Hello! Sorry for being late everyone. I would tell you why I haven't been around for about four months bow, but trust me, the explanation would take longer than writing the whole chapter. So, I'm just gonna be diving head into this one. I'll be updating What You Need soon after this, so don't worry.

Chm01: Yes, Naruto will have more than six Pokémon.

the shadow overlord279: No, he will.

RoyalTwinFangs: Ninjask using Dig to dodge will definitely be showing up later.

Raidentensho: Naruto's water Pokémon is already picked out, and I'm sorry to say, but it won't be a Gyarados. That's not to say someone won't have a Gyarados, but it just won't be Naruto.

Duder Skanks: I'm glad you enjoy the story! While Naruto's dragon-type is already decided upon, the ground-type position is still open and it's between Trapinch and one other ground-type. Also, I can certainly say that by the time the League comes around, other people will show up.

Rinneganmight: Someone will have an Absol, but it won't be Naruto, and it won't be until towards the end of the story—but the Absol will be extremely powerful, I can say that. Also, I'm trying to avoid giving Naruto a starter, so Venasaur will, again appear with someone else later on. Also, I definitely agree with you on the whole development of the team thing, but it's surprisingly easy to get caught up in the quick pace of writing these chapters—it's something I'm gonna have to work on.

I AM YOU: Naruto and Maylene will probably meet up with Zabuza either on route or in Pastoria. As for Pokémon types for Dark and Ice, they've already been picked, sorry. Characters like Jimmy or Brendan will appear in the League, too.

Vandenbz: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I can definitely say that Ash will eventually meet Naruto.

RenegadeWarrior: At least to my knowledge, being part Poison type doesn't mean you can't get poisoned, but it may be one of those things I don't know about and have never noticed.

Kai Orihomunon: Don't worry about it, I don't find it at annoying at all—I'd rather have someone correct me than me continue to make stupid mistakes. I suppose I should explain myself a little too—I'm kind of setting how the moves would work by combining the games, anime, logic, and my own personal experiences playing the games. For example, whenever I played Ruby, my Pokémon could never hit anyone with Rock Tomb, so I made it have low accuracy in the story. Leech Seed, yeah, I know it needs to make physical contact, but that's something that I used logic and anime rules for and thought "Why would the seeds go away if they miss? And if you step on them if they stay, isn't that physical contact?" Again, that's just my own way of thinking—it's probably a pretty stupid, but it made for an interesting tactic, at least I thought so. For the moving thing, I think you might of mixed up a part when Gardenia used Grass-Knot for Leech Seed, but I might of just wrote it wrong. And I checked up on Nincada's and Ninjask's moves beforehand and, yeah, Bug is good against Grass, but the only Bug moved he learned (This was before Gen. 5 and Bug-Bite) was Leech Life, which isn't that strong a move. Plus, Air-Cutter gave Naruto and Haku interaction as a Move Tutor.

"…So…are you two…like, brothers or something?" Naruto blinked as he looked back and forth between his two new Bug Pokémon as they encircled his head. Nighttime had fallen a good few hours ago, and Maylene had gone to bed already. They were just about a mile from Cycling Road, and since neither of them had a bike, they would be taking the underpass of the bridge to get to Hearthome, known for being longer, filled with more trainers, and having some unique Pokémon compared to the quicker Cycling Road. They had opted to sleep under the stars in a field by the road they were walking and Naruto was still far too pumped-up from his recent success to sleep. While Maylene lay sleeping at their campsite, Naruto had decided to take a small walk with his Pokémon, and had stopped to sit in the field and stare at the stars with them once the campsite was out of sight.

"Nin…" Ninjask hummed quietly, perfectly content to chase his younger brother…older brother…twin…cousin? Naruto wasn't quite sure how they were related, and had taken up the task of figuring it out. He looked to Shedinja, who, as a soft breeze came rolling in, was knocked to the ground.

"Shed…" Shedinja seemed to sigh, not bothering to try and move back into the air.

Naruto sweat-dropped, "…You're not very motivated, are you?"

