Naruto: Johto Journeys

Chapter 23: Itachi Uchiha

"Pokemon" Normal speech

'Pokemon' Normal thoughts

"Pokemon" Pokemon that can talk

"Pokemon" Flashbacks

"Pokemon" Pokedex speech

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I don't own Pokemon. I do however, own this laptop and this story and NONE OF YOU CAN HAVE IT!

Blackthorn City- Mikoto's House

Naruto stared in shock as he looked into his rival's eyes.

"N-N-Nani? You want to battle...me?" He pointed at himself. Sasuke and Feraligatr nodded.

"Hai. Though Okaa-chan's team was stronger than the one she used against you...you were the one that managed a win instead of me. I need to assure myself of something. I need to know where I stand in this rivalry." Sasuke explained. "I need to know how strong I really am and how much I need to improve before I find Itachi."

Naruto looked at Mikoto who was looking back at the blonde, confusion and shock written all across her face. The blonde turned to the Volcano Pokemon that stood next to him. The blue eyed blonde looked at the crimson eyed fire-type.

"Ty." The Pokemon gave a nod of approval. Naruto's eyes slowly closed before he breathed out a sigh. His sapphire orbs snapped back open as he turned back to face Sasuke.

"You want to fight me so badly, Sasuke. Fine, I'll take you on."

"Matteo, Naruto, Sasuke...you don't have to fight." The two pre-teens turned to the older woman with fierce looks in their eyes. Mikoto's mind suddenly flashed back to when she was a trainer, the faces of her and Kushina facing each other with similar looks on their faces when they had fought in the Pokemon League thirty years ago. Mikoto fired looks back and forth between the two boys, silently pleading with them not to perform this unnecessary fight.

The two shook their heads along with their partner Pokemon.

"Please, Mikoto-san. Understand that Sasuke needs to do this. I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I even I know that certain things can only be resolved through conflict." Naruto turned to his rival. "When and where?"

"Now and on Route 44. We'll battle outside of the city."

The blonde nodded and he and Typhlosion headed down the stairs, Sasuke and Feraligatr following. Mikoto could only stare at their retreating backs, unmoving, unblinking. It was only when the door slammed shut, marking their exit, that she snapped out of her stupor. Mikoto looked down at the floor, her hands unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her black dress. Mikoto gave a sad smile as she glanced at Sasuke's bedside table. More specifically, at the picture of Itachi, Sasuke and Umbreon, focusing intently on the elder Uchiha brother.

"Itachi...you would be proud to see how your brother is doing right now. Sasuke...he really has grown up, hasn't he?" She asked the picture.

There was no response.

Route 44

Following the path outside of Blackthorn City, Sasuke, Feraligatr, Naruto and Typhlosion emerged at Route 44. Sasuke had his hands shoved in his pockets as he walked beside his partner Pokemon. The reptilian Water-type looked at its trainer with concerned crimson eyes.

"Gatr Feraligatr?"

"I'm fine, Feraligatr." He muttered to the fully evolved form of Totodile. He then paused as he observed the area. They were in the grass covered area of the route, a flowing river passing by their forms which divided the route into two halves. A single wooden bridge hung over the river a little ways down the path, connecting the two halves of route 44's area.

"This part seems good enough." Sasuke mused before turning around. He unattached a Pokeball from his belt and clicked the centre button and said spheroid grew within his hand.

"You ready, dobe?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, teme." Naruto grinned cockily at his rival as he also took out a Pokeball. The two stared at each other with great intensity, neither one making a move. The wind blew through the air causing a few leaves and flowers to scatter. A single leaf deviated from the others and began to sway slowly before touching down in the centre of the two boys.

And the battle began.

"Go, Rhydon!"

"Heracross, I choose you!"

The Drill Pokemon and Horn Pokemon stood tall, emerging from their confines in simultaneous flashes of light.

"Hera...CROSS!" The Pokemon punched the air, bouncing on its feet, ready to fight. Rhydon stomped down on the ground causing it to shake slightly.

"Roooar!" The Ground/Rock type glared at its opponent, its horn rotating menacingly for a few seconds.

"Alright, Heracross use Brick Break!" Heracross's arms glowed with a white light before taking off, its wings buzzing furiously as it sped towards it opponent. Sasuke watched the Bug/Fighting type as Rhydon braced itself for its trainer's orders.

"Rhydon...Hammer Arm!" Sasuke said. Rhydon's own arms glowed with a white light before throwing them backwards and pushing them forward with terrifying force. A small shockwave erupted forth from the point of collision as both Pokemon clashed. Immediately, they split apart and began to duel with physical blows. Heracross and Rhydon exchanged numerous blows, each one being blocked or deflected by the other. Rhydon aimed for Heracross's skull, but the Horn Pokemon dodged to the left and aimed for a strike to the ribs, but Rhydon stepped out of the way and twisted. Its thick, heavy tail aimed to strike Heracross, but it was halted as Heracross raised its arms and took the blow head on. Skidding to the side, Heracross came to a halt only to find a shadow hovering over its form. Looking up, Heracross's eyes widened as Rhydon had both its arms raised, glowing white.

"RHY!" The Drill Pokemon roared as it brought down its powerful limbs. A dust cloud formed as Heracross performed a backhand spring to avoid the strike before bursting through the dust cloud, using it as cover. Rhydon's eyes widened before leaned back to avoid the strike. The uppercut to the chin missed, but Heracross had merely used it as a feint attack and lashed out with its other arm.

With a roar of pain, Rhydon found its face being met on the receiving end of Heracross's Brick Break blow. The ferocious right hook sent Rhydon skidding backward before the Drill Pokemon fell to one knee. The super effective move had done quite a bit of damage and then Heracross took off once more. Going into a loop-de-loop, Heracross vanished from view as it picked up speed.

