Around 10K words. Hope you enjoy.
"You guys ran into one of those super strong pokemon in the forest?" asked Kiba as he, Naruto and Fū followed Yugao through the forest.
Apparently, there was some sort of rule against teleporting directly into Konoha and so they would have to get in by foot. Thankfully, Yugao's Gallade had teleported them to the outskirts of Halo Forest. It was only supposed to take them a couple of minutes before Konoha was in sight.
"Yeah," said Naruto his voice softer than usual, "It was ridiculously strong. Fū and I got really lucky that we weren't killed. That thing was out for blood."
In truth, luck didn't have anything to do with it. Naruto knew that. Fū knew that. Buneary probably knew that and that Scyther sure as hell knew that.
Naruto knew that what he did was highly out the realms of the ordinary. Jiraiya and Tsunade were rather physically strong, but even then they had their limits. Naruto also knew that their strength came about after some secret training for years on end.
"How did you take it out?" said Kiba and Naruto held back a cringe when he saw Yugao glance backwards, "I mean you only had Diva, Buneary and Naka. If this thing was as strong as you say–"
"Can we talk about something else please?" said Fū, "I barely even remember what happened. All I know is we almost died back there..."
Naruto may have only known Fū for a short while, but he was no idiot. The ordeal had been rather traumatic, but it was rather smart of her to embellish a bit. Neither of them felt comfortable with revealing what had happened back there much less around Yugao.
They needed to talk about it for sure and figure out just what the hell was going on, but for now, playing dumb would save them a load of headaches.
"Again, I'd like to apologise for that," said Yugao, and her tone was more casual than before, "I still need a statement from you, but I think it can wait. Teams have already been deployed to sweep the area for any high-level pokemon like that Scyther."
The apology from Yugao did a lot to dissolve the tension and soon a comfortable silence settled over the group. They walked in silence until they finally approached a break in the woods.
Kiba and Naruto took off running and they both ignored the shout of warning from Yugao. Naruto left Kiba in the dust and was fast approaching the open air.
The sunlight hit him and Naruto kept running full tilt until he realised just why Yugao had shouted after them.
They were on a cliff.
Naruto slid to a stop just before the edge, but Kiba didn't seem to realise the danger he was in and as he blew past Naruto he turned and shouted, "Tired already? See you in–Oh shit!"
Naruto had reached out in desperation and he was able to grab onto Kiba's hood before he jerked the other boy backed. Kiba's legs flew past him before he was finally pulled back in the direction of Naruto.
Their heads smashed into each other and they collapsed into a heap as they recovered from their near-fatal accident. Kiba rolled off of Naruto and they both cradled their heads as Fū and Yugao ran up to them.
"I thought I told you to not rush ahead when we started walking," chastised Yugao her Gallade next to her, "You could have been seriously hurt."
She was right. Yugao had taken them down one of the shortcuts used by the Konoha Patrollers. In his excitement, to leave the forest both Naruto and Kiba had not heeded her warning.
Luckily, Naruto had realised how they were running out of ground before he and Kiba plunged to their deaths.
"I know you're excited to make memories," said Yugao as she helped the two boys up, "Just remember that a dead man tells no tales. Now, are any of you afraid of heights."
When Yugao received no response from any of them, took out two pokeballs before releasing two massive Pidgeot. They both had saddles on them and towered over them all.
"These Pidgeot are some of the best fliers in Sanka," said Yugao as she climbed into a saddle, "We can fly from here to Konoha. The sooner you're in there, the safer you'll be."
"Why can't we teleport into Konoha again?" asked Kiba as he nervously looked at the bird pokemon, "Or maybe we can walk? There's still plenty of time left."
"There's a psychic barrier that prevents teleportation into Konoha," said Yugao, "Criminal syndicates like Yamata have been known to teleport into whichever city is in their sight. "
This was the perfect chance for Naruto to speak to Fū without making Kiba suspicious. With that in mind, he pushed Kiba towards Yugao, "If you're gonna be such a big baby about it then go with Yugao. She's probably your safest bet of landing."
"I'm not scared!" shouted Kiba trying to give off a sense of bravado that he lost almost immediately, "Whatever, I'll go with the scary lady. If I die I'll come back to haunt you, Naruto."
Yugao didn't seem to like the nickname Kiba had given her judging by her facial expression and she practically yanked Kiba onto the saddle.
"Hold on tight. "
Kiba had just gotten comfortable in the saddle and he only had a second to wrap his arms around Yugao before they took off in a burst of wind. Dust was kicked up from the speed of their takeoff and Kiba's voice was audible as he sped away.
"This is so awesome!"
Naruto smirked at Kiba's changed in attitude before turning to Fū who was already approaching the other Pidgeot.
"Look, Fū. About what happened with the Scy–"
"Have you always been able to do that?" said Fū as she cut Naruto off prompting the boy to shake his head rapidly.
"So that was the first time?"
Naruto nodded just as quickly.
"Okay," said Fū as she gestured towards the Pidgeot, "Let's catch up. We clearly don't know what happened back there, but we'll figure it out. For now, let's keep this between us. Not even Kiba can know."
"That's fine by me," said Naruto.
Naruto took that as their cue to leave and once he was firmly settled into the saddle he waited for Fū to get comfortable before looking down at the Pidgeot.
"Let's go!"
Nothing.
"Come on, Yugao is getting away!"
Nothing.
"Up up and away?"
Nothing.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? said Naruto to the Pidgeot who he could swear had a smirk right now, "Fine, be that way...Uh, Fly?"
Finally, the Pidgeot cooperated and Naruto had to brace himself as they zoomed up into the sky. Fū's arms tightened around him and they both let out a scream as the Pidgeot soared into the sky.
Suddenly, their rapid ascent halted and the two young trainers were able to regain their composure. Naruto was focused on getting his heart rate back down so it came as a surprise when he heard Fū gasp from behind him.
"Wow," said Fū and Naruto could see she was looking towards the ground, "It's massive. "
Naruto followed Fū's gaze and he was taken aback by the sheer scale of the city. Hulking walls rose from the ground and circled the entire city. Buildings of various sizes and shapes rose into the sky and even from this high they were able to watch as a swarm of people flitted from one place to another.
"We finally made it," said Fū and Naruto couldn't help, but smile.
"Here we come, Konoha!"
The headquarters of the Konoha Patrollers was a massive rectangular building that had a landing deck on top. Yugao and Kiba were already standing on the roof waiting for Naruto and Fū to land so when they did arrive Kiba was already in their face.
"What took you so long?" taunted the boy as he took in the windswept look both Naruto and Fū had, "Did you go slower because you're afraid of a little speed?"
