The Pokémon Wildcard

Chapter 8: Calm before a Storm

The next day, the group were out of the Pokémon Center and walking through the busy streets of Vermilion City in direction of the harbor where the S.S Anne is currently docked before departing later in the day.

"So, when will the ship be leaving?" asked Naruto curiously.

"According to the ticket; it will depart at exactly 3 o'clock in the afternoon," said Leaf as she looked at the tickets in her hand.

"Seems like we have a lot of time until then, maybe we can explore the city for a bit since it will be a while till we pass by here again," Brock suggested.

Naruto hummed thoughtfully "Sounds good to me, we might find something interesting during our walkaround. Don't you think so, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu was in agreement, it's never a boring moment when with Naruto.

"You're right, I could use this as a chance to update my time in the city before informing my viewers about me boarding the S.S Anne," said Leaf.

"I guess we all have something to do, let's meet up at the harbor at 2:45pm to avoid any lateness,"

"Right, see ya later!"

With that, the trio set off in separate directions to explore the city and learn what it has before the departure.

Focusing on Naruto and Pikachu, the two were casually walking along the streets while checking out the shops and pedestrians walking past them while at times overhearing bits of gossip. Along the way, they passed by a bulletin board and saw a notice put up by the Vermilion Police Department which they read.

A sleeping Pokémon has been blocking the way on Route 120 lately. Detour through the Rock Tunnel if you need to reach Lavender Town

Naruto frowned at the information "I wonder what kind of Pokémon would be able to block the road that police needs to caution everyone?"

"Pika…," Pikachu was also wondering the same thing.

Intending to inform the others later when they meet up, Naruto and Pikachu continued on their way while looking for anything of interest when they heard sounds of rumbling that their curiosity took them to a plot of land ladened with boulders, they saw an old man and a Machop breaking the boulders and trying to level the area evenly.

Approaching the old man, Naruto called out to him "Hello sir,"

The old man turned to respond "Why hello to you too,"

"Thanks, I was just wondering if you're preparing the land for construction?"

"Why yes, I am. Just having my Machop break the rocks around the place then later use Bulldoze to level it evenly for the project. But as you can see…," the old man gestures to the area "We have quite a ways to go,"

"I see," Naruto hummed in thought then he had an idea "How about my Pokémon and I help you out?"

The old man was surprised to hear such an offer "Where from this sudden offer?"

"Well, seeing that it's just you and your Machop which would take a long time, I figure that I can help cut down amount of time by a good amount. Not only that, it could also serve as good training for my Pokémon too and we all benefit this way," Naruto explained.

"Young lad, I am truly touched by such a gesture of kindness. Which is why I'm going to let you in on a little secret,"

"A secret?"

"There is more to this land than meets the eye, you can break as many rocks as you can but whatever you see…keep it to yourself and consider it as a reward for your hardwork," after saying such vague words, the old man called for his Machop to follow him as they went to sit at the edge of the site before they could say anything.

Naruto and Pikachu blinked in confusion "That was weird…anyways, we've still got time so let's get to it," he reached to his belt and threw all the PokéBalls to call on the Pokémon that he currently has with him.

"Charmander!"

"Bulbasaur!"

"Squirtle!"

"Free Freee!"

"Pidgeo!"

Naruto nodded to himself, seeing his Pokémon being peppy as usual "Okay guys and girl," here's the lowdown on what going to happen…," he proceeds to explain what's going on "…so we can use this as an opportunity to polish up on your skills while also helping the old man. This way we train to get stronger for the gym battles in the near future, what do you say?" The Pokémon cheered in response, Naruto's positive demeanor making them very eager to begin.

Sure enough, the Pokémon were attacking the large rocks with fervor as they worked on some of the moves which they felt they haven't fully mastered yet. Pikachu was practicing the Lightning Hammer combo which they used to defeat Lt Surge's Raichu yesterday to get used to combining the two moves more quickly. Squirtle was using the Icy Wind attack with the intention to be able to freeze his target much faster then he uses Rapid Spin to smash the frozen boulder to pieces. Bulbasaur trained on reducing the amount of time for charging up the Energy Ball while also channeling the right amount of power. Charmander worked on his Slash and Brick Break attacks, steadily improving proficiency as seen in how he was reducing some of the boulders to smaller pieces. Pidgeotto was the who surprised Naruto the most when he saw her wings glow white then she flaps them repeatedly to launch multiple white saw disclike energy blades which whizzed towards a boulder and sliced it into pieces.

"Whoa, that was Air Slash!" Naruto exclaimed, turning to Pidgeotto who hovered close to him "Did you learn that move when you were in the lab?" Pidgeotto chirped in affirmation, she was doing some self-training at the lab when she learnt the move.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu suddenly called out to Naruto to come over urgently, he went over and saw that the other Pokémon had gathered around too.

"What's the matter?" asked Naruto curiously as he got closer to them.

"Pika!" Pikachu pointed at the rubble which was a result of him destroying a boulder.

Naruto crouched down to take a look when he saw something shining before picking it up and his eyes widens upon recognition "Th-This is…it's a Star Piece!" he had read books and watched TV shows about Pokémon Trainers find items that are very valuable and can be sold for a lot of money, mostly due to them finding them at different places or their Pokémon having the ability Pickup.