"It's using Aerial Ace." Sasuke noted as he observed the battle field. The grass rustled and Sasuke saw his opening.

"Rhydon, straight in front of you...use Stone Edge!" Rhydon slammed its feet on the ground and numerous stone shards flew out of the ground, spiraling around their user. Rhydon then spun and sent the rock shards soaring with a flick of its tail. The stone shards then met the speeding Heracross who had now become visible as it was being continuously hit by the Rock-type move's ammunition. Heracross fell to the ground, but suddenly the earth began to shake and the force of the earth racked Heracross's body.

"Kuso...I hate Earthquake." Naruto growled as he watched his Pokemon struggle to rise. Rhydon then charged forth and shoulder tackled Heracross and put the dual type Pokemon out of commission. Naruto took out his Pokemon's ball and returned it.

"You did a good job, buddy. Now then...let's go, Quagsire!" The Water/Ground type blinked as it emerged from the Pokeball.

"Quaaaag." The Mud Fish Pokemon cried out.

"Quagsire, use Blizzard!" A blast of ice emerged from the Pokemon's mouth and froze over the grass, turning it into shining ice.

"Rhydon, use Stone Edge!" A flurry of stone shards were sent careening through the air, but Rhydon's eyes widened in shock as the Blizzard froze them over, taking away their momentum and causing them to fall to the ground as harmless as snow flakes. Rhydon then raised its arms in a protective way, but the super effective move did its job as it struck with terrific force. Rhydon was sent to the ground, covered in frost and unconscious.

"Rhydon, return." Sasuke held out his Pokeball and returned the Drill Pokemon before staring at the Mud Fish Pokemon with a calculating gaze.

'Given the fact that Saske has no Grass-type Pokemon, he can't use Feraligatr or Gyarados since those are his aces and knowing him, he wouldn't want to use them so soon. Maybe Gengar?' Naruto thought as he watched Sasuke tap his Pokeballs in thought. The young Uchiha then took out a Great Ball and Naruto's eyes widened.

"Go Gyarados!" The Atrocious Pokemon shone as it emerged in a flash of blue light.

"Nani?! Already?!"

"You need to expect the unexpected, Naruto. Just because I'm a logical person doesn't mean I shouldn't pull a trick out of my hat." Sasuke said as he looked at the frightened and surprised looks on his opponents' faces. Naruto gulped audibly as Gyarados's Intimidate ability kicked it, scaring both Quagsire and Naruto.

"Now Gyarados, use Hyper Beam!"

"Quagsire, use Blizzard on the grass and slide along it to avoid Hyper Beam!" Quagisre released the blast of ice and the grass became coated with a smooth coating of ice. Quagsire then jumped onto the ice and slid on its stomach at a high speed and out of the way of Hyper Beam, but the blast wave shattered some of the ice behind the Mud Fish Pokemon.

"Alright, it can't move since it has to recharge from Hyper Beam." Sasuke cursed as Naruto had stated that fact. "Now form a ramp with Blizzard to get in its face and use Yawn!"

"Quaaaagsire!" Quagsire released another blast of ice and made a ramp and flew up into the air via the ramp. The crimson Gyarados stared in Quagsire's blank face before Quagsire released a yawn, a small cloud of smoke drifitng through the air and hit Gyarados in the face. Gyarados's eyes gained a hazy look before regaining their ferocity.

"Slap it down with your tail and use Hyper Beam." Gyarados shook its head, ready to attack as it regained its strength from using Hyper Beam. The large tail of the serpentine Pokemon snaked its way to Quagsire's form and slammed it down on the ground. A small crater formed as Quagsire slammed through the ice on the ground and made an imprint in the earth.

"Use Blizzard to hold off the Hyper Beam!" Naruto ordered. The powerful Ice-type move impacted with Hyper Beam, but the larger Pokemon, due to having higher attack power, easily tore through it. Quagsire's eyes widened as the golden orange-yellow glow washed over its body before the Hyper Beam impacted with it. Quagsire was then sent through the air and through a nearby tree. The tree collapsed and Quagsire was unconscious.

The Red Gyarados released a roar of victory and Naruto returned Quagsire to its ball.

"Alright, Sasuke. You want to play rough, let's play rough. Amphoro use Thunderbolt!" The Light Pokemon appeared from its Pokeball, ready to fight and just as soon as it came out, it released the blast of electrical energy.

"Gyarados, dodge it!" However, Sasuke noticed Gyarados wouldn't move. Stamping his foot in frustration, Sasuke cursed the after-effects of using moves like Hyper Beam. The Water/Flying type roared in pain as it was struck by the super effective move. Sasuke saw that despite all of Gyarados's immense strength, as long it was up against a speedy, powerful foe like Amphoros, it would be almost impossible to pull off a win. Sasuke then took out Gyarados's ball.

"Return." Gyarados returned to its ball before Sasuke took out another Pokemon. "Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" The Ghost-type emerged in a flash of light before firing off the orb of shadow energy.

"Amphoros, dodge it and use Iron Tail!" Amphoros took off in a burst of speed, easily ducking under the projectile before leaping and spinning in midair, its tail shining like silver.

"Gengar, dive into the ground!" Gengar did as instructed and dove into the ground just as Amphoros slammed its tail down. The ground cracked and broke apart, leaving a small crater in the earth. Amphoros quickly jumped out of the crater and began looking around frantically for its opponent. Gengar appeared between Amphoros's legs before grinning widely.

"Gengar, Hypnosis!" The Ghost-type flew through Amphoros, causing a chill to flow through the Light Pokemon, stunning it for a while.

"Amphoros, don't look into its eyes!" Naruto exclaimed, but Gengar's eyes glowed with an eerie crimson light. Amphoros was too stunned from the Ghost Pokemon going through its body and its black eyes widened in response to finding Gengar in its face. The crimson glow suddenly seemed to transfer into Amphoros's own eyes and the Pokemon became tired, swaying to the side before falling to the ground, asleep.

