Theme Song

Come on, come out, we don't have all day (Gray and Fortis try getting Durus, Leviculus, Fidens, and Magna out of bed with an annoyed look on their faces)
Let's do this adventure the right way (Gray runs down a road with Chase, Durus, Audino, and her other Pokemon following)
We will look back on what we were (Fortis is pictured on a black canvas before faded images of a Vibrava and Flygon appear behind him in flames)
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, Stay calm and give it a crack... (Gray and her Pokemon stand on a hill with Chase, Audino, and another person)
Pokemon!

Alrighty, it's time to start flashing back to some dark stuff! Yay! Last chapter, Gray and Chase arrived in Vermilion, met up with Marcus and Savannah, ran into Owen, Brooklyn, and Molly, and Owen talked to Gray about how Fortis had to have gone through something traumatic given how nervous and fearful he was of people. This chapter will be about Gray and Chase visiting Pokemon Tower, and Tara will bump into them. Fortis, however, will experience some flashbacks that won't be very clear, and that's about it. Let's get going!

Defender31415: Lol, I can see where you thought of that, but it was more about me flirting with the idea of Owen coming back. Fun fact, he was originally supposed to lose in Kalos and be a traveling companion of Gray's, but things changed XD

ShadowDragon9000: Yeah, he's kind of a bum when it comes to Gray's affection, but maybe he'll win it at some point... nah. And the only reason these are coming out so quickly is because I wrote up to 25 a little over a week ago, so I'm able to slack of for periods of time before firing a barrage of chapters when I'm in the mood. Also, Owen will be appearing throughout the tournament, which will be pretty hype, and Fortis definitely had a pretty rough past, to say the least

MCMXCV: That explains that XD And don't worry, Gray will definitely qualify for the tournament (I actually have the format of the battles written out), and her rivals will provide quite the challenge

guest: I hear ya. I think it's more Owen than anything, but tournament hype is pretty noteworthy, too. I think the Saffron tourney will be better, though, because Gray's team is going to be awesome, and her rivals will be even stronger. Plus, the Indigo League will be right around the corner!

Blaze Falcon: Trentavious is definitely coming back (title of 30's a hint), and Savannah actually won't have a dragon type, though she'll definitely have some really strong Pokemon. And some things will be revealed about Gray that will help her connect with Fortis, but they won't talk about that until the beginning of the Celadon Arc

Shion Rasenka: Lol, I completely forgot I left that as the preview, so I had to go back and rewrite parts of it because I realized this chapter wasn't as dramatic as I thought it'd be. There will be a much more dramatic telling of something from Gray's past in an upcoming arc, but I don't want to write something that dark so early. And I actually don't know if Savannah is Claire's sister because it wasn't mentioned in the OC form, but she does share a last name with one of Owen's old companions ;)

SinnohBlaze (guest): Great to hear from you again, and I'm glad you like the story so far! And I did say that, but I used an incorrect definition (I believe) for Durus. I don't know latin in the slightest, so this is all google translated, lol. And I don't know who the Fuchsia Gym Leader will be, but I'm leading towards making an OC myself. Pure Reversion could be a good name, and I'm open to changing the name of Pokemon Purifying. Also, I'll probably have a poll up for who the character should be if I rewrite Johto. The only thing stopping me from guaranteeing it is wanting to enjoy my senior year without any commitments, but you'll probably have a clear cut answer by the time I finish this story

Gray's team

Durus, (f), level 28, Scratch, Feint Attack, Bite, Metal Claw, Fury Swipes*, Screech* - (Persian)

Leviculus, (m), level 28, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Rain Dance, Mega Kick* - (Poliwhirl)

Fidens, (m), level 23, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Ancient Power, Double Team, Scary Face*, Pluck* - (Archen)

Magna, (f), level 24, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort* - (Chingling)

Fortis, (m), level 20, Bite, Feint Attack, Sand Tomb, Mud Slap, Bide* - (Trapinch)

"Wow, that guy can really pick up on things. I thought Fortis was just scared of all the change he's been going through," Chase said to Gray as they walked towards Pokemon Tower, which had been moved from Lavender Town. "I guess that's why he's a champion." Gray nodded, remembering she had said the same thing the night before. When she had woken up, Gray saw Owen in the lobby of the Pokemon Center, and he had recommended she go to Pokemon Tower, a cemetery, to see if she could get a reaction out of Fortis.

"I'm just worried about Fortis. What if he never tells me about what happened? I need to let him know that I won't release him, but if he's not going to get an stronger, I can't keep him around," Gray said as she looked over at Chase as they continued to walk towards Pokemon Tower.

