Theme Song
Rock and roll, it's time to go (Gray throws six Pokeballs)
Trust in both a friend and foe (Screen splits in half and shows one side of N's face with light, and another in darkness)
Follow the wind, two tree leaves dance (Alain and Charizard battle alongside Gray and Ferus against Ingo and Emmet in the Battle Subway)
Don't be afraid to take a chance (A Pokemon teleports away from Flare and appears by Gray's side)
Dream on (2x)! It's not my swan song! (Unicus, Bellator, Furcifer, Potens, Celsus, and another Pokemon appear side by side)
Chin up (2x)! The road is long! (Boldore uses Power Gem, Palpitoad uses Muddy Water, and Snivy uses Leaf Tornado before they appear alongside White)
Are you ready for the ride? (Lysandre and Ghetsis meet and shake hands)
Three roads set to collide... (Gray and two boys stand side by side with silhouettes of Bellator, a Blaziken, and a Greninja behind them, respectively)
Pokemon!
Wooh! I love writing anything involving Alain since he's such a badass, and every time he meets up with Gray, things are going to take a darker... or maybe more action-packed(?) turn. Anyhow, last chapter featured Celsus vanquishing Elesa's Zebstrika after Ferus told Gray about some contraption that increased the zebra's attack power. This chapter, as mentioned several times before, will be about Gray and Alain battling Ingo and Emmet, and there will be a couple of curveballs thrown in here. Now let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: Thanks! All of the Gym Leader's teams will be stronger than what they were in the games, so there's more where that came from. Celsus will be pretty beast for a while, but there may or may not be a certain Pokemon that'll steal his spotlight
Warrior of Hope: No way you do XD Those were actually pretty good guesses, too. That Elesa comment is too vicious, haha, and I'm starting to run low on ideas for gimmicks in the battles, so... yeah :/
dragonplayer18: Thanks. Advena's going to be a game-changer when it comes to Gray's team, so that's all I'll say about that. And the two will come together through a common enemy, plus Lysandre doesn't want to destroy the world in this. He only wants to kill everyone that doesn't appreciate Earth, and feel free to keep asking anything that crosses your mind (except the league. I don't know about that yet)
Defender31415: Gracias, and I'd say it was more of Ferus seeing through it than anything. Also, the Pokemon won't have anything to do with winter/Christmas, sadly, though I think I may try to do a "special" for a chapter
JustinThePokemonMaster: No problemo, school first for those that aren't fortunate enough to be seniors (youngest in the grade tho...). And thanks!
Gray's Team
Unicus, (f), level 31, Crush Claw, Magnitude, Swift, Rollout, Gyro Ball*, Slash* - (Sandslash)
Bellator, (m), level 33, Tackle, Revenge, Water Gun, Razor Shell, Aqua Jet*, Water Pulse* - (Dewott)
Furcifer, (f), level 31, Beat Up, Quick Attack, Icy Wind, Feint Attack, Metal Claw*, Agility* - (Sneasel)
Potens, (f), level 28, Tackle, Gust, Bite, Wing Attack, Agility*, Air Cutter* - (Noibat)
Celsus, (m), level 33, Confusion, Assurance, Stomp, Psybeam, Agility*, Zen Headbutt* - (Girafarig)
Ferus, (m), level 60, Flamethrower, Feint Attack, Iron Tail, Foul Play, Bite*, Fire Fang* - (Houndoom)
Once he reached the bottom of the filthy stairs, Alain shuddered and pressed on, careful to avoid any disgusting garbage lying on the ground. While looking around, the nineteen year old spotted several trainers duking it out with their Pokemon.
"Clearly these people are more in my skill range," he thought to himself after watching a Nidorina swipe at a Gengar. "Still, I need to find people that are stronger!" With that thought engrained in his mind, Alain passed several different trainers, all of whom requested a battle but seemed as if they were lacking that killer instinct only two of his previous opponents had shown.
"Charizard, let's go."
