Pokémon: Konoha Region

by Sand Fox

A remake of my original fanfic, Pokémon Konoha. Follow the journey of Pokemon trainers Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuga as they start their adventures and travel through the Konoha Region, aiming to become Pokémon Masters! This story is set in the Pokémon world, using characters from the Naruto Manga.

10. Chapter 10: Don't Split up the Party…Exc

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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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Author's Note

Amazing, I got this chapter done after only a little over a month. Yay! Now, this is where the fun begins, where I get your hopes up for more regular chapter updates, only to crush those hopes by not posting again for half a year. Muhahaha!

Nothing to report of great value. Here's hoping you enjoy this chapter, and that I keep up the pace.

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Review Response

NaruCrazy: I apologize that you feel that way, but that's your prerogative, and I wish you well. Thank you for you reviews and your insights.

PKMNLover93: Thank you, I am looking into your suggestion for employment, and am glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and hope you feel the same for this one.

Dreaming of the Phoenix: Thank you for the lengthy review. Yes, Venom's name is a nod to Bane's drug from the Batman franchise. It is also a nod to 'R' from the Detective Pikachu movie, with the name changed to fit Team Snake's theme. I aim for the Sound Trio to be much more competent than the Team Rocket Trio; making them a threat opens more story options. Yes, it was a very busy chapter, and I am sorry for that. Glad you enjoyed it.

elijahlarson03: In that case, I am glad I got this chapter out so soon.

God of Wind 200: There will be opportunities for new catches and training, but this chapter is more of a breather and a set-up for what is to come. I still hope you find it enjoyable

pkmnlover13: Glad you enjoyed the chapter; no, Hinata is not going to specialize in Psychic-types. She already has half of her team, and only one of them is a Psychic.

Dylan Millwood: I am very glad you liked the chapter. Yes, as you predicted, the Sound Trio will shift blame mostly to Mizuki, as you'll see in this chapter (technically a spoiler, but it's not exactly something hard to predict, nor does it give anything away). The Espurr's strange ability to disappear and reappear, seemingly outside of his control, will be elaborated upon. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that my plan for it is…very fun. Katsuki learned at least that he wants to act with dignity and have his trainer's respect; he's still a hothead and a jerk…but he's Hinata's jerk. Cute point on Shoto and Sasuke's samurai name theme. I had not thought about that, but it may just fit with what I have in store…and that's all I'll say. As for Shiba the Houndoom…well, I can't say anything about him without spoiling everything, can I? Haha, you'll just have to wait and see.

Guest 1: The MHA theme is supposed to mostly be Sakura's, though I found it so enjoyable I gave every character at least one teammate themed after the series. I won't say any more on it, though.

Guest 2: I have plans for Shoto, and that is all I will say about it.

Guest 3: No, I do not plan on giving Hinata a Buneary. I was sorely tempted to, but with so many fun choices for the heroes, I had to make some cuts. And Hinata's Ralts more or less fill the role that Buneary would have.

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The Hero's Pokémon & Accomplishments:

Naruto Uzumaki:

Team Members: Kubo (Frogadier, male, Starter), Sora (Bagon, male), Kata (Riolu, male, Aura-trained)

Badges & Awards: None

Sasuke Uchiha:

Team Members: Bayushi (Eevee, male, Shiny), Togashi (Charmeleon, male, Starter), Akodo (Shinx, male), Hitomi (Dewott, female, genetically altered)

Badges & Awards: None

Sakura Haruno:

Team Members: Ochako (Chikorita, female, Starter), Tetsu (Metang, male*), Mina (Goomy, female)

**Sakura also has a Polteageist in her possession, but she does not consider it a member of her team.

Badges & Awards: None

Hinata Hyuga:

Team Members: Kikyo (Ralts, female, Starter, Shiny), Midoriya (Chespin, male), Katsuki (Quilava, male, genetically altered)

Badges & Awards: None

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Pokémon: Konoha Region

Chapter 10

Don't Split up the Party…Except Sometimes

Sasuke casually eyed the opposing trainer who stood across the battlefield. It wasn't the first time he had battled Toru of Oakcrown City, though Sasuke barely remembered him.

The two were standing outside a wayside Pokécenter that was situated on Route 11, which led straight from Teakgrove to Steel Blossom City, on a simple grass battlefield.

It had been three days since Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata had left Teakgrove; they were about halfway to Steel Blossom now. They had just arrived at the Pokécenter when Toru recognized Sasuke and challenged him to a rematch; in turn, Sasuke didn't even remember fighting the other boy until Sakura subtly whispered that it was the same day they met Hinata. Still, while Sasuke might not have found Toru memorable, he was always ready for a chance to train his team more.

"O-Okay, Sasuke, how about three against three?" Toru suggested, somewhat nervous. He remembered how soundly Sasuke had managed to thump him last time.

Sasuke shrugged. "That's fine." He pulled a Dive Ball from his belt. "Let's go, Hitomi."

"Shelly, I chose you!" Toru said, calling out his Pokémon out at the same time as Sasuke.

The last time Toru had fought Sasuke, Shelly was a Squirtle; since then, she had evolved into a Wartortle. The Turtle Pokémon flexed her claws and teeth proudly at Sasuke, recognizing him. Shelly then did the same to Hitomi, who just appraised her opponent calmly.

"Water-type vs. Water-type; no one's got a clear advantage," Naruto pointed out.

"Yeah, but last time, Sasuke mopped the floor with Toru without breaking a sweat," Sakura whispered as she carefully rocked Mina in her arms.

Hinata frowned. "Your overconfidence is your adversary's greatest ally."

The battle begun.

"Hitomi, Nightslash," Sasuke said, starting out aggressive.

"Withdraw!" Toru countered, waving his hand overdramatically.

Shelly the Wartortle retreated into her shell, causing Hitomi to slash her scalchop across the shell's surface. Even so, she was far from worried, following up with a second slash. After all, Wartortle's shell was as much a part of her body as the rest of her, and even if it was resistant to damage, attacks to it still caused Wartortle pain.

"We got her where we want her, Shelly; use Skull Bash!" Toru ordered.

Water blasted out of the back of the Wartortle's shell, propelling her into Hitomi's gut and knocking the wind out of the Dewott. Shelly continued shoving Hitomi backwards until the Dewott was able to roll to the side. The Wartortle pulled out of her shell and attempted to hit Hitomi.

"Tortle!" Shelly taunted, pulling out of her shell and crouching for another attack.

From his side of the battlefield, Sasuke ground his teeth; Hitomi had dropped both of her scalchops after getting hit in the gut.

Hitomi took an aggressive stance, trying to estimate about where her weapons were in relation to her current location without looking behind her (and consequently, turning her back to her foe).

"Shelly, Bite!" Toru said.

The Wartortle jumped at Hitomi, jaws snapping. The Dewott slid backward and to the left, feinting so that Shelly lunged for her left shoulder before dipping right and under her foe's arm. Quick as a flash, the two were now turned around, and Hitomi spotted her salchops- the two were over five feet apart. Sighing, Hitomi Aqua Jetted off to the first one, turning midair so that she could scoop it up and land in an offensive stance, facing the Wartortle.

"Good, Hitomi," Sasuke said calmly. "Now, Focus Energy."

Letting out her breath slowly, Hitomi forced down her excitement and instead let a calm yet hot feeling spread evenly throughout her body.

"Shelly, blast her with Water Gun! Don't let her pick up her scalchop. In fact, shoot the other one out of her hand," Toru ordered.

Scoffing, Hitomi turned so that her side was facing her foe, minimizing the target. Hitomi moved towards her fallen scalchop, sliding her feet rather than stepping to keep a strong base. She never looked away from her foe, ducking under the first Water Gun, leaning to avoid the next, and finally deflecting the last one with her scalchop.

"Man, Hitomi knows how to play it cool," Sakura praised from the sidelines.

Sasuke, who could hear her, smiled. He had gotten lucky finding a Dewott like his father; he was luckier still in catching one as skilled as Hitomi.

"If you can't disarm her with water, use Rapid Spin," Toru suggested.

"War!" Shelly bellowed, suddenly withdrawing into her shell, landing on her side, and spinning at Hitomi fast.

The Dewott pulled back and met the Wartortle's attack with her scalchop, shoving hard so that she was deflected off course and hit the ground, still withdrawn in her shell. Hitomi took the opportunity to dive for her fallen scalchop, retrieving it and rolling into a crouch.

"Dewott!" she cheered triumphantly.

"No you don't. Mud-Slap!" Toru countered.

Shelly spun like a top, releasing water that mixed with the dirt around her, and launching the resulting mud in all directions; she hit Hitomi square in the face, blinding the Dewott and making her stagger backwards.

"Darn it," Sasuke cursed. "Hitomi, listen to me! I'll tell you what's coming."

"Wartortle!" Shell said, popping out of her shell and baring her teeth. She took a step forward, but Toru called for her to stop.

"Hold it! She's expecting you to Bite!" Toru pointed to Hitomi's scalchops, which were cloaked in Dark-type energy. The Dewott had braced herself, listening attentively even as she clamped her eyes shut in pain and shock. "Don't fall for that trap, Shelly; hit her with ranged attacks, like Water Gun!"

Sasuke's first instinct was to tell Hitomi to guard her face/torso with her scalchops, rather than trying to blindly dodge. However, an idea popped in his head.

"Hitomi, let the attack hit you and roll with it!"

Naruto frowned. "What's Sasuke doing?" he asked no one in particular.

The Dewott was hit right in the face; obeying her trainer, she relaxed and allowed herself to tumble backwards with the force of the blow, and kept on rolling, so that she was on her feet again.

Then, without a moment's hesitation, Hitomi threw both of her Night Slash-charged scalchops right at Shelly. They struck true, hitting the Wartortle in both exposed shoulders with such force that they knocked her onto her back. A critical hit!

"Strike now, before she gets up! Jet straight forward, a blade's right in front of you!"

Eyes only partly open, Hitomi obeyed her trainer, Aqua Jetting forward while Shelly struggled to get off her back. In one fluid motion, the Dewott grabbed the scalchop on the ground and nailed the Wartortle with another Night Slash just as she was halfway onto her feet.

Landing gracefully, Hitomi stood tall and squirted out a gentle stream of water from her mouth up into the air so that it landed on her face, cleaning her eyes.

Behind her, Shelly collapsed, unconscious.

"Oh, Shelly, you did so good!" Toru said gently, recalling his Pokémon.

"You greatly improved her strength since the last time we fought," Sasuke said.

At the sidelines, Sakura cheered and turned to Naruto.

"Sasuke had Hitomi take the Water Gun to the face so her eyes would be cleaned! That was so smart! You should take notes," she added mischievously.

"Partly true, but that's not what happened," Sasuke said, looking over to his friends. "While it did help clear her eyes, I didn't expect it to be perfect; it still would have taken Hitomi a few seconds for her eyes to fully recover, even after clearing the mud. The real point was for Hitomi to take the hit so that she'd know exactly what direction her enemy was in. After that, she just had to throw her scalchops; the Wartortle wouldn't be ready to dodge attacks from a blind foe." He looked over at his Dewott. "Hitomi figured that out in the split second before the attack hit."

Next to him, Bayushi echoed his trainer's praises for the Dewott, nodding proudly at her tactical excellence.

"Dewott," Hitomi replied bashfully, picking up her other scalchop and doing her best to stand tall. However, in truth, she was still winded. She had fought tougher foes many times in the past, but this Wartortle had been an unexpectedly strong foe, and had caught her off guard…that bothered Hitomi, who had sized her up and written her off as an easy victory.

"You did well. Uh, shall we continue?" Toru asked, wanting to be a good sport and allow Sasuke to finish explaining things to his friends. Sasuke nodded, and Toru pulled out a second Pokéball. "Since you've got a Water-type, I'll use a Grass-type; here's another one of my team you've seen. Beans, I chose you!"

First seen as a Bellsprout, Beans had evolved into a Weepinbell.

"Bell-bell!" Beans the Weepinbell said, eager for a fight.

"Dewott!" Hitomi responded, taking a fighting stance.

Sasuke shook his head, detecting that she was more tired than she appeared. Besides, Sasuke mused, a Grass-type would be an ideal foe for the newest member of his team.

"Hitomi, return," Sasuke said, pulling out her Net Ball. "I'm going to use Shoto for this."

"Wott?!" Hitomi demanded, looking indignantly at her trainer. She turned to face him angrily, hands on her hip as she started telling Sasuke off. "Dewott-wott-wott!"

Bayushi snarled, running up to Hitomi and puffing his fur out at her disrespect.

Sasuke spoke. "Hitomi…I'm the trainer…you're the Pokémon…it's my job to decide how battles are fought…not yours. And Shoto is a member of the team; he has to learn how to battle, even if you think he's not ready…so stop smothering him."

His voice was cold but even, his face as unexpressive as steel, but Sakura noticed Sasuke speaking through clinched teeth. She could tell he was very close to losing his patience for Hitomi's antics involving her brother. Sakura decided to play peacekeeper.