"You wish," said Naruto as he and Fū climbed out the saddle, "Somebody just didn't want to take off at all... Are all Pidgeot that stubborn?"
The Pidgeot Naruto had flown in on seemed to be amused by this and nudged Naruto with its wing which sent him stumbling forward a few steps. Naruto did his level best to keep his cool as everyone on the roof, including Yugao, laughed at his misfortune.
"Okay," said Yugao once the laughter died down, "As you know, the Konoha Rookie Tournament is in a few weeks. This is quite the attraction and so accommodation will be hard to come by. However, due to your ordeal in the forest, the mayor has decided to place you in the Golden Palm Resort at no charge to you. See it as an apology for our sloppiness. "
"Alright!" said Kiba as he wrapped an arm around both Naruto and Fū, "You guys should get attacked by random pokemon more often. We could make a living off of this."
Naruto rolled his eyes before pulling Kiba's arm off of him. He pulled out his Ultradex and he was pleased to see that the Golden Palm was listed on the map.
"Let's go guys. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty hungry" said Naruto before taking a long hard look at Kiba, "Plus, someone needs a shower..."
"You guys smell just as bad as me!" shouted Kiba as he walked after Naruto and Fū, "We were in a forest for days! Where exactly was I supposed to freshen up? "
The trio of trainers was just about to enter the interior of the Patrol HQ when Yugao called out after them.
"The mayor wants to see you before you go," said Yugao before clarifying who she meant, "Yes, you blondie. I just got the message on my dex. It's only for a quick chat. Your friends will be escorted to the Golden Palm."
"See you guys later, I guess," said Naruto and after they exchanged goodbyes he watched Kiba and Fū get escorted by a man with a bandanna wrapped around his head, "What's this meeting about exactly? "
"It's not my place to say," said Yugao as she released Tsuki, "To the mayor's office. "
Naruto only had a few seconds to prepare as he felt Gallade lay a hand on him before his surroundings shifted. They were now outside a large building that had men and women in formal wear walking in and out of it.
"Right this way, kid," said Yugao as she recalled Tsuki once again. Naruto followed her as they entered the building and did his best to not react as they drew a couple of stares from the various people inside the building.
They eventually stopped in front of an elevator and Naruto did his best to act casual as he, Yugao and some suits travelled upwards in awkward silence. No one was looking at him directly instead they used the mirrors in the elevator to check out the kid who had no business here.
It was annoying.
"Could you guys please stop staring at me?" said Naruto to the others in the elevator, "I know I'm a kid, but this is getting really creepy."
That seemed to do the trick and the rest of the elevator ride was a lot more comfortable for Naruto as people did their level best to not look at him. The elevator slowly began to empty out until it was just Naruto and Yugao.
They only had one more level to go until they reached their destination. Yugao seemed highly amused by his earlier outburst, but Naruto kept a stoic facade until the elevator dinged.
Naruto followed Yugao as she took a few turns until finally, they came to a stop at a desk with a young lady sitting behind a computer. She was tapping away at the computer and didn't seem to notice them until Naruto cleared his throat rather obnoxiously.
"Can I help–Oh, hey Yugao. How's Hayate?" said the secretary as she looked at the other woman, "Has he popped the question yet?"
"Hey, 's been good and no he hasn't yet," said Yugao, "It takes a lot of dedication to open up a gym and we want to save up a bit more before moving back to Saisho to open a gym."
"I was talking about marriage..." said Suzume drily which caused Yugao to snap her fingers.
"Oh yeah, he proposed like six months ago. We're only getting married after we set the gym up though."
"Wait," said Naruto suddenly, "You're from Saisho too? Maybe you're not all bad."
"Whatever, kid," said Yugao before turning to Suzume, "The brat over here has an appointment with the Mayor. Is he free?"
Before Suzume could answer, the door to the mayor's office opened and two old men stepped out. One wore simple blue robes and walked with the aid of a stick while the other wore a vibrant red and had a rather large beard going on.
The difference between the two men was evident as the man with the walking stick simply nodded curtly before walking while the other (the mayor Naruto assumed) smiled at everyone else.
"Ah, Yugao-chan. You seem to be doing well," said the man whose face Naruto had a sneaking feeling he had seen before, "This must be the boy that got attacked in our forest. My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi and I'm the mayor of Konoha."
"Hello, uh, sir. My name is Naruto Uzumaki," said Naruto as he scratched the back of his neck, "Thank you for placing me and my friends in the resort. It really wasn't necessary."
"Nonsense," said Hiruzen waving it off, "It's my duty to ensure everyone within the jurisdiction of Konoha is safe. I'm glad you were able to come out unscathed. Now please, step into my office."
Naruto did just that as he followed the old man into his office. It was probably one of the fanciest places Naruto had ever had the pleasure of being in. Thick carpets were laid out on the floor. Shiny, expensive wood made up a majority of the furniture such as the wall-to-wall bookshelves and Hiruzen's desk.
There leather chairs on either side of the desk and as Hiruzen took his seat Naruto followed suit. There was silence in the air until Naruto broke it.
"Why do you look so familiar?" said Naruto, but he backtracked once he saw Hiruzen's eyebrow raise, "Uh, I just mean that I must have seen you somewhere before, but now I can't remember. "
Of all the responses Naruto expected he didn't expect the old man to chuckle deeply. Naruto sat in silence as Hiruzen got his chuckles out before saying, "I used to be the Champion of Sanka before I relinquished the title. I would have thought with your father being a former Champion you'd recognise me. Perhaps I am getting old..."
The realisation and embarrassment hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. Hiruzen was one of the greatest Trainers to have lived. He was renowned for having a wide variety of pokemon, but his ace was his Infernape.
It must have been years ago by now, but Naruto could recall watching a taped battle of Hiruzen's Infernape vs a former member of the Elite Four. Enma, if Naruto recalled correctly, had taken down four pokemon before falling to the opponent's ace.
Thankfully, Hiruzen didn't seem to be the type to be offended by not getting recognised and Naruto capitalised on that as he tried to change the topic.
"How do you know my father?" asked Naruto, "Is that why we got the rooms at the resort?"
That wasn't a bad thing per se (five-star accommodation was five-star accommodation) but Naruto didn't want to coast by on his parents' achievements. He was very proud of them, that was for sure, but he wanted his achievements to be his own.
He didn't want to be pandered or spoiled like he was some sort of royalty.
"No, it's nothing like that," chuckled Hiruzen, "It's standard procedure for anyone. I own the resort and if anyone encounters a similar issue then they too will receive the same treatment. It's the least we could do after all."
