I CHOOSE YOU!
The Pidoves coo early in the morning over in An Town. They know when the people wake up and they know which of these people feed them that sweet, sweet bread.
Dozens of them crowd one house in particular where a young pink-haired girl comes out holding a paper bag. Seeing her, they become more animated, circling around and hopping in excitement.
Sakura giggles. "I'd like to think you're happy to see me, but I know why you're here." She pats the bag of bird feed.
She sits down at the bottom of the stairs in front of her house and throws bread crumbs to the Pidove, trying to scatter them in every direction so they can all eat their share. She waits for them to finish most of it before throwing a new batch of them.
The small Pokemon show their appreciation with a continuous cooing. Sakura smiles at them. This is probably her favourite part of the day, watching them get close and show their trust to her shows just how smart they are. It almost makes her forget that she has to live next door to…
"EY, will ya shut up with the coo-coo-cooing already!" A young boy of bright yellow hair slams open the window of the neighbouring house to Sakura's.
… him…
"Shoo! Shoo!" Naruto chases the Pidove away.
They fly away and scatter to the winds.
"You moron! What do you think you're doing?!" Sakura throws the bad with the remaining bread in it right in his face. It hits him square in the face before falling to the ground, scattering the feed on the ground.
"Ow, Sakura-chan, what was that for?" Naruto rubs his nose.
"For chasing the Pidove away! How are you going to become a Pokemon trainer if you chase Pokemon away?" Not the first time she's had to reprimand him, even though it's yet to work.
"Eh, I'll be catching big and tough Pokemon!" He pumps his fist. "They'll see how amazing I am and just flock to me and let me catch them!"
"Yeah, right." She shakes her head. "You're never gonna get anywhere with that attitude. Now Sasuke, that's a real Pokemon Master." She swoons at the mere thought of him.
Naruto fake-gags. "What's that guy got that I don't?"
"A brain for starters." Sakura chuckles.
"Heey…" Naruto slumps his shoulders.
"NARUTO!" A voice shouts from the ground floor. "Stop shouting out the window and get your butt down here!"
"Oops, gotta go!" He begins closing the window before remembering one thing he has to do. "Oh, by the way, Sakura-chan! Do, uh… Do you... wanna go to the Professor's together?" He asks abashedly, looking away with his cheeks flushed red.
"In your dreams." Sakura huffs and goes back to her house.
"NARUTO!" The voice again. "What did I JUST say?!"
"Coming, mom!" Naruto closes the windows and heads downstairs. He grabs his jacket and practically flies out, jumping down several steps of the staircase for faster movement.
At the bottom of the stairs, on the corner to the kitchen, he bumps face-first into something large and red. Another nasal impact. It's apparently not his day. He looks up only to be met by the elongated vulpine face of a Delphox.
"I said I'm coming, Delphox, geez." Naruto whines. "Were you gonna burn my butt again?" He narrows his eyes.
"Deeel?" She tilts her head sideways and hides her sizzling stick behind her back.
Naruto shakes his head and enters the kitchen, where his mother is impatiently awaiting him, tapping her foot while standing in front of the table which has breakfast already set up for him. Her red hair, perhaps even redder than her Delphox, wobbles back and forth as she taps her foot.
"Is this how you plan on becoming a Pokemon trainer? By being late? The Pokemon aren't going to wait for you to catch them, you know." Kushina reprimands his tardiness.
"I know! Why's everyone on my case today?" Naruto sits down to eat his breakfast, jelly-filled doughnuts.
"It's an important day, after all. Do you know which Pokemon you're going to pick?" Kushina sits down to eat, as well, having been waiting for her son to come down.
Naruto laughs. "Hehe, yeah! But I'm not telling." He sticks out his tongue.
Kushina grabs his tongue and tugs on it before letting go. "That so?" She smirks.
"You and dad'll just have to wait and see. Speaking of… Where is he?" He looks around for the even larger than his blonde hair.
