The Legend of A Master
DISCLAIMER – I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR NARUTO, THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
Chapter-2 A New Beginning?
PALLET TOWN
July 26th XX97
Arion woke up with a sharp pain behind his head. A particularly sharp gust of wind made him aware that he wasn't home right now. His eyes widened looking desperately for any sign of his mother or father. He was no longer home, he didn't know how long he had been out cold or where he was either. He tried to take deep breaths so as to calm down so he could think clearly.
His eyes landed on the curious case next to him. It was familiar... He remembered his father bringing it as he greeted him. Slightly perplexed he opened it and found several things inside arranged neatly, but what caught his attention were the letters that were on top of all the items. Both of them were addressed to him and not only that, he recognized the familiar Japanese scrawl. With a shaking hand, he opened the thicker envelope first, out fell a pair of keys and a letter.
[Dear Arion,
If you're reading this, your mother and I are probably no longer with you. Knowing this and knowing you as well, please don't blame yourself. Within this case are an assortment of things that I'm sure will come in handy. Also inside is a single very important sealing scroll that contains something that I promised Minato-Sensei, I would give his son, Uzumaki Naruto, in order to protect him.
Naruto is an orphan and he lives in Konoha. I guarded him when I was in the ANBU black ops, but I could never give him the family Minato-sensei would've wanted. So I ask of you to please fulfil the promise that I have failed to complete Arion, take care of Naruto. I have left you a few essential belongings that I hope will be useful to you. There are 4 poke balls in this case. Raise them well, and foster bonds of trust between you for they are your first partners. Protect and train them into powerful and trustworthy companions. The rest of the items in here, I'm sure you will find a use for later.
You will approximately be a mile away from Pallet Town. There is a house under our name. If Konohagakure finds you, you know what to do. Always remember whether I'm there or not, your mother and I will always love you.
I'm really glad I got to raise you until now and I'm sorry it had to come to an end like this. I love you more than words can say.
A Thankful Father,
Red Satoshi Tokugawa]
He felt tears stream down his face. Was this a joke? a birthday prank maybe? if it was he would be sure to try and get a good hit on his father during their next sparring match as retribution. With a shaking hand, the second letter was opened.
[My Little Dragon,
If you read your father's letter before this one you know about our fate. I wanted you to grow up safe and strong. My Arion, I love you so much. I probably won't get a whole lifetime to show this to you. However, know that your father and I will always be looking out for you from above.
I'm sure you'll find people who you will be able to trust with your life and eventually you will fall in love too. Please be safe and grow up to be a strong young man Arion. Even if we're not there, I hope you know we love you with all our heart.
A Grateful Mother,
Yellow Del Bosque Verde.]
The paper crumpled in his tight grasp. His Mother and Father were gone? They were dead...?
Death had been an abstract concept to Arion up until now. Being well versed in biology, Arion knew people die but he never associated the concept of death with people like his parents. They seemed too strong, almost godlike in fact. But now the letter in his hand told him otherwise, it says that they're gone...
The boy couldn't take it but he held on to his composure almost desperately, in spite of himself images started flashing in his head as his brilliant mind conjured pictures of what might have happened.
"Damn it all!" he punched the ground, as a small crater formed under the force. As he was crying the 4 poke balls that lay in the case opened to reveal a Charmander, a Squirtle, a Bulbasaur, and a Pikachu looking at him with great sympathy in their eyes.
The distressed boy's mind calmed and he smiled weakly at the baby Pokemon but that didn't last too long. Gazing up and looking at the sky he started walking into the night using the stars as his guide, his eyes hidden by his raven hair, making a silent promise to himself…
He would become strong so he could protect those he cared about.
He stood and silently hefted the case up. Then he began to walk.
Leaf just saw a boy enter the house next to her own that had been deserted since the time she was born. Her mommy said that a very nice man and woman used to live in that house, but they left a long time ago.
"Mama" Leaf called,
"What is it Leaf?" her mother replied.
Her name is Leaf Arias Oak. She's the daughter of two of the original dexholders...
Green Sawyer Oak, Her father and the gym leader of the Viridian City Gym.
Blue Arias Oak, Her mother and the wife of Green Oak.
"Mama, somebody just entered the house right next to ours," Leaf said.
