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 while Decorus keeps to herself)
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 a faded image of a Flygon appears 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! (Durus, Leviculus, Fidens, Magna, Fortis, and Decorus appear alongside each other while smiling)
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!
How goes things, people? Last chapter Gray introduced Decorus to the group, and that blew up in her face pretty quickly. Decorus and Durus absolutely hate each other, and it's not like any of the other Pokemon like their new teammate, with the exception of Fortis, who helped Decorus learn about what kind of person/trainer Gray was. This chapter will be Gray battling Erika, so let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: Possibly... :3 Decorus will definitely be one of Gray's strongest Pokemon and she'll be leaned on heavily throughout the rest of Gray's travels, and you might get to see her a lot sooner than you think ;) Also, I like the predictions!
ShadowDragon9000: Yerp, she'll piss Durus off for a little bit, but there will be a bonding moment between Decorus and the others in the future, though I'm not sure when. With the chapter I'm currently at (52) she's getting along with the group, and she settled her beef with Durus indirectly. The ending is something I'm pretty notorious for (Hint: look at your last review)
guest: Thanks, and each chapter is several days to a week after the previous, and I make the leveling by 3 because it would take way too long to get all of the Pokemon up to 40 if I had them gain one level for every X amount of battles
SceptileEastwood (guest): Magna (Chingling) won't evolve, because that would leave Gray without a Pokemon from Sinnoh, though she could end up releasing her if she did. Fortis (Vibrava) will evolve very soon, there will be a completely new Gym Leader in Fuchsia, and there will be a release
Defender31415: Yeah, Decorus is kind of an outcast, but not really. The predictions are all correct, too!
MCMXCV: It'll be a pretty quick development in regards to her personality meshing with the group, so I won't drag it out too long. There are actually parts of that happening in this chapter, but I'll let you find out what they are. Also, thank you for the kind words! It means a lot!
Trentavious Phoenix: They'll be pretty tight, and I'll definitely think about showing one of Trent's battles that isn't against Gray, though I might not because it would probably be in the league, and that always takes a lot out of me. It's a good idea, though, and I'll strongly consider it
Shion Rasenka: Surprisingly, it won't. Sure, Decorus and Durus won't exactly be friends for a little while, but they'll put their differences aside and bond, which will really help the team. And this Gym Battle will be pretty weird, given the team Gray will use
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 33, Power Gem, 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 31, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Ancient Power, Double Team, Scary Face*, Acrobatics* - (Archen)
Magna, (f), level 30, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort*, Protect* - (Chingling)
Fortis, (m), level 39, Bite, Feint Attack, Dragon Breath, Earth Power, Bide*, Earthquake* - (Vibrava)
Decorus, (f), level 36, Vine Whip, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, Magical Leaf, Grassy Terrain*, Petal Blizzard* - (Florges)
"This is is the place," Chase said to Gray and Tara as he stood in front of the building, which was tucked in the southwestern corner of the city, hidden behind tons of trees. "The Celadon City Gym." Gray beamed at the sight of the doors and walked in confidently. After making their way through the receptionist area, Gray, Tara, and Chase were led to the battlefield.
"This place looks pretty... overgrown?" Tara guessed, not knowing what word could accurately describe the forest-like battlefield. Dozens of large trees hung over the battlefield and even more plants were growing out of the ceiling. Ivy covered the walls, and the battlefield was made of grass, which was a nice touch. Gray was swiftly escorted to her trainer box after handing Chase and Tara three Pokeballs, and a young woman wearing a kimono walked out from the bushes with a bright smile, and she picked a rose up before smelling it.
"Welcome to the Celadon Gym. I'm Erika, and I specialize in grass types, as you can tell by the terrain," the Gym Leader paused before smiling at Gray.