Appearing from his Pokeball, Charizard extended his arms and yawned until he took a quick look around to see where he was. After realizing that his trainer had listened to what Caitlin had suggested, the winged lizard grinned in anticipation of a ferocious battle. He was disappointed, however, when everyone passing by simply sped up when they took note of him, which made Alain clench his fists.
"Let's see if there's a section for people that are stronger," the Kalosian said to Charizard, who nodded and followed his trainer down a hallway, which let to another open room, one that was identical to the previous. "Now, is there anyone worth battling in here?"
Suddenly, the black haired trainer spotted a pair of tall men in coats, one being white while the other was black. Solely basing if off their attire, Alain assumed the men were strong and walked over to them as they scanned the area, talking to one another in a hush whisper.
"Excuse me, but I was wondering if either of you would want to battle," Alain stated while showing the men his Mega Bracelet.
Exchanging glances, the identical men shifted their gaze back to Alain and Charizard, both of whom stared right back with an intense fire burning in their eyes.
000
"Hurry up, Gray! What's wrong with you today? You're so slow!" White screamed as she bounded down the street, only to slam her feet against the ground and skid on her heels. "Even Noah's ahead of you!"
Taking offense to the comment, Noah shot the younger girl a nasty look, which made her sweat drop and back away with her hands up to her face. Despite his anger with White, Noah turned and saw Gray strolling along with Ferus, who was marveling at the beautiful building.
The entire thing looked like, at worst, a few years old, with sleek green metal making up the entire exterior, while glass windows allowed everyone, both inside and out, to see through. While the fire type continued staring, Gray shook her head at White, who sweat dropped for a second time and bowed apologetically right away.
"Sorry. It's just, I was never allowed to go in here when I was a kid, and now that I have my own Pokemon and no parents telling me what to do, it's kind of exhilarating, you know?" the sixteen year old asked as she followed her mentor and Noah into the massive building.
Both of the eighteen year olds nodded understandingly until Arcanine stopped and turned to White and Snivy, the latter of whom shot the fire type a puzzled expression.
"Wait, why weren't you allowed to check this place out? It's only battling."
Sighing, White shook her head and resumed her methodical pace, keeping about ten steps behind Gray, Ferus, and Noah, who were laughing about something inaudible. Arcanine noticed the saddened look on White's face and moved closer to her in concern, but she perked up and forced a smile to reassure him everything was fine.
"Well if we're being perfectly honest here, there are some sketchy people that hang around the subway. That, and my parents didn't want me going down there without a Pokemon to protect me," the brunette informed Arcanine, who nodded while he watched White pat Snivy on the head. "The city really cleaned things up, though."
Intrigued by the information, Arcanine tilted his head as a means of telling White to continue.
"You see, a bunch of crime was going on, like stealing Pokemon and drug dealing, and all that stuff, but then these two guys just plowed through all of those people with their Pokemon. That's how the Battle Subway became what it is."
Overhearing the conversation between his starter and White, Noah spun around and folded his arms over his chest, impressed with the younger trainer's knowledge.
"They hold tournaments here, right?" Noah inquired.
"Small ones," White replied as she followed the older boy and Gray down a flight of disgusting steps. "Say, Gray, maybe you should check out the area for really strong trainers. I bet Ferus would definitely like to battle."
Ferus' ears perked up immediately at the mere mentioning of a battle, and he began wagging his tail at a blistering speed. With his ribs all healed, he had been cleared for battle by Nimbasa's Nurse Joy, which was wonderful news. He then turned to face Gray, and the brunette sighed before nodding reluctantly.
"I can't wait to see what kind of trainers you two go up against. Who knows? Maybe they'll have Mega Evolution, too," Noah remarked, making Gray shrug while Ferus grinned at the boy's words.
"I hope so. I've been itching for a good battle ever since I lost to Charizard," the fire and dark type announced as he followed Gray and the others down a hallway and towards the area filled with trainers that were at a much higher skill level. "I still can't believe how strong he and Alain were. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before. I doubt even Fortis could've won that."
Gray began stroking her chin, pondering the hypothetical battle between her strongest Pokemon and Alain's Charizard.
