Author's note: I actually managed to update this story on time! I am so going to regret this when I need to get up early in the morning, but here it is!
Thanks to the following reviewers: Pen-Woman; swordsmanwielder; PinkiePieParty122894
Warnings: Some canon typical violence courtesy of some pissed off Pokémon
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 47
Kurama gathered his wits immediately. "Everyone who's Fire, Water, Steel, Rock and Psychic: get to the front now! All the others, go to the stables; the biggest ones cover the smallest! Attack to defend!" he barked out, storming towards the fence where the group dressed in black was trying to infiltrate the field.
"Pidgeot, attack from the sky; use Whirlwind and Wing Attack to beat their Pokémon back!" Naruto called out, running after Kurama.
Pidgeot screeched in acknowledgement and shot up into the sky.
"Snorlax, Lucario! Where are you?" Naruto yelled as a stampede of Kurama's Pokémon arrived at the fence.
"Keep close to me before you get burnt or blasted by water!" Kurama snapped at him, jumping over the fence. "Who the hell are these people?"
"I don't know; they might belong to a group I've encountered before," Naruto said, throwing the Pokéballs of Ninetales, Vaporeon and Toxtricity into the air. "Use the most powerful attacks you have against these people and their Pokémon! They are here to steal Kurama's Pokémon, don't give them the chance! Mimikyu, you stay with me, keep track of anybody who tries to push through!"
"Mimi!"
The ground trembled and Naruto turned around, sighing in relief when he saw Snorlax and Lucario running towards him.
'What is happening?' Lucario asked, growing alarmed at the sight of the unknown men trying to break through the defence line.
They weren't having much luck. While their Golem, Graveler, Onix and Golbat were ferocious, destroying even more of the fence, Kurama's and Naruto's Pokémon weren't holding back either. Pillars of fire and water scorched the earth, Steel attacks wrecked the van until the vehicle exploded in a giant ball of fire, colouring the sky orange. Kurama's Rhydon was grappling with a Golem; the Golem's feet leaving deep grooves behind in the earth when it was slowly but surely pushed back. Ninetales was jumping from left to right, launching Flamethrowers and Will-O-Wisps while Vaporeon's Aurora Beams absolutely wrecked Graveler.
"The group in black and their Pokémon are trying to abduct all the Pokémon here," Naruto informed Lucario and Snorlax grimly. "Attack them and knock them out, everyone of them. Doesn't matter which attack you have to use, make sure none of them manage to steal even one Pokémon!"
The two of them didn't even need to be told twice. Snorlax' massive form joined Rhydon and Dragonite into pushing back the massive Golem while Lucario joined the Steel group into holding off the others.
A would be thief squealed loudly when he was hit with a forceful Hydro Pump, sending him flying through the air until he smacked against a tree. He was out for the count before he even slumped onto the ground. In spite of their planning, it appeared the group hadn't made any plan Bs in case they encountered a lot more resistance than expected. Or perhaps they had underestimated the sheer amount of Pokémon Kurama had at his disposal. Even Naruto was nearly breathless at the sight of so many Pokémon working in tandem to defend their home. When the first line of defence would tire out, a second line was quick to take over. A Chansey and a Blissey meanwhile were hurrying between each Pokémon, healing them enough to keep them going.
"You said you encountered this group before?" Kurama demanded; his eyes sharp as he watched the many attacks being exchanged between the two sides. "Did they try to steal your Pokémon too?"
"I think they belong to the same group," Naruto corrected him. "Back then it was just two of them, though, and they tried to steal my Lucario. A detective I spoke to afterwards told me he had been trying to put together a case about this group. He suspects the group is being led by a guy called Danzo, who's apparently interested in finding out how far he can push Pokémon."
"Danzo?" Kurama repeated and frowned. "Hm, sounds vaguely familiar. Charizard, Inteleon, go all out now! We've nearly got them!"
It wasn't Kurama bluffing. To Naruto's absolute amazement they were actually winning this battle. Even though the group had taken them by surprise, the sheer amount of Pokémon who had still been in the field had actually worked as a disadvantage for them. Instead of being able to simply pluck the Pokémon off the field, they were having a rough time keeping themselves up right, even when they hid behind their large Pokémon. It made Naruto question whether they even had had a real plan to begin with. Had they simply banked on their element of surprise in order to capture the Pokémon? Even if Kurama had remained unaware, Naruto had a hard time imagining that either of Kurama's Pokémon would have easily let themselves be captured. Especially veritable powerhouses like Charizard, Gyarados and Alakazam. There was even a Gengar floating around, scaring the hell out of the group by popping in and out of existence.
"Mimi, Mimi!" Mimikyu cheered, bouncing up and down slightly in Naruto's hold. We're winning!
