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! (Gray looks down at her badge case and smiles after seeing all eight badges)
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!
Heyo! Last chapter, Gray managed to win her fifth badge with the help of Durus, Magna, and Decorus, who pulled off the final victory against Ketsu's Crobat! This chapter will be about a group of Pokemon being attacked by another, and some other stuff I'm too lazy to talk about. Now, let's get started!
Blaze Falcon: Get ready for the feels, man. I actually teared up at parts when writing this, though maybe that's a sign of me being a wimp, haha. And the new addition will be a Gliscor, because I absolutely love them and wanted to put one on Owen's team. I didn't only because his Sinnoh team would've mirrored Ash's
MCMXCV: Thank you! And I looked up a list of the strongest poison types, so that's how I picked the team, lol. Also, I'm glad you talked about Grassy Terrain being used correctly, because I wanted to show how much Gray is improving as a trainer! Adding to your response to the question, she also isn't badass like the rest of Gray's Pokemon, so there's another example of how she doesn't fit in
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 39, Power Gem, Feint Attack, Bite, Metal Claw, Pay Day*, Slash* - (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 36, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort*, Protect* - (Chingling)
Fortis, (m), level 45, Dragon Claw, Feint Attack, Dragon Breath, Earth Power, Hyper Beam*, Earthquake* - (Flygon)
Decorus, (f), level 40, Vine Whip, Moonblast, Psychic, Magical Leaf, Grassy Terrain*, Petal Blizzard* - (Florges)
"Only three to go, guys," Gray said to her Pokemon while they were sitting outside the Pokemon Center relaxing. After their difficult battle with Ketsu, Gray figured her Pokemon deserved a break, especially after half of them were poisoned. All six Pokemon gathered around Gray and looked down at her badge case while smiling. There were only three spots remaining in the box, and all six Pokemon were set on getting them.
"So what's the next Gym we're going to?" Leviculus inquired while stretching his arms over his head after yawning.
"Saffron City, my hometown," Gray replied with a smile.
"Wait, we get to see the place you grew up in? This is going to be so cool!" Magna screamed while jumping up and down, making Gray and the others laugh.
"Well, Durus is from there too, I think. It's a really big city with a bunch of people, traffic, and stores. There's always something to do there," Gray told the five Pokemon that hadn't visited Saffron City. "Plus, the Gym Leader there specialized in psychic types, so we're going to have a tough time."
"Please, no psychic type is going to slow me down, except for Magna," Durus replied confidently.
"Yeah, and besides, we're really strong now, so the Gym Leaders need to worry about us!" Fidens exclaimed, leading to a bunch of cheers from the others. "Wait, let's check out ranking on the Indigo League website!" Fidens suggested. Gray happily obliged while her Pokemon waited in suspense, and she dropped her Pokedex when she saw the ranking.
"What's wrong? Are we lower than before?" Fortis asked nervously.
"No, it's the opposite. Right now we're forty out of three hundred!" Decorus screamed before running around excitedly. Fortis followed Decorus' lead, and the two ended up hugging before awkwardly pulling away in embarrassment, though no one seemed to notice.
"It's about time we got some respect," Durus opined as she handed Gray the Pokedex. "I mean, we already have five badges, and we've been kicking butt left and right... except against Marcus last week," the normal type muttered as she remember losing to the teen's Lucario.
"Look, guys, we shouldn't be focusing on our ranking. What we should be doing is taking the day off, and then we can talk about where we're seeded when we get to the Indigo League," Gray said aloud, which was met with support.
"You're right. Let's kick back and relax," Fortis said as he walked over to a chair and prepared to sit down. He didn't, however, when a flock of Fearow flew overhead and began squawking.
"That's weird," Chase muttered. "Fearow don't like flying in cities," the teen continued.
"Maybe something's going on outside Fuchsia?" Audino suggested, not knowing what could possibly bring Fearow to a city. Before any other assumptions could be made, the flock flew into the woods and disappeared from sight. When they did, loud squawks could be heard, which didn't belong to Fearow. No one knew what Pokemon it was, but it certainly wasn't a Fearow.
