Disclaimer
Let me just start out with the standard Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Pokémon, or any of the associated or mentioned franchises/companies, and I am not making a profit on this.
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Review Response
Rider126: Thank you for your positive input. And so you and everyone else knows, I do plan on Naruto having a Riolu, though this time, I thought it'd be better for Naruto to catch him later. I want to work on how I'm going to portray him, so that he stands out this time. One of the problems with my original story was that Kata, Naruto's Stater, was pretty bland and uninteresting compared to the rest of his team. I hope that this time, it won't be the case.
theIrishWriter: Thank you for your review. I think changing the intro so that Naruto and Sasuke start together really did set the tone differently. In the original, they were supposed to be good friends, but lived in separate cities, raising some odd questions. This way, it feels like a more natural situation. As for bloodlines and other gifts, I will mention a few of them, but I hope not to drag it on hopelessly like last time. In the original story, I was planning on Hinata being normal, then decided she should have some sort of gift like her family, so I decided to make her psychic, only I dragged it out over 20+ chapters, ruining everything. When she does appear, I plan on making things much clearer for Hinata. And for everyone else, for that matter. As I said earlier, Naruto's Riolu will be making a re-appearance. You are correct, Kata was Naruto's Starter in the original…and as you just proved, he was sadly so bland that people forgot about him in favor of his more colorful crew, like Puck and Jet.
Shadowwolf1997: Bless you for sticking with me for so long (and capitalize God in the future). I hope to produce chapters at a quicker pace with a focused story.
Guests: Thank you all for your loyalty; I am going to do some changes on each characters' teams. Sadly, I am not sure Puck will be returning. He was a colorful character…but a bit too much, at times, and he took large amounts of screen time away from Naruto's other Pokémon. This time, I am planning on trying to give each teammate a more balanced personality and impact. I'm sorry if this disappoints anyone, and hope you find the story enjoyable anyway.
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The Hero's Pokémon & Accomplishments:
Naruto Uzumaki:
Team Members: Kubo (Froakie, male, Starter)
Badges & Awards: None
Sasuke Uchiha:
Team Members: Bayushi (Eevee, male, Shiny), Togashi (Charmander, male, Starter)
Badges & Awards: None
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Pokémon: Konoha Region
Chapter 2
Leaving the Nest!
The beeping of her alarm awoke Sakura Haruno, who hastily shut it off and jumped out of bed. She could scarcely contain herself- it was the first day of the spring following her twelfth birthday. Today, she would be starting her Pokémon Journey! Grabbing the clothes she had set out the night before, Sakura made her way to the bathroom and did her morning routine. Once she was dressed, the girl started combing her long hair as she looked herself over; she had chosen a red and white outfit that was well suited for life outdoors while still being very cute. Giggling, Sakura put her hair back with a headband and did a last once-over in the mirror before heading off downstairs to the kitchen.
As she expected, her parents, Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno, were not up yet; after all Sakura had set her alarm to wake her an hour earlier than what was normal for the household. Grabbing a yogurt with granola chunks mixed in for her breakfast, Sakura went over the list she made of everything she needed for her journey.
Sakura was the student Tsunade Kato, a famed Pokémon Professor, medical expert, and former member of the Konoha Elite Four (specializing in Dragon-types). Having been Tsunade's apprentice since she was ten, Sakura had proven herself an adept student and learner, and Tsunade had told her she was more than ready for her journey.
"Morning, Princess!" called a jolly voice from the stairs. Sakura's father Kizashi entered the kitchen wearing his bathrobe and slippers. After grabbing a bowl of kid's cereal, Kizashi set himself down next to his daughter, smiling. "Sooooo," he said, drawing the word out, "you excited?"
Sakura nodded, smiling gently.
Kizashi looked at the list his daughter made. "You sure are prepared; I wasn't nearly this organized at your age...not that I'm any better now, haha!"
"I know Dad, you've told me a thousand times now," Sakura groaned.
"And I'll tell you a thousand more times, Sweetheart. It's part of being a dad," Kizashi laughed. He reached over and gave his daughter a big kiss.
"Dad! Come on, I'm too old for you to be treating me like a kid!"
Kizashi suddenly drew back like he'd been slapped across the face. "Blasphemy!" he hissed, dramatically bring his hand over his heart. "Never say such a horrible thing again! Bleh, how many times do I have to tell you stop growing up, eh?"
"At least a thousand times more, Daddy," Sakura said affectionately. Sure, her father could be silly, foolish even, but she loved him all the same.
"But seriously Sakura, I know you're really excited about your journey, and you should be, but I do have one rule for you," her father said, looking at her pleadingly. "More like a request, but please, listen to me."
That got Sakura's attention; normally, it was her mother who laid down the law in the house. If her father wanted to tell Sakura something, it must have been important. Nodding, she leaned in close, giving him her full attention.