"Yes, we are," Naruto smiled relieved.
One by one, the thieves' Pokémon fell down unconscious while the group either was knocked out or driven together, forced to press together tightly or risk getting a snap from razor sharp teeth as Kurama's Pokémon circled them.
"They made a damn mess of my home," Kurama said irritated, running a hand through his hair. "Guess I should thank you for giving a head's up, brat. We managed to gather on time now, so thanks."
Naruto shrugged, feeling a bit bashful. "I couldn't just let them take your Pokémon away. I don't think they would have succeeded, but …"
"No, it's good you came on time to warn us," Kurama said, resting his hands on his hips. "Bastards clearly underestimated just how many Pokémon I have," he said contemptuously.
His eyes started to glimmer when he regarded the small group of men who were still conscious and currently appearing like they would piss themselves any moment now as a large Arbok slithered around them while Onix laid down, blocking the way to the street and ensuring none of them could flee.
"I'm interested in what they've got to say for themselves," Kurama murmured.
Around him his Water Pokémon and Naruto's Vaporeon wandered around the field, using their Water moves to put out the remaining fire.
"You have a way of contacting that detective?"
Naruto blinked. "Erm, yeah, I can call if you've got a phone."
Even if somehow this group wasn't connected to Danzo's group, Naruto thought Detective Itachi would be interested in interrogating these men. If nothing else, they would at least be charged for attempted theft and – Naruto considered the destroyed fence and scorched field – destruction of property and breaking and entering probably.
Kurama nodded sharply. "Let's go then. You can use the phone in my home."
Naruto had not expected to see both Uchiha brothers show up. Sasuke appeared equally as surprised to see him before he smirked faintly.
"Couldn't stay long out of trouble, hm? Regular Trainers not enough anymore so you're taking on evil organisations now?" he asked; his black eyes glimmering.
"I was here to have some of my Pokémon trained by Kurama, that's it," Naruto huffed.
Everyone was back in their Pokéball, except for Mimikyu of course, who was still being held in Naruto's arms. If either Uchiha brother thought it was odd that Mimikyu was suddenly staying out of his Pokéball, they thankfully didn't remark on it.
"Apologies, my brother was with me when I got your call and he was too curious to stay behind," Detective Itachi apologised calmly.
"It's not every day I can see you in action in the field," Sasuke replied and shrugged.
"What exactly happened here?" Detective Itachi inquired; his eyes briefly darting towards the group of men firmly tied up with ropes.
They were all currently unconscious, courtesy of an all too hit happy Tyrogue. Their Pokémon had been returned to their Pokéballs and those balls had been confiscated by Kurama, collected into one big box he had sealed off with a special material that would keep the Pokémon from escaping their Pokéballs.
Kurama gestured lazily at Naruto. "You get the honours, kid. I simply got invaded and fought back." He sat down in his doorway, caressing a purring Persian.
Some of his Pokémon, including a Machoke, a Machamp, a Gurdurr, a Conkeldurr and Onix were rebuilding the fence, using wood from a couple of trees that other Pokémon had cut down earlier.
"I was on my way back to Kurama to check on Lucario and Snorlax, who I had left here to train," Naruto started. "I passed an alley where I overheard a woman talking on her phone. I didn't pay her any attention at first, until she mentioned that people were on their way to the Move Tutor. She mentioned how she knew they were working with a schedule, but that Kurama has a lot more Pokémon than they had expected, I guess? Because she said they had needed to make a lot more preparations than they were told to do."
"And even with all that preparation they still failed miserably," Kurama murmured, smirking. "They really are just a bunch of losers."
"Once I heard her mention that whoever had ordered the theft would get them all, I flew back on Pidgeot to warn Kurama," Naruto continued. Absently he patted Mimikyu's shadowy limb when it wrapped around his wrist. "Right as I arrived here, a Golem of that group broke part of the fence and the group of men arrived in their van. After that it was basically just one big battle until we knocked them out." He shrugged half-heartedly. "They were clearly prepared – just not prepared enough, I guess."
"Hm." The detective knelt down next to the group, lifting up some of their faces.
They were all wearing dark beanies and dark clothing; they had obviously been dressed to melt together with the shadows. They weren't entirely at rookie level.
"Did you encounter them before?" Sasuke asked his brother, having grown serious as well during the conversation.
"No, but that doesn't really mean anything," Detective Itachi sighed and stood up. "We're still trying to figure out just how large this group is. So far we only encountered the ones working at the bottom so to speak. Most of them never came into contact with the law before they joined this group."
"You think this is connected to Danzo?" Sasuke asked, frowning, as he crossed his arms.