"Maybe we should go check it out, just incase someone's getting attacked," Tara suggested, which made everyone nod. "Come on, Scyther, let's go kick some Fearow butt!"
"Everyone, return," Gray called as she zapped all of her Pokemon except Fortis and Durus into their Pokeballs. The dragon type was already in the air and flying towards the forest, which was why he hadn't been recalled to his capsule, and Gray and Durus began running after Chase and Tara. After a few minutes of running, the trio of trainers arrived at the part of the woods the Fearow were occupying, and they saw a group of Doduo and Pidgey being attacked.
"Hey, leave them alone! Scyther, use Slash!" Scyther rushed forwards and began slashing at the gigantic birds, who cried in pain before flying away after getting hit.
"Audino, fire a Disarming Voice at the Fearow!" Audino ran over and shot a ray of pink energy at the flying types, but they quickly retaliated and swooped down to peck at Audino.
"Take this!" Suddenly, Gray, Chase, Tara, and their starters looked up to see Fortis crashing down and using Dragon Claw on all of the Fearow, who shrieked in pain before flying away in terror. When they left, Fortis flew over to the scared Pokemon and smiled at them. The dragon type then turned his translator off and began speaking to the group before walking over to Gray while shaking his head.
"What's wrong? Are they alright?" the gray eyed girl inquired worriedly as Fortis flipped his translator back on.
"Yeah they're fine, but those Fearow have been attacking them for the past month or so," Fortis answered. "They wanted to know if we could help them out and fight those things off," Fortis informed the three trainers, who nodded immediately. "Okay, I'll go tell them!" Fortis exclaimed before running over to the Pokemon and telling them the good news.
"You know, we might have an easier time if everyone helped out," Durus said to Gray, which led to the girl opening her four other Pokeballs. While that happened, Fortis walked over with the group of Pokemon and looked around seriously.
"I'm going to need some help rebuilding their habitats. Does anyone mind helping?" the Flygon asked.
"Fortis, we're all in," Gray said with a smile, making her Pokemon beam before he was dragged in the opposite direction. Everyone followed after him and they walked for a few minutes before arriving at a large, open field where there was a house. Aside from that, there were no manmade object, and the Doduo and Pidgey began knocking on the door of the house.
"I wonder if anyone lives in there?" Chase said to Tara, who shrugged in response. The door suddenly flew open and Chase screamed like a little girl, making Tara laugh while he blushed. Slowly, an old man walked outside and peered down at the massive group of Pokemon standing before him.
"Oh, are you all doing well? Don't tell me those damned Fearow came back," the man said, which made all the Pokemon nod. He cursed in response before looking up and seeing Gray, Chase, and Tara, which made him smile and walk over to them. "Who might you three be?"
"I'm Tara, and this is Scyther. Nice to meet you!" Tara greeted with a smile.
"The name's Chase, and this is my partner, Audino," Chase told the man before bowing with Audino.
"My name is Gray, and these are Durus and Fortis," Gray told the man while pointing at her Persian and Flygon. "We helped fight the Fearow off, and we're going to make sure they never mess with these Pokemon again."
"Well that's very admirable. My name is Ronald, and I've been working on the Pokemon Reservoir for sixty years," the old man said while petting one of the Doduo.
"Pokemon Reservoir?" Gray, Chase, and Tara asked in unison, making Ronald chuckle.
"That's right. This is where all of the wild Pokemon that aren't allowed to be capture live in harmony. All kinds of different species inhabit these parts, but this damned group of Fearow seem to be set on taking this over as their own land. We wouldn't have a problem moving, but there isn't anywhere else to move these Pokemon, so we've had to put up with the Fearow attacks." The man sighed before continuing. "They've actually killed a few innocent Pokemon around here, and there's nothing I can do about it."
"I'll put a stop to it," Fortis proclaimed, rage surging through his veins. "I won't let any of these defenseless Pokemon suffer at the hands of some bullies!" Fortis then shot a Dragon Breath into the air angrily before looking down at Ronald, the Doduo, and Pidgey. A horde of Rattata and Nidoran - both male and female - popped their heads out of the woods and stared at Fortis in awe, which made the dragon type blush.