Gulping, Kizashi considered his words carefully before continuing. "...no boys, okay?"
Sakura blinked. "...what?"
"I mean it!" Kizashi said urgently. "Your old man's having enough trouble accepting his little girl ain't so little anymore! The idea of you coming back home with a boyfriend, or even worse, a husband, is too much for me, Sweetheart!" He spat the word 'husband' like it was poison.
"Oh Daddy, come on!" Sakura laughed, "I'm only 12! Do you really think I'm going to be married and have kids the next time you see me?"
"Yes!" Kizashi looked his child over and winked. "Cute as you are, I'm surprised all the boys haven't started fighting over your hand already! Clearly, I've done a good job of scaring them off!"
"Don't flatter yourself, Kizashi; Sakura's a late bloomer. She's been in everything else, so why would romance be any different?"
Sakura glowered at her mother Mebuki as she entered the kitchen. Did she really need to mention that late bloomer stuff?! Mebuki, like her daughter, was already fully dressed and ready.
"Great, the Warden's awake," Kizashi grunted.
"I heard that," Mebuki said, setting up her own breakfast. "And why on earth are you eating kid's cereal, Kizashi? I bought that brand for Sakura! That's nothing but sugar! You're supposed to be on a diet. Doctor's orders!"
"Don't look at me," Sakura added, "I don't even like that stuff."
"I do," Kizashi smiled, taking an extra big bite and looking rather smug.
"Go get dressed already," Mebuki sighed. "Sakura's supposed to be there soon, and I don't want to be late. Oh, that reminds me" she said, turning back to Sakura. "Speaking of late bloomers, did you remember to pack any pads? Now, I know you haven't started 'the change' yet, but you're bound to do it sooner or later, so it's better to be prepared-"
Sakura tried shouting, but even her embarrassed voice was drowned out by her father.
"Stop! Stop! STOP RIGHT THERE!" he screamed, clamping his hands over his ears.
"What's the big deal?" his wife asked, "all I did was ask Sakura if she packed any pads-?"
"Stop saying words!" Kizashi cried, flinging his arms wildly. "At least let me leave the room before you start talking about...about...about that!"
"Oh, you can't be serious," Mebuki sighed. "Come on, periods are a perfectly natural part of every girl's life...eventually."
"I know it is," Kizashi hissed, "but you don't have to tell me about it! It's like UFOs! I know they exist, but I like to pretend they don't! Is that too much to ask?! At least let me leave the room!" He got up and fled the room while screaming and plugging his ears.
"Well, that was embarrassing," Mebuki said. She looked at Sakura. "So, anyway, were you sure to pack your pads? I know you're a late bloomer, but you'll get there!" She gave her daughter what she thought was a reassuring rub on the shoulder.
Sighing, Sakura slammed her head into the table; couldn't she just skip to the part where she started her journey already?
-0o0o0-
At long last, they arrived at Prof. Tsunade's lab. Much to Sakura's chagrin, they were walking up to the door at the same time as was Ino Yamanaka and her doting father, Inochi. The two girls set eyes upon one another and glowered.
At one point in the past, Ino and Sakura had been the best of friends. However, their friendship had soured and turned bitter for two reasons. One, from Ino's jealousy that Sakura had become Tsunade's apprentice. Secondly, both girls found out they liked the same boy about a year ago. Sakura and Ino both had their eyes and hearts on Sasuke Uchiha, the coolest and most popular boy in their school. He came from the well-to-do Uchiha family, and though he was very handsome and popular, Sasuke was also withdrawn and aloof. Inexplicably, his only friend seemed to be the class clown, Naruto Uzumaki, something Sakura couldn't understand. Naruto's family was very private, and as far as Sakura could tell, unimportant. Plus, he and Sasuke seemed to spend most of their time butting heads. Why the two of them were so close, Sakura didn't know; then again, when Sakura and Ino were BFFs, they often playfully teased each other, so maybe it wasn't so strange.
Presently, however, both girls would have liked other more than for a truck to have hit the other one. Racing one another for the door while still trying to maintain a ladylike walk, Sakura and Ino burst into the lab, their parents following behind them.
"Oh my!" Gasping, the woman waiting at the front for them dropped her clipboard in surprise. It was Shizune, Prof. Tsunade's niece-by-marriage and personal assistant. "Hello, girls," she said dryly. She was well aware of Sakura's rivalry with Ino (Sakura had vented her frustrations to Tsunade and Shizune many times in the past), but she was far from amused by it.
"Sorry, Shizune," Sakura said meekly, bending down to pick up Shizune's clipboard. Ino had done the same, but Sakura was quicker and snatched it up, handing it to the woman.
Ino's and Sakura's parents greeted Shizune respectfully. "So, I guess the girls will be picking out their Pokémon, right?" Inochi asked.