"He's outside already training. You know how he is." Kushina sighs. "I'll make sure he's here before you head out for your journey." She keeps her gaze glued to Naruto as he eats, a solemn smile on her face.
Naruto notices the not-at-all-subtle eyes on him. "What?"
Kushina lunges at him and pulls him in a crushing hug. "My sweet boy is going on a journey. What am I gonna do with you here-ttebane?"
"Ow, ow. You'll be fine, mom. You went on a journey, too, didn't you!" He lets out in a pained voice.
"I did but I never knew how my parents felt when I did." She doesn't release the hug for a while.
When she does, he finally takes a deep breath. He now appreciates how important breathing is.
Naruto looks at the clock and sees he still has time left until he gets to choose his very first Pokemon. He spent so much trying to decide, weighing his options until he finally reached a decision. It'd probably be best if he leaves now and be there nice and early to make his pick.
"I'm gonna head out now. Gotta be there ealy." He grabs the remaining jelly-filled doughnuts he hasn't eaten yet and makes a dash for the door.
Kushina runs after him, stopping at the door. She leans on the doorframe as her runs heads off into the wide world. "Goodbye, Naruto! Stay safe! Eat well and wash your clothes! Don't forget to call!" She calls out to him.
Naruto turns around and runs backwards while addressing her. "Mom, I'll be back in like an hour!" And he turns around to run at full speed.
Kushina wipes away a tear. "There goes my boy."
Delphox pats her trainer on the head. "Delphox."
"So Naruto ran off, too, huh?" Mebuki Haruno, neighbour and childhood… friend..., walks up to Kushina, her Pangoro lumbering behind her.
"Sure did. I don't think he's been more excited about anything like this."
"Same with Sakura. She spent days reading up on all the Pokemon the Professor has in stock to see which one suits her best." Mebuki chuckles.
"I think Naruto just picked which one looks coolest when it evolves." Kushina laughs.
"Well, nothing wrong with that. You picked Delphox 'cause of its red fur, didn't you?"
"And you picked Pangoro because it's almost as big of a brute as you."
"... Just for that you're buying coffee." Mebuki pats her friend on the shoulder.
oOo
Dashing toward the Professor's lab, Naruto hears someone running behind him. First, a Jolteon darts ahead, zigzagging along the way; going back and forth around Naruto. Then, a man who very easily catches up even though he's running as fast as his feet can take him.
Minato, wearing a very tight fitting running shirt and pants, looks more like he's power-walking while running right next to his son. "Hey, Naruto. Big day, huh?"
"Sure is, dad!" He says in an exhausted voice. "You better be ready to get beat!"
Minato laughs. "Oh, I've been looking forward to this day since you were born." He doesn't even sound remotely tired.
Naruto's face reddens slightly. "Ey, I'm trying to trash talk you here."
"And you're doing great." Minato kisses him on the temple. "Your mom and I'll be waiting to see what you got!" He begins drifting to the side, to continue his run in a different direction. "See you soon!"
"See ya!"
With that, Minato actually begins running for real and he disappears from sight in a flash. His Jolteon follows every step of the way.
Naruto bursts into the lab with all the subtlety of a Copperajah in a glass store. "I'm here!"
"Naruto…" Shiho sighs once she gets she bearings from the fright he received. "Please don't slam the door..." She corrects her glasses' position
"Uhh… sorry?" Naruto waltzes in.
"You're here early, Naruto." Sakura says, sat at a table with a glass of juice in front of her.
"Sakura-chan, you're-" Naruto turns to the sound of her angelic voice when he sees she's not alone. His most hated enemy has also come early. "Sasuke." He hisses the name. "Why are you here?!" He demands.
Sasuke looks up to the source of annoyance. "... Same reason as you, you dolt."
"It's so good to see everyone so eager." An older gentleman walks down from the second floor.
A man whose deeds changed how people view Pokemon forever, who pioneered a new way of catching and training Pokemon. The man who will remain in history as the greatest trainer.