"This will be a three versus three battle between Gray Plain of Saffron City, and Gym Leader Erika!" the referee announced as Gray's picture appeared on a holographic scoreboard along with Erika's. Three smaller spots appeared next to both trainers' pictures, which were for the Pokemon. "The battle will be over when all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle! Furthermore, only the challenger may substitute her Pokemon! Erika, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Lombre, be one with nature!" Erika exclaimed while tossing her Pokeball. Gray scratched her head when she saw the dazed Pokemon standing across the grassy battlefield from her, as it looked to be in its own little world. She decided against saying anything and drew her first Pokeball with a confident look in her eyes while Lombre's picture appeared.
"Magna, I choose you!" Gray yelled. The Pokeball exploded as soon as it was thrown, and the tiny bell appeared excitedly. Lombre, meanwhile, continued to look lost while Erika didn't appear to be worried about his mental state. The Chingling's picture then flashed on the scoreboard beneath Gray's, and the referee cleared her throat.
"This battle will be between Lombre and Magna! Begin!"
"Lombre, plant a Leech Seed!" The water and grass type opened its mouth lazily and a large sapling shot out its mouth and headed towards Magna, who bent her stubby legs and prepared to counter the health-sapping attack. Lucky for her, Gray was quick to think and cleared her throat before shouting to the psychic type.
"Blow it back with Uproar!" Magna happily opened her mouth and shrieked at the top of her lungs, causing blasts of sounds to fly across the battlefield. The seed instantly shot back and smacked into Lombre along with the powerful sound based attack, which knocked the lazy Pokemon onto his back. Slowly, the evolved Pokemon rose to his feet and didn't react when a red light zapped him, which was caused by Leech Seed.
"Hang tight and use Nature Power!" Slowly, Lombre paced his hands together and a ball of green energy formed. He then threw his arms forward and the sphere crashed into Magna, dealing significant damage to the smaller Pokemon. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Chase, Audino, Tara, Scyther, and Gray's three Pokemon - who weren't battling - flinched in response to the attack.
"Answer back with Confusion!" Magna's eyes flashed red before a thin beam of psychic energy shot out of her eyes. The attack landed and hit Lombre in the legs, making the lost Pokemon fall on his face. A red light zapped his body once again while the vines from the Leech Seed tightened, but Lombre refused to cry in pain as he rose back to his feet.
"Get in close and strike with Astonish, Lombre!" Erika commanded. Lombre trudged across the freshly cut grass before he was enveloped in purple energy. As he lunged forward, Magna rolled out of the way and turned to face the Pokemon that had fallen on his face out of pure stupidity.
"Magna, show them your Astonish!" Gray yelled to her first Pokemon. Magna gleefully lunged forward as he body was shrouded in a similar color of energy, and she slammed into Lombre's back, knocking the wind out of the water and grass type. Erika, meanwhile, smiled at the attack and began to pluck the rose she was holding before letting the petals fall on the ground elegantly.
"Lombre, you fought valiantly," Erika said to the Pokemon as he stood up once again, which grabbed everyone's attention. Chase and Tara exchanged confused glanced until Erika motioned for Gray to attack, which the girl took.
"Confusion!" After being struck by a blast of red energy, Lombre was sent flying past Gray and into a tree. When he slumped down and hit the ground, Lombre's eyes were closed and the referee raised her arms in the air.
"Lombre is unable to battle! Erika, choose your next Pokemon!" Lombre's picture suddenly turned black, and Erika smiled at her fainted Pokemon kindly.
"Thank you, Lombre, return." The Gym Leader slowly pulled out her fainted Pokemon's Pokeball and zapped him back inside before looking at the way the petals had fallen. Smiling, Erika nodded at the formation of the petals and picked out her second Pokeball. "Leafeon, please guide us to victory!" Gray watched as the grass eeveelution materialized in front of Erika, and it began to growl at Magna, who was panting from her battle with Lombre.