They all looked at the Star Piece in awe and Naruto can't even imagine how Brock and Leaf are going to react when he shows it to them. He's starting to realize exactly what the old man meant by there being a secret about the land and probably why he wasn't in such a rush to hire a digging crew to clear it out. Talk about cunning!

"Amazing…," Naruto shook his head to snap back to reality, he can't let himself be greedy because the old man gave him free reign. His mother raised to be better than that "Let's keep training, we won't let this distract us," the Pokémon nodded in affirmation and resumed what they were doing earlier.

It would seem like the surprise didn't stop there as Naruto and his Pokémon found some more valuable items from breaking the rocks; such as Stardust, another Star Piece and a Heart Scale. Soon enough, Naruto and his Pokémon felt that they have done enough plus it was getting close to the time for them to meet with the others before the ship's departure.

After recalling them into their PokéBalls, Naruto went to the old man "We've broken quite a lot of rocks for you, but we need to go and find our friends,"

The old man nodded in understanding "Very well, good luck on your journey and thanks for your help,"

"You're welcome,"

After watching Naruto leave, the old man went to check on the land and saw that a large number of boulders have been broken which would make things easier for him and his Machop. That was when something shiny caught his eye, he went over and found a small pile of Star Pieces, Nuggets and Stardust. It dawned upon him that Naruto only took what he would need and left the rest for him to take.

"You really are an interesting trainer, and I look forward to what else you can do…," said the old man with a chuckle.

"Hey guys, how did things go for you?" asked Naruto after he and Pikachu met with Leaf and Brock at the harbor.

Leaf spoke first "I took a couple of pictures and video clips during my walk around then I went to the Pokémon Fan Clubhouse. I had a conversation with the chairman and it turns out that he and the members of the Pokémon Fan Club have been following my blog ever since I started it up. Though I have to admit that the chairman can talk for a long time particularly about his Rapidash and Fearow. He even gave me a Bike Voucher that I could turn in for a free bike at the Bike Shop in Cerulean City,"

"For me, I took a casual stroll through the city and checked out the restaurant to see the kind of recipes they have that would catch my interest. But I was mostly hearing of people talking about the S.S Anne with some expressing disappointment of not being able to board it. What about you, Naruto?"

"Well…," Naruto went on to tell them what he and his Pokémon did when they were apart. Needless to say, Leaf and Brock were knocked for a loop especially when he showed them the items in his bag.

"Naruto, do you have any idea how much you can get from selling these?!" said Leaf, trying but failing to calm down.

"I know, which was why I only took a few and left the rest to the old man. I didn't want to get greedy, it's one of the things that mom and professor Oak warned me about; to only take what you need," Naruto replied.

Brock nodded in approval of what he did "A good move on your part, some Pokémon Trainers end up letting their greed get the best of them,"

Leaf checked the time on her PokéGear "We need to hurry, it will soon be time for the ship to depart,"

"Right, let's get a move on,"

With that said, the trio made their way over to the ship and got on board after showing the tickets that they have, then several minutes later, the S.S Anne has set sail and gliding smoothly across the ocean.

When looking at the seafaring vessel from the outside before getting on board, they felt dwarfed by its towering size, however it was the interior which grabbed the trio's full attention. At the center of the ship that they're currently in; there are two giant glass staircases which lead to a massive Pokémon Convention, packed full to the brim of Pokémon Trainers having conversations or showing off their Pokémon, Vendors displaying a wide assortment of goods for sale, including various types of PokéBalls, evolution stones, items that can be held by Pokémon in battles, t-shirts, pins, accessories and so much. There are also games with prizes to be won. What's more is that there are two additional corridors at opposite end with signs directing to a Battle Room and Trading Room.

"Amazing, this place is just amazing!" Leaf exclaimed, definitely dazzled by the scenery.

"It does seem like there's a lot going on," Brock commented.

"That's just saying something, Brocko. I'm gonna go and take a closer look around," said Naruto before walking away.

"Me too!" Leaf also took off towards the vendors to find anything interesting that she could purchase that would help with her future goal.

"Barely a minute and we've split up again, might as well take a look around and hopefully find a pretty girl," Brock eagerly walked with a goofy smile on his face.

Naruto and Pikachu were walking along when they noticed a couple of kids with each carrying a Charmander in their arms while having a conversation amongst themselves, their curiosity had them listening in.

"Check out the smooth skin on my Charmander, that shows how healthy it is," said the first boy.

"Yeah, well look at the flame on the tail of my Charmander, it has orange mixed in with red. Pretty cool, huh?" a second boy replied while raising his Charmander a bit so they can see its tail flame.

Suddenly, a third boy appeared with a Squirtle in his arms "Wait, take a look at how hard the shell is on my Squirtle! Tough, huh?"

Naruto smiled at their interaction "Looks like they're raising their Pokémon properly. Not trying to brag but my Charmander, Squirtle and the rest of my Pokémon are just as amazing," he felt the PokéBalls on his belt shake in response to his words which only made him smile even more.

"Come on, come all! Test your Pokémon's skills in the Shooting Gallery and win a prize! Hit the targets as fast as you can to score points before time runs out! The type of prize depends on the number of points obtained! Come and try your luck!" a stall owner announced.

"Sounds pretty interesting, wanna try it out?" asked Naruto.

Pikachu looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding "Pika!"

