Chapter Four coming at ya!

DISCLAIMER: The rights to source material belong to the creators/owners of said material. I do not claim ownership of them, and this is a nonprofit story made solely for entertainment purposes.

(-)

Adventures of the Orange Trainer

Chapter Four: Moon Caves and Rocketeers

(-)

"Ready to go?" Naruto asked Lillie the following morning, shouldering his pack while Akitsu sat beside his leg.

Adjusting her own pack, Lillie gave her fellow blonde a smile and nod, prompting both to make their way east of Pewter City towards the entrance of Mt. Moon. First, they would have to cut through Route 3, which was long enough to allow Trainers to prepare their Pokémon for the winding cavern that waited for them.

"So, it's rumored that Mt. Moon was where Clefairy was first discovered after it crashed down from space," Lillie informed Naruto, reading through a brochure on the mountain she got from the Pokémon Center. "There is also a strangely high count of meteor showers that can be seen falling towards its summit."

"That's pretty cool," Naruto responded, grinning at the information. "Think we'll run into any Clefairy in there?"

"Oh, I hope so. I've seen pictures and videos of them, and I've always wanted a Clefairy."

Naruto perked up at that, turning to look at Lillie over his shoulder. "Alright then. Before we leave, I'll make sure to help you find one to catch."

"Vul!" Akitsu agreed determinedly.

"You will?" Lillie asked in slight surprise before her cheeks dusted pink when she felt Naruto reach over and ruffle the top of her head affectionately.

"Of course, I will. It'd be kinda messed up if I didn't help my imouto-chan when she needed it."

Puffing her cheeks, she crossed her arms and turned away from him. "You know I don't like you calling me that."

He chuckled. "I know. But, if I let you call me onii-chan, it's only fair that I call you a fitting name in response."

She huffed and resumed walking, passing him with an annoyed blush before he followed with another chuckle. They nearly erupted into laughs when he heard her grumbling about stupid onii-chan.

Akitsu jumped onto his shoulder and settled herself as he followed Lillie, enjoying the warmth he gave off. "Comfy, girl?" he asked, earning a nuzzle in reply. "Hehe… That's good. Why don't we let Kusano out for some exercise?"

When she nodded, Naruto released the Oddish from her PokéBall, the Grass/Poison Type looking pleased to be in the warm sunlight. "Oddish!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Had a feeling you'd like some fresh air, Kusano-chan. You excited for Mt. Moon?"

She nodded firmly, showing that she was ready for anything.

"That's what I wanna see!" he praised, never noticing Lillie looking back with a smile at how he interacted with his Pokémon. "So, let's get moving. To Mt. Moon we go!"

"Vul!/Dish!" his Pokémon cheered with him.

It took them over an hour of walking to get through Route 3, no thanks to some Trainers challenging them to Pokémon Battles. While they cut into their time, Naruto was glad that his Pokémon got some exercise and practice under their belts. They stopped for a short rest at the entrance, with Lillie using some medicine to help Akitsu and Kusano before Naruto returned the Grass/Poison Type to her Ball.

"Hey, is it me, or does the cave not seem as dark as I thought it should?" Naruto asked aloud to Lillie, who looked to the entrance. The two blondes saw that, while it was dark, it wasn't as obscured by the natural darkness as it should've been.

"Maybe someone has a lantern set near the entrance?" Lillie suggested, earning a shrug from Naruto as they both stepped inside. Once they walked through the natural entrance, they saw that some lights had been strung on the sidewalls of the cavern, giving an artificial light that ruined the natural atmosphere. "This can't be good for any Pokémon who live here…"

"It isn't. Look," Naruto replied, pointing to a colony of blue colored bats that were flying around in a daze. Some of the little blue bats were so disoriented by the artificial lights that they flew into the walls.

Holding out his PokéDex, Naruto gather information on them.

