I felt like writing another chapter and updating sooner for you guys. Once again, I want to thank the people who submitted reviews. I hope you all will keep supporting me and this story. Things are starting to get a little more dramatic now! Please leave a review after reading!
Instability
"Come on guys, time to go," shouted Sakura. She was already at the entrance of the Pokemon Center while the other two were still getting their Pokemon from Nurse Shizune. Once the boys caught up with Sakura, the three of them headed off to Verdanturf town.
"Sakura-chan, that old lady, Tsunade said she will meet you at Verdanturf, right?" asked Naruto.
Sakura squealed and answered, "Yep! I'm going to be trained by one of the most famous coordinators in history!"
"With her training and your confidence, you'll definitely win the contest at Verdanturf, Sakura-chan!" motivated Naruto. "Verdanturf's not very far, is it?" the blond asked.
"Nope. It's right next to Mauville. I'm sure we'll get there pretty soon," replied Sakura.
During the walk to Mauville, Sakura and Naruto were the ones who talked about the upcoming contest in Verdanturf, and how Sakura would prepare for it, while Sasuke remained silent and reverted back to his brooding mood.
Once they saw the peaceful scenery of Verdanturf, Naruto shouted, "We're here, we're here! It's Verdanturf!" Sakura slapped him on the head, hard, to silence him. "Sakura-chan, you didn't have to do that," whined the young blond.
"You were too loud. Some people come here to recuperate, you know," said Sakura.
The first thing the trio did when they got to Verdanturf was go to the Pokemon Center to get a room and have a quick break. Sakura then said that she was going to search for Tsunade, and walked out of the room.
Naruto sat on his bed and started messing with his PokeNavi. "Hey, Sasuke-teme. There's a cave in Verdanturf, so do you wanna explore it?" suggested Naruto.
"Hn, do whatever you want, dobe," replied Sasuke.
"Fine! I'm going though. Don't blame me if my Pokemon get much more stronger than yours," taunted Naruto. That caught Sasuke's attention. The dark haired boy jumped up and walked out the door before Naruto could. The foxy blond grinned, satisfied with himself, and followed Sasuke out the door.
When the two of them exited their rooms, they spotted Sakura and Tsunade talking at the entrance of the Pokemon Center. Sasuke and Naruto walked up to them to join in on their conversation.
"What'cha talking about?" asked Naruto.
"Oh, hey, Naruto, Sasuke-kun. Tsunade-shishou is going to train me just outside the town, so that I won't be disturbing the people here. We were just discussing some moves I could use in battles and performances. We were just gonna go. Where are you two going?" said Sakura.
"Teme and I are going to explore the Verdanturf Cave. Go train, Sakura-chan! Your contest is more important," replied Naruto. Sakura nodded, gave a small good-bye to her friends and headed off with Tsunade.
"Sakura seems to be okay now," commented Sasuke.
"Losing Skitty's got to be tough on her. It's good to know that she's fine for now. I'm afraid it'll affect her contest performance," said Naruto.
"Hn, she needs to know that there will be major losses in life. Let's go, dobe." Sasuke, with his hands in his pockets, calmly walked out of the center with Naruto following him.
"Hey, teme, wait up!" shouted Naruto, trying to catch up to Sasuke. The dark haired boy, however, ignored the blond and kept walking towards the Verdanturf Cave.
Once they were inside, Naruto complained, "Geez, Sasuke, can't you wait up for your friend?" Sasuke remained silent, and, all of a sudden, he became alert. "Teme, what's wrong with…" Sasuke quickly silenced Naruto by covering his mouth with his hand.
"There's someone, no, there're people in here. They're in hiding," whispered Sasuke.
"How the heck do you sense these things, teme?" asked Naruto, lowering his voice.
"Hn, why should I tell… look out!" Sasuke tackled Naruto to the side, saving him from being hit with a Blizzard attack.
"Not bad. You actually saw my attack coming," a voice resounded. Sasuke and Naruto looked around, trying to search for the source of the voice. "Glaceon, Blizzard." Another Blizzard attack was sent whirling towards Sasuke and Naruto. This time, the two of them jumped out of the way. As soon as the boys dodged the attack, another attack was launched at them.
"Jolteon, Thunder, un!" A huge stream of electricity was then fired at Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto jumped off to one side while Sasuke jumped to another to avoid the attack. Suddenly, Sasuke was grabbed by someone and was lifted in the air.