"If it makes you feel better, you can stay on the sidelines and watch," Sakura suggested, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

Hitomi frowned, but the cold eyes of her trainer made it clear that he was not going to be argued with. Sighing, she moved over to Sakura and the others, choosing to stand with Kikyo, who had been watching the whole fight.

"Don't worry," Naruto said as Sasuke pulled out Shoto's Luxury ball. "Everything's going to be fine!" He patted her on the shoulder.

"What was that about?" Toru asked, a bit confused.

"A private affair," Sasuke said curtly, tossing the ball. "Shoto, be ready."

Toru gasped after the Vulpix materialized.

"Whoa, what's that!? It looks like a Vulpix, but he's all white!" Excitedly, Toru pulled out his Pokédex, letting it explain. Surprisingly, Toru's Weepinbell floated over and looked over her trainer's shoulder, equally curious.

Sasuke let Toru focus on what his Pokédex was saying, which gave Sasuke time to talk to Shoto.

"I've seen you in battle, so I know you're good. Just follow my instructions as best you can." Sasuke paused, remembering how Shoto fought during their battle with the Sound Trio without ever being given orders. "If you come up with an idea, go for it. You're smart and you think quick. I'll do my best to keep things simple for you."

From the sidelines, Hitomi shouted something too, which Kikyo translated as the Dewott promising to step in if Shoto was in any danger.

"No, you won't," Sasuke commanded in a threatening voice, glaring.

Hitomi met his glare, but before the argument continued, Toru said he was ready, tucking his 'dex away.

Sasuke nodded, looking at Shoto, who was perfectly calm, and motions that Toru could start the match.

"Since the Pokédex says he's an Ice-type, we better play it safe and take him out early; Beans, start things off with Sleep Powder," Toru said.

"Dodge without turning your back to her," Sasuke said calmly, as if instructing a newly caught Pokémon that had never battled. "You should always avoid showing your enemy your back-"

He was cut off when, instead of obeying Sasuke's command, Shoto pulled back and spun around, whipping his six tails and releasing a flurry of snowflakes and ice crystals. The cloud shaped itself into an unusual thick Mist attack that met Bean's blue Sleep Powder and caught it, where it lingered in the air between Shoto and Beans, partially obscuring the battlefield.
"…or you could do that," Sasuke said, eyes wide with surprise. "That's cool."

"Vee," Bayushi squeaked, agreeing.

Shoto looked at his trainer plainly, not thinking much of his trick; it was just a practical defensive tactic, as far as he was concerned.

Toru ordered his Weepinbell to go on the offensive with Razor Leaf, to which Sasuke told Shoto to counter with Freeze-Dry.

The Razor Leaves being thrown at him were faster than his Freeze-Dry, making it difficult for him to aim. Instead, Shoto focus on defense, dodging and waiting for his opening.

The first few attacks were easy to avoid, with the mist obscuring Shoto from Beans; it was soon dissipated, however, and Shoto had to blast the next attack out of the air and roll to avoid the fourth.

"Dewott!" Hitomi shouted from the sidelines, warning her brother to be careful.

Shoto irritably turned and shouted back, wanting to know what she thought he was doing. This distraction cost Shoto, and he was hit on the leg with a Razor leaf, sending him to the ground.

"Good, now finish him with Sludge Bomb!" Toru ordered.

Sasuke realized Shoto was already ready to shoot the attack out of the air with Freeze-Dry when a realization popped into his head: freezing that sludge-ball would only turn it into an icy cannonball!

"Don't freeze it! Just dodge!" Sasuke warned just as Beans fired her attack.

Shoto let go of the freezing breath in his mouth, muscles tensing. However, he could already tell he'd not be able to move in time to avoid the Sludge Bomb's explosion. Instead, he decided to try something else, and sent a quick blast of fire at it!

The flames hit the Sludge Bomb as it was halfway across the battlefield, causing a small explosion of poison and flammable gasses.

"What the-?" Toru gasped.

Before anyone could recover, Shoto shot a Freeze-Dry at Beans, hitting her straight in the face. In the span of a few seconds, she was Frozen.

There was silence on the battlefield for a few seconds. Finally, Sasuke spoke up.

"I think this match goes to us."

"Oh, Beans, you tried so hard!" Toru said to his 'mon as he recalled her.

Sasuke ignored him, instead looking at Shoto.

"Impressive work," Sasuke said, offering his newest teammate a small, praising smile.

"Dewott-wott-wott!" Hitomi cheered, jumping up and down at the sidelines.

Naruto and the girls gave similar praises to the clever Vulpix. Sasuke noticed the Vulpix seemed unnerved by the attention, which pleased him somewhat; Sasuke could appreciate someone withdrawn like himself.

"Man, you're tough," Toru said to Sasuke, drawing his attention back to the match.

Naruto spoke up from the sidelines. "His Vulpix did most of the fighting all on his own during the last match! Sasuke's just lucky Shoto's so smart!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and told Toru to call out his last 'mon.

"Okay, so your Vulpix can use Ice and Fire…so I should use something that's good against both!"

With that, Toru called out his third Pokémon: a Roggenrola.

"Okay, Rocky, time to rock and roll!"

"Rog-en-rol!" Rocky said, jumping up and down.

Sasuke groaned at the painful pun. He considered switching Shoto out, but decided against it. The type match-up wasn't that bad, and Shoto was still in good shape. Fighting against a Rock-type would be good experience, among other things.

However, from the sidelines, Hitomi started shouting and jumping up and down. "Wott-wott! Dewott!" She motioned for Shoto to move back as she stepped forward, obviously wanting to take his place.

"Back off," Sasuke ordered. "This is Shoto's fight."

Hitomi said something in response, but Bayushi snarled and puffed out his fur angrily. The two started to argue, until Sasuke just recalled Hitomi to her ball.

"…we will discuss this later," he glowered, doing his best to ignore the stares he was getting, not only from Toru, but also from other bystanders that had taken notice of the match.

Shoto simply shrugged and got into position, calm and unexpressive as ever.

"Let's get this over with," Sasuke said curtly. "Shoto, Freeze-Dry!"

"Tank it, Rocky, and hit him with Tackle!" Toru countered.

Shoto fired his freezing beam, but the Roggenrola just charged through it and slammed into him, knocking the Vulpix back painfully.

"Good, now follow up with Smack Down," Toru said, growing excited.

Rocky grunted, heaving himself into the air and spinning, getting ready to slam down right on the prone Shoto.

"Distract him! Icy Wind!" Sasuke said.

"Pix!" Without getting up, Shoto whipped his tails at his airborne foe, releasing a flurry of biting wind and sharp ice. The blast caught the Roggenrola, slowing him down for a brief moment, before the Rock-type crashed to the ground. That was enough time for Shoto to roll out of the way for a direct hit, but Rocky still managed to nick the Vulpix as he moved away. Rocky collected himself to his full height, a layer of frost from the Icy Wind attack covering his lower half.

"Rog!" Rocky shouted angrily, conjuring a barrage of boulders that he tossed at Shoto in a Rock Tomb attack. But the Roggenrola's actions were sluggish from the frost, giving Shoto enough time to run away.

"Don't let up; keep firing rocks, Rocky!" Toru instructed.

"Keep your cool and keep your distance," Sasuke ordered. "He's less accurate when he's far away, and your Icy Wind made his moves easy to telegraph."

"Vulpix," Shoto said quietly as he dodged another wave of rocks. He did not like being completely on the defensive; the boulders from Rock Tomb lingered after being thrown, crowding the battlefield. More so, he could tell that the frost was melting off Rocky's body, and soon the Roggenrola'd be back to his normal speed.

Tiring of defense, Shoto decided to switch to offense, jumping out from behind a boulder and shooting a Freeze-Dry at what looked like Rocky's eye (though technically, it was his ear). Shoto hit his target, but even as the Roggenrola staggered, he had already launched his attack-

-SLAM-
A bolder Rocky had thrown landed behind Shoto…or, more accurately, on Shoto's tails!

The Vulpix opened his mouth to let out a scream of pain, but he found he couldn't. Instead, he released a pitiful, high-pitched squeak.

"Oh no!" Sakura gasped, hands covering her mouth.

Naruto was saying something to Sasuke about Vulpix's tails being extra sensitive, but Sasuke was already shouting for Shoto to pull himself free, or to try and push the boulder off his tails and run!

Toru smiled at his now trapped opponent. "Okay, Rocky, you've got him right where you want him; finish this with Rock Blast!"

The Roggenrola fired three stone missiles from his ear cavity, which rocketed towards Shoto, who was still desperately trying to free himself and not paying attention to the battle.

"Sasuke, look out!" Naruto shouted.

There was a flash of light from Sasuke's belt, followed by an explosion of water.

Hitomi was suddenly on the battlefield, standing in front of her brother, scalchops drawn. Her blades flashed; in three swift strokes, the Dewott deflected the three Rock Blasts.

Casting a glare at Rocky, warning him not to try anything, she instead turned to Shoto, blades still drawn. Gently telling her baby brother not to move, she Razor Shelled the boulder on his tails, shattering it into rubble. Maternally, she brushed the rubble from his tails and started stroking them soothingly, all while giving Sasuke a death glare.

There was a painful silence as Sasuke stood perfectly still, his face hard and cold, but his eyes flashing with fury.

At the sidelines, Sakura, Naruto and Hinata all looked on with shocked expressions. Naruto opened his mouth, but wasn't sure what to say.

Bayushi broke the silence, running up to Hitomi and rebuking her. The Dewott scoffed unapologetically, snapping something in response, while Shoto silently shrank down, covering his face with his paws.

Sasuke opened his mouth, but was cut off by Toru's shouting.

"Hey, that's no fair! You can't send out more than one Pokémon onto the field! That's cheating!" the boy shouted, pointing angrily as his Roggenrola jumped up and down in agreement.

Sighing, Sasuke glared at Hitomi.

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…Later…

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Sakura and Hinata sat inside the Pokécenter, waiting. Sasuke was busy attempting to discipline Hitomi for her behavior, with Kata translating and Naruto acting as the referee.

In an attempt to distract themselves, the girls decided to look at some videos of professional Pokémon Coordination. The current video was of a woman named Kushina Uzumaki, who was performing with her two Ninetales; one was a Shiny named Kitsune, and the other was an Arctic Variant named Yukiko. Hinata mentioned that Kushina was one of her favorite coordinators, and one of the best, in and out of Konoha.

"D-Do you think she's related to Naruto?" Hinata asked awkwardly. She pointed at the woman's face. "Sh-She kind of looks like Naruto, and they have the same last name."

Sakura thought about it, but shook her head. "No, it's just coincidence; I heard that Uzumaki is a common name in the Ame region. Do you really think Naruto would be able to keep it a secret if he was related to someone important like her? I'd sooner believe his father was the Konoha League Champion!"

She laughed at her joke, though Hinata seemed to have her doubts. Sakura cleared her throat and turned back to the screen.

Kushina ordered Yukiko and Katsuki to mix their attacks, creating a conflux of fire and ice. Sakura gasped as the swirling twister of elements took shape, becoming nine ribbons of ice that fanned out, resembling a Ninetales' tails. The clear ribbons then filled with radiant fire, quivering with light, before finally exploding in a shower of burning snowflakes. The crowd roared with applause.

"Amazing!" Sakura gasped, rewinding the video to watch the trick again. In her arms, Mina giggled with delight at the pretty colors and fun sounds. "How could she get them to shape their attacks like that?"

"Ninetales can learn several Psychic-type moves; if you watch closely, you can see their eyes glow as the use Psychic to shape the elements," Hinata explained, having watched the video several times in the past.

They watched a few more videos before the boys entered the lounge with their Pokémon. The first thing Sakura noticed was that no one looked particularly happy or satisfied, and she inwardly suspected nothing had been resolved.

Sasuke walked in with a neutral expression on his face, Bayushi riding along on his shoulder. On his left side walked Shoto, who looked purposefully to one side, while Hitomi was at Sasuke's right, her expression contemplative and downcast. That was alarming, considering most of the time Hitomi made a point of walking next to her brother.

Behind Sasuke and his team, Naruto walked in, his face screwed up in a comically thoughtful expression. Kata seemed to be the only one to be pleased with himself, striding in with his head held high and humming slightly, dancing a fine line between being pleasant and smug.

Sasuke silently went to get a cup of water (he still had over two weeks until he got his stipend restored, and had to be careful with his spending) and sat down without a word, glowering at his drink. Naruto took a seat opposite him, next to Hinata, with Kata sitting nearby.

Hitomi moved to join their Pokémon, who were sitting in the public play area, but paused to turn to her brother. Shoto spared her only a glance before jumping onto the seat next to Sasuke, silently pushing Bayushi to the side to make room. Hitomi huffed angrily and stomped off without a word. Shoto ignored her, instead closing his mix-matched eyes in silent meditation.

"…it went that bad, eh?" Sakura asked no one in particular.

Sasuke just scoffed and took a drink of water.

"Hitomi's too proud to admit she's wrong," Naruto explained in Sasuke's place. "We spent like twenty minutes arguing with her (which could have been less, but Kata had to translate everything Hitomi was saying), trying to get her to understand that Sasuke's her trainer and she should trust him to make the right decisions."

