Hey guys, this is my first attempt at a crossover fic. Naruto and Pokemon is not a particularly large crossover, but that's okay.
Read the author's note at the bottom if you make it that far. It has some information that is pretty important for some of you.
Please drop a review as well as some suggestions on teams, nicknames and even the ship/pairing if you want to. Also, if you're confused.
This is about 9700 words. I usually do chapters of this size or larger. Usually larger lol.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the Pokemon franchise.
The academy of Saisho Town was one of the smaller ones in the Sanka region. It only produced roughly 20 trainers each year. It was not a bad academy or anything, but it located in a very small town. Saisho only had a population of roughly 10 000. The residents of Saisho were surrounded by lush forests and ample land. There were enough jobs for everyone and so the need to pack up and explore the world did not strike everyone's fancy.
"Naruto!" said a man with a scar across his nose, "Would care to name two abilities that prevent sleep?"
Naruto was a blonde boy that looked to be about 13 years old. He was wearing blue trousers and a bright orange jacket with a large black stripe down the middle. He had been busy staring out the window when his name had been called.
The boy spun to face his teacher, an action that made his spiky locks whip to the side and cleared his throat, "If you want me to, Iruka-sensei. Insomnia and Vital Spirit both prevent sleep in those that hold it. They seem the same to most people, but they are different. The biology of a pokemon with Vital Spirit is shown to lack the capability to produce the hormones which would put it to sleep. This, however, does not seem to prevent them from falling asleep on their own accord. pokemon with Insomnia are different in that they lack key neural-"
A loud yawn interrupted Naruto's explanation and he stopped immediately until he met the eyes of a boy with spiky brown hair. He was wearing a fur-lined grey jacket with the hood up and he had these strange markings similar to a fang on both of his cheeks.
"Sorry, Uzumaki," said the boy with no real meaning to his words, "You were just boring me half to death there."
"Well sorry if this is too hard for you to understand, Kiba," retorted Naruto his blue eyes glaring at the other boy, "Maybe if you paid attention in class then I wouldn't be ahead 7-3 in our fights."
The small class of students laughed openly at the expense of Kiba. The boy seemed to grow irritated by this and he jumped out his seat yelling, "You know I would have beaten you if I used Akamaru instead of those weak-ass Academy pokemon!"
To emphasise his point, Kiba plucked the pokeball at his side and he was about to enlarge it when he felt something tap him on the shoulder. Kiba looked at the students in front of him and he began to panic when he saw the arrogant smirk of Naruto melt away as he looked over his shoulder. Kiba took a deep breath and turned around. He was greeted by the sight of an Empoleon that held a stern expression as it crossed its arms.
"That's enough Tsunami. I think you got his attention," said Iruka and Tsunami seemed to sag in disappointment before he allowed his trainer to return him to his ball.
"Kiba," said Iruka his voice stern as he looked at the boy, "You know the rules. Students must use the academy provided pokemon in all practice battles. The academy pokemon are disciplined and can fight each other at levels that the staff here set beforehand. I don't believe I have to remind you that you had the type advantage in 5 of those battles with Naruto."
"Sorry sensei," said Kiba as he put away Akamaru's ball. Naruto, in contrast, was eating this up. It served Kiba right to interrupt him while he had been talking. It had taken years of studying to get to the top of his class and he would be damned if-
"Naruto," said Iruka just as sternly as before and Naruto felt his smugness melt away beneath Iruka's gaze, "You need to temper your arrogance. You may be top of the class, but that does not mean you get to slack off nor does it mean you get to talk down to Kiba. Should you two graduate tomorrow you will both be D-rank trainers. As far as the league is concerned you will be equal in terms of ranking and importance and the only way to prove your strength as a trainer is to rank up by beating other trainers. You should not hold too much pride over a win you obtained in controlled conditions and with pokemon you did not even train. There will be hundreds, if not thousands, of trainers from around Sanka that graduated top of their class."
Naruto, similarly to Kiba, was cowed by Iruka's stern rebuke. The class continued without much fuss afterwards. Naruto paid attention despite the embarrassment he felt after Iruka's words.
It's not like he was lying. Naruto did tend to be arrogant. Once, he had been drawn against Kiba and as luck would have it he had had the type advanced against Kiba.
He had been one good hit away from winning when he had decided to refrain from attacking entirely and had instructed his pokemon to evade attacks only. That had served a dual purpose in annoying Kiba and tiring out Kiba.
That was until Kiba had wised up and he had ordered the Snivy he was commanding to use Swift. The Vulpix Naruto had been commanding took the loss personally and to this day Naruto never used it again in another fight.
The bell rang suddenly and the students packed up before leaving in a rush. Soon, it was only Naruto left who was not feeling as eager as the other kids to return home.
Iruka seemed to notice this and said, "Naruto? I know you have to study for your test tomorrow, but would like to go out for a bowl of ramen?"
Naruto paused halfway through putting his textbooks in his bag. A smile quickly grew on his face as the joy he felt inside bled to the surface.
"Sure!" said Naruto as he finished packing in a matter of moments.
Naruto slung his bag over his back and he was soon out the door as Iruka trailed behind with a smile on his face.
The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon as Naruto made his way back from having ramen with Iruka. Their meal did not have much in the way of conversation, but that was probably more down to Iruka letting Naruto catch up with the Ichiraku family.
It had still been great, but in the end, Naruto had been forced to leave to get in a bit more studying for the test. Iruka had covered the rather large bill and that had only endeared the man to Naruto even further.
The teacher tended to be a bit of a stickler for the rules, but he always indulged Naruto's questions from the inane to the insane. Iruka was always willing to help and he was a part of the reason Naruto had taken so well to the Academy.
Naruto reached the gate of his house and after locking it behind him he dug into his pockets for the keys to his house. After a few seconds of rummaging, he finally found them and he opened the door into the house.
The house was as big and empty as ever and Naruto walked up the stairs to his room. He put his bag down by his desk before grabbing his towel and heading into the bathroom.