"I'm not sure. Maybe if there were a Mega Evolution for Flygon, and Fortis and I could use it, we'd have a chance. Then again, if you and I just train a lot harder, I'm sure we could beat them if we really wanted to," Gray opined, drawing a confident nod from Ferus while Arcanine seemed to disagree, drawing an annoyed glare from Ferus.
"What do you mean I have to have a partner? I want to battle one of you! Not both!" a masculine voice yelled fiercely, grabbing the attention of the trio.
Turning towards the owner of the voice, Gray and Ferus began walking towards the scene, and Arcanine and Noah followed close behind while White and Snivy stayed as far back as they could. Eventually, White pursued her friends after spotting a bunch of old men shooting her perverted looks, which were answered with Snivy threatening to murder the men.
"Is there a problem here?" Noah asked in an attempt to impress Gray, which fell flat on its face when the yelling trainer spun around and glared at him, making the eighteen year old sweat drop. He stopped, however, when he recognized the trainer and his Pokemon, who was standing right by his side. "Hey, you're Alain, right?"
Turning once he heard his name, Alain looked at Noah and then turned the other way to see none other than Gray and Ferus. As soon as Charizard faced Ferus, the hound fought back the urge to snarl, and instead nodded, drawing a nod from the Kanto starter.
"Fancy meeting you here," Ferus said, still glaring at Alain, who shrugged and turned his attention back to the taller men standing before him.
"Give me one reason why I have to battle you both, and I'll leave."
The man wearing black shook his head at Alain's statement, but he stopped when the man wearing white, who looked like a clone, cleared his throat prior to speaking.
"As the bosses of the Battle Subway, we get to make the rules here. First off, you don't have the right to challenge us, because we have an entire system that rewards only the best of the best with battles against us. Second, you don't have a partner, and we're only doing double battles for this week. Third, quite frankly, we don't appreciate your arrogance. You can't just walk in here and demand a battle just because you can use Mega Evolution."
The group fell silent and everyone stared at Alain, including Charizard, as the teen started to hang his head in an attempt to refrain from screaming in the face of the man that had just spoken. Sensing this, Charizard stepped in front of his trainer and bowed slightly to the two men.
"Sorry for the trouble, sir. We'll be on our way," the fire and flying type said, drawing a thankful nod from both men.
Reluctantly, Alain began walking away with Charizard while cursing wildly, and as the Kalosian did so, Gray looked down at Ferus, who was staring at the departing duo. Turning his attention to his trainer, Ferus didn't utter a word, instead staring right into Gray's eyes as a means of hammering home his stance, which the brunette agreed with.
"Wait," Gray ordered while pointing at Alain, who lifted his head and looked at the younger girl. "He has a partner."
Both men standing in front of Gray looked at each other and turned their backs to her while whispering. After a few seconds of deliberation, the two returned to their original stance and stared right through the Kantonian, who didn't back down. Smiling, the man in black nodded and motioned for Alain to return.
"Very well. As one of the two leaders of the Battle Subway, I, Ingo, accept your challenge."
"As do I, Emmet, the other leader of the Battle Subway," the man in white added as he and Ingo drew Pokeballs from their pockets. "Are you sure you both have a Pokemon strong enough to compete in this area of the subway?"
Gray and Alain turned to one another and examined the fire type that didn't belong to them. After locking eyes for a second time, the pair nodded.
"Follow us," Ingo ordered as he and Emmet made their way towards a train. "The rules of our battles are very simple, though that hasn't stopped us from winning every single challenge we have received over the past eight years. Are you two sure about battling us? You can back out now."
Neither of the teens had any intention of losing, and they both shook their heads adamantly, making Ingo and Emmet grin eagerly as the train took off at mach speed. In the blink of an eye, the train reached its destination, and the group of six trainers hopped outside, only to find themselves walking onto a battlefield, which looked more like an arena with a stone roof.
"Welcome, to the Subway Arena!" Emmet roared as he stuck both arms out to his sides and twirled around, pointing at the enormous crowd, which exploded once the twins strode across the battlefield.
