Theme Song
Come on, come out, we don't have all day (Gray tries getting Durus, Leviculus, Fidens, and Magna out of bed with annoyed looks on their faces)
Let's do this adventure the right way (Gray runs down a road with Chase, Durus, Audino, another person, and her other Pokemon following)
We will look back on what we were (One of Gray's Pokemon is pictured on a black canvas before two figures appear behind him like shadows)
Even now, we're still unsure... (Team Purity's logo flashes on the screen, and Deus' masked faces appear)
What the future holds! (Gray's final team flashes by)
Be fast, grab your dreams and run (Trentavious, Savannah, and Marcus appear with their starters, and they smirk at Gray while Trent glares)
Look back, make sure to have fun (Gray, Chase, and another person sit underneath a tree with their Pokemon while laughing)
Remember now, don't look back, just stay calm and give it a crack... (Gray and her Pokemon stand on a hill with Chase, Audino, and another person)
Pokemon!
New arc, new theme song, good vibes, lol. So, last chapter Gray defeated Misty for her second gym badge with Magna beating Misty's Gyarados, and now Gray and Chase are heading towards Vermilion City! They'll stop on the way to visit the Day Care Center, though, and Gray's temper will be tested, along with that of Durus. Now, let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: There's going to be a lot of tension between Chase and most guys that are nice, so it won't just apply to Marcus. He'll eventually get over it, though, so his rivalries with the other male characters will go away. And the only reason I had Leviculus lose was for the sake of balancing the levels, so he'll bounce back pretty soon. That'll probably happen to most of the Pokemon (struggling, at some point) in order to let the others catch up
Defender31415: Yeah, Magna is going to be really strong compared to most Chingling, though she won't be nearly as strong as Gray's top Pokemon. And Psyduck was awful, because, well... he's Psyduck
ShadowDragon9000: Never do that again ;)
guest: Good, and Corsola really was a beast in that battle. This chapter's probably one of the favorite I've written, given the addition to Gray's team
MCMXCV: Depending on the picture it's either light blue or white... stupid designers. And Magna was really good, but Leviculus and Durus will still take some time to actually like her
jail251: Sorry, I have too many right now
One-Fangirl22: Thanks for somehow sticking around! And depending on when I finish this story, I'll probably end up doing one more, though I'm not sure if Gray will be returning or there will be a new character. So I guess you can hope :3
Shion Rasenka: Magna definitely will be really strong, just like all of Gray's other Pokemon, though they won't always win. And this guy is going to be a huge jerk, which'll piss everyone off (along with you XD), so they'll try to put him in his place
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 25, 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 24, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort* - (Chingling)
"I still don't understand how that little thing can be so loud," Durus muttered as Magna lead the group, alongside Fidens, and hopped along the grass towards Vermilion City. Chase and Gray had left Cerulean City about an hour prior, and their Pokemon were happy to be on the road again, though they were hoping there wouldn't be a Mt. Moon repeat. "Sure, she's strong, but it just doesn't make any sense to me."
"You're preaching to the choir," Leviculus said to his teammate before soaking the ground with a Water Gun attack. The large Pokemon then began to slide along the grass happily, making Gray laugh. Audino, meanwhile, stayed near Chase and didn't pay much attention to Gray and the cast of characters around her, instead opting to focus on the scenery.
"I can't believe you're already a quarter of the way done with the badge hunt. It feels like we were just starting yesterday," Audino said aloud before looking at Gray and smiling. The girl smiled back and nodded at the normal type before sighing and looking up at the sky.
"It definitely has gone by quickly," Chase agreed as he continued to read a book about medicine. "I guess people are right when they say time flies when you're having fun." Once again, Gray nodded in agreement before checking her Pokedex to see how far Vermilion City was.
"It should take us another couple of days to get there, but apparently there's a Day Care Center up ahead that I want to check out. Do you two mind?" Gray quizzed while looking at Chase and his starter, who shook their heads at the same time. "Great! I heard the guy there's really good with training Pokemon." As soon as she said that, Gray saw that her Pokemon were giving her looks of confusion, which she waved off.
"If you try and give me to some old guy, I'm not going down without a fight," Durus informed her trainer while her claws extended from her paws. "Watch for your eyes, I tend to swing blindly." Magna laughed at the normal type's statement, but stopped when she saw Durus shooting her a nasty look. She stopped, however, when Fidens glared right back at her.
