Naruto - Team Skull's Mascot

Challenge sent to me by; Corpse Candle

Alright welcome back to another chapter of this story. Now, I have the need to reiterate once again, some of this Harem will be 'Implied' meaning that most, if not all the girls won't confess to Naruto, but the feelings will be there and the image has already been implemented that they will be with him. I have already starting this when Naruto thought of Astrid, Shauna and Miette, how they will be willing to share him.

Anyway, enough of that, let us get onto the next chapter. This one will introduce Astrid, the female character from the Mega Evolution special... also the one who has a Mega Absol.

Chapter 4

"Avalugg is unable to battle, the battle goes to Challenger Astrid!"

As the battle referee gave out that shout that ultimately ended the tough battle that Astrid found herself in, she had a relieved expression on her face as she walked on the field and tried her best not to slip and tumble on the icy field that the battle took place on.

Glancing towards the Pokemon that won her the match, she was met with the sight of her Pyroar barely standing, many scratches and small chunks of ice sticking on its body from the onslaught that the Avalugg had brought against her final Pokemon.

Pyroar is a quadruped, leonine Pokémon. It is mostly dark brown with light brown legs, tail tip, chest, and face. It has a rounded muzzle with a dark brown nose, round ears with dark brown interiors, bright blue eyes, and a dark brown stripe behind each eye. The fur around its thighs is longer and each paw has three toes, there is a tuft of longer fur on the tip of its tail. Her Pyroar has a large, predominantly red mane with gold streaks that expand outwards, giving it a fearsome look to it.

Even though that Pyroar had a difference depending on the gender that it had, Astrid ultimately decided on having a male one, as not only was it much more cuter than the female one, but also due to the fact that the female Pyroar's were much more roudier and were harder to control when they fully evolved... also, the fact that male Pyroar's are much more rarer than the female varients might've also played a role in why she chose a male over a female one.

As she was cuddling up with the male lion Pokemon and giving it many different praises, she idly heard the sound of a Pokemon being returned to it's Poke Ball, it was then she also heard the distinct sound of someone walking across the battlefield, quickly returning her Pyroar to it's Poke Ball with one last praise, she quickly pocketed said Poke Ball in her large winter jacket.

Bringing her gaze away from where her Pokemon stood just moments before and towards the Gym Leader of Snowbelle City, Wulfric, she noticed that he was making his way towards her, a tiny smiling that was gracing his face with tiny jiggles happening with his rather large gut that was barely held back by the simple white tank top that he had on.

Wulfric is a tall and fair-skinned man with light blue eyes, neatly combed whitish-blue hair - along with a beard and mustache -, and a very fat, yet muscular body. He wears a blue winter jacket with red edges that he keeps open, along with a white tank top, black pants, black boots with red heels, and a spiky black furry ruff around his neck. He also wears a locket around his neck that contains a Key Stone.

Standing up and brushing herself off, she tried her best to have her posture as straight as possible without it throwing off her balance on the icy field below.

"Well done, that was a fine battle that we had." He said, his voice was rather jolly despite the large and imposing figure that he had, it also didn't help that he had this serious aura about him that basically screamed out for someone to respect him, "It seems that all of your hard work has paid off, as you have earned your final Gym Badge." He spoke out, briefly glancing to the official that was making his way over towards them, carrying a small tray that contained the badge he was talking about.

As soon as the official was within arms reach, Wulfric grabbed the badge that was placed on the tray and presented it to Astrid, "You know, with this, you can finally sign up for the Lumiose Conference. Some of the competition might be rough, but if you believe in your Pokemon and train hard enough, then the rewards will follow. Just remember, not everything is about winning." He stated, getting Astrid to nod her head at that.

She might've been like that at the beginning, however, after many run ins with Naruto, she had finally learned that winning wasn't everything. It was so much more than that, and she was thankful for it, as she found much more enjoyment when it came to battling.

Although, she would vehemently deny such accusations if they were to come up in conversations.

"Thank you." Astrid spoke out, after pocketing the badge in one of her pockets. She would need to place it in her badge case when she got back to the hotel room, she'll be damned if she took her gloves off in here of all places. It was too freezing!

