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!
Well, Gray's no longer in the Vermilion City Tournament after narrowly losing to Trentavious, who actually complimented her Pokemon, but of course told Gray she basically sucked at training. This chapter will be Gray battling Marcus, who was also eliminated from the tournament, and Fortis will (obviously) get most of the attention. Also, I just finished Chapter 44, so the outlook for Celadon will stay the same! I don't feel like saying much else, so let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: Yeah, they gave it their all but it just wasn't enough to overcome Trent and his Pokemon. Fortis could definitely beat Gible, and I can tell you he'll start showing just how strong he really is during this chapter
Trentavious Phoenix: Lol, thanks! I'm glad you really like it, and I'm honored to have a character like Trent in the story :) And thanks for the notice. Also, thanks for letting me know about the moves!
guest: Her constant losing to him will definitely motivate Gray and her Pokemon to become way stronger than they imagined, so you hit the nail on the head with that. And thanks for letting me know. I wrote this chapter at least two weeks ago, so I forgot I even put those there. I only did it so I didn't have to keep switching back and forth between PM's and the document
Defender31415: The title was kind of deceiving, but I only had it like that because I didn't know if I wanted Gray to beat Trentavious at the time I made the preview for the arc. And you're right that she'll have work to do as a trainer, which will be showcased pretty soon
MCMXCV: Haha, she almost won, but I decided against it because I felt it was too early to have her beat Trent, if at all, so sorry for the misleading title! And I really like the battle this chapter, given who Gray uses and the fact that she's battling Marcus, who is almost the complete opposite of Trent
ShadowDragon9000: Lol, sorry! Hey, at least you kind of expected it :3 Thank you, thank you, and yes, intensity does intensify stuff, haha. Hopefully you like the next set of chapters
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 29, 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*, Protect* - (Chingling)
Fortis, (m), level 26, Bite, Feint Attack, Sand Tomb, Earth Power, Bide*, Bulldoze* - (Trapinch)
"Hey, don't be sad, guys," Gray said while looking at her five Pokemon, who were pouting over their loss. "We put up a helluva fight in the second round, and you should be proud of how hard you guys fought!" The five Pokemon continued to hang their heads in shame, making Gray sigh before turning to face Chase, Tara, Audino, and Scyther.
"Don't worry about them, they'll come around in a day or two," Scyther said to Gray, who nodded in response. Once again, the girl turned around, but this time was to take in the sight of Vermilion City.
"It's hard to believe we just got here a few weeks ago," Chase said aloud. "We met you two, Leviculus evolved, Fortis got to be in his first battle... so much happened here." Audino nodded in agreement before cracking her neck, and the normal type began to walk away from the Pokemon Center with her trainer. Tara, Gray, and Scyther soon followed while Gray's five Pokemon lagged behind.
"So we're headed to Celadon City, right?" Tara asked rhetorically, knowing the answer. "I guess we're going to pass through Rock Tunnel if we want to get there. I heard that's the toughest place to travel through in all of Kanto," Tara continued as she watched Chase and Gray shiver at the idea of passing through another cave. "What's wrong?"
"Mt. Moon was bad enough for us," Chase started. "I can't imagine how much worse Rock Tunnel could be, though I don't doubt it's worse." The three trainers continued walking until they reached the end of the second block, and they all turned to look at the arena, which was currently holding battles. "Well, I guess we'll see this place in a couple of months."
"WAIT!" The three trainers jumped in shock before seeing Marcus sprinting after them, and he began panting in exhaustion. "Where are you guys going?" Marcus inquired.
"We're heading for Celadon City," Tara answered. "We were actually just on our way." Marcus quickly shook his head and stomped on the ground with his right foot, making Tara and Chase sweat drop while Gray looked at the boy in confusion.
"We have to battle! I'm mad I lost in the second round, and I want to see how I stack up against my rival," Marcus informed Gray, who laughed in response. Chase shot the sixteen year old an angry look but stopped when Audino looked at him and giggled. "The Pokemon Center's open, so we can battle back there." Gray turned back to her traveling companions, who both shrugged, and then looked at her Pokemon, who still seemed down about their defeat in the tournament.
"I'm up for it. What do you guys think? How about we battle Marcus?" Gray waited for a response from all of her Pokemon, but only Fidens and Fortis replied, while Durus, Leviculus, and most shockingly Magna didn't. "How does a two versus two sound?"
