Hello all Storm here with a new chapter! Here we'll be seeing Naruto arriving in Pewter City and taking part in his first Gym Battle, along with some surprises as well. So, without further ado.
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"Charmander use Ember!" Naruto said with Charmander releasing a single fireball, one that was now much bigger and stronger than before.
With the fireball crashing into a swinging wooden target, hitting it just as it descended from the height of its swing. Blasting right through it and incinerating the target, making the Uzumaki grin.
"Alright! You've really begun improving on the new variation of Ember, Charmander!" Said Naruto, pleased at how quickly Charmander's improved the more focused Ember attack.
"Char-mander-Char!" Charmander grinned at his Trainer, also happy at how much stronger his Ember has gotten.
Having been working on it for a few hours now, after they finished their lunch. With Naruto wanting to improve the size, power and speed of the attack. As while a single concentrated fireball will be much stronger, it still won't do much if it can't hit an opponent or if they can just shrug it off. Though he's also been having Charmander practicing on learning Will-O-Wisp as well.
While for Iron Tail, Charmander and Pikachu have both been practicing that, the whiskered blonde having them strengthen their tails by striking trees. Both of them having made good progress in damaging the trees while their tails got stronger.
Pikachu also joined Nidoran in learning Dig, something that's helped them progress even faster in learning the move, with both Pokémon trying to dig faster than the other. While Nidoran's kept working on learning Poison Jab, making good progress in covering his paw in his poison and increasing his striking strength.
In addition to all that, Naruto still made sure they practiced with their other moves as well, along with their speed, strength and endurance. With him now having his Pokémon randomly throw attacks at each other to also work on their awareness and being prepared for any sudden surprise attacks.
"Okay, Pikachu!" Naruto said, getting the Electric Mouse's attention from where he was swinging his tail against a tree, having started breaking through it.
"Pika!" Pikachu ran over and stood beside Charmander, wondering if they'll be doing different training.
"I just want to see how you two have progressed with Iron Tail. And you'll be…hitting that." Said Naruto, looking around before pointing at a boulder, wanting to see how they did against something stronger than a tree.
With Charmander and Pikachu looking at the boulder before nodding in understanding as they prepared to strike the boulder.
"You first Charmander, use Iron Tail!" Naruto said, making Charmander rush towards the boulder before leaping up into the air.
"Char-mander!" Charmander's tail and flame began flickering with a white glow as he flipped through the air, before slamming his glowing tail on top of the boulder, causing it to crack.
"Nice one, Charmander! You're next Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Said Naruto, with Pikachu charging forward this time.
"Pika! Pika-Pika-Pika-Pika-Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu charged at the boulder and jumped high into the air, flipping around as his tails started glowing as well.
The Mouse Pokémon slammed his tail into the boulder, making the cracks on it spread even further with pieces of it starting to break off.
"Way to go! While it looks like you could still use some work on improving it, it seems like we should be able to use it in battle at the very least." Said Naruto, seeing how their tails kept flickering from glowing and not glowing, but could see they were able to perform it.
"Now then, I think it's time we should start on a new form of training, Resistance Training." Naruto stated, making Charmander and Pikachu look at him curiously.
"Charmander?" Charmander tilted his head, wondering what Resistance Training was meant to help with.
"Chu?" Pikachu's ear twitched as he looked at their Trainer, curious of what the new training will have them do.
"It's a form of training that I learned from my mom. She did it with her own Pokémon, particularly with her Ninetales, Kurama. The training is to help Pokémon build up a resistance to the types they're weak against. With Kurama, mom worked to have him develop a resistance to Water-type, Rock-type, and Ground-type Attacks. Though we'll get to those later for you Charmander, once we have more Pokémon that are those types or can learn moves of those types. Instead, we'll be helping you develop a resistance for Electric-type Attacks." Explained Naruto, the explanation intriguing the Pokémon at the idea of being able to develop a resistance to their weaknesses.
"Charmander?" Charmander though was confused at why they were having him work on resisting Electric-type Attacks, since he wasn't weak to Electric Attacks.
"I know you aren't weak to Electric-types, not yet anyway. But you will be, when you're eventually fully evolved into a Charizard. So it'll be something you'll benefit from in the long run. And it'll be good to start on it now, when you'd only take a regular amount of damage, rather than when you're weak to it." Naruto said, making the two nod in understanding.
"But that also means Pikachu's going to be shocking you several times and you won't be able to hold back, Pikachu. Otherwise the training won't be as effective. Are you both ready for that?" Naruto asked, wanting to make sure Charmander was ready to be repeatedly shocked and that Pikachu wouldn't hold back from giving it his all.
Charmander and Pikachu looked at each other before nodding in agreement and understanding of what they'll be doing for the training. With the two moving to stand across from each other, the Lizard Pokémon bracing himself for what'll come next.
"Okay, then if you both are ready. Pikachu use Thunder Shock on Charmander!" Said Naruto.
"Pika-CHUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked with electricity before he fired a lightning bolt straight at Charmander, the Fire-type resisting the urge to jump out of the way of the attack.
Before Charmander cried out as the lightning bolt hit him, while Pikachu kept up the attack. Unsure if they were supposed to keep going until one of them didn't have any energy or Naruto told them to stop. The Uzumaki meanwhile clenched his fists, not wanting to hurt his Pokémon like this, but knew it'd benefit them in the long run.
"That's enough!" Naruto said after a few moments, with Pikachu quickly stopping his attack, showing Charmander panting heavily and shaking from the electricity still running through him.
"How are you doing Charmander? Do want to take a break?" Asked Naruto while looking at his Starter in concern.
"Ch-Cha-Char…Charmander." Charmander shook his head, despite feeling like he could collapse at any moment, he wanted to keep going since they won't make any progress if he wants to stop after the first hit, every time.
"Okay, if you're still able to keep going. Though Pikachu will also be using Thunder Wave too, which will help you build up a resistance to being paralyzed. You've already got the willpower to fight through it, so the added resistance will be very beneficial." Naruto said, having seen that Charmander had great willpower to fight through being paralyzed, showing he really had a lot of potential.
"Char-Charmander-Char." Charmander nodded at this, while relieved that Thunder Wave didn't actually hurt and only paralyzed him.
"But first, Nidoran!" Said Naruto, looking to where Nidoran was, only to frown when he didn't see the Poison Pin Pokémon.
