{words - 4632}

Chapter 2

"Pika, pi chu, pi, pi, pi chu. Pika pi, pikachu, pi, pi, chu." A few heads turned to the Route Five Gate to the sight of a Pikachu sitting on top of a Gogoat's head singing while the larger Pokemon slowly walked further along the wide roadway deeper into Lumiose City.

"Pi pika pi, chu, pika. Pika, pika pi, pi, chu. Pi, pi, pi kachu." Wearing an old pilot helmet with goggles on her head and a red bandana around her neck that had a strange metal plate the Pikachu looked around happily singing her little song. Seeing that the quadruped, hoofed Pokémon she was riding on looked like he didn't mind and the blond-haired fifteen year old watching the clouds from Gogoat's back none of the nearby Trainers moved to do anything after watching the trio passing them by. Though a few did count it among some of the weirdest things they've seen.

Gogoat looked healthy enough covered in fluffy, brown fur that looked dark across the back and light around his belly and legs. Around the larger Pokemon's neck, he has a thick, green leafy mane that extends down his spine and ends in a short tail. The fur on Gogoat's face is white with fluffed fur on his chin while the black markings surrounding his red eyes looked a little dirty from traveling. His two long curving black horns that normally extended over the Pokemon's back looked slightly damaged but what drew the attention of anybody who saw the trio was the nasty looking scar running across the bridge of Gogoat's nose. The large scar might have already healed over by now but the few who saw it couldn't help but wonder what injured such a large Pokemon.

It might have been normal to them but as they traveled down South Boulevard the blond watching the clouds overhead along with the pair of Pokemon with him got a few strange looks from everyone they passed on the roadway. Nobody saw the faint image flickering out of existence as it followed after the trio who were on their way to visit Professor Sycamore to see why the man called the lost boy asking if he could stop by for a few hours.

'It's only been a year since I left the old man's island but he said being around other humans would do me some good.' Naruto thought holding up his gloved right hand that hide the large series of scars he gained after surviving the fall meant to kill him three years ago.

'At least I have a way back there in case I ever need a place to escape to. I think I even made a friend old man so I guess you were kind of right when you said not all humans were like those back in Konoha.' The blond couldn't help but smile at the thought of maybe having a real friend even if the other boy Viola introduced him to stuttered for some reason whenever he stopped by to visit. 'We don't have much in common since I like raising Pokemon and traveling now that I have the freedom to go anywhere I want while he likes building things but that's okay I think. Because he sends me personal messages whenever I'm near an area to receive his calls and even likes Nyx no matter how many times she shocks him.' Those two confused him since Naruto would swear they would glare at each other evertime he wasn't looking for some strange reason. 'So I'm thankful for your help old man because I'm not lonely anymore thanks to you and everyone else I've met so far on my travels.'

He didn't notice it at first after Viola convinced him to stick around Courmarine City for the first few months for his daily talks with Nurse Joy after work but Naruto loved having freedom. The power to determine his actions without restraint was something Konoha would never give him no matter what he did but out here the former Jinchuuriki could do anything he wanted as long as it wasn't breaking any of the region's laws.

The former holder of the Ninetales could eat whatever kind of food were on sale in the local stores without worrying if the prices would suddenly triple the second they saw him coming. He could fall asleep in one of the warm beds available at the nearest Center without hiding a knife underneath his pillow and sleeping with one eye open. The teen could walk down the crowded streets with his guard down without having to watch everyone who got near him in case they tried something like the villagers back home did in the past. It took a lot of long talks with the different Nurse Joys after their shifts at the Centers were over before Naruto was able to feel somewhat safe around other people again but the teen finally had what he longed for as a child. Freedom and acceptance from the people who actually mattered to him even if their were few he actually trusted.

