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)
Before I start the typical A/N, I'd just like to take some time to thank the reviewers for the consistent support! This story isn't getting many views (chapter 11 only had 31 views), which is really demoralizing considering how well Kalos did even when I wouldn't upload for several days. Please don't take this as me asking for pity, I just wanted the reviewers to know that the time they take to comment on the story means a lot :)
Well, it's time for an awesome chapter to go down... I hope. Last chapter, Team Purity sent Tara (for some reason) and her new partner, Zypher, to Cerulean City to check out the cave and see how many people were guarding the legendary Pokemon inside. Tara also received a ton of praise from Deus after coming up with a way to get to Zapdos in the Power Plant, and she was even given a promotion (good for her, haha)! I also forgot to mention that I'm currently working on chapter 19, so expect two updates per day! Now, let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: Yes he/she did! And the differences between Grim Reversion and Pokemon Purifying will be explained sometime soon, which will explain why Grim Reversion was so strong from the very start. Also, I like the prediction, and it might just happen :P
Defender31415: Just a wee bit, lol, and it's good to see someone either looked it up, or knew what Deus meant. He/She is pretty egotistical given the title, but there will be an explanation for people calling him/her Deus. I also think they could be more successful than Grim, though I'm not sure I'll make them as evil. Definitely crazier and more unpredictable, but I don't think I could make an organization as evil as Grim
MerlockVonBaron: I 100% agree, though I did love Paul
ShadowDragon9000: It's weird, I don't really know how I feel about them XD I loved Team Grim from the start (Frank almost killing Owen in chapters 1 and 2), but I think I'll like this group a lot more, especially if Deus turns out to be just as awesome as I think he/she will be, especially given the backstory and a few of his/her Grim friends. And I can tell you right now that your predictions are kind of right (the first one's spot on). And the relationship Deus has with Tara is building up to something very important ;)
MCMXCV: Not at all! The spilt-personality thing, I think, is what makes him/her such an interesting character, and I think Deus has the potential to be the best character I've ever written (might not be saying much, in some opinions). And I like the fact that you brought up his graceful style when he murdered Rory and compared it to Frank's ruthlessness of snapping necks and shooting people in the face. And both Spike and Viviana will make some appearances, though I don't know if they'll be prominent characters
Shion Rasenka: They definitely are, and thanks! And at some point I'll probably bring up her past, but if I can't think of a good backstory, then I won't force it. I do have some interesting plans for her, though ;)
Guest: I didn't even think of that, but he'll definitely catch one. Thanks for the idea!
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 19, Scratch, Pay Day, 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)
"You know you're going to have to tell Gray you like her at some point, right?" Audino asked Chase as she and the aspiring doctor walked the streets of Cerulean City. Chase shot his starter an annoyed look before sighing and nodding, while Gray and her three Pokemon were lagging behind and staring at any store they could look into. "You might want to do it soon. Us girls tend to move on pretty quickly," Audino fibbed, trying to make Chase more active in his quest for Gray's affection. The intelligent teen, however, saw right through his Pokemon's lie and shook his head at her in disgust.
"Don't even try that on me, Audino. Besides, if Gray's gone this long without liking anyone, it's not like she'll suddenly fall head over heels for some random guy.
"You know who I always had a crush on, growing up in Pallet Town?" Gray asked her Pokemon as they walked towards Chase. They all waited for the girl's answer, and she smirked before saying anything. "Owen Plateau. Moving from Pallet to Saffron was awful because I knew I wouldn't get to live across the street from him anymore," the girl admitted while blushing slightly, making Chase deadpan.
"Wait a second, isn't that the guy that stopped me from attacking you when we battled Trentavious?" Durus inquired, to which Gray nodded. The feline smirked and jumped on her trainer's shoulder before patting the brunette on the head. "I like your taste. He's cute, and a helluva trainer."
"Who's Owen Plateau?" Fidens quizzed while looking at Gray and Durus. Before either could answer, Leviculus gasped in shock and immediately replied with excitement.
"Oh, he's just some trainer from Pallet Town who managed to become the champion of the Kalos region at fifteen." Gray and Durus laughed at Leviculus' response, as the water type somehow knew who Owen was despite the fact that the girls didn't talk about him since Leviculus joined.
