AN: Chapter 3 has arrived! The battle between Grace, Carson Samuels, and Falkner! Find out who makes it to the next round and what information is given!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the Eric Family.

Chapter 3

From what Grace remembered about Faulkner from many years ago, he trained flying Pokémon. She figured out right away using electric types wouldn't seem fair on her part. She wanted to prove she was better and didn't count on type advantage. Electric were out of the mix. She wanted to make the battle interesting. Last time was Cyndaquil and Pichu, but she thought more about figured something. Like the saying fight fire with fire, she was going to fight flying with flying. What better than to make she got a real battle was to make it an aerial battle.

"Hey good luck," Jacob said to his sister as she prepared for her battle the next morning.

"Thanks, you too," she replied heading out to Stadium D where her match was. People gathered in the stands as she waited in the tunnel. Many people came to her match because she was the mysterious trainer that had scarce information on. Grace looked up and saw her family in the seats behind her box.

"Of course he would…trying to get me close to them," she mumbled under her breath. Jacob wanted to be the one to save their family as they were falling apart. Grace said it would be her in a different idea that would contradict what he was trying to do. Grace knew it would be her or probably Sarah who made the wedge deeper.

"Welcome to the first round battle in Stadium D! Here on the left is Faulkner, Gym Leader of Violet City, while on the left is Carson Samuels, a League winner!" the MC announced.

"This will be a one on one battle and will be over when one side can no longer continue!" the referee explained. Both trainers nodded that they understood.

"Pidgeot, I call you the skies!" Faulkner cried.

"Pigo!" the bird cried trying intimidate Grace. She only smirked before grabbing a Poké Ball from her belt and enlarging it.

"Skarmory I choose you!" Grace called releasing the dual type steel and flying Pokémon.

"Skar!" he cried ready to battle. Skarmory had been with Grace from the beginning of her journey and had been through a lot. Even though they got off to a rough start when Skarmory attacked both her and Pikachu. Luckily Typhlosion, Quilava at the time, was there to use a Flamethrower to stop him. Skarmory crashed and was injured so Grace helped him. He grew to like her and joined her.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" Steven Eric adored the steel type.

"Dad relax…" John said to his father. John knew he was the sane one of his family when it came to Pokémon. Jacob liked Power, Sarah was beauty, his father loved steel types, and Grace…he didn't think about her much.

"Go Carson!" Sarah yelled from her seat interrupting John's thoughts. Jacob shook his head.

"Skarmory looks well raised and strong," Steven said before continuing under his breath, "Reminds me of mine and hers."

"Pidgeot Aerial Ace!" Falkner called and his partner took off.

"Block it with Night Slash!" Grace commanded and Skarmory reacted as she said as his wings glowed dark purple and blocked the incoming Aerial Ace. Pidgeot stopped in front of the steel bird. "Steel Wing!"

"Skar!" he cried striking the Kanto bird.

"Pidgeot Heat Wave then Twister!" Falkner said. The Twister combined with the Heat Wave to create a fire twister that was going for Skarmory. Grace thought that he had Pidgeot well prepared while Falkner thought his combination was solid to clinch his victory. Skarmory stared down the twister ready to take it on.

"What will Carson do?!" the MC asked.

"Skarmory into that fire!" Grace commanded what no one thought she would do, but her Skarmory.

"Skar!" he cried as he disappeared into the flames at his trainer's command with full confidence. Skarmory liked to take risk and enjoyed any adrenaline rush.

"She's crazy and done for?!" Sarah commented knowing how weak steel type were to fire.

"Skarmory Rock Slide and bat them with Steel Wing!" Grace said coming up with her own combo.

Around the steel bird rocks appeared and began to be heated by the flames. Skarmory's wings glowed in iron as he hit them out toward the un-expecting Pidgeot who couldn't tell where the attacks were coming from. As the attacks flew out of the twister they looked like comets, which struck Pidgeot causing severe damage. Skarmory then used Steel Wing to spin in an opposite direction to break out of the twister that left flames shimmering down around him to make him look fierce and beautiful as the flames shined off his iron feathers.

"Pidgeot get up!" Falkner called as the Bird Pokémon slowly got back up.