000
"This will be a two versus two battle between Gray and Marcus, where neither trainer may substitute their Pokemon! Furthermore, when all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle is over! Choose your first Pokemon!" Tara shouted while looking at both sides. Gray and Marcus nodded before the trainers took out their first Pokeballs, and they smiled before tossing them in the air.
"Fidens, let's win this!" Fidens popped out of his Pokeball and landed on the ground with a smile. The rock type then turned to his four teammates and waved, hoping they'd respond with cheers. Lucky for him, they did, and Fidens turned back to face Marcus.
"Pidgeotto, let's show 'em who rules the skies!" A Pidgeotto shot out of the Pokeball Marcus threw, and it landed on the ground elegantly while Marcus' Riolu, Gible, and Growlithe cheered much louder than Gray's Pokemon did. After hearing this, Magna and Leviculus looked at each other and nodded before bellowing at the same time, Fortis began to use Bulldoze to shake the ground, and Durus let out a mighty roar, which made Chase and Tara laugh along with Marcus and Gray.
"Gray, you can get the first move," Tara informed her traveling companion, who nodded in response before looking across the battlefield at Marcus and smiling.
"You ready, Marcus?" the brunette asked with an anxious grin, to which Marcus nodded. "Okay, here it goes. Fidens, Quick Attack!" Fidens nodded before sprinting towards Pidgeotto, and a white light trailed behind him. While that happened, Marcus cracked his knuckles and pointed straight ahead confidently before countering Gray's attack.
"Show them your Quick Attack, Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto flew right at Fidens and tucked his wings into his sides in order to gain more speed, and a thick line of white light trailed the bird's body. The two Pokemon collided headfirst and stumbled backwards while rubbing their aching craniums before they shook off the effects.
"Now use Ancient Power, Fidens!" Gray ordered confidently. Fidens nodded and five boulders began revolving around him, but Marcus and Pidgeotto weren't ready to back down. As each one was thrown, Pidgeotto expertly evaded them before swooping down aggressively. Marcus then took the opportunity to issue another counterattack, which was bound to be much more effective than the last.
"Clobber Fidens with Steel Wing!" Pidgeotto's wings turned bright silver and were as hard as metal before he smacked Fidens across the face, launching the rock type past Gray. Once he got up, Fidens fell to one knee in pain, and a defeated look appeared on his face, which Durus noticed just like what happened during the opening round of the tournament. She then began to hiss to herself, grabbing Leviculus, Magna, and Fortis' attention, which made her stop instantly.
"Let's get tactical, Fidens!" Gray yelled to the Pokemon, whose spirits were crushed. Fidens unenthusiastically responded, but Gray didn't seem to notice. "Use Double Team to surround Pidgeotto and follow it up with Scary Face!" Fidens didn't do as he was told, however, and instead decided to sit down, which confused everyone watching except Durus, who continued to glare at the prehistoric Pokemon. While that happened, a familiar group walked by the Pokemon Center and saw Gray, prompting them to head towards the battle.
"Keep it up, Pidgeotto! Steel Wing again!" Pidgeotto swooped down for the second time while his wings turned to metal, and he struck Fidens across the face, knocking the Pokemon onto his back. Surprisingly, he got back up and retaliated with a light bop on the head, which made Pidgeotto turn around in confusion while Marcus shrugged. The watchful group knew exactly what was going on, though they didn't say anything about it.
"Get up and show that fighting spirit of your's Fidens!" Gray begged while looking at the sitting Pokemon, who simply folded his wings over his chest and hung his head. Before Marcus could issue another command, a voice cut through the air and grabbed everyone's attention.
"Stop! Fidens isn't going to battle, so there's no point in continuing this." Marcus gasped in shock and nearly fainted when Owen and his Charizard walked towards Gray, and he bolted over to the duo. He stopped, however, when he saw Owen was holding his daughter in his arms, and he decided to go fanboy another time. Tara, meanwhile, listened to Owen, and raised her arms in the air.
"Fidens is unable to battle! Gray, choose your last Pokemon!" Tara shouted while pointing at Gray, who scooped Fidens into her arms and smiled at the injured Pokemon.
"Thanks for the effort, Fidens," Gray whispered to the rock type, who nodded thankfully - strangely snapping out of his funk as soon as the battle was over - before being handed to Chase, who held the injured Pokemon in his arms while Audino sprayed him with a Super Potion. "Now, Fortis, it's your turn!" Gray shouted while pointing at the ground type, who sweat dropped in response along with Gray's other Pokemon.
