Author's note: Many apologies for making you wait for nearly two months for this update. I didn't mean to take this long to update it again, but it's been a struggle for a while to concentrate on this fic. It did give me some fresh ideas, though, which I managed to work into this chapter, so there's that at least? Again, sorry for taking so long!

Thanks to the following reviewers: PinkiePieParty122894; Pen-Woman; swordsmanwielder; JaiJayce; Tanzil Aijaz

Warnings: Some drama

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 46

"So which Pokémon do you want to undergo my training and which moves do you want them to learn?" Kurama asked, accepting the ruby when Naruto handed it over.

"I want Lucario and Snorlax to learn a couple of Ground moves," Naruto explained. "Bulldoze, Dig and Earthquake if that's possible."

Combined with the other Ground moves they had learnt during their training, that should give them enough coverage for the Gym.

Comprehension flitted across Kurama's face. "Preparing for this city's Gym, huh?" he said knowingly. "Makes sense. Clearly you're not as much of an idiot as you appear."

"Hey!"

"I've got no problems teaching your Pokémon these moves," Kurama continued, ignoring Naruto's bristling in offence, "but if I can make a suggestion: Earthquake would be best suited for your Snorlax. Your Lucario not so much, if only because Snorlax' build will deliver a more impressive Earthquake than Lucario ever will."

Naruto supposed that sounded reasonable. Snorlax' posture was indeed more suitable for heavy Earthquake moves than Lucario's.

"Bulldoze and Dig should work out well for Lucario, though," Kurama said pensively. "Most Snorlax are quite sturdy, so while yours can be taught Dig as well, I'm not sure if it's that necessary. It's up to you, though."

"How long would teaching them those moves take?" Naruto asked curiously.

When Mimikyu had been learning Dazzling Gleam, it had taken a couple of days for him to learn it. Then again he had been taught by a Pokémon who didn't belong to a Move Tutor, so perhaps that fact would make a difference?

"Depends on how quick on the uptake your Pokémon are," Kurama replied and shrugged. "It's possible they only need a couple of hours but it could also take a couple of days, hard to tell. So, Earthquake and Bulldoze for Snorlax; Bulldoze and Dig for Lucario, is that okay? Teaching each one two moves will naturally take less time than teaching them three moves. What do you think?"

Even with Snorlax and Lucario each learning two moves instead of three, that would still give them enough coverage to take on the next Gym. Especially when those moves included powerful ones like Earthquake and Bulldoze. Mimikyu, Ninetales and Toxtricity could also fight in the Gym if it was necessary, so this should work.

"Yeah, that's good, thanks," Naruto said and transferred Mimikyu to his left arm so that he could unhook Lucario's Pokéball from his belt first, transferring that one to his left hand so that he could pick Snorlax' Pokéball next.

"All right, follow me so that we can start your Pokémon's training," Kurama said briskly, stepping out of his house while closing the door behind him.

Naruto followed him back to the field where a Primeape jumped down from a tree, running after a giggling Aipom. A Venusaur lumbered past; a sleeping Sandshrew curled up on top of his massive head.

"Hitmonlee, can you get Rhydon, Onix and Donphan for me?" Kurama asked a Hitmonlee who had been practicing its kicks.

Hitmonlee paused mid-kick and grunted an affirmative, bounding away to get the three aforementioned Pokémon.

"Why those three?" Naruto asked curiously.

He was pretty certain that Rhydon at least knew both Earthquake and Bulldoze.

"Rhydon can teach Snorlax Earthquake; Donphan can teach both Snorlax and Lucario Bulldoze and Onix will teach your Lucario Dig," Kurama explained, crossing his arms. "My Pokémon all know various moves, naturally, but this way they all get to do something. It's a good way to keep them occupied between their own training sessions."

"How many Pokémon do you have?" Naruto asked interestedly, watching Pokémon of all sizes lumber, walk or run around. Some were sleeping, curled against each other or resting underneath a tree.

"A lot," Kurama answered vaguely.

"How often do people come to you to teach their Pokémon new moves actually?" Naruto smiled when a Butterfree fluttered past him; one of its wings brushing against his cheek.

"Depends," Kurama said idly. "Some weeks are busier than others. You can call your Pokémon out of their Pokéballs."