There was something about the old man that just made Naruto believe him. Sure he could be lying, but Naruto genuinely did not get that vibe from the mayor at all. He seemed like a good person.
"To answer your first question," said Hiruzen, "One of my apprentices adopted your father. I helped sort out the paperwork and everything. The other one of my students is your mother's aunt."
Naruto got what he meant immediately.
"You taught the hag and the pervert? Why am I only meeting you now?"
Hiruzen chuckled at Naruto's response before saying, "Yes, I did teach Tsunade and Jiraiya. I saw more of you as a baby, but soon your parents began to bounce around quite a bit and that coincided with my election as mayor. "
That also made sense. Konoha was one of the largest cities in Sanka so running it would take a decent chunk of one's time. That still didn't answer one thing.
"Why am I here?"
"Oh, I must apologise, " said Hiruzen as he began to tap away at his computer, "I completely forgot about that."
"Now, I understand you went to Saisho Academy, " Naruto nodded as Hiruzen tapped away at his computer, "I received a message from your sensei after we concluded the sensei exchange program about, an...anomaly with your Treecko...He said I should ask you about it myself once you were in Konoha."
That was not what Naruto expected at all. So Iruka had gotten in touch with the old man about Apollo knowing Aura Sphere. Was it really that big of a deal?
"Oh, you mean Apollo," said Naruto, "I was using him in my examination battle and he used Aura Sphere to win. It wasn't any of the moves he knew either. He just learnt it mid-battle."
"That is rather strange," mused Hiruzen "However, it isn't entirely unheard of. Apollo may have some fighting type lineage from the Jangmo-o line or even a Blastoise that knew the move."
"Movesets aren't as set in stone as people would like to believe, " said Hiruzen, "Take Technical Machines. Before it was assumed to be impossible for moves like Thunderbolt to be learnt by other types, but now various pokemon from Gardevoir to Rampardos that can learn it."
"That's not to say this isn't a unique case. Aura Sphere is rare amongst pokemon and I've never heard of a pokemon picking up a move outside of its move and egg set while in battle," said Hiruzen.
"I wouldn't worry too much though," said Hiruzen as he sensed Naruto's uneasiness, "Movesets are just very accurate guesses at what moves pokemon learn. Theoretically, any move can be taught to any pokemon except for those centred around specific organs."
That was the best news Naruto could have heard. Aura Sphere was an awesome move and to hear that Apollo knowing it wasn't that odd was great to hear. If anything, this boosted Naruto's mood considerably as his plan for his niche solidified into something tangible.
"Take this," said Hiruzen as he handed Naruto a card, "Add me into your pokedex and should any issues arise with Apollo in the future let me know. Now, run along. If you're anything like your parents you must be itching to practice for the tournament."
Naruto thanked Hiruzen for his card before leaving his office. Yugao was waiting for him, Suzume's desk was empty, and she turned to him as he closed the door behind him.
"Where to now?" asked Yugao, "The hotel or the Trainer Hall?"
There was only one logical answer to that.
"Okay guys," said Naruto as he stood in front of his pokemon, "We've got the hall for the next 90 minutes so get ready to work."
Only Apollo and Diva gave a verbal response while Shinobi nodded minutely. Thankfully, Diva hadn't been too hurt by the Scyther and a Super Potion had fixed her up in no time.
"Diva, you'll be the target for Apollo. Apollo, you'll be Shinobi's target and Shinobi you'll be Diva's target."
Naruto had to wonder if he made a mistake as Diva looked eager to begin once she heard who her target was. This didn't seem to bother Shinobi who was still waiting for orders.
"Apollo, let's begin with you," said Naruto, "Diva, you can use any move in your repertoire, but this is more about building Apollo up not beating him down."
Once it was clear that they were on the same page, Diva took to the air where she awaited Apollo's first attack.
"Aura Sphere!"
A sphere of blue energy slowly took shape in Treecko's hands. Naruto frowned as he took in how much slower Apollo was at using Aura Sphere. It took about three seconds longer than the last time before it was finally ready.
The blue sphere rocked towards Diva at a high speed, but in a fantastic display, she twirled around it and flew towards Apollo with the added speed from Quick Attack.
"Dodge it."
Naruto was pleasantly surprised when Apollo used Quick Attack to boost his speed on his own volition. This allowed him to comfortably avoid Diva's charge as he came to a stop on the wall.
"Use Pound!"
Treecko's tail glowed with white light as he leapt after Diva who had just exited Quick Attack. His tail slammed into the bird who was sent sailing to the ground. Treecko was soaring after Starly and Naruto grinned as an idea popped into his head.
"Use Pursuit then boost it with Quick Attack!"
At first, Naruto was worried Apollo wouldn't understand, but it was all for nought as blackish energy trailed behind Apollo before it morphed into a greyish colour.
Apollo turned into a streak of green and grey as he rocketed after Diva who had just slammed into the ground. From this close-up, Naruto was able to see Diva's eyes flash white before she began to move.
She seemed to sense the danger she was in despite facing away from Apollo and she tried to take to the skies. Unfortunately, her reaction was a bit too late and Apollo smashed into her headfirst just as she took off.
Dust was kicked up and the impact echoed around the room as Diva let out a shriek of pain. Naruto had a few Super Potions at the ready, but he worried for nothing as a bruised, but healthy Diva.
Apollo was also fine, but he seemed rather caught up with the combination move they had just pulled off. Naruto was sure Apollo had held back quite a bit, but it was clear that their new move had some real firepower.
"That was awesome, Apollo!" shouted Naruto, "We'll call that...Dark Comet!"
That was a totally badass name. Fū, Diva and Kiba were so wrong about his naming skills and judging by Apollo's reaction –the name was just as great as Naruto thought it was.
"You okay, Diva?" inquired Naruto and he received an adamant squawk from the Flying-type, "Alright, Diva. Swap out with Shinobi."
Diva puffed her chest out before she smoothly landed out of the firing zone. Shinobi looked as professional as ever and once Apollo confirmed he was ready Naruto gave his first order to Shinobi.
It was an interesting fight to be sure as Apollo and Shinobi fought very similarly despite their stark differences. They were fragile but agile and truth be told they were better off attacking at a distance.
Diva excelled up close, but she had the same problem from distance. It would take time, but Naruto hoped he could teach them moved that counter their deficiencies in the meanwhile.
He had the TM for Double Team and he'd use that on Apollo and Shinobi soon enough. Diva already knew it and she took great pleasure as she watched Shino miss Water Pulse after Water Pulse as he tried to pick her out from her clones.
