the Dark-type.

"Dodge and then use Take Down!"

"YEN!"

The Mightyena leaped out of the way before charging in at a rapid pace towards the downed Mushroom Pokemon. Shroomish shut its eyes in preparation for the pain that would come with the powerful Normal-type attack. Several seconds seemed to pass, but Shroomish found itself being confused as the pain never came. Its eyes opened before widening in shock at seeing the tiny blue body of Mudkip standing strong and tall, its own hard head meeting that of Mightyena's.

"Muuuuudkiiiiip." The Mud Fish Pokemon grunted through gritted teeth, small trenches forming in the dirt as it had skidded backwards slightly from holding off the fast-paced charge of Take Down. Naruto could not have been prouder of his Water-type, but he still kept his head in the game as he noticed Mightyena's stance falter somewhat due to experiencing the recoil damage from its Normal-type attack.

"There! Mudkip push it back and use Mud Slap!"

"KIP!" The Water-type Pokemon pushed its head forwards, and with the power to shatter boulders despite its size, its physical might proved to be greater than that of Mightyena's. The canine stumbled back with a bark of surprise only to then suddenly have the dark earthy substance slapped in its face, effectively blinding it

"Now Tackle attack and finish it off with Water Gun!" Mudkip's strong legs bent, the ground cracking beneath its feet before it shot off at a terrifying pace. The backpedaling Mightyena, blind and off-balance, had no chance to defend. A deafening crack echoed throughout the battlefield as Mudkip's hard skull slammed into Mightyena's chest. A wheeze-like bark escaped the Dark-type Pokemon's throat as its ribs cracked, but the Mightyena had no time to wallow in its painful state as it was then knocked unconscious by the jet of water that sent it flying back into a tree.

"Mudkip!" The black-eyed starter stamped a foot down in victory before turning to Naruto with a wide grin on its face, wagging its tail happily. "Mud! Mudkip Kip!"

"Yes Yes, I saw what you did!" Naruto laughed. "Good job, Mudkip!"

Mudkip's grin widened only for the Water-type's body to suddenly become wrapped in blue light.

"That's the ticket!" Naruto whooped as Mudkip began to evolve. The light died down and Naruto whipped out his orange Pokedex, the device beeping as Mudkip's evolved form registered within its data banks.

The evolved form of Mudkip was revealed to have a body which was primarily light-blue with a lighter shade of blue for its underside and an orange belly. Its head had an angular black fin, orange eyes, and orange gills on the ends of both cheeks. It had long arms with three-fingered hands. Its feet had three small toes, and it had two black fins for tails.

Marshtomp the Mud Fish Pokeon. A Water/Ground-type Pokemon and the evolved form of Mudkip. The surface of Marshtomp's body is enveloped by a thin, sticky film that enables it to live on land. This Pokémon plays in mud on beaches when the ocean tide is low.

The secondary beep that came afterwards had a blonde eyebrow raise as the text appeared on the Pokedex's screen.

Marshtomp would like to learn Mud Shot. Which move would you like to forget to learn Mud Shot?

"Oh sweet, a Ground-type move!" Naruto grinned as he quickly arranged for his Marshtomp to forget Mud Slap. "Don't need Mud Slap anymore since Mud Shot is better."

A beam of blue light shot out of the Pokedex's flashing blue bulb, striking the newly formed Water/Ground-type between the eyes. With Mud Shot now secured in it moveset, Marshtomp flexed its arms and beamed.

"Marshtomp! The Mud Fish Pokemon exclaimed excitedly.

"You're evolved, but it seems you're still the same personality wise." Naruto chuckled, the light of childish excitement still present in Marshtomp's orange eyes. "Now let's get back to..."

Naruto blinked as he looked around the burning campsite as he saw the amount of grunts present around the battlefield had been reduced significantly.

"Did we beat so many of them already?"

"Typhlo?"

"Shroo! Shroomish Shroomish Mish!" Marshtomp, Typhlosion and Naruto looked down at the Grass-type before following its gaze to where the spore collecting machine was. The dome had been shattered and the Shroomish were all freed as they huddled around Hinata. Espeon and what Naruto could only describe as a leaf coloured reptile watched from the sidelines. Obviously her Treeko had evolved in the midst of the battles just as Mudkip had done.