Wulfric simply waved off her thanks. It was his job if he lost, then he would hand over the badge, "I do hope that you do well in the tournament, there are already some tough trainers who got all eight badges, especially that Naruto kid." Wulfric said, his eyes shining in delight at the thought of watching the battles in the tournament. Afterall, one of the those trainers could be the head honcho of the region one day, "I know you will do great, I feel it... in my belly!" He exclaimed, giving his rather portly belly a large smack, which in turn created a rather loud 'thumping' noise and it was unfortunate as Astrid's eyes noticed the rippling that it had on his belly.

It was enough for her to wish that she could simply never see that again, but sadly, that was etched into her mind for a long time to come now.

However, some of Wulfric's statement finally registered in her mind, and it was enough to take away any stray thoughts of the jiggling portly belly, "Naruto made it?" She questioned in surprise. Sure, she might've been his 'rival' of sorts - not her choice mind you - but she also wished that he would have failed.

It felt weird being in the same place at the same time with him. She didn't even know what to think or how to act. She acted all prim and proper to others, however, once Naruto was in the fray, she was like an almighty Tsundere... whatever that meant. She had only just learnt of the word thanks to Miette, and yet for the life of her, she couldn't figure out the meaning to the word.

All she knew is that it caused Shauna to titter uncontrollably with Miette gazing at her in amusement.

"Indeed! Quite an interesting fellow, his battle style is interesting and his team dynamic is something else. I wouldn't be surprised if he made it to the finals!" Wulfric said, grinning a little as he remembered the rather short teen and the way he worked with his Pokemon.

Using such interesting Pokemon, ones that were rather rare to see with trainers this late in their journey as well! His opponents need to take some extra consideration when battling him, the sheer unpredictablilty he had was enough for anyone to stay on their toes.

"Thank you for that information." Astrid said, rather greatful that she now had knowledge that Naruto did indeed gather all eight badges himself. Last time they had met, she had five badges and he only had four.

It surprised her a little to know that he had gathered the eight badges quicker than her despite her being a badge ahead, however, that only solidified her resolve to beat him in the conference.

With those thoughts in mind, she said her final goodbyes to the rather jolly and portly Wulfric as she exited the arena before making her way out of the gym itself.

She wanted to warm up in her hotel that she booked a room for and maybe have a nice cup of hot chocolate with marshmellows to go along with it.

Astrid allowed herself to sigh in relief as she entered her room in the hotel. It was nice of the house keeping ladies to keep the heating on for the rather expensive room - she had enough money to book a five-star hotel room for a few nights - and now that the cold chills from outside had been overcome by the nice and even heat from the heating system, she allowed herself to finally take off the rather large and baggy winter jacket that she had to put on.

Yes, she wasn't a massive fan of the cold. It was one of the reasons why Snowbelle had been one of the few places that she was not looking forward to visiting... at least the boutique the city had to offer had some fine clothing - although, they were mainly appealing to those who liked cold places, it didn't stop her from looking around.

Sighing in relief now that the large and baggy fabric was free from her person, she dusted herself off from any lingering shards of ice or fallen snowflakes - most of which melted rather quickly due to the quick change in heat - and walked herself over towards the full body mirror that the room had, and once she did so, she looked herself over in the mirror.

She couldn't help but smile at the person who greeted her in the mirror.

Astrid was someone who prided in herself for how she looked, which led many to believe that was a narcissist, which was true in a way. Although, some couldn't blame her, as most teenaged girls all went through that phase at one point in their teenaged years and possible early adult life.

She was a rather average girl in terms of height, standing at roughly 5'5 and her violet eyes gleamed in self-confidence with a hint of arrogance with every action she took, she also has waist-length blonde albino hair which is perfectly maintaned - barring the few specks of snow within her tresses - and as a small decoration, a purple pin was in place to hold her bangs out of her line of sight.