"Uh... why is she choosing Fortis? Leviculus would be the perfect choice here. Ice Punch could do some damage against Pidgeotto, and he's not weak to any of Marcus' other Pokemon," Audino whispered to Chase and Scyther, both of whom shrugged in response. Fortis quickly scurried over to the battlefield with a confident smile on his face, which was a nice change to see, and Gray grinned at Marcus. Owen, Charizard, and Molly, meanwhile, walked over to Chase's side and stood by the teen while Brooklyn made her way towards them.
"Is everything alright over here?" the older teen asked Chase and Gray's Pokemon in concern. "We heard a bunch of screaming and roaring, so we came as fast as we could," Brooklyn continued, making Gray's Pokemon sweat drop in embarrassment.
"Yeah, that was us. Sorry about that," Durus answered with a sheepish grin before laughing nervously. "We were trying to support our teammate." Brooklyn waved off the comment as if it weren't a big deal, and she took Molly from Owen before sitting down at a table near her boyfriend.
"So, how's the battle going?" Charizard inquired. "I'm betting Gray's trailing."
"Yeah, how'd ya know?" Magna asked in response, wowed by the lizard's assumption.
"No one ever closes a battle with a flying type. They're used as scouts, to see what the other side is capable of. That's how I knew," the fire type replied with a smile, making Magna smile. "Owen, check it out," Charizard whispered while nudging his trainer and pointing at Fortis. "He's battling again."
"Good. After yesterday's battles, I want to see how well he can do when he doesn't have a type advantage," the Kalos champion responded with a smile before looking at the matchup, which heavily favored Marcus and Pidgeotto.
"This battle will be between Fortis and Pidgeotto! Begin!"
"Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack to start!" Marcus commanded anxiously, wanting to impress Owen. The flying type did as he was told, and a trail of white light appeared behind Pidgeotto as he flew through the air. The normal and flying type's speed was impressive to say the least, but Owen didn't show any signs of shock or excitement, which made Marcus frown.
"Wait for them, Fortis," Gray said to the ground type calmly. Fortis shivered in response and turned to Gray, but he was calmed when he saw his trainer nod. As Pidgeotto closed in, Gray waited for the perfect time to counter. After another second of waiting, the girl's voice snapped though the air, grabbing everyone's attention while she punched her fist upwards. "Stop them with Bite!" Fortis' mouth shot wide open and he chomped down on Pidgeotto's head, making the bird squawk in pain and fear.
"Wh-what!?" Marcus screamed in shock, nearly falling over. "Pidgeotto, break out of there by using Sand Attack in Fortis' mouth!" Pidgeotto's weight allowed him to land on the ground, and the flying type began to smack dirt into the Trapinch's mouth, making Fortis cough, though he refused to let go.
"Gray needs to think of something quick if she wants to capitalize on this," Owen opined before scratching his face. "But that was a pretty impressive strategy, with luring Pidgeotto in."
"Yeah, her tactics have gotten a lot better since we started our journey. And her Pokemon are more confident, too!" Chase exclaimed, which was met with cheers from Durus, Leviculus, Magna, and Fidens.
"Now, Fortis, pin Pidgeotto on the ground and use Earth Power!" Gray yelled, which made everyone, including Owen and Charizard, gasp in shock. Fortis did as he was told, and he whipped his head back before slamming Pidgeotto against the ground, making the flying type squawk in pain. Fortis then hopped on top of Pidgeotto's back and began to roar before he slammed his front feet on the ground. A blast of energy shot up and blasted Pidgeotto, which dealt massive damage to the winged Pokemon.
"Pidgeotto, hang in there and escape with Quick Attack!"
"End this with Bite, Fortis!" Gray yelled right after Marcus. Fortis' neck whipped downwards and his jaws snapped on Pidgeotto, making the Pokemon cry weakly before he fell unconscious from the severe pain. Fortis quickly hopped off his opponent and scurried over to Gray, who picked him up and hugged him tightly while giggling.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Marcus, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Way to be strong out there, Pidgeotto," Marcus said to the flying type, who squawked weakly before being placed down next to his teammates. "Who wants to go next?" the teen asked while looking at his three other Pokemon. Gible sprinted forwards while Riolu and Growlithe raised their hands, which made Marcus laugh. "Sorry, guys, I guess I have to go with Gible." The two Pokemon pouted in response, but soon chanted for their teammate, who walked across the battlefield and waited for Fortis.
