Author's note: Sorry it took me a while to update this, but here I am finally with a new chapter! This might be one of the longest I've written for this story so far even, not sure.

I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Thanks to the following reviewers: PinkiePieParty122894; leighd1314; Pen-Woman; jessicachitwood95; JaiJayce

Warnings: Canon typical violence

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 53

Only one person managed to win from Kakashi in five years.

The hotel owner's words bounced around in his mind as he stared at the large, metal ball. Had she meant that only one person had actually won from Kakashi himself or had she meant that only one person had managed to defeat the initial challenge before defeating Kakashi? How many people had tried breaking through this particular puzzle and had ended up leaving, utterly defeated without even having a chance to battle the Gym Leader himself?

"Toxtricity, come back," Naruto decided and held out the Pokéball. "I'm going to think this through before I decide what to do next. You've done really well so far; get some rest before we challenge the Gym Leader." He forced a smile on his face.

Toxtricity growled in frustration, but didn't protest, allowing the red light to envelop him completely, returning him inside his ball.

Clicking the Pokéball back onto his belt, Naruto pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at the ball suspended from the ceiling. There had to be a way to break the ball and get to the bells inside, but how? Everyone in the team had launched their strongest attacks on it, but they hadn't even caused a single scratch or dent. How was that possible? Was his team not strong enough? The power difference between the seventh and eighth Gym couldn't be that insurmountable, though. Especially not when it came to the challenge part in the Gym.

What was he missing here? He began pacing back and forth, careful not to touch the ball. Only one red beam of light was allowed to be seen in the room, but nobody on his team had managed to damage the ball even the slightest. He frowned, scowling at the vague outline of the bells within the ball. Ninetales' Fire attack should have done the most damage, but it hadn't even melted off a piece. This shouldn't be possible. Should they give up now and simply train a bit longer? But how much longer would they have to train then? Even if his team wasn't strong enough yet, that didn't explain why Ninetales hadn't even managed to melt off part of the ball. Fire always had an effect on steel, no matter the strength of the Fire Type.

He was definitely missing something, but what? What had that one person done to succeed in both beating the challenge and the Gym Leader himself? The challenge couldn't be impossible – even though it certainly felt impossible right now – because then Kakashi would have been reprimanded apparently. Yet at the same time it was difficult enough to severely limit the amount of people being successful.

Worrying his lower lip between his teeth, he started doing a lap around the metal ball, studying it closely, hoping to find some kind of weak spot. Because it had to have a weak spot; how else could it be damaged? Was the weak spot somewhere on the top? Did he need to have Pidgeot flying down at it or have Ninetales jumping up to aim her Fire attacks there? The weakness couldn't be anywhere on the sides, because his team had attacked the ball from all sides and they hadn't managed to cause any damage. Perhaps on the bottom then? He paused and bent down, twisting his head slightly to get a good look at the bottom. It looked rather solid, though; it didn't appear thinner anywhere.

Growing frustrated, he straightened out again and walked away from the ball, letting his breath escape in a hiss through his clenched teeth. He knew he was missing something here, something very obvious, but what? What could he possibly be missing still when he had studied the ball closely and his own team had used their strongest moves against it? Did they have to damage the chain first and have the ball shattering upon impact on the floor? No, that might be too risky; if the ball broke because it smashed against the floor, the bells themselves might become damaged as well. He was also pretty certain that some of Ninetales' Flamethrowers had hit the chain occasionally and the flames hadn't even melted part of it.

If only his entire team could work together, then maybe their combined attacks would be strong enough to actually damage the ball! But of course Kakashi needed to have that stupid rule that only one red beam of light was allowed at all times, which made it impossible for his entire team to …

Naruto paused, staring unseeingly at the metal ball. Only one red beam of light was allowed, that was what Kakashi had said. He had never said anything about the width of that light, however … Biting down hard on his lip, he curled his hand around one of the Pokéballs. It was a risky plan; he had no idea whether it would even work, but … What was the worst that could happen? He might get kicked out of the Gym for a bit, but he could always retry at a later moment then. Nothing was lost yet. This might actually work. It was a rather unconventional idea, for sure, but it could really work. There was only one way to find out.

Heart beating quicker, he removed every Pokéball from his belt and placed them on the floor next to each other in a straight line, facing the metal ball. He took a deep breath and glanced at the door, but that remained closed – for now at least. He would find out soon whether his plan was acceptable within the limits of the challenge.

