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)
Thanks to MCMXCV for submitting Savannah! And thanks to Trentavious Phoenix for the submission of Trentavious!
What's going on, people? Last chapter, Gray managed to win her first gym badge, and now she'll be heading towards Cerulean City! Of course, she won't get there right away, and she'll meet her second rival, who will most likely be her last. Also, just a side note before we start, Fidens will NOT be effected by Defeatist in every battle, just some. Now, let's get going!
Defender31415: Good to see someone noticed! Most of the gym leaders (if not all) will have some Pokemon to counteract any type disadvantages, so expect to see some weird Pokemon being used in certain gym battles
MCMXCV: Thanks for letting me know about the typos :) And Gray will definitely become a way stronger trainer as the story goes on, and she'll eventually start being smart during her battles instead of just attacking, but that won't be for a little while. And Savannah and Gray's battle will only be a two on two because I don't want any of the Pokemon (Leviculus, in this case) reaching ridiculous levels
guest: I didn't even think of Sudowoodo :/ And that's true, the last two will be pretty strong Pokemon (in terms of stats), though one of them will be outclassed by most other Pokemon that share its type
Shion Rasenka: Thanks! And most of the gym leaders will have revamped teams, especially Lt. Surge and Erika. As for Savannah, she'l be the nice rival, because (aside from the submission), I think it's good to have one jerk rival and another that's like a friend, similar to Brooklyn and Destiny in Unova Adventure
ShadowDragon9000: Haha, I appreciate the compliments! I've got some more tricks up my sleeve with these gym battles, one of which will be VERY unexpected
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 15, Scratch, Growl, Bite, Metal Claw, Fury Swipes* - (Meowth)
Leviculus, (m), level 18, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Rain Dance - (Poliwag)
Fidens, (m), level 16, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Rock Throw, Double Team, Scary Face*, Pluck* - (Archen)
Gray beamed as she continued looking down at her badge case, which the Boulder Badge was stored in. Durus, however, seemed to be sick of looking at the piece of metal, and she put her arms behind her neck lazily. Chase and Audino also didn't appear to be entertained by the badge, but Gray continued smiling and humming an upbeat tune. The group was walking down Route 3, and Gray had managed to avoid most of the eager trainers waiting to battle anyone that they saw.
"So, how long do you think it'll take to get the seven other badges?" Chase inquired while the two trainers looked around at the ugly area. The ground was cracked and looked incredibly dry, while there were small areas where patches of grass had popped up. The excited trainer turned around and shrugged.
"I don't know. It took two weeks to get this, so I'd say another seven months or so. It's going to be a while, but it's nothing we can't do. Right, Durus?" Gray asked her starter, who nodded.
"Yeah, there's no way we're losing another one of those. I won't let that happen." Gray smiled at her Pokemon's words, and the teen yawned as the sun looked like it was going to set within the hour. Gray stopped walking and quickly pulled her tent out of her backpack, and Chase did the same as he set up both tents. "So are we done walking today?"
"Yeah. We'll make up for it tomorrow, but I need to take a break," Audino replied as she fell on her rear end and yawned tiredly. Durus nodded and sat down next to her fellow normal type, and she watched as Gray released her two teammates. Leviculus and Fidens materialized from the light and they stretched before looking around at their new surroundings.
"Wait, we already left that other place?" Fidens quizzed, to which Gray nodded. "Aww man. I was just starting to like all of those buildings. And that Pokemon Center was awesome!"
"You can say that again," Leviculus said before burping. The water type then laughed at his actions before falling on his face, which made Durus roll her eyes before she helped Leviculus back on his feet. "So what type is the next gym?"
"Water," Chase informed the tadpole, who literally jumped with joy. "I don't think you're too happy about that, Fidens." The rock and flying type shook his head in disgust as Leviculus continued to jump up and down while Durus leaned back against a log, and she started to scratch the ground with her claws.