"Actually, if you could, would you please wait in the lounge?" Shizune asked, "Prof. Tsunade has to talk something over with Sakura in her office."
That was news to Sakura, and her mind started to go through the possibilities of what it could mean.
"That's okay; I've got a surprise I need to give my little princess, anyway" Inochi said, holding up a package in rich purple paper he had been carrying.
Sakura and Ino both rolled their eyes. Inochi was a doting father who looked for any excuse to shower his daughter with gifts.
Sakura and Shizune made their way to Tsunade's office; the professor was sitting down, a lavender Pokémon egg with green spots in a glass carrying case on her desk. Sakura was immediately intrigued; she had never seen the egg before.
Tsunade was typing something up on her computer, so Sakura sat down and waited, eyeing the egg and another object on Tsunade's desk: an old, cherished photo of eight people. Tsunade was in it, along with her late husband, Dan Kato; he was a beautiful man with white hair and gentle eyes, and Sakura couldn't help but admire Tsunade's taste just looking at him. Between the two of them was Shizune, barely a toddler when the picture had been taken. The picture had taken been over twenty years ago, just after Dan had become Pokémon Champion and Tsunade joined the Elite Four. And it was one of the last pictures the family took together- a tragic car accident took Dan's life a year later. Sakura didn't know much of the details of Tsunade's life- she was private woman who didn't like dwelling on the past -but she knew the loss still hurt her to this day.
The other figures in the picture were complete mysteries to Sakura. One was a very tall man with bushy white hair. Surrounding him was four children. Three of them looked to be around the same age (maybe ten at the oldest); two boys, one with lank red hair covering his eyes and the other with spiky orange hair and blue eyes, and a girl with blue hair and grey eyes, an origami flower in her hair. A younger boy with blond hair and blue eyes was hiding behind Jiraiya, looking shy. Tsunade had mentioned that the man, Jiraiya, was an old friend of hers. After Dan's death, Jiraiya had been there to help her through her depression, and she had been something of a maternal figure for Jiraiya's kids.
Sakura frowned, thinking about the situation. She had never met any of them, but they were apparently very important to her teacher. Of course, she had only known Tsunade for two years, so though they had become close, Sakura had much to learn about the woman she who had taken her underwing. Sakura's gaze drifted to another photo, on the back of the wall, featuring an older Tsunade proudly holding a blond baby boy with whisker marks on his face.
Sakura still couldn't believe that Tsunade and Naruto were related (even if it was only unofficially). Naruto's father was one of Jiraiya's sons, making him Tsunade's honorary grandson. Sakura had been shocked when she first found out, but it didn't really change anything about their relationship at school. Naruto was still the same immature prankster with an oddly private family life. They weren't really friends, though Naruto did playfully flirt with her on occasion, though Sakura could tell he was only teasing.
A thought occurred to Sakura. "Sensei, are you going to be giving Naruto his starting Pokémon, too? And Sasuke?" Sakura hadn't thought about it, but today was the day most kids in her class would be starting their Pokémon journey. It was very possible, even likely, that Tsunade would be giving starter Pokémon to more than just Sakura and Ino.
Tsunade looked up from her computer. "No, that's Prof. Sarutobi's job, mostly. I only handle a handful of new trainers to make it easier for him. And Naruto and Sasuke's families are sending the two off in a private ceremony." She cleared her throat and unplugged a pink Pokénav from her computer. "Anyway, I called you in here because I have something for you." Tsunade pushed the glass case containing the lavender egg to Sakura. "Care to take a guess what sort of Pokémon's inside?"
Sakura held her breath as she gently picked the egg case up. "Uh, from the colors and markings, I'd have to guess it's a Goomy egg, Sensei."
"Smart girl," Tsunade said with a nod. "This one's actually one of Katsuyu's eggs." Katsuyu was Tsunade's personal Goodra. "I've decided you'll be caring for it."
Sakura gasped. "Are…are you sure about that?" Even as she spoke, Sakura hugged the egg to her chest.
"Of course. You've handled plenty of the baby Pokémon in the lab before; caring for one 24/7 without my supervision will be a wonderful learning experience for you. Besides, you're my student," Tsunade said simply. "I don't need an excuse to do something nice for you."
Sakura smiled bashfully. "Thank you, Sensei."
"On that note, I have a second gift for you," Tsunade went on, handing Sakura the Pokénav that had been connected to her computer. "This nav has special upgrades that will all you to scan Pokémon and people alike and have a basic diagnostic of their medical state. It can identify common illnesses and poisons, suggest treatments to alleviate symptoms, and has an extensive database of medical information, for both people and Pokémon."
"Whoa," Sakura said, looking at the device.
"You can use it to keep track of your egg's status, and send me updates," Tsunade explained. "I'll be expecting weekly reports from you, in fact."