"[Yeah, and that babying her brother isn't gonna help him,]" Kata added. "[But things got really hot when I decided to just ask Shoto how he felt about his Big Sis treating him like a weakling. 'Course, Hitomi had to speak up and say everything was fine and I should keep my nose out of someone else's family business. That was the breaking point for Shoto, who let 'er have it, saying that he hated how she always treated him like a helpless baby and has no respect for him.]"

"Oh dear," Hinata said sadly.

Sakura said, "That couldn't have gone over well."

"[It didn't,]" Kata said, smiling somewhat cruelly. "[Then the two of them started really arguing back and forth. Hitomi saying it's her job to protect him, Shoto saying she always holds him back and is just a burden, then Hitomi got upset and said Shoto's ungrateful and was spoiled by their father, so he's never had to struggle in the first place.]" The Riolu gave a mirthless chuckle. "[I thought Icy-Hot Boy didn't have an emotional bone in his body, but things got really ugly really fast. Guess he's just been bottling it up.]

"That's a horrible thing to laugh at," Hinata said, gently rebuking him.

"What made it really awkward was that Kata had to translate their argument for us," Naruto added. "It was like watching the bad dub to a foreign soap opera! Kata even used funny voices."

Naruto and Kata let out a small laugh, but then went back to being serious.

"So now Shoto and Hitomi aren't talking to one another. After that, Sasuke decided to just give up," Naruto concluded.

"I did not!" Sasuke said hotly, speaking for the first time. "I just…decided to give it a rest for now and let everyone cool off."

Wincing, Sakura decided to drop the subject, and instead looked around the room for something to focus on.

On the Pokécenter's TV, a news story caught Sakura's attention. She gasped and pointed at the screen. "Hey, look at that!"

Naruto and the others turned, and saw what Sakura meant.

It was a news conference being held by a young man; he couldn't have been older than his late teens, and he was dressed in an antiquated fashion, wearing the old robe-like kimono of an aristocrat, with his white hair parted and styled to match. On his forehead, he had a pair of red dots where his eyebrows would be.

At the bottom of the screen, the news banner read, "Kimimaro Kaguya of Lilybog Town – The Konoha Elite Four's Newest Member."

"Looks like they got their fourth member!" Sakura said happily.

Sasuke frowned and shook his head. "No, he's replacing Grandmother Kikuko; that means Siba's spot is still unclaimed."

The broadcast cut to narration by a newscaster.

"Kimimaro Kaguya, 17, holds the current record for the youngest member accepted into the Konoha Elite Four, breaking the record set by Itachi Uchiha, who was 18 when he made the Elite Four last winter. Kimimaro is the current heir and sole surviving member of the infamous Kaguya family, who once were experts in the field of Fossil Resurrection science. He has held the title of Lilybog's Gym Leader, which has only been running for two years. Before that, the gym had been shut down for over ten years, following the infamous 'Fossil Park Incident.' During the incident, the Kaguya family had attempted to open a Fossil Pokémon theme park. However, due to mechanical failures in the part's automated security, what some suspect as corporate sabotage, the park's living prehistoric attractions were set loose, killing several people, including nearly all of the Kaguya family. Kimimaro, who was a toddler at the time, was not present at the park, and was left the sole heir the family fortune and company…both of which were lost in the series of lawsuits that followed after the park's disastrous failure."

As the newscaster talked about the financial numbers of the Fossil Park Incident, Naruto looked over at his friends.

"Wait, Fossil Park was a real story? I thought it was just a movie series!"

"The movie franchise was inspired by the incident," Sakura explained. "However, making a movie series about a disaster that killed dozens of people seems like poor taste to me."

"Yeah, but it was a cool movie!" Naruto said. Then he added, as an afterthought, "I wonder if Kimimaro got paid anything for it?"

Sasuke shushed them as the broadcast cut to something more interesting.

"But this news wasn't the only surprise we heard today! Konoha's newest Elite Four member had this special announcement to make."

The screen switched to Kimimaro, who was standing in front of Lilybog gym with several of his gym trainers, all of which who were dressed in the same ancient style as he was.

A reporter held up her hand. "Excuse me, Kimimaro, but what will be happening to your family's gym now that you'll no longer be leading it? Will Lilybog remain an S-Ranked Gym, even without a trainer as powerful as you at its head?"

Kimimaro nodded. "I already have several potential successors lined up among my gym trainers; while they might not measure up to S-rank status yet, I have no doubt that the Lilybog gym will remain a relevant stop on the Gym Challenge Circuit."

Another reporter asked a question without waiting to be called.

"What's this we're hearing about extensive construction going on around near the remains of Fossil Park? Are you planning on reopening the theme park?"

Kimimaro smiled. "I'm very glad you asked that, because I have an announcement of my own. No, I am not going to try and reopen Fossil Park. Rather, with the financial backing and scientific breakthroughs of my friends in the White Serpent Corporation, I'd like to announce the opening of Fossil World!"

On que, a screen behind him showed a blueprint a grand new park, superimposed over the outline of the old Fossil Park. Compared to the new park, the old one looked small and primitive. Fossil World had to be four times bigger, at least!

"Twelve years ago, the Kaguya family was responsible for the tragedy of Fossil Park, killing nearly 50 people, including most of my family. That day was a black mark on the scientific field of Pokémon Fossil Resurrection. Two years ago, when I reopened the Lilybog gym, I made a conscious choice to specialize in Fossil Pokémon to help bring awareness to the field's beauty and potential. Today, with the generous help of White Serpent Corporation, and the personal support of its CEO, I'm now building Fossil World over the ruins of the old Fossil Park. Fossil World is not only going to be a place where trainers can see and learn about prehistoric Pokémon, but also a center of scientific study, and, if all goes well, a highly specialize Safari Zone-like area where trainers will have the opportunity battle and capture wild Fossil Pokémon!"

There was a thunder of applause, followed by many more questions.

"Won't some people consider this project an insult to the memories of those who were killed at Fossil Park?" one reporter asked.

Another reported spoke up before that question was answered. "How are you going to prevent another Fossil Park-style disaster?"

"Is profiteering from a tragedy where so many lost their lives really the first announcement you want to make as an Elite Four member?" someone boldly asked.

"Be quiet, and I will answer all of your questions," Kimimaro said firmly, holding up a hand and demanding silence.

He cleared his throat, glancing at his notes.

"Now, to address your first concerns, no, I don't think Fossil World is an insult to the memories of the dead, nor do I consider it profiteering off a tragedy, as one of you so aptly put it." Kimimaro spared a glance at the reporter who made the accusation. "Yes, the Fossil Park Incident was a tragedy, but we should not let tragic accidents keep us in the past. Where would we be if we abandoned cars and planes the first time they failed and crashed? Remember, all of my own family were killed in that tragedy, but I'm willing to move on from that. Fossil Resurrection technology is an underexplored science with revolutionary implications for the medical world of both Pokémon and people. However, ever since the Fossil Park Incident, that science has been largely stagnant. In the two years since I reopened Lilybog Gym and made it into both a Fossil Pokémon-themed gym and a lab, we've made more innovations in the field than in the prior decade. My gym has brought Fossil Pokémon, and the technology that made them possible, back in the public eye; we've not only become the single-most popular fieldtrip location for school children across Konoha, but we've also received more research grants for Fossil Restoration research in the last two years than any other lab in the country since the Fossil Park Incident. Just imagine what Fossil World is going to do for the field! It is going to be a research facility, a public zoo, a Pokémon breeding center, a family amusement area, a Safari Zone, and above all else, an education center. People are not just going to see Fossil Pokémon, but be able to observe them as they were in the wild."

"And your statement regarding safety protocols?" a reporter asked.

Kimimaro nodded solemnly. "12 years ago, the Kayuga family's company was at the cutting edge of Fossil technology. However, Fossil Park was not built with that in mind; it was meant to be a cash-grab amusement park to quickly erase the family's debts. The entire project was designed by the cheapest bidder using the most cost-efficient methods, at the expense of safety and integrity.

"Fossil World, however, is nothing like that. It is a passion project of science and beauty," Kimimaro explained. "White Serpent Corporation, along with several other generous backers, have spared no expense in this project. Instead of using an automated security system, for example, we have both human and Pokémon guards who have undergone several months of training to prepare them for any incidents the park might face. Pokémon breeders specializing in Fossil Pokémon have also been working with the specimens we will be featuring in the park. This is not a well-known fact, but Fossil Pokémon that have been resurrected are notoriously aggressive and difficult to tame; one has to remember that they're created from the DNA of Pokémon that never saw humans. Unlike modern Pokémon, they do not naturally bond with us. Only the most skilled of trainers can handle revived Fossils. However, Fossil Pokémon can be bred to be domesticated, as my gym's research found. Likewise, we've innovated new methods in the resurrection process that allow us to adapt Fossil Pokémon to more like their modern relatives, making them much more cooperative. You'll find the dinosaurs at my park are going to be much gentler than the ones you've seen at the movies. Fossil World will be no more dangerous than the Konoha Safari Zone, and last I checked, we let 12-year-olds roam around there without adult supervision. There will be a press conference later where the public will be able to interact with some sample specimens to see this for themselves, first-hand."

There was a murmur of approval and excitement.

Smiling, Kimimaro prepared to make his next point.

However, one of the gym assistants, who had been off in the corner talking on his phone, darted forward and whispered something in his boss's ear.

Kimimaro stood very still for a moment.

"…ah Muk," he said, putting a hand to his forehead in exasperation.

He had meant for it to be a whisper, but had forgotten about his microphone.

Realizing that he had sworn on live television, Kimimaro opted to just exit the situation, turning abruptly and briskly walking back to his gym without another word.

The press exploded as journalists and newshounds attempted to mob the young Elite Four member, but Kimimaro's gym staff moved between them, barring the way. When one persistent newswoman attempted to shove her way through, a gym trainer called out his Rampardos, who roughly shoved her a clean 20 feet back. Before the press could make a fuss over the use of force, the rest of the gym staff followed suit, calling out Pokémon like Cranidos, Armaldo, Shieldon, Rhyhorn, Lairon, and other Rock-types. There was lots of shouting and cries of indignation, but no one dared to try and chase after Kimimaro now.

With that, the news broadcast was cut.

"Lilybog gym later announced that Kimimaro had received word of a gym-related emergency that needed his immediate attention. Apparently, there had been an attempted theft, though what the thief was after, or if they were caught, was not mentioned. Since this morning's press release, Konoha's newest Elite Four member has been unavailable for further comment," the newscaster explained awkwardly.

Naruto turned to his friends with his eyes wide.

"What was that about?"

"They said there was a thief; I thought it'd be obvious," Sakura said.

Sasuke, however, scoffed. "That's just the cover story; from the way Kimimaro reacted, I think it had something to do with Fossil World security. Something he didn't want becoming public."

Sakura frowned. "You don't know that."

As Sakura and Sasuke argued their points to one another, Naruto shrugged and turned to Hinata. "Fossil World sounds really cool, doesn't it?"

Hinata smiled gently. "Th-the movie scared me when I was little…but it might be very fun."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah; they said you'd get to catch Fossil Pokémon! I wanna catch a Tyrantrum!"

He jumped up from his seat and did a mock roar, holding his hands close to his body and flexing his hands like claws, mimicking the iconic dinosaur as he stomped around, acting silly.

Hinata started laughing so hard she fell out of her seat.

-0o0o0-

…Meanwhile…

-0o0o0-

Kabuto's impassive face gazed at the Sound Trio from the video-phone's screen. The three Team Snake thugs had delivered their report of what had happened in Teakgrove, and were awaiting their higherup's judgement.

Finally, after several seconds of silence, he smiled and nodded.

"You've done…well," he said, looking impressed. "Very well, in fact."

Dosu couldn't believe his ears. "But sir, uh, are you sure-?"

Kin elbowed him, not wanting him to ruin their good fortune.

Kabuto nodded fairly. "While the loss of my experiments displeases me, all things considered, you did the best you could. I can't blame you for failing to steal them from someone like Itachi Uchiha…that would be suicidal and stupid."

Dumbly, Zaku nodded in agreement.

"What really impresses me is your initiative and quick-thinking once things turned against you. You successfully captured both Karen and Gym Leader Iruka, both of them far stronger opponents, and you even tried to make up for your mistakes by attempting to steal all those valuable Pokémon from- what did you call them again? Ah, 'the twirps' -and you almost succeeded. Considering you were in an impossible situation, I've got to admit, I'm impressed you almost pulled off a win. Personally, if you had contacted HQ as soon as your captured Karen, we would have ordered you to just grab her and leave town rather than try and steal the twirps' teams, but I can forgive that little mistake. Besides, all-in-all, it sounds like everything that went wrong was because of Mizuki…and since he's disappeared, I'll have to assume that he's to blame for the mission's failure."

The Sound Trio members smiled inwardly. They had tweaked their story slightly to make Mizuki's incompetence stand out more. Luckily, they had been careful not to go too far and make Kabuto suspicious.

"So, we're not going to be punished?" Dosu asked carefully.