"Gray, be careful out here. These guys are considered to be the strongest trainers in Unova, not counting the Elite 4," White whispered to her mentor, who nodded and handed over five of her Pokeballs, which contained her Unova Pokemon.
"Thanks for the concern, but Ferus and I will be fine," Gray reassured White, who nodded and ran over to the sideline while Noah folded his arms over his chest. "Don't tell me you're worried too," the Kantonian said before groaning.
"Haha, not at all. I know you can hold your own," Noah answered, blushing at his own answer. "Uh, what I wanted to say was that you're going to kick ass out there, with or without Alain's help. Now go get 'em," he ordered after patting Gray on the shoulder, drawing a confident smirk and nod from the brunette.
"Seriously? That's the best you can do?" Arcanine teased as he laughed at Noah, only to stop when he realized he had struck a chord with the eighteen year old.
After watching her friends sit down, and her Pokemon appear from their capsules, Gray turned and stepped into her trainer box, which was much larger than the standard size. A line was in the middle, and Alain was stationed comfortably in one half, prompting the girl to occupy the other, which Ferus was sitting in.
"We're going to give this everything we've got. Sound good?"
"Why wouldn't it?" Ferus retorted slyly, making Gray laugh to herself until she heard Alain snort, exuding an aura of derision, which Gray didn't take kindly to.
"What's so funny?"
The Mega Trainer cracked his knuckles and then turned to his partner with a serious expression plastered on his face, one that made all others look like a face a clown would make.
"Relax, I'm not making fun of you intentionally," he replied cooly. "Charizard and I will take Emmet, so if you and Ferus could keep Ingo busy, that'd be nice," Alain concluded, his confidence bordering onto arrogance.
Not wanting to make a scene, Gray simply nodded and kept her mouth shut while Ferus and Charizard stepped onto the battlefield together before exchanging nods.
"Garchomp, go forth!" Emmet shouted, hurling his Pokeball onto the battlefield at the same time as Ingo, who yelled in unison with his twin brother.
"Absol, front and center!"
Both spherical devices exploded and revealed the aforementioned Pokemon, but Gray and Alain immediately noticed Mega Stones were present on their opponents. Biting her lip, Gray began to devise a strategy while Alain maintained his usual calm demeanor even as a referee appeared and turned a scoreboard on, which showed the pictures of all four Pokemon.
"What are your names?" the man quizzed while looking at the younger team.
"Alain."
"And Gray."
"This will be a double battle between the challengers, Alain and Gray," the referee said, only to be cut off by an eruption of boos and people throwing food onto the battlefield. "And your Subway Bosses, Ingo and Emmet!" Right away, the atmosphere flipped on its head and turned to one of euphoria, with everyone in the crowd losing their minds over their hometown heroes.
"Wow, this place is insane," Arcanine said aloud, drawing nods from all five of Gray's Pokemon, White's three Pokemon, and the two trainers.
"How do you think Gray can handle an environment like this, Noah? Is it anything like the regional league competitions?" White questioned as she turned to the more experienced trainer, who brought his hand up to his chin and paused for a second.
"Not like one I've seen, no. But the thing Gray has to remember is that she's not out there alone. Alain has to deal with the same amount of boos and hate, so if they can put their heads together, like Ferus and Charizard seem to be doing, the crowd shouldn't play a factor."
Bellator narrowed his eyes as soon as he heard Noah mention Alain's name, and then he realized the powerful teen was standing next to Gray, and Charizard was also right beside Ferus, which confused the bipedal otter, though he didn't say anything and instead kept to himself.
"The battle will be over when both Pokemon on either side are unable to continue, and Mega Evolution is permitted. Gray will be using her Houndoom and Alain his Charizard, while Emmet has chosen his trusty Absol, and Ingo his unstoppable Garchomp. Because this is a double battle, turns will be rotated in an orderly fashion, with each team alternating. Who will get the first move?" the ref asked while pointing at Alain and Gray.
"Me," Alain answered without hesitation.
"And for you two?"
"Ingo will," Emmet replied calmly, drawing a nod from the referee.
"Alain has the first move, Ingo has the second, Gray will go third, and Emmet will be last!"