Sakura nodded. "Of course! A Pokémon Journey is not a vacation! A doctor's duty is never done!"
-0o0o0-
Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune walked into the lounge, Sakura holding the case with her new egg and eager to show it off. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of Ino holding an identical case, in which was a green egg with a pattern resembling a bud.
The two girls stared at each other silently.
"Ooooh, what do you got there, Princess?" Sakura's father asked in a somewhat teasing tone.
"A Goomy egg," Tsunade explained proudly. She then noticed Kizashi's confused expression and explained what a Goomy was (the Goodra-line was not native to Konoha, and was a very rare Pokémon).
"I do hope you thanked your teacher for her generosity," Mebuki said to her daughter.
"Of course I did!" Sakura snapped angrily. Did her mother have to treat her like a child, especially in front of everyone!?
"Don't snap, I was just checking," Mebuki said, hands on her hips.
Inochi stepped in. "Well, would you like that at: Tsunade and I both had the same idea! Haha, I bred that egg for my little princess, and she did the same for you, Sakura! Fate favors friends, as my father used to say!" He smiled and patted Sakura warmly on the back.
Sakura gave him a polite smile as best she could. For some reason, it seemed that both Sakura and Ino's fathers labored under the delusion that the two girls were still the best of friends, regardless of what they told them.
-0o0o0-
Tsunade led everyone to another room centered around a table stylized to resemble the Konoha League symbol.
"As everyone here should know, traditionally, Starter Pokémon are part of the Grass-Fire-Water triangle, with each type having advantage over one and disadvantage over the other. Most of the time, starting trainers in Konoha get to choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. However, I've been provided with a more exotic selection." She pressed a button, and three Pokéballs, evenly spaced around the edge of the table, rose out of it, one by one, as she listed each off. "You can choose between Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon, Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon, or Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. Each of them has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Treecko, for example-"
Sakura's hand shot up, and she spoke before Tsunade finished. "Sensei, where's Ochako?"
Tsunade shrugged. "Well, considering that Ochako used to belong to someone else, I didn't think you'd want a second-hand Pokémon-"
"Of course I want her!" Sakura shouted hotly. Her mother was reprehending her for her rudeness, but Sakura ignored her. "I rescued her, and nurtured her back to health; I'm not going to abandon her! We talked about this, and you agreed to let me have her as my Starter!"
"Are you sure you don't want to at least have a look at the new ones first?" Tsunade asked, a wicked smile on her face.
Shizune spoke up. "Tsunade's just playing with you, Sakura." Shizune turned to her teacher and aunt. "Tsunade, she's going to have a conniption if you don't stop teasing her."
Sakura nodded angrily, cheeks puffed out, and Tsunade laughed. "Alright, come on." She turned to her assistant. "Shizune, can you handle Ino's selection for me?"
Shizune nodded, and Tsunade led Sakura to the lab's sanctuary wing, a section designed for Pokémon to be able to live in comfortably while they recovered from injuries. It had a glass ceiling and was set up like to simulate the natural environment, with plants, trees, and even small ponds for Water-types. It also had squishy pillows and clean worktables where Tsunade and her staff could do examinations on Pokémon patients.
As soon as Sakura and Tsunade entered the room, they were greeted by the area's occupants: an Exeggutor that had suffered a partially nasty case of burns, a Graveler who had cracked his rock-like skin, and a Lanturn with a broken antenna. And of course, the Pokémon they were looking for, Ochako, a small Chikorita that gleefully ran right up to Sakura and jumped into her arms as soon as she saw her.
"Chi-chika," she cooed, looking up at the girl and waving her leaf in Sakura's face, releasing the scent of green tea and mint, a display of affection for Chikorita.
Three months ago, Sakura had discovered the Chikorita while doing some field research with Tsunade. The little Chikorita was starving and of ill health. Worse, she was utterly consumed by grief, clutching an old broken Pokéball like her life depended on it and wanting to do nothing but cry her heart out. The poor Pokémon had been abandoned; Sakura couldn't figure out exactly what happened to her, but the tragic event had left the Chikorita so broken up inside that she almost lost the will to live. After rescuing her and brining her back to Tsunade's lab, Sakura cared for her diligently, trying to console her. The process proved difficult, at first. Though she appreciated Sakura's kindness, the little Chikorita only wanted to be back with her trainer, and ran off soon after regaining her strength. Tsunade had told Sakura that they had done all they could, and that Chikorita would have to learn to move on by herself. Instead of listening to her mentor, Sakura went off in search of her; she found the Chikorita, being tormented by a flock of Murkrow trying to steal her old Pokéball. Without thinking, Sakura ran in and tried scaring the birds off, and when that failed, scooped Chikorita and her Pokéball up and ran off; they escaped, but not before the Murkrow tried clawing every bit of Sakura they could reach.
