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!

Time for the introduction to the Vermilion City Tournament, and some last minute training! Last chapter, Gray managed to defeat Lt. Surge for her third gym badge, and Magna, Fortis, and Leviculus all did really well. Along with the introduction to the tourney, there will be some tension created between Gray's Pokemon, which may or may not be defused. Now, let's get going!

Blaze Falcon: Don't worry about that, Durus will get some battles under her belt at some point, and Fidens will most likely be in the Celadon Gym Battle. Also, Fortis will continue to show how capable he is when it comes to battling, and (I'm working on 38, atm) don't be surprised with how strong he becomes!

MCMXCV: Thanks you, and they really did battle well. All in all, I'd say it was a great group effort, and you're right that this will be a chapter focused more on training, along with the team dynamic

Defender31415: Thanks, and I like throwing some surprises into the stars of each gym battle. If I stick to the guidelines, there should be one more Pokemon that stars despite having a type disadvantage

ShadowDragon9000: Haha, the hype train is getting ready to take off for the Celadon Arc, so get your tickets while you can! If that's your favorite battle, there's one I already have written that I think you'll enjoy a lot more, for quite a few reasons ;) And god damn those haters... lol. Also, the only way I can think of Surge, assuming he were real, is him acting like one of those Vietnam vets that's always spewing racist comments and supporting liberty XD

guest: Yeah, he's lucky Raichu knew Surf, otherwise I don't think he could've taken Fortis down. And Gray won't be winning the tournament. Its main purpose is to see how Gray stacks up against all the other trainers that are hoping to get to the Indigo League

Shion Rasenka: Leviculus' battling style will be a whole lot different than the rest of Gray's Pokemon, and he'll be used as a close combat type of fighter unlike the others

SinnohBlaze (guest): Thanks, and the tournament will be pretty intense, and I think where Gray places will be a good start for her

Gray's team

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

Leviculus, (m), level 30, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Mega Kick*, Ice Punch* - (Politoed)

Fidens, (m), level 26, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Ancient Power, Double Team, Scary Face*, Pluck* - (Archen)

Magna, (f), level 28, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort* - (Chingling)

Fortis, (m), level 23, Bite, Feint Attack, Sand Tomb, Mud Slap, Bide*, Crunch* - (Trapinch)

Gray slowly walked into the stadium that was holding the tournament, and Chase, Audino, Tara, and Scyther followed her and Durus into the trainer room. When they walked in, Gray gasped in shock at the sheer amount of trainers, which had to have been upwards of fifty. Once they found an empty table the group sat down and looked around the room to see if they recognized anyone. Of course, they didn't until two familiar faces managed to push their way through the crowd.

"Marcus, Savannah, it's good to see you both again," Chase said while motioning for the two trainers to find a chair and sit. Once they did, Gray's rivals smiled, but they stopped when they saw Tara and Scyther. "Oh, guys, this is Tara. Tara, these are Gray's rivals, Marcus and Savannah." The three teens exchanged introductions before being cut off by a voice that echoed out of the intercom.

"Would all trainers please report to the battlefield?" the voice requested, prompting all of the trainers to rise and walk towards a hallway that would take them to the battlefield. As Gray followed the crowd to the battlefield, she looked back at her friends and saw Durus lying on the ground tiredly, making the girl laugh before she was forced through the hallway.

"So, Gray, how many people do you think signed up for this?" Savannah inquired while looking up at the taller girl. "I'd say there's about sixty, give or take five."

"Definitely," Marcus agreed as he looked at the two girls with an excited expression. "This is going to be a good test for me and my Pokemon." Savannah and Gray nodded in agreement with the statement, but they didn't say anything further when the crowd began to roar. The three teens and all of the other trainers quickly turned their attention to the stage at one end of the stadium, where a man was standing with a mic in his hand.