"Sky Attack!" Grace called knowing it had to charge.

"Pidgeot Heat Wave!" Falkner tried to see if he could take the other bird out first.

As soon as he was charges Skarmory was charged he took off cutting through the Heat Wave with an added Night Slash, which made his wings have red ribbons of them, he slammed into Pidgeot who fell to the ground.

"She really is a co-ordinator!" Sarah cheered as she was in awe at the contest like moves.

"Pidgeot!"

"Pid…" the Pokémon moaned as he was fainted.

"Ska!" the other bird cried in victory.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle! The winner is Skarmory so the match goes to Carson!" the referee stated.

The crowd roared at the battle and win. She was a gutsy trainer and some of them respected that while others thought she was foolish. However, looking at Skarmory one could hardly tell he had taken any damage from the battle.

"Skarm…" the bird cooed as Grace petted him after he landed to see her.

"You did amazing. I knew you could do it and I can always count on you," Grace said to him before noticing Falkner coming to talk to her.

"You have a magnificent bird. I was honored to battle with you and hope you'll fly higher in the tournament," Falkner said as they shook hands.

"Thank you," Grace replied as she thought about how cheesy some gym leaders were and at least respect their dedication to their favorite type. Her back-up plan if Champion didn't work out was to be a Gym Leader. At one point she wasn't sure for which type because she loved fire, dark, and electric. She figured out when looking over what Pokémon she had; it was going to be a dark type gym. This was how she figured it. She was from Johto and she owns all the dark types from the region despite them being evolved. Plus as a three on three she can use Houndoom, Weavile, and Honchkrow. Unfortunately, Umbreon and Tyranitar are too powerful to use in a gym battle at this point of time. Plus Houndoom brings the remanence of Typhlosion, being half fire type, into the battle. That was another era.

As Grace walked out of the stadium Natu came onto her shoulder. He no longer startled her by teleporting so it wasn't as enjoyable for the bird. She knew he was with Jacob and by him leaving he knew that he wasn't far behind. She was correct as she heard the cover name being called. Grace turned to see her family coming toward her.

"That was awesome Carson!" Sarah said as her expressions and gestures showed truth. Sarah never said that to Grace before. Well, Grace only became a Top Co-ordinator because of a bet between her and Sarah when they happened to be both traveling in Hoenn at the same time. Grace was in Rustboro City the same time as Sarah and went to see her sister in action. Sarah won the contest, but Grace commented on some techniques she could try to improve. Sarah, not wanting advice at all non-less than her younger sister, snapped saying if Grace thought she could do better than she should either show up or shut up. Grace never backing down from a challenge took it putting her pride on the line. Grace won and gained experience and title.

"Your Skarmory is really strong!" Sarah said snapping Grace out of her daze.

"Indeed since it held up against the fire," John added.

"Strategy," Grace said bluntly and then they looked at her in confusion. "My Skarmory has the ability Sturdy and he trains to resist the attacks with my own fire types."

"I see…" Steven mumbled as the girl was corrected and Sturdy wouldn't allow a KO if it was to happen, but from his analysis of the Skarmory, he looked like he didn't need the ability. She was smart and resourceful to use his ability to advantage.

"Well, I'm off to take Skarmory to Nurse Joy, bye," Grace said as she walked away. At least this time she had a reason to leave and she couldn't notice how quiet Jacob was. She didn't let it bother her.

Steven Eric looked at the girl that walked away from him. She took very much after his youngest child. She battled the same way as she wasn't afraid to take risk. Also Skarmory was the fifth Pokémon Grace caught on the start of her journey. Not to mention from little physical appearance she looked like both Grace and himself. Sarah took after Michele, as did the boys in some aspect, but Grace was his kid. That's what everyone said. Grace was his clone with marks of his wife. Not to mention Jacob and Carson seemed close and he never mentioned knowing a girl named Carson. Nor did he remember a Carson Samuels ever winning a Grand Festival or League Championship.

AN: And Chapter 3! I hope you're all enjoying it and please review! They fuel me to write faster!

Preview: Grace's second round battle against Will has arrived. Who will she use? Who all is closer to figuring out the secret? (Sorry, I don't have much of this prewritten so I'll try to have it done unless you all don't like previews?)