"Sasuke! Agh!" Naruto was then hoisted in the air as well. The two boys were carried off by two unknown people deeper in the cave in very different directions. Naruto struggled to get free from the person's grip, but the hold on Naruto's collar was too strong. "What the heck? Put me down you kidnapper!" shouted Naruto as he kept on struggling.
Suddenly, Naruto felt himself falling. The blond swiftly took out a Pokeball and threw it towards the ground, releasing Marshtomp, which caught Naruto just in time. The stranger then landed a few meters away from Naruto. "Who is that guy? Wait, I recognize that emblem on his cloak. Akatsuki! What are they doing here?" Naruto mentally asked himself.
"Well, it looks like we have a one on one now, un," said the Akatsuki member. "Jolteon, come back out!" The electric Pokemon growled at Naruto as soon as he was released and the bird Pokemon who carried Naruto and his captor stepped forward as well.
"A Delibird and Jolteon, huh? I'd better watch out for the Delibird's explosive 'gifts'. Okay, if you want a fight, you'll get one!" thought Naruto. Then, he said, "Alright, everyone, let's go!" Naruto released his whole team to help him fight.
"It's nice to meet you little boy, un. The name's Deidara, un! Now, Jolteon start off with Pin Missile. Delibird, use Fly," commanded Deidara. Sharp needles were fired from Jolteon's body while Delibird flew up, high.
"Aron, you can endure that Pin Missile Attack! Marshtomp use Bide! Vulpix fire and Ember attack up at the sky to hit Delibird! Staravia, search for Delibird and try to bring it down," shouted Naruto.
Aron and Marshtomp took the hit from the Pin Missile attack while Staravia flew up to pick a fight with Delibird. Vulpix carefully took aim at Delibird, and fired orbs of fire towards the bird and tried not to hit Staravia in the process. Marshtomp, after storing the energy needed for his Bide attack, fired a stream of white energy towards Jolteon, but the electric Pokemon swiftly dodged the attack.
"Delibird, take care of that Staravia with your Present, then use Blizzard and dive down to attack with Aerial Ace. Jolteon, use Discharge," commanded Deidara.
Delibird quickly threw a multicolored orb at Staravia, and the orb exploded right in front of the flying Pokemon, causing it to crash to the ground. Then, Delibird dove down towards Vulpix while firing its Blizzard attack, which overpowered the orbs of fire. After the Ember attack wore off, Delibird swiftly moved from right to left, and tackled Vulpix forcefully. Multiple streams of electricity shot out in all directions from Jolteon's body, electrifying all of Naruto's Pokemon. However, Marshtomp was unaffected by the electricity.
"Marshtomp, use Mudshot!" Marshtomp sucked in a lungful of air and fired multiple balls of mud at Jolteon. Since electric Pokemon are weak against ground type attacks, Jolteon was greatly affected by the Mudshot.
"Delibird, Present from above, un," said Deidara. Before Marshtomp could look up, an iridescent orb was dropped from the sky and exploded just after it landed on Marshtomp's head. "Jolteon, Double Kick!" The electric Pokemon dashed towards Marshtomp and gave the mud-fish Pokemon two kicks in the stomach with its hind legs, which sent Marshtomp stumbling back. "Delibird, Ice Beam from behind." The bird Pokemon fired a stream of blue energy at Marshtomp's back, freezing the Pokemon.
"Marshtomp! Oh just great. Vulpix, thaw the ice with your Ember attack!" shouted Naruto. However, before Vulpix could unfreeze Marshtomp, it was attacked by Delibird's Aerial Ace. "Staravia, take on that Delibird!" The two bird Pokemon flew up in the air, racing against each other. Suddenly, Delibird disappeared, which confused Staravia. The confusion didn't last long since Staravia was attacked from behind by Delibird.
"Jolteon, use Double Kick on Aron," said Deidara. The electric Pokemon then swiftly turned to Aron and gave the small Pokemon two swift kicks. Since fighting type moves are effective against Aron, the smaller Pokemon got tired out easily.
"Marshtomp, use Mudshot on Jolteon again!" shouted Naruto.
Marshtomp, now free of the ice, fired more orbs of mud towards Jolteon, however, the electric Pokemon jumped out of the way. So, the attack hit the Pokemon behind Jolteon: Aron are also weak against ground type attacks, so that powerful Mudshot attack did him in. Aron was knocked out.
