The Pokémon Wildcard
Chapter 7: All Charged Up
Naruto along with Pikachu, Leaf and Brock were travelling along the pathway towards Vermillion City where he would face the gym leader there and earn his third badge. He had quite a few happenings along the way which led to him obtaining all three of the Kanto Starters, something that he found rather ironic since he had missed the opportunity to receive one from Professor Oak but rather got Pikachu whom he was happy to have as his partner.
After a bit of walking, Leaf wanted to start up a conversation "So, since we're still a few weeks away from Vermillion City, have you got any new plans for it?"
Naruto hummed in thought before responding "Well I've been having my Pokémon undergo body conditioning as well as mastering the moves that they know completely,"
Brock joined in "I've noticed you were doing so that their bodies are in good condition like their stamina, physique, endurance and other aspects, not to forget that they can use their current moveset very effectively without wasting much energy,"
"So now I'm going to teach them new moves that will help a lot in future battles as our opponents will be much stronger from this point onwards," Naruto explained.
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu was eager to learn new moves and become even stronger.
Leaf nodded in understanding "You're right, I've been reading from the forums online that trainers from Vermillion city and beyond are much tougher that beginners are advised to be well prepared beforehand,"
"Well, let's make camp for the day, I think we've covered a good amount of distance today," Brock suggested, Naruto and Leaf nodded in agreement.
They soon found a small clearing in the forest and made camp there, working together to settle down. Naruto and Leaf helped pitch up the tents and their Pokémon went to collect firewood so that Brock can start cooking. After lunch, Naruto and Pikachu went to find a clearing to serve as their temporary training ground then he tossed out all of the PokéBalls to bring out his Pokémon which are currently with him.
"Scyther!"
"Sandshrew!"
"Charmander!"
"Bulbasaur!"
"Squirtle!"
Naruto smiled, seeing how cheerful his Pokémon are especially Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle which makes him glad since it shows that he's treating them right. He snapped himself back to focus and called out to them.
"Alright guys, today we'll be working on learning new moves for each and every one of you. Not only in preparation for the upcoming gym battle but also to be able to contend with strong trainers in the future,"
"…!" all of the Pokémon looked Naruto with eyes full of determination, the desire to become stronger can be seen and felt from them.
"Alright then," Naruto found a seat on a fallen wooden log while the Pokémon sat around him and he took out his PokéDex "Let's scan each of you and see what moves you know and we can decide on what move to learn,"
Pikachu
[Ability: Static]
[Moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Agility, Iron Tail, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt]
Naruto hummed in thought "Well, you're a Pokémon that leans into using speed to attack your opponent before they can react in time and dodge their attacks, especially since you're not exactly built to tank hits,"
"Pi," Pikachu nodded in affirmation, his species don't have the best of physical Defense compared to other Pokémon.
"So, we'll just have to make it a lot harder for you to get hit, which is why you'll be learning Double Team to not only make it harder for your opponent to attack but also to create opportunities to attack from their blindspot. I'm sure Scyther can help you learn since he knows the move,"
"Scyther," Scyther was willing to teach his fellow Pokémon how to use Double Team.
"Speaking of speed, we could also have you learn Electro Ball which can be very powerful if you're faster than your opponent, so let's work on that too," Naruto added.
"Next up is…,"
Scyther
[Ability: Swarm]
[Moves: Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, Slash, Double Team]
"I've been checking through your moveset and noted that you don't have a Flying type move which we need to fix. I'm thinking of Aerial Ace which is a Flying type move that hardly misses and suits your battle style, becoming even deadlier should you combine it with Agility and Focus Energy,"
Scyther's eyes gleamed at what Naruto was implying and was quite eager to start learning the move. His 'sensei' is truly the right person to help him achieve his goal of being the strongest 'Blade' ever known.
Naruto turned to the next Pokémon.
Sandshrew
[Ability: Sand Veil]
[Moves: Scratch, Defense Curl, Sand Attack, Rollout, Dig]
"For you Sandshrew, I'll have Scyther teach you how to use Slash while you learn Stomping Tantrum. This move can be used after the other moves fail to hit your target for double the power, especially when you use Rollout which grows stronger with each hit then you can follow up with it to still deal a lot of damage on your target,"
"Shrew sandshrew," Sandshrew nodded in understanding and was eager to learn the two new moves.
Bulbasaur
[Ability: Overgrow]
[Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder]
"Okay Bulbasaur, you'll be learning Grass Knot and Energy Ball. The former can be used defensively to trip up your opponent or set them up for a follow-up attack with the additional aspect of dealing greater damage the heavier they are, as for the latter; it helps to reduce your target's special defensive power which allows you to inflict more damage with your long-range attacks,"
"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur was in agreement and approved of the new moves which will definitely be of help in future battles.
"Next on the list is…," Naruto turned to Charmander with his PokéDex.
Charmander
[Ability: Blaze]
[Moves: Ember, Flamethrower, Tackle, Smokescreen]
"Char?" Charmander was wondering what Naruto has in mind for him to learn.
"You'll be learning Brick Break which will help you gain an edge when facing Rock types as well as several others. You'll also be learning Fire Fang which is a Fire type move that has the added benefit of either making your opponent flinch or being afflicted with burn," Naruto advised.
"Charmander!"