"No," Kabuto said. "You're not in my good books, but you're not in my bad ones either. For now, you will just stay low until I find another use for you."

Then he added, as an afterthought. "Oh, and if you find out anything about Mizuki's location, you'll report it immediately." It had been a command, not a request.

Dosu and the others nodded quickly, gulping. They had an idea why Kabuto would want to hunt Mizuki down, and it wasn't anything pleasant.

The screen went blank, and the Trio let out a whoop of relief.

"HA! We're alive!" Zaku cheered, holding his fists up in victory. "I thought for sure we'd be dead!"

"I guess Kabuto really likes us!" Kin said eagerly, her eyes twinkling.

"Don't let it get to your heads," Dosu warned the others. "Remember what he said: we're not in his bad or good books. We've still got to prove ourselves, or we might just end up Arbok food."

Zaku nodded. "So what do we do?"

"Nothing, just like Kabuto said," Dosu pointed out. "We just lay low, train hard, and be ready for when he needs us."

Kin nodded. Then an idea struck her. "Hey, speaking of which, maybe we should try to catch some new Pokémon! I could use some raw power on my team."

Zaku nodded. "Yeah, and challenge some gyms or enter a contest! That sounds fun and useful!"

Dosu looked at the two, and considered it. On one hand, it sounded childish, like they were on a journey. On the other it didn't sound like such a bad idea. New Pokémon were also a welcome addition, and challenging gyms was a logical way to improve their strength. It's not like they had any reason not to do so…

Slowly, Dosu nodded in agreement, to his teammates joy.

-0o0o0-

…Back at the Pokécenter…

-0o0o0-

After discussing the exciting news, not only of the newest Elite Four recruit, but also the opening of Fossil World, the group decided to prepare to hit the road again. It was only an hour past noon, and as Sasuke pointed out, they could easily travel ten or more miles before having to make camp. At such a rate, they'd hit the next Pokécenter on Route 11 before noon tomorrow, and be able to make it to Steel Blossom in two days.

Naruto and Hinata volunteered to shop for supplies; after all, Naruto wanted to look at what Pokéballs were available, so he could continue trying to collect his whole team in different balls. Sasuke scoffed at the notion, but Sakura pointed out that having a variety of different Pokéballs was smart- you'd never know when a special one might prove useful.

That left Sakura and Sasuke to wander about outside, casually watching some beginning trainers having a battle where Sasuke and Toru had been fighting.

Now, Toru was battling with a strange, pale boy with white hair and haunting blue eyes; Sakura guessed he was albino, considering his complexion and hid from the sun under a pale green umbrella.

The pale boy's Ralts had already made silent work of Toru's Weepinbell, telekinetically tossing her about like a ragdoll before Toru recalled her and sent out his Wartortle, who was fairing just as well against the Psychic-type. Throughout the whole battle, neither the pale boy nor the Ralts made a sound or even moved, but stayed eerily still and silent.

Actually, it was turning out to be a very boring battle, and Sakura found herself looking around for something more interesting. Perhaps there was another battle going on? Or maybe she'd offer to do a short mock fight with Sasuke? Sakura had been gently training Mina to battle for the last few days using her own team. Maybe Sasuke could have Togashi face her for a change of pace? The Charmeleon was so well trained that Sakura was sure he'd be able to fight Mina without actually hurting her.

The gentle struggling of the Dragon-type in question brought Sakura out of her thoughts. Her Goomy gurgled and wiggled excitedly, looking off to the side at something that enraptured her innocent mind.

Sakura turned to see what Mina was excited about, and groaned.

"No way."

It was Ino Yamanaka, and she was putting on a show with her Pokémon. A wonderful show, at that.

First was her Tepig, who was releasing a stream of flames from his nose up in the air that took the shape of a heart. There was a flash of light, and a crackling whip of electricity snaked its way up the steam of flames; the two elements flickered dangerously before exploding into a burst of sparks, not unlike a firework.

The small crowd that had gathered to watch Ino perform exploded into a round of applause. Ino smiled, and bowed graciously, followed by the rest of her team. Sakura saw the Pokemon that created the whip of lightning for the show, and groaned.

"Of course she'd have one," Sakura said flatly, glaring at her least favorite Pokémon in the world: Mareep.

"What did you say?" Sasuke asked; he noticed the show about the same time as Sakura did and joined watching it.

"Oh, nothing," Sakura lied.

Neither one noticed that the pale boy had already beaten Toru and left.

As the crowd dispersed, Ino looked around casually, and noticed Sasuke. Like a hunter, she zeroed in.

"Oh, Sasuke!" she called, smiling and trotting over. She waved with one hand; in her other, she held a Budew. Sakura automatically assumed it was from the egg Ino's father had given her.

Now Ino was next to them. "Sasuke, you're here!" she said, batting her eyes and playing with her ponytail in a casual yet flirtatious way. "And Bayushi, aren't you adorable?! I haven't seen you in forever!"

Sasuke just grunted while his Eevee beamed at the attention.

Sakura rolled her eyes; the blond was trying to flirt way too hard to be subtle, and too direct to be coy. What a hussy!

Something soft and fluffy brushed against Sakura's leg; she froze, suspecting what it was without looking down.

"Maa!" Ino's Mareep baaed cutely, pushing gently against Sakura's leg again.

Before she could help it, Sakura let out a high-pitched scream as she jumped away.

All at once, Mina let out a cry of surprise (which in turn made Ino's Budew cry out), the Mareep whimpered pitifully and darted behind her trainer, Sasuke jumped to grab Sakura before she stumbled over, which accidently shook Bayushi from his shoulder, and Ino let out a shocked exclamation as she whipped around and turned to Sakura.

"Sakura-! You're here?! What the Houndoom was that!?"

Recomposing herself, Sakura glared at her rival. "Yeah, I'm here. Don't pretend like I wasn't standing next to Sasuke the whole Muking time."

Ino snorted. "And what makes you think I was ignoring you? Do you really think my life's so pathetic I have to obsess over yours? And why are you even here?" She soothed her Budew, and then went on, directing her attention to Sasuke. "Let me guess; she just ran into you at the Pokécenter and hasn't left you alone all day?"

"No, I've been traveling with him since we started our journey!" Sakura said proudly, puffing out her chest.

"Along with Naruto and Hinata," Sasuke pointed out bluntly, not enjoying the conversation's direction.

Sakura went on. "Sasuke says my knowledge and medical training makes me a valuable member of our group. Isn't that right?" She turned to the boy, expecting an answer.

Sasuke, however, had picked up Bayushi and was already starting to walk away.

Ino snorted scornfully.

"Hey, Sasuke, answer the question!" Sakura shouted desperately.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever she says," Sasuke said nonchalantly over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go…somewhere else."

Once Sasuke was out of earshot, Ino laughed scornfully, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Ahahaha, I guess Sasuke doesn't agree with your assessment of yourself, Sakura," she said tauntingly.

Sakura scowled, but then noticed that Ino's Mareep was moving in to rub up against her leg again.

"Reep!" the adorable Wool Pokémon baaed affectionately.

"You stay away from me," Sakura growled in a serious tone.

The Mareep let out a hurt baa, looking dejected.

"You heartless floozy! How can you be so cruel to an adorable little sheep like my Marigold?" Ino demanded, kneeling and giving her Mareep an affectionate scratch on the head. "Don't worry, darling, nothing's wrong with you; that nasty pink-haired boy's just a jerk!"

"What do you mean 'pink-haired boy'?" Sakura said hotly.

Ino stood up, puffing her chest out. "Oh, I think you know, you flat stick figure!"

Sakura took in a breath to say something vile, but stopped when Mina started getting fussy; across from her, Ino's Budew likewise started to cry. Both babies had sensed the hostility between their mother-figures since they started talking. It had finally become too much.

"Sssshhh, it's okay. It's okay," Sakura said, using her most soothing tone. "I'm sorry I upset you, sweetie. Don't cry. Here, have some of your juice."

Sakura sat down at a nearby bench and pulled out Mina's bottle. It was full of a homemade blend of fresh Rosli berries and vitamin supplements Prof. Tsunade had suggested. It would be extremely healthy and boost Mina's immune system. In the strictest sense, it was a smoothie, not juice, but it was easier for Mina to just understand the sweet drink as 'juice'.

As the baby Dragon-type suckled on her sweet, comforting bottle, Sakura looked up.

Ino had taken the seat across from her, and was likewise feeding her Budew a bottle; one which was filled with a green smoothie of some kind.

Ino noticed Sakura watching her, and there was a moment of awkwardness between them.

"So…your egg hatched," Ino said, nodding at Mina. "Very cute."

"Yeah…uh, so did yours, I see," Sakura offered.

"Yeah."

More silence.

"Uh, want to meet my team?" Ino offered.

Sakura nodded, not knowing what else to do.

"Well, this little angel is Primrose," Ino explained, patting her Budew affectionately. She turned and pointed at her Tepig. "And you've already met Truffle, my starter."

"Tepig!" Truffle oinked cutely.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah."

Ino's Mareep happily baaed next to the Tepig, wanting a bit of attention herself.

"And that is Marigold, my first capture," Ino explained. "So, did you manage to catch even one Pokémon?"

"I have a Metang!" Sakura said quickly, then just as quickly cooled her temple, remembering Mina. "Ur, I mean, I've got a Metang. I'll show you! Come out, Tetsu!"

She called the Steel-type out, who let out a mechanical whirl of delight.

Inwardly, Ino knew owning such a rare Pokémon was an impressive feat; however, she'd get a buzzcut before admitting it.

"Hmm, hardheaded, hard-bodied, and something no one would want to cuddle. What they say is true: Pokémon do match their trainers," the blond girl said tauntingly.

"Trr?" Tetsu trilled, not sure if he had been insulted or not.

Sakura frowned. "Shows how shallow you are! Tetsu is strong and loyal, and that's what counts! He helped earn me the Antidote badge!"

"Tnng!" Tetsu chimed, flexing his arms and looking rather pleased with himself.

Ino looked unimpressed. "I won that badge too," she explained, pulling out a badge case, in which was the highly polished badge of Teakgrove city. "Choji and I beat Iruka on our first try. He had some trouble with the obstacle course, but we rehearsed for the battle and passed with flying colors!" She paused, then added, "How many tries did it take you?"

Sakura frowned, hesitating. "Sasuke and I had to only fight Iruka once!"

Technically, it was true, even if she was leaving out the part that they had fought Iruka with Naruto and Hinata, or that they had lost the battle and only earned their badges in a roundabout way.

For some reason, Ino looked at her suspiciously, and Sakura wondered if she had heard about their battle; it wasn't private, and Iruka might have even talked about it, since Choji and Ino were both their former classmates. Sakura decided to change the subject quickly. A thought struck her.

"Tetsu isn't my only rare Pokémon," Sakura said, reaching for the Pokéball containing the Polteageist that Tetsu had caught for her. "I've also caught a rare Ghost-type at the Palewood Estate. See?"

She called out the Polteageist for the first time since it had been caught over a week ago.

-0o0o0-

…Half-an-Hour Later…

-0o0o0-

"Ouch, this is so embarrassing," Sakura whined, looking at her reflection in the window of their booth. A patch of skin across her cheek was angry red, like she had been sunburned. Of course, considering she had just been splashed with scalding-hot teat, her face looked rather good. Nurse Joy's Audino had been able to Heal Pulse away the worst of the burn, but it would take more than one treatment to completely heal it…and besides, the Audino couldn't waste too much energy on Sakura, considering how many other people had gotten hit as well.

The Polteageist had reacted as well as could be expected for a Pokémon that had been trapped in its Pokéball for a week: as soon as it assessed the situation, it started attacking everything in sight and then made a break for freedom. Had Sasuke not chosen that time to come and check on Sakura, the mischievous Black Tea Pokémon might have escaped.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura. Everyone has one troublemaker on their teams," Hinata offered sympathetically.

"Yeah, but most trainers have more sense than letting them run loose in public and attack random strangers," Naruto joked.

Sakura glared at him, but before she could snap something at him, Sasuke spoke up.

"Naruto's right. It was foolish to just let it out after keeping it confined for so long. What were you thinking?"

Sakura winced. "Uh, I was showing the Polteageist off, to see if anyone was interested in trading."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, you're going to have to trade it away at this rate; it hates you."

"I doubt you'll find a good offer at a rest stop like this," Sasuke pointed out. "There's so few people, and they're all beginners. No way you'll find someone with anything half as rare as a Polteageist."

Sakura sighed and said, "I can't believe we forgot about that stupid tea-ghost before we left Teakgrove!"

"You planned on going to the trading center; we just got distracted by Karen and Iruka being taken hostage, meeting the Espurr-of-future-yet-to-come, breaking in, kicking criminal butt, and saving the day," Naruto pointed out. "Oh, and then we earned our Antidote badges and got some neat TMs. All in all, I think it was a pretty busy day."

"Yeah, it's understandable that you'd forget about your Polteageist," Hinata agreed. But then she smiled at Naruto. "However, I don't think we really 'kicked criminal butt' so much as got really lucky because they were too stupid to take us seriously from the start. I really think they could have taken us if things had been different"

Naruto snorted. "Nah, we kick ass."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto's overconfidence.