Professor Hiruzen strokes his goatee and laughs. "Well, if all 3 of you are already here, I don't see any reason to delay the moment you all have been waiting for. Shiho, could you go get the Pokemon?"
"Yes, Professor." Shiho goes to a back room for several minutes to get everything ready.
The entire time, Naruto eagerly hops in place. Sakura 100% shares his enthusiasm but she's not about to admit it. Sasuke tries to ignore him completely.
"Have you all thought about which Pokemon you'll choose?" Hiruzen asks them.
"Yep!" Naruto energetically answers.
"I have, Professor." Sakura remains respectful of the man she's admired since she was little.
Sasuke only nods in response.
"Good, good." Hiruzen laughs. "It's important to be prepared when you can. You can't always be but if you do what you can, the rest will come to you naturally."
"Thank you, Professor." Sakura bows her head.
Shiho finally arrives, carrying a suitcase that will change these 3's lives forever. He places the case on the table and opens it, revealing 3 rows of 3 Pokeballs, for a total of 9. The first role has the symbol for Fire-types, the second- for Grass-types, and the third- for Water-types.
This way, they could even all pick the same Pokemon should they choose to and not have to worry about stealing each other's pick.
"Now," Hiruzen motions to the Pokeballs, "Choose."
Naruto practically leaps onto the table and grabs one of the Pokeballs on the Water-type row.
Sakura jumps back in surprise and yelps. "Naruto! You don't have to be such a Purrloin, there's enough for everyone." She reaches over and picks a Pokeball from the Grass-type row.
Finally, Sasuke picks a Fire-type.
"Excellent." Hiruzen nods. "Now, why don't you say hello?"
They all open their balls, the energy that holds the creatures inside shooting out to reveal their picks. Froakie croaks and raises a hand to Naruto. Chikorita runs up to Sakura and rubs her head against her leg. Litten licks his paw and looks at Sasuke for only a moment before continuing his grooming.
Naruto lies down on the ground, getting face to face with his Froakie. "Hey there, buddy."
"Frooooa-" He croaks a greeting, placing a webbed hand on Naruto's face, "-kie."
Naruto grabs Froakie and lifts him up, a grin on his face. "We're gonna be the best team, you and me!"
Sakura picks up her Chikorita and holds her closely. "You're so cute! And cuddly!"
Sasuke nods to his Litten. "You're going to be a worthy ally in my quest for revenge."
Professor Hiruzen walks over to the suitcase and opens a pocket on the side. From within, he takes out 3 devices, handing one to each of the young kids. "You've chosen your partners, now for your Pokedexes. These little devices will be your source of information for anything Pokemon. Everything I've ever discovered about these amazing creatures is recorded here, and I rely on your talent such as yourself to keep filling it with new information."
Sakura very carefully takes hers, admiring it intensely. "But, Professor, is there really anything you don't already know?"
Hiruzen laughs. "Of course there is! I'm only one man, after all, and it's been long since I travelled myself. Pokemon are intelligent beings, their behaviour is constantly changing and if we want to make progress, we must stay updated."
"Sounds easy enough." Naruto grabs his Pokedex.
"Hn. As if you can pay enough attention to write in the Pokedex." Sasuke puts his Pokedex in his backpack.
"What was that?! I'll show you. I'll put so much information here, you won't even have time to read it!" Naruto boasts.
"Whatever." Sasuke recalls Litten back into his Pokeball and turns to leave the lab.
"Hey, wait!" Naruto calls out to him. "Where do you think you're going without a battle."
"Ah, I'd advise against that." Hiruzen warns. "It's best to first get to know your Pok-"
"A battle, huh?: Sasuke turns around. "Alright then. I've wanted to beat you for a while now."
Hiruzen sighs. 'Youth these days…'
oOo
Being a place of research, that also involves researching battle capabilities. As such, an arena is available for use at the back of the lab. There're actually several but only one is needed right now.