After that, Sakura and Chikorita's relationship changed; the sensitive little Pokémon never tried running off again. Instead, she followed Sakura around, helping her with her chores around the lab. The Chikorita even managed to tell Sakura her name, by patiently sounding it out (O-Chi-ka) and going through a list of names together: Ochako. It might have been the name her previous trainer gave to her, but it meant something else to Sakura and Ochako. The effort the two of them went through finding her name had been a bonding experience; it showed how much Sakura valued Ochako's feelings, and how Ochako wanted to share something with Sakura.
"Hey Ochako, ready to start our journey?" Sakura said warmly, giving her Chikorita a hug.
"Chikorita!" Ochako cheered.
"I see you've already discussed this with her," Tsunade noted, handing Sakura the Heal Ball Sakura had caught the Chikorita in. "Well, let's go-"
"Chi," Ochako suddenly said, jumping out of Sakura's arms and running over to the cushion where she slept. She slipped her leaf underneath it and pulled out an old, broken Pokéball, and then ran over to Sakura, holding it up to her new trainer with a smile. "Chika!"
"Your old Pokéball," Sakura said softly, taking the ball and holding it in her palm. Ochako had cleaned and polished it as best she could. Sakura looked down at the Chikorita. "You really are the sweetest girl, you know that?"
"Chii," she responded bashfully, looking down and blushing.
Sakura put the old ball in her bag and picked Ochako up, not bothering to recall her, and followed Tsunade back to the other room. Ino had selected her Starter Pokémon, and was holding her brand new Tepig in her arms in the exact same position that Sakura was holding her Chikorita. Once again, an uneasy silence hung in the air between the two girls.
"Oh, matching friends in matching poses with matching eggs!" Inochi said in a doting voice. "Ha, even their outfits kind of match!"
Both girls became consciously aware of what they were wearing; they weren't matching, but now Sakura and Ino couldn't help but notice that they clearly had the same sense of style. The two girls groaned, glaring at one another.
Kizashi jumped forward, pulling out his camera. "Wait, this is too perfect, I've gotta get some pictures! Scooch together, girls!"
Putting on forced smiles, Ino and Sakura moved next to one another. "I'm only putting up with this because your father's a nice person…unlike you," Ino said under her breath.
"Likewise, you wretched piglet," Sakura responded.
Kizashi took a picture of the two girls…then the girls and Tsunade…then one of them with Tsunade and Shizune. Then pictures of their Pokémon only, then their Pokémon and eggs. Then the girls and their eggs…then the girls and their parents. One of Inochi and Ino. Another of Kizashi and Sakura (which Inochi took), then another of just the girls…
"Drat," Kizashi said, looking at his camera, "The battery just died."
"Thank heaven for small miracles," Sakura whispered.
At long last, Tsunade was able to give both girls their Pokédexes and Pokéballs, and everyone made their way outsid and started saying their goodbyes.
"You take good care of Katsuyu's egg, Sakura," Tsunade said firmly, but then smiled, adding, "And don't you worry about a thing. You're going to do great!"
"Thank you, Sensei," Sakura said, giving her teacher a hug.
And remember," Mebuki added, "if you find you don't much care for being on a Pokémon Journey, there's nothing wrong with coming home early. After all, that's what your father and I ended up doing. You have a future as a Pokémon Doctor, after all."
"You always know how to say the most encouraging things, Honey," Kizashi said sarcastically. He gave his daughter a hug, saying, "You have fun, Princess. Just remember that Daddy believes in you!" He unsuccessfully choked back a sob. "My baby's all grown up…I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but here come the floodgates!" Kizashi began crying openly.
As Ino took the time to say goodbye to Sakura's parents as well, Inochi turned to Sakura. "You know, I'd be more comfortable if you and Ino traveled together, and I'm sure your father feels the same way; there's safety in numbers, after all."
Sakura smiled. "Isn't a Pokémon Journey all about learning independence, Mr. Yamanaka? Besides, Ino and I won't be alone- we have our Pokémon to keep us safe!"
"I know, but at least ride your bikes together until you're out of sight? Then you can go your separate ways, if you want?" He gave her a pleading look.
Sighing, Sakura nodded. "If that's okay with Ino, I guess."
The girls mounted their bikes, which were matching designs, though Sakura's was pink and Ino's purple, as they had gotten them together when they were still friends. Giving one last wave to their families, Ino and Sakura set off together; both of them had their Starter riding in their bike basket in the front, and their egg strapped in safely in a carrying seat in the back.
Ino and Sakura rode next to each other for nearly two hours; it was pleasant enough, though they didn't talk to one another, and both of them were just following the same road. Finally, the two came to a fork in the road. The straight path dipped through River Scar Valley, a rugged valley that lead into a forested area fed by the river; a popular site for trainers to trek through, though it would also take three days to travel the length of the valley on foot (two by bicycle). The branching road lead to much smoother grasslands, though because it went around the valley, it was a longer route, with less chance of encountering wild Pokémon. "I'm heading this way," Ino said, starting on the grasslands route. "Don't you dare think of following me, Sakura!"