Each of the four trainers nodded and before the ref could say another word, Alain threw right hand over his Mega Bracelet, prompting the others to follow suit.
"Keystone, respond to my heart. Beyond evolution: Mega Evolve!"
"Ferus, Mega Evolve!"
"Garchomp, unleash your inner power! Mega Evolve!"
"Hold nothing back, Absol! Mega Evolve!"
The entire stadium gasped in unison as all four Pokemon were encapsulated in pink eggs of energy, which exploded at the same time. Once they did, rainbow colored double helixes appeared over the heads of each combatant, and their pictures changed to represent their Mega Evolutions.
"There's so much power on the battlefield I can feel it from over here!" Snivy screamed, dumbfounded by the sheer energy each of the four Pokemon were emitting. "How can Pokemon and people become so strong?"
No one knew the answer, and Bellator sighed as soon as Unicus and Furcifer began rambling on about bonds while Potens sat back and cursed at them under her breath. Celsus, meanwhile, shared the same reaction and immediately moved over to Bellator's side, where he sat in silence.
"Are both sides ready?" the referee asked as he raised his arms up, drawing nods from both teams. "Battle begin!"
"Flamethrower on Absol, let's go!" Alain shouted, hurling his right fist forwards.
Doing just as he was told, Charizard reared his head back while inhaling deeply, causing a blue light to start shining through his stomach. Then, violently throwing his head forwards, the winged lizard shot a wave of spiraling blue flames at his dark type target, but Ingo's quick thinking and selflessness prevented the wicked attack from landing.
"Garchomp, block it with Earthquake! Then jump and fire a Stone Edge at both of them!" the black-suited man commanded.
The dragon type let out a menacing roar before stabbing both of his razor-sharp claws into the ground, causing the entire arena to shake as if a fissure had occurred. All of a sudden, a wall of rocks appeared in front of both Absol and Garchomp and acted as a shield, blocking Charizard's Flamethrower. The bipedal Pokemon then sprung into the air while sharp rocks revolved around him, and he threw his arms down towards his fire type foes, who narrowed their eyes and looked ready to attack.
"Destroy the rocks with Countershield, Ferus!" Gray countered tactically.
Ferus slid onto his back and began to spin as quickly as he could while releasing a stream of blue fire into the air. Everyone watched in amazement as the lone blast of fire turned into several whips, which destroyed Garchomp's Stone Edge and shielded Charizard from taking any significant damage, which the dragon type was thankful for.
"Impressive, but that wont fool us twice. Absol, use Double Team and surround Charizard!"
The winged dark type bounded forwards and stopped once he reached the center of the battlefield. Roaring mightily, Absol generated about twenty copies of himself which surrounded Charizard, making the Kanto starter look around worriedly. Reaching the same level of paranoia his Pokemon was experiencing, Alain acted without thinking, catching Gray and Ferus off guard.
"Blow them all away with Blast Burn, Charizard!"
Charizard flexed as quickly as he could and then punched the ground with unparalleled ferocity, and Gray, along with her friends and all of the Pokemon, nearly screamed when her entire half of the battlefield began to break apart before geysers of magma shot up across the entire area. Much to her dismay, Gray watched as Ferus was obliterated by the devastating attack, dampening the enthusiasm that would've risen due to Absol also being hit. After the dark type landed next to Garchomp, Emmet began laughing at his opponents, who all narrowed their eyes and glared.
"Hah! That's what poor teamwork does for ya. Our jobs were made a whole lot easier thanks to that," Ingo remarked, making Alain growl. "Crush Charizard with Dragon Rush!"
Taking advantage of the fact that Charizard had to recharge his energy for a turn, Garchomp zipped through the air while the dark blue coat of aura surrounding his body turned into the shape of a dragon. As soon as it did, Gray knew she had to act as fast as she could, and lucky for her and Alain, Ferus allowed his instincts to kick in as he bounded towards Charizard in an attempt to shield the defenseless dragon.
"Stop Garchomp by using Iron Tail!"
"Keep Ferus back with Psycho Cut!"