Both Naruto and Sasuke stand in their designated spots, with Froakie and Litten prepared to start. Shiho stands to the side, ready to act as referee.
"You're gonna cheer me on, right, Sakura-chan?" Naruto gives a thumbs up.
"Go, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheers.
She lifts her hand, look to both contestants to make sure they're ready. She drops her hand. "Begin!"
"LItten, [Growl]." The Fire-type roars, which actually comes out as a meow, but the empowered sound reverberates and reaches Froakie, who reels in from the effects.
"Froakie, [Bubble]!" The frog's cheek expand and it spews a bubble of water, aimed right at his foe.
Litten dodges to the side and begins running closer.
"[Bubble], again! Don't let it get close!" He keeps trying to hit Litten but the feline proves agile.
"[Ember]." Litten gathers fire in its belly and spits it out.
The fire impacts the water, causing the bubble to burst and the area immediately around them to be filled with steam.
"[Scratch]." Littlen jumps out from the screen, his claws extended and ready to cut.
He scratches Froakie on the head. The frog hops back to get some distance but the cat is not one to be out-maneuvered.
"Use [Bubble] again!" Naruto commands. Froakie tries to do just that but is interrupted by another claw right to scratch it.
"Relying just on type advantage." Sasuke shakes his head. "There's more to Pokemon battling than that. If the trainer and his Pokemon are weak, then type means nothing."
Both Naruto and Froakie grit their teeth in anger.
"Froakie, use [Pound]! Beat him back!" This time, instead of trying to keep his distance, Froakie gets in close and goes to slam Litten with his webbed hand.
The two remain in close quarters for a while, both of them engaged in close quarters combat. Litten manages to successfully [Scratch] a few times, but Froakie's [Pound] makes solid impact, but not as solid as it should be…
Even though the two were fighting somewhat evenly, Froakie is the one who looks more tired from the fight.
"Hey, what gives? Froakie gave as good as he got!" Naruto wonders.
"You dolt. Did you forget the first thing Litten did? [Growl] sends a weakening sound that makes them unable to hit at full strength."
"Wait… Damnit, you did do that! Froakie, use [Growl], too!" Froakie puffs out his cheeks and croaks, louder than he has until now. Similar to Litten's use, the sound travels to the opponent's ears, sending a jolt through their system.
"Too late for that." Sasuke smirks. "Litten, [Ember]." Litten fires another small ball of fire.
This one directly hits the exhausted Froakie who's flung back to the ground. Froakie tries to push himself back up but his hands give away.
Shiho raises her left hand, the part of the field Sasuke is on. "Froakie is unable to battle. Uchiha Sasuke is the winner."
Sasuke nods and calls Litten back to his Pokeball. "Adequate."
"Froakie!" Naruto runs on the field, taking his Pokemon in his arms. "Oh, Froakie… I'm so sorry, buddy."
Shiho places a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's get him healed up. He'll be better than ever."
Without a word, Sasuke leaves the lab, heading back into An Town.
Naruto and Sakura make their ways back home together, seeing as they live right next to each other. When they get home, they see their parents are already there and eagerly waiting for their return.
Froakie and Chikorita curiously watch the older, much more experienced Pokemon present.
"Aww, they're so cute!" Kushina fawns over them. "I had a feeling you'd go for Froakie."
"It's the coolest!" Naruto grins as Froakie proudly crosses his arms.
"And a Chikorita for you, huh?" Mebuki leans down, beckoning the small Grass-type to come to her. "Come here, let's get a closer look at you."
Chikorita runs back and hides behind Sakura's leg.
"It's okay." Sakura leans down to pick her up. "You're with friends here."
Minato and Kizashi each hand a backpack to their children, filled with everything they might need on their travels.
Minato ruffles his son's hair. "I'm so proud of you, Naruto. I can't wait to see how strong you'll become."
"Ah, my dear daughter." Kizashi hugs his daughter tightly. "I can't bayleef you're already leafing us behind!"