"Well, you might end up having to battle, Fidens," Gray said to her newly acquired Pokemon, who nodded. "Unless, of course, I catch another Pokemon. Speaking of which, I'm going to go check out the grass over there." Gray walked away from the campsite by herself, but Durus followed after her trainer, knowing full well that Gray wouldn't be able to defend herself against any wild Pokemon.
"You know, Gray, Fidens gave up during our rematch," the feline informed the sixteen year old, who waved off the comments. "I'm serious. He did that in the first battle, too. I don't know what's up with him, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it, one way or another."
"Durus, if you try to beat the answer out of him..." Gray forewarned while glaring at the Pokemon, who put her paws up in defense.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'll think of another way." The two soon reached the large area of grass, and they looked around for another Pokemon that could potentially help them in their next gym battle. Suddenly, a Jigglypuff floated over their heads, and Gray looked down at Durus, who knew just what to do. "Take this!" the Meowth shouted as her claws extended while glowing white. She then leaped into the air and attempted to scratch the floating Pokemon, but the Jigglypuff easily evaded the attack.
"Hey, stop!" Gray and Durus stopped attacking the normal type Pokemon and looked to their right, where they saw a girl running towards them, frantically waving her arms. Once she reached the two, the Jigglypuff deflated and fell to the girl's side while glaring at Durus, who started to hiss angrily.
"Stop that, Durus," Gray ordered. The normal type reluctantly obeyed her trainer and tipped her hat at the girl standing next to the Jigglypuff, and she bowed in response. She was a few inches shorter than Gray, standing at 5'3", and she had almond shaped hazel eyes that complimented her caramel kissed skin. Her wavy auburn hair whipped in the light wind, and Gray noticed that the hair transitioned to a light blonde shade near the tips. The petite build of the girl made her look much younger than Gray, but a powerful aura radiated from her body.
"Sorry about attacking your Pokemon," Gray said to the girl before bowing. After looking up, Gray saw that the unnamed girl shrugged off the misunderstanding with a smile. "My name is Gray, by the way. And this is my starter, Durus."
"Nice to meet you," Durus said to the girl before locking eyes with the Jigglypuff once again. The round Pokemon appeared to have an angry look on its face, but the girl tapped the normal type on the head, telling her Pokemon to stop being rude. The normal type nodded, but its resting face looked just as angry, which made Gray sweat drop.
"I'm Savannah, and this is my starter, Jigglypuff," Savanna said with a smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gray," Jigglypuff said with the help of her translator. "Sorry to be rude, but we have to get going and set up camp somewhere." Savannah role her eyes at her starter's impatience, and she waved to Gray while following her Pokemon.
"Savannah, wait up!" The tiny girl turned to look at Gray, who was receiving a nasty look from Durus. "Why don't you come with us? We already have camp set up." Savannah quickly nodded, and she started to walk with Gray while Jigglypuff and Durus walked together. After a few minutes, the group of girls arrived at the camp, where Chase was struggling to get a fire started. Fidens and Audino were close by and trying to help the teen while Leviculus sat in the corner laughing and falling on his face. Gray sweat dropped in embarrassment while Savannah laughed at the sight, making Chase turn around.
"Who-" The teen was cut off when a blast of fire suddenly shot out of the pile of wood he had been trying to light, and Chase screamed before jumping back in shock. Fidens and Audino began laughing at the rattled traveler, and he shot them angry looks until Gray walked over with Savannah.
"Chase, this is Savannah. Savannah, this is Chase. We're traveling together." Savannah and Chase shook hands after being introduced to each other, and the three teens sat down on three logs, which were put in the shape of a triangle.
"So, Savannah, what brings you to these parts?" Chase asked politely. As the question was asked, the girl released another Pokemon from a Pokeball on her belt, and a female Nidoran appeared in front of her. The Pokemon began looking around and jittering a bit, causing Chase and Gray to look on in concern before Savannah spoke up.
"Well, I'm from Cerulean City and got stuck in Mt. Moon for a little while. I was actually on my way to challenge Brock, but then these two decided they wanted to wander on their own," the girl replied while pointing at her Jigglypuff and Nidoran, who were busy talking to Gray and Chase's Pokemon. "We were actually looking for a Pokemon to help us beat Brock, because neither of these two have type advantages against him."
