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, Fidens, and Magna 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, Fidens, and Magna by her side and Durus resting on her head)
Move over, boring fillers, it's time for a gym battle! Last chapter, Gray, Chase, and Marcus, who's Gray's third and final rival, managed to get Zypher thrown in jail while Tara escaped. Misty then accepted Gray's gym challenge after hearing about her deeds, and the two will be duking it out this chapter. Now let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: Yeah, they'll kind of be jerks for a little bit (I decided to not make it last long), but they'll end up getting over Magna because a new Pokemon will be joining the team next chapter! And thanks! Marcus will really show who he is when reintroduced in the Vermilion Arc, plus Fidens and Magna will definitely be a funny pair to watch
Defender31415: Gracias, and Marcus is a really cool guy. Like I said in the response to Blaze Falcon, he's really going to show his true colors come the Vermilion City Arc
Shion Rasenka: Very well said (thanks for bringing that up, btw), and he'll be out of that stage near the end of next arc, so there's no need to worry about that. And Fidens will be pretty quiet about his feelings towards Magna for a while until he evolves, which is when he'll become a lot more confident. Hopefully you like the battle!
guest: Psyduck will be used, and he'll end up being the joke of the three given how weak he was the majority of the time during the anime. I really wanted to make him a beast, but Misty's other two Pokemon were already strong enough, so I figured I'd cut Gray some slack. And lol, I like your honesty XD Also, Fortis means "strong" and he'll be joining the team very soon
FlameStriker123: Marcus will definitely be an incredibly strong rival, but I have no idea who's going to win the Indigo League, let alone where Gray will finish. I really want Gray to win, because this'll probably be her only story, but I also don't want to make her win just because of that. It's a really tough decision :/
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 22, Scratch, Feint Attack, Bite, Metal Claw, Fury Swipes*, Screech* - (Meowth)
Leviculus, (m), level 25, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Rain Dance, Mega Kick* - (Poliwhirl)
Fidens, (m), level 23, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Rock Throw, Double Team, Scary Face*, Pluck* - (Archen)
Magna, (f), level 21, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort* - (Chingling)
"So where are you headed, Marcus?" Gray asked as she, Marcus, and Chase walked towards the Cerulean Gym. Durus, who was walking with Audino, shot a look at her trainer with a smirk, as she thought Gray's small talk was a form of flirting, which it wasn't. "Vermilion City, right?"
"Yup! Once I get that badge, I'm going to start training for the Vermilion City Tournament!" Marcus exclaimed while pumping his fists in the air excitedly. "Apparently with all the changes the league made, the winner of the tournament is given credit for winning three additional badges," the sixteen year old continued while his eyes lit up at the thought of finishing first.
"That's crazy!" Chase shouted. "I mean, it's cool that the league's doing that, but the advantage you get by winning is ridiculous!" Marcus nodded in response and opened his Pokedex while looking at the league website with an eager grin.
"Apparently there's another tournament in Saffron City in a couple months with the same prize for the winner." This time, Gray's eyes lit up after hearing about Saffron City, and the girl let out a relaxed sigh. "Well, I need to get going. Text me whenever you get to Vermilion City so we can have our battle," Marcus said with a grin while looking at Gray. The girl nodded in response and wave to Marcus while he walked away. Chase, however, didn't show the same happiness, and glared at the trainer as he walked away.
"So, are we gonna get to the gym, or are you just gonna wave at Marcus till the end of time?" Durus asked Gray, who laughed at her eager Pokemon. She then turned and walked into the gym with a confident look on her face, and she was escorted to the battlefield where Misty and a camera crew were waiting. A referee, who was wearing a speedo, also watched Gray as she stepped into her trainer box, and the girl analyzed the battlefield while Chase and Audino stood in the trainer lounge off to the side of the pool with Fidens.
The battlefield had one large, rectangular platform in the middle that looked like a shrunken down version of a league battlefield, and there were two circular platforms in front of both trainers. Water covered the rest of the pool, however, and Gray groaned in response.
