Thanks for the reviews, and even more thanks to the people who voted for a couple! I am soooooo sorry that this came so late! I was really busy since it was the end of the third quarter…

CleverPhoenix: Yep, a Vulpix. Thanks for the comment too! It's ok if you can't decide on what to vote.

-Lord Of Lions-: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Ok, I got one vote for SasuSaku now. ^_^ You have a nice/funny reason too!

Kazama the shell bullet: Thanks for the compliment! Well, right now I'm like you, busy to write cuz of school, but I'll try to update as fast as I can.

KibiNoChoco (): Thank you! And thanks for your vote. (kinda vote anyway ^_^)

Madara Uchiha (x2): I'm really busy with school work right now, so I might update

slower than usual, but here's the next chapter!

lpride21: I know I skipped the Petalburg Gym, but I just did it because I'll be coming back to it. Vulpix is the only Pokemon Naruto's gonna receive as a gift, so I'm not gonna make him look weak.

A New Challenge

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke walked, and walked, and walked. Rustboro City seemed to be a long way away. Not only that, but they kept being attacked by wild Pokemon.

"We're never gonna get to Rustboro City!" cried out Naruto, already impatient. Sasuke just said a "hn" and Sakura kept quiet.

The three of them kept walking with Naruto's whining. Suddenly they were attacked by some wild Pokemon, a Volbeat, Electrike, and Dustox.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke took out their Pokedexes to examine each one of them.

Volbeat, the Firefly Pokemon. With the arrival of night, Volbeat emits light from its tail. It communicates with others by adjusting the intensity and flashing of its light. This Pokémon is attracted by the sweet aroma of Illumise.

Electrike, the Lightning Pokemon. Electrike stores electricity in its long body hair. This Pokémon stimulates its leg muscles with electric charges. These jolts of power give its legs explosive acceleration performance.

Dustox, the Poison Moth Pokemon. When Dustox flaps its wings, a fine dust is scattered all over. This dust is actually a powerful poison that will even make a pro wrestler sick. This Pokémon searches for food using its antennae like radar.

Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke took out a Pokeball each, and threw them at almost the same time.

"Come on out, Mudkip!" shouted Naruto, as he threw Mudkip's Pokeball.

"Go, Treecko," said Sasuke and threw Treecko's Pokeball.

"Alright Torchic, on stage!" cried Sakura as she threw out Torchic's Pokeball.

Mudkip, Treecko, and Torchic came out and started attacking each wild Pokemon.

"Mudkip, use Water Gun!" commanted Naruto. Mudkip threw a jet of water towards Dustox.

"Treecko, use Quick Attack," said Sasuke. Treecko rushed towards Electrike with a white light trailing behind him.

"Torchic, use peck!" Torchic jumped high in the air with his beak glowing, and dove towards Volbeat, beak first.

All three Pokemons' attacks hit their opponents. The three wild Pokemon fought back though. Dustox used Poison Powder, Electrike used Thunder Wave, and Volbeat used Signal Beam.

Mudkip was running left and right, trying to avoid the powder. Treecko was running around Electrike, trying to get the Thunder Wave attack to hit the electric Pokemon instead. Torchic was dancing to avoid the Signal Beam attack.

Treecko got the Thunder Wave attack to hit Electrike instead of him. Mudkip however, was a bit too slow to avoid the Poison Powder attack so he got sprayed with it. Torchic, meanwhile, was still running and dancing to avoid the beams.

"Treecko, pound!" commanded Sasuke. Treecko stopped running and hit Electrike hard. Electrike slid backwards, but ran towards Treecko again, using a spark attack. Treecko flew back, hitting a tree, from the impact.

"Sneasel, come out!" ordered Sasuke, and threw out another Pokeball. Sneasel came out and slashed at Electrike, causing it to stumble back. Sneasel landed beside Treecko and helped him up.

Without any further commands, Sneasel and Treecko did a double quick attack on Electrike. The electric type Pokemon slid back again, and Sneasel slashed it to finish it off.

Sasuke walked towards his Pokemon and returned them to their Pokeballs. He just uttered a slight "hn" and watched his two comrades battle the other two wild Pokemon.

Naruto and Sakura saw Sasuke just standing and watching. They both started shouting at him, but he just ignored them. Frustrated, Naruto and Sakura both went back to their battles.

"Naruto, catch!" shouted Sakura. She threw a small bottle to Naruto, an antidote. The blond boy ran towards his Mudkip and sprayed the antidote on him, curing him instantly. Mudkip shook his head, and tackled Dustox. The Poison Moth Pokemon used a Gust attack, knocking Mudkip off his feet/paws.