"Jolteon, use Thunder on that Staravia," commanded Deidara. "Delibird, take care of Marshtomp and Vulpix."
A large stream of electricity suddenly hit Staravia, causing it to faint immediately. Delibird used Blizzard on Marshtomp and Vulpix, forcing them both back. Then, Jolteon tackled both of Naruto's remaining Pokemon with a Quick Attack.
"Marshtomp, use Mudshot now, while you're close to Jolteon!" yelled Naruto. Marshtomp quickly grabbed a hold of Jolteon to keep it from dodging, however, once Marshtomp felt the sharp sting of Jolteon's spikes, the mud-fish Pokemon immediately let go.
"Didn't you know? Jolteon's spikes are a means of protection, so they're very prickly, un," explained Deidara. "Jolteon, use Thunder Fang on Vulpix, then make way for Delibird!" Sparks of electricity danced around Jolteon's jaws as he jumped at Vulpix and bit the fox Pokémon, hard. Jolteon then used Vulpix as a spring, and bounced off of the fox Pokemon. Delibird then blew a Blizzard attack at Marshtomp and Vulpix, freezing them both.
"Marshtomp! Vulpix!" cried Naruto. All of Naruto's Pokemon were either frozen or knocked out. The blond shook with anger and fear as well. He returned almost all of his Pokemon to their Pokeballs and faced Deidara.
"What will you do now, little boy? You can't fight anymore, un," stated Deidara. Naruto just stood there, not uttering a word. Unknown to Deidara, the ice near Vulpix was slowly thawing. Suddenly, Vulpix broke through the ice and fired a flamethrower attack at Deidara. Then, the fox-like Pokemon created a wall of fire that separated Deidara and his Pokemon from Naruto.
"Nice reflexes, Vulpix!" complimented Naruto. He then returned Marshtomp and Vulpix to their Pokeballs and started running.
Unknown to Naruto, Deidara's Delibird used its Ice Beam attack to freeze the flames. Deidara stepped out and watched Naruto run. "You got lucky, kid, un. Your fighting style's not too shabby either," Deidara said to himself. "Delibird, let's go back. I wonder how Konan's doing." Deidara returned Jolteon back to his Pokeball and then grabbed Delibird's claws. The bird Pokemon then flew off while carrying Deidara.
"Where are we?" growled Sasuke. The Uchiha was taken to a completely different part of the cave. The kidnapper's Altaria gracefully landed beside her owner.
"Do not worry. I just want to see how much of a fight you can put up now," replied Sasuke's captor.
"Konan, I have no time for games. Why did you separate Naruto and me? What do you want with us? Answer me!" spat an intimidating Sasuke.
Konan, however was unaffected by Sasuke's intimidation. "Like I said, I simply want to see how you've improved. Now, Glaceon and Altaria, attack," commanded Konan. Glaceon, who was on Altaria's back charged towards Sasuke while Altaria flew up in the air.
With swift reflexes, Sasuke released all his Pokemon. Grovyle blocked Glaceon's attack while the rest of his team looked up to prepare for Altaria's attack. Suddenly a sweet melody filled the air. Sasuke's Pokemon all started becoming drowsy, and the next thing he knew, they all fell on the ground, asleep. "What? Her Altaria's fast. Damn!" Sasuke inwardly cursed.
"Glaceon, use Ice Fang on Grovyle. Altaria, Dragonbreath on all the others," Konan said, calmly. Glaceon sank her fangs in Grovyle's side and spread ice across his body. Altaria swooped down and fired a large green beam that hit all of Sasuke's Pokemon. "Now Glaceon, Icy Wind on all of them, and Altaria, use Mist."
Sasuke's Pokemon were all blasted with an extremely cold wind. All of his Pokemon woke up simultaneously, however, before they could attack Glaceon or Altaria, mist enveloped the surroundings, making Sasuke's Pokemon partially blind. "Houndour, Absol, Grovyle, cut through the fog with Flamethrower, Razor Wind, and Leaf Blade!" shouted Sasuke.
Houndour and Absol tried to clear the fog with their attacks, and possibly, hit Konan's Pokemon, but to no avail. Grovyle courageously crossed his arms and charged into the mist. Luckily for him, he ran straight into Glaceon with his Leaf Blade attack. "Altaria, Take Down! Glaceon, Ice Shard!" stated Konan.
