Theme Song
Oh oh, it's time to grow (Comis flies towards the screen and uses X-Scissor)
Let's let everybody know (Nikki throws two Pokeballs and Eevee and Skitty appear, Cole throws one and Slakoth appears, Gray throws four and her Pokemon appear. Then, a fifth appears and covers the screen in poison before its frozen by another Pokemon)
How strong we've become (Skitty swoons over Ferus while Comis looks on jealously)
And that we fight as one (Comis, Acer, Ferus, and Pertinax appear and fade one after another before two Pokemon appear side by side)
No no, we won't back down (Splitscreen showing all six of Gray's Pokemon getting off the ground and charging at the camera)
We'll fight (2x) another round! (The screen splits in half and shows Ferus, with a figure covered in fire, and Silver's Totodile, with two figures covered in water, glaring at each other)
No matter your strength or size (A teen stares at a picture of himself and a girl when they were kids)
Our eyes are on the prize... (Gray takes a deep breath before stepping out of a dark room and into the light of a stadium)
Pokemon!
What's up, people? Time for another update, and this will be the official opening for the Goldenrod City Tournament. Last chapter, Gray defeated Whitney in their rematch, and Acer evolved! Now, let's get going!
MerlockVonBaron: Acer will be a whole lot stronger than before, and she'll be insanely fast, so that will help her. She won't be one of the three strongest, though, so that will be really good for Gray's team
Dr. Kitten Von Fangtoven: Her chances are definitely way better than what they would've been had one of Acer, Comis, or Ferus not evolved, but I think her winning isn't likely. Of course, even if she did win, she'd battle all of the Gym Leaders, but I don't think I want her to win
jail251: It'll be interesting to see how far each of Gray's rivals go, and where they're seeded in the tournament. Good luck with your summer reading! (I still haven't started mine)
Defender31415: Thanks! Acer's evolution was probably the weirdest, in terms of timing, so far in this story. As for Whitney, I always hated her because she acted like such a baby with crying about losing, plus this is technically 5 years after Owen traveled through Johto, so she's a lot older and more experienced. Top 8 hype!
ShadowDragon9000: I cringed when I read that opening, haha. Breloom is probably one of my fifteen favorite Pokemon, even though I forgot it existed until I made Gray's team, and she'll be an awesome addition to the team, especially with Mach Punch, which she will always have. And if Gray were to ever win one of these tournaments (which I think she will at some point), she would still challenge the Gyms
Pokefan02: It could be. I don't want to ruin it, but I will and say yes
Blaze Falcon: Acer is going to be really, really strong right now, but I think she'll end up being very similar to Leviculus and how he kind of fell off for a little bit. My intentions were to have Pertinax beat Miltank, but I figured with how the levels were working out, why not have Acer win this one? Plus, Pertinax will star in a Gym Battle that suits his fighting-style perfectly
Gray's team
Comis, (m), level 27, Night Slash, Acrobatics, Sand Attack, X-Scissor, Quick Attack*, Feint Attack* - (Gliscor)
Acer, (f), level 23, Mach Punch, Headbutt, Bullet Seed, Stun Spore, Leech Seed*, Poison Powder* - (Breloom)
Ferus, (m), level 24, Ember, Leer, Howl, Smog, Bite*, Fire Fang* - (Houndoom)
Pertinax, (m), level 28, Vice Grip, Seismic Toss, Counter, Vital Throw, Double Hit*, Brick Break* - (Pinsir)
Egg, (N/A): The egg is not close to hatching. There's no guessing how long it will take
"So the Silver Conference rankings are coming out today?" Nikki quizzed as Gray finished signing up for the Goldenrod City Tournament. "Will they post in on their website?"
"No, it's going to be announced when the tournament bracket's released," Gray replied before sitting down in the lobby of the Goldenrod Gym, which was next to the stadium hosting the tournament. "Are you guys ready for this?" the girl quizzed as she looked at her four Pokemon, who nodded in response. "Good. It's going to be really tough for us to pull this out, but I think we should do really well," Gray continued as she took the egg from the Day Care Center out of her bag and checked on it.
