Author's note: It's quite late here, but I wanted to give you an update still. Sorry about the shorter length; the next one should be longer again!

Thanks to the following reviewers: PinkiePieParty122894; leighd1314; SarahNThatcher; swordsmanwielder; Pen-Woman; JaiJayce

Warnings: Some minor angst

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 41

It wasn't as if Electric Types only had one weakness, of course. They could be hurt by several other Types without being immune to those, but their biggest downfall was Ground Types. In other words the best option to defeat Electric Types was any Pokémon who knew Ground moves, even better if they were a Ground Type themselves to completely negate any Electric attacks as they would simply tank those due to their nature.

Naruto's team didn't have any Ground Type in it. Mimikyu was a dual Ghost/Fairy Type; Toxtricity was dual Poison/Electric; Vaporeon was pure Water; Pidgeot pure Flying; Ninetales was pure Fire and Lucario was dual Fighting/Steel. Both Vaporeon and Pidgeot had the biggest disadvantage against Electric Types, meaning Naruto couldn't have them battle at all in the upcoming Gym. In theory they could try, of course, but the risk was simply too big and he wasn't about to let them get hurt for no reason at all. That left him with Mimikyu, Toxtricity who was part Electric himself, Ninetales and Lucario to fight in the next Gym. Unless …

Naruto slowed down to a stop, barely aware of the rain which was turning into a more steady downpour. When several raindrops hit his nose, making it tickle, he moved away from the road and went to shelter underneath the leaf roof of the trees. Here the downpour was muted and he stared unseeingly in front of him as he mulled over his options.

It wasn't completely true that he only had Mimikyu, Toxtricity, Ninetales and Lucario to use for the next Gym. He still had two other Pokémon, who were currently staying with the professor. There was Geodude, who was completely immune to Electric attacks thanks to his dual typing of Rock and Ground. There was also Zweilous, who according to his Pokédex entry resisted Electric attacks for the most part. He was currently also most likely the highest levelled Pokémon Naruto had, which would serve as an extra advantage in the next Gym.

Two Pokémon who could take on the Electric Gym with barely any effort to speak of, who possessed the biggest advantage of everyone. He could call them back and train them for the next Gym. There was no time limit, after all, nothing that said you had to complete the Gym Challenge within a certain time period. Some took more than a year to complete the Challenge, simply because they took the time to train their Pokémon extensively before each Gym. Naruto could do the same. He could ask the professor to send back Geodude and Zweilous and set about training the both of them, prepping them for the Gym.

However, doing so meant he would have to say goodbye – temporarily at least, but it was a goodbye nonetheless – to two of the Pokémon in his team now. A Trainer couldn't have more than six Pokémon at most with them at all times after all. Who could he send back in return for Geodude and Zweilous? Vaporeon and Pidgeot, because they had the biggest disadvantage? Why did that feel like he would be punishing them for being disadvantaged? It wasn't as if it was their fault that they were born with a Type that didn't allow them to tank Electric Types very well. Toxtricity, because he was part Electric himself and therefore had a chance of dragging out the fight? Ninetales or Lucario or … Mimikyu?

Naruto frowned and started nibbling at his thumbnail. He didn't know why he was having such a difficult time deciding what to do. Logic said he would need to train Geodude and Zweilous if he wanted to have a big chance at winning in the Gym from the first try. To do that he would need to send back two of his team members to make up for the new presences. There was nothing weird about that. Trainers all over the world regularly changed their team, replacing old team members with new ones and trading them back once they were finished with the new ones. Few Trainers retained the same team they had from the start. There was nothing strange or wrong about that.

Why did it feel wrong then? Trying to decide who he would give to Tsunade even if temporarily had his stomach turning uncomfortably. Even though he knew it wasn't anything like that, he couldn't help but feel like he would abandon two of his team if he chose to bring back Geodude and Zweilous. Like he was going to leave them behind even though it was nothing like that. How come he did not feel the same about Geodude and Zweilous? He hadn't felt bad at all when he had sent them over to Tsunade once he had reached the Pokécentre. Was that because he hadn't bonded with them in the same way he had bonded with the rest of his team? If he had caught Geodude earlier, like before he had met Toxtricity, would he have felt indifferent about sending Toxtricity to the professor instead?

Did it make him a bad Trainer for being so reluctant to change his team? His best chance at winning the Gym were Geodude and Zweilous, that was just how it was. Trade two of his Pokémon for them, could he do that without feeling bad about it? It wouldn't be that long, only until he had trained both Geodude and Zweilous and had won the Gym Badge. But wouldn't that make him a really shitty Trainer if he would send Geodude and Zweilous back as soon as they had outlived their purpose so to speak? Like they weren't worth more than one Badge? Wouldn't it be better to just leave them with the Tsunade until he visited home again instead of assimilating them within the team for just a little while?

He was getting a headache. He rubbed his forehead and pressed his fingers hard against his temples in a futile attempt to stave off the growing ache. When he had first started his journey, he had had no clue just how conflicted he would end up feeling about it. Catching Pokémon had seemed so easy once he had his first partner, but he hadn't stopped to think about how easy it would be to bond with the first six and how hard it would be to say goodbye to them. They had grown so much as a team; could he pull them apart even if it was just for a little while? How would Geodude and Zweilous feel, knowing that their place in the team might only be temporarily? Zweilous had already been a nightmare to catch; somehow Naruto didn't think he would be any easier to deal with if he had an inkling that his presence wouldn't be needed for that long.

