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)
Hey there, folks! It's time for another chapter, and I can tell you right now that it's kind of underwhelming. There are only a few, very short, battles (I believe two), and the rest is just everyone talking, though I feel it's a good developmental chapter. Anyways, last chapter featured Gray losing to her newest (and last) rival, Savannah and her powerful Jigglypuff and female Nidoran. Now, can Gray and Chase make it through Mt. Moon alive?
guest: She'll be losing quite a bit to her rivals with the occasional win here and there. It's definitely a lot different than Owen (excluding Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn) with the ways she'll lose
Shion Rasenka: Yeah, Savannah has a very interesting team (kudos to MCMXCV) that'll definitely be formidable come the Indigo League. And I feel the same way! Watching the character progress with their skills along with their Pokemon is what makes reading and/or writing these fics really enjoyable!
Defender31415: Thank you! And (I know this isn't what you meant by your review, but) I think if I have enough time, depending on how quickly I finish this story, the Johto rewrite might actually be a rewrite with Owen, where he'd catch different Pokemon while keeping the same rivals. The more I think about it, the more angry I am about writing that and Kanto. Hoenn's a bit different, because I actually started trying in the middle of that, but I digress. Thanks for the (possibly accidental) idea!
MCMXCV: Thanks, but I feel I could've done a better job with Nidoran being more fidgety. Oh well, I'll get my chance at redemption soon enough :) As for Durus, I thought about making her win, but that wouldn't do justice to Savannah and her (soon to be revealed) history. And I can't wait for their second battle, either! I'm thinking it'll probably be in Vermilion City, though it could be on the way to Celadon
Guest: Thank you! And I agree, doing the Johto story would probably be pretty fun
ShadowDragon9000: Thank you, and there are going to be a lot more battles coming up! Thinking about it, this arc and the Vermilion Arc have a crap ton of battles, haha. And the rewrite is basically set in stone, so long as I have the motivation to do it
Poke007 (guest): Good to see you liked the chapter! Gray will definitely become stronger from her losses, it'll just be a while before you notice a vast difference between her ability from the beginning to whenever she becomes a great trainer. As for your suggestions, she already has a Pokemon from Kanto, so she won't be getting any of those, plus Owen caught two of those (great suggestions though!). The idea you had with Dragonite, however, will be applied to the Pokemon she'll catch in Vermilion City
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 15, Scratch, Growl, Bite, Metal Claw, Fury Swipes*, Screech* - (Meowth)
Leviculus, (m), level 18, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Rain Dance - (Poliwag)
Fidens, (m), level 19, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Ancient Power, Double Team, Scary Face*, Pluck* - (Archen)
Gray yawned as she and Chase continued walking towards Mt. Moon in hopes of reaching Cerulean City by nightfall. It had only been three weeks since they left Pallet Town with their licenses, so Gray was going much faster than most other trainers who were looking to compete in the Indigo League. Knowing this, Chase had decided to check the Indigo League website, where there were rankings for all of the trainers with badges.
"So how are we stacking up against the rest of the competition, pretty boy?" Durus quizzed as she walked by her trainer's side without her teammates' presence, which made the environment peaceful. As much as she loved Leviculus, the water type was an idiot, and always did something to disturb the serenity of nature, something that always irked Durus. Chase shot an angered look back at the normal type as she continued to call him by the nickname he so badly hated.
"According to the website, you'd be lined up for a 16 seed in the tournament." Chase looked back at Durus and Gray, who looked at him in confusion, which made Audino speak up to bring clarity.
"It means you'd be one of the four worst trainers going up against one of the four strongest. It's still way too early to buy into these rankings, so don't take it too hard," the Unovan Pokemon instructed, though Durus wasn't able to contain her displeasure as the group arrived at the entrance to the enormous mountain.
"I don't care if it's early! Those idiots at the league don't see how good we really are, and I'm not going to stand for it!" the normal type articulated eloquently while Gray simply shrugged at the information, which made Durus even more frustrated. "Dammit, Gray! Get angry! They don't think we're good!"