"Wow, that's impressive," Fidens said in awe as he and the others began walking around the city once again.
"That's not all," Audino informed Fidens, unaware of Chase's building frustration. "The champion of Kanto, who's the strongest trainer in the world, almost lost to Owen when they battled last year. And Owen probably could've won that if he didn't have to take care of his daughter during the last two months of his training. Apparently, he was only able to train during the final month when his girlfriend and friends forced him to."
"That's... incredible." Fidens looked back up at Gray and smiled at the girl as they passed by a wedding dress store, which Gray looked into. "Do you think we'll get to be that strong, Gray? That would be so cool. Nobody being able to beat you in a battle... that's so cool! Why didn't you marry him?" the prehistoric Pokemon quizzed, making Gray laugh.
"I was only five, and he was six. Besides, we're still only teenagers, it's not like it was guaranteed to happen," Gray replied, not denying the fact that she really liked the boy. "Things are a lot different this day and age than they were back when you were first born." Fidens nodded, remembering the uncivilized beasts known as humans running around with leaves covering their body parts, and how young they were when paired together for life. In fact, they were younger than Gray was, which made the rock type shake his head in disgust.
"At least she's got pretty boy, over there," Durus joked while pointing at Chase, who was standing a few feet away from the conversation. The teen glared at the Meowth while she and her teammates laughed at the joke. Even Gray and Audino laughed, which made Chase crack a slight smile. "Ah, there's that smile I've been waiting for!" Durus continued to joke while walking over to Chase and jabbing him in the leg lightly.
"Okay, you got me, that was a good one. But please, stop calling me that, Durus," Chase requested. After hearing him call her by the name she liked, Durus nodded at the plea, and she hopped up on Chase's shoulder as a sign of peace. The boy then began petting Durus' head, which wasn't covered by her hat, and the Meowth began to purr.
"It's good to see you two are finally getting along," Gray said with a smile as she and Chase passed a flower shop. As they did, a concerned voice caught their attention, and they decided to go into the store to hear what all the fuss was about. After walking through the open doors, the two teens saw a young woman sitting behind a counter talking with an older man, presumably her grandfather, with a fearful look in her eyes.
"I'm telling you, that Pokemon took over the entire river around Cerulean Cave! I can't go around there to get any of the flowers we planted, because it isn't afraid to attack people!" the girl shouted. Leviculus' head perked up when he heard about the water, and he waddled over to the woman with a curious look. Gray and Chase followed the dumb Pokemon, but stood back when the old man spoke.
"Well get a Pokemon that can defeat it, dammit! We're losing money because we don't have any flowers or plants, and that's the only place we can plant 'em!" The man stopped his tirade when Leviculus lightly tapped his shin, and the elder looked down and smiled at the cute tadpole. "Hello there, little guy. Are you lost?"
"Nope!" Leviculus exclaimed, making the old man jump in fear. He then grabbed a magazine, rolled it up, and prepared to hit Leviculus, but Gray stepped in front of her Pokemon.
"I am so sorry about that, sir. Leviculus, apologize!" Gray ordered, suddenly acting like a mother.
"Sorry," the water type said with the help of his translator.
"You see, we couldn't help but overhear your conversation from outside, and we decided to see what the problem was. My name's Gray Plain, and these are my Pokemon; Durus, Leviculus, and Fidens. Each of them can talk because trainers are required to have translators on their Pokemon nowadays," Gray informed the old man, who seemed to be calmed by the information.
"I'm Chase Smith, and this is my partner, Audino," Chase added while introducing himself and Audino, who bowed respectfully.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Nicholas, and that's my granddaughter, Melanie. My granddaughter and I were just talking about a Pokemon, that's destroying our business," the man said bluntly, making his granddaughter sweat drop. "We've tried to not get involved with it and just try to collect our flowers and plants, but that menace apparently keeps attacking her," the old man said while pointing at his granddaughter.
"It does!" Melanie proclaimed while stomping angrily. She turned to face Gray and Chase while blushing in embarrassment, and she cleared her throat before speaking again. "You see, I'm not a trainer, nor is my grandpa, so we don't have a means of defending ourselves," Melanie explained before sighing.
"What kind of Pokemon is it?" Chase quizzed, wanting to gather more information so he wouldn't be shocked by what it was.