"Shed…" Shedinja mumbled lazily, still unmoving.

"And you…you're pretty energetic, aren't you?" Naruto looked back to Ninjask, who was still encircling his head happily, "Both came from the same Pokémon, but you two are nothing alike, huh?"

"Pichu!" Pichu, who had been riding in the night's sky on Beldum's back, hopped down into his lap and grinned up at Naruto.

"Yeah, I see you, buddy," Naruto chuckled a little and rubbed Pichu's head, "You've gotten a lot braver since we started this journey, haven't you? I remember you used to flinch a lot in battle."

Pichu blushed at the praise and raised one arm to rub the back of his head, much like Naruto had the habit of doing, "Pichu!"

"Heh, guess I'm starting to rub off on you," Naruto laughed.

"Duskull!"

Naruto sweat-dropped as he looked to Duskull, who was hovering just a few inches off the ground about three feet away from him and was currently rubbing the Reaper's Cloth they picked up at the Old Chateau against his cheek, "You…really love that thing, don't you?"

Naruto palmed his face as he saw Duskull proceed to tie the cloth around his…neck? Did Duskull have a neck? Well, either way, he tied it into a cape and proceeded to zoom around with it on, much like Naruto had seen superheroes do in comics, "Maybe you like that thing a little too much."

Kadabra had opted to stay back at the campsite and sleep, promising to protect Maylene if anything happened. Apparently, despite evolving, Kadabra retained his love of sleep from his days as an Abra—it was a miracle the Psychic-type hadn't fallen asleep in the middle of a battle yet, honestly.

"Hey, Beldum, why can you only use Take-Down? Doesn't it hurt?" Naruto called up to his Pokémon in the sky, who suddenly stopped and tilted itself down to look at Naruto.

"Bel?"

"You don't know either, huh?" Naruto smiled, "Well, I'm sure you'll learn all sorts of moves one day!"

"Bel!" Beldum closed its one eye in an upside-down "U" as it returned to happily floating around once more.

Naruto returned his gaze to the stars and let out a small sigh, "I should be happy that I got my second badge, but…Sasuke's probably already got his fourth. Sakura, Ino, and Hinata probably have at least three ribbons each by now. Chouji's probably learning under a Pokéchef and making great Poffins. Gaara…who knows? He may already be at the League by now. Am I really that bad of a trainer?"

"Well, I would say yes, but it seems you'd probably find some way to convince yourself you're not, so I don't see the point in bothering."

"Damn it…can't you just leave me alone?" Naruto groaned, turning to face the man he had run into so many times before.

"I would love to, so stop showing up where I go," the man shot back, before pulling out a small device and pointing it towards the ground.

"…" Naruto frowned, turning away from the man.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…So…what are you even doing?" Naruto grimaced, 'For once, I wish I didn't hate silences.'

"…Why do you care?" the man frowned.

"Fine! Don't tell me!" Naruto growled, turning away as silence reigned for a few more moments before the blond heard a sigh.

"If you must know, it's called a Dowsing Machine," the man answered, "It lets me search for buried items."

"Oh…" Naruto blinked, generally surprised the man had spoken.

"…As for your other question, it does not matter."

"What?" Naruto blinked and turned towards the man.

"You asked if you were a terrible trainer—it doesn't matter," the man spoke, looking into his device, "Stop measuring yourself by other's feats—if they move at a quicker, more efficient pace than you, of course you'll always come up short. If you go at your own pace, do well, and still make it to the same destination as others, why does it matter how you got there or when? There're times in life when one will be mocked, where it seems pointless to even try and everyone you meet will simply discourage you. It is at those times when you must show your resolve the most and push forward."

"My…resolve?" Naruto blinked.

"We all have goals, dreams that we wish to obtain and mountains we must overcome. It is something that connects us all and through the uniqueness of those dreams and mountains, we are divided. And because of that uniqueness, we developed our own resolves—reasons for pushing forward and how hard we will try to do so. As a trainer, it is how you raise your Pokémon that determines their resolve, and that is what will allow them to win in battle. If you truly want to be a great trainer," the man spoke, "Then strengthen your resolve and push yourself so far ahead that no one else will be able to catch up to you."