Feeling the Egg resting on his stomach twitch slightly he looked down at it with a grin. 'In the end she was right though. I was being an idiot with some of the issues I have.' After the first few visits while they worked she made sure to hammer home the point that it was fine to care about people but it was idiotic to believe everyone would accept him no matter how much he kept wishing otherwise as a child. Besides Naruto found out quick enough that he enjoyed working with Pokemon more than he did other people. Because humans hate what they fear and they would continue to hate him for being nothing more than a Jinchuuriki no matter what he did to try changing their opinions. To them he was nothing more than a weapon in the eyes of Konoha along with being a constant reminder of everything they lost the day their Kage died in battle facing the Ninetales by himself.

He might have only talked with the man a handful of times but Professor Sycamore's words echoed in the back of his mind from the last chat they had over the Holo Caster. 'Anyone can achieve their fullest potential. Who we are might be predetermined by some higher power out there, but the path we follow is always of our own choosing no matter how many wrong turns we take. We should never allow our fears or the expectations of others to set the frontiers of our destiny. Whatever your destiny might be, no matter how big or small remember it can't be changed but it can be challenged in ways nobody would ever think of. But just remember this one piece of advice if nothing else. Every man is born as many men but when they die it's as a single one through the choices they make.'

"Go, gaot." Naruto blinked hearing someone yelling before he looked around to see they were inside of Professor Sycamore laboratory.

"Oops." Looking at Sophie who was tapping her foot against the floor he scratched the back of his head no clue what to say because things like this happened more than once. It wasn't the big guy's fault since the Gogoat just walked right through the front door when he didn't say anything while deep in thought but at the same time they really couldn't blame him for what a wild Pokemon does. "Sorry about that ma'am."

Hearing an amused chuckle Naruto turned to see a middle-aged man walking down the stairs. He was Professor Sycamore and the man had black, curly hair, bluish eyes and some facial hair under his ears. Wearing a blue shirt, black trousers along with a yellow belt which has the buckle shaped like a circle he looked good for someone his age. The orange socks he had on under a pair of brown trainers with grey stripes and the brown watch on his left arm Sycamore would have looked more at him behind a desk if it wasn't for his white lab coat.

"Whose your new friend Naruto?" The Professor asked looking at the tipped over bookshelf that scared his assistant to the large Pokemon who was at least double in size compared to the other Gogoats he's seen in the past. "Another wild one or did you catch a new Pokemon this time?" Sycamore already knew the answer though since the whiskered teen didn't want to catch any new Pokemon until he officially became a Trainer which would happen soon enough if everything worked out.

"Nope I just met him a few days ago while traveling here and he offered to give us a ride if I agreed to a rematch later. We tied and he followed wanting another fight." The teen answered with a shrug of his shoulders that Nyx mimicked as they turned to face the Gogoat. "And we'll have our match after we rest up and deal with whatever the Professor wants, okay big guy." Naruto's grin and the defiant spark in his eyes seemed good enough for the large Pokemon who snorted before walking towards the gardens in the back for some food. He tied with a Pikachu off all things so he'd wait till they were fully rested before facing Nyx in another mock battle.

The Professor just shook his head watching him go since he knew by know that Naruto didn't do anything like a normal teenager his age should. Though most of it was thanks to past problems more than anything else. It also didn't help that the lost boy as Viola came to call him stumbled across some of the oddest things without even trying.

"Yo Professor, I've been on the road for about two weeks trying to get here on time so can I use your bathroom down the hall to clean up before we do anything else?" Waving him off with an amused smile Sycamore watched Naruto running towards the shower happy to see him opening up after a year away from Mirage Island.

'Yet because of his hometown Naruto doesn't trust most adults or anyone who could end up in a position of power over him.' Even after a year of help from the Nurse Joys who took time out of their day to talk to him whenever he spent a night at a local Center helping out for some extra money the teen still had trouble trusting others. Naruto could smile and joke around like a normal teenager his age but the few people who knew what to look for noticed how the blond would be more at home around his Pokemon than other people. 'At least the Joys are making more progress with him that I could.' It was slow going at first since Naruto refused to be in a room alone with him after finding out about the Summer Camp he ran for Trainers but the Joys were helping the teen open up again. 'Maybe Naruto will show up this time if I can get some extra help running things.'