"Zubat: The Bat Pokémon. While living in pitch-black caverns, their eyes gradually grew shut and deprived them of vision. They use ultrasonic waves to detect obstacles."

One in particular, who appeared smaller than the average Pokémon in the colony, flew into one of the lights and broke the glass bulb with its wing. The heated light inside burned the Zubat's wing, making it screech in pain before falling to the floor. It struggled to get up, trying to flap its wings before hissing in pain.

The rest of the colony moved on as best they could, ignoring the cries of their fallen brother and retreating to safer areas of Mt. Moon's caverns. Naruto frowned sadly at that, slowly walking over to the Zubat and crouching down next to him.

"Hey, buddy," he greeted gently, earning his attention. "You look pretty hurt. Why don't you let me and my friend take a look at that wing of yours?"

He hissed at them and tried to take off, but his wings barely let him hover above the ground before the burn became too much. It tumbled ungracefully and gave a frustrated cry before trying again and again. Each time was the same, gradually getting worse as the pain of his burn and his growing exhaustion made him continuously fall back down.

After the tenth attempt, the Zubat laid where he fell, weakly raising its head towards where his colony had flown towards. He felt vibrations in the ground and smelled the human from before crouched beside him once again.

"If you let us heal your wing, we'll help find your colony too, little guy," Naruto promised, waiting for a response.

The Zubat regarded the human silently for some time, smelling him out and listening to his heartbeat thanks to his superior hearing. After his moment of silent contemplation, he gave a short nod and allowed the human to pick him up and carry him over to the scent of the female human traveling with him.

"Got any Burn Heals, Lillie-chan?"

"Hang on," she replied, searching through her pack after putting aside the incubator and egg her mother gave her. After some searching, she smiled and pulled out a spritz bottle with a red-colored liquid inside. "Here we go."

"You mind spraying it while I hold his wing open?" Naruto requested, using one hand to rub the Zubat's head while the other gently eased his wing open. A couple of spritzes later and the burn was already showing signs of healing. "Sweet! Now, you just gotta rest that wing for a little while and then you'll be back up and flying in no time."

The Zubat flexed his wings warily and, to his pleasant surprise, he found that his wing didn't hurt nearly as bad as it had before. This stunned him, for he hadn't met humans who were this kind to his colony or other Zubat colonies. Most either knocked them out left and right or chased them off; but these two were…different.

(-)

Tired grunts were heard mixed with the sounds of cavern walls being dug into. The culprits behind these noises were two young adults dressed in matching uniforms save for alterations between genders. The woman was a redhead with long hair that swept in a graceful curve and stopped just below her backside. The man had blue hair that was cut just above his shoulders and framed his face perfectly.

Beside them, walking on two legs, was a cream colored feline Pokémon with brown fur on the tips of his hind legs and his slightly curled tail. He had six prominent whiskers with four poking out from the sides of his face and the final two pointed upwards, framing a golden coin that had a brilliant sheen to it. on his head, like the two humans, was a bump cap with a light attached while he was using a pickaxe alongside them.

These three were Jessie, James, and Meowth of the infamous Team Rocket, a criminal organization that had originated in the Kanto Region; though, they were rumored to have members in various other regions.

"Anything?" Jessie asked, her voice showing tired annoyance.

"Nothing," James answered with a grunt as he struck the wall once more. "You'd think that a cavern named after the Moon Stone would have a wellspring of them for the taking."

"We just gotta dig deeper!" Meowth exclaimed, putting more effort into his swings. "I swear I saw a Clefairy earlier, and they're known to worship the original Moon Stone. If we can find that and give it to the Boss…"

The Pokémon let the statement hang, and his human companions both smirked in agreement. Nodding as one, the three resumed their digging with more gusto than before.

(-)

"Let's see if we can do anything about these lights," Naruto mused, reaching up to pull a section of them down. When he saw that they were all connected, an idea passed through his mind. "Akitsu, c'mere."