A few minutes later he was soaking underneath a spray of hot water. The heat soothed his tired body and Naruto relished in it. A hot shower would soon be a luxury he would not have once he began his journey.
The idea of starting his journey filled him with excitement. This was the moment he had spent his whole life preparing for and there was no way he would drop the ball.
The exam consisted of four sections. First was the theory exam which examined one's knowledge on type advantages, abilities and basic pokemon biology. Easy.
Following the theory was the survival exam which, of course, tested one's survival skills like first aid, cooking, building shelters and so on. Basic.
There was a small physical exam to ensure all trainers met the minimum physical requirements to start their journey and Naruto knew that he was more than ready for that.
Finally, there was a simulation battle with one of the Academy pokemon. Students would be given a list of the pokemon's moves and ability and it was up to them to win the battle which was against Iruka. This was probably the hardest part of the exam, but at the same time, it was what Naruto was most excited for.
Survival skills and theory was all well and good, but where Naruto shined was in battle. There was nothing like working together with a pokemon to defeat a enemy. The thrill it gave him was electrifying.
It also made him rather jealous of Kiba and that he had a pokemon of his own. Akamaru usually had to stay within his ball while at the academy which was for the best. Akamaru was a bit of a nightmare at times.
Akamaru's misbehaviour at least made Naruto feel better, but in truth, he still wished he had a pokemon of his own. Luckily, he was graduating tomorrow and then he would get to pick out his starter.
Naruto was drawn out of his daze as he felt that the air was beginning to become a bit too thick for his liking. He took the soap and after lathering up his hands he began to clean his body. A few minutes later he was done showering and he grabbed his towel before making his way back to his room.
He put on a pair of casual shorts and a shirt before heading downstairs to make dinner. He was still feeling full, but since he was the only one capable of cooking in this house–
"You sure took your time in the shower," said a deep masculine voice from behind Naruto that was thick with amusement, "Cranking the ol' love pump? You can tell uncle Jiraiya... You have nothing to be ashamed of, you know? We have been running out of lotion quicker than usual so you might wanna slow down, but who am I to–"
Whatever the man was going to say was cut off as a tomato smashed into his face. The man was rather tall and had long shaggy white hair. The man wore a red sleeveless jacket over a green shirt. He also had on a pair of green pants and was wearing a pair of sandals.
"What's wrong with you!" shouted Naruto as he reached for another tomato, "You don't ask people questions like that! Never mind your godson! What would Shizune or the old hag say if I–"
In a flash, Jiraiya had covered Naruto's mouth with his hand and he looked around the room as if he had been overheard.
"Careful what you say around these parts, Naruto," said Jiraiya his voice quiet and yet still holding a certain amount of fear in it, "You never know who could be–Ouch! Did you just bite me? "
Jiraiya had let go of Naruto after the boy had decided to make a meal out of his hand. Naruto breathed heavily as he felt his annoyance coming to the surface. All he wanted was a calm, quiet evening. Tsunade had said the pervert was not supposed to be here until tomorrow morning, but there had been a change of plans.
"Yes, I did," said Naruto his hands balled into fists, "I was going to make myself some food since baa-chan and Shizune-nee ate all the food I made before they left. How did you guys survive without being able to cook?"
Jiraiya had seemingly gotten over Naruto's attack in his person as he began to wipe the tomato off his face. Once he was done he threw them away in the bin and after grabbing a bottle of sake out the fridge he turned to Naruto.
"Kid, we can all cook," said Jiraiya as he searched for a glass to pour the drink into, "You're just a lot better at it than all of us. Besides me and your Aunt Tsunade are both ranked in the top 20. Why would we bother with learning how to cook when we could hire any chef to cook for us?"
"That would be a waste of money, "retorted Naruto and he was rewarded with a sound of approval from Jiraiya who had finally found a glass.
"Exactly, "said Jiraiya as he poured the sake into the glass, "That's why we just let you cook for us. I'll admit I use to throw your food away or give it to Gama, but now you're pretty damn good."
"You guys are both stinking rich thanks to your stipend from the league though," said Naruto as he began to prepare the food anyway, "I'll only get around twenty thousand dollars for the next year. You guys get like ten times that monthly. If anything, you guys should be buying me food."
"Well kid," said Jiraiya slowly after taking a sip of his drink, "When you become an S-rank trainer feel free to blow your cash on whatever you want. "
"Ero-sennin?" said Naruto as he slowed in his preparation of the food, "Are they going to make it tomorrow? "
Jiraiya paused with his glass halfway to his mouth. He downed the contents of the glass before responding, "Kid, you know they would come if they could. They've been very busy. "
"So you've said for the past three years," said Naruto after sighing heavily before he put the diced up vegetables aside, "I'm guessing you'll be the one sending me off then?"
"That's right," said Jiraiya as he reclined in his chair, "Tsunade is in high demand. I guess being the best doctor in the region will do that to you."
"Who needs 'em anyway?" said Jiraiya as he jumped out of his seat, "You have me and I'm way cooler than those squares. I even got you a little gift. Something to, uh, motivate you for your test."
"A gift?" said Naruto as he turned towards Jiraiya with his eyebrow raised, "This isn't like the time where you gave me one of your stupid books, is it? If it is I'll tell Tsunade about the time you made Gama use Camouflage to–"
"Would you let that go?" said Jiraiya as he slammed his hands onto the table, "I already bought you like 12 Ultra Balls just to keep you quiet. Real men honour their agreements, kid. If you bring that up again I might just let Bunta 'spar' with you again. He's been saying you might have gotten sloppy."
Naruto froze at Jiraiya's tone before he opened the fridge to get some meat out, "You know what? I don't seem to remember what we were just talking about. Something about a gift?"
"That's what I thought," said Jiraiya as he took the meat from Naruto, "You'll see it after your test. Now go study. I'll handle dinner then I'll test you on what you've learnt. You better get my questions right if not then you may need some positive reinforcement from Bunta."