"All right, everybody, come out!" he called out and clenched his hands to fists when at once all six Pokéballs opened up, releasing everybody into the room at the same time. The six red beams converged into something similar to a wave, washing through the room before the light faded out.

"Mimi, Kyu, Kyu?" Only one out, no? Mimikyu looked around confused at the others.

"Ninetales, Ninetales?" Ninetales asked warily. In trouble now?

Tensed, Naruto stared at the door but it remained fully closed. The seconds ticked by in heavy silence, his Pokémon regarding the door as well, but no matter how long they waited, they couldn't pick up any sound that indicated Kakashi was on his way to end the challenge himself.

Naruto's breath escaped him in a disbelieving chuckle and he shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "Guess we found a loophole, guys," he grinned; his nerves becoming trampled by his growing excitement when he realised they still had a chance at defeating this challenge.

He clapped his hands together, gaining everybody's attention. "Okay, this is how we're going to do this: separate attacks obviously don't work on this metal thing."

Toxtricity hissed in annoyance, flicking his tail back and forth.

"But if you combine your strongest attacks and aim them at the ball at the same time, we might actually succeed in breaking it!" Naruto continued excitedly.

Separately their attacks weren't strong enough, but if they attacked all at the same time, this might actually work! And the best thing was: they hadn't broken any rules because by getting out of their Pokéballs at the same time, there had still been only one red beam of light visible instead of six different ones!

'That might work,' Lucario agreed thoughtfully.

"Pidgeot, Pidgeot, Pidgeot," Pidgeot said lightly. Can't hurt.

"All right, aim your strongest attack right in the centre of the ball," Naruto instructed, taking a couple of steps back to give them more room. "That way you should be able to damage the ball enough to get to the bells, without actually damaging those."

Toxtricity hissed, growing excited again, 'Let's do this!'

They all turned around, facing the metal ball. In unison, they unleashed their strongest attack right in the centre of the ball. Ninetales' Inferno slammed into the metal ball, joined by Mimikyu's Shadow Ball, Pidgeot's Wing Attack, Vaporeon's Water Pulse, Toxtricity's Overdrive and Lucario's Aura Sphere. Naruto had to shield his eyes when the combination of the attacks caused a glow so bright it burnt his eyes. Fire crackled, electricity buzzed followed by a minor explosion which sent Naruto stumbling backwards until his back hit the wall, forcing a surprised grunt out of him.

The echo of the explosion was just starting to fade away when Naruto's ears pricked at the sound of bells jingling. His eyes shot up and his body tensed up but before he could shoot forwards to grab the bells, a shadowy limb was quicker than him and snatched the three bells out of the air before they could land on the floor.

"Kyu!" Got them! Mimikyu triumphantly waggled the bells back and forth, causing them to jingle even louder.

"I am so glad this plan actually worked!" Naruto exclaimed, laughing in disbelief. He accepted the bells when Mimikyu shuffled over, dropping them in his hands. "You all did really well, thank you!"

They all preened, even the usually unrufflable Toxtricity, but everybody tensed up when the door suddenly opened, revealing Kakashi. For a loaded moment he just stared at them in heavy silence; his blank face not revealing what he thought of Naruto's plan.

Then he started to chuckle and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Congratulations for finding this loophole. Most trainers, if they don't give up, just decide to try over and over again. You're the first one to use this particular tactic, I'm impressed." He lazily applauded them and gestured behind him. "When you're ready, go through the door immediately on your left when you leave here. I'll be waiting."

With that he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Naruto and his team to stare bemused at the empty doorway. For a moment Naruto contemplated what other tactic had been successful if he was the first one to explore this particular loophole. Did the previous Trainer have an extremely powerful Pokémon who had been able to take on the metal ball on its own then?

He shook his head and turned to his team. Whatever, it didn't matter. They had beaten the challenge and were now ready to confront the Gym Leader.

The very last Gym Leader who stood between them and their chance to take on the Elite Four.

Just one more battle and then their Gym Challenge would be completely finished, leaving them free to tackle the Elite Four and the Champion whenever they wished. That thought was enough to have his stomach performing several odd flips; he couldn't even tell whether those flips were of excitement or simple nerves. Whatever. One more battle. They could do this. They had to do this.

Taking a deep breath, he smiled at his Pokémon. "All right, guys, time to return to your Pokéballs. We've got one more battle to win."