"I was planning on going through River Scar Valley anyway; everyone knows there's a variety of useful Pokémon this way," Sakura said definitely. In her basket, Ochako looked saddened to see her trainer speaking so harshly, and Ino's Tepig had a matching face.
Ino paused, looking back to Sakura. "By the way, Billboard Brow, one last thing: there's going to be a Pokémon Coordination Contest in Teakgrove Town in three weeks, and I know you'll be there. All Starting trainers try to earn their first badges there! I challenge you to try and beat me there!"
Sakura scoffed. She had very little interest in Pokémon Coordination; battling was more exciting, after all. Still, she found herself nodding solemnly at her rival. "I'll be there- and I'll win!"
Ino went of one way laughing, and Sakura rode her bike the other, glowering.
"Chi," Ochako said softly, reaching up and brushing her trainer's face with her leaf.
Sakura looked down at her and smiled softly. "Yeah. I shouldn't let her upset me."
The two traveled at a leisurely pace for the rest of the day; with the terrain getting rocker and rougher as they rode deeper into the valley, Sakura had to go slower or risk crashing her bike. They stopped for lunch, and then had a mock battle with a wild Rattata. However, Sakura encountered no Pokémon that caught her eyes. Still, it was only her first day as a trainer, so she reminded herself not to get overanxious- after all, many beginning trainers make the mistake of catching one of every Pokémon they encounter, and run out of Pokéballs on the first day. Pretty soon it was dark, and Sakura and Ochako set up camp and went to bed. Before going to sleep, Sakura was sure to tend to her egg, and played a game of Go Fish with Ochako (it had been something she had taught the Chikorita to do while nursing her back to health).
Sakura woke up bright and early on the second day of her journey, and enjoyed a nice warm breakfast with Ochako (Sakura preferred to make her own Pokémon food rather than use store-bought). She then scanned her egg with her Pokénav, made note of its condition, and set off on her bike, with Ochako in her basket.
They spent the next two hours riding along merrily, occasionally fighting off a Rattata or Pidgey, when Sakura came across a large yellow warning sign, which read:
DANGER
ATTENTION TO ALL STARTING TRAINERS
Skidding to a halt, Sakura rode up to the sign and read the explanation underneath the large print.
Due to unexpected changes in migratory patterns due to weather and destruction of habitat, prides of Luxray have settled in River Scar Valley; this invasive species is considered extremely dangerous, especially to young trainers. Luxray and their line are not natural predators to the valley, and are much more aggressive as a result. Beginning trainers are advised to either go around the valley, or barring that, stay on the path; the Luxray prides have settled deep in the forest. It is also advised that those traveling through the valley stay in the public cabins along the path at night; the Luxray line are nocturnal predators, and can see in the dark. Cabin locations are indicated on the map.
Reading through the list, Sakura groaned; she had already been traveling through the valley for a day; if she turned back, it would take another day, and then she'd have to take the longer route around River Scar Valley. And considering she had been encountering nothing but Pidgey and Rattata so far, it was unlikely the trip back would yield more interesting results. Sakura weighed her options; if it was really dangerous, she reasoned, they would have just closed the River Scar route altogether. As long as she stayed on the path and in the cabins at night, Sakura was sure she could stay safe. Sighing, she looked over at Ochako. "Well girl, what do you think? Do we go back, or keep moving forward?"
The Chikorita looked nervous but thoughtful. After a moment's consideration, she pointed her leaf forward. "Chi-ka!"
"I agree," Sakura said. "Onward!" The two continued down the road, which was starting to show trees and shrubbery alongside it. Sakura estimated that the valley's forest was not too far off.
As they reached the edge of the forest, Sakura noticed something moving alongside large rocky outcropping. It looked to be a robotic arm with a ball-and-socket joint floating a few feet above the ground; after a moment, Sakura realized it was Pokémon. One she had never seen before.
"What on earth is that?" Sakura said, pulling out her Pokédex.
"Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon," it chimed in a feminine voice. "Beldum's unusual physiology uses a circulatory system of magnetism instead of blood. These same magnetic forces also repel Earth's natural magnetism, allowing it to float. Likewise, Beldum communicate with its own kind through magnetic pulses; when they swarm, they move in perfect synchronization with one another. Beldum are scarce in the wild."
Sakura tucked the 'dex away, looking at the Beldum. "What a strange Pokémon." She watched it, somewhat captivated; she had never seen an inorganic Pokémon face-to-face before. Tsunade had never gotten around to teaching her about them, instead prioritizing caring for Pokémon with regular physiologies.