"I still can't believe the people at the Day Care Center didn't tell you what was in the egg," Cole said to Gray as he inspected the pink and blue object. "I don't think I know any Pokemon with this color scheme."
"Why don't we look it up?" Slakoth suggested
"No!" Gray shouted, scaring Cole and Slakoth. "I want to be surprised when it hatches. Besides, I doubt we could even find out. It's not even close to hatching." The girl quickly tapped the glass case the egg was in, and noticed it didn't move at all, proving her point.
"I can't wait for when that happens," Nikki told Gray with a smile. "I've never seen a Pokemon hatch from an egg before."
"Neither have I," Eevee said as her trainer brushed her fur. "None of us have."
The three teens looked around at the other Pokemon and they all nodded in agreement with Eevee, making everyone that much more excited. Gray carefully placed the egg back inside her backpack and leaned back in the bleachers, trying to relax. She had three badges, her team was looking better with each passing day, and she was signed up for a tournament that could earn her three badges. Life was good, to say the least.
"Are you guys pumped? I can't wait for this!" Comis shouted while glancing at each of his teammates, who were sitting down near Gray. "After getting to watch the Indigo League, I've been waiting to get my chance to battle in a tournament!"
"We know," Ferus muttered, making Acer and Pertinax laugh while Comis glared at him. "You've only brought that up a hundred times since yesterday. Besides, you don't want to get too amped up, otherwise nerves might get the best of you."
"That's a really good point," Pertinax said while nodding and folding his arms over his chest. "I never thought about that."
"You try calming down when-"
"You got to watch the Indigo League," Acer said, cutting Comis off. The Gliscor scowled at his teammates as they laughed at the comment. "Gray," Acer started as she looked at the clock on the scoreboard, grabbing her trainer's attention. "I think we should leave. Isn't the tournament starting in thirty minutes?"
000
"Thanks for the heads up, Acer," Gray told her Pokemon while patting the Breloom on her head. "If you didn't say anything, we wouldn't have gotten here on time!"
"Seriously?" Nikki chastised, making Gray sweat drop while the blonde and Cole laughed at her.
The trio of trainers had arrived at the stadium next to the Goldenrod Gym, and it was just as big as the stadiums in Vermilion City and Saffron City. They were in the trainer room, along with seventy other people and a bunch of Pokemon, who were talking to each other loudly.
"It looks like the rules are going to be announced in ten minutes," Cole informed Gray as they sat down on a couch that stretched along an entire wall. "And every spot was filled, surprisingly."
"Good. That means we have more competition," Pertinax stated.
"Yeah, and we get to battle more!" Comis exclaimed while bouncing on his tail eagerly.
"Comis?" a voice called, grabbing the Gliscor's attention.
When he turned around, Comis saw a tiny rodent standing a few feet away, and it smiled as its purple body stuck out from the crowd.
"Rattata? What're you doing here?" Comis quizzed before motioning for Gray and Acer to come over. "Are you competing in the tournament?"
"Of course," the normal type said with a hint of excitement. "We just won our third badge two days ago. Now if I could just find Jo-"
"There you are!" Joey shouted as he scooped Rattata into his arms and placed the rodent on his shoulder. "Oh, hey, Gray! Long time no see!" the rookie trainer stated before seeing Comis and Acer, who had evolved, standing next to Gray. "Woah! You've been doing some serious training!"
"Haha, yeah we have. Cole, Nikki, come here for a sec," Gray ordered, making her friends walk to her side. "This is Joey and his Rattata. We battled them back when we first arrived in Johto. Joey, these are my friends, Cole and Nikki."
"Nice to meet you," Gray's traveling companions greeted in unison.