"Yeah, you're going to need more than type advantages," Gray advised as if she were an expert in the field of training.
"Don't worry, I've got some tricks up my sleeve. Right, guys?"
"Definitely!" Nidoran screamed excitedly, making everyone flinch at the incredibly loud sound. Jigglypuff, meanwhile, began punching the air rapidly before grinning and nodding at her trainer, who looked back at Gray and Chase before smiling.
"Gray, why don't you battle Savannah to help her practice?" Chase suggested as soon as he remembered Gray had won her first badge. The girl smiled and looked over at the smaller trainer, who looked on hopefully.
"Would you be willing to do that, Gray?" Savannah asked as her Pokemon stared at the sixteen year old. Gray nodded and looked over at her three Pokemon, who all looked excited to battle once again, but one of them was going to be disappointed due to Savannah only having two Pokemon.
"Leviculus, do you mind sitting this one out? I want Durus and Fidens to get some more practice in."
"Okay. Good luck, you two." The Meowth and Archen nodded at Leviculus with grins, and they walked with Gray while Savannah and her Pokemon moved away from the campsite. After taking the regulated ten steps back before Chase rose to his feet and acted as the referee.
"This will be a two versus two battle between Gray and Savannah! Neither trainer may substitute her Pokemon, and the battle will be over when all Pokemon on one side have fainted. Now, choose your first Pokemon!"
"This battle will be between Fidens and Nidoran! Begin!"
"Nidoran, start by using Tackle!" Nidoran dashed forward at a fairly quick speed, but Gray and Fidens were more than ready to counter, especially after seeing the speed of Brock's Pokemon, which was far greater than what they were dealing with.
"Fidens, jump to dodge!" Gray countered, making Savannah and her twitching Pokemon grin. Fidens shot into the air thanks to his powerful legs, but Nidoran stopped dead in her tracks and looked back at Savannah, which confused Gray and her Pokemon. Their confusion was answered, however, when Savannah pointed at the ground and smirked.
"Use Poison Sting on the ground beneath Fidens, Nidoran!" Nidoran quickly opened her mouth and shot a flurry of poisonous purple needles at the ground, and the dirt flashed purple before Fidens landed on the ground. When he did, the flying type squawked in pain as his body flashed purple, and Gray bit her lower lip nervously as her Pokemon continued to cry in pain.
"Wow, that's some next-level thinking right there," Chase said to Durus, Leviculus, and Audino, who watched on in amazement. Savannah and Nidoran seemed to be thinking on the same brain frequency, unlike Gray and Fidens.
"Stand tall, Fidens! Use Scary Face to slow her down!" Fidens snapped out of his pain and shot a wicked glare at Nidoran, who began to tremble in fear, which made Savannah curse under her breath. A ring of blue energy began to spiral around Nidoran before disappearing, and the fidgeting Pokemon stopped twitching.
"Damn, I didn't think Fidens could learn that. Use Bite on Fidens' wings!" Nidoran charged forward at a much slower speed than earlier, and she opened her mouth, showing off her enormous, white teeth. Gray and Fidens smirked, though the latter stopped and squawked in pain when the effects of poison took over.
"Grab Nidoran's head with your foot and then smack her with Wing Attack!" Fidens quickly threw his right foot forward and stopped Nidoran dead in her tracks before lifting her off the ground, making Savannah gasp in shock. Durus, Leviculus, and Audino, meanwhile, began to cheer frantically while Chase clapped for Fidens, who was smirking the entire time. The prehistoric Pokemon's wings then began to glow white, and he slammed Nidoran against the ground before beating her with his wings, making the smaller Pokemon cry in pain.
"Hang in there, Nidoran! Use Poison Sting and run back here!" Nidoran hurriedly opened her mouth while twitching, and she struck Fidens, who squawked in pain before falling to one knee as the effects of poison kicked in, giving Nidoran the chance to run back to Savannah's side and away from the powerful flying type.