"It's about time you got here. Me and my Pokemon have been itching to battle you," Misty told Gray from across the room with a grin. Gray nodded in response, and the cameras turned on while the referee raised his arms.
"This will be a three versus three battle between Gray Plain of Pallet Town, and Gym Leader Misty!" the referee announced as Gray's picture appeared on a holographic scoreboard along with Misty's. Three smaller spots appeared next to both trainers' pictures. "The battle will be over when all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle! Furthermore, only the challenger may substitute her Pokemon! Misty, choose your first Pokemon!"
"We're going to make sure to get revenge for ruining my date, Gray!" Misty shouted to the girl with a playful smile, finally over the incident from earlier in the week. "Corsola, control the water!" Misty shouted while throwing her first Pokeball towards the water. A strange, pink Pokemon appeared in the water, and Chase scanned it with his Pokedex immediately while it's picture appeared on the scoreboard.
"Corsola, the Coral Pokemon. Corsola's branches glitter very beautifully in seven colors when they catch sunlight. If any branch breaks off, this Pokémon grows it back in just one night."
"Leviculus, you're up first!" Gray shouted before opening her first Pokeball. Leviculus landed in the water in front of Gray, and his picture appeared on the scoreboard next to Gray's. The two water types locked eyes while the referee glanced at both trainers before clearing his throat.
"This battle will be between Corsola and Leviculus! Begin!"
"Corsola, swim underwater and use Power Gem!" Misty commanded tactically. Gray wand Leviculus watched as the pink and white Pokemon disappeared from their sights, but they were soon shocked when blasts of white energy shot out of the water and began pummeling Leviculus, who cried out in pain as he flew into the air. Gray could only watch as her Pokemon fell back into the water, but this time he remained submerged in an attempt to combat his foe.
"Counter with Water Gun, Leviculus!" Gray commanded while punching the air in front of her. The girl looked at a gigantic monitor hanging over the battlefield and saw Leviculus fire a high-pressured blast of water at Corsola. The attack landed, but it didn't seem to do much damage to the water and rock type, who started zipping around at the speed of a motorboat.
"Now send Leviculus into the air with Earth Power!" The blue water quickly flashed red, and a blast of energy shot upwards. Drops of water fell down on Gray and Durus while Leviculus was sent soaring towards the roof, his body flailing around like a rag doll.
"Holy crap! This thing's got some strong attacks!" Chase shouted while Leviculus began to fall towards the platform. Once he smacked against the rectangular buoy, Leviculus slowly rubbed his aching back, and Audino began directing the water type's motions.
"He's not winning this. With a fall like that, he's going to be way slower and a lot more hesitant to attack from close range, which only plays into Misty's favor," the normal type said aloud, not expecting Chase to add onto her observation.
"Oh come on, there's no way you can tell that just from him grabbing his back," Fidens objected. "Leviculus is the strongest out of all of us, so he's not going to go down that easily."
"Hang in there, buddy!" Gray shouted to the injured Pokemon. "Jump and use Body Slam on the water!" Leviculus sprung into the air before bellyflopping against the water, causing a tidal wave to fly across the pool. Just like Gray had planned, Corsola was shot out of the pool and was left defenseless, making the girl smirk. "Now use Water Gun and send Corsola flying!" Leviculus quickly reared back and shot another blast of water at his opponent, but Misty's quick thinking prevented it from landing.
"Corsola, block it with Aqua Ring!" Corsola grinned as two rings of water began to spin around her body, and the Water Gun attack was blocked. Instead of being overwhelmed by the result of her Pokemon's attack, Gray threw her arm forward and issued another command.
"Slam Corsola into the water with Mega Kick!" Leviculus bolted across the middle platform and hopped in the air while his foot started to glow light blue. The circular Pokemon then started to spin like a wheel as he prepared to send Corsola flying into the water, but Misty got the best of Gray once again.