"Likewise. Say, Gray, where's your Houndour?" Joey asked while adjusting his belt, which held four Pokeballs.
"I don't know," the brunette replied while looking for Ferus.
"Say that again and I'll rip your head off!" Ferus screamed, making Gray sweat drop while Nikki and Joey looked around in confusion, unaware of Ferus' violent personality.
"Granbull, stop!" a girl shouted. "Wigglytuff, can you handle this?"
Gray and the others immediately ran towards the sound and stopped once they reached the girl. Ferus continued snarling despite Pertinax holding him back, and a bipedal bulldog was barking before a Wigglytuff smacked him across the face.
"Savannah! Hey!" Gray greeted as she ran over to her rival from Kanto and hugged her. "You're signed up for the tournament?"
"That's right! We actually just beat the Gym Leader in Ecruteak City, but it was far from a walk in the park," the petite redhead answered before seeing Joey, Cole, and Nikki standing behind Gray.
"Guys, this is Savannah. We actually battled each other a couple of times back in Kanto," Gray started. "Savannah, that's Joey, who's one of my rivals, and they're Nikki and Cole. They're traveling with me."
After exchanging hellos, the group of teens sat down on the couch running along the back wall of the trainer room, and Gray's Pokemon played with Savannah's. In addition to Wigglytuff, Granbull, and Mismagius, Savannah also had a Sunkern. The tiny Pokemon refused to play with the others, as she was too scared of them.
"What kind of Pokemon do you have, Joey?" Savannah quizzed while watching Comis and Wigglytuff talk while Mismagius and Granbull tried their hardest to not fight with Acer and Ferus, respectively.
"Oh, I totally forgot to show you. Come on out, everyone!" Joey shouted while tossing three Pokeballs in the air.
Suddenly, a Scraggy and Piloswine appeared, and Rattata hopped off Joey's shoulder, landing on Piloswine's back. The fourth Pokemon looked around at its surroundings and beamed upon seeing Gray and Comis, who were confused until Joey spoke up.
"I caught Piloswine after finding it injured outside Violet City, probably because of when the Houndour attacked," Joey started, making Ferus sweat drop. "And Quilava was given to me by Professor Elm. He said something about some girl convincing him to let her go on a journey, and I just so happened to be visiting my folks in New Bark Town."
"Wait, that's the Cyndaquil from Elm's?" Comis asked aloud, making Joey nod. "Man, it's a small world."
Everyone looked at Gray, waiting for her to explain Comis' words, and she did.
"When we got to New Bark Town, we met Cyndaquil and tried getting her to join us. Professor Elm didn't let it happen," the girl announced, making everyone nod while Ferus glared at the four legged fire type.
"It's a good thing you didn't get her," Scraggy said while holding his elastic skin. "Quilava's probably the strongest."
Ferus continued to glare at the smiling Pokemon as Gray patted her on the head. He stopped, however, when he felt a hand fall on his back. He turned to see Slakoth shaking his head, which made Ferus grunt before turning his back to Quilava. The hound began to growl, catching everyone's attention, and they soon saw a Braixen walk forwards while glaring at the Houndoom.
"Hey! What's going on, guys?" James greeted while waving at Gray, Cole, and their Pokemon. Once he saw the confused looks on the faces of Nikki, Joey, and Savannah, James smiled sheepishly and began rubbing the back of his head. "I'm James. Nice to meet you."
Once again, greetings were exchanged, and the growing group waited patiently until all of the competing trainers were called to the battlefield. Gray quickly rose to her feet and zapped Acer, Ferus, and Pertinax back into their Pokeballs while Comis walked by her side.
"So, where do you guys think you're ranked?" Joey inquired while Rattata scampered up to his shoulder. "I'm hoping for anything in the top half. That'd be nice."
"Hmm... I don't know," James said while rubbing his chin. "I think I'll go with your thinking and just hope for anything in the top half. What about you two?" James asked Gray and Savannah, who exchanged looks before shrugging.
