Author's note: Sorry for the delay; here I am with the next chapter!
Thanks to the following reviewers: PinkiePieParty122894; leighd1314; Pen-Woman; JaiJayce
Warnings: Pokémon battle; some Mimikyu angst; dual pov
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto owns it. I also don't own Pokémon, that belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and The Pokémon Company.
I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 38
It was stupid to be affected. Non-sensical, because Mimikyu had come a long way since he had been that lonely, pathetic creature lurking in the forest, desperate for every shred of attention that he might have got before humans realised who he was. He had a team now; he was a member of a family who wanted him around, flaws and everything. He wasn't Lonely, Useless Mimikyu anymore.
And yet, face to face with Gengar now, Mimikyu couldn't do anything but freeze. In front of those taunting red eyes and that giant gaping mouth with the red tongue waggling in taunt, Mimikyu was back to feeling helpless, small and pathetic. How could he ever have thought that he had changed? How could he ever have believed that he had grown stronger?
"Imagine that, pitiful Mimikyu thinking he can join the big guys," Gengar cackled, floating above the floor.
Mimikyu flinched, cowering slightly inside his costume. Just like that he was transported right back to that forest where he spent so many years roaming around on his own, desperate to find a family but never having any luck. Gengar there had so loved reminding Mimikyu of how absolutely loveless he truly was. And they had been right, hadn't they? Gengar was a Ghost Type as well, yet they were quite popular amongst Trainers. Everyone wanted to have a Gengar, nobody wanted to have Mimikyu. Even Gengar was considered less horrifying than Mimikyu and Gengar did nothing but pull awful pranks on everybody who wasn't their Trainer and try to steal humans' souls. That must mean something was wrong with Mimikyu after all, no?
Gengar turned upside down, the tips of his ears nearly brushing the floor. "How did you convince that poor Trainer to take you on? Did you threaten him?" he taunted, grinning wildly.
"I didn't threaten Master," Mimikyu rebutted but his protest was weak and he curled his shadows around himself.
"Then he must be feeling sorry," Gengar concluded satisfied. "Pathetic Mimikyu, can only get a Master by being even more pathetic than Magikarp!"
"Mimikyu."
Master's voice had Mimikyu twitching and he turned around, peeking up at him.
Master stared back with a concerned look in his eyes and he sat down on his haunches, resting his hands across his knees. "Don't pay Gengar any mind, okay?" he said softly, but determinedly. "Don't listen to what he says. You're very strong and I know you can do this. But if you don't want to do this, just say the word and I'll put someone else in, okay?"
Mimikyu wanted nothing more than to shuffle over to Master and let himself be hugged while another member of their family took on that nasty Gengar. He could get back in his Pokéball, his own special Pokéball, and he wouldn't need to listen to Gengar's taunting anymore.
But if he did that, if he gave in now, wouldn't that just prove Gengar right? If Mimikyu let someone else take his place now, in a Gym where he should be outshining everyone else for once, he would be just as pathetic and useless as Gengar had always claimed he was.
He didn't want to be pathetic and useless anymore. He wanted to show just how strong he had become thanks to Master. He wanted to make Master proud. How could he do that if he let himself be chased off the battlefield? If he wanted to make Master proud, if he wanted to prove that Master hadn't made a mistake in accepting Mimikyu in his team, he couldn't give up now.
No matter how much Gengar scared him.
Naruto looked on worriedly as Mimikyu seemed to slightly tremble. His stuffed head was slightly wobbling back and forth even though he wasn't moving and none of his shadowy tendrils were visible. Where before he had been incredibly confident fighting Spiritomb, now he seemed ready to disappear into a hole in the ground.