There were five Pokéballs on Kakashi's belt: two regular ones, two Great Balls and one Ultra Ball. Deidara, the previous Gym Leader, also had had five Pokémon in his team; would Kakashi choose double battles as well? That might or might not work out in Naruto's favour, depending on which Pokémon Kakashi had. Whichever Pokémon he had, though, Naruto knew he couldn't underestimate him. One didn't become the final Gym Leader just for show, after all.

"If you end up losing now, you can at least feel proud of yourself for having defeated my challenge from the first try," Kakashi spoke when Naruto stepped fully onto the field. "Most Trainers end up giving up entirely after a while." His eyes turned crescent shaped with his smile.

Naruto cast a quick look around him. There was nothing out of the ordinary in this room. The battlefield itself was simple; no rocks or bushes where one could hide behind or underneath. The ceiling wasn't extraordinary tall; the couple of windows present looked out on what appeared to be a regular garden, a blanket of dead leaves surrounding the few barren trees making up the landscape. The walls were barren and a beige colour. Nothing about this room indicated whether Kakashi specialised in one particular type. Naruto couldn't say whether that had been done on purpose or whether it was simply coincidental.

"Any reason why you chose that particular challenge?" he questioned curiously.

All the other challenges had had some tie at least to Pokémon, whether that had been through quizzes to test his knowledge, fighting other trainers or dealing with other Pokémon. Bells, however? Sure, there were a couple of Pokémon which resembled bells, but regular bells?

Kakashi shrugged lazily. "Just thought it's a fun challenge."

Naruto stared at him.

"All right, with that said: let's get on with this. We're not here to chat and drink tea," Kakashi stated, rather brusquely all of a sudden. Without further ado, he threw a Pokéball into the air, revealing a –

Steelix.

Steelix loomed across the field; its eyes gleaming eerily when it regarded Naruto. The Iron Snake was definitely intimidating, but it also happened to be weak to three of Naruto's Pokémon. He couldn't help but grin excitedly when he grabbed a Pokéball of his own and threw it into the air.

"Ninetales, time to let loose!"

Ninetales, Vaporeon and Lucario would be equally a strong fit against Steelix, considering the latter had an extreme weakness to Fighting, Ground, Fire and Water attacks, but Naruto figured that Ninetales would love to let loose as the first one. He wasn't mistaken. She landed gracefully onto the floor, gazing up calmly at Steelix when the latter grumbled ominously, causing the ground to slightly tremble with the vibration.

"No need to hold back, Ninetales," Naruto instructed her. "Use your strongest Fire attacks, but make sure to fight defensively. Steelix might be weak to fire, but you can't underestimate it."

"Ninetales," she reassured him, flicking her tails back and forth. Won't.

"Steelix, Dig."

Steelix instantly dug straight into the ground and in spite of himself, Naruto couldn't help but tense up. If that attack hit Ninetales, it would surely inflict some serious damage on her. She must have been paying attention to Lucario whenever he used the move, however, because she jumped out of the way just in time when Steelix burst out of the earth with a spine-chilling roar. That roar was abruptly cut off when Ninetales pushed herself off the ground and into the air; her tails spreading out wide around her when she opened her jaw and released a steady, big stream of fire, hitting Steelix full on with her Flamethrower.

Steelix squealed in surprise, lashing out with its tail. The tip of it managed to hit Ninetales in her side, cutting off the fire for a second. Before Steelix could fully recover, however, and before Naruto could call out worriedly, Ninetales growled in anger, landed on the ground again, braced herself and –

Hit Steelix with a fierce Inferno straight into its face. The flames – so hot even Naruto could feel their heat from the distance he was standing – slammed into Steelix' face and his agonising roar had Naruto clamping his hands over his ears, staring in disbelief at the way spidery cracks started to appear in the walls. Proving it was part of the eighth Gym, Steelix didn't give up so easily and fought through the pain of a burnt face, trying to trap Ninetales in a Sand Tomb. When that failed because she simply kept sidestepping it, he tried to Slam her against the wall.

She chittered, sounding particularly amused, when she jumped into the air before Steelix could body slam her into the wall, using its body as a landing pad before she landed gracefully onto the ground again. Witnessing her actually playing with him, Steelix grew enraged and tried to hit her with a fierce Iron Tail. The Steel attack left a small crater behind in the field, but Ninetales was already out of its reach, hitting Steelix with an Ember in the back of its neck. That had the Iron Snake whirling around in rage and right when it started to prepare an attack that looked a lot like Stone Edge, Ninetales ran towards it, stopped right in front of it and when Steelix looked down, its eyes glowing with fury, she opened her mouth and expelled a giant fire ball right into its face.