"You're just the Pokemon we need. You three and all of your Pokemon can help out, too!" Ronal exclaimed. "Have you encountered the leader of the Fearow yet?" Everyone looked at each other in confusion, but the Pokemon that had been attacked shook their heads. "I see. Well, if you defeated the flock, I wouldn't be shocked if he came around in the next day or so. There nest is quite far away, so we should be safe until nightfall. If you'd like, you can stay in my house," Ronald offered graciously.
"Wow, thank you for the offer!" Chase exclaimed before shaking the man's hand. Ronald smiled in response and led the teens and Gray's Pokemon into the house, where they were escorted to a large guest room, which had five beds.
"Feel free to take a nap. I'll wake you all up if the Fearow come by."
"It's fine, I'll stay outside," Fortis informed Ronald before walking out of the room quickly. The teens and Pokemon stared at Fortis in shock before shaking off the incident. Gray, however, didn't. She knew why Fortis was acting the way she was, and she planned on talking to him about it.
000
The moon was high in the sky, and Kricketune began chirping. Fortis sat by himself in silence, surveying the area before he sat down and looked up at the night sky. A flashback of Chris kicking him crossed his mind, and he closed his eyes and hung his head fearfully, as if he were being hit at that very moment. The Flygon then felt a hand on his back, and he turned to see Gray behind him with a smile.
"I figured you'd still be out here. It's almost three, you might want to get some sleep for tomorrow. I don't think any of the Fearow are going to come, especially when all of the Pokemon around here are asleep." Fortis turned away from his trainer and stared back into the sky, which made Gray's heart ache. The girl sat down next to Fortis on the rock he was resting on, and he moved to make space for the girl.
"Look, I know you want to help these Pokemon because you don't want anyone going through what you did," Gray whispered, thinking she'd offend her Pokemon if she spoke at a normal tone. The Flygon turned and looked down at his trainer before hanging his head, but he quickly looked up in anger.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't see what's wrong with that," Fortis spat while glaring at Gray, thinking the girl was attacking him.
"Nothing at all. I think it's really valiant, and I just wanted to let you know that I didn't forget about our talk, that's all," Gray replied with a smile, which made Fortis' rage wash away. "I'm actually really proud of you for standing up for them." Fortis smiled at the kind words and rested his head on top of Gray's, making the girl smile.
"Thanks, Gray, that means a lot." The dragon type then lifted his head and looked at the trees before sighing dreamily. "I don't know what it is about this place, but there's something comforting about it. It's like I was meant to find this place." Gray looked over at Fortis and stared at the Pokemon in shock, not knowing he had felt so strongly about the whole situation. "I feel that it's my job to protect these Pokemon, you know? Like how you wanted to become a trainer, that's what I'm feeling."
"Wow, I never knew that, Fortis." Gray closed her mouth and looked at the moon silently. "Now how about we go to bed? We've got a long day ahead of us, even if the Fearow don't come back."
"You're right," Fortis admitted before standing up and smiling at Gray. "Thanks for listening." Gray nodded in response, and the two walked back into Ronald's house side by side.
000
Gray slowly rubbed her eyes while sitting outside with Chase and Tara, who looked to be well rested.
"Are you okay, Gray? You look awful," Tara asked in concern. Gray nodded in response and waved off the concerns before yawning in exhaustion. She had been up all night thinking about what Fortis had said, and his words had stuck with her, making it impossible to sleep.
"Well, that's good, because we're going to need you when we fight those Fearow," Ronald said as he walked out of his house with a smile. Gray smiled back and nodded at the elderly man before watching her Pokemon converse. Durus and Leviculus were busy keeping the reservoir Pokemon preoccupied, while Decorus and Fortis were talking about something. Magna and Fidens, meanwhile, were sitting in a tree flirting, which was always funny to watch.
"Row!" Everyone hopped up when dozens of Fearow cries filled the air. All of the Pokemon living in the reservoir looked around in horror before bolting towards the house, where they cowered in fear. Gray's Pokemon, meanwhile, ran over to them and acted as a wall, along with Scyther and Audino, while Fortis stayed by himself and waited for the leader of the flock to appear.