Naruto stared at the man as his Pokémon all gathered around him, staring at the man in confusion.

"Your Pokémon seem to support you, so, as much as I hate to admit it to an annoying brat like you, as a trainer, you might not be half-bad," the man mumbled, "Well, I've preached long enough, and it seems the item I'm looking for isn't here, so I'll be on my way."

The man could feel the young trainer's eyes on his back as he began to walk away, not expecting any sort of reply. That is why he was so surprised when Naruto's voice called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oi, jiji!" Naruto called, "…Thanks."

"…What is your name, boy?" the man called back.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto replied.

"I see…Naruto, eh? I will remember it," the man said as he walked away without another word.

Naruto and his Pokémon sat there in silence for a moment, contemplating the man's words.

"…Resolve, huh?" Naruto mumbled, before stifling a yawn with his hands, "Well, c'mon guys, let's get back to camp and get some sleep."

"Damn…this is taking forever…" Naruto panted, resting under a tree with Maylene. The two had been hiking through what was probably the rockiest route they had ever taken that, of course, just happened to have many twists and turns. The bridge that was Cycling Road stood about half a mile away, taunting them. The sun was high in the sky and the shade was scarce, the rough terrain making it difficult for any trees to grow.

"We've only been walking for a few miles, Naruto," Maylene sighed, "That's what happens when you stay up late—if you know we have a long day ahead of us, why did you go for a walk last night?"

"I couldn't sleep," Naruto grumbled, "Stupid resolve…I'd rather have a bike."

Before Maylene could question what Naruto meant by that, a new voice interjected.

"But then you'd miss out on all the great scenery!"

Naruto and Maylene looked up to see a smiling woman approaching them. She had long, flowing blonde hair which fell over one eye revealing only one happy, smoke-gray eye that matched the warm smile on her face. She wore a long black coat that flowed down just a little past her knees, with matching black pants and a top.

"Scenery? There's nothing but rocks and grass!" Naruto complained.

"But if you look closely, you can find some really interesting things, you know?" the woman smiled, "There are some rare Pokémon out here."

Maylene sighed as she saw a gleam enter Naruto's eyes, "Naruto, if we stop to catch Pokémon, it will be nigh—"

"Rare Pokémon?" Naruto grinned, running up to the woman.

"That's right," the woman smiled, "This is the only place in Sinnoh where Gible are known to gather. When a Gible is fully evolved, it becomes a powerful Pokémon known as Garchomp."

"Is Garchomp really strong?" Naruto was practically drooling.

The woman nodded, "It's a Dragon-type and one of the strongest Pokémon in Sinnoh."

Maylene sighed once more—as soon as Naruto heard the word "Dragon", she knew he was sold. Proving her correct, Naruto leapt for joy and immediately began questioning the woman on what Gible looked like and where he could find one around here. Naruto was so caught up, in fact, he didn't even notice another figure walking up towards them.

"Don't bother, drop-out—you wouldn't be able to catch something like a Dragon-type Pokémon," Sasuke smirked as he walked into Naruto's view.

"Sasuke! What're you doing here?" Naruto growled, clenching his fists as he looked at his rival.

Sasuke frowned and jerked his thumb behind him, "As it turns out, the Gym Leader at Veilstone turned tail and ran off, so I'm doing some training before I take on the Hearthome Gym Leader."

"Eh? Why'd you skip the Hearthome Gym in the first place?" Naruto blinked, "Isn't it the closest from Eterna?"

"Idiot. The Hearthome Gym is considered to be the first of the top four Gyms in Sinnoh—the strongest Gym Leaders. Taking out the weaklings is far easier, quicker, and it gives my team more experience," Sasuke replied, "So, how many badges, dobe?"

"I've already got my second," Naruto frowned, "How many badges do you have? And what do you mean 'top four gyms'?"

