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)
First, I'd just like to say this might be the worst title I've come up with in the story so far, but whatever :/ Last chapter, Leviculus and Audino were taught how to use Mega Kick and Mega Punch, respectively, and they battled to determine which was better. Of course, they tied. Now the attention shifts to Team Purity, who will start to reveal bits of their plan. Let's get going! P.S: I will be referring to Deus as him because it's easier (and feels more normal) than saying it, or other names. So please don't think I've decided if Deus will be male or female!
Blaze Falcon: Lol, nice job! Did you see the accidental spoiler notes I had posted on chapter nine? If not, then I'm really impressed, haha :) And I totally agree with you on the whole Ash thing. I don't get why they'd get rid of Goodra after so much development, but here's to hoping he can be call on like Charizard. Also, Team Purity will be doing exactly what you predicted, because I hadn't thought of that XD Lastly, Deus won't be going cray-cray for a little while, so he/she is still going to be pretty mysterious/creepy. Thanks for the review!
Defender31415: Thank you! And I stopped watching after Battle Frontier (no reason, I just stopped), but I still check in, and when I saw Ash was probably releasing his Goodra, it pissed me off even though I don't even watch XD And I do agree that Mega Punch is the better overall move, but I prefer Mega Kick just because of it's power, though it usually bites me in the ass during gym battles against Misty
MerlockVonBaron: I never thought of it that way. That's actually really insightful and something I know I wouldn't have realized :) For me, personally, it's just frustrating to see Goodra go because a) I love Goodra and b) The development he's gotten (at least what I've seen) makes the idea of him being gone really painful, though I have to give Ash credit for being able to do that
ShadowDragon9000: Gracias! Excluding this chapter, each of the rest in this arc have battles in them, so you're in for a treat! Of course, I'll be taking a break from those with the beginning of the Vermilion Arc, but that will also have a TON of battles. Also, I had the same reaction when I saw he had a Goodra! And Gray won't be releasing any of the first three. One of the next three will definitely be released, while another one could follow in Ash's Goodra's footsteps (which was planned before I found out about that)
guest: Thanks for the compliment! And it's really annoying, because it's basically annihilated everything in it's path kind of like Charizard
Shion Rasenka: It's good to see you liked it, and thanks for the compliment! Deus won't show off any of his/her Pokemon, though you'll learn a little about its past, but not much. And I don't really know what the anime's trying to do with Goodra, though I do think he's getting released because he's too strong. In the end, he'll probably be brought back for the league, or he'll get the Pidgeot treatment, which would suck
MCMXCV: Haha, it was used correctly, and I love writing Leviculus' battles because I get to use really weird combinations with him because of his goofy personality. And I'm going to be pissed if Ash releases Goodra for good. If he calls him back later, then it's fine. Also, Chase will be getting at least two more Pokemon, one of which will be coming pretty soon. What it is has yet to be determined, but I know he'll be catching a Pokemon soon
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 18, Scratch, Growl, Bite, Metal Claw, Fury Swipes*, Screech* - (Meowth)
Leviculus, (m), level 22, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Rain Dance, Body Slam*, Mega Kick* - (Poliwag)
Fidens, (m), level 20, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Rock Throw, Double Team, Scary Face*, Pluck* - (Archen)
"Deus, Tara is waiting outside," a woman in shining silver armor, who was wearing a laughing mask, said while kneeling to her leader. The dual-masked person nodded and motioned for the woman to allow Tara in while he sat at a table in a dining room. There were several other people sitting at the rectangular table, with Deus being the head, and the doors behind him opened. He turned and watched as the sixteen year old blonde walked into the room, her head hanging, and she dropped to one knee immediately.
"Please, Tara, don't be so formal," Deus requested. The girl reluctantly stood up, and she looked at her leader and nodded. "Here, take a seat. I have something that I think you'll like." The girl did as she was told and sat down next to Deus without her mask on, while everyone else at the table had their masks on. "Everyone, please take your masks off so Tara doesn't feel awkward." Even though Tara didn't feel awkward, she didn't dare speak against Deus, and she watched as everyone took off their masks, revealing their faces. Surprisingly, most of the people were women, though there were a few men near the other end of the table.
"Deus, are we allowed to speak of the plans in front of her?" a woman nearest Deus inquired. The masked person nodded and motioned for the woman to speak, so she did. "Well, as all of you know, our plans for Legendary Cleansing are coming along fairly well, though progress has been halted."
"And why is that, commander?" Deus asked politely.
"Even though the three birds reside in Kanto at all times, they are constantly changing where they are, while occasionally moving to Sinnoh. Moltres, for example, used to live in Victory Road, but after being released by Red, it moved to Mt. Ember on One Island. Articuno, meanwhile, moves between several different freezing areas, whether it be in Sinnoh or here. Zapdos' location is the only one we know right now, but battling it will be incredibly difficult, given it's in a Power Plant with tons of Pokemon protecting it."
"I see. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, Gloria. Can anyone think of some possible solutions to this issue?" Everyone looked around at each other and shrugged, occasionally whispering an awful idea, but they didn't say anything to Deus. He looked around the table, slightly agitated by the lack of confidence, but his eyes settled on Tara, who was raising her hand, waiting to be called on. "Ah, Tara, do you have an idea?"