In the blink of an eye, several dozen Fearow descended like missiles and attempted to stab the Pokemon with their beaks, but Leviculus stepped forwards and began blasting them with several Water Gun attacks. Durus, meanwhile, used Pay Day, Fidens used Dragon Breath, Magna continued using Uproar, and Decorus alternated between grabbing the Fearow with Vine Whip and throwing them into each other with Psychic.
"Keep it up, you guys!" Tara cheered while the Fearow that had been hit all charged. Durus happily engaged in close combat alongside Leviculus, and they didn't have much of a problem fending the Fearow off.
"FEAROW!" Everyone, including the flock of Fearow, stopped what they were doing and they stared into the sky. An enormous bird dropped down and landed on the ground before squawking at a deafening pitch, which made everyone's ears ring. The Fearow was significantly bigger than the others, and it had several scars over its body.
"That there is the leader," Ronald whispered to the teens, who froze in fear. "That thing's only been by these parts twice, and both times resulted in ridiculous fatality rates." Hearing this, Gray angrily walked off the porch and towards the Fearow, who turned to her and charged without warning.
"Gray, look out!" Chase and Tara screamed in unison. The brunette closed her eyes and screamed, but she took her arm away from her face when she saw the Fearow had been sent twenty feet away. Fortis was standing in front of Gray, and the dragon type didn't look away from the Fearow that had nearly killed his trainer.
"Fortis, Ronald said that one's the leader. If we can beat it, then he'll never come back here again," Gray whispered, which made Fortis nod and switch his translator off.
"Gon-Fly-Fly!" the Flygon shouted angrily while pointing at the lead Fearow. Slowly, the large bird rose to its feet and squawked savagely, making Fortis glare in response. "Flygon!" he shouted before flicking his translator back on. Before Gray could say anything, Fortis continued. "I'm going to make sure he never flies again!" With that, Fortis took to the air and flew straight towards the Fearow.
"Dragon Claw, Fortis!" Gray commanded. Fortis grew large neon claws from his fingers and attempted to slash the Fearow, but it managed to dodge all of his slashes. As Fortis continued to blindly swing at his opponent, Fearow began laughing before taking to the sky, which infuriated Fortis. Before he could fly after Fearow, the normal type descended while its beak was glowing white, and he was spinning like a drill.
"Dodge it and use Dragon Breath!" Fortis attempted to evade the attack, but his right wing was clipped, making him grunt in pain. As Fearow attempted to fly away, Fortis managed to snipe his target with a long-range wave of green fire that charred the bird to a crisp. Everyone began cheering for Fortis and he attempted to fly towards Fearow, but couldn't due to his right wing being injured.
"Fe-Row!" Fortis watched as his opponent shot into the air once again and started to descend while spinning like a drill. Gray watched as Fortis didn't even try to move out of the way, and instead he reared his head back while charging an attack. Suddenly, a blast of orange energy shot out of Fortis' mouth, but Fearow dodged the attack and slammed into him.
"Fortis, no!" Gray cried as she tried running towards her injured Pokemon. She stopped, however, when Fearow got up and flew towards her once again. The girl prepared to duck away from the attack, but she didn't have to, as Fearow was frozen dead in his tracks. Gray turned to see why and saw Decorus walking forward while holding her right arm in the air, and her eyes were glowing blue. The fairy type then slammed the Fearow into the ground, and it squawked angrily before charging at Decorus.
"Wrap his beak shut with Vine Whip!" Two vines shot out of Decorus' neck and wrapped around Fearow's beak, but that didn't stop the flying type from attacking. Much to her dismay, Gray watched as Fearow began to swing his neck around, which made Decorus fly around like a bag in the wind. Fearow then threw his head towards the ground, and Decorus was slammed against the grass powerfully. When that happened, Fortis angrily flew over and tackled Fearow from behind. The flying type attempted to get up, but Fortis pinned him to the ground and stared right into the evil Pokemon's eyes crazily.
