Theme Song
It is time for the home stretch (Gray shows her badge case with eight badges)
For it is the final catch (Magna appears, smiles, and fades, which is repeated by Fidens, Leviculus, Decorus, Fortis, and Durus)
Your goal's right there, it is your fate (Owen and Red stare down at the championship battle of the Indigo League)
Go ahead and become great! (Fortis evolves into Flygon and roars into the air)
No way! (2x) We won't back down! (Durus lunges at the camera and slashes it)
We will! (2x) Win that crown (Montage of Gray defeating Trentavious, Savannah, and Marcus before she looks across a battlefield and sees Owen)
This is it, the final quest (Gray looks off into the sunset with Chase, Tara, and their Pokemon)
You must do your very best... Pokemon!
What's up, readers? Last chapter, Gray, Chase, and Tara battled and defeated a group of bikers in a triple battle, and Leviculus got a ton of experience for participating! Now, Gray will be squaring off with Marcus, who will surely be looking for the victory, as opposed to a tie, like he had against Gray after the Vermilion City Tournament. Now, let's get going!
Defender31415: Lol, the battle (in my opinion) was really bad because of how short it was, at least for a triple battle
ShadowDragon9000: Yeah, let's go with the bikers being bad, battle will probably be a lot better than a lot of the others so far in the story. Flygon vs Garchomp is going to be awesome!
MCMXCV: Well... Gible may not have evolved all the way into a Garchomp just yet, and the battle will be really close between those two just like the last time they squared off
Blaze Falcon: Lol, that's the only line I could think of that was fitting for the chapter. Magna leaving will definitely suck, and it'll take Fidens a little while to get over it, but Gray's team will get a whole lot stronger with the new Pokemon set to join. And Flygon versus Garchomp will be really close, and definitely make up for last chapter
Trentavious Phoenix: Your review was a waste of time to write, and for me to read. If you're going to voice your opinion, at least provide some kind help with what made the chapter so bad it "doesn't deserve (your) review"
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 33, Power Gem, Feint Attack, Bite, Metal Claw, Pay Day*, Screech* - (Persian)
Leviculus, (m), level 35, Water Gun, Dig, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Mega Kick*, Ice Punch* - (Politoed)
Fidens, (m), level 37, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Ancient Power, Dragon Breath, Crunch*, Acrobatics* - (Archeops)
Magna, (f), level 33, 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)
"Are you sure you want to battle the Gym Leader today? We just got here yesterday," Tara asked while she and Chase followed Gray down the street the Pokemon Center and Gym were on. Gray nodded without looking back and she cracked her knuckles excitedly before letting out a deep breath.
"It may be soon, but I know we can win this!" Gray answered emphatically, making Durus cheer while Chase laughed and shook his head. "Besides, even if I lose, it's not like I can't challenge the Gym Leader again." Durus nodded in agreement and her eyes lit up when she caught sight of the Gym. The four legged Pokemon darted past Gray and ran up to the large building, which she sat in front of while waiting for her trainer and the others to arrive.
"Wow, you really are excited for this," Chase joked.
"No duh. I haven't gotten to take on a Gym Leader for the past month and a half! There's no other way to feel other than excited!" the Persian countered. "Now let's go! I want to win this thing and move on to whatever place is after this."
"Wow wow wow! Hold your horses!" Durus turned around to see a boy running towards her and the three trainers, and he put his hands on his knees while panting once he reached them. "I've been waiting outside the Gym because it's closed, so there's no way I'm about to get passed, especially by you of all people, Gray." The boy grinned at Gray and extended his hand, which was swiped away by Durus.
"No way, Marcus! I'm not letting you go in ahead of me! Not when I've been waiting to be in a Gym Battle for as long as I have!" the normal type shot back angrily, which made Marcus step back with his hands up.
"Hold on, Durus, Marcus is right. He was here first, so he gets to challenge the Gym Leader first," Gray told her starter, whose jaw dropped in response.
"Thanks, Gray! Now if you don't mind-"
"Stop!" Durus shouted, grabbing Marcus' attention. "Let's have a battle! If we win, we go in first. If you win, you can go in first." Gray attempted to intervene and tell Marcus he could go right in, but the happy sixteen year old grinned at Durus and began petting her on the head.