Gengar was absolutely the worst Pokémon they could have had as Mimikyu's opponent. Other Ghost Type Pokémon might be more dangerous, might be stronger, but Gengar had needled at Mimikyu's insecurities for so long that nobody else could be a worse opponent. Mimikyu had never gone into detail why he couldn't even stand the sight of Gengar, let alone want one on their team, but the bits and pieces Naruto had heard throughout their time together had formed a very bad picture. Taunts so severe they had Mimikyu holing up in his makeshift home for days on end. Cruel jokes that had ended in Mimikyu repairing his costume over and over again. No, Gengar had never been nice to Mimikyu.
Naruto had half a mind to call Mimikyu back and let someone else, like Ninetales or Toxtricity take on Gengar, but he wanted Mimikyu to decide. If Mimikyu wanted to return to his Pokéball, Naruto wouldn't think any less of him. It had to be his choice, though. Naruto couldn't, wouldn't, make that choice for him.
"Kyu." Staying. Mimikyu's voice was soft, wavering slightly, but his shadowy tendrils appeared from underneath his costume as he readied himself for their final battle.
Gengar turned up right again and grinned harder.
"All right, let's give it all we got then," Naruto encouraged Mimikyu and rose up again. They wouldn't go down without a fight, that was for sure.
Gengar snickered and Orochimaru smiled serenely. "Gengar, Lick."
"Mimikyu, try to avoid it!" Naruto urged. "Concentrate on using Shadow Sneak to take Gengar down enough to hit him with Shadow Ball."
"Good luck with that," Orochimaru said as Gengar easily floated out of the way, cackling.
It missed with Lick, because Mimikyu managed to duck out of the way, but it didn't seem deterred by that at all. It used Shadow Punch next and the attack nearly scraped Mimikyu's stuffed head.
"Keep using attacks," Naruto instructed as he came up with an idea. "Don't give him a chance to get close."
Gengar might use its floating to its benefit, but if it had to keep avoiding Mimikyu's attacks by floating out of the way, it also couldn't land Lick or Hypnosis. Even its other attacks had a bit more issue hitting their target, because Gengar had to keep moving and couldn't stay still long enough to perfect its aim. At first that didn't seem to bother the purple Pokémon, but as the battle dragged on and its Shadow Ball was either smacked away by Shadow Sneak or clashed with Mimikyu's own Shadow Ball, it was becoming clear that Gengar was becoming annoyed.
That was what Naruto was hoping for. Enraging a Gengar was not a good idea, considering their viciousness when provoked, but it also made them more liable to becoming too erratic with their attacks, fumbling their aim more often.
Something Orochimaru also obviously knew, because he cautioned, "Gengar, don't let yourself get baited. It's just a Mimikyu."
Just a Mimikyu, maybe, but Mimikyu was clearly succeeding in upsetting Gengar. Mimikyu couldn't avoid all its attacks, even with his increased speed, but he was doing well enough dodging the most dangerous attacks that even now he wasn't showing any real signs of being tired. He actually appeared to become more vigorous, seemingly encouraged by Gengar's snarling and hissing. Gengar's smirk had long since disappeared and its Shadow Balls were becoming disfigured as it tried to create them bigger and bigger every time. Naruto had to duck several times in order not to get hit by them, because as Gengar grew more aggrieved, its aim turned worse.
"Gengar, control yourself!" Orochimaru ordered, narrowing his eyes, but Gengar had ceased listening to him.
It flew erratically through the room, hissing up a storm, as it threw one Shadow Ball after the other at Mimikyu. It exuded a Dark Pulse next, but Mimikyu blocked it with a Shadow Ball of his own. That sent both the Dark Pulse with its horrible aura and the last Shadow Ball back to Gengar, who was too late to avoid it. The combined attack had Gengar crashing into the wall with an awful shriek. It fell down, disorientated, and Mimikyu pounced on that opportunity, slamming his own Shadow Sneak onto Gengar, driving it deeper into the ground.
Gengar snarled furiously and smacked the attack away with his own shadows, but the double attack had left it visibly winded and Mimikyu simply rushed forwards, using two Shadow Sneaks to send Gengar crashing into the floor again. Right as Gengar was scrambling upwards, Mimikyu uttered a veritable war cry and smashed a Shadow Ball into Gengar's back. Using Shadow Sneak to keep Gengar bound to the floor, Mimikyu sent a barrage of Shadow Balls straight into Gengar, crying furiously all the while.