That was the final straw.

Eyes rolling back, the entire field trembled as if hit with an Earthquake when Steelix tumbled down unconsciously; completely down for the count.

Naruto could only stare as Ninetales skipped back to him, looking particularly pleased with herself. She cocked her head to the right when she noticed him staring. She wrapped her tails around herself and appeared to shrug.

"Ninetales, Ninetales." Said go all out.

Well, he had indeed said that; he couldn't deny that. He just hadn't expected Ninetales to be that ruthless that she basically just had wiped the floor with a Steelix of all Pokémon.

Steelix disappearing back into its Pokéball pulled Naruto's attention back to the field. Across from him Kakashi looked wholly unperturbed that his first Pokémon had been decimated so quickly by Ninetales.

"This is turning out to be more fun than I had expected," he said lightly and threw a Great Ball into the air this time.

When the red light faded away, a severe looking Corviknight took off in the sky, locking its piercing gaze onto Ninetales, who instantly became focused once more.

Naruto didn't have much experience with Corviknight – which was to say none at all – but he remembered that one of its biggest weaknesses was Fire. Corviknight being mostly airborne could become a problem for Ninetales who, while agile, was definitely earthbound, but one look at her determined face told Naruto there was no point in calling her back already. Corviknight was very weak to Fire and Ninetales was having fun clearly; he might as well let her enjoy herself until she either grew too tired or her nature wasn't that advantageous anymore with the next Pokémon.

"Same as before," he instructed her; the twitching of her tails the only sign she was listening. "Go all out, try to avoid all its attacks. You're not that weak against Flying but that doesn't mean you should take any chances."

"Ninetales, Ninetales." Know that, be careful.

Her eyes were glistening just a bit too viciously for Naruto to be truly comfortable with whether or not she actually knew to be careful, but he stifled his sigh. She was an incredibly good fighter; he would just have to keep an eye on her to ensure she wouldn't push past her limits.

As expected, Corviknight turned out to be a bit of a problem, mainly because it kept flying and being careful to remain out of reach, save for the times it threw itself viciously down in a Brave Bird attack. Brave Bird was a rather risky attack considering it gave the Pokémon recoil damage as well, but it appeared that Kakashi was also going for the no holds barred technique. Perhaps the idea was to take out Ninetales before she could take out more of his Pokémon; a sensible idea.

Except that while Corviknight did manage to land the occasional Steel Wing or Brave Bird attack, Ninetales succeeded in tanking those fairly well, merely shaking her head occasionally before she would run or jump out of the way. She started chirping again, sounding almost like she was laughing, and Naruto couldn't really understand why – until he saw the way Corviknight's eyes were narrowing dangerously and with each swoop down and back into the air, he started hovering lower and lower until …

Kakashi's eyes widened visibly but he had spotted the danger a second too late. Before he could warn Corviknight, Ninetales jumped up and clamped her teeth around one of Corviknight's wings when the Pokémon was too late to fly away. Corviknight screeched in anger and pain, striking at her face with one of its claws but she simply jerked her head down. When she fell back onto the ground, she dragged Corviknight down with her –

Where she promptly greeted it with the full force of an actual –

Fire Blast.

Naruto could only stare dumbfounded at the giant ball of fire fully enveloping Corviknight. The Raven Pokémon shrieked in absolute agony, flapping its wings around in a panic but it only managed to crawl away for a bit before it slumped down and didn't get back up again.

Another victim to Ninetales' absolute ruthlessness.

"When did you learn Fire Blast?" Naruto asked shocked when Ninetales skipped to him, smugness practically blasting off her.

Behind her the unconscious Corviknight was called back into its Great Ball.

"Ninetales, Ninetales, Ninetales!" she chirped happily. Practiced couple of times!

"A couple of times, you say," he repeated, slightly winded.

"Ninetales?" Do good?

A bit of uncertainty slipped into her voice, some of the smugness leaving her as she gazed at him; three of her tails swishing agitatedly.

"You did amazing," Naruto was quick to reassure her, petting her head, making her bunt her nose into his stomach. "Just didn't expect you to know Fire Blast already. And you managed to defeat two Pokémon so quickly!"