"Don't say that," Chase demanded, making Gray flinch slightly as Durus and Audino were busy talking to each other instead of listening to their trainers. "You've only had him for a week, don't you dare think about that." Gray, shocked by Chase's attitude, stared in disbelief before knowing her friend was right. The girl then smiled and quickly hugged Chase, catching him off guard, and he began to blush when Gray pulled away.

"Thanks for that, Chase." The boy nodded and the duo remained silent as they walked into Pokemon Tower. The first floor was an empty room - where several people were grieving - with a flight of stairs over in the right corner, and the two teens walked over to a board, which had listed what was on the other six floors. "Fortis, come on out," Gray whispered, not wanting to disturb the grieving people on the other side of the room. The Trapinch appeared and looked around in confusion before his trainer knelt next to him. "Fortis, there are going to be a lot of sad people around here, so I need you to stay respectful and quiet, okay?"

"O-okay, but why am I out here?" the ground type quizzed, making Gray freeze, as she didn't know how to answer.

"She figured it'd be a nice way for us to bond," Durus informed her new teammate while walking over to him with a smile. "It's only been a week since you joined, but I don't think we've really gotten to talk yet." Fortis nodded in response and slowly followed Gray, Chase, Audino, and Durus up the stairs. When they reached the next floor, the group looked around and noticed hundreds of tombstones. Dozens of people were standing by several different tombstones, and most of them placed flowers in front of the sign of the death of their Pokemon. To say there was an ominous atmosphere would be an understatement, and something sent chills running down Gray's spine. The group then began walking around silently, giving people their condolences, until reaching the stairway to the third floor. As they began walking, Fortis froze and began to shudder as he looked at one of the people crying near a tombstone, and a scene flashed in front of his eyes.

"No! Stop! Please!" Pain. Only pain could be felt. Not love, not compassion, not anything. Just pain. "D-don't... please."

000

"Tara, they went inside Pokemon Tower!" Scyther shouted as he flew back to his trainer, who was standing in front of the Pokemon Center. "It's only a few blocks away, so they should still be there when we get to the front." Tara nodded and walked alongside her Pokemon with a fearful look on her face, as she began to look around the crowd worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"It's just... it feels like Deus could be anywhere," Tara replied, stuttering slightly as she did. The girl sighed and nodded, but Scyther looked pretty calm given the potential danger losing. "Sorry if I'm freaking you out, or anything like that-"

"You're not. There's no way Deus would only go after us instead of focusing on his plans. You should be worried about that, more than anything," the bug answered as he and Tara walked into Pokemon Tower and headed up the first flight of stairs. As they made their way across the second floor, the two stopped and looked around at the mass amounts of tombstones, which sent chills down Tara and Scyther's spines. They continued, however, to search for Gray and Chase.

Meanwhile, on the fourth floor, Gray and the others continued to look around at the tombstones in silence. While Chase stuck with Durus and Audino, Gray and Fortis had split up and were each looking around by themselves. Fortis subtly sniffed each tombstone to tell how old it was instead of reading the dates, which he didn't know how to, and Gray continued to stare at the tombs of people in silence. Slowly, she knelt down next to one that belonged to a man, who was only forty when he had passed, and she put her hand on it, as if she were trying to feel the spirit resting.

"It's been a while. I hope you know me, Mom, and Billy still miss you. I can't believe it's almost been ten years since you left. It feels like just yesterday you were helping me train to become the world's greatest Pokemon trainer." The girl slowly wiped a tear from her eye and sniffled slightly before looking around to see if Chase or the Pokemon were watching, which, of course, they weren't. "I love you, Dad."

Suddenly, an inaudible mumble could be heard from behind Gray, prompting the girl to turn around, where she saw Fortis staring at a tombstone. The ground type's translator was somehow working as if the ground type were actually muttering something, and Gray shot Fortis a worried look before turning away to look at her father's tombstone. The girl continued to glance at Fortis, who was clearly bothered by his surroundings after he had stopped looking at the tombstone. Once he realized his trainer was watching, Fortis scurried over to Gray and leaped into her arms. The ground type sadly looked up at the girl and closed his eyes before putting his head against her chest.

"What's the matter?" Audino asked as she walked over to Gray and Fortis. The former shook her head, which made Audino walk away and leave the pair alone.

"Fortis, I know we haven't been a team for a while, but I need to know if anything's bothering you. If you do tell me, then we can be on the same page, and you'll start to move on from whatever happened," the girl whispered to her Pokemon as she walked to an empty area of the room and sat down against the wall "I know I still haven't told you, or any of the other Pokemon, for that matter, about what I've gone through, but I know I will eventually. It's still hard to come to terms with it, ya know? Of course, if you're not ready, then you don't have to say anything, and I'll drop it like nothing happened." Fortis slowly looked up and looked like he was about to say something, but he stopped when an unfamiliar Pokemon walked over to Gray and stared at her. The girl slowly looked up while Fortis turned to look at the Pokemon, and the Scyther standing in front of them smiled.