"Fortis, what are you doing?" Gray asked the dragon and ground type as he grabbed both of Fearow's wings and began to bend them in ways they shouldn't have been able to. The normal type let out a horrifying scream, but that didn't stop Fortis from attempting to break his wings. "Fortis, STOP!" Gray screamed while running over to her Pokemon. Fortis looked up and saw the girl looking at him in terror, and the he looked down at the Fearow he was ripping apart before standing up and turning his back to Gray. The Flygon then hung his head in disgust, and refused to look Gray in the eyes.
"Fear!" Fearow squawked before getting up and attempted to stab Fortis. The dragon type turned around just in the nick of time and grabbed Fearow by the beak. He then grabbed a hold of the bird's neck and began slamming him against the ground like a bat. After several vicious whacks, Fortis hurled Fearow into the air and looked at Gray, waiting for her to issue the final command.
"Hyper Beam!" Fortis reared his head back before unleashing a blast of orange energy that struck Fearow and exploded on contact, launching the bird fifty feet away. When Fearow hit the ground, Fortis turned around to face the other smaller Fearow, and they immediately took off, which put a big smile on his face. The leader of the Fearow was lying on the ground, battered and bruised, and there was absolutely no chance he'd bother the Pokemon Reservoir again, at least not as long as Fortis would be around.
The Pokemon that lived in the reservoir suddenly ran over to Fortis and began to cheer and thank him for his heroic acts, and he blushed at the attention before laughing and talking with all of the Pokemon.
Gray smiled at the beautiful sight and walked over to Decorus and helping her up. The girl thanked her Pokemon for the backup and they walked back to the rest of the group, who was watching Fortis be hailed as a hero, which made everyone smile. Gray continued watching the scene before remembering the conversation she had with Fortis the night before.
"I don't know what it is about this place, but there's something comforting about it. It's like I was meant to find this place." The girl replayed the scene over and over again, each time growing more certain of what needed to be done. Slowly, Gray stepped forward and didn't turn back to face her friends or her five other Pokemon.
A lump began to form in her throat with each step she took, and Gray began to look down at the ground.
"This might be where Fortis is meant to be. All of these Pokemon need him, and his goal from the very beginning was to protect Pokemon from going through the stuff he had to," she thought to herself.
Once she reached made her way through the crowd and reached Fortis, Gray pushed a strand of her brown hair out of her gray eyes before she looked up. The winged Pokemon smiled at Gray proudly, thinking his trainer was about to congratulate him on defeating the leader of the flock. She didn't, however, and Fortis waited for his trainer to speak. Meanwhile, the Pokemon he had protected decided to give Gray some space and watched from afar, waiting to see what was about to happen. For some reason, there was an ominous aura in the air, and a knot began to form in Gray's stomach as she tried to will herself to speak.
"Fortis..." Gray started, her voice trailing off quickly as the knot in her stomach made its presence known. The dragon and ground type eyed his trainer intently, confused about why she sounded like she was about to cry. "You were incredible. Helping all of these Pokemon keep their habitats safe from that flock of Fearow, it made me think," the sixteen year old said to the powerful Pokemon, who continued to stare at his trainer even though she was looking at the ground. Slowly, Gray raised her head and looked into her Pokemon's large, red eyes. "Maybe you'd be happier here." The girl's heart dropped as a crushed look appeared on Fortis' face. She then began to cry into her arm uncontrollably while Fortis stood still.
A collective gasp from Gray's Pokemon, Chase, Tara, and their Pokemon followed the girl's words, and they stood in silence. Fortis, meanwhile, seemed perplexed, and rather offended by the thought, so he spoke up.
"Gray," Fortis replied, clearing his throat before continuing. "I'm happy being with you and the others, too! Sure, I had fun being here, but I don't need to be in this environment to be happy," the dragon type informed his trainer. "Plus, I evolved! That means I'm only going to do better, and I want to help you become champion," Fortis continued while looking at Gray, who shook her head, tears rolling down her face, almost as if a dam had broken.