Glaceon quickly retaliated against Grovyle by shooting sharp shards of ice from her mouth. Altaria swooped down and forcefully tackled all of Sasuke's Pokemon with her huge body and wings. "Sneasel, fire an Icy Wind at Altaria! Houndour use Flamethrower against Glaceon," commanded Sasuke.
Since Altaria is weak to ice type moves, Sneasel's Icy Wind attack was effective when it hit the larger Pokemon. Houndour's Flamethrower wasn't able to hit Glaceon though. With her speed, Glaceon swiftly bounced off Houndour's back and used Iron Tail against Absol. The disaster Pokemon managed to block the attack with the large crescent protruding from the side of his head. "Razor Wind now!" shouted Sasuke. Absol's crescent glowed white and he shot a wave of white energy that greatly affected Glaceon.
"That was good, Sasuke," complimented Konan.
"Save your compliments," hissed Sasuke. "Houndour Flamethrower from the back!" As Glaceon was still on the wave of energy that Absol shot, Houndour's Flamethrower attack intensified the damage done to Glaceon. However, the ice Pokemon still managed to leap up, out of the smoke and land gracefully beside Konan.
"Altaria, Dragon Claw! Glaceon, use Shadow Ball, multiple shots," ordered Konan.
Glaceon jumped on Altaria's back when the flying Pokemon swooped down. Altaria's claws glowed and slashed Sasuke's Pokemon from above. Without hesitation, Glaceon fired multiple Shadow Balls at all of Sasuke's Pokemon.
"Damn, her moves are too fast. I can't even land a hit! I'm sure her Pokemon are of a very high level too. I need to turn the tables somehow!" Sasuke thought, frantically.
"Show no mercy. Glaceon, Blizzard! Altaria, use Dragon Pulse!" shouted Konan. Her two Pokemon mercilessly fired their attacks from above. Sasuke's Pokemon were defenseless against Konan's Altaria and Glaceon. "Hm, Sasuke, I don't see how you managed to defeat Kakashi at all. You don't seem to be able to land a hit on my Pokemon. Did you even strive to improve?" asked Konan, stoically.
"Shut up! You don't know me!" growled Sasuke.
"You are afraid, Sasuke. Fear is keeping you from improving faster," commented Konan.
"I said shut up!" yelled Sasuke.
"Vulpix, Fire Spin! Marshtomp Water Gun!" All of a sudden a dual fire and water attack appeared and successfully hit the surprised Glaceon and Altaria. A silhouette of a young boy appeared. He came closer, and closer. Then, he stopped to catch his breath. "Finally, I found you, teme! It looks like you're in a pinch again," teased Naruto with a grin on his face.
"This isn't a laughing matter, dobe," retorted Sasuke.
"Yeah yeah, whatever, Sasuke. Now, where were we? Oh, yeah, Vulpix, Flamethrower! Marshtomp, Mudshot!" ordered Naruto. Vulpix created a wall of fire to separate him and Sasuke from Konan while Marshtomp shot a stream of mud at Altaria and Glaceon to bring them down to the ground. "Teme, return your Pokemon to their Pokeballs and let's get out of here!" Without a word, Sasuke did what Naruto told him to. Naruto returned Marshtomp and Vulpix as well. Together, the two of them ran away, searching for the cave's opening.
Like Deidara, Konan quickly froze Vulpix's flames. When she searched for the two boys, they were already gone. "Did you have a nice fight with Sasuke?" asked Deidara from above.
"He has a lot of potential. It's too bad he's not improving as he should. Don't you think he and the girl, Sakura, worked well back at the abandoned ship?" inquired Konan.
"They weren't bad, un. Heh, that Naruto kid does like to put up a fight, un," replied Deidara.
"Hm, it looks like we'll just have to see where everything goes. For now we have to report back to our leader," said Konan. Deidara and Konan then made their way out of Verdanturf Cave. Unknown to them, a Chatot had been watching the battle, concealed within the shadows of the cave. Once Deidara and Konan were out of sight, the Chatot flew away to report to its owner.
"Thank God, we made it out," panted Naruto. He glanced at Sasuke, then slapped his back. "We make a good team, don't we?" Without responding, Sasuke shrugged off Naruto's hand and walked away from him. Naruto caught up to him and stopped him. "Hey, teme, what's eating you?" asked a concerned Naruto.
