Theme Song
One door has closed, another swings (Owen stares into the camera and fades out along with Brooklyn, Molly, and Charizard)
You must grow accustomed to new things (Gray, Durus, Chase, Leviculus, and Fidens replace the others)
It might feel strange, there might be hate (A person in black armor looks at Cerulean Cave, followed by a split screen of them wearing a laughing mask and crying mask)
But you do not want to tempt fate (Gray stares at the sky and eight badges pass by)
Fight back(2x)! Let it go! (Durus, Leviculus, and Fidens charge towards the camera at the same time)
Be strong(2x), put on a show! (Chase and Audino sprint away from a herd of Tauros)
Keep training, you'll be put to the test (Gray has a flashback of losing to Trentavious)
Now is not the time to rest... Pokemon! (Gray, smiles at the camera with Leviculus and Fidens by her side and Durus resting on her head)
How goes things, readers? Last chapter, Chase was forced to perform surgery on several injured Pokemon, and the leader of Team Purity made their debut! Meanwhile, Gray and her Pokemon spent the day training, and Durus learned Metal Claw! Now, Gray will look to defeat Brock in her rematch with a revamped team. Let's get going!
Defender31415: Hmm… the split personality thingy could be an interesting thing to do. I already know where I'm going to go with Deus, (which will be announced after a drama-bomb is dropped) so you'll find out if you're right ;)
Breana (guest): Sorry, but this person will be crazier than Frank (psychologically), they just won't be as hateful and willing to kill unless need be
Guest: Thank you SO much for letting me know that! I'm really pissed now, because I was really looking forward to the surprises this arc had in store. And the side characters will definitely be very important in this story, though there will be times they don't get much attention
ShadowDragon9000: Curse you and your witty sarcasm (not really, though)! To be honest, I only made those notes to remember what was going to happen because some of the tittles didn't really capture the plot, and I forgot to delete those in the process
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 12, Scratch, Growl, Bite, Fake Out, Metal Claw - (Meowth)
Leviculus, (m), level 15, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Double Slap - (Poliwag)
Fidens, (m). level 13, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Rock Throw, Double Team, Scary Face - (Archen)
"Chase, hurry up! I don't have all day to wait for you!" Gray shouted to the running boy, who was panting heavily. It was incredibly early in the morning and the sun was beginning to rise, but that didn't bother Gray, or her Pokemon, in the slightest. They had decided the night before that they would arrive at the Pewter City Gym as early as possible in order to avoid any scheduling conflicts. Brock had agreed to the early battle, and the league, and those who paid for coverage of the battles, were notified.
"I'm sorry I can't run a hundred miles an hour!" Chase shot back, bags under his eyes. "And why do I have to be up so early? I need sleep, too, ya know," the aspiring doctor informed his friend, who giggled at the response.
"I need support, and Durus hates cheering," Gray replied with a cute smile, which made Chase calm down. The boy rolled his eyes as if he hated Gray's response, which he didn't, before following her into the gym. Durus was also out of her Pokeball, and her boots clacked against the ground once she stepped foot in the building.
"Ah, Gray, are you ready for our battle?" Brock inquired before yawning. The girl grinned and nodded as she and Brock walked towards their trainer boxes, and Chase sat down in one of the chairs in the trainer lounge. Suddenly, Audino appeared from her Pokeball, and she looked around the gym groggily before seeing Gray standing in her trainer box, which made the normal type run towards the wall behind Gray.
"This will be a three versus three battle between Gray Plain of Pallet Town, and Gym Leader Brock!" the referee announced as Gray's picture appeared on the holographic scoreboard along with Brock's, and there were three smaller spots next to each trainers' picture, which were for their Pokemon. "The battle will be over when all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle! Furthermore, only the challenger may substitute her Pokemon! Brock, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Let's switch it up. Zubat, I choose you!" Brock shouted while tossing his first Pokeball. In a flash of light, an ugly blue bat appeared over its trainer's head, and the poison type shrieked. Gray's eyes lit up with excitement upon seeing the Zubat, and she tossed her first Pokeball forward without hesitating.
"Show them who owns the sky, Fidens!" Once the light faded, the tiny Archen appeared from his Pokeball and squawked at Zubat as soon as they locked eyes. The annoying bat screeched back at its opponent and Fidens flinched at the high-pitched sound. The pictures of both Pokemon quickly appeared on the scoreboard, and the referee cleared his throat.
"This battle will be between Fidens and Zubat! Begin!"
"Use Quick Attack, Fidens!" Gray shouted, hoping she could overwhelm Brock with her speed. The gym leader scoffed at Gray's tactics, remembering them from their previous battle, but he was shocked when Fidens ran so quickly it was almost impossible to see him. The rock and flying type then shot into the air and slammed his head into Zubat's chest, knocking the wind out of the pesky bat.