"I'm going to go check up on that stupid tea ghost," she suddenly announced, leaving her seat. "Naruto, can you watch Mina?" She handed him the baby without waiting for his answer.

After getting the Polteageist back into its Pokéball, Sakura had handed it over to Nurse Joy. One service available at all Pokécenters was for the staff to deal with the care and feeding of Pokémon a trainer found particularly difficult or dangerous. Most trainers very rarely used this service, since it was admitting you couldn't handle your own Pokémon, but after getting a face-full of boiling tea, Sakura had been more than ready to swallow her pride.

In any case, even if the center was going to see to the Polteageist's needs, Sakura knew she should be there, watching and learning; perhaps one of the staffers had a method for calming mischievous Ghost-types. Alternatively, Sakura mused as she walked towards the front desk, she also wanted to make sure the Polteageist hadn't escaped its handlers and was now running amok!

Sasuke watched the retreating form of Sakura, then turned to the others.

"You got everything we need for the next day or two, right? If we leave within the next twenty minutes, we can still make good time today."

"You're still worried about that?" Naruto asked, rolling his eyes.

Hinata noticed he was tickling Mina under her chin, drawing giggles from the Goomy while still paying attention to Sasuke. He really was good with babies, Hinata mused.

"Why wouldn't I be? Travel-time is something we should all be worried about, idiot," Sasuke said, frowning.

Naruto snapped something in response, but Sasuke ignored him, instead pulling out his Pokénav and placing it on the table, pulling up a map of the area.

"Let's see," Sasuke said, looking at the map as he absentmindedly rubbed Bayushi with his right hand. He pointed at a path with his left hand. "I think we should go this way, through the forest. It's got a clear path, and there should be some interesting Bug or Flying-types. According to the info on the map, unlike the last forest we traveled through, Murkrow are uncommon in this area, so that's a plus. And there have even been the occasional sightings of things like Scyther or Heracross."

"Wait a minute," Naruto said, sitting up in his seat. He pointed at another spot on the map. "I wanted to go this way."

"Why?" Sasuke asked. "There's nothing that way except an old quarry."

"That's why I wanna go there! It's supposed to be a nesting area for Ground, Rock, and Steel-types!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke scoffed. "Those are all overrated types. Which Pokémon of those types could possibly be more interesting than a Scyther?"

"Er, uh…" Naruto hesitated, thinking for a moment. "Er, stuff like Rhydon, the Aron-line, and Pawniard! Yeah, stuff like that!"

Hinata noticed Naruto's eyes darting about, failing to keep eye contact with Sasuke. She started to suspect that Naruto might be withholding something about the quarry.

For his part, Sasuke was unimpressed. "Scyther and Heracross are both way cooler than Aron or Rhyhorn, and I can tell you from personal experience that Pawniard are overrated. We're going to the forest." He said it like it was final.

Naruto handed Mina to Hinata and stood up. "And I say we're going to the abandoned quarry."

Sasuke stood up to meet him. "I say forest!"

"And I say quarry!"

"Forest!"

"Quarry!"

"Forest!"

"Quarry!"

When it seemed like the two might come to blows, Hinata's small voice cut in.

"…couldn't we just split up?"

The boys shut up and turned to her.

"Eh?"

"It's not like we always have to travel together," Hinata pointed out as she attempted to soothe Mina, who had been agitated by the argument. "Both paths lead to Steel Blossom City, so why not just split up and meet there? That way, everyone's happy."

"That's…not a bad idea," Sasuke conceded, sitting down thoughtfully.

"That's a great idea!" Naruto said, clapping Hinata on the shoulder. "Good thinking!"

"I'll assume you'll want to go with Naruto to the abandoned quarry?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, yes," Hinata said, blushing slightly. She started twiddling her fingers. "I mean…Sakura will want to go with you, so I should go with Naruto, so he won't be alone…besides," she added, "we've already traveled through forests, so I think Naruto's right. It might be best to try catching Pokémon in a different environment."

"Suit yourself," Sasuke said with a shrug. Then he added, as an afterthought. "I wonder what Sakura will think of this plan?"

-0o0o0-

…Later…

-0o0o0-

As soon as she heard that she'd be traveling alone with Sasuke for a few days, Sakura was ecstatic about the plan.

Very quickly, the friends divided up their camping gear, making sure both parties would have an equal share of food and supplies.

Once that was done with, the friends said their goodbyes in the Pokécenter foyer.

"You be good, Mina," Naruto said, giving the Goomy a kiss. He turned to Bayushi. "Keep Sasuke safe, buddy…and if he dies, you have my permission to eat his body."

"Eevee," Bayushi said, sticking his tongue out.

"Stay safe, both of you," Sakura said, giving Hinata a hug. "Oh, and Naruto, you better behave yourself!" she added playfully.

"Yeah, or I'll call your mother," Sasuke joked.

Naruto laughed. "I'd be more concerned about Sakura behaving herself if I was you, Sasuke."

Sakura blushed and Sasuke frowned.

As they got ready to depart, however, Sasuke walked up to Naruto, pressing a hand into his.

"Naruto," he said, pulling the boy in close and whispering in his ear.

The girls watched as Naruto's eyes widened at what Sasuke had to say.

"Ooh, that's sneaky!" Naruto said when Sasuke was finished.

"You approve?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

Naruto smiled broadly and nodded his head.

"Definitely! It's a great plan," he said, quickly putting the hand Sasuke had grasped into his pocket.

"What are you two plotting?" Sakura asked.

"Later. Now's not the time," Sasuke said cryptically.

Kikyo, who was on Hinata's backpack, put a hand to her mouth thoughtfully, but Hinata shook her head. If Sasuke and Naruto wanted to keep a secret, they should respect that.

Sakura, meanwhile, had noticed something out of the corner of her eye: a pudgy boy with swirl marks on his cheeks was being led to the doctor's office by Nurse Joy. He was covered in Beedrill stings, and was sniffling quietly in what Sakura assumed was both pain and humiliation. Near him stood Ino, who was patting him reassuringly.

"Hey, isn't that Choji Akimichi?" Sakura asked Sasuke quietly.

He followed her gaze, and shrugged. "Wouldn't know his name, but yeah, the fat kid was in our class."

"You shouldn't say things like that!" Sakura whispered quickly, then added, "Ouch, looks like he fell into a Beedrill's nest; maybe we should go say hello and ask how he's doing?"

"That'd only draw attention to him and make things more embarrassing," Sasuke said. "The Nurse Joy's got it covered. Come on, let's just get going."

Sakura nodded, but gave one last sympathetic look Choji's way; neither he nor Ino had noticed them, however.

The friends traveled together for about twenty minutes before the roads parted and they went separate ways, giving each other one last farewell.

-0o0o0-

…Naruto & Hinata…

-0o0o0-

Their surroundings soon became flat and rocky, with trees few and far between. There was still greenery like bushes and shrubs, but they were no longer traveling in forests or meadows.

"T-this is nice," Hinata commented, already feeling awkward at being officially alone with Naruto. Such feelings were silly of course; they had gone shopping or wandered about together without Sasuke or Sakura several times. In fact, Hinata mused, the only member of their group she had never really had any alone time with was Sasuke; a few times they had been left at a table in the Pokécenter when Naruto and Sakura both were called away, but those times were brief and they hadn't really spoken. No, Hinata thought, she should feel comfortable around Naruto. It was silly to feel anything else.

A clapping sound took Hinata from her thoughts, and she realized it was Naruto repeatedly tossing a Pokeball up into the air and catching it. A second later, she realized it was Shoto's Luxury Ball.

"Wh-where did you get that?" she gasped gently.

Naruto smiled. "Sasuke gave it to me."

"I-I suppose that's obvious, but why?"

His smile broadened, and Hinata was struck with how strongly Naruto resembled a Zorua when he was feeling mischievous.

"Remember how Sasuke was having trouble because Hitomi was obsessing over her brother and disobeying Sasuke? Sasuke decided to teach her a little lesson. He figured a short separation would do the two some good after today's fiasco. Sasuke'll take the time to have a serious talk with Hitomi, and he asked me to help Shoto train a little. When the two are reunited, Hitomi will have to accept that her brother doesn't need her babying him!"

Hinata considered Sasuke and Naruto's plan.

"…or, Hitomi will be so upset she'll get rebellious or even violent. She was a cage fighter for Team Snake; she might see this as a betrayal of trust."

"I'm sure Sasuke can handle it," Naruto said. "And besides, he's got Sakura with him; she's smart and sensitive, so she should be able to help smooth things over."

Or have Ochako patch up Sasuke's face after Hitomi's done cutting it up again, Hinata mused silently, suppressing a shutter.

She thought for a bit, then asked Naruto something else.

"Uh, why did you really want to go to the quarry?"

"Eh?" Naruto turned to the girl. "Why are you asking that?

Hinata blushed, twiddling her fingers. "Well…when you were talking to Sasuke about the Pokémon in the quarry, I noticed you seemed to be…not telling him everything."

Naruto let out a whooping laugh.

"You're like my mother; she can always tell when I'm trying to hide something from her! Yeah, okay, I admit it, I'm not interested in catching a Rhyhorn or an Aron. What I wanna catch-" he leaned in to whisper to Hinata, though she was not sure why, seeing as they were the only ones on the road "-is something like a Gible or a Larvitar!"

Hinata took a step back, eyes widening in surprise.

"You can find those at the quarry?"

Naruto nodded. "Eeyep!"

"…so why didn't you tell Sasuke that?"

Once again, Naruto gave a smile that looked like a Zorua. "Because if I did, Sasuke would've wanted to catch one too. Same for Sakura!"

Hinata nodded, finally understanding. "Ah, by keeping it a secret, you won't have to deal with Sasuke and Sakura hunting for the same rare Pokémon." She paused, thinking. "But aren't you worried I might want one?"

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, that's okay. If you come across a Gible or Larvitar, you're free to catch 'em! It's only fair. But," he added, half playful, half serious, "don't think I'm going to just hand em over! If I find one first, I'm catching it!"

Hinata did her best to mimic Naruto's shrug. "That's fair."

Naruto let out a laugh, but it died in his throat. His eyes widened.

Hinata turned to see what he was looking at, and nearly fell over.

It was a chunk of ice almost as big as them!

"What the Houndoom is that?" Naruto said, asking no one in particular.

He ran over to have a look at it. It was surrounded by mud and water, meaning part of it had melted away already; from the amount of mud, Naruto guessed the chunk of ice had been three times his size before it started melting!

Hinata slowing walked over, scanning the area. The ground was damp, and in the lee of one boulder, protected from the sun, she spotted a handful of snow.

"Look over here!" Naruto called. He pointed to a clearing.

There were deep gouges in the earth, scorch marks, a half-frozen boulder, and oddest of all, the dust and dirt looked like it had been all blown away from the center of the area.

"What happened here?" Hinata asked softly.

"…I think there was a battle," Naruto said slowly.

Hinata nodded at the suggestion. "That explains the ice and snow."

Naruto spotted the remains of a tree; it looked like something big had swatted the top and snapped it off, leaving only half a trunk still standing. In the ground, there were deep footprints. Big ones. In one of them, drops of water had not fully sunk into the earth.

"Whatever made these…made them recently," he said slowly.

Hinata shifted uncomfortably. "Naruto, I'm scared. Let's just go."

"Wait. Wait a minute," the boy said, looking slowly from one piece of the scene to the next. "I just want to figure out what happened."

"But what if it comes back?" Hinata asked.

From her shoulder, Kikyo nodded vigorously.

"We don't know what 'it' is," Naruto pointed out. "It could have just been an intense battle between two trainers; or maybe someone was fighting a wild Pokémon and they caught it. I think we should look around and find out what did this before getting the jitters."

Sighing, Hinata relented, letting Naruto sort things out. She wasn't sure why he was curious, but it was silly to be upset. Just like it was silly to be scared. Naruto was right; they had no idea what happened, so there was no point in jumping to conclusions.

Deciding to help, Hinata centered herself, reaching out with her Aura sense. She wasn't sure what she expected to find. In fact, she doubted it'd be useful. Still, there was no harm in trying.

Something filled her sensations for a second before fading away just as quicky. Hinata gasped, trying to focus in on the source.

It was a tiny Aura, like the heartbeat of a baby, gentle and warm.

She looked over at Naruto, pausing, before turning and following the Aura. It felt like it was nearby, and Naruto seemed to be engrossed in what he was doing.

After a few minutes, Naruto sighed in frustration. "Darn it, this is Sasuke's sort of thing! He's the one who's dad is teaching him how to be a detective!" He considered what he just said. "Okay…then think like Sasuke…let's see." He scowled, making an overly serious face. "'Grr, I'm Sasuke. I'm grouchy all the time and I'm better than Naruto! Also, I'm tough and cool, but I collect cute Pokémon like Eevee and Shinx.' Bleh!"

Dropping the bad imitation of Sasuke, Naruto instead tried putting facts together, piece by piece.

"…I got nothing," Naruto sighed, slumping down.

He growled, slapping his face.