"Magna, why don't you take a quick break?" the sixteen year old suggested after noticing the fatigue. Magna nodded in response and walked back to Gray's side and climbed onto the girl's head. Smiling, the brunette pulled out a different capsule and grinned at it. "Decorus, I'm counting on you!" Gray roared while throwing her second Pokeball, and the shiny Pokemon appeared. Meanwhile, on the bench, Durus, Leviculus, and Fortis stared at the second battler. All three had been released before Magna's battle, and they were frustrated - at least Durus was - to find they weren't battling.
"Wait, what!? Why is Decorus battling!?" Durus shouted angrily before scowling at the fairy type, who didn't look like she wanted to be out of her Pokeball.
"Beats me," Leviculus replied while shrugging. "I figured Gray would have her sit out after all the fights she had with you guys a few days ago, but I guess I was wrong," the water type concluded as Decorus' picture appeared and Magna's turned blue.
"It's because she's really strong," Fortis informed the others, grabbing their attention. "Even if you don't like her, you have to admit she's the strongest out of all of us right now," the dragon type said rationally, making Durus hiss at him. "Personally, I don't have a problem with her, but that's just me."
"That's an interesting choice, to say the least," Scyther said to Tara, who nodded in response. "I thought Gray had guts, but I didn't know she was this gutsy."
"Yeah, she really likes taking risks in battling," Audino informed the bug type. "Sometimes its intentional, and other times she thinks it isn't a risk. It actually throws her opponent off, so it works."
"That's right," Chase said while nodding. "But this pick isn't one that'll throw Erika off. If anything, it's going to throw Gray off. After all, they haven't battle together once."
"This battle will be between Leafeon and Decorus! Begin!"
"Decorus, let's show 'em how strong you are! Dazzling Gleam!" Gray yelled excitedly while punching her fist straight forward. Decorus frowned but decided to listen to her trainer as she placed her hands together and began forming an orb of pink energy in-between her hands. The fairy type then threw her arms forward and a zigzagging beam of pink energy flew across the battlefield.
"Leafeon, run around it and strike with Leaf Blade!" Leafeon's tail began to glow light green as she bolted around the powerful attack at a wicked speed, catching everyone off guard, except Erika and the referee. Decorus continued to fire the fairy type attack at her opponent, but Leafeon was far too quick to strike. She then jumped in the air while spinning like a wheel and landed a devastating blow that knocked Decorus onto her back, which angered the shiny Pokemon.
"Keep Leafeon from running by using Psychic!" Decorus' eyes turned light blue and she stuck her arm forwards. A thin line of blue energy appeared around Leafeon's body and she was lifted in the air. Decorus angrily threw her arm down and Leafeon was slammed into the ground so hard the battlefield shook. Somehow the injured Pokemon got back up and she charged at Decorus, who was shocked to see her opponent moving.
"Aerial Ace!" Erika demanded while twirling like a ballerina. Leafeon suddenly jumped in the air and tucked her legs in before flying towards Decorus like a rocket. White streaks of light flew off her face before she crashed into Decorus, who was sent skidding across the grass upon impact. The fairy type looked back at her trainer as Leafeon dashed back to her half of the battlefield, and she waited for Gray to withdraw her due to the horrible mismatch, but the teenager didn't seem to catch on, as she thought Decorus was waiting for another command.
"Now let's use Grassy Terrain!" Gray ordered, not knowing what the move did. Decorus stared at her trainer in shock, but obeyed when she realized Gray was actually serious. Slowly, Decorus formed a green ball in her arms as she lifted them in the air, and the ball was shot. When it struck the ground, the entire battlefield was covered in flowers, and Leafeon seemed to be ecstatic.
"Grassy Terrain? What does that do?" Tara asked aloud, hoping someone would answer her question.
"It's a move that lasts for five turns, where grass type attacks increase by fifty percent, and each grounded Pokemon gains a sliver of health. Clearly, Gray doesn't know what this does," Chase answered while rubbing his head in frustration.
"Use Leaf Blade once again, Leafeon!" Leafeon dashed towards Decorus while her tail began to glow, and she slammed it across the fairy type's chest, knocking Decorus into one of the dozens of trees behind Gray, who turned around in shock before noticing how much stronger the attack was. Despite the added power, Decorus made her way back to the battlefield and glared at Leafeon.