"Fight back with Supersonic, Zubat!" Brock shouted right after his Pokemon took to the air. Zubat then opened his mouth and released several rings of orange energy at his opponent, who wasn't able to fly. Gray watched as Fidens was struck by the rings, and his eyes turned to swirls as he began to teeter back and forth clumsily.
"Fidens, use Rock Throw!" Gray shouted, not realizing her Pokemon was confused and could possibly hurt himself. Thankfully for her, Fidens formed a large rock in-between his wings, and he chucked it at Zubat, who was knocked out of the air by the super effective attack. Brock cursed under his breath as Zubat slowly fluttered into the air, and the tiny bat began panting heavily due to the amount of damage he had taken.
"Get in close and use Bite on Fidens' wing, Zubat!" Brock shouted tactically. Despite the pain he was feeling, Zubat flew through the air and chomped down on Fidens' right wing, making the flying type cry out in pain as he teetered from side to side.
"Hang in there and use Wing Attack!" Gray commanded while punching the air. Much to her dismay, Gray watched as Fidens began to hit himself with his glowing left wing, and he started to scream in pain while Zubat bit down on his other wing even harder than before.
"Now, use Wing Attack!"
"Rock Throw!" Gray shouted as Fidens was hit by a barrage of slaps from Zubat's wings. The rock type suddenly snapped out of his confusion, and he slammed a boulder over his annoying opponent's head, knocking the bat out cold. Brock stared in disbelief as Zubat lay on the ground, twitching every once in a while, and the referee raised his arms in the air.
"Zubat is unable to battle! Brock, choose your next Pokemon!" the ref shouted as Zubat's picture turned black.
"Way to go, Fidens!" Audino cheered as the rock and flying type seemed disinterested in battling again. "Hey, what's wrong with him? The same thing happened the last time he battled," Audino asked while looking at Chase. The teen rose from his seat and stood next to his starter while watching Fidens kick the ground in boredom.
"I think that's his special ability, Defeatist. Whenever Fidens' health drops below half, his stats are dropped drastically. That might explain why that species went extinct," Chase muttered to himself before being slapped by Audino.
"Hey, stay focused!" Durus shouted at her teammate, who looked up blankly before turning his back to her, which confused the bipedal cat.
"Great job tiring Fidens out, Zubat. Take a long rest." The gym leader slowly looked up at Gray and smiled at the girl as he grabbed his second Pokeball. "I see you've improved a lot since our last battle. Let's see if you'll be able to take down my next Pokemon. Geodude, rock and roll!" Brock shouted, making an awful pun in the process. After getting over the horrid joke, Gray and Durus looked across the battlefield to see Brock's Geodude. The rock type smirked and began punching his fists together and grinning at Fidens, who didn't look confident.
"This battle will be between Fidens and Geodude! Begin!"
"Geodude, use Defense Curl and follow it up with Rollout!" Geodude slowly tucked his body into a ball shape, and a green ring of energy spiraled around his body before disappearing in thin air. The rock and ground type then started to spin like a wheel, and he sped across the battlefield while dust shot up behind him. Gray, however, had practiced countering the attack, and she grinned.
"Dodge with Double Team, Fidens!" Fidens, however, seemed disinterested and was crushed by the powerful attack. The force of impact sent the flying type spiraling though the air. He then crashed into the ground, and Geodude started punching his fists together confidently.
"Follow it up with Seismic Toss!" Geodude then flew through the air and wrapped his arms around Fidens before shooting straight up. Once the two Pokemon tapped the roof, they crashed towards the ground, but Geodude threw Fidens before impact. The battlefield then cracked under the force of Fidens' body, and the winged Pokemon squawked weakly. While watching her Pokemon struggle to get back on his feet, Gray cursed under her breath before issuing another command.
"Fidens, use Quick Attack and Wing Attack!" Fidens lackadaisically ran towards Geodude while a thin ray of white light trailed his body, and his wings started to glow white. He then started to tap Geodude on the head, not putting any effort into his attacks, and Brock couldn't help but laugh.
"Crush Fidens with Mega Punch!" Geodude smirked as his fist began to glow white, and he reared his arm back before punching Fidens in the beak, launching the bird across the battlefield.
"Fidens, no!" Gray shouted as her Pokemon smacked against the ground while his eyes were shut tight, and he squawked quietly as Gray cradled the downed Pokemon.
"Fidens is unable to battle! Gray, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee shouted while Fidens' picture turned black. The girl nodded at the referee and pulled out Fidens' Pokeball.
"Thanks for the great work, Fidens, return." The rock and flying type was zapped into his Pokeball and Gray made her way back to her trainer box, where Durus was waiting. The normal type then looked at her trainer eagerly, but frowned when Gray grabbed the second Pokeball on her belt, and she threw it forwards. "Leviculus, it's time for redemption!" Brock and Geodude grinned as the goofy Poliwag appeared in front of Gray and in the second spot on the scoreboard, and the water type began to alternate feet while hopping energetically.