"Hey, is that the place up ahead?" Audino asked Gray while pointing at a small building in the distance. The trainer's eyes lit up with excitement when she saw the Day Care Center, and she nearly broke out into a sprint.
"Wow wow wow, slow down there," Chase said as he grabbed Gray by the backpack just before she could take off. The girl turned angrily and waited for Chase to explain why he did that, and he slowly closed his book with one hand after marking the page he was on. "Don't leave us all in the dust. The whole point of this journey is to take everything in. Not everyone gets to do this."
"You're right... see ya!" Gray shouted before bolting towards the Day Care Center, leaving everyone in a cloud of dust, just like Chase had said she would. Everyone sighed at Gray's excitement, except for Leviculus, who chased after his trainer. After a minute or so of running Gray finally reached the Day Care Center and stood in front of the door to the building along with Leviculus. The girl then opened the door and walked into the building with a bright smile. The room she was in was rather large given the small exterior.
"Your Trapinch has grown quite a lot, Troy. By fourteen levels, actually." Gray looked on as an elderly man in a brown trench coat was talking to a younger teen, maybe eighteen years old. The teen appeared to be in a bad mood as he looked down at the Trapinch, who was smiling. "Would you like to take him back?"
"How's he doing in battles with the other Pokemon?" Troy asked. The elderly man appeared to be annoyed by the question and looked down at the Trapinch before sighing sadly. The Pokemon's demeanor quickly changed to that of shame, and Troy slowly shook his head while scowling. "Then no. Until you're actually strong, I don't want you with me."
"Hey!" Gray shouted while stomping towards Troy. "That's no way to talk to a Pokemon!" The taller teen slowly looked over at Gray with a snarky grin, and he walked over to the girl before staring down at her.
"What're you gonna do about it, little girl?" Troy asked obnoxiously while releasing a Pokemon from his Pokeball. A Zangoose appeared next to him, prompting LEviculus to stay by Gray's side. "Do you really think that Poliwhirl is good?" Troy quickly pulled out a Pokedex and scanned the water type before shaking his head. "Look, his stats aren't good, and there's almost know room for improvement."
"Hey, me and these bad stats will roundhouse your a-"
"That's enough, Leviculus," Gray said to her Pokemon before putting her hand on his head. "This jerk doesn't understand that any Pokemon can be strong with the right training. Just like his Trapinch over there." Gray turned and smiled at the ground type, who was still hanging his head in shame, but she turned back to Troy when she heard an unimpressed laugh.
"Man, trainers today make me sick. What about you, Zangoose?" the older teen asked. The normal type nodded before glaring at Gray and showing his claws. Before anything could be made of the situation, a Pokemon lunged forward and stood in front of Gray before hissing at Zangoose. "Ooh, what do we have here?"
"The name's Durus, punk, and I'll gouge your eyes out!" Durus shouted before showing her claws, just like Troy's Zangoose was doing. The two Pokemon continued to hiss at each other until Gray's other Pokemon, Chase, and Audino walked into the building. When they did, Zangoose and Troy moved past Gray and looked down at the Trapinch and shook their heads.
"You know what, I will take Trapinch back." Troy quickly handed the Day Care man hefty amount of money before taking out Trapinch's Pokeball, and he pressed the button in the middle. A blue beam of light shot out of the device and enveloped the Trapinch before Troy started to walk out of the room while shaking his head in disgust.
"Pinch! Trap-Trap!" the ground type shouted before running after Troy, who turned around and stared at the Pokemon, who stopped dead in his tracks in fear of Troy.
"What do you not understand, you piece of trash? I don't want you!" The harsh words cut through the air and rang in everyone's ears. Gray watched as the Trapinch turned around, tears in his eyes, and he began to walk back to the Day Care man slowly.
"You better watch what you say," Chase warned the older, taller teen as he began walking towards him with Audino. "Apologize!" Troy looked at Chase before his Zangoose stepped in-between the two and pushed Chase away.
"For what? Telling the truth?" Troy shot back with a wicked smirk. "That thing's the weakest, most useless Pokemon I've ever met!"
"That's it, I've had it!" Gray screamed as she walked towards Troy with the intention of punching him in the face. "I challenge you to a battle! If I win, you admit you're wrong and take Trapinch back! If you win... then go ahead and leave," Gray said to Troy angrily, Durus nodding along with her. Fidens, Leviculus, and Magna also nodded along with their trainer, and Troy began to laugh along with his Pokemon.