"Decorus, throw Leafeon in the air with Psychic and then use Dazzling Gleam!" Gray yelled. Decorus' eyes flashed blue and she hurled Leafeon straight into the air, making the grass type flail like a rag doll. The Florges then placed her hands together and fired a zigzagging beam of pink energy at her falling opponent, but Erika wasn't about to let her Pokemon get hit by the attack.
"Slam the ground with your tail and then finish this with Iron Tail!" Leafeon bashed her tail agains the ground and flew into the air like a spring, avoiding the devastating fairy type attack with ease. Decorus and Gray gasped in shock and watched as Leafeon's tail turned to metal. The four legged Pokemon then smashed her tail over Decorus' head, knocking the fully evolved Pokemon out cold.
"Decorus is unable to battle! Gray, choose your next Pokemon!" Suddenly, Decorus' picture turned black, and Leafeon turned to bow to Erika for her trainer's guidance in battle.
"So much for her being the strongest, Fortis," Durus mocked, which made the Vibrava shake his head. Leviculus didn't seem to be entertained by the comment either, making Durus walk away awkwardly. She quickly glanced back to see Fortis talking with Leviculus, and the two began to nod in unison before looking back at the battlefield while clapping. Decorus, who had gotten back up, looked over at Leviculus and Fortis before smiling slightly at their positive response, and she was shocked to see Gray walking over to her.
"I didn't expect Decorus to listen to Gray. That's pretty shocking," Tara muttered to Chase, who nodded before looking over at Fortis, who was still cheering for the downed Pokemon.
"We'll keep working together, Decorus, I promise," Gray said as she guided the fairy type to the sidelines - after Magna hopped off her head -, where Leviculus and Fortis were waiting with smiles. Gray beamed at the positive responses her Pokemon were giving and glanced back at the sidelines to see Decorus smiling along with the Vibrava and Politoed. Gray then looked down at her side and saw Magna was looking up at her with a fierce fire in her eyes, prompting the trainer to nod and motion for her to go onto the battlefield, making the Pokemon's picture return to its normal colors on the scoreboard.
"Here we go, Magna!" Leviculus cheered before bellowing excitedly, which made Magna scream in response. Everyone except Erika covered their ears in pain until both Pokemon stopped, which allowed the referee to begin the battle.
"This battle will be between Leafeon and Magna! Begin!"
"Leafeon, start with Razor Leaf!" Erika ordered confidently. Leafeon threw her back legs around and swung her hips powerfully, sending dozens of leaves at Magna, who was overwhelmed by the storm. Gray's four Pokemon on the sidelines turned away from the vicious sight, as Magna began to cry in pain while her body was being cut with each leaf that struck. She managed to stop the wave after releasing devastating waves of sound that launched all of the leaves in every direction.
"Nice thinking, Magna! Now use Uproar on the battlefield in front of Leafeon!" Magna nodded before jumping, and she reared her head back while mustering up all the power she could. A spiraling ray of light blue sound shot out of Magna's mouth and hit the ground so hard, smoke flew into the air and blinded Leafeon and Erika. Meanwhile, everyone on the sidelines stared at Magna in shock until Leafeon suddenly sprinted out of the thick cloud of smoke.
"Now strike with Leaf Blade!" The grass type was far too fast to evade and she smashed her tail into the side of Magna's face. The psychic type was launched into the sideline area and she struggled to get on her feet while her teammates, friends, and Chase and Tara stared at her. After seeing Gray's face, though, Magna willed herself onto her feet and ran back onto the battlefield before slumping over.
"Magna, are you sure you can keep going? If you're that hurt, I don't want you battling," Gray said to the psychic type while kneeling down.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Magna replied, trying to sound strong. As she turned, Magna let out a slight grunt of pain and held her leg before feeling Gray's hand fall on her head.