"Why is this so complicated?" he muttered and adjusted the straps of his bag.

He sighed and walked from underneath the leaf roof, choosing to walk on the road again in spite of the rain. Nobody had ever told him being a Trainer would be this difficult.

The rain had slowed down to a light pitter-patter by the time he found some actual shelter in the form of thickly entwined branches. They formed a rather firm roof that only allowed the occasional raindrop through them and he settled underneath them, setting up his tent for extra protection. It was nearing midday by now and he decided to prepare lunch for the entire team, knowing that he needed to discuss this whole situation with them. They were a team after all; they deserved to be involved in huge decisions like this one.

They must have sensed something was off about him, because while they clearly enjoyed their lunch, they kept throwing him glances as if they were trying to gauge his mood. It made him smile a tad melancholically. They really had formed a strong bond by now, hadn't they? It didn't make making a decision any easier.

"I talked to some Trainers on the way here," he started once everybody had finished their lunch.

Mimikyu crawled into his lap while Vaporeon plopped down next to him, placing his head on his crossed paws. Ninetales yawned and curled up at Naruto's other side, bracing her large tails against his back as if they were a warm, big, comfy pillow. Toxtricity leant against the nearest tree where Pidgeot had chosen to settle on the lowest branch after having stretched his wings for a little while. Lucario was seated in front of Naruto, one leg bent and his paw resting on his bent knee.

"Mimi." Didn't battle.

Naruto shook his head, resting his hand against Mimikyu's back. Some shadowy tendrils slipped from underneath the costume and wrapped around his wrist.

"No, it wasn't a battle. I overheard them talking about the next Gym."

Toxtricity perked up. 'Know about next Gym?' he hissed excitedly and his tail started to swish back and forth.

"Yeah, they told me which Type the Gym focuses on."

"Ninetales?" Which one?

"Electric." Naruto watched how one by one the situation dawned upon his Pokémon.

Toxtricity's tail started to swish back and forth, but this time it was less enthusiastic and more agitated. Pidgeot fluttered his wings several times, shaking the branch he sat on and Lucario cocked his head to the right. Vaporeon mewled disappointed while Ninetales merely sighed and seemed to shrug.

"Ninetales, Ninetales," she simply said. Fire works.

Naruto briefly smiled at that. Trust Ninetales to be as confident as ever.

"Mimi, Mimi, Kyu?" Type not good? Mimikyu looked at him warily.

"Not good …" Naruto hesitated and bit down on his lower lip. "It's not so much that it isn't good – it is what it is, not like we can change it – it's just that … Vaporeon and Pidgeot won't be able to do much, because they have too much of a disadvantage in the next Gym."

"Pidgeot, Pidgeot," Pidgeot muttered darkly. Still try.

Vaporeon thrilled quietly. Want try too.

Naruto shook his head. "I know you both would want to fight, but it's just too risky. You two wouldn't be able to tank that many Electric attacks and I'm not willing to let you two get hurt for nothing."

Vaporeon placed his head back on his paws, looking despondent.

"The rest of you don't really have an advantage either," Naruto went on and sighed. "You would be able to take more attacks than the others, that's true, but it's not like you have a definite advantage over that Gym either."

"Ninetales, Ninetales." Fire can take it.

"It probably will," Naruto acquiesced, especially when he considered just how powerful Ninetales had become. She was stubborn enough to keep going and win from sheer willpower alone.

"Mimi, Mimi!" Will do our best! Mimikyu's fake head wobbled back and forth as he nodded in determination.

"I know you will, but the question is would the four of you be enough to take on the entire Gym?" Naruto grimaced and ran his fingers through his hair, feeling how damp it was even with the cap he had worn. "The further we get, the stronger the Pokémon will be and we have no idea how many Pokémon the Gym Leader will have."

The Leader could have three, but also four, five, maybe even six already. They had no clue what the challenge in the Gym itself would entail; it could be puzzles like in some of the previous Gyms, but it could also be fighting against other Trainers first like the Gym they had just defeated. If it was the latter, would they be able to handle the entire Gym with just four members? If he could visit the Pokécentre before battling the Gym Leader, perhaps it was doable, but could he trust that they would be able to visit Nurse Joy before the final confrontation? It was possible that once they began the challenge, there would be no way back unless they wanted to restart all over again.

With no way at all of knowing what was awaiting them in the next Gym, it was very difficult to decide whether four members would be enough to take it on.

'What are you saying?' Lucario asked calmly, but his eyes were narrowed and his posture was tense.

Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm saying that we should decide whether or not – whether or not we should bring back Geodude and Zweilous temporarily."

The silence which fell after that was deafening enough to swallow up the sound of even the rain.

Naruto winced, feeling Mimikyu tense up in his lap. Yeah, this was definitely not going to be a fun discussion.

AN2: The Gym Leader's identity hasn't been guessed yet. Another hint: it's someone who quite frequently shows up in my stories :)

You know what I've always wondered? They always say a Trainer can only have six Pokémon with them at all times, but that's counting the Pokéballs which are inhabited. In Ash's case for example, seeing as Pikachu refused his Pokéball, doesn't that mean that technically he could have a team of seven? This is what my mind wonders about at two o'clock in the morning, guys.

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.