"You can do it, Leviculus!" Chase shouted while cupping his hands around his mouth to make his words even louder. The tadpole turned and beamed at Chase before focusing on his opponent.
"This battle will be between Leviculus and Geodude! Begin!"
"Geodude, use Magnitude!" Brock commanded while punching his right fist straight forward. Geodude gladly punched the ground as hard as he could, and the gym began to shake. Gray, however, smirked before snapping her fingers, which made Leviculus.
"Use Water Gun on the ground and slide around!" the girl shouted, finally being tactical with her approaches. Leviculus jumped in the air to avoid the powerful ground type attack before soaking the field with a blast of water. The two legged Pokemon then dove on his stomach and he slid around the battlefield while laughing like an idiot, catching Brock and Geodude off guard.
"Stop Leviculus with Rock Throw, Geodude!" Geodude nodded at his trainer's command, and he tracked his water type opponent closely while holding a boulder in his hands. After anticipating where Leviculus would go, Geodude attacked, but the slippery Pokemon used one of the rocks on the battlefield as a ramp, which sent him flying through the air.
"Quickly use Bubble!" Leviculus' mouth suddenly began to glow blue before he shot a cloud of bubbles at his opponent, who looked around in confusion as the bubbles started spinning around his body. They quickly closed in on Geodude and struck him, making him cry out in pain while Leviculus continued to slide around the battlefield happily.
"Hmph, use Rollout and chase him!" Gray's smile faded when she watched Geodude speed towards Leviculus, who wasn't ready for the attack. The water type attempted to slide away from his opponent, but he was steamrolled by the rock with two arms, which made Durus face palm. The normal type slowly looked back at the battlefield to see her teammate was stuck in a crack in the battlefield, and he flailed violently before escaping.
"Keep up the good work, Leviculus! Hypnosis!" Leviculus nodded at his trainer's order and his eyes flashed yellow before several rings of yellow energy flew towards Geodude and Brock. The pair exchanged quick nods before Brock cleared his throat and threw his arm out to his side emphatically.
"Hop over it and use Seismic Toss!" Geodude curled into a ball before leaping over the sleep inducing move, causing Gray and Leviculus to step back in shock. Geodude then flew through the air and grabbed Leviculus before soaring straight into the air. The two then crashed towards the ground and the battlefield cracked due to the force of the impact.
"Leviculus, are you okay?" Gray shouted as her Pokemon and Geodude were laying against the battlefield on their faces. Both Pokemon got back up and Leviculus nodded as he waddled back to Gray's half of the battlefield, and the girl let out a sigh of relief.
"End this with Mega Punch, Geodude!" Geodude took off towards Leviculus while his right fist was glowing white, and he reared his arm back to add more power to his attack.
"Leviculus, send him flying with Water Gun!" Leviculus hopped forward while his stomach started to glow blue, and he opened his mouth just before Geodude punched him. The blast of water blasted Geodude across the battlefield while the Mega Punch sent Leviculus flying into Gray, who was knocked over by the force.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Choose your final Pokemon!" the referee shouted after seeing both Pokemon weren't able to continue battling. Their pictures then turned black, and Durus began stretching.
"Wonderful job, Geodude, you were awesome," Brock said to his fainted Pokemon while Geodude was zapped into his Pokeball. "Vulpix, let's take this battle over!" Gray rubbed her eyes, hoping they were deceiving her, but they weren't. A tiny, red and brown fox stood in front of Brock and released a small cloud of ember from its mouth rather cutely.
"Leviculus, you did amazingly, thank you so much." With that, the fainted Pokemon was zapped into his Pokeball and the sixteen year old looked back at Chase and Audino. The two waved to her with confident looks on her face, and she nodded at them before turning to face Brock and his Vulpix. "Durus, it's all up to you!" she shouted while pointing at the battlefield. Durus grinned and walked forward in her boots before allowing her claws to shoot out of her paws.
"You know, I'm pissed I did all that training with Metal Claw yesterday only to face a fire type," the feline said to her trainer, who sweat dropped at the remark. "But I'm ready to kick some Vulpix butt!"
"This battle will be between Durus and Vulpix! Begin!"
"Vulpix, show them your speed! Quick Attack!" Gray and Durus were unable to react to the lightning quick speed of Vulpix, and the fire fox slammed her head into Durus' stomach. Somehow, Durus wasn't launched back by the attack, and she managed to grab a hold of her opponent before smirking proudly. She stopped, however, when Gray's voice rang in her ears.
"Nice catch! Now throw Vulpix up and use Scratch!" Durus did as she was told and hurled her opponent in the air with all her might. The normal type then leaped after the Vulpix while her claws extended and started to glow white, and she slashed Vulpix straight into the ground. Durus soon landed on a large rock gracefully, and she smirked confidently as Vulpix slowly got back on her feet.