"I already have my third," Sasuke smirked, "Let me guess—you got your badges from Oreburgh and Eterna, right? Those gyms are the weakest in Sinnoh. That Roark guy has barely even been a leader for a year and that Gardenia girl freaks out at the sight of Ghost Pokémon—it's no wonder their gyms got destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Naruto blinked, before his eyes widened, 'That's right…both Roark and Gardenia said their gyms were being repaired…'

"You didn't hear?" Sasuke blinked, "Apparently some real hotshot trainer is going around thrashing the gyms so badly that even the gym gets completely wrecked. All the gamblers and big-wigs are saying that if it's true, he's going to be their draft-pick to finish first in the Pokémon League and maybe even beat the Champion."

"Actually, I have to ask you something about that, young man," the woman spoke, stepping into the conversation, "Since you said the Veilstone Gym Leader was gone, I'm assuming that your third badge is from Pastoria, correct? What was the condition of the gym there?"

"Pastoria's Gym? Completely fine," Sasuke replied, before glancing skeptically at the woman, "You…you're Cynthia, aren't you? The ex-Champion?"

"…That's right," Cynthia smiled, "But right now, I'm just a wandering trainer. Why do you ask?"

"It's not every day I get to meet a Champion…I want you to battle me," Sasuke declared, much to Naruto's and Maylene's surprise, "I know I won't win, but I know I'll regret it if I don't face you now."

"Are you kidding, Sasuke-teme? You just said she's a Champion! She'll wipe the floor with you!" Naruto shouted.

"Shut up, dobe. Just because you want to be kissing the ground all the time, doesn't mean the rest of us don't want to rise up and actually improve," Sasuke glared.

"What'd you say?" Naruto growled.

"Calm down, Naruto! You're letting him get under your skin!" Maylene spoke calmly as she grabbed Naruto's shoulder.

"I don't care! This bastard's had a beating coming for awhile now!" Naruto roared angrily, clenching his fists.

"If you think you can actually put up a fight, go for it—I need a good laugh," Sasuke shot back.

"Boys, boys! Calm down for a second," Cynthia spoke, stepping in between the rivals, "You wanted to face me, right? Well, if you can beat your friend right here, right now, I'll let you face me in Celestic Town."

"Why not now?" Sasuke frowned.

"I don't have my strongest Pokémon on hand—you wouldn't want an empty challenge, right?" Cynthia smiled, "And Naruto, if you win, I'll show you wear to find that Gible you were dying to catch."

"…Got it!" Naruto grinned, "A chance to kick Sasuke's ass and catch a cool Pokémon—it's a win-win!"

"The only problem in your "win-win" is that first you have to win," Sasuke smirked, "And that won't be happening."

"You wouldn't mind being the referee for the battle, would you, Maylene?" Cynthia smiled as she turned and winked at Maylene. Maylene jumped at being caught by the Champion, who smiled and mouthed "We'll talk about it later" while Sasuke and Naruto were distracted by their glaring contest.

"R-Right!" Maylene let out a relieved sigh before standing in between Naruto and Sasuke, "This will be a one-on-one match! The battle will continue until one trainer forfeits or their Pokémon are unable to battle! Will both trainers please present their Pokémon?"

Naruto smirked and tossed out his Pokéball, "Let's make this quick, Duskull!"

"Dusk!" Duskull emerged from his Pokéball ready to go, with his Reaper's Cloth still tied into a cape.

"A Ghost-type, huh? Well, let's see how it handles this! Show them their place, Honchcrow!" Sasuke smirked, tossing his own Pokéball out. The ball hit the ground and opened, and once the bright light that followed dimmed down, standing there was a rather intimidating Flying-type. On its head seemed to be a fedora hat that hung over to just cover its crimson-red eyes, though Naruto could see that it was only a formation of feathers. It had a sharp, yellow beak that stuck out just above its puffed-out chest which was covered by a mass of white feathers. Its main color was black, yet on the inside of its wings and end of its tail were red feathers, adding to the intimidation with the sharp talons on its feet finishing the package.