"Nidoran?!" Naruto called out before the ground in front of him broke open and Nidoran popped out of the hole.
"Nido!" Nidoran climbed out of the hole while shaking the dirt off of his body.
"Were you underground this entire time?" Naruto asked in surprise, wondering how long Nidoran was underground.
"Nidoran." Nidoran nodded in response, having been working on improving his ability to navigate underground and feel the vibrations of everything above ground, with his enhanced hearing helping with that.
"Huh…well good job on improving your use of Dig. But right now, we're doing some new training. We're working on building Charmander's resistance to Electric-type Attacks for when he eventually becomes a Charizard. Along with building up a resistance to paralysis, and I want you to join the training since while you'll be immune to Electric-type Attacks as a Nidoking, you'll still be vulnerable to being paralyzed." Explained Naruto, with Nidoran being intrigued at hearing of the new training they'll be doing before nodding in agreement.
"Nido." Nidoran went over and stood next to Charmander, ready for Pikachu to hit them and to fight off the paralysis when it comes.
"Alright then. Use Thunder Wave, Pikachu!" Naruto said, with Pikachu firing streams of blue electricity at Charmander and Nidoran to paralyze them.
*Later*
They had kept up the training for a few hours, with Naruto making sure they took several breaks to let his Pokémon rest and recover. Along with using Paralyze Heals on Charmander and Nidoran, and Potions for Charmander to help recover from the damage of being electrocuted.
Though they didn't make any major breakthroughs, the whiskered blonde could see each time they were paralyzed, Charmander and Nidoran were slowly being able to move. While Charmander was able to remain standing a little longer before the electricity became too much.
All-in-all, Naruto was pleased at the progress they've made in their training before he recalled his Pokémon and continued on his way through Viridian Forest.
'I can't believe the sun is just only starting to descend.' Naruto thought, looking up through the trees and seeing the sun had already passed its apex and was beginning to go down.
Naruto was really glad that he woke up really early on the day he got his Starter, allowing him even more time than usual to set out and get plenty of training done, not to mention the ground he was able to cover.
'I should be able to reach Pewter City in time before the Gym closes at this rate.' Thought Naruto in excitement, hoping he'll be able to get his first Gym Badge before the end of the day.
Though suddenly, Naruto stopped when he heard a shout before the Uzumaki was shocked when someone wearing samurai armor jumped out from a tree, and they were swinging a sword at him!
"AH!" Naruto said jumping back, panicking at how close the sword came down to hit him.
"Hold it right there! Where are you from?!" Demanded the kid, pointing his sword at Naruto.
"Pallet Town! I'm Naruto Uzumaki from Pallet Town!" Said Naruto, unsure if this kid was intending to keep attacking him or planned to do something else, but either way he was preparing to run.
"Then you will go no further! I am Samurai and I have sworn to defeat all Trainers from Pallet Town! Now it's time to battle!" Samurai declared before pulling out a Pokéball, while Naruto looked at him in disbelief as he realized the kid wasn't an actual threat.
'Of all the trainers I had to encounter out here, it had to be Chūnibyō Bug Catcher that thinks he's an actual Samurai.' Naruto thought, groaning with a facepalm as while he normally didn't have a problem with Chūnibyō, it didn't mean he'd tolerate them attacking and inconveniencing him like this as they live out their fantasies.
"So…you just wanted to battle me?" Naruto asked, with Samurai nodding in response.
"Yes! Now send out your Pokémon and feel the wrath of my Bug Pokémon!" Said Samurai, the whiskered blonde not moving to release any of his Pokémon and only looked at him blankly.
"You only wanted to battle…yet you decided that first…you'd attack me with a damn sword?!" Demanded Naruto, starting off in a low tone before shouting at Samurai.
"…I needed to get your attention." Samurai stated after a few moments, thinking over what exactly he did and would admit he probably could have done something less dangerous.
Naruto looked at him for a few moments, before simply walking past Samurai, refusing to battle someone like that.
"Wha-hey! Where are you going?! We still have to battle!" Samurai said, running in front of the Uzumaki, refusing to let him leave without a battle.
"Yeah, that's not happening. Not happening because you decided to attack me with a fucking sword! Seriously, who does that?! You couldn't have just said "Hey, do you want to battle" or something like that, rather than come swinging at me with a sword, like a jackass?! Do you even realize how rude that was?!" Said Naruto, refusing to battle someone whose first instinct is to start swinging a sword at an opponent.
"I…uh…I um…" Said Samurai, feeling stunned and unsure what to say, while Naruto took a few breaths to calm down.
"Okay, it's probably best if I just leave." Naruto stated, wanting to now get out of the forest as soon as possible in case anymore crazy people start showing up.
"U-uh…y-ye-yeah, right. Um…no hard feelings about the sword, right?" Samurai asked, figuring he should stop while he's ahead, but wanted to see if they were alright, only to see that Naruto was already started walking away.
"Get bent you Freaky Bug Guy!" Retorted Naruto.
"Hey! I am not a Freaky Bug Guy!" Retorted Samurai in annoyance, not liking being called a Freaky Bug Guy.
"Samurai's a Freak Bug Guy~!" Naruto sang spitefully, still feeling rather annoyed by the whole sword thing.
"Hmph! Fine, leave! At least Viridian Forest will never leave me, right?!" Samurai said before looking around at the forest, only to hear nothing but the wind and rustling tree branches.
"…Why don't you ever answer me, Viridian Forest?" Questioned Samurai.
*With Naruto*
"Oh thank Kami, I'm finally out of that forest." Naruto said in relief as he exited Viridian Forest and could see Pewter City just up ahead, before he sat down on a large rock to rest.
"I swear that Samurai guy was a fucking psycho. He just comes out swinging a damn sword at anyone who passes through the forest and just expects them to be okay with battling him, after he tries slicing them like that?!" Said Naruto, not believing he thought doing that of all things was a good idea.
"Honestly, I'd rather end up getting chased by some crazy old lady that acts like a drama queen, a man with a tendency to cross-dress who's running away from an arranged marriage that his insane family had setup, and a talking Pokémon for the rest of my life than even battle that crazy kid once." Naruto muttered, only to pause and frown in confusion at the oddly specific scenario.
*With Team Rocket*
Meanwhile, unknown to Naruto, a certain trio that matched his description all just sneezed within their Meowth-shaped hot air balloon.