"Now while it's asleep, use Shadow Ball!"

"Amphoros, no!" Naruto quickly returned his Pokemon and Gengar's attack stopped charging. Sasuke and Gengar then looked to see Naruto with his hand outstretched, the red beam of light from the centre of his Pokeball showing Amphoros had been recalled. Naruto quickly took out another ball.

"Dragonair, go!" The Dragon Pokemon emerged in a flash of light, its dark eyes blazing with battle lust. "Use Dragon Rush!" Taking off like a shot, Dragonair's body became coated with a violet aura that flickered into the image of a roaring dragon.

"Dodge it!"

"Don't let it escape, lash out with Aqua Tail!" Gengar quickly dodged the attack, but suddenly Dragonair's tail became coated with water. The water covered tail did as it was commanded to do as it lashed out and struck Gengar across the face. Gengar landed on the ground, skidding across the earth and carving a small trench in it.

"Now use Agility and then Dragon Rush!" Vanishing in a blur of speed, Dragonair took off, its speed increasing as it moved towards it opponent.

"Into the ground Gengar!" Sasuke ordered. Gengar sunk into the earth and Dragonair ended up smashing its body into the ground causing a large smoke cloud to erupt from the contact it made.

"Now use Hypnosis!" Gengar emerged beneath Dragonair and passed through its body. Dragonair froze from the chill that went through it, its eyes wide open as Gengar appeared in its face.

"No, not again! Dragonair use Agility and move out of the way!" In a blur of blue, Dragonair moved out of Gengar's sight and the Ghost type now became the one glancing around in a haphazard manner. Dragonair suddenly appeared above Gengar and slammed its tail downwards. The Aqua Tail attack struck home and Gengar met the ground once more, its teeth gritted from the pain.

"Now use Dragon Rush!" Dragonair dove down, the violet aura surrounding its body once more and unlike the past two attacks, this one made contact. Gengar released a cry of pain as Dragonair's horn dug into the Ghost Pokemon. The Dragon Pokemon then retracted its body, floating in the air with a regal air surrounding it as it held its head high in victory.

"Draaaaa!" The Dragon Pokemon cried out before going back to its trainer's side. Sasuke scoffed in annoyance as he glared at the Dragon-type, returning his Ghost-type to its ball.

"Sneasel, I choose you!" Sasuke cried out as he sent forth the Ice/Dark-type. Sneasel's eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on its target. "Fain Attack and then Ice Shard!" Vanishing in a blur of speed, Sneasel moved forth.

"Use Agility to keep up! Use Dragon Rush to counter those Ice Shard attacks!" Taking off in its own blur of speed. Dust trailed behind both Pokemon as they struck at each other. The only times they became visible was when they both caused the short stalemates from their collisions. Dragon Rush plowed through Ice Shard attacks, but the shards had begun to dig into Dragonair's flesh, hurting the Dragon Pokemon. However, Sasuke noticed that Sneasel's long range attacks were doing barely any damage and Faint Attack was only doing so much to keep up with Agility.

"Use Metal Claw!" Sneasel's claws glowed with a silver light. As both Pokemon neared each other, Sneasel lashed out with it glowing claws and struck Dragonair right between the eyes. Dragonair's head flew back from the force and Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"Dragonair!" The blonde cried out in alarm.

"Sneasel, now use Faint Attack!" Sneasel then took off and Dragonair released numerous cried of pain as Sneasel combined the force of Faint Attack and slashed with Metal Claw attacks. Lines of crimson marred Dragonair's serpentine body. Sneasel then appeared beneath Dragonair's chin and struck with an uppercut.

"Dragonair, don't give up! Power through and use Aqua Tail!" Dragonair's eyes blazed with anger and determination and obeyed its trainer and father. Water coated Dragonair's tail before striking Sneasel in the chest and the Ice-type was sent careening through the air. Sneasel flipped in the air and managed to regain its footing and skidded along the ground, but was surprised as Dragonair had used Agility to meet it.

"Use Dragon Rush!"

"Counter with Ice Shard!"

A flurry of ice shards struck Dragonair's body and the Dragon Pokemon gritted its teeth in pain as the super effective move hit it. However, Dragonair powered through and with a mighty cry, struck Sneasel in the stomach. Spittle and a slight amount of blood ejected from Sneasel's mouth from the force of the strike and Sneasel fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Alright, Dragonair." Dragonair panted heavily and gave a smile to the one that hatched its egg.

"Dra Dragonair!" The serpentine Pokemon managed to reply. Naruto grinned with pride at his Pokemon, but suddenly a flash of blue distracted him and his eyes narrowed in anger as the Red Gyarados loomed over his weakened Pokemon. Due to having been recalled earlier, the effects of both Hyper Beam and Yawn had been nullified and now the Atrocious Pokemon was ready to fight, although the deep panting accompanied after its roar showed that Amphoros's Thunderbolt from earlier had done a good job of damaging the dual type.

"Use Blizzard!" Faster than Naruto or Dragonair could think or react, respectively, Gyarados unleashed a powerful Blizzard attack from its jaws. The super effective move had immediately rendered the Dragon Pokemon unconscious and to add insult to injury, Dragonair had been frozen in a block of ice. Naruto blinked as he registered what happened.

"That was a dirty trick, teme."

"Take advantage of every opportunity you have to win. Not exactly your words, but that was the jist of it."

"Dragonair, return!" Naruto said as he took out the Dragon Pokemon's ball. In a flash of red light, Dragonair returned to its confines. Naruto then began to think very hard as he wondered which Pokemon he should send out next.