Mudkip got back up immediately and sprayed the Dustox with a Water Gun attack again, but missed it. Dustox then rammed into Mudkip, making him tumble backwards. The determined Mudkip didn't back down. He shot many Water Gun attacks at the Dustox, and a couple of the attacks hit it. The Poison Moth Pokemon slowed down; that gave Mudkip an opening. The Mud Fish Pokemon tackled Dustox, knocking it out.

"Nice job Mudkip!" congratulated Naruto as he hugged it. Then he returned his Pokemon to his Pokeball. He was about to go help Sakura when he felt a hand on his shoulder, Sasuke hand. Naruto was about to protest when Sasuke just shook his head, telling Naruto to let Sakura fight her own battle. The blond relaxed a bit and watched the pinkette's fight.

"Ok, Torchic's dancing right now, and those two aren't helping me! Just great," thought Sakura.

"Torchic, roll over on one side!" Torchic did as he was told, and got out of the array of Signal Beam attacks. Without further commands, Torchic blasted an ember attack at Volbeat. The Firefly Pokemon fell to the ground, burned.

Without giving the Volbeat a chance to attack back, Torchic ran towards it and scratched it. Then, he jumped and somersaulted in the air and blasted it with another ember attack, knocking out the Volbeat.

"Huh, why didn't I think of getting Torchic to roll out of the beams before? Well, better late than never," the pinkette thought. She looked at her comrades and was about to run over to them, when suddenly they were ambushed by another group of wild Pokemon, but this time, there were a lot more of them. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke got out all their Pokemon, and started commanding them. Mudkip, Starly, Torchic, Skitty, Treecko, and Sneasel attacked the wild Pokemon simultaneously.

There was a flurry of attacks: Water Gun, Gust, Ember, Doubleslap, Absorb, and even Ice Beam.

Confusion and chaos enveloped the scene, but later, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke's Pokemon won the battle. The three of them returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs and ran before any more Pokemon could attack them.

"Sakura-chan, do you have any idea which way Rustboro City is?" complained Naruto and his running slowed down to a walking pace.

Sakura whacked Naruto's head. "If I did, I would be leading the way, won't I? I wish I brought my map."

Sasuke, the one who was leading the way, just "hn"-ed, and kept walking. Sakura followed close behind, and Naruto was acting like he was near death.

A long time later, Sasuke saw that they were on the outskirts of Rustboro City. Sakura perked up, and Naruto rushed toward the city with enthusiasm.

"Yes! Finally, Rustboro City! Hello first gym battle, dattebayo!" shouted Naruto as he ran. People were staring at him like he was crazy. Sakura and Sasuke could just die of embarrassment. They walked into the city after Naruto though.

Since Naruto ran ahead of Sakura and Sasuke, they couldn't find him. Sakura's best bet was to look for him in the gym, but first, she wanted to look around the city first. She dragged Sasuke along, even though he didn't want to come.

While the two of them were going around, something attracted Sakura's attention: a picture of a Poketch on the window of a store. She immediately took Sasuke's hand and rushed in the store.

She frantically looked around for a section where they kept the Poketch, but couldn't find it. So, she went over to the counter and asked the worker where the Poketch were kept.

"There's only one left, and I see that that young lady over there is about to take the last one." The young man pointed towards a girl with red hair, and was wearing glasses. (AN: Guess who?)

Sakura instantly ran towards the last Poketch, grabbing it the same time the other girl did. They both glared daggers at each other until Sasuke interrupted them.

"One of you take the Poketch, already," Sasuke said calmly. Karin looked at him with admiration and Sakura just frowned. The red-head let go of the Poketch, and Sakura ran to the counter to buy the small watch.

"Hi, I'm Karin, what's your name?" Karin attempted to flirt with Sasuke. The dark haired boy just ignored her and went towards Sakura. Karin followed him like a lost puppy, but then finally realized that Sakura had already bought the Poketch.

"Since you have bought the last Poketch, you can have one of these gifts," offered the young cashier. He brought out a locket in the shape of a heart, a bracelet with a butterfly ornament hanging from it, a necklace with a diamond shaped decoration on it, and finally, a headband with beautiful decorations on it.

"Sakura, choose one so that we can go," urged Sasuke. Sakura was having a hard time choosing which gift to take.

"Just give me a moment, Sasuke-kun," answered Sakura. Karin then, shoved Sakura, causing her to stumble back.

"What's your problem?!" yelled Sakura. Karin just raised her hand to slap the pinkette, but Sasuke stopped her.

"What are you doing, Sasuke-kun?" asked an enraged Karin.