"Ninetales, Ninetales," she repeated, sounding almost bemused herself. Told to go loose.

Clearly she had taken that to heart, damn.

"Frankly it's been quite a while since I last had somebody challenging me this much," Kakashi remarked lightly. "Guess this is on me for underestimating you." Almost flippantly he threw a second Pokéball into the air, calling up an Arcanine.

"Okay, looks like you're going to have to let someone else have some fun for a while," Naruto murmured, smiling when Ninetales sighed loudly.

No doubt she would love to continue fighting but considering Arcanine was a Fire Type like her, this battle would most likely drag on for ages. There was no point in dragging out a fight when he had a Pokémon with a clear advantage ready to battle, so he called back Ninetales, switching her out for Vaporeon instead.

Vaporeon appeared a little bit intimidated by the sheer size of Arcanine. Arcanine itself was regarding Vaporeon with something akin to amusement, appearing wholly unbothered by the fact that it was going up against a Water Pokémon.

"Hey," Naruto called out softly, causing Vaporeon to turn around and peer up at him. "Arcanine might be bigger than you, but it's also a lot weaker to you. Just hit it with your strongest Water attacks; you'll be fine, I know you can do it!"

Vaporeon took a deep breath but nodded, bracing himself when Arcanine suddenly shot forwards, opening its big jaw to use Crunch. Before it could close its teeth around any part of Vaporeon, Vaporeon slipped out of its reach, appearing right behind it. Vaporeon surprised Arcanine by landing a Water Gun straight into the back of its neck, but of course one Water Gun wasn't going take it down. It might be a Fire Type, but it was also part of the eighth Gym; Arcanine would be able to tank several Water attacks at its level.

Vaporeon seemed to realise this too, because while he did his best to duck, roll and jump out of the way whenever Arcanine tried to land a Crunch or a Take Down on him, he also hit Arcanine with Water Guns and Water Pulses whenever he saw an opening, using Aqua Ring occasionally whenever Arcanine managed to snap its teeth around a part of his body.

This battle took longer than the previous two, but Naruto wasn't worried. While initially uncertain, it was obvious that the longer Vaporeon battled Arcanine, the more confident he became in spite of how strong Arcanine was turning out to be.

Out of nowhere, though, Vaporeon suddenly sprinted towards Naruto, skidding to a halt right next to him. Arcanine followed quickly; its eyes solely focused on Vaporeon.

"Erm, Vaporeon, what are you - "

Vaporeon struck one paw against the ground, simultaneously opening his mouth to release a massive wave of water. The water turned muddy quickly when it came into contact with the ground and Naruto grew even more excited than before when he realised Vaporeon was using Muddy Water against Arcanine! The reason why he had rushed to Naruto's side was because he hadn't wanted to hit his own Trainer with his attack!

The massive flood of water struck Arcanine head on, making it squeal in shock. It tried to turn around and flee from the water, but the Muddy Water was quicker, reaching Arcanine before it could jump up. The water engulfed it completely, slamming down on it until it disappeared into the wave, its shocked bark abruptly cut off.

When the water retreated, seeping into the ground and leaving puddles behind, Arcanine was left drenched and unconscious in the middle of the field; its eyes rolled back.

"You were amazing, Vaporeon!" Naruto whooped, jumping into the air before bending down to pick up Vaporeon and give him a firm hug, uncaring of his weight.

"Vaporeon?" Vaporeon chittered nervously. Did good?

"You were great!" Naruto laughed, stroking his back. "You just defeated an Arcanine on your own!"

Vaporeon chirped happily in response, bunting his head against Naruto's shoulder.

"Been a really long time since someone managed to defeat three of my team," Kakashi noted idly. "Don't become too excited yet, though." The second Great Ball was thrown into the air, releasing a Doublade.

Naruto blinked at the sight of the Pokémon with its two swords entwined. The pink gem in each hilt seemed to be its eyes; they were unnervingly fixated on Naruto as Doublade hovered in the air. The blade part of the Pokémon was still sheathed, but Naruto had a feeling that once it launched its attacks, the sheaths might actually come off. Naruto was a tad surprised to see that Kakashi still had a Doublade instead of its last evolution Aegislash considering this was the last Gym until he recalled that in order for Doublade to evolve, it needed to be exposed to a Dusk Stone. Either Kakashi didn't have access to one or Doublade simply refused to evolve; it wouldn't be the first Pokémon to refuse an evolution.