"Duskull, use—"

"Swagger," Sasuke ordered. Honchcrow's eyes seemed to glow as sharp as rubies in the sunlight for a moment, and it looked Duskull right in the eyes before the glow died down. Immediately Duskull growled and threw itself at Honchcrow, without waiting for Naruto's orders. Honchcrow flapped its wings and fluttered into the air, dodging the attack as Duskull collided with the ground. Duskull immediately recovered and fired a Shadow Ball up at Honchcrow, who dodged once more.

"Wing-Attack," Sasuke called. Honchcrow's wings began to glow silver as wind began to pick up around them. Its wings outstretched, it soared down and rammed Duskull on its wings, sending the Ghost-type spiraling into the air.

"Duskull, wait a second!" Naruto called out, only for Duskull to ignore him and fire a Nightshade that missed.

"Swagger is a move that boosts the opponent's Attack, but causes them to be confused," Cynthia explained, "While a Pokémon's confused, it won't listen to its trainer and will even hurt itself."

"What?" Naruto grimaced, "Duskull, you gotta snap out of it!"

"DUS!" Duskull roared as it launched a flurry of Shadow Balls upwards. Honchcrow weaved through them, ducking and twirling to dodge the assault.

"Finish it—Brave Bird," Sasuke glared.

"Crow!" Honchcrow called as it continued to dodge the Shadow Balls. In its descent, it began to pick up speed and momentum, aided by gravity, and slowly began to be covered by electrical blue flames.

"Duskull, dodge it!" Naruto called desperately.

"CROW!" Honchcrow roared as it slammed into Duskull, throwing them both into the ground and kicking up a large amount of dust and dirt. Before the dust could clear, though, Honchcrow flew up and out of the smoke, slightly worn from the attack but completely fine otherwise.

"It's over—you might as well call it," Sasuke called. Maylene frowned and ignored him, instead choosing to stare intently at the dust that had begun to waver. Naruto and Cynthia stood silently, waiting to see what the outcome of the attack was. When the dust finally settled down, Duskull was lying on the ground, completely knocked out.

"As I thought…that was a critical hit…" Cynthia mumbled, "Your Honchcrow…its ability is Super Lucky, isn't it?"

"You really were a Champion, weren't you? To be able to tell that from just one hit…yes, my Honchcrow has Super Lucky, the ability that raises critical hit rates," Sasuke nodded as he watched Naruto recall his Duskull, "Did you expect something different? I told you—you always kiss the ground while I struggle to get to new heights—there's a difference in our strength, Naruto."

"You did great, Duskull," Naruto whispered to his friend before glaring at Sasuke. In the time he knew Sasuke, he understood how Sasuke spoke. If he meant it to be a taunt or a boast, he would always call Naruto dobe, loser, idiot, or lately, drop-out. However, whenever Sasuke was completely serious and truly believed something, he never called the blond anything but his name.

"Duskull is unable to battle—the match goes to Sasuke!" Maylene frowned as she raised her hand towards Sasuke.

"Honchcrow, come back," Sasuke said as he returned his Pokémon to its Pokéball. Turning to Cynthia, he nodded before walking past Naruto to head further up the road, "Once I've won in Hearthome, I'll come look for you in Celestic Town."

"…I'm going to look for a Gible," Naruto walked away without another word, leaving Maylene and Cynthia behind. Before Maylene could go after him, however, Cynthia rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Let him go," Cynthia smiled sadly, "At his age, especially when he's just getting started, getting beaten by a rival that bad can be hard. He needs to prove something to himself, by himself, right now."

Maylene watched Naruto's retreating form but nodded, "…Alright."

"Why don't we head down to Hearthome—you can tell me why you're away from the Gym," Cynthia smiled reassuringly at Maylene, "Your father sent out his best pupil to look for you—Gai's been out searching all over for you."

"…Tch. 'Kissing the ground'? Who does that asshole thing he is? 'Did I expect anything different'? Bastard!" Naruto growled to himself as he stormed off of the road and into the wilderness. He was now under the shade of the bridge, which was surprisingly more grassy and lush than the rocky trail he was just on. Naruto kicked a stone hard into the grass, "And how big of an idiot am I? Did I actually believe any of the crap that old bastard spewed about resolve?"