When she went over, Naruto used a pocket knife to cut the casing surrounding the wires open, showing the exposed wires to the Vulpix. Getting the idea, she waited for him to set them down and get clear before she hit the wires with some snow. The frost melted, and the water short-circuited the wires before the lights went out, the darkness covering the caverns as the lights turned off down the line.

"It looks like whoever set up these lights went down that way," Lillie mused, pulling out a glow stick to give them a light source; one that was more environmentally friendly. "We should probably- Look!" she gasped out, raising the glow stick to try and light up the area more.

Turning to where she was looking, Naruto's violet eyes widened at what Lillie had noticed. Walking around before them was a bipedal pink Pokémon with a chubby, vaguely star-shaped body. A small, pointed tooth protruded from the upper left corner of its mouth and it had wrinkles beside its black oval eyes. Dark pink oval markings were seen on its cheeks and it had two small wings and some large pointed ears with brown tips. A tuft of fur curled over its forehead, much like its large upward-curling tail while each stocky arm had two small claws and a thumb on each hand, and each of its feet had a single toenail.

"That's a Clefairy," Naruto exclaimed quietly, holding up his PokéDex.

"Clefairy: The Fairy Pokémon. On every night of a full moon, they come out to play. When dawn arrives, the tired Clefairy go to sleep nestled up against each other in deep and quiet mountains."

"Oh, it's so cute!" Lillie gushed, making sure not to do so too loudly. She didn't want to surprise the Pokémon. "Naruto, you have to catch it for me! Please!"

"You don't have any Pokémon that can battle, do you?" he asked, earning a headshake from her. "Okay, then." He pulled out a PokéBall and handed it to her. "I'll try and weaken it for you. When I tell you to, throw that Ball and see if it'll capture it."

She nodded eagerly before setting her features into a firm – yet adorable – look of determination. "I'm ready."

Nodding back, Naruto turned back to the Fairy Pokémon and declared, "Akitsu, use Powder Snow!"

After a deep inhale, the Ice Type let out a burst of snow with a cry of, "PIX!"

The Clefairy looked to them in surprise when she heard the cry, leaping to the side to avoid the attack. With a squeak of fear, she turned tail and started to run, followed by the two humans and Pokémon. The Zubat had decided to nestle himself in Naruto's hair, observing the scene without a care. It wasn't like he could fly off until his wing was better, anyway.

"Keep at it, Akitsu!"

"Vulpix!" she replied, sending out burst after burst of powderized snow at the Fairy Pokémon, who frantically dodged them and kept heading deeper into the caverns.

"I was hoping we wouldn't have to chase it!" Lillie despaired, feeling guilty. "I didn't want to scare it!"

"Hey, you wanted a Clefairy, and this is the best opportunity now!" Naruto replied before turning back to the Clefairy. "Akitsu, cut it off with Quick Attack!"

The ice vixen nodded before she blurred forward, racing past the Fairy Type before stopping directly in her path, making the Clefairy hop back in surprise before she noticed that she was cut off on both sides. She gave a whimper and backed herself against the wall, looking absolutely terrified.

Lillie saw this and felt her guilt skyrocket, prompting her to place her arm in front of Naruto to hold him off. With careful steps, she approached the Clefairy before crouching down in front of her, making her hide behind her stubby arms.

"It's okay," she whispered, making the Pokémon peek at her. "I'm sorry that we frightened you; but, I was hoping to catch you in this." The confession was supported by Lillie showing the Clefairy the empty PokéBall. "I've seen pictures, heard rumors, and read all about Clefairy before I came here to the Kanto Region. They always fascinated me with how they could've come from space."

Lillie had her attention, and the Clefairy slowly lowered her arms to her chest.

Smiling, the blonde continued, "I know that catching you will be a big change, and I hope you're willing to forgive us for chasing you. But, if you come with us, I promise that I'll take very good care of you so that you can be the best Clefairy you can be. I want to become a Pokémon Trainer like my onii-chan, and I think that you'll help me get there."