However, the four pairs of eyes widened as they saw the Team Magma admin standing in the not so far distance away from his girlfriend. Standing beside him was a Houndoom, but there was clear expression of annoyance and rage present on the faces of both Pokemon and trainer. Karyuu pointed a finger at Hinata and the group of Shroomish, and the Houndoom's eyes glowed with power as it took a deep inhalation of air.

Flames licked at the edge of its mouth as its fangs bared and its chest expanded.

"Hina-chan..." Naruto didn't even think twice as he broke out into a run, the trio of Pokemon immediately taking off after the blonde trainer. "HINA-CHAAAAAN!"

---

She acted on instinct and raised her arms in a feeble defense, but luckily her partner Pokemon was at the forefront.

"Espeon!"

The Sun Pokemon rushed to it trainer's side and opened its jaws. Dark purple-black energy swirled and compressed into a basketball sized orb of shadow.

"PEON!"

Espeon fired off a powerful Shadow Ball at the powerful blast of crimson flame which rushed towards them. Fire and shadow collided with devastating force, a powerful shockwave occurring between the two elements as they fought for dominance. After several seconds of conflict, the two attacks destabilized and a powerful explosion occurred causing the small group to shield their eyes from the high velocity winds and dirt.

"Now my dear, what is it that you think you're doing?" A tone of annoyance laced the voice of Karyuu. The Team Magma admin's eyes narrowed as he glared at the Hyuga coordinator and her Pokemon before a grunt ran up beside him.

"Karyuu-san!" The grunt saluted as she stopped next to him. "We've secured the tanks and placed them into the backs of the jeeps. We've already had them evacuate the area before that blonde kid with the Typhlosion could do anything."

"Any damage to the tanks?"

"No Karyuu-san!"

"Good." The bluish-purple haired man nodded in approval, his black eyes never leaving the position of his camp's intruders.

"Hina-chan!" The grunt, Hinata and the group of Pokemon all turned as they heard the shout of the blonde trainer. "Hina-chan, are you alright?!"

"I'm fine Naruto-kun." She assured the blonde. "Espeon managed to fire off a Shadow Ball in time, I was just caught in the blast wave."

"Oh thank Arceus." He sighed as he hugged the dark haired girl tightly. Naruto helped his girlfriend to her feet and the two trainers turned as they heard the menacing snarl of the hell hound-esque Pokemon. The Houndoom at Karyuu's side snarled menacingly as its eyes met those of Typhlosion's. The two Fire-types prepared to burn each other to cinders as Typhlosion's neck flames took on a mildly blue tint in response to the scarlet embers that bled through the gaps in Houndoom's teeth.

"Take the others and get out." Karyuu instructed the female grunt. "I will stall our guests for time."

"But Karyuu-san there are two of them, I earnestly request to stay as back-up!"

"Your loyalty is commendable, but you will simply be in the way." The grunt's eyes widened as she saw her superior brush back a lock of his shoulder-length hair to reveal the shining gem which hung from his earring.

"Of course, Karyuu-san." The grunt saluted before rushing off into the woods after her compatriots. As the grunt vanished into the distance, the three trainers remained alone on the burning battlefield.

"So, Karyuu is your name huh?" Naruto asked. "If you're a member of Team Magma then means you're associated with Pakura too."

"Pakura?" Karyuu raised an eyebrow before a look of realisation crossed his face. "Ah yes, I remember she did mention during the prototype test for the magma generator she ran into a blonde boy and a member of Team Aqua."

"Your people killed innocent Pokemon with that magma generator thing." Naruto glared harshly at the man. "You forced those Shroomish into a state of anxiety in order to harvest their spores. I don't what it is you Team Magma people are up to, but I swear to Arceus we'll put a stop to it."

"What you're doing to Pokemon for the sake of your group's goals is cruel and inhumane." Hinata's mind flashed back to the ROOT War, her harsh glare increasing. "We won't let you use Pokemon for your own nefarious purposes! Not again!"

"And how exactly do you plan to do that, dear children?" Karyuu asked with a smirk of amusement.

"We'll start with kicking your ass!" Was the immediate response.

"I will admit that your Pokemon are very powerful." Karyuu stated as he recalled the ease with which the boy's Typhlosion and the girl's Espeon single-handedly dispatched multiple Pokemon in succession or simultaneously. "If this were a normal battle I would surely say your Pokemon would be able to handle my Houndoom, but..."

Naruto and Hinata watched with confusion as Houndoom stood in front of its trainer. It was then they took note of the spiked collar which was worn around the horned Fire/Dark-type's neck. Embedded into the collar was a pale red orb and seeming to float within the orb's confines was the S-shaped curve of the Mega insignia in red and black.