"Sounds good to me!" With that, the two sides took ten steps back before squaring off. Gray then released all of her Pokemon and they lined up while looking at Marcus, who stared at the Pokemon in response.
"Wow! You have a shiny Florges!? That's so cool! Oh, and Fortis and Fidens evolved! Man, you've been hard at work, Gray," Marcus joked while laughing, which made Gray laugh in response along with her Pokemon.
"That's right! By the way, this is Decorus. Decorus, this is Marcus. He's one of my rivals, and a really strong trainer," Gray said to her newest Pokemon, who simply nodded at Marcus.
"Well why don't I show you my Pokemon? Come on out, gang!" Marcus exclaimed while tossing six Pokeballs in the air. Standing in front of Gray, from left to right, were a Lucario, Gabite, Pidgeot, Arcanine, Politoed, and Eevee, who smiled at Gray and her Pokemon. The gesture was returned, and Gray glanced at Marcus' team before smiling.
"It looks like you've done some work, too. And since when did you have a Politoed?" the girl asked.
"Oh, haha. I caught this little guy when he was a Poliwag because I saw how strong your Politoed was against Trent!" Politoed nodded at the information and stumbled over to Leviculus. The two Pokemon began humming loudly, and Magna jumped in to create a deafening noise. They all smiled once the shouting stopped, and the two teams of Pokemon walked over to the sides of the makeshift battlefield.
"This will be a three versus three battle between Gray Marcus!" Chase announced while pointing at both sides, acting like the referee as he usually did. "The battle will be over when all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle! Furthermore, neither trainer may substitute their Pokemon! Gray, because you challenged Marcus, you must choose your first Pokemon!"
Gray sweat dropped at the announcement along with Durus, but she nodded and looked at all six of her Pokemon before settling on one that hadn't gotten much, if any attention. "Leviculus, you're up first!" Gray yelled. Leviculus happily walked over to Gray and smiled at Marcus while waiting for his opponent to be revealed.
"Politoed, come on out!" Marcus exclaimed as he pointed at the water type. His Politoed walked towards him just like Leviculus had, and the two water types squared off after bowing.
"This should be pretty interesting," Fortis said while looking at both sides. "I don't think I've ever seen a mirror battle before," the dragon type said while looking around at his teammates.
"Yeah, I hope Politoed wins! He's been training so hard lately," Arcanine said aloud, which made Decorus laugh under her breath along with Durus. The two females stopped laughing when they realized the other was, and they turned away angrily.
"This battle will be between Leviculus and Politoed! Begin!"
"Leviculus, use Ice Punch!" Gray commanded while pointing at Marcus and his Politoed. The water frog darted towards the opposing Politoed, and his fist was covered in a thin coat of icy energy. He then leaped in the air and reared his arm back while preparing to deal a monstrous blow to his opponent, but Marcus was quick to react.
"Counter it with Ice Punch!" Politoed's fist was covered in an icy coat of energy and he swung at Leviculus. The two Ice Punch attacks collided and a blast of blistering cold air flew in every direction, making everyone shiver, except Arcanine, who used his Flamethrower attack to keep himself warm. "Now use Hyper Voice!" Gray and Leviculus' eyes went wide as Marcus' Politoed opened his mouth and a ring of yellow energy appeared. It then slammed into Leviculus and exploded, launching the water type through the air.
"Hang in there, Leviculus! Use Dig!" The fully evolved Pokemon recovered and dove straight into the ground, disappearing from sight instantly. Marcus and Politoed looked around in paranoia before Leviculus shot out of the ground and uppercut Politoed, knocking the toad onto his back. Leviculus quickly jumped back to Gray and waited for Politoed to get back up, which he did.
"Don't hold anything back, Politoed! Hydro Pump!" Politoed suddenly reared his head back and shot a dark blue blast of water at Leviculus, and the attack struck its target. Gray turned and watched as Leviculus was blown at least twenty feet back, but he quickly got up and covered the ground in water before sliding around on his stomach, which caught Marcus and his Politoed off guard.
"Slide over there and land a Mega Kick, Leviculus!" Gray shouted while punching her fist forwards. Leviculus quickly sped across the ground while his foot was glowing light blue, and he shot up before kicking Politoed in the face so hard the water type's face caved in for a split second. Despite the horrible pain, he rose to his feet once again and charged at Leviculus, who wasn't expecting that.