"Huh, that was weird." Said James rubbing his nose, confused as to why they all sneezed at the same time.
"You're telling me. We better not be getting sick or something." Meowth stated, not wanting to get sick now, especially when they're about to pull off a heist.
"I AM NOT AN OLD LADY!" Jessie screamed, just feeling that someone has called her old, while James and Meowth jumped at her sudden shout.
"…U-uh…l-le-let's just…attack the Pokémon Center now." Said James nervously, with Meowth nodding in agreement as the balloon descended down towards the Viridian City Pokémon Center.
While inside the Pokémon Center, Ash was inside getting his Pokémon back from Nurse Joy, only to be shocked as smoke began filling the Pokémon Center. The Trainer quickly sending out his Pikachu in case they were being attacked, with Jessie, James and Meowth descending from their balloon.
*With Naruto*
"…I have a strange feeling that I did the right thing in leaving Viridian City, when I did." Naruto muttered, feeling that it was good he didn't stay in Viridian City for long, before he shook his head.
"Whatever, I'm sure it's nothing. And right now, my focus is getting to Pewter City now." Stated Naruto with a grin.
"Pewter City is grey, the color of stone. This town has always been famous for its stones." Someone said, making the whiskered blonde freeze before looking over the rock he was sitting on, seeing a small cliff with someone sitting against it.
It was a man with tan skin and spiky brown hair covered by a red beanie, which also covered his eyes in shadows, along with a matching colored beard. With him wearing a yellow t-shirt with rolled up sleeves, white gloves, a black belt with a silver buckle, dark teal cargo pants, and black shoes.
Naruto also saw a small set of shelves next to him with rocks filling them up, noticing that they also seemed to have price tags.
"Uh…who are you?" Naruto asked warily, hoping he didn't run into another crazy person.
"The names Flint, and you're sitting on some of my merchandise young man." Replied Flint, making Naruto glance at the rock he was sitting on.
"You sell…rocks?" Stated Naruto, unsure what else to say to that.
"These aren't just any rocks, these are a hundred percent genuine Pewter City rocks, perfect souvenirs for anyone passing through. And if you want to sit on my merchandise, then you gotta start paying to sit on it. You're already at two Pokédollars, kid." Flint said, with the whiskered blonde gaining a deadpan expression.
"You know this sounds like something a friend of mine would do, only she'd be doing it a lot more tactfully." Naruto said as he got off the rock and pulled out his wallet to pay Flint, remembering the scams Leaf used to pull and occasionally still did.
From selling rocks painted to look like Evolution Stones, along with other random items disguised as Evolution Items, claws, teeth, and hair of supposedly rare and legendary Pokémon. Even selling bait that was guaranteed to lure out Shiny Pokémon. Though Naruto's favorite was when she tricked a bunch of Trainers into believing she saw a Raikou and charged them to learn where it was, only to end up being attacked by a swarm of Beedrill.
'I wonder where Leaf is, right now.' Naruto thought, wondering if she's gotten past Viridian City or decided to stay to train up her Pokémon.
*With Leaf*
Meanwhile, Leaf sneezed as she walked through Viridian Forest.
"I really hope I'm not coming down with a cold or something." Leaf muttered while rubbing her nose, only to scream in panic when Samurai jumped out from tree with a shout and swinging his sword at her.
Before Samurai then fell to the ground on his knees, whimpering in pain when Leaf slammed her foot into his crotch, with the female Trainer panting and clutching her chest. With her then glaring at Samurai once she'd calmed down.
"What the hell is your problem?!" Shouted Leaf, not believing he'd just jump out swinging a sword like that.
"I-I-I j-ju-ju-ju-jus-just…wa-wa-wa-wanted…t-t-to-to-to ba-b-b-b-ba-ba-ba-battle…" Samurai whimpered as he held his crotch, not expecting that kind of reaction.
"Well just ask, next time! And be thankful you only got a kick for almost slicing me, you Freaky Bug Guy!" Leaf retorted after noticing his net, guessing he's a Bug Catcher, before going around him to continue on her way while letting out a huff.
"Oh, come on!" Said Samurai, not believing another person just called him a Freaky Bug Guy.
*Later-With Naruto*
After encountering Flint, Naruto made his way to the Pokémon Center to get his Pokémon looked at and healed. Along with getting registered for the Pokémon League, getting a Badge Case once he was registered and directions to the Pewter City Gym. With Naruto finding the front of the building was made of stone, with a pathway lined with rocks.
'I guess Gym Leaders really take their Pokémon Types, seriously.' Thought Naruto, knowing the Pewter Gym specialized in Rock-type Pokémon, making him wonder what the other Gyms will look like.
Entering the Gym, Naruto blinked in confusion at how dark it was inside, being unable to see anything, aside from the shiny blue floor from the light outside.
"Uh…hello?! I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader!" Naruto called out, hoping that he wasn't too late and the Gym was already closed for the day, only to see a light turn on across from him revealing someone sitting on a stone pedestal.
The person looked to be an older teenager, spiky brown hair, tan skin, and his eyes looked to be permanently closed or squinting. With him wearing an orange t-shirt, a lime green cargo vest with four pockets, a dark brown belt with a gold buckle and dark red pockets, brown jeans and blue-gray sneakers with white trim.
"Who goes there?" Questioned the teen, with Naruto guessing he must be the Gym Leader.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I take it you're the Gym Leader." Naruto replied, with the teen nodding as he stood up.
"I am. My name is Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader. Though just by looking at you, I take it you're a new Trainer, aren't you. And this is your first Gym Battle, right." Brock stated, while the whiskered blonde nodding in response.
"Yeah, it is. But don't think I'm some rookie, just because I'm new doesn't mean I don't know what to do. I know Gym Battles are different from regular battles, we're both only allowed to use a certain number of Pokémon and to win you need to take out all your opponent's Pokémon. The challenger is also allowed to switch out Pokémon in the middle of battle, if they want to." Said Naruto, having learned about the rules of Gym Battles from his parents.
"I see you are pretty knowledgeable, but let's see how good that knowledge will do in a battle." Said Brock snapping his fingers, causing the lights to turn on while the walls opened up on either side of them.
With the field of the Gym sliding and connecting in the center, the field being a rocky terrain littered with jagged rocks and boulders. Before Brock jumped down from his pedestal on one side of the field across from Naruto.