"…Ry?" the Fairy Type replied, sounding unsure.

"I promise to be there for you, if you'll be there for me," Lillie finished, holding out the PokéBall to the Clefairy. She set the Ball down and took a step back, giving the Pokémon the choice.

Black eyes shifted between the PokéBall and the human girl before them, taking occasional glances at the boy behind the girl and the strangely colored Vulpix that had moved back over to his side. They then looked up to the Zubat resting in spiky hair, tilting her head at him curiously before turning her attention back to Lillie.

Slowly, she approached the PokéBall and picked it up in her hands, staring into her reflection on the red top of the sphere. She gave a final look to Lillie, locking eyes with her and seeing the genuine kindness in them. Slowly smiling, she made her decision and poked the button on the PokéBall, letting herself be sucked into the device before it pinged.

Grinning, Naruto stepped up to his friend and patted her back. "Congrats, Lillie-chan. You've gotten your first Pokémon."

Shocked green eyes were locked on the PokéBall for a few moments before Lillie moved over to it and picked it up. Pressing the button gingerly, she let out her new Pokémon and saw the Clefairy smiling brightly at her.

"Fairy! Clefairy!" she greeted, moving over to hug Lillie's leg.

Her eyes grew misty as she reached down and picked up the Pokémon. "You're my first Pokémon…" she whispered in disbelief, yet there was an immense feeling of happiness in her voice. Hugging the Pokémon to her, she cheered out, "I've gotten my first Pokémon!"

Naruto smiled softly at his pseudo sister, happy for her and the joy she was feeling. He was the same way when Akitsu had hatched from her egg, hugging her close and cheering repeatedly how they would be the best partners in history.

Feeling something brush his leg, he looked down and saw Akitsu nuzzling her head against him before giving him an understanding smile. He grinned back at her before reaching down to pet her head and scratch her ears. She purred at his touch, relishing in the feeling of her best friend and partner.

Unknown to everyone, the Zubat had observed everything from atop the Uzumaki's head.

(-)

Having decided to give her new Clefairy the name Pippi (1), Lillie let her first Pokémon stay out of her PokéBall and walk around with them as they continued traversing the caverns of Mt. Moon. It helped that Pippi took the lead so that her new partner wouldn't get lost in the maze of tunnels.

"Hey, Pippi," Naruto began, earning the Clefairy's attention, "have you seen a colony of Zubat? They would've been dazed by the lights that were strung up earlier. This guy," he pointed to the Zubat on his head, "was part of that colony, and we were going to help him get back to them."

Pippi nodded in understanding before she took on a thinking posture, trying to recall if she saw such a colony. After a moment's thought, she frowned sadly and shook her head.

"It's okay," Lillie assured her. "It was probably hard to notice since those lights were messing with so many Pokémon."

"Yeah… When I find the people who put up those lights, I'm giving them a piece of my mind," Naruto vowed.

"Just…make sure to hear them out at least, onii-chan."

"No promises…"

Resuming their trek, Pippi lead them to another fork in the path; but, she looked noticeably confused at the sight. "What's wrong, Pippi-chan?" Lillie asked, earning an unsure coo from the Fairy Type. Turning back to Naruto, she said, "I think one of these paths wasn't here before."

"Meaning that either a Pokémon dug it recently, or someone else did it to dig deeper. Moon Stones are pretty valuable, after all. I wouldn't be surprised if more and more tunnels were made in search of them."

"What should we do?"

"Well, we can't split up. You haven't gotten any practice in battling, and I don't feel comfortable leaving you by yourself." He took a moment to think about which path to take, leaning back against the wall as he did so.

The Zubat on his head rose up slightly, stretching out his wings and testing them out. To his joy, his once burnt wing had been healed and no longer hurt as he flapped it. So, getting airborne, he flew off Naruto's head and hovered between the two paths, earning the attention of everyone else. A high-pitched cry echoed from him, making Akitsu whine and flatten her ears with her forepaws.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and waited for the Zubat to act, widening them when the Poison/Flying Type turned back to them with a pleased look and tilted his head to the rightmost path. "You sure?"