"What do you mean 'what are you doing'?! You pushed me for no reason!" countered Sakura, since Sasuke didn't say anything.

"You took my Poketch!" shouted Karin. A vein popped in Sakura's head.

"I was the one who bought it! Not you!" yelled Sakura. They both glared at each other before Sasuke took the locket for Sakura, and dragged her out of the store.

"H-Hey, come back here! Give me back my Poketch!" Sakura and Sasuke only heard the echo of Karin's voice as they walked out of the store.

"Thanks Sasuke-kun, for both choosing the gift and for getting me away from that… bitch!" said Sakura. He just handed her the locket, grabbed her hand, and started to search for Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun, wait. Can you put this on for me?" asked Sakura, holding up the locket. Sasuke sighed, but he took the locket and put it around Sakura's neck.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," thanked Sakura. Sasuke just muttered a not very audible, "You're welcome." Then, he took Sakura's hand again, and started to search for Naruto.

Meanwhile, with Naruto

"Wow, Rustboro City is huge!" yelled the hyper boy, attracting attention around him. The blond boy ran around the city, taking in the sights.

Suddenly he stopped and came to his senses. "Hey, where're Sakura-chan, and Sasuke-teme?" he asked himself. Then, realization hit him.

"Ahhhh, I'm lost!" he started to freak out and it took him a while to compose himself, again.

"Where could Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme be? The gym? They contest hall? The Pokemon Center? Wait, I still have to get my Vulpix that Dad sent!" Naruto thought. He started searching frantically for the Pokemon Center.

Naruto walked around the city, keeping an eye out for his friends and a Pokemon Center or gym. A while later, he found the Pokemon Center, and made a run for it. Once he got inside, he was a bit surprised to see Sakura and Sasuke talking to Nurse Shizune.

"Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme! There you are!" Naruto greeted. Naruto earned a whack across the head from Sasuke and a punch from Sakura.

"We were looking all over for you, y'know!" said a pissed off Sakura.

"Hn, don't call me a teme either, dobe," Sasuke calmly stated while putting his hands in his pockets.

"H-Hey, I was looking for you guys too!" countered Naruto. Sakura just folded her arms and closed her eyes.

"You were the one who ran off in to the city!" retorted Sakura, when she opened her eyes again.

"A-Anyway, I have to get my Vulpix," said Naruto, changing the subject quite quickly. "Nurse Shizune, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I think my dad sent two Pokemon to you?"

"Oh, yes. Namikaze-sama sent a Vulpix and a Houndour. Wait here for a minute." Shizune went away to get the two Pokemon for Naruto. A while later, she came back holding a tray with two Pokeballs.

"Here they are, Naruto." Naruto took the two Pokeballs out of the tray.

He turned to his companions and said, "I'm taking Vulpix, so Sakura-chan, do you want Houndour?" Naruto extended his arm towards Sakura, holding Houndour's Pokeball.

Sakura shook her head and replied, "No thanks, Naruto. I already have Torchic as my fire type Pokemon, so I don't really need Houndour now. You can give it to Sasuke-kun if you like."

Naruto gave Sasuke a sour look before handing him Houndour. Sasuke "hn"-ed first, but then he took the Pokemon anyway.

"I only gave Houndour to you because Sakura-chan suggested it," Naruto mumbled. Sasuke however heard his comment and turned towards him, twitching.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have accepted it either," he hissed back. Before anyone knew it, the two of them were having a glaring contest again.

"Not again. They're almost always at each others' throats," thought Sakura, slapping her forehead.

"My, those two are violent, aren't they, Sakura?" asked an unknown voice. Sakura jerked up and looked behind her. A man with white, spiky hair wearing a mask was standing behind her.

"Uh… sorry but, who are you?" asked Sakura with a questioning look. The two boys have stopped bickering and looked at the stranger.

"Haha, of course. Naruto, your father sent me here to help you three. I'm Kakashi Hatake," answered Kakashi. Naruto's eyebrows lifted when he heard Kakashi's name.

"Hey, aren't you Dad's student or something?" questioned Naruto. Kakashi chuckled again and said yes.

"Wait, I thought Kakashi Hatake was the gym leader of Mauville City," said Sakura. Kakashi grinned under his mask and nodded again.

"Another gym leader here?" asked Sasuke. He just turned away from Kakashi after saying that.

"I'm supposed to help you three train so that you'll be ready to battle the gym leader here, Gaara no Sabaku," said Kakashi. Sasuke quickly looked back at Kakashi, and Sakura and Naruto's eyebrows went up in question.

"So Dad sent you here to help?" asked Naruto. Kakashi nodded his head.