"Dad, you're being embarrassing again!" Sakura complains. "And in front of Minato-ojisan and Kushina-obasan…"
"I feel the same way, Kizashi-san. I still remember our babies coming home and now they're already grown." MInato sniffles.
"Not you, too, dad…" Naruto whines.
All four parents come to hug their kids one last time before they head out to become adults. Pokemon trainers. It's an emotional goodbye, with many tears on the parents' part and much embarrassment on the kids' part.
Sasuke stares intently at his house. He stands by the gate, afraid to even approach it. It was once a place filled with laughter and joy but those days are no more. Not after what that person did. The heinous crime that left Sasuke alone and broken.
He places a hand on the gate, preparing to open it. He has to face his trauma. He can't just sit back and be afraid his entire life. His hand shakes, rattling the metal gate lightly.
He steps back. He can't do it, after all. It hurts too much just remember everything that happened.
As he prepares to turn away from his painful memory, the door to the house creaks open.
Uchiha Fugaku stands at the door with a raised brow. "Sasuke? What're you doing over there? Are you brooding again?"
"Wha- No! I don't 'brood'. I have a Pokemon now and now you can't stop me from going after him!"
Fugaku facepalms. "Is this about Itachi again?"
"He stole my Pokemon!" Sasuke shouts.
"You had that Skitty for only a week, we could've gotten you a new one." Fugaku crosses his arms.
"You just don't get it!" Sasuke runs off. "I'm getting my Skitty back!"
Fugaku scratches his head. "That boy…"
Mikoto walks up to him. "You couldn't at least humour him for today? He didn't even tell us which Pokemon he chose."
Fugaku sighs. "I just… I don't understand that boy."
"Because you never tried." Mikoto pats him on the back. "You tried to make him think the way you think."
Fugaku stares in the direction Sasuke disappeared in, remaining quiet in contemplation for a few moments. "Was I a bad father?"
Mikoto hums in thought. "You're awkward but I don't think that makes you bad." She kisses him on the cheek. "Let's get inside. We'll give Sasuke a call when he's had time to himself."
Road 1. Supposedly it's where the Professor first started his own journey in his youth. Back before anyone had such a comprehensive understanding of how Pokemon act or where they live. However, all of that changed when he set off from his very road and changed the world of Pokemon forever. The Konoha Region owes him so much for his discoveries.
Today, a new set of heroes begin their adventure from this very road.
Naruto stands at the very beginning of Road 1 with his chest forward, his hands on his waist. "Alright! Let's go!" He points forward.
Froakie stands besides him, mimicking his every gesture.
Both Sakura and her Chikortia sigh. "Do you have to be so loud?"
"How could I not?" He grins. "We're gonna head out there and become legends! Soon, the whole Konoha Region will be talking about Uzumaki Naruto, Pokemon Champion!"
Sasuke walks past them, his Litten splayed over his shoulder. "You should be realistic, usuratonkachi."
"Oh, Sasuke-kun! Do you want to travel together?" Sakura offers.
Sasuke stops in his tracks, remaining quiet for a moment. The anticipation is killer. "No." He finally answers before half-turning his head to look at her. "You're too annoying." He continues walking his path as a lone wolf, destined to be a pariah.
Sakura slumps her shoulders. "Oh…"
"Don't listen to him, Sakura-chan! You're not annoying, at all. I- uh, I'll travel with you, if you want?"
"Yeah, sure." She answers, the energy from her voice drained. "Whatever."
"Hurray!" He jumps from joy.
Froakie hops on his head and croaks happily.
Trivia
The hiragana that are on the Hidden Leaf Village's gates (あん) mean "an", which translates to 'hermitage'.
Author's Note
I was split about who to make the regional Professor. On one hand, Hiruzen is literally nicknamed The Professor but on the other hand, Pokemon Professors are always named after trees, so Hashirama makes sense in that regard. However, a choice had to be made.