Nodding, the Zubat floated over to the entrance of the path, screeching at them to follow.

"Alright then. Ready to go, everyone?"

"I'm ready," Lillie answered while Pippi and Akitsu both nodded.

Smiling at them, Naruto turned back to the Zubat and said, "Lead the way, buddy."

The Bat Pokémon stilled for a moment at the warmth it felt before mentally shaking it off and leading the others down the path. However, a small part couldn't fully shake off how he felt. And it felt…nice.

(-)

"I told you to get better lights, James," Jessie admonished as she and Meowth watched the man look at the wiring in the lights they brought.

"The wires are fried," James informed them. "Something must've caused them to short-circuit in a different part, which affected them all since they were linked."

"Wonderful…" the redhead groused sarcastically.

"Well, at least we still have our helmet lights," Meowth pointed out…before his started to flicker. "Or…maybe not."

"Crap! Dig faster, you two!" Jessie ordered in panic, prompting the trio to pick at the wall in a frenzy. Amazingly, their growing fear of losing their lights gave them the strength to break through the wall they were working on.

And on the other side of that was a rocky clearing with a massive gray stone on some sort of pedestal.

(-)

Still following the Zubat, the Alolan blondes ran through the tunnels he guided them through. As they moved, Naruto took note of something hanging on the walls when he raised his glow stick.

"Lillie, there are more of those lights hung up here."

"Do you think Zubat is leading us to whoever put them up?" she asked.

"Probably. I just hope there's a way out down this path."

The Zubat slowed to a stop, hovering around an exit way and the end of the light strings. He looked back to the blondes before moving to float in front of Naruto. The two regarded one another silently, saying nothing for a moment before Naruto grinned at him.

"Thanks for the help, buddy. Go ahead and find your missing colony. We can make our way out from here." Reaching his hand out, he gently patted the bat's head. "Good luck. Hope you find your friends."

With that, he and Lillie led their Pokémon through the opening while the Zubat turned to watch them leave. Confliction swam through his mind as he considered what to do. The colony helped raise him, but they rarely helped a member if something happened to them; usually leaving them to handle it on their own.

On the other hand, the two humans he had spent his recent time with were nice people. They helped heal his wing and let him travel with them as it healed. Plus, there was this strange underlying warmth he couldn't shake off when he was around them.

Looking down the path behind him, he gave a supersonic cry and waited for anyone to respond. When nothing happened, he knew what to do.

(-)

"It's…"

"…beautiful…" Lillie finished in a whisper as they witnessed the fabled Moon Stone before them, fittingly highlighted by the full moon of the night. "Pippi, look…"

"Fairy!" Pippi cheered, having seen the stone before. Still, she was pleased that her new friends liked it.

Naruto noticed some smaller pieces of the large space rock on the ground, reaching down to pick one up. "Hey, Pippi? You mind if I take one of these? I only want one."

She nodded, not seeing a problem with it. She then turned to Lillie questioningly, only to earn a headshake from her. "I don't need one. I prefer you as a Clefairy. You're cuter this way."

Pippi's cheeks grew rosy and she held them with an embarrassed coo, making Naruto and Lillie laugh. The moment was cut short when Akitsu perked up and growled at the rock, making Naruto frown towards it.

"Alright! Whoever is out there, come out!" he ordered. "This is an important relic to the Clefairy!"

"Damn, it's a pair of twerps," a female voice groused as two people and an upright Meowth moved into view from behind the Moon Stone. "Well, we're out. What now, kid?"

"Who are you guys? Why were you hiding behind the Moon Stone and why did you set up those lights?" Naruto questioned, frowning at them.