"And last but not least…,"
Squirtle
[Ability: Torrent]
[Moves: Tackle, Withdraw, Water Gun, Bubble, Rapid Spin]
"For you Squirtle, I'm thinking of having you learn Icy Wind which is an Ice type move effective against Flying, Ground, Grass and Dragon type Pokémon with the additional effect of reducing their Speed in battle. What do you think?"
"Squirtle squirt!" Squirtle responded with a thumbs-up, ready to learn the move.
"Great!" Naruto turned to face all of his Pokémon "We all know what do and I'll be guiding each and every one of you in learning your new moves while also training myself in addition. So, let's get to it!"
The Pokémon cheered in response and they all began their training. Scyther proceeded to tutor Pikachu and Sandshrew on how to use Double Team and Slash respectively step-by-step withy patience and clarity, Naruto utilized the PokéDex to provide guidelines to the other Pokémon on how exactly to perform the new moves. After several hours, Naruto saw that they were gradually forming a foundation for their moves and decided to leave it to them for now to solidify it while he begins his own training.
According to the journal, the Kizuna clan had developed a special technique based on the basic projection of aura from their bodies which they called Free Flow Action or rather Flowmotion for short. By channeling the power of Aura throughout one's body, they can traverse their surrounding environments with great ease, even Kurow added a short note that it's most likely where Parkour was derived from back then. reading further, Naruto learnt that Flowmotion can also be used for combat as well which piqued his interest.
"Hmmm, this will be of great use to me especially since I'll be going to places like the mountains, canyons and jungles. Let's get started!" Naruto flipped to the next pages and the first set of basic techniques:
High Jump
Dodge Roll
Aerial Recovery
Slide
Air Slide
Naruto read the instructions and observed the illustrations of each technique with a thoughtful look "Looking at these moves kinda reminds me of the characters in video game but then again, Aura Guardians aren't regular humans with the same going for me. They need to be at their strongest if they're supposed to protect both humans and Pokémon from evil,"
With that said, Naruto started practicing the technique and was beginning to get a hang of it thanks to having been training his body since he was younger in preparation for his career as a Pokémon Trainer. As he became more proficient in the use of the techniques, Naruto noticed that his aura seems to automatically activate itself in sync with his movements and further enhancing them. By the time he returned to check on his Pokémon, he had gotten the hang of High Jump, Slide and Dodge Roll while Air Slide and Aerial Recovery are still in the works. Naruto reached the training ground and saw that his Pokémon have made decent progress:
Pikachu was using the Agility as a reference which was advised by Scyther and managed to create at least two copies of himself for now. Up in the air, Scyther was flying with great speed whilst concentrating on the energy within himself, causing white streaks of energy to appear around his body faintly. Sandshrew was standing with his eyes closed as bronze colored energy wafted from his body before rushing forward and tackling a tree, making it shake violently before repeating the process. Bulbasaur's eyes were glowing green, making small green ivy to grow out of the ground in an attempt to entangle itself with something. Charmander was practicing with Fire Fang as Naruto hinted at him using Flamethrower as a foundation which seems to be working judging by how flames are being emitted from his mouth but not launched as a long-range attack then he attacked a wooden log which was positioned from the other trees to avoid starting a forest fire, biting into it. Squirtle was focused on making his energy as cold as possible and release it from his mouth, expelling a cold mist with visible snowflakes.
Naruto smiled at how hard they're all working and called out to them "Alright you guys, that's enough for today. We can resume training tomorrow!"
The Pokémon weren't so pleased to be told to stop and wanted to keep going but Naruto refused to budge and even pointed upwards at the setting sun "Come on now, the day is nearly over and we need to rest properly. It's one thing to train hard and another to overwork yourselves, there's no way I'm gonna to let the latter happen to any of you,"
Hearing his explanation, the Pokémon finally relented and joined him as they returned to the campsite to reunite with Brock and Leaf with the former reading a book about Pokémon Breeding and the latter typing on her laptop.
Leaf looked up from her computer to greet them "I see you're back from training, how did it go?"
"Pretty good, we've laid the foundation and just need to build up on it. Hopefully we'll be able to use them for battles once we're proficient enough before eventually mastering them," Naruto replied.
Brock spoke up "That's good to hear, most trainers I've met in the gym often had their Pokémon use moves which they hadn't perfected yet and ended up costing them the gym battle due to their impatience to win a badge,"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders "Yeah, well I'm trying not to be that kind of trainer,"
"Good, dinner's ready. Was just letting it simmer for a bit,"
"Great, let's eat!" Leaf saved her work before turning off the laptop to stand up and get out the bowls with everyone pitching in to help.
Later that night, everyone had gone to sleep in their individual tents albeit Naruto had left his Pokémon out of their PokéBalls since he often sleeps together with them. Right now, Pikachu and the others had gone to a small clearing to have a meeting of sorts.
*Pokémon Translator On*
"I can see that you're improving with the Double Team, but you still have room for improvement to be able to create more copies at a faster rate," Scyther advised calmly.
"I know, that's why I working hard to be able to master it and the Electro Ball before we reach Vermillion city," said Pikachu.
"Me too, I hear the gym leader uses electric type Pokémon so I need to be at my best if I want to help us win that badge," said Sandshrew.
"But don't be in such a rush, Naruto has clearly made it known that he doesn't want us to strain ourselves," Bulbasaur pointed it out to them.
"It's different from when I was with Damien, he always expected me to instantly learn a new move without teaching me anything," said Charmander, sadly recalling his former trainer.