Naruto punched a large bolder that stood an inch away from him, ignoring the pain that shot through his arm, "My father abandoned me! My mother died and he still didn't come back! Yet people still praise him like he's some damn hero and all they see in me is him! I'm just some stupid, good-for-nothing idiot to everyone else! Enduring all that for the first years of my life, waiting for the chance to get out and prove them all wrong, and even starting off short and still attempting to claw my way to the top—and my resolve still isn't strong enough? Damn it…will someone, anybody—just tell me what the hell I'm doing wrong!"

"Gi…"

Naruto froze. Turning quickly, he saw what appeared to be a tiny…shark? Before Naruto could get a closer look at the thing sticking out of the tall grass, it darted back in and took off, the grass displaced from its movements marking where it went.

"H…Hey, wait a minute!" Naruto shouted as he chased after it. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, and soon, Naruto wasn't sure how long her had spent chasing after what he wasn't even sure was a Gible. Eventually, though, as the twilight sky started to take away the heat of the afternoon, Naruto emerged from the grass to find his target standing there staring at him. It was small, probably not even measuring up to his knee, and blue with an orange belly, two stubby legs and two equally stubby arms. Its forehead had a large fin, with a single jag in the middle of it and on either side of the fin were two large bulges with a vertical blue stripe on them. Its mouth was large, and six sharp teeth—two on the bottom of the mouth and four on the top of its mouth. The most noticeable feature, though, was the long, deep scar that ran over one of its onyx-black eyes. It glared at Naruto, and with a cry of "Gible" released the blue fire that was Dragon Rage from its mouth towards him.

Naruto's eyes widened as he leapt out of the way, the grass behind him being scorched to ash. Naruto turned his head up angrily from the ground, only to find the Gible had run back into the cave. Naruto gritted his teeth and charged in after the Gible, determination winning over precaution in his mind. Sasuke thought he couldn't handle a Dragon-type? He'd prove him wrong. The next time they met, Naruto would trounce him! And that Gible would help him do it.

If there was one place in Sinnoh that one should never be caught in, it was Wayward Cave. Wayward Cave was full of rare items and Pokémon, but the path was so disorienting and confusing, coupled with the inky darkness of the cave, that almost everyone who entered found themselves lost—that was why the Hearthome Emergency Rescue Workers were regarded as the best in all of Sinnoh—every year, they had to rescue trainers who got lost in the cave, thinking that they would be able to handle it and, with visions of Gible and treasure, entered unprepared. That was why Gible were a very rare Pokémon for trainers to have—unless bred outside of the cave, rarely anyone could get to one, as they rarely left the deepest recesses of Wayward Cave. And Naruto, not knowing any of this, had charged in headfirst—and was now completely lost.

"Damn it…if there was ever a time that I needed a Pokémon that knows Flash…" Naruto frowned as he took another step forward, his outstretched hand running along the damp wall of the cave.

"…Ever since I've come to Sinnoh, I've been searching for a strong opponent…and so far nothing. Maybe Sinnoh is just filled with a bunch of weaklings."

"That was pathetic. Give up on being a trainer—you aren't cut out to be one."

'Gaara…' Naruto growled, moving just a bit quicker as anger entered his mind.

"Shut up, dobe. Just because you want to be kissing the ground all the time, doesn't mean the rest of us don't want to rise up and actually improve."

"Did you expect something different? I told you—you always kiss the ground while I struggle to get to new heights—there's a difference in our strength, Naruto."

'Sasuke…' Naruto's glare practically pierced the darkness of the cave, his fist clenched as his pace quickened even more.

"My team and I have been training to take on any challenge! I'm looking forward to this year's League!"

'Minato…!" Naruto's anger clouded his mind, so much so that he didn't notice the light at the end of the tunnel he currently charging down, "I won't lose to any of you!"