"...Wellll," the girl replied while looking away from Durus, who glared daggers at her. "In all honesty, we've only won one battle, and we lost three others. We don't have a great track record, so I understand why we're ranked so low." Durus nearly fainted at her trainer's response, but she decided to turn her back to Gray while looking up at Chase.
"Are we going through there, or what?"
"Yeah, let's go."
"Lead the way, pretty boy," Durus mocked, making Chase steam. Chase, Audino, Durus, and Gray walked into Mt. Moon while the sun was still rising, and they were met by a pitch black cave. Just as Gray was about to groan at the unfortunate situation, Chase and Audino were ready for action.
"Use Flash, Audino!" Suddenly, the room was lit and Audino smiled as Durus patted her on the back. Chase also smiled, and Gray let out a sigh of relief. Slowly, the foursome started to walk around the eery mountain as drops of water echoed throughout the inside, making Durus shiver. Flocks of Zubat screeched as the group turned around each corner, and Durus would leap onto Gray's shoulder and hiss violently each time, making Chase laugh while Gray almost had a heart attack.
"How many more times do you think you're going to freak out, Durus? I don't think my heart can keep going at this rate," Gray said to her starter, who grinned sheepishly at the question, and she decided to stay on Gray's shoulder so that she didn't lunge at her trainer. As the group progressed through the cave - finding random ladders placed throughout - a soft tapping noise echoed in the ears of everyone.
"What the hell is that?" Chase quizzed, not wanting to be caught off guard by a potential enemy. The three girls shrugged at Chase, and they slowly crept forward. Suddenly, a small Pokemon darted towards them, coming from a corner, and Chase screamed at a shrill pitch.
"Back off!" Durus screamed as she lunged forward and slashed the Pokemon across the face with a vicious Metal Claw. The tiny Pokemon was thrown against the wall by Durus, prompting Gray, Chase, and Audino to run over to her. "Why were you attacking us?" the feline interrogated as the Pokemon struggled to break out of her grip.
"Para-Par!" Gray stared at the tiny crab with spores on its head, and she immediately pulled Durus back, allowing the Pokemon to breathe and move freely.
"Wait, that's a Paras," Chase said as he took his Pokedex out of his backpack and scanned the bug and grass type, whose picture popped up on the hi-tech device.
"Paras, the Mushroom Pokemon. Paras has parasitic mushrooms growing on its back called tochukaso. They grow large by drawing nutrients from this Bug Pokémon host. They are highly valued as a medicine for extending life."
"Hey, we read about that in school!" Chase exclaimed while Gray laughed at the teen's excitement. Durus, meanwhile, rolled her eyes at the intelligent trainer while Audino was quick to inspect the bug's spores. "Audino, what are you doing?"
"I want to take one of these spores just incase we ever have an emergency like Pewter City." Chase nodded and folded his arms over his chest as Audino attempted to rip one of the spores off Paras' back, but then his eyes shot wide open and he ran over to Audino frantically.
"Wait! Don't do that! Paras get-" Before Chase could finish his sentence, Audino was blasted by a Stun Spore, and she fell to the ground without trying to break her fall, making Chase, Gray, and Durus sweat drop. "Defensive." Everyone then looked at the Paras and it began to scamper away while calling out for something else, which confused the group as Chase withdrew Audino.
"What's that Paras doing?" Durus asked while looking at her trainer and Chase, who shrugged in response before a horde of Paras and Parasect appeared and glared at the trio, who all sweat dropped in response. "Maybe they're here to thank us?"
"Parasect!" the larger Pokemon screamed in unison before charging at the trainers and feline, who bolted in the opposite direction in terror. As they ran for the ladder, the teens turned back to see all of the bug types chasing them, and Gray tossed two Pokeballs in the air.