Wearing a purple long-sleeved vest with fuchsia lines at the end of the sleeves and white buttons that hold back her rather modest C-cup breasts. She also wears a matching white handkerchief with the buttons attached to the collar of her vest. She wears a simple, purple skirt with a fuchsia line that surrounds the whole garment, and a new addition to her outfit, she wore black tights that - you guessed it - had fuschia floral patterns on them. Finally, she wears a pair of purple knee-length boots with fuchsia lines as well. She also wears a Key Stone as an earring on her right ear.

While she wasn't a huge fan of tights, but she felt they were necessary for the cold location she was in, and she had to admit, they did show bring even more attention to her legs, making them look all that more greater and in her opinion, made her look even more appealing to those who met her.

'Maybe I should keep them on... and just get a thinner pair to not overheat myself.' She thought to herself, posing a few times, making sure to accentuate her legs and her hidden derriere that was hidden behind the fabric of her skirt.

Although, a stray thought entered her mind and she wondered what Naruto would think of the new addition to her outfit.

As quickly as the thought came, it was gone all the quicker when Astrid slapped her cheeks, blushing furiously as she tried her hardest to not even think of him. Even mentioning his name was enough to make her blush like a schoolgirl!

Flopping down on one of the softest beds that she ever had the pleasure to sit down on, she tried fixing herelf up once again, trying to destroy any thoughts about the rather... adorable and short teen that she had a crush on, and as much as she tried to deny any sort of attraction towards him, her other friends knew otherwise.

'Hmph, it's not like he knows I 'like' him.' She thought to herself with a small huff, not knowing she was completely wrong with that remark, grumbling to herself after a moment of silence, Astrid got back up from the comfortable bed and made her way over towards one of the walls of the room where her travel calender was. Quickly flicking through the calender, she noticed that she had seven weeks at best to prepare for the Lumiose Conference, "Seven weeks to train for the tournament... now, where to train..." With that she trailed off, her mind thinking of some places to train that would suit her Pokemon.

Like most trainers, her team was rather diverse in types, only ever repeating a typing twice - and that was with Pyroar and Talonflame - so, she needed a place that would not only suit for her Pokemon, but also with suiting herself as she wasn't a massive fan of the cold, so that already got rid of the places surrounding this city, 'Maybe Santalune Forest... I heard there were some powerful Pokemon deep in that forest...' She thought to herself.

Since Sauna came from the rather small town that was a few miles away from the forest itself, she had known that there were indeed some powerful Pokemon deep within the forest, it had even built some sort of reputation that the new trainers coming from her hometown or the very next town to only stick to the path in the forest, otherwise someone would be in danger if there Pokemon were too weak.

Nodding her head, she made the decision to check that place out, she just needed to make sure she had the necessary resources for the trip and time within the forest - off the beaten path - and making sure that she had the money to back up the need for the resources.

Although, she had some inkling that her mother sent her some sort of allowance already. Being the daughter of a 'Lady Mayoress' of Aquacode Town did have its perks... mainly having a rather nice monthly allowance that allowed her to book these sorts of rooms at will.

Although, she didn't always spend it all, she made sure to keep some hanging back in her account where she could indulge in some of the things she wanted, and maybe even book a nice, long holiday to another region in the future when she felt up to it.

Shaking her head away from those thoughts of the future, she remembered where she was and what she was needing to do, clencing her hands so tightly that her flawless skin was turning rather white and her manicured fingernails were nearly digging into her skin with how hard she had them clenched, "I will beat you Naruto... I will win this game between us." She muttered out, licking her lips at the thought of finally getting her first win against Naruto in a Pokemon battle.

Then, after she did that, she would reward herself for doing such a deed and it would bring her so much pleasure!

ACHOO

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Valerie questioned, a concerned look on her face as she just witnessed the object of her affections sneeze without warning or from any other possible source.

They weren't in a cold enviroment that could lead to a flu, and they certainly weren't near any pollinating flowers or in a area that had pollen floating about. It was odd, those were some of the reasons why people sneezed in the first place, either that or they had smelt something that had irritated their nose, however, that wasn't an option either.