"Looks like it," Detective Itachi agreed. "They could be working for someone else, but when I take into account the variety of Pokémon walking around here … This whole case reeks like Danzo's doing."
"Would this be enough to confront this Danzo guy?" Naruto asked, though he was doubtful.
"Unless they start talking and we find enough proof of his involvement, I doubt this will be enough to confront him," Detective Itachi replied, pursing his lips. "However, every group arrested is one less thief going around stealing Pokémon."
"Who knows? Maybe some of them will be stupid enough to spill some secrets," Sasuke muttered; his gaze less than impressed when he looked at the captured men.
"So what's going to happen now?" Kuram questioned, resting his chin on his balled fist.
"My colleagues are on their way to pick up this group," Detective Itachi answered. "We'll interrogate them once they wake up and examine their belongings. With a bit of luck they might either lead us to other accomplices or give us something substantial to use against Danzo. As for your fence – I can arrange for supplies and some experts to build a sturdy one?"
"Got no need for your fancy experts," Kurama grumbled and waved off the offer. "My Pokémon and I will manage just fine."
"In that case I will have to trouble you for a bit longer while I wait for my colleagues to arrive," Detective Itachi smiled faintly.
"Whatever," Kurama said dismissively before addressing Naruto, "Hey, kid. Now that this shitstorm is over and done with, I wanted to tell you that Lucario's and Snorlax' training went really well. No idea where you picked them up, but they managed to master the moves within just a couple of hours."
Naruto perked up at hearing that and grinned excitedly, "So they don't need to come back for another session?"
"Unless you want them to learn other moves, no, they're good to wreck the Gym," he snorted. "Now shoo, I'm not a damn hotel."
"Wasn't planning on staying here," Naruto snarked back, but before he could take his leave, the detective stopped him.
"Where are you planning on staying the night?" he asked to Naruto's bemusement.
"Hm, a motel maybe? Or the Pokécentre, I haven't thought about it yet," Naruto admitted.
He hadn't exactly expected to have to battle against a group of thieves who might or might not belong to this mysterious man called Danzo, so he hadn't thought yet where he would spend the night. Frankly at this point he was so mentally exhausted that he could fall asleep just about anywhere.
He was just in this city to get his second to last Gym Badge, how had things spiralled out of control so quickly?
Well, at least the group was fully defeated and wouldn't be able to steal any Pokémon, so there was that. Even if they had accomplices nearby, Naruto thought it was safe to assume that they would think twice before attacking Kurama's Pokémon again. They hadn't exactly hold back with their attacks; some of the men were sporting serious burns and bruises. It wouldn't surprise Naruto if some of them even had to content with broken bones. A Pokémon's attack, no matter the Type, was nothing to be trifled with after all.
"If I may give some advice," Detective Itachi said, "I would spend the night at the Pokécentre. That place is far more secure than a motel or even a hotel will be."
Naruto tilted his head to the left and frowned. Mimikyu wriggled around in his hold until he was facing the detective.
"Kyu, Mimi?" Why unsafe?
"You think whoever made the call will try to track down the person who overheard her?" Sasuke suddenly guessed; a faint frown marring his forehead.
"It's a possibility," Detective Itachi confirmed. "A small one, of course, but until we have her in custody as well, it might be safer to just sleep in the Pokécentre tonight."
"Doubt that chick will still be in the city by now," Kurama said critically. "They might be stupid, but I somehow doubt she'll be that much of a moron."
The smile on Detective Itachi's face was slightly terrifying in its calmness. "I don't think she'll make it very far when ever road has been blocked. Nobody will be leaving this city without being searched."
"You fancy suits really don't do things in half, huh?" Kurama snorted.
"Sasuke, accompany Uzumaki-san to the Pokécentre, please," Detective Itachi requested.
"Hey, I don't need a bodyguard," Naruto protested immediately. "My Pokémon and I have been doing just fine on our own, thanks. Besides, you've got the group here; what else is going to happen?"
"It's just a precaution," Detective Itachi smiled apologetically. "I'm not saying your Pokémon are weak, but it's best not to take any risks. If they had the guts to attack a Move Tutor even whilst knowing how many Pokémon he has, they will not back down from attacking a Trainer on their own either."
"And two of us will somehow convince them to back off?" Naruto said sceptically.
Sasuke smirked. "They will once they get a look at my team."
He truly was an overconfident, smug bastard, wasn't he? Mimikyu huffed, seemingly agreeing with Naruto's private thought.
"Whatever, if you want to waste your time following me to the Pokécentre, be my guest," Naruto said annoyed.
All he wanted was to eat some dinner and catch some sleep so that they could finally be ready to tackle the Gym tomorrow.