"For this battle, we're both only allowed to use two Pokémon and if you wanna win, you'll need to take out both of my Pokémon. But be warned, I'll be doing everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen, so be ready for defeat." Brock said, taking out a Pokéball, while Naruto smirked and grabbed Nidoran's.
"I'm ready for anything you've got." Replied Naruto, determined to win this battle.
"We'll see. Let's go, Geodude!" Said Brock, throwing the Pokéball and releasing his first Pokémon.
Geodude is a brownish-gray boulder Pokémon. It has bulging, rocky eyebrows, trapezoidal, brown eyes, and a wide mouth. Its arms are muscular with five-fingered hands.
"Geo!" Geodude flexed his arms, narrowing his eyes at seeing they had a challenger.
"Geodude, huh." Naruto said taking out his Pokédex and scanning Geodude.
"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude is often found on mountain roads with half of its body buried in the ground so it can observe mountain travelers."
"Okay, Show 'em what you can do, Nidoran!" Naruto said releasing Nidoran, with the Poison Pin Pokémon appearing across from Geodude.
"Using a Poison-type against a Rock/Ground-type, that may end up costing you. But no matter, let the battle begin! Go Geodude, use Tackle!" Brock said.
"Dude!" Geodude instantly charged towards Nidoran to slam his shoulder into him.
"Dodge it Nidoran and then use Focus Energy followed by Horn Attack!" Said Naruto, with Nidoran quickly jumping out of the way of Geodude.
Nidoran's gaze then sharpened as he was surrounded by a blue aura, focusing on where Geodude's weak spot was, before rushing him.
"Nido-ran!" Nidoran charged Geodude, slamming his horn into the Rock Pokémon making Geodude grunt at the impact.
"We have you now! Geodude use Seismic Toss!" Said Brock, with Geodude's eyes snapping open as he quickly grabbed Nidoran before he could get away.
"Geo!" Geodude then flew up into the air, while Nidoran struggled to break free.
"Nidoran try to escape using Poison Sting!" Said Naruto, with Nidoran opening his mouth and began firing purple darts at Geodude, who shrugged them off for the most part but gritted his teeth from the poisonous darts hitting him.
"Geo-dude!" Geodude soon got high enough before spinning around and throwing Nidoran straight towards the ground, the Poison-type Pokémon crying out as he slammed into the field.
"Nidoran!" Naruto said in worry looking at his Pokémon for taking such a big hit, with Nidoran getting back up and shaking his head.
"Nice one, Geodude! Now use Sandstorm!" Brock said, with Geodude letting out a cry as he raised his arms, creating a miniature sandstorm in the Gym.
"Nidoran, use Focus Energy and Poison Sting again!" Said Naruto covering his face from the swirling sand, while Nidoran squinted his eyes to block the sand while it was hitting him.
"Nido!" Nidoran sharpened his gaze as a blue aura surrounded him, focusing on where Geodude was and his weak spot, before firing more darts at him.
"Dodge it Geodude and then use Rollout!" Said Brock, making Geodude fly back down to the ground dodging the darts before he then curled up into a ball.
"Geo-Geo-Geo-Geo-Geo-Geodude!" Geodude then began spinning around before rolling straight at Nidoran, with the Uzumaki watching this along with where Nidoran was standing.
"Nidoran, jump into the air and dodge…now!" Naruto said once Geodude was close enough, making Nidoran jump up.
Leading to Geodude crashing right into one of the boulders, surprising Brock at seeing his Pokémon's attack backfire like that.
"Now use Double Kick!" Said Naruto seeing his chance to deal some big damage, with Nidoran flipping twice in the air.
"Defense Curl now Geodude!" Brock said, with Geodude remaining curled up into a ball as his defense went up.
"Nido-ran!" Nidoran then launched himself at Geodude slamming his foot into the Rock Pokémon, before slamming his other foot into him as well.
"Geo!" Geodude let out a cry from the attack as he was forced out of his ball from the second kick.
"Now use Poison Jab!" Said Naruto, hoping that Nidoran will be able to use the move.
"Nido…" Nidoran rushed Geodude before thrusting his paw forward, with his claws flickering as they glowed purple before finally settled as he jabbed Geodude.
The Rock/Ground-type crying out from the attack, while feeling the poison from the hit spreading through him.
"Geodude! Use Seismic Toss again!" Brock said, seeing that Geodude was poisoned by Poison Jab and would need to the end the battle quickly before it took him out.
"G-Geodude!" Geodude managed to focus enough to grab Nidoran before flying up into the air.
"Nidoran, keep using Double Kick to break free!" Naruto said, not sure if Nidoran would be able to take another Seismic Toss.
"Nido-ran-ran-ran-ran-ran-Nido-ran!" Nidoran began kicking Geodude repeatedly as best as he could, making Geodude grit his teeth as he tried keeping his grip.
"Just hold on, Geodude!" Brock said, already having an idea for how to end the battle.
"Geo! Geo-dude-Geodude!" Geodude nodded to his Trainer before he soon got high enough in the air and spun around, throwing Nidoran back towards the ground.
"Now use Rollout!" Said Brock, making Naruto's eyes widen as Geodude curled into a ball and spun around before launching himself at Nidoran.
"Nidoran use Focus Energy and Poison Jab!" Said Naruto, knowing those attacks together would definitely take Nidoran out if he didn't do something.
"Ni-Nidoran!" Nidoran focused his gaze as he was surrounded by a blue aura, before his claws began glowing again.
Only to cry out as Geodude slammed into him, propelling both of them towards the ground. Though Nidoran struggled for a moment, he was able to focus enough to jab his claws into Geodude. Just in time as the two Pokémon crashed into the field, kicking him a large cloud of dust.
"Nidoran!" Naruto called out, trying to see if his Pokémon was alright.
"Geodude!" Said Brock, also trying to see if Geodude was still standing.
With the smoke clearing, along with the sandstorm, allowing both Trainers to see Nidoran and Geodude were both still standing, though they were also panting heavily.
"N-Ni-Nido…ran." Nidoran panted as he struggled to stay standing, refusing to be defeated now.
"G-Ge-Geo-Geo…dude…" Geodude used his arms to keep himself up, not intending to go down, until he couldn't keep it up anymore and fell to the ground with swirls in his eyes, making Brock sigh.