"Alright then!" Naruto approached the stall owner "Excuse me sir, we would like to give it a try,"

"Looks like we've got a contestant! The rules are simple; the targets will be moving about randomly and your Pokémon is required to use on of their long-range attacks to hit them as much as they can before the time runs out, then you'll get your prize based on the points scored from hitting the targets. Do you understand?"

"Yup, we do,"

Alright then, choose your Pokémon and we'll begin,"

"Let's do this, Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu leapt onto the marked area and stood at the ready with his cheeks sparking with electricity.

"Starting in 3…2…1…GO!"

The Shooting Gallery started up as many targets began appearing and moving around randomly.

"Pikachu, blast them with Thunderbolt!" Naruto called out.

"Pikachuuu!"

Pikachu began launching strong electric blasts at the moving targets, the lightning mouse didn't miss any of the targets no matter how they moved thanks to the accuracy training he went through which involved Pidgeotto with her highspeed flying and Scyther with the latter using his Double Team, this taught him how to manage his electricity, become more attuned to highspeed movement and develop an acute eyesight.

When time ran out, everyone's jaws dropped when they looked at the scoreboard and saw that the points which Pikachu accumulated was far more than what was required to win the first-place prize with the mouse puffing his cheeks with pride thanks to his training.

"In all my years, I've never seen anyone score as high as what I'm seeing right now. It makes me glad to give you your prize…the TM23 which will teach your Pokémon Thunder Punch if they're compatible," said the stall owner as he presented the TM to Naruto and Pikachu with the audience applauding them.

"Thanks very much, this will definitely help us on our journey," said Naruto before putting the TM23 into the TM Case.

"Pikachu,"

After walking away, Naruto hummed to himself as he spoke to Pikachu "Think we should try some more games before heading over to the Battle Room?"

"…Pika!" Pikachu was all for it, he's having fun and wants to play some more.

"I figured you'd say yes, let's go then!" the likeminded duo set off to find more games to partake in.

The next place that the duo when to is a stall which allows any participant to partake in a game called Garapon Lottery where one turns the lottery wheel which contains numerous balls of different colors before stopping to let one colored ball fall out then they're given a prize according to what a colored ball represents. Naruto tried his luck and got a golden ball on his first try which earned him the top prize being a PokéBlock Kit which is a set containing a Berry Blender for making PokéBlocks and a PokéBlock Case for storing PokéBlocks.

The next one was more of Pikachu seeing a Gachapon Machine and being curious about it, Naruto explained how it works and Pikachu became quite eager to play. Not wanting to leave out the rest of his Pokémon, Naruto let them all out so they could have a try at the Gacha machine but he had to crank the handle for Pidgeotto and Butterfree.

From the capsule, each of his Pokémon got a toy or accessory of sorts. Bulbasaur got a spinning top, Squirtle got a colorful pin which he could attach to his scarf, Charmander got a Moltres figurine, Butterfree got a yellow scarf with white spiderweb designs on it which Naruto tied around the Bug Pokémon's neck, Pidgeotto got a bead bracelet that is on her left leg, and Pikachu got a bubble blower which he's playing with while perched on Naruto's shoulder as they went along.

"We've had enough fun, let's head on over to the Battle Room and see what's going on there," Naruto suggested.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied while blowing a large bubble much to his trainer's amusement.

They went through the corridor to enter their next destination and sure enough, there was already a battle going on. They made their way through the crowd to the front for a clearer view. Apparently, the battle is between a kid with his Starmie against a gentleman in a black tuxedo and a monocle as he commands a Raticate.

Naruto heard someone muttering next to him "That guy's Raticate is pretty tough, they won five Pokémon battles without a single and this is his sixth,"

"I see…," Naruto muttered softly.

The gentleman suddenly smiled "Raticate, end this with Super Fang!"

At his command, Raticate quickly lunged at Starmie with its fangs glowing white with energy as it bit down on water Pokémon's gem and actually cracked it. Unable to continue the battle after receiving such a critical amount of damage, Starmie fainted much to the young trainer's shock.

"Oh no, Starmie!" the trainer rushed over to lift the defeated Pokémon into his arms "Are you okay?"

'Don't feel too bad, young man. It was only a practice match and I just happen to be lucky," said the gentleman politely.

Then a beautiful lady wearing a fancy ball dress walked up to the gentleman and wrapped her arms around one of his "My, how gracious of you,"

"Not at all, miss," then he turned to the crowd "Well now, is there anyone brave enough to challenge my Raticate!"

Naruto stepped forward with an eager smile on his face "I will, my Butterfree against your Raticate!"

"As you wish,"

"Let's do this, Butterfree!" Naruto tossed his PokéBall to call upon Butterfree who hovered in the air with his new scarf waving about.

"Raticate, use Shadow Ball!" the gentleman commanded with Raticate creating a sphere of darkness in its open mouth before launching it.

Naruto reacted to the attack "Take evasive action, Butterfree!" Butterfree quickly swerved to the side to avoid the attack, Raticate continued to launch multiple Shadow Balls with Butterfree dodging the incoming projectiles and not letting them hit him.

"Raticate, end this with Hyper Fang!"

"I don't think so, use Confusion to catch Raticate then send it flying!" Naruto commanded, Butterfree's eyes glowed purple as Raticate was suddenly froze in midair while enveloped in a purple aura before being sent flying and crashing to the ground "Follow up with Stun Spore!"