Diva had gotten her revenge as she nearly ended the fight with a Quick Attack and Wing Attack combo that was inspired by Apollo's Dark Meteor. Diva loaded up another one of her new combo (Naruto still needed to think of a name for it) and Shinobi stood still seemingly too tired to move.
Or at least that was what Naruto thought until Shinobi's right arm began to glow a fierce red. Diva wasn't fazed and she continued with her attack even as Shinobi reared his arm back.
There was a simultaneous screech of effort before Diva smashed headlong into Shinobi's new attack – Power-Up Punch if Naruto was right. Unfortunately, for Shinobi though he missed Diva's body and her wings smashed into his chest before sending him flying.
Shinobi smashed into the wall opposite Naruto and the red glow from his arm faded as Diva celebrated her victory/revenge. Naruto recalled Shinobi before letting him out as he began to apply the Super Potion onto the injured pokemon.
Naruto had to apply a liberal amount before finally, Shinobi's wounds began to fade. He'd probably still feel the ache for a few more hours, but he'd be alright by tomorrow.
"Great fight, guys," said Naruto and he grinned as Shinobi looked a bit put out by his loss, "We're going to keep working on our moves before the tournament. It won't be easy, but by the time the tournament rolls around we're gonna walk into the finals."
That seemed to cheer everyone up and Naruto recalled the exhausted Diva and Shinobi. Apollo had decided to stay out his pokeball due to being fresh and so Naruto decided to explore the battlefields as he left the training halls behind.
The Trainer Hall was split into two sections. It had multiple rooms just like the one Naruto had used for trainers to work exclusively on new moves. These moves could weather a lot of damage but weren't quite big enough to battle in.
The other section had a series of rings with a viewing gallery. This allowed people to have a bird's eye view of each field. The fields were separated by walls, but one could travel from one field to the other when using the viewing gallery.
Naruto heard a commotion coming from the direction of the fields and so he ran up the stairs to see what all the fuss was about. It turned out to be all for nought, though, as Naruto arrived at the battle that had a bevvy of spectators a little too late.
There was a boy with black hair and black eyes in white shorts and a blue shirt that held a shrunken pokeball in his hand. He was standing opposite a distraught looking trainer who was standing over a burnt Pidgey that was clearly unconscious.
There seemed to be quite an enthusiastic group of girls that were all shouting over each other. Naruto thought about approaching a pretty girl with pink hair, but he shot that idea down when she began to argue with some random blonde girl.
In the end, he settled for asking a rather chubby boy who was eating a packet of chips. He seemed friendly enough and was not flipping out like a lot of the others in the room.
"Hey," said Naruto, "What the hell just happened?"
"Oh, you mean this?" said the boy, "Sasuke over there just crushed Akanji 3–0. He didn't even swap pokemon or anything. It was embarrassing. I don't think Akanji is happy about that."
Naruto leaned on the railing as he looked at this Sasuke. He didn't seem overly impressed with his feat and instead said something to Akanji who didn't take whatever it was well. Akanji recalled his Pidgey before walking past Sasuke and bumping him with his shoulder.
"Clearly, " snorted Naruto, "Oh yeah, my name's Naruto. I'm here for the Rookie Tournament. What about you?"
"Nice to meet ya. Name's Chouji," said the other boy, "I'm going to enter the tournament too. I don't think I'll win though. Sasuke is in too and I don't think anyone's got a better shot at it than him."
"What's so special about him?"
"He's from the Uchiha family," said Chouji as he opened up another bag of chips, "I'm sure you've heard of them. The illustrious history of successful Trainers and makers of TMs. That's all standard though. Sasuke is the brother of the Champion. "
That threw Naruto for a loop. Itachi Uchiha was one of the youngest Champions ever and he was shockingly good. He had crushed Rasa, one of the former Elite Four, in a full battle. That was the first time an S-class got swept by another S-class in ages.
"I guess that would explain his popularity, " said Naruto as he gestured over to the girls and boys that were now calling out Sasuke's name, "Is it always like this?"
"Unfortunately, " said Chouji, "Sasuke has been spending a lot of time battling this week. He just stays here for a few hours every day and battles before leaving. He's gunning to win."
"Sasuke Uchiha, huh?"
The excitement was already bubbling in Naruto's veins. This is what he was talking about. He wanted to battle against people like Sasuke. The cream of the crop. If his pokemon weren't so tired he'd take that offer up now, but for now, he'd wait.
He'd practice his new moves and battle whoever he could until the Tournament. Once he reached the Tournament then he was going to meet Sasuke and beat him in front of his fans.
"Chouji?" said a girl's voice, "Where's Shikamaru? We need to start practising now that Sasuke is leaving."
True to the girl's words, Sasuke was walking up the stairs to the gallery. Luckily, he was on the opposite end of the field which was empty and he was able to avoid his 'fans' and slip out quickly.
"Who's this guy?" said the girl and Naruto turned to see the blonde girl from earlier, "Did you go to the Konoha Academy too? I swear I've seen your face before."
Naruto shook his head as he held out his hand, "I'm kinda new to town. I'm Naruto and I was just seeing what all the fuss was. That Sasuke guy seems pretty good."
"He's the best," said the girl, "My friend and I were going to do a double battle with Chouji and someone else, but it seems like the lazy ass ditched us. Damn Naras. My name's Ino by the way."
Naruto was about to respond to Ino, but he realised that he couldn't feel the usual weight of Apollo around his neck. Naruto scanned the room rapidly until he saw the cute girl from earlier kneeling to speak with an exuberant Apollo.
"Hang on a sec," said Naruto as he walked over to the girl, "Apollo, you had me worried. You really shouldn't bother random strangers."
"It's alright, " said the girl, "He's really sweet. A bit hyper, but that's not too bad. Judging by his bruises, you guys must have been working hard. Are you entering the Tournament too?"
"Sakura!" shouted Ino as she stood next to Chouji, "We need to find Shikamaru before we get kicked off our field! Come on!"
"I gotta go," said Sakura as she rolled her eyes, "It was nice meeting you..."
"Naruto."
"Nice meeting you, Naruto," said Sakura, "You should come out to train with us or for lunch or something. Konoha is a big place and can get lonely. We'll be here pretty much every day until the Tournament so I guess I'll see you around."
"Forehead! Finish up already!"
"Shut up, pig! Can't you see I'm busy?" shouted Sakura with a ferocity that disappeared rapidly, "I gotta go! See you around, Apollo and Naruto."
Sakura was running after Ino and Chouji and Naruto simply settled to wave them goodbye before heading to the hotel. The three people he'd met were pretty cool all-round and he'd really like to take them up on that offer for lunch. Maybe he could bring Fū and Kiba along too...
