Theme Song

It is time for the home stretch (Gray shows her badge case with eight badges)
For it is the final catch (Magna appears, smiles, and fades, which is repeated by Fidens, Leviculus, Decorus, Durus, and another Pokemon)
Your goal's right there, it is your fate (Owen and Red stare down at the championship battle of the Indigo League)
Go ahead and become great! (Gray throws a Pokeball forwards and it opens)
No way! (2x) We won't back down! (Durus lunges at the camera and slashes it)
We will! (2x) Win that crown (Montage of Gray defeating Trentavious, Savannah, and Marcus before she looks across a battlefield and sees Owen)
This is it, the final quest (Gray looks off into the sunset with Chase, Tara, and their Pokemon)
You must do your very best...
Pokemon!


Hey, all! Last chapter, Gray defeated her first opponent of the tournament fairly easily, and now she'll be taking on a much stronger trainer in Trentavious. Soon, one of Gray's Pokemon will assume the role of being her powerhouse, and they'll be leaned on heavily if Gray wants to have a sliver of a chance at winning the tournament. Now, let's get going!

Defender31415: I know there's a superhero named Shazam, but that's all I can think of

ShadowDragon9000: Lol, it's completely unintentional XD It's funny that you say that, because looking back on it you're right! This battle will definitely be close, and who knows (aside from me) who's going to win?

CaptainPrice: That it is. Gray's battle this round will be a toss-up, and thanks for the compliment! The battle(s) will definitely be longer and more intense, assuming Gray does make it as far as people are thinking

Trentavious Phoenix: Yeah, that really is a strange team to use

Dr. Kitten Von Fangtoven: First, I just want to say I love the name, lol. In regards to your prediction, Magna won't be evolving, though you're in the right line of thinking with the powerhouse being very unexepected

Gray's team

Durus, (f), level 42, Power Gem, Feint Attack, Bite, Metal Claw, Pay Day*, Slash* - (Persian)

Leviculus, (m), level 41, Water Gun, Dig, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Mega Kick*, Ice Punch* - (Politoed)

Fidens, (m), level 40, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Ancient Power, Dragon Breath, Crunch*, Acrobatics* - (Archeops)

Magna, (f), level 39, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort*, Protect* - (Chingling)

Decorus, (f), level 40, Vine Whip, Moonblast, Psychic, Magical Leaf, Grassy Terrain*, Petal Blizzard* - (Florges)


"Good luck, sis," Billy said to Gray with a smile as he stood alongside Leviculus and Magna, who were upset about not getting to battle. Of course, they understood that their teammates needed to get their turn, so they put up with the situation.

"You're going to do great, honey. Billy and I will be sitting in the stands cheering you on all the way," Gray's mother informed her, making the younger girl smile before they hugged.

She then waved at Billy as he walked out of the room with Mrs. Plain, leaving Gray with her friends and Pokemon.

"So did you decide the order of your Pokemon?" Marcus asked Gray as she took a deep breath and attempted to clear her mind.

"Nope. I'm trusting my gut the entire battle, and that's it," the brunette answered simply before smiling at her rival.

Marcus' Lucario was standing off to his trainer's side and turned to talk to Durus, Fidens, and Decorus, who were talking about the upcoming battle.

"Are you three ready to take that guy out?"

"Of course," Durus stated confidently. "If we didn't think we could win, there'd be no point in showing up."

Lucario nodded at the wise words before looking over at Tara and Chase, who were laughing at something.

"Durus is right. We're gonna go out there and show 'em who's boss!" Fidens exclaimed while extending his wings and puffing his chest out excitedly, making Lucario smile while Durus nodded in agreement. "What about you, Decorus? How're you feeling?"

The three Pokemon turned their attention to the shiny Florges, and she shrugged in response.

"I'm ready to show everyone how strong I am. The Fuchsia Gym Battle wasn't a fluke, and I plan on winning every time I'm sent out of my Pokeball from here on out." The shiny fairy type quickly walked towards her trainer along with her teammates, and Gray smiled after seeing them.

"Ready to win?"

"It doesn't matter. You're not going to."

Gray and her Pokemon turned to see Trentavious standing a few feet away from them while shaking his head in disgust.

"With a team like that, it's baffling that you even signed up for this tournament. Sure, they may be strong for their species, but none of them are capable of taking out my Pokemon."

"Is that so?" Gray shot back as she started to walk forwards.

Durus, Fidens, and Decorus stood in front of their trainer and glared at their opponent, who eyed each of them intently. A small smirk appeared on his face when he made eye contact with Gray's newest Pokemon, who wasn't fazed by the look.