Naruto didn't even see the moment Gengar lost consciousness. One second Mimikyu was smacking yet another Shadow Ball into its back, the next a red beam cut through the battle and Gengar disappeared. Mimikyu stumbled back; his shadowy tendrils waving through the air in confusion.
"You certainly know which buttons to hit," Orochimaru smiled thinly, regarding Naruto with narrowed eyes.
"Mimi?"
Naruto grinned as realisation settled in and he ran towards Mimikyu, snatching him up to cuddle him. "You won, Mimikyu!"
"Kyu?" Mimikyu asked dazed. Really?
"Truly," Orochimaru spoke and rested his hand on his Pokéballs. "You fought well and turned the tables on my Pokémon. You deserve this Badge."
He walked over to them and held out the Badge in question: a purple Ghost Mark which gleamed in the weak daylight.
Naruto accepted the Badge and pressed it against one of Mimikyu's shadows. The black, smoky tendril twitched against his hand and a pair of black eyes peeked up at him.
"You earnt this Badge, Mimikyu," Naruto smiled. "I'm so proud of you."
"Kyu …" Mimikyu looked in wonder at the Badge in his tendrils, touching the purple ghost carefully. He started shivering slightly and his stuffed head laid limply against Naruto's shoulder.
The limp head was Naruto's sign to wrap it up here. Mimikyu had fought well, but clearly he had driven himself to his very limit. Naruto hugged him tightly, patting his back carefully.
"Don't worry, we'll go to the Pokécentre now and you'll feel better soon," he promised.
"Good luck with the remaining Gyms," Orochimaru said and almost idly added, "You're going to need it."
He disappeared through a door before Naruto could reply to that. Naruto pursed his lips together and shook his head. Luck only made up a small part of their victories; the biggest part was simply their strength.
And he believed his Pokémon were strong enough to tackle the remaining Gyms.
While his Pokémon were being treated by Chansey and Nurse Joy, Naruto sat staring at the phone, wondering if he should make the call or not. It might not do anything, only prove that he was paranoid at best, but …
Sighing, he stood up and went over to the phone, casting a quick look around him. Nobody else was present in the Pokécentre. He had the impression that this town barely had any visitors, which ensured that his conversation would remain private at least.
Tsunade's bemused smile greeted him when the screen finished loading and the call was accepted.
"Hey there, Naruto," she greeted him and leant slightly forwards; her open coat revealing a hint of her impressive cleavage. "Arrived in a new town?"
"Yes and we won at this Gym as well," he confirmed. "Just finished the battle actually, my Pokémon are currently being healed."
"Congratulations," she smiled. "That makes what, six Gyms down?"
"Yes."
She whistled lowly. "Just two more to go and then you'll be challenging the Elite Four. Good going, brat!"
"Thanks, though it's mostly my Pokémon," he said bashfully and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Without them, I wouldn't even be here."
"Don't sell yourself short," she said amused. "If you wouldn't be a good Trainer, they wouldn't be successful either."
"I guess so," he muttered.
"Not that I mind the call, but is there a specific reason for it?" she inquired curiously. "Got any more Pokémon you need me to take over?"
"No, nothing of that sort," he replied and shook his head. He hesitated and looked around him again. Still nobody in the centre. He turned back to the screen where Tsunade was regarding him with a furrow between her eyebrows.
"What's wrong?"
He licked his lips and decided to go for it. "Do Gyms get inspections or so? Something that checks how they work?"
She cocked her head to the right; her blonde hair slipping over her shoulder. "In theory they should be inspected at least once every year, but if they receive an inspection even once every five years, that's probably a lot already. They apparently don't have enough manpower for that," she scoffed and her eyes turned sharp. "Why the sudden curiosity?"