Or maybe just Fū. Naruto had a feeling Ino and Kiba would mix like oil and water. Ino being rather bossy and loud and Kiba being Kiba would make that a match made in hell.
Maybe he ought to invite Kiba along after all. He needed some entertainment too, you know.
There was a large swarm of people outside the Trainer Hall as Naruto, Fū and Kiba fought their way to the front. The Konoha tournament was set to begin and apparently, there was some sort of issue with the organisation of the tournament.
"Are you sure what that Sakura girl said was right?" asked Fū as the trio finally reached the front of the crowd, "Why the hell would they give us so much time to prepare, but only tell us there are preliminaries the day before?"
"Beats me," said Naruto as he watched a woman with spiky, purple hair come out on the raised platform outside the Hall.
"Everyone shut the hell up!"
The woman's loud voice immediately silenced everyone and she scratched the back of her neck in some form of delayed embarrassment.
"Huh, you guys actually listened...now I feel bad," said the woman before recovering from her embarrassment immediately, "Anyways, my name is Anko Mitarashi and there's been a change of plans. We've decided to host three rounds of double battles to cut down the competition. A lot more people than usual signed up for the competition so we're looking to separate the wheat from the chaff."
"At last check, there's close to 260 of you, but there's only space for 32 in the final tournament," said Anko drawing an uproar from the crowd, "If you want to blame anyone, blame the other big cities for not organising anything this year! Be glad you're in it at all, we had to turn away like 500 late entrees. Anyways, you'll all receive a message on your pokedex about who your partner is and when your battle is. "
"When are we going to get those messages?" shouted a random voice from the back.
Anko pulled back her sleeve and despite there being no watch she stared at it intently. She looked away and raised her other hand before pointing down.
"Right about now."
No sooner than that did a chorus of beeps emanate from the crowd. Naruto, Kiba and Fū all took out their pokedex, but neither of them looked at it yet.
"Finally, " said Anko looking rather pleased with herself, "All three battles are right after the other so conserve energy in your fights."
"Who's going first?" said Naruto and Kiba rose to the challenge as he flipped his open.
"I'm not a coward like you two. I'll check–Who the hell is Shino Aburame?" said Kiba, "He better not suck. I don't want to get knocked out before the final round."
Fū was the next to bite the bullet and she too seemed surprised as she said, "Hinata Hyūga? Aren't the Hyūga that family company that mines for evolutionary stones?"
"Yeah," said Kiba as he took a look at the picture of Hinata, "She's cute. And rich probably. Hey Fū, wanna swap partners?"
Fū pushed Kiba away which drew a laugh from the boy and Naruto took the chance to see who his partner was. It was a girl with blonde hair and a rather serious expression on her face. What drew his attention though was what her hometown supposedly was.
"My partner's from Kumo," said Naruto silencing the other two, "That's far in the east of Sanka. Why'd anyone come all the way here from there? Oh shit! My battle's in a half-hour. I'm on Field 11 if you guys want to catch our battle! Ok, bye!"
Naruto ran off and as Kiba and Fū watched him stuff away his dex, Kiba said, "I don't know about you, but I'm going to watch Naruto's battle. Maybe I'd learn something new. See you in a bit, Fū."
Kiba then began to fight his way through the crowd leaving Fū behind. If he hadn't been in such a rush to leave then maybe he would have seen how Fū seemed to deflate upon being left alone.
"Okay, Fū. Let's go find this rich girl."
And then she'd go to Naruto's battle. A little reconnaissance would probably go a long way.
Naruto was freaking out. His partner was nowhere to be seen and their battle started in ten minutes. He didn't want to lose because his partner was late.
Kiba would never let him live it down.
Another five minutes passed and Naruto had to hold back a sigh as his first opponents began to goad him.
"Hey, ref," said one of the boys, Ito, to the proctor, "Can't we just disqualify this chump already? He's gonna lose anyways. Suirou and I have bigger fish to fry."
"Yeah," added Suirou, "Look at him. I'll bet he sucks."
That was the bit that pushed over the edge. Naruto was about to blow when he heard rapid steps down the staircase behind him. He turned around and he was surprised to see his partner her face red with exertion.
"I am so sorry!" said the girl as she held up a pokeball, "My pokemon were still at the pokecenter and it was a pile-up! I'm not late, right?"
"You just made it," said the proctor, "One trainer from each side will send out their pokemon. The order will be displayed on that screen."
"Oh thank goodness," said the girl before she turned towards Naruto, "Hey, I'm Yugito. You're Naruto, right? Sorry about being late. I almost costed you."
"Woo!" shouted Kiba and Naruto and Yugito turned to see him with Fū and their partners, "Crush these punks, Naruto!"
Naruto rolled his eyes at the spectacle Kiba was making, "Yeah, that's me. Anyways, don't worry about it. We need to come up with a plan for this. I'll handle the physical attacks and you bring the distance. Is that okay?"
"Fine by me," said Yugito as she enlarged one of her pokeballs, "Matatabi will blow these chumps away."
"The order has been revealed, " said the proctor, "Suirou, Yugito, Ito then Naruto. Release your pokemon."
Suirou seemed to curse his luck before he released his pokemon. There was a flash of light before a Bulbasaur was released. Yugito seemed to have recovered and she let out her pokemon.
The flash died down and Naruto was surprised to see an Eevee with a rich, brown coat. The Eevee seemed to barely be aware of where it was and Naruto blinked as he watched it curl into a little ball.
"Mata-chan!" shouted Yugito causing the Eevee to perk up, "You can sleep later! We've got a battle."
Mata-chan, as Yugito called her, rose to her feet and stretched it's body out. Naruto had to admit he was having doubts about this, but that washed away as he heard the voice of Ito echo across the field.
"How cute, a little Eevee," said Ito as he held up a Great Ball, "This won't even be a challenge. Go, Cacnea!"
The second Naruto saw the grass type get released he knew immediately who he was going to use. Whether his opponents had conferenced with each other or not, he didn't know, but they had just made a big mistake.
"Let's go, Diva!"
Diva let out a screech as she flew up to top and as she came level with the viewing gallery, Naruto had the pleasure of hearing Kiba's incredulity at the sight of her.
"Diva's gotten huge!" said Kiba as he looked at the Starly, "She can't be too far away from evolving now. You really took that training seriously, hey Naruto?"
"An overgrown Starly won't help you!" shouted Ito and there was a buzzer as the battle began, "Cacnea, use Poison Sting on that bird."