"You know what? I'm so confident I'll win that I'll show you the Pokemon I'm using."

Three Pokeballs were tossed in the air and Trentavious cracked his neck when a Drapion, Froslass, and Serperior appeared across from Fidens, Decorus, and Durus, respectively. Gray scowled at the three Pokemon and refused to admit how strong they looked.

"We're going to mop the floor with you," Serperior hissed as he locked eyes with Durus, who hissed right back. The Persian attempted to lunge at Serperior, but Decorus held her back. Trent and his Pokemon cackled at the sight and strolled away confidently before the teen turned and looked at Gray, who glared at him in response.

"You don't stand a chance."

000

"This will be a three versus three battle between Gray and Trentavious!" the referee shouted while looking at both trainers, who had yet to break eye contact. Durus was also eyeing Trentavious and hissing, but she didn't do anything else. "Neither trainer may substitute his or her Pokemon, and the battle will be over when all Pokemon on one side have fainted. Now, choose your first Pokemon!"

"Fidens, come on out!" Gray yelled while throwing her first Pokeball.

Fidens broke out and landed on the ground while squawking at Trentavious, who kept an expressionless look on his face. The prehistoric Pokemon's picture then appeared, and the stadium turned to Trent.

"Drapion, go win!" Trentavious shouted with a flick of his wrist.

Gray and her two Pokemon scowled at the Drapion occupying Trentavious' half of the battlefield, and the poison type snapped its pincers in response.

"Gray should have the advantage here," Chase muttered while scratching his chin. "Poison type moves don't do much damage against rock type Pokemon like Fidens."

"Good. Gray has to beat him, because Trent can't win this tournament. That'd be the worst case possible!" Tara exclaimed while tossing her hands in the air.

Scyther, Audino, and Musharna nodded at the blonde's words before turning to Marcus.

"Don't worry, she's not losing to this guy again. My gut's telling me she'll pull out the win."

"This battle will be between Fidens and Drapion! Begin!"

"Fidens, use Quick Attack to set the tone!" Gray commanded while punching her fist straight forwards.

Fidens bolted across the battlefield while pumping his legs as quickly as he could, and a streak of white light trailed his body. Once Fidens left the ground, Trentavious spoke up confidently over the roaring crowd.

"Cover the battlefield with Toxic Spikes and grab Fidens with your tail!"

Much to Gray's shock, Drapion bent over and avoided the normal type attack before he snatched Fidens by the neck with the pincers on his tail. The poison type then shot a purple orb of energy into the air, and it broke apart before smashing into the ground, making it glow purple for a few seconds.

"Break free with Ancient Power!" Gray yelled, knowing that Trent was going to have Drapion throw Fidens.

The rock type squawked as five boulders started to revolve around his body. One of the boulders smacked into Drapion's tail, making the poison type lose his grip, while the other four struck him in the back of the head. "Now hit 'em with Acrobatics!" Fidens leaped forward and dished out a flurry of kicks and slaps, making Trent curse under his breath.

"Shit, that thing's fast!" he remarked after Fidens jumped off Drapion's back.

When he turned to face his opponent, Fidens cried out in pain as he suddenly flashed purple, making Gray bite her lower lip while Trent smirked along with his Pokemon.

"Fire a Venoshock!"

Drapion opened his mouth and fired a wave of purple goop that struck Fidens and made him cry out in pain, as it did double the damage when the target was poisoned.

"Hang in there, Fidens! Dragon Breath!"

Fidens snapped out of his pain and opened his mouth. A green flame shot out and struck Drapion, which pushed the bulky Pokemon across the battlefield. Fidens grinned at the power of his attack before grimacing due to the effects of poison that were plaguing him.

"Drapion, charge and use X-Scissor!" Trentavious commanded stupidly.

Gray scratched her head at the decision to send the large Pokemon forwards, but she didn't waste any time countering the idiotic command.

"Wrap this up with Wing Attack!"

Fidens ran as fast as he could, and his wings suddenly turned white. When they did, Drapion crossed his arms over each other and they began to glow blue. The dark type then swung at Fidens, but the flying type leaped over the attack with ease, shocking everyone in the stadium. Fidens hurriedly smashed his wings over Drapion's head, knocking the poison and dark type out cold.

"Drapion is unable to battle! Trentavious, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee shouted as Drapion's picture turned black.

Trentavious cursed under his breath before withdrawing the fainted Pokemon while Gray and Durus cheered for Fidens.

"You were good, Drapion, but we need to work harder. Froslass, go win!"