"You did good, Geodude, now return." Brock said returning Geodude, seeing he wouldn't be able to keep battling.
"Alright! Way to go, Nidoran!" Said Naruto, grinning at the Poison Pin Pokémon, happy they were able to win the first round.
"I'll admit, I'm impressed. Being able to defeat Geodude, especially when I'd have the type advantage. But this next Pokémon won't be so easy. Go Onix!" Said Brock, releasing his Pokémon, with Naruto's and Nidoran's eyes widening when they saw the size of it.
Onix is a Pokémon composed of a giant chain of gray boulders that become smaller towards the tail. It has black eyes and a rounded snout. On top of its head is a rocky spine.
"Oh man." Naruto muttered, as Onix let out a roar, before scanning him with his Pokédex.
"Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. It tunnels through the ground, which shakes when it raises its thunderous roar. It can move the ground at 50 miles per hour."
"Nidoran, are you still able to keep going?" Naruto asked, not wanting Nidoran to face such a large Pokémon if he's too tired, while Nidoran gulped a little as Onix stared down at him.
"N-Nido-Nidoran!" Nidoran though nodded to his Trainer, refusing to run even against such a massive opponent.
"Okay, if you want to keep going, let's give it our all!" Said Naruto, determined to win the battle when they're so close.
"Then I hope you're ready! Onix use Slam!" Brock said, with Onix roaring as he slammed his tail down towards Nidoran.
"Get out of the way Nidoran and use Dig!" Naruto said, making Nidoran jump out of the way just in time to avoid Onix's tail.
"Nido! Nido-Nido-Nido-Nido-Nido-Nidoran!" Nidoran then quickly began digging underground as fast as he could.
"That's not going to help you! You use Dig too, Onix!" Said Brock.
Onix roared as he dove underground, shocking Naruto at how quickly it went underground, before he then remerged a few seconds later. With Nidoran crying out as Onix sent him flying out from underground and into the air.
"Nidoran, use Focus Energy and Double Kick!" Said Naruto, with the Poison-type Pokémon struggling as he narrowed his eyes and was surrounded by a blue aura, locating Onix's weak spot.
"N-Nido-Nidoran!" Nidoran then flipped twice in the air and dived towards Onix with his foot extended to slam into him.
"Onix use Rock Throw!" Brock said, making Onix roar as slammed his tail into the field, launching multiple rocks up at Nidoran.
"Kick off of the rocks and dodge them, Nidoran!" Naruto said, worried at how Nidoran's being overwhelmed.
With Nidoran managing to get a foothold on one of the rocks and kicked off of it, flipping through the air and landing on another that he kicked off. Before he cried out as another rocked slammed into him, knocking Nidoran through the air.
"Now grab Nidoran and use Bind, Onix!" Said Brock, with the Rock Snake Pokémon's tail shooting out and wrapping around Nidoran, making him cry out as he was squeezed tightly.
"Nidoran!" Said Naruto in worry and concern as Nidoran cried out from how tightly Onix was squeezing him.
"Okay Onix, throw Nidoran up into the air and finish it with Tackle!" Brock said, knowing this will end the match.
Onix let out a roar as he threw Nidoran into the air before slamming his head right into the Poison Pin Pokémon, sending Nidoran crashing into a wall and falling to the floor.
"N-Ni-Nido…Nidoran…" Nidoran did his best to try getting back up, only to end up collapsing to the ground with swirls in his eyes, making Naruto sigh before pulling out his Pokéball.
"You were great Nidoran, now get some rest." Said Naruto, returning Nidoran.
"It looks we're all tied up, so this next battle will decide the winner. I hope you decide carefully on who your next Pokémon will be." Said Brock, while Naruto turned to face him and grabbed his next Pokémon.
"I have and I hope you're ready for them! Let's go, Charmander!" Naruto said as he released Charmander.
"Charmander!" Charmander appeared in front of Onix, looking in surprise at seeing who he was facing before shaking his head and gaining a determined expression, not caring how big his opponent.
"Well…I will say you certainly battle using unique choices." Stated Brock with a raised brow, not expecting him to use a Fire-type of all Pokémon next.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Now if you're ready, Charmander use Smokescreen!" Naruto said, with Charmander releasing a large, thick cloud of black smoke that engulfed Onix.
"Trying to block our view, well two can play that game! Onix use Sandstorm!" Brock said.
Onix roared as he unleashed a sandstorm from his body, making Charmander grunt as the sand began pelting his body. While the sand caused the smoke to start clearing away, allowing Onix to see again.
"Well can you do this! Charmander use Growl, then run up Onix's body and use Metal Claw!" Said Naruto, making Brock gain a surprised expression.
"Char!" Charmander let out a loud, piercing cry, making Onix flinch as his attack went down.
Before Charmander's claws glowed white and he jumped into the air, landing on top of Onix and began running up his body towards his head.
"Onix, throw Charmander off with Slam!" Brock said, making Onix start slamming his tail into the ground to try and throw Charmander off, with the Lizard Pokémon struggling to stay on Onix's body.
"Charmander, jump onto Onix's tail!" Said Naruto getting an idea, with Charmander doing so and jumping onto Onix's tail just as he slammed it down.
With Onix then lifting his tail up again, leading to Charmander being launched up into air, making Naruto smirk at the sight.
"Now use Metal Claw!" Naruto said, surprising Brock at seeing them use Onix's attack to their advantage.
"Char-mander!" Charmander's claws glowed white as he descended towards Onix, slashing the Rock/Ground-type across the head, making Onix cry out from the hit.
"Onix use Tackle and then use Dig to get underground!" Brock said, with Onix's eyes narrowing before he roared loudly and slammed his head into Charmander.
Charmander cried out as he was thrown back from the attack, grunting as he crashed into the field, while Onix quickly burrowed underground. The Fire-type rapidly looked around for any sign of where Onix would emerge.
"Charmander, try and use Will-O-Wisp!" Naruto said, knowing it'll at least make sure to burn Onix when he comes out from hiding.
"Char! Char-Char-Char-Char-Charmander!" Charmander concentrated as blue fireballs began to manifest and float around him, only to end up being able to make four of them, the whiskered blonde frowning but knew it's better than nothing.
"Looks like you still need some training on that. But Onix doesn't need training to do this, Onix use Bind!" Said Brock, seeing Will-O-Wisp wasn't perfect, before having Onix attack.