Naruto ran through the exit he had stumbled upon, only to find himself in an large, rock dome, with the night's sky peaking through the opening in the cave's ceiling, A small waterfall ran down one wall, creating a river that flowed out of the clearing and allowed lush grass to grow over the hard stones. There, standing in the center of the room, was a large swarm of Gible, with a single, taller Pokémon standing before them all. It resembled a Gible, but taller with different features. For one, the whites of its eyes were pitch black and the iris was yellow. The fin on top of its head was now on its back, leading to a tail with a smaller fin on it. Its arms were longer, with a single white claw on either one and a single fin on its forearms. Its legs were also longer, with two sharps spikes on both of its thighs. The Pokémon reared back its head and opened its mouth, letting out a ferocious roar, "GABITE!"

Naruto noticed that once the Gabite roared, all the Gible grew silent and one in particular, with a noticeable scar on its eye, stepped forward. Naruto frowned when he saw the Gible, 'That's the one that attacked me outside the cave…what's it doing?'

"Gab! Gabite! Bite!" the Gabite roared angrily at the Gible, who looked to the ground before the Gabite.

"…Gible," the Gible muttered weakly.

"Gabite!"

"…Gi…"

The Gabite's glare seemed to sharpen as anger and resentment entered its eyes, "Gabite?"

Naruto's mind froze when he saw the Gible finally look up from the ground, the glare in the tiny shark's eyes reminding him of the glare he would send to the statue of his father in the park. The Gible took a step forward and unwaveringly shouted, "Gible!"

Gabite's irises seemed to shrink back in pure fury, and the fin on its right forearm started to glow as it charged up a Dragon Claw, "Gabite!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked from the attack to the scar on the Gible's eye, 'Don't tell me that's how…!'

"GABITE!" Gabite roared and charged forward, its Dragon Claw extended.

"Take-Down, Beldum!"

Beldum collided with Gabite's head, knocking it to the ground a good few feet away. The Gibles all seemed to growl in shock, surprise, and anger seeing their leader attacked as Naruto rushed into the middle of the fray. He and Beldum stood in front of the scarred Gible, shielding it from the Gabite. The Gabite stood once more as the crowd of Gible began to advance slowly on Naruto and Beldum.

"Gabite!" Gabite roared, causing the Gible to freeze in their tracks and take three steps back. The Gabite then turned his attention back to Naruto, "Ga?"

Naruto, sensing just what the Dragon-type asked, growled, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, you got that? We won't let you hurt that Gible anymore!"

"Gib!"

Naruto turned to find the scarred Gible staring up at him with a glare. Naruto frowned, kneeled down, and bonked the Pokémon lightly on the head before standing back up and facing the Gabite, "…Idiot. I know what it's like to feel alone. I know what it's like to hate everyone around you. But I know it's hard to admit you need help, too. So, just this once, sit back and relax…and let me show you what it feels like when a friend has your back. Because I'll definitely protect you—that's what my resolve is saying!"

The scarred Gible stared up at Naruto with wide eyes, but said nothing as Naruto and Beldum moved towards Gabite. Naruto glared at the Gabite, "You understand what I'm saying, right? Get up and fight—I'll show you what we "losers" can do!"

"Gabite!" the Gabite shouted, rushing at Beldum with another Dragon Claw.

"Take-Down, Beldum!" Naruto ordered.

"Bel!" Beldum flew at the Dragon-type as quickly as it could. As the Gabite drew back its Dragon Claw and launched it forward, Beldum rammed into the glowing claw, unwilling to back down. The two stayed in a stalemate for a moment before Gabite's second arm started to glow, another Dragon Claw forming.

"Beldum, move!" Naruto shouted. Before Beldum could follow the order, though, Gabite brought his second Dragon Claw down on Beldum, knocking it into the crowd of Gible, which quickly moved away to avoid being hit. Beldum lay on the ground for a moment, unmoving, before rising to the air once more.

"Take-Down, one more time, Beldum!" Naruto shouted. Beldum flew forward with its attack, heading towards Gabite with determination in its eye. It was about ten feet away when Gabite drew back his head and released a powerful Dragon Rage that shot towards Beldum. Beldum, unable to dodge mid-attack, was hit full-force and was knocked back to where it was on the ground.