"I know you don't need to be here to be happy, but you need to be here to protect all of these Pokemon, and the reservoir in general." The knot in Gray's stomach grew with each word that escaped her mouth, and she broke down crying. Fortis watched the emotional girl and he turned away from her, not wanting to cry himself. "Besides, didn't you tell me it felt like you were meant to be here?" Fortis' eyes widened in shock as he remembered saying those exact words when he had talked to Gray the night before. "I know this is difficult, Fortis, but you need to stay here."
Sad Piano Music - Isolation (Original Composition) begins to play
Gray's Pokemon continued to watch in shock from afar, refusing to move because they didn't want to intrude. All five of the Pokemon glanced at each other before looking back at their trainer, and the friend they had grown up with.
"Please, don't leave me here," the Flygon begged, hanging his head while tearing up. "I... I don't want to leave you!" Fortis shouted before looking up at Gray, who was crying silently. He continued staring at his trainer, whom he had grown to love since being taken in by her. They had been through so much together, whether it be Gym Battles, helping the other Pokemon, or sharing an unbreakable bond, the two had become so close it was almost as if they were one soul.
"You saved my life!" The girl continued to look at the ground and bawl, but she wiped her eyes with her arm and looked up at the Pokemon standing before her. Instead of seeing a powerful Flygon, Gray saw a tiny Trapinch staring at her while crying. To say Fortis had come far since joining was an understatement, and the girl began remembering all the time they spent together. His first Gym Battle, the speech he gave about being a family, both times he evolved... all of that had happened up until this point.
Slowly, a smile spread across her face, and Gray sniffled once again.
"I don't want you to leave either, but you'll be happy here with all of the Pokemon and Ronald." Fortis shook his head adamantly, but stopped when he felt Gray's hand fall on his head. "We've been through so much together, Fortis, and I'm never going to forget you. You grew up so fast and reached your goals of wanting to protect suffering Pokemon, and it's hard to believe I was lucky enough to meet you." The girl began sobbing once again, and Fortis started to cry, too. Suddenly, the trainer and her Pokemon embraced, crying together while everyone watched. Neither of them cared about what the spectators were thinking, as they were so overwhelmed by their goodbyes. What they didn't realize was that everyone who was watching had started crying, except Decorus, who was holding back her emotions.
As they continued to hug, Fortis could feel the pain Gray was going through, and that was when he knew her decision was final. There was no point in fighting with her, because it would only make the split that much more difficult. When Fortis looked down at Gray, tears rolling down his face, that's when he realized Gray wasn't trying to get rid of him. No, she was trying to do what was best for him. There were no ill intentions like his previous trainers. She sincerely wanted him to do well and be in the best situation possible.
"I'm going to miss you, Gray," Fortis whispered as his tears fell on his trainer's head while he tried to come to grips with the fact that he wouldn't be traveling with his family any longer. The girl continued crying against her Pokemon's chest, and she started hugging him even tighter, knowing they weren't going to see each other again. The knot in her stomach only grew when she heard Fortis' words, and she nearly went back on her decision. Gray didn't, however, when she saw the Pokemon standing behind Fortis. She knew they needed someone to protect them, and Fortis was the perfect candidate.
"We're all going to miss you, too, Fortis." Gray stopped crying as she looked up at her Pokemon before kissing him on the head and hugging him once again. "I love you, and I'll always think of you." The waterworks picked up right where they left off, and the trainer began bawling along with the fully evolved Pokemon.
"Don't you dare forget about us, Fortis," Durus warned jokingly as she began walking forward with a pained smile. Fortis and Gray slowly pulled away from each other and turned to see Durus standing a few feet away, tears building in her eyes. Leviculus, Magna, and Fidens were also tearing up while Decorus continued to try and keep a stoic demeanor for the others. She couldn't, however, and she started to tear up. "We're always going to be family, no matter what. Remember that? You said that just before the Vermilion City Tournament, and you were right." Fortis slowly walked over and hugged the feline before she took a few steps back while wiping her eyes.
"That's right," Leviculus stated while wiping the tears out of his eyes just like Durus. "I'm proud to say I had the privilege of being your teammate, and family member." The two then hugged, and Leviculus stepped back while Fidens walked forward.
