If this were a cartoon, Naruto's eyes would've turned into hearts.
A surge of unbridled excitement blossomed deep within his chest. Could it be? he questioned, his mind awash with a captivating blend of disbelief and euphoria. Had his ears betrayed him, or was this moment of incredulous bliss truly unfolding before him?
Not only did he get a free pass to travel to Hoenn. But this cutie was tagging along with him too?!
He was probably dreaming.
"Hehehe…What's this? What's this? Did you see me once and couldn't get me out of your head?" Naruto's nostrils flared as his imagination ran wild. "Could this be the thing you see in the movies? Where the girl falls deeply in love with a guy and ends up eloping with him?"
"My dad just asked me to tag along." She said with a smile. A seemingly innocent one. As if she hadn't heard his silly ramblings. The subtle twitch of her face told him that he probably shouldn't push his luck too much around her.
"The wilderness can be kind of dangerous, after all." She finished.
"Aw…I see…" Naruto's shoulders slumped in disappointment. It turned out the girl wasn't impossibly in love with him after all.
At least… Not yet.
"Now I see why my mom suddenly agreed to let me go…" Naruto said as he remembered the events from last night.
The rejection…
…The phone call.
And finally, the acceptance.
As they walked side by side, the wilderness stretched out before them. Thick foliage carpeted the forest floor, each leaf a vibrant hue of green
The path they tread upon was but a slender trail, carved through the thick foliage that threatened to devour it with every passing moment. Mighty trees towered overhead, their gnarled branches reaching out like ancient arms, entwined with one another in an eternal embrace. The verdant canopy above created a dappled dance of light and shadow, bestowing a mystical aura upon the forest floor.
As they ventured deeper into the wild, the air grew crisp and invigorating, filling their lungs with the scent of pine and earth. The sound of birdsong filled the air, a symphony of melodies that seemed to emanate from every corner of the forest. They walked side by side, their boots crunching softly on the fallen leaves, their eyes darting from one mesmerizing sight to another.
"So your dad. He's gone missing?" May asked him once he filled her in on his family's story.
"Uh-huh…" Naruto nodded. "Disappeared in the wilderness of Hoenn…"
"You think a wild Pokémon got him?"
"I have thought about it," Naruto admitted. "But I don't think it's likely. I mean he's the famed Yellow Flash after all."
"Yeah…" May agreed with him.
The name echoed in her mind like a whispered legend: The Yellow Flash. In the annals of the Pokemon World, he had stormed through battles, leaving a trail of awe and admiration in his wake. A prodigy in his own right, he was hailed by many as a force to be reckoned with, drawing comparisons to the indomitable champion of Galar. The mere mention of a clash between these titans sent shivers down the spines of fans worldwide, their mouths watering at the prospect of witnessing such a spectacle.
"I mean even the International Police got involved…" Naruto said as worry stirred inside him. "I just hope he didn't get caught up in something bad."
"Speaking of which…" May said, changing the subject to something lighter. "I heard from my dad that you have a Zeraora too."
"Uh-huh!" Naruto beamed pridefully. "My dad gave it to me as a birthday present!"
"I think that's pretty amazing. It's super rare to see two Mythical Pokemon in the wild. Never mind two of the same species owned by the same family."
"Huh… Is it really that special?" Naruto scratched his head. The way May spoke about it made Naruto wish he had caught the Zeraora himself.
"I'm jealous..." May's smile carried a hint of wistfulness as she gazed at Naruto, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "I wonder where he found them." Her words floated in the air, tinged with a hint of longing.
She often wondered if there was a den where all the mythical Pokémon were spawned. If so, whoever found it surely would be the closest to holding the reigns of the world.
"Haha... He does have a habit of wandering into strange places..." Naruto chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. His mind flashed to his father's enigmatic workroom back home, a treasure trove of peculiar artifacts collected during his countless adventures. It seemed his old man had a knack for stumbling upon some truly bizarre stuff.