"Welcome, everyone, to the third annual Vermilion City Tournament!" An explosion of applause filled the packed stadium, and the man motioned for everyone to quiet down as he laughed, which worked. "As most of you know, this tournament is sponsored by the Indigo League, and the winner will receive three badges!" The announcer quickly held up a glass case where three small pieces of metal were resting, which captured the attention of every trainer. "There are 64 trainers entered in this competition, though there were a few others that had to be rejected because of formatting issues."

"Man, I'd hate to be one of those trainers," Gray said to herself under her breath.

"Now, the seeding for this tournament will be based on the current rankings on the Indigo League website. Obviously, the top 64 trainers aren't all present, so the lowest ranked trainer present will be facing the highest ranked. The first round will consist of two versus two battles, while all other rounds until the semifinals will be three versus three, with the last two being full battles. Now, let's take a look at the bracket!" the announcer screamed before pointing at a scoreboard. Suddenly, it flashed on and Gray began searching for her picture. She found it with little trouble, but frowned when she saw she was a ten seed in the bottom right bracket. Savannah, meanwhile, was a six in the top right, and Marcus was also a six, though he was in the bottom right, also.

"I guess I won't be seeing either of them until the top sixteen," Gray thought while glancing at her rivals subtly.

"Thank you all for listening, and the best of luck to all of you!"

000

"I'm telling you, Red, this ranking system is a load of garbage!" Owen shouted before looking down at the battlefield, where all 64 trainers were standing. "There's no way you can actually determine someone's skills without watching them in person." Red laughed at Owen's anger, which made the seventeen year old fume, though Red stopped when he saw that.

"Dude, you haven't even seen this thing in action, so you can't judge it yet. And upsets happen all the time, so it's not like a one seed is guaranteed to win the tournament every time. Wouldn't you have wanted these rankings when you competed in Kalos? You would've been the top seed overall!" Owen shook his head adamantly in response to the question, making Red roll his eyes.

"I don't care. The leagues were just fine when I competed, so I don't see why we need to change it." Owen crossed his arms over his chest and pouted until Brooklyn walked into the room with Charizard, who had Molly strapped to his chest. The one year old laughed while Charizard lifted her out of her holder and handed the child to Owen, who cradled the girl in his arms.

"For being seventeen, you sound like a crotchety old man," Red joked before laughing. Owen fumed at the comment until Brooklyn placed a hand on his shoulder and entered the conversation.

"Is he still complaining about the seeding?" the girl asked. The World Champion nodded in response, and the blonde shook her head while sighing. "Red's right, Owen. Even if you don't think something has to change, you need to keep refining it so that you're not left in the dust." After hearing his girlfriend's explanation, Owen sighed in disappointment.

"Fine, I guess that makes sense. But I'm not an old man!" Red, Brooklyn, and even Charizard laughed at Owen's anger before leaving the room together.

000

"So who's going to battle in the first round?" Tara inquired as Gray was standing in front of her Pokemon, who were in a line. The brunette didn't answer, and she began inspecting each Pokemon before pointing at Durus.

"Magna, you've been on a roll lately, so I'm going to need you to be ready for tomorrow," Gray said to the psychic type without hesitation.

"Can do," the tiny bell replied softly, for what seemed to be the first time ever. Gray nodded at the confident answer, and she eyed Leviculus, Fortis, and Fidens. The latter two didn't show anywhere near the confidence Leviculus was displaying, which made Gray scratch her chin before she opened her mouth to speak.

"Fidens, I know you haven't battled in a while, so I want you to go tomorrow. Are you up for it?" Gray asked, looking at the ancient Pokemon. Much to everyone's surprise, Fidens looked around before shrugging nervously, which made Gray bite her lower lip as she tried to not get angry with the bird.

"I don't know. If I have to go up against a Pokemon that has a type advantage on me, I don't see the point in battling." The other Pokemon looked on in shock, except Fortis, who wasn't aware of the magnitude the response carried. Before Gray could say anything, Durus walked forward and glared at the flying type before poking him in the chest angrily.

