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, Tara, Scyther, 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 Tara 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, Tara, and Scyther)
Pokemon!

This is going to be a pretty short chapter, but I figured it'd be kind of fun to write. So, Tara will delve into her past and talk about why she joined Team Purity in the first place. Gray and Chase, meanwhile, will be conflicted about whether they should allow Tara to join them. Also, thank you for the submissions for epilogue chapters for Kalos! Now, let's get going!

Blaze Falcon: Yeah, that'll make them have a really strong bond by the end of the story, and the reaction to Tara will be pretty laid back because I'm so tired of doing really dramatic stuff, thanks to school sucking away my creativity, and the fact that I can't even remember when my last break/hiatus was. And Chris is not the same person as Heatmor's trainer. I didn't even remember that, lol. Deus being his trainer would be really cool, but I don't really want to have twists with this story, hence me not lying to you guys about answers for the most part :P

guest: Lol, a mess would be an understatement, but I can see why you want the rewrites now. And I actually had to look up who Aya was because I didn't really catch on to the anime until the very end of the Indigo League, but I love the idea of Owen swinging by to pay his respects. I'm glad to see you appreciated Chase's scolding of sorts in regards to the whole Fortis situation, and Paul really was an awesome character! As for Deus, it will most likely end up being a woman because of how few female antagonists there are, even on this site, and it would bring a nice change to the formulaic outline everyone goes by (myself included)

ShadowDragon9000: Haha, it could have been a lot darker, but it actually made me depressed to write it, so I scrapped that, along with the original draft of 25 (which was even darker). And Fortis will eventually tell Gray about his past after a visit to Lavender Town, and Gray will most likely talk about her's at the end of the Celadon Arc or the beginning of the Fuchsia Arc. Also, they won't make a big deal out of Tara's past. My brain's in one of those funks where I just can't get into emotional or dramatic stuff, so I'm just trying to weather the storm

Shion Rasenka: Thanks! And when Gray finally tells Fortis (and the others) about the whole situation with her father, that's when Fortis will really grow into his own, and the team will be united

Defender31415: She could, but I don't really want to do that, because that would be pretty similar to Janine. If she were to turn on them, I would make sure the title of the chapter is obnoxiously obvious ;)

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, Body Slam*, 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)

"Are you sure you don't want to go downtown?" Chase asked Gray as the girl stood in front of her five Pokemon. Without hesitation, Gray nodded and continued looking at all of her Pokemon while scratching her chin, which made Chase laugh. "Okay. Tara said she's coming too, so we'll be out for a while." Chase quickly walked back inside the Pokemon Center and disappeared from Gray's sight, and the girl let out a sigh before finally speaking to the Pokemon she was analyzing.

"This Gym specializes in electric types, so it's not like we have many advantages, save for Fortis. With that being said, you're all going to have to show me something if you want to battle." Durus frowned in disappointment, as she figured her evolution would've locked a spot in the Gym battle, but it didn't, according to Gray. "Leviculus, Fidens, just because you're weak to electricity doesn't mean you'll sit out, it just means you're going to have to work twice as hard as everyone else."

"Sounds good to me," Fidens answered with a smile. Even though he didn't want to be in the gym battle, he was definitely going to give the training everything he had, and then some. Leviculus, meanwhile, looked annoyed at the information, and he folded his arms.

"Why do I have to do so much? My track record speaks for itself." Durus, Fidens, and Magna looked at their teammate in shock before looking at Gray to see her reaction, which wasn't exactly one Leviculus was ready for. Without warning, the girl stomped over to Leviculus and glared at him, making the water type shake slightly.

"Your 'track record' includes being the only one to not win a battle against Misty, so don't spew that crap. And just because you've managed to get a few more wins than the others doesn't mean you get to act all high and mighty, understand!?" The group stared at Leviculus in silence, waiting for the water type to respond, which he did with a simple nod. With that, Gray walked back and pointed at Magna, who smiled. "You're going to battle."

"Yay!" Magna screamed, making everyone cover their ears, which made her blush immediately. "Sorry, I'm still trying to get used to not screaming." Gray laughed at the Pokemon's apology and looked down the line once again before pointing at Durus, who grinned before roaring like a tiger.