"Iron Defense!" Corsola's colorful body soon turned silver, and Leviculus screamed in pain as he smashed his foot over the Pokemon's head. Corsola smirked at the state of her opponent while she landed in the water, and Leviculus began to roll around while grabbing his aching foot.
"Leviculus!" Gray screamed while her Pokemon continued to grasp his foot. Corsola then hopped out of the water and landed on the middle platform before looking back at Misty, who nodded at the pink Pokemon.
"Finish this with Head Smash!" Audino and Chase gasped in shock as Corsola charged forwards before suddenly being engulfed in neon blue energy, which was so powerful everyone in the room could hear it. The water and rock type then crushed Leviculus with the devastating attack, sending the Poliwhirl flying through the air limply. Once he smacked against the ground next to Gray, the referee saw that Leviculus wasn't going to get up, so he raised his arms in the air.
"Leviculus is unable to battle! Gray, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks for the hard fought battle, Leviculus," Gray said to the Poliwhirl while helping him off the ground. Leviculus nodded at his trainer and sighed as he sat down behind her, waiting to see who would follow his abysmal performance.
"Durus, I'm counting on you!" Gray exclaimed while looking down at her starter. Durus leaped across the water and landed on the smaller, circular platform nearest Gray while her picture appeared on the scoreboard beneath Leviculus', which had turned black.
"This battle will be between Corsola and Durus! Begin!"
"Corsola, use Bubblebeam!" Misty shouted while pointing at Durus. Corsola leaped out of the water and fired a flurry of high speed bubbles towards Gray's starter, who smirked and leaped over the attack with ease, shocking the gym leader and her Pokemon, who had hid underwater while Durus attempted to grab her.
"Use Pay Day on the water, Durus!" Gray commanded with a grin. Durus did as she was told, and the Meowth's charm began to glow. She then took her hat off and a blast of gold energy was shot out of her charm, which smacked against the water. When it did, all of the water in the pool shot into the air, leaving Corsola completely defenseless.
"Alright, Gray!" Chase cheered at the brilliant move. He, Audino, and Fidens then high-fived before turning their attention back to the battle, and they watched as Durus leaped down towards Corsola, who was paralyzed in shock.
"Keep Durus away with Power Gem!" Misty commanded while Durus began to fall towards Corsola. The water and rock type suddenly fired several bullets of white energy from her back, but Gray was able to think quickly.
"Use Screech to send it right back!" Durus grinned before bellowing. The waves of sound instantly redirected the Power Gem attack back at Corsola, who was crushed by the wicked rock type attack. "Now use Metal Claw!" Durus' claws then extended and turned into metal while she began spinning. After shaking her head to recover from the Power Gem attack, Corsola was met by a devastating slash to her face, which knocked her into the wall behind Misty.
"Corsola, are you okay?" the gym leader asked as the pool began to fill up with water, which led to Durus jumping on the large, rectangular buoy. Corsola slowly nodded as the pool was completely filled, and the gym leader let out a sigh of relief before smiling confidently and pointing at Durus. "Okay, use Head Smash!" In the blink of an eye Corsola was shrouded in neon blue energy before ramming into Durus, who let out a loud grunt in pain as she flew through the air.
"Durus!" Gray shouted while watching her Pokemon fall into the water. Within nanoseconds, Durus pulled herself onto the buoy nearest Gray before hissing angrily when she saw Misty giggling. "Use Screech on the water to create a whirlpool!" Durus opened her mouth as quickly as possible and screamed at the top of her lungs, creating waves of sound that struck the water. Much to Misty's dismay, the angle that Durus was screaming at caused all of the water to spin in a circle rapidly, which made Corsola dizzy as she was swept up in the current.
"Hop out and finish this with Tackle!"