"You're on, old man," said Naruto and while he meant to sound confident a trickle of fear crept into his voice, "I can take anything you and Bunta throw at me."
"Well then," said Jiraiya his voice holding no trace of humour, "I'll just tell Bunta you're feeling cocky. We'll see just how long that lasts."
Well, shit.
Naruto groaned as he rolled out of bed. His alarm was still blaring, but Naruto for the life of him could not care. His body was still feeling the pain from getting some of Jiraiya's more obscure questions wrong.
He had started well enough, but then Jiraiya decided to make things harder on him and when he got them wrong Gamabunta, Jiraiya's Greninja, would slap him or toss him or kick him and the list went on. Admittedly, the 'positive' reinforcement had done its job and now Naruto knew he was going to ace the test.
Jiraiya had asked some of the most obscure questions that Naruto himself had been surprised to hear what the answers were. Like how the largest Torterra ever found was said to be larger than multiple cities put together.
That had been interesting if not a little surprising to find out. However, there was some other stuff Naruto wished he could burn from his mind. For instance, Skitty was able to breed with Wailord. The sheer gulf in size between the two had made Naruto feel sorry for the poor Skitty that had found out about its species compatibility with the Wailord line.
As it turned out, much to Naruto's relief, a Skitty had been artificially inseminated which made a lot more sense. This had been found out by Tsunade in a bid to categorise every Pokemon into their egg groups.
She had done this in her youth and from then on it had been apparent to a lot of people just how prodigious she was when it came to the medical field. That coupled with the fact that she was ranked eleventh in the world only made her that much more of a legend in her own right.
Of course, no one ever called her a legend to her face. That implied you were calling her old and that would not end well for whichever fool had been bold or stupid enough to say so. That woman's fist had the force of an Onix behind it and Naruto had only been given the pleasure of being punched by her once.
The last thing he remembered of that day was a fist closing in on him and then he woke up in bed two whole days after the event. Needless to say, Naruto had begged Tsunade to help him bulk up which in hindsight had been not the best of decisions.
"Naruto!" shouted Jiraiya as he banged on the door, "Turn that alarm off and shower! You better not be late for the test. They won't let you in and Tsunade will somehow blame me and that's the last thing I need right now."
Naruto rolled his eyes, but he shut the alarm before heading into the shower. He emerged a few minutes later and after getting dressed in blue pants and an orange tracksuit he headed downstairs.
To his surprise, breakfast was already waiting for him at the dining table. He sat down and a few seconds later Jiraiya emerged with his plate of breakfast. He nodded at Naruto before beginning to devour his food.
Naruto was used to this display from the man and he ate a more steady pace. Usually, he would eat just as sloppily as Jiraiya, but his mind was focused on the exam more than anything.
"Snap out of it, kid," said Jiraiya with his mouth still full, "You are going to graduate and once that's done you will begin your journey. What are your plans? Have you found someone to travel with? "
"Nope," said Naruto as he began to eat some more, "I don't get on that well with anyone in my class except for Kiba and it would be a disaster if we went together. "
"You should find someone to travel with," said Jiraiya his voice calmer than usual, "Tsunade and I travelled together for a large part of our careers. It may have started as me wanting to get a date out of her, but she eventually warmed up to me."
"Did you ever get that date?" asked Naruto as he noticed the faraway look on Jiraiya's face.
"No," said Jiraiya his voice firmer than before, "Tsunade only ever had eyes for Dan and once he died Tsunade lost interest in all things romantic."
"You should probably try again," said Naruto as he pushed away his empty plate, "You guys suit each other."
"Thanks, kid," said Jiraiya and he was about to add more when Naruto spoke up.
"Besides," said Naruto as he made his way for the door, "You guys aren't getting any younger. Pretty soon you'll be wrinkled and worn down. You might as well shoot your shot now before you become too ugly for even baa-chan."
Naruto had picked up his bag and as soon as he finished his sentence he placed it in front of his face. It was the right thing to as a second later he felt something smash into his makeshift shield. He was sent stumbling back, but he was able to stay on his feet. He lowered his bag and he was greeted by the sight of Gamabunta, Jiraiya's Greninja.
"You're getting predictable, old man," said Naruto a he looked over the shoulder of the Greninja, "That training with Tsunade has boosted my strength. You're gonna need to try harder than-"
Whatever Naruto was going to say was cut off as Jiraiya slammed a punch into his stomach. Naruto wheezed before collapsing to his knees his hands hugging his stomach. A few seconds later, Naruto regained his composure and said, "Is there some sort of drug you and baa-chan are taking? Normal humans are not this strong. You probably should hold off on taking it if you are. I don't want your heart giving out on us just yet. "
Gamabunta let out a croak that could only be described as a laugh and Jiraiya sighed as he felt his patience growing thin, "You sure have your mother's mouth on you. I'll show you the trick to mine and Tsunade's strength when you're ready. Until then you keep your mouth shut about my age or I'll let Bunta use you for target practice. Understood?'
"Yeah," said Naruto as he rose to his feet, "I won't say anything about you getting old anymore. Anyways, I gotta run. Bunta, keep an eye on him. I don't trust him.'
Gamabunta nodded and gave a thumbs up which was rather reminiscent of Jiraiya before Naruto put on his bag and left all while Jiraiya seemed to only catch on to Naruto's veiled insult as he left the door.
"I'm only 48, brat!" shouted Jiraiya to the now-closed door.
"I don't look old. Isn't that right, Bunta?" asked Jiraiya as he produced a handheld mirror from somewhere.
He received a croak as his only reply and Jiraiya sighed heavily.
"Is it that bad?"
Croak.
"Whatever," said Jiraiya as he began to walk out the house as his partner followed him, "You just like the kid because he gives me grief. Is this what 40 years of battling and friendship gets me?
Croak.
"I hate you."