"Now dish out a max power Ice Punch!" Leviculus gasped right before he was punched in the stomach by the powerful ice type attack, and he was sent rolling back to Gray, who looked on in concern.
"Leviculus, get up and use Water Gun!"
"Finish this with Ice Punch!" Marcus commanded. Leviculus and Gray looked up to see Politoed flying towards them with his right fist cocked back and covered in ice. He then punched Leviculus in the face while he was on the ground, and the powerful Pokemon was knocked out instantly, making Gray curse under her breath as she walked over to her Pokemon's side.
"Leviculus is unable to battle! Gray, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks for the great work, Leviculus, take a long rest." Gray picked Leviculus up and placed him down next to Fidens and Magna, who patted Leviculus on the back encouragingly. The girl then pointed at her starter and spoke. "Durus, it's your turn!"
"About time! I've been itching to battle ever since Vermilion City!" the normal type exclaimed before running forwards and standing in front of her trainer.
"You can do it, Durus!" Fortis cheered. Durus looked over at her friend and nodded before locking eyes with Marcus' Politoed and hissing.
"So I finally get to battle your starter," Marcus muttered under his breath while smiling at Durus. "Be on your guard, Politoed, Durus is really strong and fast." Politoed nodded in response before cracking his knuckles, and Chase raised his arms.
"This battle will be between Durus and Politoed! Begin!"
"Durus, don't hold anything back! Power Gem!" Gray commanded while pointing at Politoed as if she were aiming for Durus. The four legged Pokemon hissed before several blasts of energy shot out of the red jewel on her head, and each struck Politoed, making the Pokemon skid back each time. "Now charge!"
"Intercept with Hydro Pump, Politoed!" Marcus countered while throwing his arm out to his side. Politoed shot another dark blue blast of water, and Durus was swept away by the powerful water type attack. She got back up within nanoseconds, however, and began charging at Politoed once again, as if nothing had happened. She then leaped in the air and drew her claws, which terrified Politoed.
"Bite!" The cat grinned before sticking her neck out and chomping down on Politoed's head, making the water type cry in pain while he tried to pry Durus' jaws off. He wasn't able to, however, and Durus continued to apply pressure to the toad's cranium.
"Bash Durus with Ice Punch repeatedly!" Politoed's fists were suddenly covered in icy energy and he attempted to punch Durus. The feline was too quick, though, and when Politoed rocketed his fists towards himself, Durus released her grip and scampered away, resulting in Politoed punching himself in the face at full power. The water type began to rub his nose in pain before looking up and seeing Durus standing right over him, and he nearly screamed. Durus slammed her front paws on his chest and grinned before looking back at Gray and nodding, prompting the girl to give the final order.
"Fire Pay Day!" Durus opened her mouth and a gold orb of energy began to form inside. She then looked down and shot a ray of golden energy at Politoed, who wasn't able to dodge the attack. The water type screamed in pain as he took the brunt of the attack, and he tried getting Durus off, but was too weak to do so.
"Politoed, use Hydro Pump!"
"Finish this with Metal Claw!" Durus swung her front arm forward as quickly as possible and slashed Marcus' Politoed across the face, stopping his Hydro Pump cold. Chase then walked over after Durus got off her opponent, and he raised his arms in the air.
"Politoed is unable to battle! Marcus, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Great work out there, buddy." Marcus smiled at his Pokemon and rubbed his head before placing him next to Arcanine, and he turned to his Lucario and nodded. "Now, Lucario, it's your time to take over!" Lucario grinned and waltzed over to the battlefield before sticking his paw out at Durus, who hissed in response.
"This battle will be between Durus and Lucario! Begin!"
"Use Aura Sphere, Lucario!" Lucario quickly formed a blue sphere of energy in the paw he was pointing at Gray, and it flew towards Durus. The normal type smirked at the power of the incoming attack and nodded at Gray before turning her attention back at the sphere of aura. Suddenly, Durus began charging forwards and drew her claws, prompting Gray to speak up.
"Slash through it with Metal Claw, Durus!" Durus rose her left paw and destroyed the Aura Sphere with her exponentially longer claws made of steel. As she continued charging at Lucario and Marcus, the duo smiled before Marcus cleared his throat and pointed straight forwards.