As his thoughts drifted to his father's escapades, a seed of doubt took root in Naruto's mind. Could it be that his dad had accidentally stumbled across a secret far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined? The suspicion flickered in his mind, casting a shadow over his usual enthusiasm.
"Say, you want to have a Pokémon battle?" May's words jolted Naruto back to the present, breaking his thoughts. His brows furrowed in momentary confusion, caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation.
"What?"
"I'm just curious. Which one is stronger, your Zeraora or my Grovyle." May said as she took out a Pokéball from her belt.
Naruto smiled as he took out Zeraora's Pokéball. He wouldn't mind that at all! A hot-blooded battle to clear his head from all the depressing thoughts. "You're on!"
They each took their stance on the opposite side of the forest. Then, in unison, they tossed their Pokéball into the air.
"Come out, Grovyle!"
"Get ready for battle, Zeraora!"
Rays of light beamed out of the Pokéballs, coalescing into Grovyle and Zeraora respectively.
As the two Pokémon stood amidst the forest landscape, time seemed to halt, a fleeting moment of suspended breath and anticipation. Grovyle, its leafy crown trembling ever so slightly in the gentle breeze, locked eyes with Zeraora, whose whiskers twitched with a poised readiness.
May was the first one to break the silence as she yelled out a command.
"Grovyle, Quick Attack!"
The green reptile crouched low. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, it streaked forward like a shooting star. His feet pounded against the grassy terrain, sending up sprays of earth and grass in his wake.
"Quick Guard!" Naruto bellowed in response. Just as his words fell, a mysterious barrier of energy materialized before Zeraora. The ensuing collision was thunderous. Grovyle's body slammed into the barrier with an ear-splitting crack and rebounded off the wall with bone-jarring force. Its lithe body twisted and contorted in mid-air.
But before he could even fall to the ground, Zeraora had already closed in on him, its claw glistening in the sunlight.
"Slash!"
Zeraora swung its paw, cutting into Grovyle's flesh. For a brief moment, Grovyle's face was etched with pain.
Then, he stumbled backward, his body betraying him as he dropped down to one knee.
May nodded her head as she analyzed the situation. So far… This boy had the foundation down. Using Quick Guard to protect against priority moves like Quick Attack and then using Slash to follow up for some neutral damage.
"Huh. Not bad." May mused, her voice laced with a mix of surprise and admiration. "Grovyle use Bullet Seed!"
Zeraora was certainly fast in a close-range fight. So she will try to fight from a longer range.
With a graceful leap, Grovyle ascended into the air, drawing in a deep breath as it prepared to unleash its technique. His pursed lips parted slightly, and a torrent of tiny energy bullets burst forth.
This was her Grovyle's fastest ranged attack at the moment. One that was practiced since his days as a Treecko.
The bullets swirled and danced through the air like a swarm of angry hornets, each one honing in on its target with unerring precision. They came at Zeraora in a deadly hailstorm, yet could only strike the ground as the yellow cat danced around them.
This time May was a bit surprised. She didn't think that cat could be this fast.
Before she knew it. Zeraora had closed the distance between him and Grovyle, his body crouched low, winding up another attack.
"Slash!" Naruto's command cut through the chaos, steady and authoritative.
"Leaf Blade!" May cried out, her trembling words coming out as a desperate plea.
Grovyle's response was swift and instinctual, the leaves upon his forearm shifting and intertwining, molding into a singular, razor-sharp blade. With deftness born of practice, he parried Zeraora's oncoming claws, the clash of blade against claw ringing out thunderously.
As the battle raged on, May's mind raced with ideas. She observed Zeraora's movements, looking for any weaknesses she could exploit. And then, she saw it.
Zeraora had a habit of lunging forward with both claws at the same time, leaving himself vulnerable to an attack from below. May quickly shouted out a new command, and Grovyle sprang into action.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Grovyle ducked down and swung his Leaf Blade upwards, catching Zeraora off guard. The blade sliced through the air, striking Zeraora's underbelly with a satisfying whizz.