"Hey, Fortis!" the Gible cried, grabbing his opponent's attention. Gray quickly placed Fortis on the ground, and the Hoenn Pokemon walked over to Gible with a smile. "Let's give this battle everything we've got!" Gible then extended his hand, and Fortis smiled in response before shaking it.
"Wow, what a good sport," Tara said aloud before looking down at Scyther and Chase.
"You can say that again. I don't think I've ever seen two Pokemon be so respectful before," Scyther said. "Especially not in the deciding match of a battle."
"I guess you see new things everyday," Chase muttered. "Who knows, maybe these two already know each other?" the aspiring doctor continued before being shut down by Charizard and Brooklyn.
"That's not it," the mother replied while walking over and shaking her head. "There's something a lot deeper than that. Something Charizard could explain way better than I can." The blonde smiled at Owen's first Pokemon who released embers from his nostrils proudly before giving his take.
"It may sound ridiculous, but these two can see the power in each other. It's something Pokemon and people have in common. We can both tell when someone is really strong, and that's probably why Gible wanted to be so respectful, and why Fortis returned the gesture." Scyther, Audino, and Gray's Pokemon nodded in response, understanding what Charizard was saying, while Chase and Tara stared in disbelief before resuming the battle.
"This battle will be between Fortis and Gible! Begin!"
"Gible, stir up a Sandstorm!" Marcus commanded, thinking the attack would give him an advantage. He was wrong, of course, seeing as how Fortis was a pure ground type and was used to dealing with deserts. In fact, his species thrived in desert climates, where they blended in perfectly. Gible quickly stomped on the ground and roared powerfully, creating a whipping wind of sand to stir. Before anyone knew it, the battlefield was covered in sand, and it was difficult to see, as sand whipped into anyone's eyes if they were opened and not shielded. "Now charge!" Gible suddenly burrowed a hole in the sand and began speeding through the terrain while his fin stuck out, making him look like a shark.
"Show off your Bulldoze attack, Fortis!" Gray yelled. Fortis slammed his front feet on the ground, and a wave of energy flew across the sand. Suddenly, Gible was launched into the air and grimaced in pain as he landed on his back, but that wasn't enough to knock him out. The dragon type quickly went back into the sand and began swimming around again, which made it difficult to track him.
"Fire a Dragon Rage!" Before Gray or Fortis could realize it, Gible hopped out of the ground in-between them and shot a large ball of orange flames at Fortis. The attack exploded and sent Fortis rolling through the sand and towards Marcus, which made him feel uncomfortable, now knowing Gray didn't literally have his back. The girl noticed how nervous her Pokemon was, and she knew she had to do something quickly.
"Get 'em right back with Feint Attack!" Marcus was unable to see due to the whipping winds, but Fortis disappeared like a ghost before popping up behind Gible, which made the dragon type jump in shock. Fortis then decked his opponent back to Marcus, who smiled when Gible stood back up, albeit battered and bruised from the previous attacks.
"We're not going to back down. Right, Gible?" Marcus asked his Pokemon, who cheered in response. "Great! Let's use Take Down!" Gible quickly burrowed back into the sand and began speeding around like a bat out of hell, which made it difficult for Fortis to remain calm. Once he heard Gray speak, however, his nerves were eased dramatically.
"Fortis, use Bide," Gray whispered to the ground type, who nodded in response before a red aura surrounded his body. Owen looked on with a smile, recognizing how smart Gray whispering was. Marcus and Gible were unable to hear the command, so Gible blindly leaped out of the sand and crashed into Fortis, who grunted in pain despite holding his ground, which was impressive. Charizard grinned at the sight before seeing Gray's Pokemon, who were captivated by the even battle.
"Gible, use Take Down again!" Marcus yelled as the winds from the Sandstorm attack began to die down. Gible lunged forward once again and his head collided with Fortis', making both Pokemon stumble around in pain before shaking the effects off. Much to Marcus' dismay, Fortis opened his mouth and shot a wicked blast of white energy that sent Gible flying across the battlefield. When he got up, Gible fell to one knee in pain while Fortis lowered his head and began panting in exhaustion.