"Dude, why do you have to bring that jerk up? Naruto has been proving himself to us that he's a much better trainer than our previous ones, giving us the respect that we deserve while making sure that he's worth our loyalty to him," said Squirtle, receiving nods of agreement from the other two Kanto Starters.
"Indeed, Sensei is affirming my choice of following him to be the right one. With his aid, I will be able to achieve my goal of becoming the strongest Blade," said Scyther.
Squirtle tilted his head in confusion "Uh, what do you mean by that?"
"As you're aware; some Pokémon species had physical traits or items which they use in battles such as the Beedrill with its stingers, Cubone and Marowak with their bones, the Abra family with their spoons, and even the Farfetch'd with its leek. I've heard tales of Scythers and Scizors facing powerful foes to prove themselves the strongest and earn the prestigious title 'True Blade'. Such is my goal and upon meeting Sensei, I'm sure I can achieve it with his guidance,"
"Whoa, first with the Zen stuff and now this…you're like a Pokémon version of a samurai!" Squirtle commented, Scyther frowned in annoyance.
"Squirtle, you're being rude right now," Bulbasaur scolded the Water type.
"Sorry, my bad,"
Sandshrew spoke up "Even so, I want to get stronger too so I can help Naruto in his journey. It's a lot of fun being with him,"
"Well, you aren't the only one who feels that way," Pikachu pointed out.
"I believe it's getting late, best that we go to sleep for the next day," Scyther advised.
Charmander yawned "Good night…,"
They all returned to Naruto and slept around him.
*Pokémon Translator Off*
A few weeks later, Naruto and co had finally arrived at their destination that is Vermillion city after days of trekking with the addition of training and battling Pokémon Trainers along the way.
"We finally made it!" said Leaf happily.
"Can't wait to get to the laundromat!" Brock was just as pleased.
"Let's head to the Pokémon Center and get everyone healed and rested, then we'll head for the Vermillion Gym!" Naruto smirked in anticipation.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu is just as eager to battle after a good rest.
The group made their way to the Pokémon Center and handed their Pokémon over to Nurse Joy to heal them when she called out Naruto.
"Excuse me, but are you Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze Ketchum from Pallet Town?" asked Nurse Joy curiously.
Naruto nodded in confusion "That's me, is there something the matter?"
"Not exactly, I've received a package from someone named Kurow who wants it to be delivered to you,"
"Kurow?" Naruto was surprised to hear the name since it's been quite some time that they last met which was the day he set off on his journey.
"Isn't Kurow the one we met when we went to the Summer Camp when we were kids?" Leaf inquired.
"Yeah, and the same one that gave me you know what…,"
"Please wait for a moment," Nurse Joy went into a room and came back with a small parcel wrapped in brown paper before handing it over "Here you go,"
"Thanks very much," Naruto took the parcel, curious as to what Kurow sent to him and for what reason.
Nurse Joy smiled in response "You're welcome, now just wait until your Pokémon have fully recovered,"
While Brock went to the Laundromat to get their clothes cleaned up, Naruto and Leaf went to sit at a booth away from the others to get some privacy. Naruto unwrapped the parcel and looked inside to find several cards and a letter attached to it, he decided to read the letter first.
[ Yo Naruto, it's been a while since I last sent you a letter. How's the journey as a Pokémon Trainer and Aura Guardian going for you? No doubt you've already caught some good Pokémon and training them to be the best as they can be. Anyways, if you're reading this letter then it must mean that you've made it to Vermillion city and have earned two Gym Badges of which I extend my congrats.
I know I told you to get a disguise to conceal your identity and to allow only those you truly trust to know of your role as an Aura Guardian, and yet I neglected to give you the proper attire which is totally my bad. So I sent a couple of cards to help remedy that problem. One is an Alias Card which creates a doppelganger of yourself to stand in your place while you're doing other things, making it harder for enemies to identify you. Next is the Re-equip Card which instantly enclothes you with the outfit I got for you, ejecting the card and slotting it in again will change you back to your normal clothes. There are additional cards as well but they're currently sealed, you needn't worry yourself as they will awaken to be used at the time you need them the most
As for me, I'm pretty busy investigating strange activities in another part of Kanto which has to do with Team Rocket. Better watch yourself and get stronger because these guys play for keeps and aren't afraid to play dirty. Hope to see you sometime
Your Buddy, Kurow]
After reading the letter, Naruto reached into the parcel and brought out several cards while finding the two cards that Kurow mentioned with the rest being blank cards.
"I wonder what kind of outfit Kurow got for you?" asked Leaf.
"We can check it out when we're back on the road where no one will see us," Naruto replied, then they heard the P.A signaling that their Pokémon have been revitalized before heading to the main desk.
"Here are your Pokémon," Nurse Joy presented the trays containing their PokéBalls while Pikachu hopped onto Naruto's shoulder and retrieved his hat from him.
"Thanks Nurse Joy, now we're all set to face the gym," said Naruto confidently.
"If you're going to battle the gym leader, I suggest that you be careful," Nurse Joy advised.
Leaf blinked in confusion "What do you mean?"
"Lieutenant Surge the Vermillion Gym Leader doesn't really know how to hold back against his challengers, leaving them in roughed up states to be brought here for treatment. Just this month, we received 15 cases from that gym,"
"Hang on Pidgey!" a Chansey wheeled a gurney past them with a seriously injured Pidgey on it while accompanied by a young male trainer "Just hold on!"