"Erika, I'm pulling Magna from the battle," Gray informed the Gym Leader, who nodded in response before turning to the referee, who slowly raised her arms in the air. Magna, meanwhile, hung her head in shame, but Gray began patting her on the back with a smile as Grassy Terrain's effects faded.
"Magna is unable to battle! Gray, choose your final Pokemon!" Everyone watched as Magna's picture turned black, but Gray continued to keep her upbeat attitude.
"Way to fight hard, Magna, you did a great job," Gray said to the fatigued Pokemon, who started walking over to the sidelines, where everyone was sitting. Slowly, the teen looked past Magna and saw Durus, Leviculus, Fortis, and Decorus cheering for Magna, along with Chase, Audino, Tara, and Scyther. Gray smiled in response and then stared down at the final Pokeball in her hand. A grin spread across her face, knowing Fidens was going to pull off the win, and she looked up at Erika while holding the Pokeball straight out in front of her face.
"Even though we may be losing, I'm not giving in, Erika!" Gray yelled, making the Gym Leader and her Leafeon smile in response.
"That's wonderful to hear! Now show us your final Pokemon!" Erika responded with an excited smile, making Gray nod before she looked down at the Pokeball.
"It's your time to shine! Fidens, come on out!" As the Pokeball reached its apex, it snapped open and a white light shot out and hit the ground. Fidens appeared and squawked excitedly before looking at his surroundings. He then noticed the scoreboard, and saw that Magna and Decorus had fainted while two of Erika's Pokemon remained. The rock type began to tremble nervously, but he stopped when he heard a flurry of cheers over to his right.
"You've got this, Fidens!" Fortis exclaimed.
"Yeah, show 'em who's boss, Fidens!" Leviculus chanted.
"Give it everything you've got!" Durus cheered.
"Don't be nervous, you're going to do great!" Magna yelled.
"Fidens, be careful! Leafeon's really fast!" Decorus warned, making the rock type nod in response before he turned to face Leafeon. Slowly, Fidens took a deep breath before he bent his knees and stuck his wings out to his sides, squawking powerfully while doing so.
"This battle will be between Leafeon and Fidens! Begin!"
"Quick Attack!" Gray screamed while punching her right fist forwards. Fidens bolted forwards at the speed of light, and a white ray trailed his body. Erika and Leafeon didn't have enough time to counter, and Fidens checked Leafeon as hard as he could. The grass type simply slid across the battlefield and charged at Fidens, who was ready to swing.
"Use Iron Tail on Fidens' wings!" the Gym Leader barked. Leafeon's tail turned silver and she swung it at Fidens, who ducked underneath the super effective attack in the nick of time, which made his teammates cheer excitedly.
"Alright, Fidens! Now use Wing Attack!" Fidens grinned as his wings began to glow white, and he jumped forwards before smacking Leafeon repeatedly, making the grass type cry out in pain before Fidens kicked her into the air. After she smacked against the ground, Leafeon shakily got back onto her feet and looked back at Erika, who was grinning at Fidens and Gray.
"Fire a Razor Leaf and charge!" the peaceful woman commanded while pointing at Fidens. Leafeon did as she was told and began whipping her neck around, firing several dozen leaves at her opponent, who looked back at Gray in fear before being calmed by her confident demeanor.
"Stand your ground and get ready to use Acrobatics, Fidens," Gray whispered to the flying type, who nodded in response before crossing his wings over his chest. Suddenly, he was hit by a barrage of leaves and held back the urge to scream in pain. As Leafeon continued to run forwards, Gray's five other Pokemon looked on in confusion before Durus finally spoke up.
"What the hell is Gray doing? If Fidens keeps getting hit, he's not going to have enough energy to fight Erika's last Pokemon!" The others nodded in agreement and they continued watching Leafeon drew closer and closer. Once she was a few feet away from Fidens, Gray cleared her throat and screamed to her final Pokemon.
