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!
After Durus' dominant win over Sabrina's Alakazam, Gray is now eligible to enter the Saffron City Tournament, and she has six badges! That's right, we're nearing the end of Gray's badge hunt, but Team Purity's going to stir up some chaos! Anyways, it's time for the introduction to the Saffron City Tournament! This is going to be a lot better and more intense than the Vermilion City Tournament, so hold onto your hats! Gray's going to be making some noise in this one, so let's get going!
CaptainPrice: Thank you! I always really liked the idea of the teleportation pads, but they were such a pain in the games, and so was Sabrina! I don't know how many times I had to go back and grind after losing to her in the originals, since Psychic types were freakishly OP
Blaze Falcon: I count ties as wins, too, due to the Pokemon getting a level boost. Her finishing in the top 4 would be a really good way to show how far Gray has progressed, and I think you'll be surprised with how well she does
ShadowDragon9000: Close battles are always the most fun (hence my constant writing of them), and you would be correct in that the tournament starts this chapter. There will definitely be some good battles, and it'll definitely help Gray's Pokemon gain some levels
Defender31415: Yeah, I always thought Sabrina was better suited in that jerk role, given how strong she was in the originals. Maybe it's my pent up rage from losing so much (it totally is), but it's fun having the Gym Leaders show differing personalities
Trentavious Phoenix: Thanks, and none of the Gym Leaders will use Mega Evolution, only because I already wrote the battles. That could be a very interesting idea if I do another story (which I'm on the fence about, atm), and it's something I'll definitely keep in mind. You're also right that Trent wasn't the one that started the fight XD
MCMXCV: Thank you! I never liked her, just because she always kicked my ass, but I can see why she's likable. As for the winner of the tournament, you'll be surprised. That's all I can say ;)
Not A Trollface (guest): At this point, anything's a possibility. I considered replacing him with a Bagon, but there are a few reasons I'm no longer a fan of that idea. I don't know when I'll add in his replacement, so that's all I can say :/
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 42, Power Gem, Feint Attack, Bite, Metal Claw, Pay Day*, Slash* - (Persian)
Leviculus, (m), level 38, Water Gun, Dig, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Mega Kick*, Ice Punch* - (Politoed)
Fidens, (m), level 40, 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)
"So, Decorus is the only Pokemon you really caught?" Gray's mother asked as her daughter chowed down on her lunch. Gray had just returned from signing up for the tournament, and she decided she was finally ready to start talking about her Pokemon once again.
"Pretty much. Leviculus saved Durus and me from getting attacked by a group of Mankey, Fidens joined after we helped him beat his leader, Magna joined when I saw how strong she was, thanks to Fidens pointing it out, and Decorus was destroying Celadon City, so I had to catch her," Gray explained, briefly summarizing each of the captures.
"That's boring!" Billy shouted with food in his mouth, which flew everywhere as a result. "You should've battled some other Pokemon and caught more! That's what Owen Plateau did! I'd know because I watched the documentary about him," the twelve year old bragged, making Gray growl while her mother sweat dropped.
"Well Owen knows who I am, and not you, so shut up!" Gray yelled.
"Why does this always happen?" the mother asked aloud, which made Gray's Pokemon laugh while her children continued to bicker. "Gray, Billy, maybe you should both... how do I say this kindly? Shut your mouths and eat the meal I made?" With that, the two kids sat down and ate in silence until Gray finished and stood up.
"I'm gonna head over to Chase's. We're checking out the stadium before the whole introduction tonight," Gray announced as she washed her plate and put it in the sink before withdrawing all of her Pokemon except Durus. "I'll see you guys later!"
000
"So this is the stadium," Durus said while walking up to the colossal building. "It's definitely bigger than the one in Vermilion City."
Gray, Chase, and Tara nodded in agreement before Tracey and Sammy started taking pictures of the stadium.