"I don't really care," Gray answered.
"Yeah! It doesn't matter where they place us, because we're gonna win no matter what!" Comis proclaimed, making Gray sweat drop while everyone else laughed, still walking down a hallway that led to the battlefield.
"Don't make me laugh," a harsh voice spat. "You're not making it past me," the voice continued before Silver appeared, making Gray groan.
"Are you kidding me? We stomped you the last time we battled," Comis retorted confidently, which was answered with a laugh from Silver.
"I'll crush you. Just remember that," Silver warned as he tried to walk away.
"See you later, ketchup head!" James shouted, making Silver curse under his breath wildly while the three other teens laughed. "Man, that guy's an ass."
"You can say that again. I hope we get matched up with him in the first round," Wigglytuff said while punching her fist into her other hand. "Right, Savannah?"
Before Savannah could respond, the group, along with all of the other competitors, arrived at the battlefield. They all looked into the crowd and gasped in shock, as it looked like there were hundreds of thousands of people thanks to there being a roof on the stadium.
"Welcome, all, to the Goldenrod City Tournament! My name's Charles Goodshaw, and I'm the organizer of the tournament!" a short man, with a full head of white hair that reached his back, screamed into the microphone, riling up the crowd. "This tournament will have the same rules as last year's, but I'll explain them for those of you unfamiliar with the way it worked."
The entire arena quieted down and waited for Charles to speak as he stood on a stage.
"The entire tournament will take place over the next three days, so that means there will be two rounds per day. The opening round of the tournament will only be two versus two battles, while the rest of the tournament will feature three versus three battles. The winner will receive credit for three additional Gym Badges, so there's some major incentive for winning, besides the fact that you're standing in the Silver Conference rankings will improve."
"Sounds simple enough," Savannah muttered, which everyone agreed with.
"Now, let's reveal the bracket!" Charles screamed all of a sudden before pointing at four scoreboards, which were hung from the roof and rested about thirty feet above the middle of the battlefield.
The sixty four trainers stared up at the screens and waited to see their pictures, when all of a sudden, four brackets appeared, one on each of the scoreboards.
"Where am I?" Gray thought to herself as she walked away from one of the scoreboards and looked at another. There, she found her picture and saw she was at the top of the bracket, above everyone else.
"Holy crap! We're a one seed!" Comis shrieked before jumping towards Gray and hugging her in excitement. "That's so cool!"
"Now, do we see anyone we know?" Gray asked aloud, ignoring Comis. "Joey's a nine seed, so we'd have to battle him in the second round, and it looks like Silver could battle us if we both made it to the top 16," Gray said noticing Silver was a thirteen seed, and would be going up against the four in the first round.
Comis stopped celebrating once he heard the news, and he immediately flew over to the rookie trainer and his Rattata, guiding them back to Gray. Once they looked up at the bracket, they frowned slightly.
"Damn, we weren't in the top half," Rattata muttered. "But if we win, at least we get another shot at you two," he continued, eyeing Gray and Comis, who nodded in response.
"We better get training! I want to make it as far in this tournament as possible!" Joey shouted.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming! As you all know, your tickets for today are also good for tomorrow, where I'm sure plenty of great battles will take place!"
JINKIES! Gray's a one seed, and that means she's currently considered one of the top four trainers in Johto, at the moment. All of her rivals are aiming to win the tournament, so Gray's going to have a really hard time winning the tournament, as one should expect. Next chapter will be the opening round, so get pumped! Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Stinking up the Joint"
With the GCT underway, Gray has her sights set on cruising to the championship. Of course, things won't be that easy, and she'll run into a bit of a problem after her first round battle. What is it? Will Gray be able to solve this problem?
Goldenrod City Arc
Chapter 27: Rattata's Revenge!
Chapter 28: Pseudo-Confidence
Chapter 29: ?
Chapter 30: ?
Chapter 31: ?