"A Mega Stone?!" Naruto and Hinata exclaimed.

Suddenly, a gust of wind occurred as Karyuu tapped the Key Stone which was hanging from his earring. An aura of power sprung forth around Houndoom, encompassing it in a shroud of rainbow coloured light as a reaction was triggered with the Houndoominite in its collar.

"Now Houndoom, show these brats what we mean!" Karyuu shouted. "MEGA EVOLVE!"

---

(A/N: Hey guys, sorry for such a long wait to make chapter 3 of this story as well as my other stories. I've been really busy and mentally tired. Being a doctor in a pandemic setting, especially when working in the COVID-19 setting as your first real job once you've completed internship is quite the jump. My contract is up working in the public setting so now I've taken some time off to work in a private healthcare facility part-time so that I can also take time to study for my exams to work in the UK.

So now I have a bit more free time in terms of when I take breaks in-between studying so I can write again and my mental block isn't as bad as it how it was when I was working as an intern last year.

So I've done it, I've finally managed to write a chapter for this. Gonna be honest, I was really struggling with a lot of things for this.

Firstly, I was a bit indecisive as to whether or not I should keep with the Gen 6 or the do the Gen 8 movesets, but after seeing how Gen 8 axed Blaze Kick and Sky Uppercut, the signature moves of Blaziken, I decided to stick with Gen 6.

Secondly, I wasn't sure whether or not to include Mega Evolution so early. After much internal debating however, I decided to include it. I decided to bring it in so early because while the main four are high level trainers, having them fight against regular Pokemon wouldn't be that much of a challenge given how far they've come in their careers.

And finally, once I decided to bring in Mega Evolution, the final hurdle was to figure out what Pokemon to give to the admins of Team Magma (and by extension Team Aqua) because Tabitah, who Karyuu is based off of, has a Camerupt on his team but I couldn't give him Mega Camerupt because that's reserved for the Magma Leader. So I had to sift through the common Pokemon Team Magma is known for and luckily they say Houndoom was a staple Pokemon for them alongside Mightyena and Golbat. Which, upon writing this, really made me wish they made a Mega Mightyena. The same sort of problem came with Kurotsuchi where I was looking through Roxanne's teams from Emerald and the World Championship in Gen 5 to see what Pokemon would work for her that could Mega Evolve. Aerodactyl and Steelix were my choices so I decided to go with Aerodactyl.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope you look forward to the next one which will be very action packed with the partner Pokemon who can tackle Elite Four level Pokemon versus Mega Evolutions, the Pokemon who are literally made to fight. Thanks for reading and remember to review!)

---

Pokedex:

Seen- 87

Caught- 81

---

Character Bio: Asuma Sarutobi

Eye Colour: Black

Hair Colour: Black

About: Hiruzen taught both his sons how to train Pokemon and educated them as best as he could about the wondrous creatures, but Asuma took more to battling than he did to academia. While his older brother took to academia, Asuma ventured forth to become a master-class trainer. Constantly feeling as if he were in his father's shadow, he developed quite a rebellious phase. In order to cope with the mental burden he ended up possessing, he turned to smoking, which, in a show of irony, made him even more like his father aside from his appearance. Once he became able to provide for himself, he moved out of the Kanto region to make a name for himself in Hoenn. He was successful in his venture, earning the attention of the region's branch of the Pokemon League Association. He became a master of Normal-type Pokemon, finding their freedom to learn a variety of moves being a reflection of his own feeling to not be tied down by his father's legacy and be free of it. He finally settled down in Petalburg City and became its gym leader not too long after. Later on, during his vacation periods to return to the joint region just to keep in touch with his family, he ended up falling for a certain female Ghost-type gym leader in Ecruteak City.

---

Naruto's Team:

Typhlosion (Male)

Mudkip (Male)

Poochyena (Male)

Zigzagoon (Female)

Seedot (Female)

Lotad (Male)

Hinata's Team:

Espeon (Female)

Treeko (Male)

Cascoon (Female)

Lotad (Male)

Ralts (Male)

Sasuke's Team:

Feraligatr (Male)

Torchic (Male)

Taillow (Male)

Seedot (Male)

Zigzagoon (Male)

Lotad (Male)

Sakura's Team:

Meganium (Female)

Wurmple (Female)

Poochyena (Male)

Lotad (Male)