"Now! Acrobatics!" Fidens' eyes shot wide open and he threw his right foot straight out, stopping Leafeon dead in her tracks. He then wound his wings back and began slapping his opponent senseless, making Leafeon cry out in pain. Fidens finished his assault with a devastating kick to Leafeon's chin, launching the grass type across the battlefield. When Leafeon hit the ground, the referee raised her arms.
"Leafeon is unable to battle! Erika, choose your last Pokemon!" the ref shouted while Leafeon's picture turned black.
"Alright! Way to go, Fidens!" Leviculus screamed before bellowing alongside Magna. The two stopped and began laughing, and Fortis smiled at the sight of his friend winning.
"That's exactly what I wanted to see! All he has to do is beat one more Pokemon, and we win!" the dragon type exclaimed.
"Sounds easy enough," Decorus said while crossing her arms over her chest. "Plus, he has a type advantage, so this shouldn't be that difficult."
"Well done, Leafeon, you were great." Erika withdrew the grass type after plucking a few more petals off the rose until there was only one left, and she looked up at Gray and Fidens. "It's time for my final Pokemon. Vileplume, go forth!" A strange Pokemon landed on the grass and glared at Fidens, who didn't know what to make of his opponent. The Gloom had a small, blue lower body that consisted of a face with stubby limbs sticking out of it. On the top of its head there was a large red flower with an opening in the middle, which seemed to release something. Vileplume's picture then appeared in the final spot on the scoreboard, and the referee raised her arms.
"This battle will be between Vileplume and Fidens! Begin!"
"Fire away with Dazzling Gleam, Vileplume!" Erika ordered quickly. Vileplume's jaw opened and a zigzagging beam of pink energy flew across the battlefield. Fidens was crushed by the powerful attack and rolled across the grass before hitting into Gray, who managed to stop his momentum. He quickly got back up and squawked angrily before dashing across the battlefield, and Gray punched her fist straight forwards.
"Hit Vileplume with a full power Acrobatics!" Fidens leaped into the air and prepared to unleash a wild barrage of slaps and kicks, but Vileplume ran forward so that the hole on her head was pointing at Fidens.
"Stun Spore!" Gray's eyes went wide as she watched the yellow cloud of spores make contact with Fidens, whose body went limp on contact. The flying type then crashed into the ground face first and attempted to get up, but he was unable to move any part of his body, rendering him defenseless.
"Fidens, you have to get up! Please!"
"Finish this with Razor Leaf, Vileplume!" Erika commanded after seeing Fidens wasn't able to move. The fully evolved Pokemon began to spin like a top before a horizontal tornado of leaves flew towards Fidens and pummeled him. Everyone watched in fear as Fidens was launched into the air before crashing down against the battlefield. Somehow, Fidens managed to get on his feet, but the prehistoric Pokemon hung his head in defeat, which made Durus scream.
"Fidens, don't you dare give up! Think about how hard Magna and Decorus fought, and how much time and effort Gray put in to be ready for this! Don't keep fighting for yourself, do it for your teammates! No, your family!" the Persian shrieked passionately while glaring at the Archen standing in front of Gray. Fidens slowly turned his head and looked Durus in the eyes without any emotion before he flashed a grin. Suddenly, Fidens' neck snapped up and he began to roar as his body was engulfed in a white light, which led to a collective gasp from everyone watching.
While the light continued to shine, Fidens wings began to grow, and so did his tail, which became much longer. The hair on his body also became more pronounced around his neck and legs, which had become thicker and stronger. The red beak on his face also disappeared, and the top of his head down to his spine turned turquoise.
"Archeops, the First Bird Pokemon. They are intelligent and will cooperate to catch prey. From the ground, they use a running start to take flight. New moves learned: Dragon Breath, Crunch."
"Holy crap! Fidens evolved!" Fortis shouted as he stared at the Archeops standing before him.
"Wow, Durus, you got through to Fidens!" Leviculus exclaimed in realization. After hearing that, Durus stared at the evolved Pokemon and slowly began to smile, as Fidens had finally broken his ability.