With Doublade being a Steel/Ghost Type, Naruto could release Ninetales again or he could let Mimikyu take on this one, which was what he ended up choosing. It was a risky move, going for Mimikyu when the opponent was both Steel and Ghost, but Naruto had no doubt Mimikyu would want to take up the challenge regardless. After putting Vaporeon back on the ground and capturing him in his Pokéball again, he selected Mimikyu's Pokéball.

"Mimikyu, your turn!"

With an excited cry Mimikyu appeared on the field; his shadowy limbs dancing across the ground as he studied Doublade carefully.

"We're only two opponents away from winning at this Gym," Naruto mentioned, attracting Mimikyu's attention immediately. "Doublade is partly Ghost and Steel as well so you need to be very careful, okay. We might have brought Kakashi down to just two Pokémon, but that doesn't mean we can relax just yet. So be on your guard but go all out every time you see an opening, okay?"

"Kyu!" Okay!

Mimikyu had only just turned around again to face his opponent when a horrible metallic sound suddenly echoed through the room; the sound as much unnerving and eerie as it was painful to listen to, making Naruto cover his ears instinctively while Mimikyu flinched.

The next moment shadows sped across the ground, aiming straight for Mimikyu. Mimikyu managed to dodge those just barely on time and squealed when Doublade shot forwards, throwing off its sheaths in order to attack with an Aerial Ace. The Flying attack managed to create a small rip in Mimikyu's costume when he was a tad too slow to duck away completely.

Naruto winced at the rip and rubbed the back of his neck when he saw Mimikyu stilling for a moment; one of his shadowy limbs touching the rip carefully. Oh boy, now Doublade had done it. It was only the start of their battle, but Doublade had managed to piss off Mimikyu already. If there was one thing you shouldn't do, it was damaging Mimikyu's costume. Something Kakashi seemed to know as well, because Naruto noticed him narrowing his eyes slightly, something akin to wariness crossing his face before he smoothed it out to a blank mask once more.

Doublade put up an admirable fight, admittedly, trying to hit Mimikyu with Shadow Sneak and Night Slash and attempting to lower his defence by using Metal Sound on him, but no matter how fast Doublade was, no matter how quickly it moved to attack, Mimikyu's pure unadulterated rage at having his costume damaged appeared to give him a boost in both speed and power. He moved quicker than Doublade could attack, causing Doublade to rarely get an actual hit in again, and both his Shadow Claw and his Shadow Ball were bigger than usual, making it nearly impossible for Doublade to avoid them on time.

With Doublade forced to be mostly defensive, it took Naruto completely off guard when Mimikyu was suddenly hit by a Night Slash, making him cry out in pain; his shadowy limbs spasming when the Dark attack hit him full on. He seemed to shrivel up to Naruto's growing worry; the stuffed head of his costume listing uselessly to the side. Having expected Mimikyu to jump straight back up, Naruto's heart started beating quicker, threatening to crawl up in his throat, when Mimikyu didn't move.

"Mimikyu, are you okay?" Naruto asked worriedly; a hint of panic bubbling in the pit of his stomach, making him clench his hands into fists. Mimikyu had been doing so well – had he been hit more than Naruto had been able to spot? Had Doublade put most of its power in this particular attack?

"Doublade, finish it," Kakashi called out calmly.

The pink gem eyes gleamed triumphantly when Doublade quickly flew towards Mimikyu, preparing to hit him with one last attack, at the same moment Naruto grabbed the orange Pokéball, needing to call back Mimikyu before he could get hurt even worse.

Before he could aim the Pokéball at Mimikyu, however, it happened.

Doublade came to hover right in front of Mimikyu, shadows started to pour down from the swords and –

Mimikyu straightened up instantly, released a furious battle cry and hit Doublade directly with a large, pulsating Shadow Ball. The black purple mass of energy enveloped Doublade completely, forcing a high pitched, ear piercing shriek from the Pokémon. The pink gems turned dull and the blades clattered against each other when they fell on the ground.

The fourth Pokémon out for the count.

For a moment nothing but pure silence – only broken by Mimikyu's harsh breathing – reigned as both Naruto and Kakashi stared in shock at the unconscious Doublade. Mimikyu huffed in annoyance before turning around and shuffling to Naruto, wrapping his shadows around Naruto's legs when he pressed himself against his Trainer.