"Good night, Uzumaki-san," Detective Itachi smiled. "And thank you for helping out once more. Your assistance is greatly appreciated."
"Yeah, well, I couldn't let them steal a bunch of Pokémon," Naruto muttered and scratched his cheek. "Thanks, Kurama, for training my Pokémon."
"Whatever, brat, it's my job," Kurama grunted; lovely like always.
Shaking his head, Naruto turned around and started walking away, hyper aware of Sasuke falling into step with him.
"You always do what your brother tells you?" he asked, a bit mean he knew but really what was the point of having Sasuke accompany him all the way to the Pokécentre when the woman in the alley had never even seen him?
"Only when he's being sensible," Sasuke replied calmly, not reacting to the bait. "He's been investigating this group for a couple of years now; while the majority of them are clearly just idiots, it's never a good idea to underestimate them."
"Still think it's stupid," Naruto muttered, but the dark haired man only hummed. Side-eyeing the belt with Pokéballs hanging around Sasuke's waist – some of them were even Ultra Balls – he asked nonchalantly, "So you're carrying your actual real team with you now?"
That had Mimikyu wriggling one of his shadowy limbs around Naruto's arm; his stuffed head bobbing back and forth when he shifted to cast a look on the belt as well.
"I do," Sasuke replied before he smirked like the obvious bastard he was and added, "You're still not far enough into your journey to challenge me, trust me."
"Oh yeah? And when will I be far enough, huh?" Naruto demanded annoyed, glowering at him.
Sasuke's smirk deepened and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Come see me when you're taking on the Elite Four."
Yes, he really was just a bastard.
In spite of the adrenaline burst of earlier tonight when he had been battling alongside Kurama to keep the Move Tutor's Pokémon safe, it didn't take that long for Naruto to fall asleep with Mimikyu curled up next to him and Ninetales draped over his lap.
When he woke up the next morning, he couldn't even remember what he had dreamt of. A look outside showed that it was drizzling, so after a quick breakfast he wrapped Mimikyu in his jacket and set out to finally challenge the next Gym. Nurse Joy had healed his Pokémon before dinner last night and he had checked his stock of Potions before leaving his room. They were as ready as they were ever going to be, so there was no sense in dawdling any longer. Today they were finally going to battle for their second to last Badge.
Even though he had defeated six Gyms already, nervous butterflies still began zooming around in his stomach the closer he got to the Gym. The building was completely to the west and Nurse Joy had ensured him he would recognise it immediately, simply because of how big it was. Considering the city was rife with tall buildings, he had no idea how she expected him to recognise a building based on its size solely, but once he turned the corner after having walked around for nearly half an hour, he realised why she had given him that instruction.
Right across the street, an imposing tall building stood towering over him, casting the houses behind him in its shadow. He had to crane his head all the way back just to catch a glimpse of the roof and his mouth dropped open. The Gym was both incredibly wide and enormously tall, taking up a huge chunk of the street. If he hadn't been told by that Trainer that this Gym specialised in Electric Types, he would assumed he would be battling Flying Pokémon. Why on earth was this building so huge?
"Kyu …" Mimikyu said in awe. So tall …
"Yes, it's definitely big," Naruto concurred faintly. He didn't even dare to imagine just how much it had cost to build this Gym.
The Electric Symbol had been etched in the brick above the entrance; the symbols running across the whole wall and perhaps continuing on the next wall as well. The doors of the entrance were made entirely out of glass and the doorknob felt cold to the touch when Naruto grabbed it and pushed the door open.
The walls of the entrance itself were painted a very light blue; the ceiling was at a regular height here, so Naruto guessed the tall ceilings were part of the actual Gym. He still didn't know why the ceiling had to be so huge when the Gym dealt with Electric Pokémon, but he supposed he would find out soon.
There was no desk and no chairs to sit on. Aside from a row of cactuses planted in front of the tall window there was nothing personal here; nothing that even hinted at what kind of person this Gym Leader was.
"Mimi," Mimikyu muttered, peeking out of his jacket. Empty.
Naruto hummed in agreement and slowly walked further into the hallway. It was incredibly empty. There was a door right in front of him and one to his left. Which one was he supposed to take? Did he have to announce his presence somewhere?
The door to his left opening saved him from having to make a decision. A slender man with his long, blond hair tied up in a high ponytail stepped into the hallway; his sky blue eyes gleaming when they landed on Naruto.
"Hello there, I'm Deidara, this city's Gym Leader," he introduced himself with a wide grin. "I'll be your next opponent, un."
AN2: And we have FINALLY arrived at the seventh Gym, holy shit. Am I going to finish this story before the end of the year still? We shall see.
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
P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.