"…make that 16 this month," Nurse Joy corrected herself.
"Honestly, how does he expect to beat the gym leader with just a Pidgey and without any proper preparations?" asked Leaf confusedly.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders "Not gonna cast any judgement without knowing everything, let's wait for Brock then we'll head over there,"
"Okay,"
Later on, Brock returned and they got directions to the Vermillion Gym which wasn't all that hard to miss due to its lightning themed design, then again these gyms tend to use themes based on the type of Pokémon that the gym leader uses. They went through the double doors into a large room which was rather dark with no source of light save for the sunlight coming through the open doors which allowed them to see a man and woman with both dressed in military uniforms.
"Hello, my name is Naruto U.N Ketchum and I am here for a gym battle," Naruto proclaimed.
The man simply grinned and called out to someone behind him "Sir, we have another victim for the emergency room,"
A deep burly male voice spoke up from the shadows "So, I've noticed," the person stepped out from the shadows to reveal himself to everyone.
He's an adult male with spiked blonde hair different compared to Naruto's and light skin, he wears a sleeveless green shirt and camouflage pants with black military boots, a piar of black fingerless gloves, and a pair of dog tags hang from his neck which all reveal his muscular physique (HeartGold Version)
"I'm Surge; the Lightning Lieutenant! Now which of you babies is here to challenge me?" the man introduced himself.
Naruto stepped forward "I am, I challenge you to a battle for the right to attain your gym badge,"
Surge looked at Naruto then took note of the Pikachu with the hat on his shoulder which caused him to chortle "Well what do we have here? A baby with a baby Pokémon which is playing dress up, should I bring tea and cookies so we can have a tea party?"
Naruto and Pikachu frowned at the blatant disrespect with the former responding "I came here for a gym battle, not to be looked down upon. You have no reason to act like that,"
"Of course I do, let me show you why," Surge unclasped a PokéBall from his belt and enlarged it "Go PokéBall!" he tossed the PokéBall to reveal a Pokémon which surprised everyone, more so Naruto and Pikachu.
It was a bipedal rodent-like Pokémon with similar traits to Pikachu except that it's much bigger, reaching past Surge's kneecaps. Its body is covered in dark orange fur with a white belly. Its ears are brown on the outside and yellow on the inside while ending in distinctive curls. The electric sacs on its cheeks are yellow unlike the previous red, the arms and long feet have splotches of brown fur. On its back are two horizontal brown stripes, and a long black tail which has a lightning bolt-shaped end.
"Rai…," the Pokémon sneered at Pikachu who glared back at it.
"It's a Raichu!" Leaf exclaimed, taking out her PokéDex to scan it.
[Raichu, the mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pikachu. It can shock with more than 100,000 volts, enough to render a Dragonite unconscious]
"Okay, if you wanna quit then now's the time," Surge declared with his hands on his hips, even Raichu was doing the same thing.
"I have no intentions of quitting, I travelled a long way and trained hard to reach this point. Retreat is not an option for me and my Pokémon," Naruto refuted strongly.
Surge scoffed "With a baby Pokémon like that one? If you really want to become a strong trainer, you should make a Pokémon evolve as soon as you catch it!"
"Rushing a Pokémon's development is not the right way, it's my responsibility to help my Pokémon become strong enough so they can be ready to access the next level of power and it's their choice whether they wish to evolve or not. Evolution is a decision if made can never be undone,"
Surge and Raichu sneered in response "Wrong again baby, Electric Pokémon are only useful once they've learnt all their electrical attacks. Right now, your Pikachu is nothing more than a pet,"
"Don't underestimate my buddy!"
"Pikaaa…,"
Naruto turned to Pikachu on his shoulder and saw sparks emitting from his partner's cheeks as he glared at Surge and Raichu "Pikachu…?"
"Pikachu really wants to battle Raichu and Surge," Leaf noted.
"I'm not surprised, Pikachu is not happy with how Surge is looking down on him and Naruto. No doubt he wishes to prove them wrong and protect the pride he has for Naruto and the other Pokémon," Brock explained, he recalled how he underestimated those two and ended up paying for it in their battle.
Seeing his partner's demeanor and felt the PokéBalls in his belt shaking, Naruto steeled himself and faced the gym leader "Once more, I issue a challenge to you for the Thunder Badge,"
Surge shrugged his shoulders "Oh well then, I guess you'll soon learn that playing with the big boys can be a shocking experience,"
Later on, everyone went to the battlefield with the spotlights shining down from above. Leaf and Brock were at the sides as Naruto and Surge stood at opposite ends of the battlefield.
"We will now begin the gym battle between Surge the gym leader and Naruto the challenger. This will be a three-on-three match and the battle will be over when all three Pokémon on either side are unable to continue. In addition, only the challenger may substitute Pokémon," the referee announced "Now, let the battle begin!"
Music Start: Pokémon Black 2 · White 2 OST; Battle! Gym Leader (Kanto)
"Alright Voltorb, shock them!" Surge threw a PokéBall out into the field to call out his first Pokémon for the battle.
"Sandshrew, I choose you!" Naruto called on his first Pokémon to face his opponent.
"Trying to play smart? Well, it won't help you here! Voltorb, use Sonic Boom!" Surge commanded, Voltorb spun rapidly like a top and launched a white shockwave towards Sandshrew.