She was answered by the sound of a crashing mug. Immediately, Green came in with Blue seeing if what their little girl just said held any truth. They were rewarded by seeing a light flicker on.
Arion had just entered his new 'home' as he supposed he would be calling it from now. Looking around he turned on a light switch, the light flickered on. Charmander had rushed in along with his comrades gesturing the young boy to follow him to the sitting room.
The thing about Pokemon was they were sensitive to emotion. They knew what you were feeling before you knew it yourself. He felt the warmth of the 4 creatures envelope him. He gazed at them, touched at their concern.
"I-ll'll be f-fi-n-ne"
All 4 of them gave him a look that screamed: "We don't believe you". Arion had the decency to look a little sheepish.
"I... just need some time" the four little creatures snuggled closer to their human. They knew that he would need time and comfort. They all would.
He felt his eyes moisten again, the tears threatening to fall once more but he refused to cry. He couldn't cry anymore. He was ashamed of himself.
Here were little creatures who had lost their parents as well, but they took it in stride as if it was natural. They knew there was nothing that could be done except go forward and that's what they did.
"Tha-a-ank you"
As the adrenaline got out of his system he felt a wave of fatigue crash over him, he could only wait as his vision turned black as he fell asleep. His chakra having been exhausted, his eyes returned to their normal red colour.
Blue was just getting herself a cup of tea with Green when Leaf called her and told her that somebody went inside Red's old house. Did they actually move back? Blue dropped her mug in shock, staring wide-eyed with Green. With what seemed like a mutual agreement, Green and his wife rushed out of the kitchen just in time to see a light flicker on in Red's old house. Meeting eyes with Green they communicated with ease of experience even though no words were exchanged orally.
Blue wanted to go find out who exactly the boy was while Green did too he had better self-control though he could not help but let his curiosity get the better of him.
The Emerald eyed Gym leader locked eyes with his Sapphire eyed wife…
He cracked.
He sighed but nodded once looking down. He could almost see the glee on Blue's face on seeing he agreed even though he was looking down, both of them left the house and walked over to the familiar path of Red's house.
Blue and Green walked up to the doorstep as the male of the duo rang the doorbell hesitantly. But no one answered the door. Previously burning lights were no longer lit. Disheartened they went back. Maybe it was foolish to hope for anything different.
12th September, XX97
It had been two months.
Things could be described as smooth he guessed. He had an established routine taking full advantage of the indoor facilities and the forests around. He snuck out at night for supplies and worked at stealth that way.
For the past two months, his Pokemon had been his support system. Variearies; the Charmander, Poseidon; the Squirtle, Forrest, the Bulbasaur and Raijin, the Pikachu. What many people did not know was Pokemon were often named by their parents just like humans. They eventually responded to given nicknames or simply species names but felt the most connected with their birth name.
They pretty much just hung out and trained together Pokemon and trainer. Turns out there are a lot of things humans and Pokemon could learn from each other.
thunk.
thunk.
thunk.
The shuriken sunk deeply right in the bullseye as sweat temporarily blinded the young boy. He wiped his brow before drying his hair. All the Pokemon were having a blast playing tag as their trainer went back to his room.
The walls were coated in a light shade of blue with gold lining at the edge. There was a bookshelf full of literary classics as well as a few scrolls here and there, a study table, a nightstand, a full-length mirror, a closet for clothes, and a bed. The bedroom was attached to a small bathroom that was quite nice. The bed was covered in a blue and white bed sheet with a few fluffy pillows on it. He went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and had a light shower.
Throwing open the closet, he looked inside. There were several plain v neck shirts as well as T-shirts of multiple colours, a few long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, and a couple of jackets. There were also a lot of short pants, track pants, training clothes and a few pairs of jeans and underwear. There were even some dress shirts sitting neatly in a pile. In the corner, 2 pairs of fingerless gloves were stashed neatly. At the bottom, there were sneakers, running shoes, and shinobi sandals of black and blue, as well as a single pair of dress shoes. In the drawer, there were a few rings and bracelets with two wristwatches.
He got dressed and collapsed into bed noting that he needed a haircut. He closed his eyes and turned over settling in for the night resigning himself to another night of restless sleep.
It was no use, he couldn't relax. His heart was beating too fast, his anxiety was getting the best of him but yet he couldn't bring himself to breathe deep enough to calm down.