Rubbing under his nose, Naruto couldn't help but smile at the way Valerie was acting. While she may be odd and rather socially awkward in some situations - much like himself when he was meeting new people - however, one thing that he knew was that her heart was in the right place, "I'm fine, Val." Naruto reassured her, "Someone must be talking about me." He stated before pulled up the bandana that he had around his neck and covered the lower half of his face with it as he continued looking around, keeping his eye out for any Pokemon that might be looking for a battle.

Feeling something brust against his leg, he looked down and saw that his Liepard was looking up at him, her eyes gleaming in concern at her trainer. Smiling under his bandana, he gently rubbed behind her ear, getting her to lean into the touch and start to purr rather loudly, with the vibrations of said purrs to travel along his hand and into his body, "I'm fine, Silvia." He reassured his Pokemon.

As the ministrations stopped, the large feline Pokemon took one more look at her trainer and dare she think of it; her kitten, to make sure that he was completely fine, she nodded her head and moved her head away from his hand, however, that didn't mean that she moved away from her trainer, in fact, she seemed to move closer to him, making sure that she was basically touching his leg, but making sure that she didn't risk him tripping over her body or her paws.

Yes, Liepard did think of Naruto as her kitten, considering that she had basically looked after him when he was sick and injured, and even helped with feeding him when he was all alone in that rundown town, she had bonded to him, and she always wanted to make sure that he was safe and fine.

It was natural for either a feline-like creature or for a feline in general to develop maternal feelings towards something they helped raise or heal in anyway, and with what she did basically allowing Naruto to survive when he was younger, she believed that was reason enough to think that she was his 'mother' in a sense. That was one of the reasons why she didn't like being confined in a Poke Ball, because she wouldn't be able to protect her kitten at all times, and she wouldn't be within touching distance.

Blinking a few times, Valerie titled her head rather cutely, seemingly not understanding how one could sneeze when they were being talked about, "How can that be? That doesn't sound logical." She said to her small companion and object of her affections, her mind still not comprehending that logic behind that.

Although, that didn't stop the mental squeal of delight that she let rip within her mind as she noticed the close and very strong bond that Naruto and Liepard had. It was so strong that Valerie could feel it. The Liepard would do anything to protect her trainer, and she just knew that Naruto would do the same, not only for the Liepard, but for his entire team as well.

Simply waving her off, he decided to humor her further, "After some time, it becomes a gut feeling... nearly a sixth sense basically. Much like how one could get shivers when someone was thinking off something that might be... troubling for said person." He explained to her rather loosely, having got that feeling a couple of times in his short life, however, he couldn't actually explain it using scientific words.

Sometimes using large and obscure words were challenging.

"Uh... OK?" Valerie said, not sounding convinced at all with the way she paused in her speech, however, she shook her head, wanting to get away from this topic before it confused her even further, "So, where are we going, exactly?" She questioned, gazing around the rather obscure and rocky path that they found themselves in.

They were actually an hour or two away - by foot mind you - outside of Gloire City, traversing up the mountainside that was located around the far outskirts just behind the city itself.

In fact, she had never been this way before, mainly due to the fact that she had to return to her Gym Leader duties, but also for the fact that each time she travelled here, she was never wearing the appropriate clothing, however, that had changed after Naruto pointed out where they were going - which resulted in a rather lengthy wait for her to change her clothing.

"Simple, we are going to this nice little spot that I found that I can train at." He explained, "I actually found it by chance when I explored around here the first time I came to this city... it's a hidden gem basically." He finished, taking a glance towards his rather unique traveling companion and training partner.

Having to look up at everyone that was his age or older was really annoying, but it was something that he sadly had to live with for the rest of his life... at least he was still taller then some pre-teens.

'Well, at least I don't have to look up at Silvia.' He thought to himself, glancing downwards at his very first Pokemon and the one that had been there for him since the very beginning.

As if sensing her kitten's thoughts, Liepard looked up and saw that Naruto was looking down at her, his eyes shining with various emotions. Leaning into his hand that wasn't doing anything other than swinging idly as he walked, she gave the back of his hand a rather long lick, making him shiver as the sandpaper-like quality of her tongue went against his flesh.