Naruto wasted no time in reacting "Use Dig to dodge!" Sandshrew quickly burrowed underground to evade the incoming attacking and began making his way to attack his opponent.
"You're not the first one to use that move against me, use Magnet Rise!" Surge ordered a counter, Voltorb's body crackled with electricity as it hovered in the air right before Sandshrew burst out of the ground and missed his attack.
"Darn!" Naruto frowned at this, knowing that Magnet Rise nullifies any Ground type attacks against the user for some time "Sandshrew get in close and use Scratch!" Sandshrew rushed forward with intent to attack with his claws.
Surge "Not so fast, Voltorb use Screech!" Voltorb vibrated its body, releasing high-pitched soundwaves which disrupted Sandshrew's attack as he tried to cover his ears to block out the sound "Now use Gyro Ball!" Voltorb spun rapidly like a wheel and rolled forwards to slam into Sandshrew, knocking him down.
"Sandshrew!" Naruto and Pikachu called out in worry.
"This is not good for them, using Screech to harshly reduce defensive power and following up with Gyro Ball which deals twice the damage if the target is faster than the user makes for a deadly combo," said Brock with concern.
"And they haven't landed a single hit on them yet, no wonder why Naruto was training so hard, Surge isn't just all talk but also has the skill to back up what he says," said Leaf worriedly.
"Come on Sandshrew, please get up!" Naruto called out, Sandshrew struggled back to his with clear intent to continue battling.
"Still wanting more? Then I'll comply. Another Gyro Ball!" Surge commanded with Voltorb repeating the use of the previous move.
"Sandshrew, use Defense Curl and get away with Rollout!" Naruto commanded, Sandshrew curled himself into a ball to restore at least a small portion of the defense power he had lost and quickly rolled out of the way before Voltorb could hit.
"Playing ball are we? Voltorb, chase after it!"
Naruto watched with narrowed eyes before calling out "Hit it head-on!" surprising everyone as Sandshrew complied and rushed to collide with Voltorb only to be knocked back "Now use Stomping Tantrum!" Sandshrew uncurled himself with his body emitting a large amount of bronze aura then he rushed forward and slammed into Voltorb for a supereffective attack.
"I get it now; Naruto knew that Rollout would be cancelled out which would double the attack power of Stomping Tantrum and it being a Ground type move would definitely inflict a lot of damage on Voltorb. Talk about a turnaround, way to go!" Leaf cheered happily.
"Yeah, but now Surge is aware and would be cautious of it," said Brock with a frown.
Surge scoffed "Not bad, but that doesn't change anything. Voltorb, use Sonic Boom!" Voltorb obeyed and prepared to launch a shockwave at Sandshrew.
"Sandshrew, use Sand Attack!" Naruto countered, Sandshrew quickly dragged his paws across the ground and flung sand into Voltorb's face which blinded it and caused the shockwave to miss "Now's our chance, use Scratch!" Sandshrew quickly closed in and started attacking with his claws multiple times.
"That's enough! Voltorb, use Swift!" said Surge with a scowl, Voltorb launched barrage of star-shaped rays at Sandshrew who was too close to dodge and got knocked back "Not bad, baby, but playtime's over,"
Sandshrew scowled at Surge for how he has been disrespecting his trainer ever since they stepped into this gym, Naruto has been the best thing to happen in his life and he will be remiss to let this human degrade that any further! Suddenly, Sandshrew's body began to glow brightly which caught everyone's attention, making them realize what's going on.
"Sandshrew is evolving!" Lear exclaimed.
The light soon faded to reveal a different Pokémon in Sandshrew's place; before them is a tall light-yellow porcupine-like Pokémon with a white underbelly, sharp brown quills on its back and a thick tail, possessing two very long claws on each paw and feet.
"Sandshrew is now a Sandslash!" Naruto brought out his PokéDex to scan his newly evolved Pokémon.
[Sandslash, the mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Sandshrew. It attacks opponents with the quills on its back]
[Alert: New moves learnt]
Naruto saw the new moves that Sandslash knows and grinned "Time to turn things around!"
"Your baby may have grown up, but that doesn't change anything! Voltorb, use Gyro Ball and finish this!" Surge commanded with Voltorb rolling towards Sandslash with great speed.
"Time to use your new move, Sandslash! Use Sand Tomb!" Naruto called out, Sandslash immediately burrowed underground and moments later, a large sandpit opened up and Voltorb was too slow to react and fell inside then Sandslash appears in the middle of the sandpit "Now take Voltorb out by using Metal Claw!" Sandslash readies his claws which are glowing with a metallic sheen as he waited for Voltorb to drop closer for the finishing blow.
Surge frowned at the current situation then made his next move "Voltorb, use Self-Destruct!"
Naruto's eyes widened in shock and tried to react but it was too late as Voltorb glowed brightly then released a massive explosion with the smoke dissipating to reveal both Sandslash and Voltorb having been knocked out.
"Sandslash and Voltorb are unable to battle," the referee announced.
"Since he knew that Voltorb would be defeated, Surge chose to have Voltorb use Self Destruct in order to take each other out and leaving Naruto with one less Pokémon for the battle," said Brock.
"And Sandslash had just evolved too," Leaf was saddened to witness what had happened.
Naruto returned Sandslash to his PokéBall with a soft smile "You did well, Sandslash. Take a good long rest and leave the rest to us," then he turned to face Surge who was smiling.
