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, Durus, and another Pokemon)
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 throws a Pokeball forwards and it opens)
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!
Alright, last chapter featured Sammy and Tracy returning, and Gray recaptured her passion for training. Now we've got her sixth Gym Battle, and it's going to be pretty lopsided. Let's get going!
Defender31415: Agreed. I didn't like writing about her being in a depressed state, so it'll be good to get back to Gym Battles and the upcoming tournament!
Blaze Falcon: You would be correct with them last appearing in either 3 or 4 (too lazy to check). And you're also right about Sabrina having a tough time with Gray's team, which will be pretty impressive
ShadowDragon9000: Totally understood, and it's not complaining I don't like writing short chapters, myself, but they serve their purpose in shifting the attention to other things going on. Lol, she's definitely getting into the tournament, but I can't tell you when the tournament ends, because that would ruin potentially spoil where Gray ends up placing
Trentavious Phoenix: I really like the idea of Owen being the one to talk to Gray, and I wish I could've come up with that on my own. I only had the problem solved so quickly because I didn't want the chapter to drag on
MerlockVonBaron: That could be interesting, but I don't plan on having her call Fortis back like Ash did with Charizard and Squirtle. I still haven't made the decision final, but I'm leaning strongly towards him not being called back by Gray for the league
CaptainPrice: Don't worry about it, and hopefully you're doing well! I totally agree that it was too rushed, which is another thing I have to work on. It's always difficult, at least for me, to make quiet chapters long enough to the point where the conflict can be resolved realistically, though I'm not sure why. Thanks for the review!
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)
Decorus, (f), level 40, Vine Whip, Moonblast, Psychic, Magical Leaf, Grassy Terrain*, Petal Blizzard* - (Florges)
"Are you ready, Durus? Everyone's going to be watching, so we need to put on a show!" Gray exclaimed while looking down at her starter, who grinned in response before speaking.
"Definitely! I'm gonna show 'em just how strong I am!" Gray grinned at the fiery words and the two walked out of her room and into the kitchen, where everyone was waiting. The large group quickly made their way out of the building and arrived at the Saffron Gym within minutes, as it was located close by.
"I can't wait to see how strong you two have become!" Sammy cheered.
"Yeah, the last time we saw you battling was against that jerk at Professor Oak's, so I'm ready to be wowed," Tracey commented.
Gray grinned eagerly before nodding and walking into the building, which was only one cramped room. A blue portal-like device was positioned in the middle of the room, and everyone walked over to it cautiously.
"What are we supposed to do?" Gray's mother asked before watching Billy walk forward. "Billy, what are you doing?" the woman inquired nervously.
Without a word, the twelve year old leaped though the device and disappeared, making everyone gasp in shock before running into the contraption and after Gray's little brother. In the blink of an eye, Gray and the others found themselves in a different room, and they were standing on a battlefield.
"That was so cool!" Billy yelled as he ran over to the group, only to be scolded by his mother. Meanwhile, a young woman was sitting in a chair at the top of a flight of stairs located at the other end of the battlefield. A man was sitting by her side, and they both walked down to the battlefield.
"I'm Gra-"
"Gray Plain. I knew you were coming, and all of you, too," the young woman said wile cutting Gray off, angering the sixteen year old. "You'd like to battle me so you can qualify for the upcoming tournament, your three Pokemon for the battle will be your Persian, Politoed, and Archeops, and you're wondering how I know this."
"I don't like her attitude," Durus whispered to Gray. "You might have to hold me back, otherwise I'm gonna rip her to shreds."
Everyone stood in silence before the girl laughed and smiled. "I'm a psychic, you see, and I have the ability to see into the future."
"So who's going to win the battle?" Billy asked obnoxiously, making Gray's mother smack him upside the head.
"Haha, me, of course," Sabrina answered. "Of course, I've had challengers that managed to change my visions, and hopefully you're one of them, Gray."