"I can't believe you get to battle in here! That's so cool!" the black haired girl said before turning to Gray, who shrugged in response. "Hey, isn't it true that if you win you're given the credit of three badges?"
"Yeah, but I'd still challenge the Gym Leaders regardless of me winning. My Pokemon and I need to train, so winning this wouldn't really do anything other than put us in a higher seed for the Indigo League," Gray answered.
"You say that now, but if you win, there's no way you're going to challenge the other gyms," Tracey told Gray with a smile.
"Well she won't need to make that decision, because I'm in it to win it!"
The group of five turned to see Marcus walking over with his Lucario by his side, and he smiled at his rival and her traveling companions.
"It's good seeing you guys again!" Marcus exclaimed as the group began walking into the stadium.
"Nice to see you again, Durus," Lucario said before bowing. Durus bowed in response with a smile, and the two Pokemon began to talk while Gray introduced Marcus to the twins.
"It's nice seeing you, too, Marcus," Gray replied with a smile. "By the way, these are my friends, Sammy and Tracey. Guys, this is Marcus. He's a really strong trainer and one of my rivals."
"One of? You mean you have more than one rival?" Sammy asked as the group walked into the trainer room, making Marcus laugh while Gray rolled her eyes.
"That's right," another voice said, once again grabbing the attention of the group.
This time, it was Savannah that appeared, and she walked over with her Wigglytuff, who looked as strong as ever.
"And I'm the one that she has to look out for."
"Yeah, we're gonna win the tournament," Wigglytuff proclaimed confidently with a grin.
Lucario and Durus, meanwhile, weren't going to backdown from the pink Pokemon, and they stepped forwards before arguing with Wigglytuff. Gray shook her head at her starter's reaction while Marcus laughed at Lucario.
"Hey, Savannah! How have things been?" Tara asked the girl with a smile.
"Good, thanks. After our last battle, I made sure to train as hard as possible so that we won't lose again," the short girl told Gray with a grin.
"I'd like to see you try," Gray shot back playfully. "Oh, Savannah, these are my friends, Sammy and Tracey. Guys, this is Savannah, she's another one of my rivals," Gray informed Sammy and Tracey, who crossed their arms at Gray's choice of words.
"You said one of again," the twins muttered.
"Wait, Trentavious isn't here?" Marcus inquired.
Gray, Chase, and Tara shook their heads and the boy cheered in response, making everyone laugh.
"Good, I don't like that guy one bit," Marcus continued while shaking his head. "There's just something about him that isn't right," he added before shaking his head in disgust.
"Yeah, but he's a really strong trainer," Savannah replied, making Marcus scowl.
Reluctantly, the teen nodded and group sat down at a table in the trainer room, where people were beginning to enter.
"He made it to the semifinals back in Vermilion City, and I'd imagine he's been training just as hard, if not harder. He's definitely someone to watch out for if he's in this tournament."
"Yeah, who knows what he's got up his sleeve. I mean, his Pokemon are just so strong, and he's really smart, too," Gray opined before shaking her head at the thought of her loss to him in the second round of the Vermilion City Tournament. "I remember he told me that I was holding my Pokemon back, and I'm going to prove him wrong!"
"Is that so?" Gray spun around, immediately recognizing the boy's voice.
Trentavious stood a few feet away and had a cocky smirk on his face. Tracey and Sammy had chills run down their spines as the older teen walked over, and he stood next to Gray and Marcus, who glared at him in response.
"I hope you worked on your training skills, Gray, because I'm going to crush you if you didn't," the teen muttered before looking over at Marcus and Savannah. "As for you two, make sure you stay out of my way."
"Why? Are you scared?" Savannah taunted, making Trentavious laugh.
Wigglytuff quickly ran to her trainer's side and glared at the arrogant trainer standing in front of her, but he wasn't the slightest bit intimidated, which angered the fairy type even more.
"Of you? Pfft, don't flatter yourself. That Wigglytuff of yours doesn't stand a chance against the might of my Pokemon," Trent shot back, making Wigglytuff steam.