"Okay, listen up," said Iruka as he held a stack of papers, "This exam will be three hours long. You will have five minutes of reading time. The survival exam will be next and then we will have the physical evaluation. The mock battle will happen after your physical evaluation. All in all, we should be done in about six or seven hours. Lunch is provided so don't worry about that. Just focus on doing well and good luck."
Iruka walked around the class handing out the papers. He finally reached Naruto's desk and placed the paper face down. A few moments later, the entire class had an exam paper and answer sheet in front of them. Iruka announced the beginning of their reading time and the sound of pages being turned filled the room.
The test seemed to be made up of multiple-choice questions as well as longer questions that needed more in-depth answers. Naruto skimmed over the multiple-choice questions and for the most part, he knew the answers right away. The longer questions would take a bit longer and since the test was quite long it was probably best for him to start with the longer questions. Iruka signalled the start of the test and Naruto went back to the start of the longer questions section.
Explain the trainer ranking system.[10]
Naruto's mind supplied the answer almost immediately. There were five trainer ranks starting at the bottom from D-rank and ending at the top with S-rank. All trainers are ranked whether they are battlers, co-ordinators or any other field directly related to pokemon. The most common way to progress up in rank is to beat other trainers in a battle. The battle has to be started by mutual consent and a trainer will gain or lose points depending on how many pokemon they knocked or how many of their own got knocked out as well as the rank of the opposing trainer.
Typically, the gain/loss margin per pokemon is one thousand for D-ranks, three thousand five hundred for C-ranks, ten thousand for B-ranks and fifty thousand for A-ranks. The margin for an S-rank is usually north of one million which results in making battles between S-ranked trainers extremely rare.
Explain the qualification process for the Conference.[5]
Naruto's pen flashed over the paper as he scribbled down the answer. A battler was required to obtain 16 official badges. Of the sixteen badges, eight had to come from the minor league and the other eight had to come from the major league. Badges are obtained from gyms and contests etc. but the Conference has a further ruling that to enter the Conference a battler needed to have won at least 4 minor competitions and 2 major competitions. Competitions often had various stipulations that differentiated them from normal gym badges.
However, all gyms and competitions held a rank that would be added to the Trainer's aggregate. This rank separated minor gyms and competitions from major ones and was added to the trainer's overall points gained in the qualification cycle from trainer battles. This allows new trainers to qualify for the conference and encourages tourism in the towns and cities that hold competitions. The Conference is usually 16 rounds of head-to-head battles that begins three months after the end of the last cycle.
The rest of the test was rather straightforward and while there were a few questions that gave Naruto pause he eventually finished with a half-hour to go. Once he handed his paper in he was directed to where the grading of the survival exam would take place. Saisho Academy was a battler academy and thus it was geared more to pokemon battlers than anything. This was why the physical exam, as well as the survival portion of the exam, were included. Battlers would spend weeks in the wilderness and not only did they need to survive, but their body had to be of an adequate fitness level to not put their lives at any more risk than was necessary.
Naruto was sure he would pass the test. He had to.
"And time!" said Iruka as Kiba slowed to a stop. The boy was covered in sweat and dirt and all sorts of other stuff. Kiba didn't appear too bothered by his appearance as he held his hands above his head to regain his breath.
"What was my time, sensei?" said Kiba as he calmed down, "Fastest in the class?"
"Three minutes and twenty-eight seconds," said Iruka as he glanced at the stopwatch, "You beat the closest time by a full two minutes. Well done, Kiba. You pass."
Kiba seemed to regain his energy almost immediately as he punched the air in victory. He thanked Iruka who gave him a water bottle and then Kiba made his way to the next student in line.
"You ready for this one?" said Kiba to Naruto as the boy went through a couple of stretches, "This shouldn't be too bad for you. You're not like the rest of these chumps."
"I think I'll do alright," said Naruto as he finished his stretches, "What's it to pass again? Seven and a half minutes?"
"Yeah," said Kiba as he closed his bottle," Anyways, the time to beat is three minutes forty. I'll give you one try to guess who smashed the course?"
"Is that all?" said Naruto as he made his way to Iruka, "Were you carrying bricks or something?"
Naruto did not give Kiba the pleasure of a retort and he instead made his way to the starting position. The obstacle course had been prepared outside the town proper and although they had been given various pointers on how to prepare, Naruto truly had no idea what to expect. It had been made clear that exposing what was ahead to anyone who had not yet gone was equivalent to cheating.
Cheating meant expulsion and could even lead to a permanent ban from becoming a trainer.
The class had been told to wait at the finish line because the obstacle course was visible from the starting line and those who went last would have an unfair and Iruka finally made it to the starting position and Iruka took out a pokeball before calling out a Kadabra. The psychic did not even spare Naruto a glance as the boy stared at Kadabra's face which was cool and almost seemed annoyed by the whole proceedings. Naruto spared a glance towards the course spread out before him. Before he could analyse the course for too long, though, Iruka finally broke the silence.
"Okay, Naruto," said Iruka as he held his stopwatch, "Seven and a half minutes is required to pass, but a better time will result in a better score. The record is one-minute forty that was set by Shinji Nakamura. Kadabra will Teleport me to the finish where I will mark down your time. Good luck. Your time starts in...three...two...one...GO!"
There was a flash of light as Kadabra teleported away with Iruka, but Naruto barely paid them any heed as he sprinted down the dirt road to the first obstacle. A rope was dangling from the side of a small cliff and Naruto grabbed onto the rope before making his way up. It took quite a bit of effort, but Naruto made it to the top of the thirty-metre cliff within fifteen seconds. He dropped the rope behind him and he grimaced as he took in the next obstacle.
A pool of water stretched far and wide across the ground and in the distance Naruto could see the next obstacle. Naruto dived into the pool and he tried to set a strong pace. It was all going well until suddenly the water seemed to begin fighting him. Naruto spared a glance in front of him and he was surprised to see Tsunami, Iruka's Empoleon, with its fins dipped into the water as he stood on the opposite end of the miniature lake.