"This Gym is … I don't know how much the Gym Leader is aware of what's happening," Naruto began slowly.
"Okay, that doesn't sound good."
"But his assistant, during our battle he started with a Duskull," he went on explaining, curling his fingers around the edge of his sleeves. "All of a sudden the power went out, everything turned so dark we wouldn't see anything anymore. Toxtricity tried to continue the fight but he was having trouble seeing as well. I started feeling unwell after a little while and as it turned out, that Duskull was trying to suck out my energy."
Her eyes flashed. "That bastard ordered his Pokémon to harm you?" she growled. "How are you feeling? Do you need medical help?"
"He claimed he had no idea what Duskull was doing, but it really felt like he was lying," Naruto answered, frowning. "I still feel a bit shitty to be honest, but Nurse Joy is letting me stay the night here to rest."
"There is no way Duskull would make any sort of move without its Trainer's consent," Tsunade said what Naruto had known already. "If Duskull attacked you, it's because it was trained to do so. This was the sixth Gym, you said?"
"Yeah, the sixth Gym."
She started typing something out of view from the computer. She hummed at whatever the result was. "Yes, not many Trainers manage to win in that Gym and go on to the next ones. If that assistant tried to pull that shit with you, it's more than likely that he has done this before."
"That's what I suspect," he sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I was lucky that Toxtricity managed to hit Duskull and make him stop, but who knows how many others weren't so lucky?"
One grave more or less in this dreary town, who would tell?
"That's why I wondered if they had to endure some kind of inspection."
"This one at the very least should," she said darkly and tapped her nails against the desk, contemplating something. "I don't have the authority to send inspection to Gyms, but you could file a complaint. With a complaint they will have to do the inspection this time. I can give you the number if you'd like?"
"Yes, thanks," he told her. "I don't want more people to get hurt in this Gym. I was lucky this time, but someone else might not be."
"I'll send it through to your Pokédex," she told him and started typing something again. "If they happen to act difficult, just tell them I sent you. That'll make them shut up for sure."
He snorted quietly. Yeah, he had no trouble believing that. Nobody wanted to get on Tsunade's bad side.
His Pokédex beeped with an incoming message and he opened it, seeing he had received a message from the Professor.
"Got the number," he confirmed, showing his Pokédex to her.
She nodded. "I'll leave you to your call then. Make sure to rest well tonight. Having your energy sucked out by a Duskull is no joke," she warned him.
"I will," he promised and after saying goodbye to her, he waited for the screen to turn black before he typed in the number she had given him.
It took longer this time before the screen lit up again and the call was accepted. A blue haired, beautiful woman appeared on the screen; her short hair clipped away to one side with a blue flower. She regarded him with calm, but cool eyes.
"My name is Konan. What is your purpose for calling?" she greeted him.
"Uzumaki Naruto," he introduced himself. "I received this number from Professor Tsunade so that I could file a complaint regarding the sixth Gym."
She raised an eyebrow. "A complaint regarding what?"
"One of the assistant's Pokémon tried to syphon my energy and I doubt this was the first time that happened," he told her bluntly.
She paused and leant backwards in her chair. "You'll need my colleague in this case," she told him; her tone slightly friendlier. "I'll go call him. Please wait for a moment."
"Okay, thank you." He waited as soft waiting music filled the space.
Nurse Joy was back at the front desk, but she was absorbed in her paperwork, not even casting a glance his way. His Pokémon must still be in the process of getting healed then.
"Hello Uzumaki-san, it's been a while," a smooth, male voice spoke, alerting him that the colleague in question had shown up.
At hearing that familiar voice Naruto whipped his head back to the screen and barely could hold himself back from gaping in shock. "Uchiha-san?"
Uchiha Itachi smiled faintly. "Hello there. What can I help you with?"
AN2: Look who's back in the picture :D This was not planned at all, but hey, I'm just going with the flow here.
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
Cuddles
Melissa
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