"Come on, think!" Naruto jumped up, looking around; once again, he noticed the huge, deep footprints in the ground. "Okay, big footprints. That means…whatever left them was huge." Naruto racked his brains in frustration. "Come on, if Sasuke can do this, so can I! So, lots of big footprints right there…but nowhere else!" Naruto said, suddenly noticing that there where no tracks leading to or from the area. "So that means whatever left them must have been in a Pokéball, let out, and then returned! Ha, I'm so clever! Beat that, Sasuke!"

Naruto fist pumped proudly.

"Okay, so that means there must have been a battle here, right? That explains everything, then."

He looked at what he assumed was the battlefield. However, something didn't sit right with him.

A few yards off from where he found the footprints, Naruto saw that the ground suddenly flattened out, as if something huge had pressed down on it. Not to mention, all the dust had been blown away from there. Naruto walked along, inspecting the area closer.

There six evenly spaced scorch marks all along the group; at first, Naruto thought of a Charizard flying in the area, maybe using Earthquake or something. But that would have made lots of different scorch marks, and from how the dust had been blown away, whatever did it had to be maybe 50 feet long. Besides, the ground was flat and smooth, not broken and uneven.

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto leaned close to examine one of the scorch marks. It was almost circular and even. Strangely, the next one was too, and the one after that.

"…so they're all matching," Naruto said slowly. What could cause that?

Slowly, the wheels in his head started turning.

If each mark was matching, it would have to be made by a machine, right? What sort of machines made marks like these?

Naruto sighed, craning his head for some other hint.

Something gleamed in the nearby grass. Naruto run over to inspect it.

It was a bit of polished metal, smooth and pressed, though it looked like it had been ripped off from the rest of whatever it was, seeing as one edge was jagged and twisted.

Frowning, Naruto turned the twisted bit of metal over. It wasn't the right shape to have come from a car, or the right material. It felt strong and light, and looked like platting for something. Naruto considered the scorch marks, the flattened ground, and everything else.

The drone of an airplane far above caught his attention, and an idea clicked in Naruto's head.

"Could it have been an airship?" he asked aloud.

There were airships designed to land and liftoff straight from the ground. They weren't as big or as fast as planes, but they were convenient for special jobs. Once as part of a school trip, Naruto had gotten to walk around in one that was like a flying laboratory, with enclosures for live specimens and living quarters for the crew.

"I guess this could have come from an airship," Naruto mused slowly, pushing the hunk of metal aside. "Maybe the engines caused the scorch marks, and it flattened the ground where it landed? What do you think, Hinata?"

Naruto waited, but got no response.

"Hinata? Where're you?"

-0o0o0-

The gentle Aura led Hinata to a small rock formation. She considered it for a moment; it was out of place, and looked very new, like it had popped out of the ground recently.

"This must have been made by a Stone Edge attack," she pointed out to Kikyo.

Floating down from her trainer's backpack, the Ralts took a moment to examine the rock formation, agreeing with Hinata's assessment.

The Aura was just on the other side of the big rocks. Hinata quickly ducked around, actually getting a little excited-

-when a pair of great, red eyes met hers, glowing with terrible power!

Hinata screamed, falling backwards in a panic as she tried scrambling away. In her mind's eye, memories flooded her thoughts, bringing her back to a tragic night from her childhood. "N-Naruto! Help me!" she screamed, not daring to look back.

Kikyo, who had still been looking at the rocks, quickly came to her trainer's side, attempting to use her Psychic powers to soothe her panic.

"Hinata!? What's wrong?!" Naruto shouted, having heard the girl scream. He was by her side in a heartbeat, with Kubo and Kata both called out and ready for action.

"M-Monster! It's there!" she gasped, turning and pointing.

She did a doubletake; there was nothing there!

Everyone looked at the sheltered lee of the formation, as if expecting something to appear any second.

Naruto walked over, looking around. "Hinata, there's nothing here but some rocks."

"B-But I saw it!" Hinata gasped, getting to her feet and moving next to Naruto.

Kubo examined the ground, but couldn't find so much as a footprint.

Next to him, Kata's eyes flashed with Aura. Deciding to follow suit, Hinata activated her own powers. Once again, she sensed the small, gentle Aura from earlier. It was right next to them. Slowly, she reached down towards a rock.

Naruto, however, looked over at Kata. The Riolu seemed perplexed.

"What is it?"

Kata stood in deep thought for a moment.

"[I sense something; a presence I've not felt since…]"

Kata trailed off, shaking his head. "[Never mind.]"

"Naruto, look at this," Hinata said softly.

She was holding a rock that had been mostly hidden by the Stone Edge formation…only, it wasn't a rock at all.

"That's an egg!" Naruto gasped in surprise.

It was rough and unpolished like a rock, but it was unmistakably an egg! It was mostly dark brown, with a band of orange bumps ringing the middle, with a jagged white spot at the top that brought to mind a snowy mountain top.

"What are you doing here?" Hinata asked the egg, gently cradling it. It felt fairly warm, but it hadn't been in a nest. "Were you abandoned?"

"Can I see something?" Naruto asked, reaching over. Hinata offered the egg to Naruto, and he carefully picked up, then turned it over, feeling it from all angles before handing it back to Hinata. "It's still got an even distribution of warmth all around it, with no cold spots. That means it must have been kept in an incubator recently."

Hinata looked at Naruto, surprised. "Incubator? Out here? How's that possible?"

Naruto explained this theory about the airship causing the strange landing site they had found.

"If it was an airship transporting a Pokémon and trainers, maybe they had to land and take off really quick, and accidently left the egg behind," Naruto explained, proud of his detective work.

"Why would they do that in the first place?" Hinata pointed out.

"Maybe a Pokémon onboard got freaked out and they had to land before it made them crash?" Naruto suggested. "Remember that field trip back in school? The one where we got to see that ship that functioned as a research lab? Maybe it was like that, and they were moving eggs and Pokémon? They had to land for whatever reason, and when they took off, they left this little guy behind."

"I…suppose that makes sense,' Hinata said slowly. She looked down. "Yeah…I guess that means this egg belongs to whoever landed here."

She caressed the egg tenderly, and Naruto noticed she seemed disappointed.

"Were you wanting a cute baby Pokémon of your own?" Naruto asked playfully.

"Uh…well, yes…I guess," Hinata admitted, blushing.

Once again, Naruto flashed a Zorua-like smile. "You know…we don't have to give it back to whoever lost it. Isn't the rule, 'finders keepers, losers weepers?'"

"That's awful!" Hinata said sharply.

Naruto let out a laugh. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

Something caught his eye.

"Hey, look over there! Is it just me or is that another egg?"

He pointed at what he had mistaken for a rock not too far off.

It had been mostly hidden from view, but from this angle, there was no mistaking it; it was an egg. It was mostly soft blue, but shifted to yellow and then red towards the top, like an aurora.

Naruto walked over to get a closer look, but before he could pick it up, the egg suddenly shook.

At first, Naruto thought it was going to hatch, but then it floated upward and away, about twenty feet, where it landed next to a Ralts who was standing there, silent and still.

"Kikyo, why'd you do that?" Naruto asked.

Kikyo called from over next to Hinata.

Naruto looked over at Hinata's Ralts, who had blue hair, and then at the one with the egg, who's hair was the standard green.

"What the Houndoom?" Naruto gasped.

Kikyo stepped forth, bowing in greeting to the other Ralts.

…Hello, my name is Kikyo…is that egg your trainer's?... she asked telepathically.

The other Ralts stood still and silent.

Kikyo wondered if perhaps this Ralts didn't like communicating with telepathy.

"Ralts-ral…alts, Ralts?" she asked, repeating her greeting.

However, the other Ralts remained silent, without so much as a change in expression.

"Oooookay, that's not creepy at all," Naruto said sarcastically. "Look, Silent Sam, I don't know what your deal is, but that's our egg."

"No, it's mine!" a boy's voice said sharply.

The speaker stepped into view, right next to his Ralts. He was deathly pale, like he'd never been in the sun in his life, with white hair and blue eyes. Unlike Naruto's baby blues, which conveyed a sense of warmth, this pale stranger's eyes were an eerie and ghostly shade, and almost seemed to glow with unearthly light. The stranger had a green parasol out, so Hinata guessed he must have suffered from albinism, explaining his colorless complexion.

"Where did you come from?" Naruto asked, taking a step back. Inwardly, he wondered how the pale stranger could have gotten so close without either he or Hinata noticing. It was like he stepped out of thin air!

"I walked here," the stranger said blandly. His tone and expression made it clear he was neither mocking Naruto's question or making a joke; he simply took it literally and answered it as such. He reached down and picked up the egg the Ralts had retrieved, then looked over at Hinata, who was holding hers.

"[Don't even think about it, buddy! This is our egg!]" Kata said aggressively, stepping in front of her.

"I didn't say anything," the stranger pointed out, apparently unsurprised by a talking Riolu. "This one, however, is mine."

Naruto frowned. "How do we know that? Where's your proof?"

At this, the pale boy paused, considering the question.

"…my Ralts heard Hinata's screaming, and when he came to look, he found this egg at the same time she found hers. As such, I have as much a right to this one as you do to yours."

Naruto paused. "Okay, that's fair."

"Technically, none of us have a right to any of them," Hinata pointed out. "They belong to someone else."

"Yeah, we think an airship lost them!" Naruto explained quickly. "That means we'll have to turn these over to the Pokécenter so they can be returned to their original owners!"

Naruto didn't know why, but for some reason, he wanted to get a one-up on this strange, pale boy. Something about him made Naruto feel like a Growlithe who's territory was being violated.

The stranger was unmoved. "You won't be able to find the original owners," he said flatly. "There won't be any missing eggs reported."

Naruto frowned. "What do you know? I bet you're just trying to keep the egg for yourself!"

The stranger frowned, but Hinata spoke up, wanting to cut off an argument.

"Let's head back to the Pokécenter and find out if anyone's reported any eggs missing. After that, we can decide what to do."

"…why should I do that?" the pale boy asked.

"It's the right thing to do," Hinata explained before Naruto could say anything.

The boy blinked, mulling it over.

"…okay."

"Great, you can come with us," Naruto said. In truth, he was wanting to make sure this stranger didn't just walk off with his egg; if he and Hinata had to turn in their egg, then Naruto wanted to make sure this guy had to do the same!

"…as you wish, Naruto Uzumaki," the stranger said, turning to his Ralts. Without a word, the Ralts returned to a Pokéball on his belt.

As Naruto and Hinata started back to the Pokécenter they had just left, Naruto realized something."

"Hey, wait a second! How do you know our names?!"

"You mentioned them earlier," the stranger responded automatically.

"No, I didn't!" Naruto said.

"I distinctly remember it; you must have forgotten," he suggested, shrugging.

Hinata moved so that Naruto was between her and the eerie boy; from her backpack, Kikyo shivered, thoroughly creeped out.

-0o0o0-

…Back at the Pokécenter…

-0o0o0-

Just as the pale boy predicted, no one had reported any missing eggs. In fact, Nurse Joy was very skeptical at the suggestion that there had been an airship nearby.

"Any commercial vehicles flying that low would have been on record," Nurse Joy explained. "But there's nothing like that; if your professional investigation was correct," she added, winking at Naruto teasingly, "then it must have been a private airship out for a spin, but I wouldn't have way of knowing where any of those are. So, since you have no way of knowing who the original owners of those eggs are, that is, if they aren't just wild eggs, you're free to keep them. I guess today's your lucky day!" She nodded to Hinata. "But thank you for trying to do the right thing and find their original owners!"

"You're welcome, and th-thank you," Hinata said happily, taking the brown egg.

The pale boy took the egg he had claimed, thanking the Nurse Joy.

He turned to Naruto and Hinata. "So now what are we going to do now?"

"We?" Naruto asked.

The other boy blinked. "We were going in the same direction down the road, so it makes sense that we'd continue that way together."

Hinata pulled on Naruto's jacket from where the stranger would not see, making it clear she was uncomfortable with the situation.

"Uh, actually, we're not sure what we're doing next!" Naruto lied. "See, we had gotten lost earlier!"

It was harder to lie smoothly with Hinata being so urgent next to him, but the stranger seemed to believe Naruto.

He gazed at the two of them with his eerie, ghostly eyes for a moment, the spoke as if nothing was wrong.

"The road you were taking goes straight through an abandoned quarry. It is known as a nesting area for various Rock and Ground-types. That is where I am going. You can join me."

Naruto winced, but considering that quarry was the only interesting thing on the road to Steel Blossom, of course the strange boy would be heading there. And from the way Hinata was pressing her foot on his, Naruto could guess she really didn't want to continue hanging out with him.

"Uh, sorry, but uh…we've got some things to do first!" Naruto said, lying again. It was kinder than telling the stranger that he was scaring the Houndoom out of Hinata.

"Oh…then this is goodbye," the pale boy said, looking disappointed. He thought for a moment, and added, "…for now."

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll meet again!" Naruto said, doing his best to smile. "I look forward to it!"

The pale boy nodded. "I agree…it was nice making friends with you, Hinata Hyuga, Naruto Uzumaki."