"Nothing. I'm going to go somewhere. You should get back to the center or search for Sakura," responded Sasuke. Sasuke then headed off, leaving Naruto.
"Geez, what's up with him?" Naruto mumbled to himself. "Oh well, I'll head back to the Pokemon Center to heal my team then see how Sakura-chan's doing!" The cheerful blond ran then back to the center.
Once Naruto had Nurse Shizune heal his Pokemon, he dashed out to Route 117. "Sakura-chan!" yelled Naruto. The rosette turned around to see her blond friend running up to her.
"Hey, Naruto. Did you want to watch my training session?" asked Sakura.
"Yeah! I wanted to see how you were doing," answered Naruto.
"Training's going great! I'll win the Verdanturf contest for sure! Shannaro!" cheered Sakura.
Tsunade interrupted, "Sakura, don't get too overconfident."
"With Tsunade-shishou training me, I'll definitely win!" said Sakura.
"Getting overconfident isn't going to help. Come on, let's continue," stated Tsunade.
Tsunade displayed a beautiful performance combination with her blue and green Gastrodon and Milotic. Naruto and Sakura watched in awe at her display. "Now, remember that the Verdanturf contest will require you to show off two Pokemon at the same time for the performance and battle rounds. If you can pull off a unique combination in your performance, like a fire and water combination, it'll score some big points for you," explained Tsunade.
"Your Gastrodon and Milotic used a double water combination, and that still stands out beautifully! Okay, so for a unique combination, what about grass and fire?" pondered Sakura.
"As long as you don't mess up the combination by overdoing the fire type move, it'll be a good combo," answered Tsunade.
"Alright, I got it now. Shishou, please watch my performance and give me some advice and critique," said Sakura. Tsunade nodded and Sakura pulled out two Pokeballs from her bag and sealed them in two ball capsules. "Combusken and Cherrim, take the stage!" Cherry blossom petals erupted from Cherrim's Pokeball and came together to form Cherrim. Combusken appeared with a spiral of flames accompanying him.
"Sakura, make sure your Combusken lowers the pressure he exerts on his flames, or else he'll end up burning Cherrim's attack," advised Tsunade.
"Got it! Cherrim, use Petal Dance, and Combusken, Fire Spin!" commanded Sakura. Cherrim perched herself on top of Combusken's head and shot pink petals up in the air in the shape of an upside down cone. Combusken then fired a spiraling stream of fire into the large space that the petals surrounded. Sparks of flames, then, rained down on the sides, accompanying the petals and beautifying the performance.
"That was good. Now find a way to finish up your performance," said Tsunade.
"Right! Combusken stop the Fire Spin and switch to Ember! Cherrim float up in the space where Fire Spin was once, and wait for the Ember. Then, go spin out Magical Leaf!" said Sakura.
Combusken abruptly stopped the Fire Spin attack and let Cherrim float up. The small Pokemon seem camouflaged within the petals of the Petal Dance attack. Then, Combusken shot small orbs of fire towards Cherrim. The orbs spiraled around Cherrim, and quickly, the small Pokemon spun out multiple glowing leaves in the shape of a tornado. The three layers: glowing leaves in the center, orbs of fire spiraling around the leaf tornado, and the pink petals looked very glamorous in the air. Finally, Cherrim spread the Magical Leaf attack more and more, destroying the ember orbs and slicing the pink petals. Then, the cherry blossom shaped Pokemon somersaulted down and landed on Combusken's head as miniscule sparks of left over flames and petals rained down on the two Pokemon.
"Not bad. You kept your cool well. Now if you can keep that calm attitude in the contest, you'll pass the first round," commented Tsunade. A beeper sounded and Tsunade detached her PokeGear from her belt. "Sorry Sakura, I have to go now. We'll meet again here, tomorrow, to work on battling. Oh, do you have a PokeGear?"
"Um, no I never got one. I thought they were more common in Johto," answered Sakura.
"Well having one always comes in handy," said Tsunade. She fished out another Pokegear from one of her pockets. "Here. This is yours. I figured my student should have one so that I can keep in touch with her. I've already registered my number in that PokeGear," continued Tsunade.
Sakura received the PokeGear from Tsunade and thanked her. The older coordinator then returned her Pokemon to their Pokeballs and headed off towards Mauville City. Sakura turned her attention to Naruto and asked, "Where's Sasuke-kun?"