'All of my remaining Pokemon have weaknesses against that damn Gyarados. Pidgeot would be susceptible to Blizzard and Thunder, Typhlosion is weak against Hydro Pump and Amphoros is still asleep and would take a while for it to wake up and I have no Awakenings on me to do so. Kuso.' Naruto gripped his hair tightly as he continued to think. Sasuke smirked arrogantly.

"Surrender Naruto. Your Pokemon cannot match up against my Gyarados and without Amphoros awake, you can't hope to counter its power." Naruto gritted his teeth in anger at Sasuke's words.

"Well...when you can't fight 'em head on...use speed. Pidgeot, I choose you!" Naruto said as he pelted the Pokeball. Sasuke and Gyarados looked in confusion as the Bird Pokemon appeared before them. It flapped its wings and a small windstorm appeared.

"PIDGEOOOOO!" The dual type Bird Pokemon cried out.

"Alright, let's start this off. Pidgeot use Steel Wing!"

"Counter it with Blizzard!"

"Go into a loop-de-loop to dodge it!" Naruto ordered to counter Sasuke's counterattack. Pidgeot had initially taken off at a high speed once it reached a suitable altitude, a streak of silver marking its movements as its wings shone like steel. Gyarados roared as it unleashed the powerful Blizzard attack. The Ice-type move sped towards its victim, but Pidgeot went into a loop-de-loop to avoid the attack, but once it reached the peak of its aerial movement, it vanished from sight.

'Fast." Sasuke thought as Pidgeot had vanished. Gyarados looked around frantically for its opponent, only for its eyes to widen in pain and shock as Pidgeot reappeared and slammed its steel hard wings against Gyarados's flesh. The Bird Pokemon then managed to score a small slash with its talons leaving behind a trio of slash marks on the Atrocious Pokemon's body before it taking off to avoid the tail strike that Gyarados aimed for it.

The Red Gyarados roared in rage before unleashing a torrent of water. The Hydro Pump attack was avoided as Pidgeot performed a barrel roll.

"Use Hydro Pump and then Fire Blast!" Sasuke yelled. Gyarados fired off the blast of pressurized water from its jaws at the Bird Pokemon which it avoided before diving down to dodge the Fire Blast. Naruto and Pidgeot then turned to see the attacks had collided to form a cloud of steam that hovered in the air.

"Use Blizzard!" The blast of chilled air rocketed towards the Bird Pokemon, the atmosphere becoming noticeable colder.

"Dodge it and use Wing Attack!" Sasuke gritted his teeth as his attack missed, but kept his eyes on the evaporated water molecules and smirked as he saw the steam cloud condense from the cold to form an actual cloud in the sky. However, his eyes widened as he registered Gyarados's head being thrown back by the force of the Wing Attack strike.

"Alright, use your speed and attack with Steel Wing. Don't let up!" Naruto commanded.

"Pidgeot!" The Bird Pokemon replied before taking off with a powerful flap of its wings. Gyarados roared in pain as it was continuously struck by the powerful Steel-type move. Streaks of silver surrounded Gyarados's body. The Red Gyarados growled before its eyes zeroed in on a flash of silver to its right before lashing out with its tail. Pidgeot was sent careening through the air as a result.

"Now use Thunder!"

"Pidgeot, barrel roll and dodge it!" Performing said barrel roll, Pidgeot watched as the earth exploded beneath it as the massive bolt of electricity had nearly made contact with it.

"Use Blizzard!"

"Fly up to dodge it!" Pidgeot did as commanded and the blast of ice and snow rocketed past Pidgeot's rising form.

"Use Fire Blast!"

"Keep climbing!" Pidgeot kept climbing higher and higher into the sky to avoid being struck by blasts of orange-yellow flame until the Fire Blast attacks could no longer sustain themselves as they immediately began to burn themselves out by the lack of oxygen at the altitude Pidgeot was currently at.

"Use Thunder!" Massive thunderbolts launched themselves through the air and Pidgeot quickly avoided them, but unknown to it and its trainer, one of the stray Thunder attacks had hit the cloud that had formed from when Gyarados had used its Fire Blast and Hydro Pump combo. The cloud became a dark gray, bordering on black and sparked with electrical charge, said charge beginning to accumulate at a single point within the cloud.

"Pidgeot dive down and use Steel Wing!"

"Don't let it! USE THUNDER AND TAKE IT DOWN!"

The Red Gyarados roared and unleashed bolt after bolt of electricity. Pidgeot twisted, rolled and flew as it gained momentum from the descent to ground zero, its body slowly becoming a silver streak as the Steel Wing shone brightly. However, as a result of its speed, it began to develop tunnel vision and focused intently on Gyarados's skull.

"Use Thunder again!"

"Pidgeot...DODGE IT!" There was a flicker in Pidgeot's form, but that was all that happened as the Thunder attack neared Pidgeot's body. Naruto's eyes widened with fear and Sasuke smirked, but suddenly both trainer's had similar looks of shock as they saw Pidgeot's form suddenly had vanished when the Thunder attack...passed through it, as if Pidgeot was a ghost.

"What the...?!" Both trainers then looked to see Gyarados roar out in pain as Pidgeot reappeared in a burst of speed, the sound barrier breaking from it, and Gyarados fell backwards as the momentum transferred from Pidgeot's wings to Gyarados's body. Sasuke was forced to jump and roll out of the way as Gyarados fell, meeting the earth with a mighty crash. With a cry of victory, Pidgeot spread it wings, looking very epic as it hovered over the Atrocious Pokemon's downed form.

"Alright Pidgeot, way to go!" Naruto whooped. Sasuke looked in awe at his downed Pokemon before back at Pidgeot.