Privately Naruto wondered how many Trainers were scared off by Kurama's gruff demeanour – or his near impossible task if you didn't have a small Pokémon. Keeping that thought to himself, he threw the two Pokéballs into the air, releasing both Snorlax and Lucario. Lucario stretched his arms when he left his ball, looking around curiously. Snorlax appeared a bit more apprehensive; his eyes cautious as he stared around the field.

A heavy rumbling shook the earth and announced the arrival of a Rhydon, a Donphan and an Onix; the latter absolutely towering over the other two as it lumbered towards them. They made inquisitive noises when they stopped near Kurama.

"Thanks for coming over," Kurama said and gestured at Snorlax and Lucario. "These two need to be taught some new moves. Rhydon, you can start off teaching Snorlax Earthquake first. Onix, you'll teach Lucario Dig. In two hours, you two can take a rest while Donphan will teach both Snorlax and Lucario Bulldoze. Everyone okay with that plan?"

His Pokémon grunted in agreement while Lucario and Snorlax glanced at Naruto.

Naruto smiled reassuringly. "Go on, these three will help you learn new moves that will be useful in the next Gym."

Lucario nodded in understanding and followed Onix when the Rock Pokémon jerked its head, indicating him to follow it. Snorlax appeared a bit unsure, but nevertheless followed Rhydon when the other Pokémon swung its arms; its tail swishing back and forth.

Naruto watched his Pokémon travel to an empty patch of the field where they spread out, keeping enough space between them so that they could learn their new moves without getting into each other's way.

"I suggest you find something to do in the meantime," Kurama announced, pulling Naruto's attention away from his Pokémon. "Their training will take at least a couple of hours and I don't run a hotel."

"Very subtle," Naruto snorted while Mimikyu wiggled one of his shadowy limbs.

Kurama shrugged. "I'm a Move Tutor, not an entertainer. Come back in four hours and we'll check on their progress then."

"Fine, I'll be back in four hours then," Naruto acquiesced and left the field, leaving Kurama behind there.

"What should we do in the meantime, hm?" he questioned aloud, walking down the street.

"Mimi," Mimikyu muttered. Cold.

"Yeah, it is," Naruto sighed in agreement, bringing Mimikyu closer to his chest. "Wait, I'll get you a blanket."

He paused next to a bench, putting Mimikyu down on it for a moment while he unzipped his bag and retrieved a blanket out of it. After swinging his backpack over his shoulder again, he bent down and picked up Mimikyu again, wrapping the blanket around him to keep him warm.

"We could look for a Pokémart and stock up on some supplies," Naruto mused, stepping to the side when a Taillow landed in front of him on the pavement, pecking at the ground.

He could buy some extra Potions and check out what other supplies the Pokémart was selling in this city. At the very least he needed to stock up on food. After they were finished at the Gym, he thought they could stay for a couple of days longer just to catch up on some rest and sleep in a warmer environment than his tent.

"Kyu!" Okay!

With Mimikyu's agreement, they started wandering through the city, keeping an eye out for the telltale blue colour of the supermarket. He thought it would be near the Pokécentre as the mart often tended to be, but in this city it happened to be in a completely different plaza on the northern side. This Pokémart was much larger than the others they had visited before and as Naruto walked through each aisle, checking out the food, the various Potions and the many Status Healers, Mimikyu was looking around as well, seemingly intrigued by the various items on display.

Naruto wasn't the only one carrying a Pokémon around. A Wigglytuff was following a young girl around while a Hitmonchan was helping its Trainer by carrying a basket filled with Berries for her. One Trainer had to restrain his Impidimp when it kept taunting an increasingly more irate looking Granbull.

After a while of wandering through the Pokémart, visiting some aisles several times, Naruto settled on purchasing canned food, extra Potions and a couple of Super Potions, figuring that kind of stronger Potions could come in handy in the future, especially with how close they were to reaching the Elite Four. After a short debate with himself, he decided to purchase some Paralyze Heals as well. With the next Gym being an Electric one, a Paralyze Heal might very well decide how a battle would end.

On his way to the counter, his eyes caught a display with various types of Pokémon toys. There were balls of various sizes and weight, even some that glittered or made noise when they were kicked around. Sticks with feathers for Cat Pokémon and tiny bells were stacked in a bin next to the display, while blankets of varying thickness and softness were folded on the lowest shelf.

"You want a ball to play with?" Naruto inquired, moving a purple ball back and forth, which uttered a squeaky noise.