Raticate cried out as yellowish spores wafted from Butterfree's wings and covered it body, paralyzing it. The crowd are impressed to see this new trainer actually lay the pressure on the gentleman's Pokémon.

"Raticate, get up and use Thunderbolt!" said the gentleman urgently, Raticate attempted to comply with the order but the paralysis severely impeded its mobility.

"Let's end this, Butterfree! Use String Shot to pin it down then finish with Bug Bite!" Naruto called out, Butterfree immediately spewed silk from his mouth and wrapped Raticate up before swooping down and finishing off with Bug Bite, rendering it unable to battle and winning the match.

"Nicely done as always, Butterfree. Come back and take a break, you've earned it," Naruto called Butterfree back into his PokéBall with a smile on his face, then he saw the gentleman along with the lady approach him.

"I must say, that was an amazing match! Your Butterfree is pretty strong," said the gentleman.

"Thank you, you Raticate is also strong too," said Naruto, brushing off the compliment.

"You wouldn't happen to be interested in trading that fine Butterfree for my Raticate?"

The blonde trainer frowned mentally at the man's offer but maintained his polite gesture "Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to refuse since I'm not that eager to trade right now,"

"Well, that's a pity. Best of luck to you then," the gentleman tipped his top hat before leaving with the lady.

"Like I would train with someone who's that eager to let his Pokémon go without a second thought," Naruto muttered to himself.

"Hey Naruto!" he turned to see Leaf and Brock show up with the former waving at him while carrying a shopping bag "Looks like you're having fun,"

"Yeah, my Pokémon and I that is. Guess I can say the same for you,"

"That's right, I found lots of items and software that can help me with my journalism," said Leaf happily.

"How about you, Brock?" asked Naruto curiously.

Brock had a strained smile on his face "…it was okay for me, nothing amazing,"

Leaf shrugged her shoulders "If you say so…now that we've had our fun, let's head on over to the buffet and get something to eat,"

Naruto and Pikachu grinned excitedly "Oh yeah, I'm setting my stomach to 'I'm not gonna stop till I explode' mode!"

"Pikachu!"

"Ooooohh man, I can't eat any more…,"

"Piiiiika…,"

That night, we find the group in their assigned cabin as Leaf and Brock look at Naruto and Pikachu laying on the bed with bloated bellies, signs of having eaten way too much for their own good and are now having stomachaches.

"Did you really have to eat that much?" asked Brock with a small frown.

Naruto moaned "I couldn't help it…there was so many to choose from,"

Leaf sighed in exasperation "I've always known you to be a bit of a glutton, never thought it would be this bag and you've rubbed off Pikachu too,"

"Piiii…," Pikachu found it rather hard to move at the moment.

"Well because of that, you're going to miss the dinner that they announced on the intercom…and no, you're not taking a step out of that bed," Leaf sternly cut him off when he was about to protest "The last thing I want to do is call your mother that you're in the hospital due to overeating,"

"Okay okay, Pikachu and I will stay put…," Naruto gave in and laid his head on the pillow with Pikachu up next to him.

Brock and Leaf arrived at the dining area and found a table at a corner with a fancy table clothes, scented candles and a nice window view of the sea at night where they sat down to have a pleasant meal.

"Naruto's really missing out on this," Brock commented.

"Well, it's his fault for overeating," said Leaf but was inwardly disappointed "I was hoping to have a romantic dinner with just us two,"

When they were almost done eating, they noticed multiple waiters and waitresses emerging from the kitchen with platters of glasses of champagne which they were passing out to trainers at other tables and a waiter came to theirs as well.

"Your drinks for the upcoming toast," said the waiter whilst playing the aforementioned drinks on the table.

"We appreciate it, but neither of us are at the required age to alcohol," said Brock, being the ever responsible one of the group.

"Not to worry, sir. We already took that into account and provided non-alcoholic beverage to all minors. Now if you'll excuse me, the host has arrived and is about to give the toast," said the waiter before walking away.

It was at that time that the lights began to dim and their host spoke.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is truly a pleasure to have such talented trainers on board this vessel on our first annual Pokémon trainer convention," said the man amidst applause as he waited for them to finish clapping before resuming "The purpose of this event is to celebrate the bonds of friendship between trainers and Pokémon. How we choose to do so in this world of ours comes in many forms. Whether it being through Pokémon battles, trading, breeding, and many other types of interaction with these beloved creatures. One thing I'm sure we can all agree on though is our passion and love for Pokémon, something my organization strictly adheres to might I add,"

The man raised his glass of champagne towards the crowd "So, let us drink to our love of Pokémon and the bonds of friendship we hold with them and each other," he concluded as he drank from it.

Everyone, including Brock, Misty, and Ritchie followed suit.

"Hmmm, the drink tastes kinda weird...I wonder what brand it is so I can avoid it," muttered Leaf after looking at her champagne glass in her hand with a frown. Suddenly she began to feel drowsy "Why do I feel so sleepy all of a sudden?"

"M-Me too...I don't understand why," Brock looked around and notices that the trainers at the other tables are also exhibiting traits of sleepiness and came to a horrible conclusion "These drinks...have been...drugged...,"

Brock and Leaf passed out. It wasn't just them though, people all around the room fell unconscious at their tables.

All the while, the "host" had a grin that grew wider and wider. People began to come out from the doors used by the wait staff. Instead of the previous service uniforms they donned, they all had black and white uniforms with a big red R on the shirt.