What really convinced him he could trust the Professor were the few talks they had over the Holo Caster and the year he spent just wondering aimlessly seeing the region with his own eyes. Viola for her part did everything she could at the time to help short of holding him at gun point in order for him to stay in touch but when he finally did call Sycamore needing help the man earned a bit of trust.

"Professor you really need to talk with that boy about just wandering in with wild Pokemon all the time." Sophie spoke with a sigh while cleaning up the mess. "I know you say it's fine but that's the fifth time I've had to clean up something when he visits."

"But that's what makes the few times he stops by all the more fun." The Professor responded smiling fondly at the brief memory of Naruto barging into the lab around eleven at night cradling an injured Meowth in his arms that needed medical attention. He remembered proving himself that night and the few times that followed afterwords when the blond put his trust in the Professor who hasn't let a single person down yet.

'At least Naruto doesn't mind being in the same room with an adult even if he does keep his back to the wall.' And it was true because Naruto trusted him but only to a certain extent. Then again he had his trust broken so many times in the past... Even if some of them didn't mean it.

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With the whiskered teen though a figure watched from the shadows as Naruto stripping his dirty cloths off while Nyx played around in the hot water. For almost three years he stood among the background as the teen's invisible protector watching over the human Trainer who gained his lord's attention. Though that thought did cause him to chuckle quietly since he had to stay invisible because of the teen's fear of Ghost Types or anything supernatural really. It couldn't be called a phobia anymore since it wasn't as bad as before but after spending two years around them the Pokemon of Mirage Island learned three rules to follow when their lord's newest human was involved.

One was that Naruto had a cute scream when scared and that he shook like a leaf while clinging to Nyx for safety if they took things too far when jump scaring him. Which a few did in the beginning since the younger Pokemon never saw a human before he showed up on the island but they learned soon enough why that was a bad idea. Two, it was easy to annoy their lord because if Nyx wasn't around when they broke rule one then the teen would run to him for protection while the final rule is simple really yet to many Pokemon broke it one way or another. Never piss off Nyx or the vengeful little Pikachu would come down on you harder than Arceus's Judgment.

Because Naruto might have hatched and raised her from a baby Pichu but the little Electric Type took it upon herself to be the teenager's extra bit of protection from everything in the world that even looked at him funny. From Ghost Types to the humans who might have developed any type of feeling for her Trainer be it hatred or love she glared everyone into submission. When that failed though Nyx had a Thunder Punch waiting for anyone who thought they had any say otherwise when the blond was involved.

"So what do you think the Professor might want girl?" Naruto questioned with a sigh letting the hot water from the shower beat down across his back drawing the Ghost Type's attention to all of the scars. His crimson eye trailed over the now pinkish white scars that covered the teen's back and lower body already knowing more about them then the blond himself. From every large gash to the smallest of cuts he knew the who, how, and why thanks to a liberal use of Dream Eater. Every single one of them eventually showed up in a nightmare or two and unlike the teenager who didn't even remember his dreams anymore thanks to him the Ghost Type remembered each one.

Thanks to those nightmares his lord informed him the secret about the Elemental Nations and why they were mostly ignored by the Legendaries who left them to fight amongst themselves. If only they'd give him a few minutes with one of those humans... Shaking his head he shoved those thoughts to the side knowing it wasn't his place to question the orders his lord gave in regards to those people.

"PiPi, Chu!" Nyx responded from her spot in the shower scrubbing the Egg with a rag to keep it clean.

Blinking Naruto looked down at her in confusion. "You think so?" Receiving a nod from his partner the teen couldn't help but scratch his left cheek right where the faded whisker marks could just barely be seen. "Really, I honestly didn't think about challenging Kalos's Pokemon League." A thoughtful look crossed his face as he reached forward turning off the water. "Do you think we could do it?"

"Pika. Pi-Kachu." Grabbing a towel to dry off he dried his hair while listening to the good points Nyx made along with some of the bad. "Pika. Pi, Chu."

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Naruto replied with a little concern since the Joys did say he developed an odd habit or two to help cope with everything that happened in his past.