"Got to had it to ya, this battle is starting to be fun. Try to keep me entertained. Electrify them, Magnemite!" Surge called on his next Pokémon.
Naruto's eyes narrowed on the Pokémon before him "Magnemite is both an Electric and Steel type, in that case…Charmander, I choose you!" Naruto tossed his PokéBall into the field as well to call on his Pokémon for battle.
"Charmander!" Charmander stood at the ready with the flame on his tail burning strongly.
"Still trying to play smart? You're being too repetitive, baby! Magnemite use Thunderbolt!" Surge commanded, Magnemite's body crackled with electricity before launching an electric blast towards Charmander.
"Dodge it, then use Flamethrower!" Naruto reacted, Charmander darted to the side to evade the incoming attack and breathed a stream of flames towards Magnemite who quickly veered to the side to dodge it.
" Thunderbolt again!" Magnemite attacked once more with another electric blast.
"Keep it away with Flamethrower!" Charmander aimed at the electric blast and launched a stream of flames towards it, both attacks collided in the middle and cancelled each other out with an explosion.
Surge sneered "Let's see you handle this. Magnemite, use Spark!" Magnemite shrouded its body in electricity before charging towards Charmander for a tackle attack.
Naruto frowned "Parry by using Slash, Charmander!" Charmander's claws glowed white and lengthened before slashing at Magnemite before they got pushed back "Now get in close!"
"Like I would let you, use Sonic Boom!" Surge ordered, Magnemite complied and launched a white shockwave towards Charmander.
"Dodge it!" Charmander quickly leapt into the air to evade the attack "Now use Fire Fang!" opening his mouth to reveal fangs cloaked in flames, Charmander pounced on Magnemite and bite down on the magnet Pokémon, making it buzz in pain then burns appeared on its body.
"Magnemite's been burned, this is great!" Leaf cheered happily.
Brock smiled in agreement "He just needs to keep his momentum going!"
Naruto reined in his excitement to prevent his eagerness from making a mistake "Charmander, use Flamethrower!" Charmander immediately attacked with a stream of flames.
Surge was scowling at this "Why you little… Magnemite, use Discharge!" Magnemite released a flare of electricity from its body in all directions which collided with the Flamethrower and pushed it back before striking Charmander who yelled in pain "Now use Spark!"
Naruto gritted his teeth at the situation and decided to take a gamble "Charmander, I want you to brace yourself and catch Magnemite!" his statement shocked everyone.
"What's Naruto thinking? Charmander could get hurt!" Leaf exclaimed.
"…," Brock didn't respond, he looked at the expression on Naruto's face and saw that it wasn't of desperation which meant that the blonde is planning something.
Surge chortled in amusement "Your funeral, baby! Attack now!"
Magnemite charged forward with an electrically charged forward, Charmander braced himself and raised his paws to catch Magnemite. He gritted his teeth in pain as electricity coursed throughout his body but refused to let go.
"NOW, use Fire Fang!"
Surge's eyes widened in shock "WHAT!?"
Charmander opened his mouth with flames emerging from it and bit down on Magnemite, inflicting supereffective damage enough to make it faint as it fell to the ground with a thud.
"Magnemite is unable to battle, Charmander wins the round!" the referee announced.
"Way to go Charmander, I'm proud of you!" said Naruto happily, promising to treat Charmander to something nice after the battle.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered for his fellow Pokémon's victory.
"Char…," Charmander smiled tiredly, having gone through a tough battle but was able to win.
"Yes, he won!" said Leaf.
"Naruto figured that Magnemite's speed and long-range attacks would prove difficult to deal with, so he put his trust on Charmander to be able to take the hit then counter with a powerful attack. It was risky but the payout was worth it," Brock explained.
Surge returned Magnemite into its PokéBall "I gotta say that I did ask you to keep me entertained and you did, but it's about time that I bring this game to a close. Let's go, Raichu!"
"Rai!" Raichu jumped into the battlefield and was ready to battle.
"Charmander, I'm pulling you out. I can tell that you're on your last legs, you deserve a good rest and leave the rest to Pikachu," said Naruto.
"Charmander…," Charmander nodded in understanding and allowed himself to be recalled into his PokéBall, entrusting everything to Pikachu to win the battle.
Naruto took in a deep breath and exhaled "Pikachu…let's do this,"
"Pi…," Pikachu took off his hat and gave it to Naruto before jumping into the battlefield and faced Raichu with electricity sparking from his cheeks.
"Alright, time to see what your baby can do!" Surge taunted.
"Of course, we will! Use Thunderbolt, buddy!" Naruto called out, Pikachu immediately launched a blast of electricity towards Raichu who simply stood there and took the attack with a smirk albeit flinching a bit as the power behind it was a bit unexpected.
Surge sneered "Raichu, give em a real Thunderbolt!" Raichu's cheeked crackled with electricity before firing a powerful blast at Pikachu who simply stood there and allowed the attack to hit him before absorbing it into his body, confusing them both "What the?"
Naruto and Pikachu smiled with the former speaking up "If you're wondering why your Thunderbolt didn't work like it was supposed to, that would be because my buddy here has the Hidden Ability Lightning Rod," Surge was shocked to hear what he said.
"So that explains a lot," said Brock in realization.
"What do you mean?" asked Leaf confusedly.