(Play "Team Rocket Theme" from the Pokémon anime)

Smirking, the two humans stood back-to-back with their arms crossed. "You want to know, huh? Well, if you really want to, then prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!" the blue-haired man continued.

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all peoples within our nation…"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"

"To extend our reach to the stars above…"

The woman's smirk grew as she said, "Jessie!"

The man pulled a single rose from…somewhere and held it dramatically close to his face as he continued, "And James!"

"We're Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"

"So, surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" the Pokémon finished, surprising Naruto and Lillie at how it spoke in human tongue.

(Stop Music)

"Wait… Team Rocket?" Naruto repeated before glaring at them. "So, you're all part of the crime syndicate here in the Kanto Region!"

"Guilty as charged," Jessie replied. "And if you don't mind, we're in the middle of a job; so, beat it!"

"Like hell I will! Akitsu, let's take care of them!"

(Play "Vs. Team Rainbow Rocket" from Ultra Sun/Moon)

"Vul!" she cried in response, leaping in front of her partner and landing in a low crouch with a growl.

The trio of criminals blinked at the sight of a white Vulpix. "Hey, what gives?" Meowth called out. "Your Pokémon ain't right, twerp!"

Giving them a smirk of his own, the Uzumaki fired back, "Says you! Akitsu, use Icy Wind!"

"Vul…PIX!" the ice vixen cried after a deep inhale, unleashing a gust of frigid air at them.

Diving away from the Ice Type attack, Jessie and James pulled out their own PokéBalls and sent out their Pokémon. "Go, Ekans/Koffing!"

The Ekans was a purple snake with a yellow rattle tail and matching yellow eyes. Koffing was a purple Pokémon in a ball shape that had many openings that let out a noxious smoke.

"Tch! Poison Types… Lillie, keep Pippi out of this fight!"

"Hey, that twerpette has a Clefairy!" Meowth revealed, bringing out his claws and leaping towards Lillie and Pippi. "Let's see how you like my Fury Swipes!"

"Pippi, use uh… U-Use…" Lillie tried to command, but she fell short when she didn't know what move to use.

"Use Defense Curl!" Naruto ordered before turning to his own battle. "Akitsu, use Hail followed by Double Team!"

Pippi covered herself with her arms and projected a spherical field of energy around her, lessening the damage Meowth threw at her while Akitsu called forth drops of hail before casting illusionary copies of herself. Meowth growled at his attack being lessened, pouncing on Pippi and gnawing at her protective shell with a Bite attack.

"Pippi! Use Disarming Voice!" Lillie called out, having pulled out her own PokéDex and checking the moves her Pokémon knew currently.

The Clefairy's eyes gained a pink hue as she let out a shrill cry that blew Meowth away, making him tumble along the ground before he righted himself. "Geez, that hurt you ball of dough!" he cried, readying his claws again before charging.

Meanwhile, Akitsu was having trouble dealing with her opponents simultaneously. Koffing had used Smog to deal with the illusions while Ekans had used Dig to hide from view. She felt a tremor beneath her and quickly dove away as Ekans burst from the ground and tried to Bite her.

"Akitsu, use Extrasensory to pick up Ekans!" Naruto ordered, prompting his partner to gain a golden glow around her form and in her eyes. The Ekans gained a similar glow as it was forcibly lifted off the ground. "Now, launch it at the Koffing!"

"VUL!" Akitsu cried, using her Psychic Type attack to slingshot Ekans into Koffing's direction, nailing the Poison Gas Pokémon and sending both Poison Types into the wall surrounding the chamber they were in.

"Ekans, get up and use Toxic!" Jessie demanded.

"And Koffing, you use Smokescreen!"

Untangling themselves, they both glared at the Vulpix and attacked. Ekans sent forth a shot of corrosive violet liquid while Koffing unleashed a cloud of black smoke that hid both Pokémon from sight.

"Akitsu, duck!" Naruto ordered, and she obeyed, letting the shot of Toxic sail safely over her form and land on the ground behind her. "Blow away the smoke with Icy Wind!"