"PiPiPi." Patting his leg as she walked by Nyx just shook herself dry before picking up the Egg. "Chu. Pikachu."

"What do you think Jizo? I've only wandered around the region up until now, could we really put a team together to face Kalos's Pokemon League?" He didn't have to wait long before 'Yes' was written on the nearby mirror vanishing just as fast as the steam from the shower he just had. Naruto sighed feeling guilty since the Ghost Type Pokemon wouldn't show himself even when they were alone because of his slight fear of ghost.

'It's not my fault the old man's scent attracts Ghost and Dark Types like Bug Types to honey.' The blond thought with a small frown while slipping on a fresh change of clothes. Jizo he could handle after the initial shock wore off but thanks to being around the lazy Legendary for so long the Pokemon's very presence was etched into his every fiber. Though it wasn't so bad after Naruto spent the first few months hiding in the temple whenever Nyx went out hunting for berries when the Ghost Type floated outside the entrance just watching from the shadows to make sure no one woke the old man up. Thanks to those long afternoons where the teen talked to nobody as the red eye watched on without making a sound he could handle Jizo since he didn't scare him unlike the others did.

The Ghost Type just watched from a distance like he was a Baby Pokemon he couldn't leave alone but unlike Jizo who let himself get captured the others liked hearing him screaming in terror. 'Hell even the old man thinks I have a cute scream. It wasn't cute or anything else funny to laugh at. I was really freaking out every time they appeared out of nowhere.' Most of the Pokemon who lived on Mirage Island found scaring the teenager fun but stopped for some reason with some of the older ones refusing to even meet Nyx's gaze. It confused him but every time he asked they would just stutter out it wasn't any fun to scare people and Nyx just cackled whenever the teen brought it up around her. 'I never did find out what was so funny.'

Grabbing a clean shirt from the white messenger bag one of the Joys bought when she learned he was just carrying everything around in his pockets Naruto crashed forward when a series of explosion shook the building. "What the-." Another explosion and he was pulling on his shorts as they ran towards the sounds of fighting.

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"Gar!" "Go!" Slashing down with a set of sharp Dragon Claws her attack clashed with the curving horns of an annoyed Gogoat. Any other time he would have enjoyed testing himself against a Dragon Type of all things but with the strange machine strapped around her neck driving the faster Pokemon mad all this battle did was annoy him.

"Please settle down Garchomp!" A black-haired teen pleaded from the side lines as the two Pokémon fought on trading blows one after the other tearing apart the gardens while the younger ones ran for safety.

The Dragon Type in question is a bipedal, draconian Pokémon that is primarily dark blue in color. She has red on her underbelly from the lower jaw to the middle of the abdomen, including the undersides of her arms. A patch of gold comes to a point below the red on Garchomp's belly, and a golden star shape adorns the tip of her snout with a large mouth that features razor-sharp teeth. Her feet have three white talons, and each arm has a single large, white claw for a hand. Curved fins sprout from the arms, creating wings that allow Garchomp to fly at fast speeds. A pair of small, white spikes protrude from her upper arms and legs, and there are gill-like slits on the sides of the neck. Her eyes though were what changed after the collar wrapped around Garchomp's neck. The gold-colored irises were now glowing red and the once peaceful Dragon Type fought like an enraged berserker wanting out into the busy streets.

Though Gogoat stood in Garchomp's path knowing she wasn't in control of her actions right now. Lowering his head as Garchomp charged again Gogoat's horns glowed a dark green before shooting the gathered energy at the berserker who blocked it with her glowing red claws.

"You three need to go wait in the lab until Officer Jenny can get here to help." Professor Sycamore told them in a tone that left no room to argue. 'They're using Horn Leech and Rock Smash but I don't know how long Gogoat can hold out since he's still recovering from his previous injuries.' "Go now! Sophie and the others are already getting the younger Pokemon to safety but I need you three to get away from here before things escalate any further!"