"Leviculus, send them flying with Water Gun! Fidens, build a wall with Ancient Power!" Leviculus gladly reared his head back, and he shot a blast of water at the enormous group of Pokemon while Fidens threw all five boulders on the ground around the ladder. Once the bugs had been knocked away, Gray withdrew both of her Pokemon after thanking them, and she followed Chase and Durus up the ladder. They soon realized, however, the only way out was by going through the Paras and Parasect.
"Oh shit, this is how I die," Chase iterated as he began to pace back and forth while Gray released Leviculus and Fidens for a second time. While Gray was busy trying to devise a strategy, Durus walked over to Chase, jumped up, and slapped him across the face. The sixteen year old stopped his panicking instantly, and he thanked Durus for her work, which made the normal type smile.
"Durus, I'm going to need you to stay in a triangle formation around me and Chase, okay? You'll be closer to me, Fidens will be closest to Chase, and Leviculus will lead. Is everyone ready?"
"Yeah!" Gray's Pokemon answered excitedly as they followed their trainer down the ladder. Chase lagged behind and nearly screamed when he saw Gray's Pokemon already combating the waves of bugs, but he was forced to follow when Gray grabbed his hand and yanked him along.
"Take this, you freaky bugs!" Leviculus screamed before firing a high-pressured blast of water, clearing an entire section of the Pokemon. "Come on! Hurry!" With that, the five sprinted forwards and Fidens began tossing boulders at the Pokemon as he tried giving his trainer, Chase, and his teammates enough time to get away. When they were far enough, Fidens stopped trying to stall, and he sprinted after everyone with Quick Attack, but the Paras and Parasect continued to pursue, even as the group neared the exit.
"We're almost there! Just a little further!" Gray exclaimed as she zapped Leviculus and Fidens back into their Pokeballs before sprinting after Chase and Durus. Suddenly, something grabbed Gray's shoe, and she fell on her face, making Chase and Durus turn around frantically before sprinting towards Gray. Chase stopped, however, when he saw that a Parasect was about to attack Gray, but Durus leaped through the air while her claws extended and started to glow silver. The normal type then slashed the Parasect as hard as she could, making the bug skid a few feet back. Durus took this time to help Gray back on her feet, and the girl thanked her Pokemon before they started to run again, but the same Parasect managed to stop them by shooting an Energy Ball in front of them.
"It looks like I'm going to have to take this guy down," Durus muttered while her claws extended. The normal type then took her hat off and tossed it to Gray, who noticed the feline's charm was glowing yellow. "It's time to pay!" Durus shouted, making an awful pun in the process. Suddenly, a huge blast of golden energy shot out from her charm. The Parasect was sent flying across the room after being struck, and Durus turned while running. The normal type quickly grabbed her hat out of Gray's hand and sprinted in front of her trainer and Chase.
After a few seconds of running, the trio escaped Mt. Moon and they collapsed on the ground once they were a safe distance away from the mountain. Chase looked back at the gigantic geographic landmark while panting, and he shook his head in fear while Gray rolled onto her back and began laughing.
"I can't believe we got out of there! That was so intense!"
"You can say that again," Durus muttered before licking the dirt from her paws. "I hate bugs."
"Look on the bright side. We're finally in Cerulean City," Gray countered while pointing at a sign that had the city's name on it. Durus' eyes lit up when she realized her trainer was right, and she leaped into Gray's arms while celebrating with her trainer. "Now let's get to the Pokemon Center." With that, the group headed towards Cerulean with exhausted looks on their faces, but Gray continued to beam while thinking of her second gym badge, which she was definitely going to win.
Whew, that was close. Gray and Chase managed to get out of Mt. Moon thanks to Durus, Leviculus, and Fidens taking care of those pesky Paras and Parasect, and the group has finally arrived in Cerulean City! Till next time, peace out.
1) Do you feel Gray's Pokemon are getting (close to, if not) equal screen time? If not, who should get more?
Next Chapter: "The Feuding Fighters": After escaping the paralous Mt. Moon, Gray and Chase are thrown into the middle of a fight between two brothers who believe that their special attack is better. When the friends take opposite sides, they are tutored by the brothers before battling. Who will win?
Cerulean City Arc
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