Whirlpool.
The pull of the water rocked Naruto and he was pulled underneath the surface for a few seconds. Luckily, he was able to regain his bearings quickly and he fought valiantly against the crashing currents of the water. The whirlpool sapped Naruto of his energy, but in the end, he was able to make it across. Naruto was soaked to the bone, but he didn't let it bother him as he made for the next obstacle. Naruto slowed to a stop as he came to a sheer drop. The drop was even further than what he had climbed and the only way across was on a balance beam about ten metres long.
The beam was just wide enough for him to put his foot on. A fall would probably result in him being caught by the pokemon of the instructors that were undoubtedly watching his every step. A time penalty would also apply and while Naruto knew he was well ahead of schedule he would not allow himself to fail. This train of thought galvanised Naruto and he sprung into action. He stopped about ten metres away from the edge before taking a deep breath and sprinting to the edge. He heard the sound of instructors shouting his name and from the corner of his eye, he saw flashes of light which were probably the instructors calling out their pokemon.
Naruto reached the edge within a matter of seconds and he kicked off the ground as he began to soar through the air. A Pidgeot was swooping towards him, but Naruto barely paid that any attention as gravity began to pull him back to Earth.
"Holy-" shouted Naruto, but he was cut off as he slammed into the opposite cliff face. Naruto pulled himself up and shook off the pain in his chest as he sprinted towards what he hoped was the final obstacle. He reached it and to his surprise all it was a barren, downhill road through the forest. Naruto took off immediately and he smiled as he felt himself pick up speed. He was so going to smash Kiba's time-
Naruto was snapped from his thoughts when a medium-sized wall sprung up in front of him. Naruto was forced to slow down as he swerved around the wall. To his horror, more w obstacles began to appear from the ground. The road had just flattened out, but Naruto was forced to swerve, hurdle and jump as more and more obstacles rose in his way. Shuffling around spires, dodging walls and leaping over pits became Naruto's reality. To make matters worse, someone had ordered their pokemon to fire weak Bullet Seeds and Mud Shots at him that only served to distract him from the earthen obstacles in his way.
Naruto was covered in mud and bruises as he finally burst from the treeline and over the finish line where Iruka was waiting.
"And time! Students gather around!" shouted Iruka as Naruto finally slowed to a stop. The other students, all grimy and dirty from their time trial, surrounded Iruka and Naruto as the latter reclined on the ground.
"Okay, you guys are going to head straight to the sparring field where you'll be paired up against an instructor. The pokemon you use will be closer to that of a starter pokemon so it won't carry any slackers like the other pokemon you have used. The results will be announced after all battles have been completed and those of you who graduate will be able to choose their starter. Any questions"
Kiba raised his hand and all the students turned to him as Iruka motioned for him to speak.
"What was Naruto's time?"
Iruka looked at Naruto who nodded at the unspoken question. Iruka cleared his throat and said, "Naruto's time was...two minutes and fifty-two seconds. That's the fastest I've seen since I began to teach here, Naruto. Have you been doing some extra physical work?"
Naruto nodded as he rose to his feet, "Uh, yeah, my baa-chan helped me to get stronger and faster. She's a strong trainer. She won the Conference ages ago, but she's still good even though she isn't a trainer any more."
"Naruto has a grandma?"
"Bullshit."
"What's her name?"
This was quite the revelation for the students as Naruto never spoke about his family. Furthermore, he never came to any of the family functions the academy held. The volume of the students' voices began to increase as some of the bolder of the students began to interrogate Naruto directly.
"Save your questions for later," said Iruka as he came to Naruto's rescue, "You shouldn't stress out your classmates before the combat test. I'm sure Naruto will be more than glad to answer your questions once we're done here."
The students calmed down after that and Naruto smiled when Iruka winked at him. Naruto walked back with Kiba who waited for them to be out of Iruka's earshot before whispering under his breath.
"I heard we're all getting our starters today after the exam," said Kiba as his eyes darted around as if he feared being overheard, "Apparently the order we finish in will allow us to pick first."
"That kinda sucks for the guys that don't do as well, though," said Naruto as they set a rather brisk pace through the forest, "I mean the guys that do well already have a leg-up on them and now they have to pick last too?"
"That's the thing though!" said Kiba as a wide grin spread across his face, "The academy hired my mom and sister to make sure the starters are healthy. I overheard them speaking and apparently there's a real good selection this year. It's not just your usual fire-water-grass trio. There are psychic-types, fighting-types and even fairy-types. Apparently, some rich former student bankrolled the whole thing."
That was certainly a change from the norm. In general, a starter from the fire-water-grass trio was standard. This was more due to tradition than anything as these three types were said to be the most abundant in the days before the League. Different sections of Sanka had different traditional starters. For instance, the more affluent areas had Charmanders as their fire-type starter, one of the rarest of all fire-types, while the poorer regions had more 'mundane' starters like Cyndaquil.
This was due to the symbolism attached to these pokemon. Charizard trainers were revered for being able to tame a notoriously rowdy evolution line. Meanwhile, trainers of 'lesser' pokemon like Meganium and Empoleon were looked down upon. This attitude eventually changed once the Conference began which allowed all sorts of pokemon and their trainers to shine. Nowadays, it was far more common for a rookie to start with types from outside the usual three, but that tradition had not quite spread to Saisho until recently.
"What's the name of this donor anyways?" said Naruto as he and Kiba finally made it back to the town proper.
"Honestly?" said Kiba as he cleared his throat, "I forgot. All I know is he did quite well at a Conference a few years ago."
"Idiot."
"Come on, Pidove!" shouted Kiba as he faced off against an instructor, Kiyoko, from the academy and her Aipom, "Use Gust and blow that monkey away."
The Pidove seemed just as eager as Kiba and it chirped before flapping its wings. A strong wind blew across the ring and the Aipom was sent tumbling head over heels. Kiba smiled and while the Aipom was still struggling to its feet he gave his next order.