The Rock Snake Pokémon shot out from the ground underneath Charmander, slamming into him making Charmander cry out from the impact. Though Onix grunted as the fireballs hit him, inflicting burns on his body, before he then wrapped his tail around the Fire-type Pokémon.
"Charmander!" Charmander let out a cry as Onix began squeezing him tightly.
"Charmander!" Said Naruto in worry, seeing his Starter being crushed now and knew he needed to act fast or else he'll lose the battle.
"It's no use, once Onix has you wrapped in Bind, there's no escape! Your only choice is to surrender!" Brock said, making Naruto grit his teeth, only to soon get an idea on how to free Charmander.
"Then I'll be the first to escape! Charmander use Growl!" Naruto said, with Charmander gritting his teeth and tried focusing on attacking.
"Ch-Char-Char!" Charmander released a loud, piercing cry, making Onix flinch as his attack went down again, but still kept his hold on Charmander.
"Now use Ember and shoot the fireball right into Onix's mouth!" Said Naruto, much to Brock's shock at the sudden order.
"Char-mander!" Charmander charged up a fireball before shooting it straight into Onix's mouth, the Rock Snake Pokémon having no time to dodge as his eyes widened.
Before Onix cried out as his mouth was burned from the fire, with Charmander also being released much to his relief.
"What?!" Brock said in disbelief at the unexpected move.
"Rock and Ground-types might resist Fire-type Attacks, but I don't think their insides are as resistant! Now use Metal Claw, Charmander, and attack Onix all the way up to his head!" Said Naruto with a smirk, while Charmander landed on Onix's body as his claws began glowing white.
"Charmander! Char-Char-Char-Char-Char-Char-Charmander!" Charmander began running up Onix's body, slashing him repeatedly with his claws, feeling his power grow every few hits, until the Lizard Pokémon reached Onix's head and jumped up.
"Char-mander!" Charmander then brought his claws straight down on Onix, making the Rock/Ground-type cry out and start falling back.
"Onix!" Said Brock in concern for his Pokémon, with Onix managing to catch himself from falling to the ground but still felt himself growing tired and weak from the damage.
"Now use Smokescreen, Charmander!" Naruto said, with Charmander releasing a cloud of black smoke that engulfed Onix.
"Onix use Rock Throw!" Said Brock, Onix let out a roar as he slammed his tail into the ground launching multiple rocks straight at Charmander.
"Dodge them Charmander and use Growl again!" Said Naruto.
"Charmander!" Charmander quickly began running to avoid the rocks, while letting out a loud, piercing cry, making Onix flinch and lower his attack again.
Though Charmander cried out when some of the rocks still crashed into him, knocking him down, leaving the Fire-type Pokémon to try and shield himself.
"Now's your chance Onix! Use Slam!" Brock said seeing Charmander was pinned down, while Onix brought his tail down on top of Charmander.
"Roll out of the way to dodge it Charmander then use a regular Ember at Onix's face!" Naruto said, with Charmander managing to roll out of the way of Onix's tail just in time.
"Char-Char-Char-Charmander!" Charmander then began shooting several smaller fireballs at Onix's face, the Rock/Ground-type instantly closed his mouth to avoid any more getting inside him.
Only to grunt and cry out as the fireballs slammed into his face and eyes, making Onix shut his burning eyes and thrash around.
"Now let's finish it, Charmander! Run up Onix's body to his head and use Iron Tail!" Said Naruto, hoping the next attack will be able to end the battle.
Charmander got up and jumped onto Onix's body before running up to his head, doing his best to not be thrown off from Onix's movements. With the Lizard Pokémon then jumping into the air once he was close enough as his tail and flame began glowing white.
"Char-mander!" Charmander flipped in the air and slammed his tail into Onix's head.
Only for his eyes to widen as just before his tail impacted Onix the glow vanished as his Iron Tail failed, with Naruto's eyes widening as well at this.
"Get out of there, Charmander!" Said Naruto, seeing Charmander was now completely defenseless in the air.
"I don't think so! Onix use Slam!" Brock said, seeing their chance to counterattack, while Onix's eyes snapped open as the burning feeling faded.
Roaring loudly, Onix grabbed Charmander with his tail before slamming him into the ground, making the Fire-type Pokémon cry out as he was smashed into the ground.
"Now, use Rock Tomb!" Said Brock knowing this next attack will end things.
Onix's body was outlined with a white glow as he raised his head, while multiple grey rocks outlined in white energy formed around his head in the shape of a ring.
"Dodge it Charmander!" Naruto said, with Charmander trying to get back up from getting hit by Onix's tail and hitting the ground.
Though Charmander was unable to dodge in time as Onix roared before launching the rocks straight at him. With Charmander crying out as all the rocks slammed into him repeatedly, sending him crashing back into the ground.
"Charmander!" Said Naruto in worry for his Starter as he was engulfed in a cloud of dirt from the repeated impacts.
Once the cloud faded, it showed Charmander lying on the ground with swirls in his eyes, making Naruto look down at seeing he'd just lost.
"And that's the match. Onix return." Brock said, returning Onix to his Pokéball, with Naruto doing the same to Charmander.
"You were amazing, Charmander." Naruto said, happy at the fight Charmander was able to put up against Onix, despite feeling chagrined at losing his first Gym Battle.
"I have to say, that was certainly one of the most intense battles I've had in a while, even more so against Pokémon that Geodude and Onix would normally have the advantage against." Said Brock, impressed at how strong Naruto's Pokémon already were.
"Thanks, but I still lost." Replied Naruto, having hoped he'd win the battle.
"Yeah, you did. But don't let the losses get to you, take them as learning experiences to train even harder. In fact, if that Iron Tail hadn't failed, then it's very likely you would have won the battle. All you need to do is train your Pokémon some more and master their moves." Brock said, lifting Naruto's spirits a little that he could have won if he just did some more training.
Before Brock looked at his watch when it went off, turning it off and then looking back at the Uzumaki.
"Sorry to cut things short. But I'll be closing the Gym for the day, in case you were hoping for a rematch later today, since I have some errands I need to run." Said Brock, with Naruto nodding in understanding.
"It's fine, I need to take Charmander and Nidoran to the Pokémon Center, and then get some more training done." Naruto replied as he left the Gym, feeling more determined than ever to train his Pokémon.