"Vulpix!" she complied, using her Ice Type attack to clear away the cloud and revealed nothing. Team Rocket and their two Poison Types were gone.

(Stop Music)

"Crap! They got away!" Naruto cursed before he noticed something else missing. "And they took the Moon Stone!"

"Hey, you guys!" Meowth cried, noticing that he had been left behind. "Wait up, will ya?!"

Following after them, he rushed through another natural pathway of Mt. Moon, quickly tailed by Naruto, Lillie, and their Pokémon. "You're not getting away!" Lillie declared, holding Pippi in her arms so that the Fairy Type wouldn't lag behind.

Akitsu had leapt onto Naruto's shoulder as he ran, glaring at the retreating Normal Type. "Get back here!" Naruto ordered before a screech caught his attention. Looking to the side, he saw that the Zubat he and Lillie had helped was flying next to him. "Zubat! You followed us?"

The Poison/Flying Type nodded before he flapped harder to get in front of the two blondes before he let out a grinding Screech attack. The narrowed passage of the tunnel let the soundwave travel with ease and crash into Meowth, who stumbled and held his ringing ears before Zubat followed up with a Wing Attack.

"Nice job!" Naruto praised, seeing the Scratch Cat Pokémon get knocked out by the combo attack. "Akitsu, freeze his paws together real quick."

"Vulpix," she replied with a nod before she used Powder Snow to cover Meowth's paws in ice and lock them together.

"Great! Now, let's keep moving! Zubat, can you see if Team Rocket is still close?"

"Bat! Zubat!" he replied before letting out a supersonic trill, the soundwaves bouncing off the walls and traveling ahead. After a moment, he perked up and nodded once before taking off.

"Lillie, let's go!"

"Right!" she affirmed before following her friend after the Bat Pokémon.

They ran as fast as they could, chasing after Team Rocket and catching up with them just in time for the duo and their Pokémon to be halted by a small group of Clefairy…with an Onix residing behind them and looking rather angry.

"I think we took the wrong passage," Jessie whimpered, intimidated by the size of the Rock Snake Pokémon.

"Y-You said it," James agreed.

"Oi!" Naruto called out, earning their attention. "Last chance; give back the Moon Stone and we'll let you go. Your buddy is stuck in the caverns behind us."

"Looks like they took care of Meowth," James grumbled.

"You really expect us to believe that you can convince that thing to let us walk away?" Jessie questioned skeptically, gesturing to the glowering Onix.

Naruto turned to the Rock/Ground Type, locking his violet eyes with its black ones. "If they surrender the stone, will you let them leave?"

The Onix growled at the notion before the Clefairy in front of it gave pleading coos. With a final growl, it reluctantly nodded and shifted slightly away from Team Rocket.

"There," Naruto declared. "Now, you two can pack up and get out."

"Tch! To think we have to accept some pitiful mercy from a damnable twerp," Jessie groused before she returned her Ekans and James returned his Koffing. The duo got down from the Moon Stone and slowly circled around it while Naruto and Lillie circled as well, standing close to the relic. "Don't think this changes anything, twerp!"

"We'll deal with you next time!" James finished before the duo took off down the caverns to pick up Meowth and leave Mt. Moon.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he held, Naruto turned to the group of Pokémon with a smile. "Thanks for cutting them off, you guys. And I'm sorry we let them get the stone in the first place."

One of the Clefairy waved him off with a smile before turning to the Onix and gesturing to the Moon Stone with a pushing motion. The Rock Snake Pokémon nodded before it started to shove the stone back down the path with its broad head. The group of Clefairy gave polite bows to the two blondes and their Pokémon before following the Onix; though, the one that had made the request stayed back for a moment, looking to Pippi in Lillie's arms.

The two shared a silent conversation before the wild Clefairy smiled and gave a single nod in understanding. She then directed her smile to Lillie and Naruto before catching up with her fellow Fairy Types.