"Use Metal Claw, and don't hold back!" As Corsola leaped out of the water, Durus' claws shot out of her paws and turned to metal. The two Pokemon then charged towards each other before their attacks collided. A wave of force suddenly sent both Pokemon spiraling into their trainers, and the referee quickly raised his arms after seeing both Pokemon laying on the ground limply.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Choose your next, and final Pokemon!" the referee shouted while looking at Misty and then Gray.
"Thanks, Corsola, you were great. Psyduck, let's end this!" Misty yelled while throwing her second Pokeball. A dumb looking yellow duck materialized on the buoy nearest Misty, and it began to scratch its stomach.
"Awesome work, Durus. Take a long rest next to Leviculus," Gray said as she zapped her starter into her Pokeball before releasing her next to the large water type. "Magna, it's all up to you!" the girl yelled while throwing out the Pokeball of her newly acquired Pokemon. Durus and Leviculus rolled their eyes at the tiny, bipedal bell as she jumped up and down, creating a jingling noise.
"This battle will be between Psyduck and Magna! Begin!"
"Use Scratch, Psyduck!" Misty commanded. The duck, who appeared to be in his own little world, ran forwards while three white claws extended from his fingertips.
"Launch Psyduck away with Uproar!" Gray countered quickly. Magna quickly opened her mouth and unleashed an ear piercing sound, which made everyone in the room cover their ears in pain. Psyduck, meanwhile, was hurled into the water, and the water type began to flail about. For some reason, it appeared the duck wasn't comfortable in the water, which made Durus and Leviculus laugh quietly.
"Psyduck, get out of the water and use Confusion!" Misty shouted to the drowning Pokemon. Psyduck was unable to get out of the water, however, and he began to sink, prompting the gym leader to dive into the water and rescue her Pokemon. After resting Psyduck in her trainer box, Misty cursed under her breath and nodded at the referee before he could say anything. Gray looked around in confusion along with Magna, and the two realized Psyduck's picture turned black.
"Psyduck has been pulled from battle! Misty, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Wait, why isn't Psyduck able to keep battling?" Audino asked Chase.
"Whenever a trailer interferes with a battle, they automatically pull their Pokemon out of the battle," Chase explained. "It's a way to keep people from cheating the system, in a way."
"You can do this, Magna!" Fidens screamed in support of his teammate. Magna turned to face Fidens and she winked at the rock type, making him blush. Magna, however, didn't seem to notice.
"Gyarados, I'm counting on you!" Misty shouted as she released her final Pokeball. Gray deadpanned when she saw the sea serpent land in the water, and Gyarados roared powerfully before looking around the battlefield for his opponent. When the water type's gaze settled on Magna, he began to laugh, which made the bell glared angrily while stomping on the buoy.
"This battle will be between Gyarados and Magna! Begin!"
"Gyarados, send Magna flying with Twister!" Gyarados slowly raised his tail out of the water and whipped it forwards, creating a devastating twister that started moving towards Magna, who stared at the attack wide-eyed. Gray, however, didn't pay attention to the dragon type attack, and she pointed straight ahead confidently. Durus and Leviculus, meanwhile, shook their heads in disappointment as they figured Magna would be knocked out by the attack.
"Stop it with another Uproar, Magna!" The psychic type's mouth shot wide open and she began to scream as loudly as possible, remembering what Leviculus had told her during their training. A gigantic horizontal blast of sound crushed the Twister attack and hit Gyarados head-on, nearly knocking the enormous Pokemon onto his back. Fidens quickly cheered for Magna's success while Chase and Audino stared in shock.
"Wow, that's some serious power," Misty grumbled before turning her attention back to the battle. "Use Aqua Tail, Gyarados!" Gyarados quickly regained his posture and raised his tail out of the water. As he did so, his tail was covered in swirling blue water, and he threw his tail forward. Magna was too slow to dodge the attack and as a result was sent flying into the water right in front of Gray, making the girl gasp in horror. She was soon relieved when Magna resurfaced and swam over to the middle platform.