"Let's finish this! Quick Attack then Gust!"
Pidove flew up into the sky before it dove straight for the struggling Aipom. White energy trailed behind the bird as it sped towards its target.
"Revenge!" shouted Kiyoko before Pidove smashed into the Aipom. Pidove had retreated to the air once it made contact. However, Aipom had recovered and the hand at the end of its tails was wrapped in red energy.
"Hypnosis!" shouted Kiba sounding none too bothered with Aipom's counterattack.
Pidove's eyes released waves of energy that washed over Aipom. The aura surrounding it's hand-tail faded as the pokemon lost consciousness.
"Finish it off with Air Cutter!" said Kiba a smirk stretching across his face.
A stronger gust of wind rose as Pidove flapped its wings. The intensity of the winds increased and blades of white energy formed before they left shallow cuts on Aipom as it fell to the ground. Aipom was gathering speed as it fell and the Air Cutter only served to increase its velocity. Luckily, a red beam collided with Aipom as it was recalled by Kiyoko. Pidove flew back towards Kiba once its opponent had been withdrawn.
"Thanks, Pidove," said Kiba as the pokemon landed on his outstretched arm," You sure showed them!"
Pidove let out a series of tweets as it lapped up the praise before it was recalled by Kiba.
"Congratulations, Kiba," said Kiyoko as she made a few notes on her pad, "The trust you had in Pidove as well as the composure to tell her to use Hypnosis to defeat Aipom is exactly what we expect of trainers here at Saisho Academy. It was simple but effective. I'd get my bags packed if I were you..."
"Thanks, sensei," said Kiba as he handed her Pidove's ball, "Pidove just had good instincts, I guess."
"Don't sell yourself short," said Kiyoko as she took the pokeball from him, "Hana said you have a talent for battle. The pokemon is only one half of a winning team, after all. "
"I guess you're right," said Kiba as he smiled widely. Kiyoko bade the boy farewell before she began to walk up the stairs that lead back up to the viewing area. Kiba followed her as they left the sunken arena that was being used for the evaluation. There was a dustbin at the top of the stairs and Kiba reached into his pocket and took out a folded paper.
"Don't tell me you needed your info sheet for that battle," said Naruto as he walked past Kiba with a pokeball in hand, "You had aerial advantage. Let me see that thing."
"I won," said Kiba as he clenched his fist, "I didn't even need this stupid-Hey! Give that back!"
Naruto swiped the paper from Kiba and he hummed as he read the paper, "Hypnosis? That's an egg move. That Pidove must have had a Noctowl or something in its ancestry. Lucky you. I heard some of the others complaining about the move pool for their assigned pokemon after they lost. Rest? Swift? Those are TM moves. Some of the others would have killed for this."
"That's just too bad," said Kiba as he took back the paper from Naruto, "We all have prep time before our battles and you work with what you have. It ain't my fault they couldn't figure things out. Anyway, what did you get? Let me see. "
"No ways," said Naruto as he cradled the pokeball at his side, "I won't let you. You might put a curse on him or something. Stay away."
"How would I even-" said Kiba before a familiar voice interrupted their imminent argument.
"Naruto," said Iruka as he walked with another instructor by his side, "This will be your opponent. He's an instructor on an exchange program that we set up with the Konoha Academy."
"Konoha Academy?" said Kiba with his mouth hanging open, "Isn't that the snob-, uh, elite trainer academy. The one that like over half the S-ranks went to? "
"It is a little snobby," said the man as he chuckled and his white hair bobbed around with the motion, "My name is Mizuki and I hear you are quite the trainer Naruto...Uzumaki was it."
"Just Naruto is fine," said Naruto as he crossed his arms and did his best to ignore the probing stares of Iruka and Kiba, "Can we get this started? I kinda have plans..."
"Ah, yes," said Iruka before he gestured to the arena, "Have you had enough time to go over your info sheet? Mizuki is no slouch."
"Yeah, yeah. I get it," said Naruto as he handed the paper to Iruka before he began to walk down the stairs, "Let's get this show on the road. Someone has to show Kiba how to battle."
"Screw you!"
Naruto tried and failed to hold in his smile as he made way for the far end of the ring. Iruka and Kiba were watching from above and would be safe from any stray attacks. Mizuki reached the bottom of the stairs and the man still had a smile on his face as he took in Naruto. He unclipped a pokeball from his side before throwing it up into the air.
"Let's go!" shouted Mizuki and Naruto watched as the ball burst open in the air revealing Mizuki's pokemon. It was a bipedal pokemon that was grey and had three crests atop its head.
"A Machop?" said Kiba not sounding impressed at all from above his head, "Pidove would have swept that thing aside. You better win this, Naruto!"
Naruto ignored Kiba's provocation before calling out his pokemon. The energy released by the pokeball faded to reveal a green pokemon with a thick tail that was practically bursting with energy. The pokemon surveyed its surroundings with its yellow eyes as it crouched on all fours before Naruto called out to it.
"Treecko," said Naruto and the pokemon paused before turning to face Naruto, "Can you help me take out that guy over there? "
Naruto had pointed to Machop and the pokemon seemed eager for a fight as it made a gesture towards Treecko. Treecko's eyes narrowed at the sight of Machop before turning back to Naruto. Naruto smiled as the Treecko which Naruto was sure a male rose to stand on two feet before standing opposite Mizuki's Machop.
"Okay," said Iruka from above, "This is a one-on-one battle between Mizuki's Machop and Naruto's Treecko. The battle will end when one or both pokemon are unable to battle. This will be determined by a five-count."
Naruto tensed as silence hung over the arena and the pokemon also froze before Iruka voice shattered the silence.
"Begin!"
"Get in close with Quick Attack," said Naruto and Treecko shot off in a blur as white energy trailed behind it.
Machop seemed surprised by Treecko's speed and he took the brunt of the attack as Treecko smashed into him.