Petrel looked down at the scene before him, then he glances towards the gathered Rockets with an order "The trainers are all unconscious; Proceed with stage 1 immediately,"

The grunts gave a quick salute, before walking amongst the trainers, and taking the PokéBalls on their persons. Everything was going exactly as their boss planned...

Both Naruto and Pikachu woke up with a loud yawn and feeling a lot better with their bellies back to normal, it felt like they had slept for a few hours since Leaf and Brock left them to have dinner. Speaking of which…

"What say we head on over to the dining area and meet up with the others instead of waiting around here?" Naruto suggested after putting on his clothes.

"Pikachu," his Pokémon companion nodded in agreement.

The two prepared to leave as Naruto reached out to grab the knob to the door to open it, but then they stopped hearing voices from the other side.

"No please!" a feminine voice called out in fear.

"Jigglypuff!"

"Just give it up and hand over your Pokémon!" a male voice spoke gruffly.

"But Jigglypuff is my best friend, please don't take her away from me,"

"Like I care! Whatever Team Rocket wants, Team Rocket gets!"

"Team Rocket is on this ship!?" Naruto's eyes narrowed then he quickly opened the door to find a Rocket Grunt approaching a girl and quickly acted "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" his partner wasted no time to zap the thug and making sure that it hurts before he collapses to the ground unconscious.

Naruto and Pikachu went to check on the girl who's about his age with long brown hair which is tied into a ponytail with a colorful bow style hair ornament, she wears a short kimono with long sleeves. Her Jigglypuff was standing stood next to her in a protective manner with eyes full of determination which is a far cry from any normal Jigglypuff.

"Are you okay?" asked Naruto with concern.

The girl looks up to him with brown eyes that are filled with innocence "I'm okay, thank you very much for helping me. My name is Oichi and this is my Jigglypuff,"

"Well mine's Naruto U.N Ketchum and this is my buddy Pikachu. Can you tell us what happened and how Team Rocket got on this ship?" Naruto inquired.

"I'm just as confused; Jigglypuff and I decided to take a small walk through the ship before going to the dining area. We got there rather late and came upon the sight of everyone unconscious on the floor and Team Rocket were taking their PokéBalls away. We tried to find a place to hide but one of them found us, that's when you came and helped us," Oichi explained.

Naruto frowned as he listened "Sounds to me like the dinner was a trap since they had drugged the food so they could take the PokéBalls with little to no resistance,"

"What do we do now?" asked Oichi worriedly.

"I'm gonna call for help then distract them as long as I can until help arrives," Naruto took out his PokéGear "In the meantime, you should go into my cabin and lock yourself in until I come back,"

"B-But it's too dangerous,"

"I know but if I don't do anything, everyone is going to lose their Pokémon to these criminals. I promise to come back safely, can you trust me?"

Oichi looked into Naruto's eyes and saw the strong light of determination in them "O-Okay, please be careful,"

"I will,"

After taking Oichi and Jigglypuff into his cabin and making sure that they've locked themselves securely, Naruto used his PokéGear to contact the police and inform them of the situation. They immediately responded that they'll be on their way and for him to stay away from Team Rocket until they arrive.

"As appealing as it sounds, we can't do that. We need to hold them down until help gets here," Naruto looked around cautiously before going into a cabin "Guess it's time to take on my role as an Aura Guardian,"

"Pikachu," Pikachu jumped off Naruto's shoulder and watched as he activated the gauntlet and took out a card from the card holster which he inserted into the slot of the Gauntlet.

[Gear Up: Aura Shroud]

A large blue translucent card depicting a white human-shaped silhouette emerged from the gauntlet before moving back to go through Naruto and giving him a different outfit: he's wearing a pair of black pants, a black-and-gold shoulderless shirt, a black scarf which conceals his lower face, a pair of boots and a black haori with white accents down the sleeves (an: Rimuru Tempest's True Demon Lord outfit)

Naruto looked at himself while moving his arms and legs around a bit, not feeling any form of constraints "Hm, pretty comfy and allow me to move freely. Even though the scarf is covering a part of my face, I can breathe normally like I'm not wearing it at all,"

"Pikaaa…," Pikachu was quite amazed to see how he was able to instantly change clothes.

"Alright then, let's go and stop these guys,"

Exiting from the cabin, Naruto and Pikachu carefully made their way through the corridors towards the dining area where the main thing is going on. There were several Rocket Grunts which they quickly immobilized with Pikachu's Thunder Wave attack to prevent them from raising an alarm and locking them up in the cabins.

Arriving at the dining area, Naruto cautiously peered from behind one of the entrances leading inside and saw a sickening scene; the trainers including Leaf and Brock are out cold at the tables while the Rocket Grunts were wheeling barrels of PokéBalls to the kitchen while smiling about it. Then his eyes settled upon someone who appears to be overlooking the operation.

He's a tall and thin young man with bright purple hair which is cut short at the sides with a large curl on top, a purple beard, purple eyebrows and purple eyes. He wears the Team Rocket black jumpsuit with a yellow-gold lines and a large R on the chest, a pair of elbow-length silver-grey gloves and knee-high boots, and a silver belt strapped around his waist.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he assessed the situation "There's too many for us to handle even with the power of the cards, and it seems like they're taking the PokéBalls through the kitchen area…,"

Putting together a plan, Naruto withdrew while taking out a PokéBall in its shrunken form from his belt then he turned to whisper to Pikachu.