"You think you've won, haven't you?" Sasuke asked with an arrogant look on his face. Naruto and Pidgeot watched the Uchiha with a confused look on his face. Suddenly, the sound of thunder met their hearing organs and both looked up just in time to see a bolt of blue light descend from a single black cloud in the sky. The sapphire bolt of lightning slammed down on Pidgeot's body with terrific force and the Bird Pokemon released a cry of pain as electricity coursed through its body. With the super effective power of a regular Thunder attack, Pidgeot's body stopped glowing from the lightning bolt's light showing that its body was now burnt and smoking from the heat. Pidgeot's eyes then rolled up into its head as it fainted before falling to the ground.

"PIDGEOT!" Naruto cried out, but Typhlosion took off like a shot and caught its fellow team member on its back. The Volcano Pokemon carried the massive bird back to its trainer before resting it on the ground before Naruto's feet. Naruto fell to his knees and stroked the Bird Pokemon's feathers. A soft coo escaped the Bird Pokemon's beak and Naruto sighed in relief.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! YOU COULD HAVE SEVERELY DAMAGED PIDGEOT!" Sasuke looked up and shook his head.

"No, Gyarados knows how much electricity to put into the Thunder so that we don't do that. As for what was that...maybe I'll tell you when you tell me what the hell your Pidgeot did when it avoided my Thunder attack!" Sasuke argued.

"Hmmm." Naruto had been wondering that himself as he recalled the moment before the Thunder attack struck. Suddenly his eyes widened in realization. "An After-image." He whispered.

"Nani?" Sasuke asked. Naruto's blue eyes settled on Sasuke's black ones.

"An After-Image. When Pidgeot was descending, its body flickered for moment before dodging the Thunder attack. That flicker was the only sign that Pidgeot had moved, but the movement was so fast that it left behind an after-image." Sasuke's eyes widened at that.

"Now explain your thunder falling from the sky."

"Alright...well as you know when water evaporates it creates steam. Fire Blast would collide with the Hydro Pump and cause the steam to form. There the steam would condense to form a cloud, I merely used Blizzard to speed up the process. After the cloud would form, the use of Thunder would be used to strike the cloud and cause electrical charge to accumulate in the cloud turning it into a cumulonimbus cloud. The cloud would then reach a breaking point and release all of its charge and as you know, lightning strike the highest object that has a positive charge due to the law of attraction, positive attracts negative. The lightning would then be released and strike that object, which was your Pidgeot and well...you saw the result."

Naruto could only gape in awe at his rival. "You really are a genius, Sasuke." Naruto whispered. He returned Pidgeot to its ball as Sasuke did the same with Gyarados.

"So I've lost Heracross, Quagsire, Dragonair and now Pidgeot."

"And I no longer have the use of Rhydon, Sneasel, Gengar and Gyarados."

"Let's see if it'll wake up. Amphoros, go!"

"Rapidash, take it down!"

The sleeping Light Pokemon emerged from the Pokeball in a flash of white, but just as soon as it appeared, it was suddenly struck by a powerful blast of flame. Rapidash's Flamethrower engulfed the Electric-type in a storm of fire. Naruto gritted his teeth as he hoped for his Pokemon to wake up.

"AMPHOROS WAKE UP!" Another Flamethrower struck it and Amphoros rolled on the ground, now covered in a decent amount of burns. The pain was enough to shock Amphoros awake and the Light Pokemon howled as its pain sensors kicked it. Waking up to the after-effects of a Flamethrower was not something good.

"Alright. Amphoros, return!"

"What?"

"As you told me...know my limits. Typhlosion, use Double Edge!" Taking off like a shot, Typhlosion was coated in a golden light and it impacted with Rapidash's body. Rapidash skidded backwards only for Typhlosion to strike it with another Double Edge. Rapidash fell to the damaged ground with a whinny of pain. Typhlosion gave a small wince as the recoil damage of Double Edge registered in its body.

"Now use Flamethrower while its down!" Typhlosion unleashed the blast of orange-yellow flames from its mouth, aiming to strike its fellow Fire-type.

"Rapidash, use Bounce!" The Fire Horse Pokemon's eyes blazed with battle lust and it leaped high into the air, avoiding the strike. Typhlosion uncurled and stared up at its foe as Rapidash descended from above, aiming to crush the Volcano Pokemon beneath its hooves.

"Typhlosion, leap back and then use Double Edge!" Typhlosion followed its orders before leaping back, a small crater forming as Rapidash slammed down on the ground. However, as soon as it touched down Rapidash was struck in the side, a light crack met its ears as Rapidash's ribs were cracked from the force. The super effective move had done its work and Rapidash was now skidding along the ground before slamming into a tree with enough force to crack the bark. Rapidash then lay on the ground unconscious.

Sasuke gave a nod of approval to the Fire-type as he recalled it. Turning to his final Pokemon, the Big Jaw Pokemon crawled onto the field.

"Typhlosion, step aside for a moment." Nodding, Typhlosion stood at Naruto's side as Amphoros returned to the battlefield, panting in exhaustion from taking on two Flamethrower attacks. "Amphoros, Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge it and use Surf!" The nearby river suddenly appeared to have exploded as a giant wave of water rose from it and Feraligatr appeared atop the wave.

"Use Thunderbolt on the wave." Electricity coursed through the wave as water was a good conductor of electricity. Suddenly the wave collapsed as Feraligatr was filled with volts of electricity. Feraligatr was able to land on its feet showing it was a very resilient Pokemon, even against a move that was super effective.

"Use Blizzard!" A blast of snow and ice flew forth from Feraligatr's mouth and the grass and earth became coated in a pathway of ice that made its way towards Amphoros.

"Dodge it and use Thunderbolt!"

"Slide on the ice on your belly!" Naruto cursed as he realized Sasuke just used his own tactic against him, having used it when he used Quagsire. Feraligatr slid on its stomach and avoided the strike of electricity before it rotated onto its back at the airborne Light Pokemon.