While Ferus' tail began to glow silver, he attempted to close in on Garchomp and get a better angle so that there was no chance Charizard could get hit. However, Absol took to the air with the help of his wings and, while his horn was glowing light pink, he threw his neck forwards. A blade of pink energy cut through the air and exploded on the ground right in front of Ferus, throwing him several feet backwards while Charizard was crushed by the super effective attack from Garchomp, who returned back to his half of the battlefield with a triumphant smirk on his face.
"Charizard, don't give in! Use Steel Wing on Absol!"
Despite the pain reaching maximum levels, Charizard fought through it and zipped towards Absol while his wings extended dramatically and were shrouded in silver energy. Even with the damage he took, Charizard was still traveling at a blistering pace, which caught Ingo and Emmet by surprise, though they both were able to react in time.
"Meet Charizard head-on with Dragon Rush!" Ingo roared.
Garchomp wasted no time in launching himself at Charizard while he was engulfed in blue aura. As he closed in on his target, Garchomp began to snarl violently while swinging his bladed arms, and the aura surrounding him took the shape of a dragon opening its mouth, almost as if it were about to eat Charizard.
"Not on our watch! Ferus, Play Rough!" Gray yelled in an attempt to help out her teammate.
Ferus took off in a dead sprint and was soon shrouded in pink energy, which drew a whisper from Ingo directed towards Emmet. After his brother finished speaking, Emmet nodded and threw his open left hand forwards while watching Charizard and Ferus collide with Garchomp.
"Absol, hurry and use Swords Dance while you have the chance!"
Grunting in response to his trainer, Absol remained motionless, and three swords began to spin around his body. A red ring of light then did the same thing, and it vanished into thin air along with the swords. Once the move ended, Ingo watched as Garchomp threw his arms forwards and slammed Charizard and Ferus into each other, causing an explosion to occur between the fire types.
While they bounced back to their trainers' half of the battlefield, Charizard and Ferus let out weak grunts of pain, though they used all of their energy to get back on their feet, though that didn't put any concerns to bed.
"What's Gray doing wrong? It seems like those guys are just impossible to hit!" Furcifer shrieked as she looked at White and Noah, drawing a shrug from the former.
"It's because she and Alain are completely out of synch," Bellator replied before Noah had the chance, drawing the attention of his teammates. "Even though they're just as strong as Ingo and Emmet, they don't know how to work together, so they're at a clear disadvantage."
Back on the battlefield, Ferus turned to look back at Gray and he gave her a reassuring nod while Charizard did the same with Alain. Despite the confidence of both fire types, it wasn't hard to see they were hurting, badly. Charizard's right wing was bleeding badly while Ferus, who hadn't taken nearly as much damage, had a laceration on the back of his neck. Meanwhile, Garchomp only had a few cuts and bruises, and Absol had yet to be hit.
"Fly at Absol and use Brick Break!" Alain commanded after noticing the same thing as Gray, which made the eighteen year old crack a slight, optimistic smile.
"I guess he just hasn't learned his lesson yet," Ingo mumbled, drawing a chuckle from his twin. "Garchomp, use Return on Ferus!"
Charizard and Garchomp zipped past one another with the former rearing both of his glowing white fists back while the ground type was encapsulated in a golden light that looked to be almost angelic. As each closed in on their targets, Gray and Ferus shared the same reaction: a smirk.
"You know what to do, Ferus! Iron Tail!" the youngest of the four trainers shouted emphatically.
Happy to oblige, Ferus roared while his tail began to glow light silver, and then he wound up before delivering a vicious uppercut swing that struck Garchomp in the chin and sent him bouncing along the battlefield before he somehow managed to plant his feet on the ground. By doing that, Garchomp was able to assist Absol as Charizard drew closer and closer, his intent on finishing the battle with one blow.
"Use Future Sight as fast as you can and follow it up with Play Rough, Absol!" Emmet barked.
Absol hummed obnoxiously loud and four portals appeared near the top of the arena, grabbing Bellator's attention while everyone else kept their eyes glued to Charizard. Then, Absol lunged at his attacker while engulfed in pink energy, and, much to Alain and Gray's dismay, Charizard was overpowered due to the fairy type aura being resistant to fighting type attacks.