"Normally, Pokémon has an ability which have a passive effect both in and out of battle, but there are cases where a Pokémon has an additional ability to the main one called a Hidden Ability but like the name says; it's not known to even the Pokémon itself. Turns out that Pikachu's Hidden Ability is Lightning Rod which draws in all Electric type attacks to the user and absorbs them to raise their special attack power," Brock explained.
"Hold on, I recall during a Pokémon Battle that a trainer had his Raticate try using Thunderbolt on Pikachu but it didn't bother him," said Leaf.
"Naruto must have noticed that and looked into it,"
Back in to the battle, Naruto looked at Surge "So, what happens next? Keeping empowering us with more Electric type moves or try something else?"
"Geez, this kid is no run of the mill trainer. Even so…," Surge looked back at Naruto before calling out an order "Raichu, use Focus Punch!" Raichu rushed forward with its paws glowing with white energy to attack up close.
"Take evasive action by using Agility!" Naruto reacted accordingly, Pikachu proceeded to dodge Raichu's punches with his boosted speed and was practically running circles around the evolved form of his species "Now use Quick Attack!" he took the opportunity to attack opponent's blindside with a highspeed tackle, making Raichu stumble from the surprise impact.
"Raichu, switch to Iron Tail and take that Pikachu out!" Surge ordered, Raichu's long tail now took on a metallic sheen and lashed out with it to attack.
"You also use Iron Tail!" Pikachu obeyed Naruto's command with his tail also taking on a metallic sheen and engaged Raichu.
Everyone watch as the two electric Pokémon repeatedly clashed tails with each other, Raichu attacked with power while Pikachu utilized speed with his attacks and was able to keep up and managed to land a blow on Raichu, knocking it back once more.
"What's going on here? The lieutenant's Raichu is being pushed back! He's supposed to be all over that Pikachu!" said one of the Gym Trainers in disbelief.
Brock smiled "Seems like they haven't noticed,"
"What do you mean?" asked Leaf curiously.
"When Pikachu was clashing with Raichu, he wasn't trying to overpower but rather parry which requires lesser energy plus the earlier speed boost from the Agility enabled him to keep up and land that strike,"
Naruto called out "Alright Pikachu, time for Double Team!" Pikachu concentrated and began creating copies of himself that surrounded a confused and panicked Raichu, not knowing where the real one is.
"That does it…Raichu, use Hyper Beam and bring an end to this!" Surge decided to pull out his trump card, Raichu opened his mouth and channeled an orange ball of energy before launching it as a beam, sweeping it around the battlefield and taking out all of the copies and hopefully the original. The lieutenant grinned "The end of the match…huh?" the dust cloud settled down but the supposed defeated form of Pikachu was nowhere to be seen "Where did he go?"
Naruto smirked then pointed upwards, everyone looked up to see Pikachu descending from above. Apparently, Naruto had Pikachu use Iron Tail to strike the ground which propelled him high into the air and effectively dodge the Hyper Beam.
"Time to end this, Pikachu use Iron Tail and then channel your Thunderbolt through your tail!" Naruto called out with eyes full of fire.
Pikachu's eyes mimicked his trainer's as he made his tail take on a metallic sheen then used Thunderbolt on the tail, making it crackle with lightning. He somersaulted several times in the air to build up momentum, Raichu was helpless due to the side effect of using Hyper Beam and Pikachu brought his electrified steeled tail on its head, effectively knocking it out.
"Unbelievable!" Surge was in utter disbelief, seeing his Raichu on the ground knocked out like that and by a Pikachu of all Pokémon.
"Raichu is unable to battle and that means Pikachu wins, that also means the winner is the challenger Naruto Uzumaki!" the referee officially declared.
Music End
"Yes, we won buddy!" Naruto pumped his fist in victory before quickly catching an ecstatic Pikachu in his arms who took his hat back.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu was overjoyed at being able to defeat his evolved form and that shows just how strong he can be.
"Congratulations Naruto, you and your Pokémon have really given your all to win this gym battle!" Brock applauded alongside Leaf.
"No doubt about that!" said Leaf in agreement.
Surge stood there silently then he began to smile as he approached Naruto and Pikachu, Raichu had also regained consciousness to join him "Congratulations Naruto and Pikachu, you two have proven yourselves and earned the Thunder Badge!"
Surge held out the aforementioned badge to Naruto to take which he did and looked at it, the Thunder badge is in the shape of an eight-pointed gold star with an orange octagon in the center.
"Thanks very much, Surge," Naruto then tossed the badge into the air like a coin before catching it and held it out before him "Thunder Badge acquired!"
"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu cheered with a victory sign.
"You should be proud, you and your Pokémon have proven that you're not babies that waddle around and cry when things don't go their way but rather soldiers with a clear objective in mind and determined to achieve it," said Surge with respect.
"Rai rai raichu!" Raichu nodded in agreement, making Pikachu feel a bit shy from the compliment.
Leaf then spoke up "But what I want to understand is why you went so overboard on the previous trainers?"
"It's not like I do that for the fun of it but rather to teach them a lesson that the world of Pokémon is not all sunshine and rainbows, that there's actual danger and you could lose your life. Even more so with criminal organizations like Team Rocket running around, trainers need to be ready to handle such things," Surge explained.