"But Prof-." The black-haired teen tried to protest but dozens of blue bolts of lightning striking the Dragon Type Pokemon cut him off. 'That was Thunder Wave but who would use it on a Ground Type?' Turning time seemed to slow down for the group of teens who were only trying to get some help for an injured Froakie when a messy blond-haired teen raced by already calling out another attack since the only thing Thunder Wave did was distract Garchomp for a few seconds.

'Naruto.' The glasses wearing teen thought watching the lost boy Viola introduced him to rushing past them to face off against the enraged Dragon Type who turned ready to tear him in half.

"Hurry and use Iron Tail Nyx while she's focused on us!" They saw the steel like shine appearing on the Pikachu's tail when Professor Sycamore forced them out of the gardens knowing things just escalated.

"Pro-." "No Naruto can handle things until Jenny gets here with backup." Sycamore cut him off not willing to risk the three of them getting hurt in the battle raging on behind them. 'That's if he doesn't blame me for this mess since Garchomp was attacking his newest friend.'

"Gogoat help out with Toxic then fall back and use Synthesis to heal up while Nyx holds her off!" He could feel the edge behind the teen's voice and hoped Naruto saw the collar those Team Rocket people used before what little trust they had vanished because of some stupid poacher.

Back in the gardens Nyx slammed into Garchomp using a hit and run style of fighting trying to wear the Dragon Type out or get a clear shot at the strange machine around her neck. It was easier said than done when most of her opponent's attacks were almost to fast to react to without getting injured. Using the speed she trained in since hatching and Double Team Nyx moved rapidly around the gardens layering on each blow one after the other while trying to avoid Garchomp's powerful attacks.

Clawing at the dirt to slow herself down the little Electric Type appeared a few feet away from her opponent glaring at the Dragon Type. And from a distance away Naruto stood near Gogoat who was still to injured from his previous battle with Nyx an encouraging smile pulling at his lips at the way she fought.

"Show'em what you can do girl." In a burst of speed she dashed forward faster than the eye could track weaving her way around each counter attack and landing a dozen or more blows in response whenever she saw an opening. Yet despite how weak they were Naruto couldn't help but be proud of his first Pokemon.

Because he already knew after wandering for a year what other Trainers thought when they learned how weak Nyx's attack power was. They'd right her off as nothing more than a useless Pokemon and an easy win but Naruto knew better after the days they spent training each skill she learned on Mirage Island's shores. Sure her physical attacks might not have that much power behind them but she made up for it with pure speed and an almost unmatched stamina.

With each blow the enraged Garchomp was beginning to feel the effects of a dull pain spreading through every muscle hit and the poison effect from Gogoat's Toxic spreading a little bit faster than normal. After dozens of repeated hits Nyx finally found an opening in the Dragon Type's defenses when the Pokémon's exhaustion got to a point where her reactions were getting just a little bit slower with every passing second the fight dragged on.

"Knock her out with Secret Power!" Grabbing onto the strange collar Nyx became surrounded in a pink aura letting the attack consume them in an almost blinding flash of light pinkish-white light.

Watching from a distance rooftop a masked figure and the Pokemon standing next to him looked on as Garchomp collapsed from exhaustion. "Lets go Blaziken, we're not needed here."

Author's Notes -

Like with my other stories I'm glad to be proven wrong when someone out there likes my ideas. This is a big thanks to {coduss} for pointing out a major mistake in this chapter so that I can fix it.

As of now Naruto only has Nyx and Jizo. He might have found other injured Pokemon and brought them to the closest Center for help and stumbled across Eggs but hasn't caught any others yet. Like the Meowth he helped. He won't be Team Rockets Meowth but a funny joke I planned on using later.

Everyone's favourite blond has trust issues and earning it would be hard to get because of his past. He won't even trust Ash at first thinking he might just want to be friends so his Pikachu could get closer to Nyx and only knows Clemont through the few talks they've had.

I've had a few good suggestions for possible pairings and Pokemon Naruto should catch so thanks for sending me your ideas and for liking this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the following chapters that will come in the future.

Re-written on 9/02/16.

Response - (Thanks for your reviews.)