He bowed and started to walk off.

"He still never told us how he knew our names," Naruto whispered between his smiling teeth. He gasped, realizing something. "Hey, you never told us your name!"

The boy stopped and turned around, looking genuinely shocked.

"Really? I thought I did."

"Nope," Naruto said, shaking his head.

"Oh…uh, well, I am Toneri Ōtsutsuki. And Toneri Ōtsutsuki means 'me'." He bowed in a way that was almost theatrical, and smiled. "We will meet again soon, my friends."

He said the last part with relish.

Once he was gone, Hinata breathed a sigh of relief.

"Creepy dude, right?" Naruto asked, chuckling lightly. "I don't know why, but there was something…off about him. Like he was from another world or something. Could he have been an alien, you think?"

"His appearance didn't bother me," Hinata said firmly. "It was everything else. It felt like he was staring at me, but every time I looked, he was doing something else. Or the way he seemed to step out of thin air, or not make a sound as he walked, or how he knew our full names! Not to mention, his Ralts."

Hinata gave a little shutter that was echoed by Kikyo.

…Not like other Ralts…couldn't feel him… Kikyo whimpered. …No emotions, no thoughts…just silence…like a black hole…

Kata, who Naruto hadn't bothered to recall, nodded in agreement. "[The little freak's Aura wasn't like anything I ever felt. It was cold and still; just looking at him with my Aura-vison made me feel like I was dunked in ice water.]"

"Don't think about it. It's the last time we'll see him again anyway," Naruto said, patting Hinata on the shoulder.

Hinata sighed, feeling guilty for treating a stranger this way, especially since he hadn't done anything wrong.

Still, there was something eerie about Toneri that she couldn't shake. She didn't relish the thought of meeting him again.

Naruto went on. "So, should we head for the quarry now?"

Hinata made a face, and Naruto understood.

"…right, Toneri said that's where he was going. Eh, then how about we stay here and head there in the morning? That way, our creepy, pale friend would have had enough time to get there and leave before we arrive."

"Th-thank you," Hinata said.

"No problem," Naruto responded, shrugging. "In the meantime, why don't we introduce everyone to your new egg?"

Hinata smiled, but then hesitated.

"…Naruto, if you-"

The boy cut her off. "Nope! Don't even make the offer!"

Hinata started. "But you didn't let me finish-"

"You were going to offer to let me have the egg, right?"

Hianta blushed. "Well, yes."

"No way," Naruto said firmly. You found it fair and square! It's yours."

"B-but," Hinata stammered, her mind whirling. "But you're the egg-expert-"

"That doesn't mean anything; you're the one who found Junior, that makes you 'Mama'! Congratulations," Naruto said, smiling.

In spite of herself, Hinata smiled.

"Thank you, Naruto."

"All right! Let's introduce everyone to Junior!" Naruto cheered, gently pushing Hinata over to the play area.

Once there, Naruto and Hinata called out their teams…and Shoto, for that matter.

"Vul…pix?" Shoto mused slowly, looking around, first for his trainer, then for his sister.

"Yeah, about that…" Naruto said nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Well…uh, Sasuke thought it'd be best if you and Hitomi had some space from each other. So, for the next day or two, you'll be hanging out with Hinata and me."

Shoto seemed to consider this for a second before simply nodding, giving no other outward reaction to the news.

With that out of the way, Hinata presented the egg to their Pokémon.

"Meet your new baby sibling," Hinata said softly, setting the egg down between her team. "We just found this egg; we're not sure what it is, but it doesn't really matter anyway."

Midoriya and Kikyo got close to the egg, admiring it.

Then Naruto allowed his Pokémon to have a look; Sora rushed over with such eagerness that he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face; Kubo helped the young Dragon-type up and warned him not to be so reckless. They had to be gentle, like when Mina was still an egg. Kata, meanwhile, looked at the egg with his Aura-vision, face full of wonder.

"[Hey, this egg has got a pretty strong Aura,]" he pointed out to Hinata. "[It's not like mine or yours, but it's noticeable!]"

Hinata, who had noticed it, nodded gently. "Yes…maybe it will have a talent for Aura powers…then again, it could just be a strong life force" she added, reminding herself not to get her hopes too high. Just finding an egg was making her feel wonderful, and she was grateful for that; she didn't care if the baby was a rare Pokémon or had Aura powers.

From the corner of her eye, Hinata noticed Katsuki had started backing away, looking uncomfortable. She recalled how he seemed to fear that he'd 'taint' innocent Mina when she first hatched.

"Katsuki, please come here," Hinata said, patting the spot next to her. Her voice was kind, but surprisingly forceful.

The Quilava looked up at his trainer, scowling, but his will melted under Hinata's resolute expression. Besides, so far, going against the girl's orders hadn't ever gone well for him before. Might as well try being a good, obedient Pokémon for a change.

Sighing, Katsuki walked over to Hinata, head held down. To his surprise, she gently took his paw and guided next to the egg without touching it. Her grip on his paw was soft; he could pull away if he wanted.

"This is your baby sibling," Hinata said. "You're going to be a big brother; it will be your job to protect and teach him. I know you can handle this responsibility."

Hinata was careful when choosing her words; she hoped that by framing the situation as a responsibility, as something that required courage and strength, Katsuki would be more receptive.

Katsuki seemed to mull over Hinata's words, and after a nervous nod, he pressed his hand to the egg. It was surprisingly warm and firm. Somehow, Katsuki could swear he could feel the life forming underneath the shell. A feeling swelled inside him, and Katsuki dared to place a second paw on the egg.

Hinata smiled and looked to Naruto, who winked proudly.

"And you were afraid you didn't know how to handle the little edge-lord," he said teasingly.

Katsuki responded by shooting some sparks at the boy's face.

-0o0o0-

…Sasuke & Sakura…

-0o0o0-

"Hitomi, I'm going to ask you again to calm down," Sasuke said, glowering.

His Dewott was pinned to the forest floor by Togashi and Akodo, with the Shinx holding her left arm in his fangs, ready to shock her if she started struggling again.

Sasuke had told Sakura to go look around while he explained to Hitomi that her brother would be staying with Naruto for a few days.

He had hoped the Dewott would take it in stride and use the separation to think over the things she and her brother had said during their fight. Instead, Hitomi rushed at Sasuke and attempted to scratch his eyes out.

Luckily, Sasuke had the foresight to have the rest of his team ready and waiting. Togashi grabbed and pinned her, and then Akodo jumped him when she attempted to douse the Charmeleon with water.

Right now, she angrily glared up at Sasuke and spat what he assumed were some filthy insults, based on Bayushi's hissing reaction.

Sighing, Sasuke decided to try a different approach.

"Hitomi, you're a strong Pokémon, and you are skilled and courageous," he began slowly. "I respect that. You also are loyal to your family; I can relate to that. I know you only want what is best for Shoto, after all, you were both born in Team Snake's shackles. I can understand you wanting to protect Shoto, since you've only just gained your freedom…but you've taken things too far!" Sasuke said firmly, nearly shouting. "Shoto is my Pokémon as much as you are. It is my duty as his trainer to bring out his strengths and earn his trust in battle; it is not for you to decide! Your actions have already put a wedge between you and him, not to mention they're affecting your relationship with everyone else."

Sasuke motioned around at Togashi, Akodo, and Bayushi, who all agreed with him.

He went on. "If you keep treating Shoto like he's a weak child, he'll never be able to see his true potential. Don't you want him to learn how to use his fire without hurting himself? But more importantly, you're also making Shoto resent you…and that resentment might turn to bitterness or worse."

Sasuke leaned down, motioning for Togashi and Akodo to get off of the Dewott. He helped her up, and then put a hand to her shoulder.

"I've trusted you. Now I ask you return the favor," he concluded.

Hitomi measured her trainer's words and points, her face showing her shame. Yet she remained relatively calm and respectful, bowing to her trainer.

"Dewott," she said, agreeing with him. A tear rolled down her eye, but she otherwise remained stoic and resolved.

"That's my girl," Sasuke smiled.

-0o0o0-

Sakura, meanwhile, gently hummed as she walked along, looking for nothing in particular, with Tetsu and Ochako out next to her.

"How do you think Sasuke's handling Hitomi?" she asked Ochako absentmindedly.

"Chiii," Ochako shuttered, looking downcast.

Sakura laughed. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure he's doing just fine…or at least, he hasn't let Hitomi slash out his eyes."

She allowed herself a nervous laugh, but stopped when she heard a soft whimper.

Sakura froze, holding up the hand she wasn't using to carry Mina to signal Ochako and Tetsu to be still.

The whimpering sound continued, coming from a glade up ahead.

"What is that?" Sakura whispered, moving towards the sound.

She pulled back a fern and peered into the glade. Inside, kneeling besides a small pond, was a Pokémon Sakura could only describe as a unicorn foal. It was like a Ponyta, but pure white with a pastel mane and a black, spiral horn.

The little foal was on its side, trying to nurse a nasty gash on its front right leg.

"Oh, the poor thing," Sakura whispered, setting Mina down so she could pull out her Pokédex. It pinged to life.

"Ponyta, Mythic Variant, the Unique Horn Pokémon," it chimed. "This variant was born long ago when a herd of Ponyta adapted after being exposed to the abundant natural energies of the Senju Forest, changing from Fire to Psychic-type. The Mythic Ponyta absorbs ambient life energy, storing it within its mane, which glows and becomes more colorful as more energy is stored within it. It focuses and releases this energy with its horn, allowing it to heal injuries or illnesses. A Mythic Ponyta can read the contents of a person's heart through eye contact, and will flee from those it deems evil. Countless legends surround this rare and mystical Pokémon, including the claims that they do not age, that they can only be caught by a pure maiden, that a cup made from their horns will purify any poison, or that someone touching their mane can understand any person or Pokémon. Researchers have found kernels of truth in most of these claims."

"Oh whoa, that's amazing!" Sakura said, tucking the 'dex away. "I've got to catch it! …wait, where's Mina?"

She looked up, and sure enough, her baby Dragon-type had crawled over to the Mythic Ponyta, and was cooing and giggling happily, while the Ponyta looked at her with big, innocent eyes. To Sakura's surprise, Ochako was right there next to Mina, gently waving her leaf back and forth as she released an Aromatherapy cloud to soothe the foal.

Sakura grinned. "Well, at least my team is already friends with it."

Next to her, Tetsu laughed and floated into the glade, letting out what he thought was a friendly greeting.

"Mtng!"

To the Ponyta, however, Tetsu was a strange, mechanical thing, which it found frightening. Nickering, the Ponyta rose to its feet and staggered backwards, waving its horn back and forth as it released sparks of light.

"Please wait! You might hurt yourself more!" Sakura pleaded, leaving her hiding spot with her hands held up. "Please, don't run! Tetsu won't harm you; he just wants to help!"

"Mmn…Metang," Tetsu said, doing his best to make his voice sound organic.

Oddly, the Ponyta settled down almost instantaneously after seeing Sakura. It turned its head from side to side, looking her over, and even took a few cautionary steps forward. Sakura recalled what her 'dex said about Ponyta being able to understand a person's heart through eye contact, and quickly brushed her hair back with her hand and opened her eyes wide, looking directly at the foal.

"See? I'm not a bad person," she said, smiling.

Beside her, Mina let out a gurgle, as if to agree with her mommy. Ochako and Tetsu both added their support to Sakura's good character.

The Ponyta let out a playful nicker. Now that the Ponyta was closer and no longer in a panic, Sakura was able to identify two things. Firstly, the foal was a filly- a girl. And second, she had a purple ribbon around her neck, tied into a bow, though it was half undone.

"Ah, that's why you're not nervous around me; you're not wild," Sakura said slowly, feeling a bit disappointed; she wouldn't be adding the rare Pokémon to her team after all. The girl noticed the Ponyta favoring her injured leg, and dismissed all other thoughts. "Here, let's have a look at that."

The Ponyta nodded, obeying Sakura's instructions as she guided her near the water and had her sit down. Sakura first took out her medical kit and cleaned the wound, taking mental notes about it. It looked like it had been poisoned but quickly cured, and had been made by a large, stabbing attack. Sakura assumed from what she understood about Mythic Ponyta that this one had cured the poisoning herself, but she had no idea what caused the injury.

"Hmm, what did this to you?" Sakura mused aloud.

The Ponyta turned her head so her mane fell across Sakura. A warm, tingling sensation filled Sakura, and her mind was filled with images of Beedrill and jabbing stingers. The vision was so shocking that Sakura couldn't help but stumble back and cry out.

Ochako was at her side, and Tetsu had floated down behind her, lifting her up.

Sakura looked at the Ponyta with wide eyes, who turned away bashfully.

"I guess that's one of your powers," Sakura said, more than a bit surprised. "…so a Beedrill did that? Ugh, what nasty Pokémon; ask Tetsu. He got into a fight with one not too long ago."

The Ponyta nicked at Tetsu, who gleefully started telling her all about his fierce and heroic battle, as Sakura hoped he would. That proved to be a wonderful distraction as she disinfected the wound and applied some stiches, before letting Ochako finish it up with a Heal Pulse. What had looked like a deep and serious wound now was only a few neat stiches over a much smaller cut.