Brock calmly nodded in agreement "I understand your intentions now that you've explained, but you still could have passed that message without going that far to the point of sending Pokémon to the Pokémon Center,"
Seeing Surge's look of confusion, Naruto explained "What he means is that you don't need to beat the younger trainers that much, you could intimidate them at least which would get them to understand. But for the more arrogant trainers, you wouldn't need to hold back on them since they would deserve to be humbled,"
Surge hummed in thought before nodding in understanding "I see your point there, I'm willing to give it a shot,"
"That's all we ask of you," said Leaf.
"Well, it's time for us to move on. Thanks for the gym battle, Surge," said Naruto.
Surge grinned "Good luck with your journey, I know you're gonna go far,"
Afterwards, the trio made their way back to the Pokémon Center and Nurse Joy was surprised then happy to learn that Naruto was able to beat Surge and was able to persuade him to be more considerate towards his opponents. At the moment, they were having lunch at the cafeteria and having a discussion about their next destination.
"About that combo move we did, I'm thinking of calling it Lightning Hammer, what do you think?" asked Naruto.
Pikachu took a moment from slurping from his ketchup packet to consider before beaming happily "Pikachu!"
"Then it's official; the combo's name is Lightning Hammer!"
Brock spoke up to gain their attention "So, where do we go from here?"
"Well, there's Saffron City which has a Pokémon gym and then there's Lavender Town. From what I've learnt; the gym leader specializes in Psychic type Pokémon and is quite deadly so I'm thinking of going to Lavender Town first to attain a Ghost type from the Pokémon Tower, plus it's also an opportunity to obtain an EXPN card from the radio tower there for my PokéGear," Naruto pointed out.
"I see your point,"
"But before all that, how about a nice sea cruise?" Leaf suggested, confusing the boys.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" asked Naruto confusedly.
"Some time before we arrived in Vermillion city, I randomly played an online raffle game which resulted in me winning tickets to sea cruise on the St. Anne which is scheduled to set sail the day after tomorrow at the port," Leaf explained, then she revealed the tickets she had won "I went to pick them up from the PokéMart since I set the delivery point there, so what do you guys think?"
Naruto hummed in thought "A sea cruise huh…what do you think Pika-buddy?"
"Pi pika pikachu!" Pikachu expressed his desire to go on a ride on one of those large boats, no doubt it will be a lot of fun.
"Sure why not, no doubt that our Pokémon will enjoy the cruise too,"
"I agree, no doubt there'll be lots of pretty girls on board too!" said Brock excitedly, getting looks of annoyance from Naruto and Leaf.
"Alright then, first the sea cruise and then we head for Lavender Town before Saffron City," Naruto declared.
This is Hussbek online with the latest chapter, Naruto and the group were travelling with the former deciding to stewp up his triaing and having his Pokémon learn new moves to both the upcoming gym battle and future challenges, Naruto wasn't being idle himself as he also progressed with his training as an Aura Guardian and is practicing in the ways of Flowmotion. They soon arrived in Vermilion city and went to the Pokémon center where a parcel from Kurow was waiting for him. Turns out that Kurow had sent some more cards to help with two aiding in terms of concealing his identity while the rest are sealed to awaken at a later time.
Later on, they went to the gym and encountered the gym leader Surge was being rather disrespectful to Naruto and his Pokémon. The battle commenced and things were rather difficult but Naruto was able to emerge victorious with Pikachu triumphing over Surge's Raichu. Turns out that Surge only acted that way because he wanted to teach trainers that the world can be a dangerous and that they need to be prepared for it. Back at the Pokémon center, the group were making plans for their next destination when Leaf suggested a sea cruise since she had won tickets from an online raffle so they all decided to take a relaxing sidetrack before resuming their journey.
Three gyms down and five more to go, no doubt that the St. Anne sea cruise will be coming up and Naruto will start taking on his role as an Aura Guardian with Team Rocket showing up to make a mess of things so be sure to look forward to it. If you have suggestions for the Aura Guardian outfit, be sure to bring them up on the PMs or reviews. I also decided to have Naruto learn Flowmotion from the Kingdom Hearts series which will work really well in the Pokémon world. And as a reminder the number of moves that a Pokémon can learn in this fanfic is EIGHT.
Naruto's Team
=Pikachu [Ability: Static (HA: Lightning Rod)] (Moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Agility, Iron Tail, Thunder Wave, Double Team, Electro Ball)
=Scyther [Ability: Technician] (Moves: Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, Slash, Double Team, Aerial Ace)
=Sandshrew - Sandslash [Ability: Sand Veil] (Moves: Scratch, Defense Curl, Sand Attack, Rollout, Stomping Tantrum, Sand Tomb, Metal Claw)
=Bulbasaur [Overgrow] (Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder Grass Knot, Energy Ball)
=Charmander [Blaze] (Ember, Flamethrower, Slash, Smokescreen, Brick Break, Fire Fang)
=Squirtle [Torrent] (Tackle, Withdraw, Water Gun, Bubble, Rapid Spin, Icy Wind)
At Oak's Ranch
=Caterpie - Butterfree [Ability: Tinted Lens] (Moves: Tackle, String Shot, Bug Bite, Gust, Confusion, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder)
=Pidgeotto [Ability: Big Pecks] (Moves: Tackle, Gust, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Twister)
Leaf's Team
=Bulbasaur
=Rattata
=Clefairy
=Oddish
=?
=?
Brock's Team
=Onix
=Geodude
=Zubat
=?
=?
=?
Read and review like always
This is Hussbek from Ghana.
Signing out and staying alive.