Mimikyu perked up and leant towards the display cabinet, taking in the selection. One of his shadowy limbs crept from underneath his costume and pointed at a bright yellow coloured ball. It had both orange and red triangles printed all over it. It jingled softly when Naruto picked it up and felt quite soft to the touch. He could squeeze in it a bit, but he barely made a dent in it.

"This one?" he asked for confirmation and Mimikyu chirped in confirmation.

"All right, let's go pay then," Naruto said cheerfully.

In the queue in front of the checkout a peculiar smell had Naruto wrinkling his nose and Mimikyu burying deeper into the blanket. He glanced around, trying to discern where the strong odour was coming from. After looking around himself but not finding anything out of the ordinary, he glanced down – and found a Trubbish staring up at him. Ah, that did explain why there was such a strong smell. At least it wasn't a Garbodor; that particular stench wouldn't have been tolerable at all.

Fortunately the Trainer of the Trubbish only needed to buy a couple of Potions, so it didn't take long before they were gone, taking the less than pleasant smell with them.

"Mimi," Mimikyu muttered; his voice muffled into the blanket. Smelly.

"That it was," Naruto muttered and started unloading his shopping basket onto the counter.

Mimikyu helped by plucking the lighter stuff out of the basket and placing them down on the counter as well where the cashier quickly scanned each item. Naruto let Mimikyu hold on to the ball while he paid for their stuff. A look on the clock right above the exit revealed that it had been nearly three hours since he had left Lucario and Snorlax behind in Kurama's field, surprising him. Huh, finding the Pokémart and doing his shopping had taken up a lot more time than he had expected. Well, at least by the time he made his way back to the field, the four hours would be nearly over.

"Mimi?" Going back?

"Yeah, by the time we'll get there the four hours will be nearly over," Naruto answered, bracing himself against the cold as he walked out of the Pokémart.

The temperature seemed to have plummeted a bit or perhaps it was because of the icy wind that it felt a lot colder than before. Hunching his shoulders slightly, Naruto turned left and began making his way back to the Move Tutor's home, smiling when a shadowy limb pushed part of the blanket over his shoulder. Dusk was settling in, some stars already twinkling high above them. There was no way they could challenge the Gym today still even if Lucario's and Snorlax' training would already be finished. He hadn't come across the Gym yet, meaning they would have to search for it, which would take up even more time. By the time they would find it, it would already be far too late.

No, it was best that after picking up Lucario and Snorlax, they would find a hotel or so, or maybe even return to the Pokécentre to spend the night there. There was no time limit to challenge the Gym, so they might as well take it easy for the rest of the evening, enjoy their dinner and then tomorrow they would either see Kurama again or they would go straight to the Gym.

Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city centre behind, Naruto and Mimikyu entered the more quiet part of the city. As he walked past houses and the occasional restaurant, he sometimes caught some laughter or a muffled conversation, but overall it was pretty quiet on the street. He watched how one streetlight after the other was illuminated, spreading their gentle yellow glow around. Lights inside the houses were turned on as well; the white and yellow glow dimmed by the curtains.

"… on their way to the Move Tutor now."

For some reason that particular comment had Naruto drawing to a stop right in front of a dark alley. Mimikyu looked at him questioningly, but he shook his head, placing a finger against his mouth. He pressed himself against the wall of the house he had just been about to walk past and pricked his ears. It was quiet in the alley for a while and right as he started to feel stupid for standing here in the cold, the voice – a woman, he quickly realised – piped up again.

"Look, I know we're working with a schedule here, but do you have any idea just how many Pokémon that guy has?" the woman asked annoyed. "He's got an entire field of them! Maybe even has some of them in his house, what do I know? We needed to make a lot more preparations than you told us we needed to do!"

A new pause before she scoffed and there was the sound of heels tapping; a steady rhythm as if she was pacing around. "Yeah, because they will really have the time to just leisurely look around and go for the most interesting ones when they set off the trap! He'll get all of them, end of story. This whole plan is already risky to begin with, given how many Pokémon that guy has. Just make sure to be re-"

Naruto didn't stay to hear the rest. His heart beating quick in response to what he just had heard, he took a couple of steps back before he turned around and rushed away, running to the corner and taking the left turn. He couldn't run past that alley; no doubt that woman, whoever she was, would realise she had been overheard and shit would hit the fan big time then.

"Mimi, Kyu?" Mimikyu asked anxiously. They in danger?

"Most definitely," Naruto answered grimly, the wind howling in his ears as he rushed through the street. "I don't think she was just talking about a prank. We need to get there before whoever she's talking about reaches Kurama's place."