"Mimi!" he announced; his cheerful tone a sharp contrast to the vicious tone he had been using throughout the whole fight. Did it!

"You certainly did," Naruto muttered dazed, aware enough to bend down and pet Mimikyu's back. "I – you did amazing, Mimikyu!"

"Guess thinking outside the box is something your Pokémon have in common with you, hm?" Kakashi said, recovering as well. He shook his head and recalled Doublade in its Pokéball. "Your team is certainly full of surprises. How are you going to deal with my last one?"

Kakashi's last Pokémon was –

A Rampardos.

The large, dark grey Pokémon landed on the battlefield with a ferocious cry. The pearl-like dome crowning its head did nothing to obscure its red eyes, which were looking quite viciously in Naruto's direction. The various spikes on its body – on its knees, on the blue collar on its neck, its nose and its head – gleamed dangerously in the light.

"Well, shit," Naruto breathed out apprehensively, feeling Mimikyu tensing up against his legs.

Naruto wasn't as knowledgeable as Tsunade was, but one thing he did know for sure: Rampardos were known for being absolute brutes. Their strength laid within their fierce head-butting attacks; because it loved using its head as a weapon so much, its skill had evolved to become a lot thicker and had turned even harder than steel, keeping the Pokémon from fainting whenever it crashed into something. And when it crashed into something, the damage was horrendous. There were even records of a Rampardos which had apparently escaped, destroying a skyscraper completely when it had fled.

Of course Kakashi would keep the worst Pokémon for last. Why wouldn't he?

Racking his brain quickly in an attempt to remember Rampardos' weaknesses, all he could think of was that Rampardos was weak against Fighting moves, which meant that for this final fight Lucario would be the best option if they wanted to win this badge.

Rampardos snorted harshly, scraping its foot against the ground, leaving gouges behind.

Naruto quickly bent down and hugged Mimikyu. "Once we're at the Pokécentre, I'll help you fix your costume, okay?" he promised, smiling when Mimikyu wrapped his shadows around his wrists. "For now, get some rest; you did really, really great just now. Lucario will take on this one."

Mimikyu chirped in response and let the red light swallow him up again, returning him to his Pokéball.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto grabbed Lucario's Pokéball and threw it in the air. "Last one left," he muttered. "We can do this."

Lucario instantly tensed up the second he laid eyes on Rampardos, whose eyes were positively glittering by now. It looked ready to charge at any moment now; Naruto had to explain everything fast.

"Rampardos loves to attack with its head," he warned Lucario, who turned his head slightly towards him. "Whatever you do, you need to avoid getting hit by its head. One hit and you might be completely out for the count. Focus on hitting it with your strongest Fighting moves; those are the ones it's weak to."

'Will be okay,' Lucario replied reassuringly.

Naruto hoped Lucario's confidence was justified. One look at those vicious red eyes, however, and he knew he wouldn't be able to relax until the fight was over.

Kakashi had truly saved his strongest Pokémon for last.

Naruto had already known not to underestimate Rampardos in any way, but watching the battle unfold in front of his eyes, it really drove home the fact how utterly ruthless Rampardos truly was. It might not be as agile as Lucario was, but it was fast, ready to switch attacks in the blink of an eye. Even worse Rampardos knew Zen Headbutt and it had been several close misses already for Lucario. Never mind avoiding Rampardos' headbutts; if Rampardos managed to hit Lucario with a Zen Headbutt just a few times, Lucario would be finished.

"Try to take him by surprise," was all Naruto could advise when Lucario ended up lingering near him for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

Lucario nodded, his gaze firmly fixed on Rampardos who was charging at him again, but Naruto knew his advice wouldn't be so easy to implement. As long as Rampardos had Lucario in its sight, there was no way Lucario could catch it off guard. There were no rocks or bushes Lucario could hide behind, if even for just a moment, only ground and that –

Naruto's breath hitched when he was suddenly struck by an idea. There was no certainty this would work but it might be their only chance. Their only other option was to try tiring out Rampardos but who knew how great its endurance was? Naruto wasn't willing to test it, not when every charge, every attack, brought Lucario in more and more danger of actually being hit.

"Lucario, use Dig and surprise attack Rampardos when you come back up!" Naruto urgently whispered to Lucario when he sped past him, not wanting Kakashi to pick up on their plan.