For some reason, the Beldum was slamming and dragging its claw along the rock outcropping, occasionally letting out an angry groan. However, Sakura couldn't tell what it was doing.
"Let's catch it!" Sakura said, smiling at Ochako. "I've never seen anything like it, and this'll be a great chance to learn about its species!"
"Chikorita," Ochako chirped, jumping out of the bicycle basket and over to the Beldum. "Chi!"
The Iron Ball Pokémon turned, noticing Sakura and her Pokémon for the first time. "Bllllm," it said in an angry drone, glaring at Ochako with its one eye. Without further warning, the Beldum rushed her, scoring a solid Take Down.
"Roll left!" Sakura ordered, and Ochako obeyed just in time to avoid a second blow, and had to jump away to avoid a third attack. The Beldum attacked with abandon, ramming after Ochako repeatedly in blind rage. Sakura was shocked by its aggression. It was striking so blindly that not only was Ochako able to dodge most of its attacks, but the Beldum was clearly hurting itself.
Sakura ordered Ochako to use a Razor Leaf, but the attack seemed to only bounce off the Beldum's metal hide; it responded with a Take Down attack that knocked her to the side as the Beldum charged onward, hitting the rocky outcropping it had been rubbing against earlier. The Beldum hit a cleft in the rock with a crash, and then it was stuck.
"Dmmm! Blll!" the Pokémon growled, struggling to try and free itself. However, being only a ball and an arm, there was little it could do with its face and part of its body wedged between the rock as it was.
Sakura went to Ochako's side, helping her up. "Well, would you look at that," Sakura said, watching as the Beldum struggled fruitlessly to free itself. "It caught itself." She pulled out a Pokéball, and waited. After a minute, the Beldum had exhausted itself, going limp, and Sakura threw the ball. It absorbed the Steel-type, and Sakura held her breath as the ball shook with the Beldum's attempt at escaping. Finally, it pinged.
"We did it!" Sakura cheered, running to pick up the ball, Ochako gleefully mimicking her trainer. "We caught our first Poké-!" She stopped, noticing what looked like a small splash of what looked like mercury on the ground next to the ball. Sakura looked up, and noticed a bit more of the silvery substance on the rocks where the Beldum had gotten itself stuck.
"What is this stuff?" Sakura knew better than to touch mercury (or something that resembled it). Thinking, she remembered the Pokédex mentioning that Beldum have a circulatory system that works of magnetism instead of blood. Perhaps this silvery stuff was what the Beldum had in place of blood? She didn't notice the Pokémon bleeding when it was battling Chikorita, but considering she had only found two small splashes, if it was hurt, the injury was likely not very big. "We better take care of this," Sakura said, letting her newly caught Beldum out of its ball.
The thing immediately shoved against her and let out an angry tone. Sakura responded by looking it right in the eye and growling at it. "DOWN!"
The Beldum blinked, and shrank down a fraction of an inch.
Well, at least it's a start, Sakura thought. She turned to Ochako. "Calm it down with Aromatherapy so I can do a full examination.
"Chika," she said, waving her leaf and releasing clouds of scent; the air soon smelled of jasmine, tea, mint, and a number of other pleasant plants.
The Beldum tensed, but soon after, slumped in relaxation.
Sakura smiled as she took out the medical kit Tsunade had gotten for her and started looking her Pokémon over. When Sakura and Tsunade first discovered that Ochako had a natural affinity for Heal Pulse and other healing moves, Tsunade and Shizune had started teaching the little Chikorita how to fully utilize them. Aromatherapy, normally used by trainers to relieve Pokémon of Status conditions on the battlefield, could be used with more intensity to calm down an agitated Pokémon, something very useful for a doctor working with a panicking Pokémon.
After a few seconds, Sakura found the problem: the Beldum had somehow gotten an old, rusty nail wedged under one of its claws, and it was in so deep that the wound was starting to bleed. She remembered its behavior when she came across it earlier, and realized that because its body shape, the Beldum couldn't see what was hurting its claw; it must have figured it was a rock shard, and had been trying to crush it or break it loose when it was hitting rocks with its claw, only to drive the nail in deeper and make it hurt more. That also explained why it was so aggressive.
Whispering that everything would be better soon, Sakura took out a set of pliers from her medical kit, meant to pull out infected teeth, and carefully took hold of the nail. "Okay, this is going to hurt a little," she said in a soothing voice, "like pulling out a thorn." And with that, she yanked the nail out smoothly.
The Beldum let out a shocked tone, but Sakura held it down, petting it soothingly. Ochako let out another Aromatherapy cloud, and the Beldum let Sakura clean the wound and apply disinfectant. She was careful not to let any of its mercury-like blood touch her- Sakura was sure it'd be poisonous. Once she was done, Sakura turned to Ochako. "Okay, now seal the wound with Heal Pulse."