"Watching you get stronger than all of us, and bonding with you through good times and bad times is always going to stick with me. I'm going to miss you so much." The two winged Pokemon embraced for a much longer time than the others expected, but Fortis pulled away and moved on to Magna.
"You were always like a big brother to me, and I was never afraid of fighting someone because I knew you had my back no matter what." The bell leaped forward and hugged Fortis tightly before she hopped away and rested on Fidens' head, wailing. Slowly, Fortis moved on to Decorus, who seemed to be the most emotional of the lot, which was saying something considering the others were crying like babies, including Chase, Tara, Audino, and Scyther.
"I didn't get the pleasure of being with you as long as they did, but I'm never going to forget the times we spent together." The fairy type took a deep breath as she tried to regain her composure, and a knot formed in her stomach as she prepared to say her final words. "Ever since that night you convinced me to give everyone a chance, I started having these strange feelings, and it sucks that I didn't have the courage to do this until now..." Decorus looked up at Fortis and embraced him tightly before pecking him on the cheek, which made Fortis blush. "I promise I'll come back after the league is over."
"I... I didn't know you felt that way, Decorus," the Flygon said before embracing the Florges once again. "I'll be waiting, though." Decorus couldn't help but cry while nodding, and she was helped away by Durus until Fortis spoke again. "I want to see you all once the league is over. Don't be strangers," the dragon pleaded, though he tried to sound like he had accepted Gray's decision.
"Hey, Fortis, we're all gonna miss you, too," Chase said as he stepped forwards and hugged the winged Pokemon with Audino. Tara did the same thing along with Scyther, and the group began to step back from Fortis, who was suddenly surrounded by a bunch of Nidoran and Doduo. Seeing this as their cue to leave, Gray, Chase, Tara, and their Pokemon began to walk away from Fuchsia City while waving at Fortis, who waved back while crying, fighting the urge to chase after his trainer and teammates. As they started to slowly fade away, a little part of Fortis died on the inside, almost as if his dreams and relationships were being erased with each step Gray took. Each step she took made the distance between her and Fortis grow, their bond weakening.
"I love you, Fortis! Be safe!" Gray screamed before losing her cool once again and burying her face into her hands. Her five Pokemon had similar reactions, as they all continued to cry while heading for Saffron City, where their sixth badge was waiting. None of them dared to turn around and possibly run towards Fortis, and the dragon type understood their actions. He would've done the same thing if they had left someone else behind. Of course, that didn't take the sting out of their silence.
Once they reached the outskirts of Fuchsia City, Gray nearly fell to her knees, but she managed to stay upright with the help of Chase. Slowly, the girl turned back and her heart stopped when she couldn't see any part of Fuchsia City. The place was but a mere memory, just like Fortis.
The feels... oh the feels. To be honest, I teared up a little writing this, but I also had emotional music playing the entire time. So, Fortis was released, and I lied about that, so sorry! Aside from league placing, I'll answer everything honestly. I actually had this idea for a pretty long time (around halfway through Kalos) and was going to use it with Owen, but none of his Pokemon in Kalos had the story Fortis did, nor were they strong enough, though I guess you could say that Sawk went through this. Plus, I used Ash releasing Goodra as a reference at a few points (Gray and Fortis hugging and crying), so there's that, too. Next chapter will be the start of the Saffron City Arc, where Gray and her Pokemon will have to cope with the departure of Fortis in more ways than one. Till next time, peace out.
1) Thoughts on Fortis being released?
Next Chapter: "Doctor Chase Returns!": With Fuchsia City in the rearview mirror, the group arrives in Saffron City! Gray, however, is still devastated over Fortis' departure and doesn't want to do anything, prompting Chase to try and cheer her up. After stopping by Gray's mom's Adoption Center, Chase is forced to help a deathly sick Pokemon! Will he be able to save this Pokemon's life?
Saffron City Arc
Chapter 45: Saffron City Reunion
Chapter 46: Showdown with Sabrina
Chapter 47: Start the Saffron Tournament
Chapter 48: Cruise Control
Chapter 49: Settling the Saffron Score
Chapter 50: Undermanned?
Chapter 51: A Powerhouse Emerges!
Chapter 52: The Kanto Kids