Gray stood in silence, not knowing whether to be mad about having her entire plan foiled by Sabrina within seconds, or happy that she thought she could win. Shaking off her conflicting emotions, Gray forced a smile and walked into her trainer box while everyone else moved into the stands, along with Decorus and Magna. While the crowd sat down, Sabrina stepped into her trainer box and so did Gray and Durus. The referee then hopped on top of his pedestal and raised his arms in the air as a holographic scoreboard was displayed to the wall left of Gray and straight across from the stands.
"This will be a three versus three battle between Gray Plain of Pallet Town, and Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City!" the referee announced as Gray's picture appeared on the scoreboard along with Sabrina's. Three smaller spots next to each trainers' picture popped up, which were for their Pokemon. "The battle will be over when all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle! Furthermore, only the challenger may substitute her Pokemon! Sabrina, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Of course. Xatu, let us predict victory!"
Gray covered her eyes from the light before moving her arm and seeing a tall green bird standing near Sabrina. Its wings were folded over its chest, and the strange Pokemon appeared to be staring straight through Gray's soul, which unnerved the girl. She was calmed, however, when she heard Magna cheering.
"Come on, Gray! You can win this!" Gray smiled at her Pokemon's words before grabbing a Pokeball off her belt and chucking it.
"Fidens, time to battle!"
The Archeops broke out of his Pokeball and squawked powerfully before making eye contact with Xatu, who had yet to blink since being released. The prehistoric Pokemon narrowed his eyes before turning back to Gray and Durus and nodding confidently, which made the pair grin.
"This should be a pretty even battle. Fidens has a clear advantage with his physical attacks and speed, but Xatu has the edge in special stats and defense," Chase said lowly to Audino and Musharna, both of whom were fixated on the battle.
"It doesn't matter, Gray's going to win this and then she'll be in the Saffron City Tournament," Sammy assured Chase and his Pokemon, who didn't seem to be calmed by the proclamation.
"This battle will be between Fidens and Xatu! Begin!"
"Fidens, use Quick Attack to set the pace!"
Gray commanded while pointing at Xatu, who remained as still as a statue. Fidens pumped his legs as quickly as he could before jumping in the air and spreading his wings. The rock type then zipped towards his opponent while a white streak of light trailed his body, and the attack landed. What shocked Gray and everyone else was the fact that Xatu didn't seem to take any damage from the attack, prompting Fidens to charge at his opponent.
"Blast Fidens away with Psybeam, Xatu!"
Sabrina shouted as Fidens prepared to jump once again. As soon as he did, Xatu opened his wings and shot a multicolored beam of energy and struck Fidens in the air, causing the prehistoric Pokemon to crash against the ground in pain. Before anyone could encourage him to stand, Fidens shot off the ground and charged once again.
"Let's try Acrobatics!"
Fidens grinned before kicking Xatu right in the face, and then he unleashed a barrage of wicked slaps and kicks. He finished the flurry of attacks with one final kick to Xatu's stomach, which knocked the psychic type onto its back, though it still didn't seem that Xatu had taken any damage, which began to get to Gray and Fidens.
"Don't hold anything back, Xatu! Jump high and use Ominous Wind!"
Xatu leaped in the air as high as he could and flapped his wings powerfully, creating a gust of purple wind. Not to be outdone, Gray quickly devised a strategy and smirked when she found one worthy of being implemented.
"Fidens, use Quick Attack to gain speed and then fly towards Xatu!"
Fidens sprinted at a speed he had never reached before and everyone gasped in shock before he sprung into the air after Xatu while opening his wings. Even Sabrina seemed shocked by the speed Fidens displayed, but she didn't sit back and allow Gray to attack because of it.
"Use Teleport to evade!" the Gym Leader countered as Fidens closed in on her now falling Pokemon.
"Crunch!" Gray screamed right after Sabrina.
Fidens shot his neck forwards and bit Xatu as hard as he could, but the Pokemon didn't make a sound. After letting go of his opponent, Fidens landed in front of Gray and prepared to attack again. He was shocked, however, to see Xatu fall flat on his face and lay on the ground without moving a muscle.
"Xatu is unable to battle! Sabrina, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thank you for the effort, Xatu," Sabrina said to the strange bird as his picture turned black.
The woman then looked up at Gray and Fidens with a fired up look in her eyes.