*Later*
After getting his Pokémon healed at the Pokémon Center, Naruto had gone to get some training done, focusing primarily on having his team master their moves. Not wanting to risk having another battle where their attacks could fail because they weren't properly mastered.
With Naruto training until he noticed the sun was starting to set, making him recall his Pokémon before going to get some shopping done. Figuring if he's going to be staying in Pewter City longer than he expected, he could take the chance to get some more supplies, knowing he could never be too careful.
Though as he was shopping, the Uzumaki soon caught sight of Brock carrying some bags.
"Hey Brock!" Naruto called out, making the Gym Leader stop and look at him.
"Huh? Oh, hey Naruto. Getting some shopping done, yourself." Brock stated, seeing the bags the whiskered blonde was holding.
"Yeah, since while I still have plenty of supplies, you can never have too much when traveling. What about you?" Naruto asked, with Brock nodding at his reasoning.
"Just picking up some last minute things for dinner, I have a lot of cook for me and my siblings." Replied Brock, getting Naruto's attention.
"Siblings?" Questioned Naruto.
"Yeah, I have nine younger siblings, five brothers and four sisters, the youngest two being twins. So I usually end up doing a lot of shopping." Brock said, much to the Uzumaki's surprise at hearing how many siblings he had.
"You know if you want, you could even join us for dinner since you'll be sticking around for a while." Offered Brock, intrigued to learn more about Naruto given how unpredictable he was during their battle, not only in the Pokémon he used, but their attacks as well.
"You sure? I wouldn't want to intrude or anything." Naruto said, only for Brock to wave it off.
"It's fine, really. Besides, I'm sure they'd like the chance to meet one of my opponents since they usually watch me whenever I battle." Brock said, with Naruto thinking it over for a few moments.
"If you're sure, then yeah, I'll join you all." Naruto replied with a smile, which Brock returned.
"Great, we'll be glad to have you join us. I just need to pick up a few more things and we'll head to my home." Said Brock before the two went to finish their shopping.
*Later*
Once they'd finished their shopping, Brock had lead Naruto to his home, which was behind the Pewter Gym.
"Hey everyone! I'm home!" Brock called out, with Naruto soon hearing the sound of several feet running across the ground before seeing nine kids appear and run straight towards Brock.
"Brock, you're home!"
"What'd you do today?!"
"Did you get any more challengers to battle?!"
"I bet you beat anyone that showed up!"
"Hehehe, easy guys, I'm carrying stuff and you don't want anything to fall out." Brock said while smiling at his siblings as they crowded around him as the whiskered blonde smiled at the sight, seeing how close they all were.
"Brock, who's this?" Asked who Naruto guessed was the second oldest after Brock, with the others soon turning towards Naruto as well.
"Guys, this is Naruto Uzumaki, he was a challenger that came by the Gym today. Naruto these are my younger siblings, Forrest, Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, and the twins Billy and Tilly." Brock introduced.
"You challenged Brock?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah I did, it was a really tough battle too." Replied Naruto, smiling at the kids.
"Awww, we missed seeing Brock battle!" Said Timmy, disappointed that they didn't get to see Brock battle.
"But if you're here, does that mean you lost?" Suzie said curiously.
"Yeah he lost! There's no way Brock would lose!" Said Billy, believing their brother did win.
"Now don't go saying that, Naruto actually almost did win, I just got lucky with one of his attacks not being perfected yet. And I'm sure our rematch will be just as intense." Brock said, making his siblings look at him in surprise that he almost lost.
"Are you really that strong?" Yolanda asked.
"Well I'm still a new Trainer, but I've been giving it my all in training my Pokémon since I started my journey. In fact, you can see for yourselves how strong my Pokémon are." Said Naruto before he let out Charmander, Nidoran, and Pikachu.
"Char?" Charmander looked around in confusion at where they were, only to notice Brock's siblings.
"A Charmander?! Cool, it looks even cuter in person!" Said Cindy smiling at seeing a Charmander.
"Wow, a Nidoran! They're really awesome when they evolve into Nidoking and Nidoqueen!" Salvadore said, looking at Nidoran.
"N-Nidoran." Nidoran looked around warily, not used to being around this many people.
"Pikachu?! Awwww, look at how adorable it is!" Tilly said, smiling as she hugged Pikachu.
Brock smiled as his siblings surrounded Naruto's Pokémon, nodding in thanks to the Uzumaki as he headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"Don't crowd around them so much. They're friendly, but you don't want to make Pokémon uncomfortable by surrounding them." Said Naruto as he went to the kitchen as well, not wanting to leave making everything to Brock.
"Hey Brock, do you need some help?" Naruto asked, making Brock look at him as he got everything ready.
"You can cook?" Said Brock, the whiskered blonde nodding in response.
"Yeah, I was taught to do a lot of things to prepare for my Pokémon Journey, with cooking being one of the first things I learned. And I was taught to make some pretty awesome recipes, too." Replied Naruto, getting the Gym Leaders interest at what he could make.
"Then sure, it'll be good to have some help and make things faster." Brock replied, with Naruto nodding as he began gathering things to prepare the dish he'll make.
Though Naruto couldn't help but look back into the living room, frowning slightly how he didn't see anyone else or any sign that anyone would be showing up. Along with how Brock fell naturally into fixing dinner, making Naruto guess he's done this a lot before.
"Brock, if you don't mind me asking, where are your parents? Are they working or…" Naruto asked, unsure if this was a personal matter or if something happened to them.
"My parents aren't in Pewter City, honestly I don't know where they are at the moment. My dad was the Pewter City Gym Leader, but he left it to go on his own Pokémon Journey and become a powerful Trainer, leaving me to take over the Gym. And my mom left too, wanting to have her own journey and focus on her art and traveling. With both of them gone, I'm left in charge of both the Gym and looking after my siblings." Revealed Brock, much to Naruto's shock.
"Seriously? They just left you in charge of everything." Said Naruto, not believing any parents would just pack up and leave their children behind for their own desires.
"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I love and admire my parents, both of them are powerful Trainers that I respect. But…I do wish they'd take things more seriously sometimes and not randomly leave all the time. Honestly, I didn't even want to take over as Gym Leader, what I really wanted to do was become a Pokémon Breeder. To learn all the best ways to care for and raise Pokémon. But with my responsibility to my siblings and the Gym, I can't leave to learn more." Brock said, making Naruto frown at hearing this.