Gray and her Pokemon turned their attention to the other end of the battlefield and saw a strange Pokemon floating above Trentavious' head. Gray recognized the creature immediately and frowned as its picture appeared underneath Drapion's. The referee looked at both sides as they readied themselves for another match, and he raised his arms.

"This battle will be between Fidens and Froslass! Begin!"

"Use Quick Attack to get close and bite Froslass with Crunch!"

As Fidens ran across the battlefield, Trent shook his head at Gray's strategy, which she had just used against Drapion. As Fidens jumped into the air and prepared to bite the floating ghost type, Trentavious snapped his fingers. Froslass suddenly spun away from the attack and Fidens landed before shaking his head in disbelief.

"Ascend and fire a Water Pulse!"

Froslass floated higher into the air before opening her mouth and forming a ball of water right in front of it. She fired the super effective attack and it struck the Archeops, who was swept over to Gray's half of the battlefield. Trent, meanwhile, smirked and complimented his Pokemon's efforts, which made the ghost smile thankfully.

"Recover and then strike with Ancient Power, Fidens!"

Fidens slowly got off his feet and squawked loudly as he flashed purple, which made him drop to one knee. Despite this, five boulders were thrown at Froslass, who wasn't impressed by the rock type attack headed her way.

"Block the rocks with Ice Shard!"

With little effort, Froslass shot five spears of ice straight through the rocks, and they slammed into Fidens, who was knocked onto his back. Durus cheered as her teammate slowly stood up and hunched over while panting, but Fidens refused to back down to Trentavious and his Froslass, no matter how little energy he had.

"Fidens, use Acrobatics!"

Obeying his trainer's command, Fidens darted towards his ice and ghost type opponent, who continued to float above Trentavious. The seventeen year old, meanwhile, cracked his fingers and pointed at Fidens, who bent his knees in order to spring off the ground.

"Blast Fidens with Ice Beam!"

As soon as Fidens jumped, he was blasted into the ground by a zigzagging beam of freezing light blue energy. Gray stared at her fainted Pokemon before watching Trent smirk obnoxiously, though his Froslass seemed to be happy the battle was over.

"Fidens is unable to battle! Gray, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee ordered as Fidens' picture turned black.

"Thanks for the great work, Fidens, you deserve a long rest."

Gray zapped the downed Archeops into his Pokeball before pulling out another Pokeball and enlarging it. The device opened without Gray throwing it, and she smirked.

"Decorus, I choose you!"

The crowd gasped when they saw the shiny Pokemon appear in front of Gray, wowed by the strange colored Florges, whose picture appeared underneath Fidens'. Much to her dismay, Gray watched as Decorus' body flashed purple and she grunted in pain.

"This battle will be between Decorus and Froslass! Begin!"

"Decorus, start off by using Vine Whip!"

Two green vines shot out of Decorus' neck and she began to slap Froslass violently, making the ice type grimace in pain until Trentavious spoke up and issued a tactical counterattack.

"Grab her vines and unleash a Thunderbolt!"

The fully evolved ice type grabbed Decorus' vines with her long ears and grunted loudly as she fired a bolt of zigzagging electricity at the fairy type. As soon as she was zapped, Decorus shrieked in pain, and Gray hung her head in shame before her attention snapped back to the battle. Again, Decorus was damaged by the effects of poison, which made Gray's mind race before she settled on an attack.

"Hang in there, Decorus! Grassy Terrain and follow it up with Magical Leaf!"

The shiny Pokemon shot a ball of green energy at the ground and it exploded. The battlefield was then covered in leaves and flowers, which fired beams of energy at Decorus and made her body glow while purple energy shot into the air. Then, Decorus threw her arms forwards and rainbow colored leaves flew across the battlefield.

"Blow the leaves back with Ominous Wind, Froslass!" Trentavious countered while sticking his right arm out to his side.

Froslass opened her mouth and unleashed a powerful gust of purple wind that collided with the leaves. However, Magical Leaf prevailed thanks in part to the added power from Grassy Terrain, which made Gray smirk. Froslass was slashed by the accurate attack and she began to descend due to a lack of energy.

"Now grab Froslass with Psychic!"

Decorus' eyes flashed light blue and a thin line of light blue energy appeared around Froslass, who began to struggle in an attempt to break free of her opponent's grip. "Throw her against the ground!" With a nonchalant motion, Decorus dropped her arm and Froslass was smashed against the ground violently, making her cry out in pain before getting back up and hearing Trent.

"Create a tidal wave by using Water Pulse on the ground!"

Froslass opened her mouth and shot a ball of light blue water at Gray's half of the battlefield. When it did, the ball exploded and a massive wall of water crashed towards Decorus, who looked back at Gray and grinned confidently. The sixteen year old nodded at her Pokemon, prompting Decorus to turn around, and then she spoke up.