"Listen to my voice child..."
His eyes snapped open at that as he heard the familiar aged voice.
"Block everything else out, focus only on my sound"
So the boy did just that, he shut out the sound around him only focusing on the deep smooth voice he heard in his head.
"Are you okay now?"
He nodded and opened his eyes once more sending a silent thank you. Glancing at the wall clock he saw it was only 2:45 AM in the morning. He discarded his sweaty sleepwear and dressed quickly. Clutching his mather's gift he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
His team wasn't up yet so he let them rest more as he made his way down and opened his fridge.
"Need groceries and a haircut".
He walked around the house, his bare feet made no sound. He ate a quick meal before entering his father's study. His eyes darted to the case he had left untouched since his arrival in Pallet town. He was almost afraid to open it but steeled himself.
He had put it off long enough.
Examining each object carefully, he took out each article and placed it carefully on the table. There were a few essentials like bank information, inheritance, and wills but also the scroll that he promised to deliver to Naruto. It was the final item that really struck a chord with him, it was the original Pokedex his father had gotten from Professor Oak. He stared at it for a minute a single tear falling to the ground, he quickly wiped it away and slipped the device into his pocket.
Further rummaging through the case he discovered a small box with a curious stone in it. It was embedded into a wrist band of sorts and had a strong chakra signature coming off of it.
"I wonder what this is?" before shrugging and carefully placing the box back into the suitcase.
After filing away the documents, and sealing them in a storage scroll, he placed them into his safe and stored the case away in his dresser for future use.
"You can come out now, breakfast is ready and on the table already".
He was greeted with cries of approval that all meant "Yay".
Chuckling once more he left them to eat. Standing in front of the staircase he took out a small pocket knife and pierced his thumb. He smeared the blood on the small plate that looked like a mat at the foot of the staircase. The stairs flattened and rose to reveal a small door, he smirked to himself.
"Man no matter how many times I see it that's still pretty neat"
The first room had training weights and wooden dummies for practising Taijutsu, scrolls covered the shelves of the walls for various topics, and Jutsus, in another corner different types of weapons decorated the walls.
Throwing daggers, bows, and several quivers full of arrows, shuriken, kunai, etc. But what really caught your attention were the two blades on the wall in line with one another, one with a black grip the other with a silver grip. The Kanji for "Fighter" was engraved in white on the black Chokuto and the Kanji for "Healer" was engraved in black on the silver gripped Kodachi. They were both different types of blades one was shorter than the other.
The second room was filled with training equipment for effectively training all types of Pokémon. His adorable friends had finished breakfast and were already making their way down. Taking out the ancient Pokedex he scanned each one of them.
"Charmander: The fire-lizard pokemon, a flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out.
Ability: Blaze.
Hidden Ability: Solar Power.
Moves: Scratch, Leer, Smokescreen, Ember, and Dragon Claw.
Gender: Male."
"Squirtle: The Tiny Turtle pokemon, this Pokémon draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful.
Ability: Torrent.
Hidden Ability: Rain Dish.
Moves: Bubble, Tackle, Withdraw, Bubble Beam, and Ice Beam.
Gender: Male."
"Bulbasaur: The seed Pokemon, It bears the seed of a plant on its back from birth. The seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are extremely calm and very difficult to capture in the wild.
Ability: Overgrow.
Hidden Ability: Chlorophyll.
Moves: Vine Whip, Tackle, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, and Sludge Bomb.
Gender: Male."
"Pikachu: The electric mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu. Pikachu's tail is sometimes struck by lightning as it raises it to check its surroundings.
Ability: Static.
Hidden Ability: Lightning Rod.
Moves: Quick Attack, Thunder Wave, ThunderShock, ThunderBolt, Thunder, Surf, Fly, and Flash.
Gender: Male."
He told them to battle and go crazy as he dismissed them and they happily obliged. Most of his days were just spent training and becoming better. It proved to be an effective distraction if extremely unhealthy.
The guys had been tuckered out halfway through and settled on watching him train for a while. Praising them for a job well done as he fed them, he decided that it was time for a supply run.
After showering, he pulled on black jeans, and a dark blue shirt. His silver pendant hung around his neck. Then he slipped on a grey hooded jacket. Bidding his fledgeling team goodbye, he was out the door armed and alert.