"Impressive. Few trainers have ever defeated one of my Pokemon so effortlessly."
"Thanks, Sabrina! We've been hard at work for this battle, so it's good to see it paid off!" Gray replied while bowing along with Fidens, making the young woman smile before throwing her second Pokeball.
"This is where we change the tide of momentum. Gallade, lead us to victory!"
Fidens smirked as his opponent appeared, and the fighting type maintained a stoic expression despite his nervousness.
"Wow, that looks like one strong Gallade," Tara opined before leaning forwards in her seat. "Hopefully Fidens can take him out, too."
"Or at least wear him out. Even though Fidens didn't take much damage, he exerted a lot with his attacks. Couple that with Gallade's strength, and this could be over pretty quickly," Gray's mother said.
"No way! Fidens will put this Gallade in his place and that's that!" Magna shouted, making Decorus, Scyther, Musharna, and Audino laugh while the humans looked on.
"This battle will be between Fidens and Gallade Begin!"
"Let's start this off with Ancient Power, Fidens!" Gray commanded as she punched her fist forwards.
Fidens slowly lifted his wings, and five boulders suddenly started to revolve around him. Fidens then threw his wings forwards and the boulders flew towards Gallade. Sabrina and her Pokemon weren't the slightest bit fazed by the attack, however, and they countered with little effort.
"Gallade, cut through the boulders with Leaf Blade and then strike!"
Gallade's arms began to glow green and he sprinted forwards, slashing at any of the boulders that got in his way. Each of them were destroyed by the elegant swings Gallade took, and the fighting type leaped forwards before slashing Fidens across the chest, making the flying type stumble back in pain.
"Answer back with Wing Attack, Fidens!" Gray commanded quickly.
Fidens' eyes shot open and he slapped Gallade with his glowing wings until the powerful Pokemon kicked him in the face, stopping Fidens' attacks cold while also providing Sabrina the perfect opportunity to attack.
"Psycho Cut!"
Gallade threw his arms forwards and a horizontal line of blue energy crashed into Fidens, who bounced across the battlefield before stopping facedown. Seeing the pain her Pokemon was in, Gray looked over at Durus, who was cheering for Fidens.
"Hang in there just a little longer, Fidens," Gray said to her first Pokemon, who nodded in acknowledgement as he rose to his feet. "Now fire away and use Dragon Breath!"
Fidens opened his mouth and released a green wave of fire that flew across the battlefield. The attack struck Gallade and pushed the bipedal Pokemon back a few feet, but he managed to escape by dropping to the ground and rolling to his right.
"Gallade, charge and use Close Combat!" Sabrina demanded.
Gallade popped back up immediately and sprinted towards Fidens, who was panting heavily. However, he smirked when he saw Gallade rushing towards him, and Fidens took off running. Gray grinned at her Pokemon's aggression before clearing her throat to issue another command.
"Intercept with Acrobatics, Fidens!"
Fidens leaped forwards and began swinging at Gallade. The two Pokemon started their assaults at the same time and began hitting each other back and forth until finally, Gallade grabbed ahold of Fidens wings, preventing the flying type from hitting him. Gallade then launched his knee into the bird's stomach. Fidens smacked against the ground harshly and his eyes were closed, making the ref raise his hands in the air.
"Fidens is unable to battle! Gray, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee shouted as Fidens' picture turned black.
"Awesome job, Fidens, you're doing a really good job of not giving up."
The girl withdrew her fainted Pokemon with a smile of pride before clipping his Pokeball back on her belt. Shortly afterwards, Gray took out her second Pokeball with a confident grin as she eyed Sabrina's Gallade.
"It's time for some close range fighting. Leviculus, I choose you!"
In a flash of light, Leviculus did a front flip out of his Pokeball and landed on the ground gracefully as he shot water out of his mouth almost like an exotic fountain, which made everyone laugh.
"Hmm... this should be a good fight," Decorus muttered as she watched Leviculus dance like a buffoon. "You better win, Leviculus."
"Hey, why didn't Gray choose Decorus? She'd be really good against Gallade," Tracey asked Chase and Tara, who shrugged and stared at the battlefield.