"Use Aqua Tail!" The tail of water struck Amphoros in the back and sent it to the ground. Amphoros released a cry of pain as the burns from Rapidash's Flamethrower then took effect and hurt it.

"Now use Blizzard and finish it!" Amphoros's dark eyes widened as its head turned around in time to see the ice fill its vision. Sasuke and Feraligatr gave smirks of superiority as Amphoros now stood with a shocked look frozen on its face, literally having been frozen by the Blizzard attack. Naruto gave a nod towards his Electric-type.

"You did a good job, Amphoros. That Thunderbolt was all we needed to even the playing field." He said as he looked at the small electric burns on Feraligatr's body. "Typhlosion...finish it." Naruto said with a serious tone of voice. The Volcano Pokemon stepped forward and growled at its rival Water-type. Feraligatr's red eyes stared at Typhlosion's own red eyes.

"Seems like forever since we last had these two fight each other. I think it was in Azalea Town was when we last battled."

"Yeah...I kicked your ass." Sasuke replied. Naruto and Typhlosion's eyes narrowed at the memory. Sasuke had willingly let the battle end in a draw, but in the end...it was a win for the Uchiha.

"Well...we're stronger now. Not even you, the all powerful Sasuke Uchiha, can deny that."

"I won't deny it. That's why you are my rival, Naruto, but from here on out I'm not holding back."

"Same here."

"TYPHLOSION FLAMETHROWER!"

"FERALIGATR DODGE AND USE SURF!"

A blast of flame streaked towards the Big Jaw Pokemon, but the alligator-like Pokemon quickly dropped down and used the superior speed it had when on all-fours to avoid the Fire-type move. Opening its jaws, Feraligatr called upon the river water once more. The giant wave moved towards its victim, but Typhlosion took off in a run, moving away from the giant wave.

"Use the trees to climb." Typhlosion did as instructed and leaped between a pair of trees and used them as footing to allow it to leap high into the air and out of the way of the wave and suddenly it was in Feraligatr's line of sight at the crest of the wave.

"Now use Flamethrower!" The blast of flame impacted with Feraligatr sending it off of the wave and to the ground. Feraligatr landed hard on its back, grunting in pain before climbing back to its feet just as Typhlosion landed on the ground.

"Flamethrowe again!" The Flamethrower was avoided and Feraligatr spun on its heel and lashed out with its thick tail, now coated in water. The Aqua Tail neared Typhlosion's body, but suddenly, the flames on Typhlosion's neck erupted outwards as it used Lava Plume. Feraligatr roared in pain as the attack sent it careening through the air and off the edge of the cliff and into the river below.

"Kuso. Naruto's taking advantage of the power of his Fire-type moves, but Feraligatr is not going to go down that easy. FERALIGATR, SURF!" The river below seemed to tremble before an even larger tidal wave rose up and washed over the land. Typhlosion quickly jumped to avoid the water, but Feraligatr had jumped as well and slammed a powerful Aqua Tail to Typhlosion's skull sending it back down to ground level.

"Typhlosion, hang in there. Use Lava Plume!" The flames exploded outwards as if it were lava from a volcano. The red flames raced towards Feraligatr, but the wave from Surf was still active and Feraligatr used it as a shield. Steam rose upwards as a result.

"Use Aqua Tail!"

"Dodge it and use Flamethrower!" Typhlosion leaped over the tail swipe before unleashing the blast of fire. Feraligatr crossed its arms in front of its body and took the fires head on before going in close.

"Bite it!" Feraligatr's jaws opened widely as it aimed to clamp its fangs down on Typhlosion's body.

"Grab those jaws!" Use unbelievable strength capable only by a Pokemon, Typhlosion latched onto the Big Jaw Pokemon's jaws and held them steady, its arms trembling to hold off the powerful muscles in Feraligatr's mouth from closing shut.

"Use Blizzard!"

"Like hell you will. Use Flamethrower!" Typhlosion held Feraligatr's jaws open still and unleashed the blast of flame that easily overpowered the Ice-type move that was about to be expelled by Feraligatr. Feraligatr roared in pain, clutching its burned face.

"Now use Double Edge!" Typhlosion slammed its body against Feraligatr's sending both tumbling to the ground.

"Ice Fang, Feraligatr!" Sasuke yelled. Feraligatr quickly kicked Typhlosion off of it before leaping and biting its jaws down on Typhlosion's arm which had been raised to take the blow. Ice flowed along the limb as Ice Fang came into effect.

"Flamethrower and then Lava Plume." Flames burst forth and sent Feraligatr skyward before a large wave of flame followed after the Big Jaw Pokemon.

"Use Surf to counter it!" The giant wave of water clashed with the wave of fire and a large cloud of steam formed as a result. The steam then parted to show both Feraligatr and Typhlosion panting heavily. Wounds covered their bodies, but due to their low health, the auras of blue and red encompassed them. Blaze and Torrent abilities became active as the two Pokemon stared down each other.

"Let's finish this!" The two trainers yelled. Typhlosion and Feraligatr gave their respective cries before dropping down onto all fours. Feraligatr opened its mouth and water seemed to pool from within its stomach and into its jaws before forming a large concentrated spheroid of water. Typhlosion's neck flames grew and extended heavenward, changing to a blue and white colour before settling on a pale white.

"HYDRO CANNON!"

"BLAST BURN!"

Feraligatr reared its head back and the spheroid seemed to explode forward as a powerful stream of pressurized water. Typhlosion bent its head forward and the white flames raced forth from its neck. Two of the most powerful Pokemon moves to ever exist collided with great amounts of force, enough to cause the earth to quake. Naruto and Sasuke raised their arms to cover their faces, protecting them from the dirt and earth and the wild winds that whipped through the air. Trees fell to the ground and river water crashed against the walls of the earth that contained it.