While it wasn't the best of her clothing articles - having never needed to actually further focus on it in her career - but she was wearing something that could be called hiking clothing, with a rather skin tight pink top that struggled to contain her bust - plus, Naruto could see a hint of her red bra strap - and she was also wearing yoga pants, which did wonders for her figure and hugged her derriere. Another thing to note was that she was wearing simple black sneakers that didn't have any heel additions to them along with having a biege jacket wrapped around her waist in case she got a bit chilly the further they went upwards.

All in all, she looked rather cute dressed up this casually, and seeing her that wasn't in traditonal Ecruteak style nor in rather lavish clothing and fabric, it really suited her. He had even complemented her on the outfit when she finally exited the room, and that action that he did caused a rather healty tint of red to appear on her cheeks.

"If you say so." Valerie simply said, going with Naruto's word, as she hadn't seen or even heard of the place, so she was just going with what Naruto said.

With the duo falling into a comfortable silence as they continued thier treck on the rocky path towards Naruto's self-proclaimed 'hidden gem', although one couldn't see it, they could certainly 'feel' the smirk that had formed on Naruto's face as he remembered one of the 'higher' ranking members of Team Skull calling him.

He said that as loosely as possible, considering that the rankings of Team Skull were quiet literally judged about how well that you were liked between your peers and fellow members. The more annoying you were, the lower you were ranked in the group. It was harsh, but it was simply them.

One did not annoy another without facing the consequences, and those even included television rights and seating rights. The better off you were, the better the seat you got when it was time for a group to watch the television.

He heard many a time that the members of Team Skull were glad that there were multiple televisions in the house in the various rooms it held... although, there were sometimes some colorful words being spoken about the condition of the television itself.

Shaking his head away from those thoughts, he idly wondered what sort of brilliant piece of art that he would create for him for when he made it to the finals of the conference.

'Of course I will make it through.' He thought to himself, his eyes glinting in confidence and determination, 'I will win this. I have to.' Clenching his fist at the images of winning the large scale tournament and being able to take home the beautiful golden trophy that he had seen during the previous years broadcast.

While he was very determined to win, it was for two very different reasons.

The first reason was so he could get the opportunity to take on the Kalos Elite Four and possibly even the champion herself, the best of the best of the region and probably some of the strongest Pokemon trainers in the entire world, simply being able to battle them was something that many dreamed of, but only a few could ever have the pleasure of facing.

He also remembered that being the champion of the region or simply becoming an Elite Four member meant that one did indeed have power and influence over certain things, and if he could accomplish either of those, then it would mean that he could bring the name of Team Skull through the ranks and have them become one of the best... gangs in the world.

Unlike what most people of the Alola region thought, Team Skull weren't exactly evil or bad, just... misguided. If he could become someone of influence within the Kalos region, then he could solidify the notion that even if you were different or simply had different morals compared to others and you could still achieve greatness if you put your mind to it.

In his mind, he would become a shining star that many outcasts of society could look up to.

The reason may be a little... out there and a little... morally adventurous, his heart was at least in the right place.

The other reason that he wanted to win, however, was for something that was much more pure. With the rather handsome sum of money that the winner got from winning the tournament - which would be enough to live comfortably for a few years at best - he would split it between his friends and family, which did mean that he would send most of his winnings to Team Skull back in Alola.

With the winnings that he could win, it would mean that he would finally be able to repay the kindness that Plumeria, Guzma and Rapp, along with the members of Team Skull gave him. With the winnings, Team Skull would finally be able to get the neccessary upgrades to the 'base' back in Po Town, along with them being able to get thier own things without the need to share between six other people.

Then with the rest of the leftover winnings, he would try his best to split it evenly between his friends. Those friends did help him push through the times when he was close to giving up, the very same people that gave him support when he needed it, and the kindness to not only stick with him for all of this time, but to continually help him when his mind wasn't exactly in the right place.

In return, he did everything he could to repay them, either by becoming a rival in Astrid's case, doing his best to watch all of their performances in Shauna's and Miette's case, but to simply be there for others. Even then, he still felt like he needed more to finally be able to become even with them.

Even if he didn't get any prize money, he would be happy enough to know that he made their day, and hopefully, be able to help fund whatever long term dream or goal that they had.