"Alright buddy, I'll need you to take Butterfree in his PokéBall with you and follow those Rocket Grunts to where they're taking the PokéBalls. When there, the both of you will knock them out with your attacks then release as many Pokémon as you can so they can help us," Naruto explained while handing the PokéBall over to Pikachu.

"Pika?" Pikachu wondered what Naruto will be doing in the meantime.

"As for me, I'll serve as the distraction and draw their attention towards me while you're working on freeing the Pokémon," Naruto saw Pikachu's look of concern and gently patted his head "Don't worry about me, buddy. I'll be okay, I promise,"

Giving him a final look, Pikachu nodded in understanding as he carried Butterfree's PokéBall in his mouth and snuck away to carry out the task assigned to him. Taking a deep breath and exhaling to focus himself, Naruto bravely walked into the dining room towards the Rockets and made his presence known.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" he yelled out, drawing everyone's attention towards him. From the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Pikachu enter the kitchen before focusing entirely on the enemy.

"A cosplaying kid, you think you some kind of hero?" asked the man in amusement while the rest of the grunts laughed out loud.

Naruto glared "I won't call myself a hero but just a guy who hates criminals and intends to make them learn the consequences of their actions,"

One of the rockets laughed "And you think you can handle all of us by yourself? You stand in the presence of one of the great Rocket Admins Petrel, who do you think you are?"

Taking a card from his holster, Naruto replied "An Aura Guardian who protects people and Pokémon from villains like you!" then he inserted the card into the gauntlet.

[Gear Up: Aura Staff]

Something then appeared in a flash of light which then faded to reveal a hi-tech quarterstaff in his hand which then extended itself (an: Metalshaft from Kamen Rider W)

Petrel's amusement immediately ceased upon seeing Naruto summon a weapon with that strange card and gauntlet "Hmmm…no doubt the boss will be interested in this kid's gauntlet," then he called out to the grunts "Deal with him but bring that gauntlet to me,"

"Yes sir!" the Rocket Grunts took out their PokéBalls and threw them to call out various Pokémon such as Koffing, Raticate, Machop, Zubat and Spearow.

Naruto stood at the ready "Alright, here we go,"

Music Start: Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver OST; Team Rocket Battle Theme

"Raticate, use Bite on that brat!" one of the Rocket Grunts ordered, the Raticate lunged at Naruto with its teeth bared to attack. Naruto waited till the last moment to dart out of the way before rushing towards the grunt which shocked him but another was already giving an attack command.

"Machop, attack with Karate Chop!" Machop attacked Naruto with a swipe of its hand but the disguised trainer brought up his Aura Staff to block the attack albeit sent skidding backwards from the impact.

"You guys aren't hesitating at all, in that case…," Naruto took out a Butterfree card and a Sandslash card from the card holster then slotted in the first card.

[Ability Mode: Tinted Lens]

Naruto felt his eyes glow with a fiery purple aura, signifying the ability being active before slotting in the Sandslash card.

[Attack Mode: Metal Claw]

Naruto felt his fingernails lengthen and become sharper whilst taking on a metallic sheen as he swiped at the Machop to inflict damage then followed up by swinging his Aura Staff and sending the fighting type flying from him. Naruto wasted no time at leapt into the air towards the grunt and swung his staff right on top of his head, immediately sending him to slumberland with a headache.

Snapping out of her shock of what she just saw, the female grunt ordered her Spearow to attack "Spearow, take that punk out with Fury Attack!"

Naruto saw the Spearow swooping towards him with a gleam in its eyes and quickly slotted in the Squirtle card into the gauntlet.

[Attack Mode: Icy Wind]

Naruto opened his mouth to breath out a gust of chilled air through his scarf at the Spearow which caused it to falter and slow down in its flight due to the type disadvantage. Naruto didn't waste the opportunity as he jumped towards Spearow and sent it crashing down to the ground with an axe kick.

"Will you fools stop playing around and deal with this kid?!" said Petrel in annoyance.

"Y-Yes sir!" Koffing, use Poison Gas!" a grunt commanded, the Koffing proceeded to discharge a thick cloud of poisonous gas that approached Naruto.

"Zubat, you use Air Cutter!" Zubat's wings glows with blue energy as it flaps them constantly to launch a barrage of razor-sharp blades of wind in combination with the Poison Gas.

"I can't let either of those attacks hit me and harm the others," Naruto immediately took out the Pidgeotto and Pikachu cards.

[Attack Mode: Twister]

Naruto began spinning the Aura Staff above his head quickly with increasing speed as he whips up a vicious tornado to block the incoming attacks as well as blow the toxic gas out of the room then he slotted in the next card.

[Attack Mode: Thunderbolt]

He felt his body become enshrouded in electricity then thrusts a hand forward to launch a blast of electricity, zapping both Koffing and Zubat till they're knocked out. Naruto didn't stop there as he blasted the other grunts as well, knocking them out too.

Petrel groaned at the incompetence of his grunts as he takes out a PokéBall of his own "Sometimes when you need to get something done, you have to do it yourself. Go Koffing!" he called upon his own Poison type Pokémon whilst leering at Naruto "I have to admit that I find you interesting; your skill and unique technology is certainly eye-catching which is why I'm extending an of-,"

Naruto interrupted the Rocket Admin "If it involves me joining Team Rocket then let me stop you there and make it absolutely clear that I will NEVER join your organization no matter what,"

Petrel scowled, nobody except the Boss refuses him…NOBODY! "If you're going to keep playing hero, then allow me to teach you that even heroes fail! Koffing, use Self-Destruct at full power!"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock at what he just said "I've got to stop it!" he frantically slotted in a Scyther card into the gauntlet as he started running towards the Koffing.