"It's pointless on you're part, but I'm not one to back down from a challenge, especially from a girl."
000
"This will be a one versus one wager battle between Gray and Troy! The winner will win the bet, and the battle will be over when either side is unable to continue! Choose your Pokemon!" Chase shouted while Audino, the Day Care man, all of the Pokemon from the Day Care, Gray's Pokemon, and Trapinch stood off to the side.
"Durus, let's show these jerks how wrong they are!" Gray yelled to her starter, who walked forwards with an angered look on her face.
"Zangoose, make sure they know who they're dealing with," Troy whispered to the normal type, who nodded before walking forward confidently.
"Troy, you have the first move!" Chase shouted, albeit reluctantly, as the two normal types squared off and glared at each other.
"Start with Quick Attack, Zangoose!" Troy commanded while pointing at Durus. The white and red Pokemon dropped to all fours before bolting towards Durus as a white ray of light trailed his body. The speed of the attack was too great for either Gray or Durus to handle, and Zangoose crushed the feline. Durus, who was rolling across the ground, quickly hopped up and bolted towards Zangoose angrily.
"Durus, use Screech!" Durus hopped in the air before opening her mouth and screaming as loud as possible, making Zangoose cover his ears in pain. "Now use Metal Claw!" Durus bolted forward while her claws turned to metal, and she slashed the larger Pokemon across the chest. Despite the ferocity of her attack, Durus wasn't able to knock Zangoose away, giving the Hoenn Pokemon the perfect opportunity to strike.
"Fight back with Crush Claw!" Zangoose's claws were suddenly shrouded in light blue energy, and the big Pokemon reared his arm back before slashing Durus across the face, making the smaller Pokemon cry out in pain as she skidded across the ground at a high speed. The feline then smacked into Gray's legs, knocking the teenager onto her face, and Troy began to laugh maniacally while Durus and Gray helped each other up.
"Fire a Pay Day on the ground in front of Zangoose!" Gray yelled to her starter. Durus nodded and threw her hat off her head before her charm started to glow yellow, and she hissed before firing a blast of golden energy at the red and white Pokemon.
"Reflect it with another Crush Claw, Zangoose!" Troy shouted angrily, wanting to end the battle as soon as possible. Once his claws were covered in light blue energy, Zangoose slashed at the Pay Day attack and it was sent right back at Durus, who gasped in shock before being launched into the air.
"Durus!" Gray screamed as she ran towards her Pokemon, who hit the ground headfirst. "Are you okay?" Gray asked as she looked at Durus worriedly. The normal type slowly nodded and somehow managed to push herself onto her feet before kicking her boots off, and she began to hiss angrily at Zangoose and Troy.
"Just admit defeat. There's no shame in giving up," Troy taunted before laughing with his Pokemon. Before Gray could come up with a comeback, Durus simply grinned before looking up in the air and screaming, which confused everyone. Then, she was covered in a bright white light, and her body began to transform. The bipedal Pokemon soon dropped to all fours and her body began expanding while her face shrunk. The charm on her head then turned into a red jewel, and her whiskers moved to her nose. Once the light disappeared, a much stronger Pokemon stood in Durus' place, and it hissed savagely.
"Persian, the Classy Cat Pokémon. Behind its lithe, elegant appearance lies a barbaric side. It will tear apart its prey on a mere whim. New move learned: Swift."
"Wow! Durus evolved!" Chase exclaimed before hugging Audino happily. The two then turned to Gray's Pokemon, who were all cheering excitedly. Even Trapinch seemed captivated by the sight, which made Chase smile.
"Let's beat these chumps, Gray!" Durus shouted with a smirk, which made her trainer smile.
"Right! Use Swift!" Durus grinned before slamming her front paws on the ground, which made several golden stars revolved around the Persian before flying towards Troy's Zangoose. The red and white Pokemon was quickly overwhelmed by the unavoidable attack, and he was pummeled by the stars, making him grunt in pain while Troy watched on fearfully.
"Zangoose, finish this with Crush Claw!" As soon as Troy finished his command, Durus grinned and charged towards Zangoose, which caught everyone off guard, including Gray. Despite her initial shock, Gray quickly regained her composure and cleared her throat to issue another command.