Yelping lightly as he suddenly felt a hand come into contact with his shoulder, not only breaking him out of his deep thought, but also scaring him somewhat, he glared upwards and saw that Valerie was looking at him with a face full of concern and something else that he couldn't quiet recognise.

Tittering lightly, Valerie kneeled down getting closer to his height before she grabbed one of his cheeks and pulling on it lightly, not enough to really hurt, but with just enough strength to stretch them out, "Sorry, you are just too cute when you are lost in thought." She stated, and to Naruto, it almost sounded like she was trying to hold something back, "I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of where we are." She added on as she realised Naruto's cheek - which he soon rubbed, trying his best to soothe some of the tingles that he got.

She tried to ignore the rather fierce look that the Liepard was giving her, merely thinking that she was keeping a close eye on her in case she didn't anything that would either displease her or place her kitten in danger or simply hurt him.

She had to admit, that was one protective Pokemon that Naruto had.

"Ha... ha." Naruto drawled out, sending Valerie a stink eye as he stopped rubbing his cheek, "Anyway, we might be getting close. I can smell the lake up ahead." He said, gesturing with his hands around the North-East direction where he caugth the distinct scent of the lake, "Before you ask; yes, I can smell things a little better then others. Just the way I am." He quickly said, shooting down the question that was beginning to bubble up within the mind of Valerie.

Valerie on the other hand blinked a few times, before she took a couple of sniffs of the air, her face set into one of concentration as she tried to catch the scent of the lake where Naruto was talking about, however, all she could smell was shrubbery around along with the dirt path they were on... she could also smell a faint scent of coconut and... licorice? Sniffing again, she pinpointed that odd combination, and blinked a few times when she noticed that the... unique scent was coming from Naruto and Liepard, "Did you or Silvia have coconut or licorice earlier? She questioned, gazing towards Naruto.

She was rewarded when Naruto's uncovered face turned a rather healthy shade of red, along with Liepard's fur bristling a bit with tints of pink appearing by her whiskered cheeks, "Y-yes... I might've washed myself with licorice scented shower gel..." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head and not daring to look Valerie in the eye - despite her being taller and easily seeing his rather red face for being caught out -, "Liepard also bathed with me... and I washed her fur with some coconut oil shampoo." He added on, gently rubbing the back of Liepard, which not only caused her fur to un-bristle, but for her to start purring once again under the touch she was recieving.

Nodding her head at that, while it might've been an odd combination to have, and for the fact that she had never even heard of licorice scented body wash, it was oddly pleasing for her nose, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, the combination might be a little odd, but it is oddly pleasing to the senses." She said, flashing a small smile towards her short companion.

"T-thanks..." He murmured out, still rather embarrassed for Valerie to catch onto the shampoo and body wash that he used.

With another silence falling over the duo - and the Pokemon - Naruto and Liepard continued to take the lead towards the 'hidden gem' with Valerie falling a pace or two behind while taking in the sights and trying to burn the path into her mind if it was really worth the long hike.

They had seven weeks of doing this before they needed to head to Lumiose City where the conference will be held, and she will try her best to train Naruto to help him win the tournament.

After all, her team was built around speed and grace, and training against her team will not only force Naruto's own team to become quick with reactions and speed, but maybe even rub some of her Pokemon's grace off on them to help improve with some unpredictablility.

Let it be known that it wasn't against the rules for a Gym Leader to help with training of a challenger, the challenger themselves just needed to get the confidence and ask for help... and maybe swallow thier pride if the Gym Leader was stronger than them and they also needed to do as instructed when it came to advice or instructions.

END CHAPTER

Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter is the final chapter and it will have a large time skip and will be in the final battle for the Conference, and of course, your boy, Naruto will be in it! I hope that you like how I have written Astrid so far and I do hope that you like the way I have made Valerie... she is rather odd and unique and hardly used in any fanfiction.

I do hope that you have been enjoying this challenge that was sent to me by Corpse Candle, and I do hope that you support the final chapter of it as well, and that will be when I start fully focussing on Wandering Trainer and finishing up the chapters needed to complete the challenge itself.

This is chapter 4 of 5.