"I'm not exactly sure, but Gray keeps on surprising us with her picks in Gym Battles. It's not like this is a one time thing," Chase explained before patting both of his Pokemon on the head.
"This battle will be between Leviculus and Gallade! Begin!"
"Gallade, charge and land a Leaf Blade!"
Leviculus was caught off guard by his opponent's speed, and he was slashed by the super effective attack as a result. After rolling along the battlefield, Leviculus managed to recover and stand up straight, though he gripped his stomach in pain.
"Use Dig to retreat and follow it up with Rain Dance, Leviculus!"
Obeying his orders, Leviculus dug underground and a ball of water shot into the air. When it exploded, rain began to fall and Gallade looked at the raindrops, which was what Gray wanted. Suddenly, Leviculus popped out of the ground and delivered a devastating uppercut that knocked Gallade onto his back. The Politoed began to dance after the attack connected, which wasn't the smartest thing to do considering Gallade had gotten back on his feet.
"Stand strong, Gallade. Brick Break!"
Gallade's right fist turned white as he reared his arm back, and then it rocketed forwards. The fighting type smashed his fist into Leviculus' face, but the Politoed didn't back away from his foe.
"Hold on, Leviculus!" Gray shouted as her Pokemon took another punch to the face.
Leviculus suddenly threw his arms up like he was a boxer and he blocked each of Gallade's strikes before finding an opening, which Gray noticed at the same exact time. "Ice Punch!" Leviculus hurled his fist forwards while it was covered in icy energy and it landed on Gallade's stomach, forcing the psychic type a few inches back.
"Don't let him dictate the flow! Stay aggressive with Close Combat!"
Gallade retaliated immediately and prepared to unleash a series of devastating kicks and punches, but Gray issued the perfect and most unpredictable counter ever.
"Dance, Leviculus!"
As the rain continued to pour, Leviculus started to dance loosely, and he twirled away from Gallade's first punch, before backflipping away from a kick. Everyone stared at the ridiculous sight in awe before Billy stood up and shouted.
"How did Gray know to do that?" the twelve year old yelled in confusion. "That doesn't even make sense!"
Leviculus continued to evade each attempted attack, and Gray waited patiently until she knew it was the right time to strike.
"Leviculus, use Ice Punch when you get the chance!"
Leviculus nodded and his right fist was shrouded in icy energy. He continued dancing around, trying to avoid being hit, and he saw the perfect opportunity to strike when Gallade missed yet another kick. The water type lunged forward and hurled his fist at Gallade, who countered with a punch of his own. Both Pokemon struck each other in the face and were sent flying across the battlefield as a result. When they landed, both Pokemon were revealed to be unconscious, and their pictures on the scoreboard turned black.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Both sides must choose their final Pokemon!"
"Wow, that was a great battle, but now they're both down to their last Pokemon," Chase said before running his hands through his hair nervously.
"Yeah, and now it's all up to Durus to win this, which I hope she will," Sammy muttered while crossing her arms over her chest and sighing.
"Hopefully, but we also don't know who Sabrina's last Pokemon is. For all we know, it could be insanely strong," Tracey opined while looking around at the others.
"That could be true, but Durus won't back down from any challenge, no matter how strong her opponent is, so I think that could definitely get her the win," Tara told the others confidently.
"Wonderful job, Gallade, return," Sabrina said to the fainted Pokemon. "Now, it's time for my tump card. Alakazam, I need your assistance!" the Gym Leader yelled while releasing her third and final Pokemon from his Pokeball.
Gray watched as the spoon-wielding Pokemon appeared, hovering with its legs crossed. The Pokemon slowly landed on the ground and opened its eyes to glare at Gray and Durus.
"Great job, Leviculus, I think we found a new strategy to use," the girl said as she zapped her Politoed back into his Pokeball. "Durus, go get 'em!" Gray exclaimed as Durus ran forward with a confident look on her face before she hissing at Alakazam, who stuck his spoons out in response.
"This battle will be between Durus and Alakazam! Begin!"
"Durus, use Power Gem!"