"Good, I thought you weren't going to let me rip that guy to shreds!" Durus and Magna then walked forwards and stood by Gray's side, waiting to see who the third battler would be. Gray, meanwhile, looked right at Fidens and smiled, making the rock type tense up nervously.

"So are you," Gray concluded, pointing way from Fidens while still looking at him with a playful smile. The flying type let out a sigh of relief before looking in the direction his trainer was pointing, and so did Leviculus. Fortis looked around in shock before staring at Gray, who motioned for Fortis to speak with his translator.

"Why me? I haven't done anything to prove I'm strong enough," Fortis said, trying to get out of having to battle. Gray, however, frowned at the response and shook her adamantly before walking over to her newest Pokemon and kneeling down next to him.

"Hey, that's not true, and everyone has to make their Gym battle debut at some point." Fortis looked at the others, and they all nodded in support because they knew the hardships the ground type had gone through. "See? Everyone knows you can do it! If you just bare down and give it your best shot, I'll be proud of you." Fortis smiled in response and leaped into his trainers arms happily, making everyone else smile, especially Fidens, who wanted no part in the battle.

"Okay, I'll do it!"

000

"Wow, Gray's really serious about being the best trainer she can be, isn't she?" Tara asked Chase, not knowing much about the girl. Chase nodded in response as the two were sitting at a table in a cafe, where they were drinking coffee. "That's so cool. I wish I was that determined to find my calling." Tara looked over at Scyther, who was talking to Audino and the two seemed to be getting along swimmingly.

"You definitely can. Just try and do some things that you never thought you would, and you'll eventually find what you really enjoy," Chase instructed before leaning back in his chair and checking the time on his Pokedex subtly.

"Is that how you decided to become a doctor?" Tara quizzed while leaning forward with a curious look. Chase quickly shook his head, and he took a swig of his coffee before answering.

"Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to help Pokemon, so I figured what better way than being a doctor? We stayed up as late as we could every night and studied as hard as we possibly could to get to where we are now," Chase answered before looking at Audino, who turned away from Scyther and nodded in agreement before resuming her conversation with the bug type. "I mean, I'm going to have to be a nurse somewhere for a while, but if I can help Pokemon, I don't care." Chase then smiled at Tara, whose jaw was hanging wide open.

"That's incredible... and really kind. I bet you'll make a great doctor." Chase bowed thankfully while the blonde smiled and finished her coffee before they left the cafe to head back to the Pokemon Center. "You know, these past few days have been really nice," Tara said to Chase with a smile. "Scyther's finally hanging out with someone other than me, and you and Gray have been really nice. I didn't think I'd meet anyone like that." Audino looked up at Chase and nodded when the boy blushed slightly, clearly overwhelmed by the compliment.

"It's been great having you around, but aren't you going to go off and visit another city? Or are you gonna stay here and check out Vermilion a little more?" Chase inquired, remembering Tara had said she was planning on traveling across the world. The girl sweat dropped slightly at the questions, remembering her lie.

"I don't have a clue. Wherever the wind take us, that's where we'll go. Right, Scyther?"

"Sure, whatever you say," the bug answered, knowing his trainer couldn't keep the lie up for long if she was going to do what he was expecting. Chase and Audino, meanwhile, laughed at the response before continuing their conversation until they arrived back at the Pokemon Center, where they saw Gray training with her Pokemon.

"Fidens, use Ancient Power on Fortis!" Gray commanded, whispering to use the attack lightly afterwards. Fidens nodded and threw both of his wings forwards while five boulders were revolving around his body. All five were sent towards Fortis at the same time, and the ground type looked petrified as the rock type attack closed in. When he heard Gray's voice, though, he calmed down.

"Use Feint Attack to dodge it!" Fortis was suddenly covered in black energy and he disappeared right before the boulders could strike him. When he reappeared, he was standing behind Fidens with a growing smile, which continued to grow when all of his teammates began cheering. Gray quickly walked forward and patted both of her Pokemon on the back, literally, before looking over at Chase and Tara, who were cheering for Fortis. "Take a quick break, guys. We'll pick things up again in a little bit." As she walked over to the other two, Gray could hear the others, namely Durus, complimenting Fortis on how well he was doing, which made the girl smile before she sat down.