The corner of Naruto's lips curled in amusement at this development. For the first time in this battle, his Zeraora had taken a hit.
Perhaps he ought to take things up a notch.
"Use Discharge!"
"Discharge?! But Grovyle is a Grass-type!"
Zeraora slammed his hand into the ground. In that instant, a surge of lightning surged from the point of impact. An explosive dance of electrifying brilliance erupted. Bolts of incandescent power surged upward, tendrils of crackling energy reaching toward the heavens, driven by an indomitable spirit. In a haunting display, they plunged back into the earth, reminiscent of the cold iron bars of a steel cage. Then, in an instant, the crackling strands expanded outward with relentless ferocity. They surged forth, a maelstrom of electric fury, hurtling towards Grovyle with a titanic force that seemed unstoppable.
It was at that moment that May realized just how stupid her words were.
"Protect!" May cried out with a wave of her arm. Grovyle crossed his arms in front of him. A mystical barrier sprang into existence, manifesting as a perfect circular globe that enveloped Grovyle completely. It shimmered with pulsating energy, determined to ward off the encroaching tempest.
The lightning struck with unrestrained fury, crashing against the barrier that shielded Grovyle from the chaotic torrent. The world around him became a blinding expanse of white, the sheer intensity of the energy overwhelming his senses.
And then, in a final surge of brilliant energy, the onslaught ceased. The lightning dissipated, swallowed by the void from which it had emerged. The world returned to its normal hues, though the aftermath lingered in the air like a heavy mist. Exhausted and depleted, Grovyle dropped to his knees, the weight of his efforts evident in every fiber of his being.
"I think that's a good point to stop for now," Naruto said as he approached May and Grovyle. His Zeraora followed behind him.
"Yeah…" May agreed. "It seems like my Grovyle might be too tired to continue."
Zeraora's eyes fixed upon Grovyle, taking in the state of his sparring partner. Slowly, and deliberately, it approached the weary Grass-type Pokémon and extended a paw in a gesture of camaraderie. "Zera..." it uttered softly, its tone laced with tranquility.
Grovyle's eyes lingered on the outstretched hand, his expression unreadable. After a long pause, Grovyle disdainfully slapped the paw away, not interested in the olive branch. Instead, he stood back up, folded his arms on his chest, and gave a prideful cry. His head spun away, unwilling to look Zeraora in the eye.
"Grovyle!" May started to reprimand. But the lizard didn't seem willing to pay her any mind.
"Fine…" May said, resigning. "Just get back in your Pokeball." The lizard returned to the sphere in a flash of light.
"I'm sorry about this. My Grovyle can be... a bit... stubborn."
Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head in sheepish understanding. "It's alright! I think my Zeraora got a bit carried away with that Discharge anyway," he confessed.
"But now I know I can relax," she let out a contented sigh, stretching her limbs as she took in the crisp air around them.
"What do you mean?"
"When my dad asked me to keep an eye on you, I was a bit worried." May admitted. "But now that I see that you're actually really strong, I'm actually relieved!"
Naruto's chest swelled with pride, his ego soaring. "Of course! I am super uber mega strong! No one can defeat me!"
"I'm glad to hear that. Because there's also something that I want to do. I can't just simply be your babysitter all day!"
Curiosity danced in Naruto's eyes as he asked, "What is it?" Suddenly, a flicker of memory sparked within him—the request Professor Birch had made.
"Oh, right! You need to assist your dad with the Pokédex!" he exclaimed, recalling their earlier conversation.
May shook her head gently, her eyes gleaming with ambition. "No, it's not that. I'm referring to the Hoenn Gym Challenge."
Naruto's eyebrows arched in surprise. "The Gym Challenge?"
A fire ignited within May's heart. "Yes. I am going to become the next Hoenn Champion!"