As he watched his starter tumble along the ground, Alain's face began to scrunch up and he clenched his fists to the point where his arms were shaking. Noticing her teammate's frustration, Gray spoke up in an attempt to calm Alain.
"Alain, we have to start working together!" she shouted to the older boy, who paid no attention to her and instead continued to focus on his own strategy until he watched as several blasts of energy appeared from the roof and exploded on contact with both fire types, throwing them towards the left and right sides of the field. Despite the power of Future Sight, the resilient Pokemon got up for what seemed to be the hundredth time and turned to their trainers.
Remembering what Gray said, Ferus and Charizard, stared at the brunette as a sign of agreement. The idea was discarded, though, when Alain threw his hand out to his side and issued yet another ill-advised command to his only Pokemon.
"Dig!" the Kalosian commanded, forcing Charizard to look away from Gray.
Burrowing his way underground, Charizard attempted to make his way over to the other half of the battlefield and resurface with an uppercut on either of his opponents, but Ingo wasn't about to let that happen, which made Alain curse as soon as he heard the counterattack.
"You're making it too easy. Wrap this up with Earthquake, Garchomp!"
Displaying a nonchalant attitude, Garchomp jumped as high as he could and began spinning like a wheel as a means of hyping up the crowd, which was effective, to say the least as the crowd reached a deafening pitch of cheers. Somehow maintaining her sanity while hearing all of the cheering against her, Gray was able to rationally come up with a way to protect Charizard, and Ferus knew what his trainer was thinking, making the attack even faster.
"Stop him with Feint Attack!"
Just before Garchomp could slam his feet on the ground, Ferus reappeared while shrouded in black energy, and he slammed his head into the dragon type's stomach, sending him flying past Ingo and into the wall behind the Subway bosses, silencing the crowd while also drawing a round of applause from White, Noah, and the Pokemon.
"Absol, shoot a Dark Pulse attack at Ferus to get him away!"
Without hesitation, Absol began charging his attack, and a ball of spiraling black and purple energy formed in front of his mouth. Before he could fire the powerful move, Absol was on the receiving end of a devastating uppercut from Charizard, who shot out of the ground at light speed and held nothing back. As a result, the winged dark type fell to the ground and landed face first, crying in pain instantly.
The winged lizard then flew over to Ferus and grabbed him by his tail so that he was facing Absol and Garchomp while Charizard focused on returning to their half of the battlefield. When they did, Charizard placed his teammate on the ground and they nodded at each other before turning around to stare at their trainers. Gray knew exactly what the creatures were getting at, as did Alain, though he was reluctant to stray from his strategy despite the fact that it had failed miserably.
"Look, we need to work together if we want to beat these guys, and our Pokemon know that," Gray told the nineteen year old, who nodded slowly, making Gray, Ferus, and Charizard smile.
"Alright, Charizard, let's be smart from here on out. Let Ferus jump on your back and use Dragon Claw on Garchomp!"
Smirking with newfound confidence, Charizard let out a fearsome roar alongside Ferus before leaning forward so that the dark type could stand on his back. Once Ferus established his balance, Charizard took off at the speed of sound while his hands were covered in neon green energy that morphed into a pair of massive claws.
"Looks like things are finally starting to get interesting," Emmet opined while smirking. "I like it."
"Me too. Garchomp, go right at them and use Dragon Rush!"
Not one to back down from a challenge, Garchomp took off like a rocket as he was engulfed in blue aura. Much to his and Ingo's dismay, Charizard's speed prevented the attack from reaching its full power, and the Mega Evolved creatures slammed into each other. While they battled back and forth, Gray noticed she had a golden opportunity to steal the momentum, forcing her to trust her gut.
"Ferus, jump on Garchomp's back and use Bite!"
Hopping off Charizard's back and onto Garchomp's, Ferus chomped down on the ground type's neck, making him shriek in pain while also providing Charizard the chance to obliterate Garchomp, which he did. With Ferus landing on the ground softly, Charizard held nothing back and delivered a wicked set of slashes to Garchomp's chest, spiking the dragon type into the ground.