Cacnea raised its arms before a flurry of needles were shot at Diva. It wasn't much of an issue for Diva, though, as she evaded the attack without any input from Naruto.
"Nice, Diva!" shouted Naruto drawing a chirp from the bird.
"Mata-chan use Swift on that Bulbasaur!"
Mata-chan leapt into action as she reared back before golden stars formed around her. The second she dropped back down, the stars were sent sailing towards the Bulbasaur.
"Dodge it, Saur!"
That was the wrong thing to do. Ito seemed to realise this as he turned away from the battle to yell at his partner.
"Swift doesn't miss, you idiot!"
They were about to devolve into an argument, but they stopped when they heard Naruto's voice give out an order.
"Wing Attack!"
Diva realised who her target was without fuss and she let out a screech as she sped towards a static Cacnea. Ito panicked at the sight and tried to shout out an order.
"Pin Miss–"
He was cut off as Diva smashed into the Cacnea and sent it sprawling towards Bulbasaur. Thongs turned from bad to worse for them as both pokemon wiped out before Mata-chan's Swift slammed into them.
"Diva, Quick Wing!"
Diva flew back up before she blurred away. There was a trail of white light behind her that faded as she smashed into the dazed Cacnea and Bulbasaur. Both pokemon were sent tumbling head over heel before they smashed into the wall.
"Bulbasaur and Cacnea are unable to battle!" said the proctor, "Naruto and Yugito win!"
Diva flew back down to Naruto and she landed on his forearm as he rubbed her neck, "You did great, Diva. Are you up for more?"
Diva nodded in the affirmative and Naruto thanked her again before recalling her. He turned to Yugito to see her doing the same to Matatabi.
"Good battle," said Yugito, "Hopefully, I'll be more helpful in our next fight."
"I only took the lead because Diva had the type advantage," said Naruto, "We need to wrap these battles up as soon as we can. Besides, I don't think Diva would let me live it down if I didn't use her."
Yugito laughed, but it was cut short as another team began to make their way down the stairs. The preamble to the battle was quicker than before, but the actual battle was faster.
They were both fortunate with the matchups and they both used Mata-chan and Diva to beat a Meowth and Bellsprout. This time the battle had ended with an Iron Tail to the Meowth and a forfeit from the other trainer.
Through it all, Kiba was cheering them on and when their final battle came and went by the boy was practically bursting with energy. Therefore, it was a let down when they received word that they were getting a bye into the Final Tournament.
"What do you mean they get a bye?" shouted Kiba from the top, "That's unfair! I want a bye! Isn't that right, Shino?"
Shino only seemed to adjust his glasses before shaking his head in the negative, "It's futile to argue further, Kiba. Why you might ask? We have not heard the reasoning behind this decision. Perhaps the explanation will allow us to understand this course of action."
"Why do you speak so funny? Aren't you like 13?"
Shino chose not to respond and the proctor seemed to calm down at Kiba's attention being drawn away. He turned to Yugito and Naruto and said, "You weren't supposed to have a bye, but your opponents instigated a fight with one of the other competitors. They challenged him in-between fights and all their pokemon were knocked out."
"They both lost to one guy?" said Yugito, "Who the hell was that guy?"
"Sasuke Uchiha," said Naruto drawing a nod from the proctor, "He's really good. There was a line of Trainers wanting to fight him over the past few weeks."
"Well, I guess we should thank him for clearing the path," said Yugito as she began to walk up the stairs, "Introduce me to your friends. They seem nice."
Kiba, Fū and their partners had decided to meet them halfway and it was a flurry of activity as they introduced each other. It turns out that Hinata and Shino already knew each so that made things a lot easier.
Shino was reserved and very formal. A stark contrast to Kiba, but Naruto had the feeling they would gel well with each other in battle. Hinata, on the other hand, was quiet. Extremely quiet.
She only ever spoke when spoken to and even then her voice wasn't loud at all. She still seemed like a good person, though if not a little weird, but it was a good type of weird.
Overall, it made for a blast as they watched everyone progress to the final stage. Akamaru and Shino's Bulbasaur (who was significantly stronger than Suirou's Bulbasaur) and Naka seemed to gel just as well with Hinata's Mienfoo.
Both teams had cleaned house amidst jubilant support from Naruto, Kiba and Yugito. Once they were all done, they had decided to catch a meal before the seedings for the final tournament being announced via their pokedex.
"I feel so weird," said Yugito as she wrapped an arm around Fū, "We're the only two not from the general area. It's so unfair Kumo cancelled their rookie tournament. None of my friends wanted to come with me here."
"Tell them to catch you on TV," said Naruto as he watched Fū slowly move Yugito's arm off her shoulder, "How rich is Konoha anyways? I can't believe they can afford to broadcast this."
"I don't know and I don't care," said Kiba as he cut into his meat, "All I know is a lot of people are going to witness my awesomeness."
"It's gonna for people to 'witness your awesomeness', once I knock you out the tournament," said Naruto making the gesture for air quotes which drew a couple of laughs from the crowd.
"I really want to face you now," said Kiba amidst the laughs, "That goes for all of you laughing at me! "
The volume of laughs rose even more at that and even Hinata seemed to be struggling to keep her composure. Even Kiba couldn't help, but smile as the laughs wore him down. Before anyone could add anything though, they were snapped out of their laughter by the sound of their pokedexs going off."
"The draws are out," said Naruto as he read the notification, "We need to report to the Stadium at 10 AM tomorrow. "
Tournament Bracket:
- Match 1: Naruto Uzumaki vs Gin Akari
- Match 2: Chouji Akimichi vs Sara
- Match 3: Shino Aburame vs Kin Tsuchi
- Match 4: Tai vs Sekka
- Match 5: Fū vs Sasame Fuma
- Match 6: Hinata Hyūga vs Idate Morino
- Match 7: Yugito Nii vs Ami
- Match 8: Ibara vs Atari
- Match 9: Shikamaru Nara vs Misumi Tsurugi
- Match 10: Hoshi vs Hitomi
- Match 11:Ino Yamanaka vs Yoroi Akado
- Match 12:Kiba Inuzuka vs Sakura Haruno
- Match 13: Kata vs Hiru
- Match 14: Tojurin vs Fukira
- Match 15: Sasuke vs Zaku Abumi
- Match 16: Dosu Kinuta vs Yoshi
=End Session=
- Match 17: Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 2
- Match 18: Winner of Match 3 vs Winner of Match 4
- Match 19: Winner of Match 5 vs Winner of Match 6
- Match 20: Winner of Match 7 vs Winner of Match 8
- Match 21: Winner of Match 9 vs Winner of Match 10
- Match 22: Winner of Match 11 vs Winner of Match 12
- Match 23: Winner of Match 13 vs Winner of Match 14
- Match 24: Winner of Match 15 vs Winner of Match 16
=End Session=
[Day Session]
- Quarter-finals 1: Winner of Match 17 vs Winner of Match 18
- Quarter-finals 2: Winner of Match 19 vs Winner of Match 20
- Quarter-finals 3: Winner of Match 21 vs Winner of Match 22
- Quarter-finals 4: Winner of Match 23 vs Winner of Match 24
[Night Session]
- Semi-final 1: Winner of Quarter-finals 1 vs Winner of Quarter-finals 2
- Semi-final 2: Winner of Quarter-finals 3 vs Winner of 4
=End Session=
Third vs Fourth: Loser of Semi-final 1 vs Loser of Semi-final 2
Final: Winner of Semi-final 1 vs Winner of Semi-final 2
Coronation Ceremony
"So we're only going to have one battle a day?" said Naruto as they all looked at the chart.