"Vital Throw!"
Naruto held back a flinch as Machop grabbed onto Treecko's leg before throwing him towards the wall. Treecko flew through the air and slammed into the wall harshly.
"Focus Energy," said Mizuki as he looked to press his advantage, "Then use Fire Punch!"
Machop's eyes seemed to glow with energy before its hand became enveloped in flames. Machop then shot off towards Treecko had just climbed out of the wall. Naruto waited until Machop was right in front of Treecko before giving his next order.
"Use Quick Attack to get out of there," said Naruto and Treecko sped out of the way as Machop's flame covered fist missed and slammed into the wall. The wall cracked under the strength of Machop's blow, but Treecko had escaped without a scratch. Machop seemed to have put far too much power in its punch and its hand was still embedded in the wall.
"Mega Drain!"
Thin, green tendrils shot out of Treecko's back before wrapping around Machop. Naruto smiled as Machop struggled against the draining attack even as it tried to wrench its hand out the wall. Machop finally managed to yank it's arm out, but the damage had already been done. Mega Drain had healed up the damage Treecko had sustained and Machop seemed to be on its last legs.
"Let's finish this! Treecko, use Double Kick!"
Treecko shot off towards the dazed Machop and delivered two bone-crunching kicks to Machop. Naruto smirked as it seemed like Machop was on its last legs until one word from Mizuki wiped his smirk off his face.
"Revenge!"
Machop glowed with red energy before it grabbed onto Treecko and slammed him into the ground. The ground shattered underneath the force of Machop's attack and the ground shook underneath Naruto's feet. A large dust cloud obscured the two pokemon, but it quickly faded away to reveal Machop standing over Treecko who was laying still in the crater. Machop flexed over Treecko's unconscious form before jumping away from the crater.
"Come on Treecko!" shouted Naruto as the pokemon laid in the crater, "You can do this!"
"For an Uzumaki that was very disappointing," said Mizuki as he looked at Naruto, "Your arrogance was your downfall and Treecko suffered for it. "
"Three," said Iruka suddenly and Naruto's heart sank as he realised this fight was almost over. Tears blurred his sight as Iruka's count reached four and in sheer desperation, Naruto shouted louder than he can ever remember.
"Come on, Treecko! I believe in you!"
A heavy silence followed Naruto's declaration as he slumped his head forward. Iruka was about to finish his counting and call the match when a croak sounded out from below. He paused and he was surprised by what he saw. Kiba sounded just as surprised from his position next to Iruka.
"How in the hell?" said Kiba as they both took in the sight of Treecko rising to his feet. Treecko was covered in bruises and looked like he had taken quite the beating (which he had), but he seemed like he had some more fuel in the tank.
Treecko's body seemed to glow with blue energy which faded away almost immediately. The croak had drawn Naruto's attention and he raised his head to see Treecko back on his feet.
Naruto smiled widely at the sight and said, "I knew you could do it. Now, let's finish this properly!"
Treecko nodded, but before Naruto could give any orders he felt a strange sensation wash over him. The source of it came in front of him as Treecko rose to its feet fully. Treecko held it's hands together and a blue sphere formed in its hands.
Naruto was stunned at the attack and so was Iruka as the instructor's voice echoed across the battlefield, "Aura Sphere? That's not a move-"
Iruka was cut off as Treecko fired the Aura Sphere at Machop. The attack slammed into Machop and exploded in a flash of blue. The light blinded everyone, but once it faded away it revealed Machop lying at Mizuki's feet. The battlefield was silent save for Iruka who began his count. Naruto waited with bated breath until Iruka finally finished his count.
"Machop is unable to battle," said Iruka after a few more seconds of pause, perhaps waiting for another miraculous recovery, "The winners are Naruto and Treecko!"
"Alright!"
Naruto ran onto the battlefield before sweeping up Treecko in a hug which the pokemon seemed to return.
"You won, Treecko!" said Narutovas the small arms of Treecko wrapped around him. Kiba, Mizuki and Iruka had all come down to the arena and Naruto glared at Mizuki as the man came closer. The man had already recalled Machop and he came to a stop in front of Naruto and Treecko. The man met Naruto's gaze and there was a shift in the older man's eyes before it eased as he held out his hand.
"Good fight."
Naruto shook his hand before he walked past the older man. Treecko had perched its legs on either side of Naruto's neck and its hands were holding onto fistfuls of Naruto's hair for balance. Iruka was waiting for him with a clipboard in hand and he ticked off a few things before looking at Naruto.
"That was interesting, to say the least," said Iruka as he looked at Naruto, "You're lucky Treecko is a fighter, Naruto. You should have been warier of Machop. Arrogance has caused many a trainer to lose a battle. You are good, Naruto. However, Mizuki made it to the quarter-finals of the Conference. There is no room for assumption, Naruto. If it were any other day, Treecko could have ended up a lot more hurt than some bruises."
Naruto had the decency to hang his head in shame and even Kiba was silent from the seriousness of the moment.
"However," said Iruka and he smiled as Naruto whipped his head back up, "Today was not one of those days. The bond between you and Treecko is something that takes a while to form between a trainer and their pokemon. You have a way of connecting with pokemon that will serve you well. However, you and Treecko have a long way to go before you're ready for the Conference."
"Me and-" said Naruto before cutting himself off, "I get to keep him? Really?"
"Yes," said Iruka as he took in the jubilant expression on Naruto's face, "All the pokemon used today were given to the academy by a former student. It's why they have moves from Technical Machines and some of the best egg moves. They were bred to be battlers. There are others that were not used, but I think the bond between you and Treecko could become something special. Unless you want to take a look at the others?"
"No, thanks," said Naruto as he reached above his head to rub Treecko, "I think Treecko is perfect. Do you wanna come with me, buddy?"
Treecko let out a shrill chirp to signify it's approval and Naruto smiled at the sound.