"Yes. All three birds are flying types, so ground type Pokemon won't be able to use any of their STAB attacks. They can, however, lead us through the Power Plant and basically take out any of the Pokemon that are trying to defend Zapdos. From there, we could use our strongest Pokemon and simply have a war of attrition against Zapdos and catch it. Then again, I don't think any of the Pokemon we have are capable of defeating a legendary, no matter how many we have."
The rest of the table looked around in shock at the brilliant idea, and Deus began clapping while chuckling.
"I knew I liked your for a good reason, Tara," the person behind the dual-masks said while placing his hand on the girl's shoulder, which made her tense up despite being flattered by the leader's words.
"But what are we going to do about the strength of the Pokemon? There's no way we can take on a legendary!" a person at the table shouted so Deus could hear his voice. "The girl said it herself, our Pokemon aren't strong enough!"
"Very true, Reggie, but did you forget my past?" Deus countered coldly as he turned his masks around so that the crying face was displayed.
The room fell silent, and Deus looked over at Tara, who remained silent.
"I used to be a member of Team Grim before they rose to prominence last year. Of course, that conniving piece of scum, Frank, kicked me out of the organization when I rose through the ranks because he was scared of me, for more than just my mind!" The anger in Deus' voice bounced off the walls and rang in everyone's ears while they continued to remain silent, and the masked person took a deep breath. "Thankfully, a few high-ranking members of Team Grim that managed to escape decided to join me, along with their top scientists, and we're working on perfect Grim Reversion, which will be called Pokemon Purifying."
"I understand. Thank you for easing my nerves," the man from across the room said before bowing to Deus, who switched his mask around so the laughing face reappeared. Wanting to change the subject, the person turned their attention to Tara and began smiling under their mask.
"So, Tara, do you remember how I said I had something you'd like? Well, here it is. Bring him out, please!" Deus requested while turning around in his chair. The enormous doors opened, and a man strolled in confidently. He had an eyepatch on and was wearing a black vest with the collar popped. He also wore black pants, and black shoes, making him look like the second coming of the Grim Reaper. The belt he was wearing had a Pokeball clipped on it with a blue top and red bottom, while the button was gold. Tara stared at the Pokeball, having never seen it before, and the man stopped when Deus rose from his chair.
"I'm sorry if I'm being rude, Deus, but who is this, and why would I like him?" the girl asked respectfully, thinking Deus was trying to pair her with a man that would pique her romantic interest.
"Oh, I should've worded that better," Deus said before laughing while rubbing the back of his head, which was the crying mask, though no one could see it because of the robe he was wearing. "I meant you'd enjoy his company. This man is the top bounty hunter in the world, and he'll be taking Rory's place as your partner. He goes by the alias of Zypher."
"Noice ta meecha," the man said with a thick Australian accent while extended his right hand, which was covered with a black glove that had red streaks going down the fingers. Tara slowly shook the man's hand uncomfortably, not knowing if the red was blood, and she looked at Deus in confusion.
"Wait, if he's the top whatever in the world, why would he agree to be ranked so lowly in Team Purity?"
"Ain't it obvious, sweety?" Zypher asked sarcastically before cackling, which made Deus laugh. Tara, meanwhile, continued to look around in confusion until Deus placed his hand on her shoulder once again.
"You're getting a promotion. I like you Tara, and I think you can do special things for our group, so I'm going to send you on a recon mission with Zypher here. You see, there's one Pokemon in Kanto that has the power to stop our plans, and it's hiding somewhere in Cerulean City, most likely the cave. Now, there's going to be a man guarding the front and several other people from the Indigo League inside that will try to protect it all costs, but what I want you to do is just check out the first floor of the cave. If anyone is in there, Zypher is more than capable of holding them off while you activate the teleportation device to escape." Deus pulled a cube that looked similar to a Pokeball out of a bag one of the people at the table was holding, and he placed it in Tara's hand.
"Alroight, kid, let's get going," Zypher said through his thick accent while stroking his gray beard. His brown eyes stared into Tara's, unnerving the girl, and she slowly nodded at the order. "Ah'll letcha know how it goes, Deus," Zypher told the masked person, who nodded in response as Tara and Zypher began to walk out.
"Good luck, Tara! I'll eagerly be waiting for your results!"
Yeah, Deus (look it up if you don't know what it means) was pretty sane here, but that makes him/her all the more intimidating. It won't be as sinister as Frank, but definitely crazier. Also, Team Purity's approach will be a hybrid of Teams Flare, Grim, and Plasma, so they'll be pretty interesting. They also have this idea called "Legendary Cleansing" which will be explained later on.
Also, it was mentioned that a few members from Team Grim decided to join Team Purity after Owen defeated them, and don't worry, they will appear at some point or another :P
Then, Tara was also sent on a mission with her new partner, Zypher - who will definitely be someone to watch out for, for many reasons - to check on a legendary in Cerulean Cave, though that Pokemon won't make an appearance for, potentially, a very long time with its earliest appearance being the Saffron Arc. Next chapter will go back to focusing on Gray, with Leviculus starring, so it should be pretty entertaining. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Kingler of the Hill": While looking around Cerulean City, Chase and Gray learn that a nasty Kingler has taken control of the habitats of many water Pokemon. Leviculus, enraged over the matter, takes it upon himself to dethrone the Kingler and bring peace to the area. Will Gray be able to help her Pokemon bring peace?
Cerulean City Arc
Chapter 16: Waterworks
Chapter 17: Jingle Bell
Chapter 18: Double Do-Over
Chapter 19: Screeching Serenity