"That's what it looks like," said Kiba, "There are no rest days except for between the semis and the final, though."
"That sucks," said Yugito, "Looks like I'll have to go through at least two of you here to get to the final. Easy as pie."
"We'll see about that," said Naruto as he lifted his gaze from his screen, "I hope we can still be friends after my team knocks down those of you in my way. So Shino, Hinata, Fū and Yugito you better get ready to lose."
That didn't go down well will the aforementioned trainers and soon lighthearted arguments began to bubble up around the table. Even though it was lighthearted, everyone knew tomorrow was the first big step in their career.
They would not drop the ball on this one.
"Come on, Diva!" shouted Naruto as he stared up at the bird. The roar of the stadium invigorated him and spurred him on as he gave his answer.
"Wing Attack!"
Diva dove down towards the poor Bellsprout that was caught in her sights and there was a groan throughout the stadium as it was sent flying by her attack. Diva flew back towards Naruto and he smiled as he read the score on the big monitor.
"Bellsprout is unable to battle," said Anko's voice over the speakers, "The winner of this match by 3 points to nil from Saisho Town is Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto crouched down and petted Diva as she basked in the praise raining down from the crowd. Gin's team hadn't been equipped to deal with a speedy opponent like Diva and she had blown through his entire team.
"Thanks, Diva," said Naruto as he rose to his feet, "You were awesome."
Diva seemed to twitch slightly before a blinding white light emanated from her body. Naruto couldn't look away as Diva's body grew taller and sleeker. Finally, the light died down and Naruto smiled as he took in Diva's evolved form.
"How are you feeling?" asked Naruto and the newly-evolved Staravia chirped back almost immediately obviously delighted with her evolution.
"Let's head back up to the booth," said Naruto as he decided to let Diva stretch out her new form, "Fly up there, I'll be right up."
Diva took off and almost lazily flew towards the booth. The crowd seemed enamoured by her grace as she flew over their heads. Naruto shook his head as he made his way to the staircase.
He was almost bowled over by Chouji who was practically running down the stairs. The other boy didn't stop moving as he waved at Naruto.
"Well done, Naruto! See you in the next round!"
Naruto shook his head at Chouji's antics, but he put it out of his mind as he made his way to the competitor's booth. He finally reached it and once he opened the door he was greeted with a few whistles and cheers.
"Not bad," said Kiba once he sat down next to him, "That poor chump. Diva took his team for a ride. "
Naruto was about to respond, but he felt someone's eyes on him. He looked towards the direction and he was surprised to meet Sasuke's eyes. The boy gave stared at him for a few seconds before turning his attention to Chouji's fight.
"What a creep," said Kiba as he noticed the stare-off, "He's probably trying to psych you out. Don't let him get to you."
"You're probably right."
Naruto put Sasuke out of his mind as he turned to the battles that were ahead. Some of them were close but were of a rather mediocre level while others were far apart. The only genuinely, interesting fight was between Kiba and Sakura.
Kiba ending up winning 3-1, but it was still a hot contest. Sakura's Chikorita beat Kiba's Drilbur but was then beaten by Yari. Yari also took down Sakura's Meditite before Akamaru beat Sakura's Mincinno.
Fū had only needed to use Naka and Chōmei to beat her opponent and the same stood for Yugito (who had revealed a Shinx called Jibashi as her second pokemon), Shino who used a Spinarak and Turtwig and surprisingly enough Shikamaru. The boy had used his Cyndaquil and Nuzleaf to great effect and had completely crushed his opponent.
As it stood, Naruto was the only one who had used just one of his pokemon. He had been hoping to push Diva over the edge as she was the closest of his team to evolving and it had finally paid off.
The session was almost over as Sasuke made his way to the bottom. The introductions were done and finally, the battle began.
"Go, Chespin!" shouted Zaku as he released his pokemon, "Let's do this thing!"
Sasuke took out a pokeball and without a word, he released his pokemon. Naruto raised a brow as he took in the sight.
"A Fletchinder?" said Yugito, "Things are really gonna heat up, hey?"
Silence.
"That sucked and you know it," said Kiba which seemed to crush Yugito's spirit, "Don't be like that. It sucked. Ask anyone here."
Naruto felt like throttling Kiba as Yugito looked at him instead of answering though he simply pointed at the screen, "It's about to kick off."
This seemed to work as Zaku gave his first order to Chespin.
"Come back, Chespin."
Zaku recalled the pokemon which drew jeers from the crowd. That seemed to annoy him slightly, but he ignored it as he let out his second pokemon.
"Come on out, Noibat."
A small bat-like pokemon was revealed surprising the majority of the remaining competitors. Naruto raised a brow as he scanned the pokemon with his dex as he had with pretty much every pokemon.
"Noibat are only found deep in caves," said Naruto as he looked at its entry, "I don't think this one is that strong though. It looks way too young."
"Use Supersonic on that bird."
"Inari, Protect!"
A sphere of green energy surrounded Sasuke's Fletchinder, Inari, and the sound waves passed over it harmlessly. Once the attack was done, Sasuke's next attack echoed over the speakers.
"Flame Charge!"
Inari was wrapped in a cocoon of flames before it sped towards Noibat. It covered the distance between them rapidly before ploughing into Noibat. Noibat was sent hurtling to the ground burnt and dazed and it kicked up a large amount of dust once it crashed.
The dust cleared to reveal that Noibat was unconscious and an annoyed Zaku recalled Noibat immediately. Zaku seemed rather annoyed as he let out his next pokemon, a Mankey.