"Scyther!" a girl whispered angrily as she stormed over towards the bug type, who turned to face his trainer before pointing at Gray with a smile, which made the girl face palm. "I'm so sorry if he was bothering you. My name's Tara, nice to meet you," Tara introduced herself as her bright green eyes connected with Gray's, well, gray eyes.

"That voice sounds familiar..." Gray thought to herself as she quickly looked over Tara and her Scyther, not knowing what she recognized them from.

"I'm Gray, and this is Forts." Gray turned and looked back to see Fortis hiding behind her legs, which made the girl laugh to herself before looking back at Tara. "And those three over there are Durus, who's my starter, Chase, and his Audino." As soon as Gray introduced them, the three walked over and looked back and forth at Gray and Tara.

"This is Tara and her Scyther," Gray informed the trio, who bowed at the same time. After introducing themselves, the group decided to leave Pokemon Tower, and they walked back to the Pokemon Center. Once they reached the practice battlefields, Gray released her three other Pokemon and sent down at a table with Chase and Tara.

"So, Tara, what brings you to these parts?" Chase asked, not recognizing the girl's name or Pokemon from Pewter City.

"Uhm... I don't really know," the girl answered, trying to think of an elaborate lie. "I have no idea what I want to do, so I'm traveling the world, and I figured I'd start in Kanto," Tara replied, making Chase, Audino, and Gray nod. "What about you guys? Are you both trainers?"

"No, we're friends and Chase is traveling with me while I try to compete in the Indigo League. He's trying to become a doctor, but he's putting it on hold until our adventure ends," Gray answered with a smile.

"Oh wow! That's really impressive. You have to be insanely smart if you want to be a doctor," Tara said, looking at Chase. The boy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at the compliment until Audino spoke up.

"And he's lucky to have the best assistant in the world, right here!" The three teens laughed at the normal type's proclamation and watched as Audino left the table to go converse with the other Pokemon, who were introducing themselves to Scyther.

"She sure seems like a fun Pokemon," Tara said, still laughing at the comment. Chase and Gray nodded in agreement before turning around to check on their Pokemon, who seemed to be getting along fairly well, though Gray's team was still divided into two factions while Fortis continued to remain silent. "Hey, is your Trapinch usually that quiet? It doesn't look like he's comfortable around the others."

"He's still getting used to being a part of the team," Chase answered quickly. "You see, he was released by his previous trainer for being weak, apparently, and Gray decided to take him in. I guess it's a combination of being new and scared of doing something wrong that could possibly warrant another release."

"Aw, that's so sad." Gray didn't comment on the situation, and continued to watch her Pokemon not talk to each other. Fidens and Magna seemed to be enjoying each other's company while Durus and Leviculus were trying to see who was stronger while occasionally looking back at Magna in anger. Audino and Scyther soon caught Gray's eye as they walked over to Fortis and began talking to him, which brought a smile to the girl's face. After a few minutes, the two walked away from Fortis and the teens continued to watch their Pokemon. Fortis, meanwhile, began to shiver slightly, just like he had done in Pokemon Tower, and something flashed before his eyes.

The ground was warm, and the rain was pouring down on his face. The dirt road was quickly turning into mud, and there were weak cries echoing through the woods before a loud smack rang in Fortis' ears, a sound that scarred him mentally. It was almost like a Pokemon had just been killed, and a knot formed in the ground type's stomach as he lay on the ground limply, unable to move. As the rain continued to fall on his face, he began to speak, though not loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Why? Why did you leave me like that? Chris... I'm sorry..."

Weird way to end the chapter, I know, but it felt right so that's the way things go. So, if anyone can guess what happened to Fortis... meh. Gray's situation, on the other hand, is a whole lot more obvious, though there will be a lot more stuff laying underneath the surface, so don't think it's as simple as her dad dying. And, for any of you crazy theorists out there, this does not mean Deus will be her dad. Deus is a completely different person, plus the whole dad thing was used in Kalos, so I don't want to do it again. Anyways, next chapter will revolve around Gray training for her gym battle, which she has to win if she wants to be in the tournament, and Chase and Tara will hang out a little bit. Till next time, peace out.

Next Chapter: "Welcomed with Open Arms": After asking Gray and Chase if she could tag along on their journey, Tara decides to tell her new friends about her past, and why she went down that path. Will she be allowed to travel with Gray and Chase?

Vermilion City Arc

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