"Extremespeed!" Durus didn't even see Lucario run towards her, and the fighting type slammed her backwards. Gray stared in awe at the speed of the attack, as Lucario continued to stand in front of Marcus, almost as if he had never moved in the first place. Durus got off her back and shook her head before glaring at Lucario, but she decided to eep her emotions in check and listen to Gray.
"Durus, lower his defenses with Screech!" The Persian opened her mouth and released a blast of oval shaped rings, but Marcus' Lucario was far too quick to be hit by the stat changing attack.
"Jump over it and dish out a Blaze Kick!" Lucario skied into the air and his right foot suddenly caught on fire. As he descended, Lucario began to spin around and prepared to slam his foot into Durus. Gray, on the other hand, wasn't going to stand back and allow that to happen, so she issued a counterattack without hesitation.
"Take Lucario out of the air with Power Gem!" The jewel on Durus' head began to glow white and she fired several circular blasts of energy at Lucario, but the aura wielding Pokemon somehow managed to spin and narrowly dodge all of them. After doing so, Lucario crashed down on Durus and the normal type fell on her back, presenting the perfect opening.
"Perfect! Now pin Durus down!" Lucario quickly put his foot down on Durus' neck and the normal type flailed violently in an attempt to break free. Lucario, meanwhile, applied more force and made Durus stop trying to escape.
"Durus, no!" Gray shouted, realizing there was no way her Pokemon could get out of the predicament.
"Finish this with Force Palm!" Marcus yelled while throwing his open hand forwards. Lucario did the same thing, except he bent down and slammed his fist against Durus' chest. An explosion of energy flew out of the fighting type's palm, and Durus cried in pain before closing her eyes, prompting Chase to raise his arms in the air.
"Durus is unable to battle! Gray, choose your last Pokemon!"
"You were awesome, Durus, you did everything I could've asked for," Gray said to her starter while helping her over to the side. After returning to her trainer box, Gray grinned while looking at her four remaining Pokemon. One in particular looked ready to battle, and Gray was happy to choose him. "Fortis, it's all up to you!" The dragon type grinned as he flew over to Gray before spinning around and landing so that he was facing Lucario.
"Come on, Fortis!" Fidens cheered as he clapped his wings together. "You can do this!" the Archeops continued while smiling. Fortis turned and nodded at the prehistoric Pokemon before locking eyes with Lucario, who stuck his right paw out just like he did at the start of his match with Durus.
"I look forward to a thrilling battle, Fortis," Lucario said before bowing and retaking his previous stance.
"So do I, Lucario, don't let me down!" Fortis replied with a grin as he bowed out of respect for the fully evolved Pokemon. He quickly glance back to his teammates and nodded at them, and they all started clapping. Even Decorus was getting into the excitement, and she smiled at Fortis when they made eye contact.
"You're going to do great!" the fairy type shouted to Fortis, who blushed at the comment before shaking his head and focusing on Lucario and Marcus.
"This battle will be between Fortis and Lucario! Begin!"
"Fortis, start with Earth Power!" Gray commanded, not wanting to reveal Fortis' strongest moves until she needed to. Fortis slammed his tail on the ground, and a wave of rocks rolled across the road before crashing down on Lucario, who let out a muffled grunt.
"Lucario!" Marcus shouted, thinking his Pokemon had already fainted. Much to his surprise, a blast of aura shot straight into the air and knocked the rocks off his body. Lucario then climbed his way out of the rubble and smirked at Fortis before charging towards the dragon and ground type, who looked ready to fend his opponent off. "Extremespeed!"
"Bide!" Gray yelled instantly. Fortis braced himself as soon as possible, and Lucario smashed into him. The dragon skidded back to Gray's side and looked up to see Lucario was standing in the same spot on top of the rubble, and he rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing right. "Don't get freaked out, Fortis, Lucario's really fast." Fortis nodded at his trainer's words and prepared for another attack, which Marcus happily called.
"Now use Dragon Pulse!" Fortis' eyes shot wide open when he heard the command, and his teammates watched in fear as they thought he was going to faint. A sudden pink blast of energy shot out of Lucario's mouth, and the energy turned into the head of a dragon, which snapped down on Fortis before exploding. Somehow, Fortis stood his ground, and he looked up at Lucario angrily, which made Gray giggle before she pointed at the fighting type.