Ochako smiled, placing her leaf near the wound and releasing a wave of shimmering pink energy. Slowly, the injury faded.
"Blll?" the Beldum said, slowly flexing its claws. "Dmmm!" This time, its tone was much happier. It floated up, nuzzling against Ochako gratefully. The Beldum then turned to Sakura, looking at her with its one eye, and Sakura thought maybe it was smiling.
"You're welcome," she said happily, petting it on the head. She introduced it to Ochako. "This is Ochako. She made the pain go away. I'm Sakura, and I guess I'm your trainer."
The Beldum gave her what Sakura guessed was an appraising look. After a while, it nodded.
Smiling, Sakura took out her Pokénav, using it to scan her new Pokémon. Beldum was radically different than anything she understood. It was nearly impossible to even identify if it was a boy or a girl. Inorganic Pokémon physiology was so different from normal Pokémon that moves like Attract and Captivate had no effect on them; after all, they didn't use pheromones during mating season. The 'nav identified the Beldum as having a male physiology, and being in healthy condition. "Hmm, in that case, I think I'll name you…Tetsu. How does that sound?"
The Beldum seemed to ponder the sound for a bit, and nodded. "B…Beldmm," he said, making an effort to communicate clearly with his trainer. "…Beldum!"
Sakura, Chikorita, and Tetsu ate lunch together soon after. Sakura discovered that not only do Beldum eat, but that they appreciated homemade Poké-food- at least, such was the case with Tetsu.
Packing up, Sakura recalled Tetsu and mounted her bike, and set off, Ochako riding in her basket. They had entered the forest and had been traveling for nearly twenty minutes. The dirt road was littered with lots of rocks and weeds, so Sakura had to be careful as she rode along. Soon, they came to a turn in the road.
"Look, Ochako, a cabin!" Sakura said, pointing. Sure enough, there was a cabin at the side of the road coming into view, just as it was mentioned on the warning sign from earlier.
"Chika!" Ochako suddenly screamed, turning Sakura's head just in time for the girl to see something white and fluffy dart across the road right in front of them. The white Pokémon noticed Sakura's bike coming at it and froze. "Vee?"
"HOLY MITANK!" Sakura screamed, veering hard to avoid the frightened Eevee.
However, just as she did that, something else flew out of the bushes right after the Eevee: a boy in dark clothing.
"Bayushi, keep running, we're almost there-!" He made eye contact with Sakura just as she plowed into him.
BAM!
Sakura hit him head on, knocking the boy over. He hit his head on the ground with a painful thud.
The snow-white Eevee rushed to its trainer's side, nudging urgently against his face.
"…oh no, I killed him!" Sakura gasped.
"Chika!" Ochako gasped, jumping out of her basked and running over to them.
The Eevee whirled around, puffing out his white fur and hissing angrily. "VEEE!"
"Don't attack!" Sakura said quickly, nearly falling over as she quickly jumped off her bike and rushed over to Ochako. She held her hands up in a gesture of peace. "Please, it was an accident! I didn't mean to run over your trainer and make him hit his head-"
The Eevee hissed louder.
"It's okay, I'm a doctor," Sakura said in calmest voice she could, not adding the 'in-training' bit at the end. "Please, let me just check your trainer; Ochako can heal him!"
The boy groaned something, and the Eevee looked at him, and then at Sakura, and moved to the side, still on guard.
"Thank you," Sakura breathed. She knelt beside the boy, and was surprised to find she recognize him: it was Sasuke Uchiha! "What-? It's you!" she felt herself blushing. She looked back at the white Eevee, realizing it was Sasuke's beloved pet. "You're Bayushi!"
"Ee-Eevee vee!" Bayushi hissed, as if to say [And you're not helping!].
"Right!" she gasped. She quickly examined Sasuke over; it didn't look like he was bleeding or had any broken bones; that was good. Healing an injury without properly setting bones or dressing serious wounds was dangerous. "Ochako, use Heal Pulse."
Nodding, the Chikorita showered Sasuke with shimmering healing power. In a moment, he was stirring, eyes fluttering open.
"Ooah," he groaned, trying to sit up.
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked.
"…I think it was a green Volkswagen, Officer," Sasuke grunted painfully.
"Oh, please don't have a concision!" Sakura said.
That got Sasuke's attention. "What-!?" He realized what was going on. "Wait, you're that girl from my class! Sakura, or something!"
"You remember!" Sakura said happily. "Anyway, I sort of hit you with my bike-"
"We have to go!" Sasuke suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet. Sakura tried protesting, but Sasuke grabbed her hand and started pulling her away. "NOW!"
"What's wrong?!" Sakura asked, confused.
A deep, low growling rumbled from behind her. Gulping, Sakura slowly turned around.
Behind them stood three, fully grown and very angry Luxray.
"That," Sasuke said slowly, "is what I was running from."
To be Continued…