[Support Mode: Agility]

Naruto promptly disappeared from view in a blur as he rushed towards Koffing which was gathering energy for its attack and lashed out with a flying roundhouse kick to send it crashing through a glass window out into the sea.

*BOOM*

The Koffing exploded harmlessly over the sea, leaving the ship unscathed. Petrel barely got any time to react and call on his other Pokémon when Naruto appeared right in front to him and struck him in the chest with the Aura Staff, sending the Rocket Admin crashing into a table.

Music End

"You're insane, having your Pokémon use such a move with innocents here," said Naruto angrily, wanting to hit Petrel again for what he almost did.

The Rocket Admin merely sneered in response "It's the way of Team Rocket; to achieve absolute domination no matter what," at that moment, more Rocket Grunts entered the dining area with their PokéBalls at the ready "You don't stand a chance,"

"You're right…," Naruto took a more relaxed posture "That is if I'm alone…,"

At that moment, the kitchen doors opened up as many Pokémon came running out with Pikachu and Butterfree in the lead. The Pokémon wasted no time in attacking the Rocket Grunts and subduing them before they could do anything.

Petrel couldn't believe what just happened "How did this happen!?"

Naruto smirked behind his concealed face "I was nothing more than a mere distraction while I had some of my Pokémon sneak into where you kept the stolen PokéBalls and release the Pokémon in them to help us deal with you guys. A simple yet clever strategy if I do say so,"

Petrel wanted nothing more than to strangle this masked stranger to death for ruining everything and making a fool out of him. But right now, the odds are against him; his subordinates have been defeated, they're surrounded by angry Pokémon, the trainers are now awake and looking to get even with him, plus the beeping on his wristwatch tells him that time has run out for the operation.

Left with no other choice, the man grabbed his walkie-talkie and gave one final command "All Rockets are to head for the deck immediately for evacuation. We are aborting the mission. I repeat, we are aborting the mission,"

Naruto frowned "Do you think I'm going to let you leave just like that, after what you've done?"

"I'm sure you will, after all…," Petrel pushed a button on the side of the walkie-talkie while sneering at him "I've just armed a bomb we've put in the ship and I doubt no one's eager to sleep with the fishes today,"

Naruto gritted his teeth while everyone else were terrified to hear what he just said.

"If you don't want to get blown up, you'd better let me by,"

"…tch," Naruto took a step back and allowed Petrel and the Rockets retreat to the deck where there were helicopters waiting for them.

As the helicopters started flying away, Petrel smiled evilly which filled Naruto with dread "I told you to let us by…but I never said that I would disarm the bomb!" he remotely detonated the bomb which caused it to start sinking, sending everyone in a panic.

Naruto's mind raced for a solution before calling out to the crowd "Everyone! Head for the lifeboats and for those of you with Water and Flying Pokémon, use them as well but don't forget to help those who don't have Pokémon!" at his words, everyone began complying with some going for the lifeboats while others called on their Pokémon to help. Naruto turned to run back into the ship when he heard Leaf call out to him.

"Sir, where are you going?!" asked Leaf with concern.

"To make sure that no one is left behind!"

Then he ran inside, Naruto slotted the Alias card into the gauntlet which created a copy of himself in the Aura Shroud while he changed back to his own clothes as they ran to the cabin room and banged on the door.

"Oichi, we need to go! The ship is sinking!" said Naruto urgently.

"O-Okay!" Oichi emerged from the cabin and was surprised to see Naruto in his Aura Shroud "W-Who are you?"

"A friend but there's no time to explain, you've got to go while I search for stragglers!" said C-Naruto.

The copy waited until the original and Oichi were out of sight but reverting to its card form and teleporting back into the card holster. The two made it back on deck and managed to locate Leaf and Brock on a lifeboat before rushing over to them. Everyone watched as the S.S Anne gradually sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

"I never would have thought that Team Rocket would go this far," said Brock with a deep frown.

"Makes me glad that you and Pikachu had those stomach aches else things would have gotten a lot worse," said Leaf while glancing at Naruto, already having an idea of what he did "By the way, who is she?"

"Hello, my name is Oichi and this is my Jigglypuff. Your friend Naruto helped me when a Rocket Grunt tried to steal my Pokémon," Oichi introduced herself.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, my name's Leaf and he's Brock,"

"So, what happens now?" asked Brock.

"No worries, I've long since contacted the police and they're on their way here by tracking the signal on my PokéGear," Naruto explained.

"Good call, hope they get here soon,"

Sure enough, the police arrived along with the coast patrol to aid in the rescue efforts and help transport everyone back to Vermilion City and thankfully there were no casualties save for some of the grunts that were left behind. The rescued were taken in to give their testimonies on what happened on the ship which took quite a while to document they all wanted to thank the stranger for protecting from having their Pokémon stolen by Team Rocket but he was nowhere to be found since the ship sank.

However, the news of what happened S.S Anne spread and people became even more worried as it shows that Team Rocket is a serious threat to everyone and that measures need to be taken to secure their safety.