"Fortis, give it right back!" The Vibrava happily obeyed and his mouth shot open as a blast of white energy escaped. Lucario and Marcus were too awestruck to even try and avoid the devastating attack, and Lucario was absolutely crushed by the insanely powerful move. After pushing himself upright, Lucario grinned at Fortis and sprung into the air before spinning.
"Lucario, use Blaze Kick!" Lucario grinned as his right foot caught on fire, and he continued to spin, which made it difficult for Fortis to tell where the attack was going to be swung. As Lucario reared his leg back, everything seemed to go in slow-motion for Gray and Fortis, and their minds synced.
"Fortis, use Bite on Lucario's leg and slam him against the ground!" Gray commanded. Fortis lunged forward and snapped his jaws down on Lucario's fiery leg, making the powerful Pokemon cry in pain.
"What!? No way!" Marcus screamed in disbelief, along with his Pokemon, Gray's Pokemon, Scyther, Audino, Tara, and Chase. Fortis then whipped his head back before slamming Lucario straight into the ground, which dealt an unbelievable amount of damage.
"Earthquake!" Gray continued, not wanting to let up. Fortis slammed his front feet on the ground as hard as he could, and a column of dir hist Lucario in the face and sent him flying in the air like a rag doll. When he hit the ground, Lucario attempted to get back up, but his arms gave out and he admitted defeat.
"Lucario is unable to battle! Marcus, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Thanks for the amazing effort, Lucario, I couldn't be happier," Marcus said to his Pokemon genuinely while helping the fighting type walk towards the rest of his teammates. He then walked back to his original spot and cracked his neck before smiling at Gray and Fortis. "You've definitely gotten way stronger, but you're not going to beat us!"
"Talk's cheap," Gray replied with a grin, making Marcus smirk.
"Here it goes. Gabite, time for the rematch you've been waiting for!" Marcus shouted while looking at Gabite and pointing straight ahead. The dragon and ground type eagerly walked forward and stood in front of his trainer while locking eyes with Fortis. Both Pokemon, who had the same typing, grinned at each other while Gray and Marcus waited for Chase to start the match.
"Rematch?" Decorus asked aloud, looking at Fidens, Magna, and Leviculus before Durus turned to her and nodded.
"They battled to a draw back in Vermilion City, but Fortis had battled Marcus' Pidgeotto before it, so he probably would've won at full strength. Then again, Gabite's really strong, at least from what I remember, so the circumstances are exactly the same as last time," Durus informed the shiny Pokemon, who stared at Fortis during the entire explanation.
"Interesting. If Gabite's as strong as you say he is, this should be a great fight, but Fortis will end up winning it."
"Don't be so sure. Gabite's the strongest of us all. What makes you think Fortis can win when he's not at full strength?" Marcus' Pidgeot asked while looking at the white flowered Florges.
"I don't know. I just have this feeling that he'll pull it off."
"It's good to see you again, Gabite. I hope you've gotten stronger since last time!" Fortis said with fire burning in his eyes. "I don't want you to hold anything back, and good luck!"
"Believe me, I'm way stronger, and I know you are too. If I want any chance at winning, then I'll have to give this battle my all! Good luck to you, too!" The two Pokemon bowed in respect before taking battle stances, and Chase raised his arms in the air.
"This battle will be between Fortis and Gabite! Begin!"
"Gabite, start with Dragon Rage!" Marcus demanded while pointing to the sky. Gabite jumped in the air and reared his head back before shooting a large orange ball cover in flames at Fortis, who bent his knees and prepared to dodge the attack. Gray had different plans, however, and she threw her left arm out to her side before issuing a counterattack.
"Use Dragon Breath and then Feint Attack!" Fortis open his mouth and unleashed a green wave of fire that wrapped around the Dragon Rage before the attacks exploded, preventing anyone from seeing anything. Fortis grinned and slowly crept forward, using the smoke to his advantage. When it settled, Gabite looked around for Fortis before he was knocked onto the ground face first.
"Turn around and use Dragon Claw!"
"Stay in there and use Earthquake!" Just as Gabite slashed Fortis across the face with his dark blue claws, a column of dirt shot out of the ground and hit Gabite in the chin, sending him flying into the air while Fortis was thrown into Gray, who placed him on the ground. Gabite quickly spun and landed on the ground feet first with a grin, and he charged at Fortis.
"Take Down, Gabite!" Gabite lowered his shoulder and was covered in bronze energy. The bipedal Pokemon continued charging forwards and picking up speed, causing Gray to hurry her thinking and shout an attack she hadn't thought through.