"I'm really sorry to hear that." Naruto said, with Brock waving it off.
"It's fine, really. Despite the circumstances, I really enjoy spending time with my siblings and making sure they're happy. As long as they're happy, I'm content." Replied Brock, willing to do anything to make sure his siblings were happy and looked after.
Before he looked at the dish Naruto was making, curious to see it had rice, sauce, noodles, vegetables, and meat being added to it. With Brock being unable to figure out what exactly it was he's making, only that it did smell really good.
"Naruto, what exactly is that dish you're making? I've never seen anything like it before." Brock said, with Naruto smiling as he cooked.
"It's called Curry. It's something I learned to make from my dad, since he's originally from the Galar Region." Naruto replied.
"Galar?" Questioned Brock, having never heard of that region before.
"Yeah, it's a really far off region, and Curry is really popular there to the point there are a large variety of different kinds of recipes for it, since you can add practically anything you'd want to it. Berries, fruits, vegetables, eggs, bread, pasta, mushrooms, herbs, cheese, spices, milk, anything really to experiment and create new recipes and flavors. And I'm making one of my personal favorite variations, Ramen Curry." Explained Naruto, eager to be able to make Ramen Curry.
"Well if it tastes as good as it smells, I'm sure it'll be amazing." Brock stated with a smile.
"It will, trust me." Naruto said as they continued cooking.
It wasn't long before they finished making dinner before getting everything set up, with Brock calling in his siblings and Naruto doing the same for his Pokémon.
"What is this?" Forrest asked as Naruto gave everyone a serving of Curry.
"It's Curry, trust me you're all gonna love it." Replied Naruto with grin, giving his Pokémon some as well, since his parents told him how it could help them grow stronger and energize them.
Once everyone sat down, they dug into the food, with Brock and his siblings stopping when they took their first bite of the Curry, before they all eagerly began digging in. With Charmander, Nidoran, and Pikachu doing the same, loving the taste and all the different flavors. Feeling all their energy they used during training returning with each bite.
"Wow! You weren't kidding, this Curry is amazing! I can see why it'd be so popular in Galar!" Brock said, not believing how good it was.
"Yeah! This is super good, thank you, Naruto!" Said Forrest, enjoying it just as much.
"Thank you, Naruto!" The others said as they happily ate, making the Uzumaki smile and nod in thanks.
"No problem, and there's still more where that came from. And if you want I can give you the recipe, Brock, along with my parents' phone number since they have a lot more Curry recipes and are always making new ones." Offered Naruto, with Brock nodding in appreciation.
"That'd be really great, thanks Naruto." Replied Brock, eager for the chance to learn how to make Curry and even try making his own recipes once he learns how to do it.
*Later*
Once dinner was over, Naruto returned his Pokémon to their Pokéballs, while also giving Brock the recipe for Ramen Curry and his parents' numbers.
"Thanks again for having me over, it was really great meeting you all." Naruto said, smiling at the kids and shaking Brock's hand.
"No problem, we're glad to have you over and thanks for the recipe." Brock replied, with Naruto nodding in response.
"No problem. And when the time comes for our rematch, I'll be sure to give it my all." Said Naruto, determined that next time he will win against Brock.
"I'm looking forward to it and seeing the results of your training when the time comes. Just don't expect it to be any easier." Said Brock, sharing his enthusiasm for their rematch.
Exchanging goodbyes with them, Naruto headed back towards the Pokémon Center to get some rest after such a long day.
'Tomorrow, we'll be getting a lot more training done, my team still needs to master their moves and grow even stronger to face off against Brock's Pokémon. And next time will be different.' Naruto thought, knowing that he and his Pokémon had a lot of training to do to prepare for his eventual rematch against Brock.
So, what did you think, good. Yep we see Naruto getting some training done with his Pokémon, as well as starting on Resistance Training to build up their resistance to their weaknesses, having learned it from Kushina when she did the same thing with her own Pokémon, especially her Ninetales Kurama, with Naruto working on building Charmander's resistance to Electric Attacks in preparation for when he's eventually a Charizard, as well as his and Nidoran's resistance to being paralyzed.
Before we see Naruto continuing on his way, only to end up encountering Samurai who attacks him with his sword before challenging him to a battle. Only for Naruto to not have any of it, refusing to battle someone who first attacked him with a sword, along with calling him a Freaky Bug Guy. With Naruto the arriving at Pewter City, while also referencing a familiar trio with how he'd rather be chased the rest of his life than battle Samurai, before getting a look at said trio as they attack Viridian City's Pokémon Center, only to encounter Ash.
Then we see Naruto encountering Flint in his disguise, while thinking of Leaf and her scams after learning how he's selling rocks and charging Naruto for sitting on one, with us then getting a look at Leaf encounter Samurai as well, kicking him in the crotch when he attacks her as well before leaving and calling him a Freaky Bug Guy as well, much to his chagrin.
Next we go to Naruto arriving at the Pewter Gym and challenging Brock, leading to an intense battle with Nidoran managing to take out Geodude, only to be knocked out by Onix. Leading to Charmander being sent out next and put up a good fight, but ends up losing when his Iron Tail fails, leaving him open to Onix taking him out as well. With Brock giving some advice and admitting if Iron Tail hadn't failed, then Naruto likely would've won. Before he has to close the Gym to get some errands done, while Naruto goes to get his Pokémon healed and more training done.
Finally we see Naruto getting some shopping done as well after his training, before running into Brock who invites him over for dinner, leading to Naruto meeting his siblings and letting his Pokémon out to meet them, along with helping Brock in the kitchen, having learned how to cook in preparation for his journey. With him also learning about Brock's homelife, how his parents left on their Pokémon Journey's, leaving him in charge of the Gym and his siblings, along with his dream of being a Pokémon Breeder.
With Naruto offering his condolences, with Brock waving it off before asking about the Curry dish he's making, with Naruto revealing his father is from Galar where Curry is very popular. With him making his personal favorite, Ramen Curry, which everyone definitely loves, making Naruto offer Brock the recipe and his parents number to call them to ask for more recipes, which he appreciates. Before Naruto takes his leave after dinner, intending to train much more to win their rematch. So, for those that like the story, thanks for your support. For those that don't or at least don't like the direction taken, you're more than welcomed to drop the story. But thanks for giving the story a chance anyway.
Storm out