"Magna, are you okay?" Gray asked as the bell Pokemon slowly pulled herself onto the middle platform, where she'd have more space to move. Magna grunted in response, and Gray let out another sigh of relief before issuing a command. "Get in close to Gyarados and use Astonish!" The tiny Pokemon bolted towards her huge opponent and jumped towards him. Gyarados attempted to get out of the way, but he didn't have enough space in the pool to do so, which allowed Magna to hop onto Gyarados' head. She then began to turn purple before head butting Gyarados, who roared in pain before freezing in fear.
"Shake that thing off!" Misty shouted desperately as Magna continued to pummel Gyarados, who continued to flinch. The gym leader angrily stomped on the ground with her right foot while Gray snapped her fingers after brushing her hair out of her eyes, and the younger girl smiled before punching the air above her.
"Use Yawn and jump off when it's safe!" the sixteen year old instructed. Magna opened her mouth and let out a soothing yawn, causing a cloud of air to fly towards Gyarados. Once the bubble hit the water type, it popped, and Gyarados' eye lids started to droop.
"No! Now we have to end this. Gyarados, use Thrash!" Misty commanded. Luckily, Gyarados' sudden violent flailing caused Magna to lose her grip, and she was thrown onto the middle platform. Gyarados then slammed his tail over her, and the three spectators in the trainer lounge winced at the sight while Gray bit her lower lip nervously.
"Magna, please hang in there!" the girl shouted as her last Pokemon struggled to get on her feet. Suddenly, Gyarados' eyes closed, and the weakened Pokemon laid his head on the platform Magna was standing on.
"Wake up and use Thrash, Gyarados!" Misty yelled to her final Pokemon. Gyarados didn't reply, however, and Gray smirked along with Magna, who knew exactly what her trainer was going to order.
"Wrap this up with Last Resort!" Magna didn't hesitate to attack, and she opened her mouth wide. A blast of black energy flew out of her mouth and engulfed Gyarados' body before exploding. The water and flying type was then sent flying out of the pool and he crashed next to Misty, who could only stare at Magna in shock. Durus and Leviculus had the same reactions, and then they looked at each other before turning back to see Magna jumping up and down happily.
"Gyarados is unable to battle! Gray and Magna are the winners!"
"I did it!" Magna screamed excitedly before running over to Gray and jumping into her trainer's arms. The two girls cheered while Chase, Audino, and Fidens made their way to the battlefield, and Misty followed suit after getting a badge for Gray.
"I have to say, I'm impressed by you and your Pokemon, Gray," Misty started before handing the challenger a gym badge. "That's the Cascade Badge. You definitely earned it." Misty smiled at Gray and her four Pokemon, who all bowed in respect. "The next gym's in Vermilion City, but be careful when you battle the gym leader. He's insane."
"Haha, thanks for the info. Come on, everyone! We're going to Vermilion City!"
That's how you make a first impression, future members of Gray's team. Magna kicked some major butt in her debut, and she'll continue to be a very solid option throughout the story, but that's not important right now. What is, is the start of a new arc coming next chapter! Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Durus vs Zangoose: Day Care Duel!": While on their way to Vermilion City, Gray and Chase decide to stop by the DayCare Center. While there, the two meet a boy with a Zangoose as he's releasing one of his Pokemon because it's too weak. Gray and Durus quickly intervene and a battle ensues! Will Gray and Durus be able to defeat the nasty boy and defend the released Pokemon?
Vermilion City Arc
Chapter 21: When all Else Fails
Chapter 22: Flirting With History
Chapter 23: Touring Pokemon Tower
Chapter 24: Welcomed with Open Arms
Chapter 25: Nightmares
Chapter 26: Quest for the Crown
Chapter 27: War-Zone
Chapter 28: Caution: Danger Ahead!
Chapter 29: Sweet Victory
Chapter 30: Rival Revenge
Chapter 31: Forits vs Gible: Winner Takes All
Chapter 32: Fidens' Confrontation