"Use Dragon Breath, Fortis!" Fortis stood on his back two feet and prepared to unleash a wave of green fire, but Gabite slammed into his stomach. Somehow, Fortis managed to recover and hit Gabite with the weakened Dragon Breath, and both Pokemon began panting in exhaustion while smirking at each other. Neither was going to back down, and they planned on fighting until their bodies told them otherwise, which everyone could sense.
"How about we turn things up a notch?" Gabite asked Fortis with a grin on his face.
"If I'm thinking what you're thinking, then let's do it." Both Pokemon grinned before being engulfed in white light, and everyone gasped in shock. Leviculus nearly fainted at the sight while Fidens and Magna stared in awe.
Fortis' skinny black legs suddenly grew and became much thicker arms and legs, while his tail grew exponentially. The two antennae on his head began to go straight back while his eyes turned red. Then, his wings started to grow straight out to his sides, and they were green with red trimming. The end of his tail had three smaller triangles with similar designs, and his tail had light and dark green stripes.
When the light faded, two completely different Pokemon were standing, and everyone could tell how strong they were just from the power radiating from their bodies. All five of Gray's other Pokemon stared at Fortis in shock while he began to flap his wings and smile at the fact that they had become stronger, and Garchomp began to look at his hands before grinning. The two dragon types then locked eyes and roared in unison.
"Garchomp, the Mach Pokemon. It flies at speeds equal to a jet fighter plane. It never allows its prey to escape. New moves learned: Dragon Rush, Earthquake."
"Flygon, the Mystic Pokemon. Known as 'The Desert Spirit,' this Pokémon hides in the sandstorms it causes by beating its wings. New moves learned: Hyper Beam, Dragon Claw."
"Marcus, we left off with your move," Chase said to the boy, who nodded in response.
"Garchomp, let's test out this new power of yours! Use Dragon Claw!" Marcus yelled while punching his fist forwards. Garchomp grinned before taking off towards Fortis, who flapped his wings powerfully and took to the air. He then looked down at Gray and waited for her to issue a command, which she did as soon as she thought of one.
"Fortis, don't back down! Let's see how strong your Dragon Claw is!" Fortis grinned and swooped down while neon claws grew out of his fingers. The two dragon types swung at each other and the moves collided before battling back and forth. Sparks of energy flew into the air and everyone stared in awe as the powerful Pokemon's attacks cancelled each other out.
"Dragon Rush!" Marcus shouted. Garchomp suddenly launched himself into the air and was encapsulated in dark blue energy that turned into the shape of a dragon. Fortis and Gray didn't expect such a fast attack, and Fortis was clobbered as a result. The Flygon then crashed into the ground and held his chest in pain before shaking it off and taking to the air when he saw Garchomp falling towards the ground.
"Don't hold anything back, Fortis! Dragon Breath!" As Fortis flew towards Garchomp, he stopped on a dime and reared his head back before shooting a wave of green fire that sent Garchomp crashing into the ground. After he hit his back, Garchomp rolled around in pain for a few seconds until he saw Fortis nosediving towards him, so he popped up and prepared to counter.
"Slam through Fortis with Dragon Rush!" Garchomp roared powerfully before taking to the air once again while he was enveloped in a dark blue wave of energy that turned into the shape of a dragon. While that happened, Fortis stopped flying immediately and looked over at Gray, who knew exactly what her Pokemon was thinking, which made her grin.
"Stop it with Hyper Beam!" the brunette commanded. Fortis reared his long neck back and a blast of orange energy surged out of his mouth once he threw his neck forwards. The absurdly powerful attack collided with Garchomp's Dragon Rush, which was only a few inches away from Fortis, and a massive explosion sent both dragon spiraling into the ground. Both sides managed to get back up on sheer willpower alone, and they smirked at each other before looking back at their trainers, nodding, and taking off.
"Garchomp, use an all out Dragon Claw!" Garchomp continued sprinting at the speed of a jet while his claws grew and turned neon, and he reared his arms back in preparation.
"Fortis, put everything into this Dragon Claw!" Fortis began flapping his wings powerfully while flying as low to the ground as possible. As he did so, he grew long neon claws and threw his arms forward at the same time as Garchomp. The two attacks collided and exploded instantly.