"Fortis, let's finish this up with Feint Attack, but charge head-on!" Gray instructed, not wanting her Pokemon to perform a sneak attack. Fortis nodded and was suddenly covered in black energy before he trudged through the sand, breathing heavier than ever.
"Gible, don't back down! Intercept with Take Down!" Marcus ordered, refusing to let Gray and Fortis win. Gible took off running as he was shrouded in gold energy, and he began panting heavily just like Fortis. The two Pokemon lunged at each other once they reached the middle of the battlefield, and a tornado of gold and black energy began to swirl as a result. The tornado ceased and was followed by an explosion, which sent both Pokemon flying into their trainers, who were knocked over as a result. Tara quickly ran over to both sides before raising her arms and smiling at the result of the intense battle.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! That means this is a draw!" Marcus and Gray's Pokemon all cheered as a result and ran over to their respective teammate and trainer with smiles, which made Owen, Charizard, and Brooklyn smile.
"Aw man! Oh well, you were incredible, Gible." Gible weakly smiled at Marcus and fist bumped his teammates before being carried over to Gray and her Pokemon.
"Fortis, I couldn't have asked for anything more. I'm so proud of you." Fortis nodded and smiled at the compliment before Gray rose to her feet with him still in her arms. The girl then walked over to Marcus, and the two met in the middle of the battlefield, where Fortis and Gible smiled before exchanging nods of respect. Their other Pokemon, meanwhile, began to play and talk about how things would've been different if they had battled.
"That was quite the battle, you two. I'm surprised neither of you made it to the top 16, especially after watching that," Owen said to the two rookie trainers, who bowed in respect. "You both have some really strong Pokemon with you, but they wouldn't be this strong if they didn't have good trainers taking care of them." As soon as Owen said that, Marcus fell over and fainted, making the champion laugh while rubbing his neck sheepishly. Marcus suddenly popped back up and beamed at the compliment along with Gray, but he turned his attention to Charizard.
"You know, both Gible and Fortis seemed like they had just had the battle of their lives. Am I right?" Gray and Marcus nodded in unison, making Charizard smile before he nodded to himself. "Good. Those two are going to be special, I can tell you that much. That Fidens, though..." Charizard's voice trailed off as he tried thinking of what to say before turning to Owen.
"Have a talk with him, just like you did with Fortis, Gray. He has this ability called Defeatist, which makes his stats drop significantly when his health his below half. If he can overcome that, he'll be a really strong Pokemon. Marcus, keep doing whatever you're doing, because your Pokemon look really happy. I'll see both of you around, hopefully," Owen said before bowing to the younger teens and walking away with Charizard, Brooklyn, and Molly.
"That... was... so... AWESOME! Come on, everyone! We need to go train so we can prove to Owen that he was right about us!" Marcus screamed before bolting away with his Pokemon following close behind. "Bye, Gray, Tara, and Chase! I'll see you guys soon!" With that, Marcus disappeared, and Gray shook hear head while laughing before she headed off towards Celadon City with Chase and Tara. While they walked, Gray turned and glanced at her team, which seemed to be getting along well, and she smiled while thinking about Owen's words. Fortis was special, and he was going to be the strongest Pokemon she'd ever meet.
So, Gray tied with Marcus and his pretty awesome Pokemon, but she also didn't use her strongest members, instead opting to focus on Fortis (who's been coming along really well) and Fidens. Owen and Brooklyn also watched the match, and the Kalos champion gave a lot of praise to both sides before talking to Gray about Fidens' little issue, which will be resolved sooner or later. Next chapter will be the start of the Celadon Arc, and A LOT of stuff is going to happen. Evolutions, captures, and a potential romance (which won't be revealed until Fuchsia) are in store! Till next time, peace out.
1) Predictions for next arc's chapters?
Next Chapter: "Fidens' Confrontation!": While heading for Celadon City, the gang decides to take a break and relax. A feud between Durus and Fidens erupts, however, and the bird is forced to realize his defeatist ways. Will he be able to take the criticism, or will Fidens simply shut down?
Celadon City Arc
Chapter 33: Problem at the Power Plant!
Chapter 34: Fortis Fights for Glory
Chapter 35: Determining Relationships
Chapter 36: Fortis vs Florges: Save Celadon!
Chapter 37: Dealing with a Diva
Chapter 38: Fidens Takes Flight!