"Go get 'em, Fidens!" the Persian cried before leaning back on her hind legs.
"Fidens, let's see how much power you've gotten! Use Quick Attack to lead into Acrobatics!" Fidens pumped his legs as quickly as he could and began running at the speed of a jet before leaping into the air. He then descended and crashed down on Vileplume before dishing out a series of devastating slaps that seemed to deal insane amounts of damage.
"Get him off with Razor Leaf!" Erika yelled desperately as Fidens continued his assault. Vileplume fired a tornado of leaves at Fidens, which struck the flying type in the stomach and sent him into the air. However, Fidens managed to spin and land on his feet. He then turned to the sidelines and grinned at his teammates before hearing Gray's voice.
"Charge, Fidens!" The fully evolved Pokemon did as he was told and took to the air before flying towards Vileplume effortlessly, which was a welcomed sight. As an Archen, Fidens was never able to fly, but because he evolved his wings had grown exponentially stronger and were capable of holding his weight in the air.
"Use Stun Spore!"
"Nosedive into Quick Attack!" Fidens turned his head so that he was facing the ground and the flying type tucked his wings into his sides while a streak of light trailed his body. The rock type began to spin like a drill before cutting through Stun Spore and crashing into Vileplume, who grunted loudly upon impact. Once Fidens got off his opponent, the referee ran over to Vileplume's side and lifted her hands in the air.
"Vileplume is unable to battle! Gray and Fidens are the winners!"
"We did it! Way to go, Fidens!" Gray cheered as Fidens flew over and picked her up.
"Yay! I actually did it!" the prehistoric bird exclaimed as his five teammates rushed over, along with Chase, Tara, Scyther, and Audino. While they celebrated, Gray walked over to Erika and smiled at the Gym Leader, who quickly stood up and shook Gray's hand while the referee got a badge.
"That was a great battle, and your Pokemon were incredible! If you just hadn't used Grassy Terrain, your Florges would've easily beaten Leafeon," Erika said to Gray before bowing respectfully.
"Thank you! We trained really hard, and it's a good thing we did, otherwise you would've mopped the floor with us!" Gray responded as she bowed. Suddenly, when she looked up, Gray saw Erika holding out a tiny piece of metal, which looked like a flower, though its petals were all different colors.
"Here, this is the Rainbow Badge. You earned it. The next Gym I suggest visiting is in Fuchsia City. Saffron may be closer, but Sabrina isn't someone you could take on right now," Erika informed Gray, who thanked the Gym Leader for the information. The girl then walked out with her Pokemon and friends while waving to Erika, and she placed the badge in her badge case once she was outside.
"Wait, shouldn't we go to Saffron City if you want to get your fifth as quick as possible?" Tara inquired as the group traveled back to the Pokemon Center. Gray quickly shook her head and turned around to give her explanation.
"Apparently that Gym Leader is really strong, so I want to go to Fuchsia and get that one. Besides, what's the fun in getting all of my badges right away?" Everyone nodded in agreement with the statement before Gray turned back around and smiled. "Now, let's go get my fifth badge!"
Thanks to the efforts - and evolution - of Fidens, Gray was able to defeat Erika, albeit narrowly. Magna also contributed by knocking out Lombre, while Decorus did next to nothing because Gray kind of set her up to lose with Grassy Terrain and all. Anyways, the Fuchsia City Arc will be starting next chapter, and some shocking stuff is about to go down! Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Trying a Triple Battle!": As they venture towards Fuchsia City, the group is stopped by a gang of bikers, whom they must defeat if they want to continue. Will Gray, Chase, and Tara be able to defeat them and arrive in Fuchsia City?
Fuchsia City Arc
Chapter 40: Round Two: Flygon vs Garchomp!
Chapter 41: Flashback and Fire
Chapter 42: Overcoming a Toxic Situation
Chapter 43: Goodbye, Old Friend