BOOOOOM!
An enormous cloud of smoke shot into the air and everyone was sent back a foot or two due to the force. After a minute or so, the smoke finally cleared, and both Pokemon were still standing, albeit barely. Neither looked capable of continuing, and it was a matter of who would fall first, which didn't seem like it was going to happen given the rivalry between the Pokemon.
"Come on, Fortis! Hang in there a little longer!" Decorus cried while jumping up and down. The four other Pokemon belonging to Gray started to cheer alongside the shiny Pokemon, and Fortis looked over with a smile before looking up into the air and roaring. He was cutoff, however, by a horrible shot of pain that ran through his body, and Fortis collapsed while Garchomp managed to keep standing.
"Fortis is unable to battle! Marcus and Garchomp are the winners!"
"We did it! We did it! We did it!" Marcus cheered as he ran over to Garchomp and hugged the injured Pokemon. Garchomp, too weak to speak, simply nodded in response before falling over, but Chase came to the dragon's aide with a Full Restore. After spraying both Pokemon, Chase smiled when Garchomp and Fortis walked over to him and bowed.
"Awesome battle, Garchomp, I hope we get another chance to square off," Fortis said while extending his hand. Garchomp looked his rival in the eyes and smiled while nodding. He then shook Fortis' hand, and the two looked each other in the eyes before nodding in unison and walking towards their teammates.
"Marcus, you've gotten really strong since we last met," Gray complimented with a smile. "That might be the best battle I've had on my journey so far!"
"Haha, thanks, Gray! You and your Pokemon were nothing short of incredible. Hopefully we get to battle in the Saffron City Tournament!" Marcus exclaimed before extending his hand. Gray gladly shook it and waved to her rival and his Pokemon as they began to walk away.
"Hold it!" a voice boomed, making everyone stop dead in their tracks. A young man slowly walked out of the Fuchsia City Gym, and he looked at both sides until a second person came outside, and a Pokemon was by his side.
"I told you," Owen muttered to the mysterious man before looking up at Charizard and fist bumping the winged lizard. Marcus fell over in shock while Gray, Chase, and Tara walked over to Owen with smiles.
"That you did. You're Gray and Marcus, right?" the young man, who looked to be about twenty, asked. Gray and her rival nodded in response, and the man turned to Owen, who was smiling. The man was wearing a purple jumpsuit and had a sword in his hands while he also wore wooden flip flops.
"Wait, what are you doing here, Owen?" Chase asked the older boy, who looked up at the sky.
"I was just paying my respects. I had a friend who used to be the Gym Leader here, but she passed away a couple of years ago," the champion replied, killing the mood. "Anyways... we watched your battle from inside, and I have to say I'm impressed with how well you two have progressed since our last meeting."
"Thanks!" the sixteen year olds replied at the same time.
"Were you two planning on challenging this Gym?" the man wearing a ninja suit asked. Both trainers nodded, and he began scratching his chin. "Good, I look forward to your challenges. My name is Ketsu, and I'm the Gym Leader." The ninja's dark brown eyes stared straight into both of his challengers', and he ran his hand through his short black hair before walking inside. "I'll see you tomorrow, Owen." The seventeen year old nodded and watched as Ketsu disappeared into his Gym, and then he turned his attention to the group.
"How about we catch up?" Charizard asked with a smile.
"I wish I could, but I need to go win my fifth badge!" Marcus shouted before bolting inside the Gym, where Ketsu was waiting. Owen and Charizard laughed at Marcus' excitement, and they glanced over at Gray, Tara, and Chase.
"Sure, we can stick around."
Wow! Fortis and Marcus' Gabite evolved at the same time, and Marcus managed to win! I really wanted to make this a draw again, but I figured that'd be a boring ending to an otherwise awesome battle! Also, Owen and Charizard are back, and they'll stick around for Gray's Gym Battle before reappearing for the Saffron City Tournament. Next chapter will be about Deus' past, and then it's back to the badge hunt! Till next time, peace out.
1) Thoughts on Flygon?
Next Chapter: "Flashback and Fire": After taking another major step in accomplishing their goals, Deus begins to have flashbacks of his/her childhood, which have been haunting Deus for years. What exactly happened to the masked madman?
Fuchsia City Arc
Chapter 42: Overcoming a Toxic Situation
Chapter 43: Goodbye, Old Friend