Naruto shrugged. "I have no idea. Oh, I have to tell you what happened in Verdanturf Cave, Sakura-chan!"
"Sure, but don't you think we should go look for Sasuke-kun?" asked a worried Sakura.
"Teme will come back to the Pokemon Center when it's time. Don't worry about him, Sakura-chan," assured Naruto. "I'll tell you everything once we get back to the center." Naruto and Sakura then started walking back into the city and to the Pokemon Center.
Once they entered their room, they sat down on their beds and Naruto started narrating the story from the start. He talked about how they were separated and how he managed to escape from Deidara's clutches. Naruto then rambled on about how he got lost for a while but managed to find Sasuke, who was getting his butt kicked by Konan. After that he described how he and Sasuke ran away and found the opening again.
"Wait wait, you mean to say you both got your butts kicked by Deidara and Konan? Do you know what they were doing in the cave?" asked Sakura.
"Deidara never mentioned anything. He said he just wanted to battle. I don't know about Konan though," replied Naruto.
"Okay, now back to my earliest question: Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked again.
"I really have no idea. He said he had somewhere to go, and left. I haven't seen him yet. Don't worry about him too much, Sakura-chan," said Naruto. All of a sudden the door slammed open. Naruto smiled at Sakura and continued, "See? He's back already. Sasuke, where were you? Don't run off like that without telling me where …"
"Shut up, dobe," growled Sasuke, interrupting Naruto in mid-sentence.
Naruto was taken aback. "What did you say, teme?" Naruto spat back.
"I said shut up. Let's battle," retorted Sasuke.
Sakura frantically looked back and forth between the two guys. "S-Sasuke-kun, what're you saying? Wait, you mean a friendly match right? You don't have to look so…"
"Sakura, stop annoying me. Naruto, I challenge you," said Sasuke.
Sakura looked hurt, but she still tried to talk to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, what's gotten into you? Did something happen in the cave?" asked Sakura, genuinely worried for her close friend.
"Nothing happened," mumbled Sasuke.
"Don't mind him, Sakura-chan. He's just bitter because he was getting his butt kicked by a girl!" snapped Naruto. That comment set Sasuke off.
"Oh, and you think you're better than me, dobe?" Sasuke asked angrily.
"At least I managed to get away from my opponent! Oh, and don't forget I actually saved your butt!" shouted Naruto. "I accept your challenge teme! We'll head out to Route 117 so we won't be causing any chaos in the town."
Sasuke smirked. "Hn, I'll wait there then. Don't chicken out."
"That's my line, teme," growled Naruto.
Meanwhile, Sakura was watching the scene unfold between her two closest friends with eyes as wide as saucers. She pushed herself off the bed and stood between them. "Stop it! I don't mind if it's a friendly match, but Sasuke-kun, you sound like you're about to kill Naruto!" Sakura frantically spoke.
"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry, but I don't turn down a challenge. Especially not from someone like that bastard!" snapped Naruto.
"Hn, we'll settle this on Route 117, Naruto," said Sasuke. Then the young dark haired boy walked out the door and slammed it shut.
Sakura looked like she was about to burst into tears. The rosette turned to Naruto and gripped his shoulders. "Naruto, seriously, what happened to Sasuke-kun? I can tell if you two are just bickering for fun, but this is ridiculous! He seriously looked murderous," rambled Sakura.
"Like I said, Sakura-chan, don't worry. I'll beat him up for you," said Naruto. The blond then ruffled Sakura's hair like a big brother would, and headed out the door.
Sakura stood in the room alone, glaring down at the floor. "That's not what I want you to do, Naruto," Sakura mumbled to herself. She then jerked her head up and dashed out the door as well with her PokeGear in her hand.
"Alright, teme, how does a battle using our starters sound?" asked Naruto.
"Fine. Grovyle, let's go," said Sasuke, throwing out Grovyle's Pokeball.
"Marshtomp, you're up!" called Naruto. Marshtomp and Grovyle seemed confused about their trainers' murderous attitudes. "Your Grovyle has an advantage over Marshtomp. If you still can't beat me with an advantage, then you really suck," taunted Naruto.
"I'll end this in a minute," spat Sasuke. "Grovyle, start with Fury Cutter." Grovyle hesitated for a moment, sensing his owner's malicious side; however, he still launched the attack at Marshtomp.