Lucario's eyes lit up and he sped towards the wall across from the windows. Predictably Rampardos rushed after him, growling viciously as it lowered its head, ready to ram it into Lucario's back. Right before Rampardos managed to hit Lucario, Lucario dove down and used Dig to disappear into the earth. Rampardos skidded to a stop, looking around confused.

"Rampardos, watch out!" Kakashi warned sharply, but his warning came too late.

Lucario burst out of the ground, causing Rampardos to lose its balance. It snarled in response, but all the air was punched out of its bulky body when Lucario smashed an Aura Sphere straight into its chest.

Just like that, the battle turned into Lucario's favour.

Even though Rampardos did its best to avoid getting hit by Dig, it wasn't fast enough to prevent Lucario from disappearing under the ground over and over again. Time and again, Lucario burst through the earth, catching Rampardos off guard before hitting it with an Aura Sphere or a Force Palm. With Rampardos being Kakashi's last Pokémon, the Gym Leader was also unable to switch it out for somebody else and Naruto watched resignation settle on Kakashi's face when he accepted what was happening.

"Come on, Lucario, you almost got it!" Naruto called out excitedly when he spotted Rampardos starting to stumble, appearing quite dazed.

Lucario used Dig again, popped back up behind Rampardos and smashed his strongest Aura Sphere yet into Rampardos' back, sending the large Pokémon crashing into the ground. Rampardos' tail twitched, its limbs cramped up –

But it didn't get back up again.

Rampardos was unconscious. Kakashi's last Pokémon was defeated. The eighth Gym Badge was theirs.

When that realisation sank in, Naruto couldn't help himself: he started jumping up and down excitedly, whooping and punching the air with his fist.

"Lucario, you won! You won the last battle! We defeated the Gym!" he crowed, feeling like he would explode any second now as if he was one of those Voltorb in Deidara's Gym.

Lucario looked quite spent – and why wouldn't he, when he had been continuously digging under the ground and launching powerful attacks every time he came back up? – but he still beamed at Naruto, rushing over to him so he could smack his paws against Naruto's hands in victory.

The eighth Gym Badge, the last Badge they needed to complete the Gym Challenge, was finally theirs!

Kakashi's rueful chuckle had Naruto and Lucario pausing their celebration. As the Gym Leader approached them, he called Rampardos back into its Ultra Ball.

"Mah, I have to admit, I didn't see this coming," Kakashi admitted when he paused in front of them. "It's been quite a long time since anybody managed to win from me. Thanks for the amazing battle; I have no doubt the Elite Four will have their hands full with your team." His eyes glittered when he held out his fist. When he opened it, the Gym Badge – a silver circle with a jagged line cutting it in two halves – greeted Naruto's wide eyes. "Take it, you definitely earnt it."

"Eight Badges, Lucario, we did it," Naruto grinned, ignoring the annoying lump in his throat when he handed the Badge to Lucario.

"I'd say good luck with the Elite Four, but something tells me you'll do just fine," Kakashi chuckled. "Now go on, your team definitely deserved some rest."

Naruto grinned and nodded, pinning the badge to his bag, next to the others. He called Lucario back in his Pokéball and turned around to leave, deciding they should really celebrate this huge milestone once everybody was healthy again.

Only one person in five years had defeated the Gym; now he was the second person to do so.

Thinking about that, he paused in front of the door, his hand resting on the doorknob. He turned his head and saw Kakashi leisurely making his way to the back of the room where there was another door Naruto only noticed now.

"Hey," he called out, making Kakashi pause and look at him questioningly. "How did the previous Trainer solve the challenge?"

"Why do you ask?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Just curious, I guess."

"Ah well, he also thought outside the box like you," Kakashi said lightly. "Instead of having all six Pokémon come out at once, though, he switched them out so quickly that the attacks were continuously aimed at one spot in the ball. He actually managed to have two Pokémon attacking at once every time for the couple of seconds it took for his Pokémon to switch out. He was quite crafty, I have to give him that. Something you and him have in common, I suppose."

Naruto considered that for a moment before he grinned and left the room. He had some team members to heal and a victory to celebrate.

Elite Four, here we come.

AN2: 53 chapters later and we're finally going to enter the Elite Four part, holy shit. Clearly this story isn't going to be finished before the year's over .-. But we're actually in the end stage now for real! I hope the battles weren't too boring; still not exactly excelling in describing battles *sweatdrops*

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.