"Shoot straight through it with Moonblast!"

Decorus placed her hands together and a ball of swirling pink energy appeared. After throwing her arms forwards, Decorus shot a ray of pink energy through the water and it struck Froslass, who was blasted into the wall behind Trentavious, making the older trainer gasp in shock.

"Froslass, don't give in!" he begged as his Pokemon attempted to get back up.

Gray wasn't going to let her, however, and she pointed at the downed Pokemon.

"Wrap this up with Magical Leaf!"

Decorus hurled her arms forwards and rainbow colored leaves flew through the air. They slashed the ice type all over her body and Froslass immediately went unconscious while Grassy Terrain ceased and disappeared from the battlefield.

"Froslass is unable to battle! Trentavious, choose your last Pokemon!"

Trentavious sighed as his second Pokemon's picture turned black, and he zapped Froslass back into her Pokeball.

"You've gotten a lot stronger, Froslass, thanks for the hard work. Serperior, go win!"

Durus hissed as soon as she heard Trent's starter's name, and she nearly charged when the legless snake appeared on the battlefield in front of her trainer and on the scoreboard underneath Froslass' picture. Decorus, meanwhile, remained composed and waited for the battle to start.

"This battle will be between Decorus and Serperior! Begin!"

"Start off with Moonblast!"

Decorus placed her hands together and threw them forwards, firing a beam of pink energy at Trent's starter, who snickered at the attack before listening to her trainer.

"Slither around it and sap her energy with Giga Drain!"

Serperior put her head against the ground and made her way across the battlefield faster than Fidens had earlier, making Gray and Durus gasp in shock. Serperior then whipped her tail at Decorus and a tornado appeared around the fairy type's body. Decorus suddenly began shrieking in pain as the grass type attack took her energy and gave it to Serperior.

"Decorus, don't give in!" Answer right back with Psychic!"

The tornado suddenly exploded and Serperior's body was covered in a thin line of blue energy. Decorus angrily slammed her opponent against the ground, but stopped when she heard Gray speak up.

"Now shoot another Moonblast!"

Once again, Decorus formed an orb of pink energy in one hand while holding Serperior with the other, and she fired the attack.

"Serperior, dodge it and use Leaf Storm!"

Somehow Serperior managed to break free of Decorus' grasp and responded by sending a horizontal tornado of leaves at her opponent, who narrowed her eyes and prepared to answer right back.

"Counter with Petal Blizzard!"

Decorus started to spin like a top as she launched waves of petals at the Leaf Storm attack, but she was overwhelmed in a matter of seconds when the effects of poison kicked in, making her cry in pain.

"Keep it up, Serperior! Leaf Blade!" Trentavious shouted as he punched his fist forwards emphatically.

Serperior leaped into the air while her tail started glowing dark green, and she slammed against Decorus's chest, sending the fairy type spiraling into the wall behind her trainer. Gray and Durus turned in shock to see Decorus lying on the ground with her eyes closed, and the referee threw his arms in the air.

"Decorus is unable to battle! Gray, choose your last Pokemon!"

"Way to hang in there, Decorus, you were awesome."

Gray smiled at the Pokeball even as Decorus' picture turned black, and she clipped it onto her belt. Slowly, the sixteen year old turned to her starter and knelt down while placing a hand on Durus' head, making the feline smile confidently.

"Durus, it's all up to you. I know there's a lot of pressure, but don't think about it. Just listen to my voice," the girl instructed.

"No problem," Durus answered while nodding. The four legged cat waltzed onto the battlefield with a confident look, and she started to hiss when she squared off with Serperior.

"This battle will be between Durus and Serperior! Begin!"

"Cover Durus with Toxic!" Trentavious commanded while pointing at Durus, almost as if he were aiming for his starter.

Serperior opened her mouth and shot a ball of purple toxins at her opponent, who scowled and prepared to dodge. Noticing this, Gray opted to not try and destroy the attack, but instead decided to follow Durus' lead.

"Dodge and attack with Feint Attack!"

Durus smirked as she disappeared, making Trentavious and his Serperior scowl. The pair looked around the battlefield nervously before Durus appeared and slammed into Serperior, sending the grass type skidding along the ground. Much to her dismay, Durus was knocked off her feet by Serperior's tail, and she attempted to get back up and run to Gray.

"Turn around and use Glare!" Trent shouted as Serperior got up with her back facing Durus.

Hearing her opponent's words, Gray's mind worked at an absurd pace before she thought of the perfect way to prevent her last Pokemon from being paralyzed.