"Bide!" shouted Naruto. Marshtomp braced himself for the attack. Grovyle knew what Bide was, however, it was too late to cancel his attack. The grass type Pokemon rammed right into Marshtomp and slashed the dual type Pokemon various times. Marshtomp then glowed, and shot a stream of white energy at Grovyle while he was still in close proximity, blasting Grovyle away.
"Grovyle, Quick Attack with Leaf Blade," commanded Sasuke. Grovyle skidded to a stop and dashed towards Marshtomp, leaving a white trail of light behind it. Grovyle slashed Marshtomp with his sharp leaves while also tackling him.
"Marshtomp use Mud Shot," said Naruto. Marshtomp fired multiple balls of mud at Grovyle.
"Grovyle counter it with Bullet Seed," ordered Sasuke. Small orbs of yellow light collided with the mud balls, cancelling each other out. "Grovyle, use Absorb."
Grovyle ran at Marshtomp and did a back flip, latching onto the water Pokemon's back. Marshtomp flinched as Grovyle gradually drained his energy. The mud fish Pokemon grabbed Grovyle's head and slammed the grass type Pokemon down. "Good thinking, Marshtomp. Now Mud Shot again," commanded Naruto.
Grovyle swiftly rolled out of the way before Marshtomp could attack. Then, the grass type Pokemon jumped back, distancing himself from Marshtomp. "Grovyle, Bullet Seed," said Sasuke.
"Use Mud Shot to cancel it out," ordered Naruto. Marshtomp and Grovyle shot their respective attacks simultaneously. The two attacks clashed another time, creating a cloud of smoke in the middle. "Marshtomp, Tackle," said Naruto.
"Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" shouted Sasuke. Marshtomp and Grovyle then ran towards each other, ready to blow each other away. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared between the two Pokemon, and materialized into a Milotic and Combusken. Combusken had his arms out in the shape of an X, blocking Grovyle's Leaf Blade attack. Marshtomp ran into Milotic, however, since Milotic was the larger Pokemon, the mud fish Pokemon was knocked back.
"What are you two doing?" boomed a voice. Naruto looked over Sasuke's shoulder to see Tsunade standing with her arms crossed.
"Shishou, you got here just in time," sounded another voice. This time Naruto looked over his own shoulder to see Sakura.
"Sakura told me the story. Like her, I won't stop you if you two are having a training session, but from what I can see and what I've heard, this definitely doesn't look like a training session," said Tsunade.
"Hn, whatever. I'm out of here," said Sasuke, stoically. He returned Grovyle to his Pokeball and walked past Naruto, then past Sakura, back into Verdanturf Town.
Naruto and Sakura talked with Tsunade for a while, telling her more details about the incident at Verdanturf Cave, since Sakura only told her a few facts. Sakura then apologized to Tsunade for taking up her time, then, Naruto and Sakura went back to Verdanturf Town.
Night fell and Naruto was already sound asleep in his bed. Sakura, however, was still wide awake. She turned her head to glance at Sasuke's bed, which was apparently empty. Sakura tossed and turned in her bed, still unable to sleep. The rosette then grabbed her Poketch, which was on her bed-side table, and checked the time: 10:49 P.M. Sakura groaned then sat up. Still in her pajamas, Sakura snuck out of bed and put on her sneakers. She grabbed Combusken's Pokemon, just in case she got in some trouble, and snuck out the door.
Sakura was greeted by a cool breeze that refreshed her immediately. She walked out of the center and started wandering. Before she got any farther than the house next to the Pokemon Center, she tripped over something, landing flat on her face.
"Ow, what the… Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered. Sasuke was lying on his back, staring at the sky. Sakura looked at her feet and saw that she had tripped over Sasuke's legs. The rosette quickly got up and dusted herself. Then, she walked over to Sasuke and looked down at him. "What're you doing out here, Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura.
Sasuke ignored her question and kept staring into space. Becoming a little impatient, Sakura plopped down next to him and lied down as well. Sasuke raised one of his eyebrows and turned his head to look at Sakura, but then, he went back to staring at the sky. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" Sasuke finally asked.
"Well, I couldn't sleep. So I came out here for some fresh air," replied Sakura. "What about you? Why didn't you come back to the center?"
"I have my reasons," answered Sasuke. Then an uncomfortable silence settled on them for a few moments.
"The night sky's beautiful, isn't it?" Sakura asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Hn," was Sasuke's answer.