"Counter with a max power Metal Claw!" The two normal types leaped in the air while their claws were glowing silver and light blue, and they swung at each other. The two attacks collided and sparks began to fly before Durus overpowered Zangoose and slammed him into the ground. As soon as he made impact with the ground, Zangoose was down for the count and Durus began to snicker in response.
"Zangoose is unable to battle! Gray and Durus are the winners!" Chase announced with a smile before walking over to the girl with Audino. The three other Pokemon with Gray ran forwards and cheered around Durus, who was smiling at all the attention. She didn't realize, however, that Gray had walked towards Troy with Chase by her side, and they glared daggers at the teen. Before they could say anything, Troy withdrew his Zangoose and began to walk away without a word.
"Hey, aren't you going to take Trapinch?" Chase shouted to the teen, who stopped and turned with an evil grin.
"Nope." With that, Troy walked away and Chase had to hold Gray back as she attempted to run after the obnoxious trainer. After she stopped flailing about, Gray sighed angrily and turned around to talk to the man who ran the Day Care Center.
"That jerk," Gray muttered before petting Durus, who purred before remembering the battle she just had, which made her swipe at the ground angrily. Before Gray could say anything to the man, he picked up the Trapinch and began to pet it in an attempt to calm the crying Pokemon. "I'm so sorry, Trapinch, I know that has to be tough." The ground type slowly looked up at Gray before crying again.
"Don't worry, Trapinch, you're allowed to stay here as long as you'd like," the Day Care man said to the Pokemon in a comforting tone. Chase quickly walked over and looked at the ground type with a smile, which piqued Trapinch's interest.
"Gray, why not have Trapinch join you? After all, you could use a ground type for your next gym battle," Chase suggested before smiling at the Trapinch once again. The ground type quickly looked over at Gray and stopped crying. Gray quickly nodded at the statement and then smiled at Trapinch along with all of her Pokemon, who attempted to make the Pokemon feel better.
"That's right! We could always use another strong Pokemon like you, Trapinch," the girl told the Hoenn Pokemon. Trapinch looked at the girl in shock. Had she really just called him strong? "Don't act so surprised, hahaha. I know you're an awesome Pokemon, and everyone else does, too. Isn't that right, guys?" Gray asked her four Pokemon, who cheered in response. Suddenly, Trapinch began to smile before he leaped out of the Day Care man's arms and into Gray's, making the sixteen year old giggle before she took an unused Pokeball off her belt and a translator out of her backpack. After clipping the translator on Trapinch's neck, Gray placed the ground type next to her Pokemon and smiled.
"Uhm..." Trapinch paused, not knowing what to say now that he could talk. "Hi, everyone?" The other Pokemon laughed at their new teammate and watched as Gray knelt down.
"Nice to meet you, Trapinch. My name's Gray, and these are your new teammates, Durus," Gray started while pointing at the Persian, who smiled. "Leviculus." The Poliwhirl nodded at his new teammate. "Fidens." The Archen waved happily, making Trapinch smile. "And Magna." Trapinch then turned to the Chingling standing in front of him and smiled.
"It's nice to meet you all," Trapinch said with a timid smile.
"So, Trapinch, how about we give you a nickname?" Gray suggested, which made the small Pokemon smile and nod happily. "Okay, how about... Fortis? It means strong!"
"Fortis... I love it!"
"I know we're going to make an awesome team, Fortis. Go, Pokeball!" Gray shouted while tossing the spherical device at the ground type.
1...
2...
3...
Ping!
After picking up the Pokeball, Gray smiled and thanked the Day Care man for his hospitality while withdrawing the rest of her Pokemon. She and Chase then continued their voyage to Vermilion City, and Gray began to beam while thinking of her new Pokemon. She knew Fortis was going to be strong, but what she didn't know was how strong he'd truly become.
Well, Durus was able to pull out a close victory over Troy's Zangoose after evolving (he's never showing up again, FYI), and the Trapinch Troy released decided to join Gray! Anyways, Gray's voyage to Vermilion will resume, and some interesting stuff will go down. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "When all Else Fails": With another failed mission under her belt, Tara fears the consequences from Deus. With no where else to go, Tara follows after Gray and Chase with the hopes of joining them. Will she be able to find the pair?
Vermilion City Arc
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