"I think it's a Krabby, but a really big one." Suddenly, Leviculus hopped on Gray's shoulder and stared at Melanie intently as a fire burned in his eyes.
"We can protect you! If there's anything I hate most, it's Krabby!" Leviculus shouted, which made Melanie and Nicholas smile. Gray, Durus, and Fidens glanced at each other after hearing the ferocity behind Leviculus' voice, but they didn't say anything as Melanie got out of her chair and began to walk out of the store with her grandfather.
"Thank you so much! If you don't mind, we're going to head over there right now." Gray, Chase, and their Pokemon nodded as they followed the girl and old man outside, and they began walking towards the northern tip of Cerulean City, where a large, wooden bridge connected another route to the city. As they began walking along the sturdy structure, the large group received stares from several trainers who were standing around the bridge with their Pokemon.
"Why are all of these people looking at us?" Durus asked quietly without looking at the freaky trainers.
"This is the Nugget Bridge, and all of these trainers are a part of the Nugget Bridge Challenge. If you can defeat all five in battle, you earn a prize, and you are granted access to Route 25. They're letting us pass by because we don't have any Pokemon," Nicholas exclaimed while smiling at Durus. "However, the next time you try to cross this without us, you'll have to complete the challenge."
"Thanks for the heads-up," Chase said to the man, who nodded in response. After crossing the bridge, Melanie and Nicholas turned left. They walked over to a large patch of grass right along the water, and the girl began to tense up nervously as she eyed the water.
"Everyone, I want you to be ready to attack, okay?" Gray whispered to her Pokemon, who nodded in response. Chase and Audino also prepared to attack, and they stayed close to Melanie and Nicholas as they started to collect their flowers and plants.
"This place is actually really beautiful when you don't have to worry about being attacked," Melanie said to Chase and Gray, trying to make conversation. The trainers simply nodded, not wanting to get distracted, and then a large figure shot out of the water. Everyone, including Melanie and Nicholas, jumped in shock, and the two defenseless people ran behind Gray and Chase. Thankfully, the Pokemon that appeared wasn't the aggressive Krabby, and instead was a group of Poliwag, who were all much smaller than Leviculus. The group ran over to the water type in fear and huddled around him, all speaking at the same time.
"What's going on?" Durus asked her teammate while the family members went back to picking their flowers and plants. "Why are all of these Poliwag so nervous, Leviculus?" The water type didn't respond, and he continued to listen to the group of Pokemon that were the same species, and he flicked his translator off before speaking to them, which concerned Gray, Durus and Fidens. After finishing his speech, Leviculus nodded at all of the Poliwag and they ran away from the sight before stopping behind Gray. Leviculus then flipped his translator back on, and he looked around at his teammates and trainer.
"Apparently their houses were destroyed by this thing. I'm going to make sure it pays," Leviculus muttered so lowly no one could hear him. While Gray and Chase made sure to stand near Nicholas and Melanie, Durus, Fidens, and Audino began to talk to each other as if the Pokemon wasn't going to appear. Leviculus, however, sensed something in the water, but he pretended like he wasn't aware of the Pokemon's presence.
Suddenly, a Pokemon leaped out of the water and shot clouds of high speed bubbles at Chase and Gray in an attempt to make them leave. The efforts were a success, and the two teens screamed in pain before running away from Melanie and Nicholas, who were struck by the bubbles shortly afterwards. Leviculus then dove into the water and everyone watched as bubbles began to pop at the surface. Just as Gray was about to lean over the water, Leviculus and another Pokemon shot out and landed on the grass, and the two Pokemon glared at each other.
"That's one big Krabby," Fidens whispered in fear before shuddering at the sight of the water type. Durus did the same and so did Audino, but the normal types decided to step forwards in an attempt to help Leviculus.
"Everyone, stay back! This is my fight," Leviculus barked, making Durus and Audino back away and stand next to Gray and Chase, respectively. Melanie and Nicholas, meanwhile, watched with the group of Poliwag from afar. Slowly, Gray took out her Pokedex and scanned the crab that was snapping its claws angrily while screaming at Leviculus.