"Just a little more, Fidens! Strike with Ancient Power!" Fidens glared at Nidoran before five boulders began to revolve around him. The flying type then pointed his wings at Nidoran, and the boulders flew towards the fidgeting poison type, who was crushed by the attacks. After flying past Savannah, the redhead turned and ran to her Pokemon's side, but Nidoran somehow got back up, making Fidens and Gray gasp in shock while Durus nodded in respect.
"Are you okay, Nidoran?" Savannah asked her fatigued Pokemon. Nidoran nodded frantically before running forwards and snarling at Fidens, who squawked in pain when he was hurt by poison. "Great. Use Bite!" Nidoran sprinted across the grass and chomped down on Fidens' head, making the flying type shriek in pain before running around frantically, as if he were on fire. Savannah's Jigglypuff simply sweat dropped at the flying type's reaction while Gray and the others watched in concern.
"Hit Nidoran with Wing Attack to knock her off!" Gray commanded. Fidens stopped running around once his wings started to glow white, and he bashed them against Nidoran's body, sending the poison type flying. "Now use Wing Attack to finish this!"
"Intercept with Tackle, Nidoran!" As Fidens's wings began to glow white once again, Nidoran hopped off the ground and sprinted towards him. The two attacks collided and both Pokemon were hurled into their trainers due to the force of the impact, and their eyes were closed.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your next Pokemon!" Chase announced while Gray and Savannah took out the Pokeballs of their fainted Pokemon.
"Awesome job, Fidens, take a long rest." With that, Gray zapped Fidens into his spherical prison, and the girl looked over at Durus, who walked over to her trainer's side. "Durus, let's go!" The Meowth grinned as she walked forward in her boots before her claws extended.
"You were great, Nidoran, thank you." Savannah smiled and sighed as her first Pokemon was withdrawn to her Pokeball, and the teen looked over at her Jigglypuff, who eagerly walked forward while locking eyes with Durus, who started to hiss.
"This battle will be between Durus and Jigglypuff! Begin!"
"Use Rollout and crush Durus!" Savannah ordered while punching her fist to the sky. Jigglypuff grinned as she inflated before spinning like a wheel towards Durus and Gray, who grinned at the attack before nodding in unison.
"Charge and counter with Metal Claw, Durus!" Durus bolted towards her spinning opponent while her claws turned to metal, and she swiped at Jigglypuff. The attacks collided and were even in terms of power, making Savannah change her strategy on the fly.
"Jump and use Mega Punch at max power, Jigglypuff!" Much to Gray's dismay, Jigglypuff hopped over Durus, making the feline fall on her face, and then Jigglypuff descended while her fist was glowing white. Before the inflatable Pokemon could strike, a light went off in Gray's head, and the girl quickly issued a counterattack that didn't have much of a chance to work.
"Stop Mega Punch by using Bite on Jigglypuff's arm!" Durus flipped over and opened her mouth wide before biting Jigglypuff's arm, stopping the attack cold while also leaving Jigglypuff defenseless. Realizing this, the puffy fairy type looked around in confusion before Gray's voice rang in Durus' ears. "Now throw her against the ground and use Fury Swipes!" Without hesitation, Durus whipped her head around and Jigglypuff slammed against the ground before she was slashed furiously by Durus and her long, white claws.
"Hang in there, Jigglypuff! Counter with Play Rough when you get the chance!" As Durus continued her assault, Jigglypuff waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. As the feline reared her arm back to finish the battle, Jigglypuff lunged forward while she was surrounded in pink aura, and she sent Durus flying past Gray, and she grunted in pain upon impact.
"Wow! That's some power!" Audino exclaimed while hopping off the ground. Leviculus did the same and watched as Durus slammed into a rock behind Gray, and the normal type coughed as soon as she hit the rock.
"Lower Jigglypuff's attack power with Growl, Durus!" Gray demanded, wanting to make Savannah and her starter work harder than they had to. Durus slowly looked up from the ground and growled, sending waves of zigzagging red energy towards the fairy type. Savannah, however, was ready to counter the attack and grinned before pointing at Durus.