"Don't look into her eyes, Durus! Use Pay Day!" Gray instructed.

Durus closed her eyes and the jewel on her head flashed for a split second. She then opened her mouth and fired a beam of golden energy right into Serperior, who took the brunt of the attack. After rolling along the ground, Serperior got back up and locked eyes with Durus, who was smirking confidently. Trentavious watched Gray's starter before stomping on the ground angrily, his blood boiling.

"Make her pay and use Dragon Pulse, Serperior!"

Serperior opened her mouth and shot a multicolored ray of energy at Durus, which quickly took the shape of a dragon. The powerful attack hit its target and Durus was sent flying through the air, but she managed to land on her feet with little problems, making Trentavious curse under his breath while Gray let out a sigh of relief. The girl had no time to relax, though, as Durus immediately broke into a sprint towards Serperior.

"Unleash a max power Slash attack, Durus!"

Durus reared her front right paw back while her claws extended and began to glow white, and she attempted to slash her speedy grass type opponent.

"Drain her energy with Giga Drain!"

Gray and Durus gasped in shock as Serperior whipped her tail forwards, creating a tornado of green energy. Durus was trapped inside the attack and she howled in pain as Serperior began to regain health. Durus continued to howl in pain, but she stopped when Gray's voice cut through the air like a knife, silencing the crowd in the process.

"Fight through it and use Power Gem!"

Durus grinned as the jewel on her head started to glow white. Blasts of white energy shot through the tornado and exploded on contact with Serperior's body, making the grass starter hiss in pain. Durus took the opportunity to scamper back to Gray's side, and the sixteen year old smiled at her panting Pokemon, knowing she didn't have much left in the tank. As she looked up, Gray saw Serperior was in the same condition as Durus. The next attack to hit would determine the winner.

"End this with Leaf Storm!" Trentavious shouted angrily, not wanting to lose to Gray.

Serperior whipped her tail forwards, creating a horizontal tornado of leaves, which flew towards Durus. Trentavious smirked as he noticed the normal type breathing heavily, but he stopped when he saw Gray push her hair out of her eyes and laugh. Confused by his rival's actions, Trentavious looked over at Serperior and saw she was just as tired as Durus, but he still didn't understand why Gray was laughing.

"Evade it with Feint Attack, and then use Slash!"

The entire stadium gasped when Durus disappeared just before she could be hit by the powerful grass type attack, and they cheered when she appeared in the middle of the battlefield. Durus sprinted with a sense of desperation - one she hadn't felt before - and leaped in the air while her claws began to grow and glow white. With a violent swing of her arms, Durus slashed Serperior across the face and sent her flying into Trent. When the teen got out from under his Pokemon, he stared in shock when he saw Serperior had fainted.

"Serperior is unable to battle! Gray and Durus are the winners!"

"We did it!" Durus screamed before running over to Gray and leaping into her trainer's arms.

The pair cheered happily and hugged for what seemed to be an eternity, but they stopped when Trentavious walked over.

"Congrats. You gave my Pokemon and me a helluva fight."

The teen smirked slightly, catching Gray and her starter off guard.

"I know I've been kind of harsh and all, but you earned my respect with that battle. I suggest being a little more tactical, like inflicting statuses, then again, you beat me, so feel free to not listen." Trent slowly started walking away and Gray looked down at Durus before running after her rival.

"Trent, hold up!"

The older teen turned around, his hands buried in his pockets, and he stared right into Gray's eyes humbly.

"I can't wait for our next battle. We're gonna show you how strong we've become." Gray stuck her hand out and smiled at her rival, and Trent looked down at the girl's hand before turning and walking away silently, shocking Gray.

"What a jerk. Even when he's nice he still finds a way to diss you," Durus spat as she glared at the loser. "Come on, let's head back to the trainer room."

While Gray and Durus did that, Trent hid a smile and walked into the tunnel on the other end of the battlefield.

"You may get stronger, Gray, but I'm not going to let you beat me again."


Wow, Gray finally beat Trent, but she's going to face an equally difficult task in the next round of the tournament when she faces Savannah, who'll be looking to exact revenge after losing to Gray on the way to Celadon City. Till next time, peace out.

1) Do you like the fact that Trent's starting to respect Gray?


Next Chapter: "Undermanned?": With her win over Trent, Gray advances to the top 16. Much to her dismay, she is pitted against Savannah. Even with a day off, Gray's Pokemon are running low on fumes, and voice their concerns about whether or not they can continue battling at a high level. Can Gray sustain her success, or will fatigue lead to a crushing loss?


Saffron City Arc

Chapter 51: A Powerhouse Emerges!
Chapter 52: The Kanto Kids