"Kingler, the Pincer Pokemon. Its pincers grow particularly large. If it lifts the pincers too fast, it loses its balance and staggers." Gray looked up from her Pokedex and gulped in fear while looking at the Kingler's enormous pincer, which the Pokemon waved around slowly.
"That's no Krabby," Chase muttered after the Pokedex determined the Pokemon was a Kingler. "Holy crap, this isn't good. Gray, we have to get out of here." The girl, despite being terrified, refused to run, which confused Chase.
"No, I believe in Leviculus, and we're going to stop this thing from terrorizing this area." Durus, Fidens, and Audino looked at Gray like she was crazy, and then they shifted their attention to Leviculus, who was barking something at Kingler, who was shouting right back.
"Enough talk! Kingler, we're going to defeat you!" Leviculus yelled while glaring at the gigantic crab, who snapped its pincers in response. Suddenly, the group of Poliwag began to cheer for Leviculus, and the confident water type stepped forward with an angered look on his face. Sensing her Pokemon's anger, Gray decided to start the battle aggressively.
"Leviculus, use Water Gun on the ground and slide around Kingler to confuse it!" Gray shouted, hoping she could use Leviculus' speed to confuse Kingler. Leviculus reared his head back and covered the ground with a powerful blast of water before diving forward and sliding around on his stomach. Kingler slowly turned around as Leviculus blew past him, and his claw began to glow bright white.
"Ler!" the evolved Pokemon cried before slamming his gigantic claw into Leviculus' stomach, sending the water type flying back towards Gray. The trainer caught her pained Pokemon and placed him back on the ground before watching Leviculus slide around the grass once again. The cheers from the other Poliwag continued to make their way to the battle, and the Kingler turned his attention to the crowd in rage.
"Perfect! Use Mega Kick while you have the chance, Leviculus!" Gray commanded while punching her fist straight forwards. Leviculus hopped in the air while Kingler continued snapping his pincer at the group of wild Pokemon and didn't notice Leviculus falling from the sky while his foot was glowing light blue. Suddenly, Leviculus slammed his foot against Kingler's face, and the gigantic crab was knocked into the water. Everyone cheered for Leviculus as he leaped into the water to continue his assault, but the momentum shifted when Kingler hopped out of the water and his claw was snapped on Leviculus' tail. The tadpole flailed violently in an attempt to break free, but the Kingler refused to let go while its other claw opened.
"King-King!" the Pokemon grunted as he struck Leviculus with a pointblank Bubblebeam, making Leviculus cry out in pain. Despite taking an enormous amount of damage, Leviculus remained conscious, and he spat into Kingler's face, enraging the hostile Pokemon. Gray, meanwhile, face palmed at her Pokemon's antics before issuing another command.
"Use Hypnosis!" Leviculus grinned before he stared into Kingler's eyes, but the larger Pokemon was more than ready to stop the attack in the most efficient way possible. Leviculus' concentration was broken when Kingler slammed him against the ground, and then the evolved Pokemon's claw started to glow white. He then smirked devilishly as Leviculus laid on the ground in pain, and Kingler brought his pincer down.
"King!" Gray watched in terror as Kingler smashed its pincer down on Leviculus, and the smaller Pokemon cried out in pain before his voice weakly drifted off. Gray slowly stepped forward and watched as the dust settled. Leviculus was lying on his back and his eyes were barely open. The wild Kingler laughed to himself as he started to walk away from Leviculus, but the battered Pokemon pushed himself up with his tail.
"Hey, where... are you going?" Leviculus asked between coughs with a smirk. The Kingler glared at Leviculus and prepared to attack once more, but he was shocked when Leviculus was enveloped in a bight white light. Everyone gasped at the sight, and Leviculus' body began to transform. Suddenly, his legs started to grow a little more, and two arms stemmed out of his circular body, which had grown. When the light faded, a new Pokemon stood in the Poliwag's place, and everyone cheered. The new Pokemon's skin was slightly paler than before, and his fists appeared to be covered in white gloves. The tail he used to have disappeared, but the Pokemon looked much stronger.
"Poliwhirl, the Tadpole Pokemon. The surface of Poliwhirl's body is always wet and slick with an oily fluid. Because of this greasy covering, it can easily slip and slide out of the clutches of any enemy in battle." Gray looked up from her Pokedex and smiled at the newly evolved Pokemon, who turned around and nodded at his trainer confidently before charging towards the Kingler.