"Crush Ferus with Play Rough!"
Springing forwards, Absol rammed into Ferus while he was encapsulated in pink aura. The super effective attack hurled Ferus across the battlefield and almost into Gray, but she managed to evade the collision. Charizard retreated despite wanting to crush Absol, and he landed by Ferus' side. Helping the quadruped off the ground, Charizard turned his gaze to Alain and Gray while pointing at himself and Ferus.
"We need to go for a combination move right now. There's no better chance!" the winged lizard proclaimed, drawing nods from both trainers.
"Let's finish this! Charizard, grab Ferus and then use a spinning Steel Wing!"
"Give it even more power by using Flamethrower, Ferus!"
As soon as the fire types' commands ceased, Ingo and Emmet came up with their own combination move, not wanting to be shown up by their challengers.
"Grab a hold of Absol and use Return!"
"Use Play Rough!"
While Charizard spun like a drill and created a ring of silver energy around his and Ferus' heads, Ferus released a stream of blue fire that changed the silver to blue, while also increasing the power of the attack, Garchomp, meanwhile, was engulfed in white energy and when Absol used Play Rough, the colors merged. Both pairs of Pokemon collided closer to Ingo and Emmet's half of the battlefield and Charizard immediately overpowered his foes, ramming them into the ground so forcefully the battlefield shattered.
As soon as Ferus and Charizard returned to their trainers' sides, the referee, with a pained look on his face, raised his arms to signal the end of the battle.
"Both Garchomp and Absol are unable to battle! That means the winners are Alain, Charizard, Gray, and Ferus!"
The entire arena went silent while Gray and Alain thanked their Pokemon for their effort, though they stopped when Ingo and Emmet sauntered over without a care in the world.
"Well, we have to hand it..."
"...to you; you proved us both wrong and won that battle fair and square. Congratulations," Ingo concluded after finishing Emmet's sentence, which drew creeped out looks from the victorious trainers.
The teens bowed, however, along with their Pokemon, and when Noah and White reached Gray, they began to turn around and head out of the area. Before they could depart, someone clapped their hands very slowly and drew closer with every passing second. Spinning to see who was clapping, Gray scratched her head in confusion when a woman she had never seen or met before had a small smile on her face.
"Impressive. Very impressive," she iterated after ceasing her applause. "You two worked really well together, if I do say so myself," the blonde continued, drawing a bow from Alain and Charizard while Gray just stood still. "Oh, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Caitlin, nice meeting you."
Gray examined the pale woman as she extended her hand, as did Bellator, which drew a glance from Caitlin. Slowly, Gray shook Caitlin's hand and looked down at the rest of her Pokemon, trying to think of an excuse to leave the awkward situation. Instead of doing something, she ended up withdrawing her Pokemon while Alain conversed with Caitlin, easing Gray's nerves regarding the woman.
"White, Noah, let's go."
So Gray and Alain worked really well as a team later in the battle once they were getting crushed. After that, Caitlin reappeared and invited Alain and Gray back to her house, but didn't state why, so that's kind of weird :/ Meh, whatever. Next chapter will just be teasing what's going to happen later down the road (about thirty chapters, if I recall), and that will be posted way later tonight. Till then, peace out.
1) Should Gray partner up for double battles with her rivals, companions, and/or Alain more often? (Dat Bellator and Greninja team, tho)
Next Chapter: "A Thrice in a Liftetime Bond"
After defeating the Subway Bosses, Ingo and Emmet, Gray and Alain follow Caitlin of the Unova Elite 4 to her house. While there, the two learn not only about their futures, but also those of their Pokemon. What exactly does the future hold in store for Gray?
Nimbasa City Arc
Chapter 38: The Second Piece of the Puzzle
Chapter 39: A Cry for Help
Chapter 40: Advena Appears!
Chapter 41: Cosmic Power Activated!
Chapter 42: Mega Battle 5: The Bond Awakens!
Chapter 43: Battle of Beasts: Bellator vs Pyroar!