"Impressive, but we're not giving up! Use Ember, Vulpix!" Durus' smile vanished when Vulpix shot a flurry of orange bullets of fire at her, and the attack hit. The Meowth nearly leaped through the roof after the scorching hot attack burnt her hair, and she glared at her opponent after the burning sensation went away. Sensing her starter's anger, Gray decided to become more aggressive with her approach.
"Get in close, Durus!" Gray yelled while pointing at the Vulpix on the opposite half of the battlefield. Durus bolted forwards and narrowed her eyes as she closed in on the fire type, who looked like she was ready to pounce.
"Smack her away with your tail!" Brock countered, not knowing he had just fallen into Gray's trap. Vulpix quickly turned around and threw her tail at Durus, who grinned and leaped forward aggressively. Gray then punched her fist straight forward and cleared her throat before issuing another command.
"Perfect! Durus, use Bite on her tail!" The normal type grinned before chomping down on her opponent's tail, causing Vulpix to cry in pain while trying to get away from Durus' grasp. She was unable to, however, and Durus only began to bite harder, which made the pain even worse. Chase and Audino cheered for the brilliant move Gray had just pulled off, and the girl grinned as she moved the hair out of her eyes.
"What!?" Brock shouted in disbelief as Durus began to shake Vulpix and slam her against the ground, which did a hefty amount of damage. The gym leader then looked up at Gray and saw a confident glimmer in the girl's eyes, which he hadn't seen in many challengers before.
"Now throw Vulpix in the air, and then jump after her!" Brock's attention snapped back to the battle, and he watched as Durus whipped her head around before hurling Vulpix into the air. The feisty feline then sprung into the air while her claws shot out of her paws, and she prepared to finish the battle with one final move.
"Keep Durus away with Ember!" Brock shouted in desperation. Vulpix attempted to recover from her being thrown, but she was shocked to see Durus directly above her, and the normal type was grinning.
"Scratch!" Suddenly, Durus scratched Vulpix with her extended claws, and the fire type was sent crashing into the battlefield. The entire gym went silent when Vulpix smacked against the ground, and she landed on her side with her eyes closed.
"Vulpix is unable to battle! Gray and Durus are the winners!" the referee announced with a smile as he pointed at the challenger and her starter. Durus immediately turned around and ran over to Gray before leaping into her arms, and the two began to cheer excitedly while Brock walked over to his Vulpix and stroked the Pokemon's head.
"Thanks for the awesome battle, Vulpix, take a long rest." The young man then walked over to Gray after withdrawing his Pokemon, and he smiled when he pulled a badge out of his pocket. "Congratulations on earning your first gym badge, Gray. Here, this is the Boulder Badge," Brock said while handing the girl a tiny piece of metal. It was brown and there were several lines that jutted out of the badge, giving it the feel of a rock.
"Wow, thank you so much, Brock!" Gray exclaimed as she looked up at the gym leader and extended her hand with a bright smile. The man laughed at Gray's excitement and shook her hand before laughing.
"You should be thanking your training and your Pokemon, that's why you won. Also, now that you have a badge, you'll officially be ranked on the Indigo League website with everyone else that has a badge. Make sure to check it out often, because it tracks all of your battles you have against people and gym leaders," Brock told Gray, who nodded before bowing respectfully.
"Bye, Brock!" Gray shouted as she walked away and waved at the man along with Chase, Audino, and Durus. The gym leader waved back until the doors closed behind Gray and Chase, who cheered about the former's victory.
"Nice work! You deserved to win," Chase complimented while patting Gray on the back. "And you were awesome, Durus."
"It's Du- wait... never mind," the Meowth said before laughing along with Audino and Chase. Gray, meanwhile, was too buys obsessing over her first badge, which she carefully put in her badge case.
"One down, seven to go!"
Yeah! Go, Gray! So, thanks to an all around effort from her Pokemon, Gray claimed her first badge, and will now be heading to Cerulean City in hopes of winning her second. Of course, it's not going to be that easy, as she and Chase will have to hurdle some obstacles before the gym battle. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Rival Battle: Gray vs Savannah!": As Gray and Chase head towards Mt. Moon, they're stopped by a girl named Savannah, who is also a new Pokemon trainer. A battle between the two girls then ensues, and Gray is surprised by Savannah's skill. Will our heroine be able to defeat her new rival?
Cerulean City Arc
Chapter 12: Fake it Till You Make it
Chapter 13: The Feuding Fighters
Chapter 14: Evil's Mascot
Chapter 15: Kingler of the Hill
Chapter 16: Waterworks
Chapter 17: Jingle Bell
Chapter 18: Double Do-Over
Chapter 19: Screeching Serenity