"Crash through it and pin Durus against the ground with Rollout!" Jigglypuff gladly inflated before rolling towards Durus, destroying Growl in the process. After that, the larger Pokemon rolled over Durus, but she stayed on top of the feline, who wasn't able to break free on strength alone. Chase watched the situation closely while Gray struggled to think of a way to help her ailing Pokemon before she finally settled on an idea.
"Durus, get her off you with Metal Claw!" Durus' claws suddenly turned metallic while they grew, and she started slashing Jigglypuff, who cried out in pain but refused to get off Durus, who continued attacking. Seeing that she didn't have much time left, Savannah snapped her fingers when she thought of the perfect way to make Durus stop attacking.
"While you have the chance, use Sing!" Gray could only watch as Jigglypuff started singing a lulling tune, which made Durus stop attacking. The normal type then fell asleep, and Jigglypuff returned to her normal size with a fatigued smile.
"Durus, wake up!" Gray screamed, hoping her Pokemon would wake up. Despite the volume, Durus was out cold, and Gray watched as Savannah and Jigglypuff prepared to end the battle as quickly as possible.
"Use Mega Punch, Jigglypuff!" Jigglypuff's fist began to glow an intense white before she punched Durus in the face. The force of the blow was so powerful, the ground cracked underneath Durus' body, but the normal type was still sleeping peacefully. Gray quickly motioned for Savannah to attack once again, knowing her Pokemon wasn't going to wake up any time soon.
"Oh man, I can't watch," Leviculus muttered as he covered his eyes with his tail while Jigglypuff inflated and hovered over Durus.
"Wrap this up with Play Rough!" Gray turned away as Jigglypuff was covered in pink aura, and she fell like a bag of bricks. A loud thud echoed through the air, and Gray turned back to see Durus was down for the count while Jigglypuff waddled back to Savannah's side while breathing heavily as bruises and cuts covered her body. Chase swiftly threw his arms in the air and walked over to Durus before picking her up, and he looked at both sides.
"Durus is unable to battle! Savannah and Jigglypuff are the winners!"
"Great job, Jigglypuff!" Savannah cheered before releasing her Nidoran, who looked to be barely conscious. "Nidoran, we did it! You were great, too!" The poison type beamed at her trainer before turning to see Gray holding Durus in her arms, and the girl walked over with a dejected look on her face. "Awesome battle, Gray! We should have a rematch the next time we meet up."
Gray looked up at the sixteen year old and nodded, angry about her loss. Savannah then looked over at Chase and bowed respectfully before walking back to the campsite, leaving Gray and Chase alone with their Pokemon.
"She's one tough trainer. It looks like you've got your work cut out for you," Chase said while Audino and Gray walked by his side. Leviculus, meanwhile, hopped onto his trainer's head and sat there comfortably despite sensing his trainer's anger.
"Yeah, but I won't let her win next time. It's going to take a lot of handwork, but we're going to be way stronger next time I battle her." Chase nodded in agreement with Gray's words as they sat down at the campsite with Savannah, but the Saffron City native looked up at the sky while Chase and her rival talked the night away.
"And when we do get stronger, we're going to beat Trentavious, too."
Well, Gray lost to Savannah, but at least her Pokemon put up a good fight. And hey, if Leviculus battled, she probably would've won. Anyways, next chapter Gray and Chase will navigate their way through Mt. Moon, and that's about it. Also, I'm really pissed because I think the anime is going to do something similar to what I had planned for the Fuchsia Arc, so please don't think I'm copying the writers if I go through with my idea and it's the same. Till next time, peace out.
1) If I do another story (not even close to deciding this yet, though I do have the character and team), which region should it take place in? I'm thinking Johto so that it can act as a rewrite, just like this is for Kanto
Next Chapter: "Fake it Till You Make it": Gray and Chase continue their trek to Cerulean City, but first they must pass through Mt. Moon! With so much chaos following the two, they'll be forced to fake being confident until they can escape the mountain. Will Chase and Gray make it out alive?
Cerulean City Arc
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