Durus and Lucario held the normal type back, and Trent's attention immediately went to Marcus' Lucario.
"Hmm... maybe you're actually worth my time," Trent said to Marcus, who didn't know how to take the comment, as Trentavious had just badmouthed Savannah, who was glaring at the seventeen year old.
"Talk's cheap," Lucario replied, making Trent smirk.
"I like your attitude. If we battle, you better bring it."
With that, Trent began to walk away, but he stopped and glared at Sammy, who froze up.
"And don't think I forgot about you. I'll prove you wrong and show just how strong I can be!" Trent stormed away, cursing wildly, but no one made a big deal about it, as they had come to expect foul things from him.
"He can not win this," Durus said to the two other Pokemon, who nodded in agreement before shaking their heads in disgust. "I'm gonna make sure he doesn't, I promise you that."
As soon as Durus finished talking to Lucario and Wigglytuff, a person walked into the room and motioned for all of the trainers to appear on the battlefield, so Gray, Marcus, and Savannah got up with their Pokemon and exited the trainer room.
000
"Welcome, everyone, to the first ever Saffron City Tournament!" An explosion of applause filled the packed stadium, and the announcer motioned for everyone to quiet down as he laughed, which worked. "As most of you know, this tournament is sponsored by the Indigo League, and the winner will receive credit for winning three badges, though everyone here already has six, so the winner will automatically qualify for the Indigo League!"
The announcer quickly took a breath and immediately went back to speaking before the crowd could cheer.
"There are 64 trainers entered in this competition, and the bracket will be randomly generated in order to spice things up a bit. Of course, we advise trainers to see where they're ranked on the league website."
"Man, I haven't checked those since the last tournament," Marcus muttered sheepishly while rubbing his neck, making Gray and Savannah laugh.
"Now, allow me to explain the format of the tournament. The first round will consist of two versus two battles, the second and third rounds will be three versus three, and the full battles will begin in the quarterfinals! Now, let's take a look at the bracket!" the announcer screamed before pointing at a scoreboard.
Suddenly, it flashed on and Gray instantly found her picture. She was in the top left portion of the bracket, and was ranked where an eight seed would be, while Trent was one spot above her, which caught Gray and her rivals off guard.
"Oh my god," Savannah muttered in shock. "If both of you win your first round battles, you'll be facing off in the second round again!"
The girl then found her picture, and saw she was where a six seed would be in the same bracket as Gray and Trent, which made her frown.
"Great, if I get to the top 16, I face either you or Trent."
"Where the hell am I?" Marcus shouted while looking for his picture before finally spotting it. He was in the group below Gray's and Savannah's, and he was in the place of a nine seed, which made him cheer. "I don't have to battle any of you!"
"That's ludicrous." Wigglytuff spat in disgust before extending both of her hands to Durus and Lucario, who then extended both of their hands so that they all shook at the same time. "Best of luck, you two. You'll need it."
Alright, I have an important notice in regards to the ending of this story (which I have typed and finished), and this will take place of the usual recap. The Purity Arc was originally supposed to be after the league, but due to a new idea, I've decided to delay it dramatically. Please, don't think it's a lack of motivation on my part, I just love the path I can take with this, and I know I have a crap ton of time that I originally didn't expect to have (this was supposed to be done by January of next year). With all that being said, I can confirm a followup to this story that will take place in Johto. I'm not sure if Gray will be hunting for badges or it'll be a new character, but this story, and Team Purity, will continue. Thanks for reading, and till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Cruise Control": The opening round of the Saffron City Tournament has arrived, and Gray is looking to prove how much stronger she's become. Will she be able to win and advance to the top 32?
Saffron City Arc
Chapter 49: Settling the Saffron Score
Chapter 50: Undermanned?
Chapter 51: A Powerhouse Emerges!
Chapter 52: The Kanto Kids