"Well, I don't think one of Nurse Joy's Audino could have done such a good job," Sakura said proudly, winking at Ochako.

The Ponyta let out a trumpet of delight at Sakura and Ochako's handywork. Tetsu joined her merriment by smashing his fists together to create a bell-like sound, and Mina blew bubbles.

"Okay, let's see if we can find your trainer," Sakura said, stroking the Ponyta's mane. "How did you lose him?"

Once again, the warm tingling feeling spread from the Ponyta's mane through Sakura. She saw vague and shadowy images of a person and the Ponyta being surrounded by Beedrill, and then suddenly an image of the Ponyta alone, chased by them. The warm tingling stopped, along with the vision.

"You were separated when you were attacked," Sakura concluded, nodding. She wished the Ponyta could have shown her where her trainer was, or what they looked like, but the Ponyta was only a young filly. Sakura assumed she just didn't have the experience to give such exact details.

Sakura sighed. "Kata or Kikyo would be useful right about now," she said, looking up at the sky.

It was nearly sunset. Even if Sakura called them, there'd be no way for them to meet up before it became too dark to safely travel. In fact, even if Sakura and Sasuke turned around and headed back to the Pokécenter, they'd not make it before dark.

"Come on, let's go find Sasuke. He'll know how to find your trainer; he wants to be a detective!" Sakura said, unable to help but slip praise for the boy into the conversation. She picked up Mina and started leading the little unicorn in the direction she had come from.

The Ponyta let out a questioning neigh, and Sakura guessed what it was about.

"Oh, Sasuke? He's my boyfriend- er, I mean, he's my friend, who is a boy…who I'll make my boyfriend, someday," she said shamelessly. "My name's Sakura, by the way. You've met Ochako, Tetsu, and Mina already."

The Ponyta laughed, as did everyone else.

Mina suddenly was struck with an idea, and she reached out to the Ponyta, giggling.

The Ponyta understood, and moved close so she could slip from Sakura's grasp onto her back.

"Ah, you are so nice and kind," Sakura praised, scratching the Ponyta behind the ear. She turned to Mina. "Your first pony ride! Be sure to thank the nice unicorn!"

Their happy fun was interrupted by a loud buzzing that filled the trees and seemed to surround them.

Before Sakura could stop her, the Ponyta let out a scream of panic and bolted. Sakura lunged, trying to grab Mina, but fell on her face.

Ochako jumped into action, shooting a vine out to rescue Mina. However, she overshot, and instead wrapped a vine around the Ponya's neck.

Gasping, Ochako got a new idea, and shot a second vine out behind her, aiming to anchor herself to a tree and keep the Ponyta from fleeing with the team's baby…

…but this was also when Sakura pulled herself up to her knees, right in the vine's path.

Before anyone knew what had happened, Sakura was tied to Ochako, who in turn was tied to the Ponyta, who was now charging off. Before Ochako could release her grip on either one, her vines were yanked tight and she and Sakura both found themselves dragged along, with Sakura desperately shouting for Tetsu to help somehow.

-0o0o0-

Having recalled all his Pokémon save for Bayushi, Sasuke turned his attention to hunting down something worthy of catching; hopefully a Scyther!

Bayushi sniffed the air before arching his back, growling. Sasuke asked him what was wrong, but got his answer the same moment.

A youth had been walking down the road towards them, with a large, red, werewolf-like Pokémon following him (it was a midnight Lycanroc, though Sasuke didn't recognize it). He couldn't have been more than a year or two older than Sasuke, but he was tall and muscular for his age. He had wild orange hair kept in a loose tail, save for his bangs, which crossed over one another to form an 'x' across his forehead. Having rounded the corner, the stranger noticed Sasuke, and his piercing orange eyes flashed aggressively.

Sasuke felt his breath hitch a little; for some reason, the stranger seemed familiar.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

Beside him, Bayushi growled aggressively at the boy's Lycanroc, who just grinned back at the Eevee, showing off his mouth full of sharp teeth.

Instead of answering him, the boy eyed Sasuke carefully for a second.

"…hey, wait a second, I know you," he said. "You're Sasuke, ain't ya?"

"Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke responded coolly. He tried remembering where he'd seen the orange-haired punk, but aside from a vague familiarity, Sasuke didn't recognize him. That left him at a disadvantage, which made him uncomfortable.

"How do I know you?" Sasuke finally asked.

The boy flashed a Sharpedo-toothed smile.

"I'm Cross, from the Ame Region," he said proudly, pounding a fist to his heart. "You're a trainer now, right? Then let's have a battle! We can talk later!"

"Heh, fine by me," Sasuke said, smirking.

Mentally, Sasuke tried listing all the people he had known from Ame. It was a short list, consisting only of Naruto's family, and Cross wasn't part of that as far as Sasuke could tell.

Sighing, the dark-haired boy decided to just fight now and think later. He reached for Akodo's ball-

"SASUKE! HEEEELLLP!"

-when Sakura's screaming cut him off, companied by the thundering of hooves.

He turned just in time to see what looked like a unicorn foal burst through a bush, dragging Sakura behind her!

Before Sasuke could react, the Ponyta charged forward in a blind panic, running over both him and Bayushi...followed by Sakura dragged over his trampled form. Luckily for Cross, his Lycanroc had grabbed him and dove out of the way.

"Ooow…someone get that car's license," Sasuke grunted weakly, laying flat where he had been trampled under-hoof.

The Ponyta had fled up the path, and was nearly out of sight. Sakura was begging her to slow down and stop panicking.

"Don't worry, Sakura! I'm coming- ouch!" Sasuke said, shaking weakly as he pushed himself up to his elbows. "Just as soon as the pain subsides…"

Instead, Tetsu, who had been following, swooped down and scooped up Sasuke and Bayushi before flying upwards and onwards after his trainer.

Rising to his feet, Cross had only a moment to watch the deranged combination of people and Pokémon leave his line of sight.

He turned to his Lycanroc, who looked equally vexed.

"…WHAT THE MUK WAS THAT?!" he screamed, motioning wildly with his arms.

The Lycanroc shrugged.

Growling, Cross turned to follow the trail. "Well, we're not letting that punk get away that easily! Come on, boy!"

His Lycanroc threw his head back and howled, pleased with the prospect of a hunt.

But then a buzzing sound filled the air.

Groaning, Cross turned back to the source of the sound.

Over half-a-dozen Beedrill swarmed in the air, spreading out to surround Cross and his Lycanroc. With them were many more Combee, who compensated for their relative weakness with sheer numbers.

Cross, however, looked more irritated than scared at the situation.

"Minuano, Stone Edge!" Cross ordered, pulling a Pokéball from his belt.

The Beedrill rushed them, but Minuano the Lycanroc acted faster, punching the ground and calling up pillars of stone all around himself and his trainer. The Beedrill angrily started pounding on the rock, ignoring the flash of a Pokéball from inside. A second later, a mighty roar pierced the forest air as an inferno blasted open the Stone Edge shield. Those Bug-types that weren't squished by the falling stones were swept by the fiery explosion.

From his spot at the fire's center, Cross stood framed in flames and grinning like a Sharpedo smelling blood. On one side of him stood his Lycanroc, faithfully shielding him from the flames, and on the other, stood a large, powerfully built Pokémon sheathed in black and red fire.

"Purge these weaklings," Cross ordered.

The big 'mon roared and lunged.

-0o0o0-

…Later…

-0o0o0-

It has taken Sasuke calling out all of his Pokémon to get the Ponyta to stop. Togashi had been unable to keep up with the little horse, and Akodo just bit onto Tetsu and held on for dear life. It had taken Hitomi Aqua Jetting over to the Ponyta and shoving her to the ground, followed by everyone pinning her, to finally bring their crazy race to a halt.

Poor Sakura had been covered in nasty abrasions and cuts, some very deep. She was actually pretty lucky, considering she had been dragged along the forest floor for nearly half a mile. But once the danger was over and her adrenaline rush faded, Sakura started to really feel the pain she had been ignoring. Sasuke, who was in pain but didn't think anything was serious, told her to tend to herself first.

Ochako had started healing the worst injuries, but Sakura warned her not to overdo it; they had to treat Sasuke, and she didn't have the energy to heal everything.

At that, the Ponyta whinnied softly, trotting over to Sakura. She eyed the girl's injuries guiltily. Her horn lit up with multicolored sparks of blue, green, and white. The Ponyta brought her horn down to Sakura's arm, rubbing it gently.

A soothing feeling dulled the pain, as if Sakura's arm had been dipped in a warm bath. Each injury glowed and faded away as the Ponyta rubbed against it, and in the span of a few seconds, Sakura's arm was completely healed.

She tried to thank the little unicorn, but the Ponyta was not done, moving smoothing on to heal Sakura's leg of injury, and after that, her torso.

"Hey, don't overdo it," Sakura warned. "Healing takes a lot of energy, and you'll overexert yourself if you don't rest."

But the Ponyta kept it up until she had treated every injury on Sakura.

Satisfied, she backed away and admired her work, legs buckling and threatening to collapse under her. The Ponyta weakly turned to Sasuke, attempting to light up her horn, which only let out a few weak sparks before sputtering out.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Sakura said gratefully. "But you really need to rest before-"

The Ponyta suddenly blacked out; Sakura dove to catch her, straining to not drop the little horse.

Tetsu helped Sakura set her down on a blanket, and Mina (who had been completely unharmed after everything that happened) curled up on top of the Ponyta's mane and joined her in napping.

Sakura took a moment to stroke the Ponyta's mane, smiling at her sleeping form. She really did look innocent and angelic.

Sasuke cleared his throat, grabbing Sakura's attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry! You need help!" she cried bashfully.

Nodding, Sasuke wordlessly took of his shirt and laid down on his belly, so that Sakura could examine his back where he'd been trampled. Next to him, Bayushi stretched out, looking dirty and irritated.

"Sasuke, I really am sorry for all this trouble!" Sakura said, carefully feeling his spine for any obvious damage. There was none.

Sasuke stayed silent.

Sakura winced at his coldness, but didn't comment on it. Instead, she called Ochako, and had her start healing the hoof-shaped bruises on the boy's back.

"Does that feel better?" Sakura asked carefully, leaning down to look Sasuke in the face.

He remained silent and cold for a few more seconds, before speaking abruptly, just when Sakura thought he'd remain silent for the rest of the day.

"So, you caught that unicorn?

Sakura, who had been opening her medical kit to pull out some aspirin, let out a shrill cry at Sasuke's unexpected voice, tossing the bottle into the air.

It flew high, falling towards Sasuke's head-

-right before Togashi caught it. The Charmeleon handed it to Sakura, growling.

"Uh, sorry," she said bashfully.

"You caught that Mythic Ponyta?" Sasuke asked, repeating his question.

"Oh, you know what she is?" Sakura gasped.

"Yes; there's a few at the Oakcrown zoo," Sasuke said. "Now…did you catch it?"

Sakura sighed, shaking her head.

"No…she belongs to someone else," Sakura said, and went into explaining what had happened.

"…so you see, the poor Ponyta was separated from her trainer," Sakura concluded. "In fact, I wanted to ask you what to do. But then those Beedrill attacked, the Ponyta panicked, and you know the rest."

Sasuke nodded, looking thoughtful.

"A pity…she seems like a Pokémon you'd have an affinity for."

He looked up at the sky. It was dark, and it was starting to get cloudy.

"There's no point in trying to find her owner now. And considering your friend dragged us along for a while, I'm not sure where we are in relation to the road, or how to get back to the Pokécenter."

Sakura winced. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," Sasuke replied simply. He thought it over for a moment. "We'll make camp here, then we'll see about getting our bearings in the morning. Once we know where we are, we'll either see about finding your pony friend's trainer, or more likely, head to the Pokécenter and have Nurse Joy check for her trainer ID."

"But if we do that, we'll be going backwards, and we'll lose a day's worth of travel!" Sakura said.

Sasuke shrugged. "There's not much else we can do about it." He gave no outward expression of being frustrated or disappointed.

Sakura smiled, nearly gushing at Sasuke. "Oh, you're such a heroic knight in shining armor, Sasuke!" She jumped up and hugged him.

"Get. Off," he ordered, pushing her away gently but firmly. "Look, you said you'd help the Ponyta find her trainer. If we don't do that now, we'll be going back on our word, and Naruto would never let me hear the end of it! That's the only reason I'm going out of my way to help you."

"Oh, you say that, but you're really a nice guy," Sakura said flirtatiously.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Next to him, Togashi chuckled and elbowed his trainer, raising his eyebrows suggestively while glancing at Sakura.

"Shove it," the boy grunted, busying himself with setting up the tent.

Laughing, the Chameleon turned to Ochako and offered her his claw, asking if she'd help him gather firewood. The Chikorita made a show of blushing and playing bashful before accepting his offer.

Unknown to anyone, however, was the lone Combee scout that had been watching them from its hiding place up in a tree. Certain that the noise they were making setting up camp would cover its retreat, the Bug-type buzzed off back to its hive to report everything it had witnessed.