"Listen up, feather brain, you're going to battle tomorrow, and you're going to give it everything you've got. If you don't, we don't have a problem ditching you," the normal type wanted before hissing, which made Fidens slink back in fear. Magna, however, stepped in-between the two and glared at Durus, who didn't back down.

"Leave Fidens alone, Durus. All you do is try and bully people if it's beneficial for you! I'm tired of it, and so is everyone else!" the psychic type screamed before shooting a blast of sound at the feline, sending her skidding back to Gray's side. Angered by the actions of the Chingling, Durus hissed before leaping at Magna. She was stopped, however, when a wave of sand appeared in-between her and Magna, grabbing everyone's attention. Once the sand settled, Fortis was standing and looking at both sides emotionally.

"Stop fighting! We're a team. We should be sticking together and fighting together!" Silence fell over the three arguing Pokemon and Leviculus walked forward with a goofy smile on his face. The water type then patted Fortis on the back before glancing at both sides, who waited for him to speak.

"Fortis is right. We need to focus on fighting our opponents, not each other." Fortis turned, smiled, and nodded at Leviculus, who did the same before walking over to Durus and putting his arm around her neck. "Durus, you need to be a little less aggressive with talking about things that bother you." The toed then walked over to Magna and Fidens before placing his arms around their necks. "Fortis, you have to face the fact that you're going to lose some battles, and Gray's going to need you to face some tough Pokemon. Magna... I've got nothing."

Gray and Fortis laughed at the stupid, yet wise Pokemon as he walked over to Scyther and Audino, but it didn't seem like Magna, Fidens, and Durus were going to get along any time soon.

"He's right. Maybe we're all just nervous about the tournament tomorrow, and that's why emotions are running high," Gray started before looking over at Leviculus and giving a thumbs up. "But we have to make sure to focus on our opponents, and there's no way we're going to lose. Who's with me?" Gray asked while looking at all five of her Pokemon.

"Count me in!" Leviculus answered first before putting his hand on top of Gray's.

"Okay. I am, too!" Magna shouted before placing her stubby arm on top of Leviculus' hand.

"If she's in, I'm in," Fidens answered with a smile as he looked at Magna, who smiled back. He then put his wing on her hand, and the united group looked at Fortis and Durus.

"I may not like all of your attitudes, but I'll put that aside to help you win, Gray." The three Pokemon and Gray looked at the Persian and shook their heads as she placed her front right paw on Fidens' wing. She then looked at the winged Pokemon and nodded, as if she were implying that she wanted to bury the hatchet. Fidens nodded in response, and both Pokemon turned to look at Fortis, just like the others had been doing.

"Absolutely. We're a family, and family stick together!" Fortis exclaimed as he placed one of his short hands on top of Durus' paw, smiling at the normal type before looking at his teammates, who were smiling at the comment. The group of six remained silent for a few seconds and waited for someone to speak up, so Gray finally did.

"That's right, Fortis. Even though I've only known each of you for a few weeks," Gray started while looking at Fortis, "or a few months," she continued, looking at Durus and Leviculus, "we're still a family. Now let's show the world how strong our family is!"

Well, it looks like there's some tension between a few of Gray's Pokemon, though it was eased thanks to Fortis and Leviculus. Then again, maybe this issue will linger. Anyways, the tournament will officially start next chapter, and that's about it. Till next time, peace out.

1) How far do you think Gray will go in the tournament (out of 64, including her)?

Next Chapter: "Sweet Victory": Now in her first battle of the Vermilion City Tournament, Gray is dead-set on cruising into the next round. However, she faces a tough challenger, who will push her to the limits. Will Gray be able to advance to the top 32?

Vermilion City Arc

Chapter 30: Rival Revenge
Chapter 31: Forits vs Gible: Winner Takes All
Chapter 32: Fidens' Confrontation