A large crater formed at the point of collision, but then a loud boom followed after. The crater expanded. Another boom and the crater expanded in size once more. Finally, there was a flash of white light and then a mighty explosion. Both trainers and their Pokemon flew through the air as a result. The light from the explosion died down and Naruto and Sasuke looked to see both their Pokemon were unconscious...and they were lying on the edge of a gigantic crater.

"Well...the Pokemon League is gonna have a hard time covering this up." Naruto joked.

"Dobe."

The match was a draw.

Blackthorn City

Mikoto sat in her comfy arm chair before the television, watching the weather report and an interview that was done with Mr. Techni Cal, the renowned expert of TMs and HMs. She was snapped out of her stupor with the tv when she heard the door open. She got up and twisted so fast.

"Oh, Sasuke-chan, Naruto-kun you're..." She paused when she saw how dirty the two pre-teens and their Pokemon were. Dirt, sweat and grime covered their bodies as well as a few cuts here and there.

"COMPLETELY FILTHY. YOU TWO GET TO THE BATHROOMS AND TAKE A GOOD, LONG SHOWER RIGHT NOW!" She roared with maternal rage. Naruto and Sasuke nodded without complaint, wanting to avoid the wrath of the mother that was Mikoto Uchiha.

After taking their respective showers, Mikoto returned their washed clothes to them which they readily put on. Mikoto had also taken the liberty of taking their Pokemon to the Pokemon Centre where Nurse Shizune had quickly done her task of healing them. The two trainers then sat by their partner Pokemon as they reattached the five other Pokeballs they had on their person to their belts.

They then all had a rather quiet dinner before the three sat down in the living room just enjoying the silence. However, the silence was quickly broken as Naruto spoke.

"Mikoto-san?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun?" She smiled warmly at her best friend's son. Naruto bit his lip as if he were contemplating something.

"Is it okay if I ask you a question?" Mikoto and Sasuke looked at each other before looking back at the blonde.

"Of course. Why?"

"It's just that...what I want to ask may seem a bit personal and it may not be my place to ask it." Naruto explained. Mikoto sighed as she shifted in her chair, her eyes closed as she rubbed her temples, as if mentally preparing herself. She then turned back to Naruto and her dark eyes gained a dull look in them.

"You want to know about my son...you wish to know about Itachi? Am I right?" Sasuke glared at Naruto while Naruto looked down at the ground with a guilty look on his face.

"I'm sorry if I brought up any bad thought, but I'm just so curious as to what exactly happened."

"It's fine, Naruto-kun."

"It's not fine at all!" Sasuke exclaimed as he stood up. "The dobe does not have to bothered with family matters." However, the younger Uchiha flinched slightly when he saw the dark look in his mother's eyes.

"I am the head of this household as long as Fugaku-kun, your Otou-san, is not home. I will dictate whether or not Naruto-kun should hear the story and I think he should. Your emotional state at the Academy in New Bark Town had been reported to me by Professor Iruka and he said you were very anti-social. This is a result of you not forgetting Itachi. Your classmates received the full brunt of your inability to use your emotions so you ended up gaining a superiority complex as you grew, Sasuke. This will answer the question that Naruto-kun has as to WHY you acted so."

"Actually, I was wondering that. Can you read minds? Okaa-chan can read minds too." Naruto said with a surprise. Mikoto giggled at the blonde's reaction.

"It's a mother thing, Naruto-kun. Now then...you wish to know about Itachi." She stated rather than asked. Naruto nodded as he watched Typhlosion raise its head, wanting to hear the story, Feraligatr doing the same. Mikoto took a deep breath before speaking. Sasuke had got up and left the room, not wanting to hear the re-telling of his brother's disappearance again.

"Itachi was my eldest son and Sasuke's only other sibling. He was considered a prodigy by many of his teachers when we sent him to the Academy to learn how to be a trainer. The Professors there stated that Itachi had skills in using Pokemon to their fullest potential and seemed to have the ability of foreseeing his opponent's moves before they could even happen. We were very proud of him when they told Fugaku-kun and I that Itachi was much too good to be kept within the Academy and allowed him to graduate at the age of eight. Sasuke-chan was only three years old at that time."

Naruto's eyes widened at that. "Eight years old...that's amazing." Mikoto nodded with a smile on her face.

"It is an amazing feat. As a present for his early graduation, we had a small family party and gave him his present. An Eevee which he eventually came to evolve into an Umbreon after only three months of training the Pokemon. Afterwards, he began to train immensely with Umbreon, rarely staying home and Sasuke was always around to watch him train."

"Sounds like Sasuke really looked up to Itachi."

"He did. Sasuke still does. To Sasuke...Itachi was the greatest and that no one would be able to best him...and it was true. When Itachi became the legal age of twelve to go and take part in his journey to become a trainer, he had already bested numerous trainers. He won several junior tournaments that took place in the towns and by the time he had turned thirteen, we received a letter from him saying how he had fought a very powerful trainer on his travels."

"And?" Naruto, Feraligatr and Typhlosion leaned forward, wanting to hear more.

"He nearly won, but Itachi knows his limits. He lost."

"Who was he battling?"

"He was battling a member of the Elite Four, Kakashi Hatake."

"He fought Kakashi-sensei."

"Sensei?"

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei taught me for a while back in Goldenrod City a while back. He helped evolve my Amphoros, back when it was a Mareep, into a Flaffy."