"I guess you can go home then," said Iruka before he added, "I'd take Treecko to the pokecenter for the night. It took a nasty blow at the end there. Don't forget to transfer Treecko to a new pokeball that's in your name. Will you two be taking part in the Konoha tournament? It doesn't give you a badge, but it's a good place to gain some points to add to your ranking."
Naruto and Kiba looked at each other before a smile spread across both their faces.
"I'm so going to win that tournament," said Naruto and Treecko chirped in agreement.
"Oh really?" said Kiba as he picked at his nails, "I seem to remember somebody made the mistake of getting hit with Revenge. Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Boys," said Iruka as he stopped the escalating argument, "You know the city rules. Battles are only allowed outside the city. So wait until you're on the road. Konoha is a few days away and the tournament is in about four weeks. It attracts more trainers than any other rookie tournament in Sanka. I'm sure you'll meet some trainers from some of the other big academies around Sanka. I'd recommend having at least three pokemon for the tournament. It's only open to unranked trainers so you shouldn't worry too much about the others."
"Won't all those posh, Konoha Academy students be there?" said Kiba before quickly correcting course, "I'm not scared, but that school does have a reputation. Mizuki made it to the quarters of the Conference. They must have crazy strong teachers!"
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," said Iruka as he smiled widely, "Konoha is a fantastic academy, but Saisho is no slouch. As for Mizuki, I said he made it to the quarters, but I never said who knocked him out."
There was silence before understanding dawned on Naruto and Kiba at virtually the same time.
"You made it to the semis?" said Naruto in shock and Iruka nodded, "Why didn't you say anything? That would have made you, like, ten times cooler!"
"It was a long time ago," said Iruka as he and the two boys began to make their way to the Academy buildings, "In the end, I take more pride in my teaching than I did in my achievements in battling. That's not too say your goals are foolish or ignoble, but everyone is different. I know you guys are destined for great things. Just remember me and the rest of Saisho when you hit the big leagues."
"You got it, sensei," said Kiba and Iruka smiled at the two boys before he left them at the entrance to the Academy.
"You got pretty lucky," said Kiba and Naruto nodded immediately.
It was true. If Treecko had not learned Aura Sphere (and somehow survive that vicious Revenge) Naruto would have lost. There was still something bugging him about that fight. There was no way Treecko could learn Aura Sphere. Movesets was something Naruto took pride in knowing and he was pretty sure Treecko could not learn Aura Sphere. It was a very rare move that only a select few could learn.
Maybe the old pervert would know something to explain it.
"Treecko saved my butt," said Naruto his gaze on the ground before he turned to Kiba, "You wanna travel to Konoha together?"
"Sure," said Kiba as they turned to head back inside, "Let's get this stupid ceremony over with and then we can head leave tomorrow at like noon. You should come over to my place after we drop our starters at the pokecenter. My mom is in town and I'm pretty sure she'd like to know who I'm travelling with."
"I'll be there," said Naruto and as he walked behind Kiba a smile threatened to split his face.
Maybe Kiba wasn't so bad after all.
"I hope you don't cry when I knock you out the tournament," said Kiba as he walked with his hands behind his head, "Don't think I didn't see those tears earlier. That was weak, Naruto."
Okay, scratch that. Kiba sucked.
Naruto Uzumaki
Rank: Unranked
Grade: D-rank
Points: 0
Jiraiya
Rank: #3
Grade: S-rank
Points: 93, 500, 000
Author Notes:
There is the first chapter of Herald done. Please tell me what you thought of the story. I love hearing from you guys. There is some admin past here and if your questions are not answered here you can ask them in the comment section. I'll either address you directly or address it in the story.
Some notes:
- Sanka
Yeah, I know it doesn't exist. It was made for convenience. I don't want to do a trawl through the regions since I'm terrible at watching the pokemon anime. I only watch D&P, X&Y and some of Alola. Plus, this could be fun.
- Characters
No one from the pokemon manga or anime. Sorry I guess?
- Elements from the games
I understand that a lot of people hate when something doesn't follow the games. Levels are not a thing. This would, of course, have a knock-on effect on things like evolution and learning moves. I have taken some elements from the games, but some like levelling, dynamaxing, Z-moves etc. are not a part of this story.
Realistically, the games just try to establish rules to make, well, a game. So a four-move limit for pokemon when Alakazam, for instance, is said to forget nothing makes zero sense. Imagine a game with no limit on moves? How would that even work?
Following the game religiously would make storytelling rather boring I feel
- Format
I hope you guys like the change. The ol' 8 badges then Conference is nice, but I want to do something different. The ranking thing is shamelessly ripped from Bakugan, but I love that show and so should everyone else.
- Movesets
These will be largely the same, but there will be logical differences that will be shown and explained.
- Pokemon
I'm probably not doing the Ultra Beasts. I will, however, include all pokemon from all current generations. Even that weird Eternatus thing which is dumb strong. All 879 of them. Including Galarian and Alolan forms. They just won't be called that. I don't know if I can fit each and every pokemon, but yeah I'll try.
-Ship
Is this important? I've already decided who Naruto will end up with. It's not a pokemon. That is all. You can tell me who you would like to see him with and that could change it, but I won't say anything because I want to keep the suspense.
-Megas
Oh, definitely.
- It vs him vs her
I'm gonna be straight with y'all. I can't be bothered to always use the correct pronoun for pokemon. I'll switch between 'it' and him/her depending on the gender of the pokemon.
-Travelling companion
It wouldn't be pokemon if Naruto didn't have a partner-in-crime. I already have one lined up, but rest assured a lot of characters from the show will travel with or meet Naruto at some stage.
If you stayed until now, you might as well keep reading the story.
Prayers to those of you in dangerous places all over the world. People are making memes about WWIII, but I hope those of you in dangerous areas stay safe. Regardless of race, nationality and gender, we're all human. I'm sure a resolution will be reached so don't worry. If worst comes to worst, you can come and live in South Africa. I think we don't have any military alliances so maybe we'll be fine.