How would they get there quickly, though? With no idea from which direction these people were going to come from, he couldn't just run around all willy-nilly. He had no idea who these people were, but clearly they didn't have any good intentions from what he had just overheard. He needed to warn Kurama as soon as possible that there were people intending on stealing his Pokémon, but how was he going to –

The idea popping up in his mind made him stop running at once and panting, he grabbed the Pokéball from his belt. "Pidgeot, come out!"

Pidgeot left his Pokéball with a soft screech, flapping his ginormous wings, sending dead leaves flying away. Naruto looked at his broad back and took a deep breath. They had never tried this before, but hey for everything was a first time, was it not? He needed to reach Kurama as fast as possible and this was the only way.

"Pidgeot, we need to reach the Move Tutor's place as quickly as possible," Naruto explained in a rush. "Can you fly me there if I give you the directions? I know we haven't done this before, but we really can't waste time here."

"Pidgeot!" Okay!

"Mimikyu, hold on tightly to me," Naruto said and climbed on top of Pidgeot's back, feeling cold shadowy limbs looping around his arm and neck.

Keeping one arm around Mimikyu, he carefully wrapped his other arm around Pidgeot's neck. "Let's go!"

With a screech, Pidgeot started flapping his wings more forcefully, creating gusts of wind, until he lifted himself off the ground and shot into the sky. The sudden move had Naruto's stomach squirming and he had to swallow several times just to gain back some sense of balance.

"You need to fly west, following the road beneath us, but at the fountain there you need to turn to the south," Naruto instructed once he found his voice back. "After that just keep flying, you can't miss it, it's a giant field with a lot of different Pokémon walking around."

Pidgeot chirped in understanding and seemed to fly even faster, forcing Naruto to bend low over his back or risk getting blown off by the strong wind.

Flying like this, sitting on top of his own Pokémon, would have been exhilarating any other moment, but right now all he could do was worry about what those people might be planning with Kurama's Pokémon – and his own, he realised with growing dread. The woman had mentioned they would take all the Pokémon they would find there and that included both Lucario and Snorlax, who were still there practicing their new moves. That only made it that more urgent that they would reach Kurama on time and it was with no small amount of relief that Naruto soon caught sight of faint lights twinkling below, just a bit ahead of them. The lights were in a huge square; the surrounding trees further confirmed they had flown the right way.

"Pidgeot, it's right there!" Naruto called out, having to raise his voice in order to be heard by his Pokémon.

Mimikyu in the meantime had buried himself completely into Naruto's stomach; his stuffed head resting against the blond's shoulder.

Pidgeot screeched in acknowledgement before suddenly going into a dive, forcing Naruto to hold on tightly to his feathers. He clenched his eyes shut, the sight of the rapidly approaching earth making him squeamish, and only dared to open them again when Pidgeot landed, sending dust flying through the air.

Jumping off Pidgeot's back, Naruto rushed to the door and started slamming his fist against it loudly, guessing from the light he could see shining through the nearest window that Kurama had to be inside.

It only took him slamming his fist into the door three times before Kurama wrenched it open, barking, "What the hell is your problem?"

He looked taken aback when he recognised Naruto. "Oi, it's you, brat! What's wrong with you? Is trying to break down my door your shitty way of thanking - "

"I overheard a woman talking," Naruto cut him off, ignoring how his legs felt rather rubberlike. "She was mentioning how a group is making their way to your home right now in order to steal your Pokémon. You need to get them all of the field right now!"

Kurama stared at him before he threw his head back and barked out a laugh of disbelief. "Yeah, right, as if anybody would be stupid enough to - "

Something moved in the corner of Naruto's eye. He whirled around, his hand already going to his belt to retrieve Ninetales' Pokéball, but he was just a second too late.

A Golem ran straight out of the shadows of the tree, crashing into the fence and flattening it completely – creating a huge opening for the group of men who poured out of the back of a van, which stopped right in front of the field.

Chaos erupted immediately.

AN2: I know I promised the Gym for this chapter, but I got hit with the idea of Kurama's Pokémon being attacked, so yeah. BUT! Next chapter will definitely contain the seventh Gym and there will be the return of two characters we haven't seen in a little bit :)

I had hoped to have more updates ready this weekend, but unfortunately I didn't manage that. At least I did succeed in finally updating this fic. I will do my best to return to my regular schedule of bi-weekly updates!

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.