"Interesting." Mikoto mused before continuing her tale. "So, as I was saying, after Itachi fought Kakashi, he sent us letters telling us what happened everyday. He had begun to take part in the Pokemon League challenge after finding himself strong enough and began to battle the gyms and their leaders. By the time six months had passed he had already gotten through seven gyms and he was on his way to Blackthorn City to battle my replacement gym leader, the elder, Ryu-sama, who lives in the Dragon's Den. He stated he won, but after that letters became less frequent until they stopped coming at all. At first it, I thought it was because he too busy training his Pokemon for the League since he had achieved all eight badges...but...Fugaku-kun, upon learning that Itachi hadn't kept contact with us, he had dispatched a small unit to look for Itachi. By then, it had been already two years since we began to search for Itachi. He was never found, there was no scent, no body, nothing. The Growlithe and Arcanine units couldn't sniff him out...it was as if Itachi had vanished off the face of the region. I feared the worst and I just broke down. My son was lost to me and I couldn't do anything. Fugaku-kun then started becoming more prone to violent outbursts and he moved to Kanto in Cinnabar Island and became its gym leader after his own father retired from the gym leader business. I was left alone to take care of Sasuke and Sasuke had become very quiet and wouldn't talk to me. Itachi's loss was felt by all of us in the Uchiha clan. Itachi was claimed to be a genius trainer that came once in a lifetime and I was so very proud of him. And now..." Mikoto hiccuped as she could no longer hold back the tears.

"My baby boy is gone!" She sobbed, her face hidden behind her hands. Her body shook as she sobbed.

Naruto, Typhlosion and Feraligatr could only stare in shock before looking down at the floor with guilt and pity for having the Uchiha matriarch bring up her lost son. Naruto rose up from his chair and he sighed deeply.

"Mikoto-san...I am so very...very sorry for making you re-tell this. I now regret asking you about Itachi. Please forgive me." He bowed his head. Mikoto looked up in surprise to see Naruto bowing to her, Feraligatr and Typhlosion rose up and bowed their heads to her as well. Wiping her tears and sniffling slightly, Mikoto gave a shake of her head.

"No, Naruto-kun. It's alright. Your intentions were not to hurt me, but merely to satisfy your curiosity. I understand. Please, don't bow your head. You're an Uzumaki remember, Uzumakis bow to no one is what Kushina-chan would say." Mikoto laughed. Naruto raised his head in surprise before chuckling.

"Yeah...I guess that does sound like Okaa-chan. Well it's late, Mikoto-san." Looking at the clock, they saw that it was already a few minutes past midnight.

"Yes, time for you to sleep, neh?" Naruto nodded as he headed for the guest bedroom where his things were already there thanks to Mikoto.

"Goodnight then. Mikoto-san...I apologize once more." Naruto said before leaving Mikoto to her own devices. The black haired woman stared at the door to the guest bedroom as Typhlosion closed it behind it. Mikoto wiped away a few stray tears and dried up the wetness on her face from her crying.

"He's so very much like you, Minato-kun. You would be proud of your son." Mikoto said as she turned to go to her room.

(A/N: Alright that's it for this chapter. I know some of you are going to complain about how the part with Itachi isn't really worth it, but I don't really give a crap about your opinions because I've already written the chapter and what's done is done. Hope you guys enjoyed the battle between Naruto and Sasuke earlier. I worked hard to make sure the rival battle was a great one and I'm wondering to myself now if I can top it because I need to have Sasuke and Naruto fight each other in the Pokemon League (sorry for the spoiler but it's an obvious battle that will take place so it's not really much of a spoiler). Well I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Remember to review.

In the next chapter Sasuke will do a re-match against his mother and then the two pre-teens will have to undergo the test of the Dragon's Den to see if they are worthy of moving past the hurdle that will lead them to Victory Road and the Pokemon League. However, seems that things are about to get a bit more hectic as ROOT is now back on the map. After so many days of being off the grid, the evil organization has returned and it seems that the Tidal Bell and the Clear Bell will be what will lead the way to what the organization is after. What will happen next?

Next time on Naruto: Johto Journeys, Chapter 24: Legendary Pokemon)

Pokedex: Seen-147

Caught-99

Character Bio: Professor Hiruzen Sarutobi

Eye Colour: Black

Hair Colour: Black turned Gray

About: Hiruzen Sarutobi was once a great Pokemon trainer during his younger years. He traveled throughout the Kanto region and after meeting many a researcher who worked in the field, he became obsessed with Pokemon research, solving the mysteries behind the creatures. After his time as a trainer in Kanto, Hiruzen became an intern for two other trainer-professors, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju. He learned everything he knows now from these two and was what inspired the inception of the Pokedex. Once Hiruzen gained his degree in Pokemon Research, he became a full-time professor and married a woman by the name of Biwako and had a son, Asuma. Thirty years ago, Hiruzen had finally, after much proto-type creations, made the final proper Pokedex machine. He then gave out the few Pokdex-es he had created to a few chosen trainers, Minato Namikaze, A and Kushina Uzumaki, tasking them with the act of recording information to fill the Pokedex. After the compilation of information from Minato's time as champion was recorded, Hiruzen continued to work and ended up upgrading his Pokedex and this time creating twelve new Pokdex-es which were handed out to the current rookie trainers of the new generation of trainers in the Johto region. He is still the world's most renowned expert on Pokemon research and now hosts a radio show in Goldenrod City where he does poetry and provides information on Pokemon.

Naruto's Team:

Typhlosion(Male)

Pidgeot(Male)

Heracross(Male)

Quagsire(Female)

Amphoros(Female)

Dragonair(Female)

Hinata's Team:

Espeon (Female)

Butterfree(Female)

Nidoqueen(Female)

Jumpluff(Female)

Furret(Male)

Togekiss(Male)

Sasuke's Team:

Feraligatr(Male)

Sneasel(Male)

Gengar(Male)

Rapidash(Female)

Red Gyarados(Male)

Rhydon(Male)

Sakura's Team:

Meganium(Female)

Azumarill(Female)

Porygon2(No Gender)

Jigglypuff(Male)

Vulpix(Female)

Pikachu(Male)

Akatsuchi's Team:

Golem(Male)

Steelix(Male)

Sudowoodo(Male)

Crobat(Female)