After receiving clean bills of health from the doctor, Naruto and the others were back on the streets of Vermilion City.

"With all that behind, what's our next destination?" asked Leaf curiously.

"Nothing's changed, we'll be heading to Lavender Town so I can catch a Ghost type Pokémon for the Saffron gym. That means we'll be going through the Rock Tunnel to get there," said Naruto.

"Umm…," everyone turned to see Oichi standing before them, fidgeting nervously "May I make a request?"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow "What is it?"

"Can I travel with you?"

"What brought this on?" Leaf inquired.

"I came to Kanto, wanting to travel throughout the region and see its wonder. But after what had happened, I feel unsure about traveling alone," Oichi explained.

Brock hummed at that "I see what you mean, you can't be too careful with Team Rocket around. Anything can happen with them involved,"

"Well, I'm okay with her joining us, are you guys cool with it?" Naruto inquired.

"Sure, I don't mind," said Brock, not seeing any issue with having another travel companion. He himself asked to join them after the gym battle they had in Pewter City and he's learning so much on this journey so it would feel right for him to deny someone else wishing for the same thing.

"I don't mind either, plus it will balance the gender ratio. I often at times feel a bit outnumbered by the guys in the ground," said Leaf playfully.

Oichi smiled happily and Jigglypuff was jumping up and down with joy "Thank you very much! I hope we can get along,"

Naruto smiled in response "Same for us too,"

With a new friend joining the group on their journey, Naruto and the other set out for their next destination that is Lavender Town.

Elsewhere, a man sits in the darkness of his office with the shadows obscuring his face from view as a Persian purrs in content due to him petting it gently. The blissful moment was interrupted when the doors suddenly opened and Petrel came inside albeit looking rather nervous.

"You have some guts to show yourself after failing to accomplish the mission I specifically gave you command over the other Admins. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" said the unknown man menacingly.

Petrel bowed his head "I have no excuse and will accept your punishment without hesitation. I wish to inform you of the unknown factor that was the cause of the operation failing,"

"And what would that be?"

"There was this guy who just showed up from out of nowhere and started fighting us with tech that can emulate Pokémon moves and defeated even our Pokémon while serving as a distraction to release the Pokémon we had stolen to help him. He introduced himself as an Aura Guardian which I've never heard of," Petrel reported the incident on the ship.

"An Aura Guardian…," The Boss hummed thoughtfully while petting his Persian "Go and learn more about him…seems like we have a wildcard in the game besides the Pokémon G-Men,"

"Yes sir…," Petrel turned to leave but the Boss called out to him.

"This doesn't mean that you're exempted from your punishment, best you ready yourself,"

"Y-Yes sir,"

Then Petrel left the office as the Boss sat alone in the darkness, he may not know who this person but he has no intention of letting him or anyone else get in the way of Team Rocket else they will be crushed underfoot by himself, as all should be.

This is Hussbek online with the latest chapter, Naruto and the group decide to explore Vermilion City before the departure of the S.S Anne. Naruto and his Pokémon help an old man with his building site and up with some surprises which they took with them but not too much, Leaf got a free Bike Voucher during her visit at the Pokémon Fan Club by the chairman and Brock pretty much did his own thing on his side. They later met up and got on board the ship before setting off across the sea.

Inside of the S.S Anne, it was a full-blown Pokémon Convention where everyone had a good time especially Naruto and his Pokémon although he and Pikachu ended up getting stomach aches due to eating too much food from the buffet table and having to miss dinner at night.

However, things weren't what they seem at first glance as Leaf, Brock and the other invited guests were drugged by none other than Team Rocket who had planned all this in order to steal all off their Pokémon. Naruto and Pikachu later woke up and soon learnt what was going on after rescuing a girl named Oichi and her Jigglypuff from a Rocket Grunt. Naruto finally took on the role of his Aura Guardian while serving as a distraction so that Pikachu and Butterfree would sneak by and release the stolen Pokémon to help him and the unconscious trainers.

Things were going smoothly with Naruto and the Pokémon being able to defeat Team Rocket and even suppress their Admin Petrel when he attempted a dastardly move that would have harmed everyone. However, Petrel revealed that they had planted a bomb on the ship and threatened the detonate it if they weren't released. Forced to comply, Naruto allowed them to leave via their helicopters but Petrel still detonated the bomb, causing it to start sinking but thankfully, Naruto had called for help earlier and guided everyone out of the ship.

Sometime after the S.S Anne incident, Naruto and the others prepared to set out for Lavender Town but with a new member as Oichi wishes to travel with them through Kanto and was a bit worried for her safely due to the threat of Team Rocket. Speaking of the criminal organization itself, Naruto has now caught their attention and needs to be ready now more than ever for whatever they would throw at him.

In this chapter, Naruto officially debuts with the cards in combat against Team Rocket. I took a few tidbits from the older Pokémon Red/Blue/Green and Yellow games as well as the newer versions to make things interesting. Also, Naruto's outfit is based on Rimuru Tempest's True Demon Lord outfit but with the scarf serving as a facemask and the Aura Staff is the Metalshaft from Kamen Rider W. I'm trying to make things as realistic as I can but I'm open for suggestions as always. For Details on how the Gauntlet works, you can check my profile page. Be sure to read and review as always.

This is Hussbek from Ghana.

Signing out and staying alive.