"Tough break," said Naruto drawing a grim nod from Kiba, "This match is over."
"Mankey, use–"
Zaku was cut off as Inari slammed into his Mankey. The Aerial Ace was super effective and unfortunately for Zaku, his Mankey was already down for the count.
"Fast," said Naruto which made Fū speak up from her spot near to him.
"It's because it's a Fletchinder," said Fū drawing a nod of understanding from Naruto, "The Talonflame line tend to be some of the fastest at learning and using flying type moves. They even pick up powerful moves like Brave Bird and Hurricane up to three times as quick as your average flying type."
"There's no chance for him," said Naruto and the silence in the booth was deafening, "This Sasuke guy is good."
It was with a heavy heart that Zaku let out his Chespin. The boy seemed angry and overwhelmed as he took in the sight of Inari waiting on its next order.
"Forfeit now," said Sasuke to Zaku, "You're only putting your pokemon at risk."
Zaku didn't even seem to consider Sasuke's words as he shouted out an order, "Pin Missile!"
White spikes of energy formed on Chespin's back before they were sent flying towards Inari. Sasuke didn't seem bothered by this as he pointed towards the Chespin.
"Protect then Skyfire."
The green barrier protected Inari from any danger before it ascended high into the sky. Inari reversed course and red fire formed across its body before it morphed into a shining white.
The attack slammed into Chespin and a Sphere of flames emanated from the collision. Chespin hadn't even had time to dodge and its cry was heard throughout the stadium.
Inari flew back from the explosion looking tired, but ready to go. It was unnecessary though as the flames parted to show a burnt Chespin. Zaku recalled his pokemon and walked out of the arena as an announcement came over the speakers.
"Winner by 3 points to none, Sasuke Uchiha from Konoha!"
The applause from the crowd was louder and stronger than it had been throughout the entire day. It took a lot of people back and the last two trainers for the day seemed rattled. Yoshi seemed to have lost his composure and he relayed his retirement from the tournament once he got down to the bottom.
This shocked everyone and Kiba seemed to be amongst the most displeased by this, "Coward! You suck! I bet you weren't even gonna face Sasuke! What a loser!"
"Kiba," said Shino quietly, "I'd suggest you calm. Why? You've seemed to draw the attention of the audience."
True to Shino's words, the members of the audience closest to their booth were giving Kiba the stink eye. Kiba shrunk away from the glares and said, "What? I was just saying what was on everyone's mind..."
No one bothered to correct him and they all jumped as the door opened to reveal Sasuke. The boy walked as if he hadn't just had a magnificent fight and retook his seat from earlier.
"That's it for today, folks!" said Anko's voice as a graphic came up on the screen, "Here are the matches lined up for tomorrow."
- Match 17: Naruto Uzumaki vs Chouji Akimichi
- Match 18: Shino Aburame vs Sekka
- Match 19: Fū vs Hinata Hyūga
- Match 20: Yugito Nii vs Ibara
- Match 21: Shikamaru vs Hitomi
- Match 22: Ino Yamanaka vs Kiba Inuzuka
- Match 23: Kata vs Fukira
- Match 24: Sasuke Uchiha vs Dosu
"Where's Ino?" said Kiba, "Oh yeah she didn't come back up after her fight. It's just as well. She's about to get crushed."
"Things are getting personal, " said Naruto as he stared at Chouji, "Let's have a good fight, Chouji. Whatever happens we leave it all on the field, deal?"
"Fine by me," said Chouji as he ate a packet of chips, "I hope you're this happy after you lose."
"Hey, can we talk?" said Fū as she ignored the playful banter that was flowing amongst the competitors even as they began to file out the room.
"What's wrong?" said Naruto, but it only drew a shake of the head from Fū.
"At the hotel," clarified Fū, "It's kinda important."
"Sure," said Naruto a bit hesitantly, "We can speak right after we get some supper."
"Thanks," said Fū and she seemed to hesi6for a bit before walking towards Hinata who seemed quite shellshocked by the draw.
"What was that about?" said Naruto to himself before he felt a familiar feeling run over him. He looked behind him and lo and behold there was Sasuke.
Naruto stopped walking as he stared at the other trainer. The hallway emptied out as the other competitors walked on leaving the two behind.
"See something you like?" said Naruto as he grew irritated by the boy's intense gaze.
"You're an Uzumaki, " said Sasuke, "Are you related to Kushina Uzumaki?"
"Yeah," said Naruto, "She's my mother. What's it to you?"
"That means your dad is Minato Namikaze," said Sasuke, "You look just like him. The Champion that made my brother Champion."
"Is there a point to this?" said Naruto as he looked at Sasuke.
"You're good," said Sasuke, "You can be better if you stop fooling around with your friends. They're only distractions."
"They're not distractions," said Naruto as he felt his hands ball into fists, "I don't need you to tell me how to train and what not to do. If you think you're so great then prove it tomorrow. "
"Fine by me," said Sasuke as he trudged off with his hands in his pocket, "I'll see you in the finals."
Naruto was left alone in the hallway. Despite his bravado, he felt that maybe Sasuke had a point. He had spent a lot of time preparing for the tournament, but a lot of that time had also been spent with Kiba and the Konohans he had met. Fū had been a bit distant which had driven him to spend more time away from the hotel.
Maybe Sasuke was right? Did he spend too much time fretting over his friends? Even now he was wondering what Fū wanted to speak to him about. Was it good or bad? Did he say–
Naruto slapped himself as he prevented himself from overthinking, "He's just trying to get in your head...and he's doing a great job of it. "
Naruto shook his head a bit and that seemed to do the trick. Sasuke was wrong. His parents had made friends throughout their journey and look where they were now. If anything, Sasuke needed friends.
"I'll show him," said Naruto, "He's good, but that doesn't scare me."
It honestly didn't. Naruto had full faith in his team to get the win over the line. It was just the first of many challenges that they would overcome.
"Rest up guys," said Naruto as he ran his fingers over his team's pokeballs, "We've got a long few days ahead of us."
NOTICE:
As you can see in the tournament, there are 5 OCs. I've thought of pokemon for all the actual characters and so those of you that are interested can send a PM of some proposed teams for the OCs.
Nothing ridiculous. They don't need to have a typical starter so don't let that restrict you. I might not be able to use them all, but I'll keep them in mind for future use.
Author Notes:
Thanks for the response to this. It's great to see so many of you are enjoying the story. I skipped over quite a few battles since well I doubt you guys care about faceless OCs. I'll go way more in-depth next chapter since those battles are more interesting and I didn't want the story to go too slowly.
As always, drop a review to tell me what you think and/or if you have any questions.