After buying everything he needed and getting a haircut, he ended up wandering through town aimlessly. He had learnt that the best way to avoid attention was to choose soft neutral colours and walking at the same speed as everyone else around him.
A sharp intake of breath made him turn around and meet four pairs of eyes. Three of them widened in shock while the fourth simply stared in curiosity.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder as the other tilted his face and ruby eyes met tearful sapphire ones. He immediately had a feeling that he needed to get away, yet he found himself swept up into a warm embrace as hot tears met his shirt.
"You look just like him"
It was Green who had spoken, evidently his infamous iron control keeping his features stoic. Yet his eyes were glassy. He knelt down with his wife to embrace him next.
"Where are they?" Silver asked quietly his eyes scanning the surroundings for them. He just looked away.
"You don't know?" Blue whispered as his vision clouded once more.
"Gone" he rasped out as tears spilt. He was immediately picked up in Green's muscular arms and shushed as the group took him back to Green's house. Arion simply buried his face into the crook of his neck.
ARION'S MINDSCAPE
He opened his eyes to see himself in front of his tenant's abode...
The Ten-Tailed Dragon looked at him with soft eyes.
"Child, come closer" he beckoned me over to him in the same voice that had calmed me down the very same morning. Silently he obeyed the command.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki is close, you must find him and tell him about his legacy." The dragon demon said.
"Do you think he would be ready for that? Do you think he knows?"
"No he does not, The Sandaime's law prevents anybody from telling him, but that does not stop most of the villagers from mistreating him" he replied evenly.
"How do you know of that?" Arion questioned curiously.
"We Bijuu can sense the other's emotions and chakra, we are after all brother and sister" The dragon replied.
"Well, you have the same number of tails as the big man himself so doesn't that make you the strongest one?"
"Maybe in theory... we all have our strengths and weaknesses"
"So has the Kyuubi been restless lately?" he asked.
"No, but he is using a lot of his chakra to heal the boy continuously, such a shame, the villagers don't even know what they're doing to their beloved Yondaime's only son…" the dragon sighed.
"Do you know something, that the villages don't?"
"The organization that wants to collect the powers of the tailed beasts, they've begun to move. Out of all of them, the Kyuubi's container is said to be the youngest of the Jinchuuriki, so it is vital that you guide him in how to use the chakra of the Kyuubi" He patiently said.
"But doesn't that mean, I'm equally vulnerable?"
"You're different. No one used Fuiinjutsu to seal me in you, I sealed myself in. By the nature of my chakra, I suppressed it into your system leaving me almost indistinguishable from your own chakra. It's helpful you have so much of it to hide in" the old Bijuu chuckled.
"So, I'm safe?"
"Relatively"
"I'll go to Konoha, but I believe what he needs isn't advice"
"Oh, is it so? Then pray tell me what does he need?" the dragon asked, almost amused.
"A friend," the young child said.
REAL-TIME
He woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom with his groceries nearby.
"You're awake" His head turned to meet curious green eyes. He just blinked.
"My name's Leaf, What's yours?" the little girl just exuded innocence. He had an overwhelming urge to keep this girl safe.
"Arion, My name's Arion" He replied.
"Okay Arion, I'm gonna call Mama and Papa now, but I'm glad you're feeling better" She smiled once more before leaving. He felt the letter still in his jacket. He pulled it out and stared.
An Arcanine came bounding up, sniffing at him before she licked his face. The boy reached out to scratch the majestic beast's ears.
"How are you feeling?"
And there stood Green and Blue gently as if not to spook him.
"It was hard for a while then I just felt numb I guess, it was hard not having them around".
"Yeah..." The child's attention snapped up at that.
"They never told you this, but they did write us letters. We got a letter once in a while, though usually around this time of year." Blue closed her eyes as both adults sat on the edge of the bed.
"Your parents were our best friends. So we're going to take care of you. You're family now".
The child hugged them again, burrowing his head into Blue's neck sobbing softly.
"They left a letter for you" his muffled voice came before his breathing evened and he fell asleep once more.
Gently extracting the letter, Blue kissed the boy's head tenderly.
"Don't worry Arion. This time we'll protect you".
Signing Off,
The Aura Phoenix.