"Beldum!" Naruto shouted in concern and began to move towards Beldum, only to be blocked by a wall of Gible, "Out of the way, you little bastards! I need to get to Beldum!"

Gabite, meanwhile, was walking up to Beldum, another Dragon Claw charged up and a dangerous glint in its eye. He growled deeply, however, when he found his path blocked by a small, scar-baring Gible, "Gabite!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he turned to check behind him where the scarred Gible once stood, 'When did he…?'

"Gible!"

"Gab!"

"Gi—"

The Gible was knocked aside by a powerful and supper-effective Dragon Claw to the side of his head. The Gible rolled twice as it landed hard on the cave's floor, coming to a stop on its side. The Gabite paid him no more attention and continued on his way to Beldum, who had yet to move. Charging up another Dragon Claw and finally reaching its destination, the Gabite raised the attack over his head just as Beldum began to glow, and brought it down…only for a powerful, vice-like grip to catch his arm. Naruto and the scarred Gible stared in surprise as a new Pokémon stood in Beldum's place. The main body was blue and was disc-shaped, with two white spikes on either side of its head and a single white spike for a nose, which lay in between two glowing red eyes. It had two powerful-looking arms that closely resembled Beldums, each with three white claws on the end. As it held tightly on the Gabite's Dragon Claw, the Pokémon let out a bellowing, "Metang!"

Gabite glared at its new foe, and charged a second Dragon Claw, which it threw forward. Metang quickly caught the attack in its other hand. Suddenly, Gabite began to glow a soft blue and was launched back into the wall of the cave.

"T-That was Confusion…" Naruto slowly broke out into a smile.

"Gabite!" Gabite roared as it launched a Dragon Rage forward, only for Metang to dodge it by hovering higher into the air with a Magnet Rise attack.

Metang, still in the air, proceeded to pull back one of its blue claws, which began to glow silver, as it drew closer to Gabite. Gabite, seeing the Metal Claw attack coming, raised two Dragon Claws over its head to block. As Metang launched the Metal Claw forward, it smashed into Gabite's Dragon Claws with enough force to push the Dragon-type's own attacks into his face, hitting him with his own Dragon Claws and pushing him further into the stone wall. Metang, seeing the attack connect, backed off and glared at his opponent, who fell from the wall to the floor, out cold. The crowd of Gible rushed forward to aid their leader as Metang came hovering back over to Naruto happily.

"You did great, Metang!" Naruto grinned, hugging his Pokémon.

"Tang!" Metang called happily before it was returned to its Pokéball. Naruto then turned to the scarred Gible, who had recently recovered from the hit he took and was looking towards the blond. Naruto grinned at the shark, "From one "loser" to another—remember, we "losers" can get pretty damn strong, too!"

That said, Naruto turned and exited the cave, the Gible staring intently at his retreating form, "…Gible…"

"…Now I remember why I didn't turn around earlier…" Naruto smiled as he looked around the dark, damp cave, "…I'm completely lost!"

"Hey, kid, you Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto blinked as a flashlight shined in his face, "Yeah, that's me, why?"

"We're the Hearthome Emergency Rescue Workers," a tall man explained as he walked towards the blond, "Some girl named Maylene requested that we look for you—she said you had a talent for getting stupidly and hopelessly lost."

"…I was just taking a walk?" Naruto blushed in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, 'Sometimes Maylene, I don't know if I should kiss you or kill you.'

"She said she has ramen waiting for you at the Pokémon Center, too," another worker laughed, before they realized that the blond had rushed past them after those words, "H-Hey, wait, you'll just get lost again!"

'Kiss, definitely kiss!' Naruto thought happily as he ran to see his one, true love—ramen.

And that's a wrap! Like I said, sorry I've been gone for so longer, just trust me when I say I've been busy. I would tell you, but the explanation would take longer than this whole chapter and would bump the story up to an "M" rating. Next time: Naruto vs. Fantina!