Gray yelled while pointing at Alakazam. The red jewel on Durus' head turned white and blasts of energy were fired across the battlefield. Alakazam quickly slapped the attacks away with his spoons and they were shot back at Durus, who was struck by each of the blasts. The normal type angrily charged at Alakazam despite Gray's protesting, and she prepared to attack her opponent.
"Psychic,"
Sabrina ordered softly. Durus was suddenly hurled backwards while a light blue line of energy appeared around her body. After bouncing across the battlefield, Durus used her tail to launch her back onto her feet. Sensing her Pokemon's desire to dish out major damage, Gray thought of the perfect attack to use.
"Charge, Durus!"
Durus bounded across the battlefield and Alakazam attempted to use Psychic once again, but Gray and her Pokemon smirked, catching Sabrina and Alakazam off guard. "Feint Attack!" Durus disappeared before reappearing right in front of her opponent. She then smashed into the fully evolved Pokemon and sent him rolling across the battlefield with a pained expression.
"Use Psycho Cut, Alakazam!"
Sabrina shouted. The psychic type's spoons began to glow light blue before two horizontal lines of energy flew towards Durus, who grinned in response.
"Cut through those with Slash!"
Durus' claws began to grow and glow white, and she ran forwards. With a powerful swipe of her arms, Durus sliced the powerful psychic type attack, and she continued running.
"Pay Day!"
Durus suddenly stopped running and quickly shot a blast of gold energy from her mouth, which struck Alakazam, who fell on his back after feeling a wave of pain flow through his body.
"Alakazam, use Recover!" Sabrina yelled in desperation as her Pokemon struggled to get on his feet.
Alakazam placed his spoons together and they started to glow yellow, but Gray and Durus were quick to react in an attempt to stop the move.
"Use Feint Attack again, Durus!"
Durus quickly rammed into Alakazam while her body was covered in swirling black energy, and Alakazam's Recover failed as he was sent flying into the air. Sabrina cursed under her breath until she saw her final Pokemon recover and land on his feet, though it was obvious he was nearing the end.
"Fire a Psycho Cut once more, Alakazam!"
"Dodge it and wrap this up with Slash!" Gray yelled.
Durus bolted towards Alakazam as he fired two horizontal lines of blue energy at her. With one vicious swipe of her left arm, Durus' claws destroyed the wicked psychic blasts. Then, she leaped in the air while Alakazam stared in disbelief, and Durus performed a devastating Slash attack that smashed Alakazam into the ground. When Durus returned to her trainer's side, she turned and grinned when she saw her opponent's eyes were closed.
"Alakazam is unable to battle! Gray and Durus are the winners!" the referee shouted while Alakazam's picture turned black.
Durus smiled as Gray knelt down and hugged her tightly.
"Way to go, Durus! I knew you could do it!" the victorious trainer exclaimed.
"Thanks, Gray!" the feline replied with a smile before turning around to see Sabrina standing in front of her with a proud grin.
"I'd like to think I had an off day, but you owned the battle from the start. Congratulations on your win, and here is the Marsh Badge. With this, you are now qualified for the Saffron City Tournament, where I know you'll do well," Sabrina said to Gray before bowing out of respect for the younger girl.
"Thank you so much, Sabrina! My Pokemon and I put it all on the line."
The Gym Leader nodded at the response before a blue portal appeared in front of Gray and the others, who stepped through it while waving to Sabrina. Once they did, they appeared in front of the gym and Gray held out the circular piece of yellow metal proudly.
"Now it's time to win the Saffron City Tournament!"
Damn, Gray managed to pull of the win with the help of Fidens, Leviculus, and Durus, and she is now eligible to enter the Saffron City Tournament! Next chapter will be the introduction to the tournament along with the rules, and Gray meeting up with her rivals. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Start the Saffron Tournament": The introduction to the Saffron City Tournament has arrived, and Gray plans on taking first place. Of course, it won't be that easy as she'll have to navigate her way past her rivals. Will Gray be able to win the tournament?
Saffron City Arc
Chapter 48: Cruise Control
Chapter 49: Settling the Saffron Score
Chapter 50: Undermanned?
Chapter 51: A Powerhouse Emerges!
Chapter 52: The Kanto Kids