"Well…that was a thing," Naruto joked with a sheepish chuckle.

"A big thing," Lillie agreed with a giggle before she turned around and gave a sigh of relief at the exit ahead. "Looks like we made it through the mountain."

"That's good to see. Cerulean City should be a short walk from the exit," Naruto pointed out before he felt a tug on his shirt. Turning, he saw that it was the Zubat that had done it. "Oh, right! Thanks again for your help, buddy! We really needed it."

The Zubat said nothing and simply floated in front of Naruto's face, studying the blonde Uzumaki for a few moments before nodding to himself with a sense of finality. His mind made up, he descended to Naruto's belt and used his wing to knock a PokéBall onto the ground before nudging the button with his head. The ball shook just once before it pinged, signaling how the Zubat was successfully captured.

Blinking in surprise, Naruto picked up the occupied PokéBall and let out the Zubat again, seeing it greet him happily. "You want to join us, do you?" A firm nod was his answer. "It won't be easy, y'know. I'm aiming for the very top; to be the best in Kanto." Another nod. "You have what it takes to help me get there, then?" A third nod, accompanied by a determined cry. Naruto grinned at the small bat and declared, "Then welcome to the group, Shiina!" (2)

The newly named Zubat did an excited loop in place with another determined cry. He then settled himself once more in Naruto's hair, earning a chuckle from the Uzumaki as he turned to his friend.

"Another one for the team," he stated.

"You're halfway done, onii-chan," she replied.

"Yep, but no matter who fills the remaining three spots, we'll all reach the top and show Kanto that we're Number 1, ttebayo!"

"Vulpix!" Akitsu exclaimed.

A burst of light came from Naruto's belt and Kusano revealed herself with an excited expression. "Oddish!"

"Zu, Zubat!" Shiina rounded up, sounding as determined as ever.

He gave his three Pokémon his signature foxy grin before returning Kusano and Shiina to their PokéBalls and letting Akitsu reclaim her position on his shoulder. "Now, let's get out of here and get to Cerulean."

"Right!/Fairy!" Lillie and Pippi agreed as the group exited the cave.

(-)

"…You're sure about this?" a shadowed figured questioned from the other side of a video phone that Team Rocket – who had disguised themselves with matching trench coats – was using.

"Positive, sir," Jessie answered. "The twerp that got in the way of our job had a Vulpix that was white as snow and was using Ice Type moves."

"It was also pretty powerful when the brat was taking charge," James added. "It's obvious that the Vulpix is his best Pokémon."

"Interesting…" the Boss mused. "So, one boy has a uniquely powerful Pikachu at his side and another has a Vulpix of opposite typing to ones here in Kanto." He took a moment to think about what to do before reaching a decision. "Alright then. You three will target the Vulpix since you'll be more prepared for it. I'll have Cassidy and Butch go after the Pikachu."

"Yes, Giovanni sir!" the trio declared before ending the call and heading out.

They had a blonde twerp with an icy vixen to find.

(-)

1~ Pippi is the Japanese name for "Clefairy". So, I figured that it was a good name for Lillie's Clefairy. Plus, it was so cute watching Lillie argue with Lusamine in the anime about "Pippi and Pixie"! *laughing*

2~ Shiina is Sekirei #107. He's one of the few male Sekirei with powers opposite of Kusano. His name literally means "Death", and poison can be very deadly. So, that's where Zubat's name comes in.

And that's the end of the fourth chapter! What'd you guys think? Tell me your thoughts on both the chapter and Naruto's growing team, please!

I'll give you guys a hint about the next member of Naruto's team: it'll start off as a single type before becoming dual-typed, and it will be named Mutsu, Sekirei #05 and manipulator of earth!

I look forward to reading your guesses and reviews!

One last thing: I posted a poll in regards to my Naruto/Sekirei Xover! Please vote on it!

Until next time!

~pain17ification~