Sakura ignored his grunt and continued, "The stars are pretty. They look so small, even though they're enormous. I can even spot a few constellations!"
"Did you come out here to annoy me more?" said Sasuke.
"Nope, not at all. Sasuke-kun, you should really get over your brooding," teased Sakura. Once again, Sasuke ignored her. Sakura sighed and finally stood up. "If you don't want me here, I'll leave, okay? Just come back to the Pokemon Center. It's a little chilly out here," advised Sakura.
Just as Sakura was about to leave, Sasuke sat up and grabbed her hand, causing Sakura to turn around. Sasuke held her hand for a few moments, then released it. "I admit, you are annoying, but for some reason, you have a pleasant aura around you," admitted Sasuke.
Sakura smiled down at him. "Well, thanks for the part insult, part compliment, Sasuke-kun. I don't mind if you want to stay out here for a while longer, but come back to the center soon, okay?" Sakura then walked back to the Pokemon Center, leaving Sasuke on the grass. Sasuke lied down once again and thought of another incident that happened to him, just before Sakura arrived.
Flashback
"Great, what are you doing here? First Akatsuki now you all," muttered Sasuke.
"Oh please. I know why you're so bitter, Sasuke. Chatot told me all about it," said a red-head, also known as Tayuya. She patted her Chatot, who was perched on her shoulder, lightly on the head.
"Tayuya, why are we doing this again?" asked the twin brothers, Sakon and Ukon.
"The boss said so, remember? So, back to business," continued Tayuya, turning her attention back to Sasuke. However, when she turned to look at Sasuke again, he had already disappeared.
"Houndour, Flamethrower!" A huge stream of fire was suddenly fired at Tayuya, Sakon, Ukon, and their two other comrades.
The largest member of the team released his Pokemon to block the Flamethrower attack. "Rhydon, block that tiny attack," he commanded. The huge Rhydon easily blocked the flames and wasn't even affected much.
"Thanks, Jirobo. Now, Sasuke, why don't you come out?" taunted Tayuya. A Dodrio dashed around a nearby house and reappeared with Sasuke in its beaks. Dodrio then dropped the dark haired Uchiha in front of the gang.
"He can't even defend himself now," jeered a multiple armed man.
"Kidomaru, you're not supposed to make him our enemy," chastised Jirobo.
"I already see you all as enemies," spat Sasuke. "Houndour and Grovyle, use Flamethrower and Bullet Seed!" Sasuke's two Pokemon, who were standing on the rooftop of a house launched long range attacks that Team Sound.
However, Rhydon and Ariados used Rock Blast and Night Shade to defend their owners. Rhydon and Ariados's attacks overpowered Grovyle and Houndour's attacks, as the Rock Blast and Night Shade hit Sasuke's Pokemon.
Tayuya approached Sasuke and knelt down so that she was face to face with him. "Now, don't make us all fight you, Sasuke. We just want to ask you one question," stated Tayuya. Sasuke remained silent as Tayuya looked him in the eyes and asked, "Will you be interested in joining us?"
Sasuke's eyes widened and he quickly stood up. The young boy was speechless. Kidomaru then said, "We all heard from Tayuya's Chatot how you pathetically lost against a girl who was using only two Pokemon." Sasuke flinched, remembering the incident in the cave. "We're just doing you a favor, remember that," continued Kidomaru.
"Think over our offer, Sasuke. If you have a change of heart, just press the button on this special Pokeball and we'll all come to you," explained Tayuya. She handed Sasuke a black and white Pokeball. Sasuke silently took it, and the four Team Sound members disappeared into the night.
End Flashback
"I can't get their offer out of my head," thought Sasuke. He took out the Pokeball that Tayuya gave him and examined it. "I just need to press the button, and I'll grow stronger with them. I can't believe I can't even defeat a girl who used only two Pokemon. Damn it!" Sasuke inwardly cursed himself. Tired of thinking, Sasuke decided to head back to the Pokemon Center and sleep on it. Hopefully the next day will be clearer for him.
It's getting dramatic, isn't it? I'm kind of trying to follow the events that happened in the anime of "Naruto" and weaving them into my story. So, let's see what will happen later, shall we? There's one thing I'll spoil for you all though: I won't make Sasuke leave immediately. In the anime, he leaves the same night that Team Sound came to him, but in my story, he won't be leaving soon… that is… IF he plans to leave. ;)
Please review, review, review!