Naruto grinned and continued, "Cool! Then can you help me out first?"

"I was leaning more on the side of 'working in a group'," said Kakashi. Naruto's excited look faltered and switched to shock.

"You mean I have to train with Sasuke?!" the blond boy screamed. Sakura slapped her hand over his mouth to silence him.

Kakashi sighed and continued, "Yes, Naruto. Working in a group will help you more than you think. Oh, I almost forgot. I promised Minato-sensei that I would take a picture of all of you. Come along, now." Kakashi grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's hands and dragged them out of the Pokemon Center. Sakura followed close behind.

"W-Wait, Kakashi-sensei, where are we going?" asked Naruto as he was being dragged.

"The photo booth of course, dobe," answered a very bored Sasuke. Naruto felt the urge to yell at him again, but Kakashi spoke up first.

"We're not going to take individual pictures. We're going to take a group picture." Kakashi dumped the two boys outside a photo booth, and they scrambled inside. Kakashi and Sakura went in after the two. (AN: It's like those booths where a group can go inside, and the photo comes out very small, automatically. The machine operates itself, and the people have to be ready for the shot.)

The four of them got into their poses. Kakashi closed his eyes and smiled, patting Naruto and Sasuke's heads. Naruto folded his arms and glared at Sasuke, who had on an emotionless face. Sakura smiled brightly and rested her hands on her fists. She was between Naruto and Sasuke, but crouched down a bit so that Kakashi wasn't blocked. (AN: It's like the team picture in the anime/manga.)

After the photo was taken, four small photographs came out of a slot, and Kakashi took them out. They were attached, so he separated them, and gave each one to each "team" member. Sakura immediately put the small picture in her locket when she received it. (AN: The locket has two sides to it, and she put the picture in the right side. The left side is still blank.)

"This locket is actually handy. Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said in her head as she gripped the tiny locket in her hands.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, when do we start training?" asked a curios Naruto.

"Soon. In fact, why not make it now? Come with me," said Kakashi as he dashed out. The trio ran after him as fast as they could, to the outskirts of Rustboro. There, Kakashi stood waiting, reading his book, while the three young trainers ran/walked and panted like crazy.

"Took you three long enough. Now, let's begin." Kakashi took out three Pokeballs and threw them in the air.

"Luxray, Manectric, Rotom, go!" Three Pokemon appeared, ready to attack.

"W-Wait pant Kaka pant shi- sensei. Let pant us catch pant our breath," panted a very exhausted Sakura.

"Trainers must be ready for whatever challenges lie in front of them. These three will be taking on all of you, and I have already told them to push all of you to the limit. If any of you fail to do so, that person will be tied to a tree trunk, and will not come with the others to go eat lunch," threatened Kakashi. Sakura flopped down on the ground, Sasuke rested his hands on his thighs and kept panting, but Naruto's face showed utter shock and fright, but it also showed determination.

Sakura took out her Pokedex while still on the ground, and so did Sasuke. Naruto followed their lead and took out his Pokedex too.

Sakura's Pokedex started to speak.

Rotom, the Plasma Pokemon. Its body is composed of plasma. It is known to infiltrate electronic devices and wreak havoc.

Sasuke's Pokedex blinked to life as well.

Luxray, the Gleam EyesPokemon. It has eyes that can see through anything. It spots and captures prey hiding behind objects.

Naruto had his Pokedex ready as well.

Manectric, the Discharge Pokemon. It discharges electricity from its mane. It creates a thundercloud overhead to drop lightning bolts.

"I will let you three use whatever Pokemon you have. It doesn't need to be a one on one match. It can be a one on two. You can even help each other out. So, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, are you ready?" Naruto grinned his foxy grin, and took out his Pokeballs. Sasuke stopped panting and quickly flashed out his Pokeballs as well. Sakura got up and smiled with determination. She gracefully took out her Pokeballs, as she would do in a contest. They all put away their Pokedexes before taking out their Pokeballs, though.

"Come out, Mudkip, Starly!" commanded Naruto.

"Treecko, Sneasel, go!" yelled Sasuke.

"Torchic, Skitty, take the stage!" shouted Sakura.

The trio simultaneously threw their Pokeballs towards Kakashi's Pokemon. Rotom, Luxray, and Manectric jumped back as the six rookie Pokemon came rushing out.

Kakashi stood reading his book while Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stood, ready to fight. The team unleashed the first strike to each of Kakashi's Pokemon.

Yes, it ends in a cliffie, and yes, I finally updated. I was too busy with school, so sorry for the very, very late update. It'll be like that from now on, because I also have to concentrate on my studies. Please review!