"Leviculus, jump and use Body Slam!" Gray commanded with a bright smile. Leviculus leaped into the air and suddenly crashed down on top of Kingler, who grunted in pain. The Poliwhirl quickly got off his opponent and slid back to his trainer while flexing, making his teammates, Chase, and Audino laugh. The wild Kingler didn't seem pleased, though, and it scurried over towards Leviculus and attempted to hit him with its glowing pincer.
"Ler!" The Kingler wound its arm back and attempted to crush Leviculus. The newly evolved Pokemon, however, wasn't going to let that happen, and neither was Gray, who countered the attack with a command of her own.
"Grab it!" Leviculus' arms shot forwards and he grabbed Kingler's arm, which shocked everyone.
"King?" the wild Pokemon grunted in confusion as Leviculus easily kept the attack at bay with his newfound strength. Because of his inability to land the attack, Kingler became angered and started to stomp on the ground, presenting the perfect opening for Leviculus and Gray, who were ready to end the battle with one final attack.
"Leviculus, let's finish this with Mega Kick!" Leviculus nodded at the command and his right foot started to glow light blue. Kingler didn't realize Leviculus was about to attack, and he was sent flying across the grass and into the water after being kicked in the face. Everyone ran over to the part of the water the Kingler landed in, and the water type resurfaced while its eyes were shut, prompting Leviculus to flex victoriously.
"Way to go, Leviculus!" Chase cheered as he ran over to the Pokemon and hugged it before pulling away in disgust. Leviculus' body, as stated by the Pokedex, was incredibly slimy, which Chase had forgotten. Durus, Audino, and Fidens laughed at the teen's reaction, but they stopped when Gray hugged Leviculus, not caring about the slime.
"You were so brave and awesome, Leviculus." The girl pulled away from the Pokemon and giggled when he seemed to smile, though it was tough to tell given the fact that his mouth had disappeared.
"Thank you! It wasn't that scary, though, because I knew I had to help them," Leviculus said as the group of Poliwag ran over to him and started cheering. Melanie and Nicholas soon followed, and they bowed to Leviculus thankfully.
"You don't know how grateful we are for your kind act, Leviculus and Gray. Thank you so much," Nicholas said while pulling out his wallet. He stopped, however, when Chase stuck his hand out and shook his head.
"Sorry, but we're not taking your money. We don't need any kind of payment." Gray and her Pokemon nodded in agreement and Durus held back a question that most likely would've received a verbal scolding. Nicholas bowed once again to the two trainers and finished picking his flowers and plants along with his granddaughter before walking back to Cerulean City with the teens and their Pokemon. Once Melanie and her grandfather walked into the store, Gray and Chase headed back to the Pokemon Center with exhausted expressions.
"That was a lot of work, but I'm glad we did it," Gray said aloud, to which Chase nodded. The two then walked down a hallway in the Pokemon Center and stopped at their rooms, which were right across from each other. "I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early!" Gray exclaimed, making Chase hang his head disappointedly. "Just kidding, I planned on challenging the gym leader at five, so you can sleep in tomorrow." Chase let out a sigh of relief when he saw Gray giggling as she opened the door to her room.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then." With that, the two trainers walked into their rooms and closed them at the same time with different thoughts on their mind.
Bam! Leviculus evolved, and he's going to very reliable for the foreseeable future. Also, it was revealed Gray actually did grow up with Owen, and she even had (still kinda has) a crush on him! There will be a little thing that pops up because of that, though that thing won't happen for quite a while. Next chapter will be about Gray trying to find Misty, and then some other stuff I'm too lazy to type again (the summaries are always posted before the A/N). Till next time, peace out.
1) Predictions for Gray's gym battle?
Next Chapter: "Waterworks": Wanting to win her second badge as soon as possible, Gray attempts to challenge Misty. She soon learns that the gym leader is at Cerulean Cape. After making her way through several opponents, Gray finds Misty, but she refuses to accept her challenge when Gray ruins her date. Can Gray convince Misty to change her mind, or will she have to move on to Vermilion City?
Cerulean City Arc
Chapter 17: Jingle Bell
Chapter 18: Double Do-Over
Chapter 19: Screeching Serenity