"Fortis is looking great! Are you using him in the Gym battle, or are you getting him ready for the tournament?" Tara quizzed.

"He's going to be in the gym battle, and so are Magna and Durus. Leviculus was probably going to be in it, but he was a jerk, so..." Gray trailed off, frustrated in the change of the Pokemon's personality. "I just don't get how he's become the way he is. Did I do something wrong?"

"It's actually pretty common for Pokemon to change their personalities when they evolve, so that doesn't sound like too big a deal," Tara informed Gray, who let out a sigh of relief before moving her brown hair out of her gray eyes. While Chase and Gray sat in silence, Tara felt a bit of pressure building up in her chest, as she prepared to ask them a very important question. "Do you guys mind if I ask a pretty serious question?"

"Not at all," Gray replied.

"Fire away," Chase said with a smile.

Tara nodded and took a deep breath before looking over at Scyther, who knew exactly what was about to happen. The bug quickly left the table, not wanting to hear the potential no from Chase and Gray, so he decided to talk with their Pokemon.

"Well, I've been wondering, since we've been hanging out these past couple of days, if I could travel with you two?" Tara looked at both teens anxiously and watched as they exchanged glances before smiling and nodding. When Gray opened her mouth, Tara cut her off with a serious look. "Before you say yes, I think you two deserve to know the truth about my past. Back in Pewter City, I was one of the people who tried robbing the museum, and I was also the other person in Cerulean City." The smiles on Gray and Chase's faces disappeared and they stared at Tara intently, making the girl's heart race.

"That was you!?" Gray shouted, rising from her seat. "But, but, you didn't do anything to us. In fact, you seemed like you didn't want to be a part of either of those situations," the girl said, realizing how reluctant Tara was to join the battle in Pewter City.

"You're right, but I needed to tell you that so you know exactly who I am. The group I was working for is called Team Purity, and they're trying to get rid of the legendary Pokemon in Kanto. They're an awful group of people willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals," Tara explained, making Gray and Chase scowl.

"If they're so evil, why did you join them in the first place?" Chase asked, holding back his building emotions.

"Well, they were originally focused on stopping Pokemon from being hunted, hence the name purity, but they turned into what they were fighting. The leader, or at least that's what I think he is, goes by Deus, and he kind of just showed up out of nowhere and promised to take us to astronomical levels of success. We decided to join, and then I quit after I realized what they were trying to do."

A silence fell over the three teens, and Tara waited as Gray and Chase looked at each other constantly before both took deep breaths. Neither wanted to say anything, but they also wanted to say everything on their minds, which was confusing, to say the least. Finally, Chase decided to speak his mind, and he looked Tara straight in the eyes.

"Well, if everything went down just like you explained, it doesn't sound like you're a bad person at all. You just got caught up in a bad situation."

"I agree," Gray added with a quick nod of her head. "You haven't acted like one of those people the few times we've met, and the past few days, so I don't have an issue with you sticking around." A smiled crept across Tara's face and went from ear to ear before she stood up and hugged Gray and Chase individually.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise we're going to have some great times together," the girl said to her new traveling companions with a smile, which made them smile in response. With that, Gray quickly went back to training, and Chase and Tara watched on with their Pokemon.

So, it looks like Tara's going to be joining the group thanks to Gray and Chase seeing how sincere she was. Next chapter will focus on Fortis and his past, which will be shown in full, because I feel that if I put it on the back burner that'll kill the momentum I think I've established for it. Till next time, peace out.

1) Do you find Tara joining unrealistic? (I do but don't at the same time)

Next Chapter: "Nightmares": Even in his dreams, Fortis can't escape his dark past. After deciding to go to the back of the Pokemon Center, Durus wakes up and eventually talks to Fortis about his nightmare. What exactly happened to Fortis?

Vermilion City Arc

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